Shapeshifting

Frieza showcasing his shapeshifting abilities by transforming

Shapeshifting is the ability to change your form and appearance at will. Unlike transmutation, which is used on other people and objects, shapeshifting only affects the user. The user’s genetic and cellular structure instantaneously rearranges according to mental input from the user. The act of shapeshifting is sometimes painful, and usually requires a few moments to complete. Could involve a variety or all subsets there in such as:

Complete Shapeshifting

The character can become nearly anything, from microscopic particles to advanced machinery to energy - there are few or no limits on the character's ability.

Characters with Complete Shapeshifting are:

- The Impossible Man from Marvel Comics
- The Makuta from Bionicle
- Youzen and Ko Kibi from Houshin Engi

Doppelganger

Mystique changing her appearance

The character may become people they have seen, they may need to have a similar body mass of the person they are turning into. They can change the color of their skin, the clothes they are wearing, their facial features, and other superficial attributes, but cannot significantly alter the size and shape of their body.

Typical drawbacks are that the user may be unable to maintain his/her transformation for long, that it requires active concentration to maintain or that the transformation is reverted if the the character is rendered unconscious.

Benefits:

• Flawless Copy: the character is be able to perfectly imitate the physique of someone (can also be a drawback, depending on who they imitate)

Characters with the Doppelganger attribute are:

- Silver Surfer and Mystique from Marvel Comics
- Cinderella from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
- Mr. 2/Bentham from One Piece

Size Manipulation

The power to change the size of oneself or others at will, while still preserving body proportion. User can change their size and mass from tiny to absolutely gigantic while retaining their physical proportions, some may be able to alter their density. Usually strength and durability increase and decrease in relation of the size, but user may actually gain vastly greater abilities when growing or keep their normal ones when shrinking.

Typical drawbacks are that the user may be limited to only growing or shrinking his/her original form, that it may be tiring or that the user becomes an easier target due to size.

Benefits:

• Enhanced strength, durability, weight etc.

Characters with Size Manipulation are:

- Akira and Takeshi Kongou Kongou from Kongou Banchou
- Archimonde from Warcraft
- Choji and Choza Akimichi from Naruto
- Doctor Manhattan from Watchmen
- Jirou from Toriko
- The Hulk and several other characters from Marvel Comics
- Giganta, The Atom and several other characters from DC Comics
- Makarov Dreher from Fairy Tail
- Monkey D. Luffy (via Gear Third) from One Piece

Animal Morphing

The ability allows the user to rearrange the DNA structure into the full or partial faunal form (animal species) of their own choosing. Some may have this ability from an empty genetic code, allowing them to accept any form from which they have a DNA sample, others may be able to alter their form mentally and change just by seeing and mimicking animal features, still others may have a limited selection of predetermined animal forms to take.

Typical drawbacks are that the character may be incapable to transform into inanimate objects, may not be able to speak in a human language or may require a visual memory or genetic sample of target animal through touch or assimilation.

Benefits:

• Aquatic Adaptation
• Enhanced Strength, Durability, Agility etc.
• Enhanced Bite
• Enhanced Senses
• Prehensile Tail, Tongue etc.
• Venomous Claws, Teeth etc.
• Flight (via wing manifestation)

Characters with Animal Morphing are:

- Animal Man and several other characters from DC Comics
- Chopper and other Zoan type Devil Fruit users from One Piece
- Dracula from Castlevania
- Elfman, Mirajane and Lisana from Fairy Tail
- Priscilla and other Awakened Beings from Claymore
- Snowbird and several other characters from Marvel Comics
- Youichi Shihoin from Bleach

Elasticity

The character can stretch, deform, expand, and contract their limbs, torso, and neck. Can assume a net, a ball, a spring, etc. The character’s bones and organs are gelatin-like, so physical harm is often ineffective.

Typical drawbacks are that deformation may occur, some users have a definite limit on how far they can stretch, some may have to use kinetic force (e.g. throwing a punch or kick or even getting punched or kicked) to stretch and their augmented durability may not encompass piercing or cutting attacks.

Benefits:

• Extreme (boneless) Flexibility allowing stretching, flattening, compacting, etc.
• Enhanced Durability/Invulnerability: physical attacks either bounce of or users body stretches to absorb the power of the attack.
• Electrical Invulnerability: immune or highly resistant to electricity.

Characters with Elasticity are:

- Majin Buu from Dragon Ball
- Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece
- Mr. Fantastic from Marvel Comics
- Plastic Man and Elongated Man from DC Comics

Elemental Mimicry

The character is able to transform their body completely into fundamental elements (e.g. air, earth, electricity, fire, light, magma, water, etc). The character elemental state can be either anatomically identical to their normal form, aside of being made of an element, in which case it may contains all to organs and is somewhat vulnerable to attacks. More often the character transform into homogenous matter, without any part of their form being more important than the other, though they may still keep their human appearance.

Typical drawbacks are that if the may not be able to return to their original body at all or that if the character is rendered unconscious, their body might automatically transform into their normal state, may be vulnerable to opposite elements or susceptible to specific manipulations.

Diamond Mimicry

Variation of Elemental Mimicry. The character is able to transform their body completely into diamond. The character's transformed form can be either anatomically identical to their normal form, aside of being made of diamond, in which case it contains all to organs and is somewhat vulnerable to attacks. Alternately user can transform into homogenous matter, without any part of their form being more important than the other, though they may still keep their human appearance.

Metal Mimicry

Variation of Elemental Mimicry. The character assumes a form which is made of metal while still maintaining biological significance and functions. This ability may change the character's skin color. The character may be able to revert back at will. Users may not need to eat/drink, sleep or even breathe. The wielder's blood may also transmute into energy when transforming into metal form. This could lead to potential Energy Manipulation, for only the most experienced users.

Benefits:

• Coldproof/Fireproof: if the character’s element is ice or fire related, they usually have this so they are not hurt by their own power
• Dispersion: separating and scattering the elemental body into smaller parts for both offensive and defensive purposes (there’s a limit for how far the scattered parts can be from any other part)
• Elemental Manipulation: the character is often able to create and control the element they consist of
• Enhanced Immunity: the character elemental state may be impervious to poisons, toxins, venoms, viruses, bacteria etc.
• Enhanced Lung Capacity: the character may not need oxygen to sustain in their elemental state.
• Invulnerability: immune or highly resistant to all forms of physical damage
• Natural Weaponry
• Regeneration: the character is able to create and/or drawing the element to repair the elemental body
• Thermal Resistance: resistant to extreme temperatures

Characters with Elemental Mimicry are:

- Akainu, Aokiji, Kizaru and other Logia users from One Piece
- Colossus (Metal Mimicry) and Emma Frost (Diamond Mimicry) from Marvel Comics
- Iceman, The Human Torch and other characters from Marvel Comics
- Jozu (Diamond Mimicry) and Daz Bones (Metal Mimicry) from One Piece
- Metamorphae, Elemental Girl and other characters from DC Comics

See also:

- Logia Intangibility