It’s the third part in the series of articles where we analyse the Pokémon found in each type to determine how a type is defined. The types we covered earlier were Grass, Fire, Water, Fighting, Psychic and Dark.
What will today’s types be? Read on to find out.
Normal
When it comes to types, the Normal-type is the default type in case no other types fit a Pokémon. If that is the case, it seems strange that it’s already the third article and I am now covering the Normal-type. That would be because the two type triangles take priority over this one, so even though Normal-type should by right be the first to be covered, it got second priority. Better late than never.
The Normal-type is one of the most diverse types for the amount of Pokémon you could find. A lot of these Pokémon are mammals without a defining characteristic that signifies another element. In other words, non-elemental. This extends to birds as well, though they have the Flying-type to differentiate themselves. There are even a few reptiles and fairy-like Pokémon in the mix. In some cases, there are Normal dual-types. Those have something that differentiate their type, but are not completely into the other type because it’s not their innate type.
Another type of Pokémon that is classified as Normal-type are those that do not fit into the current types we have. Take Clefairy for example: before the Fairy-type existed, it was a Normal-type. Since Clefairy is a Fairy, it wasn’t a Fairy-type before then since it simply didn’t existed then. Perhaps if there is a type in the future that are represented by rodents, all rodents will be that type. Arceus is a Pokémon who can be another type, so it needs a default type. And it so happens that Normal is the default type. A pure Flying-type with Roost would lose its Flying-type, and they would be a Normal-type (from Generation 5 onwards).
The Normal-type is rather simple to describe since there aren’t too many, what you would call, exceptions among the family that require a different explanation to get by, compared to other types. With that, here is the list:
- Non-elemental
- Doesn’t fit the existing types
Bug
This is another type this is straightforward, because the Pokémon that represent the type are as its name suggest. Insects comes in all shapes and forms, and though they are normally weaker compared to other types, there are a number of Bug-types that could put up a fight.
The main thing that Bug-types have in common is that they are based on insects. There are a lot of them based on real insects, such as cicadas (Nincada and family), ladybirds (Ledyba and Ledian), fireflies (Volbeat and Illumise) and the various butterflies and moths. Real insects have six legs, but Pokémon took a few liberties with some of its members by turning some of the legs into hands, or removing a couple legs to resemble human limbs, resulting in a more human Bug-type (interestingly, Volbeat and Illumise can breed with Human-like Pokémon).
Insects are one thing. What about the arachnids? Remember that spiders are not insects, since they have things that are different from them. For one, they have eight legs, and they are arranged differently from insects. That doesn’t stop them from being classified as one since they resemble insects. Prominent examples of arachnid Pokémon are the Spinarak family and the Joltik family. They don’t have eight legs, possibly to make them easier to animate, so that’s another creative liberty taken. It should be noted that Skorupi (and to a lesser extent, Drapion) fits this characteristic as well, since scorpions are arachnids like them.
There are quite a few Bug-types that don’t fit the mould of insects and arachnids. Two examples of Bug-types that do not follow this mould are the Dwebble family and the Anorith family. It is possible that they are Bug-types for being arthropods, a class of animals that are invertebrates with an exoskeleton that have a segmented body and jointed appendages. Sure, all insects are arthropods but not all arthropods are insects, but that didn’t stop them from being Bug-types the same way arachnids became Bug-types.
There are some odd picks for Bug-types. Shelmet, Accelgor and Shuckle seem like the kind that might not fit the Bug-type since they don’t fit the previously-mentioned categories. They are invertebrates, but they don’t have a skeleton (which is why Accelgor is rather frail). It could be reasoned that they are Bug-types because they are based on tiny creatures, which are tubeworms for the former and some fungus that live in rocks for the latter. This extra description opens a can of worms (heh) on what defines the Bug-types, because there are Pokémon that are based on small creatures but are not insects themselves, such as Magcargo and Gastrodon. For now, let’s categorise those two families as “certain small invertebrates”.
It should be noted that the type assignment for Bug-types are not consistent the same way Grass-types are, since there are Pokémon that should be Bug-type but are not. These include Krabby and Clauncher for being crustaceans. The type assignment inconsistency is minor, so it’s not a big issue for now.
From the selection, we can conclude that Bug-types are:
- Insect origins
- Arachnids
- Certain Arthropods
- Certain Small Invertebrates
Rock
Rock-types seem like they should be straightforward like Bug-type, in that the Pokémon represent the type’s name in an obvious manner. That is mostly correct. Pokémon of this type represent the tough exterior that makes them sturdy in terms of defence. Of course, That would be oversimplifying it, so let’s figure out what Rock-types are made of.
The most obvious characteristic that Rock-types have is being based on a mineral, especially ones that are not metallic (there is another type for that). There are a lot of rocky Rock-types, from the simple ones like Geodude to some intricate ones like Lunatone and Solrock. Perhaps they could also have encrusted gemstones such as Gigalith and Diancie.
Rock-types could also include Pokémon with a hard shell. The species is not necessarily made of rock, but the shell could be made of it. Magcargo and Dwebble are two such Pokémon that have a rock shell that defines their Rock-type. It isn’t necessarily the hard shell they have. It’s also possible they are attached to a rock that isn’t a rocky shelter. Binacle’s family and Corsola have essentially rocky bodies that allow them to be stable. In short, Rock-types are attached to a hard shell.
Not all Rock-types are shells or rocks, so what about the others? A group of Rock-types have something in common, and if you see what Lileep, Amaura and even Archen have, they are revived from fossils. That’s right, when a Pokémon is a product of a fossil revivification, they are Rock-type, even though they don’t exude toughness, as is the case with Tyrunt and Archen, for example.
There are some leftover Rock-types that don’t fit into the above categories. They are the Rhydon family, Larvitar family, Aron family and Terrakion. What do they have in common, then? A possible common factor they have is their toughness, but that would only fit the Aron family and the Rhyhorn family. For Terrakion, its powerful charge and strong heart might be factors, though it does look tough. That leaves Larvitar’s family. It’s not explicitly stated in any way, but I am going to go for the “tough exterior” theory.
With that, the factors of being Rock-type include:
- Made of Stone, possibly with Gems
- Attached to a Hard Shell
- Ancient Pokémon Revived from Fossils
- Tough Exterior
And we’re done here. Compared to the previous two articles earlier, defining the three types covered is a lot simpler due to their more straightforward natures.
The next article will cover another three types we haven’t covered yet. What will they be? That’s for you to find out when the time comes. I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I have writing it.
Thanks for reading.
