Pure Flying Types?

[Almonds]

I don't know if this was done before...

But why aren't there any pure flying types?

Is it just because of one single move called Roost that's preventing it?

If a pure flying type used Roost, what would happen? Would it acquire a ??? type like Bulbapedia says?

 

[Ghetsis-Dennis]

Roost is only available to bird-like Pokemon and Pokemon w/ wings, so it's possible to have a pure flying type similar to Tornadus w/o having that move.

 

[YamiiDenryuu]

Okay, so why are all those bird-like Pokemon stuck with a secondary normal type? It's not like Roost's existence is preventing it - that move was introduced in the fourth gen (I think?), and obviously the "no pure flying types" rule had been in effect since long before then. Even if it had been introduced earlier, they could just have made it remove the ground-type immunity rather than the entire flying type.

The only other argument I've seen for no pure flying types is that they'd have to be all wings or made of pure flying-ness or something similar... but you have plenty of fire types that aren't made of pure fire, electric types that aren't made of electricity, and so on. Why would only the flying type have this limitation? I just can't see it.

 

[Soulweaver]

You can use either Conversion to change a Smeargle into a Flying-type, then make it use Roost. It'll behave as typeless until the end of the turn: everything is simply x1 against it. So putting this on behalf of technical limitations is wrong.

(Also Roost debuted in Gen IV; it isn't the reason why there weren't any in the first 386.)

 

[Ghetsis-Dennis]

Okay, so why are all those bird-like Pokemon stuck with a secondary normal type?

Because bird-like/winged Pokemon have another type to go along with its flying type, seeing as they are restricted to not be pure flying types in order to have their hands on Roost.

 

[Jukain]

According to the pedia, Roost changes Flying to Normal type, so it's no longer an issue. It's impossible for Tornadus to learn Roost, so that issue is pretty much moot, but I don't think that's the reason why they waited so long to finally have a pure Flying type, especially since Roost only came in with the 4th generation. I don't know if it was speculation or not, but I think something said that no pure Flying type existed because there was nothing that they could think of what would be in the sky constantly. (in other words, it would never have to land) This idea falls apart for some of the Water/Flyings, except that they can also swim. I then ran into Drifloon/Drifblim and realized that stuff with the power to levitate makes that idea fall apart. I suppose it could be said that some things may not always be able to use their mind to levitate, but it seems to be in the nature of Ghost types to be able to levitate, and with no effort at all. Of course, it would come to be that Levitate would be an ability separate from Flying, but still able to grant immunity to Ground. So I guess they consider levitation to be a separate power from Flying, which in their context, I may agree. What about Tornadus that makes this possible, then? That it's based off the kami of Japanese legend? I'm not sure. True, they have not made anything purely wind or air related except for Rayquaza and Tornadus. Rayq is a dragon, so that was their reasoning there. Could they have made Rayq into something else so it would be pure Flying? Who knows?

 

[Chriiiis]

According to the pedia, Roost changes Flying to Normal type, so it's no longer an issue. It's impossible for Tornadus to learn Roost, so that issue is pretty much moot, but I don't think that's the reason why they waited so long to finally have a pure Flying type, especially since Roost only came in with the 4th generation. I don't know if it was speculation or not, but I think something said that no pure Flying type existed because there was nothing that they could think of what would be in the sky constantly. (in other words, it would never have to land) This idea falls apart for some of the Water/Flyings, except that they can also swim. I then ran into Drifloon/Drifblim and realized that stuff with the power to levitate makes that idea fall apart. I suppose it could be said that some things may not always be able to use their mind to levitate, but it seems to be in the nature of Ghost types to be able to levitate, and with no effort at all. Of course, it would come to be that Levitate would be an ability separate from Flying, but still able to grant immunity to Ground. So I guess they consider levitation to be a separate power from Flying, which in their context, I may agree. What about Tornadus that makes this possible, then? That it's based off the kami of Japanese legend? I'm not sure.

Maybe they can come up with a cloud/gas type Poke(that isn't really ghost-like)...It's just weird because then it wouldn't really have a 'flying' feel to it.

It looks like we do have a few Pokes that could resemble a pure flying type, if it weren't for their current typing. If you took the dragon part away from Rayquaza, it could pass as a pure flying type, with being in the ozone layer constantly and all. Imo, Castform also feels more like a "weather-y/flying" type to me than norma. Not sure of any others off the top of my mind.

 

[Jukain]

Oh, I forgot Castform. In that case, there may not be a reason, since that's similar to why they made Azurill Normal type, when it looks like a Water type ands evos to one. I guess for Castform, since it changes type along with its form, they wanted it's default to be typeless (Normal).

 

[El_]

I believe that someone once had the logic that birds and other flying types do not fly and stay in the air all the time. They have to come down and rest, which means that they wouldn't purely be flying. I full agree with this notion. Even Rayquaza doesn't stay in the air all of the time.

Tornadus is like a pure interpretation of the wind, so his being pure flying type makes sense.

 

[YamiiDenryuu]

Okay, so why are all those bird-like Pokemon stuck with a secondary normal type?

Because bird-like/winged Pokemon have another type to go along with its flying type, seeing as they are restricted to not be pure flying types in order to have their hands on Roost.

Funny, I could have sworn I said why that didn't explain it right after the sentence you quoted. :/ Seriously? I mean, seriously?

 

[Saiga]

I believe that someone once had the logic that birds and other flying types do not fly and stay in the air all the time. They have to come down and rest, which means that they wouldn't purely be flying. I full agree with this notion. Even Rayquaza doesn't stay in the air all of the time.

Tornadus is like a pure interpretation of the wind, so his being pure flying type makes sense.

That is by far the best interpretation I have ever heard of it.

 

[Almonds]

So Tornadus is something like a wind god, but there could be other pokemons that don't have a secondary typing - something that can defy gravity or stay in the air effortlessly. Then I guess we would have to get into outer space because there's no gravity there and everything floats around. Deoxys or Jirachi could've qualified but obviously they're Psychic-typed.

 

[Horizon]

I've never heard that interpretation before, but I'm going to agree with it. Flying is my favourite type out of them all, and I've always wanted to see a pure flying type. But thinking about it, what type of creature, other than a wind god, is in the sky all of the time? That's the best explanation I've heard yet.

Just curious about roost, though. I'm sorry if there's something obvious I'm missing, but why exactly does it change the user's type until the next turn?

 

[Envoy]

I've never heard that interpretation before, but I'm going to agree with it. Flying is my favourite type out of them all, and I've always wanted to see a pure flying type. But thinking about it, what type of creature, other than a wind god, is in the sky all of the time? That's the best explanation I've heard yet.

Just curious about roost, though. I'm sorry if there's something obvious I'm missing, but why exactly does it change the user's type until the next turn?

It's the same principle. The concept seems to be that as long as the Pokemon is roosting (and thus not in the air,) it is for all intents and purposes a grounded (or land) creature, not a flying one, so the flying type is removed as long as it's on the ground.

 

[Horizon]

That makes sense, I was wondering if there was some other reason. Thank you!

 

[Joshawott]

But why aren't there any pure flying types?

Tornadus is a pure flying type.

If I remember correctly, wasn't the main issue due to game coding? The only other pure-Flying Pokémon we've seen was one variant of Missingno.

 

[Vyrron]

Well, we have Tornadus, a pure flying type, who can't even learn Roost.
Plus, the ???-type doesn't exist anymore.

 

[YamiiDenryuu]

I'm still not buying the thing about a pure flying type having to stay in the air constantly, because if that was the explanation then there would be no pure water types that can move around on land, and probably some other types wouldn't work as pure types either (does a fire type have to be on fire all the time?). There's really nothing I can see that makes flying a special case.

 

[El_]

Depends on the context. Flying should be looked at as an action rather than what something is. Thats why the typing isn't called bird like they were originally going to do.

When looking at it this way it makes a lot of sense. I know there are exceptions like Pokemon who are able to fly anyways, but there are always exceptions. The notion that they don't stay in the air constantly is the most logical explanation that we currently have.

 

[Blue Dragon]

As others have said the Flying type is generally something that is given to Pokemon that all have the ability to take flight due to having wings, or being able to glide at high altitudes. Dragonite is primarily a Dragon Pokemon, but because it has the ability to take flight because of it's wings it then gains the addition of the Flying type.

I think that Tornadus is only a pure Flying type because it doesn't have any other attributes apart from it's ability to cause hurricanes and constantly be in flight without touching the ground.

I think it would be interesting to see more Pokemon that are constantly in Flight like Tornadus in the future.