Pokémon: The Original Series · Indigo League (Kanto) arc

EP001 · Pokémon, I Choose You!

Name: Pokémon, I Choose You!
Released: 1998-09-08

ポケモン! きみにきめた!

US air. 1998-09-08 JP air. 1997-04-01 Season. Indigo League (S1) Position. Episode 1 of 276 in Original

Why this episode matters

Key episode in Original

Pikachu's debut as Ash's reluctant starter. Bicycle gets fried; Spearow swarm; Ho-Oh flies overhead. The franchise's opening shot.

Signature episode for Ash Ketchum

The debut. Pikachu refuses the Poké Ball; Ho-Oh flies overhead.

Signature episode for Misty

Debut. Fishing scene; bike destroyed.

Synopsis

What happens.

In a massive stadium, two creatures known as Pokémon are having a battle, directed by their Trainers to give it their all. One of the Pokémon, a Gengar, dodges a Horn Attack from its opponent, a Nidorino, and uses its Hypnosis attack on it, causing it to fall asleep.

Synopsis adapted from Bulbapedia's EP001 entry, used under CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5.

Story arc · EP001-EP082

Indigo League (Kanto).

Ash collects eight Kanto badges, faces rival Gary Oak, and competes at the Indigo Plateau Conference. Misty and Brock complete the original trio. Team Rocket's Jessie / James / Meowth introduced in EP002.

Read the full Original guide

Pokémon featured · 16

Who appears.

Linked entries open the species page on the Pokédex. Items without a sprite (alternate forms, regional variants, generic group references) fall back to a name pill.

Other episodes in Indigo League (Kanto).

Episode synopsis from Bulbapedia, CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5. Editorial context (arc affiliation, cultural moments, character signatures) hand-verified May 2026. Pokémon, character names, and series titles © Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., The Pokémon Company, OLM Inc. This is an unofficial fan reference.