Elemental Bending

Elemental Bending is one of the two forms of Seiryoku control in Endless Utopia Online. It entails the moulding and defining of one's Energy into an innate kind of elemental nature, altering its properties and characteristics for use in techniques.

Overview
Elemental Bending is one of two necessary components for creating or modifying a technique, the second component being Energy Bending. While Elemental Bending changes the nature of the Seiryoku, Energy Bending changes the actual form and movement, altering its abilities.

The Elements are essentially the nineteen "natural capabilities" of the players. Players are able to harness the power of the element by the usage of Ki. Each race of as a natural affinity for certain element. However any player can train and learn how to manipulate one, two or even more elements by the usage of Seiryoku.

Elements
There are three different levels of elemental bending, each one more complex than the one before.

Elemental Control
The most basic for of Elemental Bending. Each element is manipulated through ki control by two metods: by body movements or by special named techniques (the players needs to say the name of this technique while performing it).

Any player can manipulate, at the same time, up to the quantity of elements he has learned. However, this does not mean he can do this effectively.

Certain players are capable of manipulating the elements with almost no movement. Rarer cases still, players who are able to perform their bending without the aid of any physical movement at all, by instead using sheer focus and force of will, a skill known as psychic or mental bending.

Elemental Power-up
It is the strengthening of certain element, which changes the element into another related to it (for instance, Fire can change into Sun). This is achieved by training. However, not all Elements posses a "powered-up" form.

Elemental Combination
''Note: Do not confuse combination with control. Two or more elements can be controlled at the same time without necessarily combining them.''

This is the most advanced form of Element bending. Combinations are basically the mixing between two or more elements. They are hard to achieve since they require that the Ki is focused at the same time and quantity to each element.

Even more so when a player wants to combine two naturally opposed element, since they almost always cancel each other out. It should be noted than this includes elements that are powered-up forms of the opposite Element. For example, combining Sun with Water.

The most difficult combination to achieve and control is Light and Darkness at the same time.

Classification
The nineteen Elements are divided into two large groups. The first one is knows as "the Ten Elements" since they are the elements that ten legendary warriors used in the past of Netherworld. This group of elements is also sub-divided into two different groups: the Six Main Elements and the Secondary Elements.

The other group doesn't have a name. It is basically the "powered-up" forms of each element and the combinations that do not enter in the "Ten Element" classification.

Six Main Elements
They are called this way since are the most fundamental ki natures, which are the foundation of all elemental techniques. Each race has affinity for one of this element (with the exception of Hybrids). The Six main Elements are the following:
 * Darkness
 * Earth
 * Fire
 * Light
 * Water
 * Wind

If an elemental technique is put against another elemental technique of the opposite nature, but higher level, then the technique with the superior level will prevail. If the two techniques would have the same level, they will cancel each other out. However, a technique with a weaker level can overpower a technique with a higher level if it's actually a powered up form or if it's combined with other element. For example, a fire attack can best a stronger water attack if it is actually a Sun Element attack, or if it is first strengthened by a wind technique (creating the element known as Scorch).

A similar principle applies in how technique of the same element interact. If two techniques of the same nature and the same level are used against each other, they will cancel each other out. However, if the two techniques have different levels, the higher-level technique will not only prevail but will grow stronger from interaction with the weaker.

Four Secondary Elements
These four elements are the most basic enchanted form of some of the Main Elements. Two of them can be obtained by the power-up of a single element. The other two are obtained by combining two Main Elements into one.

This group includes the following:
 * Ice: Ice is the result of the combination between Water and Wind.
 * Lightning: Lightning is the result of a powered-up form of either Light or Fire.
 * Metal: Metal is the result of a powered-up form of Earth.
 * Nature: Nature is the result of the combination of Water and Earth.

Other Elements
There are other nine elements which are not considered part of this group. Generally, these elements are the combination of two Main Elements. However, they can also be strengthened forms of a single Main Element. Also, some of the elements in this list are the combination of naturally opposed elements.

These elements are the following:
 * Dust: Dust is the result of the combination between Air and Earth.
 * Magma: Magma is the result of the combination between Fire and Earth/Stone.
 * Sand: Sand is the other of the result of the combination between Earth/Stone and Wind.
 * Scorch: Scorch is the combination between Fire and Air.
 * Smoke: Smoke is one the powered up forms of Air.
 * Sound: Sound is one the powered up forms of Air.
 * Steam: Steam is the combination between Water and Fire.
 * Stone: Rock or Stone is one of the powered up form of Earth.
 * Sun: Sun is a powered up form of Fire.

Not Listed Elements
For more: List of New Elements

Skilled Players are able to create a "new element" by combining two or more elements (for instance, Rai Narukami's combination of Darkness and Lightning, which results in his signature Dark Lightning) or by using combining Energy Bending with an element, altering it's caracteristics.

This new element does not enter in the classified group of elements since it does not exist in real life nature, and therefore, it's creation depends totally on the skills of the player to combine elements or alter the element. As result, it is hardly unlikely that two players reach the same element while trying to create a new element, but not impossible at all.

Also, powered up forms of elements cannot be combined with their basis element or any other powered-up form of the same element. This only results in the strengthening of the powered up element.

Trivia

 * Elemental Bending is based on Nature Transformation and the bending arts.