Mewtwo (SSB4)


 * Mewtwo Strikes Back!

Mewtwo (, Mewtwo) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. Its return to the series (erroneously calling it a "new fighter") was announced during the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U 50-Fact Extravaganza on October 23rd, 2014. Mewtwo is the first downloadable character in Super Smash Bros. history, and was made available on April 28th, 2015. However, it was made available at no cost as early as April 15th, 2015 for players who registered both and  on Club Nintendo by March 31st, 2015.

Rather than retaining as its voice actor from Melee, Mewtwo is now voiced by, who imitates some of the former's voice clips from Melee.

Mewtwo is ranked 10th out of 54 on the tier list, placing it in the A tier. This is a drastic improvement from its low-tier placement in Melee, where it was ranked 20th out of 26, and is its best placement in the series. Mewtwo boasts excellent mobility: in addition to retaining its very fast air speed, its walking and dashing speeds have become drastically faster, and it can now wall jump.

Mewtwo also possesses a flexible combo game. Its neutral attack is a very reliable jab cancel, even at high percentages, while its down tilt and fast falling up aerial both possess a variety of follow-ups at low to high percentages. Like in Melee, Mewtwo's grab game is potent: its forward throw is tied for the most damaging throw of its kind in the game, whereas its back and up throws are viable KOing options. Mewtwo also boasts a respectable number of potent KOing options: in addition its up and back throws, its smash attacks, forward aerial, and fully charged Shadow Ball each possess considerable power.

Lastly, most of Mewtwo's special moves also have improved utility. Fully charged Shadow Ball has a larger hitbox and longer range; Confusion now functions as a traditional reflector and now grants a small vertical boost when used in midair; and Disable's stun effect has a longer duration.

However, Mewtwo's infamous frailty has become even more pronounced, owing to its larger size and much lighter weight. This, in turn, is compounded by its slightly below-average frame data and slow double jump, which force it to rely on its neutral aerial, forward aerial, or Teleport to escape pressure more often than not.

After initially being a poorly perceived character upon its release, game updates significantly improved Mewtwo's viability over time. This has been reflected by players such as, , and consistently achieving high placings in competitive play, whose successes have helped Mewtwo achieve top-tier status as of SSB4's second tier list.

Attributes
Mewtwo is a character whose majority of attributes are unusually polarizing, with only its falling speed and gravity being average. It is tall, yet is the second lightest character in the game, being surpassed only by. By extension, Mewtwo's hurtbox has a deceptive size: although it is larger than in Melee, its model's adjusted z-axis position has resulted in its hurtbox ending approximately at its digits, ankles, and the base of its tail. As a result, the majority of Mewtwo's tail now lacks hurtboxes unlike in Melee, which makes all but the base of its tail immune to opposing hitboxes. However, its hurtbox will still extend slightly when it attacks, whereas its digits, ankles, and the base of its tail will leave their z-axis positions when it is in hitstun or while tumbling.

In regard to grounded mobility, Mewtwo's walking speed is tied with 's for the fifteenth fastest in the game, whereas its dashing speed is the seventh fastest in the game. However, its traction is also tied with Charizard's for the second lowest in the game. This polarization is also apparent with Mewtwo's aerial mobility: its air speed is the third fastest in the game, yet it has slow air acceleration, while its double jump is the highest in the game, yet accelerates slowly at its beginning. As a result of these attributes, landing and approaching safely can be difficult. Unlike in Melee, Mewtwo is capable of wall jumping.

Mewtwo's air game is highly potent. Its air dodge makes it disappear briefly and is the fastest one in the game, thanks to it concluding after 28 frames. Mewtwo's aerial moves boast impressive power thanks to their respectable damage outputs and very high knockback scaling, yet are also useful for partaking in combos. Neutral aerial's hitbox has a long duration, which allows it to punish air dodges or start combos upon landing as the opponent is being hit. Forward aerial is Mewtwo's fastest aerial, thanks to it hitting on frame 6. When coupled with its power and range, it can either combo into itself at low percentages, or KO outright at high percentages.

Back aerial has very large range, which enables it to edge-guard reliably, yet also combo into itself at low percentages or KO outright at high percentages. Up aerial, like back aerial, has a very large range, which enables it to partake in combos or juggles. Its base hitbox's high knockback scaling also makes it KO reliably near the upper blast line. Lastly, down aerial is a very powerful meteor smash when sweetspotted, yet is also strong enough to KO on-stage opponents quite reliably. Due to it hitting on frame 15, however, it is Mewtwo's slowest aerial, and has the highest amount of landing lag out of its aerials.

Despite having been toned down since Melee, Mewtwo's grab game is among the most potent in SSB4. When all of its Shadow Balls hit, forward throw is tied with and maximum Aura 's forward throws as the most damaging throws of their kind in the game; this makes it useful for both damage racking and refreshing its stale moves. Up and back throws are among the strongest throws in the game, making them viable KOing options. Down throw lacks true combo potential, but nevertheless has mindgame potential, thanks to it launching opponents just out of counterattacking range. However, Mewtwo's overall grab range and pummel are both merely average. Regardless, the potency of its grab game supplements its air game, as it can allow Mewtwo to inflict a considerable amount of damage with just a few moves.

In comparison to its air and grab games, Mewtwo's ground game is a mixed bag. While generally powerful, all but a few of its grounded moves suffer from noticeable ending lag, which makes them risky when they are whiffed, shielded, or dodged. Its neutral attack is very useful: it can easily jab cancel and even out-prioritize many moves, which in turn enables Mewtwo to better utilize its grab game and quickly initiate combos when followed up with up tilt, down tilt, or Disable. Down tilt, in particular, is a very effective move: its long range, launching angles, and minimal overall lag make it very useful for starting combos and decent for spacing or shield stabbing. Up tilt can combo into Mewtwo's aerial moves and potentially itself on many characters even at high percentages, so long as it hits them with its near hitboxes.

Forward tilt has good range, very high knockback scaling, and can be angled, all of which makes it decent for spacing. However, its very low base knockback makes it unable to KO at reasonable percentages. Although it is punishable, dash attack's respectable range has increased even further, thanks to its hitboxes being re-positioned outward, and its newfound disjointed hitbox. Lastly, Mewtwo's smash attacks have above-average strength and distinct perks: forward smash has the longest range; up smash hits multiple times and is a useful anti-air option; and down smash has the lowest amount of ending lag.

Mewtwo's special moves are powerful, yet risky, much like its ground game. Shadow Ball has impressive utility regardless of its charge: it is useful for zoning or stopping approaches when uncharged, whereas it is one of the strongest and fastest projectiles in the game when fully charged. Teleport grants considerable horizontal momentum and renders Mewtwo invulnerable for a split second, which makes it a safe recovery overall. Confusion, which was notorious in Melee for being virtually useless, has been buffed considerably. In addition to functioning as a long-ranged command grab that can bypass disjointed hitboxes, it now functions as a proper reflector, which improves Mewtwo's neutral game by allowing it to counteract opposing projectiles. Confusion's utility also extends to Mewtwo's recovery, as it now grants a slight vertical and average horizontal boost during its first use in midair, and can completely reverse both its aerial momentum and direction. Lastly, Disable is a risky set-up option, but it can guarantee openings for combos and KOs if it connects, which is further supplemented by its stun duration having been increased since Melee.

Despite Mewtwo's strengths, it has a few notable and fairly exploitable weaknesses. The most apparent of these is its frailty; Mewtwo's very light weight makes it very easy to KO, while its tall frame, average falling speed, and average gravity collectively make it easier to combo and juggle compared to other characters of its size and weight. Furthermore, Mewtwo lacks an effective aerial attack that can interrupt combos, whereas an attempt to Teleport out of combos can lead to it being punished because of its ending lag, momentum, and start-up lag having been increased since Melee.

The majority of Mewtwo's moveset also possesses some restrictions in spite of their advantages. Despite its aforementioned hurtbox properties, Mewtwo's tail-based attacks are still susceptible to being countered, owing to the base of its tail being a part of its hurtbox. Fully charged Shadow Ball has recoil when used in the air, which can cause an inadvertent self-destruct while off-stage. Disable is punishable if it whiffs and can be reflected because of its status as a projectile, the latter of which can easily lead to a fatal turnabout against Mewtwo at high percentages.

Aside from forward aerial and fully charged Shadow Ball, the rest of Mewtwo's KOing options can be difficult to land. Up and back throw can be risky to attempt because of its aforementioned average grab range. Forward and down smash have slow start-up lag, whereas up smash has minimal horizontal range below its blast of dark energy. Despite their speed and accuracy, forward aerial and Shadow Ball's KO potentials can be hindered via staleness because of their frequent usage in Mewtwo's combos and neutral game, respectively. Lastly, its frame data is slightly below-average, which makes its attacks even more prone to punishment if they are not spaced well. As a result, Mewtwo can pressure effectively, yet is also vulnerable to pressure. It is also at a distinct disadvantage in a custom moveset environment, as it lacks custom moves because of its status as a DLC character.

In regard to playstyle, Mewtwo's is an odd combination of styles: it fits the archetype of a glass cannon, yet typically relies on bait and punish tactics and defensive maneuvers to keep opponents from performing rushdowns and capitalizing on its very tall frame and extremely light weight. This does not mean Mewtwo is forced to rely on turtling, however, as its outstanding mobility, excellent air game, and overall powerful moveset make it a force to be reckoned with. As such, Mewtwo is a "high-risk, high-reward" character with a fairly high learning curve, as it has to capitalize on reads more often than not because of its frailty and susceptibility to pressure.

In a similar manner to, Mewtwo was initially poorly regarded in SSB4's metagame because of its most serious flaws from Melee being worsened, which resulted in it suffering from low representation and poor results. After being heavily buffed in game updates, Mewtwo has received more representation and better results in the tournament scene, with its notable players including, and. Following Abadango winning Pound 2016 while almost exclusively using Mewtwo, it is now regarded as a much better character than initially thought, with the general consensus being that Mewtwo warranted a spot as a high-tier character before it was officially reassessed as a top-tier character within the current tier list.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. Melee
Mewtwo has been drastically buffed in its transition from Melee to Smash 4, especially owing to the handful of buffs it has received within the game updates. One of its most useful buffs were to its mobility; its walking, dashing, and air speeds are much faster, its jump and double jump are higher, it can now wall jump, and its techs' now-traditional animations make it less susceptible to tech-chasing. Mewtwo's air dodge has also improved: in addition to making it disappear, it is now the fastest in the game, while the removal of directional air dodges now enables it to retain Mewtwo's aerial momentum (although it also removes Mewtwo's ability to wavedash). Mewtwo's model also underwent very subtle, yet beneficial tweaks: its larger size increased the range of its tail-based attacks, while its model's re-positioning within the z-axis has resulted in its hurtbox having a deceptive size.

Mewtwo's moveset has been adjusted so as to be more consistent and practical. Confusion, in particular, has drastically improved: it now functions as a traditional reflector, has considerably less ending lag, and now grants recovery distance on its first aerial use; these changes give it high utility as a landing option against projectiles, recovery extender, combo starter, and counter against shields. While Shadow Ball has lost its charging hitbox, its travel pattern is less erratic, which makes it more accurate, and thus improves its zoning potential. When coupled with it having a much larger hitbox when fully charged, it is now one of Mewtwo's most reliable KOing options. Disable's stun duration has increased, while its hitbox has been extended and adjusted to reliably connect against even smaller fighters, while also being intangible, all of which improves its set-up potential. Its aerials have also generally improved, as they now have considerably less landing lag, are more consistent, and possess more utility. Its smash attacks have been similarly strengthened with larger hitboxes, improving their effectiveness. The improvements to Mewtwo's moveset also allow it to make better use of its Teleport-oriented mindgames.

However, Mewtwo has also received significant nerfs. Its infamous frailty was further exacerbated, thanks to its larger size and much lighter weight. Although still useful, Teleport's higher overall lag makes it less safe as an escape and mix-up option, whereas its added momentum can potentially lead to accidental self-destructs. The improved practicality of Mewtwo's moveset is also slightly offset by its overall nerfed frame data, which is especially evident in regard to its tail-based attacks. Despite being much more mobile, Mewtwo's approach is hindered by the weakening of dash-dancing and the removal of both wavedashing and moonwalking. Lastly, Mewtwo's grab game has been toned down: its pummel deals less damage, its back and up throws' KO potentials were considerably worsened because of their lowered knockback, and its down throw is now dependent on reads because of its increased ending lag and the removal of chain grabbing.

Overall, Mewtwo has been re-balanced to be a more practical, consistent, and traditional glass cannon that can rack up damage and KO much more easily. However, these traits come at the cost of it being even riskier and requiring even more precision because of its worsened endurance. Thanks to its buffs, Mewtwo has become drastically more successful and viable than in Melee.

Ground attacks

 * Neutral attack:
 * Forward tilt:
 * Up tilt:
 * Down tilt:
 * Dash attack:
 * Forward smash:
 * Up smash:
 * Down smash:
 * Down tilt:
 * Dash attack:
 * Forward smash:
 * Up smash:
 * Down smash:
 * Forward smash:
 * Up smash:
 * Down smash:
 * Forward smash:
 * Up smash:
 * Down smash:
 * Up smash:
 * Down smash:
 * Up smash:
 * Down smash:
 * Down smash:
 * Down smash:
 * Down smash:

Aerial attacks

 * Neutral aerial:
 * Forward aerial:
 * Back aerial:
 * Up aerial:
 * Down aerial:
 * Forward aerial:
 * Back aerial:
 * Up aerial:
 * Down aerial:
 * Forward aerial:
 * Back aerial:
 * Up aerial:
 * Down aerial:
 * Back aerial:
 * Up aerial:
 * Down aerial:
 * Up aerial:
 * Down aerial:
 * Up aerial:
 * Down aerial:
 * Down aerial:
 * Down aerial:
 * Down aerial:
 * Down aerial:

Throws/other attacks

 * Pummel:
 * Forward throw:
 * Back throw:
 * Up throw:
 * Down throw:
 * Floor attack:
 * Back throw:
 * Up throw:
 * Down throw:
 * Floor attack:
 * Down throw:
 * Floor attack:
 * Floor attack:
 * Floor attack:
 * Floor attack:
 * Floor attack:

Special moves

 * Shadow Ball:
 * Confusion:
 * Teleport:
 * Disable:
 * Psystrike:
 * Confusion:
 * Teleport:
 * Disable:
 * Psystrike:
 * Confusion:
 * Teleport:
 * Disable:
 * Psystrike:
 * Teleport:
 * Disable:
 * Psystrike:
 * Teleport:
 * Disable:
 * Psystrike:
 * Disable:
 * Psystrike:
 * Disable:
 * Psystrike:
 * Psystrike:
 * Psystrike:
 * Psystrike:
 * Psystrike:
 * Psystrike:

Update history
Mewtwo has been buffed significantly via game updates. Some of its attacks have had their damage outputs increased, their lag decreased, and their hitboxes' sizes and durations increased, all of which improve its offense. Additionally, update 1.1.3 made Mewtwo considerably faster by increasing its walking and dashing speeds, which grant it a much more consistent offensive presence alongside its typically defensive presence. Mewtwo's dashing speed was increased even further in update 1.1.5, now being slightly faster than 's. Said update also slightly increased Mewtwo's weight, which slightly improved its endurance.

Mewtwo also slightly benefits from the changes to shield mechanics brought about by updates 1.1.0 and 1.1.1: the universal increase to shieldstun allows Shadow Ball, some of its sweetspotted attacks and Confusion-reflected projectiles (such as Timber's tree, a fully charged Charge Shot or a fully charged Shadow Ball) to heavily damage a shield. Due to these aforementioned changes, Mewtwo is considered much more viable than it was upon its return to the series.

 1.0.7

 1.0.8

 1.1.0

 1.1.3

 1.1.5

Moveset
For a gallery of Mewtwo's hitboxes, see here.
 * Mewtwo can wall jump.

Tier placement and history
Mewtwo's return to the series was initially met positively, as players had soon noticed its increased mobility, power and range, which in turn led to it being perceived as a mid-tier character. However, players also lamented the nerfs to Mewtwo's already poor endurance. When coupled with other issues that became more prominent over the time, players gradually started to agree that Mewtwo's improved offense was not sufficient enough to compensate, in a case similar to Ike. While these drawbacks saw Mewtwo's perception plummet, some players insisted that Mewtwo was underrated and that critics were too focused on its frailty to see its positive traits. As time went on, Mewtwo received buffs via game updates, most notably to its mobility and aerials. These improvements led it to be ranked 37th on the first tier list, which established it as a low-tier character like in Melee.

After Mewtwo's dashing speed was further increased in update 1.1.5, players such as, and  began placing higher with it in tournaments, and showed that its powerful offensive potential now outweighed its defensive shortcomings. This resulted in a drastic improvement in Mewtwo's perception within the community, which was reflected in it being ranked 10th on the second tier list. This new ranking was notable for not only reassessing it as a top-tier character but for also being the largest tier rise between the first and second tier lists. Mewtwo's continued success led to it being ranked 9th on the third tier list, which reaffirmed its status as a top-tier character.

Despite achieving some very notable results, such as placing 5th at Super Smash Con 2017 and 2GGC: MkLeo Saga, Mewtwo's tournament presence has slightly waned since then, owing to players becoming more capable of exploiting its weaknesses. This was further compounded by its best player, Abadango, picking up as a co-main and using her more often. Due to its slightly worsened perception and results, Mewtwo has dropped to 10th on the fourth and current tier list. Some smashers, however, like and  believe that it should be ranked slightly higher.

Most historically significant players
Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the PGR 100, which recognizes the official top 100 players in Super Smash Bros. 4 of all time.

See also: Category:Mewtwo players (SSB4)


 * (#13) - The best Mewtwo player of all time, as well as one of the best Japanese players of all time. Placed 1st at, 2nd at , 4th at , and 5th at both and.
 * - The best Mewtwo player in Canada. Placed 7th at, 9th at both and , and 13th at both  and  with wins over players such as , , and . Ranked 12th on the Smash Canada Rankings.
 * - The best Mewtwo player in Europe. Placed 2nd at, 3rd at both and , 7th at , and 9th at  with wins over players such as , , and . Ranked 9th on the European Smash 4 Power Rankings.
 * (#52) - One of the best Mewtwo players in the United States from 2016-2017. Placed 5th at, 7th at , 13th at , and 17th at both and  with wins over players such as , , and.
 * (#45) - One of the best Mewtwo players in the world in 2018. Placed 1st at, 5th at , 7th at , and 9th at both and  with wins over players such as , , and.
 * (#26) - One of the best Mewtwo players of all time. Placed 5th at both and, 7th at , 9th at , and 13th at  with wins over players such as , , and.

Trophies
Mewtwo comes with matching character trophies, which are unlocked as usual. However, its (Alt.) trophy will also be automatically granted upon booting up the version. Its existing non-fighter trophy remains in the game, completely unchanged; both it and the Classic trophy are simply labeled as "Mewtwo" in-game.

Trivia

 * During development of the game, an appearance of Mewtwo's was reportedly considered by Masahiro Sakurai.
 * Mewtwo's artwork for this game resembles its artwork for Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Versions, although mirrored.
 * Mewtwo is the only playable Pokémon in Super Smash Bros. 4 to not readily appear in any capacity in Pokémon Sun and Moon. Instead, it must be transferred over via . Charizard and Greninja, while unobtainable under normal gameplay conditions, appear as a Ride Pokémon and a member of Red's team, and as a from Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon Special Demo Version, respectively.
 * However, Mewtwo appears in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, and is obtainable in an Ultra Wormhole along with many other Legendary Pokémon.
 * Mewtwo is the second of three Super Smash Bros. Melee characters to return to the series in SSB4 after being absent from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, succeeding and preceding.
 * However, there are scrapped files for all three of these characters in Brawl, suggesting that they were planned to make a reappearance there as well.
 * Mewtwo's pose in its official art for SSB4 is nearly identical to its pose in its official art for Melee.
 * As possible callbacks to Melee, Mewtwo has only one voice clip for when it is KO'd, and only the Japanese version of SSB4 features its victory quotes consisting of spoken dialogue.
 * Mewtwo folds its arms in numerous instances. It does so while using its up tilt, up taunt, or a ; during its defeated/No Contest and screen KO's animations; and when it is asleep, teetering, or helpless.
 * Prior to update 1.0.7, it was possible to access glitched versions of Mewtwo's custom moves via a glitch involving shared s. Most of these crash the game, with the exception of both variations of Confusion, a non-functional version of Disable that renders Mewtwo helpless, and a version of Disable which zooms the camera in on Mewtwo and temporarily slows down time, all of which have limited functionality. It is unclear whether the glitch involved accessing custom moves that were incomplete, or data not intended for use of custom moves. One of the variations of Mewtwo's glitched custom Confusion is very similar to the soul breaker glitch. It is speculated that these were unfinished custom moves and that DLC characters were intended to have custom moves. While the glitch was removed by update 1.0.7, it was still possible to view replays containing these special moves prior to update 1.0.8.
 * Mewtwo is the only veteran DLC character with a new voice actor, and the only character in SSB4 to speak only in the Japanese version.
 * It is also one of the four playable characters in SSB4 to speak in Japanese in at least one version of the game but to never speak in English in any version of the game. The other three are, and.
 * Mewtwo is the first DLC character to have been downloadable for free. It is also the only DLC character who does not share equipment types with any other DLC character.
 * As of SSB4, Mewtwo is the only character whose falling speed has remained unchanged.
 * Mewtwo's non-fighter trophy model has very slightly different features from its playable character and fighter trophy's models. It has a slightly smaller head, slightly smaller eyes, a thicker and slightly longer tail, slightly smaller hands, a more vibrant shade of violet for its midsection, tail, and eyes, and its texture has a satin finish instead of a glossy finish. As a result, it resembles the Mewtwo from the first Pokémon movie, whereas Mewtwo's playable character and fighter trophy's models are virtually identical to its appearance in .
 * Mewtwo and are the only playable Pokémon in SSB4 who do not emerge from a Poké Ball as part of their on-screen appearances.
 * Although Mewtwo's Final Smash involves, it differs from and Lucario's in a few distinct ways. Mewtwo's is used for a single attack and renders it both invincible and stationary for its duration, whereas Charizard and Lucario's function as transformations that grant improved offense, mobility, and armor for their durations. Mewtwo's Final Smash is also referred to by its primary attack's name of Psystrike, instead of simply as "Mega Evolution".
 * In Mewtwo's reveal trailer, Ness is shown stalking Mewtwo while holding a Master Ball. This is a reference to standard Pokémon games, where the player character is often young and tasked with catching every Pokémon.
 * The Master Ball is many players' choice of against Legendary Pokémon, such as Mewtwo.
 * Additionally, EarthBound and Pokémon were both developed by Creatures Inc. (then known as Ape Inc.).
 * Despite being a veteran, Mewtwo was referred to as a “new fighter” when it was revealed to be DLC.
 * Additionally, while and 's trophy descriptions directly mention their return, Mewtwo's does not.