What was the Japanese title of the first Pokémon game pair, released in 1996?

The first Japanese Pokémon game pair was titled Pocket Monsters Red and Green.

Game Freak and Nintendo released the games in Japan on February 27, 1996, for the Game Boy. They introduced the capture, training, battling, and trading systems that became the foundation of the franchise.

Many international players know the first generation as Pokémon Red and Blue, but that pair reflects the overseas release. The original Japanese Green version was not released outside Japan. International Red and Blue were based on the later Japanese Blue version, with adjustments to programming, artwork, and distribution.

This naming difference also explains why anniversary discussions sometimes mention Red and Green while others mention Red and Blue. Both pairs refer to the first generation, but they are not identical regional releases. Pokémon Yellow followed in Japan in 1998 as an enhanced version influenced by the anime.