In the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe, some characters possess incredible bending abilities, while others do not. The majority of people in the Four Nations are non-benders, lacking the natural talent to bend fire, earth, water, or air. The reasons for this distribution of benders in the world remain largely mysterious, but both Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel series, The Legend of Korra, have provided some insight. In the two-parter "Beginnings" from The Legend of Korra, it was revealed that humans in this universe first learned bending from the lion turtles.
Ten thousand years prior to the events of ATLA, the world was inhabited by spirits, and humans sought refuge on the backs of lion turtles for safety. When the humans eventually left, the lion turtles bestowed upon them the ability to control different elements. Humans further honed their mastery of bending through teachings from non-human mentors like dragons, mole badgers, sky bison, and even the moon. However, not every human in the Avatar: The Last Airbender world was granted bending abilities. Although there is a clear lore surrounding the origins of bending, the reason why some individuals possess bending abilities while others do not remains somewhat unclear.
Avatar’s Bending Powers Come From A Spiritual Connection
Kyoshi looking down at Aang in a vision in Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender - Avatar’s Bending Powers Come From A Spiritual Connection
The percentage of benders in a population varies from nation to nation. Before the Fire Nation purged them, all Air Nomads were airbenders. In an interview with Avatar Spirit, Bryan Konietzko, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender, mentioned that the prevalence of benders is linked to a nation's overall spirituality.
Konietzko explained that they initially imagined the Air Nomads as all benders due to their strong spiritual connection. Despite having the largest population, the Earth Kingdom has the smallest percentage of benders. They wanted to show that each culture had a unique spiritual perspective, approaching bending from different angles.
Bending Is Not Necessarily Genetic In Avatar: The Last Airbender
The spiritual connection plays a significant role in determining bending abilities among nations. Each nation's bending skills are influenced by their unique spiritual beliefs, even if they share a connection to the same spiritual world. This also clarifies why the Avatar has the ability to bend all the elements, while ordinary humans are limited to one type of bending. Unlike humans, the Avatar is not merely spiritual but also part spirit, which grants them a special link to the spirit world. In contrast, humans' bending skills are inherited from their ancestors, who originally acquired bending abilities from the lion turtles in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Katara and Sokka in the tunnels in Netflix's Avatar - Bending Is Not Necessarily Genetic In Avatar: The Last Airbender
Bending abilities seem to be a mix of genetics and spirituality, rather than having a single source. It is possible for bending skills to skip generations, resulting in a bender being born to non-bending parents. For example, Toph Beifong, despite her parents not being earthbenders, became the most powerful earthbender in Avatar: The Last Airbender history. She also pioneered metalbending, a unique form of bending that involves bending metal derived from the earth's crust.
Besides the four main types, there are 12 specialized subtypes of bending – including metalbending, bloodbending, and spiritbending.
Fire Lord Azulon, Ozai's father, believed he could combine his own lineage with that of Avatar Roku's in order to create unparalleled firebenders, arranging for Ozai to marry Roku's granddaughter. While Zuko and Azula were certainly powerful firebenders, it's unclear whether they had their genetics to thank for this. This could have just as easily come from the spirituality of the Fire Nation or the firebending needs of their population.
Different Nations Have Different Amounts Of Benders In ATLA
In the Avatar: The Last Airbender comics and The Legend of Korra, the storyline explores the dynamics of families with members from different nations. When parents possess different bending abilities, their child may inherit one, the other, or neither, but not both. Only the Avatar has the ability to bend more than one element. Even if both parents are bending masters, there is no guarantee that their children will inherit bending abilities. For example, Aang and Katara's children had varying bending powers. Tenzin was an airbender, Kya was a waterbender, and Bumi did not possess bending abilities.
Prince Zuko standing amid fire in Avatar The Last Airbender live action - Different Nations Have Different Amounts Of Benders In ATLA
In the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, each nation has a unique mix of benders and non-benders. This balance is influenced by factors like the nation's size, the spiritual beliefs of its people, and possibly even genetics. However, the exact role genetics play in determining bending abilities remains uncertain.
While all nations have the potential to become benders, The Legend of Korra highlighted the special connection between airbending and spirituality. When the spirit world portals opened, non-benders from different nations, including Aang and Katara's son without bending abilities, suddenly gained airbending powers. Surprisingly, no new firebenders, waterbenders, or earthbenders emerged. This suggests that nations with a stronger spiritual presence are more likely to produce benders.
Moreover, earthbending is a rare ability in Avatar: The Last Airbender, despite the Earth Kingdom being the largest nation. This scarcity could be attributed to their close connection to nature rather than spirituality. Earthbenders draw their power from tangible elements, relying on what they can physically interact with, in contrast to a reliance on spiritual beliefs. Unlike other bending disciplines, they are unable to conjure elements out of thin air. When considering all these factors, it becomes evident that the Earth Nation faces challenges in passing down bending abilities.
ATLA’s Creators Purposefully Left Bending Rules Ambiguous
Ultimately, it is impossible for all nations to have an equal number of benders and non-benders. This is because it would require them to have the same size, spirituality, and genetics. Even if this were possible, not every bender would have the necessary training to fully master their skills, leading some abilities to remain dormant. However, it is important to note that non-benders are not at a disadvantage. They can undergo training to become chi-blockers, allowing them to temporarily block a person's bending abilities. Characters like Sokka demonstrate that determination and bravery are more valuable qualities than any bending ability.
Katara, Sokka, and Aang take defensive positions in Avatar The Last Airbender series - ATLA’s Creators Purposefully Left Bending Rules Ambiguous
In an interview with Avatar Spirit, co-creator Bryan Konietzko shared that they intentionally kept the bending rules vague. They wanted both viewers and characters in the Avatar: The Last Airbender world to be curious about who could bend. This decision has many storytelling advantages. The unpredictability of bending abilities adds excitement and surprise when someone suddenly starts bending. Plus, the uncertainty lets viewers imagine which bending they would choose in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. With fewer restrictions, there's more room for creativity.
Source: Avatar Spirit
Editor's P/S:
The article delves into the complex and multifaceted nature of bending abilities in the Avatar universe. It explores the interplay between spirituality, genetics, and cultural beliefs in determining who can bend and which element they control. The lore surrounding the origins of bending, with its roots in the lion turtles and subsequent teachings from non-human mentors, adds a layer of intrigue to the power system.
However, the creators' decision to leave the bending rules ambiguous leaves room for interpretation and speculation. While this allows for storytelling advantages, it also raises questions about the consistency and fairness of the bending distribution. The article suggests that genetics may play a role, as certain families have a higher incidence of benders, but the exact mechanisms remain unclear. The spiritual connection also seems to be a significant factor, with nations like the Air Nomads having a higher percentage of benders due to their strong spirituality. Ultimately, the distribution of bending abilities in the Avatar universe remains a captivating mystery that fuels the imagination and invites further exploration.
