Why Aang's Power In Avatar: The Last Airbender Is More Terrifying Than You Think
The furious fighters from Nickelodeon's hit series Avatar: The Last Airbender are shown boasting some awesome powers over the course of the original series' three seasons. With just the four basic elements of earth, air, water, and fire, we see characters do everything from fly to lift entire cities and split landmasses apart. The feats of each character live up to the series' fantasy setting.
It should be no surprise that in a show called Avatar, the eponymous character is far and away the most powerful person on-screen most of the time. If Avatar Aang wasn't the strongest when audiences first met him, he was by the end of the series. In fact, he's probably stronger than they think, enough that it's kind of terrifying when you consider that he's just a kid with an especially peaceful upbringing. Theoretically, violence shouldn't be his forte, but in many ways, it is.
Aang isn't just a regular kid; he's a prodigy
Aside from the fact that he's the Avatar, Aang is no normal airbender child. He may be over 100 years old when he breaks out of his self-made iceberg in the series' first episode, but physically and mentally speaking, he's only 12. And he had already completely mastered one of the four elemental styles before entering the ice. Those tattoos all over his body signify his rank as a master of airbending, and in his own time, he was the only child to achieve that rank.
After being frozen for a century, Aang embarked on a quest to master all four elements (something only an Avatar can do). He accomplished this task in less than a year, going from a novice in three separate martial arts to a master of all who is capable of holding his own against some of the world's best benders. Even styles that were especially difficult for him, such as earthbending, became second nature to him before he even turned 13.
Even then, airbending by itself is no joke
You think firebenders were bad? There's a reason most airbenders chose to become peaceful monks, and it's probably because air is one of the most dangerous elements. Those with enough mastery over the air can fly, create forceful gusts, and even steal the very breath from a person's lungs. Theoretically speaking, they could completely nullify firebenders by simply depriving them of oxygen to burn. Really, the only thing limiting them is their capacity for imaginative violence.
On top of that, the series takes place during a time after most airbenders have been wiped out by the Fire Nation. In the series' first episode, Aang points out that very few people will have any experience fighting an airbender. That gives him an edge in pretty much every fight throughout the series. This is especially beneficial for Aang because he has an incredibly youthful and spontaneous personality. Unpredictability suits him.
The Avatar State is overpowered
On top of simply mastering all four of the elements, Aang's inevitable goal is to also master the Avatar State. As the Avatar, Aang has access to the skills and experiences of the hundreds of Avatars who preceded him. Tapping into these things, however, requires him to enter the Avatar State. Without proper training, this powerful transformation acts as more of an instinctual, reactionary emergency button. If Aang is in any serious danger or stress, he loses his self-control and will enter the state without warning.
While in the Avatar State, Aang's powers are all magnified by the skills of those who came before him. Likewise, he gains access to bending techniques that he is unaware of. An Avatar in the Avatar State can split islands off the mainland, fly, and bend all four elements simultaneously. The Avatar State remains Aang's most powerful weapon up until the very end of the series, when he learns something entirely new.
Energybending is scary strong
Even with all of this power, Aang is a peaceful soul at heart. In the final season of the show, he desperately searches for a way to defeat the antagonist, Fire Lord Ozai, without killing him. Every other character, including the past Avatars, are convinced that the only way to stop Ozai is to kill him. It seems like they're right, until Aang meets a mysterious and rare creature called a lion turtle.
The lion turtle already knows about Aang's troubles and teaches him a new method of bending that will resolve both issues. Aang shows up for the final battle with a new weapon in his arsenal. In the final moments of his duel with Ozai, Aang tries out this new bending, manipulating the energy in Ozai's body to cut him off from his firebending. The once-mighty Lord of the Fire Nation can no longer create a single spark.
This ability is on par with the Avatar State in terms of strength. While the Avatar State is more overtly lethal, energybending eliminates threats simply by making them non-threatening. Aang is one of the only humans to ever master the ability, and using it runs the risk of your opponent overwhelming your willpower and using the ability against you. Despite all of this, Aang actually manages to pull the trick off. This ability, combined with all of his other powers, makes him a terrifying force to be reckoned with.