Once Upon a Special

In the main series of Pokémon games, there is a fascinating history about characteristics that in modern Pokémon parlance is pitted in contrast against characteristics that are considered as "physical". That would be the "special" characteristic, specifically regarding Pokémon stats and moves. Both of these have underwent changes since their initial implementation to become more complex, thereby becoming a challenge for Trainers in these games. It also becomes neat to detail how those changes had progressed.

Initially, there was only a single Special stat as introduced in the first-generation games. This stat had particular relationships to moves that are considered "special" - more on these shortly. It was in the second generation games that the stat was split in a more definitive manner as the Special Attack and Special Defense stats. Obviously, with the differentiation of the stat into two new ones, this became another crucial point in selecting and shaping Pokémon to fit the needs of good teams, as the two new stats now determined the strength and resistance of moves of the "special" characteristic.

And for those moves, initially, the moves that are considered "special" were determined by type, one of the 15-17 at that time. This persisted for three generations until the fourth generation, when moves were assigned labels of "physical", "special", and "neutral" according to what they do and what stats factor into what they do. With the distinction being no longer type-based, the moves now allow certain Pokémon to take advantage of their strengths rather than be held back by the limitations of the types, though it goes without saying that the situation results in greater complexity as well.

Today, in the parlance and discourse of the main series games and thereby competitive VGC play, "physical" versus "special" continue to be specific considerations in teambuilding at various levels, especially given the modern dynamics as above. Yet even before then, the initial considerations still had set in motion the dynamics that pertain to the "special" characteristic of different Pokémon. It remains fascinating to look back over those archaic dynamics, perhaps if only to appreciate the modern ones.

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Two years ago: Cosplay: Bunkasai 2019 -Tanabata Matsuri-, Day 2

Three years ago: Cosplay Team Projects

Four years ago: The "Me Thing" vs. the "We Thing"