The Pokémon anime premiered on Japan’s TV Tokyo network in 1997.
The series first aired on April 1, 1997, with the episode “Pokémon, I Choose You!”. TV Tokyo became the original Japanese broadcast home for the series, which follows Ash Ketchum and Pikachu as they travel through Pokémon regions and compete in battles.
The program was produced for television by a group that included TV Tokyo, MediaNet, and Shogakukan Productions. Its success helped turn Pokémon from a successful Game Boy game into a broader multimedia franchise involving animation, films, cards, toys, and merchandise.
Outside Japan, the anime was localized for different markets and networks. In the United States, the first season was initially distributed in first-run syndication before later becoming associated with Kids’ WB. Those international broadcast arrangements can lead to confusion about the show’s original network, but the Japanese premiere itself belongs to TV Tokyo.