7 Pokemon that look like they should have been a completely different type

As I said in my 8 Pokemon Who Aren’t as Strong as they Look article, looks can be deceiving in the world of Pokemon.

Have you ever looked at a Pokémon and thought, “Yeah, that’s definitely a [insert type here] type,” only to be bamboozled when it turned out to be a different one entirely? Or maybe you played through one of the games with a dual-type Pokémon where one type made perfect sense but the other had you scratching your head?

You’re not alone.

Below are the most obvious cases of Pokemon that look like they should have been a completely different type.

Charizard

The first and most obvious entry on the list of Pokemon that look like they should have been a completely different type is also one of the most recognizable and iconic of all time: Charizard.

I’m not sure if they still make dictionaries with pictures in them, but if you looked up the word “dragon,” you’d probably find a picture of Charizard – assuming Nintendo didn’t file a cease-and-desist first. (Just kidding, Nintendo. Please don’t sue me.)

While Pikachu became the franchise’s unofficial mascot thanks to its adorable design, undeniable cuteness, and sickeningly sweet anime voice (“Pika-chu,” which has been quoted in everything from movies to hip hop songs) Game Freak and Nintendo knew what they were doing when they put Charizard on the cover of Pokemon Red. Charizard, a flame-breathing, fireball-tailed, winged Fire-type Pokemon is just a masterclass in cool Pokemon design. And it perfectly captures the essence of what most people picture when they think of a conventional dragon. At this point, Charizard is the conventional dragon.

So why is Charizard a Fire/Flying type and not a Fire/Dragon type?

This one actually gets a pass, because when Charizard was introduced in Pokemon Generation I, the only true Dragon-type in the game was the Dragonite line, which was reserved for the dramatic finale against Lance, the final boss of the Elite Four.

In the original games, Dragon-type only has a few weaknesses – Ice-type and Dragon-type – and with almost no Dragon-type moves available to counter them, giving Charizard that typing would’ve thrown the game’s balance completely out of whack. Making Charizard a Fire/Flying type instead kept things fair and also preserved the iconic starter triangle of Fire, Water, and Grass that defined the series from the start.

Or maybe Game Freak didn’t make the Dragon-type until Charizard and Gyarados had already been fully coded into the game and didn’t want to backtrack for time constraint reasons.

Whatever the case, that brings us to the next entry on our list, another Pokemon who looks like a dragon, but wasn’t made a Dragon-type.

Gyarados

If you read my “Defining Gaming Moments article about leveling Magikarp” for the first time, you know that I was both blown away by and enamored with the journey of evolving the derpy-looking, feeble-powered Magikarp into a full-blown, fierce-tempered, serpentine dragon.

Not only does Gyarados look like a draconic leviathan, but its evolution from the humble Magikarp is inspired by a Chinese myth where a carp swims upstream, leaps over the legendary Dragon Gate and transforms into a mighty dragon. It seems like a perfect fit for the Dragon type, right?

Except… it’s not. Gyarados is a Water/Flying type.

Why? That’s not immediately clear. Gyarados doesn’t have wings. You can only find it in the water. It’s been learning Dragon-type moves like Dragon Rage and Twister since the FireRed and Leaf Green days and learns moves like Dragon Dance and Dragon in future generations. Conspicuously, it didn’t gain a single Flying-type move until Gen 4 – Bounce, a two-turn attack that’s not exactly a staple in competitive play. (If you ever gave your Gyarados Hidden Power Flying back in Gen 2 and Gen 3 like I did, you’re a real one who knows the struggle.)

Much like Charizard, the reason comes down to game balance. Game Freak wanted the Dragon type to feel exceptionally rare and powerful. And a Water/Dragon combination? That would’ve been pretty broken back in Gen 1, with virtually no weaknesses to exploit.
Still, it’s fun to imagine what could’ve been: a Water/Dragon Gyarados unleashing pure chaos on the battlefield, just as its fearsome design and mythic origins suggest. Maybe one day we’ll see that vision realized in a regional variant or an alternate Mega Evolution.

Psyduck

Another Water-type Pokémon that seems like it should’ve been a different type altogether is none other than Psyduck. I mean, it’s right there in the name. Psyduck. How is this not a Water/Psychic type?

In the games, both Psyduck and its evolution, Golduck – which sports a mystical red gem on its forehead – can learn Psychic-type moves like Confusion and Psychic.

In the anime, Misty’s Psyduck whole shtick is getting splitting headaches that suddenly unlock powerful psychic abilities.

Seriously… how is Psyduck not a Water/Psychic type?

Florges

Go ahead. Take one good look at Florges. That’s a flower Pokemon right?

The green leaves, the plant-like eyelashes, the ornate bouquet of red and pink making up its hair, the stem-like body and legs.

Not only does Florges look like a flower, but it learns Grass-type moves like Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Synthesis and Solar Beam by leveling. One of its abilities is literally called Flower Veil, and its Pokédex entries focus on its talent for cultivating gorgeous flower gardens and “basking in the energy emitted by flowering plants.” To top it all off, it also has five separate forms, each named for the color of its flower: Red Flower, Yellow Flower, Orange Flower, Blue Flower, and White Flower.

With all that in mind, you’d think Florges would be a Grass-type like every other flower-themed Pokémon… right?

Nope. For whatever reasons, Game Freak decided that Florges is pure Fairy. Was it an innocent coding slip that became an inside joke? A last-minute push to fill the Fairy-type quota on the roster? Or maybe the devs looked at their lineup of “flower but with eyes” Pokémon and decided they’d finally reached their limit.

I’m all for when an evolutionary line surprises you instead of taking the most obvious route but when a design is as intuitively and unmistakably floral and Grass-type as Florges, sometimes you just have to go with the flow…er.

Flygon

While some of the Pokemon on this list (like Charizard and Gyarados) look like they were destined to be Dragon-types, the Dragon category has its own share of creatures that seem like they were meant to be another type entirely.

One example is Flygon, a Ground/Dragon type.

Flygon’s evolutionary line begins with Trapinch, a pure Ground-type that resembles a beetle with stumpy legs and an oversized head. Its Pokedex entries describe it digging holes in the sand and waiting patiently for prey to tumble in before snapping them up with its massive jaws.

Trapinch then evolves into Vibrava, a Ground/Dragon-type that suddenly looks far more insectile: a long, segmented body, big green eyes, antennae, plus four rhombus-shaped wings and matching wing-like fins on its tail. It’s essentially a giant dragonfly.

Its final evolution, Flygon, shifts towards a more traditional dragon look. It stands upright and the wings become more draconic in appearance but the bright green body, the rhomboid wings and tail fins, and large, goggle-like eyes (now red instead of green) all still evoke a very insectile design.

And while Flygon’s Ground-typing is supported by its lore, with its Pokedex entries dubbing it the “elemental spirit of the desert” and noting its ability to whip up sandstorms, its visual design practically screams Bug-type.

That’s no accident. Trapinch and Vibrava are based closely on the real-world antlion, an insect whose life cycle mirrors their evolution. Antlion larvae dig pitfall traps to catch ants, just like Trapinch. When they mature, they transform into delicate, winged adults with bulbous eyes and long, slender dragonfly bodies like Vibrava.

Given how faithfully the entire evolutionary line mirrors the antlion’s metamorphosis, there’s no stronger case for Flygon to have been Bug/Dragon instead of Ground/Dragon.

Considering that there has still never been a Bug and Dragon type Pokémon, giving Flygon that combination, especially with its color palette and insect inspired design, would have been a lot of fun.

Flygon was a solid choice in competitive battling for its time. Its Ground/Dragon typing granted an immunity to Electric attacks, and thanks to Levitate, it avoided Ground-type moves and hazards like Spikes altogether. Unfortunately, Flygon’s moment in the spotlight didn’t last long. Just one generation later, Diamond and Pearl introduced Garchomp—a pseudo-legendary Ground/Dragon-type with superior stats across the board and the flexibility to run powerful Special, Physical, or Choice Band sets. With a direct competitor that simply did everything better, Flygon was quickly and decisively overshadowed.

Here’s hoping we get a Flygon Bug/Dragon variant in a future Pokemon game.

Goodra

Another Dragon type that looks like it should have had an additional typing is Goodra.
Goodra is a pale purple dragon that looks like it just made out with Slimer from Ghostbusters. Its most noticeable physical feature is clumps of green slime dangling from its mouth and hands.

Surely this sickly-looking hypersalivation problem means Goodra is part Poison-type as well, right? That assumption only grows stronger when you look at its preevolutions. Its first form is Goomy, a little slimy-looking blob. Goomy evolves into Sliggoo, who as its name suggests, looks like a gelatinous slug.

If not Poison, you could also argue that Goodra looks like a Water/Dragon type. Its preevolutions, particularly Sliggoo, look inspired by sea slugs. It can also learn Water-moves like Water Pulse, Muddy Water and Surf.

At the end of the day, Goodra hardly fits the mold of a classic dragon, and its slime-soaked design feels far more Poison than pure Dragon.

Glalie

Glalie is one mean-looking Pokemon. I mean, just look at that mean-looking skull scowl on its icy exterior.

It’s so mean-looking that during my first playthroughs of Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire, I used Bug-type attacks against it thinking they’d be super effective.

With a total base stat of only 480 – a pretty low number for a final evolution – here’s hoping Glalie eventually gets a new evolution that boosts its power gets another evolution and turns it into a stronger Ice/Dark type that’s more befitting of its sinister appearance.

What did you think of this list of Pokemon that look like they should have been completely different types? Are there any Pokemon you’d take off or add to the list?