What were the Japanese names of the two first-generation Pokémon games released in 1996?

The Japanese names were Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green.

These two Game Boy role-playing games launched in Japan on February 27, 1996, and are regarded as the beginning of the Pokémon video game series. They featured version-exclusive Pokémon, encouraging players to trade with one another to complete their collections.

International releases used Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version instead. The original Japanese Green version was not released overseas in its original form, although the international Blue game was based on an enhanced Japanese Pokémon Blue release. This difference is why many international fans mistakenly assume that Red and Blue were the original pair everywhere.

The games introduced the first 151 Pokémon, the Kanto region, Professor Oak, rival battles, Gym challenges, and the Pokémon League. Their relatively simple premise—collect creatures, train them, and battle—became the template for the main series across later generations and hardware platforms.