At first glance, Mew is a small, adorable Pokémon who loves to play with both trainers and other creatures. This tiny creature is a fan favorite among children who love its playful nature. Though Mew may charm you with its large eyes and cat-like aloofness, it's easy to misjudge this Psychic-type Pokémon.

Some may expect Mew to be cowardly since it usually stays hidden or a weakling because to most it would appear it's running away. However, Mew is an ancient Pokémon and has witnessed the evolution of its species over time and Mew enjoys observing on the sidelines. Most Pokémon are more than willing to jump into battle, even without the command of their trainer. Mew takes a more cautious approach by gauging the enemies' abilities. Mew is so powerful that it knows to take a more tactical approach to battles.

Mew is proof that powerful things can come in small packages. Most expect its clone, Mewtwo, to be more deadly, so Mew's abilities are easy to underestimate and take less seriously like other cute Pokémon. When things get serious, Mew reveals itself to be a powerful comrade or enemy. Once obtained, which isn't easy, Mew is an incredibly versatile ally to add to your Pokédex.

This list contains spoilers for the Pokémon series. If you're looking to know more about this cute, yet powerful, Pokémon, keep reading our list about this powerful Psychic-type Pokémon.

15 Spawned A Powerful Failed Clone

The Pokémon series has many characters that look cute, but are more powerful than expected. Though Mew is the prime example of adorable powerhouses, another Pokémon, Ditto, shares Mew's deceiving looks. Both Ditto and Mew are powerful because they have similar DNA. Ditto has the powerful ability to transform into any Pokémon. Ditto is also genderless and can also breed with any Pokémon. They also share almost identical normal and shiny variant colors, while both Pokémon share the same weight of 8.8 pounds.

Though Ditto can transform into almost any Pokémon, it has a few flaws, unlike Mew. Ditto is unable to learn any disc moves, such as TMs or HMs. The Pokémon it transforms into also shares Ditto's facial characteristics of small eyes and a wide smile.

14 Highly Intelligent

At first glance, Mew is a playful, fun-loving Pokémon. Even though Mew has lived for ages, it is still curious about the people and Pokémon around it. These carefree traits are displayed in the movies Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back and Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. In Mewtwo Strikes Back, Mew followed Team Rocket to learn more about their plans. After learning more about Mewtwo's destruction, it helped the trainers stop Mewtwo. Mew knows when to step in and help, and when to allow the trainers to fight their battles.

Besides from being carefree, Mew is also highly intelligent. Its Pokédex entry in Pokémon FireRed states "It is very intelligent and learns any move." Being a Psychic-type, it relies more on its mental abilities than physical attacks.

13 Must Be Traded, Migrated, Or Won

Mew was meant to only be an Easter Egg at first, but gamers still wanted to obtain the exclusive 151st Pokémon. Rumors spiraled out of control among friends and on the early Pokémon fan websites on where to find Mew in the early games. Most of the time, these glitches were fake. Gamers in Japan could enter a contest to have Mew loaded onto their game cartridge and North America's Nintendo Power magazine also held the same contest with 1,000 winners.

Mew was also available during Pokémon events and competitions. During the Lucario and the Mystery of Mew movie promotion, Toys “R” Us stores offered this exclusive Pokémon. Players could obtain the rare Pokémon through link cables and would receive a certificate of authenticity. The only other way to obtain Mew was through glitches or cheats.

12 Pure Of Heart

Mew is not only rare for fans of the Pokémon series, but also within the Pokémon world that it exists in. Sightings of Mew are so rare that many assume it does not exist or has gone extinct over time. Mew is treated more like a fairy tale than a real creature. According to Mew's Pokédex entry in Pokémon Gold, "apparently, it appears only to those people who are pure of heart and have a strong desire to see it."

Many scientists only wanted to obtain Mew to experiment on it, so it is reasonable that Mew never appeared before them, as Mew knew their intentions were harmful. Mew did appear before Ash Ketchum, the protagonist of the Pokémon animated series, several times in movies. Being a Psychic-type Pokémon, Mew can sense pure hearts and human desire.

11 Can Defeat Mewtwo

Mewtwo is Mew's bigger and more powerful clone. Mewtwo has been through more trauma than its original. Mew has a better variety of attacks, but Mewtwo's overall Pokédex stats are better. In the Mewtwo Strikes Back movie, Mew knew that Mewtwo wanted to destroy the world. Mewtwo wanted revenge for all the trauma the Scientists had subjected him to. Only Mew stood in its clone's path and they faced each other in battle.

Though Mewtwo has raw power, it does not have the centuries of experience in battle that Mew possesses. Mew also has more willpower to survive, while Mewtwo attacked out of anger. Mew was able to land more hits on Mewtw and. Mewtwo was unable to defeat Mew. The fight between them only ceased when Ash Ketchum intervened. It was only then that Mewtwo realized it should not be fighting Mew and the battle ended in a draw.

10 Turn Invisible At Will

Mew can make itself invisible at will. It uses this ability to have fun and play with other creatures, but this ability is also vital to its survival. Mew is an elusive creature. Many people believe Mew doesn't exist or has gone extinct, but sightings of Mew have been had, according to reports found in the Pokémon Mansion on Cinnabar Island. What's important to realize is that Mew wants to stay out of view. Mew is intelligent enough to know that if it wishes to survive for centuries more, it must protect itself.

Mew's invisibility is also referred to by its status in the game series. Mew is hard to capture and can only be obtained by trading or attending events. Satoshi Tajiri wanted to create hype around the "invisible character" through rumors and myths. He did just that.

9 Can Learn Captivate

Mew is neither male or female and is considered a genderless Pokémon. Despite this, Mew can learn two powerful moves: Captivate and Attract. Captivate can be learned by a TM item if they have a specified gender, except for Nincanda, while Attract works in a similar fashion. If a Pokémon of the opposite gender uses Attract, it will make the enemy Pokémon infatuated. The infatuated Pokémon will be less likely to attack. Most Pokémon can learn this move via TM, including Mew. These two moves are specifically designed to lower the defenses of a Pokémon of an opposite gender. Captivate will charm and lower the Special Attack of the target Pokémon. Unfortunately, these moves will always fail unless they are used on another genderless Pokémon, like Staryu or Ditto.

8 Used As a Weapon of War

Pokémon tells the tale of trainers and their Pokémon. Trainers usually understand their Pokémon's limits and are careful to raise them with love. This was not always true. In Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, we were given a glimpse of the ancient world.

Centuries ago, all Pokémon, including Mew, went to war with their trainers. Instead of using weapons, Pokémon were used to destroy their enemies and lands. These trainers did not care for the welfare of their Pokémon, as long as the battle was won. It is completely different from modern Pokémon stories, where Pokémon who have fainted are taken to Pokémon Centers for medical treatment. Even after the war ended, Mew may have been used as a tool to repopulate the almost extinct Pokémon species.

7 Has No Evolution

Mew is a powerful Psychic-type Pokémon that has lived for ages. It has learned to live among people and Pokémon. In the anime, Mew has no trainer to teach it new moves. If you can obtain the exclusive Pokémon, you'll soon learn that after training, it will never evolve. Simply, Mew has no evolved form. Though Mewtwo is Mew's clone, it is not the evolved form of Mew. The Laboratory created clone Mewtwo is often considered stronger, but still uses Mega Evolution forms.

Mew is considered a Legendary Pokémon and these types never evolve. Mew's stats in the Pokédex are low to begin with, but are as powerful as another ancient Pokémon, Arceus. They are considered incredibly powerful in their current state and do not require an evolved form to become stronger.

6 Can Survive In Any Environment

Most Pokémon have specific types who they excel against in battle. Charmander, a Fire type, would face instant defeat if Oshawott, a Water type, lured it into the ocean. Mew is a Psychic-type Pokémon and can survive in multiple environments. Not all Psychic Pokémon can survive against any enemy, but Mew takes a different approach. Mew can construct a psychic bubble that will protect it in different environments. Mew can use it to breathe and safely swim in deep waters. Mew can also use its bubble to travel into space.

Mew has learned to survive and adapt over the centuries to survive. Mew's bubble does not only serve to protect it from harm. This playful Pokémon also enjoys staying in the bubble for fun and entertainment.

5 Increased Pokémon's Popularity

In an interview, Director of Game Freak Shigeki Morimoto discussed Mew's addition to Pokémon Red and Blue. Mew's addition had a significant power in making the Pokémon series more popular. Morimoto created Mew at the end of Red and Green's development. After removing the debug features, the game cartridge still had 300 bytes of available space.

Morimoto decided to be mischievous, which is fitting with Mew's playful nature. Mew was added within those 300 bytes of free space. Morimoto hoped the secret addition could be used as part of a post-launch event. Luckily, Mew helped bring more attention to the series after the game's release. In Japan, CoroCoro Comic announced a "Legendary Pokémon Offer." Twenty winners would be selected to have the Mew data added to their game. Over 75,000 entrants applied and Mew helped fuel Pokémon's rise in popularity.

4 Can Learn Every Move

Mew is a Legendary Pokémon who has existed for centuries. Most Pokémon only focus on learning a small set of moves, before evolving to learn more powerful attacks. If you can add Mew to your roster, at first, you may be disappointed by its small set of psychic type moves. You may first compare it to Mewtwo, who has stronger attacks. Though Mew never evolves, it can keep learning. Mew can learn every Technical Machine, Hidden Machine, and Move Tutor move. The only requirement is that the machine or tutor move is not specific to a group or only one Pokémon. Mew's Pokédex stats may not impress you at first, but with the ability to learn any move, you can train Mew to be a powerhouse.

3 Attempted To Destroy All Clones

Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back changed Mew's intentions in the North American theatrical version. This version went through many cuts to make it age appropriate. Fans in America saw a peaceful Mew who wanted to help its friends, while Mewtwo was seen as a boastful, destructive powerhouse seeking revenge. Simply, Mew is portrayed as a hero who has to battle the villain, Mewtwo. This portrayal is still partly true in the original Japanese version, as Mewtwo still intends on showing its strength, but Mew is a much darker anti-hero. Mew wants the clones to know that they will never be more powerful than their original counterparts and that he intends to destroy them all. The clones would never win in a battle against the original Pokémon. Mew is willing to fight Mewtwo to prove its superiority over Mewtwo and his army of clones.

2 Brought Dead Trainers Back To Life

Mew calls the Tree of Beginnings its home in Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. Ash Ketchum and his friends May, Max, Brock, Kidd, and Team Rocket perished in the Tree of Beginning's antibodies. Before their deaths, they were able to free their Pokémon, thus Lucario and Mew were able to avoid being consumed by the tree.

Mew, being a Psychic-type Pokémon, was able to speak to the Tree of Beginning. It informed the tree that the trainers were not trying to cause it harm. Mew took the risk to save its new friends and, thanks to its powerful psychic abilities and intelligent strategy, the tree decided to restore the trainers.

1 DNA Consists Of Every Pokémon

In Pokémon Silver, Mew's Pokédex entrie states that "its DNA is said to contain the genetic codes of all POKéMON, so it can use all kinds of techniques." Mew cannot evolve into a Pokémon because it is considered one of the first Pokémon, alongside Arceus. It can learn all moves that are not locked to a specific Pokémon or type. Mew is also highly intelligent and can learn moves that would benefit it in any situation. Mew's abilities to learn all moves is due to having the DNA to make this possible. Since all Pokémon originated from Mew, it can use abilities of the other 151 starters, along with every other Pokémon that appear in later series, such as the most recent Sun and Moon. Combined with being a Psychic-type Pokémon, Mew's infinite abilities make it one of the most powerful in the series.