Main Characters
Aang
Aang was a male Air Nomad and the Avatar during the century-long conflict known as the Hundred Year War. His immediate predecessor was Avatar Roku, and his immediate successor is Avatar Korra. As the Avatar of his time, he was the only person capable of using all four bending arts. He was also one of a select few Avatars, and one of the first in many cycles to learn the ancient art of energy bending, and the first Avatar known to have actively used the technique.Shortly before the beginning of the Hundred Year War, Aang was frozen
in an iceberg for a hundred years he later emerged, still biologically
twelve years old, into a world engulfed by war. During his absence, the Fire Nation had waged war upon the other nations and managed to completely wipe out
the pacifistic Air Nomads. It fell to Aang, the last airbender and the
Avatar, to end the War by mastering the other three elements and
defeating Fire Lord Ozai.
He remained a kind and goofy kid at heart throughout his year-long
struggle, despite the overwhelming loss of his people and the heavy
burdens he was forced to bear.
Sokka
Sokka was a Water Tribe warrior of the Southern Water Tribe and the son of Kya and Chief Hakoda. Following the death of his mother and his father's leave for war, Sokka was raised by his grandmother Kanna along with his younger sister Katara.
Despite his inability to bend,
Sokka became the strategist of the group, constantly trying to prove
himself to be a great warrior like his father. He attempted to train the
younger children of the Southern Water Tribe in fighting. Sokka was
also the "matter of fact" guy in the group and did not believe in spirit
magic, as he openly mocked it. His leadership skills improved during his travels with the Avatar, culminating with his masterminding the plan for the invasion of the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun. His humor and his ability to organize and plan became imperative to the group on their travels. By the conclusion of the Hundred Year War, Sokka became a master swordsman and a great warrior like his father.
Katara
Katara is a waterbending master, born in the Southern Water Tribe to Chief Hakoda and his wife, Kya.
During her childhood, she was the only waterbender living in the South
Pole. At first she lived a peaceful life with her family, until she lost
her mother in a Fire Nation raid. After her father left to battle against the Fire Nation in the Hundred Year War, Katara was raised by her grandmother, Kanna, alongside her older brother Sokka. As a teenager, she and her brother discovered the young Air Nomad Avatar, Aang, who had been frozen in an iceberg with his bison, Appa, for one hundred years. In need of a waterbending master, the siblings and Aang left the South Pole on a journey toward the Northern Water Tribe.
Katara and Sokka eventually became close friends with Aang, and after
their journey to the North Pole, continued to travel with him across the world as he mastered the remaining elements, earth and fire. The siblings' assistance helped Aang halt the Fire Nation's ambitions of world domination, ending the century-long war, and finally restoring balance to the world.Initially, Katara's waterbending abilities were limited because there was no one to teach her at the South Pole. However, after acquiring a waterbending scroll, and formal training at the North Pole,
her determination and hard work allowed her to surpass Aang and
completely master the element. She became Aang's waterbending instructor
after their departure from the Northern Water Tribe, replacing Master Pakku, who had instructed them during their time there. Her mastery of water made her a formidable asset to the group.
Toph
Toph Beifong is an earthbending master, one of the most powerful of her time, and the discoverer of metalbending.
Blind since birth, Toph was constantly treated condescendingly because
of her disability, particularly by her overprotective parents, Lao and Poppy Beifong. Upon discovering badgermoles, earthbending animals who were also blind, she learned how to use earthbending as an extension of her senses. This gave her the ability to "see" every vibration that passes through the ground. Having developed her own unique style of earthbending, Toph acquired a
toughened personality and became famous for winning underground
earthbending tournaments under the title of the "Blind Bandit" behind
her parents' backs.
Although initially uninterested in directly aiding the war effort, she
eventually chose to leave behind her old life, and travel with Avatar Aang and his friends as his earthbending teacher, when her parents finally became unbearable for her. Toph's total mastery over earthbending, unique personality, and thoughtful pragmatism made her a valuable addition to the team.
Zuko
Zuko is a firebending master, born as a prince in the Fire Nation Royal Family, who held the title of Fire Lord . Initially Team Avatar's primary enemy, Zuko's early life revolved around trying to capture the long-lost Avatar to end his banishment and regain his honor as Crown Prince of the Fire Nation.
Zuko is easily recognized by the distinctive scar on the left side of his face. It was given to him by his father, Fire Lord Ozai,
shortly before his banishment as a result of an incident in which he
unintentionally disrespected his father by speaking out of turn and
refusing to duel him.With support from his uncle, General Iroh,
and after much internal struggle and turmoil, Zuko rejected Ozai and
his model of the Fire Nation. He instead joined the Avatar's group to
become Aang's friend and firebending teacher and was determined to end the war and restore both his and the Fire Nation's honor. While Aang defeated Ozai, Zuko, with the help of Katara, defeated his prodigious younger sister Princess Azula and took his place as Fire Lord, declaring the end of the Hundred Year War and the start of an era of love and peace.
Momo
While visiting the Southern Air Temple, Avatar Aang, Katara, and Sokka heard a strange noise from the doorway of the sanctuary of the temple, indicating that someone had entered the room. Afraid that it was a firebender,
they hid behind two Avatar statues, only to discover that the intruder
was just a lemur. Aang took interest in him and longed to adopt him as
his new pet; in contrast, a desperately hungry Sokka wished to eat their
newly discovered companion for dinner.the lemur provided Sokka with a quantity of food. Aang decided to keep the lemur as a pet and named him "Momo" after he stole a moon peach from Sokka.
[2]
From this moment on, Momo remained a constant addition to their family,
accompanying the team on their journeys throughout the world.
Appa
Appa was Avatar Aang's loyal sky bison, who shared a strong bond with Aang and with Momo, as they were all some of the few remaining traces of the Air Nomad civilization. Appa was most noted for his ability to fly in spite of his heavy weight, a feat achieved through airbending which made Appa the primary means of transportation utilized by Team Avatar.
Iroh
Iroh was a retired Fire Nation General, a former Crown Prince of the nation, a Grand Lotus of the Order of the White Lotus, a firebending master, and a wise mentor to his nephew Zuko. He was the elder son of Fire Lord Azulon and Ilah, and the older brother of Ozai. Iroh's well-known ability to breathe fire, and his claims of "slaying" the last dragon, earned him the honorary title "The Dragon of the West".
Unlike many other individuals from the Fire Nation, particularly
those within his own family, Iroh was a wise, easy-going, and spiritual
man. He appreciated and admired the balance of the four elements, and even incorporated aspects of the other elements into his own firebending techniques. Iroh aided Avatar Aang and his companions on several occasions, and was consequently branded as a traitor. An extremely perceptive person, it was claimed that he journeyed to the Spirit World in search of his deceased son Lu Ten.
His knowledge and respect for the four elements allowed him to provide
advice to others; he assisted many close associates and friends.
Azula
Azula was the princess of the Fire Nation, daughter of Fire Lord Ozai and Princess Ursa, younger sister of Zuko, and the older half-sister of Kiyi. She was a key adversary of Team Avatar, chasing Avatar Aang and her banished brother far across the Earth Kingdom accompanied by her two best friends Mai and Ty Lee.A firebending prodigy, Azula was sadistic, manipulative, and obsessed with power. She was a skilled strategist who orchestrated the coup over the Earth Kingdom capital Ba Sing Se, and halted the invasion on the Day of Black Sun.Azula harbored deep mental instabilities, believing her mother loved Zuko more than her.
Raised by her father in an environment without a mother-figure, Azula
had to be nothing less than perfect in her father's eyes just to earn
any affection from him.
Ozai
Ozai was the Fire Lord and absolute ruler of the Fire Nation during the final years of the Hundred Year War. He was the second son of Azulon and Ilah, the younger brother of Iroh, uncle of Lu Ten, husband to Ursa, and the father of Prince Zuko and Princess Azula. Ozai was a firebending master and, prior to the ending of the War, was believed to have been one of the most powerful firebenders in the world.
After Iroh's only son, Lu Ten, died, Ozai usurped his brother's birthright to the throne, in a scheme that resulted in his father's death and Ursa's banishment.Ozai's rule saw a mass buildup of industry and significant technological advancements. Like his father and grandfather
before him, Ozai sought to conquer the other nations and become the
supreme ruler of the world. To do this, he planned to utilize Sozin's Comet to burn down the Earth Kingdom, renouncing the title of Fire Lord and declaring himself the Phoenix King, ruler of the world. Before his plans could come to fruition, he was defeated by Avatar Aang, who used energybending to remove his firebending abilities permanently.
Other Avatars
Roku
Roku was the Fire Nation-born Avatar immediately succeeding Avatar Kyoshi and preceding Avatar Aang. Roku's memory served as a guiding force for Aang throughout his quest to end the Hundred Year War.
Roku was a wise and merciful Avatar with good intentions, though he
himself acknowledged that he was too indecisive during his life. Roku's
long friendship with Fire Lord Sozin
resulted in his reluctance to end his friend's life and thus his
imperial ambitions. This ultimately led to Roku's death, preventing him
from stopping a war which would last for one hundred years. Aang
inherited Roku's burden of healing the war-torn world, and Roku firmly believed Aang was destined to amend his mistakes.
Kyoshi
Kyoshi was the Earth Kingdom-born Avatar immediately succeeding Avatar Kuruk of the Northern Water Tribe, and preceding Avatar Roku of the Fire Nation. She died at the age of 230, making her the oldest known human. Kyoshi was a tall woman, possessing the largest feet of any Avatar.
Her traditional weapons were golden metal fans which, in addition to
her manner of dress and style of fighting, were adopted by the Kyoshi Warriors of Kyoshi Island, her homeland.Unlike her successors, Roku and Aang,
Kyoshi was determined that only true justice could bring peace, and had
no qualms about killing enemies to achieve this goal. Employing these
methods, she was a generally effective Avatar. However, some of her
actions also caused long-term problems for the Earth Kingdom; while
ushering the world into a 233 year-long era of peace, the death of Chin the Conqueror and her foundation of the Dai Li would lead to the decline, corruption, and fall of her home country. Because of this, Kyoshi later came to deeply regret the creation of the Dai Li.
Kuruk
Kuruk was the Water Tribe Avatar immediately succeeding Avatar Yangchen and preceding Avatar Kyoshi. Native to the Northern Water Tribe. Though gifted as a bender, he was a brash and
arrogant person, who always preferred a "go with the flow" kind of
mentality. Due to this attitude and his pompous demeanor, Kuruk lost his
fiancée, Ummi, to Koh the Face Stealer.
Yangchen
Yangchen was the Air Nomad Avatar succeeding the unnamed fire Avatar and preceding Avatar Kuruk.
In her youth, after mastering all the elements, she was eager to make a
difference in the world, despite her inexperience. She traveled with
her sky bison and her two winged lemurs, Pik and Pak.
A respected figure, she was hailed for her wisdom, determination, and
power. Although the Air Nomads were perceived to be pacifistic people,
Yangchen was feared for her fierce willingness in doing whatever was
required to perform her duties as the Avatar and maintain balance and
peace throughout the world. Due to her devotion, no threats of war occurred for an entire generation after her death.
Other characters
Kuei
he
52nd Earth King, born
Kuei, was the ruler of the Earth Kingdom during the latter part of the Hundred Year War. For most of his early reign he was nothing more than a figurehead, with the true power residing with the city's Grand Secretariat, Long Feng. Although he briefly regained full power following the involvement of Avatar Aang,
[3] he was forced to flee Ba Sing Se after a coup orchestrated by the Dai Li and Princess Azula.
Kuei returned to take his rightful place as Earth King following the
conclusion the Hundred Year War, and afterward tried his best to be a
strong and benevolent ruler for his people to redeem his past mistakes.
However, his new-found determination almost led Kuei to renew the war
with the Fire Nation because of Fire Lord Zuko's refusal to remove his colonies from Earth Kingdom territory. However, Team Avatar's intervention allowed the crisis to be solved peacefully.
Haru
Haru was a skilled teenage earthbender whose Earth Kingdom village was temporarily occupied by the Fire Nation during the Hundred Year War. After breaking his father, Tyro, and several others out of Fire Nation prison, with the aid of Team Avatar, he joined forces with Hakoda and took part in the invasion of the Fire Nation. Following their defeat, he escaped with the rest of the young people of the invasion force atop Appa, taking refuge at the Western Air Temple. When Azula attacked the temple, Haru managed to escape with Hakoda and friends, and was later present for the coronation of Fire Lord Zuko.
Tyro
Tyro was the wise and courageous leader of a rural Earth Kingdom mining village, and the father of Haru.
Tyro and his fellow earthbenders were outnumbered ten to one, but
nonetheless fought back bravely. They were ultimately defeated, however,
and subsequently detained in an offshore prison rig,
constructed entirely from metal. He remained a leader and an
inspiration to his people, even during their depressing imprisonment.
Tyro worked hard to keep the prisoners alive throughout their
captivity. Unwilling to engage in hopeless combat on a prison rig
without earth to bend, he did not favor open resistance with his captors.
Teo
Teo was a paraplegic Earth Kingdom boy who lived in the Northern Air Temple with his father, the mechanist. Teo's home village was destroyed by a flood when he was still an infant.
The natural disaster cost his mother her life and rendered him
paralyzed from the waist down. Under the leadership of his father, the
surviving villagers set out to search for a new home and stumbled upon
the deserted Northern Air Temple, about ninety years after the Air Nomad Genocide. The mechanist created a glider for his son, based on the Air Nomad gliders
he had found in the temple. Due to this, Teo, otherwise bound to his
wheelchair, was granted a new life in the sky, where his aerial
acrobatics were the envy of all the other glider kids.
Bumi
Bumi was the wild-eyed, eccentric, elderly King of Omashu. As a child, Bumi had been a close friend of Avatar Aang and he remained Aang's only friend from before the Hundred Year War to be confirmed as still alive.
He became an old and wild man, prone to cackling and snorting laughter
at unfunny jokes. Despite his supercentenarian age and his apparent
frailty, Bumi was an earthbending master and quite fit for his old age, at one point claiming himself to be "the most powerful earthbender you'll ever see".
Bumi's eccentricity arose out of the fact that he always kept his
mind "open to the possibilities". As a child, Bumi decided to use the Omashu delivery system as a chute ride, for which Aang dubbed him "a mad genius", a name that Bumi seemed to appreciate.
Although Bumi appeared senile, he was in fact a brilliant and patient
tactician, willing to wait until the opportune moment to strike in order
to produce the most favorable outcome. Bumi carried himself with the
same composure during a quiet, peaceful meal as he did when his city was
under attack and he rarely explained his actions, which tended to
infuriate his subordinates.
Dai li sergeant
The
Dai Li sergeant was the Dai Li agent in charge of training the airbending conscripts to serve in the Earth Queen's army
as part of the first airbending regiment. He was a firm instructor
intent on training his pupils to be unyielding and fiercely loyal to
their superiors
The Duke
The Duke was an Earth Kingdom boy, who, at the age of eight, was the youngest and smallest of the Freedom Fighters. Jet and the other Freedom Fighters came across The Duke when they caught him trying to steal food from their camp. According to Jet, The Duke never had a home, indicating he was probably orphaned at a young age by the Fire Nation.
Hakoda
Hakoda was the father of Sokka and Katara, the husband of the late Kya, the son of Kanna, and the chieftain of a minor tribe at the South Pole that was part of the Southern Water Tribe's tribal confederation. Even though Hakoda was not the formal chief of the Southern Water Tribe, he was one of its most prominent leaders at the end of the Hundred Year War,
skilled as talented ship captain, igloo builder, and weapons maker.
Much of Sokka's ingenuity and craftiness was learned from his father. He went off to fight the Fire Nation two years before the end of the Hundred Year War, leaving his children to be raised by Kanna.
Jeong Jeong
Jeong Jeong, also known as
The Deserter, was a strong, enlightened, yet embittered man who had observed firsthand the hardships of the Hundred Year War. Once an honored admiral of the Fire Nation Navy, he disagreed with Fire Lord Ozai's
oppressive and cruel way of ruling, and defected from the military. By
deserting the army and being the first person to live through it, he
became known as "The Deserter", and became somewhat of a legend. He
relocated to the Earth Kingdom, where he encountered a small tribe who became his travel companions. As a member of the Order of the White Lotus, he aided in the liberation of Ba Sing Se.
Jet
Jet was the teenage leader of a group of refugee Earth Kingdom children who called themselves the Freedom Fighters.
When Jet was only eight years old, he witnessed his parents' deaths at the hands of the Fire Nation soldiers known as the Rough Rhinos.
Jet grew up to become a hook sword-wielding vigilante, possessing a
burning hatred for the Fire Nation and going to extreme lengths to exact
his revenge, even to the point of endangering innocent lives in a raid
of a small Fire Nation-occupied Earth Kingdom town.
Long Feng
Long Feng was the Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se, the leader of the Dai Li, and a very charismatic, influential, and manipulative individual who lusted for power. As Earth King Kuei's closest personal adviser, Long Feng hid the Hundred Year War's existence outside the Earth Kingdom city's walls while the Dai Li supplanted the king's power over his people.
Longshot
Longshot was a member of the Earth Kingdom rebel force known as the Freedom Fighters.
He was often taciturn, though his opinions were greatly valued by his
peers. He was understood by his companions through his eyes and facial
expressions, which indicated his thoughts and viewpoints on particular
subjects. In addition, Longshot was a very skilled archer, able to aim
with extreme precision at enemies, even while upside-down or while using
multiple arrows at once.
Mechanist
The
mechanist was an inventor and engineer from the Earth Kingdom who became a refugee after being displaced by a flood. He eventually resettled at the deserted Northern Air Temple during the Hundred Year War.Living in poverty as a widower and left to care for his son, Teo, he was blackmailed into building ingenious inventions of artillery for the Fire Nation.
Despite the hardships he faced, he still maintained an eccentric
persona, and his inventions contributed significantly to the development
of technology in the world.
Paku
Pakku was a Northern-style waterbending master and instructor who possessed immense skill and power, and was once regarded as the best waterbender in the world.
Dryly sarcastic and very serious about his art, he was a harsh, but
nonetheless effective teacher, as well as an outwardly acerbic yet
inwardly caring old man. Adhering to the Northern Water Tribe
traditions, he exclusively taught waterbending to male students;
however, he made an exception for Katara, his ex-fiancée's granddaughter. Due to his great waterbending skills and wisdom, Pakku was also a member of the Order of the White Lotus, taking part in the liberation of Ba Sing Se
Bato
Bato was a member of the Southern Water Tribe and a close friend of Katara and Sokka's father, Hakoda, since childhood.
He was somewhat of a paternal figure to Katara and Sokka in their
father's stead, thus he cared about their well-being and was a loyal and
brave warrior who would do anything to protect his tribe.
Combustion man
Combustion Man, given his nickname by Sokka, was a firebending assassin and a silent bounty hunter hired by Prince Zuko to track down and eliminate Avatar Aang. Following Team Avatar through the Fire Nation,
he terrorized them with his unique firebending abilities which allowed
him to project and detonate large explosions at will from his third eye tattoo.
After three almost successful attempts on Aang's life, Combustion Man tracked Team Avatar down at the Western Air Temple.
Unwilling to let the Avatar escape again, the assassin overcame all
defenses, causing enormous destruction in the process. However, his
third eye was hit by Sokka's boomerang during the ferocious battle, and
he unintentionally unleashed a massive point-blank explosion that killed
him and destroyed the surrounding area
Yue
Yue was the sixteen-year-old daughter of Chief Arnook and princess of the Northern Water Tribe. After the death of Tui, the Moon Spirit, during the Siege of the North, she sacrificed her life to replace it, and became the new Moon Spirit
Zhao
Zhao was the leader of the Fire Nation Navy for a brief period. During his career, he held the ranks of lieutenant, captain, commander, and finally admiral. He was trained by Jeong Jeong to become a master firebender and, as one of the most powerful men in the Fire Nation, took it upon himself to capture Avatar Aang, thus becoming a rival of Prince Zuko. Zhao was a major enemy of Team Avatar in most of the events leading up to his siege of the Northern Water Tribe, during which he killed the Moon Spirit at the Spirit Oasis. This resulted in his downfall by a vengeful La, who subsequently forced the firebender to spend eternity in the Fog of Lost Souls in the Spirit World.
Suki
Suki was the eldest member and leader of the all-female Kyoshi Warriors of the Earth Kingdom's Kyoshi Island.
Having begun her training when she was only eight years old, Suki was
well-respected by her fellow warriors for her leadership and combat
skills. When Team Avatar arrived on Kyoshi Island, Suki and a few other Kyoshi Warriors captured them, thinking they were Fire Nation spies. Later, after realizing Aang was the Avatar.
Smellerbee
mellerbee was a member, and eventually the leader, of a band of rebels known as the Freedom Fighters. Despite her androgynous appearance and tomboyish clothing, she took offense when someone mistook her gender. Smellerbee understood both Jet and Longshot more than the other Freedom Fighters did. She dressed in light armor and was proficient with bladed weapons such as the sword and knife.
Pipsqueak
Pipsqueak, bearing a misnomer for his name, was the largest and, physically, the strongest member of the Freedom Fighters, who wielded a simple wood log in combat. Like the rest of his group, he was orphaned by the Fire Nation during the Hundred Year War,
and though he was not the brightest, his brute strength and remarkable
agility made him a valuable addition to the team. While Pipsqueak
eventually abandoned the Freedom Fighters, he stayed with his close
friend, The Duke, and they continued to travel around the Earth Kingdom.
Wan Shi Tong
Wan Shi Tong is an ancient, wise, and powerful spirit who collects information for his Spirit Library,
and thus is more knowledgeable than any human being. He never misses an
opportunity to learn new facts or boast about his vast intelligence, though he has developed a certain distaste for human technology since leaving the physical world. Although his regular shape is that of a huge black-and-white barn owl, when angered he can assume much more frightening forms.
Mai
Mai was the daughter and eldest child of the former governor of New Ozai and his wife. During the last year of the Hundred Year War, she became one of Princess Azula's main allies, and therefore one of Team Avatar's greatest foes, as well as Prince Zuko's love interest once he returned to the Fire Nation. As one of the most privileged girls in the Fire Nation, she attended the Royal Fire Academy for Girls and became a friend of Princess Azula and Ty Lee at a young age.
Mai was exceptionally proficient at throwing stilettos, a self-taught skill she developed out of boredom. Using small knives similar to ninja shuriken and spring-loaded stilleto holsters concealed in her robes, she was capable of besting numerous benders at once, despite not being a bender herself. She was recruited by Azula along with Ty Lee to capture the Princess' brother and uncle, as well as the Avatar and his friends.
Ty Lee
Ty Lee was a cheerful and energetic teenage girl who hailed from the Fire Nation. As the daughter of a nobleman, she attended the Royal Fire Academy for Girls with her friends, PrincessAzula and Mai.
As a child, Ty Lee dealt with six sisters who shared identical
appearances with her. This caused her to feel a loss of individuality,
and led her to have a longing to be a unique, recognizable person, and a
desire for attention from other people. Because of this, after she matured, she ran away from her home and joined a Fire Nation circus, becoming a skilled acrobatic performer and gaining more personal attention.
June
June was a bounty hunter who traveled around the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation.
Of all the bounty hunters in the world, she was the best and most
expensive of her time. She was a mercenary and had no allegiance to any
nation, only to the highest bidder for her services.She was a confident and self-assured woman who possessed a dry,
sarcastic wit. She was also considered beautiful, in a dangerous sort of
way, and had incredible physical strength. June would arm wrestle men
in bars on a bet, before squandering her winnings on a round of drinks.
June wore a band with a skull motif around her top-knot.
Nyla
Nyla was a shirshu who served as the mount and constant companion of the bounty hunter June.
June acquired Nyla from her father when he received him as payment for a
bounty he had collected while working for a rare animal collector. Nyla
and June had been together for over seventeen years.
Like other shirshus, Nyla's tongue contained toxins that could
temporarily paralyze humans, though the effect was less potent on large
animals such as Appa
Piandao
Master Piandao was a Fire Nation bladesmith, swordmaster, calligrapher, and sifu. A former member of the Fire Nation Army, he was also a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus. Piandao was also notable for his teaching of both Zuko and Sokka in swordsmanship and his participation in the liberation of Ba Sing Se
