Pokemon was conceived as a simple RPG for young audiences, one with creature-collecting elements inspired by Game Freak founder Satoshi Tajiri's childhood love of catching insects. Plenty of fans attest to how fun it was getting a partner like Charizard and blasting through Pokemon Red, Blue, and Green using the same overpowered moves. However, there are a lot of complexities behind that low entry barrier which have fostered a thriving competitive scene. Each title iterates upon the series' mechanics, and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet should be no exception.
Little is still known about the next Pokemon games, despite their release planned for November 18. A lot of attention has been paid to how their overall experience differs, namely the introduction of an open-world region with a nonlinear narrative and four-player co-op. It remains to be seen how Scarlet and Violet will shake up battling, though one (albeit unlikely) possibility is the addition of another new type.
Pokemon's New Type Additions So Far
When Red and Green versions saw their Japanese release in 1996, Pokemon could be one of 15 types - or some combination of any two. These were based on natural elements in typical RPGs or more abstract ideas: Normal, Fire, Water, Grass, Fighting, Flying, Poison, Ground, Rock, Bug, Electric, Psychic, Ice, Dragon, and Ghost. In terms of mechanics, each type has strengths and weaknesses for both attacking or defending, commonly explained as a "rock-paper-scissors" dynamic. Fire beats Grass, Grass beats Water, and Water beats Fire.
That first generation was notoriously unbalanced, and Psychic-type Pokemon like Alakazam dominated. Generation 1 had a single "Special" stat, skewing the power of Psychic-type moves, and its main counters were comparatively weak Bug-type Pokemon like Butterfree or the Ghost-type Gengar line - which was weak to Psychic because of its secondary Poison typing. Generation 2 aimed to balance this dominance by introducing Dark and Steel.
Dark-type Pokemon boast an inherent immunity to Psychic-type attacks, meanwhile Steel-types resist them. The latter typing also started a trend of retroactively altering Pokemon. While there were a few brand-new Steel types like Steelix and Skarmory, Kanto's Electric-type Pokemon Magnemite and Magneton also gained a secondary Steel typing that fit their designs. These additions, alongside the Special Attack and Special Defense split, kept Psychic Pokemon in-line.
Yet even with future balancing passes like Gen 4's physical and special move split, the Dragon type grew increasingly problematic. Dragons had numerous resistances including the core Fire, Water, and Grass starting types, plus few weaknesses in just Dragon and Ice-type moves. As future Generations introduced more Dragon-type Pokemon - many being "Pseudo-Legendaries" like Dragonite with high base stat totals including Salamence, Garchomp, and Hydreigon - they began to dominate. Generation 6 introduced the Fairy type as a hard-counter to Dragons, and many older (mostly Normal-type) Pokemon retroactively became Fairies.
The Drawback of Adding New Types
The addition of Fairy-type Pokemon did its job, balancing out Dragons while giving older monsters like Togekiss and Gardevoir more of a spotlight. However, many feel Game Freak went too far and created a different problem. Pure Fairy-type Pokemon are only weak to Poison or Steel-type attacks, and the relative strength of monsters like Mega Mawile or Xerneas' Geomancy have led to meta-defining strategies. In Generation 8, Sword version's box Legendary Zacian is a huge threat due to its Fairy/Steel typing and Behemoth Blade move that tears apart Dynamax Pokemon.
That being said, it's not clear whether the power of Fairy-type Pokemon is comparable to the Psychic and Dragon types before them - at least enough to justify a new typing. The removal of gimmicks like Mega Evolution and Z-Moves in Generation 8, alongside the addition of Steel and Poison Pokemon like Corviknight or Toxtricity, helped create more space for Fairy-type counters. Pokemon Legends: Arceus also introduced a new status condition called Frostbite that halves the Special Attack stat, and this could hamper attacks like Moonblast if it carries into Scarlet and Violet.
It's also possible that overpowered Pokemon like Zacian will not return, as Generation 8 introduced the idea of a limited National Pokedex. Even if it does, Game Freak may not bring back Dynamax in favor of a new gimmick for Generation 9, which means Zacian and Zamazenta's signature attacks would have to be reworked to maintain relevance. Ultimately, it might be easier to balance Fairy-type Pokemon by altering the current type chart rather than adding something new.
What a New Type Could Look Like in Scarlet and Violet
While a new type addition is unlikely for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, fans would undoubtedly be interested to see one. As previously mentioned, the competitive scene makes up only a small subset of Pokemon fans. Many play the games casually, and having a game-changing addition on Scarlet and Violet's box would be a huge draw for those who feel the series continues to stagnate. Pokemon X and Y may not be among everyone's favorite titles due to their shaky transition into 3D, but Fairy-type Pokemon like Sylveon and the Mega Evolution mechanic have become iconic for a reason.
One popular idea is the addition of a "Sound" type, for example. Sound-based moves like Sing have been a staple of the series, as denoted by abilities like Soundproof (which make the user immune to certain attacks) or Primarina's Liquid Voice (which turns those same attacks into Water-type moves). Similar to the introduction of Fairy in Generation 6, a "Sound" typing could be retroactively applied to Pokemon like Exploud or Noivern, alongside attacks like Boomburst.
This is just one of many suggestions that have been made over the years, but while a new typing would be interesting, it runs the risk of unbalancing the type chart all over again. Taking Pokemon X and Y as an example, the upcoming Scarlet and Violet also don't seem primed for an addition. A trailer released earlier this month suggests Scarlet and Violet's main gimmick may be time travel, and its box Legendaries Koraidon and Miraidon don't seem to fit a new type as well as Xerneas represented Fairy. Still, fans will just have to wait and see what Game Freak has in store.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet release November 18 for Nintendo Switch.