Pokémon Yellow was released in Japan on September 12, 1998, as an enhanced version of the first-generation Pokémon games. Its full English title is Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition.
Unlike Red and Green, Yellow gives the player Pikachu as the only starting Pokémon. Pikachu follows the player through the overworld and reacts to the player’s treatment, reflecting the character’s prominent role in the anime. The rival begins with an Eevee rather than one of the traditional starters.
Yellow also adds anime-inspired appearances for Team Rocket’s Jessie and James and adjusts several locations and encounters. The game was released internationally later, including North America in October 1999 and Europe in June 2000. A common error is assigning its Japanese release to 1999, the year of its North American release.