Fridge pages are Spoilers Off by default, so all entries have been folderized as a security measure. Proceed with caution. You Have Been Warned!
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Fridge Brilliance
- Pikachu's Vacation climaxes with Charizard stuck in a plastic tunnel with just about every other Pokémon there trying to pull him out; his firebreathing seemed useless until one realizes that he was trying to make the tunnel expand even slightly. That Charizard might not be as boneheaded as he looks!
- At least in the English dub, after hearing the recording about Mewtwo's origins, one of the Team Rocket members comments on how this all sounded like "Pokémon Frankenstein". Indeed, that's a very apt way of putting it. "Frankenstein" was a story about one man going against the natural order to create something new, only for the newly-born creation to go rampant out of a bitter lack of purpose or belonging. And what is this movie about? Exactly that! (The only difference is how the story ends.)
- The "fighting is wrong" message wears a little thin for a franchise that's often accused of glorifying dog fights. However, in this context, they're referring to Pokémon actively hurting each other rather than engaging in friendly competition. The message isn't "all fighting is wrong," it's "a Pokémon battle shouldn't be a fight to the death."
- Mewtwo's use of Pokémon was a comment on something: a deconstruction of competitive Pokémon training while also subconsciously seeking to become human, all because of his feelings of a lack of power in his life.
- Extending that, the first three movies were all deconstructions of the entire premise of Pokémon from different viewpoints. The first deconstructed Pokémon as battlers. The second deconstructed Pokémon as collectibles. And the third deconstructed Pokémon as companions and enablers, meaning not even Ash's perspective was safe from deconstruction.
- In the games, it is said that Mew only appears to those who are pure of heart. Its first appearance in public shows it saving Ash. Is it a wonder he is The Chosen One in the second movie?
- Mewtwo being the "strongest" Pokemon ever, when after several years it became a Memetic Badass than its power actually shows, and it's definitely not the most powerful Pokemon ever. Not only was this film released when five of the remaining six regions didn't exist yet (though Johto's games weren't yet released) and all of their unique Pokemon were somehow undiscovered in their own region (barring Unova), but the Psychic typing at the time was broken in a way that made it far too powerful, and Mewtwo is, of course, Psychic. This also handily explains why Shadow Ball did almost nothing to Mew- Ghost typing was miscoded originally and wasn't super effective to Psychic-types. Mewtwo was created to be the most powerful Kanto Pokemon (as the researchers were basing its power level on the only Pokemon they could- Kanto ones).
- During the Charizard vs Clone-izard battle, not once did the clone use Flamethrower against Ash's Charizard. It's not in the nature of Charizard as a species to flame a weaker opponent. Clone-izard knew it was stronger from the beginning and didn't consider Ash's Charizard worth its full effort.
- Fire attacks don't work well against Fire-type Pokémon. Clone-izard understands type matchups better than Ash's Charizard, showing that it's not just stronger — it's smarter.
- So if Meowth can talk like a human, why can't Clone Meowth? Because it's not an innate ability. Meowth had to learn the old-fashioned way, so Clone Meowth would also have to. (Though he might have inherited certain traits from his progenitor that can help him learn more easily, such as intelligence and an ability to imitate humans.)
- Mewtwo's purpose is basically an entire case of Screw Destiny in and of itself before we even see what purpose he has by the end of the film. Why? Giovanni wasn't lying to him about his purpose prior to his escape. Giovanni commissioned Mewtwo's creation for usage as his personal whipping boy for Team Rocket, nothing more, nothing less. Mewtwo didn't like the idea and rejected it, and instead found his own purpose solely by rejecting his original one entirely. Now having an army of cloned Pokémon under his reign, Mewtwo originally desired to overthrow mankind because he being tired of seeing Pokémon treated like slaves (and his own clone superiority complex). When Ash redeemed him by showcasing that not all humans are bad and that life is worth living and not fighting to the death over, and no longer wishing for anyone to be injured any further, he takes his clone army away into the sky to take them all somewhere safe to eventually later serve as their protector.
- Everyone points out that one of the trainers calls his Pidgeot Pidgeotto. But think about it. If you've had a friend around for a long time whose gone through a series of names, wouldn't it be possible for you to accidentally slip into one of their old names? That Trainer probably had his Pidgeot since it was a Pidgeotto, and just called it that by accident.
- Mewtwo blocks all of the Pokemon from using any moves. Once a Pokemon runs out of moves, it uses Struggle, which is a weak attack that also damages the user. Hence the climatic is one big Struggle fest, where they hurt each other and themselves.
- To add to that, Pikachu refuses to fight, hence does not use Struggle. By the end of the fight, all the Pokemon are spent with only Pikachu left standing.
- Why are the cloned Pikachu's ears different from a standard Pikachu's? Likely because Ash disrupted the cloning process! Notably, the pattern on its ears, with the extra downward black spikes, resembles the pattern on Pichu's ears, adding to all the Generation II references in this movie and the Pikachu's Vacation short.
Fridge Horror
- Was Nurse Joy subconsciously in an And I Must Scream situation while possessed by Mewtwo?
- Team Rocket completely forgot about the important life lessons they learned about fighting, which could have perhaps bought them onto the side of good.
- Jessie, James and Meowth aren't inherently bad people just because of who they work for. Given their actions in the following movie, they still learn lessons, putting them more on Heel–Face Revolving Door terms.
- Ash released all of his Pokémon for the battle with Mewtwo, save Pidgeotto. This may imply that when Ash was turned to stone, so was Pidgeotto.
- In addition to the other Trainers who joined Ash on Mewtwo's island, we also see others departing to accept the challenge of "the strongest Pokémon Trainer". When Ash, his friends, and Team Rocket reach the island, these other Trainers are nowhere to be seen. What happened to them and their Pokémon?
- Upon Ash's Sacrifice all the Pokemon cry even Ash's rebellious Charizard. It's possible had Mewtwo not mind-wiped everybody Ash would've regained Charizard's loyalty one season earlier than he ended up doing and could've won (or at least gotten further) into the Indego Leauge considering Ash's elimination was caused by Charizard refusing to fight
