Universe of Avatar: The Last Airbender

A map of the four nations. The characters at the top, 群雄四分, mean "the heroes divide [the world or the country or the land] in four." The characters of the four lands are 水善 (Peaceful Water), 土強 (Strong Earth), 火烈 (Fierce Fire), and 气和 (Harmonious Air) as the characters are written in ancient Chinese, these are read from right to left. The phrase at the bottom, 天下一匡, reads "correct all things under heaven".

Avatar Roku bending the four elements

Avatar: The Last Airbender is an American animated television series that aired for three seasons on Nickelodeon and the Nicktoons Network. The series was created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. It follows the adventures of Aang and his friends, who must save the world by defeating the Fire Lord and ending the destructive war with the Fire Nation.

Avatar: The Last Airbender takes place in a fantasy world that is home to humans, fantastic animals, and spirits. Human civilization is divided into four nations: the Air Nomads, the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, and the Fire Nation. In addition, there exists a Spirit World. Each nation has its own natural element, on which it bases its society. Within each nation exists an order called "Benders" who have the ability to manipulate the eponymous element of their nation, either Waterbending, Earthbending, Firebending, or Airbending. The show's creators assigned each Bending art its own style of martial arts, causing them to inherit the advantages and weaknesses of that martial art.

Each generation fields one person who is capable of Bending all four elements, the Avatar, the spirit of the planet manifested in human form. When an Avatar dies, he is reincarnated into the next nation in the Avatar Cycle. The Avatar Cycle parallels the seasons: autumn for the Air Nomads, winter for the Water Tribe, spring for the Earth Kingdom and summer for the Fire Nation. Legend holds the Avatar must master each bending art in order, starting with his native element. For the Avatar, learning to bend the element opposite his native element can be extremely difficult because opposing Bending arts are based on opposing fighting styles and disciplines. Firebending and Waterbending are opposites, as are Earthbending and Airbending.

Creation and conception

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Bryan Konietzko has stated that several different aspects of a plethora of cultures have influenced the universe of the series.

Avatar co-founder Bryan Konietzko stated in an interview with Anime Insider that he and DiMartino wanted to include several elements into the universe of the show, including Eastern philosophy, Japanese anime, Kung fu cinema, and yoga. The idea for bending came around when they decided to incorporate "magic," but be different from "the typical wand-wielding spell-casting fare;" Konietzko states that they had a desire to make it more physical and natural, as well as it being a skill that the wielder needed to practice in order to master.

The Fire Nation was intended to be rather modernized. The original idea was that the entire landscape of it was being steadily revised with industrialized material. The design of its exterior and landscape was based on that of Iceland; Konietzko looked at images he had taken from the island country as inspiration.

Air Nomads

The Air Nomads were a nation of wandering Airbenders. They were a monastic order of men and women who practiced Airbending, the mystical art of aerokinesis. They did not have great cities and towns like the other nations, but instead built four Air Temples, one at each corner of the globe, hidden away atop a mountain in the mountain ranges in the northern Earth Kingdom and on three remote islands.

A century before the time of the series, the Air Nomads were the victims of genocide at the hands of the Fire Nation. The Air Nomads are now considered an extinct civilization, the only survivor being the Avatar (Aang) himself. It is unknown what will happen when the Avatar cycle returns to Air.

Culture

The Air Nomads wore orange, saffron yellow, and brown clothing. Aang and other young Airbenders wear orange shawls over long-sleeved yellow shirts, a brown belt, yellow pants with brown on the back, and brown boots that reach the knees. Senior monks wear longer robes in shades of yellow, orange, and brown. Air Nomads who completed their training and became Masters of Airbending were given blue arrow tattoos on their head, back, arms and legs, similar to the ones on flying bison. Many of the monks had beards and mustaches, and many also wore amulets or necklaces engraved with the Air Symbol.

The Air Symbol is made of three counterclockwise spirals on top of a brown circle. In addition to being worn on necklaces, the Air Symbol was also often found at Air Temples. It was based on a Tibetan Origin symbol.

The Air Nomads were a peaceful society that dwelled at high altitudes in temples and traveled the world atop their flying bison. They were based on Chinese Shaolin monks and Tibetan Buddhists. Pious and forthright, Airbenders preferred to use their Airbending, which all Air Nomads could use, strictly for defensive purposes, striving to live in harmony with nature. Meditation was an important part of the Airbenders' daily routines; it helped them to focus their energies and understand the potency of their element. The arrow on a Master Airbender's head is an emulation of the natural arrows on the heads of the revered Flying Bison who can naturally Airbend and were the inspiration for the first Airbenders. In order to receive the tattoos as well as the title of master, an Airbender needed to pass the thirty-six levels of Airbending and engineer a new technique.

Air Temples

The Southern Air Temple was inhabited only by male Monks, and is located on an island close to the Southern Water Tribe. An "Air Ball" court and "Pai Sho" room were used for recreation. Before the Firebender attack, a multitude of trees and plants adorned the temple. In the middle of the Temple, accessible to only to Master Airbenders or the Avatar lay a sanctuary of statues of past Avatars. Aang and his mentor Monk Gyatso once lived here.

The Northern Air Temple closely resembles the Southern Air Temple and was also home to only male Airbenders. The temple's location is near the Northern Water Tribe on a mountain in the northern Earth Kingdom. Bison Polo tournaments were once held there. This temple is currently inhabited by refugees, who are led by The Mechanist and his son. The refugees live similar life to the monks, but have altered the structure to provide for living space that the monks did not need.

The Eastern Air Temple was inhabited solely by female Airbenders, and is located on an island close to Ba Sing Se. The Eastern temple was built on three mountains, unlike the Northern and Southern Air temples, which were built on only one mountain. The template has a wheel-like feeding table in the middle of the temple for young Sky Bison. A waterfall, connecting ponds, flowers and vines grow in and around the temple. Guru Pathik currently lives at the temple. The Eastern Air Temple is the temple where Aang first met Appa.

The Western Air Temple was also inhabited solely by female Airbenders, and is located close to the Fire Nation capital. The design is very different than the other Air temples; The structure is built underneath a canyon wall and is upside-down. This temple contains a fountain, the world's largest Pai Sho table, an echo chamber, and a hall of statues. The temple came under attack during Book 3 by Combustion Man and Azula, and was partially destroyed.

Airbending

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Aang projects a dome of focused air to protect himself and deflect arrows

Airbenders learned their bending art from the Sky Bison who Airbend using their tail and mouth. The light blue full body tattoos seen on Aang and other Airbenders are derived from the Sky Bison's natural markings, and symbolize a person's mastery of the Airbending discipline.

Airbending is based on the Ba Gua style of martial arts. Ba Gua is known for its constantly circular movements, which makes it difficult for opponents to attack directly. The practitioner uses his own momentum as a weapon, constantly building up inertia for explosive counterattacks that evoke the unpredictable nature and explosive force of the wind. It is undoubtedly, the most dynamic of the four bending arts.

Airbenders have the ability to enhance their movements during battle. They can take giant leaps into the air, move at high speeds, run on water and vertical surfaces, glide on air currents to slow their descent and even spin around like a tornado to move quicker and confuse opponents. They can also create cushions of air to soften and blunt the falls of heavy objects. Airbenders can project powerful gusts of wind from their mouths. Master Airbenders can create vortices to disorient opponents and tornadoes to attack opponents. An Avatar in the Avatar State can generate the mighty winds of a hurricane that can affect entire landscapes and sustain flight by surrounding themselves in spheres of air. Airbenders are also capable of projecting solidified constructs of air to knock an opponent off balance or to provide defense from projectile weapons.

Specialized techniques

Flight - Highly skilled Airbenders can fly with a tornado-like structure below them. Most Airbenders, however, used less dramatic Airbending in conjunction with their glider-staves to fly. Unlike Firebenders, who can also fly, Airbenders can sustain their flight indefinitely.

Super Speed - Airbenders can use air bending to make them run much faster than any other race. Aang can easily walk up walls using this ability. This is accomplished by removing friction in the direction of movement, as revealed when Aang traveled by the Omashu mail system in the episode "King of Omashu," and using air to propel oneself forward. By removing friction, one never reaches a terminal velocity caused by drag, and so an airbender can reach their supernatural speeds without any air resistance. This action displaces plenty of air, which results in powerful winds as the airbender speeds by.

Air Scooter - A spherical "ball" of air that can be ridden by balancing on it like a top. This technique was invented by Aang himself as a form of ground transportation. The Air Scooter usually provides quick bursts of speed as well as overcoming vertical surfaces.

Airbender Genocide

A century before the series began, the Airbenders were the victims of genocide at the hands of the Fire Nation. All Airbenders were slaughtered in an effort to break the Avatar's cycle of reincarnation and ensure the Fire Nation's victory in their imperialist war. The Airbenders were unable to defend themselves against the Fire Nation, who were empowered by a comet that would be named Sozin's Comet, that granted them great power. The only known survivor of the massacre was the very person the Fire Nation sought to kill the most, the twelve-year-old Avatar, Aang, who had run away from home shortly before the war began in earnest and became trapped in suspended animation. The last known vestiges of Airbender culture include one surviving Flying Bison, Appa, one winged lemur, Momo, both of whom are Aang's pets, and furry hermit crab-like creatures, which live at the Northern Air Temple.

Because Aang is the only living Airbender, it is unknown what will happen when the Avatar cycle returns to Air.

Water Tribe

Members of the Water Tribe live mainly in one of two nation-states: the Southern Water Tribe or the Northern Water Tribe, who inhabit the South and North Poles, respectively. A branch of the Water Tribe exists in the Earth Kingdom swamp, called the Foggy Swamp Tribe. The Water Tribe is home to an order of men and women who practice Waterbending, the mystical art of hydrokinesis. On the South Pole, Katara is the only water bender left, since the Fire Nation killed or captured her fellow benders in their raids . In contrast, the North Pole has a multitude of water benders. There, Northern Water Tribe culture dictates that only men can use their bending skills for fighting and that the women must learn to use water bending for healing. According to Uncle Iroh, Water is the element of change; the Water Tribe embraces change and can easily adapt to different situations, as reflected in Waterbending.

Due to relentless attacks on the Southern Water Tribe by the Fire Nation, the Northern Water Tribe constitutes the majority of the remaining Waterbenders. The Foggy Swamp Water Tribe was hidden and forgotten and isolated until the Avatar and his friends stumbled upon it. Most of its members are competent benders with some unique talents.

Culture

Ethnically homogeneous, members of the Northern and Southern Water Tribes typically have light or deep brown hair, blue eyes and a brown skintone. Clothing is typically a set of blue anorak and trousers trimmed with white fur, and worn with mittens and mukluks. Men may wear their hair long and half-up or in short ponytails, referred to by Sokka as "a warrior's wolf tail." Women plait and braid their hair in various styles, sometimes with accent beads, and many sport "hair loopies" in various styles. In the Northern Water Tribe, males appear to wear a darker blue than those of the Southern Water Tribe.

The Water Tribe's national emblem is a circle comprising of a white waning crescent moon and three black wavy horizontal lines representing ocean waves and is often found in the architecture of the Water Tribe. Like the Earth Kingdom's national emblem, it has a literal and figurative meaning to the Water Tribe. The crescent moon and the ocean waves in the emblem symbolize, Tui and La, the Moon and Ocean Spirits, which give their people life and strength.

Each of the Four Nations is influenced by its own distinct, dominant season. The Water Tribe's dominant season is winter. More Waterbenders are born during winter than any other season and their powers are at their strongest during the season, due to the longer nights. Because the Water Tribe lives mostly near the poles, winter-like weather is near constant.

Because they inhabit the frozen poles and ice caps near seas and oceans, the Water Tribes inherently are dependent on the oceans for the majority of their natural resources and food. Sea prunes are a favorite, while giant sea crabs are considered a delicious delicacy to those in the Northern Sea. Squid and seaweed can be used to make a wide variety of dishes, including soup, seasoning, and even bread and cookies. Skins from seals are used to create decorative tents, while pelts from polar bears and other furry animals are used as clothing and to cover barren surfaces. Naturally, hunters and fishermen of the Water Tribes are some of the best in the world in their field.

Military

All adult male tribe members of the Southern Water Tribe are fully trained warriors. Their weaponry includes clubs, bladed boomerangs, spears made of bone, scimitars, and machetes laced with whale teeth on the dull side of the blade. Water Tribe warriors typically wear black and white warpaint on their full face before going into battle and put on protective "lunar wolf" armor in more dangerous situations. The dark blue body armor includes black and blue-gray plated arm and leg guards, a silver helmet shaped into wolf's head, and a fierce moon symbol unique to each warrior. It is designed to intimidate the enemy; when warriors charge, they resemble a pack of wild wolves. High ranking warriors wear a black colored wolf helmet instead of a silver one to show authority.

In the Northern Water Tribe, there are few non-Waterbender warriors. They wear dark hooded suits and blue face masks that cover their mouths to give off an air of mystery and danger. They also work together in units rather than fight alone; each Waterbender is almost always accompanied by at least one other one.

The Foggy Swamp Water Tribe does not have a conventional military. When dealing with hostile outsiders, it relies on the Swamp itself, its wildlife and fauna, and the Waterbenders who can bend swamp vines.

The ships of the Southern Tribe are cutter sailing ships, containing wooden hulls and utilizing the wind for propulsion. The boats are shown to be operated by at least two people, one to maintain the main sail and one to control the jib, a smaller sail at the rear. The ships are designed as transport vessels rather than for combat.

The Northern Water Tribe's most common ship is a double-hulled vessel powered by Waterbending. Though its small, compact size enables it to be used for a variety of applications, including transporting civilians across the canals within the city, its main purpose is to be used for short, open ocean trips. Even though its not necessarily designed for long voyages, it is capable of being used to travel over a thousand miles and withstanding the harshest ocean conditions. Warriors use this ship to patrol and protect the waters just outside the Northern Water Tribe.

Before the first invasion of the Fire Nation, Sokka and The Mechanist created Waterbending-powered submarines to sneak into the Fire Nation capital's harbor. These large underwater vehicles possess a hull composed of waterproof wood and metal equipped with watertight glass windows that allows them to traverse deep beneath the ocean surface. They propel themselves with flexible fins on each side and the rear while sinking or floating by means of the Waterbenders riding inside. The submarines are also equipped with torpedoes, which are made of frozen blasting jelly and launched via Waterbending. There was only one real flaw that the vessels retained, that being their limited air supply, which makes it necessary to resurface periodically for air.

Tribes

The culture of the Water Tribe is divided into three distinct groups, largely based on their geography and a specific affinity for their element. Before the war, while they were separated, the Northern and Southern Water Tribes kept in contact with one another. The Northern and the Southern Water Tribes both were heavily influenced by the Inuit tribes of North America, and the Foggy Swamp Tribe by the Mississippi Delta and Louisiana Swamps culture.

Southern Water Tribe

During the war, Southern Water Tribe teetered on the brink of extinction due to Fire Nation raids. Its bending population was destroyed, leaving only Katara as its sole Waterbender, due to multiple Waterbenders, such as Hama, either dying in battle or being captured by the Fire Nation in their raids. Therefore, children born with Waterbending abilities had no one to teach them how to bend. Katara and Sokka's tribe is one of a handful of tribes that are scattered across the South Pole. Before the war, their tribe was part of a beautiful and bustling city built out of the ice by Waterbenders. But decades before the beginning of the series, the Fire Nation destroyed their city and many others like it. With their cities gone, the tribes split apart into smaller groups and scattered across the South Pole. In recent years, the Fire Nation leaves the Southern Water Tribe alone for the most part, instead focusing its forces on bigger threats in the Earth Kingdom, but conducts raids periodically to capture or kill Waterbenders.

Scattered all across the South Pole in groups due to the war separating and dwindling their people, the Southern Water Tribe has a patriarchal tribalist system of government, as each village has a designated leader. While initially all the leaders were male, each of the villages leaders can now be both male or female. For example, before he left to fight in the war, Hakoda led the southernmost tribal village. But after the warriors left, the village was just populated by the elderly, women and small children. The Southern Water Tribe was defenseless during the war, because the adult males left for the Earth Kingdom to aid in the war against the Fire Nation, leaving behind the women, children and elderly citizens.

Northern Water Tribe

The Northern Water Tribe survived the century of war largely due to the harsh terrain surrounding the North Pole, and thus, so did its culture as did its versatile array of Waterbenders of all skills and genders. Adopting a siege strategy allowed the Northern Tribe to successfully defend itself from encroachment by the Fire Nation, but conversely this also meant that the Northern Tribe has had little impact on the War beyond its own borders. When honored guests arrive at the North Pole, the Northern Tribe holds a feast in their honor, as well as a cultured Waterbending performance accompanied by Water Tribe drums, that take the appearance of a modern-day timpani.

The Northern Water Tribe is a patriarchal chiefdom also containing the aspects of a tribal group's leader as the chief of state. The Northern Water Tribe is ruled by a former warrior, Arnook, and his counsel of chieftains, composed of Waterbending masters, warriors, healers, noblemen, and his daughter, Princess Yue.

The Northern Water Tribe is far more strict and patriarchal in gender-related issues, operating in the more traditional ways. The art of Waterbending is largely cultivated, in fighting but also in performances. This art, however, is only taught to Waterbending males. The female Waterbenders were only allowed to learn the art of healing, a subtype of Waterbending which uses the control of water and chi in the human body to heal diseases and wounds. This recently changed after Katara, Aang and Sokka's visit to the Northern Water Tribe. Non-Waterbender women serve as homemakers and cooks, while men serve as warrior, hunters and fishermen.

Arranged marriages are a common practice among the Northern Water Tribe. While the man involved apparently has a say in the matter, the woman does not. The traditional procedure involves the man carving a betrothal necklace for his bride-to-be, after consulting the young woman's family and asking for permission

The capital city resembles an ice-made version of Venice, Italy, with a complicated system of canals and bridges for transportation. The three layers of defense within the city are heavily guarded by the military. Large cliffs that tower over three sides of the city give it natural protection from land attacks, while sea walls keep the city safe from enemy navies. It is unclear if there are other cities like the capital in the North Pole, as most of the territory consists of a frozen tundra where it is impossible to live for long periods.

Foggy Swamp Tribe

The Foggy Swamp Tribe are an unusual offshoot of the Water Tribes who occupy a swamp in the Earth Kingdom. Their ancestry lies in the Southern Water Tribe; a group migrated from the Southern Tribe thousands of years ago and felt comfortable with the large amount of water. However, existence of the Foggy Swamp Tribe remained unclear to either the Northern or Southern Water Tribe.

Most of its members are highly skilled benders who have discovered the unique Waterbending talent of bending the water within plants to control plant life (e.g. Hu, who bends vines to use for attacking as well as protecting himself, as seen when the Foggy Swamp is first seen and during the invasion in The Day of Black Sun). The people of the Foggy Swamp Water Tribe dress very differently than their northern and southern counterparts (mostly as a result of their warmer climate). They use loincloths, armbands, hats and other materials fashioned out of plants to cover themselves. Instead of worshiping the Moon and Ocean Spirits, they worship the Swamp itself, and the giant tree in the center of it, believing that the Swamp is what gives them life and power.

The tribe depends on the swamp and its assortment of animals; they use cat gators for companions and eat food like squirrel fish and possum chicken. While they use plant leaves, roots, and bark to provide their natural resources, they depend heavily on their Waterbending and Swampbending for hunting and cooking meals.

Waterbending

Waterbenders originally learned Waterbending from the Moon. The ancestors of the Water Tribe noticed the push and pull effect the Moon has on the tides of the ocean. Eventually, these first Waterbenders learned how to manipulate water themselves.

Waterbending is based on Tai Chi, a Chinese martial art that features slow movements and elegant forms that evoke the feel of flowing water. Waterbending's strongest asset lies within its defensive capabilities. Unlike some other bending disciplines, Waterbending focuses on turning an opponent's own strength against themselves, rather than direct strikes. Since water can exist in different physical states, Waterbenders can freeze, melt, evaporate, sublimate or condense water at will. The ability to alter the physical state of water gives Waterbenders an array of defensive, evasive and offensive techniques in battle such as encasing an opponent in ice, hiding behind a wall of mist, surfing on bodies of water on a platform of ice, and battering enemies with lashing whips and waves. Waterbenders can also manipulate the molecular cohesion of water for cutting and grabbing objects or running on water. Benders are also able to encase their arms in water allowing them to blast water from their hands. They can also pull water into tentacles to block objects being thrown. While a bender's victory in battle is usually based on skill and technique, a Waterbender gains a notable advantage or disadvantage over other bending arts depending on the amount of water in their vicinity. Waterbenders have the ability to utilize water in its various forms, enabling them to freeze (or compress) water into ice, immobilizing enemies, and to evaporate it into steam, facilitating stealth capabilities. Skilled Waterbenders can freeze water using their breath. Due to their spiritual connection with the Moon, Waterbenders are more powerful at night than during the day, and are at their most powerful during the Full Moon, while being powerless during a lunar eclipse or when the Moon Spirit is in danger.

Specialized techniques

Healing - Certain Waterbenders are born with the ability to heal wounds and relieve sickness by redirecting chi paths throughout the body, using water as a catalyst. Healers are able to heal wounds such as burns and cuts, and various illnesses. Water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole possesses special healing abilities that may even be able to bring people back from fatal injuries, such as lightning strikes. Katara also attempted to use her healing powers in conjunction with the water from the Spirit Oasis to remove Zuko's scar, but was interrupted. In the Northern Water Tribe, due to the traditionally patriarchal culture of the tribe, healing is the only aspect of Waterbending taught to female Waterbenders, with classes assigned for young girls held in huts towards the development of the ability.

Plant Bending - Waterbenders can manipulate the vines and roots of plants by bending the ample amount of water within them. Members of the Foggy Swamp Tribe use this to survive in the deadly Swamp. In addition, by draining all of the water, a plant can be turned into an external source of water; this ultimately kills the plant from which the water came from.

Bloodbending - Bloodbending is the Waterbending technique that allows Waterbenders to bend the water within living creatures, giving a Waterbender complete control over it. The style was discovered by Hama, a southern waterbender, when she was a captive during the War. Katara has shown the ability to use bloodbending. She uses it in "The Puppetmaster" and "The Southern Raiders". This technique can only be used during the full moon, when Waterbending is at its strongest.

Earth Kingdom

The Earth Kingdom (土国), the direct translation of which is Earth Country, is a large continent which takes up most of the planet's eastern hemisphere. Earth Kingdom is by far the largest nation in Avatar: The Last Airbender in terms of geographic size; the kingdom's size is to the extent that it is a neighbor of every other nation. It is home to an order of men and women who practice Earthbending, which is similar to geokinesis. Earthbenders are characterized by their pride and strength, and often seem immovable.

The Earth Kingdom has long withstood encroachments of their borders in the Fire Nation's imperialist war. Though the Water Tribes have aided the Earth Kingdom, the Earth Kingdom has had to defend much of their nation by themselves, as the Water Tribes are too weak to help the Earth Kingdom. Many citizens of the Earth Kingdom live in Ba Sing Se, a capital city which is entirely self-reliant. However, Ba Sing Se falls at the end of Book 2 and the Earth Kingdom is almost annihilated during Book 3.

Appearance

The Earth Kingdom is heavily influenced by the culture of late imperial China, namely Ming and Qing dynasties. The Earth King's royal palace was influenced by the Forbidden City and other Chinese buildings and compounds. The people of the Earth Kingdom express wide variety in their appearances throughout the vast lands of the empire. Those residing in the rural areas often wear clothes similar to those of peasants. Royals and the wealthy, as illustrated by Toph Bei Fong, as well as the rest of the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se, usually wear robes similar to the Manchurian-Chinese Qipao, especially during parties and events. Men may grow beards and/or mustaches; younger men may have the same style but wear their hair down. Their skin complexion is usually fair, tan or brown, uniquely various throughout the Kingdom, especially compared to the homogeneous appearances of the other bending groups. They most typically express light brown, deep brown or green eyes. They usually wear green, yellow-green, tan or brown clothing, though they have been seen wearing outfits of other colors.

The national emblem of the Earth Kingdom is a circle inscribed within a square, at the center of which is a much smaller square (Like a Chinese coin). The insignia symbolizes both the literal and figurative depth of the Earth Kingdom. It represents the immeasurable layers of deep rock and minerals which Earthbenders manipulate to maintain their great cities, as well as the depth of the inhabitants' commitment and strive towards the effort of a peaceful and productive way of life. This emblem can be seen on the helmets of Earth Kingdom troops.

The Earth Kingdom uses coins as their currency. The coins are composed from metals such as copper shaped into the fashion of the national emblem.

Culture

From the technology-driven refugees under the "Mechanist" to the initially isolationist inhabitants of Kyoshi Island, the culture of the Earth Kingdom is far less monolithic than those of the other nations. The common aspect of these different cultures is their rather simplistic and somewhat archaic nature, especially in comparison to the more industrialized Fire Nation.

The Earth Kingdom citizens have created many games and attractions. In Omashu, the game first played by Aang and invented by King Bumi is based on the mail delivery system of Omashu, which Bumi has referred to as "The World's Greatest Superslide." In Ba Sing Se, an apparently common game played in alleys is a form of soccer that employs Earthbending.

Rock and stone are the Earth Kingdom's greatest natural resources; Earthbending allows the Earth Kingdom to use and manipulate it for nearly anything. While the Earth Kingdom as a whole does not make use of fossil fuels nearly as much as the industrialized Fire Nation, coal is mined in some villages, along with timber. An ample amount of vegetables manage to sufficiently grow within the rich, fertile soil of the Earth Kingdom, while fruits and nut trees are equally as abundant. Wild game and domesticated animals thrive in the forests and farmlands, adding beef and poultry to the Earth Kingdom citizens' diet.

Architecture, farming, carpentry, hunting, and mining are among many significant Earth Kingdom industries. Its citizens have managed to develop an advanced trade and commerce system so that almost all may benefit. From the complex sewage and postal system of Omashu, to the Ba Sing Se metro transit stations, and various inventions and their inventors, such as the Mechanist, all serve as demonstration of the Earth Kingdom's sophisticated society.

Government

The Earth Kingdom is a large nation divided into provinces and major cities which are subdivided into smaller townships or separate towns. The capital of the Earth Kingdom is Ba Sing Se. While there is a central ruler of the Earth Kingdom, known as the The Earth King, who resides in Ba Sing Se, some larger cities, such as Omashu, have kings of their own. However, the Earth Kingdom's central form of government is a Confederate Monarchy; the Earth Kings have continued to cede power to the governmental bureaucracies. Before the fall of Ba Sing Se, the Earth King was little more than a figurehead. Power was truly held by various advisers and counsels such as Long Feng, the Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se & Head of the Dai Li. It is also implied that the Ba Sing Se government chooses to make use of little power beyond its own fortified city, which perhaps explains the dire situation in much of the Earth Kingdom.

The government in Ba Sing Se was very oppressive during the war. Long Feng subjected the population to varying degrees of severe economic and social regimentation and segregation, and various methods of eliminating dissent. The government of Ba Sing Se is also incredibly bureaucratic; processing a request to meet with an official may take up to two months and proper clearance is required for posting "lost animal" fliers. The Earth Kingdom is heavily influenced by Qing Dynasty China.

Military

Due to the majority of its territory being landlocked and segregated by mountainous terrain, the Earth Kingdom is most dependent on its land-based army forces. Like the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom armies consist of benders and normal foot soldiers. Soldiers, both benders and non-benders, carry a wide variety of weapons. Nonbending soldiers are more heavily armored, and typically wear a helmet shaped like a mix of a conical straw hat and a spinning top, along with a neck guard underneath. Earthbenders' helmets are pointed and are decorated with the Earth Kingdom emblem. The Benders are also barefooted, unlike the soldiers, to better harmonize themselves with the Earth. Officers wear yellow armor in place of the regular green armor.

Earth Kingdom soldiers in various parts of the Earth Kingdom tend to wear slightly different colored uniforms than that of others. Yellow brown, light green, brown tan, and cream colored uniforms have all been seen. The non-bending soldiers of Omashu wear leaf-green colors, while other non-bending soldiers across the Earth Kingdom wear a drab olive green. At Ba Sing Se the soldiers on the walls have more diverse uniforms, with black and gold colors. The cavalry consists of foot soldiers on Ostrich Horses, which can vertically climb short distances and run at high speeds. They are also used as civilian transports.

Earthbenders use stones shaped like the Earth Kingdom emblem as artillery and catapult projectiles. These person-sized round coins are invaluable weapons to the Earthbenders. The coins can be lined up side by side to make a defensive mobile wall, or stacked to make an impromptu lookout tower. Skilled Earthbenders can use these coins as a vehicle and "ride" in the hole in the middle of the coins.

By consulting with various Earthbenders, The Mechanist was able to design Earthbending-powered tanks which were actively used in the Fire Nation invasion. The Earth Kingdom tanks are piloted by a crew of four Earthbenders who work to move the caterpillar-like vehicle by pushing off the ground with their feet. The tanks are able to navigate on uneven terrain and even climb over elevated obstacles. Hatches on the sides of the tank open and close, allowing Earthbenders to fire stone projectiles at the enemy.

The Earth Kingdom's Navy is inferior to that of the Fire Nation.

Dai Li

The Dai Li are the cultural enforcers of Ba Sing Se. Prior to the fall of Ba Sing Se, they were under the direct command of Long Feng, the culture minister, for over twenty years, and functioned as a secret police. They arrested and re-educated anyone who spoke of the war while in Ba Sing Se. In addition to distinct uniforms, they also have stone gloves and shoes, which can be used as weapons through Earthbending. Though they serve the Earth King, they are truly loyal only to Long Feng. However, after the events of the coup d'état against the Earth Kingdom capital, they pledged loyalty to Azula and the Fire Nation and tore down the walls of Ba Sing Se. The Dai Li are seen again during Sozin's Comet, where they are summoned by Firelord Azula. Azula, unsatisfied with their performance and fearing that they will eventually betray her, banishes the Dai Li from the palace. They are not seen again afterward.

According to the online flash game, "Escape from the Spirit World," the Dai Li were created several centuries before the start of the story by Avatar Kyoshi to preserve the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se, in response to a peasant uprising against the Earth King.

The Dai Li in Avatar are modeled after the government agents of Qing Dynasty China, who were also known as the Dai Li. The organization may also be named after Dai Li: the feared Spymaster of Chiang Kai-Shek before and during the Second World War. (Chinese: 大内; Pinyin: dà nèi)-- which literally means "Greater-Inner" and refers to those who serve in the Greater Inner Sanctum of the Forbidden City.

Kyoshi Warriors

The Kyoshi Island Warriors are an all-female group of fighters led by Suki on Kyoshi Island. Their fighting style and clothing honor that of their founder, Avatar Kyoshi, although the current members do not implement any of the bending arts in their physical movements. Clad in ornate, green armor and Kabuki-like makeup designed to intimidate opponents, Kyoshi Island Warriors use metal fans as their primary weapons, but it is later revealed the warriors additionally utilize katana and wrist shields. Holding the fans like extensions of their own arms, they aim to turn the strength of their opponents against them, a principle also hinged upon in Waterbending. Traditionally, only women are trained as Kyoshi Warriors, however there have been exceptions over the years.

Although Kyoshi Island had long remained neutral in the war, this changed when the Avatar arrived on their island. The Kyoshi Island Warriors were inspired to assist the Earth Kingdom army in its attempts to resist the Fire Nation, serving as guards for refugee ferries to Ba Sing Se. The warriors appeared again in "Appa's Lost Days" where they struggled to protect Appa from capture at the hands of Princess Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee. Following the confrontation, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee infiltrate the city of Ba Sing Se disguised as members of the Kyoshi Warriors, confirming the real Kyoshi Warriors' defeat. They did however succeed in saving the life of Appa, a great aid to the Avatar.

Council of Five

The Council of Five is a group of five high-ranking Earth Kingdom Generals who decide military strategy outside the walls of Ba Sing Se. In addition to this, the Council also controls the Kings Guards, an elite force of guards who protect the Earth King. The Council of Five was established along with the King of Ba Sing Se, and was equal in power with him until the rise of Long Feng. After Princess Azula's execution of the coup d'état against the capital, all members of the council were taken captive by the Dai Li, but were released after the Order of the White Lotus liberated Ba Sing Se.

Kings Guards

The Earthbending guards are affiliated with neither the Dai Li nor the military and instead serve as personal protectors of the Earth King. There seem to be hundreds of them guarding the Royal Palace. The guards use specialized surface-to-surface rocks against invaders approaching on foot, but the projectiles are displayed to be able to also serve as surface-to-air rocks against airborne intruders.

The guards wear dark green armor and feather-topped helmets, the guards have also been shown as the gate keepers of the outer and inner walls of Ba Sing Se.

Locations

Kyoshi Island

Kyoshi Island is an island in the South Sea which was founded by Avatar Kyoshi in an effort to protect her people from invaders. Because the island is predominately a fishing port, travelers and traders favor the island as a stopping point. The denizens of Kyoshi Island's dwell scattered amongst several small villages found all around the island. Each village has its own leader and is served and protected by a band of female Kyoshi Island Warriors, who fight with metal fans in the same techniques as the island's namesake Avatar. The island, the birthplace of Kyoshi, has a shrine dedicated to her.

Because it holds no significant military advantage, Kyoshi Island managed to stay out of the Fire Nation's war for nearly a century. The villagers are hostile towards outsiders, for they feared Fire Nation spies. After the visit of Avatar Aang, the citizens adopted a more welcoming attitude.

Omashu

Omashu was the first city built in the Earth Kingdom and was founded and named for Oma and Shu, a Romeo and Juliet pair from two warring villages who became the first Earthbenders. It sits within a mountain range, surrounded on all sides by steep canyons and an enormous gorge. It is guarded by massive stone gates, but was still captured by the Fire Nation during the war. Omashu's main industry was producing weapons and supplies for the war effort, and so it developed a complex and efficient mail system used to transport goods throughout the city that employed Earthbending and gravity using extensive ramps and chutes.

Based on the ancient writing in "The Cave of Two Lovers," the modern way to write Omashu is 奥瑪舒. Ào mǎ ( 奥 瑪 ) means "mysterious carnelian," while shū ( 舒 ) means relax. Carnelian is a semiprecious stone consisting of an orange or orange-red variety of chalcedony.

Ba Sing Se

Ba Sing Se is the capital of the Earth Kingdom. It is impenetrable and isolated from the rest of the world. It withstood a six-hundred day siege led by the Fire Nation's General Iroh, which ended after Iroh's son, Lu Ten, died on the front lines. At Comicon 2006, Ba Sing Se was shown as an enormous city with several rock-like monorails, similar to the ones in Omashu. The "cars" are moved by Earthbending. Ba Sing Se's greatest secret to its staying power in the war is the farmland behind its outer wall. These vast fields supply the entire city with food to enable them to survive a siege of any duration, so long as the outer wall remains intact. Only on two separate occasions has the great wall ever been penetrated. It was apparently breached during Iroh's six-hundred day siege, however, the city survived, as the siege broke shortly thereafter. The city's wall is nearly penetrated once again by a giant drill created by The Mechanist for the Fire Nation. The government of Ba Sing Se was once deposed through a coup d'état by Azula. The Fire Nation was deposed by the Order of the White Lotus in the Book 3 finale.

In Book 2, the city is shown to be divided into various levels based on social class, with the ghettos of the poor and refugees being walled off from the rest of the town, mirroring the strict societal rules of class interaction that governed ancient China. It was heavily controlled and the war is not allowed to be mentioned inside the walls. This was supposedly meant to maintain order and the cultural heritage of the city, making it the only remaining "utopian" society in the world. It is eventually revealed that the Earth King was actually a figurehead with little authority. The political leader of the city is Long Feng, the Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se and the Head of the Dai Li. He and the Dai Li maintain strict control of the people and the culture, and prefer to pretend the war does not exist. This is most likely the result of Ba Sing Se's safety - the people of the city consider it impenetrable, and thus feel they can delude themselves into pretending all is fine in the rest of the Kingdom. Those who attempt to disrupt this fantasy are promptly brainwashed by the Dai Li into believing that the war doesn't even exist.

In "The Drill," the name Ba Sing Se is revealed to mean "Impenetrable City".

Earthbending

Humans first learned Earthbending by observing and imitating the Badgermoles, large subterranean creatures that use Earthbending to see and interact with the world. The first people to learn Earthbending were two lovers (Oma and Shu) from warring villages who used the art to meet in secret beneath the mountain that separated their people.

Earthbending is generally based on the Hung Gar style of Kung Fu, which features heavily rooted stances and strong kicks and punches. The martial art is based on the movements of animals, among them the Tiger and the Crane. The Tiger represents Hard Power, while the crane embodies Soft Power. One notable exception comes from the blind Earthbender, Toph, who uses a style based on Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu. Unlike other bending disciplines, Earthbending stresses the aspect of neutral "jing", which involves listening and waiting for the right moment to attack. Toph uses this discipline having learned it directly from Badgermoles, and teaches this form to Aang. This discipline also allows Toph and Aang to feel minute vibrations in the earth when in direct contact and use these vibrations as radar.

Earthbenders are known to stand their ground. More skilled Earthbenders absorb and intercept attacks before overwhelming the opponent with superior force. Some can tunnel through the earth to out-maneuver their foes. Earthbenders have been shown to use objects to augment their bending. An Earthbender gains a notable advantage or disadvantage over other bending arts depending on the amount of earth in their vicinity. Earthbending is not limited to rock or soil, but can also use mud, slurry, sand, meteors, crystals, coal, and even metal. Earthbenders are able to encase themselves in rock or crystals, giving them a resistance to extreme temperatures and physical blows. When encased they are totally covered with rock or crystal, creating a sort of suit of armor.

Specialized techniques

Sandbending - A race of desert dwelling Earthbenders have developed a specialized form of Earthbending that focuses on sand. They use this skill in a variety of unique ways, including combat and travel. They seem to be able to take the pieces of the unground up earth and put them into large amounts, which is why certain benders use this form in a wave. Their style of bending, however, is similar to Air or Water bending.

Earthsight - Badgermoles, the original Earthbenders, are completely blind; they compensate for this by using their Earthbending to "see" vibrations in the ground. Toph learned this ability from the badger-moles as a young girl, and used it to compensate for her lack of sight. The only humans shown to use Earthsight are Toph and Aang.

Metalbending - Metalbending was thought to be impossible; however, Toph apparently invented the technique by focusing onto and bending the fragments of unrefined earth within the metal with her unique Earthsight. She has become extremely good at this and can do it with seemingly no effort. Toph manages to use the technique of covering oneself with rock using metal instead. Metal appears to be tougher than rock as her armour did not fall apart when firebending was used giving her an advantage.

Fire Nation

The Fire Nation, an island nation, is located near the planet's equator in the western hemisphere and comprises an archipelago of volcanic islands, drawing its inspiration from countries like Japan, China, Iceland, and Indonesia, as well as the many volcanic Pacific islands. The Fire Nation is home to an order of men and women who practice Firebending, the pyrokinetic ability to create and control fire. The Fire Nation armed forces had subjected much of the globe to colonization and imperialism over the course of a century-long campaign of expansion. According to Iroh, Fire is the element of power; its people have an energetic willpower to strive to get what they want and need and the drive to get it, as reflected in Firebending.

Influences

The Fire Nation's landscape and geologic features were based on Iceland. The creators wanted the Fire Nation to look nothing like other locations seen earlier in Avatar, so they captured photos of Iceland to use for the show. Examples of locations from Iceland that were used as models for places in the show include a waterfall from "Sokka's Master" and the hot spring, lava pillars, and lava sand seen in The Beach. Some of the Fire Nation's background designs also come from Korea. In the original designs, the Fire Nation was very industrialized, with its land stripped and its cities full of factories.

Culture

As with many of the names of people and places in the Avatar series, the Fire Nation clearly have Chinese influences. Women wear their hair in various updos, usually simple and elegant in style and noblewomen often sport long, sharp, well-manicured nails. Men have various hairstyles; those of importance and higher class wear a traditional bun or top-knot accompanied by a hairpiece. Men also sport prominent sideburns, some accompanied with beards or goatees. Fashion in the Fire Nation mimics traditional Chinese elements as well. Layers of various colors, coats, and traditional pieces of armor are common elements in their style, as in Chinese traditional clothing. Citizens and rulers of the Fire Nation wear colors ranging from black, to brown, to various reds, very often accented by gold lining or jewelry. Skin complexion is usually fair or pale, however sparingly ranges to tan and darker brown. Those from the Fire Nation have golden, amber or light gray-blue eyes.

The emblem that represents the Fire Nation is a black flame on a red flag. The flag that holds this emblem is shown many times and in many places, from the Fire Nation itself to the cities and towns that the Fire Nation has conquered and reside in. Unlike other nations, this emblem is not usually worn on the army and navy uniforms, but only stays on the flags of their nation. A gold flame hairpiece is used to signify Fire Nation royalty.

The "Fire Days Festival" is a traveling street fair in Fire Nation towns and villages, including those situated in former Earth Kingdom territory. Its participants wear stylized hand-carved wooden masks similar to that of Kabuki theater masks, and merchants vendor a wide variety of trinkets and local snacks. The festival's attractions include puppet shows, fireworks, Firebending jugglers and magicians, and overall displays of individual or group bending prowess. As illustrated in its cultural festivals, the Fire Nation employs propaganda to indoctrinate a sense of nationalism and loyalty to the Fire Lord (cult of personality) in its citizens from the earliest age possible.

Agni Kai

Among Firebenders conflicts and disputes of honor are settled by a challenge to an Agni Kai, or "fire-duel," a traditional Firebender duel that is centuries old. Such a match is conducted in an open-air arena at sunset and may be witnessed by spectators. The goal in these duels is to knock an opponent off-balance, and incapacitate (fatally or otherwise) with a final blow. The duels have claimed the lives of countless Firebenders, and they've been even more unforgiving to those who show mercy on their opponents. The term 'Agni' was derived from the Sanskrit word for the fire element.

Education

The Fire Nation has a formal education system quite similar to real-life public universities. Subjects including history, music, etiquette, warfare, and Firebending are taught to the students by various teachers. However, the educational system works also as a "mind-molding" process, causing students to develop a strong sense of nationalism and loyalty to the Fire Lord. Teachers maintain rigid discipline and order and refuse to teach the students the art of dance or any form of self-expression. In addition, censorship and propaganda can be found in articles within history books (e.g. the genocide of the Air Nomads is described as a battle with the Air Nomads' "army," despite the fact that they have no formal military).

Military

The Fire Nation military is the strongest of the Four Nations. It is the only nation to possess a mechanized armed force. The Fire Nation military makes active use of armored naval vessels as well as a variety of land-based war machines and vehicles. It is also the only nation to have an air force. They also utilize "Sozin's Comet" every one hundred years to enhance their Firebending attacks.

The Fire Nation's army comprises non-bender foot soldiers, who normally wield spears, swords, and shields, and Firebenders, who normally travel unarmed. The majority of Firebending soldiers wear white faceplates shaped like abstract skulls, while ranking officers do not. Both have spiked fire crests on the front of their helmets. Normal soldiers wear cone shaped helmets without masks. It is a possibility that a soldier's skull mask is also used for psychological warfare due to their frightening appearance. For practicality, the faceplates can be removed from the helmets. Additionally, troops are shown to retain different sets of uniforms pertaining to the season or climate of the region that they are situated in. Elite Firebenders who serve as the Fire Lord's Royal Procession wear red, highly stylized armor all over, and have three-eyed faceplates.

The cavalry ride "Komodo Rhinos," a cross between a rhinoceros and a komodo dragon with three horns and a long whip-like tail. Outfitted with heavy armor around the face, they are used for pulling carts and carrying people, both for war and civilian purposes. Fire Nation soldiers mount these frightening beasts to terrorize their enemies. One band of Fire Nation cavalry, the "Rough Rhinos," was led by Colonel Mongke. The Rough Rhinos comprise a variety of warriors of varying skills, including a masked warrior who hurls explosives and a Yu Yan Archer. Riding their trademark mounts, they act on their own free will, attacking enemies of the Fire Nation, and claiming land and towns in the name of the Fire Lord. Both of their appearances have been defeats, the first by Aang and company and the second by Iroh and Zuko, although the latter was more of a humiliating draw. In "Lake Laogai," it was revealed that they were responsible for the death of Jet's parents and the burning of his village. According to Iroh the Rough Rhinos are also famed for their singing talents.

The Fire Nation also did not hesitate to sacrifice soldiers, much like the ancient Mongolians and some Chinese warlords. During a war planning meeting, a Fire Nation general suggests sacrificing a novice division of troops to provide a distraction.

The Yu Yan Archers are Colonel Shinu's highly skilled unit of tattooed archers, and are, according to Zhao, "capable of pinning a fly to a tree from 100 yards (91 m) away without killing it." This statement resembles the skill of "piercing a willow leaf at one hundred paces", which is a common occurrence in Chinese literature. It also resembles the skills of a famous archer who lived in ancient China. Records comment after being told by his archery teacher that his vision needed to be trained until something impossibly small looked large, "Ji Chang hung a flea from the window frame by a hair and facing south, watched it. In a couple of weeks it seemed larger, and after three years of practice, it seemed like a cartwheel ... Then he took a bow ... and shot [at the flea]. He hit the middle of the flea and the hair did not even break." They are so skilled that they succeeded in overwhelming and capturing Aang, the Avatar, though he subsequently escaped from custody. A possible way to write their name is 玉眼 for "jade eye." The Chinese believed that jade had magical properties and would prevent the decay of the body. The word 'Shinu' (死), the colonel's name, means 'to die' in Japanese, however in Chinese, it is pronounced "Si" with a third tone accent above the 'i'.

As a result of being an island nation and primarily situated near large bodies of water, the Fire Nation has developed a powerful naval force. The Fire Nation's navy is composed of hundreds of coal-powered ironclad warships. In addition to its sturdy properties, the Fire Nation's use of metallurgy to remove impurities from the metal ensures that Earthbenders cannot damage their ships with their powers. These vessels serve many purposes, from ferrying and disembarking troops to providing bombardment with their catapults to creating blockades.

The Fire Nation manages to acquire a refugee War Balloon, a primitive hot air balloon designed by "The Mechanist", an Earth Kingdom inventor whom the Fire Nation had pressed into service designing weapons and technology. With the ability to carry heavy loads and possessing the ultimate high ground, the hot air balloon is a potent weapon. Near the end of failed Fire Nation invasion, the war balloons were effectively used in combat to close the battle. In addition, utilizing the same technology that engineered the Mechanist's hot air balloon, the Fire Nation has managed to develop gigantic airships that looks like zeppelins. Several times larger and more destructive than their original counterparts, the airships are able to hold a crew of fifty, along with numerous Firebenders, and capable of flying vast distances. In terms of firepower, the airships are equipped with an engine that has propellers and coal burning to keep the engine moving and a bomb bay for dropping explosives and flanked with catwalks hanging off the belly where safely-harnessed Firebenders are able to open fire on their enemies below and a main deck with advanced controls.

History

Originally, the Fire Sages controlled the land with the Grand Sage (Fire Lord) as the head of state. The Fire Sages were independent to the Grand Sage for a time, but were eventually forced to swear vows of loyalty. An absolute monarchy with a lineage of Fire Lords formed, with the title of Fire Lord (烈火君) passing down to each generation's eldest son. Under the servitude of Fire Lord Ozai, few Fire Sages remained and were not consulted for any important matter.

During the time of Fire Lord Sozin, a new Firebender tradition was created. It was said that if a Firebender tracked down, battled, and killed a dragon, then his powers would become legendary. Though dragons had long been friends of mankind, this act turned them against man and they fled into places of hiding. Once a Firebender killed a dragon, he was bestowed the title of Dragon. The last Dragon was Crown Prince Iroh, who wore the title "Dragon of the West". What he discovered from fighting the dragon was the ability known as Breath of Fire, which he then went on to teach to his family. However, according to Iroh, the dragon that he killed was the last one in existence. It was later discovered that he was lying in order to protect the secret of the Sun Warriors.

The Sun Warriors were an ancient sect of powerful Firebenders. They practiced a unique version of Firebending that focused on the pure aspect of fire as the source of life, rather than the channeling of rage and aggression as the modern Firebenders used. To them, fire was a form of energy, the counterpoint to the other nation's views of their own elements as states of matter: earth is solid, water is fluid, and air is gaseous.

The Sun Warriors were said to have died out or been destroyed centuries ago, the Fire Nation archipelago dotted with ancient Sun Warrior ruins. Zuko and Aang went to these ruins to find the ancient source of Firebending, only to discover the last of the Sun Warriors living in seclusion beneath the city ruins. There, they discovered that the Sun Warriors worshiped and were guided by the ancient Firebending masters, the last two dragons in existence, Ran and Shao.

Locations

Prisons

The Fire Nation military also makes use of coal mines and prisons. The prisons are segregated facilities in which prisoners from other nations are forced to labor. Made of metal, one such facility can be a stationary shipyard situated in the middle of the ocean. Bisected by an enormous wall, one side is used as the shipyard where warships are repaired and refueled, while the other side serves as a prison for captive Earthbenders. Surrounded by the sea and miles away from solid, earthen land, the benders are rendered powerless. However their muscular strength is not wasted, as the wardens force them to labor away in the shipyard, building new ships for the Fire Nation navy to be later used as aid in the conquest of their own Kingdom.

The Boiling Rock is the Fire Nation's most infamous maximum security prison, specifically built to house the Fire Nation's most dangerous criminals and traitors. The prison is built in the crater of a volcano and is surrounded by a lake of boiling water, which is heated by the geothermal energy of the volcano below it. The only way to access the prison is by cable car, which is connected to a port and war balloon landing pad on the outer edge of the volcano. The Boiling Rock appears to be built like a conventional maximum security prison complete with cell blocks, a central courtyard for recreation, and elevated positions for guards to keep an eye on the prisoners. Since the majority of the prison population are Fire Nation criminals, many of them are also skilled Firebenders. To control them, the guards enforce a ban on all Firebending. Anybody who breaks this rule is sent to the "cooler", which is an isolated, refrigerated pod cooled to below-freezing temperatures. However, even with these strict security measures, the guards often have a difficult time controlling the prisoners. Prisoners deliberately start riots for distractions and escape attempts, though only Sokka and Zuko's had ever been successful.

Ember Island

Ember Island is a Fire Nation island primarily used for vacationing. Fire Lord Ozai owns an estate there that the royal family used to habitually visit. One of the main attractions is the theatre owned by "The Ember Island Players", most notable for performing the play "The Boy in the Iceberg", an adaption of Aang's life story that ends in the Fire Nation's victory. Ember Island is a tropical and peaceful place with much attractive plant life. The Lion-Turtle, the island sized spirit creature, often visits Ember Island.

Roku's Island

The island was a small one that housed Avatar Roku and was situated about one hundred miles away from the Fire Nation capital. When he wasn't attending to his Avatar duties, Roku and his wife Ta Min lived in a modest cottage here. As a result of a volcanic explosion that buried the island village and killed Roku, the isle appears to be a barren wasteland, showing no signs of past or present civilization.

Firebending

While the sun is the origin and inspiration for Firebending, dragons were the Firebenders that taught them how to Firebend. The philosophy of Firebending from when it was first created differs radically from that of the present-day Fire Nation. Originally representing warmth, energy and life, the Fire Nation's is fueled by rage and anger. Firebending in itself is not totally devoted to unleashing the power of fire on opponents. In actuality, the focus is placed upon balance. Firebending hinges on mental stability such as inner calm, discipline, emotional stability and physical stability such as a firm balanced form, breath control and general good health. Firebenders are more powerful during the day than the night. Firebenders lose their power to bend during a solar eclipse. When a Comet is near, a Firebender's power is vastly increased. This gives them the ability to fly and produce pillars of fire and gigantic fire blasts. Sozin first used the comet to wipe out all the Air Nomads, and thus began the war. Ozai then attempted to use it to wipe out everyone in the Earth Kingdom with it, but he was stopped by Aang and his allies.

Firebending moves are based mainly on the style of Northern Shaolin. Northern Shaolin Kung Fu features quick, successive and flamboyant attacks, making Firebending the most aggressive of the four bending arts. Firebenders tire much easier in battle than other benders due to breath control. Breath control is one of the first things taught to young Firebenders because without control of breath, they are more prone to lose control of the fire they are creating or controlling.

Special Techniques

Lightning - Creating lightning involves a complete absence of emotion and peace of mind and requires separating the energies of yin and yang, and can only be done by an extremely experienced fire bender. A bender only guides, rather than controls, the lightning's direction.

Lightning Redirection - By studying the techniques of Waterbenders, Iroh developed a counter to lightning attacks. When attacked, it is possible to redirect the lightning through and out of the body. The only benders who were able to redirect lighting are Zuko, Iroh, and Aang.

Flight - Some skilled Firebenders are able to project flames out of their feet, resulting in short boosts that enable them to jump much higher. During Sozin's Comet, when a Firebender is most powerful, this ability is greatly enhanced and they are able to sustain full flight indefinitely.

Combustion - Combustion Man displayed a very unusual form of Firebending, the ability to superheat air into a thin beam which results in large explosions. No other character has displayed this ability; the power appears to be connected to the third eye on his forehead.

Breath of Fire - Iroh can breathe fire like a dragon with this skill. Zuko was shown using this technique early in season one, and continues to use it in later episodes as a survival technique in frigid conditions. On the day of Sozin's Comet, Azula, Fire Lord Ozai, and Aang were also shown breathing fire.

Blue Fire - Azula has the ability to create blue fire, which has a much more intense heat. She is the only Firebender that has shown this ability. Blue fire was shown to be clearly more powerful than regular fire throughout Book 2, but equal to pure fire in Book 3. However the equality of red and blue fire may have to do with training: Zuko's red fire was only able to match Azula's blue fire after he received training from the Dragons, the original Firebenders.

Other Colors of Fire - As seen in the episode of Book 3 involving the Sun Warriors, Aang and Zuko are put to the test by the dragons to see if they are worthy to be taught the original firebending techniques. After being deemed worthy, Aang and Zuko are engulfed in a "tornado" of fire created from the two dragons combine to create colors like green and purple fire. Only the dragons are known to be able to do this.

Heat - On several occasions, Firebenders have been shown to be able to summon heat without flame. The first instance was in Book 1 when Iroh used jets of heat from his nose to heat natural spring as well as shackles placed on him by Earth Kingdom soldiers. He later used this skill to heat up a cold cup of tea in Book 2. Zuko also used this skill during the siege of the north pole to secretly make his way into the Northern Water Tribe city. In an episode of Book 3 involving Sozin and Roku's relationship, the pair attempt to battle an erupting volcano, during which Sozin drains heat from the lava and channels it into the sky.

Spirit World

The Spirit World does not exist at all in the physical world of Avatar. It is instead a secondary location accessible only by a few select individuals; a parallel universe connected to the mortal world. It is home to the various spirits as well as the spirits of the Avatar, who is the spirit of the world. Some spirit creatures act as guardians of rivers, mountains, and forests.

Appearance

When a spirit is in the physical world, they are seen as a bright sky blue and are slightly transparent. A spirit choosing to reside within the physical world, such as Wan Shi Tong and his assistants or the Moon and Ocean spirits Tui and La, however, appears fully formed and tangible. Some such as Hei Bai exhibit the ability to freely pass or pass others between the two realms. In the Spirit World, though solid and colored as if it was real; everything is also cast in a darker light.

If a person crosses over to the Spirit world, he or she is still able to observe and hear the physical world if they wish, but cannot be seen or heard themselves. Those in the natural world cannot observe or hear the spirit world. Also, if something were to happen to a person's body while they are in the spirit world, the spirit cannot return to the physical world. When a Bender is in the Spirit World, he/she loses the ability to Bend.

Gateways

On a solstice, a natural phenomenon that occurs when the sun is at its greatest distance from the Earth's equator, the natural world and the Spirit world grow closer together until the line between the two is almost completely blurred. During the solstices, the spirits are able to exert incredible power when within the natural world. This is also the ideal time for people who possess the ability to enter the Spirit World to do so.

Notable Spirits

• Hei Bai - the spirit of a forest (a panda/six-legged monster). Hei Bai is "black and white" in Chinese for the color of the panda.
• Tui and La - the Moon and Ocean spirits (fish). Tui and La means "push and pull" in Chinese Mandarin referring to the push and pull effects the moon has on the ocean.
• Koh - a face-stealing spirit originally banished here by Avatar Kuruk.
• Wan Shi Tong - a knowledge spirit (an owl), he who knows 10,000 things
• Knowledge Seekers - The servants of Wan Shi Tong that resemble conventional earth foxes.
• Emna - a spirit resembling a humanoid langur that resides on a mound of dirt in the swamp of the Spirit World where he meditates. Enma or Emma is the Japanese name for Yama, the ruler of the underworld in Hinduism and Buddhism. Also, the Mystical Monkey meditating beneath a giant tree is an allusion of the Bodhi tree where Siddhartha Gautama sat under and achieved enlightenment in becoming Buddha.
• The Painted Lady - A pale river spirit with flowing robes and black hair, as well as mysterious red markings striped across her face and body, and the guardian of the river town of Jang Hui, a small fishing village in the Fire Nation.

Past Avatars

• Avatar Roku (James Garrett) is the Avatar before Aang, who was born to the Fire Nation on the same day as Fire Lord Sozin. They were good friends until Sozin's greed and warmongering drove a wedge between them. Roku was eventually betrayed by him, and left to die in a volcanic eruption, along with his dragon, Fang. Throughout the series, Avatar Roku appears as a spirit to help Aang fulfill his duties as the Avatar. He is the grandfather of Princess Ursa, thus making him the maternal great-grandfather of Zuko and Azula. He is also the one who appears during the title sequence, bending all 4 elements, as well as the one who says "Previously on Avatar..." at the beginning of each episode. Being in spirit, Roku served as a guiding force for Aang throughout the series. Roku possesses an animal companion, a red dragon named Fang, which serves him in the same way as Appa does Aang. Roku was a wise and merciful Avatar with good intentions; however, he himself admitted that he was indecisive. Roku's old friendship with Fire Lord Sozin prevented him from halting Sozin's imperial ambitions, directly causing his death. Thus, he was unable to prevent The War, which would last for over one hundred years. Avatar Aang inherited the burden of rectifying the war-torn world, and Roku firmly believed Aang was destined to redeem his mistakes.

"In my life, I tried to be disciplined and show restraint. But it backfired when Fire Lord Sozin took advantage of my restraint and mercy. If I had been more decisive and acted sooner, I could have stopped Sozin and stopped the war before it started. I offer you this wisdom, Aang. You must be decisive." — Roku in Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters

• Avatar Kyoshi (Jennifer Hale) was the Avatar before Avatar Roku, over 412 years before the start of the series. An Earth Kingdom Avatar, her story is significant to Aang's reputation in his time. Aang is put on trial for a murder that Kyoshi was accused of committing. It is later revealed that, although justified, Avatar Kyoshi did in fact murder Chin the Conqueror, although not intentionally. She was also revealed to have been the person who created the Dai Li during a peasant uprising in her time. She is also said to be the oldest Avatar, living for over 230 years before she died and she had the biggest feet of all the avatars (but that is not really important). Her traditional weapons were golden metal fans which, in addition to her manner of dress and style of fighting, were adopted by the young warrior women of Kyoshi Island, her homeland. Unlike her successor, Roku, and the current Avatar, Aang, Kyoshi was determined that only true justice could bring peace, and had no qualms about possibly killing enemies to achieve this goal. She was thus a generally effective Avatar. However, as the founder of the Dai Li, it is the one decision she deeply regrets due to their corruption to power and control.

"Only justice will bring peace." — Kyoshi advising Aang in Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters

"In my day, Chin the Conqueror threatened to throw the world out of balance. I stopped him, and the world entered a great era of peace." - Kyoshi

• Avatar Kuruk (Jim Meskimen) was the Avatar before Avatar Kyoshi, over 650 years before the events of the series. He is a Water Tribe Avatar who tells his story to Aang towards the end of the third book. He says that during his time, there was an unprecedented time of peace. He was an easy-going Avatar who did not do much and he consequently lost his love to Koh the face-stealer. Kuruk was a gifted, cocky Avatar who professed to having a "go with the flow" attitude to his position. This attitude had major consequences for Kuruk. Kuruk was first seen in "The Avatar State". However, only a glimpse of him doing an incredible waterbending technique is seen. His name and actual history are revealed in the online game, Escape from the Spirit World. He was first mentioned in "The Siege of the North, Part 2" as the Avatar who tried to kill Koh, though at that time his name and origin were not mentioned.

"Aang, you must actively shape your own destiny, and the destiny of the World." — Kuruk advising Aang in Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters

• Avatar Yangchen (Grey DeLisle) was the Avatar before Avatar Kuruk. In her time, there are no instances of war at all She is the only Avatar who manages to convince Aang that he has a greater duty to the world than to his beliefs. As another Air Nomad Avatar, she understands Aang's situation and is there to persuade Aang to fight the Fire Lord. Yangchen was a respected Avatar noted for her wisdom and power. Though an Air Nomad, Avatar Yangchen was feared in her time due to her willingness to do "whatever it takes" to protect the world and keep its balance. She was so dedicated to her duty that for one whole generation after her death there were no instances of war at all.

"Selfless duty calls you to sacrifice your own spiritual needs and do whatever it takes to protect the World." — Yangchen in Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters

• Unnamed Fire Avatar This Fire Avatar was an Avatar who hailed from the Fire Nation centuries before the war. He came before Avatar Yangchen. He appeared in "The Avatar State" when Avatar Roku was telling Aang more about the Avatar State where he was seen making volcanoes erupt by using his Firebending. Nothing else about him is known.

Avatar

The Avatar is the spirit of the planet reincarnated in human form whose task it is to keep balance among the four nations. The Avatar is also a link between the physical and Spirit Worlds. When the Avatar dies, the Avatar Spirit is reincarnated into a newborn in a specific cycle: Air, Water, Earth, Fire based on the passage of the four seasons. Every new Avatar is tasked with mastering each of the four elements in the same order as the Avatar Cycle. When the new Avatar turns 16 (the typical age of maturity), his or her identity is revealed (by their bending masters) and travels to study the other three Bending disciplines from the perspective Masters. Aang is the only noted Avatar who was revealed before the age of 16 because of the Air Nomad Masters' fear of the upcoming war.

The Avatar possesses a defense mechanism known as the Avatar State. Even if the Avatar has not mastered all four elements, he can still gain access to the knowledge and powers of his previous lives. The Avatar State is an involuntary response, but can be activated at will by an experienced Avatar. The Avatar State makes an Avatar nearly invulnerable when using it, however, if an Avatar is killed while in the Avatar state he will break the reincarnation chain permanently.

Energybending

Energybending

Energybending is the oldest of the bending arts and predates the Avatar, the Four Nations, and the other bending arts. It involves testing and bending the energy within oneself. On the eve of Sozin's Comet, a giant Lion Turtle revealed this truth to Aang. In order to bend another person's energy, the bender's spirit must be "unbendable" and must be completely pure. If the bender's spirit is bendable, and they attempt to bend another's energy, they will be corrupted by the other's energy and be killed. Aang used this technique to defeat Fire Lord Ozai without killing him by permanently removing Fire Lord Ozai's Firebending abilities. Only Avatars can learn this technique, though few have bothered to and even fewer have had to use it.