Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition/Changelog

This page covers changes made to Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition from Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version. Many of these changes were introduced to bring the game into line with how events were portrayed in the anime series.

Hardware support

 * Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition now supports the Game Boy Printer peripheral.
 * While being advertised as a Game Boy video game, Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition contains enhancements when played on the Game Boy Color, such as color palette changes when the player moves into a new location.
 * When played on a Super Game Boy, the game uses a lighter palette for the Pokémon sprites.

Cosmetic changes

 * The intro sequence has been changed to be very Pikachu-centric.
 * The bedroom in the player character's house now has a Super Nintendo Entertainment System instead of a Nintendo Entertainment System.
 * Front-facing sprites for Pokémon have been updated in keeping with the artwork of the time.
 * Various minor elements of the world have had new sprite designs, like doors, windows, and signposts.
 * In keeping with the anime theme, all nurses in the Pokémon Centers are now Nurse Joys, while all police officers are now Officer Jennys.
 * A trash can has been added to Professor Oak's Laboratory, next to the table.

Gameplay and battle changes

 * Rather than pick Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle at the beginning, the player is given a Pikachu. This Pikachu follows the player outdoors outside of a Poké Ball; it cannot be released, and it cannot evolve into a Raichu.
 * Pikachu has a new overworld sprite and a unique party icon.
 * Pikachu also has a basic "friendship" gauge to determine how it feels about you. Like in the anime, Pikachu starts off as indifferent and aloof, but success will see Pickahu much happier.
 * Rather than your rival picking the Pokémon that has a type advantage against the one you picked, your rival gets an Eevee. How this Eevee evolves depends on how well you fare in your battles against your rival; the evolution that occurs also influences how your rival builds his Pokémon team.
 * If the player loses at Professor Oak's Laboratory, Eevee evolves into a Vaporeon.
 * If the player wins at Professor Oak's Laboratory, and either loses or skips the battle on Route 22, Eevee evolves into a Flareon.
 * If the player wins both battles, Eevee evolves into a Jolteon.
 * In addition to Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Clefairy, Jigglypuff, Oddish and Sandshrew also get new overworld sprites.
 * Some Trainers have new sprites, such as Brock, Misty, and Blaine, to match their anime appearances. Red and Blue also received sprite updates.
 * Gym Leaders have different teams, with some Pokémon changed to match their appearance in the anime, such as Giovanni using a Persian because he was seen owning one in the anime.
 * The move Kinesis was never used in previous games (unless called by Metronome); it is now used by Kadabra as that Pokémon's signature move.
 * In the Cinnabar Gym, the player must now take a quiz on a quiz machine before they can battle the next trainer to progress on their way to facing Blaine.

Multi-player changes

 * A new "Colosseum 2" multi-player mode was added to the Cable Club.

Location changes and updates

 * The Cerulean Cave has a different layout.
 * The Safari Zone will now let the player in if they have less money than the entrance fee; the game will take all the player's money in this case, giving them a proportional amount of Safari Balls based on what was paid.
 * Poké Mart in Viridian City now sells Potions, and the NPC complaining about the Mart not selling Potions in previous games now also mentions they sell Potions again.
 * Two extra Trainers have been added in Viridian Forest.
 * The theme that plays while riding the Bicycle does not play on Route 23, or on Victory Road.
 * On Route 19, a Summer Beach House (where the player can play the Pikachu's Beach minigame) has been added.

Pokémon availability changes

 * For a full list, see Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition/Changelog/Pokémon Availability Changes


 * The player can now find Pidgey and Pidgeotto in Viridian Forest, while Weedle was removed.
 * The player can obtain all three starting Pokémon from the previous games (Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle).
 * Pikachu cannot be caught in the wild, which means that Raichu is also unavailable.
 * Abra can no longer be caught north of Cerulean City, and can now only be caught on the routes leading to Saffron City.
 * In-game trades were changed:


 * These trade reshuffles mean that Lickitung and Farfetch'd, previously only available via in-game trades, can now be caught as wild Pokémon.
 * The Pokémon used by Team Rocket Koffing, Ekans and Meowth, as well as their respective evolutions, Weezing, Arbok and Persian, are unavailable.

Storyline changes

 * When the player first enters the tall grass at the beginning of the game, the player takes an additional step in the long grass compared to previous games. This means that Professor Oak, coming out to warn the player, has to now also enter the tall grass. This leads Professor Oak encountering a wild Pikachu, which he captures immediately, before he escorts you to his laboratory.
 * Professor Oak intends for you to have an Eevee (rather than any of the three original starters); your rival, however, shoves you out of the way, getting the Eevee for himself, and Professor Oak instead decides to give you the Pikachu he just captured. AFter you battle your rival, Pikachu refuses to remain confined to its Poké Ball, and follows the player from this point onwards.
 * The player now must speak to the old man in Viridian City before proceeding to Viridian Forest. This leads to a tutorial where the old man attempts to catch a Pokémon; he fails, and goes to the nearby Poké Mart to get more Poké Balls. Inside the Poké Mart, the player can ask the old man to repeat the tutorial at any time.
 * The anime characters Jessie and James appear in the game and replace the normal Team Rocket Grunts in four locations; they have unique overworld and battle sprites.
 * The anime characters Joe and Giselle are now represented by two Jr. Trainers on Route 6.
 * The anime character A.J. is now represented by a Jr. Trainer on Route 9.

Moveset changes

 * See also Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition/Changelog/Moveset Changes

TM Changes

 * See also Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition/Changelog/TM Changes

HM Changes

 * See also Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition/Changelog/HM Changes