The new Fairy-type element in Pokémon X and Pokémon Y was added for the exact reason that players assume—to be able to counter Dragon-types, which were starting to feel overpowered in the game. In a video edition of “Iwata Asks,” director Junichi Masuda touches upon the addition of Fairy-type Pokémon to the new games.

“The Dragon type was so strong. It was difficult no matter how we tinkered with it,” Masuda replies, when asked why the decision was made to add a new element type to the game after all these years. “It wouldn’t change. And it would have been sad to make the Dragon type weaker.”

“So we thought maybe we should increase the number of types. But we hadn’t really put in a new type since Dark and Steel in Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver, so I think everyone thought we never would.”

Masuda adds that the overall element-type balance for Pokémon had to be remade from scratch due to the introduction of the Fairy-type, but feels it was worth it.

You can watch this portion of the Iwata Asks interview above. (Turn captions on for English subtitles.) It’s part 3 of a four-part series, and you can view part 1 here, part 2 here and part 4 here.