In the video games, the player can fight and capture Mewtwo to pit it against other Pok¨¦mon. The player first learns of Mewtwo late in Pok¨¦mon Red and Blue by reading research documents left in a ruined laboratory on Cinnabar Island. The documents reveal that a solitary scientist spent years genetically engineering a descendant of the Pok¨¦mon Mew. Mewtwo eventually escaped after proving too strong to contain.
Regarded as one of the series' strongest Pok¨¦mon, it changed the way players approached the games by forcing them to find ways to counteract those using Mewtwo. Studies found the character popular with older male children, which contrasted with its counterpart Mew. Reactions to the creature's first anime portrayal have been divided, as reviewers such as Daily Record cited it as a clich¨¦ villain, while others such as Animerica and Sight & Sound praised the character's depth.