Schindler 1

Evan Schindler

Ms. Foster

English 7-8

3 May 2011

Cloning Pokmon:

An Existentialist Exploration of a Controversial Subject

Probably the most unsung existentialist commentary on cloning is Kunhiko

Yuyamas 1998 feature-length animated film Pokmon: Mewtwo Strikes Back, in which,

scientists clone the worlds rarest Pokmon, Mew, to create and control the most

powerful Pokmon. When he awakens, Mewtwo ponders his origin, asking the

scientists, upon being informed that he is a clone of Mew, Mew? Is that my parent?

My father? My mother? ...Who is this? If neither my father nor mother, then was it

God? Did God create me? He is told that he is a Pokmon made by humans, what

else [is he] worth besides fighting, destruction, and plunder? Mewtwo, enraged,

responds, first with a massive explosion, and then, I hate everything that made me! So

this is neither an attack nor a declaration of war, but revenge on you who made me!

(Pokmon: Mewtwo Strikes Back). When Mewtwo says you, he is referring to the

entire segment of humanity that controls and battles with Pokmon and, as a clone that

exists solely for the selfish purposes of his creators, Mewtwos rage is perfectly justified.

Cloning a being of or above human intelligence is inherently inhumane because of the

existential crises it evokes in the clone; as an exact replica of an already existent being,

the clone is stripped of all individual identity and, therefore, all free will. If life is defined

by choice and clones are predisposed to following the decision making pattern of their
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progenitor, does cloning actually create life, or merely a second manifestation of an

identity? Through Mewtwo, Yuyama advance the notion that it is what we do with the

gift of life that determines who we are (Important Quotes). Yuyama is absolutely

correct in his assertion that life is made up of a series of choices, entirely governed by

the individual, that allow for diversion from the initially assumed destiny.

Mewtwo questions both the purpose prescribed for him by humanity and his very

existence, asking, What am I fighting for? What am I living for? This displays his

desire for absolute authenticity, the ability to act as himself, not as humans dictate that

he acts. He craves freedom of choice and a self-determined purpose to his existence,

but realizes that he is a clone and is, to a certain extent, defined by his progenitor and

grows resentful of every genetically unique life form for their capability to act and think

freely. For existentialists, free will is an absolute truth, but it must be exercised for life to

be realized. Mewtwos lack of free will is troubling from an existential perspective

because the nature of his being denies him the very thing he covets the most: purpose.

This is, existentialists claim, the desire inherent to humankind. Without a purpose,

humans feel that their existence is meaningless and retreat into nihilism, abruptly

terminating all growth and human development. Similarly, Mewtwo, ridden with

existential angst, strives to find his own reason for being in order to prove to himself that

he is more than simply an experiment, a tool by which humans can control the world.

He needs to affirm his belief that his choices will influence his destiny, that his fate is not

directed by humanity, and decides to rebel against the very force that resulted in his

creation: Pokmon trainers lust for increasingly powerful Pokmon.

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He retreats to the abandoned island where he was created, builds an enormous

Pokmon stadium, and invites the best Pokmon trainers from across the Kanto region

to attend a Pokmon tournament. Upon their arrival, Mewtwo steals their Pokmon

and clones them, creating genetically enhanced versions of them, intending have them

battle the original Pokmon to prove the ultimate superiority of the cloned Pokmon and

justify his own existence. What Mewtwo doesnt realize is that he is playing right into

the intent of the humans that created him; he is attempting to establish the dominance

of clones, thereby establishing the theories of the scientists that gave him breath.

Although he feels like he is acting independently of his programming by revolting

against all humankind, he is acting exactly as expected and illustrating the principle that

clones are truly born without free will.

For Mewtwo, it takes a belief-shattering incident to realize that his violent

tendencies stem from his upbringing under the care of his cruel and uncaring makers,

ultimately demonstrating that clones are, like the original subjects from whom they are

derived, susceptible to drastic changes. A single moment can move even the most

programmed and indoctrinated individual to reject all that theyve held to be true. This is

further exemplified in Duncan Jones Moon, when Sam Bell finds what he initially

believes to be a clone of himself in a crashed lunar rover. His priorities immediately

change from completing his three-year shift on the moon and getting back to his wife

and child to understanding the situation he has been thrown into and putting an end to

the cycle of ignorant cloned slaves. The entire purpose of his existence, in a split-

second, changed from that which he was programmed to do to that which he believed to

be right (Moon). Mewtwo underwent the same strain of transformation when an

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adolescent trainer gave his life to end the brutal clash between Mew and Mewtwo.

Mewtwo is stunned and, as he recovers his poise, realizes the ignobility of his actions.

He comes to the revelation that the circumstances of ones birth are irrelevant The

shame of that past is not [thiers]. It belongs to those who used [their] past to set [them]

apart. Through this sudden insight, Mewtwo recognizes that the battle between the

clones and originals is a fight that nobodys going to win (Important Quotes). This

pacifistic attitude allows Mewtwo to once again repurpose his existence, this time

toward a life of meaningful coexistence.

Some existential writers, for example Tom Stoppard, writer and director of

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, argue that if a being is fashioned with a

specific purpose in mind, they can do nothing to escape their predetermined destiny.

Stoppard argues this through the 157-times-repeated flipping of a coin, all of which land

on heads, demonstrating his belief that an individual created as a means to an end,

despite their best efforts to avert the outcome of their preselected course, have no

choice but to reluctantly follow the path laid out before them and suffer the

consequences. Pokmon: Mewtwo Strikes Back reaches a conclusion in complete

contradiction to this idea. While Stoppard argues that a created beings life is

programmed and predetermined from beginning to end, Yuyama shows how a series of

events can rapidly repurpose an existence and defy the intent of the creative force.

Yuyama is a true existentialist, believing that the choices an individual makes based on

the experiences he or she encounters will determine the meaning of their life,

regardless of the purpose for which they were created.

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Humanity, as ridiculous as it sounds, must follow the example set by a Pokmon.

Mewtwo was created to be the most powerful Pokmon in existence and to abuse his

abilities for personal gain, but over the course of the movie, he rejects this personal

philosophy and ceases to wage war on those unlike himself. Humanity must reconsider

the virtues of religion. An approximate 84.8% of the world population subscribes to

various religious systems and adhere to the assumed goals of their respective assumed

creators. For the sake of religion, humans have tortured and slaughtered fellow

humans. Is this the work of a benevolent creator? People justify obscene violence,

christening them acts of their respective god, punishing the heathens that dare to defy

his or her will. We, as the most powerful species to ever live on planet earth, must

scrutinize the understood essentialities of our existence and ask ourselves one simple

question:

What would Mewtwo do?