How many Pokemon types are there?

There are 18 Pokemon types as of Generation IX: Normal, Fire, Water, Electric, Grass, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Ground, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Rock, Ghost, Dragon, Dark, Steel, and Fairy.

What is the strongest Pokemon type?

Steel is widely considered the strongest defensive type, resisting 10 out of 18 types. Offensively, Ground and Fighting types have the most super-effective matchups, each hitting 5 types.

What type has the most weaknesses?

Grass and Rock types are tied for the most weaknesses, each being weak to 5 different types.

How does dual typing affect type matchups?

Dual-type Pokemon multiply the effectiveness of both types together. This can create 4x weaknesses or double resistances (0.25x). A weakness in one type can be cancelled by a resistance or immunity in the other.

When was the type chart last changed?

The type chart was last significantly changed in Generation VI (2013) with the introduction of Fairy type and Steel losing its Ghost and Dark resistances.

Pokemon Types

Every Pokemon and every move has a type. Types determine how much damage attacks deal – a super-effective hit does 2x, a resisted hit does ½x, and an immune matchup does 0x. Below you will find the complete type chart, STAB mechanics, defensive rankings, and historical changes across all generations.

Weak to

Weak to

Weak to

Weak to

fire ice poison flying bug

Ice49 Pokemon

Strong vs

grass ground flying dragon

Weak to

fire fighting rock steel

Fighting73 Pokemon

Strong vs

normal ice rock dark steel

Weak to

Weak to

fire electric poison rock steel

Weak to

Weak to

Weak to

Weak to

Weak to

water grass fighting ground steel

Weak to

Weak to

Weak to

Weak to

Weak to

Pokemon Type Chart

Super effectiveNot very effectiveNo effectNormal damage

AtkDef	Normal	Fire	Water	Electric	Grass	Ice	Fighting	Poison	Ground	Flying	Psychic	Bug	Rock	Ghost	Dragon	Dark	Steel	Fairy
Normal	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	½	0	x1	x1	½	x1
Fire	x1	½	½	x1	x2	x2	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x2	½	x1	½	x1	x2	x1
Water	x1	x2	½	x1	½	x1	x1	x1	x2	x1	x1	x1	x2	x1	½	x1	x1	x1
Electric	x1	x1	x2	½	½	x1	x1	x1	0	x2	x1	x1	x1	x1	½	x1	x1	x1
Grass	x1	½	x2	x1	½	x1	x1	½	x2	½	x1	½	x2	x1	½	x1	½	x1
Ice	x1	½	½	x1	x2	½	x1	x1	x2	x2	x1	x1	x1	x1	x2	x1	½	x1
Fighting	x2	x1	x1	x1	x1	x2	x1	½	x1	½	½	½	x2	0	x1	x2	x2	½
Poison	x1	x1	x1	x1	x2	x1	x1	½	½	x1	x1	x1	½	½	x1	x1	0	x2
Ground	x1	x2	x1	x2	½	x1	x1	x2	x1	0	x1	½	x2	x1	x1	x1	x2	x1
Flying	x1	x1	x1	½	x2	x1	x2	x1	x1	x1	x1	x2	½	x1	x1	x1	½	x1
Psychic	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x2	x2	x1	x1	½	x1	x1	x1	x1	0	½	x1
Bug	x1	½	x1	x1	x2	x1	½	½	x1	½	x2	x1	x1	½	x1	x2	½	½
Rock	x1	x2	x1	x1	x1	x2	½	x1	½	x2	x1	x2	x1	x1	x1	x1	½	x1
Ghost	0	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x2	x1	x1	x2	x1	½	x1	x1
Dragon	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x2	x1	½	0
Dark	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	½	x1	x1	x1	x2	x1	x1	x2	x1	½	x1	½
Steel	x1	½	½	½	x1	x2	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x2	x1	x1	x1	½	x2
Fairy	x1	½	x1	x1	x1	x1	x2	½	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x1	x2	x2	½	x1

STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus)

STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) is a 50% damage boost applied when a Pokemon uses a move that matches one of its types. For example, a Fire-type Pokemon using Flamethrower deals 1.5x damage compared to a non-Fire-type using the same move.

STAB Calculation Example

Charizard (Fire) uses Flamethrower vs Ferrothorn (Grass/Steel)Base Power: 90 × 1.5 (STAB) × 4 (super effective) = 540 effective base power

STAB stacks multiplicatively with type effectiveness. A STAB super-effective hit deals 3x damage (1.5 × 2), while a STAB double super-effective hit deals 6x (1.5 × 4). This is why mono-attacking Pokemon often prefer STAB moves over coverage moves with better type matchups.

Defensive Type Ranking

#	Type	Weaknesses	Resistances	Immunities	Score
1	Steel	3	10	1	+8
2	Fire	3	6	0	+3
3	Poison	2	5	0	+3
4	Water	2	4	0	+2
5	Electric	1	3	0	+2
6	Ghost	2	2	2	+2
7	Fairy	2	3	1	+2
8	Flying	3	3	1	+1
9	Dragon	3	4	0	+1
10	Normal	1	0	1	0
11	Fighting	3	3	0	0
12	Ground	3	2	1	0
13	Bug	3	3	0	0
14	Dark	3	2	1	0
15	Grass	5	4	0	-1
16	Psychic	3	2	0	-1
17	Rock	5	4	0	-1
18	Ice	4	1	0	-3

Score = Resistances + Immunities − Weaknesses. Higher is better defensively. Steel dominates with 10 resistances and a Poison immunity.

Offensive Type Ranking

#	Type	SE Hits	Resisted	Immune	Score
1	Ground	5	2	1	+2
2	Rock	4	3	0	+1
3	Fire	4	4	0	0
4	Water	3	3	0	0
5	Ice	4	4	0	0
6	Flying	3	3	0	0
7	Ghost	2	1	1	0
8	Fairy	3	3	0	0
9	Fighting	5	5	1	-1
10	Psychic	2	2	1	-1
11	Dragon	1	1	1	-1
12	Dark	2	3	0	-1
13	Steel	3	4	0	-1
14	Electric	2	3	1	-2
15	Normal	0	2	1	-3
16	Poison	2	4	1	-3
17	Grass	3	7	0	-4
18	Bug	3	7	0	-4

Score = Super Effective hits − Resisted − Immunities. Higher is better offensively. Ground and Fighting lead with 5 super-effective targets each.

Type Chart Changes by Generation

Gen II (1999)Dark and Steel types introduced to balance Psychic dominance. Steel resisted Ghost and Dark.

Gen VI (2013)Fairy type added to counter Dragon/Dark/Fighting. Steel lost Ghost and Dark resistances.

Gen VI (2013)Ghost and Dark moves became neutral vs Steel (previously resisted).

The type chart has remained unchanged since Generation VI. All 18 types and their interactions are consistent across Gen VI – IX games, including Scarlet/Violet.

FAQ

Understanding Pokemon Types

The Pokemon type system is the foundation of all competitive and in-game battles. Each of the 18 types has a unique set of offensive and defensive interactions. Mastering the type chart is essential for building effective teams in any format – from casual playthroughs to VGC tournaments.

Pokemon Type Weaknesses and Strengths

Every type in Pokemon has specific weaknesses and strengths defined by the official type chart. There are three damage multipliers you need to know:

2x – super effective: the attacker's type hits the defender for double damage
½x – not very effective: the move is resisted, dealing half damage
0x – immune: the defender takes no damage from that type at all

For example, Fire is weak to Water, Rock, and Ground, but resists Bug, Steel, Grass, Ice, and Fairy. Knowing type weaknesses tells you which moves to run and which threats to cover on your team. The full type weakness chart above lists all 18 types and their interactions in one place.

How Dual Typing Works in Pokemon

Most Pokemon have two types, and dual typing changes their defensive matchups significantly. Damage multipliers from both types are multiplied together – which can result in 4x vulnerabilities or full immunities that cancel out weaknesses. Some of the most impactful dual-type combinations:

Grass/Ice → 4x weakness to Fire (2x Grass × 2x Ice) – one of the worst defensive pairings in the game
Water/Ground → immune to Electric – Ground cancels out Water's Electric weakness entirely
Steel/Fairy → 12 resistances and 2 immunities (Dragon, Poison) – one of the best defensive type combos
Ghost/Dark → immune to Normal, Fighting, and Psychic – exceptional defensive utility

When teambuilding, always check dual-type matchups – a single coverage move can hit a 4x weakness and end a battle in one shot.

Pokemon Type Advantages and Disadvantages

Type advantages are what make Pokemon battles strategic rather than purely stat-based. Not all types are equal offensively – some hit far more targets than others:

Ground – hits 5 types super effectively (Fire, Electric, Poison, Rock, Steel), resisted by only Grass and Bug
Fighting – hits 5 types (Normal, Ice, Rock, Dark, Steel), but faces 4 resistances and 1 immunity (Ghost)
Rock – hits 4 types (Fire, Ice, Flying, Bug), excellent coverage against Flying-heavy teams
Grass – worst offensive type: resisted by 7 types (Fire, Flying, Bug, Poison, Dragon, Steel, Grass)
Normal – hits no type super effectively, making it purely neutral coverage

The offensive ranking table above scores every type by its super-effective hit count minus resisted and immune matchups, giving you an at-a-glance view of each type's attacking value.

Best and Worst Pokemon Types for Competitive Play

Competitive viability depends on both offensive and defensive typing. Here's how the top and bottom types stack up:

Best defensive types:

Steel – 10 resistances + 1 immunity (Poison), only 3 weaknesses; has been the top defensive type since Gen II
Fairy – immune to Dragon, resists Fighting and Dark; introduced in Gen VI to counter Dragon's long-standing dominance
Water – only 2 weaknesses (Grass, Electric), 4 resistances; one of the most reliable defensive types

Worst defensive types:

Ice – 4 weaknesses (Fire, Fighting, Rock, Steel), only 1 resistance (Ice itself), 0 immunities
Rock – 4 weaknesses including Water and Grass, which makes Stealth Rock a risky move for Rock-types themselves
Grass – 5 weaknesses and limited defensive utility, though it performs well offensively vs. Water and Ground

Ice remains offensively valuable for hitting Dragon and Flying – which is why it appears as a coverage move on many competitive sets despite poor defensive stats. Fairy's introduction in Generation VI reshaped the entire metagame overnight by hard-countering the previously near-unbeatable Dragon type.