Type Strengths and Weakness Explanations

[NovaBrunswick]

Every Pokémon type has its strengths and weaknesses, and each one has some kind of explanation about it. Some are pretty obvious:

• Fire < Water - water extinguishes fire
• Grass < Fire - grass can be scorched by forest fires and extreme heat
• Fire > Steel - steel melts at very high temperatures
• Psychic < Ghost and Psychic < Dark - fear of ghosts and the darkness are common phobias

But some are a bit more obscure:

• Fighting < Psychic - brains over brawn
• Fighting > Dark - good triumphs over evil, as the Dark type is called the "Evil" type in Japanese, and Fighting types are often seen as heroic
• Ice > Dragon - reptiles (such as dragons) are cold-blooded

And some I really don't get at all:

• Poison < Psychic - ?
• Bug > Dark - bugs come out at night, maybe?

If any of you know the logic behind some of the more obscure type matchups, please do tell me!

 

[Divine Retribution]

I think Psychic > Poison is probably a reference to the placebo effect. Bug > Dark could simply be that Dark-types tend to rely on tricky and underhanded tactics, which aren't likely to be effective against instinct-driven bugs that aren't capable of anything resembling reasoning. This explanation kind of breaks down though, because for one, Bug Pokemon aren't purely instinct-driven and seem to be generally no less intelligent than any other type of Pokemon (except Psychic-types which are generally more intelligent than other types), and two, at best this would be a justification for Bug to resist Dark, not for it to be super-effective against Dark while lacking a resistance to it.

 

[Spider-Phoenix]

I always thought some of them followed the real world logic provided by the examples above while the rest were decided on a whim duo "game balancing issues"

 

[TwilightBlade]

• Poison < Psychic - ?

Maybe it's based on the expression "mind over matter"? As in psychic powers can overcome physical ailments through sheer willpower or something like that. :]

 

[Sakuyamon]

In my head I always thought Bug types were strong against Dark types because of how some bugs in real life are nocturnal and they love the darkness.

 

[NovaBrunswick]

Maybe it's based on the expression "mind over matter"? As in psychic powers can overcome physical ailments through sheer willpower or something like that. :]

I think it might reference witch doctors who cure illnesses using only the power of their mind.

 

[Orphalesion]

I think it might reference witch doctors who cure illnesses using only the power of their mind.

I think it's knowledge of antidote used to neutralize poisons.

 

[Monox D. I-Fly]

I think it's because of telekinesis VS brute force. You can't punch a guy who uses psychic power to take control of your arms.

 

[NovaBrunswick]

I think it's because of telekinesis VS brute force. You can't punch a guy who uses psychic power to take control of your arms.

Similar logic with Flying > Fighting. Ever tried to karate-kick a bird? Exactly. (Hawlucha is a notable exception.)

I always thought some of them followed the real world logic provided by the examples above while the rest were decided on a whim duo "game balancing issues"

The Dark and Steel types were introduced in Gen 2 mostly to balance out Psychic-types, who were vastly overpowered in the previous gen. Ghosts were also correctly made to be super-effective against Psychics, when a glitch in the Gen 1 games' programming meant they weren't. A Trainer in Sabrina's Gym in the Gen 1 games still says Psychics only fear Ghosts and Bugs, and the anime also alluded to this with Ash using Haunter against Sabrina's Kadabra. So it was always intended by Game Freak for Ghost to be SE against Psychic, they just messed up with the programming in R/B/Y.

 

[statikit]

I haven't found a good explanation for why Dark types should be super effective against Ghost types. Most Dark type moves are based on deceit and brutality and most tend to be physical (bite, crunch, night slash, etc.) so it really seems like they shouldn't have that much of an effect on Ghost types which aren't physical and are used to tricks and literal darkness.

 

[NovaBrunswick]

I haven't found a good explanation for why Dark types should be super effective against Ghost types. Most Dark type moves are based on deceit and brutality and most tend to be physical (bite, crunch, night slash, etc.) so it really seems like they shouldn't have that much of an effect on Ghost types which aren't physical and are used to tricks and literal darkness.

Pokémon logic: Punching a ghost does nothing, but biting a ghost is super-effective.

 

[Orphalesion]

Fairy is super effective against Fighting, because in many folktales they can't be defeated with strength (you usually have to trick/outsmart them)

 

[Leonhart]

Frankly, I've never understood why Ground-types and Rock-types are weak against Water-types. After all, doesn't earth absorb water? I don't quite understand the logic of why Pokemon's equivalents of the earth element are bested by aquatic attacks.

 

[pacman000]

Erosion.

 

[Leonhart]

Erosion.

I suppose that makes sense. Speaking of other type oddities, I don't fully understand why the Steel-type is weak against the Fighting-type when sheer brute strength shouldn't be enough to damage metal, much less a resistant and dense metal like steel.

 

[NovaBrunswick]

I suppose that makes sense. Speaking of other type oddities, I don't fully understand why the Steel-type is weak against the Fighting-type when sheer brute strength shouldn't be enough to damage metal, much less a resistant and dense metal like steel.

Maybe if you have superhuman physical strength (like Superman), you can bend metal bars? Same with Rock being weak to Fighting, since you often see karate fighters chopping bricks in half with their bare hands. Also, I've never really understood why Ghost and Dragon are both strong and weak against themselves, the only two types to be so.

Some other type matchups:

• Electric > Water - water conducts electricity
• Ground > Electric - earth absorbs electricity
• Ground > Fire - sand is sometimes used to put out fires
• Steel > Ice - icebreaker ships use their steel hulls to sail through ice-covered waters
• Ice > Grass - plants can be weakened or killed by frost

 

[RedJirachi]

Normal and Ghost types cancel each other out because ghosts are intangible. They go right through you and you can't touch them, which is also why the very physical-oriented Fighting types do nothing against Ghosts.

 

[Leonhart]

Normal and Ghost types cancel each other out because ghosts are intangible. They go right through you and you can't touch them, which is also why the very physical-oriented Fighting types do nothing against Ghosts.

I realize that this is probably Game Freak's logic, but it's still rather strange that energy beam based Normal-type attacks like Hyper Beam can't hit Ghost-types under normal circumstances, yet other energy beam based attacks of different types such as Aurora Beam and Psybeam can.

 

[WalesNote]

Fairy super effective against dragon? Because fairy is magical? IDK.
Also, electric only has 1 weakness. What other types could be super effective?

 

[bobandbill]

Lore wise, probably because fairys do have that magical power and in fairy tales are important or crucial for overcoming foes such as dragons.

Nothing coming to mind of the currently existing types to be super effective against electric. Maybe rock given some simularty to ground, but even then... I don't feel that typing needs much adjustment anyway though.