When did the original Pokémon anime first premiere on Japanese television?

The original Pokémon anime premiered on Japanese television on April 1, 1997.

The series aired on TV Tokyo and initially followed Ash Ketchum as he began his journey with Pikachu. Its format adapted the world and mechanics of the Game Boy games while creating an ongoing television adventure with recurring characters and stories.

The anime did not debut at the same time as the games. Pocket Monsters Red and Green had already launched in Japan more than a year earlier, giving the television production an established world and audience to build on.

International dates differ. The anime was broadcast in other territories later, and the English-language release is often remembered separately from the Japanese premiere. The April 1 date identifies the original Japanese broadcast, not the first overseas airing.