Elements

Elements are a concept included in both Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors series, and many other Warriors related series. They can be fused with weapons or added as a separate item. Sometimes only one is allowed though more recent games and the Warriors Orochi series allow multiple elements. Elements are effects that affect enemies that are stuck by certain charge attacks. Some charge attacks will have elemental activation, some won't. The elements are generally as follows:

Elements

 * Lightning/Bolt: Foes get stunned, and in some games it spreads. This will often cause stunning, in the form of the enemy either very slowly falling to the ground unable to move with electricty flowing through them or stand there with small yellow indicators over their heads, and the next hit will launch them into the air no matter what.
 * Fire: Gradual damage on the target that ignores defense that can not kill. the effect lasts only a short time if the target is on the ground, but if airborn they will stay on fire unless they recover in air.
 * Ice: Freezes foes, causing them to stick to the ground through your attacks and lowers their defense. They can not be set on fire, and it is hard to break out of.
 * Wind/Air: Increases knockback and airborne attacks. Wind will often add extra hight to the targets air time.
 * Light/Flash/Blast: Breaks or damages guard, occasionally throws in extra damage.
 * Drain/Night/Absorb: Absorbs life or musou from an enemy upon activation attack.
 * Clones/Multi: Creates clones that add onto attack making it more powerful. Can sometimes mess with knockback functions.
 * Dark/Vorpal/Death/Demon/Slay: Instantly kills peons and takes a percent of a generals health. Sometimes drains musou bar.
 * Poison: Only in Dynasty Warriors 4. Lowers defense for a time.

Appearances
In Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors 3, they are attached to weapons and require full musou gauge to use (though in Samurai Warriors Xtreme Legends there is an item which activates element without full musou). In Samurai Warriors 2, the concept was slightly changed as they only required one full musou bar out of three to activate. It also introduced the Demon and Wind elements, with the former being initially considered too powerful. This was changed in the expansion as the Demon element was downgraded. The same element system is retained in Samurai Warriors 3, though once again Demon element power has slightly been adjusted.

In Dynasty Warriors 5 they come in the form of items, Orbs. In Dynasty Warriors 6, only the regular elements Fire, Ice and Bolt appeared. They are attached to weapons and certain horses, too.

In the Warriors Orochi series, they are an ability attached to a weapon. These abilies can be given to other weapons through the weapon fusion system. They do not require a full musou bar to activate, they will only activate on certain attacks, or "activation attacks".