February 6th marks one of the most important days in Pokemon lore.

Today marks the in-game birthday of Mewtwo, the Legendary "final boss" Pokemon found in the post-game of Pokemon Red, Blue and Yellow. For millions of fans who entered the Pokemon franchise via the anime series, Mewtwo was the very first Pokemon they saw, floating across the screen as the Pokemon theme song's opening drum riff played.

In the original games, Mewtwo was the result of an unnamed rogue scientist's savage gene-splicing experiments on a pregnant Mew. When Mewtwo was born, it grew too powerful and eventually fled to the Cerulean Cave, where players can encounter him after beating the Elite Four. While the scientist is unnamed, it's implied that Mr. Fuji, the kindhearted man who gives players the Poke Flute, is Mewtwo's creator.

In the anime, Mewtwo was a Team Rocket creation. Team Rocket hired Fuji to clone Mewtwo and several other Pokemon, which Fuji agreed to only because he also wanted to clone his deceased daughter. Mewtwo watched as his fellow clones died and eventually grew to despise both humans and Pokemon. After working for Team Rocket, he broke free and created his own Pokemon clones, leading to the events of Pokemon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back. Mewtwo made one other appearance several years later, recruiting Ash and his friends to stop Giovanni's renewed attempts to capture Mewtwo once again.

Mewtwo also has a central role in Pokemon Go. The powerful Pokemon currently is the strongest Pokemon in the game and is only obtainable by beating an EX-Raids. EX-Raids are a controversial feature in Pokemon Go, as players can only participate in them if they receive a random invite by Niantic, but there's no denying that the Pokemon remains one of the most sought after Pokemon in the game.

Mewtwo has remained one of Pokemon's most popular characters. He's appeared in multiple Super Smash Bros. games as an unlockable character, was a featured character in Pokken Tournament, and was the first Legendary Pokemon to receive a Mega Evolution.



Luckily, Mewtwo's popularity means that it's easily obtainable in current Pokemon games. Players can find Mewtwo waiting in a White Ultra Wormhole after beating the main storyline in Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. Just try to go easy on Mewtwo today - after all, it is its birthday.