Elements

Elements (元素) are a part of Nasuverse cosmology and play an important role in Thaumaturgical Theory.

The classification of the Elements changes depending on Thaumaturgical teaching. For example, a school classifies the Elements into five groups of Fire, Water, Earth, Wind and Void (Ether) while another school classifies them into other five groups of Water, Fire, Earth, Wood and Metal. The set of Elements that, according to the teachings of Magecraft schools, are the basic substances that shapes the world. Fire is called normal and Wind is said to be noble.

Elemental Affinity
A Magus normally has the capacity to manipulate at least one of the Elements. However, there are cases of those who can manipulate Elements that are completely different from any of the ones specified above. Within the Mage’s Association, individuals like these tend to either very selective houses or not be part of the Association at all. Cases of a magus who possesses more than one Elemental Affinity, and even affinity to Compound Elements, are also known. Usually said individuals try to master spells that make use of more than one Element at the same time (ex: “liquid manipulation” through the use of Water and Wind Elements). Those capable of manipulating all the five Elements receive the title of Average One and are very valued by the Mage’s Association. Methods to change one’s Elemental Affinity exist, but they are very painful and dangerous.

Known Elemental Affinity by characters:


 * Aozaki clan: Wind.
 * Barthomeloi Lorelei: Wind.
 * Flat Escardos: Void.
 * Forte: Wind.
 * Gray: Earth.
 * Heine Istari: Fire and Water.
 * Jean Rum: Wind.
 * Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald: Wind and Water.
 * Kiritsugu Emiya: Fire and Earth.
 * Luviagelita Edelfelt: Earth.
 * Matou clan: Water.
 * Paracelsus: All five.
 * Reinol Gusion: Imaginary Numbers.
 * Rin Tohsaka: All five.
 * Sakura Matou: Imaginary Numbers, Water (as a member of the Matou clan; at birth, Sakura lacked any elemental alignments ).
 * Shirou Emiya: Sword.
 * Tokiomi Tohsaka: Fire.

Fire
Fire (火) – One of The Great Five Elements (五大元素). Spells of the Fire element are related to consumption, heat, entropy, fuels, energy transfer and thermodynamics.

Earth
Earth (地) – One of The Great Five Elements. Earth element spells relate to grounding, cultivation of energy and energy embedding.

Water
Water (水) – One of The Great Five Elements. Related to flows, forms, cycles, combinations and manipulations.

Wind
Wind (風) – One of The Great Five Elements. Deals with air, kinetic forces, static energy, free energy and directed movement.

Ether
Ether (エーテル) or Void (空) is one of The Great Five Elements, and also the Fifth Imaginary Factor according to the teachings of the Mage’s Association, it combines itself with any of the other four Elements in order to actualize the mysteries of Thaumaturgy. Although amorphous and incapable of materializing by its own power, it is what allows shapeless bodies to take a material form. Before the advent of Satsuki Kurogiri’s theory on the Unified Language, it was believed that the reason why mankind was capable of performing powerful mysteries during the Age of Gods was because the positioning of the others' celestial bodies in relation to Earth made the world rich with Ether. Purest, raw form of Grain, its domains are among the lines of composition, dissolution, modification, separation, unification, spiritual bodies, conceptual weapons and others.

Ether Clump
Ether Clump (エーテル塊)is a failed materialization attempt of Ether through the combination with one of other Elements. Under normal circumstances Ether can only be materialized after combining itself with one of the other Elements. In some cases however, mainly when there is some sort of failure from the part of the Magus, it will take the physical shape of a clay-like substance. Other than serving as a conductor of magical energy, it is completely useless. Whatever the shape it is given by a magus, if left inactive for long enough (i.e. without magical energy running through it) it will eventually return to its original clay-like form. Known uses include True Assassin’s Zabaniya, the first suitcase puppet of Touko Aozaki, Cornelius Alba’s slime familiars and the main component forming Leysritt’s body. Somewhat related to the First Magic.

Grain
Grain (ジン), or Space Dust. The general term given to the toxic particles overflowing in the Earth of Over Count 1999, after the world lost its capacities to sustain life. Also called “ether” because even though poisonous, it promoted the surface of mutated life forms: the A-Rays, Liners and the Ether Liners.

The rate of energy transfer within the Grain-rich atmosphere is astonishing. A factor that resulted into the arise of a new method of combat that would not be possible in the old world. In a battle between A-Rays capable of absorbing Grain and Ether Liners wielding Knight Arms made of crystallized Grain, the power of conventional weapons is rendered useless.

Supposedly, Grain is the base component of all heavenly bodies. Therefore, the closer is the connection between a life form and its mother planet the greater will be the amount of Ether in their bodies. The greatest example of this would be the Aristoteles, the supreme existence of each respective’s planets and true avatars of their will.

Its antithesis is the Nether or Black Barrel, which destroys Grain and anything containing Grain on contact.

Hollow
Hollow (虚), or Imaginary Numbers (虚数) is one of two Imaginary Elements (架空元素), and Sakura Matou’s unique Elemental Affinity and Sorcery Trait. A power highly effective against spiritual beings, but not so potent against those whose body is not made out of Ether. When the Matou clan restraining spells are used along with this, it is possible to imprison and skewer the target into a separate dimension composed entirely of shadows. Furthermore, when Angra Mainyu power is imbued on Sakura she is able to use this ability even against normal humans.

Fifth True Theoretical Factor
The Fifth True Theoretical Factor (第五真説要素), the natural enemy of the Fifth Imaginary Factor (Ether), the Conceptual Weapon Longinus (Black Barrel) was made out of this unnamed substance, Many people have come up with different names for this possible 5th element. Mages claim this element to be "quintessence" or "Nether", while modern scientists call it "Dark Matter". In Fate/EXTRA Rin Tohsaka called it Etherlite, but its relationship with Sion Eltnam Atlasia's Etherlite is unknown.

Devils
The Sixth Imaginary Factor (第六架空要素), also known as Devils, is a force, that reacts to the desires of humans for a wish. It needs a form, invented by humans, similarly to how it happens to higher-level spirits, in order to materialize itself, as a passive existence. This passive existence is an individual devil and not a true devil.

But regardless of the result, as a rule, devils are gentle. They are the Imaginary Factor that understands one's pain and attempts to remove it. Depending on perspective, one can say that they are allies to humans. The natural ability of an imaginary devil is a Reality Marble (固有結界) and at the same time it is the alien common sense of devil (悪魔の持つ異界常識).

The Sixth Imaginary Factor is responsible for the materialization of wishes, the phenomena of possessions, human demonization, and spiritual mediums. The Mystic Eyes of the goddess Medusa are made out of this. And Avenger is a case of human demonization by other humans while Kiara Sessyoin cease being human and end up being categorized as a devil by her own doing.