50 Fun Facts About Pokemon Red and Blue

Which studio developed Pokémon Red and Blue?

Nintendo published them for the Game Boy.

What was the second Japanese version alongside Pocket Monsters Red in 1996?

Blue came later that year as a special edition.

On what date were Red and Green released in Japan?

A December 1995 launch was delayed because the merchandise was not ready.

How many Pokémon are in the original Pokédex?

Completing the Pokédex requires trading between versions.

In which fictional region are the games set?

It is inspired by Japan's real Kantō region.

How many Gym Badges must the player collect to enter the Pokémon League?

The League at Indigo Plateau is home to the Elite Four.

What accessory lets two Game Boys trade Pokémon?

Some Pokémon only evolve when traded.

Who is the Pokémon professor in the player's hometown?

His grandson is the player's rival.

What is the player's hometown?

It is one of only three Kanto settlements without a gym.

Which of these is NOT one of the three starter Pokémon?

Pikachu only became a starter in Yellow; Pidgey is an early Route 1 catch.

Which starter does the rival always choose?

He then battles the player repeatedly throughout the game.

Who is the final Champion faced at Indigo Plateau?

The Elite Four come first.

Which criminal organisation does the player battle throughout the game?

They scheme to steal rare Pokémon.

How many settlements does Kanto have?

Pallet Town, Lavender Town and Indigo Plateau are the three without gyms.

Which Pokémon can only be caught by fishing or in open water on Routes 19-21?

Zubat, by contrast, is caught only in caves.

What is the name of the famous glitch Pokémon in Red and Blue?

Its name is short for "Missing Number".

Which glitch exploits unsigned integers to max out a Pokémon's level?

It only works on Pokémon in the "medium slow" experience group.

Who created Pokémon and pitched it to Nintendo in 1990?

Nintendo was sceptical until Shigeru Miyamoto championed the idea.

Which childhood hobby inspired the concept of Pokémon?

Tajiri noticed urbanisation had driven kids indoors as insect numbers fell.

A frustrating experience in which game inspired the idea of trading Pokémon?

Tajiri could not get a rare drop that his friend Ken Sugimori had two of.

Who suggested making multiple cartridges with different Pokémon in each?

He thought it would help the trading aspect.

After whom was the rival character named?

The hero Satoshi was named after Tajiri himself.

Who designed Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle?

Sugimori finalised each design by drawing it from several angles.

What was the franchise originally called before trademark problems?

It passed through CapuMon and KapuMon before becoming Pocket Monsters.

Which tokusatsu series inspired the Poké Ball concept?

Its hero carried Capsule Monsters.

Who composed the games' music?

He used white noise to mimic a snare drum in the opening theme.

On which computer did Masuda write the music at home?

He converted it to the Game Boy with a program he wrote himself.

How was Pocket Monsters Blue first sold in Japan in October 1996?

It did not reach general retail until October 1999.

Which Pokémon is the mascot of Japanese Blue?

Blue's code and artwork formed the base for the Western Red and Blue.

Who secretly added Mew to the game as an internal prank?

It was never meant to reach consumers; Nintendo later distributed it at events.

In what year was a glitch found that let players obtain Mew without an event?

Until then, official Nintendo promotions were the only route.

Who led the small team that renamed the Pokémon for Western audiences?

Nintendo trademarked all 151 English names.

Why did the English versions have to be reprogrammed from scratch?

The fragility was a side effect of the unusually long development.

Which Nintendo president refused to "beef up" the monsters for America?

The localisation team had warned that "cute monsters" might not sell.

When were Red and Blue released in North America?

That was over two and a half years after Japan.

Which Portuguese town was symbolically renamed for the 1999 launch?

Distributor Concentra chose it for the similarity to the game's name.

Which Pokémon does the rival start with in Pokémon Yellow?

The player gets Pikachu, mirroring the anime.

Who provides Pikachu's voice in Pokémon Yellow?

She also voices Pikachu in the anime.

What minigame in Yellow was unlockable via Pokémon Stadium or a contest?

Data was exchanged using the Transfer Pak.

Which car maker built a Pikachu-inspired New Beetle to promote Yellow?

A Pikachu-themed Game Boy Color bundle also launched in October 1999.

What unreleased version may have been planned to accompany Yellow, per leaked code?

The hint came from source code leaked from Nintendo.

For which anniversary were Red, Blue and Yellow re-released on 3DS Virtual Console?

They added simulated Link Cable trading, a first for the service.

What were the Game Boy Advance remakes of Red and Blue called?

They came bundled with the GBA Wireless Adapter in 2004.

Roughly how many copies did Red and Blue sell worldwide?

In 2017 Guinness named them the best-selling video game excluding bundles.

Which game did Pokémon overtake as Japan's best-selling game of 1997?

Red, Green and Blue sold 3.65 million in Japan that year.

How much did Nintendo spend marketing Red and Blue in the US, per one figure?

Another account puts total promotion at over $50 million.

Which prize did Red and Blue win at the 2nd Interactive Achievement Awards?

It was nominated in the other three categories.

In 2014, what crowdsourced experiment played a modified Pokémon Red via chat commands?

It finished on March 1 after 390 hours of chaotic multi-user play.

Which 1998 Nintendo 64 game featured 40 of the 151 Pokémon and was Japan-only?

Its 1999 sequel, released worldwide, included all 151.

Which sport's referees wore Poké Ball kimono for the games' 25th anniversary?

The Japan Sumo Association partnered with The Pokémon Company in 2021.