The Pokémon franchise now contains nine generations of over 1000 Pokémon across 18 different unique types. Those 18 base typings make for over a hundred possible combinations for dual types. However, fans still argue about which of the 18 types is the strongest.

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Every Pokémon fan has their favorite for a multitude of different reasons, but some types are undeniably stronger than others. There are strong and weak Pokémon of every type, but a clear hierarchy quickly emerges when it comes to evaluating each type in competitive battling.

Updated on May 16th, 2023 by Tom Steel: The Pokémon franchise recently surpassed 1000 different species thanks to the Gen IX games Scarlet & Violet, and their additions. Each of the 18 types has received new representatives that show off their best and worst sides. This list has been updated to properly reflect the current state of Pokémon and how all the types compare to one another when it comes to overall strength.

18 Bug

Caterpie looking angry in the Pokemon anime

Bug-type Pokémon are fairly common and often overlooked. They're especially strong against Grass, Psychic, and Dark Pokémon, and offer some handy counters to some of the franchise's most dangerous species. However, they have terrible average stats across the board. By itself, this would be enough to disqualify Bugs from most Pokémon teams.

Even worse, Bugs are vulnerable to seven different types, including common ones like Fire and important types like Steel. Bugs are often remembered for their weaknesses, but fans forget that there has been Bug representation across both Mythical and Paradox Pokémon, as well as Ultra Beasts. Pokémon like Scizor, Slither Wing, and Genesect do their best to give the Bug typing a good name, but it still falls short of most other types.

17 Ice

A screenshot of Swinub in Pokemon.

Ice has never been an especially exciting typing in the Pokémon universe. As of Gen IX, there are now 58 different species of Ice-type Pokémon, but only a select few stand out. The recent additions of Baxcalibur, Iron Bundle, Cetitan, and Chien-Pao have given the type a nice boost, but the novelty with these species won't last long. Ice-type Pokémon have impressive super-effective advantages over Ground, Dragon, Grass, and Flying types, but they also have plenty of significant weaknesses of their own.

Most Pokémon Trainers will likely still want to try an Ice-type in their roster. Their HP, Attack, and Defense are all good enough, and their advantage over Dragon-type Pokémon is especially valuable. But Ice types are still generally disappointing when compared to other types.

16 Grass

Bulbasaur growling angrily in Pokemon

Grass types are great in a tough battle against a strong Water-type Pokémon, but their weaknesses outweigh their strengths. There are too many important Fire, Ice, Flying, and Poison Pokémon to rely on Grass types, and their weakness to Bugs just adds insult to injury.

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Grass types are specialists. They are very effective against Ground, Rock, and the aforementioned Water, but they generally don't have great stats. They're common and easy to acquire, but not reliable for the long haul. The Grass-type starter lines, as well as Celebi and Amoonguss, are the main representative of the Grass-type's strength and power, but it doesn't amount to too much when compared to the other types.

15 Normal

Ash Ketchum's Snorlax in the Pokemon anime

Normal Pokémon may be ordinary in nature, but their lack of type strengths and weaknesses is actually refreshing. A handful of Normal-type Pokémon, like Snorlax and Slaking, have big stats and access to powerful attacks usually associated with other types. Unless they face off against offensive Fighting-type moves or the immune Ghost typing, bulky Normal-type Pokémon can cause a lot of problems in battle.

A handful of Normal-type Pokémon make impressive tanks thanks to their enormous HP stats, but this reputation doesn't stretch across the whole typing. In fact, Normal types are often seen as early-route encounters, or as ordinary animal equivalents used to flesh out the world rather than put on impressive battling displays.

14 Poison

Koffing looking happy in the Pokemon anime

Poison Pokémon rely more on chip damage than direct attacks. Their stats are well-balanced, and they're extremely effective against powerful Fairy types, which makes them a vital part of many Trainers' teams. However, the fact that they do nothing against Steel almost cancels out this advantage.

Poison types are also ineffective against Ground-, Rock-, and Ghost-type Pokémon. They help mow down the extremely common Grass Pokémon quickly, but overall Poison Pokémon have a distinct disadvantage in important battles. There are still various notable and physically imposing Poison-type Pokémon out there, from Eternatus and Iron Moth to Gengar, Drapion, and Nidoqueen.

13 Rock

Sudowoodo is happy in the Pokemon anime

Sadly, Rock types have more weaknesses than strengths. They are strong against Bug, Fire, Flying, and Ice, but weak to Fighting, Grass, Ground, Steel, and Water. Being strong against Bug Pokémon is nothing to brag about, so that doesn't particularly help their reputation.

However, there are several strong Rock-type Pokémon who are go-to's when fighting powerful opponents. These tend to be physically imposing species with a rough exterior, such as Rhyperior, Tyranitar, or Tyrantrum. There are only two Rock-type Legendary Pokémon in Terrakion and Regirock, a surprising fact given the endless possibilities with such a rough and tough typing.

12 Ghost

Haunter in a building in the Pokemon anime

It took the Ghost typing three generations to amass a decent-sized roster, and that momentum has since carried on to there now being 70 Ghost-type Pokémon. Ghost-type Pokémon have always been mysterious beasts, but their immunities to Normal and Fighting-type moves have always been an overwhelming positive. However, they have a lot of problems that more than cancel out these benefits.

Like Dragons, Ghosts are weak to their own moves, which creates some weird scenarios. They were originally one of the few counters to Psychic Pokémon, but the introduction of Dark types in Gen II gave them competition. Pokémon like Gengar, Dusknoir, Flutter Mane and Giratina represent the typing's powerful and otherworldly sides, helping prop up the weaker members.

11 Water

Kingler excelling at the Indigo League in the Pokemon anime

Water has always been one of the most common and important types in all of Pokémon. They may be weak to Grass and Electric, but they more than make up for this by being strong against Fire, Ground, and Rock. They're also as adaptable as their namesake and can learn some useful moves from other Pokémon types, with Ice being an important example.

Water types don't have the best stats, and are usually slightly below average across the board, so their moveset is the real attraction here. However, there are still some heavy-hitting Water type Pokémon on the roster, from Greninja, Blastoise, and Palkia to the recent additions of Walking Wake, Dondozo, and Palafin.

10 Psychic

Slowbro in Island of the Giant Pokémon

Psychic Pokémon were overpowered when they were introduced in Gen I with the likes of Alakazam and the Legendary Pokémon, Mewtwo. However, the addition of Steel and Dark Pokémon effectively nerfed Psychics, and they have never truly regained their standing. The Psychic Legendaries are notably strong, though, which keeps them from falling to the bottom of the pile.

That said, there's more to Psychic Pokémon than their stats. Their moves often have unusual side effects like putting opponents to sleep or confusing them, and these effects can make a huge difference in a battle. The Eon Duo, Mewtwo, Solgaleo, and many others do wonders for showing off the might of the Psychic typing.

9 Dark

Gary Oak's Umbreon in the Pokemon anime.

Dark-type Pokémon are the physical counterpart to Psychic Pokémon, and the types share a common weakness to Bug-type Pokémon. Dark's effectiveness against Psychic and Ghost Pokémon was their original selling point, but they have since become more known for their glaring weaknesses to Fighting- and Fairy-type moves.

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Though Dark types have a lot of strong attacks, a lot of their base movesets rely on lowering their opponents' stats. Dark Pokémon are great for players who enjoy debuffing their foes and tend to be well-balanced themselves. The Dark typing is seen as an excuse to exaggerate evil and antagonistic features on certain species, and as such, there are plenty of powerful Dark-type Legendary and Mythical Pokémon on the roster.

8 Flying

Pidgeot flying in the Pokemon anime

Flying-type Pokémon are the most well-balanced type in the game. They follow the rule of threes; they're super-effective against Bugs, Grass, and Fighting but incredibly vulnerable to Electric, Rock, and Steel. These vulnerabilities become more important as the game progresses, but their immunity to Ground attacks helps balance the scales for them.

Flying type Pokémon combine high Attack and Speed with low Defense and HP, making them dangerous but fragile. They have a lot of variety in their moves, giving them important features like healing and dodging attacks. There are a lot of Flying hybrids out there, but as a secondary typing, it tends to weaken Pokémon, like Gyrados and its 4x weakness to Electric attacks. Regardless, Gyarados, Charizard, and Rayquaza lead a stacked roster of powerful Flying-type Pokémon.

7 Ground

Hippowdon walking in the Pokemon anime

Ground types tend to be big and strong, with high Attack and Defense stats making them powerful on the offensive and defensive side. They also are strong against some very powerful opponents, including Electric and Steel, making them necessary to get past some otherwise insurmountable obstacles.

However, Ground-type Pokémon are often slow, and they are unable to hit Flying Pokémon with their own moves. They are also weak to Ice, Grass, and Water, all of which are very common coverage types. The Ground typing has inspired some powerful earth-dwelling species over the years, from Garchomp and Swampert to Groudon and Great Tusk.

6 Fighting

Machamp from the Pokémon anime.

Fighting types are generally considered among the most physically-impressive and powerful Pokémon, and are only weak against Psychic-, Flying-, and Fairy-type moves. To their credit, a speedy Fighting type can almost always get in the first hit. However, Fighting-type Pokémon tend to have a high Attack but otherwise average stats. They crumble fast in battles with Psychic and Fairy Pokémon but Rock, Dark, and Steel are all worth facing with a Fighting Pokémon.

Fighting types are useful in many situations, as their moves offer some great coverage. They make the perfect physical sweeper to add to any team, especially when backed up with a partner that can cover their weaknesses. Lucario, Machamp and Koraidon are only three examples of powerful and iconic Fighting types, in an extremely stacked roster.

5 Fire

Leon and Charizard celebrate a victory over Alain in Pokémon Journeys

Fire types like Charmander, Fuecoco, and Litten are the go-to starters for many Pokémon players. Fire-type Pokémon tend to have an impressive Special Attack stat, and their fiery moves can also inflict the serious Burn debuff. Their other stats are in the middle of the road, but they defend well against a wide variety of Pokémon and are only vulnerable to a handful.

Water, Ground, and Rock are all super-effective against Fire. But the positives outweigh the negatives with the Fire typing, as Fire is super-effective against Ice, Bug, Grass, and Steel. This means they can cut through some incredibly common types and face off against the imposing Steel Pokémon late in the game, making Fire types indispensable. Flames look good in almost every design, and a handful of these Pokémon can back it up with impressive stats. Charizard, Entei, and Ho-Oh are just three examples of powerful Fire types that back up their formidable reputation with results.

4 Electric

The Paradox Pokémon Iron Hands ready for battle in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet.

Electric types are generally fast, powerful attackers with access to some strong moves and effects. While Pikachu is the Pokémon mascot, there are several more powerful and significant Electric Pokémon including Ampharos, Luxray, and Iron Hands. They are outstanding in that they're super-effective against the unavoidable Flying and Water types that pepper Pokémon's landscape.

Electric Pokémon are only vulnerable to Ground-type moves. They can even avoid this problem with abilities like Magnet Rise, canceling out their biggest vulnerability. Their strength against Flying Pokémon is notable since many powerful Pokémon, like Togekiss and Dragonite, are part Flying type. Notable powerful Electric-type Pokémon beyond Ash's Pikachu include Zekrom and Electivire, as well as recent Gen IX additions, Iron Hands and Miraidon.

3 Fairy

Zacian is looking at Ash and Pikachu

The Fairy typing was introduced much later than the others, in Gen VI, but quickly became a fan favorite. Fairy-type Pokémon are generally seen as being mysterious or adorable, sometimes even both. Many Fairy types are quite unassuming, but extremely powerful Pokémon like the Legendary Zacian, and Paradox Pokémon like Iron Valiant and Flutter Mane more than balance them out.

The Fairy typing was introduced to give Dragon-types a much-needed weakness, but along the way, they also provided Poison types with a valuable super-effective advantage of their own. The Fairy typing did wonders for the balance of Pokémon, but has since made a lasting impression with Pokémon like Togekiss, Xerneas, and Gardevoir. Fairy-type Pokémon may possess immense grace and mysticism, but they must never be underestimated.

2 Dragon

The Pokemon Garchomp looking proud

Dragon-type Pokémon are generally imposing and overpowered. They tend to have incredible stats, effective attacks, and killer designs that make them many Trainers' favorites. However, they do have a few drawbacks.

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Dragons are weak to other Dragons, as well as Fairy and Ice Pokémon. These latter two are relatively rare, but Fairies in particular hit surprisingly hard so this shortfall can be critical. No other type is weak to Dragon-type attacks, but the high power of their attacks more than makes up for it. Notable species that show off the might of the Dragon typing include Garchomp, Flygon, and Hydreigon, as well as many Legendaries.

1 Steel

Legendary Pokemon Dialga in a beam of light in the Pokemon anime

The Steel typing was introduced way back in Gen II, but it has gained enormous momentum in recent generations. Steel is now the most powerful typing in the entire franchise, mainly because of its many type resistances and strengths of its own. Steel-type Pokemon's weaknesses against Fire, Fighting, and Ground can be significant in some match-ups, but their generally-high Defense tends to help them out.

Steel Pokémon resist an incredible 10 different Pokémon types. No other type can compete with the raw power this brings to a Pokémon battle. They do tend to be slow, but it hardly matters when more than half of the other Pokémon types are only half-effective against them. Steel Pokémon are sturdy, resilient, rough, and dangerous. The best of them represent this in bulk, from Steelix and Dialga to Metagross and Kingambit.

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