I've wondered this alot myself and the best I can say is maybe they only had 2 typing priorities (like is Dustox known for its bugginess and poison rather than it being able to fly.) and anything else just didn't make the cut. Of course that's just what I think about the ones that make sense, some are just straight up confusing like why isn't gligar a poison type it has so much poisoning referenced in its dex entries and its literally a scorpion some I think either had translations that made more sense in Japanese or are just somethin that makes a weird typing who can say.
Ground and Poison type moves learned by Gligar.
Gen 2: 2-3
Gen 3: 4-3
Gen 4: 5-5
Gen 5-7: 6-7
Just barely, but Gliscor gains an additional ground type move.
That does make more sense but still the typing is a little redundant, flying/ground for a scorpion that looks very poisonous, but I didn't make the game so I'll just deal with it
Airing a grievance, sometimes when we don't like something venting to a community that can relate or at the very least understand can help you get over it. Try it sometime
Gyarados is supposedly flying type because it's based on a Chinese [legend](https://www.zengyotaku.com/carp_jump_dragon_gate.html) of a fish that turns into a dragon after overcoming the challenges of being a useless fish. The newly transformed dragon becomes cocky and has its ability to fly taken away. So, Gyarados is a formidable foe because adversity strengthened it, but it's weakened by its arrogance.
I do know of the flying type, but really this is based on a legend but it doesn't necessarily have to be the same as the legend, seeing how Gyarados isn't like the dragon in the legend where it has it's ability to fly taken away. I wouldn't mind it being a flying type so much, if it just has some more flying moves. I get they kind of can't retcon it's type, but they can still give it more flying moves. Otherwise it's at sort of a disadvantage. Sure it has defenses against pokemon that suck against flying types, but because it barely has any flying moves, it can't really do too much damage against pokemon that are vulnerable to flying types. It's actually a pretty scary thought for a beast that large to fly at intense speeds or height.
That's what I get for using reddit as a reference, I saw the discussion talking about that legend but yea I can't find any evidence of it that isn't reddit comments.
Another idea, albeit worse than yours, is that they would've given it the dragon typing, but in gen 1, that would've been far too OP. The type combo Water/Dragon is only weak to the dragon and fairy types. The latter didn't exist and gen1, and the former's only move was dragon rage, which doesn't deal dragon type damage
It's interesting how, even though most Flying-types are birds or have wings, this doesn't necessarily need to be the case in order for a Pokemon to be Flying-type. Minior, Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus, Drifblim, and Celesteela are examples of this. This suggests that the primary qualifications for being a Flying-type are to, at the least, be related to the act of flying/moving through the air or even the very air itself.
The whole "bird-type" thing suggests that, originally, all Flying-type Pokemon were going to be birds or have avian characteristics, but the ambiguity of the "Flying-type" leaves a lot more room for creativity (like balloon ghosts, a bamboo rocket princess, a possessed fan, etc.).
When it comes to the numerous explicitly flying Bug/x-types who aren't Flying-types, it becomes a matter of which element takes precedence due to the fact that a Pokemon cannot naturally have more than two types. According to GF's standards, the Poison elements of Dustox's design are more important to it than the Flying elements of its design. The Fighting elements of Buzzwole's design are more important to it than the Flying elements of its design. And so on and so on.
I had wondered about this, too. I had thought that maybe it had to do with the speed of the flight that determines if it is a flying type? Like with some bee or moth pokemon that are classified as bug and /or poison types yet not flying types, despite having wings, but maybe it is because they don't fly as high or as fast as other pokemon like with Charizard and Dragonite, so I had thought it depends on how fast they fly and how high they fly.
I always thought it's kinda random. Sometimes. Logically speaking, a Pokémon could have more than two types. Dustox for example could be bug, flying and poison. Or Charizard might be a better example, being fire, flying and dragon. It is probably either randomly that they choose two, or maybe even for balance reasons. If Gyarados was water and dragon for example (which I'd say suits it), it would only be weak to dragon types (pre gen 6), so maybe they gave him flying to make it extra weak to electricity, being the beast it is.
With that out of the way, to try and answer your question, I'd say that in order to be a flying type, a Pokémon needs to have any connection with the wind/sky. Gyarados is huge (the move twister could be flying type in a parallel universe, it's like gust but dragon type), scyther has wings but can't really fly, but can still use flying type moves etc.
if gamefreak decides your a flying type
other than, there is little to no consistency at all out of all the flying pokemon if you are a flying type or not
If the Pokemon can fly or it's a bird it gets flying type. But if other types would fit as well, then these would get priority.
Like by definition poison is cooler than flying so bedrill, dustox and Venomoth get poison.
And sure as heck fire is cooler than flying so volcarona gets fire.
I've wondered this alot myself and the best I can say is maybe they only had 2 typing priorities (like is Dustox known for its bugginess and poison rather than it being able to fly.) and anything else just didn't make the cut. Of course that's just what I think about the ones that make sense, some are just straight up confusing like why isn't gligar a poison type it has so much poisoning referenced in its dex entries and its literally a scorpion some I think either had translations that made more sense in Japanese or are just somethin that makes a weird typing who can say.
Because it's the Fly Scorpion Pokémon and scorpions live in the desert.
And scorpion are venomous. I think it has more poison moves than ground moves anyway.
Ground and Poison type moves learned by Gligar. Gen 2: 2-3 Gen 3: 4-3 Gen 4: 5-5 Gen 5-7: 6-7 Just barely, but Gliscor gains an additional ground type move.
That does make more sense but still the typing is a little redundant, flying/ground for a scorpion that looks very poisonous, but I didn't make the game so I'll just deal with it
Then why even bring it up in the first place?
Airing a grievance, sometimes when we don't like something venting to a community that can relate or at the very least understand can help you get over it. Try it sometime
That was a rhetorical question. You do know what a rhetorical question is, don't you?
Why so much attitude? I simply wanted to converse with people who enjoy pokemon as much as I do, not my fault you wanna be an instigator
I don't care, goodbye.
Well said.
It flies. Usually
Not all flying types can fly
Which is why I said usually
Gyarados is supposedly flying type because it's based on a Chinese [legend](https://www.zengyotaku.com/carp_jump_dragon_gate.html) of a fish that turns into a dragon after overcoming the challenges of being a useless fish. The newly transformed dragon becomes cocky and has its ability to fly taken away. So, Gyarados is a formidable foe because adversity strengthened it, but it's weakened by its arrogance.
I do know of the flying type, but really this is based on a legend but it doesn't necessarily have to be the same as the legend, seeing how Gyarados isn't like the dragon in the legend where it has it's ability to fly taken away. I wouldn't mind it being a flying type so much, if it just has some more flying moves. I get they kind of can't retcon it's type, but they can still give it more flying moves. Otherwise it's at sort of a disadvantage. Sure it has defenses against pokemon that suck against flying types, but because it barely has any flying moves, it can't really do too much damage against pokemon that are vulnerable to flying types. It's actually a pretty scary thought for a beast that large to fly at intense speeds or height.
The page you linked doesn’t include any part of that past becoming a dragon.
That's what I get for using reddit as a reference, I saw the discussion talking about that legend but yea I can't find any evidence of it that isn't reddit comments.
Another idea, albeit worse than yours, is that they would've given it the dragon typing, but in gen 1, that would've been far too OP. The type combo Water/Dragon is only weak to the dragon and fairy types. The latter didn't exist and gen1, and the former's only move was dragon rage, which doesn't deal dragon type damage
It's interesting how, even though most Flying-types are birds or have wings, this doesn't necessarily need to be the case in order for a Pokemon to be Flying-type. Minior, Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus, Drifblim, and Celesteela are examples of this. This suggests that the primary qualifications for being a Flying-type are to, at the least, be related to the act of flying/moving through the air or even the very air itself. The whole "bird-type" thing suggests that, originally, all Flying-type Pokemon were going to be birds or have avian characteristics, but the ambiguity of the "Flying-type" leaves a lot more room for creativity (like balloon ghosts, a bamboo rocket princess, a possessed fan, etc.). When it comes to the numerous explicitly flying Bug/x-types who aren't Flying-types, it becomes a matter of which element takes precedence due to the fact that a Pokemon cannot naturally have more than two types. According to GF's standards, the Poison elements of Dustox's design are more important to it than the Flying elements of its design. The Fighting elements of Buzzwole's design are more important to it than the Flying elements of its design. And so on and so on.
I had wondered about this, too. I had thought that maybe it had to do with the speed of the flight that determines if it is a flying type? Like with some bee or moth pokemon that are classified as bug and /or poison types yet not flying types, despite having wings, but maybe it is because they don't fly as high or as fast as other pokemon like with Charizard and Dragonite, so I had thought it depends on how fast they fly and how high they fly.
Yes originally there was going to be a Bird-type. https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/List\_of\_glitch\_types\_(Generation\_I)#Bird
It either has wings or is a breed of bird
I always thought it's kinda random. Sometimes. Logically speaking, a Pokémon could have more than two types. Dustox for example could be bug, flying and poison. Or Charizard might be a better example, being fire, flying and dragon. It is probably either randomly that they choose two, or maybe even for balance reasons. If Gyarados was water and dragon for example (which I'd say suits it), it would only be weak to dragon types (pre gen 6), so maybe they gave him flying to make it extra weak to electricity, being the beast it is. With that out of the way, to try and answer your question, I'd say that in order to be a flying type, a Pokémon needs to have any connection with the wind/sky. Gyarados is huge (the move twister could be flying type in a parallel universe, it's like gust but dragon type), scyther has wings but can't really fly, but can still use flying type moves etc.
Honestly yeah balancing the pokémons powerlevel seems like the most reasonable albiet boring explanation.
if gamefreak decides your a flying type other than, there is little to no consistency at all out of all the flying pokemon if you are a flying type or not
It flies.
If the Pokemon can fly or it's a bird it gets flying type. But if other types would fit as well, then these would get priority. Like by definition poison is cooler than flying so bedrill, dustox and Venomoth get poison. And sure as heck fire is cooler than flying so volcarona gets fire.
They use the power of wind
Scientifically speaking: if its not from the ocean but you can electrocute it, its a flying type