What was the title of the first Pokémon video-game pair released in Japan?

The first Pokémon video-game pair released in Japan was Pocket Monsters Red and Green. Game Freak developed the role-playing games for Nintendo’s Game Boy, and they launched the franchise in 1996.

The games used version-exclusive Pokémon to encourage trading between players. Each version also had a different title-screen Pokémon, while the shared adventure centered on collecting Gym Badges and completing the Pokédex.

International audiences often know the pair as Pokémon Red and Blue because the Japanese Green version was reworked for overseas release. Japan later received Pokémon Blue as an improved version, which supplied the technical basis for the international Red and Blue releases.

The title “Pocket Monsters” was the original Japanese branding. “Pokémon” became the internationally used short form, with an acute accent over the e to guide pronunciation.