It starts with a flickering TV screen and a Nidorino facing off against a Gengar. If you grew up in the late nineties, that electronic screeching is basically hardwired into your brain. But honestly, looking back at Pokemon Season 1 Episode 1, it’s kind of a miracle the franchise ever took off.
Ash Ketchum was a mess.
He wasn't some prodigy. He was a ten-year-old kid who overslept because he thrashed around in his sleep and smashed his alarm clock—which, by the way, was a Voltorb. That’s the energy of "Pokémon - I Choose You!" It’s chaotic. It’s loud. It’s remarkably grounded for a show about magical monsters that fit in your pocket.
Most people remember the Spearow attack, but the actual heart of the episode is a series of failures. Ash fails to get a "cool" starter like Squirtle or Bulbasaur. He fails to catch a Pidgey. He fails to respect Pikachu’s boundaries. It’s a masterclass in how to build a protagonist by making them lose everything in the first twenty minutes.
What Really Happened in Pokemon Season 1 Episode 1
When Ash shows up at Professor Oak’s lab in his pajamas, he’s already late. The "big three" starters are gone. This wasn't just a plot device; it was a way to introduce Pikachu as a rebel. Early Pikachu wasn't the mascot we know today. He was a jerk. He was stubborn, refused to go into his Poké Ball, and literally shocked Ash for trying to be friendly.
The dynamic is basically a buddy-cop movie gone wrong. Ash is trying too hard, and Pikachu is having none of it. They wander into Route 1, and Ash tries to catch a Pidgey by throwing a rock at it.
Think about that for a second.
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The hero of the biggest media franchise in history started his journey by chucking a rock at a bird because he didn't know how to fight. It’s hilarious. It’s also the catalyst for the entire series. That rock misses the Pidgey and hits a Spearow. Spearows in the Pokémon world are notoriously territorial, and this one calls the whole flock.
The Spearow Chase and the Moment Everything Changed
The middle of the episode is just pure adrenaline. Ash and Pikachu are being hunted. They’re running through a storm, they steal a bike from a girl named Misty—who we didn't know would be a series staple yet—and they crash into the mud.
Then comes the scene. You know the one.
Ash stands in front of a dying, exhausted Pikachu and tells the Spearow flock to "come and get him." He’s willing to sacrifice himself. It’s the first time Pikachu sees Ash not as a "master," but as a partner. Pikachu leaps off Ash’s shoulder, jumps into the lightning from the storm, and unleashes a Thunder Shock that wipes out the entire flock.
It’s peak 90s animation. The colors invert. The music swells. It’s visceral.
Why the Animation Style Matters Even Now
If you watch Pokemon Season 1 Episode 1 today on Netflix or Pokémon TV, you’ll notice the cel animation is grainy. It has a weight to it that modern, digitally-painted seasons like Journeys or Horizons sometimes lack. The rain looks heavy. The mud looks thick.
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Hand-drawn backgrounds by the artists at OLM, Inc. gave Pallet Town a rural, sleepy vibe that made the danger of the Spearow woods feel much more real. Kunihiko Yuyama, the director, leaned into the "cinematic" feel of the episode. He didn't treat it like a toy commercial. He treated it like a coming-of-age odyssey.
There’s also the Ho-Oh sighting.
At the end of the episode, after the storm clears, Ash and Pikachu see a gold bird flying toward a rainbow. In 1997, nobody knew what that was. The Pokémon Gold and Silver games hadn't even been released yet. It was a legendary Pokémon that didn't officially "exist" in the pokedex at the time. Including Ho-Oh was a genius move by the writers. It told the audience that the world was bigger than what Professor Oak knew. It created a sense of mystery that kept kids coming back for hundreds of episodes.
Common Misconceptions About the Premiere
People often misremember how "strong" Pikachu was in the beginning. Pikachu didn't win because he was high-level; he won because he used the environment (the lightning storm) to boost his power.
Another big one: many fans think Gary Oak got a regular starter. While it’s implied he took Squirtle because he eventually shows a Blastoise, the episode itself never actually shows what was in Gary’s Poké Ball. It just shows him being a brat in a red convertible. Who gives a ten-year-old a convertible? Pallet Town's economy is a mystery we still haven't solved.
The Cultural Impact of "I Choose You!"
When this aired in the US in September 1998, it changed everything. It wasn't just a cartoon. It was a lifestyle shift. You had the trading cards, the Game Boy games, and then the show to tie it all together.
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But looking at it through a modern lens, the episode holds up because it’s a story about earned respect. Pikachu doesn't like Ash because he’s the main character. He likes Ash because Ash proved he was a good person. It’s a lesson in empathy that remains the core pillar of the entire franchise.
The script, translated by the team at 4Kids (for the Western release), had a specific snarkiness that worked. Ash wasn't a perfect hero. He was a dork. He made mistakes. He was relatable to every kid who ever felt like they were lagging behind their peers.
How to Re-watch for the Best Experience
If you’re going back to watch Pokemon Season 1 Episode 1, don't just look for the nostalgia. Look at the pacing.
- Pay attention to the sound design: The way the Spearow flock sounds like a swarm of cicadas adds a layer of horror that the show eventually moved away from.
- Check the background details: Professor Oak’s lab is filled with weird equipment that never appears again.
- Watch the character acting: Pikachu’s expressions in the first ten minutes are incredibly expressive, ranging from smug to genuinely terrified.
Actionable Steps for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to dive deeper into the lore of the first episode, here's how to actually engage with that history today:
- Locate the Japanese "Pocket Monsters" Version: If you can find the original Japanese cut, watch it. The musical score by Shinji Miyazaki is different from the Western soundtrack and gives the episode a much more "epic fantasy" feel rather than a "Saturday morning cartoon" vibe.
- Analyze the 2017 Remake: The movie Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! reimagines this first episode. It’s worth comparing the two to see how animation technology and storytelling priorities shifted over twenty years. The remake is prettier, but the original is grittier.
- Track the Voice Acting: Notice the difference in Veronica Taylor’s performance as Ash. In the very first episode, she’s still finding the voice. It’s slightly higher and more nasal than it becomes in the Johto or Hoenn eras.
- Check Your Collection: If you have the "Pikachu Forest" or "Early Journey" themed TCG cards, many of them use art assets or references directly pulled from the storyboards of this first episode.
The first episode isn't just a beginning; it’s the blueprint. Every single Pokémon story since—whether it's the newer Horizons series or the live-action Detective Pikachu—owes its DNA to that muddy field where a boy and a yellow rat decided they were going to take on the world together. It was messy, it was loud, and it was perfect.