There have been more than a dozen Pokémon films released over the last two decades, yet the success of the first film has never been replicated. Mewtwo Strikes Back remains a fan favorite, so much so that Netflix released a 3D remake of the film for the new generation.
For older fans, though, the original will remain the premier version, with even the goofy jokes still coming across as hilarious due to the nostalgic value. Before you watch the remake, it’s worth going back to the original once again for old times’ sake. And to refresh your memory, here are 10 quotes that will still make one laugh. The accompanying context to these quotes are detailed below.
10 “I’m Too Weak To Work…I Haven’t Eaten Since Breakfast.”
Ash’s seemingly bottomless pit of a stomach is well-known among fans, and it’s something that has become a running gag over the years. Hearing him complain about his hunger in a film as far back as this one makes one laugh even more to realize just how long the joke has been going on.
In this scene, Brock was shown making the food while Misty was helping him out; Ash didn’t do anything other than mope. When Misty scolded him for not helping, Ash argued he hadn’t eaten since breakfast, even though it was barely noon by that point.
9 “The Last Time You Cooked You Wiped Out Eight Of My Nine Lives.”
On the other hand, we had Team Rocket, who didn’t have the benefit of Brock’s cooking to feed them. As the trio spied on the heroes, Meowth voiced how he too was feeling pretty hungry. Jesse, thinking of herself as something of a cook, offered to make the meal.
However, both James and Meowth were well aware of her prowess as a cook, or lack thereof. In order to illustrate just how bad she was at cooking, Meowth claimed he’d already lost almost all of his lives in his previous experiences.
8 “I May Not Have A Nickname, But I Do Have Charizard.”
This quote highlighted how awkward it was for Ash to realize that he probably hadn’t treated his Pokémon as lovingly as he’d thought. It also amuses viewers as they themselves realize that it hadn’t struck the fanbase that Pokémon could be given nicknames.
Two other Pokémon trainers had named their Venusaur and Blastoise as Bruteroot and Shellshocker, respectively. Following them, Ash looked like a real novice when he could only call his Charizard by its species, even acknowledging how he hadn’t thought up a nickname.
7 “That’s Progress…At Least His Mouth Is Working.”
Being the best human companion Ash has ever had, one of Brock’s best attributes was how he could deliver dry humor, with this being on those occasions. After a Pokémon trainer had challenged Ash, the latter instantly sprung to action. That, despite having only seconds earlier claimed he was too weak to even get up.
Brock, seeing through Ash’s incessant need to prove himself as a Pokémon trainer, saw the positives in this by pointing out that the challenge at least got Ash’s mouth to work. Then again, knowing how lame Ash’s smack talk is, that might not have been the best thing.
6 “Your Charizard Is Poorly Trained.”
Among the many recurring jokes in the Pokémon series, there’s the constant hazing by fans of Ash, as he’s seen as a rather incompetent trainer for the most part. The series had shied away from acknowledging this, but Mewtwo calling him out on this is generally met with raucous laughter and praise.
Here, Ash let Charizard out to challenge Mewtwo but hadn’t given any orders for the former to attack. However, Charizard instantly blew a huge gust of fire Mewtwo’s way, only for it to be casually deflected, leaving Ash perplexed and speechless. Mewtwo then completed the humiliation by calling Ash a poor trainer.
5 “Mewtwo…You’re Mine!”
On the face of it this might seem like a pretty cool quote, but the scene itself was extremely comical. Here, Ash arrived in tow with all the original Pokémon that Mewtwo had captured, before making it clear that he intended to fight Mewtwo personally.
Charging forward, he had the attitude of a world-beater as he flung his fist straight into Mewtwo…only to be shoved so far back that he almost blasted off like Team Rocket usually does. The fact that he thought he could get away with punching the most powerful Pokémon, and then paying the price for it, makes this a quote that always makes one laugh.
4 (James): “I’m Scared. (Jesse): “Me Too.” (Meowth): “Meow!”
We’ve put three quotes into one for this in order to put things into context. Meowth is known for being a Pokémon who never talks like one, instead behaving like a human would. On these occasions, where he was scared out of his mind, he ended up acting like a Pokémon for a change.
As Mewtwo looked to be unstoppable and was about to capture everyone, Jesse and James voiced their fears out. Rather than mimic them, Meowth spoke like his species for once, putting a comical spin on an otherwise dire situation.
3 “I Know! Mewtwo Can’t Capture Them If They’re Inside Their Poké Balls…”
It appears as if this film was made out to call Ash on his excessive bravado, as here’s another instance where he was made to look like a fool. After every other Pokémon had been captured in Mewtwo’s manufactured Poké balls, Ash tried to be over-smart.
Claiming that he’d found a loophole, he placed his Pokémon in the Poké balls thinking they’d be safe, only for Mewtwo’s Poké balls to then capture Ash’s Poké balls! It was smart on Mewtwo’s part, but Ash’s instant fail makes his cheery claim pretty hilarious.
2 “I Almost Made A Clawful Mistake.”
Sure, making puns can be quite lame for the most part, but back when one’s a kid these always made us laugh. For this reason, hearing Meowth make a pretty lame pun is still pretty funny, especially since it reminds you of your childhood.
After Meowth realized that his clone had no intention of fighting him, he agreed that they should focus on what they have in common rather than what they don’t and became friends. As part of his realization, he claimed he’d almost made an awful mistake by fighting, but since he was a cat, added in a “claw” pun.
1 “I Don’t Have Time For Your Dumb Motto Today!”
Back in the old days, the Team Rocket motto always played out whenever they arrived, and it was made out as such that you’d expect them to say the whole thing. However, Ash put a stop to this in a hilarious way when he came across them.
Busy chasing Pikachu, who’d been caught by Mewtwo’s machine, Ash pushed past Team Rocket when he stumbled across them, arguing that he really didn’t have time to indulge in their repetitive motto. Following this, fans realized just how loony the Team Rocket motto had been all along.
NEXT: 10 Nintendo Characters Reimagined As Pokémon Trainers
