The firstPokémonmovie,Mewtwo Strikes Back, is still considered one of the best to this day, exploring darker themes and offering a story that can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of age. However, the film’s climax hinges on a very strange event, one that’s never been explained in the history ofPokémon.
InMewtwo Strikes Back, Ash attempts to disrupt the battle between Mew and Mewtwo, only to get struck by both of their attacks at once, turning him to stone and apparently killing him. Pikachu desperately tries to revive Ash, and eventually begins crying, which triggers many of the other Pokémon, who were once fighting, to begin crying as well. The tears of these Pokémon gather together and magically return Ash to life, delighting Pikachu and his friends and reminding Mewtwo that life has an intrinsic value, be it a cloned life or a natural-born one. This ends the conflict, and the movie concludes… but what exactly happened there, anyway?
Do Pokémon Tears Hold Magical Powers?
The Film’s Explanation of Ash’s Revival Makes Little Sense
Early in the film, the dockmaster, who tries to prevent trainers from going to Mewtwo’s island, tells a story about how Pokémon tears supposedly brought the victims of a great storm back to life.This is meant to set up Ash’s resurrection, of course, but this bizarre story stands out for a number of reasons. At no point in the rest of the franchise is there any indication that Pokémon tears hold special powers. More importantly, this story is an invention of the English script for the film, and doesn’t appear in the original Japanese dialog at all, so it doesn’t hold much weight in explaining things.
Even earlier in the movie, when Mewtwo has first been cloned, he speaks with a cloned human, Amber, who tells him that “Pokémon tears are full of life.” This is another line that’s exclusive to the English version, but it at least attempts to offer an explanation for how the tears revive Ash. It’s not the most sound explanation, and it’s automatically dubious since it isn’t present in Japanese, but it does work well enough. So, in the Japanese version, why is Ash healed by the Pokémon’s tears? Ultimately, there is no explanation at all; it just happens.
How Could Ash Have Been Brought Back?
There Are a Few Theories Which Might Explain It
Since the movie provides no answer, there are some fan theories that are worth considering. One such idea is that this revival was actuallythe beginning of Ash’s Aura powers manifesting; Aura is described as the essence of every living thing, so perhaps the tears transferred some Aura power into Ash, allowing him to be revived. Another potential explanation is that Mew was more involved in the process than it appeared, and that Ash’s revival was due to Mew specifically. Mythical Pokémon have been known to possess such powers, so it’s not a huge stretch. Unfortunately, though, the truth of Ash’s revival inPokémonmay forever be a mystery.
