I have often thought about an Avatar story that would take place after Aangs and it includes 4 new bending powers. I have even researched Chinese martial arts to find one that would be appropriate for each.

Lightbending: Very quick. Can change hues of things, make things light or dark, send energy beams of light, and be invisible, or if you prefer, erase the light that reflects off of them. Very much like the Yin/Yang theory. Style- Leapard Kung Fu.

Plantbending: Flexible. Make plants grow tall, make them die, bend them, control them, make them grow from seeds. They cannot make plants that are old grow young. Style: Choy Lay Fut for flexible footwork.

Soundbending: Subtle. Can make themselves very quiet. Can use sound to make things levitate, can create soundwaves, and sonic booms. Can make it so that when people are talking, they cannot be heard. Can transport sound from one place to another. Style: Xingyiquan for slow movements to very quick jabs.

Metalbending: Can magnetize things. Bend metal, levitate metal, and change it to a liquid state to form it into different shapes. Style: Kung fu; can't remember.

idk but the greek philosopher Aristotle had a theory that all things in the world were made up of four elements. the creators of avatar probably got the four elements form this and will keep them as they are

aang has said something about, metal benders and sand benders. what catagory do they go in?

supposedly there are six elements. One is spiritbending, which anyone can do. Iroh talks about his travels into the spirit world, therefore, he would be a spiritbender. The other element is fleshbending. All that is is a very cruel version of spirit-bending. You go into the spirit world, return without going back into your body, and then you can mess with people without them doing anything about it. I have no proof of this, i have just heard about it.

the thing is that many of the other elements como from the basic four like light comes from fire, plants from water and possibly earth,.

I see that theory also incorporates the idea of natural selection into the world of ATLA.?? Also, toph stated in the Drill "No way am i going into that metal monster, i can't bend in there." The metal that the FN uses is ultra refined so there is no earth left in it

Ok to finally settle this almost all the things you guys have said somehow incorperate 1 or 2 of the 4 elements. For example lightning would be the best example of a fifth element but in the show they say it falls within the fire catagory(fire is incorperated with the motions of waterbending). Sand bending would be another element but if you look at it sand is earth so its abranch of earthbending. I dont think there are metalbenders but if they are then they would fall in the earth catagory 2 and that would mean earthbenders could bend anywhere exept the air. Also plant bending probably would be earthbending but as u can c in the Swamp that waterbender waterbends the vines. So there is plantbending 2. I hope i answerd everything you guys wanted to know.

O and to say one more thing mithrandir11 said something of sound, light, and im just ganna add dark.
Air doesnt really have any small catagories so id prally add these to air.
Sound would just be really strong airbending that was really strong and made sonic booms which air kinda all ready does. So the only elements that would qualify for being a 5th or 6th elements would be light and dark(ying and yang). Also they mite just be 1 element making it a 5th element witch wouldn't be too confusing and wouldnt ruin Avatar.

so would that be micro evolution or macro evolution?

I dont know what that means Falcondude123 but someone also said wood but woodbending would be earth or maby water because of the vine bender.

Falcondude123
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wat are u getting at falcon i dont get wat u mean

k

I don't think there will be new elements tobend just sub division of the four main ones like lighting is to fire and sand bending is to earth maybe there will be a subdivision of air that controls i dont know.....soot or ash or something...