This is a list of significant characters from the
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
animated
television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...
s ''
Avatar: The Last Airbender
''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' (abbreviated as ''ATLA''), also known as ''Avatar: The Legend of Aang'' in some regions or simply ''Avatar'', is an American anime-influenced animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and ...
'', its
sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
''
The Legend of Korra
''The Legend of Korra'' (abbreviated as TLOK), also known as ''Avatar: The Legend of Korra'' or simply ''Korra'', is an American anime-influenced animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelode ...
'', co-created by
Bryan Konietzko
Bryan Konietzko is an American animator, writer, producer and musician. He is best known, together with Michael Dante DiMartino, as the co-creator and executive producer of the animated series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and ''The Legend of K ...
and
Michael Dante DiMartino
Michael Dante DiMartino (born July 18, 1974) is an American animator, producer, writer, and director. He is best known, together with Bryan Konietzko, as the co-creator of the animated TV series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and ''The Legend of ...
, and its live-action
remake
A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...
s
of the same name. This list also includes characters from the
comic continuations as well as the ''
Kyoshi'' and ''Yangchen''
prequel
A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work.
The term " ...
novels by FC Yee and Michael Dante DiMartino.
Overview
In ''The Last Airbender'', a fictional universe composed of four sovereign nations, some people are "benders" and can control air, fire, earth or water. Only the Avatar—a being who represents the bridge between the physical and spirit worlds—can master all four elements and thus bring balance to the land, but has been missing for the past 100 years.
During this absence, a war started by the Fire Nation resulted in the Air Nomads'
genocide
Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Latin ...
, the near extinction of the Southern Tribes' waterbending population, and the Earth Kingdom's extensive
colonization
Colonization, or colonisation, constitutes large-scale population movements wherein migrants maintain strong links with their, or their ancestors', former country – by such links, gain advantage over other inhabitants of the territory. When ...
.
Character conception
Character designs were originated from a series of drawings by one of the show's creators,
Bryan Konietzko
Bryan Konietzko is an American animator, writer, producer and musician. He is best known, together with Michael Dante DiMartino, as the co-creator and executive producer of the animated series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and ''The Legend of K ...
. The main sketch depicted a middle-aged
monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
with an arrow on his head and later included a flying bison as his pet. Konietzko's partner,
Michael Dante DiMartino
Michael Dante DiMartino (born July 18, 1974) is an American animator, producer, writer, and director. He is best known, together with Bryan Konietzko, as the co-creator of the animated TV series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and ''The Legend of ...
, was interested in documentaries related to the
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...
at the time. They combined these ideas and created the concept of an "air guy" and "water guys" trapped in a snowy wasteland, with "fire guys" invading them.
Additionally, the writers based the characters' different bending abilities on distinct styles of
martial arts
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...
.
The characters of ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' were designed by
Michael Dante DiMartino
Michael Dante DiMartino (born July 18, 1974) is an American animator, producer, writer, and director. He is best known, together with Bryan Konietzko, as the co-creator of the animated TV series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and ''The Legend of ...
and
Bryan Konietzko
Bryan Konietzko is an American animator, writer, producer and musician. He is best known, together with Michael Dante DiMartino, as the co-creator and executive producer of the animated series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and ''The Legend of K ...
, the co-creators of the series.
The anime-styled character art was inspired by
Shinichiro Watanabe's ''
Cowboy Bebop'', ''
Samurai Champloo
is a 2004 Japanese historical adventure anime television series. The debut television production of studio Manglobe, the 26-episode series aired from May 2004 to March 2005. It was first partially broadcast on Fuji TV, then had a complete ai ...
'', and ''
FLCL
is an original video animation (OVA) anime series created and directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki, written by Yōji Enokido, and produced by the FLCL Production Committee, which consisted of Gainax, Production I.G, and King Records. ''F ...
'' (''Fooly Cooly'') of
Gainax
Gainax Co., Ltd. (stylized as GAINAX; ja, 株式会社ガイナックス, Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ) is a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', ''Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise, Roya ...
. The original character conception was derived from a sketch by Bryan Konietzko that depicted a middle-aged balding man with an arrow on his head.
Studios such as
Studio 4°C
is a Japanese animation studio founded by Eiko Tanaka and Koji Morimoto in 1986. The name comes from the temperature at which water is most dense.
History
Studio 4 °C has produced numerous feature films, OVAs, and shorts. Early film titl ...
,
Production I.G
is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise, founded on December 15, 1987, by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa and headquartered in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. The letters I and G derive from the names of the company founders: producer Mitsuhisa Ish ...
, and
Studio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and ha ...
, which produced anime-styled cartoons, were also sources of inspiration.
Influences
The greatest influences on the series were
Asian art
The history of Asian art includes a vast range of arts from various cultures, regions, and religions across the continent of Asia. The major regions of Asia include Central, East, South, Southeast, and West Asia.
Central Asian art primarily c ...
, culture and history; the characters' various personalities and traits are based on philosophical teachings such as
Taoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of Philosophy, philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of China, Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmo ...
and
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
.
In the show, some characters have the ability to manipulate one of the four classic elements of ancient philosophy:
Water
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...
,
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
,
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...
and
Air
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
, although the Avatar has the ability to control all four. Each of these employ a different form of
martial arts
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...
in their fighting choreography:
T'ai chi
Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called " shadowboxing", is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and meditation. ...
for
Waterbending,
Hung Gar
Hung Ga (), Hung Kuen (), or Hung Ga Kuen () is a southern Chinese martial art belonging to the southern Shaolin styles. The hallmarks of Hung Ga are strong stances, notably the horse stance, or "si ping ma" (), and strong hand techniques, not ...
for
Earthbending,
Northern Shaolin
In its broadest sense, Northern Shaolin () is the external (as opposed to internal) martial arts of Northern China, referring to those styles from the Northern Shaolin Monastery in Henan and specifically to the style practice by ''Gù Rǔzhāng ...
for
Firebending, and
Ba Gua
The bagua or pakua (八卦) are a set of eight symbols that originated in China, used in Taoist cosmology to represent the fundamental principles of reality, seen as a range of eight interrelated concepts. Each consists of three lines, each lin ...
for
Airbending.
These individual styles of martial arts also reflect on the personalities of the user and the nations as a whole.
These starkly individual tendencies are explained in eighty-five distinct types of "
Jings", or internal energy.
For example: Ba Gua employs the "negative jing" to create erratic circular movements and capitalizes on
centripetal force
A centripetal force (from Latin ''centrum'', "center" and ''petere'', "to seek") is a force that makes a body follow a curved path. Its direction is always orthogonal to the motion of the body and towards the fixed point of the instantaneous c ...
and defensive positions; Northern Shaolin follows the "positive jing" and emphasizes brute strength and aggression to generate power; and Hung Gar uses the "neutral jing" in its ability to predict an opponent's movements and heavily relies on patience and reacting to the opponent's fighting accordingly.
The cultures of the four nations are also greatly influenced by East Asian and
indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
cultures. The Water Tribe is based on
Inuit
Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...
,
Yupik Yupik may refer to:
* Yupik peoples, a group of indigenous peoples of Alaska and the Russian Far East
* Yupik languages, a group of Eskimo-Aleut languages
Yupꞌik (with the apostrophe) may refer to:
* Yup'ik people, a Yupik people from western and ...
, and
Sirenik Eskimos
Sirenik or ''Sireniki'' are former speakers of a divergent Eskimo language in Siberia, before its extinction. The total language death of this language means that now the cultural identity of Sirenik Eskimos is maintained through other aspects: ...
cultures; the Fire Nation on
Imperial China
The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the '' Book of Documents'' (early chapte ...
and
Imperial Japan
The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...
; the Air Nomads on Tibetan Buddhist monks,
Tibetan culture
Tibet developed a distinct culture due to its geographic and climatic conditions. While influenced by neighboring cultures from China, India, and Nepal, the Himalayan region's remoteness and inaccessibility have preserved distinct local i ...
,
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
and
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
; and the Earth Kingdom on
Imperial China
The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the '' Book of Documents'' (early chapte ...
with Korean cultural influences.
Personalities
Many of the recurring characters of the series have received traits based on the respective element. Aang is carefree and childlike, as is commonly attributed to "wonder" of the unknown, or the "freedom" of the
wind
Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few hou ...
and the
air
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
.
As a spiritualist, a pacifist and a vegetarian, he is
very ''Yin'', hyper-attuned to the spirit world, and prefers non-violent alternatives to solving problems. Toph, despite being blind, is extremely perceptive of the world around her due to her connection to the Earth. Unlike Aang, she is extremely brusque when criticizing others, as attributed to Earth's toughness.
''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' main characters
Overview
Avatar Aang
Avatar Aang
Avatar Aang ( zh, c=安昂, p=Ān Áng) is the title character and protagonist of Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' (created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko), voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen. Aang ...
() (voiced by
Mitchel Musso
Mitchel Tate Musso (born July 9, 1991) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his three Disney Channel roles as Oliver Oken in ''Hannah Montana''; Jeremy Johnson in the animated series ''Phineas and Ferb''; and his Disney XD role ...
in the unaired pilot, voiced by
Zach Tyler Eisen
Zachary Tyler Eisen (born September 23, 1993) is an American former voice actor. He voiced Aang in ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', Lucas Nickle in ''The Ant Bully'', Andrew in Nick Jr's ''Little Bill'' and Pablo in the American animated televisio ...
in ''
Avatar: The Last Airbender
''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' (abbreviated as ''ATLA''), also known as ''Avatar: The Legend of Aang'' in some regions or simply ''Avatar'', is an American anime-influenced animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and ...
'',
voiced by
D. B. Sweeney
Daniel Bernard Sweeney (born November 14, 1961) is an American actor.
Early life
Sweeney was born in Shoreham, New York, on November 14, 1961. He attended both Tulane and New York University.
Career
In 1990, Sweeney starred as Treplev in Jeff Co ...
in
Books One and
Two
2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...
of ''
The Legend of Korra
''The Legend of Korra'' (abbreviated as TLOK), also known as ''Avatar: The Legend of Korra'' or simply ''Korra'', is an American anime-influenced animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelode ...
'', and portrayed by
Noah Ringer
Noah Andrew Ringer (born November 18, 1996)Ringer, Noah"The Last Airbender". Interview by Karen Valby. ''EW.com''. Entertainment Weekly, November 3, 2010. Web. February 1, 2010. is an American actor and martial artist. He starred as Aang in the ...
in ''
The Last Airbender
''The Last Airbender'' is a 2010 American action-adventure fantasy film written, co-produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, produced by Nickelodeon Movies and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Based on the first season of the Nickelodeo ...
'',
) is the
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
of the original series and the current
Avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...
, a cyclically reincarnating being who maintains world balance.
Aang often acts in a fun-loving, carefree manner.
His
pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...
and
vegetarian
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter.
Vegetarianism m ...
ism are primary traits of
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
. The creators intended Aang to "defeat enemies with his wits" and be a "
trickster
In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwi ...
hero".
Though Aang is often frivolous and enthusiastic, he becomes serious during a crisis.
In the original series, Katara and Sokka rescue Aang from a century of
suspended animation
Suspended animation is the temporary (short- or long-term) slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved. It may be either hypometabolic or ametabolic in nature. It may be induced by either endogen ...
due to being frozen in an iceberg. Having already mastered his native Airbending, Aang learns Waterbending from Katara and later Pakku at the North Pole in
Book One,
Earthbending from Toph in
Book Two
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arra ...
,
and Firebending from Zuko in
Book Three.
Throughout the series, Aang aids the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom, whom the Fire Nation has oppressed. Unwilling to kill Fire Lord Ozai despite the past Avatars insisting on it, Aang ultimately learns the ancient Lion-Turtles' technique of energybending, which allows the user to give or take away a person's bending, and uses it to render Ozai a non-bender. In ''
The Legend of Korra
''The Legend of Korra'' (abbreviated as TLOK), also known as ''Avatar: The Legend of Korra'' or simply ''Korra'', is an American anime-influenced animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelode ...
'', it is revealed that Aang, with the help of his friends, created the United Republic of Nations. He also married Katara and had three children, with his youngest son Tenzin restoring the Air Nomads while instructing the next Avatar,
Korra
Avatar Korra is the Title character, title lead character in Nickelodeon's List of animated television series, animated television series ''The Legend of Korra'' (a sequel to ''Avatar: The Last Airbender''), in which she is depicted as the curre ...
. Like Roku before him, Aang appears at times before his reincarnation Korra, serving as a spiritual advisor, prior to their connection being destroyed by Unalaq.
Appa
Appa
Appa or APPA may refer to:
Organizations
*American Pet Products Association, an industry association in the United States
* American Psychopathological Association, a scientific professional organization
* American Philosophical Practitioners Ass ...
() (voiced by
Dee Bradley Baker
Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of Baker's work features vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', ''Codename: Kids Next Door'', ...
in the original animated series
) is Aang's male flying
bison
Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised.
Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North Ame ...
, animal guide and spirit companion. He is Aang's best friend and serves as the group's
mode of transport
Mode of transport is a term used to distinguish between different ways of transportation or transporting people or goods. The different modes of transport are air, water, and land transport, which includes rails or railways, road and off-road t ...
around the world.
He can fly and can use his tail to create powerful gusts of air. According to Aang, flying bisons were the first Airbenders. The show's creators,
Michael Dante DiMartino
Michael Dante DiMartino (born July 18, 1974) is an American animator, producer, writer, and director. He is best known, together with Bryan Konietzko, as the co-creator of the animated TV series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and ''The Legend of ...
and
Bryan Konietzko
Bryan Konietzko is an American animator, writer, producer and musician. He is best known, together with Michael Dante DiMartino, as the co-creator and executive producer of the animated series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and ''The Legend of K ...
, have described Appa's appearance as a cross between a
bison
Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised.
Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North Ame ...
and a
manatee
Manatees (family Trichechidae, genus ''Trichechus'') are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. There are three accepted living species of Trichechidae, representing three of the four living species ...
. He is known to shed his coat at the end of winter.
*Momo () (voiced by
Dee Bradley Baker
Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of Baker's work features vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', ''Codename: Kids Next Door'', ...
in the original animated series) is the only known Winged
Lemur
Lemurs ( ) (from Latin ''lemures'' – ghosts or spirits) are Strepsirrhini, wet-nosed primates of the Superfamily (biology), superfamily Lemuroidea (), divided into 8 Family (biology), families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 exist ...
. ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' co-creator
Bryan Konietzko
Bryan Konietzko is an American animator, writer, producer and musician. He is best known, together with Michael Dante DiMartino, as the co-creator and executive producer of the animated series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and ''The Legend of K ...
admits that Momo is his favorite character to draw and that his body language is derived from memories of a childhood
cat
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
. Momo was introduced when Aang finds him at the Southern Air Temple and then keeps him as a pet. Although Momo has been in many dangerous situations while traveling with the protagonists, he has also been of aid to them and a source of comic relief throughout the series. According to the creators, Momo was intended to represent the spirit of Monk Gyatso, Aang's mentor. Momo is a cross between
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...
and a
Lemur
Lemurs ( ) (from Latin ''lemures'' – ghosts or spirits) are Strepsirrhini, wet-nosed primates of the Superfamily (biology), superfamily Lemuroidea (), divided into 8 Family (biology), families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 exist ...
and is the last of his kind in the show much like
Appa
Appa or APPA may refer to:
Organizations
*American Pet Products Association, an industry association in the United States
* American Psychopathological Association, a scientific professional organization
* American Philosophical Practitioners Ass ...
(though it is possible based on the descriptions by the Pirate Captain in "The Waterbending Scroll" and by Tho in "The Swamp" that a few more of his kind may exist in captivity and circuses elsewhere in the Four Nations). Momo was introduced in the episode "The Southern Air Temple". In the episode, Aang finds Momo at the Southern Air Temple and then keeps him as a pet. After Momo eats a peach, Aang decides to name him Momo, which is Japanese for "peach" and the name of Tibetan dumplings.
["The Southern Air Temple". Director: Lauren MacMullan, Writer: Michael Dante DiMartino. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2005-02-25. No. 3, season 1.]
Katara
Katara () (voiced by
Mae Whitman
Mae Margaret Whitman (born June 9, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She began acting in commercials as a child, making her film debut at the age of six in the romantic drama '' When a Man Loves a Woman'' (1994). She achieved recognition as ...
in the original series,
Eva Marie Saint
Eva Marie Saint (born July 4, 1924) is an American actress of film, theatre and television. In a career spanning over 70 years, she has won an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award, alongside nominations for a Golden Globe Award and two Brit ...
in
Books One,
Two
2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...
, and
Four
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
In mathematics
Four is the smallest c ...
of the sequel series, and portrayed by
Nicola Peltz
Nicola Anne Peltz Beckham (born January 9, 1995) is an American actress. Primarily known for her roles in dramatic film and television, she has performed in some blockbuster adaptations and has since been nominated for a Young Hollywood Award. Sh ...
in the live-action film.)
is a 14 year-old Waterbending master from the Southern Water Tribe, best friend and later wife of Avatar Aang, and Sokka’s younger sister. In the original series, Katara is known to be very caring and compassionate while also having a strong determination to stand up against systems of oppression and injustice. While she may have been a relatively inexperienced Waterbender at the start of the series, by the end of Book One Katara manages to claim the title of "Waterbending Master" surpassing the skillset of Avatar Aang. Having left the Northern Water Tribe at the beginning of Book Two Katara continues to train Aang's as his teacher. In the episode "The Deserter" Katara learns that she possesses healing abilities, which she often uses to help her friends throughout the series. In addition to healing, Katara's abilities as a Waterbender range from temperature control, (turning water into ice shaped weapons such as spears, hooks, and blades as well as controlling steam) using streams of water to grab onto people and platforms, being able to manipulate the water in clouds, creating pockets of air in large bodies of water, being able to pull water from the air and plants, and the ability to control the water inside another living organism also known as Bloodbending. In
The Legend Of Korra
''The Legend of Korra'' (abbreviated as TLOK), also known as ''Avatar: The Legend of Korra'' or simply ''Korra'', is an American anime-influenced animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelode ...
, Katara is revealed to have married Aang and had three children with him. It is also revealed that she becomes Avatar Korra's Waterbending teacher after the death of Aang.
Sokka
Sokka
Sokka is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and its sequel series ''The Legend of Korra''. The character, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, is voiced by Jack De ...
() (voiced by
Jack DeSena
John Patrick De Sena (born December 6, 1987), better known by his stage name Jack DeSena, is an American actor. He is best known for his work on the sketch comedy series ''All That'', for the voice work of Sokka on the Nickelodeon series ''Avat ...
in the original series,
voiced by
Chris Hardwick
Christopher Ryan Hardwick (born November 23, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, television and podcast host, writer, and producer. He hosts ''Talking Dead'', an hourlong aftershow on AMC affiliated with the network's zombie drama series '' The ...
in the sequel series, and portrayed by
Jackson Rathbone
Monroe Jackson Rathbone V (born December 14, 1984) is an American actor, singer, and musician best known for his role as Jasper Hale in ''The Twilight Saga'' film series. From 2008 to 2012, he was the vocalist and occasional guitarist, bassist, ...
in the live-action film,
) is a 15-year-old warrior of the Southern Water Tribe, and Katara's older brother.
With no bending power of his own, Sokka relies largely on a metallic
boomerang
A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...
, a blunt metal club, a
machete
Older machete from Latin America
Gerber machete/saw combo
Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas, Oaxaca">San_Agustín_de_las_Juntas.html" ;"title="Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas">Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San ...
, and later a black
jian
The ''jian'' (pronunciation (劍), English approximation: ) is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. The first Chinese sources that mention the ''jian'' date to the 7th century BCE, during the Spring and ...
, or sword, created from the metals of a
meteorite
A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or Natural satellite, moon. When the ...
.
Surprisingly in an inhabitant of a mystical world, Sokka is an engineer and something of a
jack-of-all-trades, in which respect he is easily able to understand the Fire Nation's advanced technology, and perfects the design of the
hot air balloon
A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries p ...
. In addition, he is both heterodox and resourceful in his endeavors,
and a source of
comic relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.
Definition
Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...
throughout the series. Sokka was in love with the Northern Water Tribe princess Yue at the end of
Book One and later shifted his affections to the Kyoshi Warriors' leader Suki in
Books Two and
Three
3 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
3, three, or III may also refer to:
* AD 3, the third year of the AD era
* 3 BC, the third year before the AD era
* March, the third month
Books
* '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...
. In the sequel series, flashbacks reveal Sokka was the first representative of the Southern Water Tribe to sit on the Republic City Council, and possibly its first chairman. He died a few years after Aang, when the next Avatar, Korra, was still a child.
Toph Beifong
Toph Beifong
Toph Beifong ( zh, c=北方拓芙, p=Běifāng Tuòfú) is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and its sequel ''The Legend of Korra'', voiced by Jessie Flower in the original series an ...
() (voiced by Jessie Flower in
Books Two and
Three
3 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
3, three, or III may also refer to:
* AD 3, the third year of the AD era
* 3 BC, the third year before the AD era
* March, the third month
Books
* '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...
of the original series,
voiced by
Kate Higgins
Catherine Davis Higgins is an American voice actress, singer and jazz piano, jazz pianist.
Career Music career
Higgins earned a degree in music from Auburn University in 1991. She is a trained pianist who studied with the jazz artist Bob Richard ...
in flashbacks of
Books One and
Three
3 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
3, three, or III may also refer to:
* AD 3, the third year of the AD era
* 3 BC, the third year before the AD era
* March, the third month
Books
* '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...
from the sequel series, and by
Philece Sampler
Debra Philece Sampler (July 16, 1953 – July 1, 2021) was an American film, television and voice actress. She got her start on the soap operas ''Days of Our Lives'' as Renée DuMonde and '' Another World'' as Donna Love Hudson.
In addition to ...
in
Book Four of the sequel series) is a blind
Earthbending grandmaster of the prestigious Beifong family in the Earth Kingdom.
In the original series, Toph helps Aang master Earthbending.
Toph is often sarcastic, direct, and confrontational; commonly depicted as the
choleric
The four temperament theory is a proto-psychological theory which suggests that there are four fundamental personality types: sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic. Most formulations include the possibility of mixtures among the types w ...
and
tomboy
A tomboy is a term for a girl or a young woman with masculine qualities. It can include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and actively engage in physical sports or other activities and behaviors usually associated with boys or men. W ...
of the group.
Though blind, Toph can feel vibrations in the earth. Through this heightened sense, she can identify people's locations, their distance from her, and their physical build. She learned this technique from the blind Badger Moles. This 'seismic sense' provides her with a distinct advantage when facing other Earthbenders in combat, as they require contact with the ground and extract rocks from their surroundings. As another result of her blindness, Toph has acute hearing, enabling her to recognize people by the sound of their voices and to eavesdrop on distant conversations.
Unlike other Earthbenders, Toph has a distinct style of earthbending not based on
Hung Gar
Hung Ga (), Hung Kuen (), or Hung Ga Kuen () is a southern Chinese martial art belonging to the southern Shaolin styles. The hallmarks of Hung Ga are strong stances, notably the horse stance, or "si ping ma" (), and strong hand techniques, not ...
but on the
Southern Praying Mantis
Southern Praying Mantis () is a Chinese martial art originating with the Hakka people. It is most closely associated with Hakka-origin styles such as Southern Dragon Kung Fu and Bak Mei.
Despite its name, the Southern Mantis style is unrelate ...
, featuring quick generation of energy and low kicks, to suit her small stature. Toph taught herself metalbending by manipulating the metals' impurities at the end of Book Two and throughout Book Three.
In the sequel series, flashbacks reveal that Toph was the first Chief of the Metalbending Police Force, the police department of Republic City. Toph eventually became a single mother of two daughters: Lin, who eventually succeeded her mother as police chief, and Suyin, who founded a commune of free-thinking Earth and metalbenders known as Zaofu. By the time the series begins, having once lived with Suyin's family in Zaofu, Toph took residence in the Foggy Swamp where she assists Korra.
Zuko
Zuko
Prince (later Fire Lord) Zuko (), also known as the Blue Spirit, is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender''. Created by Eric Coleman and designed by series creators Michael Dante DiMartino ...
() (voiced by
Dante Basco
Dante R. Basco (born August 29, 1975) is an American film, television and voice actor. He is best known for his role as Rufio, the leader of the Lost Boys in Steven Spielberg's ''Hook'', and Julian Lee in '' Fakin' da Funk'', and for his many vo ...
in the original animated series,
voiced by
Bruce Davison
Bruce Allen Davison (born June 28, 1946) is an American actor and director. Davison is well known for his starring role as Willard Stiles in the cult horror film '' Willard'' (1971) and his Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning perfor ...
in the sequel series and portrayed by
Dev Patel
Dev Patel (; born 23 April 1990) is a British actor. His breakthrough came in 2008 with the leading role of Jamal Malik in Danny Boyle's drama ''Slumdog Millionaire'', for which Patel was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leadin ...
in the live-action film,
) is the banished prince of the Fire Nation, who ultimately becomes Fire Lord. When exiled, prior to the beginning of the series, by his father Fire Lord Ozai for forfeiting an Agni Kai, a special firebending duel therewith,
Zuko believed that capturing the Avatar would regain his honor.
In addition to his firebending, Zuko is proficient in the use of double broadswords wielded in his
alter ego
An alter ego (Latin for "other I", " doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differen ...
of the "Blue Spirit". Zuko's ancestry reflects his own anxieties, in that his paternal great-grandfather Fire Lord Sozin started the war while his maternal great-grandfather Avatar Roku attempted to prevent it.
In
Book One, Zuko fails many times to capture the Avatar but disguises himself as the Blue Spirit and rescues Aang from Zhao's fortress, and in
Book Two
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arra ...
, Zuko and his Uncle Iroh earn further displeasure from Ozai and Azula and they are subsequently forced to flee into the Earth Kingdom, where he befriends locals and goes so far as to rescuing them from corrupt Earth Army guards.
When tempted by his sister Azula's offer of honor's restoration, he betrays his uncle to assist Azula's fight against the Avatar.
In
Book Three, Zuko eventually rejects his father Ozai's plans and joins Aang.
After he learns the secret of Firebending with Aang from two
dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
s, he becomes Aang's Firebending teacher;
helps Sokka rescue prisoners; assists Katara in confronting her mother's killer; and receives his uncle Iroh's forgiveness.
After defeating Azula, Zuko becomes the new Fire Lord and ends the war.
The
sequel series reveals that Fire Lord Zuko aided Avatar Aang reorganizing the Fire Nation's colonies in the Earth Kingdom as a United Republic of Nations, and is the only one of Republic City's founders not to have lived there. After abdicating the throne in favor of his daughter Izumi while her son Iroh later serves as a general in the United Forces, Zuko travels the world as an ambassador for peace and keeping major threats in check while Aang's reincarnation Korra is still a child.
Suki
Suki () (voiced by
Jennie Kwan
Jennie Kwan is an American television, film, and voice actress. She played Samantha "Sam" Woo on ''California Dreams'', Satoko Hojo in '' Higurashi When They Cry'', and voiced Suki, a character on ''Avatar: The Last Airbender''.
Career
Kwan beg ...
in the animated series,
) is the leader of the exclusively female Kyoshi Warriors, a sect established by the Avatar incarnation of the same name.
She is an exceptionally skilled fighter, first meeting Team Avatar when they visited her home of Kyoshi Island, where she captured the intruders. She also humiliated Sokka, causing him to change his chauvinistic ways, eventually striking up a friendship as she taught him how to fight. The two later reunited in Book Two, where she and Sokka began to date. Later in Book Two, she and the Kyoshi Warriors encountered and fought Azula, after which they were defeated and imprisoned. She was liberated by Sokka and Zuko in Book Three,
and remained with the protagonists thereafter. Suki joined Toph and Sokka to disable the Fire Nation's air force. The other Kyoshi Warriors were released after the war and allowed Ty Lee to join them. She later served with Ty Lee to serve as Zuko's bodyguards after the war ended, reuniting with Sokka on several occasions.
Uncle Iroh
Uncle Iroh
Uncle Iroh (), also referred to as General Iroh and credited simply as Uncle, is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender''. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the charact ...
() (voiced by
Mako
, better known by the mononym name Mako (sometimes stylised MAKO), is a Japanese voice actress, singer and a member of the band Bon-Bon Blanco, in which her prominent role is as the maraca player. She has also performed in a Japanese television d ...
in
Books One and
Two
2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...
of the original series,
voiced by
Greg Baldwin
Greg Baldwin is an American voice actor.
Career
Baldwin has worked in the theater extensively as Sidney Lipton in ''God's Favorite'', Mushnik in '' Little Shop of Horrors'', Dr. Zubritsky in Neil Simon's ''Fools'', Count Otto Von Bruno in ''Bulls ...
in
Book Three of the original series and
Books Two and
Three
3 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
3, three, or III may also refer to:
* AD 3, the third year of the AD era
* 3 BC, the third year before the AD era
* March, the third month
Books
* '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...
of the
sequel series, and portrayed by
Shaun Toub
Shaun Toub ( fa, شان توب ; ; born February 15, 1958) is an Iranian-born American actor. He has played the character Yinsen in ''Iron Man'' (2008) and ''Iron Man 3
''Iron Man 3'' (titled onscreen as ''Iron Man Three'') is a 2013 Amer ...
in the live-action film,
), also known as General Iroh and "The Dragon of the West", is a Firebending master and former heir to the Fire Nation throne. After the death of his son at the Siege of Ba Sing Se, his younger brother Ozai superseded him as Fire Lord.
Unlike most firebenders, Iroh lacks hostility toward other nations and generates his fire and lightning not from fury, as is conventional, but from a sense given to him by
dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
s, the original source of firebending.
As a member of the
Order of the White Lotus
This is a list of significant characters from the Nickelodeon animated television programs ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', its sequel ''The Legend of Korra'', co-created by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, and its live-action remakes ...
, Iroh has social connections throughout the Four Nations. Iroh is outwardly easy-going and friendly, and particularly fond of food, good tea (ginseng tea is his favorite),
the strategy game ''Pai Sho'',
cheerful company, and pleasant music.
In his old age, he focuses more on relaxation and amusements than on the pursuit of the Avatar, a habit that clashes with the obsessions of his nephew Zuko.
At the end of the series, after enlisting his fellow White Lotus members to release Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation's rule, Iroh reopened his tea shop within the city called "The Jasmine Dragon".
In ''The Legend of Korra'' sequel series, near the end of his life, Iroh left his physical body and his soul ascended into the Spirit World where he offers his assistance to Aang's reincarnation Korra, and later to Aang's children Tenzin, Kya, and Bumi during their initial visits to the Spirit World. Iroh is also the namesake of Zuko's grandson.
Azula
Azula
Princess Azula () is a fictional Character (arts), character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, and voiced by Grey DeLisle.
In the show, Azula is the ...
() (voiced by
Grey DeLisle
Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress, comedian and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On Sept ...
in
Books Two and
Three
3 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
3, three, or III may also refer to:
* AD 3, the third year of the AD era
* 3 BC, the third year before the AD era
* March, the third month
Books
* '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...
of the animated series, and portrayed by
Summer Bishil
Summer Yasmine Bishil (born July 17, 1988) is an American actress. She first came to prominence starring as Jasira in the 2007 film '' Towelhead'', for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. Over the followi ...
in the live-action film) is Zuko's younger sister and a gifted
Firebending master and prodigy, capable of creating blue fire and lightning. After Zhao's death, Azula is sent by Ozai to capture the Avatar, Zuko, and Iroh. Her
amorality
Amorality is an absence of, indifference towards, disregard for, or incapacity for morality. Some simply refer to it as a case of not being moral or immoral. Amoral should not be confused with ''immoral'', which refers to an agent doing or thin ...
and ability to act without hesitation or remorse also accounts for her ability to create
lightning
Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electric charge, electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the land, ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous ...
, a skill that requires peace of mind.
Despite her cruel temperament, she becomes distraught when abandoned by her friends Mai and Ty Lee,
and collapses mentally when her father leaves her the now-worthless position of Fire Lord,
in which she becomes increasingly irrational, paranoid, and mentally unstable,
and ultimately suffers a full psychotic breakdown, in which she is overcome by Zuko and Katara.
Following the end of the war, Azula is placed at a mental institution to be closely monitored. As revealed in the comic sequel,
''The Search'', Azula managed to convince Zuko to let her accompany him in the search for their mother. But in reality, her madness tied to the hatred she bears towards her mother, Azula's reasons were to eliminate Ursa upon finding a letter that claimed Zuko to be only her half-brother and thus making her the legitimate heir to the throne. But after her attempt to kill her mother failed, and unable to accept Zuko still caring for her after everything she had done to him, Azula fled into the Forgetful Valley before the letter's contents were later revealed to be false.
''The Legend of Korra'' main characters
Overview
Avatar Korra
Avatar Korra () (voiced by
Janet Varney
Janet Varney (born February 16, 1976) is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for voicing Korra in the Nickelodeon animated television series ''The Legend of Korra'', co-starring as Sheriff Evie Barret in the television seri ...
and by Cora Baker as a child) is the immediate incarnation of
Aang
Avatar Aang ( zh, c=安昂, p=Ān Áng) is the title character and protagonist of Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' (created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko), voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen. Aang ...
from the original series. Athletic, confident, tomboyish and headstrong, Korra fully embraces and relishes her role as the Avatar, but lacked in spiritual development.
[ Over the course of the series, Korra battles foes, both within and outside herself, as she tries to keep the world in balance. She overcomes having her bending removed by Amon, having her connection to her past lives severed by Unalaq and Vaatu, suffering ]posttraumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...
due to Zaheer
Zaheer is a character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''The Legend of Korra'' (a sequel to ''Avatar: The Last Airbender''). He serves as the main antagonist of '' Book Three: Change'', and his actions have lingering effects on Ava ...
's mercury poisoning
Mercury poisoning is a type of metal poisoning due to exposure to mercury. Symptoms depend upon the type, dose, method, and duration of exposure. They may include muscle weakness, poor coordination, numbness in the hands and feet, skin rashe ...
, and having her position as world peacekeeper usurped by the military dictator Kuvira
, also known as The Great Uniter and later Kuvira Beifong, is a fictional major character in the 2014 third and fourth seasons of the Nickelodeon animated television series ''The Legend of Korra'', created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Ko ...
.[ Korra is especially notable in the ''Avatar'' franchise for connecting with the first Avatar Wan and starting a new Avatar cycle.
Korra was designed to be an inversion of Aang. Said DiMartino, "We also wanted to explore an Avatar who was the exact opposite of peaceful Aang, so we chose a hot-headed teenage girl from the Water Tribe. Her 'punch first and ask questions later' attitude opened up a whole new world of story possibilities." Korra's design was a collaboration between Konietzko, co-executive producer ]Joaquim Dos Santos
Joaquim Dos Santos is a Portuguese-born American storyboard artist, director, producer, writer, and designer. He is best known for his directing work on the television series ''Justice League Unlimited'', ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', '' G.I. Jo ...
and supervising producer Ki-Hyun Ryu. Four-year-old Korra was designed by Ryu.[ For Korra's look and attitude, the designers took reference from ]mixed martial artist
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...
Gina Carano
Gina Joy Carano (born April 16, 1982) is an American actress and former mixed martial artist. She competed in EliteXC and Strikeforce from 2006 to 2009, where she compiled a 7–1 record. Her popularity led to her being called the "face of women ...
as well as competitive female snowboarders.
Naga
Naga (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker
Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of Baker's work features vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', ''Codename: Kids Next Door'', ...
) is a female polar bear-dog that belongs to Avatar Korra as her loyal animal companion and main form of transportation. Historically, polar bear-dogs were feared and hunted by the Water Tribe, and Korra is the only person to have ever befriended one. Naga is very protective of Korra, and uses her strength to help Korra out of trouble. The story of how Korra and Naga met is featured in the first official ''The Legend of Korra'' comic, published by Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
for 2016 Free Comic Book Day
Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to attract new readers to independent comic book stores. It usually takes place on the first Saturday of May and is often cross-promoted wit ...
.
Naga was first revealed at the 2011 . Naga's design is based on a hybrid of a polar bear
The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the largest extant bear specie ...
and a golden retriever
The Golden Retriever is a Scottish breed of retriever dog of medium size. It is characterised by a gentle and affectionate nature and a striking golden coat. It is commonly kept as a pet and is among the most frequently registered breeds ...
.[ One of the three original concepts for ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', Naga was first developed in 2002 as a sketch of a bipedal polar bear-dog creature by co-creator ]Bryan Konietzko
Bryan Konietzko is an American animator, writer, producer and musician. He is best known, together with Michael Dante DiMartino, as the co-creator and executive producer of the animated series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and ''The Legend of K ...
. The creators never found a place for the character in the first series, but brought her back as Korra's companion as they wanted Korra to have an animal mode of transport, and the original sketch was remodeled after the co-creators' dogs.[
]
Mako
Mako () (voiced by David Faustino
David Anthony Faustino (; born March 3, 1974) is an American actor and radio personality primarily known for his role as Bud Bundy on the Fox sitcom '' Married... with Children''. He has also voiced animated characters for Nickelodeon, including ...
) is a firebender who grew up on the streets of Republic City as an orphan with his younger brother, Bolin. Forced to take on adult responsibilities at a young age, Mako is cynical and serious.[ Physically, Mako is tall, lean and handsome.][ Mako is Korra's love interest during the first two seasons,][ but they decide in the ]season 2 Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album)
* '' 2econd Season''
See also
*
{{disambig ...
finale "Light in The Dark" that they are better off as friends. Mako is level-headed and fiercely loyal, and as the series progresses, he becomes someone his brother and friends can always rely on.[
The final design for Mako was done by supervising producer Ki-Hyun Ryu.][ The character was named after the late ]Mako Iwamatsu
was a Japanese-American actor, credited mononymously in almost all of his acting roles as simply Mako.
His film roles include Po-Han in ''The Sand Pebbles'' (1966) (for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor), O ...
, the original voice actor of Iroh
Uncle Iroh (), also referred to as General Iroh and credited simply as Uncle, is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender''. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the charact ...
in the first two seasons of ''Avatar: The Last Airbender
''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' (abbreviated as ''ATLA''), also known as ''Avatar: The Legend of Aang'' in some regions or simply ''Avatar'', is an American anime-influenced animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and ...
''.[
]
Bolin
Bolin () (voiced by P. J. Byrne
Paul Jeffrey Byrne (born December 15, 1974) is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles as Nicky "Rugrat" Koskoff in the Martin Scorsese film ''The Wolf of Wall Street (2013 film), The Wolf of Wall Street'' (2013) a ...
) is an earthbender who grew up on the streets of Republic City as an orphan with his older brother, Mako. Despite his tough childhood, Bolin is high-spirited, easy-going, optimistic, and has a somewhat childlike and naive view of the world.[ Physically, he is stocky and muscular.][ Bolin acts as the comic relief of the show, and is constantly underestimated by those around him.][ In the ]season 3
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pola ...
episode "Enter the Void", Bolin discovers he can lavabend, a rare earthbending technique. Loyal and brave, Bolin matures throughout the series and tries to help others in ways other than fighting.[
The idea for Bolin and Mako's characters came from the creators desire to include a story about brothers in the series. They were also meant to illustrate how cultures had blended in Republic City, with their late mother and father hailing from the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom respectively.][ Bolin's character was inspired by the original concept of ]Toph Beifong
Toph Beifong ( zh, c=北方拓芙, p=Běifāng Tuòfú) is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and its sequel ''The Legend of Korra'', voiced by Jessie Flower in the original series an ...
, who was going to be a male character Konietzko described as "kind of a big, not sharpest tool in the shed." When Toph's character was changed to a young girl, the creators still had many ideas for the male earthbender, which they implemented into Bolin. The final design for Bolin was done by supervising producer Ki-Hyun Ryu.[ Bolin is voiced by ]P.J. Byrne
Paul Jeffrey Byrne (born December 15, 1974) is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles as Nicky "Rugrat" Koskoff in the Martin Scorsese film '' The Wolf of Wall Street'' (2013) and Bolin on Nickelodeon's animated s ...
. Bryne related to the character as he explained, "I'm a people person, I'm a peoplely people, and I think that's what my character is."
Pabu
Pabu (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker
Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of Baker's work features vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', ''Codename: Kids Next Door'', ...
) is a mischievous male fire ferret who Bolin rescued from a local pet store. The story of how Mako and Bolin come to adopt Pabu is featured in the Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
three-part web series
A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single i ...
''Republic City Hustle''.
Pabu was first revealed at the 2011 ''The Legend of Korra'' San Diego Comic-Con panel.[ Pabu was designed by Konietzko,][ and is based on a hybrid of a ]red panda
The red panda (''Ailurus fulgens''), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzzle ...
and a black-footed ferret
The black-footed ferret (''Mustela nigripes''), also known as the American polecatHeptner, V. G. (Vladimir Georgievich); Nasimovich, A. A; Bannikov, Andrei Grigorovich; Hoffmann, Robert S. (2001)''Mammals of the Soviet Union''Volume: v. 2, pt. 1 ...
.[ The original inspiration for Pabu was ]Futa
Futa may refer to:
Geography
* Futa Pass between Florence and Bologna
*Futa River in Chile
* Futa, Ghana, a community in Ghana
*Futa Tooro, a region along the Senegal River
Acronyms
*Federal Unemployment Tax Act (US)
*Federal University of Techn ...
, the "seemingly-bipedal red panda who had captured the adoration of the Japanese public" years ago during the production of ''Avatar: The Last Airbender''.
Asami Sato
(voiced by Seychelle Gabriel
Seychelle Suzanne Gabriel is an American actress. On television, she portrayed List of Falling Skies characters#Main characters, Lourdes Delgado in ''Falling Skies'' (2011–2014) and voiced Asami Sato in ''The Legend of Korra'' (2012–2014). Sh ...
) is the nonbender only child of wealthy industrialist, Hiroshi Sato. After her Equalist father was imprisoned following the events of season 1 Season One may refer to:
Albums
* ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004
* ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012
* ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012
See also
*
*
* Season 2 (disambiguation)
* Season 4 (disambiguat ...
, she took over his company, Future Industries. Although the well-mannered Asami grew up in a life of luxury, she has a tough side too. She is an expert driver and has been trained in self-defense since she was a child.[ She often uses an electrified chi-blocker glove for combat. The only nonbender in Team Avatar, Asami makes up for this by being a master in hand-to-hand combat, an exceptional mechanic and a tech genius. Throughout the series, she invents various weapons, devices and modes of transportation the team uses. Later on in the series, she becomes Korra's closest confidant and eventual girlfriend.]
The idea for the character of Asami came later in the development process. Said DiMartino, "Once we had the idea for a nonbender revolution, we knew we'd need a character who wasn't a bender." Originally conceived to be an Equalist spy, DiMartino and Konietzko ended up liking the character so much that they decided to keep her on Team Avatar. Konietzko had previously had difficulty drawing women and chose to design Asami by himself, wanting a challenge.[ According to Konietzko, Asami's design was his "idea of a ]Hollywood Golden Age
Classical Hollywood cinema is a term used in film criticism to describe both a narrative and visual style of filmmaking which became characteristic of American cinema between the 1910s (rapidly after World War I) and the 1960s. It eventually b ...
actress in the ''Avatar'' world," and her hair was inspired by that of 1940s actress Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer and producer. She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. The press coined th ...
.[
]
Tenzin
Tenzin (Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: , Tibetan
Tibetan may mean:
* of, from, or related to Tibet
* Tibetan people, an ethnic group
* Tibetan language:
** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard
** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...
: བསྟན་འཛིན་; Tenzin) (voiced by J. K. Simmons
Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor, considered one of the most prolific and well-established character actors of his generation. He has appeared in over 200 films and television roles since his debut in 1986. He ...
) is the youngest child of Avatar Aang and Katara, and the couple's only airbending child. Tenzin is a traditionalist who works hard to protect and pass on Air Nomad teachings and culture. He embodies the peaceful, calm, spiritual nature of the Air Nomads.[ At the start of the series, he was the only airbending master in the world][ and thus served as Avatar Korra's airbending teacher and spiritual guide.][ Tenzin, however, had to undergo a lot of spiritual growth himself, facing his insecurities of living in his father's shadow.][ Tenzin and his wife Pema have four children: Jinora, Ikki, Meelo and Rohan.
Tenzin is the biggest link to Avatar Aang and the original series. On the conception of Tenzin's character, DiMartino said, "He was probably the second character we came up with after Korra. Since Korra would have to learn airbending, who would be better to teach it to her than Aang's son? His peaceful, traditionalist personality also provide a good source of conflict for the hotheaded, modern-thinking Korra." Tenzin's final design was done by supervising producer Ki-Hyun Ryu.][
]
Lin Beifong
Lin Beifong () (voiced by Mindy Sterling
Mindy Lee Sterling (born July 11, 1953) is an American television, film and voice actress. She portrayed Frau Farbissina in the ''Austin Powers'' film series and starred in the web series ''Con Man'', the latter of which earned her a Primetime ...
and by Grey DeLisle
Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress, comedian and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On Sept ...
when young) is the Chief of Police of Republic City's metalbender police force, the daughter of Toph Beifong
Toph Beifong ( zh, c=北方拓芙, p=Běifāng Tuòfú) is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and its sequel ''The Legend of Korra'', voiced by Jessie Flower in the original series an ...
, and the older half-sister of Suyin Beifong. A play on the "tough cop trope",[ Lin is tough and uncompromising, but also loyal and brave.][
Although her mother taught Avatar Korra's previous incarnation, Aang, how to earthbend, Lin displayed no affection toward her when they first met, instead seeing Korra's arrival as a threat to her authority and to the rule of law she's worked hard to enforce.][ Lin's feelings toward Korra improves as the series progresses, and she would do anything to protect the Avatar from danger.][ In season 1, Lin and Tenzin work through their strained relationship caused by their past romance, and Lin ultimately helps save Tenzin's family from The Equalists.][ Lin's estranged relationship with her mother and half-sister is explored in seasons 3 and 4. In the season 3 episode "The Metal Clan", Lin and her sister Suyin meet again for the first time in 30 years.] It is revealed in the following episode, "Old Wounds", that Suyin was the one who gave Lin her distinctive facial scars. The sisters eventually reconciled after a duel. In the season 4 episode "Operation Beifong", Lin reveals that she still harbors a lot of anger over Toph's decision not to reveal the identity of her father to her. After 20 years apart, the estranged mother and daughter finally reconcile after admitting their flaws. Zach Blumenfeld of '' Paste'' magazine described Lin's story as one that "unfolds beautifully over the course of ''The Legend of Korra''," noting that "she balances the female strength that pervades the ''Avatar'' universe with the very real loneliness that tends to arise when people prioritize their careers over personal relationships."[
Lin's character design was partly inspired by Han Young Ja, a longtime friend and colleague of Konietzko and DiMartino. Elements of her design also came from ]Marlene Dietrich
Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...
as the creators wanted her "to have a tough and natural beauty". Lin's design was collaborated on by DiMartino and Joaquim Dos Santos
Joaquim Dos Santos is a Portuguese-born American storyboard artist, director, producer, writer, and designer. He is best known for his directing work on the television series ''Justice League Unlimited'', ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', '' G.I. Jo ...
.[
]
Jinora
Jinora (voiced by Kiernan Shipka
Kiernan Brennan Shipka (born November 10, 1999) is an American actress, best-known for her roles as Sally Draper in the AMC drama series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), Sabrina Spellman in the Netflix series ''Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'' (2018– ...
) is an airbender and astral projectionist. She is the first child and eldest daughter of Tenzin and Pema and the granddaughter of Katara and Avatar Aang. She has a major role since season 2. Unlike her rambunctious siblings, Jinora is a reasonable and disciplined airbender who takes her spiritual duties seriously. Unlike her father, Jinora has a natural affinity for spirits and is able to communicate with the spirits in the Spirit World from the physical world. In season 2, when Korra needed to enter the Spirit World to close the spirit portals before Harmonic Convergence, Jinora became Avatar Korra's guide into the Spirit World. In the season 3 finale "Venom of the Red Lotus", Jinora leads the new airbenders in creating a giant cyclone and she saves Korra, earning her airbending tattoos and the title airbending master from her father, assuming a permanent leadership role in the new Air Nomads. She entered a romantic relationship with Kai on season 4. Jinora is capable of astral projection, an advanced airbending technique combined with spirituality; when using this ability, her spirit is capable of teleportation. She can also track down people by locking on to their energy.
Oliver Sava of ''The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' described Jinora's role in the series as being very similar to Katara's in the original ''Avatar'' series: "a sweet, but powerful bending master in the early throes of puberty. (That connection is accentuated by her romance with Kai, who is clearly carved from the Aang mold.)"[
]
Supporting characters and organizations
Known Avatar incarnations
The Avatar Cycle follows the cycles of the seasonal order of Earth's climate, as each element represents a season: Winter (Water), Spring (Earth), Summer (Fire) and Fall (Air).
''Avatar: The Last Airbender''
* (voiced by James Garrett and by Andrew Caldwell (in the younger days)) is Aang's immediate past life, a firebender Avatar, serving as his spiritual advisor. In Book Three, it is revealed that Roku's aiding Aang is motivated by his guilt over failing to stop his childhood friend Sozin (with whom he happened to share a birthday), later the Fire Lord of Roku's time, from his campaign of war. Roku is also the grandfather of Azula and Zuko's mother Ursa and the great-grandfather of Zuko, Azula and their younger half-sister, Kiyi. In the live-action film, Roku's role as Aang's guide is assumed by the Dragon Spirit (John Noble
John Noble (born 20 August 1948) is an Australian actor. He is known for his roles as Denethor in the ''Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, Dr. Walter Bishop on the science fiction series ''Fringe'', Henry Parrish on the action-horror series '' ...
).
** was Avatar Roku's dragon-animal guide. His spirit, with help from Hei Bai, guided Aang to Roku's Island and helped Aang achieve a connection with Roku. Fang died protecting Roku from a pyroclastic flow
A pyroclastic flow (also known as a pyroclastic density current or a pyroclastic cloud) is a fast-moving current of hot gas and volcanic matter (collectively known as tephra) that flows along the ground away from a volcano at average speeds of bu ...
caused by the eruption of the volcano on Roku's Island.
* (voiced by Jennifer Hale
Jennifer Hale is a Canadian-American voice actress. She is best known for her work in video game franchises such as ''Baldur's Gate'', ''Mass Effect'', ''Metal Gear Solid'', ''BioShock Infinite'', ''Metroid Prime'', ''Overwatch'', and '' Star Wa ...
in the animated series, and portrayed by Yvonne Chapman in the upcoming live-action Netflix adaptation) was the earthbender Avatar preceding Roku, 412 years before the start of the series. Being straightforward and often cold in personality, Kyoshi is described as a gigantic woman, possessing the largest feet of any Avatar, and lived to be 230 years old. She is considered a legend. Her traditional weapons are golden war fans which, with her attire and fighting style, were adopted by the Kyoshi Warriors of Kyoshi Island, which she detached from the mainland to defy a self-proclaimed conqueror. Kyoshi was also responsible for the establishment of the Dai Li. According to '' The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars'', Kyoshi is believed to have been bisexual. This would later be confirmed by the novel ''The Rise of Kyoshi
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''.
* (voiced by Jim Meskimen
James Ross Meskimen (born September 10, 1959) is an American actor, comedian and impressionist, who is best known for his voice-over work in video games.
Early life
James Ross Meskimen was born in Santa Monica, California on September 10, 1959 ...
) preceded Kyoshi. He was the waterbender Avatar before Korra. A self-described "go-with-the-flow" personality, he lived in a time of relative peace and stability. Kuruk later suffered for being inattentive when the spirit Koh the Face Stealer stole the face of his true love. Kuruk spent the rest of his life hunting down Koh, but failed to take revenge. Having been afflicted with a spiritual sickness, his life force was drained, ultimately leading to his death at the young age of 33.
* (Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: , Tibetan
Tibetan may mean:
* of, from, or related to Tibet
* Tibetan people, an ethnic group
* Tibetan language:
** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard
** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...
: དབྱངས་ཅན།; Yangchen) (voiced by Tress MacNeille
Teressa Claire MacNeille (née Payne; born June 20, 1951) is an American voice actress, whose credits include voicing Dot Warner on the animated television series ''Animaniacs'', Babs Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Chip and Gadget Hackwrench ...
) was the Air Nomad Avatar before Aang. Unlike the other Avatars, who advised Aang to end the Fire Lord's threat to world peace without hesitation, Yangchen understood Aang's reluctance to kill Fire Lord Ozai due to the Air Nomad culture of pacifism. However, she still reminded Aang that the Avatar's priority is to the world, rather than spiritual enlightenment.
''The Kyoshi's Novels''
* preceded Yangchen. He was the firebender Avatar before Roku. He first appeared to Aang in a spiritual vision directed by Avatar Roku, in which he lavabended the magma from four volcanoes while in the Avatar State. He was named in '' The Shadow of Kyoshi'', where he was described as living in an era of immense crisis that threatened to destroy the Fire Nation, and rose to Grand Advisor to strengthen the Fire Nation's government, restore economic balance, and set up programs to aid the poor and needy, becoming a revered figure with festivals in his honor following his death.
''The Legend of Korra''
* () (voiced by Steven Yeun
Yeun Sang-yeop ( ko, 연상엽; born December 21, 1983), known professionally as Steven Yeun (), is a South Korean-born American actor.
Yeun initially rose to prominence for his roles as Glenn Rhee in the television series '' The Walking Dead ...
) was the very first Avatar, having lived 10,000 years prior to Avatar Korra's time. After obtaining the power of fire from his city's Lion Turtle to gather food, he instead abandons the hunting party to, with several others, rob Chu the Elder of his food stores. Everyone escapes but Wan is caught. Chu the Elder then banishes Wan to the Spirit Wilds for refusing to reveal the identities of co-conspirators. The Lion Turtle allows Wan to keep the power of fire. Wan learned to live among the spirits and protected them from hostile humans. After being tricked into freeing the dark spirit Vaatu, Wan accompanied the light spirit Raava to track down and defeat Vaatu. Along the way, Wan acquired the ability to bend the other three elements of Air, Water and Earth, eventually becoming the very first Avatar as he merged with Raava during Harmonic Convergence.
Spirit World Denizens
''The Legend of Korra'' introduced the concept of dark spirits, spirits who have become unbalanced due to the influence of the spirit of darkness and chaos, Vaatu. Co-creator Bryan Konietzko designed how the spirits would look in various states: in the 'dark' state, they were "rough and jagged...with deep, jewel-like colors on the body and a bright pattern for the face"; in 'neutral' state, they were "smoother and less menacing"; and in 'light' state, their colors were a "negative image
In photography, a negative is an Photograph, image, usually on a strip or sheet of transparent plastic film, in which the lightest areas of the photographed subject appear darkest and the darkest areas appear lightest. This reversed order occur ...
" of the 'dark' state.[
After the events of season 2 of ''The Legend of Korra'', spirits become a more regular fixture in the series, often seen floating around in the background. Co-executive producer ]Joaquim Dos Santos
Joaquim Dos Santos is a Portuguese-born American storyboard artist, director, producer, writer, and designer. He is best known for his directing work on the television series ''Justice League Unlimited'', ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', '' G.I. Jo ...
noted that some of the spirit designs were inspired by the works of Studio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and ha ...
, while "others were just a fun way for the designers to cut loose and create with a sense of whimsy."
''Avatar: The Last Airbender''
* () and La () are respectively the Moon (Tui) and Ocean (La) Spirits who traveled into the physical world and remained there. The two spirits assumed the form of koi
or more specifically , are colored varieties of the Amur carp ('' Cyprinus rubrofuscus'') that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens.
Koi is an informal name for the colored variants of ''C. rubrofuscus'' ke ...
that occupied the Spirit Oasis within the Northern Water Tribe's capital city. The two spirits play an important role in waterbending, information that Admiral Zhao learned and used to kill Tui to permanently remove waterbending. However, empowered by Aang in his Avatar State, La assumed its true form to drive off the Fire Nation invasion force before learning that Tui is revived by Yue's sacrifice. On its way back to the Spirit Oasis, finding the man who murdered Tui, La dragged Zhao into the depths. It would be later revealed in the ''Legend of Korra'' that La disposed of Zhao in the Spirit World's Fog of Lost Souls. The push and pull swimming motion of Tui and La, in their koi forms, resemble the Chinese philosophical symbol of Yin and Yang
Yin and yang ( and ) is a Chinese philosophy, Chinese philosophical concept that describes opposite but interconnected forces. In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy, organized into the c ...
. Their resemblance to the symbol is more than coincidental, as the two spirits embody the symbol's meaning.
* (voiced by Erik Todd Dellums
Erik Todd Dellums (born September 23, 1964) is an American actor and narrator. He played the drug kingpin Luther Mahoney for two seasons on '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' and voiced the roles as the radio DJ Three Dog in the 2008 video gam ...
) is an ancient Spirit who steals the faces of his victims unless they are expressionless. One of Koh's victims was the beloved of Avatar Kuruk as a means to put the Avatar in his place for letting his guard down during peace time. During his time at the Northern Water Tribe, Aang met with Koh as he knew the identities of the Moon and Ocean spirits. In '' Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Search'', it is revealed that Koh is the estranged son of the Mother of Faces, who can restore her son's victims to normal or alter their appearance.
* () (voiced by Héctor Elizondo
Héctor Elizondo (born December 22, 1936) is an American character actor. He is known for playing Phillip Watters in the television series ''Chicago Hope'' (1994–2000) and Ed Alzate in the television series '' Last Man Standing'' (2011–2021) ...
) is a powerful owl-like Spirit, who claims to know ten thousand things who brought his library into the physical world, its content provided by his knowledge-seeking foxes, to help people better themselves through his collection. However, as a result of Zhao learning of the Ocean and Moon Spirits, Wan Shi Tong became disillusioned with humans for using his knowledge in their conflict. After Aang and his friends lie to acquire information on the Day of the Black Sun, despite their just reasons, Wan Shi Tong takes his library back to the Spirit World with humans no longer allowed, with the exception of Ba Sing Se Professor Zei who decided to live in the library. In the sequel series, Wan Shi Tong becomes an ally to Unalaq and played a role in the abduction of Aang's granddaughter Jinora.
* is a black and white forest spirit that sometimes takes the form of a docile Giant panda
The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes us ...
, but can also change into a vicious giant four-armed spirit-monster when enraged. He is the protector of the Earth Kingdom's forests. He was first seen terrorizing the Senlin Village and blaming the occupants for the destruction of his nearby forest, not knowing it was caused by the Fire Nation. When Aang eventually calmed him down, he helped Aang make a connection to Avatar Roku's spirit and showed him a vision of Sozin's Comet. He is last seen guiding Avatar Aang out of the Spirit World when Aang was at the Northern Water Tribe.
* (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...
, Jim Cummings
James Jonah Cummings (born November 3, 1952) is an American voice actor. Since beginning his career in the 1980s, he has appeared in almost 400 roles. Cummings has frequently worked with The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros., including as th ...
, and Stephen Stanton
Stephen Walter Stanton (born August 22, 1961) is an American voice actor and visual effects artist. His roles include Sasha Nein in ''Psychonauts'' and ''Psychonauts 2'', Grand Moff Tarkin in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, Admiral Raddus in ''Rogu ...
) are gigantic lion-and-turtle hybrid creatures. They are the source-vessel of the Elemental Bending that is present throughout the series. Each Lion Turtle represents a specific element, and thus can only give bending related to that element. They are viewed as deities, and are thus the supreme authority of the Four Nations. Before the establishment of the Four Nations, they served as Lion-Turtle Cities, with an entire city on the back of their shells. Using Raava The Light Spirit, they granted Avatar Wan the ability to bend all four elements. It is unknown exactly what happened to them after they decided to leave the world in Wan's protection, only that one decided to remain and grant Avatar Aang spiritual bending.
''The Legend of Korra''
* (voiced by April Stewart
April Stewart (born April 1, 1969) is an American voice actress.
Career
Stewart is best known for providing the voices of several female characters in the animated comedy series ''South Park'' alongside fellow voice actress Mona Marshall. She i ...
and Jonathan Adams respectively) are respectively the primal spirits of ''harmony, peace and light''; and of ''chaos, strife and darkness''. Vaatu is the other half of Raava, and vice versa. Their battle was a visual reference to the Chinese Yin Yang symbol, a similar reference was made in the original series with the Ocean and Moon spirits' koi form (see below). Raava is fused with Wan to become the Avatar Spirit. She is one of the oldest known spirits, having existed over ten thousand lifetimes before the appearance of the first humans. She and Vaatu, spent much of their existence combating each other, at least since the Harmonic Convergence in 19,829 BG, with neither able to fully vanquish the other. Even if Raava were to destroy Vaatu and usher in a new era of peace, what little darkness existed in Raava would magnify until Vaatu was reborn and burst forth, beginning the cycle again. The reverse would happen to Vaatu if he were victorious over Raava. The era of Raava encompasses the time period prior to the beginning of the Avatar Cycle around 9,829 BG, when Wan became the first Avatar. During the Harmonic Convergence in 9,829 BG, Raava permanently merged her essence with Wan's, creating The Avatar Spirit. Destined to be merged with a different human spirit every life time and reincarnate as the Avatar, creating the Avatar cycle according to the order of seasons; Summer (Fire), Fall (Air), Winter (Water), Spring (Earth). After her demise in 171 AG, Raava lost her connection to Wan and all the Avatars after him, but was able to merge again with Korra, restoring the Avatar spirit.
* (voiced by Jason Marsden
Jason Christopher Marsden (born January 3, 1975) is an American actor, director, producer and YouTuber, who has done numerous voice roles in animated films, as well as various television series and video games. He has been the official voice of ...
) is a guardian of the Spirit Oasis that Avatar Wan first stumbled upon after his banishment into the Spirit Wilds. Though refusing to let him in at first, the Spirit developed a bond with Wan, whom he nicknamed ''Stinky'', and allowed Wan to live among them. And the Spirit taught Wan about spirits.
United Republic of Nations
The United Republic of Nations is a sovereign state founded by Avatar Aang
Avatar Aang ( zh, c=安昂, p=Ān Áng) is the title character and protagonist of Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' (created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko), voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen. Aang ...
and Fire Lord Zuko
Prince (later Fire Lord) Zuko (), also known as the Blue Spirit, is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender''. Created by Eric Coleman and designed by series creators Michael Dante DiMartino ...
after the events of the original series as a haven for immigrants from all four nations. Its capital is the 1920s-inspired metropolis, Republic City.
Transcript
) Its inhabitants were designed to reflect the multiculturalism of the city, such as firebender Mako and earthbender Bolin, brothers whose late mother and father hailed from the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom respectively.[
''The Legend of Korra''
* (voiced by ]Spencer Garrett
Spencer Garrett (born September 19, 1963) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the films ''Air Force One'' (1997), '' 21'' (2008), '' Public Enemies'' (2009), ''All the Way'' (2016), and '' The Front Runner'' (2018).
He is the ...
) is a nonbender native to Republic City and the first democratically elected president of the United Republic of Nations. Raiko was elected by the nonbending majority after dissolution of the United Republic Council as a result of the Equalists movement in season 1.[ According to comics, events in seasons 3 and 4 diminished his popularity and was succeeded by Zhu Li.
* (voiced by ]John Michael Higgins
John Michael Higgins (born February 12, 1963) is an American actor and comedian whose film credits include Christopher Guest's mockumentaries, the role of David Letterman in HBO's '' The Late Shift'', and a starring role in the American versio ...
) is an eccentric and charismatic nonbending billionaire shipping magnate. Born in the Southern Water Tribe to a poor seal-hunter, Varrick built Varrick Global Industries from a single canoe into a global enterprise, and is always looking for ways to expand his business empire. Varrick enjoys gallivanting across the globe on his enormous yacht and flaunting his extravagant lifestyle, at the expense of his assistant, Zhu Li.
:Varrick was introduced in the second season as a comedic character who represented the prosperity of the Southern Water Tribe.[ He masterminded a civil war between the Northern and Southern Water Tribes,] but his attempt to draw the United Republic into the war led to his arrest. Varrick managed to escape from prison during Unalaq's attack on Republic City at the end of season 2. In the season 3 episode "The Metal Clan", it is revealed that he had settled down in Zaofu as the head of the city's technology division. In season 4, Varrick joined Kuvira on her quest to reunite the Earth Kingdom. Unwilling to weaponize spirit energy for her,[ Varrick eventually deserted her army and helped Team Avatar to stop her from conquering Republic City. After Kuvira was defeated, Varrick and Zhu Li get married in the series finale "The Last Stand".][
:Varrick was well-received, with critics praising the character's charisma][ and Higgins' voice acting.] Ed Liu of ''ToonZone News'' wrote that Varrick "may be the ''Avatar'' franchise's most fascinatingly ambiguous character yet...The audience is kept as baffled and off-guard by Varrick as the characters on the show". Liu noted that the character had hidden depth despite " eeminglike an oddball combination of Howard Hughes
Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in th ...
, Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur, industrial designer, media proprietor, and investor. He was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple; the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar; a ...
, and Andy Kaufman
Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman ( ; January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984) was an American entertainer and performance artist. While often called a "comedian", Kaufman preferred to describe himself instead as a "song and dance man". He has sometimes b ...
, and his flamboyant animation is matched by John Michael Higgins' enormously entertaining vocal performance." Zach Blumenfeld of '' Paste'' magazine ranked Varrick as the eighth best character from the ''Avatar'' franchise, writing:
:Varrick is voiced by John Michael Higgins
John Michael Higgins (born February 12, 1963) is an American actor and comedian whose film credits include Christopher Guest's mockumentaries, the role of David Letterman in HBO's '' The Late Shift'', and a starring role in the American versio ...
who described the character as "part Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...
, part Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventio ...
, part Bozo the Clown
Bozo the Clown, sometimes billed as "Bozo, The World's Most Famous Clown", is a clown character created for children's entertainment, widely popular in the second half of the 20th century. He was introduced in the United States in 1946, and to te ...
."
* (voiced by Stephanie Sheh
Stephanie Sheh is an American voice actress, ADR director, writer and producer who has worked for several major companies, including Cartoon Network and Sony. She is often involved with work in English dubs of anime, cartoons, video games and fi ...
) is a nonbender native to Republic City. Initially introduced as a minor character who was Varrick's highly competent personal assistant that served as comedic relief, Zhu Li's narrative role is greatly expanded in season 4 when she seemingly betrays Varrick to work for Kuvira
, also known as The Great Uniter and later Kuvira Beifong, is a fictional major character in the 2014 third and fourth seasons of the Nickelodeon animated television series ''The Legend of Korra'', created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Ko ...
as a ploy to sabotage Kuvira's weapon. In the season 4 episode "Kuvira's Gambit", Zhu Li finally stands up for herself and demands to be treated as Varrick's equal, after years of being unappreciated by him. Varrick and Zhu Li subsequently marry in the series finale "The Last Stand",[ and she is elected as the new President of the United Republic of Nations, succeeding President Raiko.]['']The Legend Of Korra - Ruins Of The Empire
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'': Part One
* (voiced by Dante Basco
Dante R. Basco (born August 29, 1975) is an American film, television and voice actor. He is best known for his role as Rufio, the leader of the Lost Boys in Steven Spielberg's ''Hook'', and Julian Lee in '' Fakin' da Funk'', and for his many vo ...
) is the youngest general in United Forces history and the commander of the navy's First Division. He is the son of Fire Lord Izumi, the grandson of Lord Zuko, and named after his grandfather's uncle, Iroh
Uncle Iroh (), also referred to as General Iroh and credited simply as Uncle, is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender''. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the charact ...
. A firebending master and skilled military leader, Iroh played a crucial role in the battle for Republic City in season 1, in which he fought on despite losing his fleet.
* (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker
Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of Baker's work features vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', ''Codename: Kids Next Door'', ...
and by Nicholas Braico and Zach Callison
Zachry Dean Callison (born October 23, 1997) is an American actor and singer. He is primarily known as the titular voice of Cartoon Network's ''Steven Universe'', and its follow-ups '' Steven Universe: The Movie'' and ''Steven Universe Future''.
...
when young) was the representative for the Northern Water Tribe on the United Republic Council and also served as its chairman. He is the son of Yakone, a crime boss in Aang's time who was also a bloodbender who after escaping to the north and making a family, his wife gave birth to him and Amon who was born as Noatak, after learning that they can waterbend, he becomes consumed by revenge and trains them to bloodbend while they were hesitant, with Tarrlok in particular hating it. The adult Tarrlok became a politician and member of the United Republic Council to get revenge for his father but eventually saw the error of his ways after Amon took his bending. At the end of the season 1 finale, Tarrlok kills himself and his brother Amon by blowing up their speedboat with an Equalist glove to atone for their past mistakes and end Yakone's legacy once and for all.
* (voiced by Rami Malek
Rami Said Malek (; , ; born May 12, 1981) is an American actor. He is known for portraying computer hacker Elliot Alderson in the USA Network television series ''Mr. Robot'' (2015–2019), for which he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outs ...
) is a minor antagonist in season 1. He is a waterbender and the captain of the Wolf-bats, the rival championship probending team to Korra, Mako and Bolin's Fire Ferrets. Tahno is a ruthless probender whose bending was later removed by Amon. He makes a cameo in the series finale.
:Co-creator Bryan Konietzko drew the first concept art for Tahno in 2010. Supervising producer Ki-Hyun Ryu then designed the character based on Konietzko's initial concept, with Konietzko adding minor tweaks to the final design. Tahno's character was largely inspired by Japanese kickboxer
Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...
Kizaemon Saiga, who is known for his "ridiculously over the top" antics.
* (voiced by Jeff Bennett
Jeffrey Glenn Bennett (born October 2, 1962) is an American voice actor who voiced Johnny Bravo in the Johnny Bravo, eponymous television series, Dexter's Dad in ''Dexter's Laboratory'', Brooklyn in ''Gargoyles (TV series), Gargoyles'' and List o ...
) is the fast-talking probending match announcer in season 1. He also does the voice-over
Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-Diegetic#Film sound and music, diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, th ...
s for the short recaps during the opening sequence of each episode.[
]
Earth Kingdom
''Avatar: The Last Airbender''
* (voiced by Phil LaMarr
Phillip LaMarr (born January 24, 1967) is an American actor, comedian and screenwriter. LaMarr was one of the original featured cast members on the sketch comedy television series ''Mad TV''. His voice acting roles in animated series include Jo ...
), the 52nd ''Hou-Ting Dynasty''-monarch of the Earth Kingdom. In his first appearance, he is shown to have been tricked by his chancellor, who kept the war with the Fire Nation a secret from him. Upon learning of the war, the king joined forces with the Avatar and arrested his chancellor. Afterwards, he left to travel the world with his pet bear Bosco (which happens to be the only non-hybridized real animal in the series) before resuming the throne sometime after the series ended. In ''The Legend of Korra
''The Legend of Korra'' (abbreviated as TLOK), also known as ''Avatar: The Legend of Korra'' or simply ''Korra'', is an American anime-influenced animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelode ...
'', Kuei ceded the land that the United Republic was built on.
* (voiced by Michael Dow) is an Earthbender that Sokka, Aang, and Katara meet in Book One, and whom they assist freeing his father and other Earthbenders from the Fire Nation. In Book Three, he reappears in an invasion of the Fire Nation alongside other characters. After the invasion fails, Haru leaves with Aang and his group for the Western Air Temple, but is separated from them during Azula's attack. He is reunited with his father at the end of the finale.
* (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...
) is an Earthbender and the father of Haru. In Book One, he and many other Earthbenders escape from a Fire Nation prison thanks to his son along with Katara, Aang and Sokka. In Book Three, he later joins the invasion of the Fire Nation with his son, but is captured after the invasion fails. He is seen with Haru at the end of the finale.
* (voiced by René Auberjonois
René Murat Auberjonois (; June 1, 1940 – December 8, 2019) was an American actor and director. He was best known for portraying Odo on '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999). He first achieved fame as a stage actor, winning the Tony Aw ...
) is a brilliant and eccentric inventor in the Earth Kingdom, who led his people to take up residence in the abandoned Northern Air Temple when their village was destroyed by a flood. Unfortunately, his abilities come to the attention of the Fire Nation and he is coerced into developing a number of machines, redeeming himself after he breaks the arrangement and helps Aang repel the Fire Nation when they raid the temple. Because of his scientific approach to the world, he becomes friends with Sokka, and they develop a number of devices together. He later aids the invasion on the Day of the Black Sun with numerous new inventions, including waterbending-powered submarines. When the invasion fails, he is captured and later reunited with his son Teo after the war.
* (voiced by Daniel Samonas
Daniel Nicholas Patrick Samonas (born March 7, 1990) is a Canadian American actor known best for his roles as Dean Moriarty on ''Wizards of Waverly Place'' and as Toder on '' iCarly''.
Background
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Samonas is of Greek, and ...
) is the Mechanist's son, rendered paraplegic
Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek ()
"half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neural ...
and wheelchair-bound by a flood. A kind-hearted, respectful, and honest boy, he soon becomes friends with Aang. After discovering that his father has been reluctantly creating machines for the Fire Nation, Teo aids Aang repelling Fire Nation raiders. He returns during the invasion of the Day of the Black Sun, but is forced to separate from his father when the Avatar's group is forced to surrender. He accompanies Aang to the Western Air Temple and befriends Haru and the Duke before the Avatar's group is forced to flee when Azula attacks the temple. He is reunited with his father after the war.
* are a pair of super-effective bounty hunters who travel the Earth Kingdom and were employed by Zuko in his search for Aang and later for Uncle Iroh. June (voiced by Jennifer Hale
Jennifer Hale is a Canadian-American voice actress. She is best known for her work in video game franchises such as ''Baldur's Gate'', ''Mass Effect'', ''Metal Gear Solid'', ''BioShock Infinite'', ''Metroid Prime'', ''Overwatch'', and '' Star Wa ...
) hunts her prey with the help of her mount 'Nyla', which is totally blind but possesses a heightened sense of smell. June is confident and self-assured, and possesses impressive physical strength. Nyla is a female Shirshu (an immense, musteline-like predator) who served as the mount and companion of the bounty hunter June. A characteristic of her species is that Nyla's tongue contains neurotoxins that temporarily paralyze an opponent/target. Also like other Shirshu, Nyla has no eyes and "sees" by her powerful scent receptors; a trait that backfired when it was utilized by a fleeing Sokka by tipping filled perfume-jugs into Nyla's path to confuse her.
* () (voiced by Clancy Brown
Clarence John "Clancy" Brown III (born January 5, 1959) is an American actor. Prolific in film and television since the 1980s, Brown is often cast in villainous and authoritative roles.
Brown's film roles include Viking Lofgren in ''Bad Boys'' ...
) is the intelligent Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se and chancellor to the Earth King, making him the power behind the throne, and the secondary antagonist of the second season. As leader of the Dai Li, Long Feng uses propaganda to conceal the Hundred Year War while silencing anyone who disrupts the order. Once exposed, Long Feng allies himself with Azula in a scheme to use her to pull a coup on the Earth King, only to find his men are more willing to follow Azula's commands than his.
* (Chinese: 戴笠 pinyin: dài lì) - Ba Sing Se's secret police
Secret police (or political police) are intelligence, security or police agencies that engage in covert operations against a government's political, religious, or social opponents and dissidents. Secret police organizations are characteristic of a ...
and cultural enforcers, they acted under Long Feng and then Azula. In the sequel series, the Dai Li continue as an antagonistic form against the Avatar due to being the loyal enforcers of Earth Queen Hou-Ting. It is revealed in the secret episode that the Dai Li was founded by Avatar Kyoshi.
* () (voiced by Lauren Tom
Lauren Tom (born August 4, 1961) is an American actress. Her roles include Lena St. Clair in '' The Joy Luck Club'', Julie in the NBC sitcom ''Friends'', Dot in the final season of ''Grace Under Fire'', and the voices for Amy Wong in ''Futurama'' ...
) is a woman in Ba Sing Se, who appears as the protagonists' hostess but later turns out to be one of many female agents that the Dai Li brainwash into obedient servants. Joo Dee shows little emotion at all. Despite seeming brainwashed, she understands the city's situation.
* () (voiced by Marc Graue) was a promoter and host of an earthbending prizefighting ring who later becomes a bounty hunter, hired by Toph's father to bring her home. He works with Earthbending instructor turned bounty hunter Master Yu to accomplish this. While searching for Toph, he also briefly pursues Zuko and Iroh. He succeeds in capturing Toph in a metal box, but she manages to escape by creating Metalbending and proceeds to seal him and Master Yu inside. Neither is shown again.
* () (voiced by Sab Shimono
is a Japanese-American actor. He began his career on stage on Broadway and in regional theaters, starring in musicals like ''Mame'', ''Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen'', and ''Pacific Overtures''. He has appeared in dozens of movies and television ...
) is an instructor at an Earth-bending academy, as well as Toph Beifong
Toph Beifong ( zh, c=北方拓芙, p=Běifāng Tuòfú) is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and its sequel ''The Legend of Korra'', voiced by Jessie Flower in the original series an ...
's personal Earth-bending teacher. At first, he was unaware of Toph's prowess, considering that he saw her as blind and helpless. Later he, along with Xin Fu, is contracted by Toph's father as bounty hunters to bring her home.
* (voiced by Mick Foley
Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American actor, author, retired professional wrestler, and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE under the company's Legends program, acting as a company ambassador.
Foley worked for m ...
) is an earthbender first seen as a prizefighter in Book Two; but who re-appears in Book Three during the attempt to invade the Fire Nation. He speaks of himself in the third person
Third person, or third-person, may refer to:
* Third person (grammar), a point of view (in English, ''he'', ''she'', ''it'', and ''they'')
** Illeism, the act of referring to oneself in the third person
* Third-person narrative, a perspective in p ...
and his name is thought a parody
A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...
of The Rock.
* (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...
) is an opponent of Boulder's in an Earthbending match in Book Two, and later appears with him in the invasion in Book Three. He is a tall, heavy man with 4 especially prominent teeth, and is possibly a parody of King Hippo
is a fictional boxer from Nintendo's ''Punch-Out!!'' series. King Hippo first appeared on the Nintendo Entertainment System game ''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!'', as the second competitor in the Major Circuit. Subsequent reviews have characterized K ...
of the ''Punch-Out!!'' franchise.
* (voiced by Marcella Lentz-Pope) was a girl from Ba Sing Se who developed a crush on Zuko and asked him out on a date. Like most people in the Lower Ring, Jin's parents were refugees who had moved to the city; though they struggled most of their lives, they were strong and able to provide for their family. On her date with Zuko
Prince (later Fire Lord) Zuko (), also known as the Blue Spirit, is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender''. Created by Eric Coleman and designed by series creators Michael Dante DiMartino ...
, they go to a restaurant where she attempts to make conversation, and Zuko creates a story about his life in response. They later go to the town square to sit by the lit up fountain, but to Jin's disappointment, the lanterns are not lit. Zuko orders she close her eyes and lights the lanterns. When she opens them, she is pleasantly surprised. She attempts to kiss him, but Zuko pulls away. She then reattempts the kiss, and Zuko returns it. He then runs off. She makes a brief cameo during episode one of book 3, and is never seen again.
* (voiced by Tsai Chin Tsai Chin may refer to:
* Tsai Chin (actress) (born 1933), actress from Shanghai, also known as Irene Chow
* Tsai Chin (singer) (born 1957), Taiwanese singer
{{Hndis ...
) was an elderly citizen of Makapu Village who worked as a fortuneteller. The people of Makapu were so confident in her abilities that they abandoned going up the nearby volcano's crater to check if it would erupt, instead relying on Aunt Wu's predictions. Well-regarded for her free and accurate readings, every prediction she made was taken as gospel by the village at large, as well as Aang and Katara. Her methods of divination ran from palmistry to oracle bones and cloud reading. She was helped in her hut by her assistant, Meng. Though Sokka was heavily skeptical of her ''fortunetelling'', he indirectly helped her prediction become a reality, such as when he helped convince Wu of her false prediction when Aang redirected the clouds to alert the town to a volcanic eruption, which happened at that instant. Aang prevented the lava from destroying the town by redirecting the flow, cementing Wu's prediction as a reality, as her exact words were: ''The Town will NOT be destroyed by the volcano this year.''
* The (voiced by James Sie
James Sie is an American actor and author. He was the voice of an animated Jackie Chan and several other characters in ''Jackie Chan Adventures'', Master Monkey in '' Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness'', taking over for Chan, and Eddy Raja ...
) is a character (never directly given a name) that appears occasionally throughout Book One and Book Two, used mainly for comic relief. The cabbage merchant was an Earth Kingdom salesman who repeatedly had his cabbages destroyed or damaged. His only speaking parts throughout the original series is to shout his catchphrase "My cabbages!": provoked first by the Earth kingdom city of Omashu's import control earthbenders; secondly by Aang and the Omashu mail delivery service; and again by Aang chased by pirates. In Book Two, his cabbages are spoilt by a 'platypus-bear' at the Ba Sing Se ferry boat center and again by Aang when the latter relocates a zoo. In Book Three, "a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage", though never seen, supplies the story of a theatrical play mimicking, and in some scenes mocking, the protagonists' adventures. In the sequel series, another man named Lau Gan-Lan (also voiced by James Sie) runs a company named Cabbage Corp, founded by the Cabbage Merchant; '' Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Rift'' reveals that he became interested in machinery shortly after opening a cabbage-themed restaurant.
* are revealed to be the original Earth-benders. They are giant wild creatures that burrow tunnels using Earth-bending. It is unknown exactly how many of them are there, though 2 Badger-Moles have made recurring appearances throughout the series. They found a helpless young blind Toph crying and wandering the caves one night. Though they are aggressive wild creatures, they felt an immediate bond towards Toph because of their shared disability with her, and they immediately took her under their tutelage and taught her how to use Earth-bending as a means of sight.
* are the first humans to be taught earth-bending by the Badgermoles. The lovers created a maze of tunnels underneath the mountains that divided their feuding villages, in order to secretly meet up. Shu was killed in the war between their villages, and from her grief, Oma displayed her potent earth-bending powers, but instead of destroying the two villages, she declared the war between them over and together they build a city where they could coexist. The city was named Omashu.
* - Earthbenders who specialize in bending sand. They are indigenous to the Si Wong Desert within the Earth Kingdom. They are divided into separate tribes. Team Avatar utilized one of their ''sandsailers'' (a raft built for sailing on sand) while they were stranded in the desert (Toph discovered it by accident), while searching for Appa, who was stolen by Sandbenders.
* - The country-like folk of the foggy swamp, Tho, Due, and Huu being among their noted members. They use Waterbending to control the moisture in plants to control them in the swamp. The tribe also uses Waterbending to propel their wooden boats to catch food as demonstrated in season 2 when they capture Appa. They first appear in season two as hunters, and later in season three to help with the invasion of the Fire Nation. They are imprisoned when the invasion fails but are released in the finale.
''The Legend of Korra''
*
:General Kuvira () (voiced by Zelda Williams
Zelda Rae Williams (born July 31, 1989) is an American actress, director, producer, and writer. She is the daughter of actor and comedian Robin Williams and film producer and philanthropist Marsha Garces Williams. As a voice actress, she is bes ...
) is a master metalbender and the main villain of season 4. An orphan taken into the Metal Clan by Suyin Beifong (at the age of 8) the prodigal bender served as the captain of Zaofu's guard. Following the chaos in the Earth Kingdom after the Earth Queen's assassination, Kuvira earned the trust of the world leaders by stabilizing Ba Sing Se and was appointed as the nation's provisional leader. She subsequently set out to forcefully reunite the rest of the fractured kingdom with her army, denouncing the authority of Prince Wu in favor of an "Earth Empire" under her dictatorship, earning her the title of the "Great Uniter". Her reign came to an end, however, after she was defeated in Republic City and imprisoned. She was also engaged to Baatar Jr., who left Zaofu with her to support her ideals, though ended their relationship when she was willing to sacrifice him to have a chance to end Avatar Korra's life. In ''Ruins of the Empire'', Kuvira was temporarily released into the Avatar's custody and brought a permanent end to the empire she had created by forcing Commander Guan to surrender. In light of her actions and her remorse, Kuvira was sentenced to house arrest at the Beifong estate in Zaofu like her ex-fiancé and welcomed back into the Beifong Family.
:Kuvira was received well, with reviewers describing her as a sympathetic villain[ with noble but extremely misguided intentions.][ ''The Artifice'' wrote of Kuvira's motivations: "Kuvira may appear to be a cool and calculating villain on the outside, but much like Princess ]Azula
Princess Azula () is a fictional Character (arts), character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, and voiced by Grey DeLisle.
In the show, Azula is the ...
of ''Avatar: The Last Airbender
''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' (abbreviated as ''ATLA''), also known as ''Avatar: The Legend of Aang'' in some regions or simply ''Avatar'', is an American anime-influenced animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and ...
'', there exists deep resentment and anger beneath that facade. In the series finale, Kuvira reveals the unlikely connection between her desire for world conquest and her personal background. The now-scattered Earth Kingdom is a painful reminder of her rootlessness as an orphan, feeling unwanted and having to construct and carve out her identity all on her own."[
:Said DiMartino on the conception of Kuvira, "For our fourth and final antagonist, we were looking to have a female character who was physically similar to Korra. We wanted our hero to have to face the shadow version of herself—a woman who was fierce, uncompromising, and a bending heavyweight, Kuvira brought a lot of new story and character possibilities to the table, and I really enjoyed writing the female hero/villain dynamic."] DiMartino and Konietzko "took some pages out of history" in crafting Kuvira's villain arc, with DiMartino explaining that, "a lot of ictatorshipswould begin in the way we have Kuvira's story, where they were given power during a time of chaotic disruption, and it was a temporary power." Konietzko added that, "A dictator came from a temporary "okay, you can do whatever you want," because it's such an emergency, and then you're supposed to give it back. Historically, they rarely did that."
:The character was designed by Konietzko and Ki-Hyun Ryu. Konietzko noted that " ehad been wanting to do a military dictator as a villain for a long time, so it was fun to finally play around with what the uniform motifs would be." When designing Kuvira, Konietzko intentionally gave her a "somewhat similar vibe" to Korra, just a bit more intense." To incorporate Kuvira's metal armor in battle, the designers gave her thin strips of metal stacked on her back and upper arms that Kuvira could bend.[
* (voiced by Jayne Taini) was the 53rd monarch of the Earth Kingdom and daughter of Earth King Kuei. Hou-Ting was a tyrannical ruler who oppressed her citizens and used the Dai Li secret police to eliminate dissidents. In an effort to capitalize on the changes brought on by Harmonic Convergence, Hou-Ting ordered the capture of Ba Sing Se's new airbenders and conscripted them into her army. She was assassinated by ]Zaheer
Zaheer is a character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''The Legend of Korra'' (a sequel to ''Avatar: The Last Airbender''). He serves as the main antagonist of '' Book Three: Change'', and his actions have lingering effects on Ava ...
during the insurrection of the Red Lotus in the season 3 episode "Long Live the Queen", resulting in the collapse of the Earth Kingdom.
* was the head of the Earth Empire's southern forces during the rule of Kuvira, and led an armed holdout following the latter's surrender. A cunning strategist, Guan conspired to restore Earth Empire influence by entering the Gaoling Election of 174 AG according to comics.
* (voiced by Sunil Malhotra) is a great-nephew of the late Earth Queen Hou-Ting and great-grandson of Earth King Kuei. Following the death of his Great Aunt at the hands of Zaheer
Zaheer is a character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''The Legend of Korra'' (a sequel to ''Avatar: The Last Airbender''). He serves as the main antagonist of '' Book Three: Change'', and his actions have lingering effects on Ava ...
in season 3, Prince Wu was next in line to the throne. Due to political instability, his coronation
A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...
was postponed and he was forced to seek refuge in Republic City. In the season 4 episode "The Coronation", Wu was crowned King of the Earth Kingdom. However, his succession was denounced upon Kuvira's declaration as ''de facto'' leader of the newly established "Earth Empire", an action that was met with much delight from not just Kuvira's followers but also many of Wu's subjects. After Kuvira's defeat, Wu announced that he was abolishing the monarchy in favor of sovereign state
A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a polity, political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defin ...
s with democratically elected leaders.
:On Prince Wu's character, DiMartino said, "Despite Prince Wu's obnoxiousness and arrogance, he's a good guy underneath. We wrote him to be goofy and to annoy Mako, but when he has his breakdown on the fake throne in the restaurant in episode three, he showed his vulnerable side, and his character gained some more depth. It's always fun to write for characters like this, who don't have any social filters and say and do whatever they like."[ Prince Wu was designed by character designer Christie Tseng and Konietzko. The character's design went through a lot of versions during the concept stage. According to Konietzko, Wu seemed "too cool" in most of them, while Konietzko wanted him to be "more feeble, with less of a chiseled jawline." On Wu's final design, Konietzko noted he was "particularly happy with his fabulously coifed bangs."][
]
Fire Nation
''Avatar: The Last Airbender''
* (voiced by Mark Hamill
Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' film series, beginning with the original 1977 film and subsequently winning three Saturn Awards f ...
in the animated series, portrayed by Cliff Curtis
Clifford Vivian Devon Curtis (born 27 July 1968) is a New Zealand actor. His film credits include ''Once Were Warriors'' (1994), ''Three Kings'' (1999), ''Training Day'' (2001), ''Whale Rider'' (2002), ''Collateral Damage'' (2002), ''Sunshine'' ...
in the live-action film, and portrayed by Daniel Dae Kim
Daniel Dae Kim (born Kim Dae-hyun ( ko, 김대현); August 4, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jin-Soo Kwon in ''Lost'', Chin Ho Kelly in ''Hawaii Five-0'', Gavin Park in ''Angel'', and Johnny Gat in the ''Saints Row'' ...
in the upcoming live-action Netflix adaptation) was the ruler of the Fire Nation and the main antagonist of the series. He is often depicted as unnecessarily cruel and callous as well as hot-tempered, such as when he is seen scarring Zuko's face and banishing him for perceived disrespect during a flashback in The Storm. Ozai shows Azula favor, but only due to her skill as a prodigy and being an embodiment of his ideals rather than any genuine love. Having welcomed his son home after Azula lied to him that Zuko killed Aang, Ozai is furious to learn of the Avatar's survival. When Sozin's Comet draws near, Ozai renames himself 'Phoenix King' and embarks to destroy the Earth Kingdom, entrusting an unstable Azula with their homeland. Defeated by Aang, Ozai is stripped of his ability to firebend and imprisoned.
* (voiced by Ron Perlman
Ronald Perlman (born April 13, 1950) is an American actor. His credits include the roles of Amoukar in ''Quest for Fire'' (1981), Salvatore in ''The Name of the Rose'' (1986), Vincent in the television series ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1987–199 ...
as an old man and Lex Lang
Lex Lang (born November 12, 1965) is an American voice actor and voice director, who has provided voices and served as a director for a number of animations and video games. He is best known for voicing Doctor Neo Cortex in the ''Crash Bandicoo ...
as a young man) was the Fire Lord who started the war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
with the other nations, and the great-grandfather of Zuko and Azula. In a flashback, it is shown that he was once friends with Avatar Roku, who happened to share a birthday with him, but disobeyed his edict against war and later permitted his death. With the Avatar no longer there to maintain balance, Sozin wiped out the Air Nomads using the power of a nearby comet
A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ar ...
, renamed Sozin's Comet in his honour. It is hinted that, in his last moments before death
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
, Sozin regretted his actions.
* (voiced by Cricket Leigh) is an impassive, bored, stoic young noblewoman who, along with Ty Lee, is a friend and accomplice of Azula. She is the elder child of Ukano, the Governor of New Ozai (previously Omashu, and renamed New Ozai). Her primary weapons are throwing knives, darts, and shuriken
A ''shuriken'' ( ja, 手裏剣; literally: "hidden hand blade") is a Japanese concealed weapon that was used as a hidden dagger or metsubushi to distract or misdirect.
They are also known as throwing stars, or ninja stars, although they were ...
concealed in her clothing, all of which she can throw with lethal accuracy. Mai eventually becomes Zuko's girlfriend, although he leaves her to join Aang and Team Avatar. She later visits him when he is incarcerated in Boiling Rock prison; upon his escape, Mai shocks everyone by holding off the guards and dueling Azula herself, explaining that her love for Zuko is stronger than her fear of Azula. She is released after Azula's defeat, and reunites with Zuko. However, in '' Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise'', she breaks up with Zuko after learning that he has been visiting his imprisoned father without telling her. She later was involved in '' Avatar: The Last Airbender - Smoke and Shadow'', in which she joins forces with Zuko and Aang to deal with the threat of the Kemurikage Spirits and reactionary New Ozai Society led by her estranged father.
* (voiced by Olivia Hack Olivia may refer to:
People
* Olivia (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Olivia (singer) (Olivia Longott, born 1981), American singer
* Olívia (basketball) (Carlos Henrique Rodrigues do Nascimento, born 1974 ...
) is cheerful, energetic, and somewhat of a valley girl
A valley girl is a socioeconomic, linguistic, and youth subcultural stereotype and stock character originating during the 1980s: any materialistic upper-middle-class young woman, associated with unique vocal and California dialect features, fr ...
who, along with Mai, accompanies her childhood friend Azula on her quest. She is one of seven sisters and joined the circus at an early age to appear "different from a matching set". She is a peerless acrobat and can paralyze people or temporarily neutralize their bending powers by striking
Strike may refer to:
People
*Strike (surname)
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
*Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
pressure point
derive from the supposed meridian points in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Indian Ayurveda and Siddha medicine, and martial arts. They refer to areas on the human body that may produce significant pain or other effects when manipulated in a specific ...
s in a similar fashion to the martial art style of Dim Mak
The touch of death (or death-point striking) refers to any martial arts technique reputed to kill using seemingly less than lethal force targeted at specific areas of the body.
The concept known as ''dim mak'' (), alternatively ' () traces its ...
. In Book Three, she was temporarily imprisoned after she supported Mai and Zuko against Azula, and released when the Fire Lord was defeated. She later joined the Kyoshi Warriors (contradictory to her earlier statement of not wanting to be part of a matching set), whom she had earlier impersonated in Book Two
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arra ...
. Ty Lee's chi-blocking techniques were used for nefarious purposes in the sequel series, although it is not clear if there is a direct connection.
* (formerly Commander Zhao; ; voiced by Jason Isaacs
Jason Isaacs (born 6 June 1963) is an English actor.
Isaac's film roles include Col. Tavington in '' The Patriot'' (2000), Michael D. Steele in '' Black Hawk Down'' (2001), Lucius Malfoy in the ''Harry Potter'' film series (2002–2011), C ...
in the animated series, portrayed by Aasif Mandvi
Aasif Hakim Mandviwala (born March 5, 1966), known professionally as Aasif Mandvi (, ), is a British-American actor, comedian and author. He was a correspondent on ''The Daily Show'' from 2006 to 2017. Mandvi's other television work includes the ...
in the live-action film, and portrayed by Ken Leung
Kenneth Leung (; born January 21, 1970) is an American actor. His roles include Sang in '' Rush Hour'', Miles Straume in '' Lost'', Admiral Statura in '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', and Eric Tao in HBO's ''Industry''.
Early life
Leung was ...
in the upcoming live-action Netflix adaptation) is a hot-tempered Fire Nation admiral in pursuit of the Avatar, Zuko's first rival and the secondary antagonist of the first season
''The First Season'' is a Canadian drama film, released in 1989. The film stars Kate Trotter as Alex Cauldwell, a woman in British Columbia who, following the death of her fisherman husband Frank (Dwight Koss), tries to support herself and her dau ...
. The rivalry is shown throughout various episodes, including an Agni Kai in the episode ''The Southern Air Temple
''Book One: Water'' is the first season of ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', an American animated television series produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the first season premiered on Ni ...
'', various banters involving mass gloating, and even attempting to kill off Zuko in ''The Waterbending Master
''Book One: Water'' is the first season of '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'', an American animated television series produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the first season premiered on Nic ...
'' in retaliation for interference in his capture of Aang in ''The Blue Spirit
''Book One: Water'' is the first season of ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', an American List of animated television series, animated television series produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko ...
''. He also plans to kill the world's 'Moon Spirit' and thus destroy the waterbending capability of the Northern Water Tribe, in which he fails when Princess Yue becomes the new Moon Spirit to replace the original. Zhao is then dragged underwater to his demise by the vengeful Ocean Spirit. Despite Zhao's demise, he is mentioned in the second season when Wan Shi Tong tells Aang, Katara and Sokka how Zhao tried to read about the moon and ocean spirits so he could defeat the Water Tribes and the third season when Aang tells Katara and Sokka that Zuko rescued him from Zhao in ''The Blue Spirit
''Book One: Water'' is the first season of ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', an American List of animated television series, animated television series produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko ...
'' while they are considering whether or not to allow Zuko to join their team. In the second season of the sequel series ''The Legend of Korra
''The Legend of Korra'' (abbreviated as TLOK), also known as ''Avatar: The Legend of Korra'' or simply ''Korra'', is an American anime-influenced animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelode ...
'', it is revealed that Zhao's spirit was placed in the Fog of Lost Souls, where he became a victim of madness by the time he is encountered by Aang's children, mistaking Tenzin for his father.
* (voiced by Jen Cohn) is the mother of Zuko and Azula and the former wife of Fire Lord Ozai, later revealed to be the granddaughter of Avatar Roku. While she made few appearances in the series, Ursa's story is expanded in the sequel comics. As revealed in '' Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Search'', Ursa was in love with an actor named Ikem before she is forced to end their relationship while betrothed to Ozai. Though told that she is to abandon her old life, expecting Ozai to have been intercepting her mail, Ursa secretly wrote letters that included a false letter claiming Zuko was Ikem's child. The false letter caused the rift between Ozai and Zuko, the former claiming to have arranged Ikem's death after the actor mysteriously vanished. When Ursa learned that Ozai was ordered by his father to kill Zuko, she becomes a means for Ozai to have his father murdered before banishing her in exchange for Zuko's life. As revealed in ''The Search'', to forget her time with Ozai and ensure her children's protection, Ursa had the spirit known as the Mother of Faces change her face and alter her memories. Now going by name of Noriko, Ursa married Ikem, who also had his face changed with the name of Noren, and they have a daughter named Kiyi. Zuko finds her years later and despite Azula's attempt on her life, Ursa is welcomed back into her son's life as she is restored to her original self.
* (voiced by Walker Edmiston
Walker Edmiston (February 6, 1926 – February 15, 2007) was an American radio, television and voice actor.
Early years
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Edmiston participated in local theater productions during his high school years. He later stud ...
) was Sozin's son and Ozai & Iroh's father, and thus Zuko, Azula & Lu Ten's paternal grandfather. He was killed by Ozai in an attempt to revoke Iroh's birthright (as a first-born) after he believed Iroh to be unsuitable for the position considering he lost his son Lu Ten and has no heirs apparent. Upon hearing his conditions for the revoking of the birthright (a son for a son), Princess Ursa interfered and voluntarily poisoned him and offered herself for banishment in order to protect her son Zuko. It was revealed that his granddaughter Azula, and the Gates of the Fire Nation's harbor were named after him. During a flashback of his funeral service, it was mentioned that he was a widower as his wife Ilah (never seen in the series) died before him.
* (voiced by Mae Whitman
Mae Margaret Whitman (born June 9, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She began acting in commercials as a child, making her film debut at the age of six in the romantic drama '' When a Man Loves a Woman'' (1994). She achieved recognition as ...
when young) (deceased 5 years before the events of the main storyline) was the only son, and heir apparent of General Iroh, thus Azula and Zuko's cousin. His death at the Siege of Ba Sing Se, lead to Ozai's decision to usurp Iroh as heir to the throne of the Fire Nation. Iroh was shown still mourning his death in the season 2 episode ''Tales of Ba Sing Se'' short entitled ''The Tale of Iroh''.
* are a group of elite Fire Nation religious guardians of the Avatar monuments. They are the founders of the Fire Nation, and the leader of the Sages was known as a ''Fire Lord''. However, over the years, the Fire Nation became a monarchy and the title of Fire Lord was reserved for the head of state, thus the beginning of the Fire Nation Royal bloodline. The Sages distanced themselves from the Royal family and began serving the Avatar, but over the hundred years, some of them have soured towards the Avatar for abandoning them and thus started serving the Fire Nation Royal Family again. They alerted Fire Lord Ozai to Avatar Aang's existence when Aang entered the Avatar-state for the first time. The Sages are also the de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
religious authority for the Fire Nation's Royal wedding-, funeral- and coronation ceremonies, as well as identifying the newest Avatar born from the Fire Nation.
* are two colossal red & blue dragons known as the Fire Bending Masters, and they are the last-known live-dragons at the time. As dragons, they are the source of all fire-bending. Iroh faced their judgement and received their teaching and in return, he kept their existence secret from everyone, even going so far as to lie about killing them and adopting the title "Dragon of The West". Both Zuko and Aang faced their judgement and received their teachings.
* are the ancient civilization that the Fire Nation descended from that first discovered fire-bending. They are thought to have died out thousands of years before the main events of the series, though they live in secrecy and as protectors of the Fire-bending Masters Ran and Shaw.
* , previously Sparky Sparky Boom Man (real name unknown, though it is implied that Zuko knows his name), is an assassin hired by Prince Zuko to kill Aang and the secondary antagonist of the third season. His chief weapon is a unique method of Firebending allowing him to generate explosions from a third eye
The third eye (also called the mind's eye or inner eye) is a mystical invisible eye, usually depicted as located on the forehead, which provides perception beyond ordinary sight. In Hinduism, the third eye refers to the ajna (or brow) chakra. In ...
painted on his forehead, whereby he terrorizes the Avatar and his friends. He has no speaking parts and shows no mannerism except those suggesting a fierce attachment to his purpose. It is unknown if there is any connection between him and the ''Korra'' character P'Li, who demonstrated similar abilities.
* (formerly Colonel Shinu; ; voiced by Nick Jameson
Nicholas Jameson (born December 5, 1950) is an American actor, musician and producer, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Russian president Yuri Suvarov over three seasons on the show '' 24''. He currently resides in Reykjavík doing live co ...
) first appeared as the officer commanding the Yuyan Archers, an elite archer squad. He was later promoted to General, and reported at the Fire Lord's war meeting the day before the eclipse.
* are an acting troupe that mimicked the protagonists' adventures thanks to the Merchant of Cabbage documenting the group's adventures. Though not known for their acting, they do put a lot of effort in their productions. Several of the series' main characters are portrayed by the actors in the play including: Katara, Sokka
Sokka is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and its sequel series ''The Legend of Korra''. The character, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, is voiced by Jack De ...
, Aang
Avatar Aang ( zh, c=安昂, p=Ān Áng) is the title character and protagonist of Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' (created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko), voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen. Aang ...
, Zuko
Prince (later Fire Lord) Zuko (), also known as the Blue Spirit, is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender''. Created by Eric Coleman and designed by series creators Michael Dante DiMartino ...
, Iroh
Uncle Iroh (), also referred to as General Iroh and credited simply as Uncle, is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender''. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the charact ...
, Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors, Jet, King Bumi, Pirates, Blue Spirit (though portrayed as if it was not Zuko's alter ego while Zuko is portrayed as Aang's captor instead of Zhao), La (in Avatar-monster form), Zhao, Yue, Azula, Fire Lord Ozai
This is a list of significant characters from the Nickelodeon animated television programs ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', its sequel ''The Legend of Korra'', co-created by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, and its live-action remakes ...
, Ty Lee and Mai, The Dai Li and Earth King Kuei Hou-Ting. During the intermission the real Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Suki and Zuko aired their grievances about their portrayals. With the group complaining about Aang's portrayal by a woman, Actor Sokka's unfunny food jokes, Actress Katara being a ''preachy cry-baby obsessed with hope'' and Zuko's past mistakes being shoved in his face.
* is the daughter of Princess Ursa and Noren/Ikem and Fire Lord Zuko and Princess Azula's half-sister. Having been born after her mother left the Fire Nation Royal Court and assumed a new face and identity, Kiyi possessed no knowledge of her Royal connections or half-siblings and was raised simply until she encountered her maternal half-brother and sister in their search for Ursa. Despite not originally knowing that they shared the same mother, Kiyi quickly gained a close bond with Zuko and readily accepted him as her brother, who she greatly idolized, although she had great trouble adjusting to her mother's new face. Kiyi was later kidnapped by the 'Kemurikage', who were in fact being led by a fugitive Azula, but was later rescued by her brother, Aang, Mai, Kei Lo and Ukano after subsequently unlocking her firebending abilities and accepted her mother's new features.
''The Legend of Korra''
* (voiced by April Stewart
April Stewart (born April 1, 1969) is an American voice actress.
Career
Stewart is best known for providing the voices of several female characters in the animated comedy series ''South Park'' alongside fellow voice actress Mona Marshall. She i ...
) is Zuko's daughter and only child, and the mother of his grandson Iroh, a general in the United Forces. She is the current Fire Lord in ''Legend of Korra'', as Zuko abdicated his title to her and she sees the safety of her people as her main priority. She is first seen during Prince Wu's coronation ceremony. She is later seen again discussing actions against Kuvira's Empire, refusing to let her Nation get involved in another war under the claim that the Fire Nation had spent to much of its time (the reigns of her grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather) fighting the other nations, but agreeing to aid when needed in defending the city.
Water Tribe
''Avatar: The Last Airbender''
* Chief Hakoda (voiced by André Sogliuzzo
André Sogliuzzo (born August 10, 1966) is an American voice actor. His voice-work includes several animated series, including ''American Dad!'', ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', ''Harvey Beaks'', ''Jackie Chan Adventures'' and '' Star Wars: Clone ...
) is Katara and Sokka's father and the leader of the Southern Water Tribe. Much of Sokka's ingenuity in the show is attributed to Hakoda's teachings. Hakoda went to fight the Fire Nation before the beginning of the series, reappearing later to lead his son's invasion in Book Three.
* () (voiced by Johanna Braddy
Johanna Elizabeth Braddy (born August 30, 1987) is an American actress. She played the leading role in the 2009 horror film ''The Grudge 3'', and has appeared in '' Hurt'' (2009), ''Easy A'' (2010), ''Paranormal Activity 3'' (2011), and '' The Lev ...
in the animated series, and portrayed by Seychelle Gabriel
Seychelle Suzanne Gabriel is an American actress. On television, she portrayed List of Falling Skies characters#Main characters, Lourdes Delgado in ''Falling Skies'' (2011–2014) and voiced Asami Sato in ''The Legend of Korra'' (2012–2014). Sh ...
in the live-action film) is the daughter of Chief Arnook of the Northern Water Tribe. When Yue nearly died at birth, her father pleaded the Moon Spirit to save her life. In Book One, she appears as a sixteen-year-old girl engaged to marry warrior Hahn; but becomes enamoured of Sokka. When the Moon Spirit is killed by Admiral Zhao, Yue gives up mortal existence to become the new Moon Spirit, As the Moon Spirit previously gave her life and Yue felt indebted to the Spirit. in which role she re-appears occasionally in Books Two and Three, including a brief representation in the Ember Island Players episode. The word Yue ( 月) means "moon" in Mandarin Chinese
Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language of ...
.
* (voiced by Grey DeLisle
Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress, comedian and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On Sept ...
) was Hakoda's wife and Sokka and Katara's mother. During the raids on the Southern Tribe, Kya was cornered by one of the raiders, Yon Rha. In order to protect her daughter, the actual last Southern waterbender, Kya lied and claimed she was the bender. Although she believed she would merely be captured, Yon Rha killed Kya. Kya's death has a profound effect upon her children, particularly Katara.
* (voiced by Richard McGonagle
Richard Francis McGonagle (born October 22, 1946) is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his voice work in various video games, movies and television shows. He is also known for his work by voicing Colonel Taggart in ''Prototype'', O ...
) is a friend of Hakoda. He is first seen in Book One, and later takes part in Sokka's invasion of the Fire Nation during Book Three; eventually to be imprisoned at its failure, and released in the finale.
* (voiced by Jon Polito
Jon Raymond Polito (December 29, 1950 – September 1, 2016) was an American character actor. In a film and television career spanning 35 years, he amassed over 220 credits. Notable television roles included Detective Steve Crosetti in the fi ...
) is the chief of the Northern Water Tribe in Aang's time, and father of Princess Yue. He helps to defeat the Fire Nation in their raid of the tribe at the end of Book One, but is not seen or mentioned thereafter.
* (voiced by Melendy Britt
Melendy Britt (born October 31, 1943) is an American actress who has been active in television and voice acting since the 1970s.
Career
Britt's most notable animated work is for Filmation, voicing characters such as She-Ra, and the second an ...
in the animated series, portrayed by Katharine Houghton
Katharine Houghton (born Katharine Houghton Grant; March 10, 1945) is an American actress and playwright. She portrayed Joanna "Joey" Drayton, a white woman who brings home her black fiancé to meet her parents, in the 1967 film ''Guess Who's ...
in the live-action film, and portrayed by Casey Camp-Horinek and credited as "Gran Gran" in the upcoming live-action Netflix adaptation) is Sokka and Katara's paternal grandmother, informally referred to as Gran-Gran. She encouraged them to help Aang on his journey as the Avatar.
* (voiced by Tress MacNeille
Teressa Claire MacNeille (née Payne; born June 20, 1951) is an American voice actress, whose credits include voicing Dot Warner on the animated television series ''Animaniacs'', Babs Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Chip and Gadget Hackwrench ...
) was an elderly woman living in the Fire Nation. She was an innkeeper who offered a place to stay to Team Avatar after finding them camping in the woods. She later revealed that she was, at that time, the last waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe, and a childhood friend of Kana (Katara and Sokka's grandmother) before she was taken prisoner by the Fire Nation. She managed to escape prison by developing a technique called ''Bloodbending'' (water is a prevailing substance in blood), which works in a similar fashion to Puppetry
Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. Such a perform ...
. By controlling the water within the blood of a body, she could forcefully manipulate its movements. She held a grudge against the Fire Nation soldiers who imprisoned her, and thus ''possessed'' and captured Fire Nation citizen who went near the mountain during a full moon. She tricked Katara into learning the technique so that it could be passed on to others, though Katara used it against Hama herself to stop her from controlling Aang and Sokka. The bloodbending technique was eventually deemed illegal by the time of the ''Korra'' series, though a Water Tribe criminal named Yakone managed to learn of its existence and used it to criminal ends, later training his two sons, Tarrlok and Noatak (aka Amon), in the technique as well.
''The Legend of Korra''
* (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui
Carlos Jaime Alazraqui (born July 20, 1962) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, impressionist, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Deputy James Garcia on ''Reno 911!'' and for his voice acting roles. His extensive ...
in season 1, James Remar
William James Remar (born December 31, 1953) is an American actor. He has played numerous roles over a 40 year career, most notably Ajax in '' The Warriors'' (1979), Albert Ganz in '' 48 Hrs.'' (1982), Dutch Schultz in '' The Cotton Club'' (198 ...
in seasons 2–4) is a powerful waterbender and the current Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, as well as the father of Avatar Korra. Born as the heir to the Chief of both Water Tribes, he is the older brother of Unalaq. Growing up in the Northern Water Tribe, Tonraq served as the Northern military's general in his youth. In the season 2 episode "The Southern Lights", it is revealed that Tonraq was banished and disinherited following the destruction of a sacred spiritual forest at his hands. He moved to the Southern Water Tribe, where he became the tribe's unofficial leader and married Senna, with whom he has one daughter, Korra. For many years, Tonraq lived in peace with his family, but when the tensions between the Northern and Southern Tribe escalated into a civil war, he discovered Unalaq had orchestrated his banishment. After this revelation, he led the Southern Water Tribe rebels against his younger brother and the Northern army. After Unalaq's death in the season 2 finale "Light in The Dark", the South gained independence from the North and the Council of Elders officially appointed Tonraq as the first Southern Chief.[
:Tonraq was designed by ]Bryan Konietzko
Bryan Konietzko is an American animator, writer, producer and musician. He is best known, together with Michael Dante DiMartino, as the co-creator and executive producer of the animated series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and ''The Legend of K ...
and Joaquim Dos Santos
Joaquim Dos Santos is a Portuguese-born American storyboard artist, director, producer, writer, and designer. He is best known for his directing work on the television series ''Justice League Unlimited'', ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', '' G.I. Jo ...
. The design was based on the idea that Tonraq is "built like a barbarian and fights with a brutish in-your-face style" in contrast with his brother Unalaq's "slender frame and elegant technique."[
* (voiced by Adrian LaTourelle) was a waterbending master, Chief of the Northern and Southern Water Tribes, Tonraq's younger brother, and Korra's uncle. He has two twin children, Desna and Eska. A traditionalist, Unalaq was a solemn man who took on the task of restoring the lost connection between the Southern Water Tribe and the Spirit World. A particularly spiritual man, Unalaq briefly served as Korra's spiritual mentor until her discovery of his involvement in her father's banishment, at which point he was absolved as her teacher and shunned. Unbeknownst to anyone, Unalaq was working to release Vaatu from incarceration in the Spirit World, and succeeded in this task before fusing with Vaatu to become the first and only Dark Avatar. To this end, Unalaq nearly destroyed Republic City before being defeated and killed by his niece. Even though his attempt to destroy the Avatar and usher the world into an era of darkness was consequently thwarted, Unalaq succeeded in reuniting humans and spirits and thus changing the world forever. In the season 3 episode "The Stakeout", it is revealed that Unalaq used to be a member of the Red Lotus anarchist group, helping them in their attempted kidnapping of Korra when she was a child.]
:Zach Blumenfeld of '' Paste'' magazine compared Unalaq to the High Sparrow
The High Sparrow is a fictional character in the '' A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of high fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin and its television adaptation '' Game of Thrones''.
The High Sparrow first appears in ''A Feast f ...
from ''Game of Thrones
''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first ...
'', both being "a brilliant schemer who hides a power-hungry soul under a spiritual veneer."[ Unalaq was designed by Ki-Hyun Ryu and ]Joshua Middleton
Joshua Middleton (sometimes credited as Josh Middleton) is an artist and designer working in the animation, film, comics, and book industries. In 2004 he was nominated for an Eisner Award as "Best Cover Artist" for his work on Marvel's '' NYX'', '' ...
. Co-creator Bryan Konietzko said that initially he was not pleased with Unalaq's design due to its visual similarities with Tarrlok's, the secondary villain from season 1.[
*Kya (voiced by ]Lisa Edelstein Lisa or LISA may refer to:
People
People with the mononym
* Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam
* Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer
* Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...
) is the second of Avatar Aang
Avatar Aang ( zh, c=安昂, p=Ān Áng) is the title character and protagonist of Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' (created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko), voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen. Aang ...
and Katara's three children and their only daughter, as well as the couple's only waterbending child. She is named after Sokka and Katara's mother. A waterbending master and healer, Kya has always felt a stronger connection with her mother than her Avatar father. Kya has a "free-spirited" personality. Kya and her older brother Bumi felt neglected by Avatar Aang, who focused his attention on their younger brother Tenzin, the only other airbender in the family. This childhood resentment surfaced in season 2.[ Kya is revealed to be lesbian in the sequel graphic novel '' The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars''.
:Kya's design was a collaboration between supervising producers ]Lauren Montgomery
Lauren Eve Montgomery (born May 4, 1980) is an American storyboard artist, television director, film director, character designer, film producer, television producer, and television writer.
Early life
Lauren Montgomery became interested in drawi ...
and Ki-Hyun Ryu, and co-creator Bryan Konietzko
Bryan Konietzko is an American animator, writer, producer and musician. He is best known, together with Michael Dante DiMartino, as the co-creator and executive producer of the animated series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and ''The Legend of K ...
. Kya's outfits were designed as a callback to Katara's outfits from the original series.[
* Princess and Prince (voiced by ]Aubrey Plaza
Aubrey Christina Plaza (born June 26, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She began her career performing improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. She starred as April Ludgate on the NBC sitcom '' Par ...
and Aaron Himelstein
Aaron Himelstein (born October 10, 1985) is an American actor who is best known for playing a younger version of Austin Powers in ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' and Friedman, Luke Girardi's best friend, in ''Joan of Arcadia''. He also wrote, dir ...
, respectively) are the androgynous
Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex, gender identity, or gender expression.
When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics i ...
waterbending twin children of Chief Unalaq of the Northern Water Tribe, and Avatar Korra's cousins. Eska and Desna are 16 years old when they are introduced in season 2; they share an unusually close connection and can seemingly communicate with each other without speaking.[ Desna and Eska "rarely show any emotion besides boredom, due to the fact that they dislike most people, places, and things." Sharing identical personalities, looks and waterbending abilities, the twins provide sardonic comic relief.][ Although they initially help their villainous father Unalaq, the twins later become Korra's allies. After their father's death, they succeeded him as the Northern Water Tribe Chiefs.
:Eska and Desna were designed by ]Joshua Middleton
Joshua Middleton (sometimes credited as Josh Middleton) is an artist and designer working in the animation, film, comics, and book industries. In 2004 he was nominated for an Eisner Award as "Best Cover Artist" for his work on Marvel's '' NYX'', '' ...
and Ki-Hyun Ryu. Middleton initially struggled to design Eska and Desna's look, and it was not until Ryu "took a pass and gave them their distinctive hunch and dead-eyed expression that the characters finally came to life."[
]
Air Nomads
Before the genocide, airbenders were a diverse and migratory people united by the ''Four Air Temples.'' The Four Air Temples were self-governed by a unitary
Unitary may refer to:
Mathematics
* Unitary divisor
* Unitary element
* Unitary group
* Unitary matrix
* Unitary morphism
* Unitary operator
* Unitary transformation
* Unitary representation
* Unitarity (physics)
* ''E''-unitary inverse semigroup ...
pseudo-ecclesiastical
{{Short pages monitor
, death_place =
, death_cause =
, body_discovered =
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in the upcoming live-action Netflix adaptation) was a member of the Council of Elders at the Southern Air Temple that was killed by Firebenders 100 years prior to the show. In Book One, he is depicted as Aang's guardian and surrogate father, and is noted for his kindness and sense of humor. In Book Two, he is seen in Aang's dream sequence. In Book Three, he is also revealed to have a strong friendship with Roku, leading to the observation that some friendships are strong enough to transcend lifetimes. He was named after Tenzin Gyatso (the 14th Dalai Lama).
* , sometimes Air Bison, are revealed to be the original Airbenders. Sky Bison can only start flying when they are more than a couple months old. Domesticated Sky Bison calves usually select an Air Nomad as their Master, and then become that person's best friend for life. Appa is a member of this species.
''The Legend of Korra''
* (voiced by Darcy Rose Byrnes
Darcy Rose Byrnes (born November 4, 1998) is an American and Irish actress, singer, and songwriter. She is best known for her roles as Abby Newman on ''The Young and the Restless'' and ''The Bold and the Beautiful'', Penny Scavo on ''Desperate ...
) is the second child and youngest daughter of Tenzin and Pema and the granddaughter of Katara and Avatar Aang. She is sweet and very energetic, but she matures as the seasons go on, and is a brave and skilled young airbender. Suffering from middle child syndrome,[ ]Geek.com
Geek.com is a technology news weblog about hardware, mobile computing, technology, movies, TV, video games, comic books, and all manner of geek culture subjects. It was founded in 1996 and was run independently until 2007 when it was sold to N ...
described her as the "Jan Brady
File:The Brady Bunch.jpg, 300px, Characters of ''The Brady Bunch'' (Mouse over to identify)
rect 0 0 105 79 Marcia Brady
rect 108 0 211 79 Carol Brady
rect 216 0 320 79 Greg Brady
rect 0 82 105 159 Jan Brady
rect 108 82 211 1 ...
" of the ''Korra'' universe as she is constantly overlooked in favor of her older sister Jinora and younger brother Meelo,[ much to her annoyance. Along with her brother Meelo, Ikki is primarily used for comic relief. However, she also has a more important role than Meelo, helping her father reconcile with his siblings, reconciling with her own in the process in the second season, and (unintentionally) helped expose Zaheer and assisted the other airbenders in saving Korra in the third season. Ikki's biggest role is in the fourth season, when she and her siblings brought Korra back to Republic City. Later, she helped Team Avatar and the rest of the airbenders defeat Kuvira.] Lauren Davis of ''io9
''io9'' is part of Gizmodo media since 2015, and it began as blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The site initially focused on the subjects of science fiction, fantasy, futurism, science, technology and related areas but over the years has ...
'' noted that Ikki's strengths are that she is friendly, empathic and not easily rattled.[
* (voiced by Logan Wells) is the third child and eldest son of Tenzin and Pema and the grandson of Katara and Avatar Aang. Meelo is primarily used for comic relief aimed at younger viewers,] such as his "fartbending".[ Lauren Davis of '']io9
''io9'' is part of Gizmodo media since 2015, and it began as blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The site initially focused on the subjects of science fiction, fantasy, futurism, science, technology and related areas but over the years has ...
'' noted that "growing up hearing about Aang's adventures have left eelo
/e/ (also known as /e/ OS and /e/OS, formerly Eelo) is a fork of LineageOS, an Android-based mobile operating system, and associated online services. /e/ is presented as privacy software that does not contain proprietary Google apps or servic ...
with a romantic (and not terribly pragmatic) sense of life on the road."[
:According to series creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, the inspiration for Meelo and many of his antics came from their mutual friend's son, Milo.][ Konietzko and DiMartino decided that the character "would be a fun, chaotic personality to throw in the mix and test Tenzin's patience and fathering skills." While they originally envisioned Meelo to be a "cute kid", supervising producer Ki-Hyun Ryu, who worked on Meelo's design, insisted that Meelo should be "ugly" instead.
* (voiced by ]Dee Bradley Baker
Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of Baker's work features vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', ''Codename: Kids Next Door'', ...
in season 1, Richard Riehle
Richard Riehle (born May 12, 1948) is an American character actor. He portrayed Walt Finnerty on ''Grounded for Life'' (2001–2005) and The Warden on ''The Young and the Restless'' (2007). He also appeared in over 200 films, including '' Glory'' ...
in seasons 2–4) is Avatar Aang and Katara's first child and eldest son. Originally a nonbender, he later developed airbending abilities in season 3 after Harmonic Convergence. Before his retirement, he was a respected commander of the United Force. Despite his immaturity, Bumi is known for his leadership, strategy and bravery. He was named after Aang's childhood friend King Bumi.
* (voiced by Skyler Brigmann) is an orphan from the Earth Kingdom who became an airbender after Harmonic Convergence. Introduced in the season 3 episode "Rebirth", Kai was initially a mischievous and selfish young thief; he ultimately grows into a valuable member of the Air Nomads. It is established in the season 4 episode "After All These Years" that he is in a relationship with Jinora.
:Writer Joshua Hamilton, who wrote the first episode Kai appears in, named the character after his son. Kai's personality was inspired partly by Avatar Aang
Avatar Aang ( zh, c=安昂, p=Ān Áng) is the title character and protagonist of Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' (created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko), voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen. Aang ...
and Avatar Wan, with the writers wanting to have "an adventurous kid with a slightly shadowy background." Kai's design was done by character designer Angela Song Mueller and supervising producer Ki-Hyun Ryu.[
* (voiced by ]Alyson Stoner
Alyson Rae Stoner (born August 11, 1993) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Her film roles include ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' (2003), '' Cheaper by the Dozen 2'' (2005), and the ''Step Up'' franchise (2006–2014). Her television roles i ...
) is an airbending member of the new Air Nation and the daughter of Suyin Beifong and Baatar, half-niece of Lin Beifong, and granddaughter of Toph Beifong. At some point after the insurrection of the Red Lotus, she began a romantic relationship with Bolin.
Metal Clan
''The Legend of Korra''
Zaofu is an autonomous city state
A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...
. A progressive metalbending city,[ it is the home of the Metal Clan and was founded and governed by the ''Beifong''-family. Considered the safest and most prosperous city in the world, the settlement is constructed entirely out of metal-alloys and protective platinum domes.
* (voiced by ]Anne Heche
Anne Celeste Heche ( ; May 25, 1969August 11, 2022) was an American actress, known for her roles in a variety of genres in film, television, and theater, receiving numerous accolades, including a National Board of Review Award and multiple Emmy ...
) is the matriarch of Zaofu, youngest daughter of Toph Beifong
Toph Beifong ( zh, c=北方拓芙, p=Běifāng Tuòfú) is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and its sequel ''The Legend of Korra'', voiced by Jessie Flower in the original series an ...
and half-sister to Lin Beifong
is a major character, voiced by Mindy Sterling, in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''The Legend of Korra'', which aired from 2012 to 2014. The character and the series, a sequel to ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', were created by Micha ...
. Suyin is married to an architect named Baatar, with whom she has five children: Baatar Jr., Opal, Huan, Wei and Wing. Geek.com
Geek.com is a technology news weblog about hardware, mobile computing, technology, movies, TV, video games, comic books, and all manner of geek culture subjects. It was founded in 1996 and was run independently until 2007 when it was sold to N ...
described Suyin Beifong as "one of the more morally flexible ally characters", noting that while Suyin is dedicated to helping others and is fiercely loyal to her family, she still holds onto some personality traits from her criminal past.
:Suyin and her sister, Lin, clashed a lot in the past due to their different personalities. Matt Patches of ''ScreenCrush
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...
'' described Suyin as the "liberal arts-educated, poetry-quoting, world-traveling, ''New Yorker
New Yorker or ''variant'' primarily refers to:
* A resident of the State of New York
** Demographics of New York (state)
* A resident of New York City
** List of people from New York City
* ''The New Yorker'', a magazine founded in 1925
* ''The New ...
''-reading, self-identified foodie" to Lin's "blue collar, bread-and-butter townie."[ Max Nicholson of ]IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
wrote that despite "how different Lin and Su were from each other," they were "also the same -- almost like two sides of Toph's coin." Suyin was designed by Konietzko and character designer Christie Tseng.[
* (voiced by ]Jim Meskimen
James Ross Meskimen (born September 10, 1959) is an American actor, comedian and impressionist, who is best known for his voice-over work in video games.
Early life
James Ross Meskimen was born in Santa Monica, California on September 10, 1959 ...
) is an architect and the husband of Suyin Beifong, with whom he has five children. He helped create the metal city of Zaofu.
* (voiced by Todd Haberkorn
Todd Haberkorn is an American voice actor and director, who has dubbed in anime, films, and video games.
Career
While Haberkorn was working in theater, he joined Funimation as a voice actor, with minor roles in ''One Piece'', ''Black Cat'', a ...
) is Suyin Beifong and Baatar's eldest son, former fiancé of Kuvira, and Zaofu's chief engineer responsible for enacting his father's architectural designs. After Earth Queen Hou-Ting's murder and subsequent stabilization of the Earth Kingdom, he left Zaofu together with Kuvira to reunite the nation.
:Baatar Jr.'s design was done by Konietzko and Angela Song Mueller. On designing Baatar Jr., Konietzko noted that the character "got a pretty major update from the dorky, awkward young engineer he was in ''Book Three'' to this harsh, creepy second in command of Kuvira's forces in ''Book Four''."[
* (voiced by ]Jason Marsden
Jason Christopher Marsden (born January 3, 1975) is an American actor, director, producer and YouTuber, who has done numerous voice roles in animated films, as well as various television series and video games. He has been the official voice of ...
) is the second oldest son of Suyin and Baatar. As a sculptor, he uses his metalbending abilities to create a variety of abstract statues and sculptures that he exhibits in the gardens of Zaofu.
* (voiced by Marcus Toji
Marcus Mamoru Toji is an American actor and voice actor best known for his role on '' Movie Surfers''. Born in California in 1984, Toji attended Beverly Hills High School, was in a Betty Crocker Commercial for fruit snacks and won a Copper Wing ...
) are the twin sons of Suyin and Baatar. The youngest of their siblings, they invented a game for metalbenders called power disc. They are described as the "jocks" of the Beifong family.[
* (voiced by ]Maurice LaMarche
Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor, comedian, and impressionist. He has voiced the Brain in '' Animaniacs'' as well as its spin-off '' Pinky and the Brain'', Big Bob in ''Hey Arnold!'' (1996–2004), and a variety of ...
) was an earthbender and the trusted adviser of Zaofu's matriarch, Suyin Beifong. Aiwei was a truth-seer, capable of using his earthbending as a vibration-sensitive lie detector. In the season 3 episode "The Terror Within", he was discovered to be a mole for the Red Lotus after they failed to kidnap Avatar Korra. After his escape from Zaofu, Aiwei met the Red Lotus leader Zaheer
Zaheer is a character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''The Legend of Korra'' (a sequel to ''Avatar: The Last Airbender''). He serves as the main antagonist of '' Book Three: Change'', and his actions have lingering effects on Ava ...
in the Spirit World in the following episode "The Stakeout", where he was thrown into the Fog of Lost Souls by the airbender.
The White Lotus
''Avatar: The Last Airbender''
The White Lotus is an international organization of teachers, philosophers, and warriors, who value knowledge and wisdom above nationality. Their name comes from the White Lotus tile, a low-ranking piece in the game of Pai Sho, which is the most common form of communication among members. Iroh is among the highest-ranking members, and hints of the Order are dropped throughout the series through his actions. Iroh, a Grand Lotus, eventually calls the entirety of the Order to reveal themselves and liberate Ba Sing Se during the events of '' Sozin's Comet: The Final Battle''.
In ''The Legend of Korra'', the White Lotus has expanded to act as an elite international police force among the Four Nations, while also taking responsibility for finding, guiding and defending the next Avatar, a task previously the responsibility of internal sages within each Nation. However, it would cause a division among its ranks with those disillusioned forming the anarchistic Red Lotus.
* (voiced by André Sogliuzzo
André Sogliuzzo (born August 10, 1966) is an American voice actor. His voice-work includes several animated series, including ''American Dad!'', ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', ''Harvey Beaks'', ''Jackie Chan Adventures'' and '' Star Wars: Clone ...
) is the whimsical, elderly King of Omashu, an Earth Kingdom stronghold. As a child, Bumi was a close friend of Aang's. Despite his age and apparent frailty and eccentric personality, Bumi is an Earthbending master, himself claiming to be "the most powerful Earthbender you'll ever see". Putting Aang through a series of tests in Book One, Bumi surrendered to the Fire Nation in Book Two to avert any harm to his people while telling Aang to find another who can teach him Earthbending, stating he should find someone who waits, then listens (describing a then-unfamiliar Toph's fighting style). In Book Three, Bumi breaks free during the Day of Black Sun and single-handedly retakes Omashu before answering Iroh's call to liberate Ba Sing Se. The word Bumi comes from the Sanskrit 'bhūmi' meaning 'earth'. In the sequel series, Aang and Katara named their first born son after King Bumi.
* (voiced by Victor Brandt
Victor Brandt (born September 19, 1942) is an American actor.
Brandt was born in Los Angeles, California. He has appeared as an actor in several classic shows such as ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', ''Mission Impossible'' and ''T. J. Hooker'' ...
) is a Waterbending master and instructor of the North Pole's Northern Water Tribe Waterbending classes. He is dryly sarcastic and very serious about his teachings. He insists on only teaching male students, but relents after identifying Katara as the granddaughter of his runaway fiancée Kanna. At the climax of Book Three, Pakku joins the rest of the order in liberating Ba Sing Se, and reveals that he has married Kanna.
* (voiced by Keone Young
Keone Joseph Young is an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as Dr. Michael Kwan in ''Kay O'Brien'' (1986), Mr. Wu in '' Deadwood'' (2004–2006) and as the dual roles of Judge Robert Chong and Mr. Wan in ''The Young and th ...
) is a former admiral of the Fire Nation's navy who lives in exile with his followers. Though he had once been Zhao's teacher, Zhao quit because he believed Jeong Jeong's teaching methods ineffective. Even though he warned against it, Jeong Jeong taught Aang the basics of Firebending by using a flame and a leaf, although Aang eventually relented and realized he needed to follow the proper elemental cycle after he accidentally burned Katara. As with most of the elder masters encountered by Team Avatar, Jeong Jeong revealed himself as a member of the White Lotus at the gates of Ba Sing Se.
* (voiced by Robert Patrick
Robert Hammond Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is an American actor. Known for portraying villains and honorable authority figures, he is a Saturn Award winner with four other nominations.
Patrick dropped out of college when drama class sparked ...
) is a swordsmith and master of swordsmanship, based in the Fire Nation, who teaches a foundation of his skills to Sokka. His devotion to swordsmanship supersedes his affiliation with the Fire Nation. Even though he knew from the beginning that Sokka was from the Water tribe, he did not mind, as he believes the way of the sword is independent of any one nation. Piandao is later revealed to have tutored Zuko in swordplay. He later joins the Order of the White Lotus in liberating Ba Sing Se.
The Red Lotus
The Red Lotus is an anarchist splinter faction of the Order of the White Lotus that appears during the events of "The Legend of Korra" as the main antagonists of season 3
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pola ...
. Disillusioned with the White Lotus doctrine and founded during Korra's childhood, Zaheer founded the Red Lotus on the ideal that chaos is the natural order of things and that all the world's existing power structures must dismantle. To achieve this "true freedom", the Red Lotus planned to eliminate world leaders and end the Avatar cycle.[ It is revealed in the season 3 episode "The Stakeout", that the Red Lotus attempted to kidnap Korra when she was a child and use her to release Vaatu: a scheme their former member Unalaq carried out to his own design.][ After being released when Zaheer manifested airbending abilities, the Red Lotus seek to capture Korra and kill her in the Avatar state to end the Avatar cycle.][ Though they failed, the Red Lotus's actions caused a power vacuum in the Earth Kingdom with the murder of the Earth Queen in the episode "Long Live the Queen".]
Creating and writing for the Red Lotus was "a blast" said co-creator Bryan Konietzko
Bryan Konietzko is an American animator, writer, producer and musician. He is best known, together with Michael Dante DiMartino, as the co-creator and executive producer of the animated series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and ''The Legend of K ...
, "[Michael Dante DiMartino
Michael Dante DiMartino (born July 18, 1974) is an American animator, producer, writer, and director. He is best known, together with Bryan Konietzko, as the co-creator of the animated TV series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and ''The Legend of ...
], Tim Hedrick, Joshua Hamilton, and I got to dream up a team of baddies who represented each of the four elements, but with rare and deadly skills."[
*
:Zaheer (voiced by ]Henry Rollins
Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Rolli ...
) is the leader of the Red Lotus and an anarchist, who strongly believes in the foundation of a new world without the Order of the White Lotus, the four nations, or the Avatar. After season 2's Harmonic Convergence, he also became an airbender. In the season 3 episode "Enter the Void", after having let go of his final earthly tether upon P'Li's death, Zaheer unlocked the ability of flight.[ Prior to becoming an airbender, Zaheer was already a martial arts master who practiced a freeform, ]parkour
Parkour () is an athletic training discipline or sport in which practitioners (called ''traceurs'') attempt to get from point A to point B in the fastest and most efficient way possible, without assisting equipment and often while performing a ...
style. Becoming an airbender only accentuated his already formidable skills.[
:In pursuit of his goals, Zaheer and three of his comrades were captured and imprisoned. After becoming an airbender thirteen years later, he escaped the custody of the Order of the White Lotus and subsequently freed his allies from prison. He threw the Earth Kingdom into chaos by assassinating the Earth Queen][ and attempted to end the Avatar cycle by killing Avatar Korra while she was in the Avatar State, though failed, leaving him as the only survivor of their group of four.][ Following his defeat, Zaheer was once again imprisoned. Zaheer returned in the season 4 episode "Beyond the Wilds" when Korra confronts Zaheer in his prison cell. Realizing his actions unintentionally created a tyrant, Zaheer helps Korra reconnect with Raava in the face of their common enemy ]Kuvira
, also known as The Great Uniter and later Kuvira Beifong, is a fictional major character in the 2014 third and fourth seasons of the Nickelodeon animated television series ''The Legend of Korra'', created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Ko ...
.[
:Zaheer was well-received as a morally ambiguous][ and sympathetic villain.] Zaheer is the first, and only, villainous airbender seen in ''Avatar'' franchise. With Zaheer, it is the first time viewers see airbending used in brutal and agonizing ways.[ ]Geek.com
Geek.com is a technology news weblog about hardware, mobile computing, technology, movies, TV, video games, comic books, and all manner of geek culture subjects. It was founded in 1996 and was run independently until 2007 when it was sold to N ...
noted that, "After two show's worth of seeing airbenders as oppressed, lighthearted, good people, it was jarring witnessing the logical dark conclusions of a valid interpretation of airbender philosophy. Air is the element of freedom, so total anarchy is the only real political stance. Zaheer's more violent airbending techniques, from flight to literally sucking the life out of someone, were also a visual treat."[
:Zaheer was designed by Konietzko. On the conception of Zaheer, Konietzko explained that, "All the way back to ''Avatar'' days, writers would pitch 'evil' Airbender premises. Whether these were interesting or not, Mike and I always shot them down, saying, 'Aang is the last Airbender.' But when Harmonic Convergence created new Airbenders, we finally had the opportunity to explore such a character, and we loved doing so!"][
* (voiced by ]Grey DeLisle
Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress, comedian and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On Sept ...
) was the waterbender ally of Zaheer and a member of the Red Lotus. A powerful waterbender who was born without arms, Ming-Hua was able to waterbend liquid arms that were extremely effective, allowing her to use them as hands to grab things, as tendril
In botany, a tendril is a specialized stem, leaf or petiole with a threadlike shape used by climbing plants for support and attachment, as well as cellular invasion by parasitic plants such as ''Cuscuta''. There are many plants that have tendr ...
s to climb or as deadly ice spears.[ She was freed from prison by both Zaheer and Ghazan. Ming-Hua played an integral part in deposing the Earth Queen and attempting to kill Korra. Ming-Hua died of electrocution by Mako.
:The idea for Ming-Hua's character came from a joke pitch Konietzko and DiMartino had about Amon surviving the boat explosion at the end of season 1, but needing to bend water in the place of his missing limbs. The character was designed by Konietzko, who based Ming-Hua's face and petite build on a friend of his.][
* (voiced by Peter Giles) was the earthbender ally of Zaheer. Ghazan was a member of the Red Lotus with a special subset of bending, lavabending. Ghazan was freed from prison by Zaheer after Zaheer had acquired airbending. Ghazan played an integral part in deposing the Earth Queen and attempting to kill Korra. Ghazan eventually committed suicide when under threat of re-capture.
:Ghazan was designed by Konietzko, who noted that "Ghazan's basic look came together pretty smoothly" for him, however, "pinning down the specifics of his tattoos in the final model sheet took much more time."][
* (voiced by ]Kristy Wu
Kristy Wu (born October 11, 1982) is a retired American actress, best known for her recurring role as Chao-Ahn in the TV series, ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and co-starring as Melissa Wu in ''Flight 29 Down''. Other television credits include g ...
) was the firebender ally and girlfriend of Zaheer. P'Li had the powerful firebending subset of combustionbending. As a girl, P'Li was saved by Zaheer from becoming a warlord's killing machine. Upon being freed from prison, P'Li joined the rest of the Red Lotus in trying to take down the world leaders and the Avatar. In the season 3 episode "Enter the Void", Suyin Beifong traps P'Li's head in a sheet of metal, causing her to blow up her own head when trying to attack.[
:To design P'Li, Konietzko researched extremely tall female athletes for inspiration as he wanted to break the stereotype of females being the smallest and shortest in a group. P'Li's third-eye tattoo design was derived from ancient depictions of the third eye of the Hindu god, ]Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
.[
]
Freedom Fighters
First encountered in "Jet", this rag-tag group led by the episode's namesake operates in the forests of the Earth Kingdom. The group consists of its leader Jet and his subordinates Pipsqueak, Smellerbee, Longshot, the Duke, and Sneers.
''Avatar: The Last Airbender''
* (voiced by Crawford Wilson) is a charismatic teen-aged rebel who holds a deep grudge against the Fire Nation. He is the leader of the Freedom Fighters, a group of children antagonizing Fire Nation soldiers even at the expense of innocent lives. He is Katara's first crush. In Book Two, he encounters Zuko who goes by his alternate name, Li. The two bond and Jet attempts to persuade Li to join the Freedom Fighters but Li denies the offer. In later episodes, Jet openly condemns his previous actions in Ba Sing Se, where he is brainwashed by chancellor Long Feng. He is released from this condition by the protagonists and is later killed during a fight against Long Feng.
* (voiced by Sterling Young) is the largest and strongest of the Freedom Fighters (despite his name), using a giant log as a weapon during the time of Book One. In Book Three, he joins the invasion against the Fire Nation and is taken captive when it falls. He is seen again at the end of the finale.
* (voiced by Nika Futterman
Nika Futterman (born October 25, 1969) is an American voice and television actress. She is known for her voices in various animated series, including Asajj Ventress in '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' and Adam Lyon in ''My Gym Partner's a Mo ...
) is a Freedom Fighter. In Book One, she was first seen where she helped Jet destroy a dam. In Book Two, she accompanies Jet and Longshot to Ba Sing Se, but leaves Jet after watching him obsess with trying to prove that Iroh and Zuko are Firebenders. She becomes the new leader of the Freedom Fighters after Jet's death. Due to her Tomboy
A tomboy is a term for a girl or a young woman with masculine qualities. It can include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and actively engage in physical sports or other activities and behaviors usually associated with boys or men. W ...
appearance and behavior, she is constantly mistaken for a boy as a running gag.
* (voiced by Marc Donato
Marc Giuseppe Donato (born January 25, 1989) is a Canadian actor.
Career
One of the earliest films in which Donato appears is as eight-year-old Mike Hillary in the low budget television film, ''Specimen''.
Later roles include Derek Haig on '' ...
) is a silent member of the Freedom Fighters by the time of Book One. In Book Two, he accompanies Jet and Smellerbee to Ba Sing Se. He only says one line after Jet was fatally injured.
* (voiced by Mitch Holleman
Mitch Holleman (born Thomas Mitchell Holleman; September 13, 1994) is an American actor best known as youngest son Jake Hart on the sitcom '' Reba''.
Life and career
Born in Auburn, Alabama, Mitch began begging to be on television at the age of ...
in Book One and Nick Swoboda in Book Three) is the youngest and smallest member of the Freedom Fighters during Book One. He is first mistaken as Pipsqueak due to him riding on Pipsqueak's shoulders when they met Sokka, Katara and Aang. He is later seen in Book Three with Pipsqueak in the Day of Black Sun invasion force, and goes with Aang to the Western Air Temple after the invasion's failure, and is separated from them after Azula's attack. He is also seen hugging Toph at the end of the finale.
The Equalists
The Equalists are an anti-bender revolutionary group based in Republic City that evolved into a full-blown terrorist organization under the leadership from Amon, and weapons supplied by Hiroshi Sato. Their ultimate goal was to create equality for all by eradicating bending altogether. According to The Equalists, nonbenders are systemically oppressed by benders in Republic City, where bending grants greater social power and nonbenders must work substantially harder in order to succeed. The Equalists used electrified chi-blocker gloves so as to even the playing field between them and benders.[ Although they were defeated at the end of season 1, The Equalists movement resulted in the dissolution of the non-elected City Council, with nonbender Raiko becoming the first democratically elected president of the United Republic of Nations after being elected by the nonbending majority.]
Bryan Konietzko
Bryan Konietzko is an American animator, writer, producer and musician. He is best known, together with Michael Dante DiMartino, as the co-creator and executive producer of the animated series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and ''The Legend of K ...
and Joaquim Dos Santos
Joaquim Dos Santos is a Portuguese-born American storyboard artist, director, producer, writer, and designer. He is best known for his directing work on the television series ''Justice League Unlimited'', ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', '' G.I. Jo ...
did the character designs for The Equalists, including their leader, Amon. According to Dos Santos, the design for the Equalist chi-blockers did not come easy and was only approved after 20 to 30 different takes.[
''The Legend of Korra''
* () (voiced by ]Steven Blum
Steven Jay Blum (; born April 29, 1960) is an American voice actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, his most well-known roles include Spike Spiegel from the anime series '' Cowboy Bebop'', Garazeb Orrelios from the animated series ''St ...
), born Noatak, was the charismatic and mysterious leader of The Equalists, and the main villain of the first season. Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
's press release described Amon as "a nimble, stealthy fighter who shows no fear even against the highest-level bender."[ Amon wore a mask to conceal his face, which he claimed had been disfigured by a firebender.][ According to co-creator ]Michael Dante DiMartino
Michael Dante DiMartino (born July 18, 1974) is an American animator, producer, writer, and director. He is best known, together with Bryan Konietzko, as the co-creator of the animated TV series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and ''The Legend of ...
, the idea for Amon's mask came from his and fellow co-creator Bryan Konietzko
Bryan Konietzko is an American animator, writer, producer and musician. He is best known, together with Michael Dante DiMartino, as the co-creator and executive producer of the animated series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and ''The Legend of K ...
's interest in "mysterious antagonists with masks", further explaining:
:Claiming to be a nonbender to whom the spirits granted the ability to remove a person's bending permanently, a power previously demonstrated only by the Avatar, Amon gained the confidence and support of many people with his ideas. DiMartino said of the idea for Amon's character:
:By the end of season 1, when the complete conquest of Republic City by The Equalists became imminent, Amon's true identity was exposed to the public by Korra.[ In actuality, he was a prodigious Northern Water Tribe bloodbender, an illegal and highly feared style of bending, and the son of bloodbending crime boss, Yakone, whose own bending had been removed by Avatar Aang. Amon and his brother, former councilman Tarrlok, were forced by their cruel and perfectionist father to become master bloodbenders and shaped to become a tool in Yakone's master plan for revenge against the Avatar.][ Tarrlok described Amon as being obsessed with fairness throughout his life, helping those deemed inferior as a child, but growing colder as he got older.][ Although he succeeded in removing Korra's bending (which was later restored by Aang), Amon had to leave Republic City with his brother after his past was revealed. As they fled, a remorseful Tarrlok used an Equalist glove to ignite the fuel tank of Amon's boat, killing them both.] Max Nicholson of IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
summed up Amon and Tarrlok's underlying story arc as being "about two estranged brothers striving to carry out their father's quest for vengeance, only to realize that it was a fool's errand all along," calling it "really a touching concealed narrative".
:Amon's body and costume were designed by Dos Santos, while his mask was designed by Konietzko. According to Konietzko, Amon's mask was designed to reference Chinese and Korean masks and face painting traditions, while remaining simple enough for animators to draw and "iconic" enough to be a symbol of the Equalist revolution.[
* (Japanese: 佐藤 博史 さとう ひろし)(voiced by ]Daniel Dae Kim
Daniel Dae Kim (born Kim Dae-hyun ( ko, 김대현); August 4, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jin-Soo Kwon in ''Lost'', Chin Ho Kelly in ''Hawaii Five-0'', Gavin Park in ''Angel'', and Johnny Gat in the ''Saints Row'' ...
) was a nonbending wealthy industrialist, the founder of Future Industries and the father of Asami Sato
is a major character in the Nickelodeon List of animated television series, animated television series ''The Legend of Korra'', which aired from 2012 to 2014. The character and the series, a sequel to ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', were create ...
. Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
's press release described him as "a barrel-chested
Barrel chest generally refers to a broad, deep chest found on a patient. A barrel chested person will usually have a naturally large ribcage, very round (i.e., vertically cylindrical) torso, large lung capacity, and can potentially have great u ...
businessman with a big personality". A brilliant inventor who reviewers have compared to Henry Ford
Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that mi ...
, Hiroshi invented the revolutionary Satomobile, the automobiles of this fictional world. Hiroshi, whose family lineage extends back to the first Fire Nation colonists, was born to a poor family and worked from a very young age to help support his family, before eventually convincing a wealthy banker to invest in his Satomobile idea.[ Hiroshi is also credited with inventing the platinum ]mecha
In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...
tank, which Varrick modernized into the mecha suit for Kuvira
, also known as The Great Uniter and later Kuvira Beifong, is a fictional major character in the 2014 third and fourth seasons of the Nickelodeon animated television series ''The Legend of Korra'', created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Ko ...
's military in season 4, and the biplane, the airplanes of this fictional world.
:In the season 1 episode "The Aftermath", he was revealed to be an Equalist, creating and supplying the anti-bending group high-tech weaponry to fight against benders. Hiroshi hated benders because a firebender had killed his wife, Yasuko. He was imprisoned for his crimes after the anti-bending revolution was quelled in season 1. By season 4, Hiroshi was shown to be remorseful over his actions and tried to reconcile with his daughter, Asami. When Kuvira threatened Republic City, Hiroshi was temporarily released from prison by Lin Beifong
is a major character, voiced by Mindy Sterling, in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''The Legend of Korra'', which aired from 2012 to 2014. The character and the series, a sequel to ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', were created by Micha ...
in the two-part series finale to help arm the prototype hummingbird mecha
In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...
s with plasma saws. He made his final amends with his daughter before ultimately sacrificing his life to give Team Avatar the opportunity to take down the giant mecha suit and its spirit energy cannon by cutting through its platinum armor and giving them an entry.
:Hiroshi's character design was inspired by and modeled after US President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
and Japanese industrialist Keita Gotō. His mustache is based on Mitsubishi
The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries.
Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 1870 ...
founder Iwasaki Yatarō
was a Japanese industrialist and financier known as the founder of Mitsubishi, one of Japan's largest conglomerates.
Early life
Iwasaki Yatarō was born on 9 January 1835 in Aki, Tosa Province (now Kōchi Prefecture) into a provincial farmin ...
's.
* (voiced by Lance Henriksen
Lance Henriksen (born May 5, 1940) is an American actor. He is known for his works in various science fiction, action and horror films, such as that of Bishop in the ''Alien'' film franchise, and Frank Black in Fox television series ''Millennium ...
) is a nonbender and Amon's second-in-command. Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
's press release described The Lieutenant as "an intense, disciplined fighter who augments his amazing skills with two electrified kali sticks
Arnis, also known as Kali or Eskrima/Escrima, is the national martial art of the Philippines. The three are roughly interchangeable umbrella terms for the traditional martial arts of the Philippines (" Filipino Martial Arts", or FMA), which e ...
."[ He wears a pack on his back that serves as a battery to charge up his kali sticks.][ He turns on Amon in the season 1 finale "Endgame", upon finding out about Amon's true identity as a bloodbender.][ The Lieutenant's final design was done by Dos Santos, and was inspired by ]steampunk
Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the Victorian era or ...
culture.
Reception
The characters of ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' received praise from reviewers. Troy Island Mell, of IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
, felt that the story "would otbe anywhere near as good as it is without its ability to create such strong characters". In particular, Mell enjoyed the development of Katara and Zuko throughout the first season, but thought that Zuko's relationship with his uncle was not "very organic." Jamie S. Rich of DVDTalk
DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman.
History
Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
generally agreed with Mell's assessment of the characters. Rich also praised the fact that, unlike many cartoon television series, ''Avatar'' introduces antagonists that have a deep backstory and "are otjust evil for the sake of it".
Jeremy Mullin, another IGN reviewer, felt that the characters were not brilliantly done, though he noted that they introduced some drama and romantic tension usually not found on Nickelodeon, especially between Aang and Katara. Lair of the Green Knight and DVD Verdict also enjoyed the romantic tension, focusing mainly on the female cast: Katara, Toph, and Azula, as well as the two minor characters, Mai and Ty Lee. Fitz at Lair of the Green Knight lauded the decision to not stereotypically fashion the women into the "usual weak female characters" but to instead give them "strong opinions and strength". IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
also compared character relationships, complimenting "Sokka and Princess Yue's forbidden love" while criticizing Iroh and Zuko's relationship as not being executed properly. DVDVerdict felt that some minor characters, especially Mai and Ty Lee, were "love em' or hate em'" characters. Gabriel Powers of DVDActive thought that while the characters fit into neat "archetype
The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis.
An archetype can be any of the following:
# a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ot ...
s", it was not a bad thing and fit well with the series.
In 2008, ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' was awarded a Peabody for its "unusually complex characters". This makes the cartoon one of few animations to win the award and the only one to be cited for its character development.
Film casting
M. Night Shyamalan
Manoj Nelliyattu M. Night Shyamalan ( ; born August 6, 1970) is an Indian-American filmmaker and actor. He is best known for making original films with contemporary supernatural plots and twist endings. He was born in Mahé, India, and raise ...
originally offered the roles of Aang to Noah Ringer
Noah Andrew Ringer (born November 18, 1996)Ringer, Noah"The Last Airbender". Interview by Karen Valby. ''EW.com''. Entertainment Weekly, November 3, 2010. Web. February 1, 2010. is an American actor and martial artist. He starred as Aang in the ...
; Sokka to Jackson Rathbone
Monroe Jackson Rathbone V (born December 14, 1984) is an American actor, singer, and musician best known for his role as Jasper Hale in ''The Twilight Saga'' film series. From 2008 to 2012, he was the vocalist and occasional guitarist, bassist, ...
; Katara to Nicola Peltz
Nicola Anne Peltz Beckham (born January 9, 1995) is an American actress. Primarily known for her roles in dramatic film and television, she has performed in some blockbuster adaptations and has since been nominated for a Young Hollywood Award. Sh ...
; and Zuko to Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney (born April 9, 1987) is an American actor and singer. He achieved fame in the late 1990s on the daytime drama ''All My Children'' as JR Chandler. He later joined boy band Dream Street, and eventually branched out into a solo mus ...
. In selecting Nicola Peltz, Shyamalan commented that he did not want to make ''The Last Airbender'' without her, saying that "I said that only once before in my career, and that was when I met Haley in ''The Sixth Sense
''The Sixth Sense'' is a 1999 American psychological thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It stars Bruce Willis as a child psychologist whose patient (Haley Joel Osment) claims he can see and talk to the dead.
Released by ...
'' auditions." In February 2009, Dev Patel
Dev Patel (; born 23 April 1990) is a British actor. His breakthrough came in 2008 with the leading role of Jamal Malik in Danny Boyle's drama ''Slumdog Millionaire'', for which Patel was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leadin ...
replaced McCartney, whose tour dates conflicted with a boot camp scheduled for the cast to train in martial arts.
The casting of all-white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
actors for main protagonist roles in the live-action, Asian-influenced film triggered a negative reaction which was marked by accusations of racism, a letter-writing campaign, and a protest outside of a Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
casting call for movie extras. Jackson Rathbone
Monroe Jackson Rathbone V (born December 14, 1984) is an American actor, singer, and musician best known for his role as Jasper Hale in ''The Twilight Saga'' film series. From 2008 to 2012, he was the vocalist and occasional guitarist, bassist, ...
dismissed the complaints in an interview with MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
, saying, "I think it's one of those things where I pull my hair up, shave the sides, and I definitely need a tan. It's one of those things where, hopefully, the audience will suspend disbelief a little bit." Shaun Toub, who plays Iroh, also defended the casting choices. He noted that "if they would have put all Asians in a certain nation, I think then there would be people who come out and said, 'Well, now you're stereotyping, saying that anything that has to do with martial arts has to do with Asians and chop suey and all that.' So it's nice to mix it up and just do the unexpected."
Movie critic Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
was one of the critical voices against the casting decision. When asked about selection of primarily white actors to portray the characters, he said, "The original series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' was highly regarded and popular for three seasons on Nickelodeon. Its fans take it for granted that its heroes are Asian. Why would Paramount and Shyamalan go out of their way to offend these fans? There are many young Asian actors capable of playing the parts." Jevon Phillips of the ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' noted that despite Shyamalan's attempts to defuse the situation, the issue will "not fade away or be overlooked", and that this film exemplifies the need for a debate within Hollywood about racial diversity in its films. Popular Korean cartoonist Derek Kirk Kim
Derek Kirk Kim is a Korean-American writer, director, and artist. He is the recipient of the Eisner (2004), the Harvey (2004), and the Ignatz Award (2003) for his debut graphic novel ''Same Difference and Other Stories.'' (The contents of which w ...
reacted to the film's casting by comparing it to a hypothetical film which depicts white actors wearing traditional African clothing and eating traditional African food in traditional African huts. Shyamalan, however, countered that "this movie, and then the three movies, will be the most culturally diverse tentpole movies ever released."
References
External links
*
{{portal bar, Animation, Television
*List
Avatar: The Last Airbender characters, List of
Avatar: The Last Airbender
''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' (abbreviated as ''ATLA''), also known as ''Avatar: The Legend of Aang'' in some regions or simply ''Avatar'', is an American anime-influenced animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and ...