Pokémon who don't look like their types

[Captain Jigglypuff]

Maybe because its jaws and teeth are as hard as steel? Then again, Lucario does have metallic spikes, and it’s a Fighting/Steel type.

I’ve always seen Mawile being Steel type because it has those jaws and in the official artwork for it, you can notice a slight gleam on its hair thingy so I’m guessing it’s hair and jaws are coated in a metal while the rest of its body isn’t. The jaws seem to be the part of its body that does the main fighting so it’d make sense that it’d be the most protected area. Mawile was also most likely made a Steel type to flesh out the typing which was still relatively new at the time just like how Dark got quite a bit of representation in Hoenn.

 

[Luthor]

The Zubat line to me always seemed an odd poison type. I do wonder if it was introduced in a later gen if it would have been a dark type.

 

[KingstonUponHulbury]

This thread could comfortably be re-titled 'What In The Blue Blazes Counts As A Fairy-Type, Gamefreak?'

On that note, Celebi and the Lake Trio all scream Fairy. They're twee, floating little creatures with mystical - seemingly rather than mental - powers. I can kinda accept that the Fairy net is cast wide to incorporate oddities like Granbull and Marill, but the corollary is that some of the choices that were left out are very strange.

As much sympathy as I have for Normal, it's tacked onto a couple of lines that would have been quite alright as mono-types. Heliolisk springs to mind.

Lucario has been mentioned, and I'll also throw in another offender from Gen 4 - Garchomp. Ground-types aren't necessarily literally made from the earth itself (that's more Rock's thing) but I can't for the life of me find a single visual trope Garchomp has in common with other Ground-types. Why this bipedal hammerhead shark that also flies like a jet plane isn't Water or Flying-type is beyond me, though I suspect it's because GF were aiming to create a competitive hit (that's one of the issues I have with the Gen 4 roster more broadly - some of the most high-profile species feel explicitly designed, rather than organic creations).

 

[Spider-Phoenix]

Speaking of the lake trio, they should have been half-water.

Same goes for Manaphy but in regards to being half-psychic type so it could make its peers (Celebi, Jirachi, Victini, Hoopa confined)

As for Garchomp, yeah, water fits it better though I'd be lying if I said I didn't love the thing as it is already.

Garchomp is badass even on that. It's looks a shark but uses the power of the land itself and can fly like a jet (the anime displayed that feature numerous time). Thing can handle all elements (it learns Surf if I recall correctly). No wonder it remains popular and relevant.

I think the only reasons were to distinguish themselves from the Zubat line and to do something creative.

I never got why Mawile was Steel type(well, Steel/Fairy now). In terms of its origins and characteristics, yeah it definitely deserved the Fairy type. But Steel? Why? It's the Deceiver Pokemon and the origin behind is dark, so why not Dark type? That'd actually fit with it being the version counterpart of Sableye as well!

I think they didn't want type overlap with Sableye? Either this or since it's meant to have a strong "hair-mouth" that's the aspect they wanted to emphatize with makes sense considering the japanese name refers to said mouth.

 

[Ignition]

I know the thread is about looks but I’m glad they didn’t make every Pokémon have to look like their Type. That’s why I like Pokémon like Blacephalon: 90% of Fire Types have fire on their body and/or red. But this thing doesn’t scream Fire Type until you learn more about it. Everything shouldn’t be obvious at face value


One Pokémon that doesn’t look like its typing is Cloyster. I don’t sense anything Ice related when looking at it

 

[Leonhart]

Speaking of the lake trio, they should have been half-water.

I'm actually glad that Game Freak didn't go down that road since it would've been a bit too predictable if they had all been half Water-type. But I would've liked if they had been half Psychic-type and half something else, for instance Yuxie could've been Psychic/Electric.

 

[nel3]

Girafarig, normal type yes, psychic not at all. the back half looks more like a dark type.

 

[TwilightBlade]

The Zubat line to me always seemed an odd poison type. I do wonder if it was introduced in a later gen if it would have been a dark type.

Come to think of it you're right. I've never heard of a venomous bat in real life so to have a bat Pokemon that's partially Poison type is uncanny. There were way too many Poison Pokemon in Generation 1 any way. :[

 

[NovaBrunswick]

Garchomp is badass even on that. It's looks a shark but uses the power of the land itself and can fly like a jet (the anime displayed that feature numerous time). Thing can handle all elements (it learns Surf if I recall correctly). No wonder it remains popular and relevant.

Rhyhorn can also learn Surf as well, but then so can some Pokémon who aren't even Water-type (surfing Pikachu and Linoone, anyone?)

I know the thread is about looks but I’m glad they didn’t make every Pokémon have to look like their Type. That’s why I like Pokémon like Blacephalon: 90% of Fire Types have fire on their body and/or red. But this thing doesn’t scream Fire Type until you learn more about it. Everything shouldn’t be obvious at face value

When Blacephalon was first revealed, I actually thought it was a Psychic-type, because it looks clownish and clowns usually use magic. This goes back to my previous point with the UBs all having weird types.

Come to think of it you're right. I've never heard of a venomous bat in real life so to have a bat Pokemon that's partially Poison type is uncanny. There were way too many Poison Pokemon in Generation 1 any way. :[

Not to mention that nearly all the Grass types in Gen 1 were also Poison-type, which made them double-weak to Bug (Poison was both weak to and strong against Bug in G1, due to a glitch). Tangela was the only pure Grass-type in G1, and even then, it doesn't really look like a Grass-type; it's blue, and its vines are said to be similar to seaweed, so one would think it's a Water/Grass type.

 

[Luthor]

Here's one that always confused me a little. Cloyster doesn't particularly make me think Ice type.

 

[Leonhart]

Here's one that always confused me a little. Cloyster doesn't particularly make me think Ice type.

It doesn't resemble one to me either, and I get the feeling that Game Freak made it half Ice-type just to have more Ice-types available for Kanna (Lorelei) to use.

 

[Monox D. I-Fly]

Here's one that always confused me a little. Cloyster doesn't particularly make me think Ice type.

If only those spikes were ice shards instead...

 

[NovaBrunswick]

Here's one that always confused me a little. Cloyster doesn't particularly make me think Ice type.

It doesn't resemble one to me either, and I get the feeling that Game Freak made it half Ice-type just to have more Ice-types available for Kanna (Lorelei) to use.

There weren't many Ice-types in Gen 1, and even now, it's still a rare type to encounter in-game (I think Ice is the rarest type).

If only those spikes were ice shards instead...

At least it can learn Ice Shard, and most Water-types can learn Ice-type moves, like Ice Beam and Blizzard.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

There weren't many Ice-types in Gen 1, and even now, it's still a rare type to encounter in-game (I think Ice is the rarest type).

Agreed. Jynx doesn’t look like an Ice type by any means other than a tiny bit of design but only if you’re knowledgeable with yokai. And then you’ve got Seel that evolves into the half Ice Type Dewgong yet it is so easy to forget that Seel is just pure Water.

 

[Missingno.Fan]

Lapras doesn’t look like it should be part Ice. It looks like a tropical Pokémon.

 

[Leonhart]

There weren't many Ice-types in Gen 1, and even now, it's still a rare type to encounter in-game (I think Ice is the rarest type).

Speaking of Kanto's Ice-types, I think that Pawou (Seel) should've been half Ice-type just to add to the Ice-type inventory, especially since it becomes half Ice-type upon evolving, anyway.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

Speaking of Kanto's Ice-types, I think that Pawou (Seel) should've been half Ice-type just to add to the Ice-type inventory, especially since it becomes half Ice-type upon evolving, anyway.

I agree. Seel is already found in cold areas where other Ice types tend to live. Even it’s own Dex entries mention freezing cold environments as being the natural habitat of Seel.

 

[Monox D. I-Fly]

Pokemon logic: A snail is part Ice (yes, my impression of Lapras was a snail) while a penguin isn't.

 

[Leonhart]

Pokemon logic: A snail is part Ice (yes, my impression of Lapras was a snail) while a penguin isn't.

Are you referring to the Pochama [Piplup] line? I did always wonder why Game Freak chose to make Emperte [Empoleon] half Steel-type instead of Ice-type.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

Are you referring to the Pochama [Piplup] line? I did always wonder why Game Freak chose to make Emperte [Empoleon] half Steel-type instead of Ice-type.

Not all penguins live in cold temperatures.