What was the international title of Japan’s first Pokémon games, Pocket Monsters Red and Green?

Japan’s Pocket Monsters Red and Green were released internationally as Pokémon Red and Blue.

The original games launched in Japan for the Game Boy on February 27, 1996. Japan later received an enhanced Blue version, and that version was reprogrammed as the Red and Blue pair used for international releases. The original Japanese Green version was not released overseas in its original form.

This naming difference is one of the most common pieces of Pokémon launch history to confuse new players. International players often assume that Blue was always paired with Red, while Japanese players first encountered Red and Green. Both pairs represent the same first-generation adventure, with version-exclusive Pokémon encouraging trades between players.

Pokémon Yellow followed as an enhanced edition inspired partly by the anime, giving Pikachu a more prominent role. FireRed and LeafGreen were much later Game Boy Advance remakes, so their names should not be substituted for the original international titles.