Who directed the original Pokémon television series?

Kunihiko Yuyama directed the original Pokémon television series.

Yuyama served as director of the Pokémon anime from its 1997 premiere through 2019, overseeing the era centered on Ash Ketchum and Pikachu. The series first aired on TV Tokyo on April 1, 1997, and became one of the most internationally successful adaptations of a video-game property.

The production also involved important collaborators. Takeshi Shudo was the original head writer, Shinji Miyazaki composed the music, and OLM handled animation production. Masamitsu Hidaka directed the first episode, “Pokémon, I Choose You!”, but he was not the overall series director.

Yuyama also directed many Pokémon theatrical films, including Pokémon: The First Movie. Later television eras changed directors and protagonists, especially after Ash's story concluded. Those changes do not alter Yuyama's role in shaping the original television series during Pokémon's first major global expansion.