Classical elements in popular culture
Encyclopedia
Classical elements have been frequently used in pop culture in genres such as fantasy
, literature
, film
, humor, television
, video games, comic book
s, toy
s and even music
. Typically a character or characters are linked to one or more of the four classical elements (fire, air, water and earth) common to most ancient philosophies
(particularly the Greek, Hindu
, Buddhist
and Japanese
traditions), either through special powers granted, ability to mimic the element, or other means. In some cases a fifth element is included, such as aether (also known as quintessence), void, or flora—or, as was the case in the movie The Fifth Element
, something else altogether.
s from different parts of the world about the four basic elements without which life would not be possible." According to Publishers Weekly
, in Earth, Fire, Water, Air, Mary Hoffman
and Jane Ray
collect "snippets of factual information, myths, stories, poems and musings in this fascinating volume about the four classic elements."
The reception of the classical elements by scholars and mainstream critics varies considerably, largely depending on the medium and/or use of the classical elements. For example, the classical elements have served as significant plot element
s in the various Mortal Kombat fictional universes. Blaze, a fire elemental, appears in multiple Mortal Kombat games, including as the end boss in the most recent game
. The film Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
features Elder Gods based on the four elements, which are mentioned chastisingly in Christian reviews.
AdventureQuest
In Adventurequest there are 8 elements which are Fire, Wind, Earth, Ice, Water, Energy, Light, and Darkness which are stated to be in a
constant struggle and each ruled by a "elemental lord" with each element being able to do differing amounts of damage to a character or
monster. A base guide to this would be that a being made from ice would be in most cases weak to fire.
Angels and Demons
In Dan Brown's thriller novel "Angels and Demons," the antagonist kidnaps four cardinals on the night of conclave and brands them with the ambigrammatic words "Earth," "Air," "Fire," and "Water." He then kills each cardinal using a method based on their respective elements; Cardinal Ebner, who was branded with the word "Earth," suffocates by having dirt shoved down his throat. Cardinal Lamasse (Air) dies from having both of his lungs punctured. Cardinal Guidera (Fire) is burned alive, and Cardinal Baggia (Water) drowns in the Fountain of the Four Rivers. Then, the Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca is branded with the Illuminati Diamond--a diamond shape made of the words for the aforementioned elements (also ambigrammatic). It is later revealed that he had done this to himself.
These brandings and murders also appear in the movie version of "Angels and Demons," except Cardinal Baggia does not die; he is instead rescued from drowning and in the end becomes the new Pope. Also, the fifth brand in the film is not the elemental Illuminati Diamond, but rather the papal symbol of two crossed keys.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
In the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, there are four mystical martial arts which allows the control and manipulation of the four elements through real-life martial arts tradition: Airbending, Earthbending, Firebending, and Waterbending. These are more based on the elemental structure of the Western and/or the Japanese elements, without a style based around Aether/Void. However, there is some overlap of elements as Ice, Lightning and Metal are all sub-aspect of the other four main elements.
Airbending is a martial arts based magic which controls and manipulates the element of Air. It is primarily based around the real martial arts of Bagua Zhang. Airbending focuses on evading and avoiding attacks.
Earthbending is a martial arts based magic which controls and manipulates the element of Earth. It is primarily based around the real martial arts of Hung Ga, however there are exceptions like Toph who uses the Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu. However, it is likely different due to the fact Toph has learned her Earthbending from the Badger-moles (Natural animal benders, and mentioned in the show as the first earthbenders). Unlike Airbending, Earthbending is based around withstanding attacks and holding one's ground. At least one character, Toph, can use Earthbending to control and manipulate metal by focusing on its earthen impurities.
Firebending is a martial arts based magic control and manipulation of fire, flame and heat based on Northern Shaolin
, in this case primarily the Northern Shaolin Style. A specialized form of Firebending can be used to control and manipulate lightning. This is done by dividing the yin from the yang of the electricity, like splitting positive and negative charges. The charge tries to merge together again, much like a lightning bolt moves from one charged object to another (Like a positively charged cloud to the negatively charged ground or vice-versa).
Waterbending is a martial arts based on primarily T'ai chi. Firebending opposes Waterbending, as the former prefers to attack first and hard until a weakness is found while the latter waits for the opponent to attack first and then redirects his strike. Whereas the other styles appear incapable of controlling and manipulating the phase of their element, Waterbenders can alter the phase of water, controlling and manipulating water in its solid (ice, snow, hail), liquid (pure water) and gaseous forms (mist, steam, fog,and water vapor), or even take water from the air, plants or animals. Some are even capable of controlling and manipulating others (by way of the rare ability of Bloodbending) under the light of a full moon, when Waterbenders are at their strongest and most powerful.
Beast King GoLion/Voltron
Within Beast King GoLion (and its American counterpart Voltron
), the Lions are each powered by a different element of the Wu Xing:
Bionicle
"Bionicle
", a toy line from LEGO
with a story, has as main elements, controlled by the Toa
, the main warriors and protectors of the Bionicle universe, Fire
, represented with red, Water
, represented in blue, Air represented in green, Ice
represented in white, Stone
represented in brown, tan and yellow, and Earth
represented in black.
Throughout the later story lines, more elements have been introduced, such as Sonics , iron
(meaning all metals), and more abstract elements such as Magnetism
. In the 2009 and 2010 story lines, the desert world of Bara Magna also has several tribes centered around similar elements.
, an animated series from the early 1990s, is about five teenagers, each with a magic ring that controls an element. When their powers combine, they create a superhero named Captain Planet, who uses the power of all of the elements.
Each Planeteer's personality (and, in some cases, appearance) reflects their element. The level headed, brown skinned Kwame (Earth) functions as the leader, and holds the group together. Growing up in an African village, he knows much about the land and plant life. Wheeler (Fire), who has red hair and is more temperamental and impulsive, acts as the team's fighting spirit. Linka (Wind) has a passion for bird life, while Gi (Water) is a student of marine biology and has skills in water sports. The fifth element is named as "Heart", and Ma-Ti's ring controls it. Ma-Ti, very in tune with wildlife, becomes empathic with both animals and people, and can communicate telepathically with his teammates. Whereas the other Planeteers give Captain Planet his powers, Ma-Ti's ring creates his persona.
Castle Crashers
Castle Crashers
is a video game on the Xbox 360
about knights and princesses. The four main characters each represent and use different elements.
The Red Knight represents Lightning.
The Blue Knight represents Ice.
The Green Knight represents Poison.
The Orange Knight represents Fire.
Challengers of the Unknown
In the comic book series Challengers of the Unknown, each of the four original members of the team represent one of the Greek elements. Ace Morgan is a pilot (air), redheaded Red Ryan is a daredevil (fire), Prof Haley is a deep-sea explorer (water), and Rocky Davis is wrestler (earth). While the symbolic relationship between the individuals and elements can be seen, it never really played a strong role in the development of the characters' personalities, which took many twists and turns unrelated to any archetypes.
Digimon
The eponymous creatures in Digimon often have attacks and characteristics that relate to an element. This theme was perhaps most emphasized in the fourth season, when the ten Legendary Warriors were based on elements of flame
, light
, ice
, wind
, thunder
, earth
, water
, steel
, wood
and darkness
.
The second and third seasons introduced the Digimon Sovereigns, which are based on the Wu Xing animals. For unknown reasons, Qinglongmon's element was water and Xuanwumon's was wood, whereas in Wu Xing tradition, the reverse is true.
Dungeons & Dragons
In the Dungeons & Dragons
family of role-playing game
s, the idea of the Greek elements are used as the symbolic building blocks of reality; the four Elemental Planes form a metaphorical ring around the "Prime Material Plane" that contains all the "everyday" game settings (Faerun
, Greyhawk
, et cetera). In all editions of the game there is the addition of a Positive (Creative/Constructive) Energy Plane "above" the Elemental and Prime planes, as well as a Negative (Destructive/Necromantic) Energy Plane "below" them. In the more complex cosmos of the 2nd Edition and beyond there are other planes where the six major elemental planes adjoin each other. The Paraelemental Planes manifested where the elemental planes overlap - Fire and Earth become Magma, Earth and Water form Ooze, Water and Air are joined as Ice, and Air and Fire unite as Smoke (the opposing pairs of Fire/Water and Earth/Air do not touch). The Quasielemental Planes were formed where the Positive or Negative Planes bordered the elemental planes; they express either the abundance or intensification of the element's nature, or its destruction or absence. The positive Quasielemental expressions of Earth, Water, Air and Fire are Minerals, Steam, Lightning and Radiance, respectively; their negative counterparts are Dust, Salt, Vacuum and Ash.
Earth, Wind & Fire
The popular R&B music
al group Earth, Wind & Fire is so named because founder Maurice White
's sign was Sagittarius
, whose primary elemental quality is Fire
(hot & dry), but whose north
and south
season
al qualities are Earth
(cold & dry), and Air
(hot & wet); (hence, the omission of water).
Fantastic Four
In the comic book series Fantastic Four, each of the four characters have powers which relate to the Greek elements. The two most obvious links are the Human Torch (whose fire control power is best expressed through the image of him as a burning man) and the Thing
(who resembles a living being of rock and stone). Mister Fantastic
, while not having water-based powers, does have a fluid form. The Invisible Woman
's powers of invisibility and force fields evoke the unseen forces of wind and air. This is especially true in Neil Gaiman's Marvel 1602
, where the Invisible Woman is both permanently invisible and weightless.
It should also be mentioned the two obvious elemental personalities (the Human Torch and the Thing) tend to have personality traits people tend to associate with their own elements. Johnny the human Torch is impulsive, quick to anger with a brash personality, contrast this to Ben the Thing who is more sullen, dependable and strong.
Perhaps the closest character to embodying Water in the Fantastic Four is their companion (and sometimes rival) Namor the Sub-Mariner
, who becomes invincible when underwater, can breathe both above and below the surface, and rules Atlantis
.
Harry Potter
In the Harry Potter
series, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where most of the books' plots are set, is divided into four houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Each of the four houses corresponds roughly to one of the classical Greek elements. Ravenclaw's high tower and representative symbol of the eagle correspond to the element of air. Hufflepuff, whose symbol is the badger, corresponds to earth, and their common room is located under the school. The fluid snake symbol of Slytherin corresponds to water, and their common room is located directly under the lake. The symbol of Gryffindor is the lion, exemplifying bravery, quick temper, and boldness, symbolized by fire.
Progression in proficiency (Basic -> Advanced -> Expert) in magic skill increases some aspect of the spells cast in the corresponding school of magic (e.g. higher damage, increased effect, longer duration, lower mana cost etc.).
Jackie Chan Adventures
In the KidsWB series, Jackie Chan Adventures, eight of Jackie's enemies foes were Chinese demons who derived their powers from eight forces of nature: Wind, Water, Moon, Earth, Thunder, Mountain, Sky, and Fire.
Naruto
In the manga and anime
series Naruto, ninja
s use the power of Chakra (mixing of mental energy and physical energy to create a supernatural force such as mana, chakra, or chi) to perform jutsu
(ninja techniques which allow the use of superpowers or martial arts). As depicted in the series, Chakra has elemental aspects, with the elements' comparative strengths resembling the creative/destructive cycle of the Chinese elements. The cycle goes from Wind to Lightning to Earth to Water to Fire before returning to Wind again, which each element stronger than the one after it.
In the world of Naruto, there are certain people who can mix elemental aspect into new elemental jutsu. So far, expressions of this shown are ice, wood, lava, storm, boil, dust, heat, explosion and magnetism. The ice mixes water and wind, wood mixes water and earth, lava mixes earth and fire, storm mixes water and lightning, boil mixes fire and water, dust mixes earth, wind and fire. There are also elements unique to the anime and movie medium, among them crystal, darkness, steel and swift. This is similar to the building block idea of Dungeons and Dragons, which also links with ideas of primitive man that all things are made up of classical element.
Within the series, some countries are named after the elements (like the "Land of Fire" where Naruto lives). There are also five strong and powerful ninja villages who exhibit dominance over the smaller villages, each of which is based on the five elements above. Each holds a leader ninja who is the only one to take the name of shadow (Kage).
Ronin Warriors
In the anime
series Ronin Warriors, all of the heroes and villains are representative of different concepts of virtue as well as the classical elements (in the case of the series' heroes) or seasons (in the case of the villains).
Sailor Moon
Most of the Sailor Senshi
characters in the Sailor Moon anime
metaseries have elemental powers, some being inspired by Chinese elements (the Wu Xing) and some by Roman mythology
. These are derived from the Japanese names given to their planets; even in civilian form, each heroine has a surname which reflects her planet and her powers.
Four of the Sailor Senshi (Mercury
, Mars, Jupiter
, and Venus) have elemental powers based directly on their planets: Mercury for water, Mars for fire, Jupiter for lightning, thunder, and plants , and Venus for metal and light. They also take inspiration from Greek mythology
, especially Jupiter
(lightning) and Venus
(love). The other set of four (Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn) also have powers based on their planet names, but since the first three were not known from antiquity, their names derive from the Western names and therefore from Roman myth (resulting in "sky king," "sea king," and "dark king" respectively). Sailor Uranus uses the forces of air and wind, Sailor Neptune uses the forces of the ocean, and Sailor Pluto is the Guardian of Space-Time and the Underworld
. Sailor Saturn's element is given as earth, which corresponds to mythological harvest
symbolism and to her powers over destruction and death. The main character, Sailor Moon, along with the younger Sailor Chibi Moon, use elemental powers of pure light.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Thine Own Self", Data
is stranded on a pre-industrial planet where the inhabitants are still taught that the elements consist of sky, fire, rock, water, and lightning.
Super Sentai
Several teams of Super Sentai and Power Rangers have used the classical elements thematically, with each Ranger having powers related to one element.
Normally, the Red Ranger represents fire, and the Blue Ranger water. For example, the Red Turbo Ranger and the Red Lightspeed Ranger have had Zords based on fire trucks, while the Blue Aquitian Ranger
had a water-based attack. Gosei Sentai Dairanger
drew heavily from Chinese mythology, and five of the Mythical Qi Beasts correspond to the Wu Xing. In Seijuu Sentai Gingaman
and Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, the five Rangers represented fire (Red), water (Blue), wind (Green), lightning (Yellow) and flora (Pink), with earth (the Black Knight/the Magna Defender) added later.
The elements in Ninpuu Sentai Hurricanger
are air (Red), earth (Yellow), water (Blue), shadow (Kabuto) and forest (Kuwaga). The last two became the Thunder Rangers in Power Rangers Ninja Storm, sharing the element thunder, and the Green Ranger was given an element of his own (forest). The elemental theme was here used more extensively than in previous series, and the Rangers’ attacks and fighting styles often reflect it. In Mahou Sentai Magiranger
and Power Rangers Mystic Force, MagiRed (the Red Ranger) and Wolzard (the Wolf Warrior) share the element fire. The other Rangers have powers based on thunder (Yellow), water (Blue), air (Pink), earth (Green), ice (White), and light/the sun (MagiShine/the Solaris Knight).
The use of elements is not restricted to the protagonists. In Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGo-V
, the demons Zylpheeza, Drop, Cobolda and Venus (Diabolico, Impus, Loki and Vypra in Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue) each represent one of the four elements. In both versions, all monsters are affiliated with one of them, and relate to the same element.
W.I.T.C.H.
The Disney cartoon series "WITCH" is centered around five girls who receive magical powers in order to fight evil in fantasy worlds parallel to their own, and each power is based on an element, with the corresponding "guardian" being able to produce said element from nothing, or communicate with it. The fifth element, in this story, is the Heart of Candracar, an immensely strong and powerful magical mystical crystal amulet that grants the girls their powers, which is worn by Will, the leader of the group. In the second season it is revealed that the fifth element is actually Quintessence which is described as "the stuff or substance of life" and is Will's elemental ability. As such Quintessence manifests as whitish blue lightning that contains the incredible power/ability to literally "make things come alive."
Xiaolin Showdown
In the KidsWB series, Xiaolin Showdown, the four main characters were warriors of the four elements: Omi (water), Raimundo (wind), Kimiko (fire), Clay (earth).
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, humor, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, video games, comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s, toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
s and even music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. Typically a character or characters are linked to one or more of the four classical elements (fire, air, water and earth) common to most ancient philosophies
Ancient philosophy
This page lists some links to ancient philosophy. In Western philosophy, the spread of Christianity through the Roman Empire marked the ending of Hellenistic philosophy and ushered in the beginnings of Medieval philosophy, whereas in Eastern philosophy, the spread of Islam through the Arab Empire...
(particularly the Greek, Hindu
Tattva
Tattva is a Sanskrit word meaning 'thatness', 'principle', 'reality' or 'truth'. According to various Indian schools of philosophy, a tattva is an element or aspect of reality conceived as an aspect of deity. Although the number of tattvas varies depending on the philosophical school, together they...
, Buddhist
Mahabhuta
Mahābhūta is Sanskrit and Pāli for "great element." In Buddhism, the "four great elements" are earth, water, fire and air...
and Japanese
Five elements (Japanese philosophy)
One may encounter two kinds of five elements philosophy in Japan. One is called, in Japanese, gogyō , having its backgrounds in the Chinese five elements, and the other is called godai . Godai is usually regarded as a Buddhism term in Japan, with certain influences from Hinduism. The following...
traditions), either through special powers granted, ability to mimic the element, or other means. In some cases a fifth element is included, such as aether (also known as quintessence), void, or flora—or, as was the case in the movie The Fifth Element
The Fifth Element
The Fifth Element is a 1997 French science fiction film directed, co-written, and based on a story by Luc Besson, starring Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, and Milla Jovovich...
, something else altogether.
Receptions
The classical elements and their use in literary history have served as the subject of various published books. In The Elements: Earth Air Fire Water (How Artists See), Colleen Carroll examines "how the four elements have been depicted in works of art from different time periods and places." In Legends of Earth, Air, Fire and Water, Eric Hadley and Tessa Hadley provide a "collection of myths and legendLegend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s from different parts of the world about the four basic elements without which life would not be possible." According to Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
, in Earth, Fire, Water, Air, Mary Hoffman
Mary Hoffman
Mary Hoffman is a best-selling British author and critic, born in 1945.- Background :Mary Hoffman won a scholarship to James Allen’s Girls’ School in Dulwich, which she describes as “an exercise in punctuation in itself.” From there she went to the University of Cambridge to study English at...
and Jane Ray
Jane Ray
Jane Ray is an internationally known illustrator of children's books. She has illustrated over 30 books and has won the Smarties prize for the "Story of the Creation"....
collect "snippets of factual information, myths, stories, poems and musings in this fascinating volume about the four classic elements."
The reception of the classical elements by scholars and mainstream critics varies considerably, largely depending on the medium and/or use of the classical elements. For example, the classical elements have served as significant plot element
Plot device
A plot device is an object or character in a story whose sole purpose is to advance the plot of the story, or alternatively to overcome some difficulty in the plot....
s in the various Mortal Kombat fictional universes. Blaze, a fire elemental, appears in multiple Mortal Kombat games, including as the end boss in the most recent game
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon is the seventh game in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. The PlayStation 2 version was released in stores on October 11, 2006 while the Xbox version was released on the October 16, with a Wii version released on May 29, 2007 in North America.The game was not released...
. The film Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is a 1997 American martial arts action film that was the sequel to 1995's Mortal Kombat, and was directed by John R. Leonetti, who had served as the cinematographer for the previous film...
features Elder Gods based on the four elements, which are mentioned chastisingly in Christian reviews.
AdventureQuestAdventureQuestAdventureQuest is an online flash based single-player RPG developed by Artix Entertainment in 2002. As of June 14, 2010, aq.battleon.com, the game's hosting website, and www.battleon.com, the game's homepage, have an Alexa rating of 3,041...
In Adventurequest there are 8 elements which are Fire, Wind, Earth, Ice, Water, Energy, Light, and Darkness which are stated to be in aconstant struggle and each ruled by a "elemental lord" with each element being able to do differing amounts of damage to a character or
monster. A base guide to this would be that a being made from ice would be in most cases weak to fire.
Angels and DemonsAngels and DemonsAngels & Demons is a 2000 bestselling mystery-thriller novel written by American author Dan Brown and published by Pocket Books. The novel introduces the character Robert Langdon, who is also the protagonist of Brown's subsequent 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code, and 2009 novel, The Lost Symbol...
In Dan Brown's thriller novel "Angels and Demons," the antagonist kidnaps four cardinals on the night of conclave and brands them with the ambigrammatic words "Earth," "Air," "Fire," and "Water." He then kills each cardinal using a method based on their respective elements; Cardinal Ebner, who was branded with the word "Earth," suffocates by having dirt shoved down his throat. Cardinal Lamasse (Air) dies from having both of his lungs punctured. Cardinal Guidera (Fire) is burned alive, and Cardinal Baggia (Water) drowns in the Fountain of the Four Rivers. Then, the Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca is branded with the Illuminati Diamond--a diamond shape made of the words for the aforementioned elements (also ambigrammatic). It is later revealed that he had done this to himself.These brandings and murders also appear in the movie version of "Angels and Demons," except Cardinal Baggia does not die; he is instead rescued from drowning and in the end becomes the new Pope. Also, the fifth brand in the film is not the elemental Illuminati Diamond, but rather the papal symbol of two crossed keys.
Avatar: The Last AirbenderAvatar: The Last AirbenderAvatar: The Last Airbender is an American animated television series that aired for three seasons on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. The series was created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who served as executive producers along with Aaron Ehasz...
In the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, there are four mystical martial arts which allows the control and manipulation of the four elements through real-life martial arts tradition: Airbending, Earthbending, Firebending, and Waterbending. These are more based on the elemental structure of the Western and/or the Japanese elements, without a style based around Aether/Void. However, there is some overlap of elements as Ice, Lightning and Metal are all sub-aspect of the other four main elements.Airbending is a martial arts based magic which controls and manipulates the element of Air. It is primarily based around the real martial arts of Bagua Zhang. Airbending focuses on evading and avoiding attacks.
Earthbending is a martial arts based magic which controls and manipulates the element of Earth. It is primarily based around the real martial arts of Hung Ga, however there are exceptions like Toph who uses the Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu. However, it is likely different due to the fact Toph has learned her Earthbending from the Badger-moles (Natural animal benders, and mentioned in the show as the first earthbenders). Unlike Airbending, Earthbending is based around withstanding attacks and holding one's ground. At least one character, Toph, can use Earthbending to control and manipulate metal by focusing on its earthen impurities.
Firebending is a martial arts based magic control and manipulation of fire, flame and heat based on Northern Shaolin
Northern Shaolin (martial art)
In its broadest sense, Northern Shaolin refers to the external martial arts of Northern China referring to those styles from the Northern Shaolin Monastery in Henan...
, in this case primarily the Northern Shaolin Style. A specialized form of Firebending can be used to control and manipulate lightning. This is done by dividing the yin from the yang of the electricity, like splitting positive and negative charges. The charge tries to merge together again, much like a lightning bolt moves from one charged object to another (Like a positively charged cloud to the negatively charged ground or vice-versa).
Waterbending is a martial arts based on primarily T'ai chi. Firebending opposes Waterbending, as the former prefers to attack first and hard until a weakness is found while the latter waits for the opponent to attack first and then redirects his strike. Whereas the other styles appear incapable of controlling and manipulating the phase of their element, Waterbenders can alter the phase of water, controlling and manipulating water in its solid (ice, snow, hail), liquid (pure water) and gaseous forms (mist, steam, fog,and water vapor), or even take water from the air, plants or animals. Some are even capable of controlling and manipulating others (by way of the rare ability of Bloodbending) under the light of a full moon, when Waterbenders are at their strongest and most powerful.
Beast King GoLion/VoltronVoltronVoltron is the titular super robot of an anime series that features a team of young pilots, known as the Voltron Force. The team’s individual vehicles join together to form the giant super robot, with which they defend the galaxy from evil...
Within Beast King GoLion (and its American counterpart VoltronVoltron
Voltron is the titular super robot of an anime series that features a team of young pilots, known as the Voltron Force. The team’s individual vehicles join together to form the giant super robot, with which they defend the galaxy from evil...
), the Lions are each powered by a different element of the Wu Xing:
- the Black Lion - Metal
- the Red Lion - FireFire (Wu Xing)Fire , is the prosper of the matter, or the matter's prosperity stage. Fire is the second phase of Wu Xing.Fire is yang in character. Its motion is upward and its energy is expansive...
- the Green Lion - Wood
- the Blue Lion - WaterWater (Wu Xing)Water , is the low point of the matter, or the matter's dying or hiding stage. Water is the fifth stage of Wu Xing.Water is the most yin in character of the Five elements. Its motion is downward and inward and its energy is stillness and conserving...
- the Yellow Lion - EarthEarth (Wu Xing)Earth , is the changing point of the matter. Earth is the third one of Wu Xing.Earth is a balance of both yin and yang, the feminine and masculine together. Its motion is inward and centering, and its energy is stabilizing and conserving. It is associated with the color yellow and the planet...
.
BionicleBionicleBionicle is a line of toys by the LEGO Group marketed primarily for 5- to 16-year-olds. The line was launched on December 30, 2000 in Europe and June/July 2001 in Canada and the United States. "Bionicle" is a portmanteau constructed from the words "biological" and "chronicle"...
"BionicleBionicle
Bionicle is a line of toys by the LEGO Group marketed primarily for 5- to 16-year-olds. The line was launched on December 30, 2000 in Europe and June/July 2001 in Canada and the United States. "Bionicle" is a portmanteau constructed from the words "biological" and "chronicle"...
", a toy line from LEGO
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
with a story, has as main elements, controlled by the Toa
Toa (Bionicle)
In the fictional Bionicle universe certain Matoran are destined to become Toa: heroic warriors of great strength and power. The Toa's duty is to protect the Matoran and maintain peace in the universe. They usually work together in teams, with each member representing an element...
, the main warriors and protectors of the Bionicle universe, Fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
, represented with red, Water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, represented in blue, Air represented in green, Ice
Ice
Ice is water frozen into the solid state. Usually ice is the phase known as ice Ih, which is the most abundant of the varying solid phases on the Earth's surface. It can appear transparent or opaque bluish-white color, depending on the presence of impurities or air inclusions...
represented in white, Stone
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
represented in brown, tan and yellow, and Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
represented in black.
Throughout the later story lines, more elements have been introduced, such as Sonics , iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
(meaning all metals), and more abstract elements such as Magnetism
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
. In the 2009 and 2010 story lines, the desert world of Bara Magna also has several tribes centered around similar elements.
Captain Planet
Captain Planet and the PlaneteersCaptain Planet and the Planeteers
Captain Planet is the title character of the series. In the beginning of the series, Gaia assembles a modern-day team of "Planeteers" from several nations...
, an animated series from the early 1990s, is about five teenagers, each with a magic ring that controls an element. When their powers combine, they create a superhero named Captain Planet, who uses the power of all of the elements.
Each Planeteer's personality (and, in some cases, appearance) reflects their element. The level headed, brown skinned Kwame (Earth) functions as the leader, and holds the group together. Growing up in an African village, he knows much about the land and plant life. Wheeler (Fire), who has red hair and is more temperamental and impulsive, acts as the team's fighting spirit. Linka (Wind) has a passion for bird life, while Gi (Water) is a student of marine biology and has skills in water sports. The fifth element is named as "Heart", and Ma-Ti's ring controls it. Ma-Ti, very in tune with wildlife, becomes empathic with both animals and people, and can communicate telepathically with his teammates. Whereas the other Planeteers give Captain Planet his powers, Ma-Ti's ring creates his persona.
Castle CrashersCastle CrashersCastle Crashers is a beat 'em up console video game independently developed by The Behemoth and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It features music created by members of Newgrounds. The Xbox 360 version was released on August 27, 2008 via Xbox Live Arcade as part of the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade...
Castle CrashersCastle Crashers
Castle Crashers is a beat 'em up console video game independently developed by The Behemoth and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It features music created by members of Newgrounds. The Xbox 360 version was released on August 27, 2008 via Xbox Live Arcade as part of the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade...
is a video game on the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
about knights and princesses. The four main characters each represent and use different elements.
The Red Knight represents Lightning.
The Blue Knight represents Ice.
The Green Knight represents Poison.
The Orange Knight represents Fire.
Challengers of the UnknownChallengers of the UnknownThe Challengers of the Unknown is a group of fictional characters in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, or co-created with Dave Wood , this quartet of adventurers explored science fictional and apparent paranormal occurrences and faced fantastic menaces.Scripts for the first...
In the comic book series Challengers of the Unknown, each of the four original members of the team represent one of the Greek elements. Ace Morgan is a pilot (air), redheaded Red Ryan is a daredevil (fire), Prof Haley is a deep-sea explorer (water), and Rocky Davis is wrestler (earth). While the symbolic relationship between the individuals and elements can be seen, it never really played a strong role in the development of the characters' personalities, which took many twists and turns unrelated to any archetypes.Chaotic Reign
The Chaotic Reign series deals with not four, but eight elements, derived from classical elements and comic book powers. The elements are Psychic (Magnetism and Wood), Air (Vacuum and Weather), Water (Sea and Ice), Light (Radiation and Gravity), Sound (Vibrations and Metal), Earth (Sand and Rock), Fire (Lava and Plasma), and Dark (Shadow and Poison). The elements are compared by how compatible they are with each other (for example, the powers of Earth and Psychic blend with well each other, the former relating to soil and the latter relating to plants, which need it, but Dark and Light are opposites and cancel each other out). DigimonDigimon, short for , is a Japanese media franchise encompassing digital toys, anime, manga and video games. The franchise's eponymous creatures are monsters of various forms living in a "Digital World", a parallel universe that originated from Earth's various communication networks.-Conception and...
The eponymous creatures in Digimon often have attacks and characteristics that relate to an element. This theme was perhaps most emphasized in the fourth season, when the ten Legendary Warriors were based on elements of flameFlame
A flame is the visible , gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic reaction taking place in a thin zone...
, light
Light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
, ice
Ice
Ice is water frozen into the solid state. Usually ice is the phase known as ice Ih, which is the most abundant of the varying solid phases on the Earth's surface. It can appear transparent or opaque bluish-white color, depending on the presence of impurities or air inclusions...
, wind
Wind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
, thunder
Thunder
Thunder is the sound made by lightning. Depending on the nature of the lightning and distance of the listener, thunder can range from a sharp, loud crack to a long, low rumble . The sudden increase in pressure and temperature from lightning produces rapid expansion of the air surrounding and within...
, earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
and darkness
Darkness
Darkness, in contrast with brightness, is a relative absence of visible light. It is the appearance of black in a color space. When light is not present, rod and cone cells within the eye are not stimulated. This lack of stimulation means photoreceptor cells are unable to distinguish color...
.
The second and third seasons introduced the Digimon Sovereigns, which are based on the Wu Xing animals. For unknown reasons, Qinglongmon's element was water and Xuanwumon's was wood, whereas in Wu Xing tradition, the reverse is true.
Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & DragonsDungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
In the Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
family of role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
s, the idea of the Greek elements are used as the symbolic building blocks of reality; the four Elemental Planes form a metaphorical ring around the "Prime Material Plane" that contains all the "everyday" game settings (Faerun
Faerûn
Faerûn is a fictional subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. It is described at a relatively high level in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from Wizards of the Coast, and various locales and aspects are described in more detail by separate...
, Greyhawk
Greyhawk
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
, et cetera). In all editions of the game there is the addition of a Positive (Creative/Constructive) Energy Plane "above" the Elemental and Prime planes, as well as a Negative (Destructive/Necromantic) Energy Plane "below" them. In the more complex cosmos of the 2nd Edition and beyond there are other planes where the six major elemental planes adjoin each other. The Paraelemental Planes manifested where the elemental planes overlap - Fire and Earth become Magma, Earth and Water form Ooze, Water and Air are joined as Ice, and Air and Fire unite as Smoke (the opposing pairs of Fire/Water and Earth/Air do not touch). The Quasielemental Planes were formed where the Positive or Negative Planes bordered the elemental planes; they express either the abundance or intensification of the element's nature, or its destruction or absence. The positive Quasielemental expressions of Earth, Water, Air and Fire are Minerals, Steam, Lightning and Radiance, respectively; their negative counterparts are Dust, Salt, Vacuum and Ash.
Earth, Wind & FireEarth, Wind & FireEarth, Wind & Fire is an American soul and R&B band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Verdine and Maurice White. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. They have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of...
The popular R&B musicMusic
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
al group Earth, Wind & Fire is so named because founder Maurice White
Maurice White
Maurice White is a Grammy Award–winning American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, arranger. He is the older brother of Verdine White and Fred White and the leader and founder of the band Earth, Wind & Fire...
's sign was Sagittarius
Sagittarius (astrology)
Sagittarius is the ninth astrological sign in the Zodiac, which spans the zodiac between the 240th and 269th degree of celestial longitude...
, whose primary elemental quality is Fire
Fire (classical element)
Fire has been an important part of all cultures and religions from pre-history to modern day and was vital to the development of civilization. It has been regarded in many different contexts throughout history, but especially as a metaphysical constant of the world.-Greek and Roman tradition:Fire...
(hot & dry), but whose north
North
North is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.North is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west.By convention, the top side of a map is north....
and south
South
South is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.South is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to east and west.By convention, the bottom side of a map is south....
season
Season
A season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution...
al qualities are Earth
Earth (classical element)
Earth, home and origin of humanity, has often been worshipped in its own right with its own unique spiritual tradition.-European tradition:Earth is one of the four classical elements in ancient Greek philosophy and science. It was commonly associated with qualities of heaviness, matter and the...
(cold & dry), and Air
Air (classical element)
Air is often seen as a universal power or pure substance. Its supposed fundamental importance to life can be seen in words such as aspire, inspire, perspire and spirit, all derived from the Latin spirare.-Greek and Roman tradition:...
(hot & wet); (hence, the omission of water).
Fantastic FourFantastic FourThe Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
In the comic book series Fantastic Four, each of the four characters have powers which relate to the Greek elements. The two most obvious links are the Human Torch (whose fire control power is best expressed through the image of him as a burning man) and the ThingThing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
(who resembles a living being of rock and stone). Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....
, while not having water-based powers, does have a fluid form. The Invisible Woman
Invisible Woman
Susan "Sue" Storm Richards is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961, and was the first female superhero created by Marvel in the Silver Age of Comics...
's powers of invisibility and force fields evoke the unseen forces of wind and air. This is especially true in Neil Gaiman's Marvel 1602
Marvel 1602
Marvel 1602 is an eight-issue comic book limited series published in 2003 by Marvel Comics. The limited series was written by Neil Gaiman, penciled by Andy Kubert, and digitally painted by Richard Isanove; Scott McKowen illustrated the distinctive scratchboard covers...
, where the Invisible Woman is both permanently invisible and weightless.
It should also be mentioned the two obvious elemental personalities (the Human Torch and the Thing) tend to have personality traits people tend to associate with their own elements. Johnny the human Torch is impulsive, quick to anger with a brash personality, contrast this to Ben the Thing who is more sullen, dependable and strong.
Perhaps the closest character to embodying Water in the Fantastic Four is their companion (and sometimes rival) Namor the Sub-Mariner
Namor the Sub-Mariner
Namor the Sub-Mariner is a fictional comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe, and one of the first superheroes, debuting in Spring 1939. The character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for Funnies Inc., one of the first "packagers" in the early days of comic books that supplied...
, who becomes invincible when underwater, can breathe both above and below the surface, and rules Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
.
Harry PotterHarry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
In the Harry PotterHarry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
series, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where most of the books' plots are set, is divided into four houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Each of the four houses corresponds roughly to one of the classical Greek elements. Ravenclaw's high tower and representative symbol of the eagle correspond to the element of air. Hufflepuff, whose symbol is the badger, corresponds to earth, and their common room is located under the school. The fluid snake symbol of Slytherin corresponds to water, and their common room is located directly under the lake. The symbol of Gryffindor is the lion, exemplifying bravery, quick temper, and boldness, symbolized by fire.
Heroes of Might and Magic III
In Heroes of Might and Magic III, magic spells and skills were divided into schools of magic with each school corresponding to a classical element. Representative spells include- Implosion, Meteor Shower and Slow from the school of Earth Magic
- Armageddon, Inferno and Curse from the school of Fire Magic
- Frost Ring, Clone and Heal from the school of Water Magic
- Chain Lightning, Counter Strike and Haste from the school of Air Magic
Progression in proficiency (Basic -> Advanced -> Expert) in magic skill increases some aspect of the spells cast in the corresponding school of magic (e.g. higher damage, increased effect, longer duration, lower mana cost etc.).
Jackie Chan AdventuresJackie Chan AdventuresJackie Chan Adventures is an animated television series chronicling the adventures of a fictionalized version of action film star Jackie Chan. Many of the episodes contain references to Chan's actual works. This series ran on Kids' WB! from September 9, 2000 to July 7, 2005 for a total of 95...
In the KidsWB series, Jackie Chan Adventures, eight of Jackie's enemies foes were Chinese demons who derived their powers from eight forces of nature: Wind, Water, Moon, Earth, Thunder, Mountain, Sky, and Fire.NarutoNarutois an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of...
In the manga and animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series Naruto, ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
s use the power of Chakra (mixing of mental energy and physical energy to create a supernatural force such as mana, chakra, or chi) to perform jutsu
Jutsu (Naruto)
In the anime and manga series Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto, a refers to the abilities ninja can use. The series occurs in a fictional universe in which different countries fight for power using ninja soldiers. The Naruto storyline follows a group of young ninja from the village of Konohagakure...
(ninja techniques which allow the use of superpowers or martial arts). As depicted in the series, Chakra has elemental aspects, with the elements' comparative strengths resembling the creative/destructive cycle of the Chinese elements. The cycle goes from Wind to Lightning to Earth to Water to Fire before returning to Wind again, which each element stronger than the one after it.
In the world of Naruto, there are certain people who can mix elemental aspect into new elemental jutsu. So far, expressions of this shown are ice, wood, lava, storm, boil, dust, heat, explosion and magnetism. The ice mixes water and wind, wood mixes water and earth, lava mixes earth and fire, storm mixes water and lightning, boil mixes fire and water, dust mixes earth, wind and fire. There are also elements unique to the anime and movie medium, among them crystal, darkness, steel and swift. This is similar to the building block idea of Dungeons and Dragons, which also links with ideas of primitive man that all things are made up of classical element.
Within the series, some countries are named after the elements (like the "Land of Fire" where Naruto lives). There are also five strong and powerful ninja villages who exhibit dominance over the smaller villages, each of which is based on the five elements above. Each holds a leader ninja who is the only one to take the name of shadow (Kage).
Ronin WarriorsRonin WarriorsRonin Warriors, known in Japan as , is a Japanese anime series and manga adaptation created by Hajime Yatate. The anime was produced and animated by Sunrise, and aired across Japan on Nagoya Television from April 30, 1988 to March 4, 1989 and has a total of 39 episodes.Ronin Warriors was produced...
In the animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series Ronin Warriors, all of the heroes and villains are representative of different concepts of virtue as well as the classical elements (in the case of the series' heroes) or seasons (in the case of the villains).
Sailor MoonSailor MoonSailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
Most of the Sailor SenshiSailor Senshi
A appears as a type of heroine in the metaseries known as Sailor Moon. The name comes from sailor fuku, a type of school uniform, and senshi, which can mean "soldier" or "warrior". Naoko Takeuchi, the manga artist who originated the series, coined the term by fusing English and Japanese elements,...
characters in the Sailor Moon anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
metaseries have elemental powers, some being inspired by Chinese elements (the Wu Xing) and some by Roman mythology
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...
. These are derived from the Japanese names given to their planets; even in civilian form, each heroine has a surname which reflects her planet and her powers.
Four of the Sailor Senshi (Mercury
Sailor Mercury
, in Japan, is one of the central characters in the Sailor Moon metaseries. Her real name is , a genius schoolgirl who can transform into one of the series' specialized heroines, the Sailor Senshi....
, Mars, Jupiter
Sailor Jupiter
is one of the central characters in the Sailor Moon metaseries. Her real name is , a strong schoolgirl who can transform into one of the series' specialized heroines, the Sailor Senshi....
, and Venus) have elemental powers based directly on their planets: Mercury for water, Mars for fire, Jupiter for lightning, thunder, and plants , and Venus for metal and light. They also take inspiration from Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, especially Jupiter
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
(lightning) and Venus
Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
(love). The other set of four (Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn) also have powers based on their planet names, but since the first three were not known from antiquity, their names derive from the Western names and therefore from Roman myth (resulting in "sky king," "sea king," and "dark king" respectively). Sailor Uranus uses the forces of air and wind, Sailor Neptune uses the forces of the ocean, and Sailor Pluto is the Guardian of Space-Time and the Underworld
Underworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
. Sailor Saturn's element is given as earth, which corresponds to mythological harvest
Harvest
Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper...
symbolism and to her powers over destruction and death. The main character, Sailor Moon, along with the younger Sailor Chibi Moon, use elemental powers of pure light.
Star Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Thine Own Self", DataData (Star Trek)
Lieutenant Commander Data is a character in the fictional Star Trek universe portrayed by actor Brent Spiner. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek...
is stranded on a pre-industrial planet where the inhabitants are still taught that the elements consist of sky, fire, rock, water, and lightning.
Super SentaiSuper SentaiThe is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...
/Power RangersPower RangersPower Rangers is a long-running American entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live action children's television series featuring teams of costumed heroes...
Several teams of Super Sentai and Power Rangers have used the classical elements thematically, with each Ranger having powers related to one element.Normally, the Red Ranger represents fire, and the Blue Ranger water. For example, the Red Turbo Ranger and the Red Lightspeed Ranger have had Zords based on fire trucks, while the Blue Aquitian Ranger
Aquitian Rangers
The Aquitian Rangers, sometimes referred to as the Alien Rangers, are fictional characters and heroes from the Power Rangers universe, starring in the television series Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers...
had a water-based attack. Gosei Sentai Dairanger
Gosei Sentai Dairanger
is a Japanese tokusatsu television series. It was the seventeenth production in the long-running Super Sentai franchise of television tokusatsu dramas produced by Toei Company, following Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. It was originally broadcast from February 19, 1993 to February 11, 1994...
drew heavily from Chinese mythology, and five of the Mythical Qi Beasts correspond to the Wu Xing. In Seijuu Sentai Gingaman
Seijuu Sentai Gingaman
is a Japanese tokusatsu television series. It is Toei's 22nd entry of the Super Sentai television series. The series aired from February 22, 1998 to February 14, 1999 airing alongside Tetsuwan Tantei Robotack...
and Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, the five Rangers represented fire (Red), water (Blue), wind (Green), lightning (Yellow) and flora (Pink), with earth (the Black Knight/the Magna Defender) added later.
The elements in Ninpuu Sentai Hurricanger
Ninpuu Sentai Hurricanger
is Toei's twenty-sixth production of the Super Sentai television series. The catchphrase for the series is . Its footage was used in the American series Power Rangers Ninja Storm .-Plot:...
are air (Red), earth (Yellow), water (Blue), shadow (Kabuto) and forest (Kuwaga). The last two became the Thunder Rangers in Power Rangers Ninja Storm, sharing the element thunder, and the Green Ranger was given an element of his own (forest). The elemental theme was here used more extensively than in previous series, and the Rangers’ attacks and fighting styles often reflect it. In Mahou Sentai Magiranger
Mahou Sentai Magiranger
, is Toei Company's twenty-ninth production of the Super Sentai television series. The action footage was used in Power Rangers Mystic Force and both shows had scenes simultaneously shot in New Zealand...
and Power Rangers Mystic Force, MagiRed (the Red Ranger) and Wolzard (the Wolf Warrior) share the element fire. The other Rangers have powers based on thunder (Yellow), water (Blue), air (Pink), earth (Green), ice (White), and light/the sun (MagiShine/the Solaris Knight).
The use of elements is not restricted to the protagonists. In Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGo-V
Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGo-V
is the twenty-third entry of the long running Japanese Super Sentai television franchise. Its footage was used in the American television series Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue.-Plot:...
, the demons Zylpheeza, Drop, Cobolda and Venus (Diabolico, Impus, Loki and Vypra in Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue) each represent one of the four elements. In both versions, all monsters are affiliated with one of them, and relate to the same element.
W.I.T.C.H.W.I.T.C.H.W.I.T.C.H. is an Italian fantasy/Magical girl comic series created by Elisabetta Gnone, Alessandro Barbucci and Barbara Canepa. It tells the story of five teenage girls who are chosen to be the new Guardians of Kandrakar, protectors of the center of the universe from people and creatures who wish...
The Disney cartoon series "WITCH" is centered around five girls who receive magical powers in order to fight evil in fantasy worlds parallel to their own, and each power is based on an element, with the corresponding "guardian" being able to produce said element from nothing, or communicate with it. The fifth element, in this story, is the Heart of Candracar, an immensely strong and powerful magical mystical crystal amulet that grants the girls their powers, which is worn by Will, the leader of the group. In the second season it is revealed that the fifth element is actually Quintessence which is described as "the stuff or substance of life" and is Will's elemental ability. As such Quintessence manifests as whitish blue lightning that contains the incredible power/ability to literally "make things come alive."Xiaolin ShowdownXiaolin ShowdownXiaolin Showdown is an American animated television series that aired on Kids WB and was created by Christy Hui. Set in a world where martial arts battles and Eastern magic are commonplace, the series follows four young warriors in training that battle the forces of evil...
In the KidsWB series, Xiaolin Showdown, the four main characters were warriors of the four elements: Omi (water), Raimundo (wind), Kimiko (fire), Clay (earth).External links
- Television Tropes and Idioms—Elemental power page—This page has more details on the idea of elements used in fiction, as well as uses of elements for personality traits of character archetypes in fiction. It has a list of uses of elemental forces in fiction from multiple media. Link: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ElementalPowers