The Avatar is the spirit of the planet incarnate in human form, and the only physical being with the ability to practice all four bending disciplines. It is considered the Avatar's duty to master the four elemental disciplines, and use such power to keep balance amongst the four nations of the world. With the death of the Avatar, the spirit is reborn into the following nation, dictated by the cyclic order; Water, Earth, Fire, Air. Coincidentally, the cycle of reincarnation corresponds to the cycle of the seasons; each of which is affiliated with a particular nation and element; Water and Winter, Earth and Spring, Fire and Summer, Air and Autumn. The cycle is also the traditional order in which any one Avatar is to master the elements, beginning at which ever element they were born into. The Avatar possesses an innate connection to the Spirit World, and uses it as a bridge by which to reconcile the two worlds and ensure harmony. The Avatar is also capable of using this ability to contact the spirits of previous Avatars, and harness their combined energy to perform feats of bending beyond that of any other bender. Throughout the ages, countless incarnations of the Avatar have served to maintain harmony in the world. Each nation has a method of recognizing the new Avatar. Among the Air Nomads, this involved presenting all infants with a selection of toys to play with, and watching for a child that selected four specific toys that had belonged to past Avatars, called the Four Avatar Relics. Traditionally, the child is told of their identity as the Avatar on their sixteenth birthday (although the current Avatar, Aang, was told much earlier than this because of Fire Nation aggression). Avatars also possess the unique ability to use Energybending, though very few Avatars learned this technique, and even fewer have used it. Avatar Aang learned this technique from a Giant Lion Turtle and used it to remove Phoenix King Ozai's Firebending during "Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang". When the Avatar masters the Four Elements, namely Air, Water, Earth and Fire, and also gains control of the Avatar State, he or she is commonly noted to be a 'Fully Realized Avatar'.
The reincarnations of the Avatar are controlled by the Avatar Cycle of the elements: Water, Earth, Fire, Air. The cycle is based of the passage of the four seasons (water is winter, earth is spring, fire is summer and air is autumn). When an Avatar dies, the next Avatar will be born into the next nation in the Avatar Cycle (for example, Avatar Yangchen from the Air Nomads was followed by Avatar Kuruk from the Water Tribe, who was followed by Avatar Kyoshi from the Earth Kingdom, who was followed by Avatar Roku from the Fire Nation, who was followed by Avatar Aang from the Air Nomads. Once Aang dies, the Avatar will be reincarnated as Korra born of the Southern Water Tribe). The new Avatar will be born within approximately a week of the previous Avatar's death, hence the collective Spirit bonds with a baby close to birth rather than being reincarnated into a totally new body in the traditional sense. It is unknown if there is a pattern in the re-incarnation cycle that determines whether a particular Avatar will be male or female, although visions seen by Aang displaying previous Avatars seem to suggest there is not. (Interestingly, the last four avatars followed the pattern female-male-female-male, though Aang breaks this pattern) The Avatar Cycle also determines the order in which each Avatar must learn the four bending disciplines. The Avatar begins by mastery of his or her native elements (so an Avatar born into the Water Tribe would first learn Waterbending). The Avatar then goes on to learn the three remaining bending disciplines in the order of the cycle (the Water Tribe Avatar would learn first Waterbending, then Earthbending, then Firebending, and finally Airbending, in that order). Avatar Aang, however, due to his unique situation, tries to learn Firebending as his second element (with Jeong Jeong) but ends up learning Firebending later after some advice from Jeong Jeong to master water and earth first.
If Aang truly is the last Airbender, then the cycle will be broken. If Aang dies before siring a child (whether that child is an Airbender or just carries the potential for a child of its own to be an Airbender), then after the Avatar reincarnates through the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, and Fire Nation, there will be no one from the Air Nomads for the spirit to choose.
However, over time more Airbenders might be born, so the population could grow back to save the cycle. The Avatar cycle can take as short a time as 300 years, or as long as 500 years or more, to make a full rotation. That could be enough time to re-grow the population of Airbenders.
This issue seems to have been partially resolved as Aang will have an Airbender child named Tenzin, hence it is possible that the Airbenders could be repopulated. However if this is the only method available to restore the Airbenders it would take a lot of time to do so.
This currently appears to be the case as no Airbenders beyond Tenzin have been confirmed in Avatar: Legend of Korra.
The only other way they could learn Airbending if Aang manages to leave behind information on Airbending, like the scrolls used by Waterbenders to teach Waterbending or the Dancing Dragon Statues in the Sun Warrior Ruins.
Considering that the Air Nomads were wanderers by nature, it is also possible that some of them had offspring in other nations, therefore surviving the raids. While a character with progenitors from different nations has never been introduced, it's likely that one with Air Nomad ancestry might be able to learn Airbending, should he/she have the potential and be properly taught.
However, the creators have confirmed Aang is the last Airbender, given Tenzin exists in The Legend of Korra it can be presumed that Aang was the last Airbender during the original series.
The cycle of Avatars has already nearly been broken. When Azula shoots Aang with lightning in "Crossroads of Destiny" he admits later that he was "gone" and that Katara had brought him "back". He did repair the cycle and save the cycle, however, due to Katara healing him.
With the introduction of Energybending, it is possible that Aang simply has to Energybend the ability of Airbending to someone or a large number of people, and thus create a new diverse group of Airbenders for the Avatar spirit to choose from, assuming that Energybending has the ability to grant bending ability as well as remove them. This does seem possible, since the ability to Energybend was most likely directly bestowed on Aang by the Lion Turtle through Energybending, though as an Avatar he already had the potential of learning it.
In "The Deserter", Avatar Roku stated "I have mastered the elements a thousand times in a thousand lifetimes, and now I must do it once more...". It can be speculated that Aang is the 1001st incarnation of the Avatar, although his words may also be a conservative estimate, an outright exaggeration or simply a metaphor. Although this may not be the case, for in the Southern Air Temple sanctuary and in Aang's Spirit World trips during "The Avatar State" and "Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang", it can be seen that there have been many Avatars, possibly even a thousand or more.
If taken literally, this would mean that the first ever Avatar was an Air Nomad, which should not be surprising, due to the high level of spirituality of the Air Nomads.
If taken literally in conjunction with the fact that an Avatar Cycle takes some 300-500 years to complete, that means that the Avatar Era has been going on for some 75,000-125,000 years. Meaning it stretches far into the paleolithic, if not to the dawn of the human species.
Since the Avatar State is a defense mechanism designed to empower the Avatar with the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars, along with the combined power of all their past lives, it seems clear that for each succeeding Avatar, the Avatar State becomes an even more powerful tool due to the continued addition of Avatars to the state.
This also means that the first Avatar had no profit from the Avatar State, as it was just his/her own powers.
Since Roku was shown in old age, and Kyoshi not, and Aang physically wore Fire Nation clothes yet entered the Spirit World with his monk robes and no hair, it is possible that an Avatar in the Spirit World can control what they look like, or they merely manifest visually as how they see themselves.
It is possible that Avatars are often 'extremely' long lived, should they not be killed in the line of their duties. Kyoshi was stated to have lived 230 years and Aang's eventual death in his (physical) late 60s or early 70s is acknowledged (by the series creators) to be an early death partially caused by the strain put on him during his 100 years in the iceberg.
It should be noted other individuals within the Avatar World have lived long lives; King Bumi, Fire LordSozin, and Guru Pathik were all centenarians and still very active.
It is unknown how the Avatar would learn of his/her status where he/she was born in the Foggy Swamp Tribe, Sandbender Tribes, or even the Sun Warriors, as the tribes are (with the exception of the second) disconnected with the rest of the world. It is also unknown how the first several Avatars found out about their status.
It is stated several times in the series (more specifically "Winter Solstice Part 2: Avatar Roku", "The Deserter" and "The Waterbending Scroll") that the Avatar can easily learn the four Bending Arts because he/she has done it in his/her past lives. This would mean each succeeding Avatar will become more powerful than the previous one.
However, in the episode "Bitter Work", the plot centers on Aang having difficulty mastering Earthbending, which may contradict this concept the idea.
It is, though, more likely that all Avatars suffer this problem when confronted with the opposite art to which they started with as they would have to go against their own native teachings and fighting style. Katara believed this when Aang was trying to learn Earthbending and it seemed to be confirmed by Roku in "The Avatar and the Fire Lord", as he stated that he experienced difficulty mastering Waterbending.
The Avatar is capable of bending more than one element at the same time. Aang first demonstrated this ability while in Ba Sing Se when he used his Earthbending to make a zoo while traveling on the Air Scooter made by his Airbending. Aang may also have used this ability on his way to Roku's Island to provide cloud cover for Appa using a combination of Airbending and Waterbending, though he may also have been using only Airbending, instead of both Airbending and Waterbending. During his battle with Ozai, Aang used all four elements while in the Avatar State to make himself nearly invincible and used these elements in a highly destructive attack. This consisted of him first bending air into a spherical shield around himself like he normally does while in the Avatar State, but then using Firebending to create flames and then compressing the flames into a ring around the Air Shield. Next, Aang broke incredibly big chunks of earth using Earthbending and compressed these boulders into small rocks and suspended them lined up in a ring around him. Finally he used Waterbending and compressed water into the final ring around him. The compression of the elements provided Aang with materials for bending all four elements without sacrificing too much size and speed thus making this an extremely dangerous attack, both defensively and offensively.
The most powerful ability that an Avatar can invoke is the Avatar State. This allows an Avatar to channel immense cosmic energies and knowledge of all previous Avatars, enabling them to perform epic acts of bending. Avatars yet to fully realize their power may unconsciously enter such a state in response to perception of mortal danger (a "defense mechanism" as Avatar Roku puts it) or emotional distress. During this state, an incompletely trained Avatar has access to bending techniques they themselves have yet to learn, but has no conscious control and likely causes great collateral damage. Fully realized Avatars have full conscious control over the state, and can enter and exit the state at will. It was by entering the Avatar State that Aang was able to freeze himself and Appa into an iceberg for 100 years, by using a combination of Airbending and Waterbending. While in the Avatar State, the Avatar's eyes glow - as do any body markings following Chi paths (such as Air Nomad body markings), although if the body has received an injury deeper than the tattoo then that spot will not glow in the state. It is not known if re-tattooing the area (once the injury has healed) would enable it to glow again. The glow is the combination of all the past lives, focusing their energy through the body. When Aang speaks in the Avatar State, his voice sounds like a cross between a few different voices at once, his and what is presumed to be past Avatars, whose voices appear to reverberate. It is unknown if any other type of tattoo may glow on an Avatar in the State; however, it has been stated by series creators that Air Nomad tattoos glow when in the Avatar State because they follow chi lines in the body. Thus, if a tattoo is not near a chi line or point, it is unlikely it would glow. Curiously in "Avatar Aang", several Air Nomad Avatars were shown with only their eyes glowing. It is most likely this was an error (as each time Aang used the State his tattoos glowed) or because this was in a vision in Aang's head. Avatar Roku entering the Avatar State.
It is possible for an Avatar to control the Avatar State, as Aang, Roku, Kyoshi, Kuruk, Yangchen, and the unknown Fire Nation Avatar have demonstrated in numerous flashbacks, but this requires great spiritual discipline and concentration (Guru Pathik attempted to teach Aang to control the Avatar State by helping him clear his chakras but Aang could not let go of Katara in exchange for cosmic power). More often, however, the Avatar State is activated by danger or emotional turmoil. In "The Southern Air Temple", Aang inadvertently enters the Avatar State when he discovers that his friend and teacher, Monk Gyatso, was killed by Fire Nation soldiers; in "The Avatar State", Aang entered the Avatar State when General Fong placed Katara in danger by pulling her into the ground with Earthbending. When an Avatar is in complete control of the Avatar State, their eyes glow momentarily, not constantly. However during most of Aang's fight with Ozai in "Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang" Aang's eyes and tattoos glowed continuously. Arguably, this may be because of how he was using the state at the time, or an indication he hadn't completely mastered the State until he stopped himself from killing Ozai, as when he puts out the fires in Wulong Forest the glow is only momentary. Aang at his most powerful.
It is possible for an Avatar to channel a specific previous incarnation while in the Avatar State. When this happens, the Avatar briefly takes on the appearance and voice of that previous incarnation. Aang has done this on several occasions, channeling Roku in "Winter Solstice Part 2: Avatar Roku" and "The Deserter", and Kyoshi in "Avatar Day", and the four Avatars before him in "Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters". The appearance of these incarnations seems to vary as Roku always appears as an old man while all the other avatar incarnations appear youthful and in their prime. While it is possible that the ages they appear to be represent their ages at death, it is unlikely since Avatar Kyoshi lived for 230 years and would not have kept the same appearance all that time. It is equally possible that those in the Spirit World manifest visually as they see themselves and not as they currently are. Aang sees himself garbed in Air Nomad attire and with a shaved head within the Spirit World, even when he was wearing different clothes in the physical world, and had hair.
When the State works continuously, the Avatar's eyes, and tattoos (in the case of an Air Nomad Avatar) glow constantly, and the Spirits of the past Avatars actively channel their energy, skills and knowledge through the body of the current Avatar, granting him/her great amounts of power. The State has been seen to work this way almost exclusively as instinctive unconscious reaction, as the 'defense mechanism' Roku described the State as, when an Avatar (who has yet to master the State) is confronted with a threat beyond that they can deal with, or when their emotions (specifically rage and sorrow) reach a breaking point. So it may perhaps be more accurate to describe the state being used this way as 'reflexively' rather then 'continuously'. When the State is triggered this way the combined spirits of the past Avatars seem to take control of the Avatar's body, thus the current Avatar has little to no control over his/her actions and retains little to no memory of what he/she did. Aang appeared to use the State this way against Fire Lord Ozai, after the scar was forced against a rock unlocking his final Chakra. However, it is unclear if he was in control of his actions at the time or if it was being used reflexively before he gained control by sheer force of will. Thus, it is not clear if an Avatar who has mastered the Avatar State can trigger the State this way, or if they could control their actions if they did. Unlike previous times where Aang entered the state, he wasn't physically exhausted and he obviously had knowledge of what was going on, which may indicate he was indeed in control. However his exiting of the state prior to killing Ozai and verbal refusal to kill Ozai may indicate that he was more aware of his actions then before, possibly due to unlocking all but the last Chakra, and regained control from the collective spirit.
When the State is used non-continuously, the Avatar's eyes and tattoos (in the case of an Air Nomad Avatar) glow only for a second, and during that time the current Avatar stores the knowledge and energy needed within him/herself so that he can release it once he exits the state, taking only the power he needs for a specific task. This reduces the danger of being killed in the Avatar State and enables a more willful, controlled use of the Avatar State's power. This can only be done by an Avatar who has mastered the State as it is a conscious use rather than an instinctual response. Mastery of this technique is part of what distinguishes an Avatar as "Fully Realized".
The Avatar State also allows an Avatar to join with certain spirits. This was demonstrated in the episode "The Siege of the North, Part 2", when Aang enters the Avatar State in order to aid the frantic Ocean Spirit. Both Aang in his Avatar State and the Ocean Spirit combine their abilities to defend the Northern Water Tribe after all Waterbenders are rendered defenseless.
While Aang, or any other Avatar, is all but invincible in the Avatar State, having millions of bending experiences which can surpass an army of benders, there is one grave weakness - in effect, every Avatar, that is, the entity of the earth's spirit, is present in the physical world while the current Avatar is in the Avatar State. If the Avatar were to be killed while in the Avatar State, every Avatar would die with him. This would break the cycle permanently and the Avatar would cease to exist. And presumably, without an Avatar to maintain the balance, the entire world would soon follow. Aang almost bringing about the end of the Avatar Spirit.
In "The Crossroads of Destiny", Aang was fatally wounded by a lightning strike from Azula while entering the Avatar State. As a result, his connection with the Avatar Spirit was jeopardized, resulting in the Avatar Spirit to fall from the plane of existence. Fortunately, Aang was not killed outright by Azula's attack, giving Katara time to use the Spirit Water she received from Pakku to heal Aang, reviving Aang and consequently the Avatar Spirit. The strain of the revival caused Aang to slip into a coma for several weeks, and during that time, he managed to secure his connection to the Avatar State in the Escape from the Spirit World online comic, by meeting with the four Avatar incarnations before him. However, it took longer for his connection to his past lives to be completely restored. Another downside to the Avatar State is the considerable mental strain it can cause to less experienced Avatars and the long-term effects that its repeated use can cause in more experienced Avatars. Prior to his tutelage under the guru Pathik, Aang would often leave the Avatar State feeling horrified at what he'd done under its influence. Further the use of the state, at least in extraordinary circumstances, can place such a large physical strain on an Avatar's body that their life-span can be affected, as the series creators have stated that Aang's 100 years in the iceberg contributes greatly to his eventual death in his late 60s or early 70s (biologically). On the other end of things, repeated use of the Avatar State has a tendency to cause apathy on the part of the Avatar, as the increased awareness about the sheer size of time and space makes everything seem small and insignificant. This may have contributed to Avatar Kuruk's negligence in his duties, which caused the malevolent spirit Koh to take his beloved Ummi away from him. Similarly, the Avatar Kyoshi used her powers to split her village off from the mainland, in the process killing Chin. Though she viewed this as a small price to pay for peace, her actions angered Chin's people and created ill will that Aang was forced to redress four centuries later.
One hundred years preceding the series, Aang used it to save himself and Appa from their fall into the ocean. Both were sealed into an ice encrusted air pocket that eventually froze into an iceberg. Aang would remain in the State until he was released from the iceberg around 100 years later, this gives a hint to the incredible power available to the Avatar.
However this lengthy use of the state is ascribed to be a major factor to Aang's eventual death in his (physical) late 60s or early 70s.
Aang used it in the episode "The Avatar Returns" to escape another fall into the ocean and to stop Zuko. He Waterbends a water spout in the form of a twister.
In the episode "The Southern Air Temple", Aang falls into the State after witnessing the skeleton of his former mentor and foster father Monk Gyatso. In his anguished-induced state, he generated hurricane-force winds. In this event, it is shown that depictions of previous Avatars (such as sculptures or murals) react to the Avatar state, even when far away, glowing in the same manner that the Avatar in the image would.
In the episode "Winter Solstice Part 2: Avatar Roku", Aang meets Avatar Roku in the fire temple. Roku helped him and friends escape by directly taking over Aang's body and activating the volcano underneath the temple.
In the episode "The Storm", Aang almost enters into the Avatar State while telling Katara that Monk Gyatso and he were to be separated.
In the episode "The Storm", Aang enters the state after saving Sokka and a fisherman, rounding up everyone that fell into the ocean and pulling them out of the water into the calmness of the storm's eye.
In the episode "The Siege of the North, Part 2", Aang combines power with the spirit of the Ocean, La, after all Waterbenders are rendered powerless, and proceeds to lay waste to the Fire Nation fleet besieging the city.
In the episode "The Avatar State", Aang enters the Avatar State when General Fong uses Earthbending to bury Katara underground to force Aang into the Avatar State. He uses Airbending to knock the general to the floor, rises into the air on a tornado, and crashes down to the earth, releasing a powerful Earthbending attack on the general, his guards, and his fortress. A small air sphere surrounds Aang before the spirit of Avatar Roku takes him to the Spirit World to explain to him about the true nature of the Avatar State. In several flashbacks, we can see Avatar Kyoshi, Avatar Kuruk, Avatar Yangchen, and an unnamed fire Avatar in the Avatar State.
In the episode "Avatar Day", we see Avatar Kyoshi enter the Avatar State in a flashback. In the Avatar State, Kyoshi splits her home land from the mainland creating Kyoshi Island.
In the episode "The Desert", Aang enters the Avatar State when infuriated at Appa's kidnappers (a group of Sandbenders). A large air sphere surrounds him, lifting him up into the air, but is brought down by Katara, who grabs his arm and embraces him.
In the episode "The Crossroads of Destiny", Aang finally is willing to give up Katara to open the last chakra and willingly go into the Avatar State, but he is soon struck by lightning from Princess Azula.
In the episode "The Avatar and the Fire Lord", the Avatar State is used many times by Avatar Roku. In flashbacks, Avatar Roku uses the Avatar State twice, first in a battle with Fire Lord Sozin, then as an attempt to stop a volcanic eruption.
In the episode "Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang", Aang suffers a blow to the back while fighting Ozai, the same spot where Azula struck him with lightning, which reopens his chakra and enables him to effectively use the Avatar State. He collected all four elements and compressed them in a sphere around him, moving at incredible speed, plowing straight through obstacles where his opponent Ozai had to dodge said obstacles. The sphere can be used both for offense and defense. Since the sphere contains all four elements, it allowed Aang to Earthbend and Waterbend while away from a source. It is unclear if Aang had complete control of the Avatar State during the fight as his eyes and tattoos glowed continuously, as opposed to other known Avatars, whose eyes glowed only for a moment when using the Avatar State. After the fight was over, Aang used it once again; pulling in the ocean to put out the fire at Wulong Forest, before lowering the tide back again; this time, entering a momentary glow with realized control.
Aang does not enter the Avatar State during meditation and harmony with the spirits around him, but his tattoos and eyes glow in the same way. In this method, he visits the spirit world with his own spirit, leaving his body a defenseless shell in the real world. An example of this was seen in "The Siege of the North, Part 1."
Known Times Aang Used Meditation to Enter the Spirit World Edit
In the episode "Winter Solstice Part 1: The Spirit World," Aang is accidentally trapped in the Spirit World while chasing after a rampaging beast. The beast (later found to be an angry forest spirit) changed worlds at sunrise nearing the winter solstice, and Aang was too close when it happened.
In the episode "The Siege of the North, Part 1," Aang meditates into the spirit world to find a way to save the North Pole.
In the episode "The Swamp," Aang meditates at the center of the Swamp, and locates Appa and Momo by connecting with the whole swamp.
In the episode "The Avatar and the Fire Lord," Aang meditates on Avatar Roku's home Island to meet him in the Spirit World. Curiously when Aang is shown from a non-Spiritual World perspective after crossing over, his tattoos aren't glowing, which differs from previous occasions when his tattoos remained glowing.
While the Avatar's eyes, and tattoos in the case of an Air Nomad Avatar, usually glow white with a tinge of blue in the Avatar State there are times when it has been white, for example in "The Desert". It is possible that the intensity of the color could be affected by the intensity of emotions.
The glow while in the Avatar State was influenced from the anime FLCL, which the creators are fans of.
In Sanskrit/Hindi, Avatara means "descent" in verb form and "incarnation" in noun form.
In "The Southern Air Temple" with "Avatar Extras" bonus commentary, one of the commentary bubbles stated that the next Avatar will be decided by the season that they are born in and the cycle, so technically if the next Avatar is born just as the previous one dies, then you could predict the season that Avatar will die in.
Avatar Extras note a recurring joke regarding those who battle fully realized Avatars as ending up "looking stupid", as shown in "Avatar Day" when Chin the Conqueror challenged Avatar Kyoshi, and ended up having all his clothes blown off, leaving him standing in front of his army in his undergarments. When Fire Lord Sozin fought Avatar Roku in "The Avatar and the Fire Lord", Sozin was left hanging from a stone pillar by the back of his robe. In the series finale when Fire Lord Ozai battled Avatar Aang, he was left powerless and could barely move, being insulted by Toph, Sokka, and Suki.
Aang goes into the "continuous" Avatar State nine times in the whole series, but only once in the "non-continuous".
Strangely, the biological parents of the known Avatars are never mentioned.
While Aang is in the Southern Air Temple, looking at the statue of his past life, Avatar Roku, you can see the Avatar to the left should be Avatar Kyoshi, but instead there can be seen an un-named male Earthbender.
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