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{{quote|''"The four elements, like man alone, are weak. But together they form the strong fifth element: boron."''|'''Brother Silence''', master of [[Metaphorgotten]], ''[[The Gamers|The Gamers: Dorkness Rising]]''}}
The four classical [[Elemental Powers]] of [[Dishing Out Dirt|Earth]], [[Playing
But wait- what's all this talk about a mysterious fifth element? That's right, boys and girls, turns out there's actually another element on top of these that is so incredibly bad-ass, it defies the normal classification system. Magic of this element is about as strong as the other four put together. Where a wind mage has control of, in general, wind, this element controls pretty much everything. It will have very few restrictions, but it will also be quite difficult to use. If the normal magic system is defined in term of [[Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors]], Element Number Five will usually exist outside of it. Sometimes it will actually be the source of all the other elements in the first place, making it more of a Zero-th element.
Another common variation is for this to be some kind of mental, spiritual, or [[Pure Energy|energy]]-related [[Foil]] to the physical elements; [[The Power of Love]], [[Mind Control]], and [[Light'Em Up]] are all common choices. The above rules may still apply (especially if the hero or the villain are the ones using it), but non-omniscient powers are equally likely to be balanced as not. The [[Inverse Law of Complexity to Power]] often favors
Is most commonly used as a distinguishing feature from fantasy work to fantasy work. In order to combat the relative commonality of this fifth element its nature will often vary, to the point that this trope can often turn into [[Our Monsters Are Different|Our Fifth Element Is Different]].
In spite of the name, this trope can also be another number- the Chinese elemental system, for example, normally contains five elements (Earth, Fire, Water, Metal, and Wood), so in works based on that mythology this will be Element Number Six. This trope occurs naturally in the [
Not to be confused with [[Doing
See [[Infinity+1 Element]] for the gameplay ramifications of this trope occurring in [[Video Games]].
{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* ''[[
* The Rokumon (Six Gates) franchise already has six elements as part of its premise, with the fifth and sixth being light/holy and dark/curse. The anime [[Mon Colle Knights]] introduces a seventh. This element is called Time, but seems to work more like existence itself. It has no specific form, and exists in everything. Messing with it causes the physical universe to start falling apart very quickly.
* In ''[[Naruto]]'', there are five regular elements who have a cyclical [[Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors]] dynamic (Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Water) and advanced elements (which are combinations of the other five and behave the same in the RPS cycle). The other type of chakra is Yin and/or Yang release, which is/are responsible for everything that's not elemental.
* Astral Shamanistic magic, to go along with the classic [[Playing
* The second movie of ''[[
== [[Film]] ==
* ''[[The Fifth Element]]'' uses this trope as a central plot point, as the title implies. However, it's not until the very end that this is explained, and it's never explained why this futuristic society places such emphasis on classical elements when, you know, things like spaceships sort of operate on the assumption that all that stuff is superstition.
** The ''society'' doesn't, at least no more so than our own (the characters were familiar with the idea in general
* Parodied in ''[[The Gamers]]'', as seen in the page quote.
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* ''[[The Sovereign Stone]]'' trilogy uses Void as its fifth element.
* In the ''[[Discworld]]'', the fifth element is Surprise.
** Also referenced in the title of one of the novels, ''[[The Fifth Elephant]]''.
* ''[[The Dresden Files]]'' is an interesting example - magic flows from the mind, so no single elemental system totally encapsulates it. We've seen wizards use fire, water, ice, electricity, wind, earth, and even particle beams, but none of these are more mystical than the others, and every mage uses his or her own different system. However, Angels and Fallen Angels possess Soulfire and Hellfire respectively (and can grant it to others), which are shown to be solidly this trope, even when actual numbering is impossible.
== [[Oral Tradition|Oral Tradition, Folklore, Myths and Legends]] ==
* Void was the traditional fifth element in Japanese mythology.{{verify}}
** Void, as element number five, also appears in [[Legend of the Five Rings]], a role playing game whose setting is Japan (and China) [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture|with the]] [[Serial Numbers Filed Off]].
* [[Greek Mythology]] is the basis of the Four Elements, with the often forgotten fifth element "Aether" or Quintessence, often translated as "spirit". There is really nothing much about this element in that it is the only element outside the sphere of Earth and is the "stuff" that planets float in.
** This is why the traditional [[Geometric Magic|magic circle]] has a pentagram, one spike for each element (at least, this is the Wiccan reason, satanists insist that the pentagram is the emblem of the human will reordering the universe to its liking).
== Tabletop Gaming ==
* ''[[
* One of the more interesting ideas of this was featured in a ''[[Shadowrun]]'' novel, where an Indian magical theorist worked out a different
** With the advent of the fourth edition, ''[[Shadowrun]]'' has a definitive fifth element. When conjuring, magicians can summon up spirits of Earth, Fire, Air, Water, and/or Man.
* In ''[[Promethean: The Created]]'', Frankensteins are Fire, Tammuz are Earth, Galateids are Air, and Osirans are Water. Ulgans, the fifth Lineage? Ectoplasm. (They're deeply connected to the spirit world.) Later, we get a Sixth Element - ''Radiation''. Poor, miserable Zeka...
* The Tau in ''[[Warhammer
* Classic ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' started with the four elemental planes of water, air, fire, and earth. And added the two energy planes, positive and negative. And the para-elemental planes, where the elemental planes touch: smoke, ice, magma, and ooze. And, ''also,'' the quasi-elemental planes, where the elemental planes touch the energy planes: lightning, minerals, radiance, and steam on the positive side; vacuum, dust, ash, and salt on the negative side.
* The now-defunct trading card game ''Anachronism'' merged traditional western elements with eastern ones, since both were covered by the game. Fire, water, wind, and earth were represented, as were wood, metal, and aether. For whatever reason, a single Norseman was all seven.
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== [[Video Games]] ==
* ''[[Kingdom of Loathing]]'' has five elements to begin with (similar to the Chinese element system, which uses earth, water, metal, wood, and fire), but adds a sixth element, cute, in an arc that blatantly parodies ''[[The Fifth Element]]''.
** For reference, the five elements are [[Playing
** There's also slime, shadow and bad spelling, but those only show up in the [[Bonus Dungeon|Slime Tube]], the [[The Very Definitely Final Dungeon|Naughty Sorceress's Tower]] and the Orc Chasm, respectively. You can't equip items that are resistant to these elements, nor can you wield them yourself. These don't really count as elements because their weaknesses are usually specific items. {{spoiler|Slime deals a status effect which can be removed with a chamoix, shadow is vulnerable [[Revive Kills Zombie|to healing items]] and bad spelling is vulnerable to dictionaries.}}
* Five classic elements are powered by six [[Weird Moon|colored moons]] in ''[[Skies of Arcadia]]'' (although on a technical level, there are six, as both [[Making a Splash|water]] and [[Blow You Away|wind]] elements are drawn from the Blue Moon; the other five have one element). The sixth element, drawn from the Silver Moon, is [[Yin-Yang Bomb|life and death]] - spells that [[Exactly What It Says
* The four elements of magic spells in the ''[[
** Interestingly enough, Almighty is not necessarily a literal FIFTH element per se, as there are other elements which could qualify as a fifth and sixth element. Most of the games in the [[Mega Ten]] universe include [[Light'Em Up|Light]] and [[Casting a Shadow|Dark]] elemental spells in the form of "Hama" and "Mudo", who, despite the fact that they function as [[One Hit KO|instant kill]] spells, are still classed as Elements since enemies can be weak to these spells. ''[[Digital Devil Saga]]'' even includes the [[Dishing Out Dirt|Earth]] element.
** The early ''[[Persona (
** They fudged it in [[Persona 3]]. While [[The Lancer]] is [[Playing
* [[Two Worlds]] has Earth, Fire, and Water. Death was added when the orc god died.
* In the [[Quest for Glory]] series, the fifth element is Pizza, which researchers describe as representing the well-roundedness and wholeness of the world. That, and it tastes good. In the fan-made remake of the second game, there's even a Pizza Elemental as a [[Bonus Boss]].
* ''[[
* The [[Match Three Game]] ''[
* An alchemist in ''[[The Elder Scrolls Four|Shivering Isles]]'' theorises that each of the four classical elements corresponds to a part of the body (fire is meat, earth is bone, water is blood and air is breath), and that these elements when brought together create the fifth element, Flesh.
* In ''[[
* In ''[[
** Other ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' games also tend to have elements more obscure than the "main" ones. The four western elements (earth, fire, air and water) are [[Four-Element Ensemble|standard set]] for the crystals and the elemental archfiends, but the magic system is more complicated. While the standard three elements for spells are [[Fire, Ice, Lightning|fire, ice and lightning]], there are quite a few spells and special attacks with other elements or element-like properties, including air, water, earth, poison, holy, darkness, healing, gravity, as well as non-elemental spells.
* In ''[[Luminous Arc 2]]'', {{spoiler|[[Cool Big Sis|Ayano,]] [[The Dragon|Bharva]] and [[Final Boss|the Mage Queen,]] [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|Elicia]]}} possess the [[Anti-Magic|Silver element,]] which is resistant to all other elements. In particular, {{spoiler|[[Glass Cannon|Ayano]]}} can use it to the point that {{spoiler|she}} can efectively nullify all magical damage for a turn.
* Has started cropping up in the ''[[
** Then it's revealed at the end that {{spoiler|Chalis and Blados}} are [[Casting a Shadow|Dark Adepts.]] And it appears that {{spoiler|we now have a Sixth Element in the form of [[Light'Em Up|Light Adepts.]]}}
* [[Mysterious Waif|Lucia]], the sole citizen of the Blue Star, wields a sixth special element in ''[[Lunar 2 Eternal Blue Complete]].'' It is meteor/star-based, and this is more or less [[Justified Trope|justified]] because it's thought that she has access to a higher power.
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== [[Western Animation]] ==
* ''[[Captain Planet]]'' featured the element of Heart, which was described as important, and indeed, [[Heart Is an Awesome Power|has pretty powerful abilities]] [[Fridge Logic|when you think about it]], [[What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?|but ended up a source of derision in pop culture writ]] [[Misapplied Phlebotinum|largely because of how poorly utilized it was.]]
* Appears [[Eleventh
** {{spoiler|Spiritbending (also referred to as Energybending)}} can actually be considered generally weaker than the other elements, as it is typically only used on oneself and using it on another is incredibly risky. {{spoiler|Even if it can permanently disable Bending.}}
** They never really go into what {{spoiler|Spiritbending}} can do besides {{spoiler|disable someone else's bending}} either.
* In ''[[WITCH (
== [[Real Life]] ==
* [[Real Life]] alchemists sometimes talked of such a concept - also called ''Quintessence'' ([[Altum Videtur|Latin]], roughly, for [[Exactly What It Says
* The ''Goethe-Gymnasium'' in Berlin-Wilmersdorf was built a few years before World War I in a historicist style. On the side facing Uhlandstraße are carved representations of the five elements - fire, earth, air, water and ''electricity''.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Elements of Nature]]
▲[[Category:Trope]]
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