Highlights
- Voltorb and Electrode should be electric/dark types to suit their mimic design and ambush tactics.
- Dodrio should be a normal/ground type since it's based on flightless birds and emphasizes running rather than flying.
- Cloyster should be a water/rock type instead of an ice type, as its design and abilities suggest a focus on defense and hardness rather than cold mastery.
The now global phenomenon that is Pokemon started with humble beginnings in Kanto. However, it's clear that some parts of the first generation weren't completely thought through. From somewhat lazy monster designs to unbalanced Pokemon typing, it's clear the series hadn't quite found its footing.
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This is most clear in a few Kanto Pokemon's typings; there are quite a few with confusing (almost nonsensical) types. These are Pokemon that have completely different types than what you would expect from their design or Pokedex entries that, if released in a modern Pokemon generation, would almost certainly have different types to suit their design and lore better.
10 Electrode
The Ball Pokemon
- It should be an electric/dark type.
- Its ambush tactics are a classic dark-type strategy.
The purpose behind Voltorb and Electrode's design is obvious: they're mimics. A mimic is a type of monster that looks like treasure but attacks the player when they try to collect it, often in a weakened state. While less straightforward than other types, the dark type is all about this "underhanded" way of fighting and is sometimes considered the "evil" type. What's more evil than attacking a weakened trainer just when they think they've found a potion?
However, Electrode has no way to learn dark-type moves through leveling or TMs. For that reason, this suggestion is probably the weakest on the list.
9 Dodrio
The Triple Bird Pokemon
- It should be a normal/ground type.
- Why can the Pokemon based on a flightless bird fly?
Dodrio is evidence that flying should more accurately be called the "bird" type. After all, what about slapping someone with a wing involves flying? If we were to go just off of Dodrio's dex entries, it's easy to assume that it can't even fly. Instead, they focus on how fast it can run (up to 40 MPH).
Not to mention that Dodrio is clearly based on ostriches and emus, which are flightless birds. While Dodrio can learn Fly, it makes much more sense to have this Pokemon be a ground type to emphasize its inability to fly. Game Freak should either show us Dodrio's flying animation, or admit their mistake and change its typing.
8 Cloyster
The Bivalve Pokemon
- It should be a water/rock type.
- Rock is harder than ice.
When imagining an ice-type Pokemon, what animals make the most sense for them to be? Mammoths? Penguins? How about a clam? That last one is clearly the odd one out. It seems that Game Freak finished the game, realized they only had three ice types, and decided to retroactively make Cloyster into one.
Nothing in its design suggests mastery over the cold; its Pokedex entries only mention its ability to shoot spikes as self-defense. While implied to be ice from its move pool, it could easily be anything else. So, why not make it part rock type? After all, its shell is as "hard as diamonds," and the rock type would make sense for a Pokemon so focused on defense.
7 Golem
The Megaton Pokemon
- It should be a pure rock type.
- Not every rock type needs to be a ground type.
Kanto had an interesting perception of the rock type; it was different from the ground type, but there was a significant amount of overlap. However, while there were several pure ground types, there were no pure rock types; they were given the ground type as well.
While this makes sense for Onix and Rhydon as they emphasize digging, Golem's type is a real head-scratcher. Golem's dex entries all emphasize its "boulder-like body," and thus, its rock typing. Considering Golem is probably one of the first Pokemon players think of when they talk about rock types, it just makes sense to keep its typing simple.
6 Arbok
The Cobra Pokemon
- It should be a poison/dark type.
- Its fierce appearance isn't just for show.
Arbok has repeatedly gotten the short end of the stick in comparison to its partner, Weezing. It's never gotten a regional form and is easily forgotten when it really shouldn't be. A major point of its design isn't its poisonous abilities but rather the intimidating pattern on its hood.
This pattern is so frightening that it can paralyze its foes before crushing them (backed up by its ability to learn Glare). This almost seems like cheating, doesn't it? Like, in the way a dark type would? While the newest generations may choose to ignore this amazing Pokemon design, giving it the dark type would make it a little more interesting and do its intimidating design justice.
5 Weezing
The Poison Gas Pokemon
- It should be a poison/flying type.
- The air pollution Pokemon belongs in the skies.
Weezing is meant to represent air pollution and is essentially three balloons filled with poisonous gas. Upon first encountering this Pokemon, one might assume it is immune to ground-type moves such as Earthquake, instead of the move being super effective, because it's off the ground. This assumption would be correct, but for the wrong reason. Weezing has the ability Levitate, which gives them immunity to ground-type moves.
One could argue that it doesn't fly so much as float, but that could just as easily apply to Drifblim, a flying/ghost type. Adding the flying type seems only fair to the Pokemon meant to represent the polluted sky.
4 Porygon
The Virtual Pokemon
- It should be an electric type.
- There's nothing normal about being made of data.
Normal is often meant for Pokemon that don't fall into the other types. This usually means that basic animals, like rats, bears, and cows, are normal types; however, even normal Pokemon can be a bit weird paradoxically (like Ditto, for example). Even then, Porygon is almost in a category of its own.
Said to be the first artificially created Pokemon, this little guy can travel into cyberspace. Does that seem like a normal thing to do? If anything, that seems similar to the ability of Rotom, an electric type. Clearly, Porygon does not belong in the "other" category when its association with computers and technology would make perfect sense as an electric-type.
3 Ninetales
The Fox Pokemon
- It should be a fire/ghost.
- Has "mystical power" beyond its fire typing.
A powerful fire-type welcome on any team, Ninetales received a regional form in Gen 7, an ice/fairy type. While this variant is absolutely beautiful, it makes the original look a little lackluster in comparison. However, looking at its dex entries, this shouldn't be the case. Each tail is described as having a unique "mystical power," and if someone grabs one of its tails, they'll be cursed for a thousand years.
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That doesn't really sound like a fire type. Instead, a ghost type would be much more fitting (additionally, Curse is a ghost-type move). Not only would this make Ninetales a more interesting Pokemon, but it also brings it up to par with its regional variant.
2 Gengar
The Shadow Pokemon
- It should be a ghost/dark type.
- Outgrows its poison typing for something more sinister.
While previously, the dark type was interpreted to mean "evil," a few Pokemon wield this type literally and control darkness itself (such as Darkrai). Gengar is one of these Pokemon. Not only is it called the shadow Pokemon - and looks like a silhouette - but all of its dex entries mention it hiding in or pretending to be people's shadows.
idden from view, it either steals their life force or scares/curses them. Such a sinister and mischievous nature would much better be represented by the dark type. While Ghastly is clearly a poison type, Gengar has evolved past that.
1 Golduck
The Duck Pokemon
- It should be a water/psychic type.
- Psyduck deserves more than just headaches.
Psyduck probably has one of the most disappointing evolutions in all of Pokemon. It starts off as a little guy with psychic powers it can't control and accidentally gives itself headaches. One would assume that, upon evolving, it would master its psychokinetic abilities and become a powerful Pokemon. Instead, it becomes a duck that can swim quickly (literally, that's it).
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A few entries do occasionally acknowledge its supernatural powers. Pokemon Sun states that the red part of its head grants its bearer psychic powers, so why shouldn't that apply to the duck Pokemon themselves? Golduck, one of the most recognizable Pokemon of Gen 1, deserves more than a forgettable evolution and a bland typing.
