There are certain Pokemon whose types have been debated for decades. Fans will often confuse Charizard to be a Dragon-type or Lugia to be a Water-type, even when that isn't the case. Mistakes like this often lead people to believe that some Pokemon actually were given the wrong type upon their creation.
For the most part, typing is set in stone once a new Pokemon is brought into the world, but Game Freak will see fit to tweak a couple of infrequent occasions. Sometimes these are part of sweeping changes. Sometimes they're just to make life easier.
6 Mega-Evolutions
A Pokemon's true final form, Mega-Evolution sees creatures go through spectacular changes, all with the power of friendship (which, according to the Pokedex, is an excruciatingly painful process). For most Pokemon, it simply pushes their existing powers to the limit, but for a lucky few, it actually changes their type. Those Pokemon are:
- Charizard X (Fire/Dragon)
- Pinsir (Bug/Flying)
- Gyarados (Water/Dark)
- Mewtwo X (Psychic/Fighting)
- Ampharos (Electric/Dragon)
- Aggron (Steel)
- Sceptile (Grass/Dragon)
- Altaria (Dragon/Fairy)
- Lopunny (Normal/Fighting)
- Audino (Normal/Fairy)
For some of these Pokemon, it adds types they should've arguably already had, such as Audino becoming Fairy or Loppunny becoming Fighting. However, some are less clear, like Ampharos becoming a Dragon. Poor Aggron even loses its Rock typing, becoming pure Steel. Such is the cost of great power.
5 Groudon
In addition to Mega-Evolution, Generation 6 also gave us Primal Forms for both Groudon & Kyogre. These forms are said to be the power they held when they first roamed the Earth. It's the power they used to create the land & sea that they would fight over for centuries.
Along with some stupidly powerful moves, the two Pokemon got some fundamental changes. Kyogre remained a pure Water-type, but Groudon's power grew, going from a pure Ground-type to Ground/Fire. This change made sense as Groudon's new signature move was Fire-type and gets boosted by the harsh sunlight its ability produces.
4 Regional Forms
A popular feature, introduced in Generation 7 and continuing since then, Regional Forms have breathed new life into some older Pokemon. Alola focused solely on Generation 1. However, Galar and the upcoming Hisui regions are altering Pokemon from all across the spectrum.
Alolan Forms
- Rattata/Raticate (Dark/Normal)
- Raichu (Electric/Psychic)
- Sandshrew/Sandslash (Ice/Steel)
- Vulpix/Ninetails (Ice/Fairy)
- Diglett/Dugtrio (Ground/Steel)
- Meowth/Persian (Dark)
- Geodude/Graveler/Golem (Rock/Electric)
- Grimer/Muk (Poison/Dark)
- Exeggutor (Grass/Dragon)
- Marowak (Fire/Ghost)
Galarian Forms
- Meowth (Steel)
- Ponyta/Rapidash (Psychic/Fairy)
- Slowpoke/Slowbro/Slowking (Poison/Psychic)
- Farfetch'd (Fighting)
- Weezing (Poison/Fairy)
- Mr. Mime (Ice/Psychic)
- Articuno (Psychic/Flying)
- Zapdos (Fighting/Flying)
- Moltres (Dark/Flying)
- Corsola (Ghost)
- Zigzagoon/Linoone (Dark/Normal)
- Darumaka/Darmanitan (Ice/Fire)
- Yamask (Ground/Ghost)
- Stunfisk (Ground/Steel)
Hisuian Forms
- Growlithe (Fire/Rock)
- Braviary (Psychic/Flying)
These Pokemon make for interesting cases because the region around them shapes their types. It leads to some Pokemon, like Diglett getting minor alterations due to Volcanic terrain or being changed to the complete opposite like Vulpix, whose Alolan form adapted to the Icy mountains where it lives.
3 Rotom
Introduced in Generation 4, Rotom was a Pokemon without much fanfare for quite a while. It had a really cool gimmick that some competitive players were able to put to good use, but Game Freak never seemed interested in giving it any of the spotlight.
That was, until Generation 7 when the idea of a sentient Pokedex was developed to be a constant traveling companion. Rotom's ability to take over appliances made it the perfect fit. Unfortunately, with its reintroduction came some changes. Before, all Rotom's alternate forms had different types depending on what device it was possessing. Unfortunately, after Generation 4, it was changed so that it would always be Ghost/Electric, no matter what.
2 Magnemite/Magneton
Generation 1's typing stayed almost entirely intact for many years past its release. Despite some questionable choices, Game Freak stuck to their guns, and now most fans just accept it as a fact of the games. Even when Generation 2 added the Steel & Dark types, almost no Pokemon changed. Almost.
Magnemite & Magneton were changed from pure Electric to Electric/Steel-types. Just looking at them, it makes tonnes of sense. Their whole concept is magnets, which definitely fits Electric-type, but they're clearly made of metal, so not giving them the Steel-type would've been absolutely ridiculous.
1 Fairy-Types
Generation 6 not only gave the series Mega-Evolution & Primal forms, but it gave fans the first new Pokemon type since Generation 2, Fairy. Slayers of Dragons, these bright & cute Pokemon were all the rage when the Generation started, and there were clearly many existing Pokemon that deserved to gain this new type. These Pokemon were:
- Cleffa/Clefairy/Clefable (Fairy)
- Igglybuff/Jigglypuff/Wigglytuff (Normal/Fairy)
- Mime Jr./Mr. Mime (Psychic/Fairy)
- Togepi/Togetic/Togekiss (Fairy/Flying)
- Azurill/Marill/Azumarill (Water/Fairy)
- Snubbul/Granbull (Fairy)
- Ralts/Kirlia/Gardevoir (Psychic/Fairy)
- Mawile (Steel/Fairy)
- Cottonee/Whimsicott (Grass/Fairy)
Some Pokemon were changed wholesale, such as Clefable, which switched from Normal to Fairy, while some underwent changes, like Gardevoir, who lost their Grass-typing to gain Fairy. Just looking at all of these Pokemon, it's clear why Fairy applied to them (with the possible exception of Mawile). They have that light & gentle energy that has come to be expected from Fairy Pokemon.
