Tuesday, August 5, 2008
avatar: the last airbender main characters

NOTE: THESE ARE TAKEN FROM CARTOONWATHER.COM SITE. I ONLY REPOSTED IT FOR MY OWN COPY.











Aang
Aang
The fun-loving, 12-year-old (plus 100 years spent in suspended animation) titular character of the series and the current incarnation of the Avatar, the spirit of the planet manifested in human form. As the Avatar, Aang must master all four elements to bring peace to the world. This burden was dropped on his shoulders early in life and eventually led to his being frozen in suspended animation for one hundred years until awakened by Katara and Sokka. Aang's shaved head is a symbol of his status as a monk of the Air Nomads and the blue, arrow-shaped tattoos mark him as an Airbending Master. He comes from the Southern Air Temple where his guardian was Monk Gyatso. All of his kind died after he ran away, having overheard that he would have to be separated from his guardian. However, after his new friends Katara and Sokka, members of the Southern Water Tribe, broke him out of a massive ball of ice, which he remained in for the 100 years he was in suspended animation, he quickly learns about the war going on between the Fire Nation and the other three nations.

When Aang was a child, he unknowingly revealed that he was the reincarnation of the Avatar when he chose four specific toys out of thousands. These four toys--a string-powered propeller (Air), a clay turtle flute (Water), a wooden Hog-Monkey (Earth) and a wooden hand drum (Fire)--were the same ones that past Avatars had chosen for generations when they were children. This is the same procedure a child must go through in order to be recognized as the reincarnation of a Tulku Lama in Tibetan Buddhism.

Raised by Airbender monks, Aang grew up in the idyllic surroundings of the Southern Air Temple. Aang was a carefree young boy, given to frequent travel, play, and possessing an almost effortless mastery over his native element. His world drastically changed when the monks revealed that he was the Avatar, destined to master all four elements and bring peace to the world.



Katara
The 14-year-old, sole remaining Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe who, along with her brother Sokka, discovers Aang. She and Sokka accompany him on his quest to defeat the Fire Lord and bring peace to the war-torn nations. She is a very gifted Waterbender who, by season two, achieves her dream of becoming a master Waterbender. Katara grew up as the mature, motherly figure of her family and tribe. When Katara was eight years old, her mother was killed in a Fire Nation raid. Because of this, Katara adopted the responsibilities left by her deceased mother. Though her interests lie in developing her waterbending skills, she resigned herself to cooking and cleaning duties while her brother, Sokka, trained to become a warrior.

At the age of twelve, Katara saw the departure of her father, Hakoda, and the other tribesmen to the Earth Kingdom to participate in the war effort against the Fire Nation. This left her, alongside her brother and grandmother, Kanna ("Gran Gran"), to look after the tribe. In "The Serpent's Pass," a refugee goes into labor and Katara delivers the baby, claiming she did it lots of times, proving how much responsibility she had in her former home. Not only does she have experience delivering human babies, Katara claims to have delivered baby seals as well.



Sokka
A 15-year-old warrior of the Southern Water Tribe who, with his sister Katara, accompanies Aang on his quest to defeat the Fire Lord. Unlike his three human companions, Sokka cannot bend an element. He constantly struggles to deal with his lack of mystical power in a world filled by Benders. Sokka grew up in his village as an aspiring warrior-in-training of the Southern Water Tribe. Forced to mature quickly when his mother was killed in a Fire Nation raid, he cultivated his warrior skills with a militant zeal, while his sister Katara did chores and practiced Waterbending. When he was thirteen, his father and the other village men left to fight alongside the Earth Kingdom in the war against the Fire Nation, leaving him and his sister to look after their tribe with their grandmother, Gran Gran. Apparently the oldest male left at the South Pole, by the time he was fifteen he seems to have developed a semi-leadership role (or at least assumed one for himself), trying to train children to be a new generation of defenders.



Toph
A 12-year-old, blind Earthbender who leaves her wealthy lifestyle and home to join Aang on his quest in season two. Her parents are incredibly overprotective, leading her to rebel and fight in underground tournaments. Her popularity as "The Blind Bandit" attracts a hopeful Aang who, at that time, was looking for an Earthbender to teach him. Though blind, Toph has been shown to be a very exceptional Earthbender, possessing abilities unique only to her, such as bending metal. Toph is the one and only child of the wealthy Bei Fong family, who reside in the Earth Kingdom town of Gaoling and whose symbol is a flying boar. Toph's parents are very protective of her, viewing her blindness as a disability in every sense of the word. They assume that she is weak and vulnerable to everything around her. To avoid risk and danger, they kept her at the beginner level of earthbending for over six years, had guards keep close watch on her at all times, and kept the knowledge of her existence from the public.



Zuko
The exiled 16-year-old prince of the Fire Nation who is obsessed with capturing the Avatar in his quest to restore his honor and to redeem himself in the eyes of his father, Fire Lord Ozai. After being branded a traitor at the beginning of Book Two, he begins to change from a spoiled prince to an outcast who begins to pity and bond with the same people his nation terrorized. When Zuko was about eleven years old, his cousin, Lu Ten, died while away at war. Soon after, General Iroh, devastated by the loss of his only child, abandoned his two-year siege of the Earth Kingdom Capital City, Ba Sing Se. During an audience with Fire Lord Azulon, Ozai shows off Azula's prodigious Firebending skill and her knowledge of military strategy, both of which outstrip Zuko's. Azulon is unimpressed by all of these exercises and demands that Ursa and her children leave and Ozai be frank about his reasons for wanting the audience. Azula and Zuko eavesdrop on Ozai and Azulon’s conversation as Ozai voices his desire to be made heir in place of Iroh, justifying this course of action by pointing out that not only has Iroh’s overwhelming grief and subsequent erratic behavior made the date of his return from war uncertain, but that Iroh no longer has any heirs to carry on his line. Azulon, however, is outraged and he declares angrily that Iroh has suffered enough, but Ozai’s suffering has only just begun.



Azula
The 14-year-old princess of the Fire Nation, Zuko's younger sister, Iroh's niece, and Fire Lord Ozai's favorite child. Azula has been especially cruel all her life. Her mind is set on war and power; she manipulates and even tortures others, including her brother.Azula was born to Prince Ozai and Princess Ursa about two years after her brother, Zuko. She was first seen in the audience at Zuko's ill-fated Agni Kai. She is named for her grandfather, Ozai's father, Fire Lord Azulon. Azula grew up in the riches, splendor, and privileges of being royalty in the Fire Nation. Her sharp wits and the fact that she is a Firebending prodigy gained great attention and acclaim, and quickly made her Ozai's favorite child. Her father began raising her as his true heir early on, taking her into his confidence and grooming her in politics, while mostly ignoring Zuko. From the quality of her ship and soldiers, her favored status was readily apparent.

Even when she was only nine years old, Azula displayed her natural talents, along with her tendency for malice and perfection. When Ty Lee succeeded in performing a cartwheel after Azula had fallen over attempting to do her own, Azula replied by shoving her friend to the ground and laughing gleefully. When she saw the nine-year-old Mai attempting to hide her crush on Azula's brother, Azula used her acting and cunning to convince her mother to make Zuko play with them. "Playing" was quickly defined as forcing Zuko to tackle Mai into a fountain while trying to save her from a flaming apple on her head.



Iroh
A retired Fire Nation general and Prince Zuko's uncle, who is also branded a traitor in Book Two. Iroh is the older brother of Fire Lord Ozai and was the original heir to the throne of the Fire Nation. Iroh is an immensely powerful Firebender of the highest order who accompanies his nephew in his quest to capture the Avatar. He looks upon Zuko as a son more than as a nephew, especially after the loss of his only son, Lu Ten. Iroh was the firstborn son of Fire Lord Azulon and Fire Lady Ilah. Iroh was destined to succeed Azulon as Fire Lord of the Fire Nation, but because of the mysterious events surrounding Azulon's death, and Iroh's abandonment of the siege on Ba Sing Se to grieve for his son, Lu Ten, Iroh's younger brother, Ozai, succeeded their father to the throne.