Pokémon Typing Debate

[Iron Mankey]

I have no myth-logical explanation whatsoever for the Horsea line as mythological references to seahorses mostly has to do with Poseidon's seahorses/hippocampi which has nothing to do with dragons at all.

The only thing I can guess is that since the final evolution has the Seadra becoming a Kingdra, maybe they decided to make the 'King' of Horsea-types a Dragon, though that makes no sense to me either.

Well since the Hippocampus is a sea monster, is sea dragon that much of a stretch?

 

[Kavii]

Well since the Hippocampus is a sea monster, is sea dragon that much of a stretch?

Actually,

Hippo = horse
camp = monster

Literally, one would say that it is a horse-like monster and due to its living in the sea, it is then called a 'sea horse' rather than a 'sea monster' as it has the front part of a horse and the hind part of some sea-dwelling fish-like creature.

Certainly, the hind part could be considered dragon-like and in Greek, the word dragon has roots in shining scales or something similar.

So no, it isn't that much of a stretch at all, but I guess what I take issue with is the fact that if they were going to refer to Greek mythology (not saying they are, but if), then they could/would? have used a Hydra or some other fantastical creature which has a far greater connection to actual 'Dragon' connotations in terms of 'Dragons in (Greek) Mythology'.

A seahorse becoming a 'Dragon' type just seems like they're making the descriptive name 'leafy sea dragon' into an actual Dragon creature rather than basing it off of anything really Draconian.

 

[Ninja Caterpie]

Sceptile is not a dragon. Sceptile is 100% lizard. Purebred Grass-type lizard. Where'd the Dragon come from? Just about everything with claws can use Dragon Claw, and that's about the extent of Sceptile's Dragon attacks.

Gyarados as a Water/Dragon and Charizard as a Fire/Dragon make sense, but you need balance in a game. You really would NOT like it if Gyarados was Water/Dragon; you'd never beat Lance if he pulled off one Dragon Dance.

 

[Sir Skids Nickelton]

Tiny Feebas Rant

Feebas!It Knows Like-17 Normal Type Moves,3 Psychic Moves,5 Water Moves.IT CAN EVEN KNOW DRAGON BREATH!!And Confuse Ray.(Not Including Tutor)IT DESERVES ANOTHER TYPE!!Maybe Water-Normal Cause Of The Abundance Of Normal Moves-More Than The Water Moves It Can Know.

Many May Disagree With Me,But Disagree If You Must,That's What I Think

 

[Mujahid]

Oh !! i remember another.....Mawile..i mean the guy learns only 3 steel type moves (yeah,that's including tm,tutors and breeding). it can learn 5 dark moves and 6 normal moves...so y is it a pure steel type !! why not steel/dark or steel/normal...i know all that balance issue but still...give it a couple of more steel moves..

P.S. - it didn't learn any damaging steel move until gen 4 !!

 

[vibratingcat]

i always wondered, how does dodrio and doduo fly? they hav no wings. and why should they be flying type? they are as much flying as blaziken is.

 

[Bluerang1]

Agree, why da hell is Mawile Steel? Maybe that steel teeth/clae thing... It's really likie a mammal so should be Normal, though it looks Dark. And how I wish Luxray was Part Dark as well :( Would have been so awesome. A Fire/Rock Infernape would have been nice :D And there really shuold be a Bird type for Blaziken and Doduo to name a few.

My other queries have been answered with questions I can accept except this: Why are Pigeottoe, Fearow, Noctowl (darn thing should be part Psychic (Xatu took that) or Dark...), Swellow and Staraptor part Normal!?!? I understand their prevos being part Normal as they're small, baby cute things. But why aren't these fully evolved dangers just Flying types? Or even part Bird, which really should exist xD I'm serious here, all it those is make Fighting moves have normal damage on them. Flying type should be for the likes of Gyrados, Flygon, Salamance, Drogonite, etc. Those with wings or not, but dont look like Birds and they can Fly.

I'm thinking about it again, a Fire/Rock Infernape would have been awesoem o_O STAB from Stone Edge FTW!!! I would like that to be the final Evo of the 5th Gen Fire Starter :)

 

[FaithInMe]

They'll never introduce a "bird" type because its basically the same as flying. Which makes it irrelevant. Especially when they would really only have the same basic moves available.
The reason they are normal/flying is balance.
Normals take x2 damage from fighting types.
Flying takes 0 damage from fighting types I believe, correct?
Normal/Flying takes normal damage from fighting + deals out x2 damage to that same type at the same time.
Its solely a balance issue.

 

[level.]

They'll never introduce a "bird" type because its basically the same as flying. Which makes it irrelevant. Especially when they would really only have the same basic moves available.
The reason they are normal/flying is balance.
Normals take x2 damage from fighting types.
Flying takes 0 damage from fighting types I believe, correct?
Normal/Flying takes normal damage from fighting + deals out x2 damage to that same type at the same time.
Its solely a balance issue.

Flying takes 1/2 damage from fighting types. No idea why they all have a normal typing. But now we have roost so we can't have pure flying types.

 

[Mayfan24]

LOL

Nothing to be sorry about! :)

Well, the way I see it is this (and this is just an opinion):

If they were going by the myth, then leaving Gyarados as a Water/Flying but still giving him solid Dragon moves would better fit in to the myth of a Carp-turned-Dragon as Gyarados is a Magikarp fish (pure Water type) who became a Dragon (with the help of Flying to get over the proverbial Dragon's Gate) and not a Dragon-born Dragon who started out as a Dragon.

If Gyarados' type became Dragon or Dragon/Water, then there is almost an assumption that Gyarados' previous unevolved form was also a Dragon.

Unlike something like Flying which can be added on as long as someone grew wings (like Dragonite who became +Flying after only being a Dragon), it is more unlikely that something can go from being one creature type (like a Dragon) to another (like a Bug).

Seeing Gyarados looking undeniably like a Dragon and then seeing the Water/Flying says that, 'Here is a Dragon who wasn't born a Dragon but became a Dragon through perseverence'.

Same thing with Charizard. Seeing him looking Dragon-like but seeing him being Fire and Flying seems to suggest that, 'Here is a Dragon who wasn't born a Dragon but became a Dragon through perseverence'.

Just my two cents. :)

this makes so much sense now :)

^This makes a buttload of sense.
So yeah, I suppose that's why we won't get a dragon starter.
Buuuut...
What about Horsea -> Seadra -> Kingdra?
Horsea and Seadra are both water, while kingdra becomes dragon...

my theory on this is because it evolves with the dragon scale, it obtains the dragon type. no more clarification on it (quite frankly because I have no other theorys) just my opinion

 

[BleuVII]

I have no idea why Seadra is a dragon. It just doesn't make sense. I wish they would go back and re-type some pokemon when Gen V rolled around. Blastoise NEEDS to be Water/Steel, even if it is copying Empoleon. And now that there are multiple dragons out there, Gyarados should be Water/Dragon. Also, if they create a new type, like "sound" or "light" (those two seem to be the most popular), a few pokemon will need to be re-typed.

 

[fenyx4]

LOL

Nothing to be sorry about! :)

Well, the way I see it is this (and this is just an opinion):

If they were going by the myth, then leaving Gyarados as a Water/Flying but still giving him solid Dragon moves would better fit in to the myth of a Carp-turned-Dragon as Gyarados is a Magikarp fish (pure Water type) who became a Dragon (with the help of Flying to get over the proverbial Dragon's Gate) and not a Dragon-born Dragon who started out as a Dragon.

If Gyarados' type became Dragon or Dragon/Water, then there is almost an assumption that Gyarados' previous unevolved form was also a Dragon.

Unlike something like Flying which can be added on as long as someone grew wings (like Dragonite who became +Flying after only being a Dragon), it is more unlikely that something can go from being one creature type (like a Dragon) to another (like a Bug).

Seeing Gyarados looking undeniably like a Dragon and then seeing the Water/Flying says that, 'Here is a Dragon who wasn't born a Dragon but became a Dragon through perseverence'.

Same thing with Charizard. Seeing him looking Dragon-like but seeing him being Fire and Flying seems to suggest that, 'Here is a Dragon who wasn't born a Dragon but became a Dragon through perseverence'.

Just my two cents. :)

Awesome way of thinking about the Gyarados situation analytically. The above-quoted reasoning, along with the 'flying-fish gate' myth, has made me finally accept Gyarados' current typing.

Charizard, on the other hand...I like the rationale but I really want a Fire/Dragon Pokemon (which Charizard fits perfectly!)

Infernape's typing bugged me. Blaziken was my first ever starter Pokemon, so I'm very fond of the Blaziken line. But the same Fire-starter typing (and a unique one at that) 2 generations in a row? If Infernape had been introduced in a later generation, I don't think I would have had this problem at all...

Lugia should have been Water/Dragon with the ability Levitate as it flies (Though I'm guessing that would introduce an imbalance in gaming mechanices?). I mean, it's the Guardian of the Seas!!!

I like how the water/space analogies mentioned earlier validate Palkia's typing of Water/Dragon. Furthermore, the Water part makes sense as pearls are associated with underwater beings (oysters) and, IIRC, are solidified calcium deposits. Anyway, the general idea is that pearls are mostly found underwater. Finally, the 'Water' parallels Dialga's Steel-typing in its Dragon/Steel combo (diamonds are the hardest mineral on earth, thus Steel represents such hardness.) Then, Water/pearls counteract Steel/diamonds, which is the motif of DPPt.

Sceptile is also a good Grass/Dragon candidate...

 

[Haza]

Um, if Gyrados got resistance to Electric and Rock that would be the death of All Pokemon :/

 

[Åzurε]

Space was formed out of the sea of nothingness look up Babylonian mythology and even greek mythology mentions something, plus in the bible it said the earth was created on a turtle, the turtle is swimming in water isn't it if the earth is the turtle then the water must be space, As for Crawdaunt what does being a Crustacean have to do with being dark or any other type for that matter, it's dark because it's a Dark looking pokemon, just look at it, it's design screams dark.

No such thing in the Bible, although it does mention "the deep" pre-creation.

Otherwise, hydrogen is supposed to make up quite a bit of the matter in the known universe, and hydrogen is a primary component of the water molecule.

Nothing really bugs me, except maybe Lati@s not being flying, although they have Levitate to make up for that one.

 

[RuRuBell]

I always thought that, considering it lives in the sea and learns water attacks, Lugia should be partly Water.

I'm also surprised that Voltorb&Electrode aren't Electric/Steel. It just screams Steel to me, like Magnemite/Magneton.

 

[Meowth! That's right!]

My world was shattered when I found out Psyduck wasn't part Psychic...

 

[Bluerang1]

My world was shattered when I found out Psyduck wasn't part Psychic...

OMG! Golduck isn't either. What is this!?!?! :o

 

[Åzurε]

!!

I thought Golduck was, even after I found out Psyuck wasn't... Back to Serebii's Pokedex with me.

 

[Volroc]

these:

palkia: shouldve been Dark/dragon (reverse of steel/dragon dialga)

gyrados: water/dragon >.< not water/flying

chatot: pure flying!!!!!!! it was revealed as the FIRST pure flying, and then boom normal/flying T_T

charizard..... i love fire/flying combo, but it should be dragon,or considered a dragon type.

Bagon,& its line.... not another dragon/flying T_T how long must i bet for a FIRE/Dragon combo til my wants are heard?

Gible,& its line...... dragon/Ground seriously!? it shouldve been dragon/dark, or dragon/normal it just seems better to me that way

Tropius it just seems like a natural grass/dragon

these many more to list but ill stop here for now

 

[Iron Mankey]

We already have Legendaries everywhere- we don't need a buttload of Dragon-types too. I much prefer them to retain some amount of exclusiveness. Ditto with Dark, Steel, Psychic, and Ghost. Too much of them and it somewhat undermines their status.