Which director helmed the first Pokémon anime film?

Kunihiko Yuyama directed Pokémon: The First Movie.

The film, released in Japan on July 18, 1998, is the first theatrical Pokémon anime film. Its main feature, Mewtwo Strikes Back, follows Mewtwo, a genetically engineered Pokémon who challenges trainers and questions the meaning of identity and origin.

Yuyama was a major creative figure in the Pokémon anime film series and directed many later Pokémon movies. The screenplay for the first film was written by Takeshi Shudo, who also served as head writer for much of the early television anime, so the director and writer are sometimes confused.

The English-language version reached North America in November 1999. It became a major commercial success despite differences between the Japanese and international versions, including changes to the presentation of Mewtwo's origin story.