Pokemon GO Kanto Tour – Red & Green exclusives explained

Screenshot of Pokemon's Charizard and Venusaur next to Pokemon GO logo.Game Freak / Niantic

Pokemon GO is celebrating the Nintendo series’ 25th anniversary with a special Kanto Tour in 2021. Niantic will be making Trainers pick between a Red or Green version of the event. Here is the full list of exclusive ‘mon to help make your decision a little easier.

The Pokemon franchise officially made its debut in Japan in 1996, with the Game Boy titles Red and Green. In 2021, the Game Freak franchise will officially reach its 25th anniversary.

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Wildly popular mobile title GO will honor the milestone with a special Gen 1 themed celebration in February 2021. Participating players will have to decide between two versions of the event.

Screenshot of Pokemon Go Kanto Tour 2021.Pokemon Go / Niantic
The 2021 event will celebrate Pokemon’s 25th anniversary.

Pokemon GO Red and Green exclusives

The event will kick off on February 20 and only last a day from 9:00AM to 9:00PM local time. To make things tricker, players will have to collect all 150 monsters if they want to win the ultimate reward – a Shiny Mew.

Just like the groundbreaking Game Boy titles, Pokemon GO Trainers will have to make a choice between Red or Green. Each version has their own exclusive ‘mon, as well as Shiny boosted creatures.

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Below we will quickly break down the differences between each Game Boy title. Those looking to get a specific character will need to choose wisely!

Screenshot of Pokemon Charizard.Game Freak / The Pokemon Company
There’s different Pokemon depending on which version you pick.

Pokemon Red exclusives

  • Ekans
  • Oddish
  • Mankey
  • Growlithe
  • Scyther
  • Electabuzz

Pokemon Green exclusives

  • Sandshrew
  • Vulpix
  • Meowth
  • Bellsprout
  • Magmar
  • Pinsir
Screenshot of Shiny Dratini in Pokemon Go.Pokemon Go / Niantic
Both versions will feature Pokemon who are Shiny boosted.

Shiny boosted Pokemon

Red

  • Bulbasaur
  • Charmander
  • Squirtle
  • Pidgey
  • Ekans
  • Pikachu
  • Nidoran (Male)
  • Oddish
  • Diglett
  • Mankey
  • Growlithe
  • Ponyta
  • Shellder
  • Drowzee
  • Krabby
  • Hitmonlee
  • Lickitung
  • Scyther
  • Electabuzz
  • Eevee
  • Kabuto
  • Dratini

Green

  • Bulbasaur
  • Charmander
  • Squirtle
  • Pidgey
  • Pikachu
  • Sandshrew
  • Nidoran (Female)
  • Psyduck
  • Vulpix
  • Bellsproud
  • Geodude
  • Exeggcute
  • Hitmonchan
  • Koffing
  • Tangela
  • Horsea
  • Magmar
  • Pinsir
  • Eevee
  • Omanyte
  • Dratini

Pokemon player ‘jshen130‘ uploaded a nifty graphic to Reddit for those that prefer an easier visual break down of the events exclusives. The image also shows the ‘mon that are in both versions of Red & Green.

Despite releasing back in 1996, the Pokemon franchise has continued to grow into a worldwide phenomena. In 2019, reports revealed it to be the highest-grossing media franchise of all time.

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Fans will get their chance to revisit the series’ origins in 2021 with the special GO event. Those who manage to catch all 150 original monsters by February 27 can even get a rare Shiny Mew.