sigh, listen, I really don't think that dark types are evil.

[Charmander009]

Hmm, why pick on the dark type? Any type of pokemon can go bad, but maybe not purely evil. Mewtwo was Phycic type, and he went bad, but in the end he's a good guy.

 

[The Outrage]

Hmm, why pick on the dark type? Any type of pokemon can go bad, but maybe not purely evil. Mewtwo was Phycic type, and he went bad, but in the end he's a good guy.

Because its a common misconception that all Dark types are evil in nature.

 

[PanicAttack]

Well, it is called the "Evil" type.

In name only, really. Just take a look at some of the Dark-types we have. Poochyena, a Pokémon who if attacked runs away? Not especially evil, is it? Umbreon, the result of a strong bond between a trainer and a Pokémon? That's not exactly evil, either. Mightyena, a Pokémon with loyalty that is unmatched? I don't see how that's evil.

Really, any Pokémon has the potential for evil, but that doesn't mean that an entire type is evil due to the implications of a label.

 

[MangaBottle]

"Dark" to me suggests a few things. 1: sneaky, unfair tactics (looking at darktype moves suggests this). 2: having a really bad attidute (maybe Darkrai just has a lousy sense of humor)
I'd go as far to nickname dark types the "anti-hero" type

 

[Astragali]

Darkrai is the Nightmare Pokemon, it is in its nature to do what it does. it is likely that it, for some reason or another has to do this to survive. Perhaps it gains nutrition from these nightmares.

Given the way the moves work in the game, this seems to be a reasonable assumption:

After a Pokemon falls asleep when Darkrai uses Hypnosis, it immediately experiences Bad Dreams. Assuming it doesn't wake up (a couple of "enemies" have woken up on me during battles), using Dream Eater inflicts further damage, and increases Darkrai's HP.

So, taking the moves literally, given the victim is only experiencing bad dreams while it slumbers, it's only bad dreams that fuel Darkrai.

Well, that and Poffins

Mark ("Darkrai's not dark! Just a little grubby, is all..." *scrubbing*)

 

[Amewsment]

I mean, really. Dark types simply cannot be evil.

I think you should re-formulate that to "Dark types are not evil simply because they are of the dark type"
Meaning that they have the same chance of being good or evil as other types...

 

[MONKOBUT666]

LOOK ON THE BACK OF Ancient Mew card NO DARK SPOT

 

[The Outrage]

LOOK ON THE BACK OF Ancient Mew card NO DARK SPOT

Oh yes, because a promo card from the second movie excluding it must mean it is evil. You know, despite the fact that the second movie contained Lugia, it was prior to Gold and Silver, meaing the Dark and steel types were not yet confirmed.

NOW WHY DON'T YOU HAVE A LOOK AT THE CARD AND TRY TO FIND THE AREA FOR STEEL TYPES

[

Though faint, one can clearly make out the symbol for each energy type, and its fairly clear on the water and grass energies. The one at the bottom centre is normal, and the one at the centre of the Pokeball does not represent the steel energy, sicne it does not have a symbol on it.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

LOOK ON THE BACK OF Ancient Mew card NO DARK SPOT

Which has what to do with anything?

Besides, it says that Mew could be evil, right on that very card. So even without the dark type, hey.

But the symbols on the back are decoration more than anything else.

 

[SlickSlicer]

In my opinion, dark does not mean evil in pokemon. It means deceptive.

In fact, dark type pokemon mostly use physical-attacking moves, and in generation iv, most of them are based on attack power. Dark does not stand for evil or literal darkness for the most part; instead it has to do with a fighting style that relies almost exclusively on deception. This is exactly the reason why dark type moves are strong against psychic type pokemon. Because dark type pokemon and their moves are deceptive, psychic types cannot read what their next action will be. Thus, dark type moves are able to land super-effective hits on psychic pokemon because psychic pokemon do not see those attacks coming. Dark type pokemon are able to clear their mind and resist psychic power, remaining unpredictable. They will resort to any tactic in order to win, whether it's having lots of pokemon join in an attack (beat up), biting an enemy (bite/crunch), or dealing a cheap blow (sucker punch).

However, deceptive fighting moves are weak against actual pokemon trained in the martial arts. These pokemon can easily counter deception. Hence, fighting type moves are powerful against dark.

I have no idea why bug moves are strong against dark. It's just kinda random. >.> Ghost moves though are very similar to dark in that many rely on deception, in particular attacking from the shadows, which is probably why dark types resist both other dark type moves and ghost moves.

Dark" to me suggests a few things. 1: sneaky, unfair tactics (looking at darktype moves suggests this

Yeah, that's more or less what I mean. You convey it much better and in briefer terms though.

 

[~Shimmer Shock~]

I mean, really. Dark types simply cannot be evil.

I mean, it seemed to be canon that there is no such thing as an evil pokemon (It was mentioned countless times in the Anime that there isn't an evil pokemon. And I THINK that it was mentioned in the games as well, or at the very least implied.). If there were evil pokemon, then Ekans and Koffing lied to Meowth in regards to their being no evil pokemon. Plus, many of the "Dark" types were portrayed to be somewhat misunderstood and all that.

For those of you who will try to counter me, I just want to give counterevidence to your counterexamples.

One. Meowth. Ok, yes, he may have tried to refute their beliefs in regards to their being no evil pokemon by saying he himself is evil, but I think that deep down he wasn't evil (Heck, his reaction to not being followed didn't seem close to evil, since if he really felt he was evil, he would have tortured Ekans and Koffing to follow him even though they won't obey anyone but their masters, especially not a pokemon of their level.), Plus, he seemed genuinely horrified whenever several pokemon are being harmed (for instance, when Giovanni was going to torture the cloned pokemon, as well as Ash and Co., and especially Mewtwo in "Mewtwo Returns", he could have easily not given a care about it. But Meowth was genuinely horrified by his Boss's actions, even going AS FAR as to go against his boss and trying to save Mewtwo, and all the other Pokemon.)

Two. the snack thief Teddiursa. Look, it may have stolen food, but it most likely needed it to survive (heck, it could have been smiling because it finally has something to eat.), also, about the placing the blame on some other pokemon, how is that any different compared to how Pikachu allowed Porygon to become the scapegoat of the little stint that Pika was responsible for? should we label it as an "evil" Pokemon as well?

Three. the Ancient Mew card. Look, the card shouldn't really count since the only "hint" it gave to it being "evil" was the way the question was worded. If we reworded it, it most likely won't have been labeled as evil.

Four. Spiritomb. Look, it was angered that it was sealed away, and most likely never knew how to control it's power. Plus, many pokemon have attacked civilizations and were still labeled as a non-evil pokemon. Take Rayquaza, for example. I mean, it DID attack LaRousse city (I know it was trying to defeat Deoxys because it percieved it as a threat, but it's actions placed innocent bystandards in grave danger.), and yet I don't recall anyone labeling it as an evil pokemon. Heck, MOST of the Legendaries have harmed society as a whole, should we label ALL of them as being evil as well?

Anyways, that's all for now.

OMG! somebody shares my veiws


personally i like dark pokemon and can say that they are NOT evil!
they have good hearts just like any other pokemon

ps ghost types are not evil either

 

[$aturn¥oshi]

Simply being a Dark-type doesn't make them evil by nature, however, I do believe that some of the more powerful Pokémon have a general disregard for the lives of those they deem lesser than they are, like humans and weaker Pokémon. Rayquaza for one, is charged with protecting the planet from outside forces. It'll do whatever to get rid of the problem and not let anything or anyone stand in its way. This was made clear in the Deoxys movie and in Smash Bros. Brawl. In Smash Bros. it perceived Fox's Arwing as a threat and attacked it. Diddy Kong just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and was attacked as well. Had Fox not interviened, Diddy would surely have been a goner. And for what?

That seems evil to me. And Rayquaza isn't even a Dark-type.

 

[Nekusagi]

Ummm... SaturnYoshi, Rayquaza was acting on instinct, and I honestly don't think Super Smash Bros Brawl counts as Pokemon canon.

I think what's needed is a look at the concepts of "dark" and "light" in Eastern belief rather than Western belief.

Western belief's primary influence is Christianity, and as a result, "dark" can be easily interpreted as "evil" (for example, when the Team Rocket TCG sets were released, the "evil" evolutions were called "Dark [Pokemon]").
However, EASTERN belief (IE, where Pokemon COMES FROM) views "dark" and "light" as complementary (you can't have light without shadows, etc- Taoism is an example of this belief) and therefore, there is no such connotation of "evil" and "good" with "dark" and "light" (and if I recall, the Japanese Team Rocket sets referred to the "evil" evolutions as "Bad [Pokemon]" rather than "Dark"). Another, non-Pokemon example of this would be Yu Gi Oh- Yugi's grown up form is called Yami (Dark) Yugi, yet there's no mistaking him as evil (Season 0's sadism was more vigilantism- in fairness, those WERE bullies and other assorted lowlifes). The "Dark" prefix in his name just implies a more mysterious, serious side to that form as opposed to sunny, idealistic Yugi. Similarly, since the movie's opening today, Batman is known as The Dark Knight. I don't think you're going to find ANYONE disputing Batman is on the side of truth, justice, and the American way.

I think what it comes down to is, it's ridiculous for ANYONE to think that because a Pokemon's type is "dark" it's supposed to be assumed to be evil.

 

[Amewsment]

Neku wins the thread

I completely agree with what Neku stated, looking at it from a Western perspective simply distorts the intents of the creators. They hail from Asia and thus their interpretation or view on the concepts of dark and light in fantasy or mythology will automatically vary greatly from ours. It's ying and yang by another name and as Neku correctly pointed out it's simply opposites like white and black or night and day with no moralistic interpretation.

The only possible argument for it is that it is called the "Evil type" in Japanese as has already been pointed out and the fact that the moves could be considered unfair or sneaky and they do involve stealing or deception. The issue is not black and white, but far more grey. The moves they use could be considered evil, unfair or bad but not the creatures themselves. They could use these "bad" moves for good, along the lines of the end justifies the means. Type of moves used =/= the pokémon's nature.

As I stated before dark types are not inherently evil because they are dark types and many show positive qualities. The moves could be labeled evil, bad or unfair. However this does not automatically pertain to the pokémon using them. There can be good pokémon using "evil" moves and "bad" pokémon using what can be considered as "good" moves.

I don't see how this anomaly validated the creation and continuation of a whole thread, but meh it's weedle so anything goes.