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).
Appearing Avatar: The Last Airbender • ''''
(Japanese: 六) (voiced by James Garrett as an old man in the animated series, Keone Young in The Legend of Aang'',
Andrew Caldwell as a young man in the animated series, portrayed by
C.S. Lee in the live-action series) 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. In the live-action film, Roku's role as Aang's guide is assumed by the Dragon Spirit (
John Noble). • '''''' (vocal effects provided by
Dee Bradley Baker) 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 caused by the eruption of the volcano on Roku's Island. • ''''
( (voiced by Jennifer Hale in the animated series, portrayed by Yvonne Chapman in the live-action series) 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 were later adopted by the Kyoshi Warriors of Kyoshi Island, along with her attire and fighting style. She detached Kyoshi Island 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''. • '''''' (voiced by
Jim Meskimen in the animated series, portrayed by
Meegwun Fairbrother in the live-action series) 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 from fighting dark spirits, his life force was drained, ultimately leading to his death at the young age of 33. • '''''' (, ) (voiced by
Tress MacNeille in the animated series, portrayed by
Dichen Lachman in the live-action series) preceded Kuruk. She 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. '''''Appearing in 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.
Appearing in The Legend of Korra • '''''' () (voiced by
Steven Yeun) was the 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 first Avatar as he merged with Raava during Harmonic Convergence.
Never seen • ''''''
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" of the 'dark' state.
Appearing in 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 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. Their resemblance to the symbol is more than coincidental, as the two spirits embody the symbol's meaning. • '''''' (voiced by
Erik Todd Dellums in the animated series,
George Takei in the live-action series) 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 in the animated series,
Randall Duk Kim in the live-action series) 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, though he is shocked by Unalaq's true intentions. • '''''' (vocal effects provided by
Dee Bradley Baker) is a black and white forest spirit that sometimes takes the form of a docile
Giant panda, 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. • '''''' (variously voiced by
Kevin Michael Richardson,
Jim Cummings, and
Stephen Stanton) are gigantic lion-and-turtle hybrid creatures that are similar in size to the
island turtles. 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) and ' (voiced by
Jonathan Adams) 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) 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. Aye-aye also taught Wan about spirits.
United Republic of Nations The United Republic of Nations is a sovereign state founded by Avatar
Aang and Fire Lord
Zuko 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. 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. 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. 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, 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 "[seeming] like an oddball combination of
Howard Hughes,
Steve Jobs, and
Andy Kaufman, 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: :
John Michael Higgins described the character as "part
Rupert Murdoch, part
Thomas Edison, part
Bozo the Clown." • '''''' (voiced by
Stephanie Sheh) 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 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", • '''''' (voiced by
Dante Basco) 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. 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 and by Nicholas Braico and
Zach Callison 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. After escaping to the north, Yakone started a family, with his wife giving birth to Tarrlok and Amon who was born as Noatak. After Yakone learned that his sons could waterbend, he become consumed by revenge and trained them to bloodbend, despite them being 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) 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 Kizaemon Saiga, who is known for his "ridiculously over the top" antics. • '''''' (voiced by
Jeff Bennett) is the fast-talking probending match announcer in season 1. He also does the
voice-overs for the short recaps during the opening sequence of each episode. 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 is remanded to the dungeon as one Dai Li agent later informs that the Dai Li are still secretly loyal to him. Long Feng allies himself with Azula upon being temporarily released 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. His status afterwards is unknown. • The '''''' () are Ba Sing Se's
secret police and cultural enforcers, that acted under Long Feng and then Azula. In "Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno" at the time when she was preparing for her coronation, a paranoid Azula had the Dai Li banished from her castle. 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. • The unnamed '''''' (voiced by
Jason Charles Miller in "City of Walls and Secrets" and "Lake Laogai",
André Sogliuzzo in "Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno") is the spokesperson for the Dai Li. He is the one who tells Long Feng that the Dai Li are still secretly loyal to him after Long Feng was remanded ot the dungeon. The unnamed Head of the Dai Li was also present when Azula had the Dai Li banished from her castle. • The unnamed '''''' (voiced by
Gary Cole) is loyal to Earth Queen Hou-Ting. • '''''' () (voiced by
Lauren Tom in the animated series, portrayed by Amanda Zhou in the live-action series) 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
Cam Clarke) is a businessman and father of Toph. When Toph travels with Aang, Lao enlists Xin Fu and Master Yu to bring her back to him, but they were not successful. • '''''' (voiced by
Gabrielle Carteris in the animated series, portrayed by
Crystal Yu in the live-action series) is the mother of Toph. • '''''' () (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 after that. • '''''' () (voiced by
Sab Shimono) is an instructor at an Earth-bending academy, as well as
Toph Beifong'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. When they succeeded in capturing Toph, she manages to trap Master Yu and Xin Fu in the metal box with her Metalbending. Neither is shown again after that. • '''''' (voiced by
Mick Foley in the animated series, portrayed by Kelemete Misipeka in the live-action series) 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, and his name is thought to be a
parody of
The Rock. • '''''' (voiced by
Kevin Michael Richardson) 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 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, 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 her to 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 three, and is never seen again. • '''''' (voiced by
Tsai Chin) was an elderly citizen of Makapu Village who worked as a fortune teller. 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 "fortune telling", 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 and portrayed by
James Sie in both animated and live-action series) 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 badger/mole-like creatures who are revealed to be the original Earthbenders. They are giant wild creatures that burrow tunnels using Earthbending. It is unknown exactly how many of them are there, though 2 Badgermoles 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 Earthbending 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. • The ''''
are 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. • '''''' (voiced by
Bill Bolender) is the leader of his Sandbender tribe. • '''''' (voiced by Paul McKinney) is the son of Sha-Mo and one of the people who abducted Appa. • '''''' are the country-like folk of the foggy swamp. 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 the two of its members attempted to 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. • '''''' (voiced by
William H. Bassett) is an elderly Waterbender who is a member of the Foggy Swamp Tribe. Utilizing the water in the swamp plants, Huu would masquerade as a
swamp monster to protect his swamp. • '''''' (voiced by
Carlos Alazraqui) is a member of the Foggy Swamp Tribe. • '''''' (voiced by
Carlos Alazraqui) is a member of the Foggy Swamp Tribe.
Appearing in The Legend of Korra • '''''' () (voiced by
Zelda Williams) 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 DiMartino and Konietzko "took some pages out of history" in crafting Kuvira's villain arc, with DiMartino explaining that, "a lot of [dictatorships] would 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 "[he] had 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. portrayed by
Thalia Tran in the live-action series) 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 concealed in her clothing, all of which she can throw with lethal accuracy.) is a hot-tempered Fire Nation admiral in pursuit of the Avatar, Zuko's first rival and the secondary antagonist of
Book One. The rivalry is shown throughout various episodes, including an Agni Kai in the episode
The Southern Air Temple, various banters involving mass gloating, and even attempting to kill off Zuko in
The Waterbending Master in retaliation for interference in his capture of Aang in
The Blue Spirit. 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 while they are considering whether or not to allow Zuko to join their team in the episode
The Western Air Temple. In
the second season of the sequel series
The Legend of Korra, 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 in the animated series, portrayed by
Lily Gao in the live-action series) 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) 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 when young) was the only son, and heir apparent of General Iroh, thus Azula and Zuko's cousin, and Ozai's nephew. His death at the Siege of Ba Sing Se 5 years ago, led 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 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. • The '''''' (voiced by
Clement von Franckenstein in the animated series, portrayed by
François Chau in the live-action series) is the leader of the Fire Sages. • The '''''' (voiced by
Keone Young) is a member of the Fire Sages and was responsible for the coronation of the next Fire Lord. • '''''' (voiced by
Michael Yama in the animated series, portrayed by James Rha in the live-action series) is a Great Sage who helped Aang connect with the spirit of Avatar Roku. • '''''' (both vocal effects provided by
Dee Bradley Baker) 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. • The unnamed '''''' (voiced by
Robert Ito) is the
chieftain of the Sun Warriors. • '''''' (voiced by
Brian Tochi) is a member of the Sun Warriors. • '
(previously Sparky Sparky Boom Man'; vocal effects provided by
Greg Baldwin) is an assassin hired by Prince Zuko to kill Aang and the secondary antagonist of
Book Three. His chief weapon is a unique method of Firebending allowing him to generate explosions from a
third eye painted on his forehead, whereby he terrorizes the Avatar and his friends. His real name is unknown, though it is implied that Zuko knows his name. 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. • '''''' (voiced by
Tim Dang) was the Fire Nation soldier who killed Katara and Sokka's mother Kya. Later on in the series, Katara seeks out revenge with help from Zuko. She couldn't bring herself to finish him off. • '''''' (formerly Colonel Shinu; ; voiced by
Nick Jameson) 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 (actress voiced by
Grey DeLisle),
Sokka (actor voiced by
Scott Menville),
Aang (actress voiced by
Rachel Dratch),
Zuko (actor voiced by
Derek Basco),
Iroh (actor voiced by
John DiMaggio), Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors, Jet (actor voiced by
Dee Bradley Baker), King Bumi (actor voiced by John DiMaggio), the 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's Avatar-monster form, Toph (actor voiced by John DiMaggio), Zhao, Yue, Azula,
Fire Lord Ozai (actor voiced by
Dee Bradley Baker), 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.
Appearing in The Legend of Korra • '''''' (voiced by
April Stewart) 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 too 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 Appearing in Avatar: The Last Airbender • '''''' (voiced by
André Sogliuzzo in the animated series, portrayed by
Joel Montgrand in season one of the live-action series,
Adam Beach in the season two of the live-action series) 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 in the animated series, 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. 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 from
Game of Thrones, both being "a brilliant schemer who hides a power-hungry soul under a spiritual veneer." 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's design was a collaboration between supervising producers
Lauren Montgomery and Ki-Hyun Ryu, and co-creator
Bryan Konietzko. Kya's outfits were designed as a callback to Katara's outfits from the original series. 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. Sharing identical personalities, looks and waterbending abilities, the twins provide sardonic comic relief. :Eska and Desna were designed by
Joshua Middleton 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." 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). • The '
, 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.
Appearing in The Legend of Korra • '''''' (voiced by
Darcy Rose Byrnes) 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, 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 noted that Ikki's strengths are that she is friendly, empathic and not easily rattled. such as his "fartbending". Lauren Davis of
io9 noted that "growing up hearing about Aang's adventures have left [Meelo] with a romantic (and not terribly pragmatic) sense of life on the road." • '''''' (voiced by
Dee Bradley Baker in season 1,
Richard Riehle 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 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. :Suyin and her sister, Lin, clashed a lot in the past due to their different personalities. Matt Patches of
ScreenCrush described Suyin as the "liberal arts-educated, poetry-quoting, world-traveling,
New Yorker-reading, self-identified foodie" to Lin's "blue collar, bread-and-butter townie." Suyin was designed by Konietzko and character designer Christie Tseng. After his escape from Zaofu, Aiwei met the Red Lotus leader
Zaheer 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 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". 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 as an old man in the animated series, Kevin Ng as a young boy in the animated series, Sunil Malhotra in Avatar: The Last Airbender: Quest for Balance'', portrayed by
Utkarsh Ambudkar as an old man in the live-action series, Pradnesh Prakash as a young boy in the live-action series) 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 firstborn son after King Bumi. • '''''' (voiced by
Victor Brandt in the animated series, portrayed by
A Martinez in the live-action series) 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 in the animated series, portrayed by
Terry Chen in the live-action series) 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 were 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 in the animated series, portrayed by
Jon Jon Briones in the live-action series) 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. Disillusioned with the White Lotus doctrine and founded during Korra's childhood, former White Lotus member Xai Bau 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. Creating and writing for the Red Lotus was "a blast" said co-creator
Bryan Konietzko, "
[Michael Dante DiMartino], 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 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. • '''''' (voiced by Sterling Young in the animated series, portrayed by Vincent Huang in the live-action series) 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 in the animated series, portrayed by Wes Valarao in the live-action series) is a Freedom Fighter. In Book One, she is first seen when she helps 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 appearance and behavior, she is constantly mistaken for a boy as a running gag. • '''''' (voiced by
Marc Donato in the animated series, portrayed by Nathaniel Kong in the live-action series) 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 in Book One of the animated series, Nick Swoboda in Book Three of the animated series, portrayed by Taylor Lam Wright in the live-action series) is the youngest and smallest member of the Freedom Fighters during Book One. He is first mistaken for Pipsqueak because he rode 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, 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. • '''''' is a Freedom Fighter introduced in the episode titled "Jet." He is not very important to the plot.
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.
Bryan Konietzko and
Joaquim Dos Santos did the character designs for The Equalists, including their leader, Amon. was the charismatic and mysterious leader of The Equalists, and the main villain of the first season.
Nickelodeon's press release described Amon as "a nimble, stealthy fighter who shows no fear even against the highest-level bender." 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. 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. Max Nicholson of
IGN 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". • '''''' (Japanese: 佐藤 博史 さとう ひろし) (voiced by
Daniel Dae Kim) was a nonbending wealthy industrialist, the founder of Future Industries and the father of
Asami Sato.
Nickelodeon's press release described him as "a
barrel-chested businessman with a big personality". A brilliant inventor who reviewers have compared to
Henry Ford, 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. 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 in the two-part series finale to help arm the prototype hummingbird
mechas 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 and Japanese industrialist
Keita Gotō. His mustache is based on
Mitsubishi founder
Iwasaki Yatarō's. • '''''' (voiced by
Lance Henriksen) is a nonbender and Amon's second-in-command.
Nickelodeon's press release described The Lieutenant as "an intense, disciplined fighter who augments his amazing skills with two electrified
kali sticks." ==Reception==