List of Avatar: The Last Airbender characters

The following is a list of characters from the television series, Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Main characters

Aang

Main article: Aang

Aang (Mitchel Musso in the unaired pilot, Zach Tyler Eisen onwards) is a fun-loving, 12 year old (or 112 year old due to 100 years spent in suspended animation) main character of the series and the current incarnation of the Avatar, the spirit of the planet manifested in human form. As the Avatar, Aang must master all four elements to bring peace to the world.

Katara

Main article: Katara

Katara (Mae Whitman) is a 14 year old water-bender from the Southern Water Tribe. She and her brother, Sokka, discover Aang in an iceberg early on in the series. They accompany him on his quest to defeat the Fire Lord and bring peace to the war-torn nations. She is a very gifted water-bender who later achieves her dream of becoming a master water-bender. In the episode "The Deserter", Katara learns of her power to use water-bending to heal. She was trained by Master Pakku of the Northern Water Tribe. Katara improved her water-bending at the North Pole, and she was able to blood-bend when her brother and her friends were attacked by Hama.

Sokka

Main article: Sokka

Sokka (Jack DeSena) is a 15 year old warrior from the Southern Water Tribe and Katara's brother. He accompanies Aang on his quest to defeat the Fire Lord. Unlike his companions, Sokka cannot bend an element: His weapon of choice is his boomerang. He constantly struggles to deal with his lack of mystical power in a world filled with Benders, and in Book Three reveals that he has developed an inferiority complex because of it. Ultimately, despite being the joker of the group (also known as the meat and sarcasm guy), his real strength lies in his creativity and ingenuity as a leader. Sokka is taught the art of the sword by a Fire Nation sword master, and he uses meteor iron to make a sword of his own.

Toph

Main article: Toph

Toph Bei Fong (Jessie Flower) is a 12 year old earth-bender who leaves her wealthy lifestyle and home to join Aang on his quest. Because she is blind, her parents are incredibly overprotective which causes her to rebel and fight in underground tournaments. Toph, as "The Blind Bandit," attracts attention from Aang who, at that time, was looking for an earth-bending master to teach him. Toph is a very exceptional earth-bender, taking her craft so far as to become the first metal-bender; a skill previously thought to be impossible. She uses the style of Southern Praying Mantis kung-fu during her battles. Toph proves to be a tough teacher for Aang, but he ends up learning a lot from her. She is by far one of the most talented and quick-minded earth-benders in the world. Even though Toph is completely blind, she can see with her feet by feeling vibrations in the ground, which is called, "Blindsight". Toph can also be used as a "lie detector" by using earthbending to feel heart rates.

Zuko

Main article: Zuko

Prince Zuko (Dante Basco) is the exiled 16 year old prince of the Fire Nation who wants to capture the Avatar to regain his honor. An extremely complex character, Zuko has good and evil conflicting inside of him, since his paternal great-grandfather was Fire Lord Sozin (who started the war) while his maternal great-grandfather was Avatar Roku. After being branded a traitor at the beginning of Book Two, he begins to change from an ignored prince to an outcast who begins to pity and bond with the people his nation terrorized. He later betrays his uncle in order to restore his honor. However, he begins to realize his mistake and begs for his uncle's forgiveness. Originally only a competent firebender, he becomes far more proficient as the series progresses, eventually besting his sister, a firebending prodigy. Able to see the error of his ways, he confronts his father during The Day Of Black Sun and tells him the truth about the Avatar's supposed death. He then follows the fleeing Avatar in order to join with him against the Fire Nation. Later, Zuko becomes Aang's firebending teacher and becomes part of their group. After the arrival and departure of Sozin's Comet, he is crowned the new Fire Lord.

Azula

Main article: Azula

Princess Azula (Grey DeLisle) is the dangerous teenage princess of the Fire Nation, and is Zuko's sister. She is one of the major antagonists of the series. Azula has been cruel all her life, mostly coming from the fact that her mother, Ursa, preferred Zuko as her favorite child. That is the only thing that has ever made her upset and cry. Azula's mind is set on war and power: she manipulates and even tortures others, including her brother and friends. She has tremendous control over her emotions and loves to play with her enemy during a fight. Azula acts like she doesn't care, but later on it is revealed she does care about certain people's feelings. She is a firebending prodigy, having the ability to summon lightning in which not a lot of other firebenders can. By the end of book 3 she is mentally unstable.

Iroh

Main article: Iroh

Iroh (Mako in seasons 1 and part of 2, Greg Baldwin onwards) is a retired Fire Nation general and Prince Zuko's uncle. Iroh is the older brother of Fire Lord Ozai, and was the original heir to the throne of the Fire Nation. An old nickname of his was "The Dragon of the West." Iroh is an immensely powerful firebender who accompanies Zuko. He looks upon him as a son more than as a nephew, especially after the loss of his only son, Lu Ten. Iroh is known for his love of teas, especially jasmine, and the game of Pai Sho. Despite his past as a ruthless general, Iroh is a fairly peaceful and easy-going man throughout most of the series, frequently showing wisdom and a nature of helping others. He is the Grand Leader of the Order of The White Lotus, an ancient and secret group with members from all nations, suggesting that he prefers peace.

Secondary characters

Major secondary characters

• Appa (Dee Bradley Baker) is Aang's bison who serves as the group's main form of transportation around the world. He was stuck in suspended animation with Aang for 100 years, and shares a very strong bond with him. He possesses the ability to fly and can use his tail to create powerful gusts of air. Aang said that flying bison were the first airbenders.
• Jet (Crawford Wilson) is a charismatic teen who holds a deep grudge against the Fire Nation. He was the leader of the Freedom Fighters, who spent their days antagonizing Fire Nation soldiers. Jet's "Freedom Fighters" include: Longshot, Smellerbee, Sneers, The Duke, and Pipsqueak. Later, he decided to start a new life in Ba Sing Se. Jet used Twin Tiger-Head Hook Swords as his weapon and he is very skilled at using them. He was aparently killed by Long Feng in the episode "Lake Laogai."

• Hakoda (Andre Sogliuzzo) is the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe and father of Sokka and Katara. A respected leader and warrior, Hakoda leads the remaining forces of the Southern Water Tribe to aid the Earth Kingdom against the Fire Nation, resulting in his estrangement from his family. After being reunited with his son and daughter, he and the Water Tribe forces support the Avatar for the remainder of the war after the fall of Ba Sing Se.
• Long Feng (Clancy Brown) is the intelligent and cunning Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se, head of the Dai Li, and adviser to the Earth King. In reality, the Earth King is merely a figurehead of Ba Sing Se's government, so it is actually Long Feng who holds real power. Azula used this to her advantage and tricked Long Feng to let her temporarily take control of the Dai Li, which ended with her taking over Ba Sing Se. His current fate is unknown.
• Mai (Cricket Leigh) is an impassive, bored, nearly emotionless young woman who, along with Ty Lee, at first accompanied Princess Azula on her quest to capture Zuko, Iroh, and the Avatar. She is revealed to have known Zuko and Azula growing up. Mai hurls shuriken daggers with amazing precision, and generally keeps them concealed in many parts of her clothing. She is a master of stealth and light weaponry, able to defeat Katara fairly quickly despite her mastery of waterbending. Later she betrays Azula in order to save Zuko's life after they start a relationship when he returns home (they are seen in flashbacks as being childhood sweethearts, much to Azula's annoyance and amusement); despite his breaking up with her and betrayal of her by joining the Avatar. As a result of this betrayal, she and Ty Lee are imprisoned by Azula, possibly contributing to Azula's breakdown. She is later released after Zuko defeats Azula, and resumes her relationship with Zuko. She has a very dry and cynical personality and sense of humour, but is obviously affectionate with Zuko, and later, with Aang and his friends. Her relationship with Azula seems based mainly on fear, with little real affection. In one episode, Mai explains that her father was an important diplomat and that as a child she was made to sit still and be quiet, so as not to ruin her father's career. Azula responded saying that Mai's experience was the reason why she never showed her emotions or fears to anyone.
• Ty Lee (Olivia Hack) is a cheerful and energetic young woman who, along with Mai, accompanies Princess Azula on her quest to capture Zuko, Iroh, and the Avatar. Flashbacks show her to have been one of Azula's childhood friends; Azula refers to meeting her at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. Throughout the series, she has been shown to be a deadly enemy, due to her unique fighting style and her acrobatic skills. However in "The Boiling Rock: Part II," she finally met her match in Suki, when they fought on top of a gondola. The two were shown to be evenly matched in skill, as neither girl was shown to have been able to land any type of crippling blow to the other. Ty Lee is a skilled acrobat who strikes pressure points to disable her opponents, which can temporarily disable their ability to bend. In the episode "The Boiling Rock: Part II," she used these skills on Azula, breaking up a fight between Azula and Mai. Azula instructed the guards to lock Ty Lee and Mai away. In the series finale it is revealed that Ty Lee made friends with the Kyoshi warriors while in prison with them, and ended up joining their group at the end after being released along with Mai. In one episode, Ty Lee explains that, growing up, she had five duplicate sisters. Feeling robbed of her individuality she ran away to the circus so that she could be unique.
• Momo (Dee Bradley Baker) is an intelligent and curious winged lemur who travels around the world with the group as Aang's pet. He often picks fights with other winged and smaller creatures and with Appa over food.
• Fire Lord Ozai (Mark Hamill) is the ruthless ruler of the Fire Nation, father of Zuko and Azula, younger brother of Iroh, and the main antagonist of the series. However, he doesn't play a direct and major role in the storyline until Book 3, having been kept away from most attention up to that point. Although serving as the primary antagonist for the series, his entire face was not revealed until the third season. He is an extremely powerful firebender. He continued to lead the century-long war that his grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin began. He was defeated by Aang in a final showdown when Aang permanently stripped him of his firebending powers by using Energybending, which Aang learned from a giant Lion-Turtle.
• Suki (Jennie Kwan) is the leader of the young female warriors of Kyoshi Island (The Kyoshi Warriors). She is an exceptionally skilled fighter and staunch ally of Aang, Katara, Toph, Zuko, and Sokka. In the third book of the series, Suki is imprisoned in a Fire Nation Jail, but after being rescued by Sokka, she joins Team Avatar and begins a relationship with Sokka.
• Princess Yue (Johanna Braddy) is the daughter of Chief Arnook of the Northern Water Tribe. When Yue was born barely alive, her father took her to the Spirit Oasis and asked the Moon to give her life, which it granted knowing that one day she would be instrumental in spiritual affairs. She first appears in the series as a sixteen-year-old girl with white hair and is engaged to be married to a selfish warrior, Hahn. After the Moon Spirit is killed by Fire General Zhao, Yue gives up her mortal existence to become the new Moon Spirit. She has appeared twice as the Moon Spirit in "The Swamp" and "The Awakening" and has been mentioned a few times in other scenes.The phrase Yue also means moon in chinese.
• Admiral Zhao (Jason Isaacs) is a hot-tempered Fire Nation admiral in pursuit of the Avatar and Zuko's principal rival throughout Book One, and, other than Prince Zuko, the main antagonist of that book. He is a very ambitious man, intent on making his mark on history. He is supposedly killed by the enraged Ocean Spirit in "Siege of the North: Part II" in retaliation for when he kills the original Moon Spirit at the Spirit Oasis.

Minor secondary characters

• The Earth King (Phil Lamarr) The most powerful ruler in the Earth Kingdom, his palace sits in the center of Ba Sing Se. The current Earth King (the fifty-second in his royal line) was once called Kuei, but after coronation the Earth Kings traditionally renounce any personal name, thereafter referred to only by their title or "Your Majesty", and are considered by their subjects as almost god-like in stature. Once proud warrior-kings who ruled their lands personally (and sometimes brutally), over the generations the Earth Kings ceded more and more control over the day-to-day operations of their city to the Byzantine governmental structure that sprung up around them. Now the young Earth King is little more than a figurehead who lives a lavish lifestyle surrounded by courtesans and sycophants, lending one of his sixty-seven royal seals to whatever decrees and laws his advisers suggest. The current Earth King has never journeyed outside the Palace walls and knows next to nothing about what happens in the outside world. His main interest is in collecting rare animals from around the world, which are brought to him by zoological expeditions sent out from the University of Ba Sing Se.

• Fire Lord Azulon (Walker Edmiston) was the ruler of the Fire Nation for 75 years until he mysteriously (rumored to be killed by his daughter-in-law Ursa) died five years before the start of the series at the age of 95. Like every Fire Lord, Azulon was a master Firebender. He ran the Fire Nation much like his father, Fire Lord Sozin did – with an iron fist.

• Master Pakku (Victor Brandt) is a Waterbending master of Katara, Aang and the Nothern Water Tribe. He is also a member of The Order of the White Lotus. He fell in love with Sokka and Katara's grandmother Kanna when he was young. He is now Sokka and Katara's step-grandfather.

• Master Piandao (Robert Patrick) is Sokka's master. He trains Sokka in the ways of the sword and helps him create a unique sword made of meteorite. Piandao is also a member of The Order of the White Lotus.

• Jeong Jeong (Keone Young) was Aang's first firebending master. He was also the firebending master of Admiral Zhao. Jeong Jeong was once a high-ranking officer in the Fire Nation military but left it to lead his own life. He thus became the first person to abandon the military and survive. Jeong Jeong is also known as 'The Deserter' and is a member of The Order of the White Lotus.

• King Bumi (André Sogliuzzo) is Omashu's city king. He was friends with Aang when they were young. Aang originally wanted to learn earthbending from him but he was captured by the Fire Nation. Aang managed to save him but he later allowed himself to be recaptured, saying he must wait for a more proper time. He escaped his metal prison during the solar eclipse and destroyed all of the Fire Nation's machines and a statue of Fire Lord Ozai. He is a weird guy by nature but friendly. He is also a member of The Order of the White Lotus.

• Tui and La (translating as Push and Pull) are the Water Tribe's spirits, otherwise known as the ocean and the moon spirits. They crossed over from the spirit world into the mortal world very near the beginning of time, to fulfill their dream of being in the mortal world. This happened so long ago that only one spirit, Koh the Face Stealer, can remember. In Siege of the North, Aang seeks help from these two spirits. Aang finds out that the two spirits are in trouble because Zhao is going to kill the moon spirit. Soon Zhao kills the moon spirit. The furious ocean spirit fuses with the Avatar to form a giant monster, which destroys the Fire Nation armada.

• Guru Pathik (Brian George) is a hermit living at the Eastern Air Temple who gets along well with animals and helps Aang unlock most of his Chakras in order to control the Avatar State. He also helps Appa during his lost days.

• Fire Lord Sozin (Ron Perlman) was the Fire Lord who began the hundred year war. Sozin's intentions for the war were originally good since he saw the world being in ruin, but he later did it just to gain power. He was once best friends with Avatar Roku, but when Avatar Roku was dying, he left him for dead since he knew with Roku out of the way, his plans for the war could finally be implemented. Sozin however later greatly regrets his decision and sees his life as a waste on his death bed.

• Monk Gyatso (Sab Shimono) was a head monk at the Southern Air Temple over 100 years ago. He was Aang's guardian and teacher as well as a powerful airbending master. When the other monks at the temple believed that Gyatso's compassion for Aang was clouding his judgment in training him, they decided to isolate Aang from Gyatso, leading to Aang fleeing the temple with Appa. Not only was Gyatso a very close friend of Aang's, but also a good friend of Avatar Roku when he was alive.

• Bato (Richard McGonagle) is a member of the Southern Water Tribe and a good friend of Hakoda, Sokka and Katara.

Avatars

Only four avatars are given an identity besides Aang.

• 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.
• Avatar Kyoshi (Jennifer Hale) was the Earth Kingdom Avatar before Avatar Roku. Her story is briefly mentioned, but it is significant to Aang's reputation is 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.
• Avatar Kuruk (Jim Meskimen) was the Water Tribe Avatar before Avatar Kyoshi. 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.
• Avatar Yang Chen (Grey DeLisle) was the Air Nomad Avatar before Avatar Kuruk. 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.