• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Question about psychic Pokemon.

That's what I was more or less getting at.

If you're going to justify Psychic being weak against those things by saying "they're irrational and thus feared", it doesn't explain fairy type or dragon type for that matter.

If I'm understanding you correctly, you're asking why faeries would be an irrational fear? I would say that they've been a big symbol of the unknown thing out to get you (in real life) for thousands of years. They could be nice, or they could be terrible, and you wouldn't know which until it was too late. And if they were the bad kind, your life would probably be absolute hell, for however long you happened to live. A kind of physical supernatural terror, as opposed to a ghost's nonphysical supernatural terror.

EDIT: I guess I'll add that it's irrational (and has always been) since instead of an actual thing in front of you to fear, you would be afraid of something out there that you might never run into, and therefore probably are safe. The fear in this case is stronger than what will probably happen to you, if anything ever happens to you, and is therefore irrational.
 
That's what I was more or less getting at.

If you're going to justify Psychic being weak against those things by saying "they're irrational and thus feared", it doesn't explain fairy type or dragon type for that matter.
Fairies and dragons aren't common fears in real life these days.
 
My logic has always been as such:

Damn near everyone is unnerved by bugs. Maybe not afraid or terrified of them, but there is a psychological uneasiness to them that is pretty much specific to bugs or things like them.
As for dark(which in the Japanese uses the word for evil), one could say that psychics are incredibly smart, and privy to the objective gains of becoming evil. Them being weak to dark is, I would say, indicative of their susceptibility to succumbing to evil thoughts.

Also, dark is weak to bug, because Kamen Rider looks like a bug and fights evil.
 
Why are dragons weak to fairy and ice?
Ice because they're herps I guess. So like they're cold blooded?

And fairies because... Um fairies are good mythological creatures and dragons are bad. And in fantasy the good guy always wins.

Wait, then why's Psychic good against poison?
Because the psychic pokemon invented a vaccine for the poison, and they aren't afraid of it.

Fairies and dragons aren't common fears in real life these days.
Flying should probably be there though, right?
 
Why are dragons weak to fairy and ice?

Ice because they are reptiles.
Fairy because they are magical and magic (or magic weapons) usually get rid of dragons.

I do think there are some logical basis behind the type charts however I wouldn't think too much on it.
 
Now explain why Dragons are vulnerable to Faires:

Fairy: Game balance

Actually, it seems to have something to do with some ancient stories/legends about how fairies could harm dragons.

Fairies' weaknesses I can understand, since I've seen poison be the weakness of fairies in other games too. Plus machines/technology (AKA steel type) is a common weapon used against magical/fictional creatures.

Fairies fear steel types because in stories iron is a powerful element against elves and fairies, kinda like their silver bullets.
 
Pretty sure there is a lore reason for the Fairy > Dragon match up... I don't know what that is tho. That reminds me, in "Fairly Odd Parents" Dragons were immune to fairy magic haha
 
Actually, it seems to have something to do with some ancient stories/legends about how fairies could harm dragons.
This isn't common in myths and legends. Generally dragons are defeated by human warriors, occasionally with some divine intervention: The Hobbit, Beowulf, St. George, etc. The only story I can remember where fairies defeated a dragon was the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty.
 
As for fairies being weak to steel, I always figured it was because all the fantasies with them more or less vanished with the advancement of technology.
 
Least logical weaknesses:

Ground > Steel
Psychic > Poison
Flying > Grass
Bug > Dark
Fighting > Dark
Fighting > Normal
 
It would make sense if psychic types were weak to flying too. Since a lot of people have irrational fears of flying or heights.
 
Least logical weaknesses:

Ground > Steel
Psychic > Poison
Flying > Grass
Bug > Dark
Fighting > Dark
Fighting > Normal
I like to think with Fighting > Dark it's because the Dark type tries all its cheap tricks, and the Fighting type is just like 'fuck that' and punches it in the face.

And Fighting > Normal because... it's like an average joe trying to take on a martial arts master, I guess?
 
Now explain why Dragons are vulnerable to Faires:

- OH HAI IM A MOTHERFUCKING TYRANOSAURUS

697Tyrantrum.png


- I'm a... thing. Small and fluffy and supposedly adorable

685Slurpuff.png


- I BETTER RUN AND HIDE

There is a great quote somewhere it goes something like this.

"Fairy tales don't teach us that dragons exist, they teach us that dragons can be defeated."

Here it is...
“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
― Neil Gaiman, Coraline

Least logical weaknesses:

Ground > Steel
Psychic > Poison
Flying > Grass
Bug > Dark
Fighting > Dark
Fighting > Normal

An earthquake always has the advantage over a tall steel building.

Physic over Poison is the only one that truly stumps me.

Birds peck at trees and use them for everything.

Bugs invade the darkness and conquer it, making it their domain.

Fighting types take after realistic martial arts(mostly) where the philosophy behind much of them is to be the fist of justice and only fight bad guys. Dark is also an "evil" or "dirty" type within Pokemon. You battle the dirty dark types who don't play by the rules with righteous Tai Kwon Do, Karate, Boxing, Wushu etc.

Some fighting guys are bullies. On the school yard they always beat up on the normal kids who don't do anything particularly special.
 
It would make sense if psychic types were weak to flying too. Since a lot of people have irrational fears of flying or heights.

I'm not sure I get this. Is not like battling a Flying type is like being on a plane. It'd make sense if people had irrational fears of flying animals... or birds (the type was originally being to be called "Bird" type; some glitch Pokémon in Red/Blue had that typing)
 
Flying > Grass

I always thought of it like "birds hunt in the grass." It's where most of their food comes from, so they wouldn't be afraid of it.

I always thought that Psychic > Poison because somebody at Game Freak really screwed up when they were making the type chart, and didn't check the 1st generation Pokemon's type allotments.
 
Least logical weaknesses:

Ground > Steel Earth compresses metals
Psychic > Poison Placebo effect
Flying > Grass Wind flaps leaves away
Bug > Dark Bugs sing in the night
Fighting > Dark Justice prevails over darkness
Fighting > Normal Brawlers beat normal peoples

Dumb explanations ^
 
I always thought bugs were strong against psychic because they had underdeveloped brains that were harder to influence.

Similarly, dark and ghost have stronger roots in the supernatural, as well as that psychological edge, and are thus naturally good at fighting a supernatural power. It's worth noting dark is "evil" and not an absence of light.

Least logical weaknesses:

Ground > Steel
Psychic > Poison
Flying > Grass
Bug > Dark
Fighting > Dark
Fighting > Normal

Ground beats steel because steel pokemon are heavier and rely on a solid ground underneath them. Also think about steel in an earthquake (or even a tuning fork)

Psychic beats poison because psychic's strength lies in the mind, rather than the body, and is thus less susceptible to poison.

Flying is strong against grass (and bugs) because birds eat plants/seeds/bugs and are adept at hunting and scavenging in/from/around plants.

Bug is strong against dark because dark holds no psychological edge over their underdeveloped brains (what do they care if something looks evil?)

Fighting beats dark because they are focused and can fight through fear.

Fighting beats normal because its literally the stronger version of normal (I always imagine a fighter beating up a normal person, or a pillow)
 
Least logical weaknesses:

Ground > Steel
Psychic > Poison
Flying > Grass
Bug > Dark
Fighting > Dark
Fighting > Normal
I would chalk up "Psychic > Poison" to being a mind over matter thing, where one could meditate or focus and cleanse oneself of harmful elements.

"Flying > Grass" would be due to most birds having a diet of grains and seeds.

"Bug > Dark" would be dirty tricks not working so well on bugs?

The other type advantages have suitable explanations already I think.
 
Why are dragons weak to fairy and ice?

Queen Mab.
Only Desden Files readers will get this one

Ice can also cool down fires with dragons can produce. And faeries are often the source of dragon slaying weapons. Not sure if that's where game freak got it from.
 
Least logical weaknesses:

Ground > Steel
Psychic > Poison
Flying > Grass
Bug > Dark
Fighting > Dark
Fighting > Normal
Ground > Steel
Probably should be the other way around. Refined material beating out raw ore. This makes no sense to me.

Flying > Grass
Birds eat bugs and seeds and plants or something

Fighting > Dark
Dark moves are considered cheap tricks and dirty tactics so it's saying that fighting with honour beats cheap tricks

Fighting > Normal
Bruce Lee could kick the average person's ass into next year. Normal is the average person.
 
A real good question is why Poison isn't super-effective against Water.

In all honesty, Poison type really should be Gen 1 Psychic levels of broken but it never happens. Water, Grass, Bug, Fairy, Fighting, Normal and to some extent Ground and Psychic should all be completely destroyed by it.
 
Flying beating Fighting to this day has made no goddamn sense to me.

I get that if you're fighting on the ground a flying person could avoid you but how the hell does that mean a flying attack will do more damage? I mean if birds can take down the greatest fighters in the world then why don't they do the same amount of damage to normal types?
 
Now explain why Dragons are vulnerable to Faires:

- OH HAI IM A MOTHERFUCKING TYRANOSAURUS

697Tyrantrum.png


- I'm a... thing. Small and fluffy and supposedly adorable

685Slurpuff.png


- I BETTER RUN AND HIDE

I always viewed it as related to European mythology, and this idea of the hero and his enchanted sword, and faeries and the like taking down the Dragon.

Also, fae-folk are (in mythology) weak to iron, hence why Steel beats Fairy.
 
Now explain why Dragons are vulnerable to Faires:

- OH HAI IM A MOTHERFUCKING TYRANOSAURUS

697Tyrantrum.png


- I'm a... thing. Small and fluffy and supposedly adorable

685Slurpuff.png


- I BETTER RUN AND HIDE
The official answer: "Dragons are too strong so we came up with a new type to beat them."

Don't overthink this one. Just don't.
 
Least logical weaknesses:

Ground > Steel
Earthquakes generally tend to fuck up steel-made skyscrapers.
Psychic > Poison
Something about the mind being able to control the body.
Flying > Grass
Most birds are herbivores?
Bug > Dark
Bug needed to have something else besides Psychic advantage.
Fighting > Dark
Good vs Evil. Dark types tend to be cheaters too, so it's showing how discipline > trickery
Fighting > Normal
Remember that episode of Dragon Ball Z where Raditz killed a farmer with a shotgun?
 
Bug defeats Dark (which is Evil in Japanese) because

121038-1157953265658aj4.jpg

d4XMdXr.jpg


Also I am proud that the Bug/Fighting in Pokemon is the most common Kamen Rider bug
 
Top Bottom