Avatar: Does Environment Play a Crucial Role in Bending Battles?

Avatar: The Last Airbender does not have a unique power system, and it uses the classic four elements of water, air, fire, and earth, to create a mythology that has millions of fans hooked to the show for over a decade now. The power system is quite simple to understand and is an essential aspect of the famous show. However, there is one quite common misconception among fans about bending that is hardly ever pointed out. Surprisingly, many fans have believed it for such a long time.

Whenever there is a discussion about a hypothetical fight between their favorite Avatar characters, most fans inaccurately attribute a lot of importance to the fight’s location. But bending is not that dependent on the environment as these fans believe. It is a big mistake to overblow such an irrelevant factor that doesn’t matter much at the end of the day.

It would be a mistake to presume that benders can’t be kept in locations that deprive them of their abilities. Surrounding elements can make or break the outcome if one looks closely enough. When Tyro and Ghazan were imprisoned in sea-locked prisons, it deprived them of their element, making their mastery of bending irrelevant. So, it is true that the environment can be a huge factor in such extreme cases. But there is one big problem with such an argument.

While considering Tyro and Ghazan’s abilities in a hypothetical fight, it would be unwise to think of locations that deprive them of their elements. It won’t even make sense since the fight would end even before it starts because they won’t be able to use their bending abilities. It would be an unfair fight considering one could have thought of any location because it’s a hypothetical fight. Just like it would be very naïve to see how powerful Superman is by considering a hypothetical situation in which he has to fight Batman in a cave filled with kryptonite. Hypothetical fights would only make sense when the fighters are given ideal conditions to showcase their abilities.

However, there is another strong argument that makes quite a lot of sense at first glance. It argues that adequate supply or dearth of water for waterbenders completely changes their winning chances. One can’t be sure about the optimal water level that will help waterbenders use their abilities without giving them an advantage over the opponent. It is an excellent argument since waterbender have given their most memorable showings in the franchise surrounded by a massive supply of ammunition for them, like Korra creating a multistory glacier or Katara pushing away ships in the ocean.

However, it is noteworthy that water availability has hardly managed to impact the outcome of any fight so far. The skins of water that most waterbenders carry with them is more than enough for them in most cases. Locations like the Tree of Time, The Crystal Catacombs, and Wulong Forest, where there was plenty of water, waterbending did not prevail over other elements. So, even if it might appear that proximity to a water resource will put waterbenders at an advantage, it doesn’t seem to be the case.

Another essential factor that one can recall from the finale of the original series was that the firebenders were stronger during the day while the waterbenders did better at night. It is also true for the art of bloodbending, for which it is necessary to have a full moon night. However, there are several counterexamples to this as well. Every fan can easily recall Katara creating a tidal wave and a wall of steam in daylight. It is noteworthy that it remains the most impressive performance. None of her waterbending performed during the full moon has managed to come closer to it yet. Another example will be Roku and his instructor, who would wield impressive masses of water during the daytime.

So, even if it is said that firebending is stronger during the day while waterbending is more efficient at night, there has rarely been any instance when the sun or moon has changed the fate of a fight. So, eventually, almost every time, the time of day has no influence. The skill of the fighter is more important than any of the factors listed so far. A great combatant will know how to make the most of his abilities even in an environment that puts them at a disadvantage.

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