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A Pokémon can learn Bite even if they aren't Dark type.
I understand that moves that have names that fit the "role" of that Pokémon make sense, like it makes sense for an animal Pokémon to know Bite even it's not Dark.
Does this ever get addressed in any way in the games, shows, or comics?
Pokémon learning moves outside of their type could be related to the Pokémon's design rather than their type.
Keep in mind, Bite wasn't always a Dark type. In the first generation Bite was a Normal-type and didn't become Dark in Gen-II+. (Which in the remakes of Red/Green it made my strategy of buying the Magikarp not crazy as Gyrados curb-stomped Misty's at level 20!). Any Pokémon can learn normal type moves, provided they have the proper appendages (Geodude can't learn Megakick, and so on...)
Often, Pokémon would learn moves that were outside of their type because of creature design, i.e., Gyrados (Water/Flying), Rattata (Normal), and Raticate (Normal) learning Bite because of having a jaw with fangs.
Let's circle back to Gyrados. It's type is Water/Flying, and it can learn a couple of moves outside of it's type such as Bite and Dragon Rage. The reason it has these moves is because it's designed to look like a dragon, and is based off of a Japanese legend where a carp jumps up a waterfall and becomes a dragon.
Zubats are another case where design comes before type designation. It's type is Poison/Flying, but it learns moves like Supersonic (Normal), Bite (Dark), Leech Life (Bug), Astonish (Ghost), and Haze (ice). This Pokémon is based off a vampire bat, which sucks the blood out of prey (Leech Life), uses echolocation to fly around (Supersonic), and flies at night and in caves which can surprise people (Astonish).
When it comes the actual design of Pokémon, a team of designers come up with ideas/designs and they get handed to a committee, and then added to the game with to keep some balance in the roster. While I don't see the details in this article on Gamasutra with Hironobu Yoshida, from the way he describes the process it goes
So all in all, it's not really explained in universe why a Pokémon learns a move outside of it's type. It's all a mix of game design/mechanic. Also I'm using the games as the primary canon as they came first, and are the driving force in any new canon in the other media (with yellow being the only exception)
In Episode 287 of the anime, All Things Bright and Beautifly, one of the major plot points is Ash getting his Pikachu to learn the Steel-type move Iron Tail.
In the transcript of the episode, we see all of the following addressed:
This is an example of the anime directly referencing the ability of a Pokemon to learn moves explicitly outside of its typing... although in this episode, it is never explicitly stated that Iron Tail is a Steel-type move...
Relevant snippets from the episode transcript:
Chaz: Now, we're going to teach Pikachu the Iron Tail attack.
Ash: Iron Tail attack?
Pikachu: Pika? ("Iron Tail?")
Chaz: Let's start with a demo. Sentret, use Iron Tail on this rock.
(Sentret does so, destroying the rock)
Ash: No way!
(The rubble lands at Ash's, Ben's and Chaz's feet)
Ash: Awesome!
Pikachu: Pika! ("I'll say.")
Chaz: So you see how effective this kind of attack can be against a Rock Pokemon? But a Pokemon with a fully developed tail can learn this technique.
Ash: Right!
Pikachu: Pika Pika! ("Understood, Chaz!")
(Pikachu soon starts giving his tail a workout by lifting a rock tied to it while Ash does pushups)
Ash: Come on, Pikachu. You gotta build some strength in your tail if we're gonna have a chance of winning.
Ash: Iron Tail! We've gotta get you to learn Iron Tail! Come on!
...
Ash: Let's do it, Pikachu! Iron Tail! (throws a bunch of balls at Pikachu) (Pikachu smacks each ball with his tail, then Taillow smacks his head against a tree to make some berries fall for Pikachu to swat with his tail and finally Treecko spits his twig at Pikachu, only for Pikachu to swat it away, too. After swatting away the twig, Pikachu's tail starts to glow, shocking Ash)
Pikachu: Pika? ("What's this?")
(As Pikachu speaks, the glow fades)
U see, water types can easily learn ice type moves because ice is frozen water and vice versa.
Similarly, steel , rock type can learn ground type because they are mined out of ground.
Dark and ghost types need more concentration power to control and create more havoc , so psychic type moves comes in handy
Most plants are poisonous, grass types easily learn poison moves and plants are most normal things in nature. So normal type moves. In fact they can/ should easily learn ground type moves too.
Psychic types use lots of electrical signals in their brain, so they can learn electric type.
Poison types can learn electric attack, because moving chemicals cause electricity
Electricity can produce heat so it can learn fire type move.
Bug type and fairy types can learn psychic type because they kind of charm people in different way. Example butterfly
Dragons are reptiles right? Cold blooded which can breath fire and ferocious flying creatures. So, it can learn fire, ice, flying, fighting, normal easily.
This is just for single type Pokémon. In dual type for instance, gastrodon, it can learn both ice and rock type moves.
