Airbending

>
>
>
>
>
> Airbending
> ----------
>
>
>
> ### Source
>
>
> Air
>
>
> ### Learned from
>
>
> Flying bison
>
>
> ### Known styles
>
>
> * Temple-taught Airbending
> * Airbending Martial Arts
>
>
>
> ### Alternate techniques
>
>
> * Soundbending
> * Flight
> * Spiritual Projection
> * Empathy
>
>
>
>
> "To truly learn and master Airbending, you need to expand your horizons. It isn't just a means of fighting, it's anything you want. It could be transportation, sport, fun, used for practical purposes... bending isn't just violence, it's peace as well." - Nico
>
>

**Airbending** is the is the aerokinetic ability to control and manipulate air. Airbenders are typically pacifistic and peaceful types, using Airbending for everyday life and is usually utilised for support and defence in combat. The best Airbenders tend be dexterous and have high agility, allowing for dynamic and fast moves. Airbenders can manipulate everything from wind to hurricanes to clouds.

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.

## Fighting Style

### Special Techniques

#### **Soundbending**

**Soundbending** the ability to control soundwaves through the air. This is a dynamic and rare sub-type in Airbending, with only few Mastering the ability. Soundbending can act as a great offensive move to allow users to manipulate sound to create loud sonic booms that can hurt targets and even bring down buildings.

#### **Cloudsurfing**

**Cloudsurfing** is the ability of flight using clouds as a means of transportation. By making the bender's body as light as possible, the user can fly through the air effortlessly using a cloud as a board. This was used highly in the Era of Raava but the art has since been lost. Nico and Kaizen have rediscovered this technique, with the former mastering it.

#### **Spiritual Projection**

**Spiritual Projection** is an rare sub-type which is considered a unique, inborn gift rather than ability one can learn. Airbenders are often very spiritual and thus can utilise their Chi to project their spirit form from their physical form, allowing them to pass through solid matter. Spiritual Projectors have tell-tale signs of their ability through having deeper connections to spirituality - many report seeing spirits at a young age despite their peers being unable to.

#### **Flight**

**Flight** is the rarest sub-bending types ever and is the act of flying unassisted in the air without use of even a glider or wind. Flight is achieved by releasing all earthly tethers, such as relationships or attachments to people, thus gaining 'true freedom'. So far, Flight has only been unlocked by two people in all history: Guru Laghima, its creator, and Zaheer, a student of Laghima and a Red Lotus member.

#### **Empathy**

**Empathy** is a rare sub-type of spiritual projection. Unlike other sensory abilities, users instead are able to read and sense someone's spirit rather than the flow of their chi. This allows Empaths to sense what others are feeling. Further training could allow Empaths to read deeper into emotions, figure out why they feel that way, detect inner motives (whether their intentions towards them are ill-intended or good) and maybe even discern fragments of thoughts or memories related towards that emotion.

### **Airbender Martial Arts**

The Air Nomads have always been know for their pacifism, a trait which has been honored in the modern day's Air Nation. That does not mean, however, that an Air Nomad will not defend themselves, and an airbender is often underestimated, due to their aforementioned pacifism. However, today's Air Nation includes non-bending Air Acolytes. And so, in an effort to ensure that the Air Acolytes can defend themselves, they have been permitted, and even encouraged, to train in various martial arts. The most common form of Martial Arts amongst the Air Acolytes is a style of martial arts developed by watching Airbenders. Called "**Spiral Fighting**" this martial art is defined by its smooth, dynamic motions with a heavy emphasis on defense, and near constant circular motion.

A variant of this style is known as "**Drunken Boxing**", in which the user appears 'drunk'. The usual near constant circular motions are replaced with continuous bobbing, weaving and slipping, while feigning instability and lack of focus.

**Air-Powered Martial Arts** is a unique type of hand-to-hand combat taught to very few Airbenders, due to the usual pacifistic nature of Airbenders. The technique of this involves training in any martial arts style, and utilises Airbending to create much more powerful punches and kicks than usual.

Users of the martial arts style include rogue Airbenders, Free Airbenders and members of the Air Nation Military.

## Notable airbenders

↓ indicates an airbender who has received their mastery tattoos.
* Genji Yamada
* Nico Tshomo ↓
* Kaizen ↓
* Hano ↓
* Monk Batso ↓
* Raalhaan ↓
* Matsuga Kuharu
* Narraa Yi ↓
* Sonam ↓
* Kalsaang ↓

## Trivia

* Airbending contains the most new sub-types introduced through Tale of Genji (Soundbending and Empathy).
* Airbending is the only bending art in which no Avatar has demonstrated the use of at least one of its sub-skills.
* Airbending is based on the Baguazhang style of martial arts. Bagua fighters are known for moving in a circle and constantly spinning back and forth which can create tornado-like Airbending moves. It makes it difficult for opponents to attack directly or land a blow, a philosophy that is prevalent within airbending as well.
	+ The staff techniques are derived from Chinese northern staff or gunshu. The northern staff style includes lots of swinging, flowering, and slicing movements.