TV Tokyo first broadcast the Pokémon anime series in Japan.
The series premiered on April 1, 1997, with the episode “Pokémon, I Choose You!” The story introduced Ash Ketchum, Professor Oak, and Pikachu, beginning Ash’s long-running journey as a Pokémon Trainer.
TV Tokyo was the first broadcaster, although the program was also distributed through other Japanese stations and later became an international television phenomenon. Different countries received localized titles, voices, schedules, and episode edits, but the original Japanese broadcast began on TV Tokyo.
The premiere is sometimes confused with the anime’s first international broadcasts. The United States received the series in 1998 through first-run syndication, while the Kids’ WB run began in 1999. Those dates mark overseas distribution, not the Japanese debut.