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Are there really four or five?
Because in one episode i saw Azula doingh some thunder bending?
Although, does thubnder/lighting count as an elemnt?

I think no, right?

ACtually there are five elements

water
Earth
Fire
Air

and then there's spirit, but that's not reall an element, more a world thing.

i think if there were more elements it would get confusing

Baka.

lightning is a plasma... in case that helps... THERE ARE FOUR ELEMENTS, IT SAYS THAT IN THE BEGINING! DO NOT ARGUE WITH THE MATSERS!

you'r really just a negative person arent you question

I think fire has something to do with heat and friction...

and lightning is similar, I suppose.
So there's little advanced versions of each element.

That guy in the swamp was plant-bending....

although I have no idea which category that goes in...

Time for the rare...Captain Opinion.

There are four elements, and several sub-slements. For instance, the sand benders of the desert are still earth benders but because of thier surroundings sand is the only thing to bend. Thus they have excelled at it where it would take a regular earth bender that was very ussed to bending solid earth ((life toph)) would find a bit more difficult.

Waterbenders have ice, and vapor that are sub elements that can all be controlled by waterbending. We see ice all the time but perticularly my best example of vapor is in "the drill" where katara turns surrounding steam into ice.

The swamp waterbenders have even adapted to learning how to bend the water in the roots and vines of the swamp plants, that create the illusion of "plant bending"

Lightning is a hard sub element seeing as only a few can master it. One major key easter egg is when we see "the chase" where azula uses blue flames. They are not lightning just fire that has increased to the point of being blue in color.

I'd like for someone to give me an educated guess on what this 'spirit' bending is. Because i dont believe its a part of airbending. I believe its something that has to be learned over time. Seeing how we see the avatar roku ((firebender)) uncle iroh, saw the dragon meaning he has some spiritual experience ((firebender)) we see that others can enter the spirit relm. Sokka ((waterbender)) ~Was captured into the spirit relm~

and than the swamp dude and old ghandi guy who used spirit connections as well as the avatars powers to locate appa. ((twice...))