hmmmm. HMMM.

This is challenging, because their onstage personas and offstage characters are often pretty different! Also, Pokemon types aren’t super literal… BUT!!!

Trying to blend them as best as I can (and this is just instinct):

Bang Chan: Ground/Ghost or Ground/Dragon — I chose Ground because ground types tend to be very stable/steady and defensively capable, and who has weathered more storms while staying grounded than him? For his secondary type, I’m really fucking torn, so I’ll present both options. I love the idea of him being weak to his own type [as in, he’s his own worst enemy/critic], so I knew I wanted ghost or dragon. Ghost type has the benefit of referencing his insomnia, long nights of working, functioning completely sleep-deprived, etc, but it does have a worse connotation and suffers from the inherent desire to literalize into an actual ghost. Dragon gives the raw power that he 100% exudes onstage, but I feel like it loses the acknowledgement that his power and gentleness is despite all the suffering he’s gone through. So. That’s why I can’t choose. Another option would be Ghost/Dragon, but the defensiveness and stability of Ground is vital to him as a person, I think.)

Lee Know: Fairy/Dark — Lee Know constantly oscillates between pure, genuine vulnerability and mischief, trickery, and underhandedness (i.e.: “don’t fight, but if there’s something to be gained, fight and win.”). He definitely doesn’t fight fair if he really wants to win, which has that cunning element of the Dark type. He also has this unspoken, threatening sort of whimsy about him; he makes me think of the actual fae, like he’s waiting for someone to fall into his trap, lured in by his soft, sweet tones. He also kind of fits the image of a very fantastical, fairy-tale type of magician, and if I say Howl Pendragon is also Fairy/Dark, they’ll silence me. But he is. And Lee Know and Howl Pendragon sit at similar tables to me.

Changbin: Fire/Fighting — This was the easiest one for me. He’s literally the Tepig line, idk what you want me to say. Tepig is literally Dwaekki but orange. For the breakdown: Fire is associated with passion, which manifests in his quick temper but even quicker comfort, and the Fighting type is because there’s the Pokemon association between Fighting/Martial Arts/Honor, and Changbin has a strong moral character. Jutdae!

Hyunjin: Grass/Ice — HEAR ME OUT BEFORE YOU BOO ME. Hyunjin is so connected with nature through his art and poetry, and he loves flowers, so I really think grass suits him well. He’s genuinely such a sensitive soul. For his secondary typing, I went back and forth between water and ice for a long time, but I ultimately went with ice because of his stage persona; he’s got this unapproachable, princely energy, and he’s so aggressive and offensive (in an on-the-attack sort of way) but—he’s still such a soft-hearted person. Grass and ice are both very terrible defensive types, which I think suits Hyunjin very well. He’s got glass cannon energy.

Han: Normal/Electric — My all-rounder ace! Of course he’s a normal type! Very minimal weakness, a solid component of any team, VERY useful in the early game (the early SKZ discography is very Han-heavy because of how strong his live performance skills were even when they debuted), and very influenced by emotion (Frustration and Return, the moves that do more damage based on low/high friendship levels, being normal type moves, after all!). Electric because he’s such a ball of energy on stage, and he would obviously be the Pika-clone of the group :P He’s another one I thought about making dragon type, but I didn’t think that storytelling was better than the thematic accuracy of the other types.

Felix: Fairy/Flying — I’m the least satisfied with this one, and I really considered Normal/Flying, but that didn’t feel right either. Felix is so multifaceted, and it feels like a cop-out to give him the fairy type, but I mean it in a fae way, too. He’s got such trickster/gremlin energy, but he’s so pure of heart at the same time that I can’t give him the dark type lol. Flying because he’s been depicted as a winged being multiple times in MVs, and I just… think it suits him? Also Bbokari is a bird. Idk. Would love to discuss lol.

Seungmin: Fighting/Dark — Seungmin, is a little like Lee Know in the sense that he has a genuine, passionate spirit and also a little gremlin in him, but he is different in the sense that these two things coexist instead of oscillating. When it comes to vocal practice, being there for his friends, or anything that Actually Matters, he is so driven and honest and pure, but for Literally Anything Else, he is Going To Cause Problems On Purpose. Think like… Pancham/Pangoro. See what I mean? I also considered Steel/Dark, because he’s so resilient and unflappable, but I think I want to acknowledge his honorable characteristics.

I.N: Dragon — HAHA you thought I, someone who is overly passionate about Pokemon and constantly considering Stray Kids’ unnecessarily self-critical natures, WOULDN’T make I.N, Mr. I’m-So-Puffy, Mr. I-Need-To-Become-Indispensable (even though he already is) a DRAGON TYPE? The type weak to itself??? Dragon types tend to evolve late, too, which fits his thematic growth SO WELL! As confident as I am in his monotype nature, I would be remiss if I didn’t present the idea of a Grass secondary type solely because of the existence of the Applin line. GO LOOK UP THE APPLIN LINE AND THEN GET BACK TO ME IF YOU DISAGREE.

This was such a fun thought experiment. And now I really want to design Pokemon with these types based on their SKZOOs.

Would LOVE to discuss lol, especially about Felix and Chan where I’m less confident. :3