History Main / ElementNumberFive

* Has started cropping up in the ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' series with the release of ''[[VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn Dark Dawn]]''. Before there were the classic four, with some hints that a joint combination of those four as the eponymous Sun being a possible fifth. However, in Dark Dawn there are a large number of monsters with a Darkness element from the midpoint on that seems to be largely independent of the ElementalRockPaperScissors and radically more powerful. Their presence is unnatural and is interfering with the state of the world. Then it's revealed at the end that [[spoiler:Chalis and Blados]] are [[CastingAShadow Dark Adepts.]] And it appears that [[spoiler:we now have a Sixth Element in the form of [[LightEmUp Light Adepts.]]]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{WITCH}}'', the girls have powers based on the four elements, with Will being [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway the heart]]. [[PlayingWithATrope Instead of getting this fifth element later, she gets a]] ''power-up'' that lets her use Quintessence, an [[ShockAndAwe electrical power]] that could bring appliances and golem-like beings to life, summon ghosts from the site of their deaths and [[LightningCanDoAnything a whole lot of other applications]].

* Sailor Moon in ''Franchise/SailorMoon''. Mercury is Water/Ice, Mars is Fire, Jupiter is Electricity/Wood, and Venus is Metal. There are plots points about her not actually having powers but it's actually [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower Healing]]. Monsters are obliterated with her purifying effects and humans are restored to their natural state. More impressively she befriends and converts villains just by talking to them.

* ''Disney/FrozenII'' features an enchanted forest guarded by nature spirits that embody the four elements. Legend has it there's one more spirit.[[spoiler: However, the fifth spirit is not an element, but a bridge between the magical and the mundane. This bridge turns out to be the sisterhood of Elsa and Anna, two children of a marriage between a Northuldran and an Arendellian.]]

* ''TabletopGame/{[Shadowrun}}'':

* ''Disney/FrozenII'' features an enchanted forest guarded by nature spirits that embody the four elements. Legend has it there's one more, said to be a bridge between the magical and the mundane. [[spoiler: It's Elsa.]]

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[[folder:Film- Animation]]
* ''Disney/FrozenII'': Elsa becomes the 5th spirit of the Enchanted Forest of the Northuldra, perhaps in honour of her mother, Iduna.

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[[folder:Film]]

* Sailor Moon in [[Franchise/SailorMoon BSSM]]. Mercury is Water/Ice, Mars is Fire, Jupiter is Electricity/Wood, and Venus is Metal. There are plots points about her not actually having powers but it's actually [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower Healing]]. Monsters are obliterated with her purifying effects and humans are restored to their natural state. More impressively she befriends and converts villains just by talking to them.
** However, the elements of the main Senshi are simply tied to the element represented by their planet's name in Japanese which is in turn based on the Chinese elemental system (Mercury: Water, Venus: Metal, Mars: Fire, Jupiter: Wood, [and Saturn: Earth]).

** Void, as element number five, also appears in ''TabletopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'', a role playing game whose setting is Japan (and China) [[FantasyCounterpartCulture with the]] SerialNumbersFiledOff.

* Chinese alchemy has five elements; earth, water, fire, '''wood''' and metal. Notice how air is not included as in the Western system.
** Though, the main reason for this is that wood also includes air (because smoke comes out of wood when you burn it), and for that matter, metal also includes light, because metal is shiny and reflects light.

** Out of the five colors of mana, White, Blue, Red, and Green can all be modeled to the four classic elements, wind, water, fire, and earth. That leaves Black to fulfill this role, usually with powers of life and death. But one can also interpret Blue as water and air and Red as earth and fire, leaving three other colors without element and averting this trope.

* One of the more interesting ideas of this was featured in a ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' novel, where an Indian magical theorist worked out a different Element Number Five than the usual Chinese translation. Specifically, he found that while Fire, Earth, and Water matched up to their standard concepts, the literal translations for Wood and Metal were "Wood that burns" and "Metal that gleams" respectively. "Wood that burns" would be perhaps one of the only ways to visualize Air (as smoke), so perhaps it also wasn't the Metal ancient Chinese mages were referring to... but the gleam. Then he summons a Light elemental which he designates as a "Farohad," it incinerates him, and escapes, then begins making hit-and-run attacks on the Matrix (the futuristic, VR-based internet) to destroy all traces of itself. Unfortunately, since the scientist's project was called "The Lucifer Project," this ends up creating lots of collateral damage to places like churches, seminaries, and an unfortunate woman named Lucille Ferraro.
** With the advent of the fourth edition, ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' has a definitive fifth element. When conjuring, magicians can summon up spirits of Earth, Fire, Air, Water, and/or Man.

* Classic ''Advanced TableTopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' 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.
** Conversely, the old Basic/Expert/etc D&D game's cosmology acknowledged five "Spheres" of spiritual force, each with a corresponding element. These five Spheres are: Energy/Fire, Matter/Earth, Thought/Air, Time/Water, and Death/Entropy.
** Gamers always being quick to spot patterns and fill in gaps, it's been [[http://mimir.net/mapinfinity/quasi.html suggested]] that there should also be para-quasi-elemental plains. Spark, crystal, obsidian and clay where the para-elements touch positive energy; fumes, frost, pumice and silt on the negative side. However, these quasi-para-elemental planes strongly contradict established Dark Sun Planescape canon from 2nd edition.
** In the Planescape book The Inner Planes, an equivalent of quasi-para-elemental planes is given in the form of border regions between the planes that characters can visit. However, they do not seem to contain a quasi-para-element of their own, only a combination of quasi-elements and para-elements.
** There are also combinations of elements that are not the result of planes touching each other. Darklights are undead creatures that escaped from the negative energy plane through a gate to the plane of radiance, where they should normally be destroyed but for some reason adapt to the plane instead, mixing fire, positive and negative energy into their form. The Dark Sun campaign setting also has its own twist on elemental combinations, since the para-elemental planes are canonically different from their Planescape counterpart and appear to have been mixed with positive energy: rain replaces ice, silt replaces ooze, and sun replaces smoke. Also from Dark Sun, the backstory of one of the setting's regions (the Deadlands) heavily suggests that obsidian can be created by blending the four traditional elements with negative energy, which could explain its use as a magical catalyst (since magic is fuelled by positive energy in the setting, and negative and positive energy have been shown to have strong interactions).

* ''TableTopGame/{{Exalted}}'' uses wood for its fifth element; or, depending on how you look at it, it uses the Chinese element system with Metal swapped out for Air.

** Other ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games also tend to have elements more obscure than the "main" ones. The four western elements (earth, fire, air and water) are [[FourElementEnsemble standard set]] for the crystals and the elemental archfiends, but the magic system is more complicated. While the standard three elements for spells are [[FireIceLightning 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.

* Has started cropping up in the ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' series with the release of ''[[VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn Dark Dawn]]''. Before there were the classic four, with some hints that a joint combination of those four as the eponymous Sun being a possible fifth. However, in Dark Dawn there are a large number of monsters with a Darkness element from the midpoint on that seems to be largely independent of the ElementalRockPaperScissors and radically more powerful. Their presence is unnatural and is interfering with the state of the world.
** Then it's revealed at the end that [[spoiler:Chalis and Blados]] are [[CastingAShadow Dark Adepts.]] And it appears that [[spoiler:we now have a Sixth Element in the form of [[LightEmUp Light Adepts.]]]]

* ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' has ''eight'' standard elements (fire, ice, earth, wind, water, electricity, light and darkness,) each one represented by its own summon spirit. While there's technically no ninth element, there ''is'' a ninth major summon spirit, Origin, who's called the Summon Spirit of All Things and uses a variety of spells of different elements, as well as Maxwell, the Summon Spirit of Birth, who uses the non-elemental Meteor Storm.

* In ''The Little Mermaid and the Purple Tide,'' the eighth installment of the ''VideoGame/DarkParables'', the king of Prasino needs to acquire five elemental orbs in order to undo the curse which transformed himself and his daughters into aquatic mutations. In this instance, the fifth element is represented as Wood.

* A variety occurs in ''VideoGame/TouhouTenkuushouHiddenStarInFourSeasons''. During normal gameplay, the protagonists utilize the powers of one of the seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) to help them fight through the game. However, it turns out the FinalBoss is capable of absorbing these powers and using them against the protagonists. In the Extra stage, the protagonists then use the power of the fifth season, ''doyou'', which is the transition period between seasons, which the boss couldn't absorb.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Captain Planet|and the Planeteers}}'' featured the element of Heart, which was described as important, and indeed, [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower has pretty powerful abilities]] [[FridgeLogic when you think about it]], [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway but ended up a source of derision in pop culture writ]] [[MisappliedPhlebotinum largely because of how poorly utilized it was.]]

* Each of the original planets in ''WesternAnimation/ShadowRaiders'' correspond to an element; Planet Water [[spoiler:gets destroyed in the first episode]], Planet Rock (the earth), Planet Fire (ask CaptainObvious), Planet Ice (a very cold windy place, may represent Air, but in some media Ice is an element on itself) and a fifth planet called Planet Bone. Of course, the main antagonist of the series is an errant PlanetEater world named Planet Beast made of "beast matter". A seventh "element" can be Tek Planet (made of... technology).

* RealLife alchemists sometimes talked of such a concept - also called ''Quintessence'' ([[AltumVidetur Latin]], roughly, for [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Element Number Five"]]). Common ideas were "Aether" and "vital essence" (essentially life itself). It was thought that the heavens were made of pure quintessence, and the imperfect Earth of the lesser elements. The extraction of quintessence was considered one of the fundamental goals of alchemy.

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 [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aether_(classical_element) Greek,]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%B6n#Elements Tibetan,]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_element#Classical_elements_in_Babylonia Babylonian]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_elements_%28Japanese_philosophy%29 Japanese]] elemental systems, where Aether, Space, Sky and [[PowerOfTheVoid Void]] respectively fulfill the narrative role of this trope - note that these four are essentially the same thing.

* 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 ''Anime/MonColleKnights'' 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.

* Astral Shamanistic magic, to go along with the classic [[PlayingWithFire fire,]] [[MakingASplash water,]] [[DishingOutDirt earth,]] and [[BlowYouAway wind]] shamanistic magic in ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}''. Astral magic is unique insofar as it can damage a person's "astral body" (something of a spiritual form) instead of their physical body. There are various elements used in the series' line of BlackMagic and Holy Magic as well.

* TableTopGame/{{Exalted}} uses wood for its fifth element; or, depending on how you look at it, it uses the Chinese element system with Metal swapped out for Air.

* ''AdventureQuest: has eight elements, each tied to a specific damage type ([[PlayingWithFire Fire]], [[MakingASplash Water]], [[BlowYouAway Wind]], [[AnIcePerson Ice]], [[DishingOutDirt Earth]], [[ShockAndAwe Energy]], [[LightEmUp Light]] and [[CastingAShadow Darkness]]). Beyond those [[PowerOfTheVoid Void]] was traditionally considered an ninth element until Warlic later explained that it doesn't really fit that description in any way. 'Void' is instead the common name for damage [[NonElemental without any elemental affinity]] - PureEnergy in other words.

* Five classic elements are powered by six [[WeirdMoon colored moons]] in ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia'' (although on a technical level, there are six, as both [[MakingASplash water]] and [[BlowYouAway wind]] elements are drawn from the Blue Moon; the other five have one element). The sixth element, drawn from the Silver Moon, is [[YinYangBomb life and death]] - spells that [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin either kill opponents instantly or resurrect your allies]] (or cure status ailments). [[SquishyWizard Fina]], as a member of the civilization that once lied under the Silver Moon's orbit, learns this magic the fastest.

* In ''VideoGame/LuminousArc2'', [[spoiler:[[CoolBigSis Ayano]], [[TheDragon Bharva]] and [[FinalBoss the Mage Queen]], [[WellIntentionedExtremist Elicia]]]] possess the [[AntiMagic Silver element,]] which is resistant to all other elements. In particular, [[spoiler:[[GlassCannon 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 ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' series with the release of [[VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn Dark Dawn]]. Before there were the classic four, with some hints that a joint combination of those four as the eponymous Sun being a possible fifth. However, in Dark Dawn there are a large number of monsters with a Darkness element from the midpoint on that seems to be largely independent of the ElementalRockPaperScissors and radically more powerful. Their presence is unnatural and is interfering with the state of the world.

* At the end of the original run of ''Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic'', the "Fantasy" theme ended with the wizard Kyros initiating a new quest in which he seeks ''The Quintessential Fifth Elementalist'', an eldritch tome that would allow him to master all that remains after the four classical elements. Natrually, this plot thread was picked up when the webcomic returned in 2015.

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 [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aether_(classical_element) Greek,]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%B6n#Elements Tibetan,]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_element#Classical_elements_in_Babylonia Babylonian]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_elements_%28Japanese_philosophy%29 Japanese]] elemental systems, where Aether, Space, Sky and [[PowerOfTheVoid Void]] fulfill the narrative role of this trope - note that these four are essentially the same thing.

* A variety occurs in ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' in the 16th game, ''Hidden Star in the Four Seasons''. During normal gameplay, the protagonists utilize the powers of one of the seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) to help them fight through the game. However, it turns out the FinalBoss is capable of absorbing these powers and using them against the protagonists. In the Extra stage, the protagonists then use the power of the fifth season, ''doyou'', which is the transition period between seasons, which the boss couldn't absorb.

* The four elements of magic spells in the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' games are [[PlayingWithFire Fire]], [[AnIcePerson Ice]], [[BlowYouAway Wind/Force]], and [[ShockAndAwe Electric]], with "Almighty" as the fifth, ultimate element. Nothing is weak to it, but usually nothing resists or nullifies Almighty either. It's a double-edged sword, as it gives both bosses and players a method to deal damage regardless of immunities.
** 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 Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei universe include {{Light|EmUp}} and [[CastingAShadow Dark]] elemental spells in the form of "Hama" and "Mudo", who, despite the fact that they function as [[OneHitKO instant kill]] spells, are still classed as Elements since enemies can be weak to these spells. ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'' even includes the [[DishingOutDirt Earth]] element ([[StandardStatusEffects Ailments]] are also treated like an element there).
** The early ''VideoGame/{{Persona}}'' games also have water, earth and NUCLEAR as additional elements. ''VideoGame/Persona5'' brings back Nuclear and adds Psychic.

* In ''MagicTheGathering'', the Eldrazi are a good example. They were the first non-artifact spells to be colorless and contain some of the most expensive and powerful creatures in the game. They are also effective against all colors through spells like [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=193658 All is Dust]] or [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=193452 Emrakul's]] protection from colored spells, showing that they defy the usual [[ElementalRockPaperScissors Rock Paper Scissors]] system.

* Parodied in ''Film/TheGamers'', as seen in the page quote.

* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', the One Power is channeled in its most basic form as "threads" of Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and Spirit. The way they are arranged into "weaves" determines their effects, but Spirit is generally associated with life and the mind, such as for {{healing|hands}}, MindControl, and DreamWeaving.

* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', the One Power is channeled in its most basic form as "threads" of Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and Spirit. The way they are arranged determines their effects, but Spirit is generally associated with life and the mind, most commonly for healing.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' there are four elements: fire, ice, candy, and slime. There are also four [[ElementalEmbodiment embodiments]] for each element: Flame Princess, Patience St. Pim, Princess Bubblegum, and Slime Princess respectively. However, the "Elements" miniseries introduces a fifth element which holds the universe together: [[spoiler: lumps and Lumpy Space Princess is the embodiment of it]].

* Each of the original planets in ''ShadowRaiders'' correspond to an element; Planet Water [[spoiler:gets destroyed in the first episode]], Planet Rock (the earth), Planet Fire (ask CaptainObvious), Planet Ice (a very cold windy place, may represent Air, but in some media Ice is an element on itself) and a fifth planet called Planet Bone. Of course, the main antagonist of the series is an errant PlanetEater world named Planet Beast made of "beast matter". A seventh "element" can be Tek Planet (made of... technology).

** ''Series/RescueSentaiGoGoFive''/''PowerRangersLightspeedRescue'' plays with this theme by having mecha based on a fire engine (fire), a tanker truck (water), a jet (air), a hazardous rescue vehicle (earth), and an ambulance (life?). ''[=GoGoFive=]'' lacked a SixthRanger but ''Lightspeed Rescue'' had one who personally had a metal theme and whose mecha/zord had the sun element as a solar-powered spacecraft.