5th Gen Did GameFreak miss the perfect opportunity to introduce the Light-type?

[bobandbill]

- Did you originally think Reshiram WAS the first Light-type Pokemon?

No. 5th gens in I doubted we would see a new type now when the system was more or less balanced, and it would have brought other issues (need to rework moves like Hidden power, maybe the IV system, what about older Pokemon that could also be defined as a 'Light' type, if none are changed then having a rather small amount of Light Types in total...etc etc).

We only saw new types in gen 2 when all these were minor issues, and because the system was quite broken (see: overpowered Psychic types). Now there's just no need for them.

So introducing it now would have been far from perfect imo. 2nd gen was really the better time (or first time around, of course).

I think it could've worked out really well. You'd have the central ying/yang themes, and you'd have dark/light, good/evil. While light would imply that the person who caught Zekrom was evil, it could've been twisted in the opposite game.

It might have... but then again, I'd say firstly the ying/yang concept is already very well established in the story (it's not just good/evil or dark/light), and that the Pokemon franchise typically doesn't go into the 'evil Pokemon' thing. Closed you get to that in games are Shadow Pokemon, and that's due to people than the Pokemon themselves, and the odd Pokedex entry I guess. But I don't think Zekrom/Reshiram were ever intended to be evil, nor the person catching them evil (protagonists are always good in this series, and N was socially ruined, not evil).

Also agree with what Cid said.

 

[pokewalker]

Trees don't move at a rate that is even visible to the human eye, that's how slow they are. Yet Pokemon based on trees don't have their speed based on it. Same with most grass types - they have no ability to move in real life, but have varying speeds in-game. Steel can't even move in real life on its own, and yet some Steel-types are very fast. Speed isn't linked to type in any case, why would it be linked to type with a Light type?

Edit: Even considering that, ever heard this quote? "No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." -Terry Pratchett

Objection. While it is true what you're saying, I do not see 'light' being introduced as a type. Then every pokemon would be resistant to a light attack, because light shines on them all day. You could say that it would vary in the heaviness of the light attack, but that would have to be pretty intense and then it'd have to use so much heat for it that it'd result in a fire-like attack. I think that's why GF didn't put it in; the two types have to much in common.

 

[Ho-Oh]

Objection. While it is true what you're saying, I do not see 'light' being introduced as a type. Then every pokemon would be resistant to a light attack, because light shines on them all day. You could say that it would vary in the heaviness of the light attack, but that would have to be pretty intense and then it'd have to use so much heat for it that it'd result in a fire-like attack. I think that's why GF didn't put it in; the two types have to much in common.

If anything that'd make it further tie in with Reshiram, given that it currently is a fire dragon and all.

Nevertheless darkness would probably be hurt x2 by it because light overcoming dark, etc, morals like that.

 

[Ninja Caterpie]

Adding types takes a lot of work to balance out all the type effectivenesses and resistances and stuff. They only added them in GSC for actual game balance purposes; nothing even resisted Psychic in Gen I, so they added Steel and Dark to counter it. Now that it's actually balanced, they can just keep adding Pokemon to innovate. It's also just too late to add a new colour type because so many moves that would have been light are already another type (Flash, Flash Cannon, etc) and errata'ing that would actually just wreck things.

There's not enough reason to do it. "It would be cool and fit with the theme" doesn't counteract the work that has to be done and the fact that light would feel very lacking due to the lack of current Pokemon that would fit into Light.

 

[Lord Varion]

no light is not needed we have psychic

Winning argument right here, guys.

No, I don't they intended to add it in, nor would they ever.

The whole Light type seems a waste of effort in my opinion.
It opposes Dark type, but we've already got Fighting and Ghost beating Dark Types, if Dark were to super effect Light, then it would just be a clone of Psychic Types.

There is however quite a few Pokémon that could use Light as a type:
Litwick (Candle)
Lampent (Lamp)
Chandelure (Chandelere)
Ampharos (Used to light lighthouses often)
Reshiram (as stated in OP)
A lot of Fire and Electric Pokémon.
Espeon (seems fitting since it's opposite [Umbreon] is a dark type)

There's lots more too...

 

[Volcanix769]

I'm with the other guys. Some of the types we have now covers light, and they create light. Flash is one example. If it was there, then there wouldn't be much Pokemon with the dual types anymore. Celebi would be Grass/Light, and as you stated, Reshiram would have been Dragon/Light based on the origin.

And I don't think that Light and Dark are 2 representations of evil for Pokemon. Pretty much, they're just elements that cover the Pokemon's category. Psychic is like light in a way, since it has to do with warping time or using extrasensory powers. It's like light, but in the opposite way of Dark.

In other ways, we have types that cover light and it's unnecessary for that. It would change a lot of Pokemon's types, and I don't think that it's good for normal Pokemon to have these.

 

[skyluigi2]

Personally, it'd be kind of confusing; a number of older Pokemon would change types too, therefore you'd need to get used to type matchups and stuff again.
So, I think it's for the best, although a new type would be cool, to leave things as they are. :)

 

[Arlo]

I never for even a second thought that Reshiram might be an introduction of a Light type, since I never for even a second thought, or think, that a Light type would be, or will be, introduced. I think GF didn't do it because they have no intention of doing it.