Pokemon Center Shibuya's Mewtwo has suddenly disappeared

If you've ever been to Tokyo's Shibuya Pokemon Center store, the Mewtwo statue at the entrance will be a familiar sight. And even if you haven't, chances are you've seen pictures of it on the internet. It's very cool.

In the past hour, however, reports have surfaced online that while the tube remains, the Mewtwo statue inside it has disappeared, and no one knows why.

Pokemon Center Shibuya's infamous Mewtwo has suddenly disappeared from its tube

A photograph taken by me of Mewtwo in a pipe at shibuya pokemon center.

First posted by the Pokemon Times Twitter account, an official Pokemon news account, is a picture of Mewtwo's Shibuya-based tube, empty. The photo was accompanied by the caption, “Huh, I went to Pokémon Center Shibuya, and Mewtwo was gone, what the hell? Why?” (translated by TheGamer).

Naturally, rampant speculation began in the comments on the tweet. Some joked that Mewtwo had escaped; others suggested it had been taken back by Team Rocket. The more pragmatic commenters suggested it was related to the upcoming Global Pokemon Go Fest.

That event, which falls just days after the game's 10th anniversary, takes place between July 11 and July 12. It will feature Zeraora and Mewtwo, so the crossover makes sense.

For the first time ever, Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y will appear in Pokemon Go, so the expectation is that the removal of this statue is a marketing stunt for the game's big new addition.

In fact, as of this writing, the official Japanese Pokemon Go Twitter account revealed that Mewtwo in the image for the PokeStop at the Shibuya Pokemon Center had also disappeared, all but confirming that the AR game was behind the stunt.

The Pokemon Company is no stranger to bringing its creatures into the real world for promotions. Quite often, planes, trains, and cars are covered in fan favorites, and Pikachu regularly appears in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.

It has also recently had pop-ups at the Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands, the Natural History Museum in the UK and at the Field Museum in Chicago.

This is another good example of that, but the people who planned to visit the Pokemon Center in Shibuya today must feel a hint of disappointment.