Did you take for granted if Shadow Mewtwo was even canon in the Pokémon universe? Bandai Namco explained how they worked with The Pokémon Company and Game Freak to make the Pokkén Tournament exclusive.
Much like Hyrule Warriors Legends‘ Linkle, it was an artist in Bandai Namco who came up with an alternate color scheme for Mewtwo. They then brought the design to The Pokémon Company and Game Freak to pitch the character as Shadow Mewtwo.
While Bandai Namco got the OK to use Shadow Mewtwo, they were only allowed to do so because Pokkén Tournament is considered a spinoff game and not part of the main canon. This is the status of games like Pokémon Rumble U and Pokémon Shuffle. Again, much like Linkle in Hyrule Warriors Legends, it remains to be seen if Shadow Mewtwo would be used in the Pokémon games, or for that matter, appear in the anime.
The Pokémon Company is introducing new Pokémon on their own, including new forms for Zygarde, the massive Volcanion, and the mechanical Magearna. These new Pokémon will be unveiled in the anime, but have yet to be confirmed for any current or upcoming Pokémon games.
Would you like Shadow Mewtwo to be canon in the games and anime? What would you like his backstory to be? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Pokkén Tournament will be releasing on March 18 worldwide exclusively on the Wii U. If you buy it at launch, you can get a Shadow Mewtwo amiibo card.