How did a twelve-year-old boy become
the most powerful man on the planet?
Sometimes I forget what
a powerful bender that kid is.
As we study the evolution of Aang's power,
we'll be exploring his growth
in all four elements.
Each will have skills
that demonstrate functional
and combative proficiency.
We'll also check out his connection
to the Avatar State,
the Spirit World,
and energybending.
Born into the air nomads,
Aang began to master airbending
before he even knew he was the Avatar.
At age six, he was a better airbender
than kids twice his age.
By ten, he was better
than his own teachers.
And by twelve, he invented
the air scooter.
First, you form the ball,
then you gotta get on quick.
Despite his youthfulness,
he had already earned
the ceremonial tattoos
of a master airbender.
The youngest in history.
But the fun and games would soon end.
We have known you were
the Avatar for some time.
Normally, we would have told you
of your identity when you turned sixteen,
but there are troubling signs.
I feel that war may be upon us,
young Avatar.
We need you, Aang.
This moment changed Aang's life.
Everything he cared for
was about to be ripped away.
So, he attempted to flee from his destiny.
When a storm threatened
his and Appa's life,
Aang used his yet unrealized
Avatar powers
to seal them both inside a ball of frozen
energy for the next one hundred years.
Next thing I knew,
I was waking up in your arms
after you found me in the iceberg.
What's going on here?
You tell us!
How did you get in the ice?
And why aren't you frozen?
I'm not sure.
They began a journey north
in search of a waterbending teacher
and on that journey we saw
just how powerful airbending could be.
On a functional level, Aang could fly
with the help of his glider,
leap great distances and so much more.
Although the first time
Aang would air-bend in combat
would be against Prince Zuko
of the Fire Nation Royal Family.
Looking for me?
You're the airbender?
You're the Avatar?
Aang grew up
among the peaceful air nomads.
Violence doesn't come
naturally to pacifists,
but Aang did have one trick
up his robe.
What?! Did Aang just
spontaneously master waterbending?!
How did you do that?
With the water!
It was the most amazing thing
I've ever seen!
I don't know.
I just sort of did it.
Spoiler alert: Aang had tapped
into a spiritual mindset
called the Avatar State.
For the second time, actually.
The Avatar State is a defense mechanism,
designed to empower you with the skills
and knowledge of all the first Avatars.
The glow is the combination
of all your past lives
focusing their energy through your body.
It'd be a little while
before Aang learn this fact.
But one thing was clear:
this was his most powerful skill.
Even if it was more of a reflex.
Now, back to bending.
Aang had several
action-packed encounters
that continued to build
his combative airbending.
Typical airbender tactic.
Avoid and evade.
Aang was taught that fighting
should only be a counter reaction,
which is why his defense
was naturally great.
But Aang was now learning offense too.
Before long,
he could float like a flutter bat
and sting like a scorpion bee.
He began to demonstrate air blades...
projectile tunnels...
and even fan blasts!
It was as if his airbending
couldn't get any better!
So, what about his waterbending?
Well, not so fast.
While on the journey north,
Aang discovered one other ability:
his connection to the Spirit World.
You must be the Hei Bai spirit.
My name is--
Being the Avatar
means you're infused with Raava,
the spirit of light and peace.
You have the capacity to act as a bridge
between the Mortal World
and the Spirit World.
A skill Aang flexed prematurely.
The Sun is rising.
Perhaps he will return soon.
What?! No, I'm right here!
After accidentally projecting himself
into the Spirit World,
we eventually learned
there were other ways
to communicate with spirits.
Methods like meditation,
or through ceremonial shrines,
which is how Aang first spoke
to his previous incarnation.
It's good to see you, Aang.
What took you so long?
Talking with the late Avatar Roku
revealed quite a bit.
Mastering the elements takes years
of discipline and practice,
but if the world is to survive,
you must do it by summer's end.
I haven't even started waterbending
and we're still weeks away
from the North Pole!
What am I gonna do?!
Calm down. It's gonna be okay!
If you want, I can try and teach you
some of the stuff I know.
You'd do that?
Time for Waterbending 101.
Just push and pull the water like this.
The key is getting
the wrist movement right.
Like this?
Aang was quick at learning the basics,
much to Katara's chagrin.
Wow, I can't believe
you got that so quickly.
It took me two months to learn that move.
Well, you had to figure it out
all on your own.
I'm lucky enough to have a great teacher.
There may be other reasons why
this came so naturally to Aang.
As an air nomad, he's used to meditating,
focusing on the energy around him,
while waterbenders,
they rely on their own flow of energy.
You might compare it to like
using the same variables
in different math equations.
Looks like I got the hang of that move.
What else you got?
That's enough practicing for today.
Aang quickly exhausted Katara's
toolbox of waterbending basics,
though their joint education
was not drying up just yet.
Look at this, Aang!
It's a waterbending scroll.
Check out these crazy moves!
The team discovered
some rare instructions,
which included the water whip.
And, when the pirates they stole
that scroll from hunted down Team Avatar,
Aang and Katara explored
collaborative bending.
We need a team of rhinos
to budge this ship.
A team of rhinos
or two waterbenders.
Collaboration would help them move ships,
create whirlpools,
haul water from deep underground
and even manipulate clouds!
This is the first time Aang demonstrated
the abstract art of cloudbending,
a combination of air and waterbending,
perfect for warning
a superstitious village
against pending doom.
Oh, my!
Oh, and when that pending doom erupted,
Aang's current skill set
was put on display.
Interestingly enough,
Aang's predecessor, Avatar Roku,
he actually perished
in a similar conquest.
I guess lessons can transcend lifetimes.
Eventually, Team Avatar
made it to the North Pole,
where Aang studied under Master Pakku.
Now, Aang may have been
a talented student,
but his discipline was that
of a twelve-year-old boy.
- Pupil Aang.
- Yes, Master Pakku?
Care to step into the sparring circle?
I figured since you found time
to play with house pets,
you must have already
mastered waterbending.
I wouldn't say mastered,
but check this out.
Aang's enrollment in Pakku University came
to an end when the Fire Nation attacked.
Time for Aang's first major test:
stopping the Siege of the North.
His combative airbending
broke up the Fire Nation's
most destructive tools,
and he used his limited knowledge
of the Spirit World
to seek additional help.
This was the first time
Aang entered the Spirit World
through meditation,
and when all hope seemed lost,
Aang tapped into the Avatar State
to actually merge
with the Spirit of the Ocean!
Together, they eliminated
the Fire Nation threat.
For now.
But, what would this mean
for his education?
I've decided to go to the South Pole.
What about Aang?
He still needs to learn waterbending.
Well, then he better get used
to calling you Master Katara.
Still, Aang had more to learn,
and it would continue
under Katara's guidance.
Now, if finding a waterbending master
was a journey,
finding an earthbending teacher
would be more of a hunt.
Their first choice
only wanted to manipulate Aang.
This guy wanted to force
our young Avatar
into the powerful,
destructive Avatar State,
even if it meant using Katara as bait.
It worked! It worked!
On the flip side,
this is when Roku elaborated
on just what the Avatar State
actually was.
The good and the bad.
It's time you learned.
In the Avatar State
you're at your most powerful.
But you are also
at your most vulnerable.
What do you mean?
If you are killed in the Avatar State,
the reincarnation cycle will be broken
and the Avatar will cease to exist.
Quite the caveat, don't you think?
Aang pocketed this information
and chose not to study earthbending
under such a careless master.
We just have to find out a way
to control you when you're like that.
You're out of your mind.
The hunt for an earthbending master
continued
while Aang and Katara practiced
their waterbending skills.
Witness the Octopus Form!
And that's not the only muscle
he'd exercise.
Everything is connected.
He'd further embrace his spiritual
connections in this mysterious swamp
whose hallucinations actually led
to his future earthbending teacher.
Your champion!
The blind bender!
AKA Toph Beifong.
She's the greatest earthbender
I've ever seen.
She may have been blind,
but learning from the original
earthbenders, badgermoles,
taught her unparalleled talent.
Now, teaching that to Aang
was easier said than done.
Maybe there's another way.
What if I came at the boulder
from a different angle?
No, that's the problem.
You've got to stop thinking
like an airbender.
There's no different angle,
no clever solution.
No trickity trick
that's going to move that rock!
You've got to face it head on.
And when I say head on,
I mean like this!
As an air nomad, the methodology behind
earthbending wasn't connecting with Aang.
He was used to going with the flow,
not brute force.
The root of earthbending was essentially
the opposite of airbending.
Toph practically turned over
every stone trying to teach Aang
until he was forced to use
brute force to protect Sokka.
Do it now!
Earthbend, Twinkle Toes.
You just stood your ground
against a crazy beast.
Do it!
You did it!
You're an earthbender.
I can't believe it.
And there it is!
Aang unlocked the earthbending mindset.
Appa, Appa! I can earth-bend now!
The key is being completely rooted,
physically and mentally unmovable.
Woah!
This was finally a tool
whose offensive benefits came naturally,
like when he needed to defend himself
against the Fire Nation Princess, Azula.
Or when Team Avatar had to break
into the Earth Kingdom Palace.
Check out Aang's devastating pillar wave!
Aang's comfort with earthbending
developed rapidly,
fueled by escalating conflict
in a corrupt Earth Kingdom.
You're the Avatar?
Uh, no. Him.
Over here.
As Team Avatar began
to witness the complexity of war,
Aang decided to break away from bending
and refocus on his most powerful skill.
You said you could teach me
to gain control of the Avatar State.
How?
You must gain balance
within yourself
before you can bring balance to the world.
Mastering the Avatar State
would require opening all his chakras,
which are sort of pools
of energy in your body.
Each pool of energy has a purpose
and can be blocked by a specific kind
of emotional muck.
Be warned, opening the chakras
is an intense experience,
and once you begin this process,
you cannot stop until all seven are open.
Aang accepted the risk
and moved forward.
In the process, the Avatar
surrendered his fears, released his guilt.
But, when it came to letting go
of earthly ties,
especially when Katara
was suddenly in mortal danger,
I have to go!
No, Aang!
By choosing attachment,
you have locked the chakra.
If you leave now, you won't be able
to go into the Avatar State at all.
Aang left to rescue Katara.
And he found her, but it led
to a battle against Azula and Zuko.
He was using some powerful
bending techniques.
Aang even took a chapter from Toph's
playbook and made gemstone armor!
But, when it seemed like
the only option left
was the unmastered Avatar State,
it did not go well.
The beginning of the end.
Summer was heating up.
Aang mastered airbending,
was a great waterbender,
proficient earthbender,
but now, he could no longer access
the Avatar State.
Not with his chakra locked.
On top of that,
they had no idea
where to find
a firebending master.
Actually, Aang had found
a firebending master
long before he was ready to learn.
Before learning firebending,
you must learn water and earth.
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!
The master was right.
When Aang persisted, he learned firsthand
that playing with fire
is not child's play.
Katara!
I'm so sorry!
After burning Katara,
Aang swore off firebending.
But with the war coming to an apex,
he now knew there was no other option.
Still, his search for a teacher wasn't
looking good until a teacher found him.
Hello, Zuko here.
Zuko's own complicated struggle
left him a changed man.
And as the great grandson
of Avatar Roku,
who better to teach Aang firebending?
What was that?!
That was the worst
firebending I've ever seen!
I thought it was nice.
On second thought, maybe Zuko
wouldn't be the best teacher.
He had essentially lost
his ability to fire-bend.
Firebending had been largely taught
as an act of destruction,
fueled by your most
aggressive emotions.
I don't want to rely on hate
and anger anymore.
There has to be another way.
You're going to need to learn to draw
your firebending from a different source.
I recommend the original source.
Eventually, they found
that source: dragons!
Ran and Shaw were the original
masters of firebending,
and they deemed Aang and Zuko
worthy enough
to impart the burning arts' true nature.
All this time I thought
firebending was destruction,
but now I know what it really is.
It's energy and life.
Finally, he had mastered firebending!
He had achieved control
over every element,
and he did it in a way
that would make the monks proud.
All that was left was to save the world.
The end of summer was here.
Fire Lord Ozai was preparing
to eliminate the entire Earth Kingdom.
It appeared Aang's only choice
was to kill Ozai to maintain balance,
though he knew death
couldn't be the only answer.
To find another option,
Aang was able to ask his past selves even
while the Avatar State was still locked.
You must be decisive.
Only justice will bring peace.
You must actively shape your own destiny
and the destiny of the world.
No one gave him the answer
he wanted to hear.
All signs still pointed
towards a violent end,
until one even older adviser.
Darkness thrives in the void,
but always yields to purifying light.
What did this mean?
Too late to figure it out!
Ozai was in action, which meant
it was time for Aang's final test.
Please, listen to me!
We don't have to fight!
You have the power to end it here
and stop what you're doing.
I do have the power.
I have all the power in the world!
Aang put on an impressive performance,
but when redirecting lightning,
a potential death blow to Ozai,
he couldn't do it.
Ozai took advantage and eventually
backed our hero into a corner.
Then finally, when all hope was lost,
destiny knocked.
Like earthly acupuncture,
Aang's chakra was unlocked,
and the Avatar State
was ready to take no prisoners.
The moment of truth.
Would he slay the Fire Lord?
Would his past lives compel him
to do the unthinkable?
No.
Deep down in his heart, Aang knew
that life wasn't the enemy.
Ozai's life was not the enemy.
Power was the enemy.
So Aang took Ozai's power away.
That's right! Aang used
the unknown power of energybending
to remove Ozai's power, eliminating
the tyrant's firebending altogether!
At twelve years old, Avatar Aang
mastered all four elements.
He saved the world,
and he refused to let his own power
corrupt his internal harmony.
Beyond that, he mastered control
over the Avatar State,
discovered energybending,
and maintained a deep connection
with the Spirit World.
After the Hundred Year War,
he continued to fight for peace,
helped create Republic City,
started a family with Katara,
and after passing on,
Aang would guide the next avatar,
as Roku had once done for him.
When we hit our lowest point,
we are open to the greatest change.
Now, what was your favorite Aang moment?
What display of power
did you love the most?
Comment below and keep watching
for all things Avatar!
You're the man, Twinkle Toes!
