The player explores the fictional Kanto region in the original Pokémon games.
Pokémon Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow center on a journey across Kanto. The player begins in Pallet Town, receives a starter Pokémon from Professor Oak, challenges eight Gym Leaders, and eventually faces the Elite Four and the Pokémon League Champion.
The games’ Japanese releases did not originally name the region Kanto. That name was introduced in the second generation, when Pokémon Gold and Silver allowed players to revisit the setting after completing the new Johto adventure. Kanto is therefore both the first game region and a later post-game destination.
This fictional setting should not be confused with Japan’s real Kantō region, although the Pokémon region draws inspiration from Japanese geography. Locations such as Viridian City, Lavender Town, and Cinnabar Island became recognizable parts of the franchise’s original world.