Line #25 Anime/PokemonTheMastermindOfMiragePokemon


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_mastermind_of_mirage_pokemon.png]]
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3	''The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon'', also known as ''The Terrifying Mirage Pokémon'' in Japan, is one of three ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' TV specials.
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5	Dr. Yung shows Ash and his friends holographic Pokémon, also known as Mirage Pokémon. [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything They have no weaknesses and know moves that they normally can't learn.]] However, the Mirage Master kidnaps Dr. Yung and Professor Oak, and Ash and his friends are unable to rescue them because of an army of Mirage Pokémon.
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7	This special is infamous for [[TheOtherDarrin the voice cast change]] well before the special aired. The Pokémon Company said that they used the special for a testing ground for the new actors. Of the results, Ash's intended replacement, [[Anime/YuGiOh Kayzie Rogers]], was replaced by newcomer Creator/SarahNatochenny. Some liked the new voices, but most hated them. Petitions were created in order for the old voice actors from Creator/FourKidsEntertainment to return, even before the new cast's work was aired. Thankfully, the new actors [[VocalEvolution got better over time]], so the complaints lessened, although some consider them inferior replacements to this day.
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9	!!This special provides examples of:
10	* ActuallyADoombot: [[spoiler: The Mirage Master who kidnapped Dr. Yung was actually just a hologram.]]
11	* AllYourPowersCombined: Mirage Mewtwo, who gains the ability to use every move.
12	* AnachronicOrder: At the time the movie was first broadcast in the US, Pikachu had not learned Volt Tackle in the series. At the end of the movie, however, Pikachu delivers one to Mewtwo with no problem. When the special was rebroadcast, it played after the ''Deoxys Crisis'' two-parter, by which point Pikachu ''had'' learned Volt Tackle.
13	* AbortedArc: Officer Jenny mentions that they were [[NeverFoundTheBody unable to find the Mirage Master's body]] in the wreckage of his castle, seemingly setting up the character to make a return appearance. Despite this, the villain has yet to reappear.
14	* AssimilationBackfire: Mirage Mewtwo tries to kill and absorb Mirage Mew, only to end up getting immobilized by the little guy fighting to protect his newfound friends.
15	* BigBad: The Mirage Master, [[spoiler: aka Dr. Yung]].
16	* TheBusCameBack: Misty makes another return appearance in the special, likely for the purpose of [[TheOtherDarrin testing out her new voice actress]] and to commemorate the series' 10th anniversary.
17	* CoatHatMask: The Mirage Master wears this in order to keep his identity a secret. Ultimately he ditches the mask and hat.
18	* ContinuityNod: During a memory-probe of Pikachu, a screen displays Pokémon that appeared in the second through fifth movies. Ultimately, a holographic Mewtwo is created based on those memories.
19	** Said mirage Mewtwo is also able to use the attacks of the Legendaries in Pikachu's memory.
20	** The password for Oak's lab is REDGREEN, a ShoutOut to [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue the two games that started it all]].
21	** Mirage Mew being considered a glitch by The Mirage Master being a ShoutOut to the fact that Mew could previously obtained via a glitch in Gen 1.
22	* CoolMask: The Mirage Master's mask is metal and has red designs on it.
23	* CurbStompBattle: Basically the entire fight is this, as Mirage Mewtwo is far too powerful for all of the gang's attacks combined to even scratch. [[spoiler:It's only when Mirage Mew paralyzes it that Pikachu is able to finish it off with a Volt Tackle]].
24	* DisneyVillainDeath: Misty ''nearly'' suffers this, but is luckily saved by May at the last second.
25	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Mirage Pokémon are an allegory for hacked Pokémon, one that couldn't be more blatant unless [[spoiler: Dr. Yung]] put Wonder Guard onto it.
26	* TheDogBitesBack: The long-abused Mirage Mew turning on his creator, [[spoiler:Dr. Yung.]]
27	* DramaticUnmask: When the Mirage Master is revealed to be [[spoiler:Dr. Yung.]]
28	* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Implied. Dr. Yung walks back into the laboratory after it burst into flame, saying he needs to work on the Mirage Pokémon system. Oak tries to stop him, but the gate collapses between the two.]]
29	* EvilAllAlong: [[spoiler:Dr. Yung.]]
30	* {{Foreshadowing}}: When the Mirage Master first appears, he obviously isn't moving, not even his head. It isn't until after he sends a Mirage Aerodactyl to kidnap Dr. Yung that the Mirage Master starts moving his body, with the scene cutting away after Dr. Yung is kidnapped. [[spoiler: Turns out, the Mirage Master was actually indeed Dr. Yung the whole time, and the first appearance of the Mirage Master was actually indeed a fake so that the "real" Mirage Master would trick the heroes into trying to "save" Dr. Yung from him.]]
31	%%* FourEyesZeroSoul: [[spoiler:Dr. Yung.]]
32	* GuestStarPartyMember: Misty and Professor Oak join Ash, Brock, May, and Max for this adventure.
33	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Mirage Mew holds the Mirage Mewtwo in place long enough for Pikachu to destroy the Mirage System with Volt Tackle.]]
34	* HighCollarOfDoom: The Mirage Master has one on his coat.
35	* HighlyVisiblePassword: So that we can see the reference.
36	* IdentityImpersonator: [[spoiler:The first time we see the Mirage Master, he's actually just a hologram.]]
37	* InstantAIJustAddWater: Mirage Mew, who was given sapience apparently by accident. Or maybe it found a way to GrowBeyondTheirProgramming.
38	* JustAMachine: [[spoiler:Dr. Yung's]] view of the Mirage Pokémon. They're shown to be right about all of them but Mirage Mew.
39	* LabcoatOfScienceAndMedicine: Dr. Yung and Professor Oak wear them.
40	* LooseCanon: It's unclear whether the special is canon to the main anime or not. It was made by a different studio than the main series, debuted in the United States before Japan, and featured some discrepancies, such as Pikachu knowing Volt Tackle when he hadn't learned that attack yet in the dub of the main series (although this may simply mean that it takes place sometime after he learned it), Professor Oak having a Dragonite (which has never appeared outside of the special), and Misty's involvement despite it being said previously that her Gym Leader duties kept her from traveling [[note]]Many attribute her rather arbitrary appearance to the special being meant as celebration of the show's 10th Anniversary, and a resultant desire to include every one of the show's main characters up to that point [[/note]]. Furthermore, the events of the special have never been referenced in the main anime, despite the seeming SequelHook ending[[note]] though to be fair, the same could be said of several other ''Pokémon'' movies[[/note]].
41	%%* MadScientist: [[spoiler:Dr. Yung]]
42	* NeverFoundTheBody: The Mirage Master's body wasn't found in the remains of the destroyed, so it's possible he may return one day...
43	* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Mewtwo vs Mew. [[spoiler:It doesn't end well for Mew.]]
44	* PowersAsPrograms: Quite literally in this case, as the holographic Pokémon are capable of using any attack.
45	* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: The Mirage Mew.
46	* TheSociopath: The titular villain, [[spoiler: in actuality Dr. Yung]], who places no value on life.
47	* StrollingThroughTheChaos: The Mirage Master at the end when he walks back into the collapsing lab. Even the main characters are briefly stunned at the action.
48	* TakeThat: Against players who use hacking devices on their Pokémon games.
49	* TheyCalledMeMad: [[spoiler:Dr. Yung]] was expelled from the Pokémon Institute because their research was considered unethical.
50	* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: [[spoiler:Mirage Mew]]
51	* UncertainDoom: In the end, we don't find what happened to the Mirage Master, though since no body was found he might have escaped and is still out there, planning...
52	* VocalEvolution: Inverted; Michele Knotz had yet to refine her voice for both characters, so as a result, Misty and May sound virtually identical.
53	* VileVillainSaccharineShow: The Mirage Master.
54	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Mirage Mew. [[spoiler:Dr. Yung merely views it as a glitch in the Mirage system, even as it was the closest to being a living Pokémon. Dr. Yung is also called out on preferring his Mirage system over utilizing real Pokémon.]]
55	* WritingAroundTrademarks: Though past footage of the second through fifth movies is shown, the first one is notably skipped over. In addition, when Mirage Mewtwo shows up, the Mirage Master makes a specific point to mention it’s not the same Mewtwo from before. While this may be due in-universe to the first movie [[spoiler:getting erased from everyone’s memories]], the specific tapdancing around the subject meta-wise may also be due to the original anime Mewtwo being owned by Takeshi Shudo’s estate.
56	* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Upon creating Mirage Mewtwo, the Mirage Master orders it to attack the other Mirage Pokémon that had been helping him up to that point.

Context Anime / PokemonTheMastermindOfMiragePokemon