Which two Pokémon games launched the franchise in Japan in 1996?

Pokémon Red and Green launched the franchise in Japan in 1996.

The two Game Boy games were released together on February 27, 1996. They shared the same basic adventure but contained version-exclusive Pokémon, encouraging players to trade through the Game Link Cable.

International players often remember the pair as Red and Blue because those were the first versions released in North America and many other regions. Japan received Blue later as an updated edition, while the international Red and Blue games used Blue’s improved artwork and underlying code.

The versions were not completely identical, which made trading important for completing the original Pokédex. This design choice became a defining feature of the Pokémon series.