3 Generations Later, Why Pokemon's Fairy-Type Has Yet to Completely Overtake Dragon-Types

Highlights

The Fairy type in Pokemon has yet to surpass the Dragon type in terms of popularity and effectiveness, despite being introduced in 2013.
The number of Fairy-type Pokemon has quickly caught up to the number of Dragon-type Pokemon in just three generations, indicating that Fairy types may eventually outnumber Dragon types.
Fairy-type Pokemon are typically found early to midway through Pokemon games, possibly due to their more general use and to generate fan interest. However, Dragon types still hold a special status of power and prestige.

Ever since its game-changing debut in Pokemon back in 2013, the Fairy type is still yet to live up to and overtake the series' venerated Dragon type, even after a decade and three generations of Pokemon games. While Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's nineteenth "Tera Type" as part of its ongoing DLC expansion could be limited to Gen 9 alongside its Terastallization gimmick, the Fairy type is still Pokemon's most recent permanent change to its available types for the time being. With Pokemon X's mascot Legendary Pokemon being made a Fairy-type, it was clear that Game Freak intended for Fairy Pokemon to rival other Dragon types.

But after multiple existing Pokemon retroactively adopted the new Fairy type with many more new ones introduced in the following three generations, it seems that the Fairy type has not yet surpassed the status of the Dragon type. Between the number of Pokemon there are with each type or whether these Pokemon are Legendary, Mythical, or otherwise, there are several crucial areas where the Fairy type is still coming up short behind Dragon types. Unless Pokemon's prospective Gen 10 breaks with tradition regarding these types will remain to be seen, but until then the Fairy type could be relegated to a spot just below the Dragon type.

The Breakdown Between Fairy and Dragon Types

Comparing The Number and Effectiveness of Fairy and Dragon Pokemon

As of Gen 9, the current number of Fairy- and Dragon-type Pokemon and their moves are almost even, including when accounting for alternate forms such as regional variants or Mega Evolutions. While the difference between 73 Dragon-type Pokemon and 69 Fairy-type Pokemon might seem insignificant at first, it's important to recognize that the Dragon type has had a six-generation-long head start on Fairy types. Therefore, in the span of just three generations, the introduction of each Pokemon type in the games outlines that Fairy quickly closed the gap with Dragon, which could mean that Fairy Pokemon may actually outnumber Dragon types after the arrival of Gen 10.

However, when considering both Fairy's and Dragon's effectiveness against other Pokemon types, it becomes difficult to determine which type comes out on top. Though it was introduced as an immune counter to the Dragon type, the Fairy type has a broader range of strengths and weaknesses when battling other Pokemon. On the other hand, the limited effectiveness both for and against the Dragon type alongside its type resistance still gives a high-risk, high-reward advantage. While the table below ranks the Pokemon types side-by-side, it seems that both Fairy and Dragon are evenly matched when it comes to how many Pokemon each has and how effective they are in battle.

	Dragon	Fairy
Super Effective	Dragon	Dark, Dragon, Fighting
Not Very Effective	Steel	Fire, Poison, Steel
No Effect	Fairy	None
Weak To	Dragon, Fairy, Ice	Poison, Steel
Resists	Fire, Electric, Grass, Water	Bug, Dark, Fighting
Immune To	None	Dragon

Early Versus Late Game Fairy and Dragon Pokemon

Though the recent shift to an open-world design seen in Scarlet and Violet changes route progression moving forward, the linear path players took through previous generations meant that Pokemon were encountered in a certain order. Starting early with Route 1, Pokemon were traditionally Normal, Bug, and Flying types, while later in the game this range would expand to include stronger and rarer types, such as Ghost, Ice, and most particularly Dragon. However, following its introduction, between existing Pokemon adopting the new type and those that were brand-new, Fairy-type Pokemon seemed to typically be found early to midway through various Pokemon games.

This breakdown of where and when players encounter Pokemon of either type does make more sense when factoring in their respective effectiveness and resistance to other types, as the Fairy type's more general use would mean it's more commonly seen among early- to mid-game Pokemon. Moreover, this could also have been caused by how Fairy-type Pokemon have since been used during the marketing of new Pokemon games. As long as the "new" Fairy-type grabs attention from fans, Fairy-type Pokemon will be among the first showcased to players for them to obtain in new games, ranging from X and Y's Eeveelution Sylveon to Scarlet and Violet's own Fidough reveal.

The Contrasts Between The Kinds of Fairy and Dragon Pokemon

The difference between early- and late-game Pokemon being Fairy and Dragon types isn't the only discrepancy between how Pokemon seems to view either type. For instance, when considering the type combinations of fully evolved starter Pokemon, Primarina is so far the only dual Fairy type. But when it comes to secondary Dragon types among starter Pokemon, these can only be found in the Mega Evolutions for Mega Charizard X and Mega Sceptile, which would suggest that the Dragon type holds a special status of power beyond that of Fairy, though the discontinuation of Mega Evolutions in future Pokemon games might complicate this.

This distinction, which appears to rank Fairy below Dragon despite any initial aims of balancing the two, continues with the breakdown of types between Legendary and Mythical Pokemon. While there have been several Fairy-type Legendary Pokemon such as the four Guardian Deities from Gen 7, their number is still limited compared to the overwhelming number of Dragon-types. Except for the likes of Xerneas and Zacian, Dragon-type Legendary Pokemon continue to be the most commonly used both for in-game stories and as game mascots, as seen with Scarlet and Violet, and likely once again for any potential Black and White remakes.

The Fairy type seems to be reserved instead for sub-Legendary and Mythical Pokemon, but this trend can be seen among pseudo-legendary Pokemon too. Fans have criticized the overuse of Dragon-type pseudo-legendary and Legendary Pokemon, something which was not helped by Scarlet and Violet's introduction of the Frigibax line. Yet despite the potential Fairy has for pseudo-legendary status and its associated fan demand, Pokemon has insisted on adding yet more Dragon Pokemon to this category, which ultimately just perpetuates the idea that the Dragon type is still considered more prestigious and coveted than the Fairy type even after three generations of games.