With quarantine uniting us all on the internet, I've noticed increasing interest in Avatar related topics, which means it's the best time to work on something I've been wanting to do for a while now. In the near future, there will be 4 blog entries (this is one of them in case you're wondering) where I'll be breaking down my thoughts, observations, theories and interpretation of the 4 types of bending presented in Aang and Korra's eras. I'll be discussing pretty much everything related to them, their history, philosophy, evolution, styles. Hopefully, it might also spark some interesting conversations - and ofc I'm free to elaborate on everything. While all I mention is based on the lore as presented in the series, novels, interviews and related mediums, I want to note that this isn't a canonical encyclopedia, it's my personal thoughts upon rewatching both shows the past weeks and attempt to organise my views on each elemental art, as well as discussing the topic with other members of the fanbase. At the end of the write-up, I will include a bibliography where all sources I drew information from will be mentioned. P.S. - english is not my first language but I tried to make this esspecially well articulated because it digs into some difficult stuff. Forgive any typos and/or grammatical errors you might come across.
The Element of Water.
I. History and Philosophy of the Element.
Like every one bending art, waterbending sources from the ancient creatures pre-dating any life form, the Lion Turtles, who possessed timeless wisdom and powerful, spiritual energy. Since the beginning of time, they would serve as the protectors of humanity, briefly granting mortals access to waterbending in times of need. The chosen life form initially gifted the permanent skill of waterbending from the Lion Turtles was the Moon. Interestingly enough, waterbending is the only elemental art the Lion Turtles passed down to one of the spirits instead of the fauna. Even so, the spirits of the Moon and the Ocean gave up their immortality in exchange to the forms of Koi Fish - Tui and La - near the beginning of time, representing Yin and Yang and circularly moving in concert with one another to maintain an equilibrium in the universe.
With Avatar Wan, the first of the Avatars, granted waterbending, humanity had an ancestor, and in time, a representative to study the art under the gifted life forms. Up to that point in time, mortals merely used the elements as weapons, simple tools for survival, instead of energy and life. Observing the ways of the Moon, humans learned to control water as it was meant to be, stimulating the flow of the oceanic tides as they were being pushed and pulled by the Moon. Such is the case with the nature of the bending art, with waterbenders utilising their positive jing almost as much as their negative one to slowly move in harmony with the water's natural flow.
"The legends say the moon was the first waterbender. Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves ... Our strength comes from the Spirit of the Moon, our life comes from the Spirit of the Ocean. They work together to keep balance."
Princess Yue (Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 1, "The Siege of the North I")
Water is the element of change. According to Iroh's teachings, the people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things, which, nonetheless, would seem fitting given waterbenders are the most reliant on their surroundings to practice their art. The people of the Water Tribe originally lived in the most remote and extreme conditions, in the two opposing Poles of the planet. Even so, they've never struggled reaching other civilizations and spreading their culture in locations all around the globe, like the waterbenders of the Foggy Swamp living in the southwestern end of the Earth Kingdom. In any case, their people are peaceful and possess a deep sense of communication, relying on their power for defence and graciousness, rather than offence and aggression.
The philosophy of the Water Tribes is painted on their very insignia, symbolising the peaceful co-existence of the Moon and the Ocean spirits, one opening way for the other as the crescent moon and the oceanic waves stand side by side. The people's beliefs for synchronised cooperation amongst all Nations is exhibited in the clearest possible way in the relationship between these two spirits.
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II. Waterbending and Nature.
Waterbending is directly connected to the natural conditions of its surroundings, affected by the given location, temperature, time and weather conditions of a terrain. Waterbenders are at their strongest within extreme cold, at night time - when the Moon replaces the Sun as the dominant source of light - and during rainstorms, snowstorms or drizzles. This is heavily reflected both on the Water Tribes' homes being the North and South Poles, where snow falls year-round, and on the dominant season of the waterbenders, the winter season, when the most waterbenders are born. Likewise, extremely high temperatures can affect waterbending negatively, and restrict a waterbender's power to the degree that the ability to pull water out of the air or sustain an adequate amount of water in its liquid form would become impossible.
The art's dependance on the Moon is demonstrated the most during a lunar eclipse and at a night of a full moon respectively. At the time of a lunar eclipse, waterbenders lose their power entirely, whereas during the full moon, their bending is at its peak. If the physical form of the Moon spirit is killed, waterbenders will permanently lose their power. As such, it is worthy of note that waterbending is the natural antithetical bending art to firebending.
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III. Waterbending: Technology and Art.
Before the end of the Hundred Year War, most technological advancements functioned primarily with the use of bending. Vehicles and weaponry for battle were of high value for every Nation after the genocide of the Air Nomads, including the Water Tribes - or to be precise, the Norther Water Tribe, that survived the imperealistic attitudes of the Fire Nation. The Northerners had the resources and man-power to craft a carefully designed, rich city made of ice, where the Royal Palace, the temples, markets, academies and homes of the people were located and built on water. It is only natural that such a beacon of culture would be well protected from outsiders, and every aspect of the first line of defence seemed to center around waterbending.
Waterbenders would patrol and use makeshift icebergs to prevent foreigners from reaching the city well outside its location. In order to get inside through conventional means, the guards of the city were required to bend the outter walls and open way. Meanwhile, the water flowing all around the icy city sourced from openings within the tops of these walls. This allowed waterbenders to use them as weapons in times of need, acting as hydro-cannons to be used against intruders. Finally, during the final stages of the Hundred Year War, the Mechanist worked on an original concept of Sokka's to build submarines powered by waterbending. Waterbenders inside the submarines would control the tides around the machinery to successfully allow it to sink and float.
While no weapons used in traditional martial arts are known to enhance a waterbender's efficiency in battle, Avatars Kyoshi and Aang used fans and a staff, weapons used to compliment airbending, respectively to perform techniques, including flash freezing water solid. Tagaka the Pirate Queen also utilised a sword, albeit not in tandem with her waterbending.
A noteworthy piece of equipment for many waterbenders however, are waterskins of various shapes and sizes. Often time, waterbenders will carry these skins in travels, to avoid situations where they'd be deprived of a water source, and therefore their ability to bend an ample quantity of water.
Beyond offensive measures, waterbenders have always had a natural advantage over other militaries in select warzones, or against specific, but nonetheless high profile, weapons. Even though the Water Tribes do not possess the resources of the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom, or the United Republic, deeming their technology inferior by default, waterbenders make for an extremely dangerous substitute of a Navy, being able to control the very body of water below any boat or ship. It is of no surprise that the most powerful pirate groups originate from the Water Tribes. Additionally, many of the strongest weapons ever created, such as the war-tanks, mecha-tanks, underwater torpedo systems, or the Fire Nation's giant drill, functioned in part using water, making waterbending a fine defensive system against such machinery.
Architecture, sculpting and the military are all directly connected to the bending traditions, but waterbending is also a useful everyday tool for the Water Tribes; waterbenders used their art as a tool of enhanced transportation long before the invention of the submarine, evidenced by how the Swampbenders boosted the speed of their skiffs, particularly during hunting. And relating to hunting, it should be noted that the Water Tribes relied solely on sealife for food and natural resources, making waterbending a valuable asset both for fishing and cooking.
During ceremonial acts or celebrations of the Water Tribes, waterbending demonstrations are prepared in a manner similar to that of a theatrical execution; the graceful motions of a master waterbender connecting with their element and acting in unison with the natural flow of water as performed under the moonlight seems like nothing short of an aesthetic transcendence. Modern festivities of the - less spiritual - Southern culture involve tools related to water such as standard water pistols at a shooting range, where waterbending is not called for, but nevertheless fitting.
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IV. Bending Styles.
Waterbending is based on a style of T'ai chi ch'uan, specifically the Yang style. It is a Chinese martial art that features slow movements and elegant forms that evoke the feel of flowing water.
"[...] Tai Chi uses similar techniques to redirect the energy from an attack to use against an opponent. As with Tai Chi, the Waterbender's intent is to control opponents, not harm them. Both disciplines were influenced by ancient healing practices in which healers redirected energy paths in the body to cure ailments. Their strict belief in controlling rather than destroying, healing rather than harming, and using their power for defense, not attack, are at the heart of the humane and noble characteristics of all Waterbenders. Both Waterbending and Tai Chi are less about strength, than about body alignment, breath and visualization. In both these arts, softness and breathing prove more powerful than hard aggression."
Avatar: The Last Airbender, "Ancient Martial Arts Influence" (The Lost Scrolls: Water)
With a rather slim emphasis put on the negative jing, a waterbender fluidly balances between offence and defence, primarily utilising upper body movement. The central aspects of waterbending are common in all three bending styles. The styles are divided based on the three Water Tribes: the North, the South and the Foggy Swamp. The Water Tribe was originally located solely in the North Pole. Due to this, the two polar styles are famously similar, while the Swampbenders utilise a more distinct, less explored style.
At this point, it is worth noting that neither the Swampbenders, nor the outsiders were aware of each other's existence. Due to this isolation from the world, their waterbending seems to favor more functional use, rather that aesthetically pleasing, or combatively strong techniques. Their stances tent to be rigid, fitting for benders not used to flowing, but rather stationary water, their water rings shaped as less complex, and more straight formations. What is interesting about this style is that when called into battle, the swampbenders seem to be using movements similar to those used for their everyday needs, all the while incorporating unorthodox footwork in their forms.
The Northern style is the original waterbending style. It appears to emphasize on more fluid, delicate motions that resemble a more defensive, as well as more indirect methodology, as opposed to the more direct nature of the Southerners, whose waterbending also appears to be more flexible, and resourceful. In order to distinguish between the two styles, one needs to observe the stylistic differences between masters of the respective Tribes.
Pakku's style of waterbending in duel is best perceived as entirely defensive, or rather highily indirect. He prefers to control his opponent's position, or turn their offence to his own defence, only resorting to an attack stance when they approach a threatening range. Even while explicitly attacking, his techniques involve surrounding the opposition with waves and projectiles, attacking from above, sideways or below: never in a head on assault, unless it means opening distance as a form of defence that is, effectively coming in contrast with Hama's own waterbending style. Hama utilises all the key aspects of the art, much like the Northerners, but in a much more direct manner. As she redirects the opposition's attack, she further adds to it using her surroundings, resulting in a powerful, focused assault. When defence is called for, she resorts to a water ring formed exclusively for colliding with the opposition's attempt. It must be acknowledged, that this more offensive waterbending is not lacking in grace. The southern style is as fluid as required, and the techniques used are highily complex. The main differing aspect is the mindset and objective, and all traits noted are a result of comparison between this style and the Northern one.
Similar conclusions can be drawn upon review of each Tribe's approach to invading forces. The South did not have access to an organised military, and as much as this made them an easy target to the Fire Nation, their waterbenders still thrived under pressure. Trained soldiers of the North would rely strictly on traditional forms of waterbending and united attempts to fend off raids. The southerners would put pressure on the firebenders through sheer willpower, using unorthodox techniques such as tunneling under the ice - tactics inspired by the art of earthbending - before unleashing unrefined flash freezes.
The key stylistic antithesis between the Northern and Southern waterbenders can effectively be attributed to the Water Tribe's history; when the Southerners attempted to survive, the Northerners attempted to progress. Financially adept, the more refined, spiritually connected, zen culture of the latter is reflected on their bending, much like the need for survival is reflected on the former's more aggressive and resourceful, yet versatile style. It is this innate principle, the requirement for survival, that developed waterbending into the most imaginative of the arts - water is located within thin air, the flora, the very human body; and as the will to survive is limitless, as too are the possibilities of waterbending.
The mixture of the two polar styles is an intriguing concept evident in Katara's original bending, with hints both from the North and the South. Katara is a southern waterbender trained in the Northern Tribe. Examining her skill set, it is difficult to deduce what her preferred style is, much less which techniques originate from each Tribe, although this only reinforces the theory that a flawless blend of the two is the most balanced of all styles. At times, Katara seems to switch between styles when facing different obstacles and terrains. Fighting the beast of the Serpent's Pass, she never resorts to direct offence, instead utilising tactics that are not meant to harm, as much as to control the pace of and incapacitate the serpent, attempting to freeze it from the side before trapping it in a whirlpool. When faced with Huu's Swamp Monster, though, she attempts to fight it directly, and inflict the highest possible damage, using lethal techniques, powerful blasts of water and charging at it head on, without choosing to icebend offensively once. When she does icebend, she does so to creatively rescue her brother. The theory of a unique blend of the waterbending styles is strengthened upon restrospect of Kya's own style, with Katara having passed down her knowledge to her daughter.
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V. Elemental Influence.
The bending world acts much like a spectrum to the four elements - the elements are universally connected, with each one contributing to balance, a natural order, as the traditions of the Avatar would have us believe. It is only natural that each of the arts would influence the other. Akin to how the fine arts can never be percieved outside a holistic scope, neither can the bending arts.
Waterbending is particularly multilayered as a skill. Practitioners have the potential to control water in all its forms, liquid, solid, gas, and even further. Specialised skills of waterbending such as plantbending involve bending a substance the bender themselves cannot perceive, a quality unique to airbending of all 4 main arts. Katara's bending of leaves and vines - or rather bending of the water inside them - is strikingly similar to ancient airbending forms.
What's more, an airbender and a waterbender working in unison to bend clouds into shape resembles a harmonic duet, a beautiful dance much like the Baguazhang martial art, the base of airbending.
On the contrary, when bending solid structures in ice, a waterbender will implement forms almost identical to those of earthbenders. They key to earthbending is a strong stance, and determined movement. The soft, graceful tactics called for in waterbending almost fade away as the bender begins to manipulate the solid form of the element, and they are replaced by powerfully executed work of the arms and heavily rooted footwork, which Hung Gar, the central influence of earthbending, features. Unlike the flow of the water, these stances evoke the power of the earth.
The philosophy of waterbending has also gifted the other nations however. The strength of Tai Chi, turning your opponent's offence to your defence and back, it is showcased in all bending arts. And more than ever before, it is evidenced on a firebending technique Iroh invented studying waterbenders - the skill to redirect lightning. What is fascinating about this skill is that the polar opposite element of water advanced to a higher level upon an open minded firebender respecting the wisdom that the four elements are but one entity split into four different forces.
The principle of traditional waterbending proves so powerful in this technique that it allows the bender to take control of power they themselves cannot generate, and, no less, sustain it. Similarly, waterbenders have developed the art of healing, guiding chi energy within a body directly*, which appears to have inspired an identical firebending technique utilised by a spiritually adept Shaman of the Bhanti Tribe in the Fire Nation.
Observing the influence waterbending has had on the other bending arts, and the kind of influence that is, the defensive nature of the element is highlighted here more than anywhere. Unlike earth, fire or air, water is not an aggressive element. Water will remain tranquil until an earthquake, a hurricane, an eruption impacts it. In its essence, waterbending at its finest is a source of defence, not offence, much like a waterbending master is the defender, instead of the aggressor.
*refer to the below section
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VI. Sub Skills of Waterbending.
As each bending art's sub skills fall under the same philosophy as the element they source from, the skills of healing, spiritbending, plantbending, and bloodbending, skills only a select few benders are gifted with, all center around controlling the flow of energy within life.
The art of healing is essentially guiding the chi energy within a body, corresponding to a waterbender guiding the result of a body using their chi energy to produce bending. The technique is inspired by reiki. Using water to examine and guide energy through the body's chi paths, a healer can successfully attempt the alleviation of mental and physical distress, and even control one's body temperature. The use of water with spiritual properties in the hands of a master can potentially restore someone from fatal injuries. In any case, the movements required to perform the technique are characterized by circular motions that echo the flow of water. As such, when the subject's chi has been blocked internally through nerve damage, it becomes increasingly difficult for a healer to open their paths. According to Yugoda's teachings, the renewal of a chi path upon healing will affect the subject's body holistically, eludicating the matter of how blocking a subject's chi can challenge a healer's performance.
The healing technique was taken further by Unalaq, who developed the art of spiritbending. Just as controlling the energy paths within a physical body, a waterbender can potentially control a spirit, as much as the spiritual form of a living being, as a whole. Spirits are an adequate quantity of energy focused to create the illusion of physical bodies; using identical movements to those of healing, a spiritbender can lighten or darken the energy of spirits, achieving possitive or negative effects respectively.
The aforementioned, rare ability to bend particles of the element a bender cannot perceive is apparent in a waterbender's ability to bend the water within plant life. Like every life form, plants are composed of skin and substances that cannot be without water. The technique was developed in the Foggy Swamp and in parts of the world that did not provide waterbenders with a necessary source of liquid. The uses of this skill vary, from controlling the water within the flora to manipulate the plants themselves, to pulling the water from within them. The specific philosophy behind plantbending, when combined with waterbending's preference towards controlling an opponent's movement, was the cause of inventing the darkest of the bending arts. According to Hama, bodies are nothing but skins filled with liquid. It took coming to this realisation to develop the skill of bloodbending.
"Controlling the water in another body, enforcing your own will over theirs."
Hama (Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 3, "The Puppetmaster")
Under the effects of this technique, the subject is in a state of complete, physical submission. Utilising forms that resemble the Chi Na martial art, the waterbender can control every vein and muscle within a body, move it like a puppet, violently twist and lock their limbs and joints, disrupt the blood flow within them. The only effective counteract to this technique is a more powerful waterbender's ability to overcome the grip. Bloodbending requires the waterbender's power to be at its peak; originally, the skill could not be performed without the light of a full moon. Yakone was the outlier to this rule, powerful enough to bloodbend in daylight, with this gift passing down to the next generation of his bloodline, Noatak and Tarrlok.
Able to bloodbend using his mind, Noatak developed a new bending technique, combining the skill with his knowledge of the human body's pressure points, he disrupted a bender's chi paths to sever them from their ability to bend, permanently. The effects of this technique are so strong that, without the Avatar's intereference, they are everlasting.
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VII. Specialised Techniques.
The bending arts involve extremely complex mechanics, and to use those mechanics to invent unique bending styles is nothing short of remarkable. In the case of waterbending, there are two techniques that call for individual examination: Huu's plantbending, and Ming Hua's armless waterbending respectively, demonstrations of nearly unmatched precision amongst waterbenders.
Huu was a waterbender of the Foggy Swamp Tribe, and the Swamp's disguised protector. Bending the water within the swamp's saturated vines, he could form a gigantic armor around himself, maintaining the illusion that he was a beast instead of human. The nature of the technique allowed for Huu to regrow his formation's lost plantlife in a moment's notice, instantaneously increase in size, and bend vines out of the swamp's floor from a distance, effectively controlling the terrain all around him.
This bending style is not completely reliant on vines however; when called into battle outside the Fire Nation's capital city, Huu used a variant of the technique, bending seaweed to accomplish an identical formation of similar power, granting himself strength and resilience unlike any one bender's. The one weakness of this style lies on the fact that the vines, while connected upon Huu bending them together, are still separate components of the formation.
Ming Hua's technique is more complex, and requires very detailed analysis. The waterbending master of the Red Lotus was born without arms, and achieved connection to her element similar to that of Toph Beifong, overcoming a physical disability using her bending to turn her weakness into strength. While bending masters are capable of a minor degree of psychic bending, Ming Hua fully abuses the skill and uses her backbone to create upper body prosthesis of water for herself on the spot, while using her facial muscles and legs to execute more complex forms.
Ming Hua's prosthetic water arms are highily versatile tools, much moreso than human ones; she can fashion them as makeshift fingertips, scythes, drills and blades, while flawlessly controlling their temperature and pressure levels, varying as much as their purposes. The foremost use for her arms seems to be active utilisation for everyday tasks, driving and carrying objects, or combat related tasks, maneuverability, offence and defence, as this technique allows for inhuman strength, reach and speed. However, using the arms themselves as direct substitutes is not unheard of.
The most intriguing concept of this bending style is Ming Hua's implementation of the philosophy of Tai Chi into it, reflected the most in her duel against Kya, whose performance highlights the stylistic advantage of Ming Hua's against traditional waterbenders; absorbing the water sourcing from Kya's attack, she executed an advanced variation of the octopus form, a traditional waterbending technique that resembles the octopus, in that the bender surrounds themselves in water tendrils for additional reach and control over the opposition.
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VIII. Bibliography.
- Nickelodeon.com: Avatar: The Last Airbender.
- The Last Airbender: Book 1: Water.
- The Boy in the Iceberg.
- The Fortuneteller.
- The Waterbending Master.
- The Siege of the North I.
- The Siege of the North II.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: Creating the Legend I: Waterbending.
- The Lost Scrolls: Water.
- The Last Airbender: Book 2: Earth.
- The Swamp.
- The Blind Bandit.
- Bitter Work.
- The Library.
- Journey to Ba Sing Se I: The Serpent's Pass.
- The Earth King.
- The Crossroads of Destiny.
- The Last Airbender: Book 3: Fire.
- The Puppetmaster.
- Day of Black Sun I: The Invasion.
- Day of Black Sun II: The Eclipse.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: Art of the Animated Series.
- The Legend of Korra: Book 1: Air.
- The Revelation.
- Out of the Past.
- Skeletons in the Closet.
- Endgame.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Search II.
- The Legend of Korra: Book 2: Spirits.
- Rebel Spirit.
- Civil Wars II.
- Beginnings I.
- Beginnings II.
- The Guide.
- A New Spiritual Age.
- Harmonic Convergence.
- Darkness Falls.
- Beginnings I (Premise).
- The Legend of Korra: Book 3: Change.
- Rebirth.
- In Harm's Way.
- The Metal Clan.
- The Terror Within.
- The Stakeout.
- The Ultimatum.
- The Legend of Korra: Book 4: Balance.
- The Last Stand.
- The Legend of Korra: Art of the Animated Series - Book 2: Spirits.
- The Legend of Korra: Art of the Animated Series - Book 3: Change.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: Legacy.
- The Rise of Kyoshi.
- The Shadow of Kyoshi.
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