History Main / ElementalBaggage

* Averted in a certain instance in ''[[Manga/SoulHunter Houshin Engi]]''. One of the antagonists has a magical artifact that can summon as much, or as little water as she wants for combat (as well as manipulate its properties to a degree). Other characters watching the fight surmise (correctly) that her artifact actually consists of two parts: one floating on the seas, and one used by the wielder. In essence, the artifact functions as a mass transfer device between two points and since the "source" is on the seas, she has essentially near-limitless amount of water.

*** And still fails to explain where the energy to move those molecules comes from, although violating thermodynamics is pretty much par for the course when it comes to super-powers.

* ComicBook/{{Storm}} from the ''ComicBook/XMen''. This was used to (sort of) explain that she can ''control'' weather, but not really ''create'' it. (For instance, when she makes it rain ''inside'' a room, it becomes much drier ''outside''.) Compare [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]], who can make it rain ''anywhere'', because his powers are explicitly magical.

* The ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' games partially avert this. The weapons and tools are fueled by their own energy reserves, but where do the heroes get the materials for things like giant scissor blades, ''a damn meteor shower,'' barriers made of jewels, homing missiles, tornadoes, etc?

* Sub-Zero of ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' at first only had the ability to freeze enemies without any superfluous ice forming, but these days is capable of creating ice out thin air. It's weakly {{Hand Wave}}d by him freezing water vapor in the air, but that doesn't quite account for how can make something as large as a sword out of a thimbleful of surrounding moisture.

* Sub-Zero of ''MortalKombat'' at first only had the ability to freeze enemies without any superfluous ice forming, but these days is capable of creating ice out thin air. It's weakly {{Hand Wave}}d by him freezing water vapor in the air, but that doesn't quite account for how can make something as large as a sword out of a thimbleful of surrounding moisture.

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' by Creator/JimButcher averts this at times. While it is entirely possible to create fire, solid objects (formed from ectoplasm, they collapse when magic is no longer sustaining them), and energy through the use of a wizard's personal will, they can also channel existing energy. Emotions can also be used to power spells. Harry has frozen water by drawing heat from it to create fire and channeled the energy of a storm, but has also just created fire and tossed it around, and [[spoiler: after becoming the Winter Knight, gains the ability to create cold.]]

* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'' it is explicitly stated that you can't create matter out of thin air (explaining Mrs. Weasley's ability to conjure up food to cook). During the course of the books, Harry has used a spell to shoot a stream of water from his wand and conjure flame. However, it is never explained how exactly the fire is created. Of course, we're dealing with magic so you could just say AWizardDidIt.
** More specifically, food is one of Gamp's Five Untransmutables. Anything not on that list is fair game for being instantly generated.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' had Frozone using water that's either in the air or in his body. One scene suggests that the air is too dry and he's short on body water, so he's screwed, but after a single drink from a cup from a water cooler, he creates enough ice to entirely cover a man and ''stop a bullet''. Mind you, he'd just moved from a burning building into a cool one.

'''Eijirou:''' ''[frowning in thought]'' Dude, doesn't your Quirk, break physics?

* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'', Osmosians, such as Kevin 11, can absorb anything into themselves, but they need to have something to absorb, so Gwen gets the idea for Kevin to carry rocks along with him to provide him with armor. He says he needs a lot more metal to make his armor.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' had Frozone using water that's either in the air or in his body, and one scene suggests that the air is too dry and he's short on body water so he's screwed, but after a single drink from a cup from a water cooler, he creates enough ice to entirely cover a man and ''stop a bullet''. Mind you, he'd just moved from a burning building into a cool one.

* ''MagicalStarSign'' does this with each character being able to manipulate a specific element, in order to put out a forest fire (On a [[PlanetOfHats Forest World]] the characters had to use their powers together in order to crush a rock, create a spring, and then spread the water.

* The Logia (and certain Paramecia) Devil Fruits of ''Franchise/OnePiece'' run off the AWizardDidIt explanation: one of powers they grant is specifically noted to be the ability to produce as mass amounts of whatever element the Logia fruit in question represents.

** Not so much in the ''Manga/PokemonSpecial'' manga. Almost at the end of the third arc, the day is saved because Blue's Blastoise had run out of water [[spoiler:and Red filled it with flammable water from a mystical healing spring]].

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' by JimButcher averts this at times. While it is entirely possible to create fire, solid objects (formed from ectoplasm, they collapse when magic is no longer sustaining them), and energy through the use of a wizard's personal will, they can also channel existing energy. Emotions can also be used to power spells. Harry has frozen water by drawing heat from it to create fire and channeled the energy of a storm, but has also just created fire and tossed it around, and [[spoiler: after becoming the Winter Knight, gains the ability to create cold.]]

* ''{{Franchise/Mistborn}}'' by BrandonSanderson has a more literal example where Allomancers must literally consume specific metals (both elemental and alloys) to fuel their abilities. Each element and alloy corresponds to a specific power and running low on (or out of) a particular element comes up from time to time. Allomancers generally carry several vials of metal flakes suspended in alcohol to refuel during encounters. Controlling the single known source of one (fictional) metal is actually one of the pillars of the economy early on.

** For example, in one of the online story serials, [[BlowYouAway Lewa]] and a group of other beings are suddenly transported into space and he's able to create air bubbles around their heads so they can breath.