Avatar - The Last Airbender Character : Azula

Princess Azula is a gifted Firebender and highly favored crown princess of the Fire Nation, initially bent on retrieving her exiled brother, Prince Zuko, and delivering him to their father, Fire Lord Ozai. She is accompanied on her search by her childhood friends, Mai and Ty Lee.

Azula was born to Prince Ozai and Princess Ursa around two years after her brother, Zuko. As such, she is the descendant of both Fire Lord Sozin (from Ozai) and Avatar Roku (from Princess Ursa). She is named for her grandfather, Ozai's father, Fire Lord Azulon. Azula grew up in the riches, splendor, and privileges of being royalty in the Fire Nation. Even when she was only eight years old, Azula expressed her natural talents, along with her tendency for malice and perfectionism. Her sharp wits and the prodigy she displayed towards Firebending gained her much attention and acclaim and made her Ozai's favorite child. Her father began raising her as his true heir early on, taking her into his confidence and grooming her in politics while ignoring Zuko. Azula can now also bend blue fire and lighting (since blue fire is much more deadly than red) From the quality of her ship and soldiers, her favored status was readily apparent.

She had no desire to waste time playing around like a regular girl. She was much more interested in power, suggesting that her father would make a better Fire Lord than the heir apparent, her Uncle Iroh, whom she also dubbed "a quitter and a loser" for abandoning his siege at Ba Sing Se. No love developed between her and Zuko throughout the next few years—when he was burned by their father in an Agni Kai, she watched with a savage triumph.

Book 1: Water

During one of Iroh's flashbacks in "The Storm," Azula can briefly be seen within the audience observing the Agni Kai in which Prince Zuko receives his facial scar from his father. As Iroh narrates, he looks away when his nephew is burned, but at Iroh's side are Admiral Zhao, then a Captain, and a then-unknown girl, both of whom look on eagerly. Online speculation on who she was erupted as soon as the episode aired, and her identity was revealed a month later at the 2005 San Diego Comic Con. Originally set to be at the age of fifteen and entitled "Zula", the character was revealed to be Prince Zuko's younger sister.

Azula makes a full, albeit cameo, appearance at the end of the season one finale, The Siege of the North. She is shown kneeling before her father, Fire Lord Ozai, who, after commenting that Zuko is a failure and Iroh is a traitor, charges her with a mission.

Book 2: Earth

Family Reunion

When Fire Lord Ozai branded Iroh a traitor and her brother Zuko a failure, she obeyed her father's command for her to go and capture them, as seen in the final seconds of the first season finale. Azula attempted to capture the two by luring Zuko with the false promise of being accepted as guests when they would have really been taken in as prisoners. When Zuko learned of the deception, he attacked her, but she easily manages to evade his every blow, taunting him all the way. However, she failed to finish her brother off, as Iroh redirected her lethal lightning attack away from Zuko and into a cliff face, and then kicked her off the edge of the ship.

Counseled by her twin masters Lo and Li that the royal procession was not a wise choice to accompany her on her mission, she decided to abandon the unit, opting to find and recruit her childhood friends. Ty Lee required some "convincing," but Mai was only too willing to leave the boredom of the conquered city of Omashu in favor of going on an exciting hunt—especially if it involved Zuko. While there, Azula renamed Omashu to the city of New Ozai.

A New Target

During this episode, Azula first encountered the Avatar. She and her new allies were almost able to defeat Aang and his friends, but their lack of preparation as well as a trump card delivered by a shrewd King Bumi enabled the three kids to escape. Soon after the battle, she named the Avatar as a personal target in addition to her brother.

In "The Chase," Princess Azula and her two friends relentlessly pursued the Avatar's group, using a Fire Nation tank train and Mongoose Dragons as mounts to pursue them night and day. After wearing down the group, the three decided to split up when Aang tried to lead Azula's group away from Sokka and Katara's trail. Azula sent Ty Lee and Mai to follow Sokka and Katara, while she continued chasing down the Avatar. Azula encountered the Avatar in an abandoned town and prepared to fight but was interrupted by her brother Zuko, who had tracked them and had his own plans for capturing Aang. Azula managed to fend off both of their attacks and land a knockout blow on Zuko and trap Aang beneath some fallen rubble. Katara, Sokka and Toph showed up to rescue Aang, while Iroh arrived to help Zuko. Cornered, she claimed to surrender, saying that "a princess surrenders with honor". But Azula took advantage of Iroh's momentary distraction and seriously wounded him with a bolt of blue fire, then disappeared as the four benders attacked with their respective elements.

Azula was not seen again until "The Drill" where she, along with her allies Mai and Ty Lee, were overseeing War Minister Qin's efforts to use a giant drill to break through the outer wall of Ba Sing Se. When the engineers reported an accident involving an ambushed engineer, stolen drill schematics, and further sabotage, Azula recognized that it was the work of the Avatar. She found Aang, Katara, and Sokka attempting to break the engine's braces. Aang and his gang fled. She sent Mai and Ty Lee after Katara and Sokka while Azula followed Aang. She caught Aang trying to bore a hole at the top of the drill, and they engaged in a brutal match. Her Firebending nearly overwhelmed the young Avatar, after both were knocked off the drill by a blast of slurry, Azula was only able to climb too late as Aang's impact on an earthen wedge destroyed the drill and knocked Azula away.

Fall of Ba Sing Se

Azula, Mai and Ty Lee are seen again in "Appa's Lost Days," tracking down Aang's bison, Appa, not realizing he had been separated from Aang and his friends. He was in a forest clearing being tended to by the Kyoshi Warriors, a band of elite female warriors. Azula and her friends initiated a battle with the warriors, and to protect Appa, the Kyoshi Warriors drive Appa away to escape while they distracted Azula Mai and Ty Lee. The result of the battle remains unseen, but it is apparent that the Kyoshi Warriors did not claim victory, at the conclusion of "The Earth King," the three girls are seen in stolen Kyoshi outfits and makeup, impersonating the warriors.

The Earth King, believing the girls to be Kyoshi warriors, reveals to them the treachery of the Dai Li led by Long Feng and Sokka's plan to invade the Fire Nation on the day of a solar eclipse. Additionally, by speaking of the Dai Li, the Earth King hands her an vital tool for enacting a plan to take down his city from the inside. Feigning ignorance of spying Dai Li agents, Azula and her friends plant knowledge of their affiliation with the Fire Nation and were taken to the imprisoned Long Feng as they are still loyal to him. He gave her control of the Dai Li to overthrow the government in exchange for the Avatar.

Upon discovering that Zuko and Iroh were in the city, Katara quickly approached Azula, believing her to be Suki, with the news. She realizes too late who they truly are and is swiftly dispatched by Ty Lee. Azula locked Katara in the crystal catacombs beneath the city and sent a letter to Iroh and Zuko, telling them that the Earth King wished for them to serve him tea. The pair soon fell into her trap, and were surrounded by Dai Li agents. Iroh managed to escape the palace but Zuko chose to stay and face Azula. He was quickly overwhelmed by the Dai Li and imprisoned in the same dungeon as Katara.

Azula then proceeded to unleash her coup on the city, having the Dai Li arrest the Council of Five, the Earth King's highest ranking generals, while she captured the Earth King. Sokka and Toph were arrested as well while attempting to warn the Earth King of the danger, and Azula sent them off to a metal prison cell, but the group managed to escape since Toph knew how to Metalbend out of the prison but the Earth King said that he was not going to leave without his pet bear Bosco. Entering back to the Earth King's throne, they first attack Ty Lee but she got stuck after Toph Earthbended her, but Mai didn't want to fight and told "just take the bear" since it was belonged to the Earth King. Before Toph, Sokka, and the Earth King escaped from the metal prison, Long Feng arrived with the Dai Li agents and commanded the Dai Li to arrest Azula, proclaiming a double cross. Azula explained that the Dai Li no longer knew whom to follow. She denounced him for his lack of divine right to rule. She then commanded Long Feng to bow to her. He grudgingly obliged, saying that she had beaten him at his own game. She scathingly replied that he was "never even a player."

Later on, Azula chased Aang and Katara in the crystal catacombs and engaged in battle. She was joined by Zuko, who chose to fight alongside Azula and the two overwhelmed Aang and Katara separately. Aang cleared all of his chakras and induced an avatar state. While in the Avatar State, Azula struck him from behind with lightning (during the Avatar State). Katara gathered Aang (after the lighting strike) in her arms and managed and escape with the help of Iroh who defended and attacked both the Dai Li, Zuko, and Azula. Afterwards, Iroh was promptly arrested by Dai Li, and Azula was left in control of Ba Sing Se.

Book 3: Fire

Returning Home

In "Going Home Again," a canonical interlude comic featured within the second All-Avatar Nick Mag Presents edition, Azula is shown making arrangements for their return to Fire Nation. One of which is passing her position as ruler of Ba Sing Se over to Joo Dee, whom she views as the perfect person to govern in her stead, dubbing the former tour guide Supreme Bureaucratic Administrator. Azula refuses to take no for an answer when Zuko chooses to remain in Ba Sing Se. Gathering Ty Lee, the princess schemes to use Mai and Zuko's mutual childhood crushes to entice her brother's decision. With the false report of a meeting with a Admiral Liang, she sets the two up on a Fire Nation dinner date, with Dai Li agents serving as waiters. However, Zuko overhears Azula and Ty Lee giggling in the nearby bushes. The princess attempts to catch herself, claiming that she was just telling Ty Lee to stop messing around in the bushes. Neither Zuko nor Mai buys into the tale and leave off on a private walk around Ba Sing Se.

The following day, while boarding the ships, Azula looks on at Zuko and Mai speaking affectionately with one another and concludes that her plan seems to have been successful after all. She turns to her chained uncle and wonders aloud if the prisoner will even survive the trip home. As she bids her brother farewell, Zuko suddenly makes the resolve to come with them back to the Fire Nation.

Upon returning home, Azula and Zuko are welcomed with open arms by the people with a rally held in their honor to praise their successful efforts at the Earth Kingdom capital. Later Azula and Zuko converse about Zuko's long-awaited meeting with their father. When Zuko meets his father, it is revealed that Azula misinformed Ozai that he was the one who killed the Avatar. When confronted, Azula claims that she saw how worried Zuko was about not having the Avatar and decided to give him credit for his demise out of a generous gesture to repay his aid in the takeover of Ba Sing Se. Zuko, in disbelief accuses her of having an ulterior motive. Azula points out how letting him have all the glory over slaying the Avatar could do little to benefit her, but acknowledges the fact that should it be discovered that the Avatar was indeed alive, all that glory would swiftly turn into shame and foolishness.

Later on, after interrupting a picnic between him and Mai, Azula easily manages to trick Zuko into admitting that he had been making visits to Iroh's cell. Azula seemingly expresses concern for her brother, warning him that if others were to discover that he and Iroh were meeting, it would be assumed that they were plotting together.


In "The Beach," Azula, Mai, Ty Lee, and Zuko travel to Ember Island for a vacation while the Fire Lord privately confers with his advisors. Azula takes advantage of this opportunity to experience life as a normal person, choosing to keep her and Zuko's identity a secret. At a party the group attended, Azula confides in Ty Lee that she is jealous of how popular Ty Lee is with boys. She takes advice that Ty Lee gives her on attracting attention, but quickly reverts to her usual persona, scaring away possible suitors. Later, Azula plays the role of interpreter as Ty Lee, Mai and Zuko take turns telling stories of their personal inner turmoil. When her turn comes, Azula states she doesn't have a sob story. But does softly admit that she was aware that her mother loved Zuko more and thought she was a monster, but callously adds that her mother was right. As a testament of their special day, Azula leads the others into trashing the host's home.

The Day of Black Sun

A few minutes after the beginning of the solar eclipse, as Aang, Toph, and Sokka manage to locate and burst into the Fire Lord's underground bunker, they are confounded to instead find Azula. She reveals that she's known about the invasion for months (she found this out when the Earth King told them, believing them to be The Warriors of Kyoshi) and is fully prepared to face and delay the attackers. Azula has two Dai Li agents she brought back from Ba Sing Se attack the trio while she runs away, closely pursued by Aang, Sokka and Toph. Once the agents have been defeated and Azula is cornered, Sokka realizes that she's merely wasting their time and that they should just forget her in favor of searching for Ozai. As they start to leave, Azula mentions Suki to Sokka, stating that she gave up hope on him ever rescuing her from her imprisonment. This revelation promptly makes Sokka charge at her in blind rage. Azula pulls out a shuriken, but Toph senses it and pins her to the wall. Sokka furiously demands to know where Suki is while Azula simply remains silent. When the eclipse ends, Azula breaks her restraints and coyly informs the trio of Ozai's precise location before running down the hall. As the invasion draws to a close, the princess is shown observing the Avatar and his friends escape aboard Appa from her airship. However, she chooses not give pursuit, knowing that sooner or later, they'll be back. During Azula's confrontation with the group, Zuko confronts his father, Ozai, and tells him that Azula lied to him by saying that Zuko killed the Avatar, when in reality Azula struck down the Avatar and managed to survive in the end. In addition to this, Azula did not attempt to kill the Avatar when he and his friends attacked the capital. What Ozai did or plans on doing to his daughter remains to be seen.

Avatar - The Last Airbender Character: (Uncle) Iroh

General Iroh, also called Prince Iroh or Uncle Iroh, (a.k.a The Dragon of the West)is a Firebending master, former Crown Prince and heir to the Fire Nation throne, retired General of the Fire Nation, and older brother of Fire Lord Ozai. Iroh accompanied his exiled nephew Zuko on his quest to capture Aang, the long-lost Avatar, in order to restore the young prince's honor and rights to the throne.

Iroh was the firstborn son of Fire Lord Azulon and Fire Lady Ilah. He was long said to have slain the last dragon, but Iroh lied in order to preserve the remaining two that he found. Iroh was destined to succeed Azulon as Fire Lord of the Fire Nation, but because of the mysterious events surrounding Azulon's death, and Iroh's abandonment of the siege on Ba Sing Se to grieve for his son, Lu Ten, Iroh's younger brother Ozai succeeded to the throne.

Three years before the start of the series, an indulgent Iroh allowed his beloved nephew to observe a meeting of Ozai's war council—a mistake he would soon come to regret. In the council, Zuko spoke out against a general who planned to sacrifice an entire division of novice troops in battle as a diversionary tactic. Though Iroh silently agreed with young Zuko's assessment, the Fire Lord demanded that Zuko participate in a fire duel, the Agni Kai, for his insubordination. Zuko accepted, under the mistaken impression he would be dueling the General he'd insulted. However, because Zuko had spoken out in his father's war room, Zuko had disrespected his father. Iroh bore witness in the audience when Zuko fell to his knees in the arena, pleading for forgiveness and refusing to duel his own father. When Iroh's brother badly burned his own son's face, permanently scarring him as punishment for his cowardice and disrespect, Iroh looked away, unable to stand the sight.

Zuko was afterward stripped of his birthright and exiled from the Fire Nation. However, one condition could restore his honor and throne and allow him to return home. Zuko was instructed to find and capture the Avatar. The Avatar was a perpetually reincarnated spirit of the planet manifested in human form, master of all four elements, and maintainer of balance between the Four Nations. This powerful being was the only threat to the Fire Nation's victory in its imperialist war against the other nations. Yet the Avatar had vanished a century ago—shortly before the Fire Nation's first strike. Three generations had conducted fruitless searches, and Zuko was to be sent on a quest that seemed little more than a fool's errand.

Book 1: Water

Undeterred, Zuko sought to do the impossible, and Iroh accompanied him. The pair spent two years at sea, searching in vain for any sign of the supercentenarian Airbender the Fire Sages had described. Though Iroh was resigned to the futility of their mission, and whittled away his days with games, finally a day came when a strange beacon lit the skies off the coast of the South Pole. When Zuko investigated, he discovered that the Avatar had reappeared at last. Improbably, the long-sought old man was actually Aang, a twelve-year-old boy recently woken from a hundred years of suspended animation. Thrown off-guard, Zuko underestimated the boy, who managed to escape their grasp. Zuko and Iroh quickly engaged in hot pursuit, tracking the Avatar and his friends across the globe. Upon reaching the North Pole, Iroh forsakes his hope of ever returning home when he attacks Admiral Zhao in an attempt to save the Spirit of the Moon, thus assisting the Avatar and the Northern Water Tribe in repelling the Fire Nation invasion.

Book 2: Earth

At the beginning of Season Two, Iroh and Zuko have been branded traitors to the Fire Nation. During a confrontation with Azula, they learn of a plot to capture them and return them home imprisoned. Having escaped from Azula's nearly victorious trap, Iroh and Zuko cut their hair to symbolize their new life as fugitives unable to return home. The two later took refuge in random Earth Kingdom towns acting as homeless beggars. While Iroh was able to adjust to a life of simplicity, humility, and poverty, Zuko was not, and Iroh soon suspected that Zuko had been obtaining items for their day-to-day life by theft. The older man attempted to persuade his nephew that those who maintain hope in the face of adversity are the ones with true strength. However, Zuko thought otherwise, and the two separated. They were soon reunited, as Iroh covertly followed Zuko to assist him if needed. When Zuko got in over his head in a three-way battle with Aang and Azula, Iroh intervened, as did Aang's companions. The six of them confronted Azula together, but she managed to wound Iroh with a fire blast to the chest, and escape.

After recovering from his injury, Iroh decided to teach Zuko the advanced Firebending techniques he would need to defeat Azula. He first tried to teach Zuko how to create lightning, but his nephew's emotional turmoil prevented him from making progress with the difficult art. Instead, Iroh taught Zuko a technique of his own creation—to absorb and redirect lightning, which he developed after studying Waterbenders. Zuko soon demanded that Iroh attack him with lightning so that he can redirect it, but Iroh refused to perform such a dangerous test.

Iroh is a grand master of the secret society, the Order of the White Lotus; although what the group represents or does has yet to be seen. The Order of the White Lotus has members spread far and wide across the world—even in desolate remote villages of the Earth Kingdom. Iroh and Zuko sought their aid in avoiding the bounty hunters Master Yu and Xin-Fu, who temporarily decided to seek the two fugitives from the Firebending nation rather than pursue the Avatar and Toph. Since the people who protected Iroh appeared to be of the Earth Kingdom, the organization of the group may itself be independent of any particular nation. Also, the White Lotus appears to have at least some degree of bureaucratic influence, as it managed, on short notice, to produce fake passports and other paperwork to smuggle Iroh and Zuko into Ba Sing Se.

With help from the Order of the White Lotus, Iroh and Zuko are able to make their way to Ba Sing Se as refugees. Once inside, Iroh gets them jobs at a tea shop. During the episode "The Tales of Ba Sing Se," Iroh spends a day shopping in the city. In this episode, Iroh is displayed as a teacher as he grants wisdom and help to all those he encounters during his day of shopping. He later holds a small memorial service for Lu Ten, marking his late son's birthday, and tearfully noting he wished he could have helped Lu Ten.

After weeks in Ba Sing Se, Iroh is given the chance to run his own tea shop, but Zuko has other plans. When Zuko attempts to capture Appa, Iroh confronts Zuko and tells him rather bluntly to stop trying to live the life people say he has to live. Iroh convinces Zuko to give up his alias as the Blue Spirit and takes care of his nephew when Zuko is stricken by the negative effects of the mental metamorphosis caused by Zuko's actions, after which he becomes more cheerful, becomes more optimistic towards a new life in Ba Sing Se. Iroh remains confident in Zuko and believes that Zuko will become the prince he was meant to be.

When Azula offered Zuko a chance to reclaim his honor by helping take over the Earth Kingdom capital, he agrees. Iroh was last seen defending the wounded Avatar and Katara, giving them time to escape before he peacefully allowed himself to be captured. Iroh makes eye contact with Zuko before turning away, expressing shame at his nephew's decision.

Book 3: Fire

In the episode "The Headband," Zuko secretly visits Iroh, who has been imprisoned in a tower. After threatening the guard to keep silent about the visit, Zuko attempts to talk to his uncle, only to have Iroh turn away from him and say nothing. Zuko later brings food to Iroh and asks for his help. He continues his silence, causing Zuko to become angry and storm from the room. A single tear then rolls down Iroh's face.

As displayed in "Sokka's Master," Iroh has been misleading the guards by acting senile and delusional, in order to make them believe that their once great commander has fallen from grace and is now nothing more than a crazy old man. In reality, however, he is just as wise and wily as ever, and has been secretly exercising in confinement. Through this intensive training, it is displayed that Iroh has become significantly more muscular in comparison to his former physique.

It is implied that Iroh had resources despite his confinement, as he managed to deliver a message to Zuko in "The Avatar and the Firelord." When his nephew confronts in regards to the purpose of the message, Iroh at last responds. Iroh informs Zuko that he is a descendant of Avatar Roku, and that he believes Zuko can be the one to right the sins their family has brought. To commemorate this, Iroh provides Zuko with the antique headpiece once worn by his forefather, as it is supposed to be worn by the Crown Prince, another example of how influential and how many contacts Iroh may have to fall into the possession of the missing headpiece lost in the times of Avatar Roku whilst being held in prison.. During the episode "Day of Black Sun," Iroh (off-screen) breaks himself out of prison and single-handedly defeats the prison guards. The defeated warden tells Zuko, who intended to free his uncle himself, that Iroh was like a "one-man army". Zuko left to join the Avatar afterwards, and presumably he assumes that Iroh is safe somewhere else.

Avatar - The Last Airbender Character : Zuko

Zuko is a skilled Firebender and the son of Fire Lord Ozai, ruler of the Fire Nation. Before the events of the series, he is exiled from the Fire Nation and sent to capture the Avatar; he is initially bent on capturing Aang in order to restore his honor and right to the throne in the eyes of his father. Zuko was accompanied and advised in his search by his uncle Iroh.

Although initially portrayed as an antagonist of the series, Zuko's sense of honor has caused him to go against his own nation and family. Zuko is also revealed to have an important connection to the Avatar. To that, he has realized that his real destiny is to join the Avatar to end the war and to teach Aang firebending.

Zuko was born to Princess Ursa and Prince Ozai. Always favored by his mother and neglected by his father, Zuko developed a close bond with his mother. Around six years before the series takes place, Zuko learns of the death of his cousin, Lu Ten, in battle during the siege of Ba Sing Se. This results in his uncle giving up the siege in grief and Zuko's father Ozai sees this as a chance to convince Fire Lord Azulon that he should inherit the throne. Ozai's request is denied and as punishment for attempting to exploit Iroh's loss, he is ordered to kill Zuko. However, Azulon dies and Ursa disappears before anything happens. It is later learned that Ursa came up with a plan in which Ozai became Fire Lord and Zuko's life would be spared. This apparently led to Azulon's death and Ursa was banished as a result of it. The next day, Zuko demands to know where Ursa is but receives no answer. He is later present at Azulon's funeral and Ozai's crowning as Fire Lord.

Three years later, Zuko's uncle allows a thirteen year old Zuko to enter a war meeting. Zuko, upon hearing of a plan to sacrifice novice troops in battle, speaks out against the plan. Ozai demands Zuko duel in an Agni Kai, but when the duel begins, he finds himself unable to duel his own father. His father, seeing this as weakness and disrespect, scars Zuko, strips him of his birthright, and exiles him, under orders not to return unless he captured the Avatar.

Book 1: Water

Zuko first appears searching for the long lost Avatar with his Uncle Iroh and some crew members. After seeing a glow at the South Pole, he heads there, where he captures the Avatar but then loses custody of him. Throughout most of Book 1, Zuko pursues Aang but the Avatar evades him every time. Zuko also has to deal with his rival, Admiral Zhao, who does whatever he can to hinder the prince's progress. Zhao at one point successfully captures Aang, but Zuko frees the Avatar under the disguise of the Blue Spirit. Once Zhao discovers that Zuko and the Blue Spirit are the same person, he attempts to assassinate Zuko but fails. Zuko covertly stows aboard Zhao's ship with help from Iroh and infiltrates the North Pole. He captures the Avatar but his friends rescued him and captured Zuko. After escaping, he duels with Zhao for trying to kill him and is soon ended when the vengeful Ocean Spirit pulls Zhao under the surface as revenge for killing Tui, the Moon Spirit. Zuko later leaves with Iroh on a driftwood raft, as his ship was destroyed in the assassination attempt.

Book 2: Earth

Zuko and Iroh are tricked by Azula, Zuko's younger sister, into thinking that Ozai wants them home, but after the captain of her ship accidentally refers to them as prisoners, they quickly fight her crew and escape. They are then declared traitors of the Fire Nation, and for the first half of the season, Zuko has difficulty living as a fugitive from the Fire Nation and often resorts to theft. Over time, however, he begins to adjust to the situation while being trained in lightning techniques. With Iroh's influence in the secret White Lotus Society, Zuko and Iroh smuggle themselves into Ba Sing Se, start a very successful new life, and manage to open their own tea shop, but Zuko learns of Aang's presence in the city and of the disappearance of Aang's bison. Zuko attempts to continue his search for the Avatar, but Iroh confronts him, convincing Zuko to let Appa go and stop his search. Azula later arrives in the city and captures Zuko with the help of her new allies, the Dai Li, while Iroh escapes. Zuko is put into the Crystal Catacombs with Katara, who initially yells at him but when he reveals more about his life, gradually softens. They are soon rescued by Aang and Iroh, and when Katara and Aang leave, Iroh is captured by the Dai Li and Zuko is manipulated by Azula into betraying Iroh and helping her conquer Ba Sing Se. Following a long battle with Aang and Katara in which the Avatar was fatally wounded, Azula congratulates Zuko and tells him he has restored his honor. Zuko, however, still appears conflicted.

Book 3: Fire

Zuko and Azula return home as war heroes and Zuko's father personally congratulates him for becoming a powerful warrior and staying loyal to his nation. Zuko went to Iroh, who was currently in prison, for advice over his confusion, but Iroh would not talk to him. Not knowing what to do, Zuko sent an assassin after Aang in order to eliminate him. During a trip to Ember Island, he is driven to admit that he is confused to the childhood clique consisting of Mai (now his girlfriend), Ty Lee, and Azula. Following this, Zuko finally talks to Iroh after being sent a note about his great grandfather. He learns he is descended from Avatar Roku and it is his destiny, according to Iroh, to end the war. He takes Iroh's advice and realizes that he can never be the son his father wants him to be and that the war must come to an end. During The Day of Black Sun, he leaves Mai a message in a scroll and expresses regret at leaving her. He then confronts his father, telling him how he felt both about Ozai's treatment of him and the war. He then explains his intentions to free Iroh and join the Avatar. He turns to leave but is baited with knowledge of what happened to his mother, Princess Ursa. After learning she was banished as opposed to dead as he believed, he is attacked with lightning by Ozai at the end of the eclipse, but redirects it and escapes. He attempts to free Iroh, but Iroh has already escaped. Zuko then leaves to join the Avatar.

Zuko arrives at the Western Air Temple and attempts to join the Avatar by pointing out all the good things he's done and that he could teach him Firebending. Aang refuses, and Zuko leaves. Toph, knowing that Zuko was telling the truth, goes to find him in the middle of the night, but she is accidentally burned when Zuko thinks it is someone there to harm him. The next day, Zuko saves Aang and company from the Combustion Man, the assassin Zuko hired to kill Aang. Once Sokka ultimately defeats the Combustion Man, they welcome Zuko into the group, with the exception of Katara who is very reluctant to do so, due to his betrayal at Ba Sing Se. Once Zuko was alone, Katara approached Zuko and darkly warned him that if he harmed Aang or thought of doing so, that she would personally kill him. When Zuko attempts to teach Aang firebending, he finds out that his Firebending skills no longer work. They go to the Sun Warrior Tribe. Here, they find out about the last two dragons, and learn their secrets. He finally finds the true origin of firebending and manages to recover his Firebending skills. During the time Aang and him were searching they seem to begin to treat each other as friends. Unfortunately Zuko still needs to make friends with the other members of the gang.

Avatar - The Last Airbender Character : Toph

Toph Bei Fong (北方 托芙) is a 12-year old blind Earthbender (while she is very skilled, Toph has never been dubbed a master, similar to Zuko's situation) who has agreed to teach Aang Earthbending to help him fulfill his duty as the Avatar, and to restore balance to the world by defeating the imperialistic Fire Nation. Toph is approximately 5'1" (5'3" including her hair bun).

Toph is the only child of the wealthy Bei Fong family, who reside in the Earth Kingdom town of Gaoling and whose symbol is a flying boar. Toph's parents are very protective of her, viewing her blindness as a disability in every sense of the word. They assume that she is weak and vulnerable to everything around her. To avoid risk and danger, they kept her at the beginner level of Earthbending for over six years, had guards keep close watch on her at all times, and kept the knowledge of her existence from the public.

Despite her handicap, Toph has developed special skills that make her a very formidable Earthbender. However, she kept them secret from her family and Master Yu, her Earthbending teacher. Toph fought frequently in Earth Rumble, an underground earthbending Lei tai tournament, under the alias "The Blind Bandit." By the time Aang and his friends discover Toph at the tournament, she had won her way to become the current champion, holding a 42-0 win-loss record until Aang showed up at the tournament where Toph lost to Aang (though in a sense Aang did not use Earthbending as the rules require).

The Bei Fong family appears to be well-known and influential in the Earth Kingdom. In the episode "The Serpent's Pass," Toph's mere showing of her family's seal was sufficient enough to gain passage on a Ba Sing Se-bound ferry, despite lacking proper documentation to obtain a ticket normally.

Toph's hometown, Gaoling (高陵) (which means "tall hill"), is also a name of a county in Shanxi, a central province in China.

In the episode "The Blind Bandit," Aang was searching for an Earthbending teacher who "listens to the earth." (just what King Bumi told the young Avatar) After watching Toph's performance, he believes she is that person and challenges her to a duel (for a chance to speak to her) when Xin Fu, the tournament host, calls for volunteer challengers. With the help of his Airbending, Aang easily defeats Toph, because of her inability to see whats not on the ground, and upsets her winning streak. She, however, does not give Aang a chance to speak to her and immediately leaves the arena in a huff.

Aang later finds Toph at the Bei Fong estate, and he is eventually able to talk to her about his quest and need for an Earthbending teacher. However, before Toph can make a decision, she and Aang are kidnapped by the Earthbending tournament stable, who believe that Toph lost intentionally because they didn't see anything hit her though that was because he hit her with a blast of air.

The tournament wrestlers demand a ransom, which Katara, Sokka, Master Yu, and Toph's father pay, but only Toph is released. The competitors announce that they will be taking Aang to the Fire Nation instead for the reward, prompting Katara to plead Toph for her help in rescuing Aang. Her father interjects, claiming that his daughter is blind, tiny, helpless, and fragile, and unable to help them. Toph, however, is hurt by this, disagrees and steps forward, and she soon single-handedly defeats the entire tournament stable and the host, Xin Fu. Master Yu is speechless and awed by Toph's amazing Earthbending skill. Her father is silent and amazed.

That night, Toph tries to reason with her parents that she is skillful at fighting and enjoys it, and that she should be allowed to live a normal life like any other kid and not hidden from the world. She hopes that all of this new information does not change the way they feel about her. Toph's father replies that it does not change his love for her as a father, but it instead has made him realize that he has allowed her too much freedom. He plans to have guards watching over her all day long. Toph's protests are unheard and she sulks silently.

Outside town, just as Aang and his friends are about to depart, Toph appears and claims that her father had changed his mind, saying that she was free to travel the world. Based on Katara's and Sokka's reactions, it is apparent (to the viewer) that Toph is lying and is simply running away from home, but it is unclear whether or not Aang realizes this. With his daughter's sudden absence, Toph's father concludes (incorrectly) that the Avatar has kidnapped his daughter and issues a large reward to Master Yu and Xin Fu to bring her back by any means necessary.

Toph is currently a member of Aang's group of friends and serves as his Earthbending teacher. Aang refers to her as "Sifu Toph" in the episode "Bitter Work." Katara is jealous that Aang does not call her "Sifu Katara" and this begins the rampage of Katara and Toph.

While traveling with the Avatar, Toph's social attitudes change considerably. She becomes much less snide and private, but nonetheless still retains her cocky attitude. Her bending abilities also improve throughout Book Two, as she has learned to bend metal using her special ability to "see" the impurities (small fragments of earth) in the metal as she breaks the metal box that Master Yu and Xin Fu trapped her in.


Although blind, Toph has the unique ability to use Earthbending to "feel" even the most minute vibrations in the earth, including the march of ants several metres away and the presence of trees and buildings. Through this heightened seismic sense, she can visualize where people are, their relative distance to her, and their physical build, but she cannot visualize faces, as stated in "The Tales of Ba Sing Se." This sense provides her with a distinct advantage when facing other Earthbenders in combat, as they often make contact with the ground or rip rocks from their surroundings, all of which cause vibrations that Toph feels. Because she can predict attacks as they begin and quickly react, her speed and agility also greatly benefit. This sense also helps her battle Firebenders, Waterbenders, and other skilled fighters, as all attackers (short of Airbenders) normally require constant contact with the ground while launching attacks.

However, because Toph is dependent on vibrations in the earth, she is vulnerable to air-based attacks and thusly has great difficulty attacking Airbenders, as they are capable of gliding above the ground for short periods of time. This vulnerability to air-based movements is apparent in "The Blind Bandit," when Aang easily defeats Toph using Airbending in the tournament. At the end of the same episode, Toph is completely surprised by Sokka dropping a large belt on her head.

Terrain that impairs Toph's ability to sense vibrations also hinders her abilities. As shown in the episodes "The Library" and "The Desert," Toph has some difficulty with sand. Sand constantly shifts and is not a solid mass like rock, and she cannot accurately "feel" where she is going, describing the vibrations in the earth as "fuzzy." She is able to compress sand into solid earth, however, to gain some temporary footing. Toph also expresses an aversion for flying, as she she can't sense her surroundings without her feet on solid ground. Toph also loses her ability to perceive her environment if her feet are injured as evidenced in the episode The Western Air Temple where Zuko accidentally burned her feet. It is unclear if this will hinder her 'sight' in future episodes.

Also as a result of her closeness or affinity with earth, Toph can rest or sleep comfortably on solid rock without any sleeping bag or blanket and can walk on any kind of terrain in bare feet. While standard trait for Earthbenders, Toph especially relies on direct contact with her feet and the ground for "sight" as well as for her Earthbending. When acquiring Fire Nation clothing, Toph goes as far to punch out the soles of her shoes in order to maintain maximum perception. She is however very sensitive, and as a result, Toph is very reluctant to allow anyone to touch her feet. She touches them regularly, however, to groom them and keep them clear of debris for better contact with the ground.

Despite her substantial prowess on land, a great weakness of Toph lies in the fact that she does not know how to swim (seen in "The Serpent's Pass"). This, combined with the lack of earth required for her to "see," makes her very vulnerable in deep water as she is essentially rendered helpless.

Toph has a great sense of hearing and can recognize people by the sound of their voices. In "The Desert," Toph recognizes the Sandbender who stole Appa, adding that that she never forgets a voice. In "City of Walls and Secrets," Toph is seen feeling even slight vibrations as she tells a man they meet "I can feel you shaking." In the episode "Lake Laogai," Toph demonstrated an ability to sense when a person is lying by the vibrations of their heartbeat and breathing patterns. However, this ability is not effective on people who are very good at lying calmly, such as Azula. Most likely, with this system, she can also determine the level of excitement or exhaustion that a person is in.

Toph's earthbending style is based on Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu, which is a style that is apparently unique to her; the style of Earthbending used by other Earthbenders is rooted in the Hung Gar style of Kung Fu. She is the only bender on the show known to use a style based on a different root martial art than the standard for their bending art. This may be because she is self-taught rather than trained in the traditional Earthbending form. According to creator commentary, Toph came to develop her unique style by observing the movements of the similarly blind Earthbending Badgermoles that can be found around her hometown. In Sokka's Master, Toph herself mentions that she was taught by these creatures.

As of the episode "The Guru," Toph is the first known character with the ability to bend metal. Metal is derived from ore, which is found in the earth. In the episode, while Toph is seen concentrating in her iron prison, Guru Pathik explains in a parallel scene that "Metal is just a part of Earth that has been purified and refined." Because of Toph's ability to feel the vibrations in earth, she is able to locate the impurities (the small fragments of earth) in metal and manipulate them to "bend" the metal portion. As of the end of Book Two, Toph is the only known Earthbender with the ability to bend metal. In "Sokka's Master", Sokka gives Toph a small piece of meteorite, which being composed of earth and metal, she can easily mold into a myriad of shapes, and subsequently transforms it into an arm bracelet she now wears.

Avatar - The Last Airbender Character : Sokka

Sokka grew up in his village as an aspiring warrior-in-training of the Southern Water Tribe. Forced to mature quickly when his mother was killed in a Fire Nation raid, he cultivated his warrior skills with a militant zeal, while his sister Katara did chores and practiced waterbending.[4] When he was thirteen, his father and the other village men left to fight alongside the Earth Kingdom in the war against the Fire Nation, leaving him and his sister to look after their tribe with their grandmother, Gran Gran. As the oldest male left in the South Pole, Sokka came to assume a semi-leadership role by the time he was fifteen, fiercly protecting the village from any possible outside threats while trying to train children to be a new generation of defenders.

While on a spearfishing expedition, Katara and Sokka discovered Aang in suspended animation inside an iceberg. After Katara freed him, Sokka initially believed that the Airbender might be a Fire Navy spy, and he eventually grew xenophobic enough to banish him from the village. Upon discovering that Aang was the Avatar, destined to master all four elements and bring peace to the world, Sokka relented, realizing that they had a common enemy -- the Fire Nation. He then set off with Katara and Aang on their journey to find a waterbending instructor at the North Pole, determined to hone his warrior skills by way of fighting a few Firebenders along the way.

In Sokka's Master, Sokka expresses self-doubt and worry that he is not contributing as much to the group as his bender companions are. Inspired by his friends' encouragement, he seeks out a master from whom he could learn the art of the sword. Rather than fighting with brute force and flawless technique, Sokka's creativity and thinking-outside-the-box approach to things are the cornerstones of his technique, and his master notes that in time Sokka will be a superior swordsman. As he departs, Piandao has his butler Fat give Sokka a White Lotus tile, simply saying that its something to remember him by.

Skeptical, abrasive, and sharp-witted, Sokka is detached from Katara's and Aang's pursuit of the bending arts. Not gifted with bending abilities himself, Sokka instead prefers the ways of the warrior and the scientist, and he takes his responsibility as protector very seriously. He is also very intelligent and good at coming up with ideas--even if said ideas are not always very good.

Patriotic and long to hold a grudge, he strongly wants to exact vengeance for the Fire Nation's decimation of the Water Tribe and the death of his mother. He holds little interest in the mysticism surrounding bending and prefers to solve problems using his strength and his wits. He tends to be rash, however, and his pride often leads to embarrassment. Despite his obvious cleverness, Sokka sometimes acts very silly if not outright stupid. His sarcastic and absurd behavior can sometimes carry over into important decisions.

A passionate carnivore, Sokka has demonstrated his love of meat on multiple occasions and is the main hunter in the group. Sokka also has a habit of using sarcasm. In the episode "Bitter Work," Sokka shouts at karma in the heavens vowing to give up both meat and sarcasm for assistance, agreeing to consider himself no longer "Sokka, the meat and sarcasm guy", but willing to be "Sokka the veggies and straight-talk fellow". By the end of the episode, however, he has given up neither meat nor sarcasm.

Under the guidance of swordsmaster Piandao, Sokka expresses various unorthodox procedures when undergoing his training. In one exercise, when told to stamp his identity onto a sheet of paper, rather than simply writing his name, Sokka smears ink all over his face and presses it onto the paper. As he presents Sokka with his blade, Piandao relates that though his skills were hardly impressive, he displayed much creativity, versatility, and intelligence. All were traits that go beyond mere skills and defined a great swordsman.

Sokka writes with his right hand, but draws with his left hand. He is possibly ambidextrous, although his left-handed art is ugly and rudimentary, although this could just be due to a limited drawing ability.

For an inhabitant of a mystical world, Sokka shows a remarkable proclivity towards science. He seems naturally adept at creating weapons out of practically anything at any time. He learned how to construct amateur explosives from his father, which he once used to simulate Firebending. In another instance, Sokka used trickery and optical illusions to help his sister Katara fake the ability to Earthbend. Working side by by side with fellow technologist, the Mechanist, Sokka has managed to engineer a system of control for an experimental hot air balloon as well as conceptualise the design for waterbending-powered submarines. Alongside his trademark boomerang, Sokka is proficient in a variety of weapons, including clubs, a machete, spears, and the newest addition, an all-black sword.

In addition to his engineering skill, Sokka has shown a remarkable talent for poetry. In The Tales of Ba Sing Se, he stumbles into a poetry reading and goes toe-to-toe with the instructor in a haiku contest, and holds his own. However, his hubris gets the best of him and he gets thrown out for accidentally adding an extra syllable to the end of a haiku.

As the only non-bender in Aang's group, Sokka is often overshadowed by the bending skills of his friends. However, it is usually Sokka who comes up with a plan for victory. He has assumed the important role of gathering intelligence for the group, collecting data and maps that could help them defeat the Fire Nation, often becoming the navigator and choosing the route to follow despite other's objections. His skills as a fighter have also noticeably improved as the series progresses, though it is usually his persistence rather than skill that often allows him to get a shot in against opponents of superior skill, such as Zuko in "The Avatar Returns" and Ty Lee, in "The Chase." Sokka employs the element of surprise in defeating larger enemies in "The Library" when he knocked out Wan Shi Tong by attacking him from above. In that particular encounter, Sokka's wit succeeded where Aang and Katara's bending failed. It was also Sokka who found out about a solar eclipse's ability to incapacitate firebenders and his idea to inform the Earth King in Ba Sing Se.

Sokka has come to learn the art of swordsmanship in order to improve his contribution to the team. Under the tutelage of the Fire Nation swordmaster Piandao, Sokka undergoes various activities, including sparring matches with the butler Fat to hone his swordwielding skills as well as arts such as painting, calligraphy and rock gardening to sharpen to his mind. Eventually, when instructed to make his own sword, he uses fragments of a meteorite that fell the night before to collect the metal needed to forge his blade. Sokka's sword, like his master's, is patterned on a Qing Dynasty jian, but unique in that due to the properties of the alien material used for its creation, the blade retains an unusual all-black appearance. The sword is also able to slice through the toughest materials, including regular metal.Although Sokka proves unable to defeat his master in heated battle and must leave to continue his training on his own, Piandao states the belief that Sokka retains traits which one day could very well come to make him an even greater swordsman than he is.

Beginning in the the third season, Sokka also on occasion assumes the persona of Wang Fire, a Fire Nation citizen in good standing. First done to pass as Aang's father (with Katara as his wife, Sapphire Fire), he subsequently dons an oversized beard for comic relief as in Nightmares and Daydreams and pulling scams in The Runaway.

Avatar - The Last Airbender Character : Katara

Katara grew up as the mature, motherly figure of her family and tribe. She was the only waterbender left in the South Pole. When Katara was eight years old, her mother was killed in a Fire Nation raid. She resigned herself to cooking and cleaning duties while her brother, Sokka, trained to become a warrior.

At the age of twelve, Katara saw the departure of her father, Hakoda, and the other tribesmen to the Earth Kingdom to participate in the war effort against the Fire Nation. This left her, alongside her brother and grandmother, Kanna ("Gran Gran"), to look after the tribe. In "The Serpent's Pass," a refugee goes into labor and Katara delivers the baby, claiming she did it lots of times, proving how much responsibility she had in her former home. Not only does she have experience delivering human babies, Katara claims to have delivered baby seals as well.

According to the unaired pilot episode included on the Avatar Complete Book 1 Collection DVD set, Katara's name was originally Kya, but was changed before the start of the series proper. In "The Tales of Ba Sing Se," Katara's name was written as 卡 塔 拉. Kǎ (卡) means to check, block, or card; Tǎ (塔) means pagoda; and Lā (拉) means to pull. The character Lā is the same La as the Ocean Spirit's name from the season one's finale, while the character for Kǎ also appears in Sokka's name.

In "The King of Omashu," Katara pretended to be Aang's granddaughter, under the alias "June Pippinpadelopxicopolis," in order to gain entry into the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu.

In "City of Walls and Secrets," Katara and Toph used false names to gain entrance to a party being held by the Earth King. Her name was Kuā Měi (姱 美), which translates to 'fascinating beauty.'

In "The Headband," during a parent/teacher conference, Katara played the role of "Mrs. Sapphire Fire", the heavily pregnant mother to Aang's Fire Nation cover-persona, "Kuzon", and wife to Sokka's "Mr. Wang Fire".

Book One

To Katara, waterbending is a unique skill that she dearly wanted to master. With no other Waterbenders to instruct her, Katara initially taught herself. Able to do feats ranging from maneuvering a fish-filled water globule to freezing water at will, she displayed much potential. However, she lacked a fine sense of control, unable to aim some of her larger attacks. After meeting Aang, she and Sokka set off on a journey to their sister tribe in the north, on a quest to find a Waterbending master to instruct them.

Katara continued to practice Waterbending diligently while journeying with Aang and Sokka, acquiring new skills. Passing through a port town, Katara stole a Waterbending scroll from pirates. Following the scroll's forms, Katara and Aang learned the "water whip," a maneuver that lashes a target with a whip-shaped formation of water. Later, while being fooled by Jet, she learned to bend underground water, as she and Aang pulled water up through geysers and into a river.

After Aang accidentally burned her hands while learning Firebending, Katara learned that she has a rare waterbending talent: the vitakinetic ability to heal wounds, using water as the catalyst.

When they finally arrive at the North Pole, Katara and Aang met Master Pakku, a Waterbending master. She hoped to learn Waterbending from him, but Pakku rebuffed her, explaining that tribal custom forbids women from learning Waterbending to fight. Instead, women with the gift are trained formally as Healers.

While Aang learns from Pakku, Katara is sent to the healing huts for Yagoda's lessons. After her lesson, she learned that her grandmother, Kanna, had been good friends with Yagoda as a young girl. However, she had fled to the Southern Tribe to escape an arranged marriage to a young Waterbender.

Filled with newfound contempt for Northern customs, Katara schemed to learn from Aang at night. Pakku quickly discovered them and banned Aang from further instruction until Katara apologized. Rather than submit to Pakku's sour chauvinism, Katara challenged Pakku to a duel. She acquitted herself remarkably and displayed how well she had progressed as a waterbender by demonstrating amazingly powerful techniques she had never used before during the fight. When Pakku sent a large stream of water towards Katara, she waterbended using her feet creating a sheeting of ice around her feet and ankles that secured her to the ground. She then vaporized the stream of water Pakku had projected towards her. She also created a frozen column of water and projected razor sharp discs of ice towards Pakku. At one point she collapsed two towering columns of ice jars over Pakku and though he countered her attack he commented that she was in fact an impressive waterbender. After this however, Pakku still did not consent to teach her, and he finally defeated her by imprisoning her in a cage made from spears of ice, hindering her movements. At this point Katara, though defeated, was able to hold her own against a Master Waterbender despite the fact a lot of her acquired skills had been self-learned (with the help of a waterbending scroll) over the course of a few months in which she had journeyed with Aang. This fact further indicated the great potential she possessed.

When he discovered Katara's heirloom choker, he recognized it as the betrothal necklace he had carved sixty years ago for his young fiancée, Kanna. Realizing that his stubborn adherence to custom had cost him a wife, Pakku consented to teach Aang and Katara. When Katara rose to mastery faster than any of his students, Pakku tasked her with instructing the slower-learning Aang and deemed her a master Waterbender.

In the Siege of the North Part 1, Katara is left to protect Aang while he journeyed into the Spirit World at the spirit oasis. Zuko breaks into the chamber. Katara duels him, and with the power of the moon, is able to temporarily defeat Zuko. Katara’s impressive combative skills even prompt Zuko to say she has been trained by a master. However, the sun rises and it enhances Zuko's powers, allowing him to defeat Katara. In the Siege of the North Part 2, Zuko carries Aang’s body to a cave. Upon Aang returning to his body from the Spirit World, Aang (restrained by rope) uses a gust of air to escape from Zuko by a few feet but didn't make it far. Just then, he is saved by the timely arrival of Katara, Sokka, and Princess Yue on Appa. Zuko and Katara have a rematch but due to the moon being out this time, Katara easily defeats him in a matter of seconds.

In the end of the episode, Master Pakku hints to Katara that she had mastered waterbending and would be able to instruct Aang when he left for the Southern Water Tribe.

Book Two

At the beginning of Book Two, the group is given by Master Pakku a box of Waterbending scrolls and an amulet full of water (with special properties) from the Spirit Oasis.

Master Pakku deems Katara a master Waterbender so she could officially teach Aang. Katara teaches Aang the Octopus Form in "The Cave of Two Lovers."

Katara saves the Waterbending scrolls in "Avatar Day" from a large Fire Nation man and, soon after, is able to put out fires on the parade floats with little available water. She uses the water from her water skin numerous times to cut through certain objects such as leather straps or wooden beams.

In "The Chase," she fares well against Ty Lee in a short confrontation by dodging her attacks, but Mai is able to defeat her by pinning her arms to a tree with shurikens; Katara, however, is saved by Appa in that scenario. When Azula tries to hurt Aang, she is prevented from doing so as her hand is grabbed by Katara's water whip. Katara offers to heal Iroh after his injury but is unable to proceed when Zuko refuses. In "The Library," Katara gives a Waterbending scroll to Wan Shi Tong, the knowledge spirit.

Katara has been shown able to create larger water whips, large whirlpools (with some help from Aang), and even small tidal waves. Her mastery over freezing water has also increased, ranging from small ice spikes, to small ice bridges, to surfing freely on water using an ice platform for support in The Serpent's Pass." She is also shown capable of rapidly condensing steam into ice in "The Drill." In the episode "The Earth King," she displays further mastery of Waterbending, being able to defeat many royal guards using a single aerial water whip kick after jumping over a moat. Furthermore, she can condense the water onto her arms (similar to when Aang collected rocks onto his arm against Azula in "The Drill") and use it as a limb extension in order to throw guards down into the moat.

Her advancing skills were further shown at the end of the second season finale "The Crossroads of Destiny" when she fought Azula in single combat and not only held her ground, but managed to drive Azula back. Despite Azula's powerful Firebending abilities, Katara was able to deflect the force of her attacks by covering her entire body except her head with water and then using the water on her arms as two enormous water whips, which she then uses to grab Azula's arm and leg to prevent her from Firebending. Azula's dire position was only relieved by timely aid from Zuko. The fact that she was able to best Azula signifies the extent of her combat prowess. It also shows that Katara has grown much stronger during Book 2, since in an earlier battle it took her, Aang, Iroh, Toph and Zuko to drive off Azula. As they leave the city on Appa's back, she attempts to heal the fatal wound on Aang's back with the water from the Spirit Oasis and, though the wound remains present, Aang does awaken soon thereafter.

Book Three

When Aang awakens from his near fatal injury, Katara takes him inside to have a healing session and, using her healing, she helps Aang see what happened to him in Old Ba Sing Se. While on the ship the group is attacked by another Fire Nation ship that discovered they had captured it, and a fight breaks out. Katara uses her Waterbending to separate the two ships, using a huge wave, and when she realizes they need to get away, she creates a huge steam barrier between them for cover, which was the first time she has manipulated steam, in the sense of directly creating it. Then, when they get hit by a harpoon, Katara uses her frosty breath of Waterbending to freeze the hole in the ship's hull, thus repairing it.

In The Painted Lady, Katara surreptitiously disguises herself as the river spirit, The Painted Lady, in order to help a helpless, polluted fishing village. She uses her Waterbending to run on water, shrouding herself in eerie mist, flitting about nightly, stealing food from the enemy and giving it to the village and healing the sick. With crashing waves and precise missiles of water, as well as help from Aang, who discovers her ploy, she goes on to destroy a huge factory, the source of pollution in the river. Later, as she invoked the wrath of the Fire Nation army encamped in the factory, she and the gang put on a tremendous display to scare off the antagonists. Katara, after creating a huge cloud of steam, dramatically destroys one of their river crafts by blasting it into the air on a mucky geyser and then shooting it into a nearby cliff. Also, throughout the episode the benders of the gang use their cumulative Earth and Waterbending abilities to purify the heavily polluted river water.

In the episode "The Puppetmaster," the group meets one of the last Southern Water Tribe Waterbender before Katara, Hama. She was kidnapped and thrown in a Fire Nation prison and tries to teach Katara the techniques of the Southern Water Tribe. First she teaches Katara how to pull water from the things around her therefore allowing Katara to bend practically anywhere. Katara is now able to do such feats as pulling moisture from the air and plants to waterbend. Hama also attempts to teach Katara the technique she used to escape the Fire Nation. It is the highest level technique amongst Waterbenders, but can only be utilized when the moon is at its fullest. It is the ability to control organisms by manipulating the water within them, a technique Hama calls "Bloodbending".

Hama attempts to teach it to Katara, but Katara having no desire to learn it states that she doesn't want that kind of power over people. Katara then found out that Hama was kidnapping Fire Nation civilians and then saw her as an enemy (not caring for Hama's justification that the civilians deserved it). With Katara quickly proving to be the stronger Waterbender, Hama tried to use Bloodbending to control Katara, but after using the full moon's energy, Katara is able to resist as her bending is more powerful than Hama's. It should be noted that Hama's waterbending is not necessarily weaker; a more logical explanation for Katara being stronger than a fully-trained master is that Hama has weakened in her old age. The two initiate an epic battle, with huge displays of Waterbending, as Katara, using her recent and nascent knowledge, and Hama both pull water from their surroundings. Katara triumphs, terrifying the momentarily defeated Puppetmaster. Immediately, Aang and Sokka show up, but they both fall victim to Hama. To put a stop to Hama's reign of terror, Katara was forced to utilize Bloodbending to stop Hama from controlling Aang and Sokka before they came to any harm.

Although she does not take much of a leading role as she usually does (Siege of the North & The Crossroads of Destiny), Katara's Waterbending was an important instrument over the course of the invasion in The Day of Black Sun. Katara and Aang share a kiss in this episode before he flies off to fight the Fire Lord. Katara eventually escapes with the gang on Appa heading for the Western Air Temple.

In "The Western Air Temple", the gang travel to the Western Air Temple for refuge after a sore defeat at the Fire Nation capital. Katara uses her healing abilities to heal the soles of Toph’s feet after she was accidentally burned by Zuko. The Combustion Man tracks the group down and attempts to ambush them while the group attended to Toph’s injuries, but he was thwarted by Zuko. Aang and Katara both use their respective bending elements to counter the Combustion Man’s attacks, but they are at an extreme disadvantage due to them being at a lower vantage point within the arrangement of cliffs. Katara used an incredible display of Waterbending by manipulating a massive wave from a fountain into the air towards the Combustion Man. From this wave, she created ice daggers and projected them at the Combustion Man, reminiscent of Katara's battle with Master Pakku when he trapped her within a cage of icicles in "The Waterbending Master".

Avatar - The Last Airbender Character : Aang

Aang - The twelve-year-old Aang is the last surviving Airbender, a monk of the Air Nomads' Southern Air Temple. He is also the current incarnation of the Avatar, the spirit of the planet manifested in human form. As Avatar, Aang can control all four elements and is tasked with keeping the Four Nations at peace. As the Avatar, Aang must master all four elements to bring peace to the world and balance between the four Nations.Every way the relunctant hero, Aang openly expresses that he rather be searching for fun adventure and making new friends than being charged with saving the world. Compounded with his energetic nature and childish naïvete, at times Aang can be somewhat oblivious of the world around him and others' true feelings, as he is often too preoccupied with the events immediately surrounding him to notice what occurs on a more in-depth level. However, over the course of the series, Aang matures drastically as his experiences cause him to fully realize the state of the world and gradually shape him into being physically and mentally suited for the task set before him.


Early Life

Aang is the current Avatar in the reincarnation cycle. At first, he traveled around the world making friends easily, such as Kuzon and Bumi. Monk Gyatso, the only father figure to him, became his mentor. Before he earned his blue arrow tattoos, which signified he was a master Airbender, he and some other Airbender boys traveled to the Eastern Air Temple; this is where he was to be partnered with his flying bison. There they were all given an apple. Aang offered it to a flying bison calf and they quickly became friends. Aang named the young bison Appa and traveled back to his home temple. When Aang was twelve, and was already an Airbending master, Aang demonstrated his new invention which he dubbed the Air Scooter. He was teaching this technique to other children about the temple when he was interrupted when summoned to speak with Gyatso. In private, the monks explained that he was the Avatar, the bridge between the spiritual and natural world. They knew this because he and other children had chosen different toys among thousands; Aang chose the four specific toys the Avatar has chosen for generations, which reflected the four nations and the four elemental symbols. They also mentioned the possibility of a war. Once the news spread that Aang was the Avatar, the other children of the temple limited him from playing games, as he would exhibit an unfair advantage. The Monks were soon getting agitated, thinking that they needed Aang to train more, but Gyatso insisted that Aang was in his charge and that he should continue training and have fun like a normal kid. The Monks debated Aang's situation and decided that he would be sent away to the Eastern Air Temple, regardless of Monk Gyatso’s objection. Unbeknownst to them, Aang had been eavesdropping and heard the final decision of the Monks. Teary eyed, he wrote a note for Monk Gyatso, and ran away with Appa, now large enough to carry Aang. Moments later, a determined Gyatso came into Aang’s room and said he was not going to let them take him away, only to discover that Aang had run off already. While fleeing the temple Aang was caught in a violent storm and plummeted into the water. He unknowingly entered the Avatar State for the first time and encased himself and Appa in wind and ice, remaining in the Avatar State for the next hundred years. On the day of which he would be free he would soon have to find out about the war the Fire Nation started and that his people were obliterated in a massacre when Fire Lord Sozin used a comet's power to do so. This would affect him for awhile as he would have to accept his role as Avatar and the last Airbender.

Book One: Water

After one hundred years, Aang and Appa are freed by Katara and her brother Sokka. Aang and Katara board an abandoned Fire Navy ship and accidentally set off a booby trap; this signals to Prince Zuko the location of Aang and the nearby Southern Water Tribe village. Upon returning to the village, Aang is banished by the suspicious Sokka, but returns to save the village from Zuko and his men. Afterward, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Appa set off for the Northern Water Tribe to find a Waterbending master.

First they travel to Aang's former home, the ruined Southern Air Temple. On learning of his people's genocide, a grief-stricken Aang enters the Avatar State. This outrage alerts the Fire Sages to his existence. In "The Winter Solstice", Aang meets his previous incarnation, Avatar Roku, who informs him that he must master all four bending arts and defeat Fire Lord Ozai before summer's end, when the return of Sozin's Comet will empower the Firebenders to finally win the war.

In "The Deserter" Aang receives rudimentary Firebending instruction from rogue master Jeong Jeong. Initially reluctant to train the unready Aang, Jeong Jeong relents after being goaded by a vision of Avatar Roku. Aang begins basic training, and soon becomes impatient, demanding to learn advanced techniques. His lack of control causes him to accidentally burn Katara's hands. As a result, Aang resolves never to Firebend again.

Reaching the Northern Water Tribe in "The Waterbending Master", Aang finds a Waterbending master, Master Pakku, who takes Aang on as a student; he refuses to teach Katara because tribal custom prohibits women from Waterbending. Aang decides to secretly teach Katara what he's learned, and is quickly discovered by Master Pakku, who bars Aang from further lessons. The next day, it is publicly revealed that Katara's grandmother fled to the Southern Water Tribe to escape an arranged marriage to Pakku. Realizing that his strict adherence to custom is foolish, Master Pakku agrees to teach both Katara and Aang.

In "The Siege of the North", when the Fire Nation attacks the Northern Tribe, Aang journeys into the Spirit World to seek the help of the Ocean and Moon spirits. There he learns of Admiral Zhao's plan to kill the Moon Spirit. He returns to the mortal world too late to stop its murder. Aang then channels an enraged Ocean Spirit in the Avatar State, using their combined might to drive off the invading forces. Balance is restored when Princess Yue gives up her life to restore the Moon Spirit.

Book Two: Earth

In "The Avatar State", Aang and his friends arrive at an Earth Kingdom base. General Fong tries to willfully induce Aang's Avatar State for offensive use in the war. He succeeds, but Aang learns that if he were to die in the Avatar State, the Avatar cycle would be broken, and the Avatar would cease to exist. In "Return to Omashu", Aang encounters a new enemy, Princess Azula. Aang later meets Toph Bei Fong, a blind Earthbender master, who joins the group as Aang's Earthbending teacher in "The Blind Bandit".

While traveling, Aang and his friends discover a hidden library guarded by a spirit in "The Library". Inside, they find out that a solar eclipse will occur in the summer before the arrival of Sozin's Comet, rendering the Firebenders powerless. Leaving the library, Aang discovers that Appa was stolen by Sandbenders. Filled with anger and grief, Aang becomes uncharacteristically bitter and hostile. He enters the Avatar State once again in "The Desert" when confronting the Sandbender responsible for the theft. The group finds out that Appa was sold and may be in Ba Sing Se. Eventually overcoming his grief, Aang and his friends journey towards Ba Sing Se to inform the Earth King about the solar eclipse that could be central to ending the war.

In "City of Walls and Secrets", the group encounters Long Feng, Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se. He hints vaguely that he has information on Appa's location, and warns them not to step out of line. In "Lake Laogai", they learn that Long Feng has kept the war secret from the Earth King, and is planning to overthrow him. They eventually infiltrate Dai Li headquarters, where Appa is imprisoned. A fight ensues, but Appa, freed by Zuko, arrives and provides means of escape.

The team returns to the palace and successfully informs the Earth King of Long Feng's treachery and the reality of the war. Comforted by the knowledge that the Earth King is preparing for war, the group separates temporarily and Aang travels to the Eastern Air Temple to find Guru Pathik. In "The Guru", Pathik tells Aang that to achieve complete control over the Avatar State, all seven chakras within his body must be opened. He is able to unblock six of them, but has trouble with the seventh, the chakra associated with earthly attachments, as he is unwilling to let go of his love for Katara. In the middle of the ritual, Aang has a vision of Katara in danger and rushes back to Ba Sing Se, with Sokka and Toph in tow.

In "The Crossroads of Destiny", Aang manages to find Katara. When they try to escape, they are confronted and eventually overwhelmed by Azula, Zuko and Dai Li agents. Aang succeeds in entering the Avatar State, but is fatally wounded when Azula strikes him down with lightning, to the point where his spirit seperates from his body. Katara manages to escape with Aang and successfully heals him with water from the Spirit Oasis. As the gang flies away on Appa, Aang slips back into unconsciousness.

Book Three: Fire

After weeks in a coma, Aang wakes up heavily bandaged with a scar on his back and finds out that the world believes him dead. His hair has grown due to lack of shaving while unconscious. Aang is now unable to enter the Avatar State because Azula's lightning strike blocked his seventh chakra. The gang is on board a captured Fire Nation warship and accompanied by Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom warriors, who inform Aang that despite the loss of the Earth Kingdom armies, all available forces will attack the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun.

After stealing Fire Nation clothes, the group continues their journey. While traveling, they gain a new enemy, an assassin hired by Prince Zuko, who firebends with his third eye. Aang also learns that Avatar Roku and Fire Lord Sozin were best friends in youth, but became ideological enemies as they grew older.

Eventually, the group reaches the rendezvous point for the invasion. On their way to the Fire Nation, Aang confides in Katara about his worry that he might not come back. He then kisses Katara and takes off on his glider. Aang arrives at the palace to find it deserted, and realizes that Ozai knew of the invasion plan. With Sokka and Toph, he discovers the Fire Lord's secret underground bunker but is stalled by Azula until the eclipse ends, dooming the invasion to failure. With no other choice, Aang, his friends, and the younger members of the invasion force flee on Appa to seek refuge in the nearby Western Air Temple, while their elders stay and surrender.

Aang meets Zuko again in the "The Western Air Temple" and despite the entire group's strong reluctance to let their arch-nemesis join them, Aang eventually accepts Zuko's offer to teach him Firebending.