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Ashes to Ashes

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And dust to dust.

This is the power dealing with ash, the matter left after being burnt. Ash can be in solid, liquid, or gaseous form, with most users in fiction using the solid or gas variants.

Often overlaps with fire powers due to being formed by burning, resurrection or instantaneous death due to its association with death, and Flashy Teleportation due to the visual effect of dissolving into ashes when doing so.

Sub-Trope of Single Substance Manipulation. Compare Deadly Gas, Dishing Out Dirt, and Super Smoke. Not to be confused with Ashes to Crashes, when the ashes fall out of the overturned container.


Examples:

    open/close all folders 

    Anime & Manga 
  • In Black Clover, Ash is a magical attribute. Notable users include Catherine, who uses cursed ash to drain mana from enemies to maintain her youth or deteriorate their five senses. Zora Ideale uses ash to draw magical traps that trigger when stepped on such as landfills, pitfalls, and snares; they can also be used to catch incoming magic spells and send them back to the caster with twice the firepower. He can even draw magical trap circles on himself, which is incredibly dangerous because his magic is attacking his own body.
  • Bleach:
    • Rangiku's zanpakuto Haineko can dissolve into ash, with each particle a tiny blade that she can make take different forms, and move the ash using the sword's hilt to cut targets.
    • A technique of Yamamoto's Bankai, Zanka no Tachi South: Kaka Juuman Okushi Daisoujin, reforms the ashes of those he has killed into an undead army.
  • Shigure from Code:Breaker. He's very creative with how he uses his ash, forming sharp blades, trapping enemies in pitfalls, and creating convincing clones.
  • Skullion Raider in Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest. Known as the Bone Dragon Eater, he uses ash to teleport and destroy anything it touches. He can also turn water and fire into ash. However, it's weak to Wind Magic, as Wendy's Sky Dragon Slayer Magic shows.
  • Naruto:
    • One of Asuma's signature jutsu is Fire Release: Ash Burning, breathing out a cloud of explosive ash which he then ignites to consume anyone caught in it in the resulting blast. His nephew Konohamaru later learns this jutsu as well.
    • Kurotsuchi can use Lava Release: Ash Stone Seal Technique, spewing out a cloud of ash from her mouth to bind the target.
  • One Piece: One of the Commanders of the Revolutionary Army, Karasu, ate the Susu Susu no Mi (Soot-Soot Fruit), a Logia-type Devil Fruit that allows him to turn into soot and manipulate it to attack his opponents or turn into a murder of crows that can communicate with his allies and disarm his enemies.

    Comic Books 
  • The Marvel Universe has the former villainess Volcana, who can transform her body into volcanic ash as part of her power set.

    Fan Works 
  • Ashes to Ashes is a Bleach one-shot in which Rangiku gains her bankai, Kaya Haineko. In this form, Haineko's ash becomes both hot and poisonous.
  • In The Logia Brothers, Sabo gets the Hai Hai no Mi, which makes him an ash-based Logia.

    Films — Live-Action 

    Literature 
  • Cinereal from Ward can create ash from her body. The ash can slowly seep into nearby materials and make them stronger; she can also reabsorb her ashes to heal, teleport into areas where this ash is present and even set those ashes on fire exceeding temperatures of 1100 C.

    Live-Action TV 
  • Lazarus Demons in Charmed (1998) can teleport and resurrect themselves using ash.

    Mythology 
  • In Chinese Mythology, as part of the Eastern Elements, fire creates ash when it burns or earth, overlapping this trope with Dishing Out Dirt.
  • The Phoenix, a magnificent bird often possessing fiery powers that self-immolates itself to be reborn from its ashes. This myth serves as the inspiration for many powers of resurrection using ash.

    Tabletop Games 
  • Cindra Flama from BattleCON: Trials of Indines is a half-phoenix who fights using Cinder Magic to create weapons from soot.
  • Dungeons & Dragons:
    • The Planescape setting has the Quasi-Elemental Plane of Ash, which embodies Elemental Fire mixed with negative energy, from which come Ash Quasimentals and Ash Mephits.
    • The homebrew Scion of Dying Embers prestige class has ash-based powers such as blinding enemies by breathing ash or turning into a cloud of ash.

    Video Games 
  • In Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the Vibhuti sub-weapon allows the player to throw sacred ashes that damage enemies. Richter's Item Crash with said sub-weapon creates a huge cloud of ash that damages enemies above him.
  • The Elder Scrolls:
    • In Morrowind, Dagoth Ur's Ashblight, his tainted ashstorms from the Red Mountain that spread the Corprus Disease and Blight. After his defeat, the blighted ash storms become normal ash storms once again. Years after his defeat, related circumstances cause Red Mountain to erupt, destroying Vvardenfell and blanketing much of mainland Morrowind in choking ash for years.
    • Neloth and Talvas Fathryon, Neloth's apprentice, from Skyrim's Dragonborn DLC. Both Dunmer conjurers, they are able to use their magic to conjure an Ash Guardian, among other powers, after studying the ash from the Red Mountain that reached Solstheim.
  • Delsin Rowe from inFAMOUS: Second Son. Using his smoke powers, he can disperse into ash and cinders and reconstitute himself a short distance away for Teleport Spam and even turn someone into ash altogether.
  • Deathless Ones in Rise of the Tomb Raider burn up when killed and leave ashes which they resurrect from, making them unable to die.
  • Ash in Warframe is a stealthy Ninja who, befitting his name, uses ash in his Teleport ability as well as his Bladestorm ability, Teleport Spamming via ash to stab enemies with elaborate animations and ethereal wristblades.


 
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Delsin Rowe

Having copied Hank's smoke power, Delsin can turn into smoke, ash and fire.

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