Basic Trope: (Four or more) characters have an ensemble based around the classical elements.
- Straight:
- A team of four Magic Knight consists of Bob who controls Fire, Alice who controls Water, Charlie who uses Earth and David who uses Wind.
- In the RPG Heroes Of Troperia, the Five-Man Band consists of Bob of the Lightning, Charlie of the Fire, David of the Wind, Steven of the Earth, and Alice of the Water.
- Exaggerated: Even the Sixth Ranger, Extra Rangers and Eleventh Hour Rangers all use different elements like Ice, Darkness, and Light.
- Downplayed:
- The whole team are magic knights who studied the standard four elements. Later on, Bob learns Lightning as the fifth new element while the rest specializes in one of the four: Charlie specializes in Fire, David specializes in Wind, Steven specializes in Earth and Alice specializes in Water.
- Each cast member is associated with a certain element, but don't gain any powers from them.
- Justified: Bob needs companions who can use the other four core elements for coverage.
- Inverted:
- Everyone in the group uses the exact same element.
- The element-users all hate each other and are constantly fighting within the team.
- Subverted:
- One of the party member later tries to use another element.
- Faye joins the group, and she is a Warrior with no magic capabilities at all.
- Double Subverted: ...and gives up after failing too many times.
- Parodied:
- Tom is rejected from the group and swears vengeance because he also uses fire and they needed an ice user.
- Bob uses a flamethrower, David wields a fan, Charlie possesses a shovel, and Alice has water guns.
- Zig Zagged: The group's ensemble, and thus the elements displayed varies, and sometimes includes some regular Flying Bricks and Badass Normals as well.
- Averted:
- Anyone can use any element.
- Nobody uses elements.
- Enforced: They has to be an easy way to identify the members of the team.
- Lampshaded: "Earth, Fire, Air and Water? What's the chance of that?"
- Invoked: The group decide to learn different elemental spells matching their personalities.
- Exploited: The Big Bad prepares a countermeasure for each element.
- Defied: Bob specializes the team for a specific kind of heroics - detaining villains without killing them. This is something for which the paralyzing capabilities of earth and electric are very useful. However, fire is too fatal, wind can't pin enemies without hurling them in random directions and water is chiefly a supporting element. Bob avoids recruiting users of fire, wind and water.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: "Isn't a little odd how none of them know any magic outside of one specific element? You'd think some of them would know at least a few spells outside of just one field, in case they ever find themselves in a situation where the proper solution to a problem doesn't involve burning/drowning/whatevering something."
- Implied:
- There was a mysterious team of sage in the past. They consist of Bob who wears red armor with dragon decorations, Alice the mermaid, Charlie the muscular ogre and David who wears green and is mostly see carrying a huge fan.
- Elijah has a treasure consisting on four different-colored stones, each having markings that resemble a flame, a raindrop, a leaf and a lightning bolt.
- Deconstructed: Each member of the team is vulnerable to Poor, Predictable Rock. They are gradually separated out and engaged by opponents using the appropriate counter-element.
- Reconstructed: Each of the elements are forces of nature and can be harnessed in many ways. Through unorthodox training, the team manages to overcome their attackers.
Back to Classical Elements Ensemble
