History Recap / PokemonS1E1PokemonIChooseYou

* CentralTheme: The world is much bigger and more dangerous than you could ever imagine, and going in like an entitled hero will only result in pain. The world is largely indifferent towards your existence, but if you actually let your true self shine and let bonds form with others, you'll find your way in life.

* AnAesop: The world is a lot bigger and dangerous than you could ever imagine, and going in like an entitled hero will only result in pain. The world is largely indifferent towards your existence but, if you actually let your true self shine and let bonds form with others, you'll find your way in life.

* TheUnreveal: Gary's starter Pokémon, which set off fan theories for years until Johto confirmed it to be Squirtle.

* ThirdOptionAdaptation: Ash receives Pikachu instead of any of the in-game starters. Interestingly, it ''does'' show what Ash's original choice(s) would have been; Squirtle, then Bulbasaur, and then Charmander, in that order. Later episodes would show that Gary ended up getting Ash's first choice for a starter, Squirtle.

* AscendedFridgeHorror: What are the dangers or hardships that a ten-year old would actually face when they go a Pokémon journey alone? Supply theft, the weather, and dangerous wild pokmon. Ash is nearly killed before the day is out.

* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Ash is one of HotBlooded {{Kid Hero}}s frequently seen in [[ShonenDemographic Shonen Anime]]. The entire episode is basically one long HumiliationConga dedicated to showing what would ''really'' happen to this character archetype if they were given [[FreeRangeChildren free reign]] and [[AdultsAreUseless no adult supervision]]. Simply put, Ash almost ends up being ''peaked to death'' by a horde of monster birds before the day is done. It isn't until Ash drops the protagonist act and is ready to all but [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifice himself]] to save Pikachu do things finally start turning around him.

* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Ash is one of HotBlooded {{Child Protagonist}]s frequently seen in ShonenAnime. The entire episode is basically one long HumiliationConga dedicated to showing what would ''really'' happen to this character archetype if they were given [[FreeRangeChildren free reign]] and [[AdultsAreUseless no adult supervision]]. Simply put, Ash almost ends up being ''peaked to death'' by a horde of monster birds before the day is done. It isn't until Ash drops the protagonist act and is ready to all but [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifice himself]] to save Pikachu do things finally start turning around him.

** Though not named in this episode, [[TheChick Misty's]] first scene quickly establishes her character. She is introduced fishing by the river, giving the first indication that she is a Water-type Pokémon Trainer. When she fishes Ash and Pikachu out of the water, she exhibits her {{Tsundere}} personality by being utterly harsh at Ash (even slapping him in the face, a moment that was cut from the dub) while also showing deep concern for his injured Pikachu. And of course, she loses her bike to Ash, which became [[YouOweMe the catalyst]] for Misty to travel with him.

* AscendedFridgeHorror: What are the dangers or hardships that a ten-year old would actually face when they go a Pokémon journey alone? See {{Deconstruction}} below.

** The introduction of [[TheRival Gary Oak]]. When Ash arrives at Professor Oak's Laboratory, a large crowd complete with a squad of [[AllGuysWantCheerleaders cheerleaders]] surrounds the entrance gate cheering for Gary's arrival. Ash bumps into Gary by accident, who immediately recognizes Ash and starts to be a {{Jerkass}} to him. [[InsufferableGenius He brags about getting the best Pokémon from Professor Oak]] [[SpoiledBrat due to him being his grandson right in Ash's face]] and instead of traveling on foot, he leaves off in a CoolCar with his cheerleaders, [[SmallNameBigEgo declaring to the world of his promising career as a Pokémon Trainer]]. [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter Compare to Ash's own celebrating crowd, which is notably cheaper and has less fanfare than Gary's]].

** [[MythologyGag The opening scene starts off with the Gameboy intro of Red and Blue, featuring Gengar fighting Nidorino in a black and white turn-based battle with the 8-bit music rendition of the Pokémon Theme.]] But as Nidorino leaps upon Gengar, [[ArtShift the scene suddenly shifts in a fully colored 360 degree perspective of the battle]] with an orchestra rendition of the aforementioned theme. Then the scene pans out to reveal that they have been fighting in a huge Pokémon Stadium, complete with a fully-packed crowd cheering and an announcer narrating the battle.

* IncrediblyLamePun: Professor Oak churns out a couple of these during the episode: "[Pikachu is] usually shy, but can sometimes have an ''electrifying'' personality" and "''Shocking'', isn't it?".

* LostInTranslation: A joke in the Japanese version of this episode is completely lost in the English version due to it involving Japanese wordplay. In the original, Ash asks Pikachu if he could hear its story, ''hanashi'', of why it doesn't like him but Pikachu takes it to mean ''ha nashi'', meaning no teeth, and opens its mouth to show it has teeth. 4Kids tried to work around this by changing it into the following exchange:

* CranialEruption: After Ash mistakes it for a Pidgey and hits with a rock, the initial Spearow gains a lump on its head...followed by giving Ash a terrifying DeathGlare.

* XRaySparks: Everytime Pikachu shocks somebody throughout the episode, their skeletons are shown.