• Our software update is now concluded. You will need to reset your password to log in. In order to do this, you will have to click "Log in" in the top right corner and then "Forgot your password?".
  • Welcome to PokéCommunity! Register now and join one of the best fan communities on the 'net to talk Pokémon and more! We are not affiliated with The Pokémon Company or Nintendo.

My theory on why Pokemon types are weak to each other

BenjiTheKid

Cooltrainer Benji
  • 496
    Posts
    15
    Years
    It could be cell membranes. But then you have to wonder why sometimes when breeding, the baby Pokemon doesn't take after the other parent. Lets say you bred a Bulbasaur to a Charmander (Not sure that breeding would actually work, but they were the first two pokemon to pop to mind xD) and the Charmander is the mother. If the Pokemon took after the Charmander in looks but the Bulbasaur in everything else, you could have a Charmander weak against fire but strong against water (mind explosion there). Then again, since you can't have hybrid Pokemon, one can safely assume that Pokemon genetics work a lot different than real life animal genetics. After all, that baby Pokemon would be a Charmander and not a Charisaur. Since they are living, though (in the Pokemon world, of course) it is plausible that they have cells. Which would make them weak against certain things and strong against others. (The way some humans have an immunity to some sicknesses, while others fall prey to them constantly.) And since we can assume their genetic make up is a bit different, we can also assume that it's not likely one would build an immunity, and therefore you would probably never get a Charmander that's immune to water.

    On the logic level, I've always assume the weaknesses were mostly based off the elements and nature. Fire is weak against water for obvious reasons, grass trumps water, also, for obvious reasons, water conducts electricity (wasn't that one explained in the anime?), water soaks rocks, brains over brawn, birds eat bug Pokemon (also explained in the anime. there was an episode where a Pidgey was trying to eat a Caterpie), etc. The less obvious ones can, also, be explained, though. Fire burns steel, ghosts are usually said to be "seen" only in the dark, ice is melted by fire, etc. While that seems logical, though, they are still living creatures in the Pokemon world.
     
  • 35
    Posts
    13
    Years
    • Seen Mar 25, 2011
    It could be cell membranes. But then you have to wonder why sometimes when breeding, the baby Pokemon doesn't take after the other parent. Lets say you bred a Bulbasaur to a Charmander (Not sure that breeding would actually work, but they were the first two pokemon to pop to mind xD) and the Charmander is the mother. If the Pokemon took after the Charmander in looks but the Bulbasaur in everything else, you could have a Charmander weak against fire but strong against water (mind explosion there). Then again, since you can't have hybrid Pokemon, one can safely assume that Pokemon genetics work a lot different than real life animal genetics. After all, that baby Pokemon would be a Charmander and not a Charisaur. Since they are living, though (in the Pokemon world, of course) it is plausible that they have cells. Which would make them weak against certain things and strong against others. (The way some humans have an immunity to some sicknesses, while others fall prey to them constantly.) And since we can assume their genetic make up is a bit different, we can also assume that it's not likely one would build an immunity, and therefore you would probably never get a Charmander that's immune to water.

    On the logic level, I've always assume the weaknesses were mostly based off the elements and nature. Fire is weak against water for obvious reasons, grass trumps water, also, for obvious reasons, water conducts electricity (wasn't that one explained in the anime?), water soaks rocks, brains over brawn, birds eat bug Pokemon (also explained in the anime. there was an episode where a Pidgey was trying to eat a Caterpie), etc. The less obvious ones can, also, be explained, though. Fire burns steel, ghosts are usually said to be "seen" only in the dark, ice is melted by fire, etc. While that seems logical, though, they are still living creatures in the Pokemon world.

    I see, I've come up with a theory on that now: Assumung that all gendered Pokemon reproduce sexaully I would say that the female is the domininate sex, I thin that the female's body somehow chnages the sperm cell's makeup making it able to enter the egg cell, but not all of the gentical information was chnaged (Egg moves) thus meaning that a Charmander would always lay Charmander eggs. As for Asexaul Pokemon... I don't know yet... Also, what about the abilties of Poemon i.e Solar power, I believe the sun gives them power in exchange for their energy...
     

    PatJamma

    From the ashes
  • 477
    Posts
    16
    Years
    • Age 29
    • Seen Jan 8, 2022
    I don't know about science behind it but I agree with flying strong vs fighting because it's impossible to punch a bird that flys
     

    Iqid Loopz

    This sentence is a lie.
  • 359
    Posts
    14
    Years
    Most of them are commonsense...

    Spoiler:
     

    FlamingThunder

    .........
  • 117
    Posts
    13
    Years
    Bug, Dark and Ghost are based of common fears. They are strong against the Psychic type because fears can manipulate the mind. Water is a common fear too, isn't it? (SONIC the hedgehog XD)
     

    Equal Eyes

    Happy Up Here
  • 38
    Posts
    13
    Years
    I've always thought the same thing. When explaining Pokemon types to my girlfriend, I had to explain what some types are weak to others. For the most part, she understood them with some mnemonics I made:

    Fire burn grass, bugs, and melts ice
    Grass catches water, rock, is above the ground
    Water puts out fire, dampens ground, and erodes rock
    Rock crushes bug Pokemon, puts out fire, knocks birds (flying) out of the sky, and shatters ice
    Electric zaps through water and clips birds out of the sky, but CAN'T go into the ground
    Ice, in the colder months, freezes the grass and ground. Birds' (flying) wings become stiff when too cold, and if we think of Dragons as cold-blooded creatures (reptiles?), then the ice is definitely not their friend.
    Fighting types (I may be biased because I'm a Martial Artist), crush 'normal' Pokemon, like how trained fighters defeat non-trained (normal) people. We train to crush ice and rock for breaking demonstrations and conditioning, and we don't rely on our eyes only, as we can easily see in the dark. I don't know why fighters are good against steel though. Beats the hell outta me.
    Poison essentially is bad for grass, as it results in dead grass quick
    Ground puts out fire, and electricity can't go through the earth. There's nothing to travel through for poison, and rocks are constantly covered up deep under ground. But why steel again?
    Flying is easy. Grass and bug are closely related: they both involve life that birds feed on. Fighting types generally like to stay close to the Earth, their 'zone' if you will, and the sky is not always their friend.
    Psychic is an interesting one. A psychic fighter relies on the limitless power of their mind, not their body. Thus, they defeat fighters. Through mind over matter, they eliminate poison. Now here's an interesting thing: Psychic refers to the mind, and Psychic Pokemon are weak against three somewhat random things: Ghost, Dark, and BUG. However, these are the three biggest phobia.
    Bugs eat grass, scare psychics, and aren't afraid of the dark :P
    Ghost Pokemon scare Psychics AND other Ghost
    Dragons are so strong that, aside from Ice, only dragons hurt dragons.

    Dark and Steel are weird, they don't even really fit into something that would fit an Animal, in my opinion.

    Ah well.
    Exactly what I was going post.
     

    Niprop

    The Fighting Porygon Team
  • 846
    Posts
    15
    Years
    There are actually a few exceptions to the rule, as not all Pokémon of the same type share the same characteristics.

    Unlike most normal types, Regigigas and the Porygon line have traits on them much similar to minerals then they do to organic substances, yet as neither of them are particularly rock-like or metallic, they are given a normal typing so they are still effected by Fighting attacks the same way a conventional mineral based Pokémon, such as Magnemite would be. The later can also change its type (and abilities) at will, as Porygon are made out of a relatively simplistic enough programing to change the texture and shape of their bodies in order to mimic other Pokémon and their types, yet are still rigid enough in structure that they cannot completely change their coding in order to assume the form of a separate Pokémon on a molecular scale the way Mew or Ditto could.

    Cofagrigus, who is stated in the Pokédex to be made out of a combination of gold (a metal) and "spirit" is not considered a Steel type because gold does not have the same properties that the metals most steel types are made up of do, Desukan is simply stated to be ghost type, but is still referred to as being mineral based (though, as gold is an extremely conductive metal in real life, one would think that Electric attacks would be super-effective to it in the same way they are to water).

    Lucario, a Pokémon who contains very little metal relative to most steel types is considered such because it presumably has incredibly dense skin compared to other fighting Pokémon, which makes it resistant to conventional attacks, yet also leaves it on the brittle side, allowing Fighting attacks to beat it in much the same way they could a normal type.
     
  • 1,142
    Posts
    13
    Years
    I have a theory on why Dark is super effective to Ghost.

    Dark= Darkness(obviously)=Death
    Ghost=The undead or living dead, whatever they're all DEAD.
    Ghosts are scared of death, reason being, death brings them back to the netherworld therefore Dark is super effective against ghosts, cos if you think about it, if you're a Ghost, you wouldn't wanna go back to where you came from, which is if you haven't guessed, Hell. -.-

    Theory for Ground super-effective to Steel:

    Steel came from the ground as an ore that was polished. Think of the earth as a human body and the steel is the human heart. Steel is a separate body from the earth, same with the heart from the other organs. Steel came from the earth, like the heart is connected to the body. So if you cut/slash/crush/batter etc your own heart, it will obviously die. Same thing for when earth rumbles or quakes, steel is affected.

    I think, IMO, it's really common sense that Normal and Ghost are ineffective. Ignore whatever you have heard from ghost stories and horror movies. Remember and understand this:HUMANS, no matter how clever, powerful and stupid they are, can NEVER ever come into physical contact with GHOSTS or any paranormal beings. That's why Normal and Ghost are ineffective opposites.
     
    Last edited:

    Impo

    Playhouse Pokemon
  • 2,458
    Posts
    14
    Years
    if we're going to be realistic pretty much everything would hurt everything.

    Dragons resistant to water; but burst the water out of a high pressure hose and good luck not hurting yourself.
     
    Back
    Top