Inazuma Eleven Element System Complete Guide

The element system in Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road is crucial for competitive play. Understanding type advantages, team composition, and elemental strategies can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

The Five Elements

Fire 🔥 (Katon)

Characteristics:

• High offensive power
• Aggressive playstyle
• Best for Forwards and Midfielders

Strengths:

• ✅ Strong vs Wood: 50% damage bonus
• ✅ High shoot and dribble stats
• ✅ Explosive hissatsu techniques

Weaknesses:

• ❌ Weak vs Water: 50% damage penalty
• ❌ Lower defensive stats
• ❌ High stamina consumption

Best Positions:

• Forward (FW) - Primary
• Midfielder (MF) - Secondary

Top Fire Characters:

• Dario Highton (FW, Power 96)
• Jazmine Carmine (FW, Power 95)
• Juno Hundertmark (GK, Power 95)

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Water 💧 (Suiton)

Characteristics:

• Balanced and defensive
• Control-oriented playstyle
• Best for Goalkeepers and Defenders

Strengths:

• ✅ Strong vs Fire: 50% damage bonus
• ✅ High catch and block stats
• ✅ Excellent stamina
• ✅ Good team support abilities

Weaknesses:

• ❌ Weak vs Earth: 50% damage penalty
• ❌ Lower offensive power
• ❌ Passive playstyle

Best Positions:

• Goalkeeper (GK) - Primary
• Defender (DF) - Secondary
• Midfielder (MF) - Support

Top Water Characters:

• Clement Mariner (GK, Power 94)
• Lilac Tausend (DF, Power 86)

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Earth ⛰️ (Doton)

Characteristics:

• Defensive powerhouse
• Tank playstyle
• Best for Defenders

Strengths:

• ✅ Strong vs Water: 50% damage bonus
• ✅ Strong vs Lightning: 50% damage bonus (dual advantage!)
• ✅ Highest block stats
• ✅ Very durable

Weaknesses:

• ❌ Weak vs Wood: 50% damage penalty
• ❌ Slow speed
• ❌ Low offensive potential

Best Positions:

• Defender (DF) - Primary
• Midfielder (MF) - Defensive

Top Earth Characters:

• Erdem Barath (DF, Power 90)
• Davin Bullock (DF, Power 89)
• Nikas Himmelstein (MF, Power 94)

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Wood 🌳 (Mokuton)

Characteristics:

• Technical and agile
• Speed-based playstyle
• Best for Forwards and Midfielders

Strengths:

• ✅ Strong vs Earth: 50% damage bonus
• ✅ High speed and dribble
• ✅ Excellent technique
• ✅ Low stamina cost

Weaknesses:

• ❌ Weak vs Fire: 50% damage penalty
• ❌ Lower power stats
• ❌ Fragile defense

Best Positions:

• Forward (FW) - Primary
• Midfielder (MF) - Secondary

Top Wood Characters:

• Amelia Rainwalker (FW, Power 94)
• Viorain Maleby (DF, Power 92)

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Lightning ⚡ (Raiton)

Characteristics:

• Balanced element
• Versatile playstyle
• Works in any position

Strengths:

• ✅ No major weaknesses (except Earth)
• ✅ Balanced stats
• ✅ Flexible team building
• ✅ Consistent performance

Weaknesses:

• ❌ Weak vs Earth: 50% damage penalty
• ❌ No strong advantages
• ❌ Less specialized

Best Positions:

• Any position
• Great “filler” element

Top Lightning Characters:

• Thierry Reyes (MF, Power 87)
• Raika Shinohara (MF, Power 94)

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Element Matchup Chart

Complete Advantage Table

Attacker ↓	Fire 🔥	Water 💧	Earth ⛰️	Wood 🌳	Lightning ⚡
Fire 🔥	100%	50%	100%	150%	100%
Water 💧	150%	100%	50%	100%	100%
Earth ⛰️	100%	150%	100%	50%	150%
Wood 🌳	50%	100%	150%	100%	100%
Lightning ⚡	100%	100%	50%	100%	100%

Reading the Table:

• 150% = Strong (50% bonus damage)
• 100% = Neutral
• 50% = Weak (50% damage penalty)

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How Elemental Advantage Works

Damage Calculation

Base Damage Formula:

Damage = (Attacker Power - Defender Defense) × Element Multiplier

Example 1: Advantage

• Fire Forward (90 Shoot) vs Wood Defender (80 Block)
• Base: 90 - 80 = 10 damage
• With Advantage: 10 × 1.5 = 15 damage

Example 2: Disadvantage

• Fire Forward (90 Shoot) vs Water Defender (80 Block)
• Base: 90 - 80 = 10 damage
• With Disadvantage: 10 × 0.5 = 5 damage

Impact: 3x difference between advantage and disadvantage!

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Critical Moments

Element advantage matters most during:

1. Shooting duels (FW vs GK)
2. Dribbling (FW/MF vs DF)
3. Blocking (DF vs FW)
4. Hissatsu techniques (special moves)

Less Important:

• Passing
• Regular movement
• Positioning

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Team Building with Elements

Balanced Element Team (Recommended) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Strategy: Mix 2-3 elements to avoid hard counters

Example Team:

FW: Fire + Wood (offense variety)
MF: Lightning + Earth (balanced)
DF: Earth + Water (defensive wall)
GK: Water (standard)

Benefits:

• ✅ No major weaknesses
• ✅ Can adapt to opponents
• ✅ Consistent performance

Best For:

• Beginners
• Story Mode
• General PvP

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Mono-Element Team (Advanced) ⭐⭐⭐

Strategy: All same element for maximum synergy

Fire Team Example:

FW: Fire + Fire
MF: Fire + Fire + Fire + Fire
DF: Fire + Fire + Fire + Fire
GK: Fire

Benefits:

• ✅ Maximum elemental synergy bonus (+10%)
• ✅ Devastating vs weak element (Wood)
• ✅ Simple strategy

Drawbacks:

• ❌ Hard countered by Water teams
• ❌ Risky in blind picks
• ❌ No flexibility

Best For:

• Counter-picking known opponents
• Element-specific challenges
• Advanced players

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Dual-Element Core (Intermediate) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Strategy: 2 primary elements with 1-2 neutrals

Fire + Earth Example:

FW: Fire + Fire (offense)
MF: Fire + Lightning + Earth + Lightning
DF: Earth + Earth + Earth + Water
GK: Water (standard)

Benefits:

• ✅ Strong vs Wood and Water
• ✅ Weak only to Wood (Earth weakness)
• ✅ Good balance

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Counter-Picking Strategies

Reading Opponent’s Team

Pre-Match Analysis:

1. Check opponent’s main element
2. Identify their key threats
3. Build counter team
4. Focus on exploiting weakness

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Element Counter Chart

If Opponent Uses:

🔥 Fire-Heavy Team → Counter with Water
→ Focus: Water GK + Water DF
→ Result: 50% damage reduction on their offense

💧 Water-Heavy Team → Counter with Earth
→ Focus: Earth MF + Earth FW
→ Result: Break through their defense

⛰️ Earth-Heavy Team → Counter with Wood
→ Focus: Wood FW with high speed
→ Result: Exploit slow Earth defenders

🌳 Wood-Heavy Team → Counter with Fire
→ Focus: Fire FW for explosive offense
→ Result: Dominate their defense

⚡ Lightning-Heavy Team → Counter with Earth
→ Focus: Earth DF wall
→ Result: Shut down their balanced approach

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Element Synergy Bonuses

Same-Element Team Buffs

2-3 Same Element:

• +2% to all stats
• Minimal but helpful

4-5 Same Element:

• +5% to all stats
• +5% elemental advantage damage
• Notable impact

6+ Same Element (Mono):

• +10% to all stats
• +10% elemental advantage damage
• Special passive abilities
• Maximum synergy

Example Impact:

• Fire FW with 90 Shoot
• With +10% buff: 99 Shoot
• With elemental advantage (150%): Devastating

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Position-Specific Element Strategies

Forwards (FW)

Best Elements: Fire, Wood
Why: High offense, speed, shooting power
Avoid: Earth (too slow)

Optimal FW Combos:

• Fire + Wood (offense variety)
• Fire + Fire (maximum damage)
• Wood + Lightning (speed + balance)

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Midfielders (MF)

Best Elements: Any (most flexible position)
Recommended: Lightning, Fire, Earth

Optimal MF Combos:

• 2 Fire + 2 Lightning (attack focus)
• 2 Earth + 2 Lightning (balanced)
• Mixed 4 elements (maximum flexibility)

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Defenders (DF)

Best Elements: Earth, Water
Why: High block, defensive stats
Avoid: Fire (too offensive)

Optimal DF Combos:

• 3 Earth + 1 Water (defensive wall)
• 2 Earth + 2 Water (balanced defense)
• All Earth (anti-Water/Lightning)

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Goalkeepers (GK)

Best Element: Water (highest catch stats)
Alternatives: Fire (Juno), Earth

Optimal GK:

• Water GK (standard choice)
• Earth GK (vs Water-heavy opponents)
• Fire GK (offensive option)

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Advanced Element Techniques

Element Switching Mid-Match

Substitution Strategy:

1. Scout opponent's main element (first 2 minutes)
2. Pause and analyze
3. Substitute in counter-element characters
4. Exploit their weakness

Example:

• Opponent has Fire FW dominating
• Substitute in Water DF
• Shut down their offense

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Bait and Switch

Strategy:

1. Start with balanced team
2. Let opponent commit to strategy
3. Switch to hard counter
4. Dominate

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Common Element Mistakes

❌ Mistakes to Avoid

1. All Same Element (Beginners)

Mistake: Building mono-element without understanding
Problem: Hard countered, can’t recover
Fix: Start with 2-3 element mix

2. Ignoring Matchups

Mistake: Using Fire FW vs Water GK
Problem: 50% damage = can’t score
Fix: Check elements before engaging

3. Random Elements

Mistake: No element strategy, random team
Problem: No synergy, inconsistent
Fix: Plan 2-3 core elements

4. Element Over Stats

Mistake: Picking weak Fire over strong Water for advantage
Problem: Base stats matter more
Fix: Balance element advantage with character quality

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Element System FAQ

Does element matter in PvE (Story Mode)?

Answer: Less than PvP, but still helpful. Story opponents have fixed elements you can counter.

Can I win with elemental disadvantage?

Answer: Yes, if your stats are much higher. But it’s harder.

What’s the best universal element?

Answer: Lightning - balanced, no major weaknesses, works anywhere.

Should beginners focus on elements?

Answer: Basic understanding yes, but focus on stats and strategy first.

Do hissatsu techniques get element bonuses?

Answer: Yes! Special moves get full 150%/50% multipliers.

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Related Guides

Use element knowledge to dominate:

• Team Building Guide - Build perfectly balanced teams with element synergy
• Best Characters for Beginners - Element-aware character selection for new players
• Inazuma Eleven Tier List - See top characters organized by element and position
• Character Database - Browse and filter all 47 characters by element type

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Conclusion

The element system in Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road is powerful but not everything. Here’s what to remember:

1. 50% Advantage/Disadvantage is massive (3x swing)
2. Balanced teams (2-3 elements) work best for most players
3. Counter-pick when you know opponent’s main element
4. Stats still matter - don’t sacrifice quality for element advantage
5. Practice reading matchups quickly

Master elements, and you’ll dominate in both PvP and PvE!

Pro Tip: Create 3 preset teams - one for each major element matchup. Quick switch when you see opponent’s team!

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Last Updated: November 15, 2025 - Browse Characters by Element