The first Pokémon anime episode, “Pokémon, I Choose You!”, first aired in Japan on April 1, 1997.
Broadcast on TV Tokyo, the episode introduced Ash Ketchum, Professor Oak, and Pikachu to television audiences. Ash oversleeps and misses the three usual starter Pokémon, so Professor Oak gives him a reluctant Pikachu instead.
The episode also establishes the friendship at the center of the original anime. After Ash protects Pikachu from a flock of Spearow, Pikachu unleashes a powerful electric attack, beginning their long-running partnership.
The first episode is sometimes confused with the anime’s first English broadcast. The Japanese premiere happened in 1997, while the English-language series began airing in the United States in 1998.