Kanto is the region featured in the first Pokémon games.
Pokémon Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow take place in Kanto, where players travel between towns, challenge eight Gym Leaders, and eventually face the Elite Four. The region contains the original 151 Pokémon and is home to Professor Oak’s laboratory in Pallet Town.
Kanto’s name comes from the real Kantō region of Japan, which includes Tokyo and surrounding prefectures. The game region is not a precise map of real Japan, but locations such as Viridian City, Saffron City, and Cinnabar Island form a fictionalized journey inspired by Japanese geography.
Johto is the neighboring region introduced in the second generation, while Hoenn and Sinnoh belong to later generations. Kanto also reappears in several later games, which is why it remains one of the franchise’s most recognizable regions.