Pokémon: The First Movie
Movie, 1998, Kanto and Johto, Set in New Island
Pokémon: The First Movie is #2 of 32 in release order and #2 of 32 in chronological order in the Pokémon.
The story
Determined to prove its superiority, a bio-engineered Pokémon called Mewtwo lures Ash, Pikachu and others into a Pokémon match like none before.
Pokémon: The First Movie recap
Team Rocket's boss Giovanni funds Dr. Fuji to clone Mew from a fossil, and the clone, Mewtwo, wakes with immense psychic power. He destroys the lab, learns Giovanni sees him as a weapon, and turns on both humans and Pokémon. From New Island he sends invitations to the strongest trainers to battle "the world's greatest Pokémon Master", and raises a storm so only the determined reach him. Ash, Misty and Brock cross the sea with Team Rocket ferrying them in disguise. Mewtwo's cloned Pokémon beat the trainers' teams, and he takes their Pokémon to make copies of them. Ash breaks the cloning machine and frees them, and the real Mew appears. Mewtwo challenges it, and the originals and their clones fight each other to exhaustion while Pikachu refuses to strike back at its copy.
Pokémon: The First Movie ending explained
Ash jumps between Mewtwo and Mew as they fire at each other and is turned to stone. The Pokémon's tears bring him back, and Mewtwo, moved, decides that what matters is how a life is lived, not how it began. He leaves with Mew and his clones and turns back time, wiping everyone's memory of New Island. Ash sees Mew in the clouds from the harbour, and Team Rocket are left stranded on the island.
Where to watch Pokémon: The First Movie
Pokémon: The First Movie is streaming on Tubi in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 6.4/10, Rotten Tomatoes 17%, MyAnimeList 7.68
Where it fits
- Release order: after Pokémon: The Original Series, before Pokémon: The Movie 2000.
- Chronological order: after Pokémon: The Original Series, before Pokémon: The Movie 2000.
What to watch before Pokémon: The First Movie
Pokémon: The Original Series (1997), which Pokémon: The First Movie (1998) continues.
Cast
- Rica Matsumoto as Satoshi (voice)
- Ikue Otani as Pikachu (voice)
- Mayumi Izuka as Kasumi (voice)
- Yuji Ueda as Takeshi (voice)
- Satomi Korogi as Togepi (voice)
- Megumi Hayashibara as Musashi (voice)
- Shin-ichiro Miki as Kojiro (voice)
- Inuko Inuyama as Nyarth (voice)
- Ayako Shiraishi as Johi (voice)
- Chinami Nishimura as Junsar (voice)
- Hirotaka Suzuoki as Sakaki (voice)
- Unsho Ishizuka as Narrator (voice)
Directed by Kunihiko Yuyama.