Metalbending

Metalbending is a specialized sub-skill of earthbending that allows an earthbender to ferrokinetically bend natural and processed metal in a similar fashion to bending regular earth. Long regarded an impossible feat, the ability was invented by Toph Beifong to escape from a metal cage in which she was captured and transported by Xin Fu and Master Yu. Since metal is merely earth that has been purified and refined, Toph used her seismic sense to perceive the trace amounts of "unpurified" crude earth still present in the metal, target it, and use it to bend the purified metal itself.
== History ==
For thousands of years, earthbenders were not able to manipulate earth processed into metal. During the Hundred Year War, the Fire Nation exploited this inability to detain captive earthbenders, such as when they forced earthbenders to work on a metallic prison rig in the middle of the ocean, and locked King Bumi in a suspended metal cage following the takeover of Omashu. Other nations used the same tactic, such as when Xin Fu and the Earth Rumble VI fighters captured Toph and Aang in metal cages and suspended them in the air, a situation impossible to escape from through the use of conventional earthbending.
The believed unbendability of metal was also utilized to keep other benders out rather simply keep earthbenders in, such as the metal door the bloodbender Hama relied on to keep others from accessing her mountain prison or the metal bunker the Fire Nation Capital counted on to keep out invaders on the Day of Black Sun. The builders of palaces in the Hao period, meanwhile, constructed underground iron safe rooms in which the lord of the manor could flee to and remain safe in during an attack until reinforcements arrived.
This changed during the spring of 100 AG, however, when Toph Beifong was incarcerated in a metal cage by Xin Fu and her former teacher, Master Yu. While being transported back to Gaoling, Toph realized that metal was only a form of processed earth and began to meditate in her prison until she was able to feel the trace amounts of earth in the metal. By utilizing these remaining fragments, she metalbent for the first time, allowing her escape while also imprisoning her captors inside the cage. From then on, she continued to practice and refine the technique, making it a vital asset to winning the Hundred Year War.
After the war, Toph established the Beifong Metalbending Academy to share the technique with others. By 128 AG, metalbending, and specifically the use of metal cables, had become the standard form of earthbending employed by Republic City's police force, providing for extra mobility around the city and a more effective method of subduing criminals. Initially relying on coils of metal rope contained within two circular receptacles carried on a utility belt, the police eventually updated the design to utilize lines of metal stored in cylindrical spool devices worn on the back instead.
The art of metalbending also spread to earthbenders beyond the United Republic's borders, as some members of the Order of the White Lotus became proficient in the art; while the city of Zaofu, through an effort led by Toph's younger daughter, Suyin Beifong, was constructed entirely out of metal. By 173 AG, the skill had become even more widespread across the Earth Kingdom due to Kuvira's efforts to politically unite the country's territories and, in her words, distribute its resources fairly throughout the nation, which resulted in the mass training and stationing of new recruits for the Earth Empire all over the continent.
== Fighting style ==
Metalbending is rooted in the ability to detect the tiny fragments of earth within metal, the manipulation of which molds the surrounding alloy, thus making the sub-skill possible. Metalbenders have adapted the discipline for use as a remote and contact-based ability, the proximity necessary to bend it appearing subject to the same limitations as the other elements. On the other hand, metal is distinctive compared to the traditional bending arts for its natural unavailability in a refined state. Once smelted into such a form, it becomes exceptionally durable, such that it can retain its shape and withstand harsh environments longer than many other known bendable substances. Consequently, its ubiquity as a processed manufacturing material in modern society has led to the development of numerous metalbending techniques that rely on the thoughtful maneuvering of prefabricated parts in fixed ways rather than just the free-form shaping of raw or liquified metal ore.Throughout The Legend of Korra. 
=== Metalbending abilities ===
Creeping metal: By squeezing a metallic surface in front of them, metalbenders can create a tremor in the ground that ripples toward an opponent and leaves a trail of warped and twisted metal in its wake. Toph used this technique against a Fire Navy officer and his two troopers while Team Avatar was undercover on a Fire Nation cruiser, triggering a volatile contortion in the metal floor that spread along the path the soldiers strutted and collapsed their gangway as they crossed back over to their ship.
Ground shift: As with ordinary earthbending, metalbenders can alter the metallic terrain beneath others to disorient their targets or move them out of the way. Kuvira carried out this action against Korra when they battled in the control room of the Colossus, slamming one end of the platform they were fighting on to abruptly pivot the other side upward, which forced Korra into the air.
Liquid metal ball: Metalbenders have been shown to be able to shape liquid metal into different-sized spheres for an assortment of purposes. When Korra was extracting the remaining mercury trapped in her body, it took the form of tiny droplets, which she agglomerated into a small liquid orb. Kuvira later repurposed Suyin's meteorite collection into liquid trackballs that she could swivel in designated sockets to control her large mecha suit.DiMartino, Michael Dante; Konietzko, Bryan; Hedrick, Tim & Hamilton, Joshua (March 10, 2015). "Kuvira's Gambit" commentary. Book Four: Balance Blu-ray. When Korra busted into the control room of the suit to stop her, Kuvira removed the trackballs and molded them into several globs, from which she sent smaller globules hurtling at Korra.
Liquid metal extraction: Metalbenders do not appear to suffer from the same limitations many waterbenders face when attempting to bend liquified matter inside the human body, wherein the waterbender must usually rely on the enhanced power provided by a full moon. For example, Suyin was able to remove most of the mercury a Red Lotus sentry forced Korra to absorb by directing it out of her bloodstream and up through her esophagus before withdrawing it from her mouth. Later, Korra used her own metalbending to siphon the remaining mercury from her body, this time expelling it directly through her skin, after Toph insisted Korra should do it by herself.
Liquid metal infusion: Just as metalbenders can extract liquid metal from a person's body, they can also force it in via transdermal permeation. A Red Lotus sentry managed to infuse a large quantity of mercury into a chained Korra this way by constricting the liquid substance around her limbs to force her skin to absorb it.
Liquid metal shield: Similar to a water shield, metalbenders can mold liquid metal into many different shapes to deflect an attack, trap an opponent in a viscous body, or reshape and propel the material back at the bender. Kuvira and Korra both used versions of this technique while fighting each other in the control room of the Colossus. First, Korra deflected the liquid metal stream Kuvira directed at her, briefly reshaping it into a protective, sphere-like barrier around herself before thrusting it back at Kuvira. Shortly thereafter, Kuvira spread a ball of liquid metal in front of herself to block one of Korra's fire blasts before stretching out and solidifying it into an ordinary metal shield.
Liquid metal stream: With a big enough source, metalbenders have the ability to deluge their foe in a torrent of liquid metal. Kuvira launched a stream at Korra during their fight in the control room of her giant mecha suit, which Korra promptly blocked and redirected back at her.
Mercury manipulation: Being a highly poisonous metallic substance that naturally exists in liquid form at room temperature, metalbenders are known to be able to control and shape mercury with relative ease. A Red Lotus sentry used his bending to infuse a substantial volume of the toxic fluid into Korra's body, which Suyin and Korra were ultimately able to extract with their own metalbending.
Metal arm blade:The Legend of Korra—The Art of the Animated Series, Book Four: Balance, page 116. Some metalbenders outfit their limbs with metal that doubles as one or more arm blades when the situation calls for it. They have been used to pierce glass, cut through metal, and deflect projectiles. The vambraces on Chief Beifong's police uniform, for example, hid dual arm blades that she could extend and retract as needed. Her sister, Suyin, meanwhile, wore bangles as a teenager that she once stretched into the same kind of weapon during an altercation between the two sisters. Kuvira later incorporated nested metal segments into the bracers on her Earth Empire uniform, one of which she slid down to her wrist and transformed into an arm blade during a fight with Suyin.
Metal barricade: Though commonly erected to stop crowds or redirect the flow of traffic, this improvised barrier can also be used by metalbenders to corral opposing forces. At Tarrlok's orders, a group of metalbending police officers arrested a crowd of nonbenders this way, stretching, wrapping, and tightening numerous barricades around the masses to detain them.
Metal beam: Metalbenders can mount or remove all manner of metal columns, girders, and braces for use in construction. Toph and her metalbending students Ho Tun, Penga, and The Dark One were the first to apply metalbending to this craft, helping build an oil refinery in the South Pole as part of the Southern Reconstruction Project while visiting the area on business. They later used the technique to delay the collapse of a building in Yu Dao by keeping the ceiling pillars from buckling. By the era of Korra, metalbenders' ability to move these structural supports had become a normal part of high-rise development in Republic City, with numerous metalbenders employed by Future Industries to assist with rebuilding efforts following Kuvira's invasion of the country.
Metal belt: This is a type of strap formed from a thin band of metal that can wrap around one's midsection as a clothing accessory, safety restraint, or offensive maneuver. Drive belts are also preconstructed for use in machinery, Toph once using her metalbending to reposition a dislodged serpentine belt and pulley in Satoru's forklift when visiting the Earthen Fire Refinery for the first time. Metalbending officers from the Republic City Police Department wore prefabricated utility belts with their uniform, which could be secured around the waist solely through metalbending. Lin later jury-rigged seatbelts for her and Suyin to safely clamp them to the arm of the Colossus they were stuck inside as Kuvira tore it off and flung it into the distance. A couple minutes later, Kuvira used the same technique against Korra in the control room of the Colossus to violently drag her across the ceiling.
Metal bleachers: These tiered rows of metal benches, which serve as spectator seating for viewing events, can be installed and dismantled with metalbending. Republic City possessed collapsible versions of the stands, which the Metalbending Police Force erected for Prince Wu's coronation.
Metal blindfold: This is a type of eye cover formed from a thin band of metal that can wrap around the head to obscure one's vision. Kuvira made them from slivers of metal layered over her armor,The Legend of Korra—The Art of the Animated Series, Book Four: Balance, page 11. which she used to incapacitate a group of bandits ambushing her train and later when dueling Korra at Zaofu to block her eyesight and throw her off balance.
Metal blossom: Working in tandem with several others, metalbenders can manipulate big panels of metal shaped like petals to mimic a flower in bloom. When Team Avatar visited Zaofu to recruit Opal into the new Air Nation, Suyin, Kuvira, and six other citizens were in the midst of practicing the technique for a dance rehearsal the following month, opening and closing in sequence the sculpted corolla of a large metal lotus.
Metal bridge: To cross over a treacherous drop from one area to another, metalbenders can craft a platform out of metal connecting the two locations. A couple metalbending guards from Zaofu tried to rescue Korra from her Red Lotus kidnappers using this technique, making a bridge out of two ornate metal panels in an effort to cross Ghazan's lava moat.
Metal chain: This is a type of restraint formed from a series of connected metal links or rings that can wrap around people to secure them in place. Toph fought back against the Rough Rhinos in Cranefish Town with this move, using her metalbending to unravel the chained bola immobilizing Xing Ying and Yee-Li and binding Ogodei with it.
Metal chokehold: With this skill, metalbenders can restrict a person's airway by wrapping one or more strips of metal around the windpipe and slowly constricting it. The tight grip also makes it possible to lift the recipient aloft via the makeshift collar. Kuvira performed this move on Varrick when he expressed hesitancy at continuing his research into spirit vine energy, squeezing the metal pauldrons on his uniform around his neck, raising him into the air, and threatening to drop him onto the tracks of their fast-moving train. She later used the technique against Commander Guan when he refused to order the last remaining troops of the Earth Empire to stand down, strangling him with his shoulder guards the same way she previously threatened Varrick.
Metal cocoon: Metalbenders can reshape preexisting metallic accessories into specialized body casings. In order to save Lin while fighting P'li on Laghima's Peak, Suyin reformed her metal armor into a capsule that completely wrapped around the combustionbender's head to contain her explosion.The Legend of Korra—The Art of the Animated Series, Book Three: Change, page 152.
Metal compression: It is possible for metalbenders to compact many smaller pieces of metal into a larger chunk. Toph flaunted this ability while helping Team Avatar declutter a beach in Cranefish Town, squashing some of the stray metal rubble littering the sand together into a ball before further densifying it to create a statue in her image.
Metal cushion: In order to absorb the shock of a fall so as to not get hurt, metalbenders plummeting toward a metal surface can create an indentation in the floor just as they are landing. After launching herself from one Equalist airship to another in an effort to prevent them from capturing Tenzin and his family, Lin used this move to soften the blow of her impact, immediately following it up with a safety roll as well to dissipate her remaining kinetic energy.
Metal disc: Metalbenders have shown the ability to move and ricochet rounded metal plates with considerable speed and accuracy. Wei and Wing manipulated a metal saucer in this fashion for a game they invented in Zaofu called power disc.
Metal elevator:The Legend of Korra—The Art of the Animated Series, Book Three: Change, page 74. Much like how earthbenders can replicate an elevator by sliding a chunk of rock they are standing on against another earthen surface, so too can metalbenders by moving a metallic base against a perpendicular metal surface. The Metal Clan engineered several lifts in this manner on its airship platform, from which guards could ascend or descend through the use of their metalbending.
Metal figure: Metalbenders with a decent grasp and knowledge of sculpting can craft life-size replicas of human appendages or bodies from any source of metal. While fighting off Gilak and his horde of Southern Water Tribe nationalists in Wolf Cove, Toph reshaped her meteorite bracelet into a hand to smack one of his loyalists. Later, while cleaning up a beach in Cranefish Town, she used the abundance of metal debris to sculpt a few statues of herself.
Metal figurine: Metalbenders with a sufficient command and understanding of sculpting can use metallic substances to create miniaturized representations of humans. While meeting Liling in Cranefish Town for the first time, Toph morphed a vase made out of meteorite metal into a statuette bearing her own likeness.
Metal gauntlet: A more basic version of metal armor that only covers the hand and forearm, this ability offers metalbenders partial protection without limiting the flexibility of the rest of their body. Toph used the technique while battling Yaling atop the Earthen Fire Refinery by wrapping a metal roof panel around her hand and wrist in the shape of a mitten, first to block a column of earth and then to grip a metal cable she slid down without incurring friction burn.
Metal handcuffs: This is a type of restraint formed from prefabricated manacles designed to chain an arrestee's wrists together or to another surface to prevent escape. Metalbenders can open and close them with a simple flick of their wrist. Lin detained Korra this way while questioning her in an interrogation room at Republic City's police headquarters,The Legend of Korra—The Art of the Animated Series, Book One: Air, page 48. only unlocking the cuffs tethering Korra to the table after Councilman Tenzin interceded on her behalf.
Metal helmet: This manufactured metal cap, which can be fitted onto the head of the recipient for protection or mind control, has been manipulated by metalbenders on multiple occasions to disorient the wearer. During the Battle for Yu Dao, for instance, Toph's first students at the Beifong Metalbending Academy, Ho Tun, Penga, and The Dark One, blinded several Fire Nation soldiers by spinning their helmets around. Many years later, while trying to brainwash Kuvira, the former military dictator maneuvered two of Doctor Sheng's hypnotizing helmets onto her and Guan and clenched the metal in place to thwart their plans to influence a democratic election in Gaoling.
Metal knife: With minimum effort, metalbenders can manipulate this sharp cutting tool to perform a variety of functions. After learning that Kuvira had surrendered to the Avatar and ordered all Earth Empire officers and soldiers to lay down their arms, an enraged Guan used his metalbending to fling a pocketknife into the distance that a barber was utilizing as a razor to trim the sides of his undercut.
Metal launch: When standing on a surface containing metal, metalbenders can rapidly shift a piece of the floor or wall to propel themselves or others dozens of feet into the air. Lin employed this maneuver while battling a group of Equalists with Korra on top of the Pro-bending Arena, swiftly bending the metal frame in the glass dome two catapult two Equalists off the roof. She later repeated the move, but with a running start, to leap from one Equalist airship to another in an effort to halt their pursuit of Tenzin and his family. Suyin utilized it also to vault over Kuvira during a fight between the two on the latter's spirit energy cannon. Kuvira quickly retaliated with the same tactic to lunge at Suyin, then used it again a few moments later to hurl Suyin off her weapon. An Earth Empire soldier took advantage of the technique as well to jump over Lin during a scuffle inside the Colossus, as did Korra in the control room of the giant mecha suit to knock Kuvira into the air. Two Zaofu guards managed to carry out the ability purely with their metal cables, shooting them into the ground to push off from.
Metal levitation: The ability to raise in place, redirect elsewhere, propel forward, or otherwise move metallic projectiles without touching them utilizing various bodily motions is a basic skill for beginning metalbenders. Toph's first students at the Beifong Metalbending Academy, Ho Tun, Penga, and The Dark One, began their training by learning this movement, practicing with Earth Kingdom coins before advancing to larger metal plates. Penga subsequently became adept at and enjoyed spinning Fire Nation helmets in place rather than chucking the metal at a target. Kuvira could also revolve metal in place easily, slowly twirling the distributor pin to her spirit energy cannon in front of Zhu Li after calling her out for attempting to sabotage the weapon. As Toph explained to Sokka during the Battle for Yu Dao regarding the technique, if the metal was close enough for him to see it, it was close enough that she could bend it.
Metal manipulation: Many forms of metalbending involve not only the movement of different kinds of metal from one location to another but also the shaping of one or more pieces to suit the metalbender's need. Much of Toph's early metalbending relied on crudely denting or crushing metal she was in direct contact with to obtain the desired effect. She eventually mastered the ability to remotely tear metal apart and seamlessly seal it back together such that no visible evidence of the original cut remained. Lin similarly used the technique during the Equalist occupation of Air Temple Island to rip off part of the hull of two of their airships, as did Korra when visiting Zaofu for the first time to pursue an escaping Aiwei and a few years later when back in Republic City to chase down Prince Wu's kidnappers. Kuvira used the skill as well to crush a medal during Wu's coronation earlier. Huan, by contrast, has used the distortion of metal to perfect his artwork as opposed to demonstrating his fighting prowess or lack thereof.
Metal muzzle: This is a type of gag formed from a thin band of metal that can wrap over the mouth to stifle someone's ability to speak or make noise. Toph showed off the technique during the Battle for Yu Dao to prevent two Fire Nation tundra tank operators from calling out for help. Kuvira later crafted one from the coats of metal covering her armor to silence a bandit for interrupting her. Suyin also used one to gag an Earth Empire soldier so he could not alert the rest of the troops to her and her sons' presence in their encampment.
Metal partition: Metalbenders can create and manipulate a wide variety of gates, doors, and walls to accommodate their diverse needs. For example, in order to impede a group of bender supremacists from accessing the Earthen Fire Refinery, Toph built a life-size maze in front of the factory comprising numerous walls that she could open and close to her heart's content. Decades later, Suyin used the technique more offensively, curving a thin metal wall to lash Lin with during a tussle between the two sisters. Lin, meanwhile, used her metalbending to free Asami, Mako, and Bolin from prison by ripping their jail cell doors off their hinges and shortly thereafter to unbolt an underground door disguised as a wall that Equalists were using to hide one of their bases of operations. A few years after that, she slid open the door to a warehouse with metalbending that she suspected was housing the Triple Threat Triad. Around the same time, General Iroh instructed his metalbending forces to set up and maintain a perimeter wall around the new spirit portal in Republic City. The White Lotus and Earth Empire were also both known to operate metal doors, the former employing metalbending sentries to open and close Zaheer's prison doors and the latter retaining soldiers to raise and lower a border checkpoint wall. Aiwei similarly raised a thick wall of metal to stall Team Avatar while he escaped from Zaofu. Eventually, Korra utilized her metalbending to shut a sliding door on a train to slow down one of several Earth Empire agents who was helping facilitate an attempted kidnapping of Prince Wu, as well as to force open a hatch and pair of automatic sliding doors on an Earth Empire airship to kidnap Bataar Jr.
Metal portcullis: Metalbenders have the ability to open and close specialized gates made from a latticed grille that drops down or slides up to bar passage or permit ingress and egress. Republic City constructed one to block a tunnel entry point, which Lin was able to raise with ease while searching for Korra and her metalbending officers. Zaofu built several portcullises as well in front of the elevators on its airship platform, which guards could lift or lower with metalbending.
Metal ramp: Using an ordinary piece of metal, metalbenders can create an inclined plane that eases travel to a higher or lower elevation. To safely disembark from the roof of a collapsing building in Yu Dao, for example, Toph curved up the metal panels on the exterior wall to provide her and Chong an improvised slide to the ground. Many years later, to escape from an underground Equalist lair, Lin broke off a section of the upper guideway beam steering the tram she was riding on and connected it from the ceiling to the ground, thereby creating a new slope for the tram to drive over that would raise it off the ground and through a large hole she punctured in the roof of the tunnel.
Metal rod: Metalbenders can repurpose a prefabricated stick or pole as a parrying rod, using it to deflect projectiles or otherwise block an attack. They can also bend metal spears and other rod-like implements to suit their needs, as when Toph twisted a pike around Master Kunyo's head to make him look foolish for doubting the existence of metalbending. Later, while visiting the South Pole with Toph on business, her metalbending students Ho Tun, Penga, and The Dark One used the same technique to deform several Southern Water Tribe patriots' spears. While dueling Kuvira on her spirit energy cannon, meanwhile, Suyin ripped off a section of the handrail for use as a staff to repel several of Kuvira's metal shards.
Metal saw: Drawing on the heightened plasticity of meteorite metal, metalbenders can reshape the substance into a serrated blade to sever weaker materials. Katara suggested Toph turn her meteorite bracelet into the toothed implement to cut through the wooden slats of their Fire Fountain City jail cell. However, Toph could not perform the technique because she left the bracelet back at their campsite.
Metal shards:Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Wan Shi Tong's Adventure Guide, Finalized Version, 2022, p. 190. In addition to their utility as bindings, blindfolds, or muzzles, many metalbenders have found value in using small strips or large panels of metal as thin projectiles when engaged in a fight, including numerous soldiers in the Earth Empire. Suyin repurposed several of the rectangular metal inlays placed all over her property as decoration for such a purpose, flinging the sharp pieces at Lin during a scuffle between the two sisters in Zaofu. Not long after, she fashioned several smaller ones from the metal plates that made up her gorget in order to pierce Zaheer's glider following his group's attempt to kidnap Korra from the city. She also tore a couple of longer panels off the stairs leading up to Kuvira's spirit energy cannon to attack the military dictator with a few years later. Kuvira, meanwhile, once molded six curved shards from strips of metal on her Earth Empire uniform, preparing to use the razor-thin implements on Korra during their fight in Zaofu until Jinora and Opal intervened.
Metal shelter: Taking the concept of a metal shield further, metalbenders can use a blanket of metal to form a roofed enclosure as a barrier against the external environment or to trap enemies. To protect herself from a sudden explosion at the Earthen Fire Refinery, for instance, Toph threw together a dome-like covering out of a sheet of metal, which left her unscathed after the flames subsided. To try and recapture Zaheer and his gang of Red Lotus anarchists, meanwhile, Lin and several members of the Metal Clan confined them in a larger encasing using a dozen of the ornamental metallic panels that adorned the grounds of Suyin's estate.
Metal shield: A slab of metal can double as a protective screen when levitated in front of a metalbender or pried up from the ground. Toph first executed this technique in the cockpit of a Fire Nation airship during Sozin's Comet, wrenching up a sheet of metal from the floor to block an enhanced fire blast. She later made another one while fighting Yaling on top of the Earthen Fire Refinery, pulling up a metal roof shingle to take the blow of Yaling's earthen battering ram. Many years later, Su made a couple of shields for protection during a brawl with Lin in Zaofu, first with one of the many ornate metal panels decorating her land and then by yanking part of the metal lamina off a nearby wall to cylindrically envelope herself with. The embellished metal panels were used extensively as fortifications during a fight with the Red Lotus in Zaofu as well. A few years after that, several Earth Empire agents created shields on either side of Korra, Mako, Asami, and Wu to close them in by dragging up the metal roof of the train car they were standing on top of. Lin made a shield too during a fight with an Earth Empire soldier inside the Colossus, ripping a metal panel off the wall to absorb the impact of several metal shards. Metalbenders can also form a barrier from liquid metal or smaller metal strips, as when Kuvira hardened a liquid metal shield into a solid one while battling Korra in the control room of the Colossus or when an Earth Empire soldier arranged four shards of metal into a square shield to defend against one of Mako's fire blasts.
Metal shovel: Ordinarily fabricated with a handle for gripping and scoop for digging, metalbenders have been known to operate functioning versions of these excavation tools using only the latter component. While visiting the South Pole with his fellow students and Toph on business, for example, Ho Tun reworked a curved metal pane for use as a massive scoop, which he utilized to penetrate, lift, and move heaps of snow with Penga and The Dark One's assistance.
Metal shutters: Metalbenders can adjust prefabricated metal blinds to control the level of light exposure in a room. Kuvira outfitted the windows of her trains with these covers, which she could raise and lower at will.
Metal stairs: Working with a sheet of prefolded metal seamlessly integrated into the ground, metalbenders have devised a way to quickly erect a staircase by unraveling the pleated panels into a series of risers and treads that is then affixed to a higher surface. The Metal Clan fabricated steps through this method on its airship platform to welcome visitors, as when two guards swiftly raised a stairway out of the floor upon Team Avatar's arrival in a police airship.
Metal wheel: Rather than needing to reach over to physically grasp and turn, this specialized disc, typically designed to be steered around an axle, can be manipulated by metalbenders from afar. Lin could pull off this maneuver even when the wheel she moved was not visible, as when she unbolted an underground door disguised as a wall that led to an Equalist lair by sensing the wheel on the other side keeping the passage sealed and then performing a cranking motion with her hand to rotate the circular ring of metal.
Metal yurt:The Legend of Korra—The Art of the Animated Series, Book Four: Balance, page 71. This is a modular metallic structure that can be assembled and disassembled with metalbending. The Earth Empire erected many of these retractable huts in their encampments to serve as housing, laboratory, and office space. For example, Kuvira had one set up for herself as a command center during the day and sleeping quarters at night, then ordered her troops to retract the shelter after Suyin, Wei, and Wing snuck in with the intention of ambushing her as she slept. In Gaoling, meanwhile, one was constrcuted for Doctor Sheng to use to carry out brainwashing experiments on unwilling subjects.
Metal zipper: This is a mechanical device consisting of two flexible strips of fabric with interlocking metal teeth and a sliding mechanism that draws the teeth into an interlocked or meshed position. With a light tug of their thumb and forefinger, metalbenders can fasten or loosen these simple contraptions from afar at will. Lin executed the maneuver to pull up Bolin's zipper on his pants when he forgot to secure it himself after she broke him, Mako, and Asami out of prison.
Meteorite manipulation: Sometimes referred to as "space" earth, rock, or metal due to its cosmic origins, this extraterrestrial compound, which contains both rock and metal, possesses unique properties that makes it easier than other metals to bend. The additional malleability has allowed metalbenders to freely mold it into a variety of ornate tools and geometric shapes. Toph, Suyin, Korra, and Kuvira have all shown themselves to be capable of bending meteorites in this fashion. Meteorite metal can also be liquified and resolidified, and it has been known to vibrate when an earthbender with the potential to perform metalbending is nearby and expresses a strong emotion. 
Phase change: Just as some earthbenders can liquify or solidify rock, some metalbenders are able to melt, harden, or otherwise control certain metallic substances, such as meteorites and mercury. Metalbenders manipulating metal this way have shown some similarity to waterbenders through the use of fluid motions to affect their element. Kuvira used this ability to transform Suyin's meteorite collection into liquified trackballs that helped control her gigantic mecha suit, while Korra later turned them back into solids when battling Kuvira in the suit's control room.
Probing metal:Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Republic City, Version 1.0, 2023, p. 147. Not unlike how seismic sense allows earthbenders to detect vibrations in earthen objects,Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Finalized Version, 2022, p. 216.Throughout Avatar: The Last Airbender this technique allows for the extension of metalbending senses to detect vulnerabilities in metallic targets, including mecha, vehicles, and structures. For example, through this ability, Toph could identify and recouple the detached pulley and drive belt in Satoru's forklift when visiting the Earthen Fire Refinery for the first time. Years later, during her invasion of the United Republic, Kuvira could recognize that someone was using metalbending inside one of the arms of her giant mecha suit to tamper with the weapon loading mechanism.
Versatile strike: Relying on the phase-changing properties of meteorite ore, metalbenders can launch strikes with the substance that readily shift between liquid and solid.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Republic City, Version 1.0, 2023, p. 148. Korra and Kuvira both exhibited this ability while fighting in the control room of the Colossus, Korra hardening a stream of liquified metal Kuvira attempted to inundate her with and Kuvira solidifying a shield of liquified metal to block a fire blast Korra shot at her.
=== Metalbending master level ===
Hurl metal: A specific manner of levitating, manipulating, and propelling metal, this move focuses on ripping and bending big pieces of metal in the surrounding area to strike at a foe.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Finalized Version, 2022, p. 295. Kuvira and Guan were particularly adept at this technique, as when Guan used his metalbending to heave a large jeep at Kuvira during a brawl that she effortlessly sliced in half with her own metalbending.
Ironshard cloud: Rather than just cast one or two metal shards at an opponent, accomplished metalbenders can throw a cloud of them as if they were knives. Kuvira performed this technique during a fight with Guan, utilizing numerous fragments of metal from a damaged jeep as spikes to pin him to an Earth Empire yurt.
Line skating: Capable metalbenders can use metal wires or the edges of metal surfaces to skate rapidly around their environment.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Republic City, Version 1.0, 2023, p. 146. The Metalbending Police Force of Republic City was particularly proficient in this technique, able to propel themselves along the city's power lines and building roofs when wearing their metal footwear.
Liquid metal whip: Longer and more narrow than a liquid metal stream, metalbenders with enough skill can create a liquified metal whip that possesses a semi-tactile quality with which to lash their opponents. Kuvira used this technique against Korra while fighting in the control room of her giant mecha suit, but Korra dodged the attack.
Metal arm hook: In lieu of relying on a prefabricated version of the tool, talented metalbenders can morph a worn metal bracer into a hooked blade on the fly. Kuvira equipped her Earth Empire uniform with two metal bracers on her upper arms, one of which she turned into a plated arm hook during a fight with Suyin to swing under a railing.
Metal armor:Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Wan Shi Tong's Adventure Guide, Finalized Version, 2022, p. 35.Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Art of the Animated Series, page 168. Experienced metalbenders can fashion different types of metal protective gear for themselves and others out of prefabricated components or flat sheets of metal. Toph first demonstrated this skill while on a Fire Nation airship during Sozin's Comet, using the door to the cockpit to encase her entire body in bulky armor that stood up to enhanced firebending blasts. The students of the Beifong Metalbending Academy became the second users of this kind of technique, creating chainmail armor for Team Avatar based on designs by Sokka that was impervious to chi-blocking attacks. The Republic City Police Department went on to incorporate similar chi-blocking-resistant armor into the uniforms of its metalbending officers. The most recent and streamlined version of this costume includes a single piece of flexible sheet metal that encases the torso and hinged plate armor that covers the limbs and lower extremities. A metal utility belt and attached backpack device for holding spools of metal cables complete the design. As Lin demonstrated sometime after her participation in a fight against several Equalist mecha tanks, the uniform can be donned almost entirely with metalbending. In contrast to relying on premade armor, Suyin, like Toph, has shown proficiency at crafting her own impromptu body armor from scratch, once ripping off a panel from the machine carrying Kuvira's spirit energy cannon and molding it into a form-fitting metal two-piece to protect her shoulders, back, midriff, and haunches.
Metal arm whip: Instead of depending on a prefabricated version of the implement, skilled metalbenders can morph a worn metal bracer into a long whip for use in combat. Kuvira elongated one of the metal bracers on her Earth Empire uniform into a segmented whip during a duel with Suyin, which she latched onto her wrist. She later performed the same technique again during a fight with Guan to try and knock him off his feet.
Metal bindings:Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Finalized Version, 2022, p. 283. This is a type of restraint formed from a thin band of metal that can wrap around the wrists or ankles to pin them together or the entire body to immobilize one or more enemies. Toph made one from part of the gunwale on a Fire Navy ship to incapacitate two Fire Nation soldiers while participating in a raid to capture their ship. She also crafted some from the tread belts on the tundra tanks she dismantled during the Battle for Yu Dao to stop a few Fire Nation soldiers and later from the scrap metal of a collapsed building in Yu Dao to prevent Sun from running off. Kuvira preferred to fashion them out of strips of metal she kept stacked on her armor, which came in handy to subdue a group of bandits attacking her train and in a subsequent fight with Korra at Zaofu to deflect her attacks and toss her around. Later on, Korra ripped a large pipe off the ceiling of the abandoned Earthen Fire Refinery in Republic City to tie up a mecha suit the Triple Threat Triad pilfered. Soon after, she tore off part of the grille inside an airship Tokuga stole and wrapped it around his tentacle arm to pin him to the vehicle's interior wall.
Metal cables: A slew of metalbenders, particularly Zaofu's security force and Republic City's metalbending cops, have mastered the art of manipulating long reels of prefabricated wires as if they were grappling hooks, using them to swing around tall structures, safely touch down after a free fall, tether large-moving vehicles,, cut smaller objects, carry or move people, launch themselves into the air, and tie up criminals. Despite their utility, they can cause permanent bodily damage if not handled with care, as when a young Lin accidentally lacerated herself during a skirmish with her sister after Suyin cut the cable Lin clung onto her with. Toph invented the technique while clashing with Yaling in Cranefish Town, grabbing a stray metal line with her metal gauntlet to slow her fall through a factory roof. Another early version of the practice involved storing coils of metal rope in two circular canisters situated around the waist.The Legend of Korra—The Art of the Animated Series, Book One: Air, page 98. A more optimized release and retract mechanism has since been created and largely adopted whereby cords are contained in cylindrical spool devices on the back that snake through gauntlets for more directed discharge and recoil.The Legend of Korra—The Art of the Animated Series, Book One: Air, page 49. In addition to Zaofu's security guards and members of the Republic City Police Department, metal cables have been used by Suyin, her sons Wei and Wing,, the members of her dance troupe, Korra, and some of the troops in the Earth Empire.The Legend of Korra—The Art of the Animated Series, Book Four: Balance, page 18.
Metal gripping: Using methods that appear to rely not only on the standard practice of morphing metal but also on principles of magnetism, adhesion, or other unspecified properties of bonding, certain metalbenders have exercised the ability to attract metal objects to each other and to traverse metal exteriors with ease, regardless of the metallic surface's angle or shape. Toph first applied the technique while wearing full-body armor to crawl upside-down across the cockpit ceiling in a Fire Nation airship during Sozin's Comet, her flat gauntlets and sabatons sticking to, rather than grasping, the pipes above. Toph next employed the move while engaged in combat with Yaling in Cranefish Town, running sideways up a vertical wall by pressing her bare feet slightly into the metal to create small pockets, or dimples, that generated enough friction to keep her from falling. Many years after, Kuvira used a version of the skill to pull a group of bandits together, connecting them via their metal bindings. A short while later, she made their bindings cling to the metal rails of her train tracks and was poised to leave them attached unless they joined the Earth Empire.
Metal lockpick: Embracing the enhanced pliability of meteorite metal, savvy metalbenders can reform the material into a key-shaped pin to unlock closed chests or fastened manacles. Toph originally displayed the technique to open a small box in Hama's attic, where she noted that the skill was more difficult than it looked, and thereafter used the ability to free a group of shackled Fire Nation captives from the bloodbender's mountain prison.
Metal needles: Some metalbenders have demonstrated the capability to carefully control prefabricated metal needles, which can be prearranged on trays for therapeutic purposes. Guo, for example, used them to support his acupuncture business, able to concurrently place dozens of the tiny metal pins on a patient's acupoints without causing any pain through his bending. His technique required particular precision, without which the needles could shoot out everywhere and cause significant damage, as when Lin reacted abruptly in the middle of a session with Guo and accidentally scattered his acupuncture needles all over his office.
Metal prison: Expert metalbenders can craft an entire confinement chamber from scratch, as when Toph morphed a pile of scrap metal into a cubed jail cell, complete with a door, lock, and bars, to hold Liling as punishment for provoking a bending supremacist uprising. She has also twice on previous occasions modified prefabricated metal structures into makeshift prisons to contain her opponents, first trapping Xin Fu and Master Yu in the same metal cage they caught her in at Ba Sing Se and later ensnaring a Dai Li agent in a vertical metal beam on the Day of Black Sun.
Metal sabatons: These prefabricated foot, ankle, and shin guards are worn by some metalbenders, such as Zaofu's security force and Republic City's metalbending cops. The latter group has shown considerable expertise in utilizing the footwear to complement their bending, as when a few metalbending officers chasing after Korra used them to surf on the city's power lines and when Lin retracted the sole on one of them to heighten her seismic sense.
River of metal: Using meteorite metal, trained metalbenders can create a flowing stream of metal than transitions easily from shield to weapon.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Wan Shi Tong's Adventure Guide, Finalized Version, 2022, p. 43. Korra and Kuvira demonstrated mastery over this ability, swiftly molding liquid metal into various shapes as if it were water during their fight in the control room of the Colossus.
Wire smash: Metalbenders who have mastered the operation of metal cables can use them to grab foes in strands of metal and smash them together.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Republic City, Version 1.0, 2023, p. 151. Lin performed this maneuver while fighting a group of Equalists that invaded Air Temple Island, wrapping two of them in her metal cables and knocking them into each other.
== Toph's learning curve ==
Initially, Toph's metalbending seemed to be restricted to close-range manipulation. In almost all cases, she was standing close to or was in direct contact with the metal she intended to bend. She had "scrunched" or otherwise deformed sheets of metal, but had never caused it to freely reshape itself the way she had with earth, and was not known to have ever bent metal at a distance. However, when making direct contact with a prison's metal door, she was able to blast it off its hinges with such force that it ricocheted four times around the corridor beyond before coming to a rest.
Over time, Toph greatly increased the range of her metalbending and started to incorporate the ability into her fighting style more, as demonstrated when she knocked three Fire Nation guards off a ship from several meters away and trapped a Dai Li agent in a metal column. She also developed the ability to "see" through metal, just as she could with regular earth.
By the time she, Sokka, and Suki set out to destroy Phoenix King Ozai's airship fleet, she controlled her metalbending more fluidly. She could easily tear a metal door off its hinges to fabricate herself a suit of armor and was able to manipulate the metal plating in the command bay of the airship from a short distance to pin her opponents against the walls. Toph was also able to metalbend the ship's floor upward to block a comet-charged fire blast just as a traditional earthbender would block attacks using a rock barrier. Her fine control over the art even allowed her to climb upside-down along the metal ceiling of the airship while in her metal armor.
Toph later bent the rudder of an airship, causing it to spiral and collide with the other ships. When doing so, she took noticeably more time and concentration than if she had been required to do so with orthodox forms of earthbending.
A full year later, however, Toph was fully capable of bending metal she was not in contact with. For example, when a firebending teacher invaded her academy, she demonstrated her skill by effortlessly bending a metal weapon around his head that was a few feet away from her. She told Sokka that as long as someone was close enough to see the metal, she could bend it. She demonstrated this by metalbending screws and bolts from a distance to unscrew the wheels of multiple Fire Nation tanks. In her later life, she came to possess abilities such as being able to control cables from her armor, and being able to put on her armor, which appears to only be put on through metalbending.
== Teaching methods ==
Toph explained to Sokka how she found her first metalbending students; when she was close by each of them, her meteorite bracelet rumbled ever so slightly, due to the intense emotional state those particular people were in at the time. She realized that they were subconsciously metalbending the jewelry and thus figured that they had an aptitude for the art.
While teaching her first students, Toph forced them to remotely metalbend small coins rather than manipulate the metal via direct contact. Remote metalbending was favored over direct contact to break down the illusion of complete separation between bendable earth and purified metal at the beginning of the student's training.
Despite how widespread metalbending would become over the next 70 years, it is noted that only one out of a hundred earthbenders ever master the art, though metalbending master Suyin Beifong believes the only real limitation in learning the ability are the ones a person places on themselves. When Suyin first taught Korra metalbending, she got her to feel the fine pieces of earth inside a meteorite metal sculpture.
== Metalbending in Republic City ==
In contemporary forms of metalbending, the Metalbending Police Force can bend metals without direct contact. An example of this advancement was shown when Lin unlocked Korra's handcuffs from across the interrogation room with just a flick of her hand. In another instance, Lin was fighting Equalist chi-blockers on the roof of the Pro-bending Arena. She knocked two chi-blockers off the roof by metalbending parts of the support rods.
== Metalbending in Zaofu ==
The Metal Clan in Zaofu incorporates metalbending into numerous aspects of life. They have found ways to utilize their bending in the areas of fine arts, such as dancing and sculpting, recreation, with the invention of power disc, and architecture. In addition, the citizens of Zaofu employ a fluid variation of metalbending, as opposed to the more rigid and limited nature used in other parts of the Earth Kingdom.
== Weaknesses ==
Highly purified metals: Metalbending relies on bending the residue earth particles inside the metal. When the metal is highly purified, however, such as platinum, there are no or not enough particles left to bend, rendering the material impervious to the technique. Hiroshi Sato took advantage of this weakness to construct his mecha tanks out of platinum to counter any effective resistance from the Metalbending Police Force. Kuvira later did the same with her enormous mecha suit.
Metal connected to the bender's body: Similar to waterbenders, metalbenders often carry a source of metal with them to be able to bend anywhere. The Metalbending Police Force did this in the form of spools of metal cables connected to the metalbender's body, as well as their own body armor. However, metal is a great conductor of electricity. Therefore, if the opponent of a metalbender is equipped with electrified weapons, like the Lieutenant with his electrified kali sticks, or Equalists with electrified gloves, a jolt of electricity sent through the cables or armor can stun the bender. Similarly, carrying around metal renders the bender vulnerable to magnets, as a large enough magnet can be used to capture the bender by dragging them away by the metal spools carried on their body and their own armor. Additionally, engaging another metalbender while wearing metal body armour puts one at risk of having their own armor used against themselves.
== Known users ==
* Beifong Metalbending Academy students
** Ho Tun
** Penga
** Qian Yu
** The Dark One
* Karuko
* Korra
* Metal Clan of Zaofu
** Guo
** Hong Li
** Huan
** Kuvira
** Suyin Beifong
** Wei and Wing
* Earth Empire soldiers
** Guan	
* Metalbending Police Force
** Lin Beifong
** Metalbender officer
** Saikhan
** Slate
** Song
** Xiaobo
* Quiyue
* Red Lotus
** Aiwei
** A sentry
* Steely Ning
* Toph Beifong (inventor)
* White Lotus sentry at Zaheer's prison
== Trivia ==
* Metalbending was alluded to by Aang when he offhandedly stated, "What I'd give to be a metalbender", as he tried to carve a notch in the hull of the Fire Nation drill with waterbending.
** His immediate successor, Avatar Korra, would go on to become the first Avatar to master the art of metalbending.
* Metalbending is prohibited during pro-bending matches.
* Metalbending forms are based on Chu Gar with modern military techniques mixed in.
* The limitations of metalbending are portrayed differently in the Avatar comics. In The Bridge, Toph can clearly be seen using metalbending without direct contact in order to tie up the firebenders opposing her, whereas in the series, she does not manage to do this until the finale. In The Promise, Toph also tries to teach her students metalbending remotely first rather than with direct contact, though this may be because of inherent differences between developing the talent and teaching it to others.
* Bryan Konietzko indicated that metalbenders of Kuvira's skill could bend precious metals such as gold.DiMartino, Michael Dante; Konietzko, Bryan; Varney, Janet & Williams, Zelda (March 10, 2015). "The Battle of Zaofu" commentary. Book Four: Balance Blu-ray.
== References ==
== See also ==
* Earthbending
* Lavabending
* Metalbending Police Force
* Seismic sense
de:Metallbändigen
es:Metal Control
fi:Metallintaitaminen
fr:Maîtrise du Métal
nl:Metaalsturen
pt-br:Dobra de Metal
ru:Магия металла
vi:Kim thuật
Category:A to Z
Category:Earthbending
Category:Specialized bending techniques