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Pokémon who don't look like their types

Redbird

Well-Known Member
Yes, exactly. That's fair. But especially taking the first generation in consederation, Masuda didn't really think of Pocket Monster as a franchise that would go worldwide and his main focus was pretty much Japanese folks with its regions and traditions (like Farfetch'd). For the early stage of the franchise, it ought to be a more accurate and healthy conclusion to think of Japanese culture rather than global.
Ah, so you're saying that they didn't give Charizard the Dragon type because Japanese players wouldn't view it as a dragon, and they didn't expect Pokémon to become a worldwide success? Fair enough.
 

MrJechgo

Well-Known Member
Yet Gyarados is an eastern dragon and didn't get the Dragon-type either.
It has been said a few times. Back in Gen 1, Dragon was very, if not powerful, to the point of giving it only to the pseudo-legendary Dragonite. Charizard and Gyarados should technically have been Dragon, but it would have broken the game. Gyaradoa becomes a Water/Dark when Mega Evolving, so... that's the weirdest part :p

Then again, how many times have we seen Pokémon being 3 to almost 4 types at once XD ?

Examples:
  • Dhelmise (Grass/Ghost/Steel); mitigated with Dhelmise's ability though ;)
  • Charizard (Fire/Flying/Dragon)
  • Gyarados (Water/Flying/Dark/Dragon)
  • Flygon (Ground/Dragon/Flying/Bug)
  • Decidueye (Grass/Ghost/Flying)
  • Incineroar (Fire/Dark/Fighting)
  • Celebi (Grass/Psychic/Fairy)
  • Altaria (Dragon/Flying/Fairy)
  • Solrock (Rock/Psychic/Fire)
  • Lunatone (Rock/Psychic/Ice)
  • Stakataka (Rock/Steel/Ghost)
  • Beedrill/Venomoth/Dustox (Bug/Poison/Flying)
  • Drapion (Bug/Poison/Dark)
  • Scizor (Bug/Steel/Flying)
  • Ribombee (Bug/Fairy/Flying)
 
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Orphalesion

Well-Known Member
Yes, exactly. That's fair. But especially taking the first generation in consederation, Masuda didn't really think of Pocket Monster as a franchise that would go worldwide and his main focus was pretty much Japanese folks with its regions and traditions (like Farfetch'd). For the early stage of the franchise, it ought to be a more accurate and healthy conclusion to think of Japanese culture rather than global.

I disagree with this idea. Not only does Dragonite look very much like a western Dragon (while Gyarados who looks like very much like a East Asian dragon is also not Dragon type) but there's heaps of Western-style dragons in Japanese Manga, Anime and Video Games. Western Dragons have become part of their Pop Culture.

So it's not because some nebulous idea that "Japanese people think of Dragons differently" but it's really just because the Dragon type was supposed to be a End Game type in Gen 1, very hard to get, very powerful. So they simply couldn't make Charizard a Dragon Type, because it would have ruined any sort of balance with the other two Starters, since Dragon resists all three starter types and electric.
That's also why I suspect Gyarados wasn't made Dragon type, because it would have been too powerful.
 

Redbird

Well-Known Member
Am I the only doesn't get why Roselia is Poison type? Roses aren't poisonous, and nothing about its design says "Poison" to me.
I disagree with this idea. Not only does Dragonite look very much like a western Dragon (while Gyarados who looks like very much like a East Asian dragon is also not Dragon type) but there's heaps of Western-style dragons in Japanese Manga, Anime and Video Games. Western Dragons have become part of their Pop Culture.

So it's not because some nebulous idea that "Japanese people think of Dragons differently" but it's really just because the Dragon type was supposed to be a End Game type in Gen 1, very hard to get, very powerful. So they simply couldn't make Charizard a Dragon Type, because it would have ruined any sort of balance with the other two Starters, since Dragon resists all three starter types and electric.
That's also why I suspect Gyarados wasn't made Dragon type, because it would have been too powerful.
That's true. There was also Moltres, which was based on the western phoenix. So even Gen I had Pokémon inspired by western myths.
 
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Rockapheller

A Pokémon Enthusiast
Concept-wise, Gengar is supposed to be pure Ghost. It makes sense why Gastly and Haunter are part poison, considering they are classified as Gas Pokémon and the fact that Gastly is pretty much gas than a ghost. Throughout its evolution, it becomes more concrete. Haunter's RBG sprites indicate that his body is still partially gas as well, and Haunter is pretty much a transition phase. But Gengar has the completed form of the gas, and its classification changes upon evolution as well. Game mechanics wise it would also make perfect sense to have it pure Ghost to oppose Psychic-type Pokémon despite lacking any good ghost-type move.

That's true. There was also Moltres, which was based on the western phoenix. So even Gen I had Pokémon inspired by western myths.

Has it ever been officially stated? Chinese Vermilion Bird shares extreme similarities with Moltres as well.
 

DannyDiglett

Well-Known Member
Perhaps this has been mentioned before, but I think the creators made a mistake with Shelmet's typing: when Karrablast evolves into Escavalier it receives Shelmet's armor and becomes Bug/Steel type. That means Shelmet should be Bug/Steel instead of pure Bug. It would not be the first time a dual typed Pokémon changes into a single type: Gloom loses its Poison type when it evolves into Bellossom and Aggron its Rock type when it mega evolves. The same should happen when Shelmet evolves into Accelgor.
 
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Bill the Typhlosion

Well-Known Member
From Gen 4 onwards, I've always have a hard time guessing the types 0f the box legendaries. I nearly always get it wrong!

Dialga - Water (in the blurry Coro Coro scan it looked like a shark - I thought the crest on its head was its snout)
Palkia - ??? (can't even remember what I thought about Palkia - maybe Psychic?)
Reshiram - Dragon/Psychic
Zekrom - Dragon/Dark or Dragon/Water (its tail resembles a seashell and it has webbed hands)
Xerneas - Grass
Yveltal - Dark/Flying (probably the only one that was easy to guess)
Solgaleo - Fire and/or Grass (to fit the sun theme - its mane kind of looks like a flower)
Lunala - Psychic/Flying or Ghost/Flying (I wasn't far off here)
Zacian - Water/Steel (its Behemoth Blade looks like a fish's tail) 0r Ice/Steel
Zamazenta - Fire/Steel

I considered the Fighting type for Zacian and Zamazenta, but didn't think they would give that type to one of them but not the other. I love the idea of Zacian being a Fairy type, but I didn't see it coming.

Xerneas absolutely should have been Fairy/Grass to prevent it from having an advantage over Yveltal.
 

DannyDiglett

Well-Known Member
From Gen 4 onwards, I've always have a hard time guessing the types 0f the box legendaries. I nearly always get it wrong!

Dialga - Water (in the blurry Coro Coro scan it looked like a shark - I thought the crest on its head was its snout)
Palkia - ??? (can't even remember what I thought about Palkia - maybe Psychic?)
Reshiram - Dragon/Psychic
Zekrom - Dragon/Dark or Dragon/Water (its tail resembles a seashell and it has webbed hands)
Xerneas - Grass
Yveltal - Dark/Flying (probably the only one that was easy to guess)
Solgaleo - Fire and/or Grass (to fit the sun theme - its mane kind of looks like a flower)
Lunala - Psychic/Flying or Ghost/Flying (I wasn't far off here)
Zacian - Water/Steel (its Behemoth Blade looks like a fish's tail) 0r Ice/Steel
Zamazenta - Fire/Steel

I considered the Fighting type for Zacian and Zamazenta, but didn't think they would give that type to one of them but not the other. I love the idea of Zacian being a Fairy type, but I didn't see it coming.

Xerneas absolutely should have been Fairy/Grass to prevent it from having an advantage over Yveltal.
Yeah, I have exactly the same problem. Box legendaries are hard to guess.

Speaking about that... Rock, Normal, Electric, Bug, Grass and Poison are the only types yet to be used for version mascot legendaries (Pikachu, Eevee, and Venusaur don't count because they aren't legendaries). But that's a different discussion.
 
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Venomshock

Well-Known Member
Lunala doesn't look like a Ghost at all so why is it one? The Psychic part of its type combo can be excused since almost anything can be Psychic typed but Ghost is more niche than that.
 

Spider-Phoenix

#ChespinGang
Maybe it's ghost because it's based on a bat thus relates to night and stuff?

Sure, Dark would be more fitting but maybe they figured ghost would be a better fit? With dark being called "evil type" it stands to reason they don't kids who got Moon to think Nebby's evil.
 

Leonhart

Imagineer
Venomshock said:
Lunala doesn't look like a Ghost at all so why is it one? The Psychic part of its type combo can be excused since almost anything can be Psychic typed but Ghost is more niche than that.

Seeing as Lunala represents the Moon, I figure that Game Freak made it part Ghost-type since the Ghost-type represents shadows and darkness in general.
 

Monox D. I-Fly

Well-Known Member
Concept-wise, Gengar is supposed to be pure Ghost. It makes sense why Gastly and Haunter are part poison, considering they are classified as Gas Pokémon and the fact that Gastly is pretty much gas than a ghost. Throughout its evolution, it becomes more concrete. Haunter's RBG sprites indicate that his body is still partially gas as well, and Haunter is pretty much a transition phase. But Gengar has the completed form of the gas, and its classification changes upon evolution as well. Game mechanics wise it would also make perfect sense to have it pure Ghost to oppose Psychic-type Pokémon despite lacking any good ghost-type move.
Now I'm wondering. If Ghost-type was supposed to be exclusive back then (similar to Dragon-type), why would they give the Ghost line a secondary type?
 

MrJechgo

Well-Known Member
Now I'm wondering. If Ghost-type was supposed to be exclusive back then (similar to Dragon-type), why would they give the Ghost line a secondary type?
Sounds more like a flavor thing than a balancing one... They kept on saying back then that Ghost was good against Psychic, but... kinda counter-intuitive with the Poison typing AND the Ghost-type moves were just bad (Lick was laughable, and Night Shade dealt damage according to levels).

Still, Gengar could learn a LOT of good moves in Gen 1. I think I tore through Stadium 1's Petit and Pika with a Ghastly XD

Can't say the same with Stadium 2's Little Cup ^^;
 
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