Generation I & Kanto: Pokémon Generation Guide
The first generation (Japanese: 第一世代 first generation; ポケットモンスター赤・緑シリーズ Pocket Monsters Red and Green Series) of Pokémon games, commonly referred to by fans as
2026-02-15
About Generation I & Kanto
A collector-friendly primer on the games, region, and what they introduced.
The first generation (Japanese: 第一世代 first generation; ポケットモンスター赤・緑シリーズ Pocket Monsters Red and Green Series) of Pokémon games, commonly referred to by fans as Generation I, is the initial set of Pokémon games released.
This generation released several core games, beginning with the Japanese games Red and Green on February 27, 1996, followed by Blue later that year. Internationally, these three games were repackaged as Red and Blue, which were released in North America on September 28, 1998. The final Generation I core game released was the special edition Yellow, which was released in Japan on September 12, 1998 and in North America on October 19, 1999. These core games were all released for Nintendo's Game Boy handheld console.
The Kanto region (Japanese: カントー地方 Kanto region) is a region of the Pokémon world. Kanto is located east of Johto, which together form a joint landmass that is south of Sinnoh.
- Region: Kanto
- New Pokémon: 151
- International debut: September 28, 1998
- Main games: Red (Japan) Red (International)
- Pokémon League: Indigo League
- Professors: Professor Oak, Professor Cerise
- First partners: Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle / Pikachu and Eevee
Games & gameplay highlights
Mechanics that shaped the era, plus a quick history of release.
Generation I introduced the "standard formula" of Pokémon games: The player character, from a small town in the region, gets a first partner Pokémon from a friendly, local authority figure and sets out on a Pokémon adventure, culminating in defeating a team of enemies, a Legendary Pokémon, the Elite Four, and the player's own rival. The Generation I games also introduced the early generation formula of game releases, namely a paired set of games (with different sets of available Pokémon), followed by a special follow-up game. However, this formula wasn't as standardized as it would be in subsequent generations, given the release of both Pokémon Blue and Yellow following Red and Green in Japan.
In 1990, Satoshi Tajiri pitched the idea for Capsule Monsters to Nintendo, with the help of Shigeru Miyamoto. The Capsule Monsters idea ultimately evolved to become the Generation I games, and the Pokémon franchise generally. The pitch for Capsule Monsters already included key mechanics that would appear in the final Generation I games, with many based on Tajiri's childhood interest in bug collecting. For example, in designing the trading system between two Game Boys, he imagined a caterpillar crawling across the Game Link Cable.
- Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures, Inc. released the Generation I for the Game Boy in Japan in 1996, with the paired games Red and Green in February and the updated game Blue later that year. These games were released with the name "Pocket Monsters" due to issues with trademarking the Capsule Monsters name. Similar issues arose when localizing this generation's games into English. Because of issues using the Pocket Monsters name outside Japan (due to the unrelated, North American franchise Monster in My Pocket), the Generation I (and all subsquent games) have been released under the name "Pokémon" internationally.
- Internationally, the Generation I games were released in September 1998. However, the original three games were recombined and repackaged for the international release as Red and Blue. The international versions use the version-exclusive wild Pokémon encounter lists from the Japanese Red and Green games, while both games use the slightly improved graphics from the Japanese Blue game.
- After the animated series, Pokémon the Series, began airing (in Japan in 1997 and internationally in 1998), the Generation I games experienced major surges in popularity. The explosive popularity of the Generation I games firmly cemented the Pokémon franchise as a Nintendo mainstay, like the Mario (series) and The Legend of Zelda (Series) franchises before it.
Kanto: Geography & lore
Real-world inspiration and the in-game footprint.
Pokémon world in relation to the real world Kanto is based on the real Kantō region (関東, east of the barrier) in Japan. Commercially-oriented Celadon City and Saffron City are based on the sprawling city of Tokyo, the most important economic center of Japan. Vermilion City is based on Yokohama, the largest seaport in Japan.
The Kanto region has a very temperate climate and not many notable landscape features, though this may be due to the region's origins in the Generation I games.
Featured Kanto Pokémon
Native species highlights — links to per-species guides.
- Bulbasaur (#1) — Grass / Poison type
- Ivysaur (#2) — Grass / Poison type
- Venusaur (#3) — Grass / Poison type
- Charmander (#4) — Fire type
- Charmeleon (#5) — Fire type
- Charizard (#6) — Fire / Flying type
- Squirtle (#7) — Water type
- Wartortle (#8) — Water type
- Blastoise (#9) — Water type
- Caterpie (#10) — Bug type
- Metapod (#11) — Bug type
- Butterfree (#12) — Bug / Flying type
Generation I trivia
Bulbapedia trivia, lightly cleaned for collectors.
- Of all the generations, Generation I introduced the most moves to the core series, with 165. It is also the only generation in which the total number of moves is greater than the total number of Pokémon.
- Alongside Generations II and V, Generation I is one of the shortest generations in the West and is currently the shortest.
- Prior to Generation VI, Generation I had the most extra space in the Pokémon Storage System if the player captures one of each Pokémon, with 240 spots available for 151 Pokémon, therefore leaving 89 extra spots.
- Prior to Generation VIII, Generation I was the only generation not to feature the paired versions' mascots on the title screens, but instead included the first evolutionary stages of two first partner Pokémon.
- Generation I is the only generation in which: There is no female player character.
- Generation I is the only generation in which: None of the game mascots are Legendary Pokémon.
- Generation I is the only generation in which: Pokémon by index number order are in order of creation instead of by Pokédex number. The last Generation I Pokémon to be created, Mew, was instead placed in the first slot that was dummied out prior to release.
- Generation I is the only generation in which: Water was not the most common type, as a plurality of Pokémon are Poison.
- The Japanese releases of the Generation I games mark the only generation where two solitary core titles were released (Blue and Yellow).
- Generation I is the only generation to have multiple pairs of remakes of its core series games.
- In the Japanese Generation I games, the name "Kanto" is only used once—upon viewing the Town Map at Blue's house. The region's name is never mentioned in the Generation I games in any other language, meaning that the region was not given a name in the non-Japanese games until the release of Gold and Silver.
- In the English manuals of the Generation I games, there is a map of Kanto with the title "World Map" (with no mention of the name "Kanto").
- In the remakes of the Generation I games (FireRed and LeafGreen and Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!), Kanto's name is used frequently.
- Until the release of Platinum, after defeated Maylene and Crasher Wake (not to mention just before Ash challenges Fantina), Kanto was the only region in the animated series where Ash defeated the Gym Leaders in a different order from the games.
Related posts
Generation roundups and guides for the same era.
Cutest Pokémon From Gen I: Card & Binder IdeasBest Gen I Pokémon Cards to CollectMost Popular Gen I PokémonMost Expensive Gen I Pokémon Cards (TCGPlayer Prices)Bulbasaur Cards & Binder Ideas (Featuring Charmander)Ivysaur Pokémon Cards: Best Rarities, Art Cards, and Binder PicksVenusaur Card Guide: Iconic Prints, Chase Cards, and Display PicksCharmander in Your 🐉 Dragons Binder: Art, Sets, and Layout
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