What was the Japanese title of the Pokémon video-game series when it began in 1996?

The Japanese title of the Pokémon video-game series when it began in 1996 was Pocket Monsters.

The first Japanese releases were titled Pocket Monsters Red and Green. The shortened brand name Pokémon became the international title and is also widely used in Japan, but the original series title was Pocket Monsters, written in Japanese as Poketto Monsutā.

The name explains why the franchise’s Japanese logo and early materials differ from versions made for overseas audiences. Pokémon is a contraction of “Pocket Monsters,” a phrase that describes the creatures’ portable, collectible nature.

The original naming is sometimes confused with the titles of later games or anime adaptations. The first television series also used Pocket Monsters as its Japanese title, while English-language releases generally used Pokémon. This distinction matters when identifying the franchise’s earliest Japanese history.