The original Pokémon television anime debuted in Japan in 1997.
The first episode, “Pokémon, I Choose You!”, aired on 1 April 1997. It introduced Ash Ketchum and Pikachu and established the travel-and-battling structure that defined the early series. The show was produced by OLM and based on Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures’ Pokémon video-game franchise.
The anime followed the release of the original Japanese games by about a year. That timing allowed the games to establish the world and characters before television expanded the audience. The series then helped Pokémon reach viewers who had never played the Game Boy games.
The anime became one of the franchise’s most durable parts. Ash and Pikachu traveled through multiple regions, while later series introduced new protagonists and story structures. Although the television series changed over time, the 1997 Japanese debut remains the starting point for Pokémon’s animated history.