Pokémon has used an intricate type system since the beginning. Every Pokémon has one or two types, and these types interact with each other in different ways in battle. This makes Pokémon battles extremely strategic affairs and has helped cement the franchise as one of the most popular video games of all time. The Normal type covers Pokémon who are, in most respects, unremarkable.
Normal types are often based on mundane animals and are extremely common in the early stages of a Pokémon game. Most people have used a Normal type for at least a part of their Pokémon journey, but there are still some things that even long-time fans might not know about this type.
10 Very Low Average Stats
The Normal type has the unfortunate distinction of having the lowest average Special Attack, Defense, and Special Defense of all fully evolved Pokémon. This is in large part because Normal types are used to fill out the early stages of a Pokédex. Almost every generation features a weak early game Pokémon to help players fill out their teams before they catch more powerful creatures. Normal types are, for this reason, not extremely common in competitive play.
9 It Has Next To No Reactivity
Normal types are the least reactive type of any Pokémon type. They have only one weakness, Fighting types, tying with Electric for the fewest. They have a single immunity to Ghost types, making them the only pair that are immune to each other.
No types are weak to Normal types, and only two types resist them. Pokémon games start the player off with a solid introduction to the type system with the Grass, Water, and Fire starters, but then other early Pokémon are extremely non-reactive.
8 It Is A Very Common Type
As of Generation VIII, there are 119 Normal type Pokémon, including all alternate forms. This accounts for 13.11% of all Pokémon, making them the second most common type after Water. Of these 119, 74 are pure Normal types, or about 62%. This is the highest percentage of single type Pokémon out of any type in the series and makes pure Normal type the single most common typing in the series.
7 It Pairs Well With Ground And Flying
Thanks to its few weaknesses, Normal can be easily paired with other types to become even more effective. Ground type moves are super effective against both Steel and Rock types, the two types that resist Normal types.
Flying makes an exceptionally good pair for Normal, as it helps neutralize Normal’s only weakness. In fact, Normal/Flying is the single most common dual-type pairing, and Flying was the only type to be combined with Normal until Generation IV with the sole exception of Girafarig.
6 It Had A Weird Time In Generation VI
Generation I introduced the most Normal type Pokémon and the most Normal type moves, with 24 and 78 respectively. Generation VI introduced the fewest of both categories, with eight each. Normal is also the only type to ever lose types upon a new generation, as eight Pokémon that were once Normal types became Fairy types in Generation VI. Because Gen VI also introduced eight new Normal types, Generation VI is the only time where a type’s total number remained unchanged.
5 It Has A Ton Of Moves
Lots of Pokémon learn Normal type moves early on in their lifespans, including Tackle, Headbutt, and Scratch. This has in part contributed to the fact that Normal has the most moves of any type in the game with a total of 187.
This extends to Max moves as well, as there are five total Normal type Max moves. Water has more Gigantamax moves, but non-damaging moves become the Normal type Max Guard when the Pokémon is Dynamaxed.
4 No Pokémon Become Normal
The Normal type is seemingly considered more fundamental to the nature of a Pokémon, as evidenced that no Pokémon gain the Normal type upon evolution. The only other type this is true for is the Bug type, another type that feels like it is essential to a Pokémon’s design. The Normal type encompasses Pokémon who are based on real animals more often than not, and its hard to imagine a Pokémon becoming an animal as it evolves.
3 It Doesn’t Exist In The TCG
The typing system in the Pokémon Trading Card Game is slightly different than the video games, with fewer total types. The Normal type does not exist in the TCG, and most of the Normal and Flying types are collected under the Colorless type. Prior to the Dragons Exalted expansion, released in 2012, the Colorless type also included most Dragon types.
2 It Has The Most Unused Type Combos
Normal has the most unused type combinations, as it has yet to be paired with Poison, Steel, Rock, Bug, or Ice. Normal dual types are a relatively new feature in Pokémon, with the first-ever Pokémon with a Normal secondary type being introduced in Generation VI. Generation VI also introduced the most new type combinations with Normal, including Helioptile and Pyroar.
1 Normal Types Are The Most Likely To Change Type
Normal types, despite being one of the most common types, are also the most likely to stop being Normal types. More Pokémon lose the Normal typing upon evolving than any other type, with a total of four, or 11 if every Eevee form is counted separately. There are also more Normal type moves that change the user’s type than any other type. Finally, there are a total of eight Normal type Pokémon that either have a signature move or a signature ability that involves changing type.
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