Pokémon is one of the most popular video game properties of all time and it’s amazing to consider not only how much the games have evolved, but also the increased prominence of the Pokémon anime and its other many tangents. There’s a lot of different things to love in the Pokémon universe and many people love breaking down each of the different Pokémon types to create better strategies.
Flying-Type Pokémon have been around since Generation I and it’s a variety of Pokémon that just makes sense. Often there are Flying-Type Pokémon and abilities that are exceptionally powerful, but it’s also a trait that feels considerably out of place for a handful of Pokémon.
10 Gyarados
Gyarados is a dangerous Pokémon that’s been around since the first generation of games and while some people might argue that it technically makes sense that the monstrous Pokémon is a Flying-Type, it’s an aspect of the creature that’s typically buried. Gyarados is also a Water-Type Pokémon and that’s what’s prominent about the Pokémon. Gyarados is practically always seen in bodies of water and used by Water-Type trainers rather than a Pokémon that takes to the sky. The giant Pokémon’s tiny wings come across as ornamental, not practical.
9 Hoppip
Hoppip is one of the more adorable Pokémon to come around in the second generation of games and it’s a creature that qualifies as both a Flying- and Grass-Type Pokémon. Hoppip is largely found in areas that are more representative of its Grass-Type roots and it barely has any features that are relevant to flight. Hoppip evolves into Skiploom and Jumpluff, who continue this mix of types, but their designs speak more to the idea of how pollen and seeds can be spread through the air. It makes sense for Hoppip’s later forms to be Flying-Types, but not Hoppip itself.
8 Farfetch’d
The most obvious examples of Flying-Type Pokémon are the ones that take inspiration from birds. Farfetch’d is an unusual example since it’s definitely a Bird Pokémon, but it’s a creature that spends most of its time on the ground and feels like a better representation of the types of birds in the world that cannot fly.
Farfetch’d is an oddity who makes swift work with his leek tool, which it makes more use out of than flight skills. The new Galarian Farfetch’d explores this idea further with how it’s a Fighting-Type Pokémon and ditches the flying aspect of the Pokémon.
7 Mantine
Mantine is a Flying- and Water-Type Pokémon from Generation II that takes its design cues from a manta ray. Mantine is colloquially referred to as the Kite Pokémon, which makes it seem like it should be a natural Flying-Type, but it actually stretches the boundaries of what qualifies as flight. What Mantine does, which is similar to actual manta rays, is that it can build up enough speed in water that it can leap hundreds of feet in the air, but it’s more about using its aquatic environment to its advantage. Mantine needs to be in water.
6 Minior
Minior is a Pokémon that’s come around in the more recent years, which should be clear by the creature’s more unconventional design. Pokémon has broached the idea of outer space befoe, but Minior is a Pokémon that’s based off of a meteor that’s crashed down to Earth. Minior comes in two variants, a Meteor Form and a Core Form, which are both Flying- and Rock-Type Pokémon. It’s easy to see why it’s classified as a Flying-Type since meteors rain down on the planet, but a Rock-Type combination with Steel or even Dark feels more appropriate for this unique Pokémon.
5 Fan Rotom
Pokémon has been around for so long that it’s been forced to think outside of the box with some of its Pokémon designs. Many Pokémon are based off of animals or preexisting designs, but there are others that are much more experimental with their concept.
Rotom is a very unusual Pokémon that’s able to ostensibly haunt appliances and take on different forms as a result. Fan Rotom qualifies as both an Electric- and Flying-Type, but the flying aspect feels tacked on. A fan’s manipulation of air is not the same thing as flight.
4 Tropius
Sometimes there’s the temptation to saddle Pokémon with a supplemental type because it’s lacking something else and Generation III’s new Pokémon experience some growing pains in different ways. Tropius is a perfectly fine Pokémon that’s referred to as the Fruit Pokémon since its tree-like state bears fruit and helps him resemble his tropical environment. It makes sense that Tropius is a Grass-Type Pokémon, but he’s also oddly a Flying-Type, too. Tropius remains on land and it feels like a very grounded Pokémon. There’d have been nothing wrong with keeping this Pokémon as just a single type.
3 Emolga
Pikachu has easily become one of the most popular Pokémon in the entire series thanks to its prominent role in the anime series. Every so often a new Pokémon title will introduce several clones of Pikachu that feel like alternate takes on the character. Emolga pops up in Generation V and takes its cues from a flying squirrel. Much like in real life, this isn’t so much flying as it is a resourceful use of gliding and anatomy. Emolga gets as close to flying as possible, but it wouldn’t have been a loss if it were just an Electric-Type.
2 Celesteela
There are lots of powerful Pokémon, but the series has introduced the concept of Ultra Beasts that operate on a whole other level. Celesteela is a massive creature that looks like an organic space shuttle Celesteela is unsurprisingly a Steel-Type and it seems to also be a Flying-Type because the Pokémon can launch away into space. It feels like an unearned aspect of the Pokémon, especially when Celesteela also releases flammable glasses and uses its body in a plant-like manner where it absorbs nutrients from the Earth. Both Fire- and Grass-Types are more appropriate here.
1 Landorus (Therian Forme)
Legendary Pokémon are an exciting premise that the games have played around with since the beginning, but they’ve gotten a lot more creative over the years. Landorus, along with Thundurus and Tornadus, are the three Forces of Nature from Generation V. Landorus is the leader and it’s both a Ground- and Flying-Type. However, Landorus has both an Incarnate and Therian Forme, which are quite different. A Flying-Type feels more appropriate for the Incarnate Forme, but the Therian Forme turns Landorus into a quadruped and the Pokémon is firmly planted on the ground.
NEXT: Pokémon: The 10 Scariest Flying-Types
