Type

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If you were looking for the property of a Pokémon called type in The Official Pokémon Handbook, see Pokémon category.

Types (Japanese: タイプ Type) are properties for Pokémon and their moves. As of Generation VI, there are 18 types, as listed to the right. Most of these were introduced during Generation I, but the Dark and Steel types were introduced in Generation II and the Fairy type was introduced in Generation VI. A unique ??? type also existed from Generations II through IV. During Generation I, types were occasionally referred to as elements.

A Pokémon may have either one or two types: For instance, Charmander is a Fire type, while Bulbasaur is both a Grass type and a Poison type. With the current 18-type system, there are 324 possible ways to assign types to Pokémon, with 171 unique combinations. As of Generation VI, 133 different type combinations have been used. Similar to Pokémon, Pokéstar Studios opponents also have types.

A move has exactly one type. The type of a damaging move typically defines which types of Pokémon it is super effective against, which types of Pokémon it is not very effective against, and which types of Pokémon it is completely ineffective against.

Most Gym Leaders and members of the Elite Four are designed to have a type-specific theme.

Type effectiveness

Typically, the amount of damage dealt by a damaging move is depending on its type, as well as on the type of the defending Pokémon:

  • If the type of a move is super effective against the type of its target, the damage done is double the normal amount;
  • If the type of a move is not very effective against the type of its target, the damage done is half the normal amount;
  • If the type of a move is completely ineffective against the type of its target, the move will deal no damage.

For Pokémon that have two types, the overall damage is calculated against both types combined:

  • If the type of a move is super effective against both of the opponent's types (such as Dig, a Ground-type move, used against an Aggron, a Steel/Rock Pokémon), then the move does 4 times the damage;
  • If the type of a move is not very effective against both of the opponent's types (such as Wake-Up Slap, a Fighting-type move, used against a Sigilyph, a Psychic/Flying Pokémon), then the move only does ¼ of the damage;
  • If the type of a move is super effective against one of the opponent's types but not very effective against the other (such as Razor Leaf, a Grass-type move, used against a Gyarados, a Water/Flying Pokémon), then the move deals normal damage.
  • If the type of move is completely ineffective against one of the opponent's types, then the move does no damage, even if the opponent has a second type that would be vulnerable to it (as in Thunderbolt, an Electric-type move, used against a Quagsire, a Water/Ground Pokémon).

The moves Flying Press and Freeze-Dry have custom interactions with defending types that do not strictly match their assigned types.

Barring complete ineffectiveness (or the special effects of moves like False Swipe), a move will always do at least one HP damage. (In Generation I, there is a glitch that can cause a move to deal 0 damage only if the target has two types that both resist the move, due to roundoff error and type effectiveness being applied only at the very end of damage calculation. Additionally, when this happens the game will erroneously report that the move missed the target entirely. In Generation V, a similar glitch also allows a move to deal zero HP of damage, since certain damage modifiers (such as Reflect) are applied after the damage is ensured to be at least 1.)

Type chart

Main article: Type/Type chart

A type chart shows which modifiers are applied to move types when attacking Pokémon of each type. If the defending Pokémon is dual-typed, the modifier is calculated as the product of the modifiers for both of its types: a Flying-type move would hit for 4× damage on a Bug/Grass Pokémon, while a Ground-type move used against the same would do only a quarter of the normal damage. (A complete ineffectiveness against either type will make the move deal no damage, since 0 multiplied by any number is 0.)

The type chart differs depending on the generation of games it is from. The current type chart is shown below.

× Defending type
Normal Fighting Flying Poison Ground Rock Bug Ghost Steel Fire Water Grass Electric Psychic Ice Dragon Dark Fairy
A
t
t
a
c
k
i
n
g

t
y
p
e
Normal ½× ½×
Fighting ½× ½× ½× ½× ½×
Flying ½× ½× ½×
Poison ½× ½× ½× ½×
Ground ½× ½×
Rock ½× ½× ½×
Bug ½× ½× ½× ½× ½× ½× ½×
Ghost ½×
Steel ½× ½× ½× ½×
Fire ½× ½× ½× ½×
Water ½× ½× ½×
Grass ½× ½× ½× ½× ½× ½× ½×
Electric ½× ½× ½×
Psychic ½× ½×
Ice ½× ½× ½× ½×
Dragon ½×
Dark ½× ½× ½×
Fairy ½× ½× ½×
These matchups are suitable for Generation VI.

In Inverse Battles, a different type chart is used that essentially inverts the normal type chart, turning immunities and resistances into weaknesses, and weaknesses into resistances. Type immunities become weaknesses in Inverse battles but no types become immunities.

Dual-type damage misinformation glitch

Main article: List of glitches in Generation I → Dual-type damage misinformation

In Generation I only, if a damaging move is used on a Pokémon with two types such that one of its types is weak to the move and the other type resists the move, it will correctly receive neutral damage, but the incorrect message will be displayed on-screen. This does not occur in Pokémon Stadium.

Type-affected game mechanics

Prior to Generation IV, the category of damaging moves only depends on the move's type (except for Shadow moves); for example, all Normal-type damaging moves are physical moves and all Water-type damaging moves are special moves. From Generation IV onward, each individual move has a damage category that is independent of its type.

When the type of a move matches one of the types of the Pokémon using it, the attack power will be increased by 50%. This is referred to as same-type attack bonus, or STAB for short. As an example, an Aron that knows the Steel-type move Metal Claw will have the move's power increased by 50% because one of Aron's types is Steel; the power of Cut would not be increased (because none of Aron's types is Normal).

Some types of weather, Abilities, and held items affect moves of a certain type. Sunny Day, for example, causes Fire-type moves to increase in power, while Levitate causes Ground-type moves to not work on the Pokémon with this Ability. Likewise, each type has a specific held item that can be given to a Pokémon that will power up one of the specific types by 20% (10% prior to Generation IV), such as the Metal Coat, which powers up Steel-type moves.

Some moves can change the type of a Pokémon. For example, Camouflage changes the user's type to a type corresponding to the battlefield terrain. Abilities can also change the type of a Pokémon. So far, the only such Abilities are Color Change, Multitype, and Protean.

??? type

Main article: ??? (type)

The ??? type is the only type to have been removed from the core series games. The ??? type only existed from Generation II to Generation IV, and was primarily used in the core series as the type of the move Curse. It was removed in Generation V, and Curse became a Ghost-type move. Any damaging moves given the ??? type deal regular damage against all types, and any Pokémon given the ??? type takes regular damage against all moves.

Shadow

While not generally regarded as an actual type, in Pokémon XD, Shadow moves have their type listed as "------". Shadow Pokémon can be considered to be of this type, but they still retain their regular typing as well. In Pokémon XD, all Shadow moves are not very effective against Shadow Pokémon and super effective against non-Shadow Pokémon.

Glitch types

Main article: List of glitch types

There are several types which only appear through the use of glitches, such as on the types of glitch Pokémon. Most famously this includes the Bird type, which was intentionally programmed into the code of the Generation I and II games but was not given to any real Pokémon. Other glitch types are the result of the game reading other data as if it were types. Like the ??? type, all glitch types have no special effectiveness (they both inflict normal damage against all types and take normal damage from all types).

In other games

In the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

Main article: Damage modification (Mystery Dungeon)

In the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, the type effectiveness chart differs slightly from contemporaneous core series games, with the extent of the differences changing between games. For example, in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team, moves that would have 0× effectiveness in the core series deal ½× damage instead. In Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness, those same moves would deal ¼× damage unless the move has a type advantage against the target's secondary type, in which case it would deal ½× instead. And in Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon, those moves would have 0× effectiveness like in the core series.

In the Pokémon Ranger series

In the Pokémon Ranger series, each Pokémon has a group, equivalent to a type in the core series. The effectiveness of Poké Assists on wild Pokémon is dependent on the Pokémon's group.

In the Pokémon Rumble series

In the Pokémon Rumble series, the type effectiveness chart differs somewhat from the equivalent type chart in contemporaneous core series games. Each move that would have 0× effectiveness deals 0.6× damage instead, moves that would be not very effective against one or both of the target's types deal ~0.8× or ~0.7× damage, respectively, and moves that would be super effective against one or both of the target's types deal ~1.2× and ~1.4× damage, respectively.

In Pokémon Battrio

Main article: Type (Battrio)

Pokémon in Pokémon Battrio all have one type in line with one of their types in the core games. Battrio also includes two unique types exclusively for Arceus, the Full Plate and Eleven-Plate types.

Pokémon Battrio's type effectiveness chart is also unique, with different possible strengths for weaknesses or resistances. That is, whereas in the core games all weaknesses are 2× and resistances are ½×, in Battrio, Grass-type Pokémon may be weak to both Ice- and Fire-type moves, but they are weaker to Fire-type moves than to Ice-type moves.

Players with a Memory Key can also gain experience towards different types that will level up their Type Levels, granting Pokémon of that type a bonus in Attack or HP.

In Pokémon Shuffle

Main article: Pokémon Shuffle → Type

Pokémon in Pokémon Shuffle each only have one type. Pokémon Shuffle's type effectiveness chart is also slightly different than the contemporaneous Generation VI chart, with 0× effectivenesses turned into ½× effectiveness.

In the TCG

Main article: Type (TCG)

In the Pokémon Trading Card Game, there are only eleven types. Type mechanics are generally different than in the core games, though they may preserve a similar spirit.

In other languages

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 屬性 Suhksing
Mandarin 屬性 / 属性 Shǔxìng
The Czech Republic Flag.png Czech Typ
Finland Flag.png Finnish Tyyppi
France Flag.png French Type
Germany Flag.png German Typ
Hungary Flag.png Hungarian Típus
Italy Flag.png Italian Tipo
South Korea Flag.png Korean 타입 Type
Poland Flag.png Polish Typ
Portugal Flag.png Portuguese Tipo
Russia Flag.png Russian Тип Tip
Spain Flag.png Spanish Tipo
Sweden Flag.png Swedish Typ
Elementklass*
Vietnam Flag.png Vietnamese Hệ

See also


Project Games logo.png This game mechanic article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games.