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Ditto is a failed Mew?

50
Posts
10
Years
Could it really be? It might seem not likely, but the info really makes it believable.
According to the Pokedex, Mew weighs 8.8 pounds, and Ditto weighs 8.8 pounds as well.
They both have the same sprite colour scheme, and they both have the same colour when they're shiny.
They both can learn any move, although in Ditto's case its for a certain amount of time.
They can both learn transform.
And you can find many Ditto in Cinnabar Mansion, where many experiments were taken on Mew and Mewtwo.

So could it? I don't know, but it seems very assuring.
Or it could just be some huge coincidence that Nintendo or Gamefreak put together to troll us for eternity.
You decide.

~Spys
 
29
Posts
10
Years
  • Age 29
  • Seen Dec 26, 2013
I actually do believe that it is a failed experiment, but what can i say? The anime shall speak truth.

However the number of evidence to having ditto actually be a failed experiment of mew is really convincing.
 
55
Posts
10
Years
This theory has fascinated me for about 2 years now lol. It's a very plausible and believable theory in my opinion. Their shinies are the same colour, same weight, ditto's appearance at Cinnabar Mansion etc. In fact there a few nights where I just looked at countless arguments for and against this theory. During that time I'm sure I found a comment on a forum somewhere that one of the creators of Pokemon Red and Green had been asked about this before, but he answered with something that basically didn't confirm anything. So that took me nowhere xD This was a while back though, and maybe was just a rumour o.o Anyhoo, I love the idea of dittos being failed Mew clones - even if it is a bit cruel. It gives ditto a much darker, and more 3D back story even if it is just fan speculation.
 
37,467
Posts
16
Years
  • Age 34
  • Seen Jan 2, 2024
This is one of those unconfirmed pokémon theories I'm a fan of! So much speaks for it so it could actually be true. Maybe they don't want to officially confirm it because they decided somewhere along the development of the first games that it was a bit too dark and cruel to be in a game intended for children. Then again, they did keep the Marowak who was killed by Team Rocket so that's a bit strange. Animal testing/animal abuse in both cases, if you draw parallels between animals and pokémon, which feels logical.
 
50
Posts
10
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Yeah, I agree with you entirely. I would like to believe, and I think it would be amazing if it was true.
 

Thergox

Average Hatter
105
Posts
10
Years
  • Seen Jul 17, 2014
:P I read an interview with one of the Pokemon designers (I want to say it was Sugimori, but I might be wrong) that posed that question or something similar to it, and he had said he had no idea about that theory. He said it was very creative, however, and wished he himself had thought up of it.

So I would guess that it is completely up to the audience, seeing as Nintendo has not jumped at any chance to swoop in and take that story and had little idea of it in the first place. And now that that interview has sparked, I think I'm going to do my research again to find out where it is. . .
 

feralig8rx

PokeFanatic
153
Posts
12
Years
I actually never put the two and two together?

Wow that's actually really convincing. I can definitely see how ditto can be the failed experiment.

I now see ditto in a new light
 

GhastlyGastly

Crazy Pokémon Lady
128
Posts
11
Years
Could it really be? It might seem not likely, but the info really makes it believable.
According to the Pokedex, Mew weighs 8.8 pounds, and Ditto weighs 8.8 pounds as well.
They both have the same sprite colour scheme, and they both have the same colour when they're shiny.
They both can learn any move, although in Ditto's case its for a certain amount of time.
They can both learn transform.
And you can find many Ditto in Cinnabar Mansion, where many experiments were taken on Mew and Mewtwo.

So could it? I don't know, but it seems very assuring.
Or it could just be some huge coincidence that Nintendo or Gamefreak put together to troll us for eternity.
You decide.

~Spys
I do believe this "PokéTheory" is correct, yes. I've been a proponent of the Ditto-Mew-Mewtwo connection for quite some time.
 
5,616
Posts
13
Years
  • Age 35
  • Seen May 15, 2023
Gamefreak came out and debunked this forever ago. They had a magazine discussion based on Ditto. Junichi was shocked and surprised to hear about the supposed Mew and Ditto relationship, saying it was the first time he had ever heard of that idea. (Meaning it was never an idea made by them)

Ditto itself was based off of a Smiley face. It has the ability to transform because it was simply a face and every living creature had a face so it could essentially be any Pokemon by mimicking its face.
 
37,467
Posts
16
Years
  • Age 34
  • Seen Jan 2, 2024
Cool, Khrysta, never knew that. Still think it's a cool theory, moreso than a "smiley face" ;)
 
5,616
Posts
13
Years
  • Age 35
  • Seen May 15, 2023
Cool, Khrysta, never knew that. Still think it's a cool theory, moreso than a "smiley face" ;)

Oh they loved the idea. Its more an accidental discovery than a plausible theory. They weren't even aware of the similarities, especially since Mew itself was never supposed to exist and was added in as a practical joke at the last minute of development. The one that added it in may have copied data from Ditto such as height and weight. The Color scheme (which aren't identical in hex value) are similar by chance too.
 

GhastlyGastly

Crazy Pokémon Lady
128
Posts
11
Years
Oh they loved the idea. Its more an accidental discovery than a plausible theory. They weren't even aware of the similarities, especially since Mew itself was never supposed to exist and was added in as a practical joke at the last minute of development. The one that added it in may have copied data from Ditto such as height and weight. The Color scheme (which aren't identical in hex value) are similar by chance too.

Despite the creators not having intended it, I believe the theory regardless: it's plausible, and it adds an additional layer of richness to the Pokémon world. Just the sort of richness I love about it: even the creators don't necessarily know everything; that's the way I see it anyway.
 
8,571
Posts
14
Years
The Mew-Ditto theory has always been one of my favorite in Pokemon, which is why it's a shame that it has been debunked, as it one of the most plausible ones as well. Though if I recall, Junichi Masuda's the only Game Freak employee to actually call the theory untrue, even though he was only a composer for the original games. I'm not saying that he wasn't in the loop back then, but I wouldn't expect a composer/sound programmer to know all the details and history of the original Pokemon, so the theory may very well live on.
 

Nordk

Chief Harpoonist
36
Posts
10
Years
I really like this theory, it gives Ditto a more interesting background than "it's a shape-shifting blob that can breed with anything".
 

Honest

Hi!
11,676
Posts
15
Years
What, it got debunked? :c I'd always thought of the theory to be true. The insane amount of coincidences just make it seem so plausible. One of my favorite theories, and probably will continue to be.
 

GhastlyGastly

Crazy Pokémon Lady
128
Posts
11
Years
The Mew-Ditto theory has always been one of my favorite in Pokemon, which is why it's a shame that it has been debunked, as it one of the most plausible ones as well. Though if I recall, Junichi Masuda's the only Game Freak employee to actually call the theory untrue, even though he was only a composer for the original games. I'm not saying that he wasn't in the loop back then, but I wouldn't expect a composer/sound programmer to know all the details and history of the original Pokemon, so the theory may very well live on.

I do believe the theory lives on; I don't think it's been properly debunked. I'm not sure I would care even if all the Game Freak people came out and said that it wasn't true: it's true to me. It's perfectly logical and reasonable. And the fact that Junichi Masuda says he was surprised by the Ditto-Mew theory doesn't sway me. I don't care if it all came together accidentally, under the very noses of the creators: it's quite apparent that the Ditto-Mew theory works, and is most probably correct, whether the makers intended it to be that way or not.

(Incidentally, that same interview in which Masuda said he'd not heard of the Ditto-Mew idea, he also implied that humans don't eat Pokémon: something which various canon sources (Pokédex entries, in-game books, etc.) quite plainly attest otherwise. Another important point is that Masuda didn't actually call the theory "untrue", or deny its logic: when asked if it was true, he merely said "that's the first I've heard of it".)

My current understanding of the situation is that Game Freak really likes the Ditto-Mew idea, though they themselves were apparently oblivious to it until they were told. And that's one of my favorite things about Pokémon actually, and why I myself generally hold rather unorthodox and quite non-mainstream views about it: because I think we're allowed to interpret things however we want to. I think that's part of the idea, personally. Many Pokédex entries frame things in mythology, or legends; others are left ambiguous or confusing. I think that fact alone signifies a certain respect for individual interpretation. I personally prefer a Pokémon world which is logical and consistent, and which is based on evidence and scientific rationalism: so I'm 100% in favor of the Ditto-Mew theory. Not everyone has to agree with me, but then, again, I think that's the point. Or a point, at least. I don't believe that Game Freak knows all there is to know about the Pokémon world, and I think it's meant to be that way: part of the fun is what we discover, I think. :pink_smile: That's the way I see it anyway.
 
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Elaitenstile

I am legend
1,908
Posts
11
Years
  • Age 24
  • Seen Feb 27, 2015
Or it could just be some huge coincidence that Nintendo or Gamefreak put together to troll us for eternity.

Lol, this seems to be truer every day. They're doing this a lot everywhere, with plotlines and even Pokémon evolution styles.

It is an interesting theory backed by so many coincidences, so I'm thinking why not? Mew has little history in itself, too. Mewtwo is the one everyone's after. Maybe they caught this 'Mew' for more than just one clone, eh? Totally plausible.
 
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