Attributes (Japanese: 属性, zokusei) are the "elemental" properties associated with Takara Tomy's Chrome Wheels and Crystal Wheels, part of the Synchrome System toyline. This gimmick featured special emblems on each Element Wheel which indicated their Attribute.
Overview
With the introduction of the Synchrome System, Takara Tomy introduced the player community to new types of Wheels that featured elemental associations. The Synchrome System enabled players to combine a Warrior Wheel and Element Wheel which could be flipped over to utilize either sides (Chrome/Crystal Up Mode). Element Wheels, in particular, featured a elemental Attribute crest. By the end of the toyline's production life, Takara Tomy released a total of 6 attributes: Fire, Water, Sky, Earth, Darkness, God. Most of Attributes were released in starter and booster packs, with only Darkness Element Wheels being released in special package sets.
In a game designed for competitive play, Attributes served no practical function in real-world Beyblade battles and became a novelty in the franchise overall. Under the Hasbro brand, the concept of Attributes were completely absent in their marketing, leaving many to speculate what Takara Tomy had planned for the concept.
Etymology
With the inclusion of the Japanese hiragana along with the kanji in the logos of each Attribute, readings for their transliteration is simplified. While some are easily translated, the original Japanese term for other Attributes cannot be translated neatly into English:
Kanji | 火 | 水 | 天 | 地 | 闇 | 神 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hiragana | ひ | みず | てん | ち | やみ | かみ |
Romaji | Hi | Mizu | Ten | Chi | Yami | Kami |
Literal translation | Fire, flame | Water, cold water | The sky; the heavens | Earth, land, ground | The dark; darkness | A deity; a god; spirit |
Translation | Fire | Water | Sky | Earth | Darkness | God |
While the kanji used for each attribute can be translated and interpreted simply, the kanji for "kami" (which usually means "deity" or "(a) god") can be used in slang, changing its meaning to "amazing", "great", "fantastic", or "awesome".
Trivia
- The lightning bolt featured in the "Sky" logo led many to speculate that the attribute would be called "Thunder".
- Water is the only attribute that did not have a Random Booster release.
- Takara Tomy promoted the Synchrome System with a "Correlation Diagram" (相関図, sōkanzu) for the Attributes. Given the structure, one could assume that a possible scoring system was devised but never implemented.
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