Type

**Types** (Japanese: **タイプ** *Type*) are properties for Pokémon and their moves. There are 20 types, as listed to the right. Types are occasionally referred to as **elements**.

A Pokémon may have either one or two types: For instance, Charmander is a Fire type, while Bulbasaur is both a Grass type and a Poison type. With the current 20-type system, there are 400 possible ways to assign types to Pokémon, with 171 unique combinations.

A move has exactly one type. The type of a damaging move typically defines which types of Pokémon it is super effective against, which types of Pokémon it is not very effective against, and which types of Pokémon it is completely ineffective against.

Most Gym Leaders and members of the Elite Four are designed to have a type-specific theme.

## Type effectiveness

Damaging moves typically vary in **effectiveness** depending on the move's type and the type(s) of its target.

Type effectiveness greatly influences how much damage moves deal:

* If the type of a move is **super effective** against a type of its target, the damage done is double the normal amount;
* If the type of a move is **not very effective** against a type of its target, the damage done is half the normal amount;
* If the type of a move is **not effective** against a type of its target, the target is completely immune to it, and the move will deal no damage.

For targets that have two types, overall type effectiveness is the combined effectiveness against each of its types:

* If the type of a move is super effective against both of the opponent's types (such as Dig, a Ground move, used against an Aggron, a Steel/Rock Pokémon), then the move does 4 times the damage;
* If the type of a move is not very effective against both of the opponent's types (such as Wake-Up Slap, a Fighting move, used against a Sigilyph, a Psychic/Flying Pokémon), then the move only does ¼ of the damage;
* If the type of a move is super effective against one of the opponent's types but not very effective against the other (such as Razor Leaf, a Grass move, used against a Gyarados, a Water/Flying Pokémon), then the move deals normal damage;
* If the type of move is completely ineffective against one of the opponent's types, then the move does no damage, even if the opponent has a second type that would be vulnerable to it (as in Thunderbolt, an Electric move, used against a Quagsire, a Water/Ground Pokémon).

The moves Flying Press, Freeze-Dry, and Thousand Arrows have custom interactions with defending types that do not strictly match their assigned types. Template:Cat (including one-hit knockout moves) do not employ effectiveness, although Pokémon may still be immune to them based on type interactions. Certain Template:Abilities, held items, or types of weather (such as Template:A, the Ring Target, or strong winds, respectively) may modify the effectiveness of specific moves against types.

Status moves typically do not employ type effectiveness; however, Ground Pokémon are immune to Thunder Wave based on type interactions, and Ghost Pokémon are immune to Glare based on type interactions in Generation II and III only. Furthermore, status moves may be unable to affect Pokémon based on type-related interactions other than effectiveness; for example, Poison Pokémon cannot be afflicted with poison and are thus unaffected by Poison Gas.

### Type chart

*For type charts from previous generations, see Type/Type chart*
A **type chart**, also known as **type matchup chart**, shows which modifiers are applied to move types when attacking Pokémon of each type. If the defending Pokémon is dual-typed, the modifier is calculated as the product of the modifiers for both of its types: a Flying move would hit for 4× damage on a Bug/Grass Pokémon, while a Ground move used against the same would do only a quarter of the normal damage. (A complete ineffectiveness against either type will make the move deal no damage, since 0 multiplied by any number is 0.)

The type chart differs depending on the generation of games it is from. The type chart for Generation VI onward is shown below.

In Inverse Battles, a different type chart i

In Inverse Battles, a different type chart is used that essentially inverts the normal type chart, turning immunities and resistances into weaknesses, and weaknesses into resistances.

## Type-affected game mechanics

Prior to Generation IV, the category of damaging moves only depends on the move's type (except for Shadow moves); for example, all Normal damaging moves are physical moves and all Water damaging moves are special moves. From Generation IV onward, each individual move has a damage category that is independent of its type.

When the type of a move matches one of the types of the Pokémon using it, the attack power will be increased by 50%. This is referred to as same-type attack bonus, or STAB for short. As an example, an Aron that knows the Steel move Metal Claw will have the move's power increased by 50% because one of Aron's types is Steel; the power of Cut would not be increased (because none of Aron's types is Normal).

Some types of field effects, Template:Abilities, and held items affect moves of a certain type. Sunny Day, for example, causes Fire moves to increase in power, while Template:A causes Ground moves to not work on the Pokémon with this Ability. Likewise, each type has a specific held item that can be given to a Pokémon that will power up one of the specific types by 20% (10% prior to Generation IV), such as the Metal Coat, which powers up Steel moves.

Template:Cat can change the type of a Pokémon. For example, Camouflage changes the user's type to a type corresponding to the battlefield terrain. Abilities can also change the type of a Pokémon. So far, the only such Abilities are Template:A, Template:A, Template:A, and Template:A.

Additionally, the type of Template:Cat may depend on the circumstances they are used in; for example, Weather Ball may be Fire-, Water-, Ice-, Rock-, or Normal-type depending on the weather it is used in. Additionally, there are Template:Cat, as well as three moves (Electrify, Ion Deluge, and Plasma Fists).

See also ===

* Same-type attack bonus
* Type expert
* List of Pokémon with unique type combinations
* List of type combinations by abundance
* Category:Moves that change a Pokémon's type