Kanto is the fictional region where Pokémon Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow take place.
The player begins in Pallet Town and travels through Kanto’s towns, routes, caves, forests, and seas while challenging eight Gym Leaders. The region culminates in the Pokémon League, where the player faces the Elite Four and the Champion. Kanto is also home to Professor Oak, who gives the player a starter Pokémon at the beginning of the journey.
Kanto introduced the original 151 Pokémon and became the template for the regions that followed. Later games added Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola, Galar, and Paldea, each with its own geography and regional Pokédex. Johto is especially easy to confuse with Kanto because Pokémon Gold and Silver connect the two regions in one adventure.
Kanto’s name is borrowed from a real region of Japan, but the game setting is not a literal map. Locations such as Viridian City, Lavender Town, and Saffron City are fictionalized places arranged for exploration and progression. The anime and later remakes also revisit Kanto, helping make it one of the franchise’s most recognizable settings.