Fighting-type Pokémon: Key Strengths and Weaknesses Explained

Fighting-type Pokémon are known for their formidable combat abilities, often leading to swift victories against their opponents. Fortunately, there are strategic methods to exploit these Pokémon’s weaknesses, enabling you to use countering types effectively in battles.

It’s common to experience being overpowered by the brawny Fighting-type Pokémon. These species have dominated the battlefield since Generation 1, and they continue to pose a significant challenge.

In this guide, we will dive into the weaknesses of Fighting-type Pokémon, along with their resistances, so you can determine the best Pokémon and moves to deploy against them during encounters.

What Are Fighting-type Weaknesses?

Fighting-type Pokémon exhibit vulnerabilities to three key types of moves and other Pokémon classifications:

Fairy
Flying
Psychic

When aiming to defeat a Fighting-type Pokémon, select characters that fall into these categories and concentrate on utilizing moves associated with them. Remember to pay attention to any secondary typings your opponent may have, as this can influence your battle strategy.

Fighting type Pokémon Hitmonlee — Game Freak / Nintendo

Strengths of Fighting-type Pokémon

Fighting-type Pokémon show notable resistance against moves from Rock, Bug, and Dark-type Pokémon. However, they do not possess any form of immunity.

If you introduce a Fighting-type Pokémon into your squad, ensure you take advantage of their super-effective attacks against Normal, Ice, Rock, Dark, and Steel Pokémon.

Weaknesses of Fighting-type Pokémon

These Pokémon are particularly vulnerable to Flying, Psychic, and Fairy moves, so when battling against them, include Pokémon that utilize these types to boost your chances of victory.

However, if you choose to employ a Fighting-type Pokémon, avoid facing off against Poison, Flying, Psychic, Bug, or Fairy Pokémon, as their attack capabilities will be significantly reduced. Moreover, Fighting-type moves will have no effect against Ghost-type opponents.

Effective Types Against Fighting Pokémon

When confronting a Fighting-type, utilizing pure Fairy, Psychic, or Flying Pokémon makes for excellent counters. It’s advantageous to opt for dual-type Pokémon from these categories.

Among the top Pokémon ideal for countering Fighting-types are:

Galarian Articuno (Psychic/Flying)
Lugia (Psychic/Flying)
Togekiss (Fairy/Flying)
Gardevoir (Psychic/Fairy)
Tapu Lele (Psychic/Fairy)

Bear in mind that opponents can also possess dual types. For instance, the Legendary Pokémon Terrakion is a combination of Fighting and Rock types, so be sure to exploit any secondary weaknesses they may have.

Galarian Articuno in Pokémon Sword & Shield DLC. — Dexerto

Powerful Moves to Use Against Fighting Pokémon

There is a myriad of potent moves from Fairy, Flying, and Psychic types that players can wield against Fighting-type Pokémon. We’ve curated a list of highly effective moves based on their power and impact:

Moonblast (Fairy)
Play Rough (Fairy)
Dazzling Gleam (Fairy)
Sky Attack (Flying)
Hurricane (Flying)
Aeroblast (Flying)
Fly (Flying)
Psystrike (Psychic)
Dream Eater (Psychic)
Mist Ball (Psychic)

Moonblast and Play Rough are comparable in power (95 and 90, respectively). Moonblast, being a special move, has the potential to reduce the target’s Special Attack, while Play Rough, as a physical strike, can diminish the opponent’s Attack.

Sky Attack stands out as the most formidable Flying-type move, featuring a high critical hit rate, although it requires a turn to charge before dealing damage. Both Hurricane and Aeroblast are strong choices, but Fly remains a fan favorite thanks to its 95 power and nearly flawless accuracy, enabling the user to dodge incoming attacks by flying up before striking.

Psystrike is frequently favored in Psychic moves due to its perfect accuracy and 100 power, as it inflicts damage based on the Defense stat of the opponent. Mist Ball is a robust special move, offering a 50% chance to lower the target’s Special Attack.

Optimal Tera Types

The introduction of Tera Types in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet has altered battle dynamics, making these options worth considering for enhancing your Fighting-type Pokémon:

Fighting: Amplifies the strength of Fighting-type moves alongside STAB boosts
Ground: Neutralizes the weakness to Flying-type moves
Flying: Removes vulnerability to Flying attacks and bolsters defense against Fairy and Psychic moves

Pokemon anime Conkeldurr — The Pokémon Company

Top Fighting-type Moves

With 56 Fighting-type moves available, we’ve highlighted the most potent special, physical, and status attacks that can be wielded in combat:

MOVE	CATEGORY	POWER	ACCURACY	PP	EFFECT	GEN
Focus Blast	Special	120	70%	5	May reduce the opponent’s Special Defense	Gen IV
Secret Sword	Special	85	100%	10	Deals damage based on the opponent’s Defense	Gen V
Aura Sphere	Special	80	∞	20	Bypasses Accuracy and Evasiveness	Gen IV
Meteor Assault	Physical	150	100%	5	User must recharge in the next turn	Gen VIII
Focus Punch	Physical	150	100%	20	If struck before attacking, the user flinches	Gen III
Close Combat	Physical	120	100%	5	Lowers the user’s Defense and Special Defense	Gen IV
Dynamic Punch	Physical	100	50%	5	Confuses the target	Gen II
Cross Chop	Physical	100	80%	5	High chance for critical hits	Gen II
Counter	Physical	X	100%	20	When hit by a physical attack, the user retaliates with twice the power	Gen I
Bulk Up	Status	X	X	20	Increases the user’s Attack and Defense	Gen III