Bug Type Guide: Strengths & Counters

Explore the Bug type: learn its strengths, weaknesses, resistances, immunities and practical tips for VGC and Showdown ladder play.

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Offense rank

#15 · Bad

Defense rank

#14 · Bad

Offensive power

97%

Defensive strength

92%

What Is Bug Strong Against? Offensive Matchups

Strong against

GrassPsychicDark

Not very effective against

FireFightingPoisonFlyingGhostSteelFairy

Has no effect

None

Swarms strip Grass, unsettle Psychic calm, and bite into Dark deceit, but they burn, get swatted, succumb to toxins, miss flying prey, faze no ghosts, dent no steel, and dazzle no fairies.

Super-Effective

  • Grass

    Caterpillars chew leaves efficiently.

  • Psychic

    Creepy-crawlies interrupt focus.

  • Dark

    Night-dwelling bugs hunt shadows.

Not Very Effective

  • Fire

    Heat scorches chitin.

  • Fighting

    Punches swat tiny foes.

  • Poison

    Toxic insects struggle to poison poison-adapted foes.

  • Flying

    Prey can’t catch predators in the air.

  • Ghost

    Insects pass through apparitions.

  • Steel

    Mandibles can’t pierce iron.

  • Fairy

    Fairy auras disorient swarms and break their momentum.

What Is Bug Weak To? Defensive Matchups

Weak to

FireFlyingRock

Resists

GrassFightingGround

Immune to

None

Flames, birds, and falling rocks devastate fragile carapaces, yet insects shrug off leaves, dodge fists, and burrow beneath earthquakes.

Weak To

  • Fire

    Exoskeletons char easily.

  • Flying

    Birds snack on bugs.

  • Rock

    Boulders crush arthropods.

Resistant To

  • Grass

    Dense foliage and chitin interactions reduce incoming leaf damage.

  • Fighting

    Small size confounds punches.

  • Ground

    Burrowing avoids tremors.

Uneven Matchups

  • BugFighting0.5×
    Fighting0.5×
  • BugPoison0.5×
    Poison
  • BugGround
    Ground0.5×
  • BugPsychic
    Psychic
  • BugRock
    Rock
  • BugGhost0.5×
    Ghost
  • BugDark
    Dark
  • BugSteel0.5×
    Steel
  • BugFairy0.5×
    Fairy

Related Type Guides

Learn about types Bug is weak to:

Types that resist Bug:

Types Bug is super effective against:

Full Type Chart

Type Effectiveness Chart

Interactive Battle Type Chart

DEFENSE → across columns • ATTACK ↓ down rows

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Has no effect
0.5×
Not very effective
Normal effectiveness
Super effective
Normal type icon
Fire type icon
Water type icon
Electric type icon
Grass type icon
Ice type icon
Fighting type icon
Poison type icon
Ground type icon
Flying type icon
Psychic type icon
Bug type icon
Rock type icon
Ghost type icon
Dragon type icon
Dark type icon
Steel type icon
Fairy type icon
Normal type icon
Fire type icon
Water type icon
Electric type icon
Grass type icon
Ice type icon
Fighting type icon
Poison type icon
Ground type icon
Flying type icon
Psychic type icon
Bug type icon
Rock type icon
Ghost type icon
Dragon type icon
Dark type icon
Steel type icon
Fairy type icon

Matchup Details

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• Chart based on rules effective since 2013

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