What was the original Japanese title of the Pokémon anime?

The original Japanese title of the Pokémon anime was Pocket Monsters.

The television series premiered on TV Tokyo on April 1, 1997, under the Japanese title Pocket Monsters. International broadcasts generally used Pokémon as the franchise and series name, while the Japanese title remained tied to the original branding.

The first Japanese series followed Satoshi, known internationally as Ash Ketchum, and his partner Pikachu. It adapted the world and characters of the Game Boy games while creating its own episode stories, battles, journeys, and recurring cast.

The anime’s naming history can be confusing because Japan has used several related Pocket Monsters titles for later series, while international markets divide the long-running program into seasons such as Indigo League. The original title is therefore the concise name associated with the 1997 debut series, not the English subtitle of one particular season.