Every of the 17 types is justified and combined they cover anything one can imagine quite nicely.
I used to think 17 was such a weird and random number.. but actually, if you look at normal as the "default" type, you're left with a nice 16 (4+4+4+4, 2*2*2*2)
Anyhow. In my view, right now the type chart consists of 3 categories:
-Elements
-Techniques
-Species
The first are the basic stuff anyone would come up with when they think of types, attributes, elements etc.
Fire, Water, Electric, Ice, Grass, Ground
Furthermore, I see 2 groups here, ones being processes/reactions and the others plain aspects of nature
Energy:
-Fire
-Electric
-Ice
Nature:
-Water
-Grass
-Ground
Techniques are about the actual approach to the battle, kinds of strategies or special abilities that give you an edge.
-Fighting
-Poison
-Flying
-Psychic
-Dark
And species actually relates to the organism itself (also, if the type is merely secondary, its usually employed as armor)
-Bug
-Rock
-Ghost
-Dragon
-Steel
The most redundant at first seem the whole species group, after all, simplified, they make as much sense as a Fish, Mammal, Monster, Bird...types.
But they are the more unique ones. For example, including Bug is justified even simply as a homage to "bug collecting", which is what inspired pokemon alltogether. Dragon, is THE mythologic creature known to all humanity even before there was actual contact between different cultures, yet seems to have no real world basis. Ghost covers everything "abnormal", while Rock and Steel are THE concepts for all sorts of armors and more mineral based creatures, while steel also adds an artificial aspect.
I couldn't imagine taking away anything else than those 5, but I don't think that would work nicely either.
I used to think 17 was such a weird and random number.. but actually, if you look at normal as the "default" type, you're left with a nice 16 (4+4+4+4, 2*2*2*2)
Anyhow. In my view, right now the type chart consists of 3 categories:
-Elements
-Techniques
-Species
The first are the basic stuff anyone would come up with when they think of types, attributes, elements etc.
Fire, Water, Electric, Ice, Grass, Ground
Furthermore, I see 2 groups here, ones being processes/reactions and the others plain aspects of nature
Energy:
-Fire
-Electric
-Ice
Nature:
-Water
-Grass
-Ground
Techniques are about the actual approach to the battle, kinds of strategies or special abilities that give you an edge.
-Fighting
-Poison
-Flying
-Psychic
-Dark
And species actually relates to the organism itself (also, if the type is merely secondary, its usually employed as armor)
-Bug
-Rock
-Ghost
-Dragon
-Steel
The most redundant at first seem the whole species group, after all, simplified, they make as much sense as a Fish, Mammal, Monster, Bird...types.
But they are the more unique ones. For example, including Bug is justified even simply as a homage to "bug collecting", which is what inspired pokemon alltogether. Dragon, is THE mythologic creature known to all humanity even before there was actual contact between different cultures, yet seems to have no real world basis. Ghost covers everything "abnormal", while Rock and Steel are THE concepts for all sorts of armors and more mineral based creatures, while steel also adds an artificial aspect.
I couldn't imagine taking away anything else than those 5, but I don't think that would work nicely either.