About the Avatar

[Safeerah]

Avatar: The Last Airbender



Genre Animation, Adventure, Fantasy
Running time 23 minutes approx
Creator(s) Michael Dante DiMartino
Bryan Konietzko
Starring Zach Tyler Eisen
Mae Whitman
Jack DeSena
Dante Basco
Mako
Country of origin United States
Original network/channel Nickelodeon
Original run February 21, 2005 ¨C
Total ¡í of episodes 22 aired (of 40 ordered)
Avatar: The Last Airbender is an American animated television series airing on Nickelodeon since February 21, 2005. Produced at Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, California, and animated in South Korea, it was co-created and executive produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko (the latter of whom also serves as art director and character designer).

Set in a fantastic, Asian-influenced world of martial arts and elemental magic, Avatar follows the adventures of Aang, the successor to a long line of Avatars, and his friends Katara and Sokka, in their quest to save the world from the merciless Fire Nation, while avoiding capture by their pursuer Prince Zuko.

In the US, new episodes air Friday nights at 8 PM Eastern Standard Time in Nickelodeon's Friday Night Slimetime block of programming. Due to this, start times may vary by up to ten minutes, making the actual start time closer to 7:50 PM EST. Repeats (though not necessarily of Friday's episode) air on Saturday and Sunday at 11:30 am EST. In Canada it airs on YTV at 11:30 am in the Vortex block of programming, It airs on the UK's NickToons TV weekdays at 4 PM (currently only showing repeats of series 1 at 7 PM Mon-Fri). It airs on Nickelodeon Australia Saturdays and Sundays at 4 PM in the SLAM block of programming.

A consistently high ratings performer in the Nicktoons lineup, even outside of its intended 6-to-11 year-old demographic, Avatar is popular with both audiences and critics. The series' success has prompted Nickelodeon to order another twenty-episode season, which began airing on March 17, 2006.[1]

The DVD of Book 1: Water, Volume 1 was released on January 31, 2006 by Paramount Home Entertainment. Book 1: Water, Volume 2 has an advertised street date of March 17, 2006. [2]

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Overview

Premise

A map of the four nationsIn another time and place, the world is divided among four nations: Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. Within each nation, there is a order of men and women called "Benders" who have an inborn ability of learning to manipulate their native element. Bending is a powerful artform, combining martial arts and elemental mystics. The bending arts are waterbending, earthbending, firebending and airbending, respectively.

In each generation, one Bender is capable of bending all four elements. The Avatar, spirit of the world manifested in the form of man. When an Avatar dies, the Avatar Spirit reincarnates into the next nation in the Avatar Cycle. Starting with the mastery of his native element, the Avatar learns to bend all four elements in the order of the cycle, which parallels the seasons. (winter for water, spring for earth, summer for fire and fall for air) Throughout the ages, countless incarnations of the Avatar have served to keep the four nations in harmony.

[3] The Avatar is also the bridge between the physical world and the Spirit World, home of the universe's disembodied spirits.


Plot synopsis
A century prior to the series' opening, Aang, a twelve-year-old Airbender of the Air Nomads' Southern Air Temple, learned from his monk instructors that he was the Avatar. Usually, the Avatar is told of his/her true identity only after turning sixteen; however, the Air Nomads feared that a war between the Four Nations was on the horizon, and that the Avatar would soon be needed to help maintain balance. Shortly thereafter, it was decided that Aang would be separated from his guardian Monk Gyatso and sent to the Eastern Air Temple to finish on his training.

Confused, frightened and overwhelmed by all that was happening, Aang fled from his home on his flying bison Appa. While over the ocean, a sudden storm caused Appa to plunge deep into the sea. Channeling his Avatar Spirit, Aang reflexively used waterbending to freeze Appa and himself in an ice sphere, putting them in a state of suspended animation and drifting into the icy waters surrounding the South Pole.

When the series opens one hundred years later, the Fire Nation is on the brink of victory in its imperialist war. The Water Tribes are in crisis--the Southern Water Tribe's warriors have gone off to war, leaving their home defenseless, and the Northern Water Tribe, though largely intact, is continually on the defensive. The vast Earth Kingdom is now the only true barrier to the Fire Nation's domination, but as the Fire Nation continues to encroach on its borders and conquer its territories, hopes for victory grow bleaker with each passing year.

In the present day, two teenage siblings from the Southern Water Tribe--Katara, a Waterbender, and her brother Sokka--discovered and freed Aang from his iceberg. Aang soon saw that in his absence, the war the monks feared had happened. The very year he vanished, the then-leader of the Fire Nation, the ruthless Fire Lord Sozin, took advantage of both the Avatar's absence and the firebending-enhancing powers of a mystical comet to launch a war on the three other nations. To Aang's shock and disbelief, the Fire Nation's opening gambit had been a genocidal assault on the Air Nomads. The Air Temples were stormed and the Airbender monks slaughtered in an effort to break the Avatar Cycle, leaving him as the last known Airbender in existence.

Aang realizes that, as the Avatar, it is his duty to restore harmony and peace to the Four Nations. Along with his newly-discovered friends Katara and Sokka, his flying bison Appa and his winged-lemur Momo, Aang travels the world to find and learn from Bendering Masters, while evading capture by Fire Nation's Prince Zuko and now Princess Azula.

Although it takes years of discipline and training to master an element, Aang must master them all and defeat Fire Lord Ozai before summer's end, when the return of Sozin's Comet will grant the Firebenders the power to finish the war. If these events come to pass, not even the Avatar will be able to restore balance to the world.


Episodes
- See List of Avatar: The Last Airbender episodes for a full list of episodes and information.


Characters

Main characters
Aang (Mitchel Musso in the pilot, Zach Tyler Eisen afterwards) - The fun-loving main character of the series, Aang is the reincarnation of the Avatar, the master of all four arts of bending. He has a crush on Katara, as highlighted particularly in Episodes 14 and 22.

Katara (Mae Whitman) - A caring, young Waterbender, Katara freed Aang from suspended animation, and is very protective of him as she travels with him in order to assist him on his quest to master all four of the elements.
Sokka (Jack DeSena) - Katara's warrior brother, Sokka believes in cunning over bending, and travels with Aang and his sister to hone his skills.

Prince Zuko (Dante Basco) - The exiled prince of the Fire Nation, the ill-tempered Prince Zuko seeks to capture the Avatar to earn his return home, though after resisting his sister Azula's attempt to bring him and Iroh to Ozai, he becomes a wanted traitor.
Uncle Iroh (Mako) - A retired Fire Nation General, and Prince Zuko's more level-headed, pleasure-seeking uncle. He is a powerful Firebender, who travels with his nephew to assist in his quest to capture the Avatar. After he attacks Fire Nation troops in retaliation for Commander Zhao's attack on the moon spirit, La, in Episode 20, his brother, Firelord Ozai, declares him a traitor. In Episode 22, after resisting Princess Azula's attempt to capture him and Zuko through trickery, it becomes public knowledge that he is wanted as a traitor.

Secondary Characters
See: Secondary Characters of Avatar: The Last Airbender


Guest stars
See List of Guest Stars in Avatar: The Last Airbender Episodes


Influences

Cultural references
Avatar is notable for its extensive borrowings from Asian mythology and art in order to create a fully realized fictional universe. Apart from its anime-inspired character designs, Avatar also draws on a motley mix of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tibetan, Indian and even Inuit, language, philosophy, religion and culture to flesh out the show's settings and peoples. Explicitly stated influences include Chinese art and history, Japanese animation, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism[4] and Yoga.[5] The show staff even employs a cultural consultant, Edwin Zane, to review scripts.


Avatar
The term "Avatar" comes from the Sanskrit word Avat¨¡ra which means "descent." In Hindu mythology, gods, especially Vishnu, often manifest themselves into Avatars to restore balance on earth after a time period of great evil. This agrees with the calligraphy written above the word "Avatar" in the show's opening, which means "the divine medium who has descended upon the mortal world."[6]


Reincarnation
In the show, Aang unknowingly revealed that he was the Avatar when he chose four toys out of thousands. These four toys were the exact ones that past Avatars had chosen for generations when they were children, revealing Aang to be the reincarnation of the Avatar. This same test is used by Tibetan Buddhist monks when a reincarnated Dalai Lama is expected. Visions the monks have revealed who the Dalai Lama is, and this test finalizes that he is, indeed, the reincarnation.


The Elements
Avatar draws on four of the five classical Indian elements of Hindu and Buddhist traditions for the four bending arts - Fire, (agni or tejas) water, (ap or jala) earth, (prithvi or bhumi) and wind or air (vayu or pavan). The fifth, aether (akasha or akash) is symbolized by Aang as an intermediary of the Spirit World. Some names in the series, such as "Agni Kai" and King Bumi the Earthbender, borrow directly from these elements.


Calligraphy
A particular type of calligraphy is used for almost all of the text in the show. With the obvious exceptions of the English text on the masthead, titlecards and credits, all writing used is Classical Chinese calligraphy, a very old form of written Chinese once used in formal communication and literature. For each instance of calligraphy, an appropriate style is used, ranging from the archaic to the clerical. [7] The show employs calligrapher Siu-Leung Lee, PhD as a consultant and translator.


Fighting Styles
One final Asiatic influence is found in the show's action choreography. The fighting choreography draws from martial arts films, and the fighting styles and weaponry are based upon Chinese martial arts, with each bending art corresponding to a certain real-world style. The creators use Ku Tai Chi for waterbending, Hung Gar for earthbending, Northern Shaolin for firebending, and Ba Gua for airbending. [8] The show employs Sifu Kisu of the Harmonious Fist Chinese Athletic Association as a martial arts consultant.


Nominations and Awards
Avatar won two Pulcinella Awards in 2005 for "Best Action/Adventure Series" and "Best Series of the Year." It recently received 2006 Annie Award nominations for "Best Animated Television Production," and "Writing in an Animated Television Production," (Aaron Ehasz, John O'Bryan - The Fortuneteller) and won for "Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production." (Lauren MacMullan - The Deserter)


Broadcast History

United States
First glimpsed in a short teaser reel at Comic-Con 2004, [9] Avatar's US premiere was initially scheduled for November 29 of that same year. However, the show was delayed until 7 PM EST February 21, 2005. During the delay, Nickelodeon contracted House Party Inc to maintain interest and create advance buzz by arranging "House Parties." These parties were private home viewings of a DVD of the pilot episode by 6-to-11-year-olds and their friends, arranged by Internet signup to occur simultaneously on February 5.

New episodes air Friday nights around 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time in Nickelodeon's Friday Night Slimetime block of programming. Since it is within the block, start times may vary by up to ten minutes, making the start time closer to 7:50 through 7:53 PM. Repeats (though not necessarily of Friday's episode) air on Saturday and Sunday at 11:30 am EST.


International
Outside of the US, Avatar airs in well over a dozen countries.

Avatar premiered in Australia on July 23, 2005. New episodes air on Nickelodeon Australia Saturdays and Sundays at 4 PM in the SLAM block of programming.
It premiered in Canada on September 10, 2005. New episodes air on YTV Saturdays at 11:30 am on in the Vortex block of programming.
It premiered on Nickelodeon Asia on September 10th. Affiliate details follow:
In Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia and Singapore, it premiered at 9 am. New episodes air Saturdays and Sundays at 9 AM and 5:30 PM, with repeats at 5 am Fridays.
In Indonesia, all these air times hold, by one hour earlier.
In Korea it premiered at 10 am. New episodes air at 6 am, 10 am and 6:30 PM Saturdays and Sundays.
In New Zealand it premiered at 9 am. New episodes air at 10 am, 2 PM and 10:30 PM Saturdays and Sundays.
In the Philippines it premiered at 10 am. New episodes air at 10 am and 5:30 PM on Saturdays and Sundays.
It premiered on Nickelodeon Latin America on September 10th, 2005, renamed Avatar: La Leyenda de Aang. (The Legend of Aang). New episodes air Sundays at 10 am, with repeats Tuesdays at 12:30 PM, Fridays at 3:00 am and 8:30 PM and Saturday at 12:30 am and 7:30 PM.
It premiered in Brazil on October 21, 2005, renamed Avatar: A Lenda de Aang. (The Legend of Aang) New episodes air on Nickelodeon Brazil Fridays at 8:30 PM with repeats on Saturday at 7:30 PM, Sundays at 10 am, and Tuesdays at 12:30 PM.
It premiered in the UK on November 4, 2005, renamed Avatar: The Legend of Aang. New episodes air on Nickelodeon UK Fridays at 5 PM, and its sister channel Nicktoons TV on weekdays at 4 PM.
It premiered in Italy at 7 PM on December 24, 2005, renamed Avatar: La Leggenda di Aang (The Legend of Aang). New episodes air on Nickelodeon Italia Mondays through Thursdays at 6:30 am and PM., and Fridays at 6:30 am.
It premiered in Germany at 9:30 am on January 8, 2006, renamed Avatar: Der Herr Der Elemente (The Master of the Elements). New episodes air on Nickelodeon Deutschland Sunday at 10 am, with reruns Fridays at 2 PM and Saturdays at 9:30 am.

DVD Releases
Book 1: Water, Volume 1, containing the first four episodes and the making-of special, was released on January 31st, 2006 by Paramount Home Entertainment. Book 1: Water, Volume 2, details as yet unreleased, has an advertised release date of March 28, 2006, while Book 1: Water, Volume 3 will be released May 30, 2006. [10] Book 1: Water, Volume 4 has a street date of July 11, 2006 and will cotain episodes 13-16. Volume 5 will most likely be released in the summer and will contain episodes 17-20 of Season 1.


Promotions
Avatar has several free promotional games on its affiliated sites, including a collection of flash games and subscriber-limited collectible "e-trading cards" on its parent sites, and a (now-defunct) limited-edition flash game on the Viacom-owned Neopets site.

In addition, an Avatar-theme family roller coaster is set to debut April 14, 2006 at Paramount's King's Island amusement park in King's Island, Ohio. [11]


Merchandising
Avatar T-shirts are currently sold through the Nickelodeon Shop website[12] including 2 created by Mike & Bryan [13], Upper Deck Entertainment released a Trading Card Game, and Tokyopop has published a cine-manga. [14] Upcoming merchandise includes LEGO branded playsets, (August 2006) [15], a THQ-published videogame (Fall 2006) [16] and a Mattel line of toys. [17]


Title Sequence Narration
The title sequence narration from the pilot; Narrator: Katara (Mae Whitman).

"Water. Earth. Fire. Air.
My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace; when the Avatar kept balance between Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads.
But that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked.
Only the Avatar mastered all four elements.
Only he could stop the ruthless Firebenders, but when the world needed him most, he vanished.
A hundred years have passed, and the Fire Nation is nearing victory in the war.
Two years ago, my father and the men of my tribe journeyed to the Earth Kingdom to help fight against the Fire Nation, leaving me and my brother to look after our tribe.
Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads and that the cycle is broken.
But I haven't lost hope.
I still believe that somehow, the Avatar will return to save the world."
The title sequence narration from Season 1, "Book 1: Water", and Season 2, "Book 2: Earth"; Narrator: Katara (Mae Whitman)

"Water. Earth. Fire. Air.
Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony.
Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.
Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them.
But when the world needed him most, he vanished.
A hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar,
a young Airbender named Aang, and although his Airbending skills are great,
He still has a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone.
But I believe Aang can save the world."


References
Michael Dante DiMartino (creator), Bryan Konietzko (creator). (2005). "Avatar: The Last Airbender [TV-Series]." United States:Nickelodeon.
Upperdeck Entertaiment's press release, (contains season 2 premiere date)
Upper Deck Entertainment's Avatar: The Last Airbender Trading Card Game website
Nickelodeon's Official Avatar: The Last Airbender Flash Site
Nickelodeon Asia's interview with the creators
"Kung Fu Fightin' Anime Stars, Born in the U.S.A." (New York Times) (Free registration required)
Distant Horizon: Calligraphy Writings in Avatar
The Comic Con teaser reel
Volume 3 release date
Paramount's King's Island press release
LEGO press release
Announcements of Upper Deck and THQ games
Pictures of Mattel's toy line
Volume 4 realese date

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[zaria]

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[Safeerah]

Secondary Characters of Avatar: The Last Airbender

Admiral Zhao (Jason Isaacs) - A hot-tempered Fire Nation Admiral also in pursuit of the Avatar and Zuko's principal rival throughout Book 1. Zhao presumably died in the final chapter of Book 1.

Appa (Dee Bradley Baker) - A 100-year-old bison who is Aang's animal guide, Appa is the main transportation of Aang and his friends.

Avatar Roku (James Garrett) - The Avatar before Aang and a Firebender. Throughout the series, Avatar Roku appears as a spirit to guide Aang through his journey so he can rightfully fulfill his duty as the Avatar. His benevolence helps show that not all firebenders are evil.

Fire Lord Ozai (Mark Hamill) - Lord of the entire Fire Nation. Continuing the war that his ancestor Sozin started, Ozai is awaiting the arrival of Sozin's Comet so he and his Nation can harness its power once again and put an end to the war.


Mai (Cricket Leigh) - An impassive, bored, young woman and one of Princess Azula's childhood friends, little is known about Mai except that she appeared timid and shy as a girl, and also had a crush on Prince Zuko. She also appears cold (or, at least, shrewdly calculating) as she once called off a hostage trade for her younger brother in media res at Azula's "suggestion." Mai specializes in throwing weapons which she conceals on her person.

Momo (Dee Bradley Baker) - A winged-lemur who used to live in the Southern Air Temple, Momo is the only of his kind known to survive the Fire Nation's attack on the Air Nomads.


Ty Lee (Olivia Hack) - A cheerful, optimistic former circus performer. Another childhood friend of Princess Azula's, but unlike Mai, openly shows a certain amount of fear towards Azula, who bullied Ty Lee into joining her search for the Avatar. Ty Lee principally uses her acrobatic skills in combat.

[Safeerah]

Minor secondary characters of Avatar

1.1 Chief Arnook

Chief Arnook is the tribal chief of the North Pole's Northern Water Tribe, the father of Princess Yue. When his daughter was born, she was gravely ill. Desperate to save her life, he prayed to his tribe's patron Moon Spirit. The answer came to him, and he took his infant daughter to the sacred pool, where a koi, the mortal form of the spirit, dwelt. He placed his daughter in the spirit oasis, and her hair turned white, as she was revitalized by a measure of the spirit's own life force. His wife then named her Yue, for the moon.
At Yue's birth, Arnook had a prophetic vision of his daughter, when grown to maturity, becoming the reincarnation of the Moon Spirit. Despite his best efforts to prevent this, appointing the young warrior Sokka as her bodyguard, his daughter fulfilled her destiny during the Fire Nation siege.
Chief Arnook is voiced by Jon Polito, and first appears in "The Waterbending Master".

1.2 Avatar Spirit

Avatar Roku: "I have mastered the elements a thousand times in a thousand lifetimes. Now, I must do it once again."
Avatar Roku: "The Avatar state is a defense mechanism, designed to empower you with the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars...The glow is the combination of all your past lives, focusing their energy through your body...In the avatar state you are at your most powerful, but you are also at your most vulnerable...If you are killed in the Avatar state, the reincarnation cycle will be broken and the Avatar will cease to exist."
Avatar is the spirit of the planet itself, which has been continually reincarnated since time immemorial. In life-threatening situations or instances of extreme emotional stress, Aang involuntarily channels the wisdom and power of his past lives as a defense mechanism, entering the powerful Avatar State. His tattoos, eyes and mouth glow blue, and he either uses bending as an immediate means of self-preservation, or lapses into a dangerous fit of elemental volatility until Aang is calmed.
This spiritual state is the manifestation of all the Avatar's previous incarnations, which allows Aang to tap into the sum total of their powers all together, and with each new generation of the Avatar, that power in total becomes stronger, (its most immediate spiritual aspect is Avatar Roku, the previous Avatar incarnate.) However, when in this state the Avatar is at his/her most vulnerable. If the Avatar dies while in the Avatar State, the previous incarnations of the Avatar will die along with him/her, and the cycle of reincarnation will be permanently broken.
Aang's Avatar State first appears in a nightmare Aang was having in the episode "The Boy in the Iceberg", showing how Aang instinctively slipped into the Avatar State and froze himself and Appa to keep them from drowning in a storm.

1.3 Bato

One of the members of the Southern Water Tribe who left two years earlier with Katara and Sokka's father. While the other members of the tribe have headed to the Earth Kingdom's capital, Ba Sing Se, Bato was left behind in an abbey because of injuries.
Aang, Katara, and Sokka find his ship on a beach.

1.4 King Bumi

When Bumi was younger he was Aang's best friend. He had a habit of thinking outside of the box i.e.: Turning the town's delivery system into the world's greatest super slide! Which made Aang dub him a mad genius.
100 years later Bumi became the King of Omashu, the town where he lived. Aang returned to Omashu to show his friends the world's greatest super slide. Due to a cabbage accident they were brought before King Bumi...who threw them a feast! During the meal Aang accidentally revealed he was the Avatar. Bumi then told Aang he was going to give him 3 challenges to test his abilities. He sent them to their room. When Aang woke up his friends were gone. He went to the king and found out that his friends were being covered by crystal. If Aang didn't pass his test his friends would be covered in crystal.
Aang had to get the lunch box key of the King that was hanging in a waterfall. Next he had to get the King's pet Flopsie. His final test was he had to fight a duel. Aang chose the being he wished to fight as the King. Aang then found out that the King was not frail but a powerful Earthbender after Aang stopped him he gave Aang one last test asking what his name was. Aang correctly guessed that it was his old friend Bumi. Then King Bumi busted the crystal covering Sokka and Katara. He then revealed that the crystal was rock candy. Aang then gave his old friend a test. The test was going down on the slide that Bumi once discovered.
When Aang and his friends came back to Omashu they found that the city was taken over by the Fire Nation. Aang went to find his old friend. But he found all of the soldiers of the once great city. They told him that when the fire nation came Bumi gave up without even fighting. Aang then continued his quest for Bumi. He finally found Bumi who was under the control of Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai. Aang got Bumi free but he was still in his prison with only his face sticking out. Aang then rode Bumi down the chutes and they were being followed by Azula. Bumi then Earthbended Azula and they got away. Aang was in shock because Bumi could still Earthbend. Bumi told Aang that he was good at Neutral Jing or doing nothing. He was waiting for the right moment to strike against the Fire nation so that was why he could not teach Aang Earthbending. Aang then left the city of Omashu behind.
Bumi apparently loves to mess with people, use bad puns, and jokes. Bumi will most likely appear again in the show due to the fact that he is still in his prison.
Bumi is presumably named for the Hindu goddess of earth, Bhumidevi
King Bumi is voiced by André Sogliuzzo and first appears in "The King of Omashu". "Bumi" is Malaysian & Indonesian word for "Earth"

1.5 Chey

Chey is a Fire Nation rebel, who holds the dubious distinction of being the second to desert the Fire Nation military and live. He rescues Aang and friends to escort them to the campsite of the first deserter, the fugitive firebending master Jeong Jeong and his followers, in the hopes that he'll instruct Aang. An explosives and pyrotechnics expert, and armed with smoke grenades, he is a devoted resistance fighter. While Chey regrets not being as famous (or infamous) as his leader, he is absolutely in awe of Jeong Jeong as an almost legendary figure. Perhaps he is too worshipful, as Jeong Jeong's followers treat him as a satellite nuisance, and leave him behind when they move camp.
Chey is voiced by John Kassir and appears in "The Deserter".

1.6 Monk Gyatso

The closest person to a father-figure in Aang's days at the Southern Air Temple, the elder Monk Gyatso was his Airbending instructor, mentor, and guardian. He was a caring and understanding teacher, the only monk sympathetic to Aang's feelings of being overwhelmed in his duties as Avatar. When the burden weighed heavily on his favorite student, Gyatso worked to instill a sense of fun through jokes and games. He and Aang would practice a maneuver by propelling cakes at sour fellow monks and provide distracting breezes to jokingly cheat at their games of Pai Sho.
Gyatso sincerely believed that Aang should be allowed to grow up as a normal boy. The other monks, fearing impending war with the Fire Nation, disagreed. Citing Gyatso's attachment to the boy as an interference, they decided to send Aang away to the Eastern Air Temple to focus on his training, not realizing that Aang had eavesdropped on their caucus. Aang fled, unknowing that Gyatso was determined to fight their decision.
When Aang returns to the temple after a century trapped in suspended animation, he is devastated to find fears of war realized, the temple is in ruins and the corpse of his beloved mentor surrounded by the remains of Fire Nation soldiers.
"Gyatso" (the Tibetan word for "ocean") is the name given to each incarnation of the Dalai Lama when he takes the position.
Monk Gyatso is voiced by Sab Shimono and first appears in "The Southern Air Temple".

1.7 Haru

Haru is a young Earthbender, whose Earth Kingdom village was occupied by the Fire Nation. Seizing the village's coal mines to fuel their ships, they extracted exorbitant taxes from the citizenry, and most cruelly, took all known Earthbenders to a prison shipyard, Haru's father Tyro among them. To ensure his safety, Haru's mother forbade him from earthbending (although he continued to earthbend in secret).
One day, as he was practicing alone, Aang and his friends stumbled upon Haru. While Haru and Katara struck up a kinship over shared parental losses, they came upon a villager trapped under a rockslide. Haru aided him through earthbending, only to be reported and taken into custody.
Aang and Sokka then helped engineer Katara's false arrest for earthbending, so she would be taken to the shipyard. There they and Haru helped stir up a mass prison rebellion and escape. Reunited with his father, and reinforced by fellow Earthbenders, Haru now has a chance of driving the Fire Nation from his home.
Haru will be a playable character in the Avatar video game.
Haru means "spring" in Japanese.
Haru is voiced by Michael Dow and appears in "Imprisoned".

1.8 Jeong Jeong

Jeong Jeong: "To master the bending disciplines, you must first master discipline itself...Water is cool and soothing, earth is steady and stable, but fire, fire is alive! It breathes, it grows. Without a bender, a rock will not throw itself! But fire will spread and destroy everything in its path if one does not have the will to control it! That is its destiny!...fire is a horrible burden to bear. Its nature is to consume and without control it destroys everything around it...Learn restraint, or risk destroying yourself and everything you love...fire brings only destruction and pain. It forces those of us burdened with its care to walk a razor's edge between humanity and savagery. Eventually, we are torn apart."
The Enlightened and fugitive Firebending master Jeong Jeong was once a great Admiral in the Fire Nation, but became an infamous deserter, the first to abandon the military and live. He and his followers now camp in the Earth Kingdom forests dodging Fire Nation soldiers and bounty hunters. The sixty-year-old is exceedingly perceptive, able to discern Aang's bending skill simply by how he walks into his camp.
When Aang came to him for firebending instruction, Jeong Jeong deemed him ill-prepared and turned him away, ordering Aang to master waterbending and earthbending in order to gain the proper discipline required to learn firebending. A vision of Avatar Roku appeared to him and demanded he instruct Aang; Jeong Jeong reluctantly acquiesced, and began to teach Aang basic disciplines. Aang chafed at learning breath control and small-scale exercises with fire. Impatient, he ignored warnings to restrain himself and accidentally burned his Waterbender friend Katara. (Newly respectful of fire's destructive power, he has not used firebending since.)
Jeong Jeong later told Katara that he envies her waterbending skills for their capacity to heal. He sees his abilities as a curse, due to fire's purely destructive nature and the risk of its bearers turning brutal and merciless.
This case holds true with a former student, Admiral Zhao. He stayed under Jeong Jeong's tutelage only as long as it took to learn destructive maneuvers, and had no interest in learning self-control. Both his former teacher and the newly wiser Aang exploited his flaws in order to escape capture. Jeong Jeong and followers uprooted their camp, and escaped into the trees.
Jeong Jeong is voiced by Keone Young and appears in "The Deserter".

1.9 Jet

"We can't win without making some sacrifices."

Jet is the teenaged guerilla leader of a band of Earth Kingdom children called "The Freedom Fighters". The young vigilante holds a deep-seated grudge against the Fire Nation for killing his parents when he was eight. He and his ragtag group spend their days antagonizing Fire Nation soldiers and emigrants on the outskirts of their occupied town, living in forest treehouses. When Katara met him, she became infatuated with the charismatic rogue, but quickly doused these feelings after Sokka discovered and thwarted Jet's plans to use captured blasting jelly to destroy a dam and flood a Fire Nation settlement and kill the soldiers and innocent civilians living there. In anger, she freezes him to a tree, then leaves. Members of his group include Sneers (Hand to hand combatant), Longshot (Archer), Smellerbee (Swordsman), the Duke (Wrestler), and Pipsqueak (An ironically massive boy).
Jet is voiced by Wilson Crawford and appears in "Jet".

1.10 Jun

Jun is a bounty hunter who travels around the Earth Kingdom. Prince Zuko and his Uncle Iroh employed the mercenary and sarcastic beauty to track down Aang, the Avatar, with the help of her mount, a giant beast called Shirshu. Shirshu, a giant mole-animal with the nose of a scent hound and a tongue full of paralyzing neurotoxins, was both a help and hindrance in their mission. While they succeeded in finding Aang, he threw the beast off by spilling mass quantities of perfume. As Shirshu lashed out in confusion, Jun and Zuko were temporarily paralyzed. Having developed an unrequited crush on Jun, Iroh was content to feign paralysis, simply to get close to her.
Jun is voiced by Jennifer Hale in the English version of the show, and appears in "Bato of the Water Tribe".

1.11 Gran-Gran Kanna

Gran-Gran, Katara and Sokka's paternal grandmother, is the eldest woman in the Southern Water Tribe. She once told Katara hopeful tales of Avatar lore, but is world-weary, jaded and pessimistic in the face of her tribe's decimation at the hands of the Fire Nation. Upon her grandchildren's discovery of Aang, the Avatar destined to master all four elements and bring peace to the world, hope rekindles within her. She bids her grandchildren farewell and blesses their decision to join the Avatar on his journey.
As Katara learned from Yugoda the Healer, her Gran-Gran was once simply Kanna, a member of the Northern Water Tribe and friends with Yugoda in youth. However, she fled to the Southern Tribe to escape an arranged marriage to Pakku, a young Waterbender. She handed down the betrothal necklace he'd carved to Katara's mother, who in turn passed it to Katara.
Being from the North Pole, this is most likly the reason why Katara is the only waterbender in the South Pole
If Kanna's name is indeed a borrowing from Inuit dialects, then it means "down there," "downriver," "in front of," [1] "this one below" or "in the direction of the sea," [2] possibly connoting Kanna's southerly emigration. However, it may also be from the Japanese word meaning "canna lily."
Gran-Gran is voiced by Melendy Britt, and first appears in "The Boy in the Iceberg".

1.12 Koh the Face Stealer

Koh is an ancient, malevolent spirit residing in the Spirit World. This monster lurks in a dark cave under the root structure of a giant tree. He is called "the face stealer", because if any creature in his presence shows even the slightest expression of emotion, he steals its face. His body is that of a giant centipede, while his head acts like an eye socket. When a pair of lids blink over his face, it will change to one of the many faces he has collected from his victims.
On the advice of Avatar Roku, Aang seeks out Koh to learn the whereabouts of the spirits of the Moon and Ocean. Koh, resentful that one of Aang's previous incarnations had attempted to kill him for stealing the face of a loved one, repeatedly tries to provoke Aang into emoting. He sports the face of the lost love, then takes on increasingly frightening visages, all while coyly providing the knowledge Aang seeks. He explains the spirts' nature and importance in maintaining worldly balance, opines that they are in danger, and provides a crucial hint as to their location. Unfortunately for Koh, he barely misses seeing Aang's subsequent expression of epiphany. As Aang departs, Koh promises that they will "meet again."
Koh has many different faces. The ones that were shown include what looks like a female Noh mask (a white face with red lips and grey eye markings) a bearded man (possibly the Avatar that attempted to kill Koh for stealing the face of his loved one), the loved one (a beautiful tan-skinned woman with long brown hair) a baboon, an owl, a blue oni mask, and a young man (possibly Lu Ten, Iroh's son).
Koh is voiced by Erik Dellums and appears in "Siege of the North (Part 2)".

1.13 The Mechanist

The Mechanist is a brilliant, eccentric Earth Kingdom inventor and engineer, and father of Teo. After a flood destroyed his village, killing Teo's mother and rendering Teo paraplegic, the Mechanist led his people into the surrounding mountains in search of a new home. They came across the Air Nomads' long abandoned Northern Air Temple, and promptly moved in. The Mechanist soon began mass-producing modified versions of the Airbenders' gliders, creating a whole new method of transportation for his people. He also devised an ingenious hot air-based power source for the whole temple, completely refurbishing and remodelling it.
Roughly a year after they settled, the Fire Nation began to extort the Mechanist, forcing him to build them new weapons of war, including steam-powered battle tanks and a war balloon, under threat of invasion. He eventually redeemed himself by breaking the arrangement, and repelling the Fire Nation when they attempted to storm the temple.
The Mechanist is voiced by Rene Auberjonois and appears in "The Northern Air Temple".

1.14 Meng

Meng is a young Earth Kingdom girl, assistant to the fortuneteller Aunt Wu. She has a crush on Aang and has admitted to stalking him. Consequently, she is jealous of Aang's affections towards Katara, as well as Katara's "manageable" hair. In spite of her realization that Aang does not return her feelings, she helped him "borrow" a cloud reading book from Aunt Wu, as part of his effort to save her village from a volcanic eruption.
Meng is voiced by Jessie Flower in the English version of the show and appears in "The Fortuneteller".

1.15 Master Pakku

Master Pakku is a waterbending master and instructor of the North Pole's Northern Water Tribe. Dryly sarcastic, and very serious about his art, he gives no breaks to his students. Likewise stubbornly set in the customs of his culture, he only taught waterbending to male tribemembers.
When Pakku consented to teach Aang, but rejected Katara, she schemed to learn from Aang at night. Pakku quickly discovered them and barred Aang from further instruction until Katara apologized. Rather than submit to Pakku's sour chauvinism, Katara challenged Pakku to a fight. She acquitted herself remarkably, but Pakku still would not consent to teach her, and finally defeated her.
When he picked up Katara's heirloom choker from the ground, he recognized its pendant as the betrothal necklace he had carved sixty years before for "the love of his life", his fiancee Kanna. Kanna did not return Pakku's love, and fled to the Southern Water Tribe to escape their arranged marriage, eventually passing down her necklace to her granddaughter, Katara.
Realizing that his stubborn adherence to custom had cost him a wife, Pakku consented to teach Aang and Katara. Katara rose to mastery faster than any of his students, and he tasked her with instructing the slower-learning Aang. Pakku recently played a critical role in defending the North Pole from a Fire Nation siege, and afterward decided to travel to the Southern Tribe to help them rebuild. (There is some speculation that Pakku also wants to go to the South Pole to see his former betrothed, Gran Gran Kanna.)
Aang and his comrades accompanied Pakku at the beginning of his journey to the Southern Tribe, before leaving to travel to Omashu. When the groups split, Pakku gave Katara a vial of water from the Spirit Oasis in the northern city, and gave Aang a box containing scrolls of waterbending techniques. As for Sokka, Pakku comically gave him only words of good luck.
Master Pakku is voiced by Victor Brandt and first appears in "The Waterbending Master". He is also the waterbender shown to represent his element in the opening credits of each episode.

1.16 Fire Sage Shyu
Shyu is one of the Five Fire Sages that guard the Fire Temple on a mysterious crescent shaped Island. Shyu helps Aang speak with Avatar Roku in "Winter Solstice, Part 2". When a beacon lit in the sky (from seen in the The Southern Air Temple) and the eyes of the statue of Avatar Roku began to glow several weeks before Aang's arrival on Roku's temple, the Fire Sages all knew the Avatar had returned. Unlike his colleagues, Shyu chooses to help the Avatar, knowing that the other sages obey the will of Fire Lord Ozai.
After a failed attempt to open a locked chamber containg Avatar Roku's statue, Shyu aids Aang by tricking the other sages into believing Aang had already opened the chamber. The sages open the door and Aang is able to enter before they can catch him; the chamber is sealed shut by a white light. Shyu is quickly labeled a traitor, believing that "Because it was once the Sages duty, I still believe it is the Sages duty.", instead of remaining loyal to the ideal os Fire Lord Ozai. When Aang emerges again, possessed by Avatar Roku, Shyu orders Katara and Sokka to leave before Roku destroys the temple. The two refuse until they have rescued Aang. Shyu's ultimate fate is unknown, he disappears after Aang has been rescued and is not among the sages captured and declared traitors by Zhao.

1.17 Fire Lord Sozin
Fire Lord Sozin is the father of Fire Lord Azulon and the grandfather of Fire Lord Ozai and General Iroh. One hundred years ago, he began the war against the other nations. Using the power of a comet, he launched his deadly first strike, the genocide of the Air Nomads, killing all but one, Aang. Sozin has not been shown, but Avatar Roku discusses him with Aang in "Avatar Roku (Winter Solstice, Part 2)".

1.18 Suki

"I am a warrior, but I'm a girl, too."
Suki is one of the young female warriors of the Earth Kingdom's Kyoshi Island. She and her fellow warriors captured Aang and his friends, then accepted them as guests when they learned Aang was the Avatar. When she defeated the young Sokka in a duel, he was humbled by her skill and turned to her for instruction. The two bonded over sparring matches, and, before parting, shared what was presumably Sokka's first kiss. It is discovered in the episode, Avatar Day, that she and the other warriors of Kyoshi have gone off to fight in the war against the Fire Nation.
The name "Suki" is Japanese for "beloved" or "like".
Suki is voiced by Jennie Kwan and appears in "The Warriors of Kyoshi".

1.19 Teo

Teo is a young Earth Kingdom boy who lives in the Northern Air Temple with his father, the Mechanist. Injured at a young age by a flood, Teo lost the use of his legs. His father, in an effort to give Teo a new, happy life, led the survivors to settle at the Northern Air Temple. He even created a special glider made to accommodate Teo's wheelchair, which Teo is quite skilled at flying.
When Teo learned that his father had secretly been creating weapons of war for the Fire Nation, he temporarily disowned him, but father and son reconciled when the Mechanist broke the arrangement, and helped repel the Fire Nation when they attempted to storm the temple.
Teo is voiced by Daniel Samonas and appears in "The Northern Air Temple".

[Safeerah]

1.20 Aunt Wu

Aunt Wu is a fortuneteller who resides in an Earth Kingdom village near an active volcano. Well regarded for her free and accurate readings, every prediction she makes is taken as gospel by the village at large. Her methods of divination run from palmistry to oracle bones, to nephomancy (cloud reading).
When Aunt Wu's cloud readings predict the nearby volcano will not destroy the village, Katara and Aang accept the reading, while the more skeptical Sokka grows frustrated with the populace's blind faith. After an expedition to the volcano proves that the volcano has become dangerously active, the three find the only way to convince the villagers of the impending danger is to manipulate the clouds through bending, deliberately shaping them to elicit a more accurate reading. After the village is convinced the town is in danger, they help Aang and the others successfully protect the village from the volcano's fiery lava. Since the town was not destroyed just as Aunt Wu predicted, the villagers believe in Aunt Wu's powers of fortune telling all for the better, much to the displeasure and frustration of Sokka.
Surprisingly, Aunt Wu freely admits that she does not believe in any kind of predestination, claiming that her predictions will come true only if a person wishes them to.
Aunt Wu is voiced by Tsai Chin and first appears in "The Fortuneteller". She also makes a short appearance in "Bato of the Water Tribe", in which she refers to Uncle Iroh as "handsome".

1.21 Hahn


"Admiral Choi! Prepare to meet your fate!"

Hahn is amongst the top warriors of the Northern Watertribe as well as the betrothed to Princess Yue who only thought of her as ticket in getting on good grounds with Chief Arnook... He is rather arrogant and selfish; his heart never being in the right spot. In the past he has courted alot of females in his tribe and non by far were as great as Yue, she may have been nice but she wasn't what he was looking for. But still he wanted to triumphant and be well respected in the tribe. Hated in the worst of ways by Sokka (or how he pronounced is Soe-kah and not Saw-kah), since he didn't quiet see nor understand just on what Sokka was getting at during their short conversation about Yue. Attacked by Southern Rube, he seemed glad that Sokka was off the mission and made it as his own to take down Zhao once in for all. Another interesting thing about Hahn is that he has the memory span of a goldfish when it came to knowing and remembering names, take Zhao for example; he's called the Admiral by two names (possibly three if the announciation is hard to hear) like Sho, Cho or Choi... When he finally reached Zhao's ship after being under cover in an outdated Fire Navy uniform, thinking he was going to take out the Admiral, he missed by three steps and fell off the top deck of the ship with a *splash*.
Hahn's name is German for "rooster"
Hahn is voiced by Ben Oiskin and first appears in the "The Siege of the North" part one.

1.22 Princess Yue

Princess Yue was the sixteen-year-old daughter of Chief Arnook, ruler of the North Pole's Northern Water Tribe. The young warrior Sokka was smitten at first sight, and the two soon began to arrange meetings. Unfortunately for the budding affection between the pair, she was duty-bound in a traditional betrothal to Hahn, a callow young warrior with more love for high status than for Yue. Secret rendezvous between the young lovers were strained by this knowledge, and their relationship was further tested with the capture of the tribe's patron Moon Spirit.
During the Fire Nation's siege of the North Pole, Yue revealed that she had been gravely ill at birth. The Moon Spirit had healed her with a measure of its own life force, marking her with white hair. After the Moon Spirit was killed by Admiral Zhao, Princess Yue realized that because it had given her some of its life, it was her destiny to return the favor. In death, she became the reincarnation of the Moon Spirit. Appearing in spirit, she told Sokka that she would always be with him. With a farewell kiss, her spirit form faded as the moon appeared.
In "The Swamp", Sokka sees a vision of Yue, who tells him that he failed to save her. This was a result of the powers of the place, and no doubt his fears that she indeed felt this way.
Yue is named for the Mandarin Chinese word for "moon."
Princess Yue is voiced by Johanna E. Braddy and first appears in "The Waterbending Master".

[glow=green,2,300]2 Book 2: Earth [/glow]
~MAJOR SPOILER~
2.1 Fire Lord Azulon

"You must know the pain of losing a first born son... by sacrificing your own!"
Azulon is a minor character, so far only seen in the many of Zuko's flashbacks in "Zuko Alone". He was the husband to Fire Lady Irah. He is the father of Fire Lord Ozai and Iroh, and thus grandfather to Prince Zuko, Princess Azula, and Prince Lu Ten. He is son of Fire Lord Sozen, instigator of the war. Like Iroh, Azulon was apparently a general in the war years before becoming the Fire Lord. He probably searched for the Avatar long ago.
Shortly after the death of Iroh's son, Ozai demands that Iroh be passed over for the throne and incites his father's fury. Ozai declares Iroh is a quitter and unworthy for letting death get in his way of winning Ba Sing Se. He also said that the bloodline would not continue with the death of Lu Ten. Azula who spied on the conversation claimed that Azulon was going to kill Ozai's first born son, Zuko, so Ozai knows how it feels to lose a son. Azulon dies soon afterwards by an unknown cause after a twenty-three year reign. Ozai then inherits the throne, supposedly based on Azulon's wishes.
Fire Lord Azulon appears in "Zuko Alone" and is voiced by Walker Edmiston.

2.2 Chong, Lily, and Moku

A trio of Earth Kingdom nomads who along with their group travel around land singing songs to experience the wonders of the world. Chong, his wife Lily, and Moku meet the kids, who are on their way to Omashu, and offer to take them through a shortcut to Omashu known as the Cave of Two Lovers. None of them seem terribly bright and act somewhat unusually easy-going, which becomes a source of frustration for the kids, especially Sokka.
They appear in "The Cave of Two Lovers".

2.3 General Fong

General Fong is an Earthbender General who was in charge of providing Aang and company an escort to the great Earth Kingdom city of Omashu. He is bent on stopping the war. During Aang's stay at his base he informed Aang that if he could just trigger his Avatar State he could destroy the Fire Lord and quickly end the war. After many failed attempts at triggering Aang's Avatar State he decided that he'd have to activate it by force by putting Aang in genuine danger. To this end, he directed his soldiers to "attack the Avatar!"
For the most part it did not work, until he tricked Aang into believing he had killed Katara, which drove Aang to enter his Avatar State. During this state Aang ejected General Fong several feet away and leveled his base camp. General Fong was knocked unconscious by Sokka after he stubbornly thought of more plans to put Aang into his Avatar State.
He was voiced by Daniel Dae Kim and appears in "The Avatar State".

2.4 Avatar Kyoshi

"I killed Chin the Conqueror"

An Avatar born into the Earth Kingdom and who lived 400 years before Aang and around 150 before Avatar Roku. She was a very tall woman with the biggest feet of all the past Avatars and fought with metal fans. Her manner of dress and style of fighting has been traditionally adopted by the young warrior women of Kyoshi Island. Kyoshi was born on a peninsula about to be conquered by short-tempered (and short statured) general known as Chin the Great (or Conqueror, according to Kyoshi). When he refused to listen Kyoshi and her people, she confronted him and broke the peninsula off, seperating it from the mainland. The peninsula became Kyoshi Island, named after the Avatar herself. An indignant Chin was left standing on the edge of a cliff, which then crumbled beneath his feet and he drowned in the sea. Kyoshi claimed responsibility for Chin's death. For this act, the people of the Chin Village on the mainland originally founded Avatar Day to vilify Kyoshi and the subsequent Avatars for the death of their leader, until Avatar Day was rededicated in 2.5: Avatar Day to commemorate Aang saving the village from Fire Nation invaders.
Avatar Kyoshi made several cameo appearances throughout Book 1 and Book 2; first as a series of statues in 1.3: The Southern Air Temple and 1.4: The Warriors of Kyoshi, and then appears in 2.1: The Avatar State in a vision as the earthbending Avatar where Avatar Roku is explaining the purpose and nature of the Avatar State to Aang. Kyoshi makes her first speaking appearance in 2.5 Avatar Day when she manifests herself through Aang (like Roku had in 1.8: Avatar Roku (Winter Solstice, Part 2)) to testify in a trial to prove Aang's innocence.
Avatar Kyoshi is voiced by Jennifer Hale.

2.5 Song

Song is a kindhearted girl from an Earth Kingdom village who helps Iroh after he eats a poisonous plant (he thought it was a rare tea plant). Song manages to cure him and then invites he and Zuko to eat dinner at her house. At her house she talks about the war and how Fire Nation soldiers captured her father years ago to fight in the war. From Song, Zuko realizes the side effects of war from the perspective of a common person outside of the Fire Nation and finds empathy for her. However, Zuko steals an ostrich horse from her family to aid in his and Iroh's travels; while Song witnesses the whole event, she says nothing.
She is voiced by Kim Mai Guest and first appears in "The Cave of Two Lovers". Her outfit resembles the traditional Korean Hanbok.

2.6 Tho, Due, and Hue

Three members of the Swamp Water Tribe. While Momo and Appa are separated from Aang, Katara and Sokka, they are being hunted by Tho, who is a little short and chubby, and Due, who is very tall and skinny. The kids, in the meantime, are being chased after a waterbender named Hue, a fat man of average height, who can bend the water in plants. Hue, like Aang, heard a voice from the Swamp and became "enlightened" as he realized that the swamp's illusions reflect on life, death, the connection between the earth and all its organizations as a whole and that time is irrelevant. Using this newfound knowledge, Aang finds Appa and Momo and stop Tho and Due, who are more than happy to find fellow waterbenders outside of the Swamp in Aang and Katara.
Tho, Hue and Due appeared in "The Swamp".

2.7 Princess Ursa

"Rememeber this, Zuko. No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are."

Ursa is the wife of Ozai and mother to Prince Zuko and Princess Azula. She has only appeared in flashbacks in the episode Zuko Alone and not very much is known about her. It is shown that she is very protective of her son Zuko and may be one of the only members of the royal family (along with Uncle Iroh) who loves him. Shortly after the death of Iroh's son, her husband Ozai asked Azulon to pass Iroh over for the throne. Ozai declared Iroh is a quitter and unworthy for letting death get in his way of winning Ba Sing Se. This only infuriated Azulon saying that he will not betray Iroh shortly after the death of his beloved son but instead decided to punish Ozai for his rash request. It is unknown what this punishment was but Azula who who spied on the conversation claimed that Azulon was going to kill Ozai's first born son, Zuko, so Ozai knew how it felt to lose a child. The morning after Ursa disappeared and Azulon was proclaimed dead with Ozai announced as his successor. It is unknown what part Ursa had in these events but it is almost certain that she played a major role in order to protect her son Zuko.
There is much speculation regarding what Ursa did but there are two main theories, taking into account if what Azula said was true. It could be that Zuko's mother killed Fire Lord Azulon to protect her son from his punishment for Ozai and had to flee for her safety afterwards. However, it is mentioned that Fire Lord Azulon had a dying wish for Ozai to be Fire Lord, and if she has killed him and left, it would be difficult for anyone to know what that wish was. This gives reason to speculate that Ozai fabricated the content of his father's dying words to secure his position as Fire Lord. This seems likely as Azulon was gravely displeased at the suggestion that Iroh be surpassed in succession to the throne. Another possibility is that perhaps she offered her life in Zuko's place. This could be why Azula, after Zuko wakes up in his room, refuses to return his knife and snidely asks, "Who's going to make me? Mom?" and why Ozai was so still and quiet at the turtle duck pond (where Ursa is first seen) when Zuko demanded to know where Ursa was. When greeted by silence, Zuko fell quiet. It is unknown at the moment what fate she ultimately experienced. Since Princess Ursa did not appear at the funeral of Fire Lord Azulon, she did not have the opportunity to become Fire Lady Ursa and is still a Princess as well as Prince Ozai became Fire Lord Ozai.
"Ursa" is latin for "bear" - likely a reference to how protective she is of her children, mainly Zuko.
Ursa first appears in "Zuko Alone" and is voiced by Jen Cohn.

2.8 Xin Fu

"Nobody tricks Xin Fu!"

The head of the underground earthbending tournament, Earth Rumble VI, Xin Fu seems on the outside a nice enough guy, but when prompted with the possibilty that he has been cheated, his more underhanded side becomes clear. He kidnapped Aang and Toph when the Boulder suggested that Toph purposely lost the match to Aang and then split the money with him afterward. Though Xin Fu is seemingly a powerful Earthbender since he lasts longest against Toph, he is still defeated. He is then recruited by Toph's father to retrieve Toph who Aang "kidnapped" by "any means necessary", and is now pursuing Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph alongside Master Yu. He has also shown that if he catches Aang, he fully intends to sell him to the Fire nation for a large reward.
Xin Fu can mean "happiness" in Chinese. Xin Fu appears in the "The Blind Bandit".

2.9 Master Yu
A supposedly Master Earthbender who teaches the local earthbending-kids and provides private lessons to Toph, but only teaches her the basics (simple breathing exercises and stances) at the request of her father. Even though Master Yu is treated with a great deal of respect, he doesn't seem to be the powerful Earthbender that everyone treats him as. When recieving a free lesson, Aang is quickly beaten by a younger student, and Master Yu suggests that Aang pay for a year of lessons and that if he pays in advance, he'll bump him up to the next belt. This suggests that he is more a businessman than true master, as this is a common practice among less-than-reputable martial arts schools in America. He's now working alongside Xin Fu to retrieve Toph, whose father accused Aang of kidnapping her. Master Yu may simply be holding his real skills and knowledge back from his students so that he doesn't have to strain himself teaching them, or he may simply be a bad Earthbender, this remains to be seen.
He appears in "The Blind Bandit".

2.10 The Boulder
"The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young blind girl!"

A combatant in the Earth Rumble competition, "The Boulder" is a powerful earthbender who is clearly intended to parody professional wrestling and more specifically notable wrestler The Rock. Though his pro wrestling stage accent and his tendency to refer to himself in the third person cause him to sound unintelligent at times, he speaks with a degree of consideration and eloquence that suggests a greater intellect beneath his wrestler facade. He appears to be a decent human being at a base level, but is dedicated to winning and competing in the Earth Rumble tournament. He shows this through his inital reservations about attacking Toph when she confronts him during the final round of Earth Rumble VI.
The Boulder appears in The Blind Bandit. He also appears as the shadowed earthbending figure in the opening of the show.

WARNING>>>>
[glow=red,2,300]MAJOR SPOILER for EVERYONE![/glow]


3 Trading Card Game Characters

The following characters were revealed at the Flash Web site for Upper Deck Entertainment's Avatar: The Last Airbender Trading Card Game. However, it is unknown if these characters will ever appear in the series, or if they were created just for the card game.

3.1 Afiko the Betrayer

Afiko, an elder Airbender monk of the Southern Air Temple, grew jealous when his peers announced Aang's identity as the Avatar. Envious, he turned traitor and revealed the temple's location to the Fire Nation. They stormed the temple and slaughtered the other monks, but were too late to catch Aang, who had run away from home shortly before. Afiko was instrumental in engineering the genocide of his fellow Air Nomads, earning a place as Fire Lord Sozen's close advisor. The traitorous monk died long before Aang's return, and the subsequent undermining of all Afiko's work.
The story of Afiko's betrayal may be a tribute to the famous story of the destruction of the Southern Shaolin Temple in Fujian, China, where a monk collaborated with the Qing Dynasty's Manchurian army to infiltrate the temple, destroying it and slaughtering its residents.

3.2 Jojo the Kissing Bandit

Jojo, the Kissing Bandit is the Earth Kingdom's own famous female Robin Hood. A gentlewoman thief and Earthbender (seen in Avatar Trading Cards), this crafty young Earthbender's trademark is the red-lipstick kiss she leaves on her male victims. Her fame and relatively benign modus operandi leaves Earth Kingdom authorities tolerant, while some even fantasize about being her victim. Jojo has recently developed a crush on fellow fugitive Aang, from seeing his wanted posters .

3.3 Kinto the Waterbender

Kinto the Waterbender, originally of the North Pole's Northern Water Tribe, is a world traveller and a chronic practical joker who plays tricks on his friends, sometimes to the point of alienation. Kinto is known to be a big showoff. Never settling down for long, his ambition is to see the whole world.

3.4 Malu the Ghost Witch

Malu, the Ghost Witch of the Mountain, arose as a figure of Earth Kingdom legend in the years following the Fire Nation's first strikes. An enigmatic beauty who supposedly controlled the spirits, and seemingly vanished and appeared at will, Malu was truly an Airbender, whose mother hid her in a mountain cave to escape the Fire Nation's storming of the Eastern Air Temple. Her parents were Airbender monks and some of the war's first casualties. For years, she lived a solitary existence, and though no one knows for sure, some say she still makes her home in the mountain passes.

[sokkasgrl]

I knew about Malu and JoJo.

[Safeerah]

And did you know about jojos Crush ?

[FireGal]

never new this stuff
THANKS FOR SHARING FIRE

[zaria]

wow, lots of more info! thanx!

they may be characters soon to come; otherwise, the way i think it, why would they make them?

[Safeerah]

yeah

[flamefighter19]

wow.... and i thought i knew stuff. That blows me outta the water. lol

[Dooz]

*shields eyes* Ahh! Afiko's so UGLY!!!

[Safeerah]

Ugly is not the word...lol