Who directed the first Pokémon television series?

Kunihiko Yuyama directed the first Pokémon television series. He served as the series director and later directed numerous Pokémon films and animated projects.

The original Pokémon anime began airing in Japan on April 1, 1997. Its first season followed Ash Ketchum and Pikachu as they traveled through the Kanto region, with Misty and Brock joining the journey. The series was produced by Oriental Light and Magic and broadcast by TV Tokyo.

Several other names are closely associated with the anime. Takeshi Shudo was the head writer, while Masamitsu Hidaka served as a supervising director during the early series. Satoshi Tajiri created the video game franchise, but he was not the television series director. Separating these roles helps explain why multiple creators are often named when discussing Pokémon’s origins.