Pokémon Origins, known in Japan as Pocket Monsters: The Origin (ポケットモンスター THE ORIGIN Poketto Monsutā Ji Orijin), is a Japanese anime television special based on Nintendo's Pokémon franchise. Unlike the on-going television series, this special features the setting and characters from the original video games Pokémon Red and Blue. Animation is handled by Production I.G, Xebec, and OLM, Inc., and the special is split into four parts, each directed by a different director from these studios. It was broadcast on TV Tokyo on October 2, 2013, ten days before the release of the X and Y video games,[1][2][3][4][5] and began streaming internationally on Nintendo's Pokémon TV service from November 15, 2013.[6]
Episode 1-Red
Two young trainers, Red and Blue, are called over by Professor Oak, who gives them a Pokédex, asking them to complete it with data from Pokémon all across the Kanto region. In exchange, he gives each of them a Pokémon partner, with Red choosing a Charmander and Blue choosing a Squirtle. After fighting several battles, catching wild Pokémon and acquiring data for his Pokédex along the way, Red soon comes up against Blue and is completely overpowered by his Squirtle.
Episode 2-Cubone
After facing many more battles and earning two more Gym Badges, Red arrives in Lavender Town, where he hears many rumors about ghosts roaming around a Pokémon Tower, a Pokémon cemetery. Before heading to the Tower, Red goes to a Pokémon House for abandoned Pokémon, where he meets a girl named Reina, along with a Cubone who became orphaned after his mother, a Marowak, was killed by the nefarious Team Rocket.
Episode 3-Giovanni
After Red has obtained two more badges and evolved his Pokémon into Charizard, he and Blue encounter the secretary of the president of the Silph Company, which had been taken over by Team Rocket, who are trying obtain the Master Ball, a Poké Ball capable of capturing any Pokémon. Red infiltrates the Silph Company, freeing all the imprisoned scientists and Pokémon, receiving a Lapras in gratitude.
Episode 4-Charizard
Red finally arrives at the Pokémon League on the Indigo Plateau, where he battles against and defeats the Elite Four. However, he discovers that Blue has beat him to the title of Pokémon League Champion. In order to obtain the title for himself, Red challenges Blue to a battle. The match soon boils down to a showdown between Red's Charizard and Blue's Blastoise, with Charizard managing to win out.
