Schools of Magic/ATLA

## Skills

* Woodbending
* Plasticbending
* Energybending
* Timebending
* Mindbending
* Spacebending
* Radiationbending
* Airbending
* Firebending
* Earthbending
* Waterbending

**Energybending** is the ability to bend another person's life energy. It predates the four main bending arts, the formation of the four nations, as well as the creation of the Avatar.
Before the Avatar came into existence and the separation of the four nations, the lion turtles bent the energy within humans and themselves in order to grant them the ability to bend one of the four elements. However, after the lion turtles renounced their roles as protectors of mankind, energybending was no longer used to grant people bending, and the knowledge of energybending was almost completely lost. By 100 AG, there was only one lion turtle left with the ability to energybend who later passed down the ability to Avatar Aang, who used it to remove Phoenix King Ozai's firebending and, twenty-eight years later, Yakone's ability to waterbend. After the Equalists' leader, Amon, severed Korra's bending, save for her airbending, Aang's spirit used energybending to restore her ability to bend all elements and passed on the knowledge to her. Later, Korra used it to return Lin Beifong's ability to earthbend, to restore the bending of Amon's non-Triad victims, and to stop Kuvira's spirit energy cannon.
The capabilities of energybending are not well understood; what is known is that bending a person's life energy can impart them with knowledge instantly, remove their bending completely, or restore it. This bending art can be perilous to the user, which is why so few have ever used it. In addition, even though mastering the four elements is a necessity for the Avatar, learning energybending is optional.

Contents
* 1History
	+ 1.1Era of Raava
	+ 1.2Era of the Avatar
		- 1.2.1100 AG
		- 1.2.2128 AG
		- 1.2.3170 AG
		- 1.2.4171 AG
		- 1.2.5174 AG
* 2Abilities
	+ 2.1Astral projection
	+ 2.2Granting bending
	+ 2.3Removing bending
	+ 2.4Spirit energy manipulation
	+ 2.5Gallery
* 3Dangers
* 4Notable energybenders
	+ 4.1Avatar: The Last Airbender
	+ 4.2The Legend of Korra
* 5Trivia
* 6References
* 7See also

History
Era of Raava
In the era before the Avatar, the lion turtles were the only known practitioners of energybending, using it to bestow upon humans the ability to bend one of the four elements as a means to protect themselves while they hunted in the Spirit Wilds and withdrew it after they returned to the settlements on their backs, as bending was not permitted there.

Era of the Avatar
With the rise of the Avatar, lion turtles denounced their roles as the protectors of mankind and bestowers of bending with energybending. Gradually, their population dwindled until only one remained, and thus, the knowledge of energybending was almost lost to the point that it was never heard or spoken of again.

100 AG
While searching for a way to defeat Ozai without killing him, Aang had a chance meeting with the last remaining lion turtle and, acknowledging the ancient wisdom of the creature, sought its advice on his predicament. The lion turtle answered that "*The true mind can weather all the lies and illusions without being lost. The true heart can tough the poison of hatred without being harmed. Since beginning-less time, darkness thrives in the void but always yields to purifying light.*" The lion turtle brought up a paw, his two claws touching Aang's chest and forehead, causing a green light to illuminate as he imparted the knowledge of the art of energybending to Aang.
During the battle with Ozai, Aang eventually managed to corner and then place his thumbs on the Phoenix King's forehead and chest respectively, mirroring the paw placement of the lion turtle. While doing so, he remembered the lion turtle telling him that in the era before the Avatar, they did not bend the elements but the energy within. However, in order to bend another's life energy, their own spirit must be unbendable, or they would be corrupted and destroyed. As this was happening, Aang's entire body glowed white and blue, while Ozai's shone orange and red, revealing their life energy. At first, Aang's spirit was nearly enveloped by Ozai's, but at the last moment, his spirit took over and covered the firebender's, stripping the Phoenix King of his firebending and securing final victory over the Fire Nation, ending Ozai's reign. It was Aang's "true heart" and "true mind", tested in the heat of battle at the moment of striking down Ozai, that allowed him to harness the wisdom of the lion turtle and successfully energybend the Phoenix King.

128 AG
In 128 AG, Aang attended the trial before the United Republic Council of the bloodbending criminal Yakone for his crimes in Republic City, who was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Hearing the verdict, however, Yakone used his psychic bloodbending to subdue everyone present and escape. Aang, having used the Avatar State to regain consciousness, managed to catch up but was once again overpowered by Yakone's bloodbending. In mortal peril, Aang entered the Avatar State once again and swiftly trapped Yakone in a mound of earth, allowing him to get close enough to take Yakone's bending away.

170 AG
In 170 AG, after a confrontation with Amon in which he severed Avatar Korra's bending, Korra lost all hope of ever bending all elements again after even Katara, renowed as the world's greatest healer, told her she could not counter the effects of Amon's bloodbending. Desperate and devastated, Korra retreated to a desolate cliff by herself. At her lowest point, she unknowingly summoned Aang's spirit, who ended up not only restoring her bending, but also imparting her with the knowledge of energybending. Korra subsequently used the technique on Lin Beifong, effectively restoring her earthbending. During the following months, Korra also restored the bending of everyone else victimized by Amon in Republic City, with the exception of Triad criminals.

171 AG
After Raava had been separated from Korra and been destroyed by the Dark Avatar, Tenzin suggested to Korra that she enter the Tree of Time's cavity and bend the energy within herself. Korra did so and managed to tap in to the cosmic energy of the universe and her own spirit, emerging as a massive astral projection made of blue light. With this form, she combated the Dark Avatar and extracted Raava from him, before spiritbending the Dark Avatar, effectively dissipating him.

174 AG
In 174 AG, Korra was confronted with spirit vines that had turned hostile as a reaction to Kuvira harvesting the roots of the banyan-grove tree. Finally reconnecting with Raava in the Spirit World, she managed to track down the trapped souls of Jinora, Ryu, and several others in the Spirit World, and learned from Raava that she was at her most powerful in the Spirit World, since she was connected to all the spiritual energy there. Being told that she needed to bend the energy within, Korra entered the Avatar State, placed her hand on the vegetative capsule in which the spirits of the victims were being held, and started to bend its energy, slowly dissipating the sphere in a golden light and releasing the souls.
Not long after, during the invasion of the United Republic of Nations, a beam from Kuvira's spirit energy cannon threatened to kill Kuvira and cause massive damage after it had spiraled out of control due to drawing too much power from the vines in Republic City's Spirit Wilds. Korra jumped in front of Kuvira, entered the Avatar State, and used energybending to divert the beam's course. The clash of energy caused an explosion of such magnitude that it tore open a new portal between the mortal and Spirit World at the heart of the capital.

Abilities
There are four known applications of energybending:

Astral projection
Tapping into the vast expanse of cosmic energy with the help of the Tree of Time, Korra was able to bend the energy within herself to create an astral projection of her spirit. Despite not having been bound by a corporeal form, the projection was able to both inflict and sustain great physical damage and utilize bending. This astral form was also capable of firing a beam of light similar to that of Vaatu's. Although just a projection, due to being spiritually connected to the user, it is also affected by spiritbending.

Granting bending
Energybending can be used to bestow an individual with the power of bending. During the era of Raava, different lion turtles used this power to give inhabitants of their respective settlements a bending power when they left their home to gather food. In 170 AG, this ability was used by Avatar Aang to restore Avatar Korra's bending, and Korra herself subsequently used it to restore Lin Beifong's bending, both of which had been severed by Amon. The lion turtles, however, are the only energybenders known to grant born nonbenders bending abilities.

Removing bending
An energybender is capable of removing a person's bending permanently, unless restored by an energybender. During the era of Raava, different lion turtles used this power to remove the granted bending ability from the inhabitants of their respective villages after they returned home from gathering food. Aang later used this as well to remove Ozai's firebending and Yakone's waterbending.

Spirit energy manipulation
It is the ability to manipulate energy originating from the Spirit World. Korra first used this technique to manipulate the energy of the pods encasing Jinora, Ryu, and his tour group after they were captured by hostile spirit vines. She later employed the same technique in the mortal world to deflect a lethal beam of energy fired by Kuvira's spirit cannon and save the metalbender.

Gallery
Astral projection

Granting bending

Removing bending

Spirit energy manipulation

Dangers
Energybending is an extremely powerful and potentially dangerous technique. If the bender's spirit is even slightly impure or bendable, they will be infected by the spirit of the one they are bending. As a result, the bender can be corrupted and even destroyed.

Notable energybenders
R indicates known ability to remove a person's bending.
G indicates known ability to grant a person bending.
A indicates known ability to create an astral projection.
*Avatar: The Last Airbender*
{

**Airbending**, one of the four elemental bending arts, is the aerokinetic ability to control and manipulate air. The peaceful Air Nomads utilized this type of bending in their everyday lives.
Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly problems and concerns; finding peace and freedom was the key to solving their difficulties in life. Airbenders continually sought spiritual enlightenment, and, as a result, all children born into the Air Nomads were benders. The first airbenders learned their art from the flying bison.
The key to airbending is flexibility and finding and following the path of least resistance. Airbending is notable for being almost purely defensive, as well as the most dynamic of the four bending arts. Airbenders can overwhelm many opponents at once with large and powerful attacks that could prove fatal; however, due to the pacifist nature of the Air Nomads, such attacks are rarely used. Instead, an airbender strives to use the opponents' energy against them. Due to their aforementioned spirituality, they often adapt to the situation surrounding them and employ negative jing, preferring evasive maneuvers as opposed to direct confrontation.

Contents
* 1Origin
* 2Airbending abilities
	+ 2.1Airbending master level
	+ 2.2Avatar level airbending
	+ 2.3Special techniques
	+ 2.4Opposing bending art
	+ 2.5Training tools
	+ 2.6Weapons
* 3Strengths
* 4Weaknesses
* 5Elemental symbol
* 6Spirituality and airbending
* 7The Air Nomad Genocide
	+ 7.1Aftermath
* 8Rebuilding the Air Nation
* 9The Last Airbender
* 10Connection
* 11Notable airbenders
	+ 11.1Avatar: The Last Airbender
	+ 11.2The Legend of Korra
	+ 11.3Chronicles of the Avatar
	+ 11.4Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game
* 12Trivia
* 13References
* 14See also
* 15External links

Origin
During the era of Raava, the power of air was temporarily bestowed on the inhabitants who lived on a giant lion turtle while they left the village to stock up on food. After permanently leaving the care of the lion turtle, the former inhabitants eventually learned airbending from the flying bison, a sacred creature in the Air Nomad culture. The bison typically use their massive beaver-like tail to create gusts of wind and, as the name suggests, can fly without any visible means of propulsion. It is also said that the airbenders borrowed the arrow mark from the flying bison for the design of their traditional tattoos. These markings symbolize one's mastery of the airbending art and are given to a practitioner once their training is complete. Unlike other nations, all Air Nomads were born as airbenders due to the culture's strong ties to spirituality. The only known exception were those who were born in another nation and later adopted into Air Nomad culture.

Airbending abilities
**Air ball**: An airbender can create a compressed ball of air by moving their hands together in a circular motion. This technique has many applications such as levitating small objects or trapping opponents. Ikki demonstrated this technique while playing with flying bison calves, giving them something to chase. Air balls can also be used in a more offensive manner; propelled forward similar to a cannonball, they can knock an opponent backward and off-balance.
**Air blast**: A more offensive maneuver involving a direct pulse or jet of compressed air shot from the hands, feet, or mouth. The force of the attack is generated more from the bender's own power rather than assisted by momentum. The blast can reach further distances with greater accuracy and is used to inflict greater damage. Aang once used this technique to completely shatter one of the Fire Navy's projectile rocks in mid-air with a single powerful kick. He was also able to use two air blasts at once to defend against Combustion Man's unique firebending ability. The blasts can also be maintained for prolonged periods in order to push objects back. The airbenders of the new Air Nation demonstrated this by simultaneously attacking Kuvira's enormous mecha suit.
**Air bomb**: A technique that creates a powerful, outward-moving air current in all directions around the bender. Usually performed after landing on the ground from above, this airbending form has great concussive force, and the capacity to completely blow away anything within its radius.
**Air cushion**: Airbenders can make a cushion out of air to break anyone's fall, including their own. Tenzin used this to cushion his own fall after an Equalist mecha tank knocked him roughly against the side of a building. Opal made use of this technique to secure the safe landing of three thieves, who were flung out of their car by Kai's attack during their patrol.
**Air manipulation**: By using circular, evasive movements, airbenders build up a large amount of energy and momentum, which is released through powerful moves. It also allows for wind-based counter-attacks that knock opponents off-balance, mimicking the sudden directional shifts of air currents. Attacks vary from simple gusts of wind to miniature tornadoes and cyclones, maintaining the circular theme. Even a simple movement can create an air gust and airbenders increase the power of their moves by performing larger sweeps and spins, using the momentum of their movement to produce larger gusts. This is also demonstrated with their use of a staff or fans to increase or create precision within the air currents. Similarly, airbenders can also augment the momentum of thrown objects.
**Air punch/kick**: Another more offensive move than is typical of airbending discipline, air punches or air kicks are small, compressed formations of air that can be fired off the fists or feet of an airbender. This is similar to many firebending abilities and the air blast, in the sense that it involves the firing of compressed or solidified air at an enemy in a disjunct fashion i.e. the bender does not create a single great stream of air. This move was seen when Aang produced several air punches in rapid succession toward a practice-Fire Lord dummy. Avatar Korra was able to use two pairs of air punches in rapid succession and an air kick to knock Amon off his feet. Korra used the air punch technique on the ground, spewing the bent air within a radius. She also used an air kick when fighting the police officers who were tracking down Kai.
**Air shield**: The most common defensive tactic for an airbender involves circling enemies, suddenly changing direction when attacked, and evading by physical movement rather than bending. However, an airbender can still deflect attacks as needed by throwing up gusts of air close to their bodies as a shield. This is rarely to stop attacks directly and more often to push the attack aside, conserving energy and allowing them to turn the movement into an attack at the same moment. Kai used an air shield in 171 AG to protect himself from P'Li's combustion beams; he was able to deflect enough of the blast to prevent it from killing him, though the close proximity of the detonation knocked him out.
**Air swipe**: The air swipe is both a defensive and offensive technique in which an airbender conjures a crescent-shaped wave of compressed air capable of deflecting colossal projectiles, such as the catapulted flaming rocks often used by the Fire Navy, or redirecting them back to the attacker. Aang used this technique while battling with Azula during the invasion of the Fire Nation. Jinora also used this technique to knock back the Lieutenant when he invaded Air Temple Island and Korra used the Avatar State to enhance the power of this technique to take down Unalaq's dark spirits.
**Air wheel**: This is a modified version of the air scooter invented by Tenzin. Air is rapidly spun around the airbender and carries the person inside the wheel of air. It is also able to cut through solid objects. Tenzin used this technique during the battle at the Equalist factory.
**Breath of wind**: Similar to the standard air jet, but created from the mouth and lungs. It requires extremely good breath control to employ effectively. Size and focus are easily controlled, from narrow jets that can strike targets as small as insects, to large gale-force gusts capable of cooling magma into solidified rock. This has been exhibited by both Aang and Roku. By using this technique, the airbender can also magnify the sound waves generated by a whistle or another instrument. Aang demonstrated this technique while he was trying to lead a number of animals to the Agrarian Zone of Ba Sing Se, as he used airbending to blow his bison whistle, sending massive sound waves throughout the city to call all the animals. His son Tenzin later performed a similar feat in an attempt to wake up the new airbenders for an early morning hike.
**Cannonball**: An airbender can rush with the might of the wind behind them as they crash into an opponent.
**Directed funnel**: Similar to an air vortex but on a smaller scale, Aang inventively used this technique as a cannon by creating a small air funnel through which small coal projectiles could be loaded and fired out of the opposite end.
**Enhanced agility**: Air movements can also be used as a levitation aid. Airbenders are able to jump high and far by riding on strong gusts of wind and can also slow or deflect falls by creating cushions of air. The constant movement required by this art makes airbenders naturally flexible and agile, making masters of the art difficult to hit. Even without the use of bending they can easily maneuver around an opponent by ducking, jumping, and sidestepping, appearing to flow around their opponents without expending any energy at all, letting the opponent tire themselves out and thus creating exploitable openings. This conservation of energy combined with high stamina gives them an advantage in prolonged combat. Toph Beifong, a blind earthbender who used her bending to tell where people were walking or running in relation to her, once told Aang that she could easily identify his walk by the fact that he had a light step.
**Enhanced speed** or **wind run**: Airbenders enhance their movement in battle; they can run swiftly by decreasing air resistance around them and even sprint across or run up vertical surfaces by generating a wind current behind themselves to propel them forward. Aang used this to run many times faster than an average human and maintain this for long periods, allowing him to travel long distances without gliding or jumping. When used by a skilled airbender, this technique can enable the airbender to use it to travel at a speed almost too swift for the naked eye to be able to see properly. A master airbender can use this technique to briefly run across water.
**Gale slice**: Airbenders can cast forth a thin, cutting edge of wind that can pierce wood or stone.
**Gliding takeoff**: Airbenders can take to the air with their glider to escape the situation they are in.
**Heat regulation**: Airbenders are able to warm themselves using proper breathing techniques, allowing them to thrive in frigid environments with relative ease. Aang first demonstrated this in the Southern Water Tribe, maintaining his body heat without the need for a parka or any additional layers of clothing.
**Smooth stride**: An airbender prepares to move quickly while cutting the air around them, limiting wind resistance and allowing them to move even faster.
**Stunning stance**: After being struck, an airbender can keep their stance and momentum and return a blast of wind at their attacker.
**Air pull** or **suction**: A technique used to bring people or objects toward the airbender. It was used by Aang many times, such as when he took up the fans dropped on the ground to fight Zuko on Kyoshi Island and pulled Professor Zei out of harm's way in Wan Shi Tong's Library, as well as by Appa, who used this technique to steal cabbages from an animal trainer while his back was turned. Tenzin also demonstrated it when he tried to save Saikhan from a mecha tank outfitted with a magnet and, although new to the art, Zaheer was also capable of this technique, as he used it to bring his staff toward him in his fight with Kya. Korra demonstrated this move too, using it to nab the driver of the truck thought to contain a kidnapped Wu toward her.
**Thundering gust**: An airbender can jab at the air around them to send it hurtling forward at incredible speed, catching even the heaviest foes and tossing them aside.
**Twisting wind**: An airbender can effortlessly flow around blows like the wind itself.

Airbending master level
**Air blades**: A more offensive move than is typically used in airbending, this involves a focused, slicing air current that can cut through stone or timber with relative ease. This is frequently conjured with a staff rather than the body, using the narrow profile of the object to create a more focused and precise air movement.
**Air cocoon**: A master airbender can rotate while jumping to wrap themselves in a cocoon of wind. This was demonstrated by Tenzin to dodge one of Ming-Hua's ice spikes and protected him from a potentially fatal combustion blast from P'Li. This technique utilizes an airbender's trademark fluid and dynamic movement style.
**Air propulsion**: A skilled airbender can propel themselves forward at great speed by negating the effect of wind resistance. Avatar Korra used this in the Avatar State during her battle with Kuvira.
**Air spout**: Similar to the water spout, master airbenders are able to rotate and control the direction of an air spout enough to levitate themselves off the ground and remain in the air for as long as they wish to or can maintain it. The first known use of this technique was by Avatar Wan during the battle in the Spirit Wilds, when he generated an air spout shortly after fusing with Raava in an attempt to mediate the escalating conflict. Avatar Wan would later use the technique to mediate the warring human factions after Harmonic Convergence by rising himself into the air while bending the other three elements. Avatar Roku used this technique in order to speak face-to-face with Fire Lord Sozin, who was suspended in the air by an earth column. In 170 AG, Tenzin used an air spout when he fought several Equalists who tried to abduct him at City Hall during the battle for Republic City. Avatar Korra later used this technique while in the Avatar State at the South Pole and again during her duel with Kuvira.
**Air vortex**: A spinning funnel of air of varying size, the air vortex can be used to trap or disorient opponents as well as to deflect any objects thrown at it. Aang used this technique to form an air column during his duel with Bumi to throw aside a large boulder.
**Air wake**: By running in a circle and instantly building massive momentum, a master airbender can shoot a blast of highly compressed air shaped like the user's body at a target. This move seems to have an extremely high concussive force. It was first used by Aang in the Crystal Catacombs against Zuko.
**Cushion the forceful fist**: An airbender can put a cushion of twisting air around their body to keep physical strikes at bay.
**Explosion of air**: A rare airbending technique involving an airbender bringing air into a tight, compact form and then letting it loose, blasting wind outward with great force.
**Suffocation** or **asphyxiation**: A rather sinister technique of airbending, whereby an airbender manipulates the flow of air within a person's respiratory system, extracting it from the lungs via the nostrils and mouth, and prevents any new intake of breath by forming a ball of air around the head, thus eventually killing the victim by suffocation if air is not returned to them in around ten seconds. Yangchen knew how to remove air from one's surroundings and used this to apprehend the perpetrators of the Unanimity project, but stayed true to her pacifist principles and made sure to use the technique to only cause unconsciousness or dizziness. The lethal version of the technique was first demonstrated by Zaheer on Earth Queen Hou-Ting to lethal effect, and he later used it on Avatar Korra, though it was interrupted before she could suffocate.
**Levitation**: In the same way flying bison can fly and stay aloft for extended periods of time, a master airbender can achieve this same feat by generating and controlling air to form a cloud-like board under their feet and surf through the air, thereby emulating flight. Avatar Kyoshi utilized this technique in a more lethal way by levitating and subsequently dropping Xu Ping An during a duel, making him fall to his death.
**Reed in the wind**: An airbender can be so agile that they match their movements perfectly to match and avoid the movements of their opponent.
**Returning wind**: An airbender can race in circles to create a cyclone designed to pull in arrows or other hurled objects and send them right back where they came from.
**Sense the blow's wake**: An airbender can attune themselves to the ebb and flow of the wind around them so they can become aware of incoming attacks and are able to respond instantly.
**Shockwave**: An airbender can leap into the air and hurtle back into the ground, sending a massive burst of pressurized air all around them.
**Tornado**: This is a smaller-scaled version of the air vortex which airbending masters can use as a means of both combat and transport. By encircling themselves in a spiraling air current, masters can travel at high speeds and even ascend near-vertical drops as demonstrated by Aang during the battle of Wulong Forest, where he narrowly avoided a lightning blast from Fire Lord Ozai by creating a mini-tornado and moving to the top of a rock column. Aang was also seen wielding this maneuver on the offensive against Combustion Man at the Western Air Temple, where he summoned the tornado with a kick in mid-air to conjure a powerful ranged attack. When several airbenders work together, this technique can also be used to create a much larger and more powerful tornado, such as when Jinora and the new airbenders used it to save Korra from Zaheer.

Avatar level airbending
**Air sphere**: With this technique, the Avatar creates a sphere of air around them, allowing them to hover for extended periods of time or fly at high speeds. The sphere also acts as a barrier to protect the Avatar, strong enough to withstand a high-velocity impact with rock. Aang was also able to use this technique underwater, forming a protective pocket of air around several people and a flying bison. Roku used a variation of this technique when defending his island from the volcano, and Wan and Korra both used it to restrain Vaatu in their respective battles against him.
**Strong winds**: It is possible for the Avatar to unleash extremely powerful winds. During the battle at Wulong Forest, while extinguishing three enormous fire whips, Aang unleashed a straightforward wind attack at Ozai. While Ozai seemingly did not take much damage from the hit, a nearby rock pillar crumbled and collapsed in a matter of seconds. This move was also used by Avatar Kyoshi to create Kyoshi Island, using the powerful winds to push the landmass into the sea.
**Tornadoes/hurricanes**: In addition to large and powerful air movements, an Avatar level airbender can create massive tornadoes and hurricanes at will. Yangchen demonstrated this as part of showing the power the Avatar State had.

Special techniques
**Air scooter**: The air scooter is a form of transportation invented by Aang in 2 BG. It is a spherical "ball" of air that can be ridden balancing on it like a top. He used the technique in many episodes, usually to provide quick bursts of speed as well as to overcome vertical surfaces, including during the battle on the Fire Nation drill in order to scale the wall of Ba Sing Se. The air scooter also allowed levitation for short periods, about five to ten seconds in a stationary position. The air scooter was seen in the opening credits of every episode except the first, and it first appeared in an actual episode when Aang used it to escape Zuko's ship. It was Aang's invention of this technique that subsequently earned him his tattoos and title of a master at such a young age. He taught the move to his airbending friends and, despite initial failure, they eventually mastered the art well enough to develop a game that requires the use of the air scooter. Aang is also capable of conjuring an air scooter from little balls of air. As an adult, he could create air scooters that were larger than those he conjured as a child and could ride them while standing upright. Air scooters are not restricted to holding a single rider, as they can be used to transport others as well.
**Cloudbending** or **cloud manipulation**: Since clouds are made from air and water, a skilled airbender can easily manipulate them into various shapes. Aang, with assistance from Katara, demonstrated this technique during Team Avatar's stay in Makapu Village to provide a message to the nearby villagers, and he later did the same to disguise their flights on Appa while moving about the Fire Nation. During the era of Raava, citizens of air lion turtles were able to create cloud platforms on which they could stand and fly around.
**Hypersensitivity**: Due to being capable of perceiving subtle shifts and vibrations in the surrounding air currents, airbenders can detect approaching threats, which gives them a split-second increase in their reaction time, similar to how earthbenders use seismic sense. Because of this, Air Nomads traditionally shaved their heads as to "free themselves" and have a stronger connection with the wind around them. Tenzin demonstrated this technique when he was able to detect and evade an ambush by Equalists on the roof of City Hall during the battle for Republic City. Daw also demonstrated it during a battle with bison rustlers when he perceived and evaded an attack behind him by sensing the oncoming threat.
**Flight**: The ability to fly was originally exclusive to the flying bison and air lion turtles; however, Guru Laghima was able to unlock the ability by releasing himself of all his earthly tethers, achieving true and complete freedom. The technique, referred to as the highest level of airbending, is so rare that he was the only airbender in history to have ever achieved it until Zaheer, a student of Laghima's teachings, also unlocked the ability four thousand years later, by letting go of his last earthly connection, namely his girlfriend P'Li, following her death. Being able to fly without an aid, such as a glider, grants the practitioner more stability and freedom in the sky, while also permitting easier use of bending mid-flight. It is also an energy-efficient technique, as it allowed Laghima to live the last forty years of his life without ever touching the ground. Although a powerful technique, the ability is hindered by additional weight and the currents of the wind.
**Assisted flight** or **gliding**: Although all airbenders can levitate or extend jumps via airbending, most if not all airbenders possess a glider for mid-range flight. These hand-crafted portable wood and canvas structures can collapse into a staff for storage and as an aid when bending. In glider form, it is used in conjunction with bending to fly as long as the bender has the strength to maintain the air currents. With stronger winds, multiple people can be carried for short distances. As a normal staff, it can be used as a weapon in battle, to aid in bending, and even as a levitation aid when spun above the head like a helicopter propeller. By 174 AG, these glider staffs had been replaced by wingsuits.
Aang used his glider for windsurfing but later destroyed his damaged glider, though it was replaced at the beginning of the invasion of the Fire Nation by a more advanced version created by the mechanist and his son Teo, which can also dispense snacks when the handle is twisted.
When visiting Roku's past during the summer solstice, Aang saw a younger version of his old mentor, Monk Gyatso, using a variation of the usual flying, utilizing the glider as a makeshift board to surf on air.
**Spiritual projection**: Master airbenders who have a strong connection with their spiritual side are capable of projecting their spirits into other locations. Through projection, an airbender is able to explore underground or sealed locations by passing through solid matter. Airbenders can also use this technique to find individuals with whom they have a strong bond. During Harmonic Convergence, Jinora used an amplified variation of this ability to assist Avatar Korra during her battle with the Dark Avatar. She used the technique once more to find where the Dai Li imprisoned airbenders in Ba Sing Se and later again to try to find a way to escape the Red Lotus.

Opposing bending art
In keeping with Air Nomad teachings on pacifism, airbending is the most passive of the four arts, as many of its techniques emphasize constant mobility, deflection, and eluding the opponent. Earthbending is considered the direct opposite, whereas airbenders avoid or deflect oncoming attacks, earthbenders absorb or overwhelm them with superior force. Airbenders are constantly moving in circles, while earthbenders require to be firmly rooted in one place to effectively bend. Firebending, however, is considered the spiritual opposite of airbending, as it places aggressiveness and passion against passivity and peacefulness.
Like all of the bending arts, airbending is no more or less powerful than the other arts, though it is easily the most dynamic and agile of the four. It is the skill and power of the user that determines victory.

Training tools
*Main article: Airbending training*
Several objects can be used to assist an airbender to hone their abilities and master the art.
The airball court serves as both a field for playing airball and a way to train several skills involved in airbending, such as balance and dexterity. Airbenders can also improve their accuracy, as the ball is mostly controlled by airbending.
Spinning gates are a training tool that emphasize an airbender trusting their evasive maneuvers if they wish to successfully make their way through. Those wishing to master the spinning gates have to be like a leaf, flowing with the wind instead of forcing one's way through.

Weapons
Unlike benders of other nations, who rarely use weapons in conjunction with their bending, airbenders commonly use their signature staffs to augment their powers in battle. The increased force generated by swinging the staff transfers more energy to resulting air blasts. With the staff's narrow profile, the currents can be more accurately controlled and even shaped into blade-like crescents of air, capable of cutting through solid objects. Metal fans can also be used in combination with airbending, as demonstrated by Jesa, Kyoshi, and Aang.
While Team Avatar browsed a weapons shop in the Fire Nation, Aang implied the existence of a wind sword; he stated that an airbender could channel air from a sword hilt and swing it about like a blade, similar to a contained air slice.

Strengths
**Element found in abundance**: Unlike water and earth, which need a physical source of the element to be bent, or fire, which can be hindered by cold climates, airbenders have a limitless supply of their element, as air is everywhere in the atmosphere. They can never be locked away or hindered from their element through outside means.
**People unused to fighting air**: Since airbending has been nearly non-existent for 170 years, the general populace have no experience fighting against airbenders in combat. While most people are aware of the other three element's fighting styles, tactics, and philosophies, through either passed knowledge or experience, people can only know the airbending principles through passed knowledge.

Weaknesses
**Airbender principles regarding fatal moves**: Though deemed the most dynamic of the bending arts, the most controversial aspect of airbending is its supposed lack of fatal moves, being a more defense-inclined art. This aspect in itself is a reflection of the principles held by the Air Nomads, which preaches the preciousness of all life and avoidance of violence whenever possible and who were, apart from the Avatar and prior to Harmonic Convergence, the only people to possess the ability. This does not mean that airbending is non-lethal, as an air blade can cleave solid stone and there have been instances where an airbender has resorted to brute and even lethal force during a conflict; for example, Monk Gyatso took down several Fire Nation soldiers during their attack on the Southern Air Temple before succumbing himself; Avatar Yangchen confessed to deeds that were in direct violation of her Air Nomad teachings, albeit for what she saw as the greater good; and Zaheer, who did not follow the pacifistic ways of the Air Nomads, used his abilities to asphyxiate the Earth Queen, Hou-Ting.
**Constant awareness**: In contrast with other bending disciplines, airbending necessitates constant spiritual awareness, and an airbender who loses this connection can see their skills deteriorate; Jesa, for example, had to augment her airbending with the creation of metal war fans after becoming a criminal and adopting a more materialistic lifestyle.

Elemental symbol
The symbol of airbending is a closed, counter-clockwise, inverted triple spiral triskele. This symbol was engraved on the pendant of both Monk Gyatso's and Aang's prayer beads.

Spirituality and airbending
Historically, young airbenders were raised in one of the four air temples at each corner of the globe. Hidden away atop mountain ranges on remote islands, the strong breezes in these areas helped with their airbending training. The Northern and Southern Air Temples were exclusively male and staffed by airbender monks, who instructed young benders in their art, while the Eastern and Western Air Temples were exclusively female. However, the Council of Elders had decided that Aang would finish his training at the Eastern Air Temple, and it was at the same temple where he and several other young boys were first introduced to their animal companions, the flying bison.
An airbender is declared a master once they have fully mastered the thirty-six tiers of airbending and/or when they create a new airbending technique; Aang was an exception to the rule, as he had mastered only thirty-five tiers, but his creation of the air scooter technique fulfilled the requirements for mastery. Airbenders who have mastered the element are marked as such by blue tattoos striping along the head and limbs, terminating in an arrow on the forehead, backs of the hands, and the tops of the feet. However, this does not apply to Avatars born outside of the Air Nomads. Male monks sport completely shaven heads, and female airbenders shave their foreheads, but they leave the back of their hair uncut.
Air Nomads generally espouse a philosophy of conflict avoidance and respect for all forms of life; an airbender will never seek a fight, and they will never seek to strike an opponent directly. This accounts for airbending's emphasis on defensive maneuvers and its apparent lack of fatal finishing attacks. Due to the spirituality of the Air Nomads in accordance with the size of its population, every Air Nomad retains bending abilities, though their skills can deteriorate if they lose this spiritual awareness. The Air Nomads have the smallest population but the most increased spirituality, while benders, in general, make up only a small percentage of the larger, more populous nations.
Airbenders emphasize intuition and imagination; to an airbender, there is always another path to take, as air flows wherever it can. This makes airbending the most dynamic of all the bending arts, and air itself is considered to be the element of freedom.

The Air Nomad Genocide
*Main article: Air Nomad Genocide*
In 0 AG, the airbenders were the victims of genocide at the hands of the Fire Nation. The temples were invaded, and all the airbender monks slaughtered in an effort to break the Avatar's cycle of reincarnation and ensure the Fire Nation's victory in their imperialist war. A number of airbenders managed to survive the initial massacre and fled into hiding, but they were later lured into mountainous areas with relics from home and killed.
Ironically, the only known survivor of the massacre is the same person the Fire Nation sought to kill in its quest for supremacy: The twelve-year-old airbender and Avatar, Aang, had run away from home shortly before the war began in earnest and became trapped in suspended animation, frozen in an iceberg near the South Pole.
The last known vestiges of airbender culture included one surviving flying bison, Appa, and a winged lemur, Momo, both of whom were Aang's companions. The abandoned Northern Air Temple was colonized by displaced Earth Kingdom citizens, led by the mechanist. The Eastern Air Temple was inhabited by Guru Pathik, who claimed to be an old friend of Monk Gyatso. The Southern Air Temple is the only temple in which bodies of countless Fire Nation soldiers and Monk Gyatso's corpse are present. Years later, Aang found an island filled with healthy flying bison and ring-tailed winged lemurs, which indicated that Appa was not the last surviving flying bison.

Aftermath
Even 170 years after the Air Nomad Genocide, airbending culture survived through Aang's youngest son, Tenzin, and Tenzin's children, of whom the eldest three are known to be airbenders; the Air Acolytes were also formed by Aang to carry on the traditions of Air Nomad culture. Tenzin's family and some of the Air Acolytes reside at Air Temple Island in Republic City, while most of the acolytes live in each of the four ancient Air Temples. Prior to Harmonic Convergence, Tenzin's family were the last airbenders and were thus targeted by Amon in an effort to effectively erase one of the four bending arts from the world permanently. However, after Harmonic Convergence, the ability to airbend reemerged again across the world after a large number of nonbenders, including Aang's oldest son Bumi, obtained the ability.

Rebuilding the Air Nation
After the Harmonic Convergence of 171 AG, numerous nonbenders across the world suddenly discovered they had airbending abilities. Korra, Tenzin, and the rest of Team Avatar set out to find these people and convince them to train with Tenzin at the Northern Air Temple and help restore the Air Nation. Their quest proved to be largely unsuccessful as nobody wished to give up their existing lives, save for a young boy named Kai.
In Ba Sing Se, the Dai Li had been kidnapping the new Earth Kingdom airbenders and trained them underneath the Earth Queen's Temple to form Earth Queen Hou-Ting's first airbending regiment. After Team Avatar discovered this practice, they freed all the captives, after which the new airbenders all agreed to go to the Northern Air Temple to learn the way of the Air Nomads. Initially, progress was slow as Tenzin struggled to motivate them with his teachings, though after they all banded together to rescue flying bison calves from bison rustlers, Tenzin and the new airbenders found a new dynamic as master and students.
Two weeks after Zaheer was taken down by Korra, Tenzin announced that the Air Nation would reclaim its nomadic roots and roam the earth, promoting peace, balance, and harmony while Korra recuperated from her fight with the Red Lotus. He also anointed his daughter Jinora an airbending master, stating she would help them follow their new path.

*The Last Airbender*
"*We airbenders learn to feel the energy behind the wind, not just the breeze on our skin. It's all about controlling energy.*"
―Aang to Sokka in *The Last Airbender* Movie Novelization.
In the film, airbending was portrayed much like it was in the cartoons. Its implementation also required sweeping, circular movements from Aang in order to create variable airbending techniques. He was also seen using rapid movements and kicks when creating the mini-tornado in front of the Northern Water Tribe council.
Aang was a master of airbending, indicated by his tattoos. He was able to create an invisible wall of air in front or around him with one gesture, enough to repel two Fire Nation soldiers. He was able to jostle a Fire Nation soldier around without hitting the innocent bystander the soldier was holding hostage. He was also able to throw several Fire Nation soldiers into the air while Water Tribe Warriors standing in front of them were unaffected.
He also used airbending to augment his agility, as seen when he escaped from Zuko's ship near the beginning of the film, as well as for attacking in the Northern Air Temple. He could create a wind strong enough and wide enough to temporarily stun and keep apart two battling armies. Aang was able to manipulate fog that surrounded the Northern Air Temple.

Connection
Airbending is based on the Baguazhang style of martial arts, also known as "*circle walking*" or "*Eight Trigram Palm*", along with a small hint of Xingyiquan, also known as "*mind heart boxing*". Baguazhang involves "smooth coiling and uncoiling actions". Such moves employ dynamic footwork, throws, and hand techniques. These martial arts feature swift, evasive maneuvers that evoke the intangibility and explosive power of wind; drawing energy from the center of the abdomen.
Ba Gua, which utilizes circle walking of the *Eight Trigrams*, is known for its constant circular movement, which makes it difficult for opponents to attack directly or land a blow, a philosophy that is prevalent within airbending as well. Maneuvers employ the entire body with smooth coiling and uncoiling movements, utilizing dynamic footwork, open-hand techniques, punches, and throws. A common tactic is to maneuver behind an opponent and mirror their movements, preventing them from turning to face the practitioner, similar to the technique Aang used during his fight with Hide. Korra also practiced her airbending moves on a Ba Gua platform on Air Temple Island.
The staff techniques are derived from Chinese northern staff or gunshu. It is considered the "grandfather of all weapons" and is one of the major four weapons in Chinese martial arts. The northern staff style includes lots of swinging, flowering, and slicing movements, which is very evident when Aang uses his closed glider as a weapon.

Notable airbenders
↓ indicates an airbender who has received their mastery tattoos.
F indicates an airbender who is able to fly.
S indicates an airbender who is able to project their spirit.
H indicates an airbender who gained their abilities after Harmonic Convergence.
*Avatar: The Last Airbender*
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**Firebending**, one of the four elemental bending arts, is the pyrokinetic ability to control and produce fire. It is unique among the bending arts, as it is the only one in which the performer can generate the element. The first human firebenders lived in a city atop a lion turtle during the era of Raava and the art later spread to the Sun Warriors, the Fire Nation, and the United Republic of Nations. The Earth Kingdom also has a small firebending minority.
As described by Iroh, fire is the element of power, consisting of overpowering force tempered by the unflinching will to accomplish tasks and desires. However, during the Hundred Year War, a militaristic Fire Nation twisted this into firebending being fueled by rage, hatred, and anger. Firebending draws its power from the sun, and the first human firebenders derived their firebending techniques from the dragons.
Firebending is known for its intense and aggressive attacking style and general lack of adequate defensive moves, although firebenders can modify offensive maneuvers to function as a defense, such as creating large walls of fire or shooting down incoming attacks with fire jabs.

Contents
* 1Origin
* 2Fighting style
	+ 2.1Firebending abilities
	+ 2.2Firebending master level
	+ 2.3Avatar level firebending
	+ 2.4Special techniques
	+ 2.5Enhanced firebending
	+ 2.6Opposing bending art
	+ 2.7Weapons
* 3Lightningbending
* 4Strengths
* 5Weaknesses
* 6Elemental symbol
* 7Spirituality and firebending
* 8Agni Kai
* 9The Last Airbender
* 10Connection
* 11Notable firebenders
	+ 11.1Avatar: The Last Airbender and related comics
	+ 11.2The Legend of Korra and related comics
	+ 11.3Chronicles of the Avatar
	+ 11.4Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game
* 12Trivia
* 13References
* 14See also
* 15External links

Origin
During the era of Raava, people received the element of fire from the fire lion turtle that was the guardian of their city, who would grant them the power with energybending. They could request it whenever they ventured into the Spirit Wilds and were to return it when they came back. However, Wan stole the power to better his life and that of his impoverished friends, but was captured and banished. He was allowed to keep the power of fire to protect himself and eventually befriended the spirits. As such, he managed to hone his skills by learning the proper way of bending from the dragons that lived in the Spirit Wilds. He developed his style in such a manner that his fire became an extension of his body, rather than a mere tool for protection as the others perceived it. Others learned of his survival and also set out into the Spirit Wilds with the power of fire, no longer wanting to live under the poor conditions they had in the city.
In the years following, people learned firebending from the dragons that had once populated the land. The first people in the era of the Avatar to learn from the dragons were the Sun Warriors, who understood the connection between the fire of their souls, the fire of the dragons, and the sun. In the remains of their once great civilization, Zuko and Aang discovered that firebending represents energy and life, a concept that had been lost to nearly all firebenders in the Hundred Year War. The true meaning of firebending was forgotten as anger, rage and a desire to dominate began to replace the ideals of life and energy, and how they connect to the sun. The Fire Nation Royal Family encouraged this to aid in the propaganda that fire could be used as a tool to destroy and that the Hundred Year War justified.
Firebenders draw their power from the sun and other solar objects, such as comets, as well as the fiery core of the planet. A solar eclipse has the potential to completely negate a firebender's power, which is the result of a direct connection between the sun and firebending. Additionally, after defeating Katara at sunrise during the Siege of the North, Zuko stated that she rose with the moon, but he rose with the sun, further referencing the sun's importance to firebending. Firebenders are also said to draw power from volcanic energy and lightning.

Fighting style
Firebenders use their chi as a source for their bending. This facet of firebending is a sharp contrast to the other bending arts, which manipulate already present sources of their element, though firebenders can also control or enhance flames nearby.
Firebending uses concentrated barrages of fire to overwhelm opponents before striking a fatal blow. Swift, whirling kicks and punches generate diverse shapes for offensive attacks. This strategy is probably what makes firebending arguably the most suited to pro-bending out of all the bending arts. Firebending tactics and forms have required little modification for use in pro-bending, the most noticeable difference in the restriction on the use of prolonged fire streams. Nevertheless, quick flurries of kicks and punches allow a pro-bending firebender to retain excellent mobility around the arena while simultaneously trying to push back the members of the opposing team.
Circular motion is also a crucial element to the skill as it seems to "power up" and enhance the firebender's flames. When creating lightning, the firebenders often move their arms in slow, circular motions, similar to waterbenders but with more tension.

Firebending abilities
**A single spark**: A firebender can unleash their emotions into the flames around them.
**Blazing rings and arcs**: Spinning kicks or sweeping arm movements create rings and arcs to slice larger, more widely spaced, or evasive targets. Zuko used a circular motion with his feet to create an expanding ring and successfully knocked Azula down during their Comet-Enhanced Agni Kai.
**Blocking fire**: A skilled firebender can defuse and extinguish an oncoming fire blast from another firebender by using a swift kick, jab, or any other defensive maneuver, allowing them to stop attacks.
**Fan the flame**: A firebender can focus on growing the flames around themselves.
**Fire blade**: A more advanced version of a blazing arc. By narrowing and condensing their flame projections, firebenders can create thin blades of fire to slice through objects without completely destroying them. Azula used this technique to cut open a wall, and Zuko used it to free Azula from Katara's water whips.
**Fire circle**: A technique demonstrated by the Sun Warriors. They created a circle of fire and suspended it in the air for an extended period of time. The Tribesmen made these circles with the Eternal Flame just before Zuko and Aang were to be judged by Ran and Shaw.
**Fire knives**: Blowtorch-like jets which are created from the fist or fingertips to use as close range melee attacks. However, they lack the ability to actually block physical objects. Both Zuko and Azula have used this technique, the former to attack Azula, and the latter to hold Kuei hostage during the Coup of Ba Sing Se. Korra used a variant of this technique, creating a blowtorch as opposed to a knife to cut through the chains that were binding Tenzin and his family during the Equalist victory rally. Mako used this technique to threaten Two Toed Ping for information regarding the theft of Future Industries' entire stockpile of technology. Korra also used this technique when getting ready to fight Macao and Lily at the Misty Palms Inn.
**Fire lashes**: An even further extension of the fire whip/stream, firebenders can create a long lash of fire and bring it down on their enemies, like Azula did to Aang, or create smaller, multiple lashes and envelop an area with fire, like Zuko did.
**Jet-stepping**: A more precise form of jet propulsion and variation of the dust-stepping and mist-stepping techniques used by earthbenders and waterbenders, respectively, by using small bursts of flames beneath their feet, a firebender can quickly scale buildings. The technique was created by Rangi after she observed Lek using dust-stepping.
**Fire streams**: A basic firebending ability, firebenders can shoot continuous streams of fire from their fingertips, fists, palms, or legs. These streams can be widened to create flame-thrower like techniques. Fire Nation soldiers often used this technique to damage or destroy villages and towns.
**Fire whip**: An extension of a fire stream, this continuous stream of flame has a semi-tactile quality and can be utilized as a whip. The prison guards at the Boiling Rock used this technique to round up the prisoners during a lockdown, and a trainer of the Fire Nation circus employed it to intimidate Appa. Zuko used a larger version of the fire whip in his fight in Ba Sing Se, creating streams of great length for continuous mid-to-long range combat, which he used to counter Katara's water whip technique.
**Fireballs or "fire-jabs"**: Another basic ability, jabs and punches produce miniature fireballs and missiles of flame. These can be charged up (refer to "charged attacks" entry) to create larger, slower bursts, or swiftly and repetitively fired to keep opponents off balance.
**Flame charge**: Firebenders can hurtle at their foe with enormous speed and force.
**Flame redirection**: In a similar fashion to waterbending, firebenders are capable of changing the course of an incoming fire blast and redirecting it back at the attacker using fluid motion. This move exemplifies the use of firebending as an extension of the body and is used infrequently in modern combat in favor of more offensive maneuvers. Wan used this to defend spirits from firebending hunters.
**Shield of fire**: One of firebending's few defensive techniques, this technique creates a protective shield of fire in front of, or around, a firebender that can deflect attacks and explosions. Jeong Jeong used this technique to shroud himself in flames and take advantage of the resulting distraction to escape from Zhao's men into the woods. Azula has also demonstrated a mastery over this technique by using it to deflect four simultaneous attacks from all four elements and provide herself with a stealthy escape, while Zuko used the technique to stop a combustion attack, although he was still pushed back by the force of the attack. A more advanced version of this technique is the Wall of Flames.
**The Dancing Dragon**: This firebending form was learned from the sacred statues that were hidden atop the ancient civilization of the Sun Warriors. It involves a more fluid and natural form of firebending. It is a simple, yet possibly very powerful firebending form, as it also brings advantages for more skilled firebenders; upon integrating it into his own style, Zuko's abilities improved to the point that he was able to duel evenly with Azula, successfully dispelling her attacks instead of overcoming them or trying to endure them. It is also one of the few firebending techniques with defensive capabilities. There is a circular nature to the technique, which is unusual in firebending; the only other known techniques to incorporate smooth, circular movements are the fire circle and lightning generation.

Firebending master level
**Charged attacks**: Certain firebenders have been shown charging their attacks before releasing them, allowing them to create enormous blasts of fire. Zuko and Iroh used a combined charged attack against Aang prior to their first encounter. Zhao may have charged some of his attacks before releasing them when he fought Aang. Azula used this skill against Aang while they were battling atop the drill. During the Battle in the Crystal Catacombs, Zuko used this technique against both Aang and Katara, and Iroh used a charged fire blast to defend himself against several Dai Li agents. During the battle at Wulong Forest, using comet-enhanced firebending, Phoenix King Ozai and several Imperial Firebenders unleashed charged fire blasts of enormous size from airships in an attempt to carry out their scorched earth plan, and Ozai later used it again to break Aang's rock sphere during their battle. Iroh used a charged attack to destroy Ba Sing Se's thick Inner Wall during the liberation of the city.
**Fire augmentation**: Firebenders can also control the size and intensity of any nearby flames and can draw them in to manipulate them at will. Zuko was the first one to show mastery over this technique, when he augmented the flame of the candles before him when his uncle brought him bad news. Avatar Roku used this method to protect himself and counter an attack by Zhao and his soldiers while Aang channeled his spirit. Jeong Jeong augmented the fire in his candles while he was discouraging Aang. When Azula scared Chan, the torch behind Azula also fell under her firebending, as it burned bright blue. Zuko later augmented a campfire while confronting his anger. Another example is the fire in the Fire Lord's throne room. When Ozai and Azulon got angry, the flames rose up higher and burned more rapidly. It was also evident when Azula was on the throne and the flames around her turned a dark blue. Another example was when Zuko was attacking Aang in the beach house, as he disintegrated flames Aang used to counter-attack.
**Fire bomb**: Used as a short-range attack, a firebender can create a flame at the end of a limb and thrust the flame down in an explosive burst. Zuko used this technique once, and both Zuko and Aang performed it at the beginning of their routine on Ember Island. Enhanced by the power of Sozin's Comet, Phoenix King Ozai used an extremely powerful variant of a fire bomb to break through Aang's earth shield.
**Fire comet**: An advanced form of the fire stream in which the user pressurizes the fire into a ball and shoots it toward the enemy. Iroh employed this technique to break through the Inner Wall during the liberation of Ba Sing Se.
**Fire missiles**: A more advanced form of the fire stream, powerful firebenders can shoot long streams of fire that follow the target as they move. This technique was used by both Ozai and Aang during the battle at Wulong Forest.
**Fire pinwheel**: A whirling disk of flame, capable of being used at long range. Azula performed this technique while pursuing Aang in Omashu, as did Korra to save Mako from a provoked spirit vine.
**Intertwined fire stream**: An advanced move based on the basic fire stream. The performer directs two powerful fire streams at their opponent, though by intertwining the two streams, a massive, comet-shaped fire stream is formed that has more power than the single stream. Zuko used this technique in the Crystal Catacombs, and later again in his Agni Kai with Azula.
**Jet propulsion**: Skilled firebending masters are able to conjure huge amounts of flame to propel themselves at high speeds on the ground or through the air. Normally, this can only be used for short periods of time by regular firebenders; however, when augmented by Sozin's Comet or the Avatar State, the technique can be used for sustained levitation and flight. It was first demonstrated by Azula during her battle with Aang in the Crystal Catacombs. During the fight, Azula released the flames she used to propel herself horizontally, which blasted Aang backward. Azula used this skill to propel herself through the air over the boiling lake, as she was pursuing Zuko, Sokka, and Suki when they were escaping the prison. When Azula was knocked off an airship, she used a smaller burst of fire to propel herself on to a cliff, saving herself from falling to her death. During Sozin's Comet, Ozai and Jeong Jeong were capable of utilizing this skill with much more proficiency than Azula had ever shown. Azula and Zuko both executed this technique while powered by the comet during their Agni Kai, and Phoenix King Ozai used it extensively during the battle at Wulong Forest with Aang. It was also used by General Iroh of the United Forces as he flew through the air above Republic City while defending against Equalist planes. This technique can also be used to briefly run across a vertical surface as Mako and Korra did during an Equalist rally. Korra also used it to propel herself through the air during her fight with Zaheer.
**Pressurized fire stream**: A more powerful form of the fire stream, achieved by pressurizing the fire before it is released. It covers more area than a regular fire stream. Phoenix King Ozai and the Imperial Firebenders used this during their assault on Wulong Forest.
**Wall of fiery breath**: Similar to the "wall of flames" technique while using the "breath of fire", a firebender can breathe a gout of flame that keeps foes back, allowing the firebender to maneuver away from foes.
**Wall of flames** or **pyre wall**: One of firebending's few defensive techniques, either a situated explosion or controlled inferno, this wall of concentrated flames acts as a barrier to incoming attacks. It is a more powerful version of a fire shield. Providing a literal wall of flames, it protects against attacks. Jeong Jeong used this technique to stop a group of Fire Navy patrol boats, his control precise enough that his flames burned on water, while Azula used this technique in her duel with Katara. Apart from its passive defensive capabilities by prohibiting the advance of one's opponent, the wall of flames can also be used to push the aggressors back, such as demonstrated by Jeong Jeong who used this technique during the passing of Sozin's Comet to push back several Fire Nation tanks.

Avatar level firebending
**Enhanced heat control**: Unlike advanced firebenders who can heat materials contacting their skin without burning themselves, only an Avatar using the Avatar State has demonstrated the ability to alter the temperature of solid matter from afar without hurting anyone touching it. Avatar Roku used this technique at the Crescent Island Fire Temple while possessing Aang's body in the Avatar State to discharge a blast of fire so intense and precise that it knocked Zhao and his troops off their feet while simultaneously disintegrating the chains that bound Sokka, Katara, Shyu, and Zuko to vertical columns in the room without causing any observable damage to their skin or clothes.
**Long-range multiple fire whips**: An Avatar-level firebender can produce fire whips, the most being five at once. They are capable of reaching across long distances, displayed when Aang used the technique hundreds of feet above Ozai. This may have been a result of his firebending being augmented by Sozin's Comet or because he was in the Avatar State at the time, or possibly a combination of both. Each fire whip is also very wide and moves in a similar fashion to squid or octopus tentacles. They have enough destructive power to demolish large rock formations. This could be the technique Shyu was referring to when he said that, "only a fully realized Avatar can open the sanctuary doors alone."

Special techniques
**Blue fire**: Only Azula has demonstrated the ability to bend completely blue flames, which are hotter than the orange flames produced by most other firebenders. The production of blue fire is attributed to prodigious skill in firebending.
**Breath of fire**: A special technique that allows the user to warm their body with firebending and breathing control, similar to an airbender's heat regulation ability. Although this technique has limits, as it could not entirely protect Zuko from the freezing cold of the far north pole, it is shown to be effective against other cold environments, such as the coolers of the Boiling Rock.
**Combustionbending**: Combustionbending is an ability employed by Combustion Man and P'Li, which allows the bender to ignite objects with their mind instead of traditional firebending methods. Combustionbenders concentrate the energy through a tattooed third eye to project a ray of heat which detonates with great force, producing situated explosions with a great deal of precision. This technique is extremely effective and very destructive, capable of use at close and long-range; it can completely disintegrate hill-sized boulders and instantaneously evaporate large bodies of water with ease. It can also be employed to burn things without setting an explosion, similar to a lens focusing sunlight. The beam can also be curved, as demonstrated by P'Li. However, the technique has the potential to be just as hazardous to the user as it can be to their surroundings, as Combustion Man blew off his own right arm and leg due to his initial lack of control over the newly discovered ability in his youth. The sole known weakness of the combustion ray is that it is heavily reliant on an uninterrupted flow of chi, as blocking the chi paths in the forehead from where the combustion beam issues forth causes potentially fatal backfires.
**Dragon fire**: When the dragons, Ran and Shaw, unleashed a vortex of fire, several other colors of fire beyond the usual yellow, orange, and blue flames were present, including white, purple, green, pink, and red fire. While defending his family during an ambush, Zuko also showed himself capable of creating a fire vortex with hints of green and purple flames.
**Energy reading**: Similar to healing, firebenders are capable of sensing and guiding heat along energy pathways within a person's body. A Bhanti shaman used this technique to ascertain the cause of Avatar Korra's memory loss, concluding it to be the result of a dark spirit infecting her. Nyahitha was also familiar with this technique, and used it to partially repair the spiritual damage done to Avatar Kuruk.
**Fire breathing**: Fire breathing involves the user firebending out of their mouth, mixing air from the lungs with the flame, creating a wider, hotter blast. Although it can occur spontaneously and without prior training in moments of great emotional turmoil for a firebender, the conscious and controlled use of fire breathing does requires training. The Sun Warriors were knowledgeable about breathing exercises that allowed particularly powerful fire breathing; these techniques were eventually mastered by Iroh after much training. It was the employment of this firebending style in the heat of battle that earned General Iroh the nickname, "The Dragon of the West", even though the knowledge and use of this technique is quite widespread. With its wide, encompassing range, the technique allows for staving off multiple opponents. It is also useful for stealth, as it requires no hand motions and can thus be impossible to predict. Tea can also serve as a catalyst for this technique, as shown by Iroh.
**Heat control**: Many firebenders have demonstrated the ability to control heat in various forms and alter the temperature of solids, liquids, and gases. This can occur involuntarily, as when Hei-Ran's effort to suppress her emotions caused the air temperature of the room she inhabited to increase, or intentionally, as when Fire Lord Sozin cooled down volcanic lava by absorbing the emanating heat into his body and redirecting it out through his fingertips. The generation of heat without producing flame has also made it possible for some firebenders to create steam, smoke, concussive force, and combustion. For example, Rangi and Koulin were able to trade blows that released pressurized shockwaves and blasts of heat rather than fire. Advanced firebenders can even heat physical objects while touching them without burning their skin, such as when Iroh blew steam onto one of his metal shackles until it glowed red without damaging his wrist or when Zuko melted ice with his bare hands while underwater without injuring his fingertips.

Enhanced firebending
Due to its solar augmentation, firebending is slightly stronger during the day, being at its most powerful around noon. With an extraterrestrial heat source much closer to the planet than the sun, in particular Sozin's Comet, firebending is enhanced dramatically. A firebender under the effects of the comet can produce much larger, powerful flames, which create greater destruction and can extend much further than usual. Experienced firebenders can use the comet's power to sustain flight, generate exceptionally powerful lightning bolts, and perform other feats of firebending which they would usually be incapable of executing.

Opposing bending art
Firebending is the opposing art to waterbending, though they share facets of self-control, diversity, and variation in strength due to external forces and strong emotions. Firebenders use quick strong punches and kicks to shoot fire, while waterbenders use smooth movements and elegant turns and spins to return the momentum of the opponents' attacks. Firebenders attack first, while waterbenders wait and turn their target's attacks against them. However, in 170 AG these differences are no longer as strong as in the centuries before. Many waterbenders of the United Republic of Nations, a new-founded country of the world, have adapted a fighting style which is based primarily on sheer strength and speed. For example, criminals, task force members, and even Councilman Tarrlok tried to defeat their opponents with surprising, aggressive first strikes, a tactic typical of firebenders. However, this new fighting style is restricted mainly to the waterbenders of the republic.
The two bending arts are also opposed by their celestial power source; firebending is fueled by the sun, waterbending by the moon. This is best demonstrated during a duel fought between Zuko and Katara; at night, during the full moon, Katara quickly battered Zuko into submission and froze him against a wall; however, at sunrise, Zuko effortlessly melted the ice holding him in place and defeated Katara with one short fire blast.
Like all bending arts, firebending is balanced out as to not be more or less powerful than the other arts. It has repeatedly been illustrated that it is the skill and prowess of the user that determines victory.

Weapons
Firebenders sometimes incorporate weapons into firebending, such as Zuko's utilization of firebending in conjunction with his dual broadswords, shaping and channeling the flames down the blade of his weapons.

Lightningbending
Certain firebenders are able to generate and manipulate lightning by separating the yin and yang energies. Lightning, also known as "the cold-blooded fire", is considered the purest form of firebending and the most powerful and dangerous technique. Its use was initially available only to a select few firebending prodigies and masters. However, by the time of Avatar Korra, the art, while not widespread, is known by enough people to make lightning generation a decently-paid job at a power plant in Republic City.
Some experienced firebenders are unable to generate lightning because they do not possess inner peace. If a firebender who harbors inner turmoil tries to generate lightning, it would only cause a miniature explosion. Zuko, for example, was unable to generate lightning because of his inner conflict with both his father, Fire Lord Ozai, and his sister, Azula.
**Lightning generation**: Lightning generation is the ability to generate and direct lightning. It requires peace of mind and a complete absence of emotion. So far, only seven named firebenders have demonstrated themselves as capable of this art: Xu Ping An, Iroh, Ozai, Azula, Mako, Lightning Bolt Zolt, and Zuko's grandson, General Iroh. During Korra's lifetime, many other firebenders demonstrated the ability to generate lightning, particularly in creating energy for Republic City's power plant.
**Lightning redirection**: After observing the redirecting techniques of waterbending, Iroh developed a technique to redirect the course of lightning strikes by absorbing it through one arm, guiding it through the stomach, and out the other arm. Only Iroh, Zuko, Aang, Azula, and Mako have demonstrated the ability to redirect lightning. Lightning Bolt Zolt is known to have been capable of redirecting lightning.

Strengths
**Equator**: A firebender's power is at its maximum potential nearest to the equator. This effect increases significantly during the summer.
**Warm climate**: A firebender is much stronger and controlled whenever they can draw energy from heat. The climate conditions of a battleground can turn the tides of the fight in a firebender's favor, if the weather is hot enough.

Weaknesses
**Extreme cold**: Cold temperatures reduce or even completely negate a firebender's abilities. The Boiling Rock prison used insulated chambers, the coolers, and piped in cold air as a punishment for those prisoners who used firebending, as the freezers prevented them from bending. The same principle was used to detain P'Li in the depths of the icy tundra of the North Pole. However, skilled firebenders in control of breath of fire can use this technique to stay warm and keep using their firebending.
**Full moon**: With waterbending becoming stronger with it and firebending being water's opposite element, the full moon weakens firebending to some degree.
**Lack of defense**: The major combat weakness behind the applied art of firebending is its confrontational nature. Due to its aggressiveness and pursuit of continuous assault, it traditionally lacks basic defensive techniques, which can leave an inexperienced bender considerably vulnerable to enemy counterattacks, though masters such as Jeong Jeong can effectively use firebending for defense. It also consumes a vast amount of energy leaving the bender at a considerable disadvantage in a prolonged battle. A common mark of a firebending master is the ability to sustain attacks for long periods.
**Lack of drive**: In order to firebend properly, one must have "inner fire", their drive, without which one's firebending becomes weak. After joining the Avatar, Zuko's firebending became noticeably weaker, because for three years, hunting the Avatar was his drive. Aang, being traumatized by his first experience with firebending, was too afraid to "give it some juice", as said by Zuko. Both overcame their problems after meeting with the masters Ran and Shaw, who taught them the true meaning of firebending, restoring their drives.
**Other circumstances**: A firebender's power may decrease in any situation which might extinguish their flames, such as being underwater or caught in the rain. Zuko overcame this while underwater in the North Pole by melting ice by heating it with direct contact.
**Poor breath control**: According to Iroh, true firebending power comes not from physical size or strength, but rather from the very control of one's breath. This was first explained and demonstrated by Iroh, an overweight, squat man with no exceptional strength or physique; however, this did not stop him from being one of the most powerful firebenders in the world. Firebender discipline stresses self-restraint and breath control as a means of directing and containing the fire manifested. Poor breath control means dangerously poor control of any fire generated. For this reason, breathing exercises are one of the most critical first steps for beginning firebenders.
**Poor self-control**: Though anger, rage, and other intense emotions can amplify the power of firebending, it can lead to dangerous explosions or wildfires and can also cause any nearby flames to burn out of control. The enlightened firebending master Jeong Jeong repeatedly stressed this importance during his instruction of Aang, who accidentally burned Katara when he refused to listen, and a lack of self-control was demonstrated by Zhao during his fight with Aang.
**Solar eclipse**: Firebending's connection to the sun results in a lessening of strength during the night and a complete loss of firebending during a solar eclipse.

Elemental symbol
The symbol for fire and firebending is a stylized, tulip-shaped flame forked into three tongues that curve outward like flower petals, with a counter-clockwise spiral at the base. The symbol is featured in connection with Fire Nation spirituality.

Spirituality and firebending
In 0 AG, Fire Lord Sozin launched a genocidal attack on the Air Nomads, succeeding in part due to the power granted him by a passing comet. Over the course of a century, the war continued, and under the rule of Sozin's grandson, Fire Lord Ozai, the Fire Nation saw the return of "Sozin's Comet". As prophesied, the comet's immense energy granted Ozai the power to conquer the entire world. The only threat to Ozai's campaign was the Avatar, Aang. Aang succeeded in his quest to defeat Ozai, and he satisfied his spiritual needs by not taking Ozai's life but simply by removing his ability to firebend.
The Fire Nation's religious clerics, the Fire Sages, once served the Avatar, but they were eventually forced to endorse the imperial war. Shyu was the only Fire Sage to remain true to his allegiance to the Avatar, a trait he inherited from his father and grandfather.
A firebender's powers seem to increase during the day in the presence of the sun. Because of this solar sympathy, their powers are weakened at night and a solar eclipse can temporarily negate their powers entirely, much like waterbenders' powers are negated during a lunar eclipse. Aside from their main power source, the sun, firebenders also draw their energy from other heat sources, including volcanic activity, lightning, and passing comets, if they somehow become a heat source, such as Sozin's Comet, which ignites when it brushes the atmosphere. A firebender's power is intensified in warmer climates and is at its peak when situated near their native equatorial homelands during the summer. Eating chili may also help firebenders bring out their bending talents.
Firebending's distinctiveness is in its uncontrolled nature; fire, if left to itself, will consume everything it can. Firebending is thus a matter of *controlling* an element rather than directing it. Many firebenders are intoxicated by their power, while more prudent ones feel cursed by it, much like Jeong Jeong. However, its roots and nature are fully explored by Ran and Shaw and the Sun Warriors; properly controlled, fire is life and industry, comforting and creative.

Agni Kai
*Main article: Agni Kai*
Among firebenders, or at least those of the upper-class, disputes of honor are settled by a challenge to an Agni Kai, or "fire duel", a traditional firebender duel that is centuries old. Such a duel is conducted in an open-air arena, and it may be witnessed by spectators. The traditional time for an Agni Kai is sunset or sunrise, although it is not a requirement. While not an explicit condition, in the post-Sozin Fire Nation, Agni Kai have become almost exclusively duels to the death. The victor may spare the defeated, but it is generally looked upon as an act of weakness rather than generosity. The duel is traditionally fought bare-chested and the contestants may have one or more "seconds", i.e. people who stand around in that person's corner of the field and may attend to their champion before and after the duel, or bear them away in case they die fighting. The opening pose of an Agni Kai is squatting with back turned to the opponent. During this phase, both contestants traditionally wear a red-and-black shawl over their bare shoulders, which is dropped upon turning to face each other. It is considered dishonorable to attack from behind in an Agni Kai, especially for a defeated opponent who has been spared by the victor. Notable Agni Kais include Zuko's first public Agni Kai, against his father, the Agni Kai between Zuko and Zhao, and most notably the Comet-Enhanced Agni Kai between Zuko and Azula, which was fought for the right to the throne.

*The Last Airbender*
When giving his input on firebenders in the film, M. Night Shyamalan said that he made the choice to have the firebenders in the film only be able to control pre-existing fire to avoid them being "overpowered". However, this puts firebenders at a great disadvantage when in the Northern Water Tribe. It would also make an Agni Kai quite difficult.
It was stated at the end of the film that the power of Sozin's Comet is required for all firebenders to be able to generate fire "from their own chi", just like the "Highest of firebenders", like Iroh was in the movie. Thus, when the Fire Nation begins invading a city or town, they bombard it with fire balls so as to set fires and give their firebenders a source. Only the most skilled firebenders have the ability to create fire from nothing but their own chi; they also show the ability to be unharmed by fire.

Connection
Firebending moves are based mainly on the Northern Shaolin style, also known as shaolinquan. Aspects of the firebending combat style can be seen through a similar emphasis on highly technical kicking strikes, fundamentally strong movements, and the usage of swift, direct maneuvers. Northern Shaolin is an external style that uses long, aggressive techniques that explode and drive through the opponent.
The Northern Shaolin style emphasizes "kicking over hand fighting", or prioritizing one's legwork as opposed to the arms. Kicks are meant to "extend as far as possible without compromising balance. A few techniques from Northern Seven Star Praying Mantis are also prominent. These martial art variants feature quick, successive attacks that utilize momentary bursts of extreme power, much like an explosion, called ging lik. It optimizes a strong continuous offense, sacrificing defense for greater power, the principle behind a pre-emptive strike, and as such, firebending is categorized as the most aggressive of the four bending arts.
Close quarters firebending and distanced firebending combat use completely different styles of the bending art. Particular examples of such styles include:

* **Changquan** – Also known as "long fist". A fighting style that involves acrobatics and agile, graceful movements, it emphasizes long range movements and stances combined with speed and power. It has many derivatives:
	+ **Northern Shaolin Kung Fu** – used particularly in close-ranges, utilizing strong kicks and quick punches.
* **Southern Dragon Claw** – mirrors a dragon "swooping down on its prey". The form contains close-range techniques for "seizing and holding that utilize the hand."
* **Xingyiquan** – The classic "Seven Stars"; or the hands, feet, elbows, hips, knees, shoulders, and head; are incorporated into most firebending.

Notable firebenders
G indicates known ability to generate lightning.
R indicates known ability to redirect lightning.
C indicates known ability to use combustionbending.
*Avatar: The Last Airbender* and related comics
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**Earthbending**, one of the four elemental bending arts, is the geokinetic ability to manipulate earth and rock in all their various forms, prevalent in the Earth Kingdom and the United Republic.
Earth is the element of substance, while the people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse, strong, and enduring. Following the lion turtles' decision to relinquish their role as protectors of mankind, Oma and Shu were the first earthbenders to learn this art from the badgermoles.
The key to earthbending is utilizing neutral jing, which involves waiting and listening for the right moment to strike and, when that moment comes, acting decisively. In other words, earthbenders generally endure their enemies' attacks until the right opportunity to counterattack reveals itself.

Contents
* 1Origin
* 2Fighting style
	+ 2.1Earthbending abilities
	+ 2.2Earthbending master level
	+ 2.3Avatar level earthbending
	+ 2.4Special techniques
	+ 2.5Opposing bending art
	+ 2.6Weapons
* 3Strengths
* 4Weaknesses
* 5Elemental symbol
* 6Spirituality and earthbending
* 7Connection
* 8Notable earthbenders
	+ 8.1Avatar: The Last Airbender and related comics
	+ 8.2The Legend of Korra and related comics
	+ 8.3Chronicles of the Avatar
	+ 8.4Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game
* 9Trivia
* 10References
* 11See also
* 12External links

Origin
During the era of Raava, the power of earth was temporarily bestowed on the inhabitants of a city atop a giant lion turtle while they left the village to hunt for food. After the inhabitants permanently left the care of the lion turtle, humans first learned to earthbend by observing and imitating the geokinetic abilities of badgermoles living in the mountains in what is now Earth Kingdom territory. According to a legend, known widely as "The Legend of the Two Lovers", two star-crossed lovers named Oma and Shu, who hailed from separate warring villages, were the first people who learned the art from these creatures so that they could meet within the mountain that divided them. To make sure no one could ever find them, they used their new abilities to create a labyrinth of tunnels inside the mountain, which only they could navigate. One day, after many meetings in the series of passageways, the man did not come to see his lover, as he had died, a casualty of the villages' quarrel. His lover showcased a devastating display of her earthbending abilities and ultimately proclaimed the feud over. The villages subsequently collaborated to construct a city, Omashu, in their honor. The pathways they made by earthbending became known as the Cave of Two Lovers.

Fighting style
Earthbending is one of the most diverse of the bending arts, ranging from the rigid and collectively learned earthbending of the Dai Li, which is the most commonly used earthbending style, to the individually taught styles, such as Toph's unique earthbending technique. Earthbenders are generally muscular, tough and direct, and like all benders, their technique reflects on their individual personalities.
With the advent of pro-bending, earthbenders have learned to adapt fighting styles that are more suited to a fast-paced pro-bending match. Most earthbenders participating in pro-bending have learned to keep mobile and only root themselves long enough to actually launch and direct the earth discs provided in the arena. Bolin's earthbending is typical of the style used within the arena, although he has exhibited some of the more traditional forms and movements when outside of it.
Earthbending differs from the other bending arts in that it maintains a distinct balance between offensive and defensive capabilities, though waterbending involves a more refined version by channeling defense into offense. Earthbending uses a balance of strength and defense to overwhelm opponents.
The principle of *jing* is the essence of battle strategy of all bending arts, with a total of eighty-five possible actions. Positive *jing* occurs when one chooses to fight, while negative *jing* is when one chooses to evade. The earthbending discipline stresses neutral *jing*, which involves listening, waiting and attacking at the right moment. King Bumi stressed this in his tactics against the Fire Nation; he allowed himself to be imprisoned in New Ozai for many months before liberating the city on the Day of Black Sun simply waiting for the right moment to fight and liberate the city.

Earthbending abilities
**Earth and stone levitation**: The most common attack involves levitating nearby pieces of earth and stone of numerous sizes (more powerful benders can move larger masses) and propelling them at foes with punching or kicking motions.
**Earth block**: Earthbenders can bring up blocks of earth and launch them at their enemies. The Dai Li used this technique against Team Avatar during the Day of Black Sun.
**Earth compression**: It is possible for earthbenders to compress large chunks of rock into smaller, denser chunks, or to compress several smaller chunks into one big piece of rock. Haru and his father, Tyro, used this technique, compressing several small pieces of coal into one big coal boulder. The fact that two earthbenders were required to perform it suggests that this technique is quite difficult.
**Earth elevator**: Earthbenders can fashion a crude elevator by sliding a chunk of earth they are standing on against a vertical or diagonal surface in the direction they wish to travel. Aang and Toph first utilized this ability in tandem to scale the walls of Ba Sing Se and later to reach the top level of the Earth King's palace. In both cases, they were able to carry substantial loads, easily supporting the weight of Ying and her family in the first instance and Appa in the second, in addition to the rest of Team Avatar. Lin performed this technique as well to help Korra ascend the stairs on Air Temple Island when she was confined to a wheelchair.
**Earth etching**: Earthbenders can draw designs on the ground without making contact by waving two fingers over the surface to engrave the desired shape. Toph performed this technique while training Aang by tracing a simple line in the ground.
**Earth gauntlet**: A much less advanced version of earth armor that can be used to throw back opponents with hard solid force. Aang used this technique when fighting against Azula on the drill. Sun used two earth gauntlets simultaneously while fighting a waterbender in an underground bending tournament. The technique is useful in that it grants some level of the protection of earth armor but allows the rest of the body to remain flexible.
**Earth hand/mannequin**: An earthbender with a decent grasp and knowledge of sculpting can craft replicas of human appendages or bodies from any rock source and move them from place to place. While playing King of the Hill, Toph made a large hand to grab and toss Aang to the side. When Toph was pretending to be Fire Lord Ozai as part of a training exercise, she used this technique to simulate the Fire Lord's bodyguards.
**Earth impression**: Earthbenders can create permanent impressions of themselves in solid rock by pressing their bodies against a surface and moving their limbs to imprint the intended shape. Toph performed this technique with considerable ease, as seen when she made a "snow angel" out of earth on the Si Wong Rock.
**Earth launch**: While earthbenders like being rooted to the ground, with some like Toph being unable to see in the air, they can quickly move rock beneath them and launch them several tens of feet into the air, whether to catch airborne opponents or to travel faster. Toph and Bumi did this during the battle at Wulong Forest and the liberation of Ba Sing Se, respectively. Bolin has shown to be able to launch himself into the air with Earthbending, as was seen when he escaped the Earth Queen's palace.
**Earth material manipulation**: Earthbending is not limited to rock or soil alone. An earthbender can also manipulate coal, gems, crystals, chalk, salt, and other earth-based materials, like meteorites and jennamite.
**Earth shelter**: This can be used by earthbenders to create a shelter or dome which can provide instant shelter in the wilderness. Toph often created shelters like these to sleep in while the Team Avatar was traveling and used it to create a safe place where Ying could give birth. It can also be used to trap enemies, but this application would not work against an earthbending opponent, who would be able to cancel out the technique. These can also be created in combat as a defense against non-earthbending attacks.
**Earth smash**: Earthbenders can easily destroy rocks and boulders with punches and kicks, even if they have a small amount of muscle mass. This technique is useful when facing other earthbenders, as it allows the earthbender to destroy any earthen projectiles sent at them and break out of imprisoning techniques. However, it does not seem to affect objects not made of earth.
**Earth wall**: Earthbenders can create walls of earth, which can be used for both defense and offense, as well as for practical things, like construction.
**Earthquakes/fissures** or **tectonic rift**: Striking the ground with feet, fists, or hammers, as shown by Gow, creates localized earthquakes or fissures to throw opponents off-balance. This same process can be used to sculpt a landmass or to slice large chunks of rock clean off a surface to create avalanches or rockfalls. More advanced earthbenders can make narrow fissures for precise attacks.
**Ground shift**: Earthbenders can alter the ground beneath others to move them out of their way. The sudden movement can be disorienting to the target.
**Quicksand**: Earthbenders turn certain surfaces to quicksand to immobilize an enemy, or to create a soft landing for themselves should they fall from a height. Sandbenders can also do the reverse of this, compacting sand together to create harder projectiles or a firmer grip on the ground.
**Rock column**: A more powerful version of rock projectiles, this technique involves forcing columns of rock out of the ground. Using a similar principle, an earthbender can shoot a stream of small ruts and protrusions from underground at their opponent. This can also be used to enhance the benders' jumps. It is, however, limited to the ground and does not have the same range as a rock projectile.
**Rock cuff**: Earthbenders can quickly fashion cuffs out of rock to immobilize their opponents.
**Rock hanging**: If an earthbender is attached to, or wearing a piece of rock, they can attach to other stone surfaces and remain off the ground for long periods of time. The Dai Li are the only ones that have demonstrated this ability through the use of their earth gloves, giving them the ability to cling onto a rocky surface.
**Rock shield**: A levitated slab of rock can also double as a shield when positioned in front of a bender. This can also be performed with a slab or sheet of bedrock thrust out of the earth's surface. The shield can be hurled at the opponent for quick retaliation.
**Rock slide**: If an earthbender is near a cliff or mountain, they can cause many rocks of a multitude of sizes to rain down on their opponent. The canyon guide demonstrated that it would be possible to redirect the path of a rock slide. This was shown when he protected his refugee customers from getting crushed.
**Sand spout**: Similar to both the water and the air spout, an earthbender can manipulate the fine sand particulates to form a whirling column. The sandbenders used this technique to propel their sand-sailers through the Si Wong Desert.
**Slab shackles**: With proper timing, an earthbender can bind an opponent's arms with triangle-shaped slabs. This technique is generally used if the opponent is in a vulnerable position, for example on their knees. This technique was first used by Aang against Ozai to keep him in place while Aang took his bending away. It was later used by Aang to detain Yakone while he removed his bending.
**Thick mud**: An earthbender can transform earth and stone into sticky, sinking mud, causing their foes to become stuck.
**Water filtering**: When working in concert with a waterbender, an earthbender can purify polluted water. The waterbender suspends the polluted water in the air, while the earthbender removes the pollutants.

Earthbending master level
**Dust cloud**: By shaking the ground back and forth, earthbenders can create dust clouds of various sizes to provide cover, the particles of which can also be manipulated themselves.
**Dust-stepping**: A variation of the mist-stepping and fire-stepping techniques used by waterbenders and firebenders, respectively, by creating very thin pillars of increasing size, a master earthbender can use this technique to quickly scale walls. It was invented by the Flying Opera Company, who later taught the technique to Avatar Kyoshi.
**Earth armor**: Earthbenders can bring rocks, dust, pebbles, or crystals around them and mold them to fit their body and create something similar to armor. They can also hide inside the earth by bending the rock around them as a shell. Later, it is demonstrated by Toph that metal can be used as armor as well. The earth armor was used by Toph in a training exercise with Aang. Aang later uses this technique with crystals against Azula, and again with rocks against Combustion Man and finally Ozai. This earthbending move is great for defense, especially against fire. It is not as effective for offensive moves since it limits the practitioner's range of motion.
**Earth bomb**: By sending a rock toward the ground, earthbenders can cause massive damage as well as throw their opponents off their feet. Aang used it against Zuko, almost gaining the upper hand of the battle before the Dai Li intervened.
**Earth preservation**: By slamming their palm against a central surface to send rippling tremors into the surrounding earth, talented earthbenders can preserve the location, shape, and depth of footprints or other subtle markings left on the ground. Jianzhu often used this technique to track criminals.
**Earth sinking**: More advanced earthbenders, such as The Boulder, Master Yu, and General Fong, can forcibly sink their opponents into the ground, imprisoning them or even suffocating them in earth. This technique was used by General Fong to subdue Katara.
**Earth tunneling**: Earthbenders can move through the earth to out-maneuver their foes either by opening tunnels or by pulling the earth past them, literally swimming through the ground.
**Earth wave** or **earth skating**: High-level earthbenders can create a wave of earth to ride on and use it as a form of transportation, as Aang and Toph have both done, as well as Roku and Sud while training. The downsides of the wave are that it takes a lot of energy to produce, as well as intense concentration; the slightest distraction could cause the user to lose control of the wave. They can also force a wave of earth outward and use it as an extremely powerful offensive attack, as both Aang and General Fong were seen doing during their battle.
**Earth writing**: Earthbenders can manipulate pebbles to spell out messages for others to read. The false Avatar, Yun, was particularly skilled at this technique, able to form such messages while a considerable distance away from the earth he was bending.
**Magnetization**: Skilled earthbenders are capable of magnetizing their limbs to any type of stone, making wall-scaling simpler in the appropriate circumstances. The Dai Li agents could perform this move with ease and even stay upside down, such as when Team Avatar broke into the organization's secret headquarters in Lake Laogai.
**Meteor fall**: Earthbenders can drop down onto their targets with a massive force from a high position.
**Remote earthbending**: If an earthbender is suspended from the ground, but is aware that there is earth somewhere near, the earthbender can focus his energies and bend that earth out of his physical reach out of sheer concentration. This was shown in a flashback when Bumi told Team Avatar, sans Aang, how he freed himself during the eclipse. Bumi managed to summon some roof tiles and pieces of walls to rip open the front of his metal coffin. Aang also uses this technique to summon rocks for his Elemental Sphere while in the Avatar State.
**Rock shoes**: Earthbenders can dash onto a vertical wall or the ceiling and cling to it with shoes made of stone.
**Stair folding**: A technique once used by Toph, which consists of folding the steps of a stair into themselves, turning it into a sort of slide in order to cause the enemies to fall down.
**Summon the storm**: Earthbenders can call up small gravel, dust, and sand all around them to fill the air with swirling grit.

Avatar level earthbending
**Compressed rock bullets**: Used solely by Aang in his fight with Phoenix King Ozai. Aang disintegrated one of his compressed rocks from his Elemental Sphere and shot its shrapnel-like fragments with great speed, in a machine gun-like fashion. Due to the speed and density of these rocks, they did great damage to the landscape. It is similar to the rock gloves technique used by the Dai Li.
**Dust devil**: Avatars can raise themselves high above ground level through dust devils, similar to air and water spouts.
**Enhanced earth armor**: By harnessing the power of the Avatar State, Avatars can surround themselves with large pieces of earth which they can subsequently conglomerate into a giant anthropomorphic rock body to use in combat. Avatar Aang used this technique to battle General Old Iron.
**Enhanced earth levitation**: With their greater power and stronger connection to the earth, the Avatar can move hill-sized statues at will. Utilizing the power of the Avatar State, Kyoshi moved large statues of badgermoles, and Aang moved various earth pillars in his fight against Ozai, both for offense and defense. Korra also used this technique in her fight with Zaheer and later Kuvira, trying to crush her opponent with a hill-sized boulder.
**Powered compression**: This is a much more powerful version of the earth compression technique, performed only by Aang while in the Avatar State. Instead of bending large chunks of earth into a single projectile, Aang gathered boulder-sized rocks and simultaneously compressed each fragment into smaller, denser, and harder rocks, essentially keeping the rocks under pressure for more volatile attacks if needed. Lastly, the rocks are directed to orbit the bender until they are used.
**Tectonics**: The Avatar can earthbend on a scale vast enough to move entire landmasses, as shown by Avatar Kyoshi when she separated Kyoshi Island from the mainland. Aang later performed the same technique to separate the town of Yu Dao from its surrounding land.

Special techniques
**Glassbending**: Some earthbenders are able to control glass due to its mineral origin. Avatar Kyoshi was capable of this technique, such as when she bent shards of glass out of her skin following her confrontation with the Triad of the Golden Wing.
**Lavabending**: Certain powerful earthbenders are able to change the phase of the earth they are manipulating, melting it into lava for more versatility in battle, similar to what waterbenders do with ice. A bender using this ability can form the lava into different weapons or summon magma from the ground. The earliest known bender to perform this technique was Szeto, the Avatar that preceded Yangchen. Ghazan, Bolin, and Sun are the only known non-Avatar earthbenders to have demonstrated this technique.
**Liquifying earth**: Similar to lavabending, highly skilled earthbenders can change earth and stone to a liquid state without the use of heat. The only known earthbender capable of this technique is Yun, who liquified the stone floor of the Avatar mansion before solidifying it again to trap Kyoshi. He used it as well to liquify the very foundations of the mansion and destroy it.
**Metalbending**: Metalbending is a sub-skill of earthbending developed by Toph. Most earthbenders are unable to affect processed metals. Usually, the trace amount of earth still present in metal is so minuscule that it goes undetected even by the best earthbenders, lending to its use in detaining earthbenders. However, due to her seismic sense, Toph was able to locate the small fragments of earth in metal, target them, and utilize them to "bend" the metal portion. In the beginning, she was not able to bend metal with the same ability or ease seen in normal earthbending. Eventually, her skill with metalbending developed to the point where she could effectively defeat comet-enhanced firebenders during the battle at Wulong Forest with the technique. After the conclusion of the Hundred Year War, Toph founded a metalbending academy to teach the newly acquired skill to other earthbenders, and the technique eventually became the primary weapon of the Metalbending Police Force in Republic City. As metalbending techniques were further refined, benders eventually learned how to manipulate metal without being in close contact with it, and amateur metalbending students were able to apply this skill to small objects such as coins and canes.
**Mudbending**: It has been demonstrated that earthbenders, like waterbenders, are able to bend mud due to the presence of earth within. Toph, aided by Katara, was able to push the slurry from the rear of the Fire Nation drill back into the machine, and the technique was also used by the two girls when they ended up fighting while they were training Aang. Toph also used this ability while training Korra in the swamp.
**Pigmentbending**: Skillful earthbenders are able to bend earth-based pigments, even those that have been dried for very long periods of time. Yun, a prodigy earthbender who was thought to be the Avatar, came up with this technique and made use of it when he bent the paint on the portraits of Fire Avatars in the Fire Nation Royal Palace's Royal Gallery, and bent sharp pellets of paint at Chancellor Dairin, his men, and Kyoshi, killing some and wounding many. He also accidentally tattooed himself because of this ability when he used an inkstone as glove.
**Rock gloves**: The Dai Li have mastered the rock glove technique. Similar to an earth gauntlet, they cover their hands in small rocks and project them at a target as small projectiles or compacted fists to bludgeon an opponent. A more refined and favored method, however, is to use them as detachable hands, maintaining the hand shape and literally grabbing and restraining the opponent from a distance.
**Rock shoes**: The Dai Li also used shoes made out of earth to slide to travel faster and to cling to walls and suspend themselves on the ceiling, as Long Feng and the Dai Li used in Lake Laogai during their fight with Team Avatar and the reformed Freedom Fighters.
**Sandbending**: Sandbending is an alternate earthbending style that has been adapted for use in the Si Wong Desert by the people that live there. They move quickly in the desert on specialized wooden sailers that are propelled by bending miniature, localized sandstorms behind their sails. Because sand is sediment which travels in flows, their style resembles air and waterbending more than earthbending. It is implied that most, if not all, earthbenders are capable of easily bending sand, but because of the loose shifty nature of sand, it is not an easy transition for the average earthbender. The sandbenders of the desert are especially proficient with it due to their particular habitat. After the events at Si Wong Desert, Toph practiced her sandbending, achieving a mastery over it that allowed her to create an extremely detailed miniature sand version of Ba Sing Se. Likewise, one can compact the sand to be solid and thick. Sandbenders used this technique while stealing Appa, in order to steady themselves despite the lack of friction in sand.
**Seismic sense**: A technique originally developed by the blind badgermoles, skilled earthbenders are able to sense vibrations through the ground, "seeing" by sensing their surroundings and making a mental image of it. It allows for a 360-degree field of "vision", outside of normal line-of-sight. To operate, the user needs direct contact with the ground, preferably without something like shoes in between. The technique is only usable on surfaces the user can bend. Being blind, Toph constantly used this technique to navigate the world; she described it as "kind of like seeing with [her] feet". During his training with Toph, Aang also developed this ability. Aang used this during a three-way training spar with Toph and Katara, and again during his fight against Ozai. Due to Toph's extensive use of the technique, she discovered other applications of it. Her seismic sense was so acute that she was capable of sensing even ants moving about, could identify people by the way they walked, and could almost always tell if someone was lying by sensing their physical reactions, such as breathing and heart rate. It was also the basis of her unique ability of metalbending. Toph also passed this technique to her daughters, Lin and Suyin.

Opposing bending art
Earthbending is the opposing bending art to airbending. When first learning to earthbend, the pupil must first learn confrontational tactics and familiarity with the brute strength necessary to work with earth. This contrasts with the emphasis of airbenders on mobility and evasion. Earthbenders require a firm root in the ground, while airbenders are constantly moving. This is illustrated when Aang initially had great difficulty trying to learn earthbending from Toph.
Like all of the bending arts, earthbending is balanced so as not to be more or less powerful than the other arts. It is the skill and prowess of the user that determines victory.

Weapons
Earthbenders have been known to use hammers and fans to augment their bending, and it has been stated that the Chinese great sword *dadao*, a heavy war sword, or literally "big knife", would also be best suited for a strong earthbender. Aang has also demonstrated earthbending by wielding his glider-staff. Additionally, Gow has demonstrated earthbending with his war hammers, and Kori Morishita was able to control her meteor hammer with earthbending. Giant maces and axes could work well. Avatar Kyoshi was well known for using her twin fans to assist her in her bending forms, but particularly in earthbending.

Strengths
**Lack of precision**: Due to the nature of earthbending, which puts an emphasis on brute strength rather than precise, agile movements, benders do not need to have great precision.

Weaknesses
**Reliance on earth**: Since earthbenders rely on having access to earth, their ability can be negated by securing them within a metallic barrier, separating them from any contact with the earth. Toph, as the inventor of metalbending, is an exception to this, as are any who have been trained in the skill. However, even metalbenders cannot bend highly purified metals such as platinum.
**Reliance on the lower body**: Earthbending is at its strongest when the feet are in direct contact with the ground, enabling earthbenders to transfer their kinetic energies into their bending for fast and powerful moves. However, this weakness can be overcome by bringing other body parts in contact with the earth.

Elemental symbol
The symbol for earth and earthbending is a tall rough isosceles trapezoidal shape, the base of which is made up of the Bagua trigram "Kun", denoting "earth". Inside, at the top, is a spiral running counterclockwise. The symbol is present on wooden "elemental solitaire" cards owned by Iroh. This symbol vaguely resembles a seated badgermole.

Spirituality and earthbending
Earthbending was explored in depth while Toph was teaching Aang, as well as during Iroh's lesson to Zuko on the elements. Earthbending expresses the aspect of neutral jing, which involves listening and waiting, and also requires decisiveness; when the time comes to strike, it must be done without hesitation or uncertainty. If an earthbender lacks determination, the earth will not respond to their will.
Being connected to the earth is also an important aspect of earthbenders' spirituality; earthbenders, primarily earthbending soldiers and generals, typically travel barefoot to increase their connection with the earth and thus their power. As such, seismic sense users are particularly attuned to their connection to the earth. From the spiritually charged Foggy Swamp, with its roots stretching miles in every direction, Toph was able to remain connected and aware of faraway places, such as Zaofu and Republic City.
As the element of substance, earthbending seems to be the least spiritual of the bending arts. It is almost exclusively treated pragmatically with no observable interactions with supernatural phenomena.

Connection
The Hung Gar style of kung fu is the main influence for earthbending; they both feature "heavily rooted stances and strong kicks and punches that evoke the mass and power of earth." Hung Gar itself parallels animal movements such as the tiger's hard blows and the crane's affinity to landing gracefully on the earth. There are exceptions to this rule — Toph, the blind earthbender's style, is based on Southern Praying Mantis, a precise stepping skill which Toph uses to maintain constant contact with the ground and "see".
Earthbending, however, draws from a great number of the styles related to Nanquan (southern fist), which is a collection of Chinese martial arts styles from Southern China. This includes Choy Li Fut, Choy Gar, Hung Ga, Lau Gar, Li Gar, Mok Gar, and Wing Chun.
The concept of neutral *jing* is also closely related to the philosophy of "sticky hands", a practice common to some southern Chinese martial arts such as Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis and Wing Chun. The purpose of sticky hands is to enable the practitioner to predict their opponent's next move. Similar to Toph detecting the movements of others through her connection with earth, a practitioner learns to detect their opponent's upcoming move by maintaining constant contact between their own arm and their foe's arm (may also be between their hands or wrists). By practicing with a partner in this manner, a practitioner will learn to "read" the slight movements of their opponent's arms to detect their next attack and subsequently move accordingly to either strike before the attack is made or move in the same direction with the attack and effectively neutralize it. Concepts such as listening, reacting, balancing attacks and defense, and drawing power from a stable lower body are often referred to in the practice of sticky hands, again, closely relating to many primary concepts in earthbending.

Notable earthbenders
L indicates known ability to use lavabending.
M indicates known ability to use metalbending.
S indicates known ability to use seismic sense.
*Avatar: The Last Airbender* and related comics
{

**Waterbending**, one of the four elemental bending arts, is the hydrokinetic ability to control water in all of its various forms. This type of bending is used by the people of the Water Tribe, who are divided into the Southern, Northern, and lesser-known Foggy Swamp tribes, as well as those of the United Republic, each with their own unique bending style.
Water is the element of change. The moon is the source of power in waterbending, and the original waterbenders learned to bend by observing how the moon pushed and pulled the tides. The Water Tribes are the only people who did not learn to bend from an animal, though the Moon and Ocean Spirits took the form of koi fish in the mortal world near the beginning of the *Avatar* world.
The fighting style of waterbending is mostly fluid and graceful, acting in concert with the environment. Waterbenders deal with the flow of energy; they let their defense become their offense, turning their opponents' own forces against them. Even when waterbenders do take an attack stance, their moves always appear to flow from one to the other, mimicking the flow of the water they bend. Foggy Swamp style waterbending, however, is more rigid and straight, allowing for more direct bursts instead of long flowing streams of water.

Contents
* 1Origin
* 2Fighting style
	+ 2.1Waterbending abilities and techniques
	+ 2.2Waterbending master level
	+ 2.3Avatar level waterbending
	+ 2.4Special techniques
	+ 2.5Enhanced waterbending
	+ 2.6Opposing bending art
	+ 2.7Weapons
* 3Styles
	+ 3.1Northern and Southern style
	+ 3.2Foggy Swamp style
	+ 3.3Pro-bending style
* 4Weaknesses
	+ 4.1Overcoming weakness
* 5Elemental symbol
* 6Spirituality and waterbending
* 7Connection
* 8Notable waterbenders
	+ 8.1Avatar: The Last Airbender and related comics
	+ 8.2The Legend of Korra
	+ 8.3Chronicles of the Avatar
	+ 8.4Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game
* 9Trivia
* 10References
* 11See also
* 12External links

Origin
During the era of Raava, the power of water was first granted by the water lion turtle, who would temporarily provide it as protection to those venturing into the Spirit Wilds. However, after the lion turtles renounced their roles as protectors of mankind during the era of the Avatar, the turtles refused to give people the power anymore. The descendants of the people living atop the water lion turtle eventually learned to waterbend by observing how the moon pushed and pulled the tides of the ocean; they learned how to simulate the effect themselves. As such, they have a strong spiritual connection to the Moon and its counterpart, the Ocean. In fact, waterbending is the only bending art to originate from spirits instead of animals, and additionally, any adverse effect on these spirits detrimentally affects waterbenders.

Fighting style
Waterbending's strength is its great versatility. Rather than supporting a separate set of offensive methods, waterbending employs defensive techniques that can be transformed into attacks and counters, defense into offense. Instead of simply deflecting an attack, waterbending's defensive maneuvers focus on control, achieved through turning an opponent's own strength against them, rather than directly harming the opponent.

Waterbending abilities and techniques
**Breath of ice**: A waterbender can use the water vapor in their breath to rapidly freeze objects or opponents. For a more advanced version of the technique, the user takes a deep breath and exhales the air as a cloud of freezing mist. Katara used this technique to freeze Jet to a tree, to save Sokka from Huu, and to stop a warship from sinking by temporarily freezing a hole in the ship's hull. Avatar Aang also used this ability to break the chain when Bumi was being lifted by a crane.
**Creeping ice**: A waterbender can send a ray of ice on the ground, speeding at an opponent to freeze them. This technique freezes a trail of water beginning with the waterbender performing the move and ending with their targets freezing. Katara accidentally froze Sokka's feet to the ship and later three Fire Nation soldiers with this technique, before getting better control and utilizing it on Zuko and a Fire Nation engineer. Master Pakku also used this against several firebenders during the Siege of the North, and Kya employed it against Zaheer.
**Flow as water**: Waterbenders can use a jet of water to propel themselves smoothly around obstacles.
**Ice blade**: Waterbenders can create a sword-like blade of ice. Ming-Hua used this technique to threaten a delivery truck driver in order to smuggle her and her companions out of Republic City and again during her battle with Kya at the Northern Air Temple in an attempt to skewer the other woman. Tonraq also used this in his battle with Zaheer on Laghima's Peak.
**Ice claws**: Shown by Hama, using ice claws involves the bender drawing water around their fingers and freezing it. They can also be sent forward, shooting them at an opponent. A waterbender can also use this as an advantage; being small and unnoticeable, they can hide them in their sleeves just like Mai's weapons. Additionally, this technique uses little water and thus can be performed quickly using the condensation technique.
**Ice column**: Similar to the earth column technique used by earthbenders, a waterbender can shoot a pillar of ice up from the ground to knock their opponent off their feet. Unalaq used this technique during his duel with his brother, Tonraq.
**Ice disc**: A waterbender can create a cylindrical column of ice and proceed to slice razor-sharp sections of it off and send them at an opponent. Katara used this technique against Master Pakku, employing discs that were sharp around the edges but also thin, as Master Pakku was able to break them with his wrists.
**Ice gauntlet**: Waterbenders can cover their hand with a sheathe of ice.
**Ice hook**: Waterbenders, if creative enough, may form a hook out of ice which they can use to climb vertical surfaces. Ming-Hua bent ice hooks to climb up the walls of P'Li's prison while carrying her. She also used an ice hook to take out a White Lotus sentry when breaking out of her prison.
**Ice line**: Waterbenders can create lines of twisting ice columns to knock out their opponents. Unalaq, while in the Dark Avatar State, used an enhanced version of this technique to knock out Mako and Bolin during Harmonic Convergence.
**Ice projectiles**: Waterbenders are able to rapidly shoot projectiles of ice at their opponents. The Northern Water Tribe Water Warriors used this to defend their tribe, Katara while training with Aang, and Noa while attacking Gilak and the Southern Water Tribe nationalists. Tarrlok did the same in his duel with Avatar Korra, and Unalaq used the technique against Korra, while Desna and Eska used it against Ming-Hua in the North Pole. Tonraq, Kya, and Ming-Hua also have utilized this ability in combats.
**Ice wall/ice shield**: Waterbenders are able to freeze water in front of them, creating a shield or even a large wall of ice. Katara performed this technique on numerous occasions during the Hundred Year War, while Malina did it later to protect herself and her brother from Gilak's forces. Korra later made use of it to protect herself from a metalbending police officer who chased after her during her first time in Republic City, as well as during her fight with the Dark Avatar. The Northern Water Tribe Army created large ice walls to cover the Southern Water Tribe as well to they created ice barriers to push the civilians out of their way. Unalaq also used this technique in his duel with Tonraq, while Tonraq used it to protect himself from P'Li's combustion beams. Kya also employed this move to defend herself and her brother Bumi from rocks launched by Ghazan during their battle at the Northern Air Temple.
**Ice spear**: The ice spear is a waterbending move that involves freezing a stream of water into a spike and firing it at the intended target. This move was used by Pakku in his duel with Katara and she later did it when she was about to strike down Yon Rha. Korra also used this technique when she faced Amon.
**Iceberg spike**: Waterbenders can shoot small shards of ice at their opponent, or cause a giant spike to protrude from a body of water. The Northern Water Tribe employs these as a primary defense of their homeland when enemy ships are sighted, and Hama and the Southern Water Tribe waterbenders immobilized a Fire Nation vessel by creating a large iceberg spike beneath it. Katara also used this to freeze Sangok and later Zuko, while Desna and Eska performed numerous iceberg spikes during their duel with Ming-Hua. Korra also employed this technique to slow down Kuvira's enormous mecha suit.
**Phase change**: Waterbenders also possess the ability to alter the physical state of the water they manipulate, between liquid, solid and gas, at will. Changing the phase of water allows for multiple techniques in the course of a battle, from encasing an opponent in ice to hiding behind a wall of mist. Ice and steam/fog can also be molded in a diverse range of shapes. Ice provides a degree of hard lethality since it can be molded into spikes or blades to pin down or impale opponents. Steam or mist can obscure a battlefield and mask movement. Waterbenders also possess the ability to breathe an icy mist that freezes water and other substances. Pakku used this technique in his duel with Katara. Katara also used the technique to enhance her performance as the Painted Lady, as well as with the waterbenders at the Foggy Swamp. The move was later performed by one of the Red Monsoon Triad members.
**Quiet grip of ice**: This technique allows a waterbender to use a bit of water on the ground nearby and to grab an opponent's foot in an icy hold.
**Rings of water**: Skilled waterbenders can create one, two, or three rotating rings of water, in the sky, around their bodies. This has both defensive and offensive capabilities, such as being used as a cannon. Siku and Sura demonstrated this technique as an aesthetic display of their waterbending abilities, while Kya used this during her fight with Zaheer on Air Temple Island.
**Snowball**: Waterbenders can create a snowball capable of fighting. The shape, size, and length are all determined by the waterbender's control, while more powerful benders can create larger balls. Sangok used this technique in his match with Katara, though she was able to redirect it back at him and freeze him. Noa and Kam also used this technique against Katara, though she was able to redirect it back at them. Siku and Sura also used this technique in the South Pole, and a group of Southern Water Tribe kids as well against the Northern Water Tribe Army, and then against Korra, though she was able to block it.
**Slip over ice**: With a sufficient amount of water available, a skilled waterbender can cover a large area of the ground with ice, trapping their enemies' feet in ice while allowing them to slide around. The size and length are all determined by a waterbender's control, and more powerful benders can create larger floors. This technique was used by Katara while fighting the giant sea serpent and by Pakku during the Order of the White Lotus' liberation of Ba Sing Se. Tahno used a variation of this technique to only momentarily freeze the floor locally in order to cause Bolin to slip during a pro-bending match. Korra has also used this technique. One of the Red Monsoon Triad members used the move to freeze the street, and it has also been performed by Ahnah during a fight against an Earth Empire mecha suit.
**Stream the water**: Named by Katara, it is a move that draws water from a source that waterbenders move around their bodies. A more advanced version demonstrated by Aang apparently involves "sinking and floating". This move is thought to be used for basic training so that beginning waterbenders can get a "feel" for water, but it is, in reality, a useful move performed by waterbenders of every skill level, as demonstrated by Pakku, who used it as a pastime while awaiting the arrival of his pupils as well in unison with two students during a tribal gathering. Young Noatak and Tarrlok also have demonstrated this move while training, while Viper used it against Avatar Korra, although she was able to direct it back at him and freeze it around his head. Hasook and Tahno have performed the technique during a pro-bending match, and Katara, Tarrlok, Unalaq, Tonraq, and Ming-Hua have utilized it in combats.
**Water ball**: Similar to the bubble technique and the ice prison technique, a waterbender can trap their opponent in a ball of water. Katara used this technique to trap a fish, Korra also used this to trap a smoke grenade and then froze it, and later by Unalaq to trap Raava. Ming-Hua also used the move to imprison Bolin.
**Water boxing**: To perform this technique, waterbenders surround their fist with a small amount of water and punches their opponent. This move was used by Tahno in a match against the Fire Ferrets.
**Water bracket**: Skilled waterbenders can create a water bracket capable of cutting. This technique is a useful move performed by waterbenders of every skill level. Master Pakku used this technique against several firebenders while Katara used this technique against the swamp monster. Tahno performed this move in a match against Avatar Korra. Tarrlok also used it in his duel with Avatar Korra at the City Hall, and Unalaq later against Korra, though she was able to block it. Desna and Eska also used this technique against the Dark Spirits.
**Water bullet**: The water bullet is a move where a waterbender bends a large amount of water and sends it in a forceful blow toward their target. It is similar to a water jet, but it is more for a quick use since the jet takes more concentration. It is basic yet useful because it takes little time to perform and has a significant effect on the target. Katara used this against Hama.
**Water cloak**: A waterbender can use their water as a form of armor with tentacle-like arms. The bender can use these arms to grab objects or enemies, whip enemies, blast enemies with water, and freeze them. If a waterbender has less water available, they can simply form the arms instead of the entire cloak. This technique was first shown by Katara while she dueled against Azula in the Crystal Catacombs and again when she was on board the Southern Raiders frigate. Unalaq also used this against Korra in the Southern Water Tribe prison, and Korra later did against members of the Northern Water Tribe while breaking her father out of ship. The technique was also used by both Korra and Unalaq in their fight during Harmonic Convergence. Both Kya and Tonraq later used it during their duels with Zaheer at Air Temple Island and Laghima's peak, respectively. Ming-Hua mastered this technique to the point that she could mold the ends of the tentacles into any shape, such as a claw or a hook, as well as only locally freeze the ends while retaining the mobility of the tentacle as a whole.
**Water filtering**: When working in concert with an earthbender, a waterbender can purify polluted water. The waterbender suspends the polluted water in the air while the earthbender removes the pollutants.
**Water jab**: Waterbenders can surround their fist in water and use the force of the stream to enhance a water-boxing punch.
**Water jet**: High-pressure jets can be used to force opponents back or even blast clean through a target if focused enough. Water jets are primarily used if the user has the intent of severely hurting their opponents. It was seen being performed by Aang against a pirate, the Northern Water Tribe employs this as a defense of their homeland when enemy are on their land, later by Katara against a firebender in the Southern Raiders frigate. Unalaq also used this technique against Mako and Bolin, and Kya used it against Ming-Hua.
**Water knife**: Waterbenders can create a fast, cutting swoop of water that can cut through vulnerable materials.
**Water lashing**: The ability to shape water into a super-sharp edge or point for a split-second, enabling a waterbender to cut through metal, wood and stone. Aang and Katara used this technique to sabotage the giant Fire Nation drill assaulting Ba Sing Se.
**Water manipulation**: Almost all forms of waterbending involve moving and shaping a body of water to the waterbender's desire. By simply levitating a large mass of water, waterbenders can move water anywhere they wish, even parting it under the surface of a lake or sea, allowing them to walk along the bottom of a basin without the need to swim. These large bodies of water can also be used as weapons, either by shaping them into gigantic whips, swung repeatedly at a target as a snake-like body, formed momentarily into a razor-sharp edge that can cut through even metal, or simply dropped onto an opponent to smother them or put out a fire. On the sea or ocean, waterbending can be used to create giant maelstroms. Aang and Katara used this to set off a giant sea serpent.
**Water pressure manipulation**: Waterbenders are also able to manipulate water pressure, allowing them to use water to grasp other objects or cut through without simply parting around them. Water can be used as a semi-solid while being able to move and flow like a liquid. Water can be pressurized to such a level where it can slice through metal. Waterbenders can also use this to avoid sinking in water, effectively allowing them to walk on water, as demonstrated by Katara multiple times.
**Water ring**: A skilled waterbender can create a ring of water around their body which can be used for both defense and offense, such as shooting ice shards or sending water whips at their opponent. Pakku used this technique in his duel with Katara, and Kya used it in her duel with Zaheer and twice against Ming-Hua.
**Water rope**: A waterbender can create a rope capable of grabbing objects or enemies, as well as whipping enemies. This technique is similar to the water cloak. It was used by Aang in the Avatar State to catch Ozai, while Tarrlok used the technique to grab Asami Sato's hand.
**Water wall/water shield**: Water can be molded into a variety of shapes and can be used to deflect an attack, trap opponents in a viscous body, reshaped and propelled at attackers before they can recover, or solidified into a shield of ice. This diversity and ability to swiftly change to suit the situation is what makes the waterbender's defense so adaptable. Although usually protective, the shield needs some type of compression or else it will not be effective. This is demonstrated when Katara was fighting Zuko at the Spirit Oasis and her quickly-made shield could not block the fire blast.
**Water whip**: The water whip is a commonly used move that involves creating a lashing tendril of water to swipe at an opponent. The shape, size, and length are all determined by a waterbender's control, and more powerful benders can create larger whips, or ones of greater finesse. The whip can be sharpened into a blade that can slice through metal with relative ease, Aang, Katara, Malina, Noa, Kam, Hasook, Korra, Tonraq, Unalaq, Desna, Eska, and Kya have demonstrated the ability to create water whips.
**Wave**: By moving a large mass of water without separating it from its original source, advanced waterbenders can create waves of nearly any size. They do this by using an upward movement that raises the source, which they subsequently send away in their desired direction. This can be used to sweep opponents away or even as a form of transport, with the bender surfing on the crest of the wave. This same process can be used to propel waterborne crafts. Pakku used this technique during his duel with Katara in the Northern Water Tribe. Aang used it while in the Avatar State against the Fire Nation ships. Katara, Unalaq, Kya, and Ming-Hua also proved to be skilled practitioners of this technique.

Waterbending master level
The mark of a master waterbender is the ability to swiftly change from one state of water to another and rapidly switch techniques during combat, keeping the opponent off guard while constantly adapting to the enemy as demonstrated by Master Pakku. For example, he deflected a stream of water away from himself, froze it, and used it to slide behind Katara and counterattacked.
**Bubble**: Capable waterbenders are able to cross large bodies of water by creating a bubble around themselves and their fellow travelers, maintaining a supply of air for their journey. The technique was first used by Aang and Katara to cross the Serpent's Pass and later by Katara on two occasions so that she and Appa could submerge. It was also used by Korra several times to transport herself and others under the surface of Yue Bay while traveling to and from Air Temple Island.
**Crushing grip of seas**: This is a rare technique, where a waterbender can throw a tendril of water to wrap around a foe's limbs, holding them in place with a very strong grip.
**Ice cover**: A master waterbender can create an ice cover to cloak their opponent, and resembles the ice prison. Tonraq used this technique to cover a dark spirit.
**Ice dome**: An advanced technique, as demonstrated by Katara while fighting against Zuko in the Spirit Oasis, a waterbender may surround a foe in a sphere of water and freeze it, trapping their opponent inside. Alternatively, a waterbender can use the dome as a protective shell around themselves. For example, Katara once surrounded herself in an ice dome after falling off Appa to remain afloat in a fast-flowing river and avoid injuring herself against the rocks when she went over a waterfall.
**Ice drill**: By turning the tip into ice, waterbenders control massive amounts of water into a spiraled frozen drill. This technique was first demonstrated by Unalaq, while he tried to open the Northern spirit portal. Ming-Hua also used this to break P'Li out of her cell.
**Ice ladder**: This technique can be used for quick scaling of vertical surfaces when no other options are available. Katara created an ice ladder to rescue Hakoda and Earth King Kuei when the Bridge of No Return collapsed beneath them.
**Ice prison**: This rare technique covers an opponent in a prison made of ice. By finely controlling the position of the person within, this technique can restrict the motions of an opponent's hands, thus rendering them powerless. Master Pakku used this move on several firebenders and Katara incapacitated Azula during Sozin's Comet with this. Tonraq used this technique to trap two Northern soldiers, before he was incapacitated himself in a similar manner by Unalaq. Desna and Eska also used this technique to trap Mako and Bolin, and Ming-Hua demonstrated mastery over it, as she used two ice pillars to imprison Desna and Eska.
**Ice ramp**: Waterbenders can manipulate ice as a means of short transportation for themselves or others. Katara used this when training with Aang and Toph, as well as during the Battle for Yu Dao. Korra used this technique to craft a pathway to topple a snowmobile in order to save Unalaq and later to transport herself during her fight with Hundun and his dark spirits. Tonraq also used this technique during a fight with a dark spirit, as well as a manner of quick transportation during his duel with Unalaq. Similarly, waterbenders can also shift snow and water to create stairs of ice in order to improve mobility in snow.
**Ice sled**: An advanced version of the ice ramp, master waterbenders can craft a sled out of ice and propel it forward with their bending at speeds that rival those achieved by motorized transportation, such as snowmobiles, ice shoes, and ice skateboards. This technique was first demonstrated by Katara and later by Tonraq along with the Southern Water Tribe rebels, Desna, and Eska.
**Ice tunneling**: Waterbenders are able to swim through thick ice with the same ease as through water, allowing them to surprise their foes. The technique was only seen to have been performed twice, once by a waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe in a flashback of Hama's and again by Korra, who used it to escape from her compound.
**Maelstrom**: In a large body of water, a waterbender can create a gigantic whirlpool. This technique was executed by Aang and Katara while fighting the serpent.
**Mist-stepping**: A variation of the dust-stepping and fire-stepping techniques used by earthbenders and firebenders, respectively, a fast waterbender can use tiny pillars of ice to quickly scale a building. This technique was invented by the Flying Opera Company.
**Multiple water whips**: An advanced waterbending move similar to the single water whip, except it deals with more than one whip, usually four or five. This technique seems to be able to inflict a large amount of damage. It was used by Katara against Azula. Unalaq also used this technique in his duel with Tonraq.
**Octopus form**: A body of water formed around the user into multiple whip-like tendrils which can be used to grasp or strike an opponent or to intercept incoming attacks. This technique was first demonstrated by Aang during his training with Katara, who later used the form herself while fighting the Dai Li. Ming-Hua used a variation of the form in her duel with Kya at the Northern Air Temple and against Mako prior to her death.
**Partial ice whip**: Waterbenders can take hold of the end of an opponent's water whip and locally freeze the opposite end in order to trap their opponent and pull them in closer. Korra demonstrated this technique in her fight against the Dark Avatar.
**Razor rings**: An experienced waterbender can create multiple simultaneous water rings capable of cutting. Katara used this against the swamp monster.
**Suspending rain**: When it is raining, a very skillful waterbender can suspend the rain, keeping all of the rain droplets within a vicinity frozen in place for a short time. This was done by Katara when confronting Yon Rha.
**Water cloak**: This rare defensive move allows a waterbender to surround themselves with their element. This allows the waterbender to easily throw water into their environment in subsequent attacks.
**Water dome**: A master waterbender can create a water dome that can be used for both offense and defense, the shape and size all dependent on how much water there is available. Katara used this technique to frighten Yon Rha. Tarrlok also used this technique in his fight with Avatar Korra in the City Hall.
**Water drill**: A high-pressure, rotating column of water. Capable of exerting a significant amount of pressure upon a solid surface, that allows the action of a drill. The move takes mastery of waterbending since the motions to create a constantly twisting body of water requires bending skill. This technique was first demonstrated by Taqukaq and later by Kya during her fight with Zaheer.
**Water gliding**: Waterbending masters can glide on water at high speeds, in addition to riding on foreign objects with the same purpose. This technique was first used during Team Avatar's crossing of the Serpent's Pass, when Katara formed an ice surfboard and increased her speed in order to effectively freeze the serpent's midsection without being hit. She used it a second time to cross the lake to Jang Hui. Aang used this in his fight against Ozai to flee from the Fire Lord's attacks after being knocked off a cliff. Amon also used this ability to escape and surpass the speed of Mako's fire blasts. During their fight with Korra, Desna and Eska encased their feet with ice to allow them to slide across the water. Korra also used this technique to ride a wave and cross the water when she was trying to stop two thieves at a small fishing town.
**Water pinwheel**: This move involves the user moving a large mass of water and spinning it vertically around him/her. This was demonstrated by Hama while blocking Katara's attacks.
**Water slide**: Dubbed by Sokka, this technique involves controlling a whirlpool-like pillar of water similar to the water spout, except instead of enveloping and levitating the waterbender who created it, the slide wraps around other people. Katara utilized this technique to catch Sokka, Satoru, and Loban and safely deposit them on the ground when they fell from General Old Iron's mask.
**Water sphere shield**: A waterbender can surround themselves in a sphere of water to deflect attacks and return fire.
**Water spout**, **water vortex**, or **water tower**: This high-level technique involves controlling a whirlpool-like pillar of water, rotating it and directing its movements at the same time, making it easier for the user to dodge attacks. In accordance with the water spout's constantly shifting and coiling movements, it forms a giant snake of water around the lower body, elevating them from the surface of the water. First demonstrated by Aang, Pakku used this technique to ward off several firebenders during the Siege of the North, and Katara performed a minor version of this to bring Aang up and out of the Crystal Catacombs and to escape from Gilak and the Southern Water Tribe nationalists. Korra, Amon, Unalaq, and Ming-Hua also proved to be skilled practitioners of this technique. The water spout has a limited height, however, depending on the amount of water fueling it.

Avatar level waterbending
**Ice fissure**: Avatars are able to use waterbending to split frozen ground by bending the water mixed with the earth. Unalaq used this technique after merging with Vaatu to form a deep chasm and trap Korra within, intending to crush her as he brought both sides of the fissure back together.
**Remote waterbending**: Avatars can use waterbending from distances which a waterbender would not normally be able to access. While in combat with Ozai, Aang went into the Avatar State and pulled water in from the sea toward himself to make part of his elemental sphere. After defeating Ozai, Aang raised the tides of the sea to put out the fire at Wulong Forest caused by Ozai and his airships.
**Tsunami**: Since they can control larger amounts of water, Avatars are capable of creating and controlling water bodies of far greater size and scale, including causing massive tsunamis, at will. The technique was first demonstrated by Avatar Kuruk as he created a large wave to ride on. Later, Aang and Princess Yue created a large tsunami that brought Aang to safety on Crescent Island. Korra used a variation of this technique to create a localized wave that spun the Northern battleships out of the way to allow Varrick's yacht to pass through their blockade.
**Water compression**: An Avatar in the Avatar State has enough power over water to compress its volume, compacting several thousands of gallons into a small volume. Aang did so when he created his elemental sphere while preparing to pursue Ozai.

Special techniques
Many of the following techniques are guided by the principle that waterbenders may manipulate any solution, organism or object where water is present.
**Armless waterbending**: Proficient waterbenders can control water without the use of limbs, relying only on the torso to generate enough movement to manipulate a medium. With this technique, waterbenders such as Ming-Hua can create water-like appendages as makeshift arms and even turn the entire body into an ice drill by generating enough momentum.
**Bloodbending**: Bloodbending is a specialized sub-skill and a rare variation of waterbending, a sinister application of the principle that water is present in every living organism, thus making them bendable objects themselves. This technique is referred to as the highest level of waterbending. By definition, bloodbending is a technique that allows a bender to enforce their will to an organism. Initially, it was thought that bloodbending could only be done during the full moon, where waterbenders are at their most powerful. However, it was proven that complete mastery of bloodbending would not require a full moon to practice the ability, when Yakone, and later his sons, Noatak and Tarrlok, had employed the technique without the aid of the full moon.
The technique was invented by Hama during her time as a Fire Nation prisoner following the Southern Water Tribe raids. She came to a realization that living things, animals and humans included, contain large volumes of water, and thus can be bent. Later, the technique was outlawed following the Hundred Year War, with Katara leading the motion for it to be declared illegal.
**Body fluid manipulation**: As the human body contains a high percentage of water, waterbenders can manipulate various fluids within the body, some with more difficulty than others. Bending blood, for example, typically requires the presence of the full moon, when a waterbender's power is at its peak, unless the bender is born from a bloodline of rare skill, as was the case for Yakone's family. Altering the temperature of water within the body similarly demands a high degree of skill, Atuat and Kyoshi only able to perform the technique because they possessed enough raw power and made physical contact with the body. Using water as a catalyst to redirect energy paths within the body, meanwhile, is more widespread, Katara even managing to perform the ability instinctively after Aang accidentally burned her hands. Other bodily fluids, such as sweat or the water vapor in breath, have also been bent with ease, appearing to be limited more so by a waterbender's resourcefulness than their raw power, as Hama noted when Katara revealed that she was able to create and bend her own sweat in order to escape from a Fire Fountain City prison cell. Relying on this resourcefulness, Katara has additionally demonstrated the ability to bend liquid trapped in a person's lungs, extracting the water Aang accidentally aspirated when the unagi knocked him unconscious.
**Cloudbending** or **cloud manipulation**: By working together, a waterbender and airbender can easily manipulate clouds, which are made of air and water, to create various shapes. In one particular instance, cloudshaping was used to provide a message to nearby villagers of an erupting volcano. It was later used by Aang and his friends to disguise their flights on Appa while moving about the Fire Nation.
**Condensation**: Not only can skilled waterbenders condense clouds into a usable source of water when they are within close range of one, but they also can condense invisible water vapor right out of the air. Although, due to the limited quantities of water present in the air, as a mere 1% at most of the earth's atmosphere is water vapor, the amount of water extracted from the air is quite minimal. Favorable environment and climatic conditions increase the amount of water one can remove from the air.
**Healing**: Waterbenders can sometimes use a unique sub-skill: the ability to heal injuries by redirecting energy paths, or chi, throughout the body, using water as a catalyst. Waterbenders can use their abilities to heal by surrounding a sick or injured person with water, which glows during the process. Certain highly skilled healers are also able to lower body temperature to such a level that all processes are slowed down, including death itself, as demonstrated by Atuat. However, this technique can also be employed in a more sinister way, as showcased by Kyoshi, who used it to kill by freezing her opponent's heart and lungs. When infused with spiritual knowledge, a variation of this technique can be used to calm angry spirits, as demonstrated by Unalaq and Korra. The use of healing was generally taught to female waterbenders of the Northern Water Tribe, who were not allowed to study combative forms of waterbending prior to the end of the Hundred Year War. Katara is known to be the best healer in the world. With the help of Spirit Oasis water, she was able to heal Aang and resurrect him.
**Plantbending**: A member of the Foggy Swamp Tribe, Huu, illustrated that talented waterbenders can manipulate plant life. Plantbending enables members of the swamp to control and manipulate every form of plant life, from the highly water-saturated vines and roots found within the swamplands to seaweed from the ocean floor, by bending the ample amount of water within them. They are also able to to rapidly compress and replace the plant mass of the flora they bend, as the cell tissues are more versatile than those of an animal. During a full moon plantbenders can manipulate bigger plants such as large trees. Misu also used plantbending to attack Team Avatar.
Going further, a skilled waterbender is able to separate and completely extract the water from plants for more effective utilization just as they are able to separate the water from mud, sand, and even polluted river systems, etc. In the case of plant life, this process will leave behind the withered remains of all the affected plant life or even making them collapse in the case of large trees. The degree of skill in manipulating plant life depends on the experience of the bender and whether or not a full moon is present. Katara and Hama extracted the water from large trees with relatively no difficulty during their battle under the full moon. Simpler and smaller forms of plant life, such as grass, flowers and seaweed, can be bent with relative ease, with or without a full moon.
**Solutions**: It has been shown that waterbenders can manipulate any mass of liquid consisting of some water. For example, Kirima bent wine and froze it on the floor to make policemen slip. Later, Katara bent the contents of the abbey's perfume vats. She used waterbending to stir and ladle stew into bowls, to spill ink out of a bowl, and to bend the water inside mud as well. Katara halted the flow of the slurry on the back of the drill to prevent Ty Lee from following her, and, with Toph's aid, they were able to push the slurry back into the drill. Katara was seen bending mud when she and Toph ended up fighting when they were supposed to be training Aang, and she bent soup right into Appa's mouth from a pot. Katara bent ink to make a Fire Nation official leave the room so she and Zuko could search through the files about the current location of the Southern Raiders. Aang thought of using "gluebending" to defeat Ozai, suggesting that a waterbender can bend glue. Maolo was able to bend the water in paint, being able to forge paintings from noble families while the originals were auctioned off at Ba Sing Se's black market.
**Steam manipulation**: A technique that allows waterbenders to manipulate steam, and can also be used to manipulate fog or moisture. It can be used to freeze people or objects or to create cover. Katara turned steam to ice to freeze an engineer of the Fire Nation drill in place, made good use of the technique when she created a thick cloud of steam to conceal a ship from the enemy and when she surrounded herself in a fog to create an eerie atmosphere while pretending to be a river spirit. Korra also made use of this technique while infiltrating Amon's rally, using steam from nearby pipes to provide cover for Mako.

Enhanced waterbending
Waterbending is greatly strengthened and enhanced during the night, due to its lunar affinity. During a full moon in particular, waterbending is greatly enhanced, to the point where a single waterbender can overpower multiple opponents with relative ease. Bloodbending was largely thought to be possible only under a full moon. As an additional note, waterbending abilities are not enhanced during a solar eclipse. During a solar eclipse, the moon is directly in front of the sun. While the moon blocks the sunlight, all of the light from the sun shines on the far side of the moon. The side of the moon is completely dark, meaning that the moon's phase is in the new moon phase. During a solar eclipse, the moon is always in the new moon stage. Since a full moon strengthens and amplifies a waterbender's waterbending abilities to numerous levels, a solar eclipse does not enhance a waterbender's abilities. Finally, waterbenders will become stronger when they are near their homelands.

Opposing bending art
Waterbending is the antithetical bending art to firebending, though it is similar in its need for inner discipline, breath control, and a strong connection to external forces. Firebenders use quick strong punches and kicks to shoot fire, while waterbenders use slow movements and elegant turns and spins to return the momentum of the opponents' attacks with blasts of water. Firebenders attack first, while waterbenders wait and turn their target's attacks against them.
Like all the bending arts, waterbending is balanced out as to not be more or less powerful than the other arts. It is the skill and prowess of the user that determines victory. In the case of waterbending however, a waterbender's ability to perform all of the waterbending they are capable of is significantly dependent on the amount of water available.
Avatar Roku, born a firebender, considered learning waterbending as "especially challenging" and called mastering the four elements "bitter work". Even when in combat situations, Roku favored firebending, earthbending and airbending above waterbending, to the point where he did not use waterbending to fight a volcano, despite being surrounded by water.
Iroh used waterbending philosophy when developing lightning redirection, a technique used to prevent harm from lightning. Zuko was taught the technique and both of them have been shown using it effectively against powerful opponents. Zuko later taught it to Aang, who was also able to use the technique.
Although they are opposing bending arts, both waterbending and firebending can manipulate external thermal energy.
Additionally, both waterbending and firebending can affect the environment if the bender loses their temper, as seen when Katara cracked ice while screaming at Sokka, and when Zuko was having a tense discussion with Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee.

Weapons
The only known times a weapon has been used with waterbending was when Avatar Kyoshi used her fans to create a wave and when Aang used his staff to freeze water. However, many waterbenders carry water skins of various sizes to provide them with a source of water in places where it is scarce, such as deserts and urban locations.

Styles
There are four waterbending styles known to exist in the *Avatar* universe, namely the Northern style, Southern style, Foggy Swamp style, and pro-bending style. Due to the circumstances of the Hundred Year War, the Southern style was nearly extinct, with only Hama left as the only Southern Water Tribe waterbending master during Avatar Aang's time to be fully trained in waterbending. However, Hama passed on all her knowledge to Katara before they became enemies.
As the Foggy Swamp Tribe is an offshoot of the Southern Water Tribe, Foggy Swamp style may have first developed from the Southern style, but throughout the intervening generations it has evolved into its own distinct style.

Northern and Southern style
The Northern Water Tribe developed the first style of waterbending for use in their home at the North Pole. When the Southern Water Tribe formed in the South Pole, they developed a slightly different style that nonetheless is similar to the Northern style.
The traditional waterbending styles of the Northern and Southern Water Tribes focus on graceful, fluid movements for their attacks. These styles frequently make use of switching the state of water from liquid to ice and snow. It is with this technique that the waterbenders built their large polar cities. The Northern waterbending style seems to traditionally perform more defensive, strategic, and architectural techniques in waterbending, while the Southern waterbending style seems to be more aggressive and offensive than the Northern style.

Foggy Swamp style
Foggy Swamp style is the waterbending style used by the Foggy Swamp Tribe of the Earth Kingdom.
Instead of the fluid, graceful movements of the other two waterbending styles, they keep a rigid and straight stance, possibly reflecting the usually stagnant nature of water in their swamp homelands, and use stiff and circular arm movements to move water like a propeller. This style seems to be effective in moving the tribe's boats.
They do not appear to use ice or snow attacks as often as their polar cousins, possibly due to the lack of ice in their environment. However, an exception was seen during the Day of Black Sun, when one member used ice to patch a hole in one of the submarines. One of the swamp's tribesmen, Huu, was able to develop plantbending. It is unlikely that other polar waterbenders were aware of this technique, though Hama did not express surprise when learning of it, preferring to remove the water from plants rather than manipulating the plant.
The battle capabilities of this style seem to be accurate, since Tho, Due, and the other Swamp waterbenders used this unique style in battle, making noticeable foot movements in addition to moving their arms in the desired direction to shield themselves from harm before stepping and performing an elegant punching motion to attack.

Pro-bending style
After seventy years, the art of waterbending changed greatly. The benders began to adapt and develop new techniques. One particular change was the development of pro-bending. Because of the hindering rules of this game, waterbenders' styles adapted to match. For instance, waterbenders are restricted from using continuous streams of water. To compensate, they have modernized waterbending to mainly include short blasts and blocks.
One noticeable change in the art is a more frequent use of the lower body in bending. Originally, the lower body was not significantly used in waterbending. However, pro-bending has enabled some waterbenders, such as Avatar Korra, to use high arching kicks to direct streams of water.
Another new technique of waterbending is that it has also somewhat moved away from traditional grace and more into the quickness of the attack. Reminiscent of firebending, the waterbenders often use sharp, quick, boxer-like punches when bending, allowing the players to stay light on their feet and able to dodge incoming attacks on the field.
The battle capabilities of this technique are far more diverse than that of the other techniques. This is mainly due to fighting being the main purpose of pro-bending. Korra has been seen fighting outside the ring effectively, implementing her pro-bending style waterbending against a variety of opponents.

Weaknesses
**External water source**: A waterbender gains a significant advantage or disadvantage over other benders depending on the amount of water in the vicinity. Enemies are able to take advantage of this by driving them away from water sources. As a result, traveling waterbenders often carry a water skin with them at all times. Master waterbenders are able to extract water from plants, ultimately killing the plants, and even condense water vapor out of thin air.
**Binding**: Waterbending is almost entirely dependent on the movement of the bender's arms, quite the opposite of earthbending which mostly uses the lower body. This leaves the waterbender vulnerable when they are bound at the hands or has had the flow of chi-blocked in the arms. Waterbending can be performed with the lower body, such as when Katara anchored her feet in ice during her fight against Master Pakku, or when she created a piece of ice to use as a surfboard when fighting a giant sea serpent. Another lower body technique is outlined on the waterbending scroll stolen by Katara, from which both she and Aang learned a technique named the water whip. However, Katara used her feet when she fought the guard earthbenders, in the Royal Palace, performing a larger than normal water whip. Hama also briefly tells Katara how the Fire Nation prison guards bound the waterbenders' arms each time they were given water to drink, emphasizing their helplessness.
**Lunar eclipse**: Another waterbending weakness is its dependence on the moon. Although waterbenders gain power from the moon, with waterbending at its zenith during full moons, the moon's absence during a lunar eclipse results in a complete loss of waterbending ability.
**Emotional state**: A waterbender's power comes from the internal life energy, chi. Due to this, a waterbender's power is connected to their present emotional state. If an inexperienced waterbender were to lose their temper, their waterbending force is intensified, but in turn, control is lost; this was demonstrated by Katara when she lost her temper against Sokka and inadvertently cracked an iceberg. Although this has the potential to be quite dangerous in a waterbender with little to no training, it also serves as a boon to a bender with proper training and experience, as well as balance over their emotions.
**Lightning**: Impure water is a natural conductor of electricity. Considering how many waterbending techniques involve a physical connection to the water itself, the bender is left vulnerable to a lightning strike. Mako was able to exploit this weakness and defeat Ming-Hua.

Overcoming weakness
Some of the standard waterbending weaknesses can be overcome by skilled waterbending masters. In environments without water, a master can pull water particles out of clouds, air, and even out of living organisms such as plants and trees. The drawback is that if the water is removed from a living organism, it will wither and die. Water can also be obtained from a master's own body if need be, from sweat or saliva. The amount of water able to be removed from the air will vary depending on weather conditions. As only a small proportion of the planet's atmosphere contains gaseous water, these amounts would be limited even at the best of times. However, the amount of water can be sufficient to form a usable weapon, such as ice claws, which do not need a lot of water to form. Furthermore, binding does not work on waterbenders who mastered the ability to waterbend using the lower body and/or without any arms, such as Ming-Hua.

Elemental symbol
The symbol for water and waterbending is a circle comprising a stylized rightward-facing ocean wave with three spiral crests breaking over three wavy diagonal lines representing water. It also shows how the Moon and Ocean Spirits work together, with the moon symbolized by the circular border and the Ocean Spirit symbolized by the picture of an ocean. The symbol is featured in connection with Northern Water Tribe spirituality and on the pendant worn by Katara, originally carved by Master Pakku for her grandmother as an engagement present.

Spirituality and waterbending
"*The legends say the moon was the first waterbender. Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves ... Our strength comes from the Spirit of the Moon, our life comes from the Spirit of the Ocean. They work together to keep balance.*"
―Princess Yue.
Like the moon controlling the tides, waterbenders move water using their chi to mimic gravitational pull by choosing how to direct their energy utilizing two jings, which in turn work to push and pull the water that is being controlled. Because of this lunar sympathy, a waterbender's power is stronger at night, at its absolute zenith during a full moon, and lost during a lunar eclipse. A waterbender's power is also enhanced during the rain, for obvious reasons. Furthermore, a waterbender's power is strongest when they are situated in colder climates, during the winter, or near their native polar homelands.
Legend further elaborates that Tui, meaning "push", the Moon Spirit, and its symbiotic partner La, meaning "pull", the Ocean Spirit, gave up their immortality to be a part of the mortal world. In fact, these spirits exist in the physical forms of two koi fish eternally circling one another in a pond, in the highly spiritual oasis, in the capital city of the Northern Water Tribe.
The "push and pull" relationship between the moon's gravity and the water's inertia is represented by Yin and Yang. The Moon Spirit koi is white, with a black forehead marking, and the Ocean Spirit koi is black, with a white forehead marking, mimicking the two primal forces.
Without the equilibrium of these two spiritual aspects, waterbenders lose their powers. This was illustrated when Tui's mortal form was killed by Admiral Zhao during the Fire Nation's siege of the Northern Water Tribe. The moon disappeared from the sky, the balance of the world was upset, and the waterbenders defending the North Pole were rendered powerless.
The Fire Nation's invading fleet was subsequently defeated when the Avatar, Aang, acted as a literal avatar of La and combined to form a gigantic water creature that swept the Fire Nation forces out to sea. Balance was restored when Princess Yue, who had received a part of Tui's life force at birth to prevent her immediate death, returned that force and sacrificed herself so that Tui might live.
Waterbending emphasizes symbiosis: acting in concert with one's environment and guiding it, rather than avoiding, controlling, or working against it. In the Foggy Swamp Tribe, waterbenders were shown to be especially attuned to the environment, as one of its members, Huu, was able to achieve enlightenment by meditating under a tree in the heart of the swamp and connecting with it the same way it is connected with the rest of the swamp, as it is a superior organism.

Connection
Waterbending is based on a style of taijiquan (also known as t'ai chi ch'uan, or tai chi for short), specifically the Yang and Chen style, as well as a style developed by Chinese martial artist Gu Ruzhang. It is an internal Chinese martial art that features slow movements and elegant forms that evoke the feel of flowing water.
Like taijiquan, a waterbender's main advantage is the ease with which they can control their opponent, not simply harming them. Both arts were influenced by ancient healing practices; people would channel their "energy paths" within themselves to areas of the body where healing was necessary. They also share a specific focus: body alignment, breath, and visualization. Finally, a waterbender can typically find that softness and breathing are more effective for their ability than hard aggression, just as a practitioner of taijiquan does. In taijiquan, the qi must flow through the body like water, and the energy is driven from the internal balance and by breathing.
The pro-bending style is more reminiscent of mixed martial arts fighting, as seen with the wide variety of techniques used in the sport to waterbend.

Notable waterbenders
H indicates known ability to use healing.
B indicates known ability to use bloodbending.
S indicates known ability to use spiritbending.
*Avatar: The Last Airbender* and related comics
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## Sub-Skills

* Seismic Sense
* Lightning Redirection
* Lightning Generation
* Combustionbending
* Spiritual Projection
* Flight
* Metalbending
* Lavabending
* Healing
* Bloodbending
* Gravity Bending
* Soundbending
* Plasmabending
* Lightbending

**Seismic sense** is a sub-skill of earthbending that constitutes for physical sense. This skill enables earthbenders to detect vibrations in the ground to perceive objects, people, and other aspects of their environment, essentially acting as sonar, but through earth and metal.

Contents
* 1History
* 2Usage
	+ 2.1Other uses
		- 2.1.1Metalbending
		- 2.1.2Lie detection
* 3Limitations
* 4Known users
* 5Trivia
* 6References

History
As the badgermoles were the original earthbenders, they were also the first users of seismic sense. Naturally blind, these creatures used this ability to navigate their dark world with ease.
The blind Toph Beifong was a practitioner of this technique, developing the sense at a young age by learning from the badgermoles and using it to establish her own untraditional style of earthbending. Later, she perfected her seismic sense to such an advanced degree that she could detect the slightest movements, using the skill as her method to explore the world, and developing a technique that serves as a way of lie detection. Toph's seismic sense was accurate enough that her friends often had difficulty remembering that she was blind. This heightened sense of awareness is at the foundation of metalbending, as Toph's sense allowed her to feel the unpurified earth materials that were still present in the metal.
The second known human practitioner of seismic sense was Avatar Aang. Taught by Toph, he was fully capable of using the sense to perceive objects and movement out of his line of vision or while blindfolded. Due to this skill, Aang was able to detect Ozai's attempt to strike him in the back during the battle at Wulong Forest.
Toph later passed this skill on to her daughters, Lin and Suyin. Lin used the technique in her job as Chief of Police to find hidden locations, such as an Equalist factory operating underneath the Sato estate and a cavern underneath Kuvira's factory, as well as navigate her way through the tunnels underneath Republic City. Suyin used seismic sense during her attempted assassination of Kuvira.
While residing at the Foggy Swamp, Toph used her seismic sense to connect to the rest of the world via the roots of the banyan-grove tree.

Usage
The first and foremost of seismic sense's applications is the ability to perceive surroundings. By sensing vibrations in the ground, earthbenders can perceive their surroundings as precisely as normal sight, and in some cases with even greater clarity. The advantage of the sense over normal sight is that practitioners are able to pick up things that are barely visible or even imperceptible to the naked eye as well as things out of their line of sight. Obstacles that would normally obstruct regular vision, such as walls and thick dust clouds, are rendered ineffective against seismic sense. Seismic sense does not only provide surface vision, as the vibrations also travel underground, enabling the user to effectively detect caverns and other deep subterranean cavities.

Other uses
Metalbending
*Main article: Metalbending*
Notably, seismic sense allowed for the discovery of the art of metalbending. The ability allows an earthbender to pick up on the minute pieces of unpurified earth still present in the metal. Locking on to those pieces, an earthbender can bend the earth and thus the metal by proxy.

Lie detection
Since humans have a physical reaction when they lie, such as a heightened heart rate, earthbenders who have perfected this skill can lock on to those physiological changes and tell whether or not a person is lying. However, these reactions can be suppressed by individuals with great control over their emotions, such as Azula, rendering even the most skilled seismic sense practitioner unable to tell if a statement is a lie. If one is made to believe what they say is true, false claims will not trigger any physical reaction. An earthbender must also be actively on the look for reactions for it to be noticed. This ability has been referred to as "truth-seeing".

Limitations
Seismic sense is not without its limitations. The practitioner must always be in direct contact with an earthen surface, through which vibrations can pass, in order to detect their surroundings, which must also be in contact with the same mass of earth. As such, a seismic sense user can detect airborne objects, regardless of their alloy, by estimating their flight path based on the stance the person who launched them had on an earthen surface, although there are known cases where earthen objects launched from an airborne position were also detected. If the user is in the air or water, or even standing on a non-earth solid such as ice or wood, the bender will be unable to sense anything through that substance. Although allowing the user to detect their surroundings in detail, the sub-skill does not allow for perception of facial features or written characters, due to the fact that they are not made of or in contact with earth.
Sand, although an earthen substance, is not firm like normal earth and renders seismic sense "fuzzy" and imprecise for earthbenders who are not used to bending it. Uninterrupted contact with the ground is preferred for the user - an object such as a shoe sole interferes with the sense. Lie detection is not possible on a sandy surface, as Toph could not detect if Ghashiun was lying about stealing Appa.

Known users
{

**Lightning redirection** is a sub-skill of firebending that allows a firebender to absorb lightning into their body as energy and release it in a more desirable direction. The technique was developed by Iroh after he studied master waterbenders, who redirect an opponent's energy rather than oppose it head-on. Lightning redirection works well for both natural and bender-generated lightning, and for electricity conducted through metal.

Contents
* 1History
* 2Method
* 3Effects
* 4Known users
* 5Trivia
* 6References
* 7See also

History
This technique was first demonstrated by Iroh during a storm when he used it to protect Zuko's ship and its crew from a lightning strike.
When Princess Azula attempted to arrest Prince Zuko and their uncle Iroh for being traitors of the Fire Nation, Iroh used this technique again to divert Azula's blast to a nearby cliff and save Zuko.
After a fight against Azula in an abandoned village, Iroh agreed to teach this skill to Zuko, as his nephew was unable to learn lightning generation. After Zuko learned the technique to his satisfaction, he demanded that Iroh shoot lightning at him so that he could practice the move, but his uncle refused out of the sheer danger of it, as he hoped Zuko would never have to use this technique. However, several hours later, Zuko sought out a lightning storm and taunted it to strike him, but his efforts were in vain, which caused him to be furious at the world.
On the Day of Black Sun, Ozai shot lightning at Zuko once the solar eclipse ended. Zuko expertly absorbed and redirected the lightning back toward the Fire Lord; the explosion threw his father back to the wall behind him, providing Zuko with enough time to escape.
Prior to the arrival of Sozin's Comet, Zuko taught this technique to Avatar Aang, who recognized its similarities to waterbending. Aang used this technique to redirect comet-enhanced lightning from Ozai, but due to his pacifistic nature, the Avatar redirected it toward the sky as opposed to killing the Phoenix King with the blast outright.
During their duel for the title of Fire Lord, Zuko goaded Azula into using lightning, planning to redirect it at her. However, seeing Katara as a more vulnerable target, Azula fired at her instead. Zuko jumped in front of the waterbender, intercepting the bolt and attempting to redirect it. While he had been successful in redirecting it prior to this event, the ungrounded position he was in prevented him from succeeding in fully executing the technique, causing a severe injury and incapacitating him for the remainder of the duel.
During their search for Ursa, Zuko redirected the lightning bolt a paranoid Azula aimed at Rafa and Misu to harmlessly disperse in the sky. Later that evening, he redirected another one of his sister's lightning attacks, though this time he used the lightning to overpower Azula, preventing her from continuing her assault on him and their mother.
Azula, masquerading as the Kemurikage, also used this technique while battling Zuko after he, Suki, Ty Lee, and Aang attempted to stop her from abducting Kiyi.
Seventy years later, Mako demonstrated this ability during the Equalists' battle for Republic City after a mecha tank launched an electrified cable toward him.

Method
Redirecting lightning deals with the flow of energy in one's body and turning an opponent's own energy against them, a philosophy seen in waterbending. The person redirecting it must create a pathway from their fingertip, up the arm to the stomach, and up and out the other arm. The stomach is referred to as "the sea of chi", as it is the source of energy in the body. It is essential that the lightning pass through the stomach, as if the lightning passes through the heart, the effects could be fatal. A physical motion can help to focus the energy flow in the path through the body.
Lightning can be successfully redirected regardless of whether the source is natural or generated.

Effects
According to Zuko, the process of redirecting lightning is an exhilarating and terrifying experience. The person redirecting lightning feels powerful containing such massive amounts of energy, but they know they will die if they make a single false move. Aang appeared to be in physical pain when he absorbed Ozai's lightning and seemed very drained afterward, collapsing to his knees once he had shot it off into the sky.
When Azula shot lightning toward Katara, Zuko blocked the lightning's path in order to protect Katara. He managed to redirect most of the lightning's energy, though some remained trapped in his body. Improperly redirecting lightning can have severe consequences, and has been known to cause significant pain around the stomach for some time after the incident.

Known users
* Aang
* Azula
* Iroh (inventor)
* Lightning Bolt Zolt (formerly)
* Mako
* Zuko

Trivia
{

**Lightning generation** is an advanced sub-skill within firebending that allows the user to produce lightning by separating the positive and negative energies internally, before directing it up through the arm and out the fingertips. The technique is extremely precise and deadly and is referred to by some as the "cold blooded fire".

Contents
* 1History
* 2Method
* 3Effects
* 4Known users
* 5Trivia
* 6References
* 7See also

History
For centuries, the skill of lightning generation was so rare that few even knew that it was possible at all. By the 4th century BG, most people believed lightning generation to be mere folklore or something lost to history, though Avatar Kyoshi's firebending teacher Rangi stated in 296 BG that there were a few elderly people living in the Fire Nation who had witnessed it. At that time, the last known practitioner of the art was Xu Ping An, the outlaw and insurgent leader of the Yellow Neck Uprising, who had used his rare abilities to gather a large army and devastate the Earth Kingdom. Upon being defeated by Jianzhu, he was imprisoned to be studied by Jianzhu's allies in the Fire Nation so they may learn how he was able to bend lightning.
In 296 BG, Xu's surviving followers freed him, but he was challenged to a duel by Avatar Kyoshi. Xu surprised her by attacking her with lightning, which she was only able to survive due to the chainmail in her dress grounding the lightning. However, despite his unique ability, Xu was defeated and killed by Kyoshi when she entered the Avatar State.
In the course of the next centuries, the Fire Nation rediscovered the method of lightning generation. It remained an incredibly rare skill, usually reserved for the inner circles of Fire Nation royalty and high-ranking military officers. By the end of the Hundred Year War, the only firebenders who had demonstrated the ability to generate lightning were Princess Azula, Iroh, and Fire Lord Ozai.
Azula demonstrated the technique while training under the watchful eye of Lo and Li and later when she was fighting her brother, Prince Zuko. Some time later, Zuko expressed a desire to learn this ability as well, though his emotional turmoil prevented him from properly creating lightning.
Ozai was also able to generate a powerful lightning strike with great speed, a skill he used to his advantage against his son during the invasion of the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun. He later used it again against Avatar Aang during the passing of Sozin's Comet, though both times, his target redirected the lightning.
Despite Iroh's initial claim that generating lightning requires peace of mind, an emotionally unstable Azula was still able to conjure it during her and Zuko's duel.
While being questioned by Zuko over her conversation with Ozai, a restrained Azula attacked him with lightning, managing to generate the electricity with minimal movement. Later, she also displayed the ability to regulate the voltage of her charge, as she harmlessly zapped Sokka with a lightning bolt as opposed to inflicting lethal damage. As she tried to escape Team Avatar while on their way to Hira'a, Azula used lightning to distract Aang and attack a hallucination of Ursa in a river. When the group was later attacked by spirit moth wasps, Azula was able to charge a large ball of lightning, leading the insects away to follow the light. Impatient with Rafa and Misu's interference of her search for Ursa, she attacked them though found her lightning intercepted and redirected at the sky by Zuko. After learning her mother's location and new identity, Azula broke into Ursa's home by damaging the roof with her lightning. Her subsequent attack was once more thwarted by her brother, however, who sent her lightning back at her albeit without seriously harming her.
While leading the Kemurikage kidnappings, a cornered Azula used lightning to attack the Kyoshi Warriors, though Zuko redirected the blast.
By 170 AG, the ability to generate lightning had become more widespread, though it was still a rare skill. With an increased generation speed, the technique became a coveted skill to be used in Republic City's power plants, where lines of firebenders generated lightning to create electric currents for the city's industrial district.
Lightning Bolt Zolt used this technique in his duel against Amon, generating a continuous stream of lightning. Despite the destructive capabilities of the attack, the Equalist leader emerged victorious and took away Zolt's bending, reducing the stream of electricity to fire and eventually nothing. Mako too used lightning during Team Avatar's conflicts with the Equalists, also displaying the ability to regulate the voltage of his lightning strike, managing to stun the driver of an Equalist truck as opposed to killing him. Despite being held down by Amon's bloodbending, Mako managed to generate a bolt with minimum movement that was powerful enough to fling Amon across the room.
Lightning remained a favored technique of Mako's, as a year later, when a group of dark spirits attempted to reach Korra's body within the Tree of Time, he struck them down with it. Later that year, he used it as a last resort when fighting Ming-Hua in an underground lake, using the water as a conductor and electrocuting her in the process.
In 174 AG, during the invasion of the United Republic of Nations, Mako used his ability to generate lightning to shut down the spirit vine-charged power core of the enormous mecha suit with which Kuvira carried around her spirit energy cannon. By taking the time to truly charge the lightning, he was able to keep up his attack for a prolonged time, though the extended use caused severe burns on his left forearm. Eventually, he managed to overload the energy levels of the power core, causing it to explode.

Method
Generating lightning usually involves a circular motion with the arms. Mentally, it involves a complete absence of emotion and peace of mind, and physically, it requires separating the energies of yin and yang, also interpreted as positive and negative electric potential respectively. When the yin and yang collide together to become whole again, lightning is created, with the bender only guiding, rather than controlling, the lightning's direction. If one attempts to conjure lightning without the required emotional discipline, it can instead result in a huge explosion of fire.
Because of this complexity, a lightning attack usually takes much longer to initiate than standard fire attacks, though skilled benders, like Ozai, have generated lightning much faster than others. However, it is possible to also generate lighting with minimal motion, as demonstrated by Mako, who, even while under Amon's bloodbending grip, managed to shoot the Equalist leader, and by Xu Ping An, whose mastery of the technique was such that he was able to shoot lightning after just inhaling deeply. He was also capable of generating multiple lightning bolts in rapid succession. The technique is extremely taxing on a firebender's chi reserves, which is why typically young men are sought out to work at power plants.
While lightning is generally fired as a single strike, it can also be sustained or shot in a continuous bolt and held until the user stops producing it. During this time, the lightning can be swept about to produce widespread damage.

Effects
When not blocked or redirected in some way, a lightning blast will be fatal to any human being. However, the charge of a lightning bolt can vary, and some levels of electricity can be survived, such as when Amon was shot with lightning and survived it. The generation technique cannot be used to defend against lightning; knowledge of a separate technique, lightning redirection, is required.
Zuko and Aang both survived Azula's lightning strikes due to Katara's healing abilities. Aang was resurrected by the spirit water after being fatally wounded, while Zuko had to be stabilized after hurriedly redirecting a lightning bolt Azula fired at Katara. While he was successful in redirecting much of the lightning, his improper stance and hurried execution of the technique resulted in some of the energy remaining in his body, which left him incapacitated and badly injured.
Even if the strike itself was not lethal, the victim still sustains critical wounds: the entry wound where Azula had struck Aang in the back was still raw, to the point where it still bled, and debilitating over a month after he sustained it, and it still had not completely healed by the end of the War. Zuko's wounds were still raw and painful by the time of his coronation, even though Katara had healed him shortly after he sustained them. Mako's arm took months to heal and remained seriously scarred.
The charge, and thus the damage, of a lightning strike can be regulated. During his fight with Amon, Mako was able to control the charge of his lightning, firing a bolt strong enough to incapacitate, but otherwise not harm, his opponent, as Amon quickly recovered from the blast.
While the generation of lightning can be maintained for extended periods, continued and excessive use can lead to burns.

Known users
* Azula
* General Iroh
* Iroh
* Lightning Bolt Zolt (formerly)
* Mako
* Ozai (formerly)
* Xu Ping An

Trivia
{

Combustionbending is a form of telekinetic firebending. It consists of the ability to channel chi through the forehead, often marked by an intricate third-eye tattoo, superheating the surrounding air and producing a beam of explosive energy capable of immense damage, both in short and long range. Unlike conventional firebending, which produces a flame from the body, the technique instead creates a powerful beam that explodes upon contact with a solid surface. Combustionbending can instantaneously evaporate large bodies of water, shatter massive rock formations, and counter fire attacks, as demonstrated by Combustion Man when he stopped Zuko's fire shield during a brief altercation at the Western Air Temple. P'Li has also demonstrated that it is possible to curve the beams.

Despite its great power, the weaknesses of combustionbending are equally apparent. It requires a clear and uninterrupted chi flow and a properly calibrated focus in order to be effective, as if the chi flow is even slightly disrupted then the ability will catastrophically malfunction; a glancing blow like from a pebble will cause the charged attack to detonate the air around the user, whilst a heavier hit – such as when Sokka hit Combustion Man's third-eye tattoo with his boomerang – will cause a massive point-blank explosion. The third-eye tattoo may also be a partial weakness, as those familiar with the technique can identify a combustionbender by its presence and actively target the tattoo as a weakpoint. The process of combustionbending also cannot be canceled out like a conventional fire attack once charged up, and it also relies on an unobstructed path to destroy its target, detonating early if an unexpected obstacle gets in the way. If this happens, or the user is not able to control their power then it can be deadly or even fatal to them. This was demonstrated when P'Li's combustion beam was contained within a makeshift box made from Suyin Beifong's armor, causing the explosion to occur just centimeters away from her head or when Combustion Man was unable to control his ability and blew his right arm and leg off.

Though individual firebenders are sometimes born with a natural affinity for combustionbending, it is not an inherited skill. Instead, combustionbenders are effectively *made* through special training programs involving, among other things, the extended submersion of the trainees in water. However, this training is brutal and only few firebenders are able to master the skill. The first project which resulted in the discovery of combustionbending, "Unanimity", was only able to produce three combustionbenders, and one of them suggested that all other trainees had died.

There have been five known practitioners of this technique: Combustion Man, P'Li, Yingsu, Xiaoyun, and Thapa.

**Spiritual projection** is a specialized airbending technique that consists of projecting one's spirit out of the body to travel to another location. Through projection, an airbender is able to explore places that would otherwise be physically inaccessible, such as moving around freely underwater or to sealed locations by passing through solid matter, while also being capable to normally talk with other people. Furthermore, airbenders can use this technique to find individuals with whom they have a strong bond by focusing on their spiritual energy. It is a very advanced technique that requires a strong spiritual connection.

Contents
* 1History
	+ 1.1Era of Kyoshi
	+ 1.2171 AG
	+ 1.3174 AG
* 2Known users
* 3Trivia
* 4References

History
Era of Kyoshi
During the lifetime of Avatar Kyoshi, a young Air Nomad named Mangal was particularly skilled at spiritual projection and developed a strong affinity with spirits. Able to communicate with them, he used to solve problems in villages near the Northern Air Temple by sensing what was causing the spirits distress and helping them fix it.

171 AG
During Harmonic Convergence, Jinora used an amplified version of this technique to assist Avatar Korra during her battle with the Dark Avatar. Due to the amplification of the spiritual energy, she was able to traverse further than normal.
In the week following the Unalaq Crisis, Jinora used the technique again after sensing that Korra was in trouble. Even though her body was still en route to return from a journey to the Southern Water Tribe, the young airbender managed to contact Korra on Air Temple Island, Republic City, the South Pole, and the Spirit World to help her figure out how to regain her bending abilities.
Several weeks later, Jinora used her ability to try to locate the new airbenders in Ba Sing Se. With it, she was free to explore the now submerged Dai Li base underneath Lake Laogai. After the search proved to be futile, she locked on to Kai's energy and was able to project herself to him. By passing through solid rock and earth, Jinora discovered that Kai and the other airbenders were being held by Earth Queen Hou-Ting underneath the Earth Queen's Temple.
The technique came in handy again when Jinora and all other members of the Air Nation were imprisoned in the Air Nomad caves by the Red Lotus. She used the ability to try and find a way to escape. Although she did not succeed in that regard, she did discover Korra's whereabouts and learned about the poison used on her, which enabled Tonraq, Mako, and Bolin to find Korra and Suyin Beifong to save her life.

174 AG
After Korra went missing from the South Pole, Jinora tried to sense her with her spiritual projection, though to no avail. She reassured her father, however, that she would have more luck once they were out of Republic City. En route through the Earth Kingdom with Ikki and Meelo on Pepper, Jinora tried on a regular basis to sense Korra, though without results. It was only after Korra reconnected with herself that Jinora was able to hone in on the Avatar's spiritual energy and locate her at the base of the banyan-grove tree in the Foggy Swamp.
Not long after, while facing Kuvira's army at Zaofu, Jinora used her spiritual projection to call her siblings within the city for help. Several weeks later, she used it again to alert Korra that she was taken captive by spirit vines.
When members of the Triple Threat Triad threatened to take over the new Republic City spirit portal in the aftermath of Kuvira's failed invasion of the United Republic of Nations, Jinora used spiritual projection to alert Team Avatar on Air Temple Island.

Known users
* Jinora
* Mangal

Trivia
{

Flight, also called weightlessness, is a complex and extremely rare skill that has only ever been demonstrated by two known airbenders, Guru Laghima and Zaheer. It is referred to as the highest level of airbending, and was such a unique ability, that it was believed to only exist in legends. It is achievable through a complete denouncement of all earthly desires, which results in true freedom. Zaheer was only able to fly after witnessing P'Li, his girlfriend, die. The principle behind flight is to become one with the wind, mimicking its freedom from limitations and inhibitions, in both the physical and mental sense. Once an airbender has embraced these principles, they can fly and hover. However, the bender is still at the mercy of the surrounding environment, as observed by Zaheer being ensnared in a tornado created by Jinora and other airbenders while he tried to escape with Korra.

**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 technique 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.
Metalbenders can also bend liquid metals, such as mercury, though utilize more fluid movements to do so, akin to waterbending. It is also possible to bend liquid metal inside someone's body.

Contents
* 1History
* 2Toph's learning curve
* 3Teaching methods
* 4Metalbending in Republic City
* 5Metalbending in Zaofu
* 6Weaknesses
* 7Known users
* 8Trivia
* 9References
* 10See also

History
For thousands of years, earthbenders were not able to manipulate processed earth. 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.
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 Hundred Year War, Toph established the Beifong Metalbending Academy to share the technique with others. By 170 AG, metalbending had become the primary form of earthbending used by Republic City's police force. The police use metal cables stored in cylindrical spool devices on their backs for various tasks, such as subduing criminals or for extra mobility around the city. The art 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. In addition, the city of Zaofu was constructed entirely by metalbending, an effort led by Toph's younger daughter, Suyin Beifong.

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 technique in her fighting style, as demonstrated when she knocked several 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 also 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, 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 ability by effortlessly bending a metal weapon around his head that was a few feet away from her. She stated 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 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 Beifong 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
{

**Lavabending** is a specialized sub-skill of earthbending that allows the user to manipulate molten earth. This rare ability allows the bender to phase-change earth into lava, lava into earth, and otherwise manipulate existing lava with great dexterity.

Contents
* 1History
* 2Potential
* 3Known users
* 4Trivia
* 5References

History
The first known use of lavabending was by Avatar Szeto, who used the technique while in the Avatar State to cause the simultaneous eruption of four small volcanoes.
Centuries later, the technique was utilized by Avatar Kyoshi when Chin approached her peninsula in an attempt to claim it as part of his empire. In order to protect her people, Kyoshi utilized her bending to split the peninsula from the Earth Kingdom mainland. In order to accomplish this, Kyoshi created fissures and bent lava up from underneath the landmass in order to sever it completely from the continent.
While attempting to master the Avatar State by harnessing the energy of the sun during the winter solstice in 55 BG, Avatar Roku remained stuck in the Avatar State as a result of the overwhelming power that rushed through his body. During this time, he inadvertently caused the eruption of a small volcano near the Crescent Island Fire Temple on Crescent Island. Roku eventually mastered the Avatar State and used lavabending once more in 12 BG, diverting a massive lava flow in an attempt to save his home island from a volcanic eruption.
Following his death, Avatar Roku manifested through Aang in 99 AG and used lavabending to destroy the Fire Temple during the winter solstice, in order to punish the Fire Sages who had since abandoned their duties to the Avatar in service of the Fire Lord.
Shortly after the Hundred Year War, Sun began using lavabending in underground bending tournaments in Yu Dao. The unusual tremors were detected by Toph Beifong's seismic sense, and she followed the sensations to the arena. Sun later lavabent against a waterbender opponent, although the lava damaged the abandoned warehouse and caused it to collapse. After Toph and her students helped rescue Sun and his friends, she invited them to enroll in the Beifong Metalbending Academy so he could learn to properly use his abilities.
In 171 AG, Ghazan created a shuriken-like lava projectile using three pieces of earth, which he subsequently used to break out of his prison and subdue his guards. The earthbender used the same technique in order to liberate Ming-Hua from her prison shortly after his escape. During his group's escape from Republic City, Ghazan turned a portion of the road into lava in order to stall police cars in pursuit of him and his associates.
Ghazan used the technique once again on a much grander scale in order to create a moat of lava around himself and his group during their infiltration of Zaofu. During the battle that ensued, Ghazan lifted a column of lava in order to prevent metalbending guards from building a bridge toward them. In the Misty Palms Oasis, he manipulated fireball-shaped blobs of lava and used them to overwhelm Bolin's earth shields.
After the Red Lotus assassinated the Earth Queen and Zaheer announced the independence of Ba Sing Se's citizens, Ghazan used lavabending to single-handedly tear down the Inner Wall that divided the city's rings. Liquefying the base of the wall, he caused the lava to expand, resulting in the explosive collapse of the structure.
When the Red Lotus invaded the Northern Air Temple, Ghazan used lavabending to block Kai and his fellow airbenders from escaping. He also used the technique later on in his fight with Bumi, causing irreparable damage to the temple's infrastructure. Several days later, Ghazan used lava to subdue the members of Team Avatar, destroying the entire Northern Air Temple by turning a single portion into lava. While fleeing from the temple grounds, Bolin discovered his lavabending capabilities and used his newfound skill to divert a wave of lava before turning it back into solid earth.
In a series of caves near the Northern Air Temple, Ghazan turned the earth underneath Avatar Korra into a pool of lava and later created more heated earth during his battle with Bolin. During the duel, both Bolin and Ghazan created and redirected lava tendrils until the latter was eventually cornered with the arrival of Mako, forcing him to turn the surrounding cave walls into lava and bring the cave down around him, killing himself.
By 174 AG, Bolin had improved his control over the skill and utilized it more readily in combat; he used it to melt the armor of two mecha suits from the Earth Empire when he, Varrick, and Zhu Li tried to desert the army. A couple of days later, after he and Varrick were captured by escaped prisoners, Bolin used lavabending to separate them from the hostile fugitives, who believed them to be Earth Empire loyalists. Forging an alliance with the prisoners, Bolin used the art again later that day to create a large stream of lava, defending the entire group against two Earth Empire soldiers at a military checkpoint.
While trying to stop Kuvira's giant mecha suit from taking over Republic City, Bolin sunk its left foot in a pool of lava to give the airbenders the opportunity to knock it over, though Kuvira managed to pull out of the danger unscathed. Later, he lavabent a disc, which he used to cut through a metal hatch, as well as in combat against a metalbender. Some time later, he used Ghazan's shuriken-like lava projectile to cut through Tokuga's hook swords, taking the Triple Threat Triad's leader by surprise.

Potential
Lavabending provides an earthbender with an array of both offensive and defensive possibilities during battle. Only a small amount of earth is necessary to create a useful amount of lava to bend, with Ghazan fashioning a shuriken-like projectile from just three small rocks that was capable of burning through wood; this is beneficial in environments with very little earth to manipulate. In addition, the use of lavabending to turn a portion of the earth into lava allows earthbenders to isolate themselves from their opponents and avoid battles at close range. The attacks at a lavabender's disposal range from small scale, like the lava shuriken, to larger attacks, such as conjuring blasts of lava or entire streams or waves, straight out of the earth.
The use of earth in a liquid state turns this bending into something closer to waterbending, requiring more fluid movements and allowing a more supple combat style. Due to its own nature, lava can spread and cause more damage when left unattended, much like how fire is perceived by more prudent firebenders.

Known users
* Avatar Kyoshi
* Avatar Roku
* Avatar Szeto
* Bolin
* Ghazan
* Sun

Trivia
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**Bloodbending** is a specialized sub-skill and a rare variant of waterbending that allows an extremely advanced waterbender to take hold of and manipulate fluids within an organism's body, allowing the bender to move the person's muscles. This technique is referred to as the highest level of waterbending, as well as the darkest, most powerful, and most feared of all bending techniques, and it is the only art known to endanger the user's mental state.
The technique was discovered by a waterbender named Hama while she was detained in a prison designed by the Fire Nation specifically to hold waterbenders. During her detainment, she realized that all life contains water and proceeded to develop the knowledge and skills of the art by practicing on elephant rats, later employing the technique on her guards to escape.
The forms and styles used by bloodbenders resemble how a puppeteer controls a marionette. Whereas waterbending uses flowing motions with the arms, bloodbending seems to require a more rigid and abrupt form of movement, further highlighting how different it is from the primary waterbending forms and its other sub-skill, healing.
Due to its extreme nature, only a handful of waterbenders have demonstrated the ability to bloodbend. The technique is deemed to be a dark art and is rarely used in combat by most waterbenders. The complexity and sophistication required to perform the art usually only allows for its use during a full moon, when a waterbender's power is at its absolute peak. Only Yakone, Tarrlok, and Amon have shown the ability of performing the art without the aid of the full moon. Being naturally talented and having trained vigorously, Yakone and Amon were capable of bloodbending without using their arms, also known as psychic bloodbending.
Bloodbending is infrequently applied to daily activities. Knowledge of the art eventually became known to the public, and the practice of bloodbending was outlawed due to the efforts of Katara following the formation of Republic City.

Contents
* 1History
	+ 1.1Discovery
	+ 1.2Vengeance
	+ 1.3Passing the knowledge to Katara
	+ 1.4Yakone's trials
	+ 1.5Keeping the art alive
	+ 1.6Yakone's legacy
* 2Bloodbending abilities
	+ 2.1Bending severing
	+ 2.2Psychic bloodbending
* 3Limits
* 4Known users
* 5Known resisters
* 6Trivia
* 7References
* 8See also

History
Discovery
After being captured during one of the Fire Nation raids aimed at weakening the Southern Water Tribe, Hama, along with her fellow waterbenders, was sent to a maximum security prison in the Fire Nation designed specifically to hold benders of her kind. There, the guards were cautious of providing prisoners with any form of bendable substance that they could utilize in making a reprisal, going so far as to chain the limbs of the prisoners before they were allowed to drink and using "cruel retribution" at any sign of resistance.
Despite the helplessness she faced while imprisoned, Hama was able to feel the enrichment provided to her by the full moon. She began to devise a plan that would lead to her escape and eventually realized that the elephant rats constantly scurrying around the bottom of her cage were filled with bendable water.
Upon the arrival of the next full moon, Hama attempted to take hold of the fluids within one of the creatures and succeeded, successfully performing bloodbending for the first time. In the following months, enhanced by the full moon, she continued to develop the technique, mastering it to a point at which she could effectively control the movement of an entire horde of rats.
During the next full moon, Hama used bloodbending to control a passing guard, forcing him to open her cage and allow her to escape. Hama walked free for the first time in many years and eventually settled in a village near the outskirts of the Fire Nation archipelago.

Vengeance
While imprisoned, Hama developed a deep hatred for the Fire Nation, and she vowed to take revenge at every instance possible. She created a makeshift prison underneath a mountain and formulated a plan where she would control unsuspecting Fire Nation villagers and lead them to the prison during a full moon. She used this technique and eventually imprisoned the owner of a quaint little inn. Hama became the inn's proprietor and was able to repress accusations of being the one responsible for the disappearances by disguising herself as a sweet old innkeeper.
During one of those nights, she planned to imprison an old man, Ding. The plan was initially successful, and Ding felt helpless as he was "possessed" by an unknown force. He was slowly led to the top of the mountain, but before he could be imprisoned inside a cave, the sun began to rise, and the power that Hama held over him quickly faded. Regaining control over his body, Ding sprinted away from the scene; he remained the only villager to ever avoid being captured by the bloodbender.

Passing the knowledge to Katara
During the summer of 100 AG, Team Avatar decided to camp near a Fire Nation village. However, Hama overheard them telling horror stories and deduced from Katara's story about Nini that they were from the Southern Water Tribe and offered the group a place in her inn.
Upon discovering an old whale tooth comb in Hama's attic, she revealed herself to be a waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe and proposed to teach Katara some original Southern Tribe waterbending techniques, so that she could pass on the knowledge of the Southern customs before her death, to which Katara happily agreed.
Katara spent the next day learning various techniques from Hama, such as bending moisture from the air and water from within plants, including fire lilies, when no bodies of water were present. Hama told Katara that she would teach her the ultimate waterbending technique at night, during the full moon, when their powers were at their peak. Katara was hesitant, claiming that villagers had been disappearing during the full moon, though Hama seemed unaffected, stating that two master waterbenders under a full moon had nothing to worry about.
That night, Hama took Katara to the forest where she explained her imprisonment and discovery of bloodbending. Katara was horrified and refused to learn the art when Hama urged her. This angered Hama, who used bloodbending to control Katara. The young waterbender pleaded for mercy, but Hama refused to release her. Feeling the power of the moon enforce her waterbending as well, Katara honed her energy and broke free, stating that her own bending was more powerful than Hama's. The two began to duel, and Katara almost immediately took the upper hand.
Having discovered the truth about Hama from the villagers she imprisoned deep within the mountain, Sokka and Aang arrived soon afterward to aid Katara and told Hama to surrender since she was clearly outnumbered. Hama refused and used bloodbending to control them. Like a puppetmaster, she used them to attack Katara, though the young waterbender managed to avoid being hit. Adopting a different approach, Hama maneuvered Aang toward Sokka, who had raised his sword. Katara, in an attempt to save Aang, used bloodbending to stop her, effectively breaking Hama's hold on the boys. She released the elder following the arrival of Toph and the freed villagers, who escorted Hama away from the scene. Now apprehended, Hama congratulated Katara on becoming a bloodbender, causing the young waterbender to break down into tears.
Sometime later, when Zuko and Katara went to search for the man who killed Katara's mother, Katara, overwhelmed by rage and grief, used bloodbending to subdue the Southern Raiders commander despite her moral objections against using the dark art.

Yakone's trials
Following the end of the Hundred Year War, knowledge regarding bloodbending became widespread and, with Katara's involvement, the United Republic of Nations outlawed the bending art sometime before 128 AG. Regardless, a man named Yakone had the unique ability to use bloodbending without the need of a full moon and used this skill to rule Republic City from its "rotten underbelly", becoming the city's most notorious criminal malefactor in a matter of years. Following many acquittals in his favor, since it was considered impossible for one to bloodbend without the full moon, Yakone was eventually tried and arrested for multiple counts of bloodbending, for which the United Republic Council found him guilty.
As he was condemned to life in prison, Yakone subdued the entire courtroom by using psychic bloodbending, rendering every individual unconscious before he escaped. Avatar Aang, who was also rendered unconscious by Yakone's bloodbending, roused himself by entering the Avatar State and gave chase to the convict. Forced to defend himself, Yakone took hold of Aang with bloodbending once more with lethal intent, but the Avatar broke free after entering the Avatar State a second time and trapped Yakone in an earth cone. With the criminal unable to move, Aang removed his bending, ending his reign as head of Republic City's criminal empire.

Keeping the art alive
At some point, Yakone managed to escape successfully and fled from Republic City to the Northern Water Tribe, surgically altering his appearance to conceal his true identity. There, he met and fell in love with a local woman, whom he later married. The two went on to raise two sons, Noatak and Tarrlok, both of whom were waterbenders. Yakone, fueled by hatred for the Avatar for stripping him of his bending abilities, began training his sons in the art of bloodbending through frequent "hunting trips". With time, the two waterbenders became increasingly more proficient in the art, eventually learning to use bloodbending without the need of a full moon. Noatak exhibited prodigious skill in the art form and mastered Yakone's psychic bloodbending technique by the age of fourteen.
In order to push their abilities to their peaks, Yakone forced both of his sons to bloodbend one another. Although Noatak willingly complied with his father's orders and bloodbent his younger brother into submission, Tarrlok refused to do the same, repulsed by the idea of controlling his brother and making him feel helpless. Yakone was infuriated, making a move to harm Tarrlok before he was stopped by Noatak, who immobilized him with bloodbending. Noatak asked Tarrlok to run away with him and begin life anew, but the younger refused, prompting Noatak to leave into the wilderness by himself. Sometime later, Noatak discovered how to use bloodbending to disrupt a bender's chi, making it impossible for them to bend.

Yakone's legacy
Though Yakone no longer trained him following Noatak's presumed death, Tarrlok ended up following in his father's footsteps in taking over Republic City, doing so from a political standpoint by becoming a councilman. In 170 AG, Tarrlok revealed his true identity as a bloodbender during an altercation with Avatar Korra in City Hall, using the art to subdue her before she could finish him off with fire blasts. Tarrlok knocked Korra out and imprisoned her in a cabin outside of Republic City, covering his tracks by attributing the abduction to an Equalist attack. However, his lies about Korra's disappearance were uncovered by Team Avatar, Lin Beifong, and Tenzin, forcing him to use his bloodbending abilities once again to evade arrest.
Shortly after fleeing Republic City, Tarrlok was confronted by Noatak in the disguise of Amon, who stated that it was time for Tarrlok to be "equalized". Declaring that the Equalists had not faced a bender like him, Tarrlok proceeded to use bloodbending to immobilize his assailants, subduing all but Amon himself, much to his surprise. Only slightly affected by Tarrlok's hold, Amon made his way toward Tarrlok before removing his bending. Shortly after, Tarrlok recognized the sensation he felt as Noatak's bloodbending hold and realized that Amon was none other than his brother.
During Korra and Mako's mission to find and confront Amon, the two ran into Tarrlok, who was locked in an attic on Air Temple Island due to his knowledge of Amon's identity. Tarrlok proceeded to reveal that Amon was his brother and suggested that he somehow blocked bending through the use of bloodbending. This ability helped him become the leader of the Anti-bending Revolution, as he claimed that the spirits granted him the special ability to take bending away.
Planning to expose Amon and undermine his revolution, Korra and Mako infiltrated Amon's rally at the Pro-bending Arena, where Amon announced that he would rid the world of airbending forever, revealing he had captured Tenzin's family. Korra and Mako used firebending to free the airbenders and opted to stay behind to create a diversion while Tenzin and his family escaped. Korra hid beneath a table in an abandoned gym, where she was pulled out from hiding by Amon's bloodbending. As she was suspended in midair, Mako emerged and attacked, but was quickly overpowered by Amon's bloodbending as well. Finally having subdued the Avatar, Amon removed her bending.
Unknown to Amon, the Lieutenant had followed his leader and witnessed his bloodbending. Branding Amon to be a traitor, the Lieutenant attacked but was stopped by bloodbending. Amon told the Lieutenant that he had served him well, before launching him into a pile of timber. The interruption dealt with, he walked past the now weakened Korra to approach Mako and started to bloodbend the firebender into position, but Mako managed to point his fingers toward Amon and fired a lightning attack that electrocuted the Equalist leader and hurled him away, allowing Mako to take Korra into his arms before fleeing out into the corridor.
Shortly after, Mako was forced to stop again by Amon, who caught up to them. Amon bloodbent the firebender, slamming him against the ceiling, the floor, and the two walls on his sides, before bloodbending him into position, stating that it was almost a shame to take away the bending of someone so talented. Korra's desperation for Mako to avoid suffering the same fate, in tandem with a strong desire to protect him, allowed her to break through her spiritual block and perform airbending. She began to attack Amon with consecutive air punches, forcing him back to the window at the end of the corridor. Amon retaliated and used bloodbending to subdue Korra, but she was able to resist his hold, launching a powerful air-kick toward Amon, blasting him out the window and into the sea. After his instinctive use of waterbending exposed him as a bender, Amon fled into exile with his brother, only for a repentant Tarrlok to detonate the boat they were on, killing them both and leaving Katara as the last living person known to be capable of bloodbending.

Bloodbending abilities
Bloodbenders are capable of levitating their victims in the air in a similar way that waterbenders can lift water. Additionally, it can be used to knock its victims unconscious.
Skilled bloodbenders can lift and hold their victims in the air, as well as launch them across short distances. Bloodbending has also been used to render multiple people unconscious for a period of time and can even be used to crush or disrupt the activity of a victim's internal organs.

Bending severing
Bloodbending can be used to sever the connection between a bender and their bending abilities by disrupting their chi paths, achieving the same effect as taking someone's bending with energybending. This technique requires direct physical contact between the user's hand and the victim's forehead. The effects of this technique are longstanding, as, according to Katara, it "severs" an individual from their bending, making it impervious to all methods of healing. Energybending is the only known method capable of restoring a bender's connection.

Psychic bloodbending
Psychic bloodbending is the ability to use bloodbending telepathically and thus control others with minimal motion, making its use nearly imperceptible. Yakone once used this ability to control an entire courtroom while his hands were still bound by cuffs. He passed on the knowledge of this technique to his sons, Noatak and Tarrlok. However, only Noatak mastered the ability, doing so at the age of fourteen by practicing to subdue an entire pack of wolves. Later, as Amon, he used this ability in duels to minimally alter the movements of his opponents and give himself the advantage without revealing that he was a bender.

Limits
Despite being one of the most powerful and dangerous techniques in bending, bloodbending can usually be performed only under a full moon, when waterbenders' abilities are at their peak. This is due to the fact that the art requires far more sophistication and precision than conventional waterbending, thus limiting its use to only when a bloodbender's capabilities are culminated. Due to their bloodline, Yakone, Tarrlok, and Amon were the only known waterbenders who have been able to bloodbend in the absence of a full moon.
A bloodbender is only able to manipulate another person's body at the physical level, leaving the victim's mental faculties intact. This restriction was demonstrated when Hama took control of Aang and Sokka, as the two boys were unable to control themselves but still retained an awareness of what was happening. Consequently, a bloodbender is unable to use the bending abilities of the victims, as bending also relies on the mental state of the bender. They can, however, restrict movement to stop an act of bending, as well as reposition attacks in progress by manipulating the user.
The effects of bloodbending can be resisted, and a bloodbender's hold can be broken when applied to a waterbender of similar or superior skill to the user. This is evident when Katara managed to free herself, after an initial struggle, from Hama's hold, and when Tarrlok tried and failed to bloodbend Amon into submission. Bloodbending is also nullified when the Avatar channels immense amounts of cosmic energy through the Avatar State, as demonstrated by Aang, who was able to break free of Yakone's hold instantaneously.
Psychic bloodbending is also limited in that the practice of bending with minimal movement can only accomplish feats such as subduing individuals, but cannot progress to the point of full control without further motion. Furthermore, the use of bending severing can only disrupt active chi pathways, leaving those that are already blocked or dormant completely functional and accessible to the user. More so, its effects are not entirely irreversible, as a bender's connection to their element can be restored by energybending.

Known users
* Amon
* Hama (inventor)
* Katara
* Tarrlok (formerly)
* Yakone (formerly)

Known resisters
Characters who ended or resisted a bloodbending grip against themselves:

* Aang (in the Avatar State)
* Amon
* Katara
* Korra (resisted only)
* Mako (resisted only)

Trivia
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