Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition

Description

Pokémon Yellow Version was designed to align more closely with the popular Pokémon anime series. The player begins their journey not with Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle, but with a Pikachu that refuses to stay in its Poké Ball and instead follows the protagonist on screen — the first time in the series a partner Pokémon visibly accompanied the player. The rival character receives an Eevee, and the anime’s Team Rocket trio (Jessie, James, and Meowth) appear as recurring antagonists.

While the core structure mirrors Pokémon Red and Blue, travelling through the Kanto region, defeating Gym Leaders, and challenging the Pokémon League, Yellow introduced updated sprites, colour enhancements (when played on Game Boy Color or Super Game Boy), and new event Pokémon distributions. The three original starters (Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle) could all be obtained in a single playthrough, echoing Ash Ketchum’s journey in the anime.

For whatever reason, the game was launched in Australia within a year of Japan — 6 weeks before the US, and over 9 months ahead of Europe. Needless to say it was popular here.

The game was later revisited in the Switch titles Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! (2018), which re‑imagined Yellow with modern mechanics.