Theory: All Pokémon Types are Connected

[Rune Knight]

This is merely fun speculation so don't take it too seriously.

I have designed a chart that maps how I believe every pokémon type is connected and will provide context as it goes along.

Spoiler: Types Map

Spoiler: Types Map Explanation

Spoiler: The Origin

It is composed of the Normal Type; it is the very origin that binds every type, the very fabric of our reality and things that derive from it. The Normal Type divides the types into three different categories.

Spoiler: Light and Darkness

They are composed of Fairy and Dark types.

The Fairy types are beings of light. They represent things like creation and purity.

The Dark types are beings of darkness or the absence of light. They represent things destruction and impurity.

Even though one may associate such types with notions of good and evil, it is important to not that they are both dependent upon the other to exist.

Spoiler: The Elements

They are composed of Water, Ground, Fire, and Flying types. Matters that makes up the foundations of the universe: water, earth, fire and air respectively.

From Water breeds Ice, which is simply solidified liquid. Water also breeds life. You may have heard that expression that water is life itself. The Grass Type represents this, Meanwhile the opposite of life is death; which is best represented by the Poison type. Under life we have living beings that are composed of Bug and Dragon types.

The earth or Ground breeds rocks, or Rock types to be exact. Steel is metal, which is basically refined earth, more specifically refined rocks. (Just like in ATLA).

Electricity or Electric is mostly heat, which radiates from Fire.

Flying is air.

These elements also make up most of the human body, so living beings need these to survive as well.

Spoiler: The Entity

Finally, we have the entity. Things that make up vessel of the perceiver: you.

Fight types represent the body.

Psychic types represent the mind.

Ghost types represent the soul.

Perhaps they are reflection of the creator of the Universe, if you believe in that.

That is my grand theory. Feel free to tell me if you agree or not or how you would change things around to your liking.

 

[Akashin]

It's an interesting theory. I have my disagreements with it (I don't feel Fairy should be inherently focused on purity and Dark on impurity, for example, because there isn't anything inherently impure about most Dark Pokemon and I wouldn't necessarily call the Tapu's pure, at least not in the sense you're implying), but it's definitely well thought out. The main issue I have is that outside of real world comparisons, it's never felt as though any one Type is a derivative of another.

I've given this some thought as well, but personally I found that Types are best looked in the Wuxing sense. My working theory is that the Types are more akin to elements; Moves are categorized based upon which Type of energy they are comprised of, and Pokemon are typed based on what Types of energy they are most dominantly defined by, though most are capable of utilizing Types outside of that. This fits neatly with things like Regidrago, who is formed of pure Dragon energy, and also sort of hand-waves Pokemon being re-typed as new Types that better represent them are discovered (ie. Clefairy was a Normal Type, for want of a better classification, before Fairy was discovered as a different Type entirely).

 

[Rune Knight]

It's an interesting theory. I have my disagreements with it (I don't feel Fairy should be inherently focused on purity and Dark on impurity, for example, because there isn't anything inherently impure about most Dark Pokemon and I wouldn't necessarily call the Tapu's pure, at least not in the sense you're implying), but it's definitely well thought out. The main issue I have is that outside of real world comparisons, it's never felt as though any one Type is a derivative of another.

I've given this some thought as well, but personally I found that Types are best looked in the Wuxing sense. My working theory is that the Types are more akin to elements; Moves are categorized based upon which Type of energy they are comprised of, and Pokemon are typed based on what Types of energy they are most dominantly defined by, though most are capable of utilizing Types outside of that. This fits neatly with things like Regidrago, who is formed of pure Dragon energy, and also sort of hand-waves Pokemon being re-typed as new Types that better represent them are discovered (ie. Clefairy was a Normal Type, for want of a better classification, before Fairy was discovered as a different Type entirely).

Ah yes. I probably should have clarified on the concepts surrounding fairy and dark type pokemon. What I probably meant was that the notions of purity/impurity are often associated with them: such as in the case of Xerneas and Yveltal which are arguably polar opposites; and the guardian dieties being perceived as the protectors of each island in Alola.

 

[Orphalesion]

I like your "family tree" the only one I'm struggling a bit is the water->grass _> Bug and Dragon one. It seems a bit of a reach in comparison to the other.'d also call poison impurity (a lot of poison types are based on pollution) and dark as darkness/destruction

I wouldn't necessarily call the Tapu's pure, at least not in the sense you're implying), but it's definitely well thought out.

They *are* guardians of nature and are interested in keeping the natural landscape of Alola "pure" of too much human infra structure. They jsut aren't nice about it...

 

[Rune Knight]

I like your "family tree" the only one I'm struggling a bit is the water->grass _> Bug and Dragon one. It seems a bit of a reach in comparison to the other.'d also call poison impurity (a lot of poison types are based on pollution) and dark as darkness/destruction


They *are* guardians of nature and are interested in keeping the natural landscape of Alola "pure" of too much human infra structure. They jsut aren't nice about it...

Perhaps you're right. In a way, I feel like the domain of nature should be its own category. From my perception, I feel like poison is often associated with things like plague, disease, and death which is like the opposite to life and vitality. Poison is also super effective against grass which is sort of a metaphor to life and death.

 

[Luthor]

Personally I'd have Dragon in a different place considering the Creation Trio are a part of it as they are the Pokemon that rule time, space and the Distortion world (which is said to be the personification of Antimatter) which are very ancient Pokemon.

 

[Divine Retribution]

No offense but this breaks down in several different areas. You're attaching a lot of baggage to the Fairy and Dark types that isn't present in the games (like others have said, absolutely nothing suggests that Fairies represent light; they range from slightly mischievous to downright cruel, such as Tapu Lele, and even Dark-types aren't necessarily always destructive, aggressive entities; Absol is an example of a Dark-type that I would classify as a force for good as it spends most of its life trying to warn people of impending disasters). Your concept of the Fighting-type representing the body doesn't really account for the bushido origins of the type either, and doesn't explain its type match-ups all that well.

 

[Rune Knight]

No offense but this breaks down in several different areas. You're attaching a lot of baggage to the Fairy and Dark types that isn't present in the games (like others have said, absolutely nothing suggests that Fairies represent light; they range from slightly mischievous to downright cruel, such as Tapu Lele, and even Dark-types aren't necessarily always destructive, aggressive entities; Absol is an example of a Dark-type that I would classify as a force for good as it spends most of its life trying to warn people of impending disasters). Your concept of the Fighting-type representing the body doesn't really account for the bushido origins of the type either, and doesn't explain its type match-ups all that well.

Like I said, don't take it too seriously.

I'm saying that the concepts surrounding them are usually associated with notions like evil and destruction. Dark is labelled as the "Evil" type in Japanese. Since we currently don't have a proper light type, most define it as the fairy type which is super effective against dark.

TDRI, Dark types aren't evil, pokemon aren't evil, there is no such thing as evil, it is simply an idea, a perception that changes among those who define it.

Darkrai is another example. It is a Pokemon that is feared within the pokemon world because of the stories surrounding it, but M10 suggests its intentions to be otherwise.

From Bulbapedia: Darkrai was mistaken as evil during the movie, attacking people and giving them nightmares. Baron Alberto in particular constantly accused Darkrai of all the anomalies occurring in Alamos Town. It was only later that it was revealed that Darkrai was actually trying to prevent Palkia and Dialga from destroying Alamos Town.

 

[Orphalesion]

A good chunk of Fairy type moves are based around light or brilliance as well as protection and support.
While the Dark/Evil(in Japan) type has most of its attacks based on underhanded tactics/deception/cheating, negative emotions and brutality

So while the Pokemon themselves might not all be good/evil, the types imho very much have positive/negative connotations.

 

[Monox D. I-Fly]

I like your "family tree" the only one I'm struggling a bit is the water->grass _> Bug and Dragon one.

Well, seeing how the original poster uses the rules in the Avatar universe for justifying Rock -> Metal, remember that in that Universe both plantbending (Grass) and bloodbending (Life, thus Bug and Dragon) are specialized version of Waterbending.

 

[Rune Knight]

Well, seeing how the original poster uses the rules in the Avatar universe for justifying Rock -> Metal, remember that in that Universe both plantbending (Grass) and bloodbending (Life, thus Bug and Dragon) are specialized version of Waterbending.

Yep since they fall into the category of living beings.

 

[Orphalesion]

Well, seeing how the original poster uses the rules in the Avatar universe for justifying Rock -> Metal, remember that in that Universe both plantbending (Grass) and bloodbending (Life, thus Bug and Dragon) are specialized version of Waterbending.

Well first of all...Pokemon isn't avatar.

And second of all "plantbending" and "bloodbending" are not about plants and "life" they are about bending the water inside plants, and the water that keeps blood fluid... So no.

 

[Ditto B1tch]

Nice theory dude. But GF doesn't care much about bringing sense to the series since they introducted the megas in generation VI.

If they ever wanted types to make sense they would have added more in the past years (sound and cosmic type specially)

 

[octoboy]

Interesting theory. Though I'd have to wonder about normal being the original type while the original pokémon was psychic type rather than normal (mew being psychic type).

Also, shouldn't the "Entity" types also stem from the water type, an entity being essentially a lifeform? Guess putting ghost under "life" raises other questions, but still, at least fighting and psychic probably would relate to muscle and nervous tissue, which are both parts of a living organism.

 

[Rune Knight]

Interesting theory. Though I'd have to wonder about normal being the original type while the original pokémon was psychic type rather than normal (mew being psychic type).

Also, shouldn't the "Entity" types also stem from the water type, an entity being essentially a lifeform? Guess putting ghost under "life" raises other questions, but still, at least fighting and psychic probably would relate to muscle and nervous tissue, which are both parts of a living organism.

Thank you. For the normal type, I mostly considered Arceus as the origin since it's like the God pokemon within the current lore.

You make a good point and that could probably work. I tried to look at the entity from a metaphysical lens. The saying that "water is life" feels built more towards the sense that water sustains life, get it?