Type-Matchup Association Thread

[GiratinasEmbodiment]

Not gone yet, don't know how much longer I'll be around, might as well have a little more fun before I go.

The type-matchup chart is one of the most crucial parts of the Pokémon franchise. And for some matchups, the association is obvious. Fire-type moves are super-effective against Grass-type Pokémon because most plants are flammable; Grass-type moves are super-effective against Water-type Pokémon because plants often flourish when provided with water; Water-type moves are super-effective against Fire-type Pokémon because most flames are quickly extinguished on being doused with non-flammable liquid.

But some matchups are less obvious - and that is why I would like to hold this thread. If you understand the logic for a type matchup that you feel is non-obvious, I would like to see it shared here. If you see a type matchup whose logic escapes you, I would like you to express it here, and hopefully someone else will be able to answer your question.

And if you take issue with a type matchup and want it changed, I would like you to go elsewhere. This is not a place to complain about how you are dissatisfied with the world of Pokémon; it is a place to theorize in regards to the motivations behind it.

To open up the thread, I would like to share a few motivations that are not mine, but that I largely agree with.

Awkward Zombie - Pokemnemonic

Gags and goofs about videogames and the things that happen in them.

www.awkwardzombie.com

And going onto the "if you do not understand, someone else might" element of this thread; Tiedrich mentions in the description of that comic a personal lack of understanding on her part regarding "Bug moves > Dark Pokémon". To which I would like to propose an observation of the motivations behind each type.
There are four general elements that inspire the Dark type: darkness itself (as seen in moves such as Dark Void and Pokémon such as Darkrai), unpleasant thoughts, emotions, and/or appearances (as seen in moves such as Dark Pulse and Pokémon such as Houndoom), ill intent (as seen in moves such as Nasty Plot and Pokémon such as Grimmsnarl), and underhanded tactics (as seen in moves such as Beat Up and Pokémon such as Zoroark).
Bug-type Pokémon, meanwhile, are... well, inspired by insects and other creepy-crawlies. Such creatures thrive in darkness (being harder to locate and thus eradicate when there is less light to see them by), and underhanded tactics are often unsuccessful against them (or so my efforts to prevent summertime invasions in my previous residence have convinced me). And everyone who has ever had to deal with an unwelcome insect has been cursed with unpleasant emotions (namely rage and/or despair), which unfortunately do little to mitigate the invaders' presence.

 

[GiratinasEmbodiment]

Some other associations regarding type matchups that I have heard others' confusion over.

Fighting moves > Normal Pokémon: the Normal type is largely rooted in mundanity, whereas the Fighting type is based in martial arts, which require skill. Put your average Joe - even a really beefy Joe - in a fight with a martial artist, and nine times out of ten, the martial artist will come out victorious, just because skill means that much in a fight.

Dragon moves < Steel Pokémon: setting aside the fact that Steel seems to be specifically designed as the most defensive type in the world, the classical fantasy is "evil dragon struck down by a knight in shining armour". (I'm tempted to blame anyone's failure to understand this association on the increasingly fewer heroes in modern fantasy who are heavily-armoured.)

Fairy moves < Fire Pokémon - but Fire moves = Fairy Pokémon: the Fairy type is largely rooted in fairy tales - and in many fairy tales and myths, fire is often associated with an obstacle standing between the hero and their success. But at the same time, it is no respectable fairy tale that doesn't end with their obstacles being overcome, and so the fire is but a temporary setback, not an insurmountable adversity. In the same vein, stick with nothing but STAB, and your Fairy-type will often suffer against an enemy Fire-type - but diversify your moveset, and you can overcome.

Normal moves |< Ghost Pokémon AND Ghost moves |< Normal Pokémon: an ordinary person can do nothing against a spectral threat, but at the same time, we've yet to see evidence that a spectral threat can do anything to an ordinary person with no otherworldly sensitivity.