Alternate Breathing

Abilities related to Alternate Breathing
Related Abilities	Aquatic Breathing - Hazardous Environment Breathing - Vacuum Breathing

Background

Alternate Breathing is the ability to breathe in things other than regular air-based oxygen. Characters with this ability either cannot breathe air or can breathe other types of elements. It should be noted that they do not have Respiratory Self-Sustenance as they still require some type of element to breathe.

Applications

Oxygen-Related Applications

Aquatic Breathing

Aquaman can breathe underwater indefinitely

Aquatic Breathing is the power to breathe underwater for either a superhuman amount of time or indefinitely. Normally, the ability is achieved through the use of special equipment, transforming into a sea creature, or as an innate species trait. Unlike Self-Sustenance, the user still needs to breathe oxygen but can extract it underwater.

• Users
  • Starfy (The Legendary Starfy): Starfy is able to breathe underwater, likely due to sharing many similarities to sea creatures.
  • Wollywog (Pikmin): Wollywogs are amphibious species capable of breathing underwater, often found deep in aquatic environments.

High-Altitude Breathing

This application allows the user to breathe efficiently in low-oxygen environments, such as at high altitudes, where oxygen levels are significantly reduced. This ability prevents hypoxia or suffocation in such conditions.

• Users

Hyperoxygenation

The ability to increase oxygen intake and utilization, allowing users to supercharge their body and enhance physical performance. This is often used to boost speed, strength, and endurance temporarily.

• Users

Oxygen Filtration

The ability to extract oxygen from polluted, toxic, or otherwise unsuitable air. This is useful for breathing in environments with contaminated air.

• Users

Compressed Oxygen Storage

The power to store large quantities of oxygen within the lungs or a specialized organ, allowing for extended periods of time without needing to breathe.

• Users
  • Samus Aran (Metroid): Samus's Power Suit contains a system that lets her survive without breathing for extended durations by recycling oxygen.

Non-Oxygen-Related Applications

Anaerobic Respiration

Anaerobic respiration allows the user to respire using electron acceptors other than molecular oxygen. Instead of oxygen, the user can utilize substances such as nitrate, fumarate, sulfate, or elemental sulfur for respiration.

• Users
  • Olimar (Pikmin): Olimar notes that oxygen is a toxic substance on Earth, indicating he naturally respires through other means.

Hazardous Environment Breathing

Luffy is able to fully breathe poisons into his body.

Characters with Hazardous Environment Breathing are capable of breathing in conditions that would be poisonous or hazardous to an average human. This could result from adapting to the environment, being naturally born in said environment, or utilizing protective equipment. It should be noted that breathing in one hazardous environment does not guarantee breathing in all hazardous environments.

Gaseous Breathing

The ability to breathe in gases other than oxygen, such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen, methane, or other uncommon atmospheric elements.

• Users

Vacuum Breathing

Vacuum breathing allows the user to survive and breathe in the absence of any atmosphere, such as in the vacuum of space. This could be a result of physiology that sustains respiration without requiring an external source.

• Users
  • Kirby (Kirby): Kirby has been shown inhaling and functioning in space without any issue.

Energy Breathing

Some characters possess the ability to "breathe" in forms of pure energy, such as plasma, radiation, or magical energy, using it as a substitute for air.

• Users

Possible Limitations

• Characters may be restricted to only specific substances for respiration, making environments lacking that substance uninhabitable.
• Oxygen may be toxic or entirely unusable to these characters, potentially limiting their mobility or survivability in air-based environments.