When did the Pokémon anime series first premiere in Japan?

The Pokémon anime series first premiered in Japan on April 1, 1997.

The series debuted on TV Tokyo, a little over a year after the original Pokémon games launched. Its first episode, “Pokémon, I Choose You!”, introduced Ash Ketchum and Pikachu to television audiences.

The anime was designed to build on the games while giving Pokémon distinct personalities and ongoing stories. Ash’s journey through Kanto helped make characters such as Pikachu, Misty, Brock, and Team Rocket widely recognizable beyond video-game audiences.

The date is separate from the franchise’s original launch date in 1996. Pokémon began as Game Boy software, while the anime became the next major part of its worldwide multimedia expansion.