What is the title of the first Pokémon anime episode, originally broadcast in Japan?

The first Pokémon anime episode, originally broadcast in Japan, is titled “Pokémon, I Choose You!”

The episode introduces Ash Ketchum, who oversleeps on the morning he is supposed to receive his first Pokémon from Professor Oak. Because the usual starter Pokémon have already been chosen, Ash receives Pikachu, an initially uncooperative partner who eventually saves him from a flock of angry Spearow.

The episode first aired on TV Tokyo on April 1, 1997. It established several elements that became central to the television franchise, including Ash’s ambition, Pikachu’s distinctive personality, Professor Oak’s role, and the bond between a Trainer and a Pokémon.

The title is sometimes confused with the 2017 film Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!, which revisits elements of Ash’s beginning in a separate continuity. The episode itself belongs to the original television series and is the opening installment of the first season, later known internationally as Pokémon: Indigo League.