Avatar: The Last Airbender

[Alex Humva]

I personally like how they pulled that off. Sure, it's not the greatest way, but we did have Combustion Man, who shook up the rules, and metalbending... really, Sokka defends it rather well. Not to mention, the only known blood benders were the old lady and Katara. Its possible it had been used before, but obviously was far from common knowledge. It is entirely possible that the technique hasn't been perfected, and thus requires much more power. Yakone could of been an exceptionally powerful bender, or simply had a more revised technique. Notice how Hamma had to use her hands, even when controlling both Sokka and Aang. Yakone doesn't even do that, he just bugs his eyes out a bit. That shows that he's using a substantially different technique, and as such, may not be prone to the same sort problems other water benders may encounter.

[Dorek]

Yeah, I think Sokka's explanation was enough to merit not talking about it again, even if I'd rather them discuss it some more. I feel like they'll explore the dynamic a bit, if not right away. Tarrlok is too good to waste for what's going on.

[Lyichir]

I personally like how they pulled that off. Sure, it's not the greatest way, but we did have Combustion Man, who shook up the rules, and metalbending... really, Sokka defends it rather well. Not to mention, the only known blood benders were the old lady and Katara. Its possible it had been used before, but obviously was far from common knowledge. It is entirely possible that the technique hasn't been perfected, and thus requires much more power. Yakone could of been an exceptionally powerful bender, or simply had a more revised technique. Notice how Hamma had to use her hands, even when controlling both Sokka and Aang. Yakone doesn't even do that, he just bugs his eyes out a bit. That shows that he's using a substantially different technique, and as such, may not be prone to the same sort problems other water benders may encounter.

This. Yakone was obviously a master waterbender, even more so than Tarrlok, seeing as it seems he could, like Bumi, bend using only his face. Then again, Tarrlok probably had to learn from his father, and learning from someone who is incapable of demonstrating the skill may have handicapped him.But while Sokka's explanation of how Yakone could bloodbend made sense to me, I wasn't completely happy with the explanation of why Tarrlok could bloodbend like Yakone. While it would make sense, this is the first time in either A:TLA or TLoK where bending proficiency was presented as a genetic trait. After all, Combustion Man's ability had seemed to be a one-off thing, explained by the creators to possibly be the result of some defect resulting in an underdeveloped third eye through which he could concentrate his bending. And while Toph had invented metalbending, Korra made clear that it was far from an exclusive trait that only she could master. Why, then, did Tarrlok's bloodbending come as a result of being Yakone's sonI could reason that bloodbending had been a lost, forbidden art and thus hadn't been perfected. The first user we saw had to teach herself in less-than-ideal conditions, and Katara used it a total of two times with no indication of wanting to further that skill. And the full moon restriction never made much logical sense before except with the meta-logic that there had to be some sort of limit on this ability or it would be a game-breaker. But by that logic, there's no reason for Korra to assume that Tarrlok is Yakone's son, besides that Aang was not-so-subtly hinting at it. After all, if the skill could be mastered by any powerful bender, couldn't Yakone have conceivably taught it to someone other than his next-in-line?Personally, I had hoped that the flashbacks would have taught Korra some way to resist Tarrlok's bending, rather than just giving her a lesson in family history that ended up not benefitting her anyway. But whatever. What's past is past, and I'm personally eager to see what's in store for the final three episodes of the season. With Tarrlok out of the way, the stage is set for an epic showdown between Korra and Amon, and from the previews it looks like that's exactly what we'll get.(Also, while Amon took Tarrlok's bloodbending away, Tarrlok still poses a threat so long as he's able to father kids. Yakone's bending got taken away too, and we all saw where that got us.)

[Alex Humva]

Actually, the creators have given us meta info after the first series but before Korra saying that bending is a combination of genes and spirtual-ness.

[Lyichir]

Actually, the creators have given us meta info after the first series but before Korra saying that bending is a combination of genes and spirtual-ness.

Yeah, but they typically said that when referring to how many benders there would be in any nation, and what type of benders they would be. We never really saw any instance where a person was explicitly stated to have inherited their proficiency with bending from a family member, although I suppose you could argue that such a mechanism applied in cases like Haru and his father or the Fire Nation royal family.

[Bfahome]

Maybe the mechanism for bloodbending without the moon (and in general) was actually a rather simple one, just difficult to find on one's own. Then it would only be a matter of Yakone showing Tarrlok how to do it and Tarrlok learning from there.Like how Toph figured out metalbending. It took some work at first, and initially it was a bit rough, but within a couple of months she'd developed it far enough that she could turn a door into a rough one-piece suit of armor in seconds and have enough control over it to make it move with her body. Nobody had done it before because they hadn't thought to try it before, or they thought it was impossible. And now in Republic City there's an entire force of people who can not only swing around on metal ropes, but in some cases (*cough* one case) have enough control to off-handedly zip someone's fly.edit @sat 11:31a.m.:

IROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHalso noooo lin you were the best :[

Edited June 16, 2012 by Bfahome

[Nuile the Paracosmic Tulpa]

Attention citizens of Republic City!Tenzin is awesome. Lin surpasses such description. Asami has some great fighting skills though it seems clear the Equalists are trained to fight benders and not non-benders. Ikki's moderately awesome and Milo's a facepalmer. Most importantly, Jinora is the greatest airbender of all time.Ah, but here's what I find truly intriguing. Look closely at Mako's scene in the finale teaser. He's not qiblocked. He's being bloodbent.Now look further at Amon when he says, "I--will-destroy you." He's not clenching a threatening fist. That's not a fist at all. He's bloodbending.These are my observations. How do I explain it? I do believe that Tarrlok still has his bending, but I don't believe that he's Amon. And if Yakone is Amon, how can he still bend? I merely admit that we know exceptionally little regarding energybending and the loss of the bending ability. We thought we knew bloodbending could only be accomplished during the fool moon, but we were proved wrong. Obviously Amon can expel bending using a technique very different from Aang's. Clearly there's a lot we don't know, and so I consider it entirely feasible that Yakone is Amon and Amon can bloodbend.What I consider possible is that Amon is not, in fact, bending there, and merely making one of those Asian gestures that seem strange to us Westerners; and that Mako is being bloodbent by none other than Amon's bender son, Tarrlok.

Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Edited June 16, 2012 by Nuile: The Daft Wordbender

[Alex Humva]

If Amon is actually a bender, I will officially be majorly disappointed. Seems just like such a massive copout for me really; Amon is just getting rid of benders for his own power? What's interesting in that?Of course, I've heard certain leaks and spoilers that would make Amon's true identity so disappointing I'm forced to suspect executive meddling rather than the geniuses behind TLA doing something like that. I just hope we're all wrong and it's something none of us expected.

[Bfahome]

waitaminute, my oddball "Amon is Yakone's other son" theory may actually have some merit?That's weird.

[Stryker055]

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1kngysCVy1r0abxr.gif

Freaking IROH, man! I'm glad they got Dante Basco back to do his voice, too. I'm assuming he's Zuko's grandson, considering Zuko himself is around 87. That was a pretty awesome character reveal, and it caused such a whiplash from Lin's extremely depressing de-bending to such awesomeness. Which really sucks because Lin was one of the best characters.Asami's shaping up to be an antagonist at some point, probably for next season. Mako is just about my least favorite character, because he's horribly stupid. Bolin is at least still funny ("MOUSTACHE MAN!"). Tenzin is as great as he always has been, and he sure proves that he is the son of Aang with his bending.As for Amon, I'm in the group that he's really Bumi, Aang's non-bender son. That's pretty petty motivation for his character, but it does fit. After all, bending has been shown to be determined a lot by genetics. If Tenzin got airbending and Kya got waterbending, perhaps Bumi got the ability to energybend? That would explain why he can remove bending. Honestly though, I hope it's someone that no one expects.

Edited June 17, 2012 by Black Six

[Kaleidoscope Tekulo]

My reaction from today's episode: Best. Show. Ever.I think that sums up my thoughts.

Though, I hope we still see more of Lin (though I doubt they'd wright her out of the show). Lin, you're awesome even without your bending!

[Alex Humva]

Well, once more my mind is blown. I need to stop saying I have a favorite episode; they keep trumping them xDSome highlights;~Amon is beastly as ever with his army, though some of his lines felt a bit... out of place. Maybe it's just the voice, but telling Haroshi that he'll get his daughter back just didn't sound right to me.~Airbending is pretty epic. Glad to see more of it in action.~Lin is definitely like her mother. I actually recently rewatched the series finale; watching Lin fight on the zeppelins brought back those scenes. ~That ending scene was the best setup to the final battle they could of possibly done. Getting that great reveal, as a fleet sails its way to take back Republic City, with Zuko's grandson in command... it's pretty amazing. Here's hoping the next episode, which deals with Zuko, gives us some more stuff. Said episode is named "Skeletons in the Closet", and it deals with Zuko. Am I the only one who suspects that Amon is related to Zuko somehow? Not by blood, but by actions, events.

[Kaleidoscope Tekulo]

Attention citizens of Republic City!Tenzin is awesome. Lin surpasses such description. Asami has some great fighting skills though it seems clear the Equalists are trained to fight benders and not non-benders. Ikki's moderately awesome and Milo's a facepalmer. Most importantly, Jinora is the greatest airbender of all time.Ah, but here's what I find truly intriguing. Look closely at Mako's scene in the finale teaser. He's not qiblocked. He's being bloodbent.Now look further at Amon when he says, "I--will-destroy you." He's not clenching a threatening fist. That's not a fist at all. He's bloodbending.These are my observations. How do I explain it? I do believe that Tarrlok still has his bending, but I don't believe that he's Amon. And if Yakone is Amon, how can he still bend? I merely admit that we know exceptionally little regarding energybending and the loss of the bending ability. We thought we knew bloodbending could only be accomplished during the fool moon, but we were proved wrong. Obviously Amon can expel bending using a technique very different from Aang's. Clearly there's a lot we don't know, and so I consider it entirely feasible that Yakone is Amon and Amon can bloodbend.What I consider possible is that Amon is not, in fact, bending there, and merely making one of those Asian gestures that seem strange to us Westerners; and that Mako is being bloodbent by none other than Amon's bender son, Tarrlok.

Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Would've replied to this sooner, but I'm afraid I had to use... MATH. XP

I can tell you right now Tarlock is not Amon, and I have a feeling his bending is indeed gone. Though, this is all just a hunch, so I could be entirely wrong.However, I disagree that Yakone is Amon. You're forgetting something very crucial: time. The show takes place 70 years after the events of Sozin's Comet. Aang was 40 years old then, so the flashback took place 28 years after Sozin's Comet. That means by Korra's time, this happened 42 years ago (Dang, Hitchhikers was right on the mark). Yakone looked older than Aang, let's say he was 50. If you're a negative Nancy, then I'll also say he could have been 40.He'd be between 82-92 years old. Probably dead, actually. Yakone could never hope to be that limber at an old age, even if he was "younger than he looked"Yakone is NOT Amon; it's borderline impossible. Though, according to my theory, you're on the right track.Here's a hint: We've only seen one other character resist bloodbending like Amon. Though, that's also saying a bit too much.

[Bfahome]

Here's a hint: We've only seen one other character resist bloodbending like Amon. Though, that's also saying a bit too much.

I'm not inclined to believe that "leaked" picture, but if it is true it'll be a major disappointment for me.

[Alex Humva]

Who is suppose to be in that 'leak' anyways? Aang? That makes no sense, as the cycle of the Avatar would be derped.

[Bfahome]

Who is suppose to be in that 'leak' anyways? Aang? That makes no sense, as the cycle of the Avatar would be derped.

I'm guessing. Which is why I feel it'd be a huge disappointment, being that it changes the fundamental structure of the cycle the show is based around, which is entirely unnecessary just to create a new villain.

Edited June 16, 2012 by Bfahome

[PowerMiner]

If you are talking about that fake picture of Bumi (Aang's son) with his mask off in his hand, then I can tell you that is fake, if we are looking at the same picture. A friend, who sees (and draws) lots of art told me that the artist traced Tenzin's face, apparently.Oh, and another note, THE EPISODE ROCKED!The Airbender kids fighting Equalists sure was a splendid surprise..IS IT SATURDAY YET?

Edited June 16, 2012 by Hero: Fighter of Light

[Alex Humva]

We've seen Aaang's Kid!Bumi's face before, via that handy dandy family tree chart we have. It is most certainly not the face of the 'leak' Amon.

[The Lonesome Wanderer]

I think in the end, Amon loses, but Korra loses her bending in the process. Then she will learn energybending to get it back.

[Kaleidoscope Tekulo]

Here's a hint: We've only seen one other character resist bloodbending like Amon. Though, that's also saying a bit too much.

I'm not inclined to believe that "leaked" picture, but if it is true it'll be a major disappointment for me.

For the record, that was not what I was getting at in the slightest. If I'm right, then the creators certainly have quite the ending in store for us. Also, that wasn't the character I had in mind. Remember, I said this character resisted bloodbending like Amon did. Unless you're suggesting Amon has an Avatar State, of course. XP

[Alex Humva]

Tekulo, you are utterly mad. You think Katara is Amon? Only person I can think of that resisted blood bending.I'm of the theory that Amon is energy bending to escape Tarrlock's blood bending. Assuming Amon got more than just how to take away bending (and there has to be more to energy bending; it was what they used before the Avatar, makes no sense for it's sole purpose to be used on something that didn't exist yet), he could be manipulating his own energy, his own chi, to keep Tarrlock out. It'd make sense.

[Kaleidoscope Tekulo]

Tekulo, you are utterly mad. You think Katara is Amon? Only person I can think of that resisted blood bending.

Haha, well you got the character right, but Katara isn't Amon. XDAlso, thanks for the compliment. ^^

Edited June 17, 2012 by Tekulo: Toa of the Breeze

[PowerMiner]

Tekulo, you are utterly mad. You think Katara is Amon? Only person I can think of that resisted blood bending.

Haha, well you got the character right, but Katara isn't Amon. XDAlso, thanks for the compliment. ^^

Hmm.. So you are saying Amon is every previous avatar before Korra combined with Katara? :PNow only 7 days 11 hours 28 minutes and 13 seconds left to the new Korra! :PDid anyone else consider Jet might be Amon? If so, that farm story would make sense.. HE MUST HAVE LIED ABOUT LIEING ABOUT DIEING. Wait does that make sense. It's the double plot twist thingy.Sorry if it seems like I'm copying people, I have a habit of doing that.

Edited June 17, 2012 by Hero: Fighter of Light

[Ektris]

We're all being a little too cryptic here and I really don't understand why. Just use a spoiler tag and make it clear. That's what they're for. Otherwise others (like myself in this situation...) will have no idea what you're talking about, having not done reseach on whatever it is.

I'm going to infer you have been suggesting Bumi is Amon. I quite disagree.In the one picture of Bumi we have, he is wearing a rather unique collar. Or it was unique until General Iroh showed up. Based on this cue, I believe Bumi's a general (or someone of higher rank) in the united army, representing non-benders.

~|ET|~

Edited June 17, 2012 by Electric Turahk

[Kaleidoscope Tekulo]

Why is everyone assuming I think Amon is related to Katara? He's not as far as I'm concerned. Also, I might be cryptic because I'd like for others who want to find the answer for themselves to figure it out for themselves. It's way more fun than having someone come out of the blue, tell you their theory and then ruin the suspense for you. And for that matter I may not even be right, so why mislead people? Also, I didn't do any research. I merely watched the episodes and put together an educated guess.At any rate, we'll know the answer next Saturday. I'm highly anticipating the finale. Anyway, on to more important matters

Three kids bested qi blockers. I think this is because airbending is a blind spot in their training. Air is an extremely elusive element and it is even more so now that there is only one master in the entire world. The style would be very mysterious and possibly unpredictable with what little the blockers have to study. It would have been around 170 years since the last airbending master existed aside from Aang, and he has three other elements to work with so studying him would also prove to be troublesome.

Edited June 17, 2012 by Tekulo: Toa of the Breeze

[Alex Humva]

Not to mention, it's airs whole style and principle. Air requires fast reflexes, being light on your feet, being agile. The chi/qi blockers use the lack of such agility against other elements via being agile and swift themselves. Put them up against an opponent on equal grounds, and I imagine it'd be a different story.Even putting them against, say, Azula at her prime would be troublesome. Note the three heroes (Asami doesn't count) have hard, physical attacks. While none of them are couch potatoes to be sure, they aren't exactly the most fluid or light on their feet either. Azula, however, demonstrated that she was fully versed in techniques over than firebending; she must of picked up on Ty Lee's acrobatics. Put chi blockers up against a prepared Azula and she'd probably win.But yes, the finale is going be epic. A full scale modern war is something we've never seen in Avatar before, and I sure am excited for it, as magic and technology marches to war with each other. I sure hope we see General Bumi.

[Havelock Vetinari]

I used to watch the old avatar show, I haven't really watched the new one much. I did some research on it, couldn't see how the villains could be considered villains and couldn't find it on my local TV listings.Kinda lost interest honestly-perhaps someone here could explain it to me?

[Dorek]

Well, I don't have much control over your local TV listings...but as far as the villains go, they're a clear threat, but their motivation and ideology is much less black and white. They're tired of bender "oppression", and want to do their best to make sure that non-benders have an equal say. However, their leader is a borderline tyrant who thinks that the only way to ensure that everything is "equal" (hence their team name) is to remove everybody's bending, including the Avatar's, so that nobody can bend anymore, which he apparently can do.Anyhow, onto the new episode, which I just watched:

Oh those crazy kids. And really, I'm not surprised they won. The Equalists aren't exactly trained to fight kids OR airbenders. And I don't think anybody, bender or not, is ready for fartbending. That said, I think I would have appreciated the new baby (Rohan, yeh?) fartbending a bit, just as a confirmation of Katara's prediction.Also I'm glad they went larger on the scale and called in outside help for reinforcements. Looking forward to see why General Iroh is miffed about Republic City not being his, and I hope they continue to explore more of the world in Book 2.Also poor Lin. Fairly predictable, but if we assume that she's an only child and that the bending block is permanent... that's the end of Toph's bending lineage, which is sadface.

Edited June 17, 2012 by Dorek

[Bfahome]

Also, I might be cryptic because I'd like for others who want to find the answer for themselves to figure it out for themselves. It's way more fun than having someone come out of the blue, tell you their theory and then ruin the suspense for you. And for that matter I may not even be right, so why mislead people?

If you have no interest in just telling people your theory then I have no interest in trying to guess it. It's a theory, it could be darn near anything. Plus I'm not seeing how it would "ruin" the surprise, since you say in the sentence directly after that you could be wrong. And I'm not seeing how it would mislead people any more than any other theory out there, unless you say "I know for a fact that Amon is X person."And if you don't actually say what your theory is then you don't have much of a basis for saying "I was right" if it turns out to be accurate.

That's why I threw my Amon-is-Yakone's-other-son idea out there. It's far-fetched but it is plausible, but remains unlikely because of the sheer number of "plausible" outcomes. If it turns out to be true, which I doubt, the surprise wouldn't have been ruined unless you took my wild guessing as absolute truth.

[Havelock Vetinari]

but as far as the villains go, they're a clear threat, but their motivation and ideology is much less black and white. They're tired of bender "oppression", and want to do their best to make sure that non-benders have an equal say. However, their leader is a borderline tyrant who thinks that the only way to ensure that everything is "equal" (hence their team name) is to remove everybody's bending, including the Avatar's, so that nobody can bend anymore, which he apparently can do.

I always seem to have this problem with a few shows, I always root for the side they're portraying as the villains. To me, the equalists sound quite heroic, if a bit extreme. But looking back on our history, our views would be just as extreme to our ancestors.I need to check around again, the finale sounds like it's worth seeing.

[Bfahome]

I always seem to have this problem with a few shows, I always root for the side they're portraying as the villains. To me, the equalists sound quite heroic, if a bit extreme.

You might be able to say that about some of the followers, who actually want things to be "equal", but the leadership looks pretty corrupt. Their goal is to overthrow the government and replace it with their own, so to me it just seems like a manipulative grab at power.

Especially if it turns out that Amon is a bender.

As for listings, it's on Nickelodeon at 11 a.m. and usually put on their website within a few days, so you should be able to watch them all online (legitimately and legally).

[Havelock Vetinari]

You might be able to say that about some of the followers, who actually want things to be "equal", but the leadership looks pretty corrupt. Their goal is to overthrow the government and replace it with their own, so to me it just seems like a manipulative grab at power.

Especially if it turns out that Amon is a bender.

Same could be said of the American Revolution when you look at it like that. Or any revolution really. The more I look up, the better the equalists look. Helps that Amon, from what I can tell, is completely awesome.

[Bfahome]

Not really. There are some pretty big differences, especially obvious because of the more direct parallels of the previous Fire Nation colonies.The Equalists are going about their business not by legal means, but by removing part of what makes the people individuals. The plan is to turn everyone "normal", even those who don't do harm or actually do good with their bending.They might have a point if they proposed laws that restrict bending usage to places where people can't be easily harmed, like "you can't use Earthbending in the middle of the road", or if there was actual significant non-bender oppression, but what they're doing is pretty much the for-kids version of terrorism, and hardly even for-kids at that.

[Havelock Vetinari]

Me, I would have a problem if my neighbor could light my family on fire along with most of the village. Just sayin. For example, if my neighbor was building a flame-thrower, but was a nominally good guy, I would nonetheless be concerned because such weapons are dangerous and prone to collateral damage. The same could be applied to every form of bending. Quite frankly, there is a reason most civilized nations have banned flame-throwers. Good reasons, the exact same reasons I think, Equalists want to eliminate bending for.The American Revolutionaries also went about their business using illegal means. Nothing more illegal then tarring and feathering a tax collector and then shooting at the soldiers who tried to stop you.

Edited June 17, 2012 by Basilisk

[Bfahome]

But there's a difference between building a flamethrower and having the natural ability to create fire. One of them is an external thing that you have to construct, and the other is a part of your being. I see it being similar to being stronger than someone else; it's not like you built an Iron Man suit to amplify your strength, you just have better muscles. Should that be taken away because you now have the ability to beat someone up more severely? I say no, but the laws and punishments should be scaled in accordance with the severity of the crime committed. The whole great power and great responsibility thing. My position is that swords, bows, guns, flamethrowers, boomerangs, and what have you are all just objects. You can use them, but they're not a part of you. For me the line is drawn at messing with someone's spiritual stuff, except in extreme cases. Aang's reason for it in the series finale was "power-mad tyrant tried to incinerate an entire nation" whereas Amon's reason is "because I don't think they should have powers other people don't".I'm not arguing on the tactics used, but on the motivation behind the movements. In one case there's an external governing body and in the other case the government is internal, so I feel like the violence is unnecessary in Republic City's case.I also feel like you should watch the show if you haven't, because some of your points are addressed.

[Havelock Vetinari]

I would argue that the natural ability to produce flame-thrower like effects is something that, if possible, should be taken away. You can talk of it being a part of someone's being, but when that part of someone's being enables to them to slaughter half the town with ease, well, we have problems. There is a world of difference between bending and muscles, it's really just a matter of where you draw the line. People that are stronger due to working out or due to natural circumstances cannot take on the local law enforcement with ease, while there is nothing stopping a bender from wrecking havoc on a town that does not have bender of it's own......and that leads to all kinds of nasty situations merely by implications and the historical record alone.The powers benders possess are powers that most in that world have no hope of possessing, let alone matching. If this were about cybernetics, then we wouldn't be having this debate, because such things are typically available, at least nominally, to everyone in most fictions and portrayals. But bending seems to be....genetic...for lack of a proper term, insofar as a magic system can be genetic in any case. Why should they be afforded a greater chance to harm others merely due to a lucky quirk of genetics?I've set up the show to record, so we'll see if they are.

Edited June 17, 2012 by Basilisk

[Bfahome]

The assumption is that anyone in this universe who has the ability to kill or destroy, at whatever scale, would inevitably use their power for that purpose. Which, as has been shown repeatedly, is not the case. Those who end up doing so are portrayed as villains, and rightfully so. And that's when the good guys come in.Also another erroneous aspect of the flamethrower analogy is that a guy with a flamethrower can't have his fire blast cancelled out by another guy with a flamethrower, whereas a firebender can not only produce but manipulate fire. One person may be able to cause harm, but all it takes is one other person to significantly reduce or even eliminate any damage. And that's not even bringing in airbending, waterbending, or earthbending.Also, I don't know what the breakdown of bender vs. non-bender is, but I highly doubt it's so lopsided as to leave an entire group of non-benders at the mercy of one or a few bullies. There was that town in "Zuko Alone" with the thugs, but that was due to all the other Earthbenders having left to fight in the war.Regarding cybernetics, this is why it's important to watch the show. For the most part I've tried to avoid spoilers, but I can't address this without them:

The Equalists have cybernetics, or at least the industrial-revolution-era equivalent of cybernetics. They have gloves and staves that are charged with electricity and can electrocute people with a touch. Granted, this would be an excellent way for non-benders to work on something like a police force, especially in the hypothetical non-bending town you mentioned, but Republic City already has the metalbending police force, who, mind you, the gloves and things are specifically designed to incapacitate. I'll also grant that the city is shown to have slums where violence is more common, but that's not because people can manipulate elements; it'll end up being a problem anywhere sooner or later. And on the occasion where it's shown, a police zeppelin arrives almost immediately. The metalbenders themselves appear to be trained to minimize such damages, using wrist cables to restrain people rather than heaving chunks of rocks around. And it seems to work reasonably well, compared to how real life works.But then the Equalists start bombing places and everything goes to heck.If instead of using their technology to forward a violent revolution they used it to help with the problem, I think that could work. Amon himself gives a big speech about how they've "evened out the playing field", and yet he still wants to strip everyone's bending. That leaves people with no natural abilities but tons of rather brutal taser-like weapons (and other stuff, watch to find out), which doesn't seem like it would help in the establishment of peace.

Sorry if this seems kind of disjointed, I don't really write my arguments in a linear fashion.

Edited June 17, 2012 by Bfahome

[Nuile the Paracosmic Tulpa]

I gave some serious thought to Yakone's potential as Amon, and I think I came up with a solid theory that would explain it.To begin with, one of the biggest questions is: How does Amon take people's bending away? His style is different than Aang's; does that mean it's not true energybending?Some weeks ago, when I was considering the possibility of Tarrlok being a bloodbender (about which I was right, you may note) and Amon being a bloodbender (about which it seems, you may note, I was right again), I considered the possibility that bloodbending was, too, Amon's secret. I suggested that by bloodbending he could somehow remove, or rather very effectively qiblock, a person's bending. A better way to explain it is to call it "qibending." It's not energybending, which is spiritual; qibending would be physical, like qiblocking. I suggest that Amon can physically control the qi in a person's body and either somehow quell it, and thus permanently block it. Perhaps he is physically locking bending chakras. He touches the forehead to resemble Aang's technique, but really, like any bloodbender, it can affect any part of the body.And so where does Yakone fit into this? He lost his bending! . . . But did he? Think about it. Yakone's incredibly powerful; he could bloodbend a courtroom full of people. If he is, indeed, Amon, we've seen him--as we saw Katara--resist bloodbending. He's more powerful a bloodbender than Tarrlok, so he could resist. Why not take it a step further? He can resist energybending by qibending. Not spiritually, like Ozai nearly did; but physically, which could explain why Aang didn't notice. Unless Aang did know, which might be the true meaning of the visions he sent Korra.Therefore, I propose Yakone still has his bending because he physically resisted, and has now returned to wreak his revenge upon Republic City as he swore to do.Still, you say, he's too old. Well, all I can do to argue this point is provide Boomie and Roku as examples. They were both very powerful benders, and stayed fit into their old age. I don't see why Yakone, incredibly powerful as he is, now likely somewhere in his eighties, could not be as fit as them. Moreover, being a waterbender, he would have that grace and agility Amon evinces.As for his son, Tarrlok, I still believe he has his bending. I suggest that Amon faked taking Tarrlok's bending, either by merely qiblocking him or bloodbending him into unconsciousness. I believe he intends to ask his son to join him in seizing Republic City. And I think that Tarrlok will agree.Think about this: If Amon is qibending Korra, who's bloodbending Mako? Yakone was clearly powerful enough to bloodbend a courtroom full of people, but to qibend at the same time seems too much, to me. I think Tarlok is holding the others at bay while Yakone/Amon is qibending Korra. And unless Korra enters the Avatar State--which would be great, but too simple, for me--I think Tarrlok's going to turn on his father, realizing that he doesn't want to rule Republic City, he wants to be its hero. He doesn't have his father's sinister ambition. So he saves Korra, and thus he and the Avatar will overcome Amon and, perhaps, Korra will do what Aang couldn't: kill him. Obviously his bending can't be taken away. He's just too powerful to be kept alive.I don't know whether all or any of it is true or not, but I consider it to be very plausible. It's the theory I'm going with. Only five days remaining until we learn the truth!

Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

[Ektris]

I know that "qi" is technically just correct as correct as "chi," but it just looks so incredibly awkward. Reading it makes absolutely no sense when the letter "q" does not have the "ch" sound in ordinary English words. So I'm most curious as to why you insist on using it so profusely.

I still remain entirely unconvinced that Amon is Yakone. To have faked his own loss of bending (seriously... Aang would have noticed) for so many years and faking his own son's loss of bending? Tarrlok clearly does not like Amon at all, though, but seemed to have some respect for his father; he just disagreed with how he made his bid for power. It's all too improbable. His method of removing bending also looks nothing like bloodbending, and you seem to be big on how things look. Such as Mako being blood-bent in the finale trailer just because his arms are at awkward angles. He could have easily fallen into that position after having the right pressure points in his arms and legs blocked.

~|ET|~

[PowerMiner]

I agree. I think Amon will definitely be someone we've never met, but may have heard of. (Aang's kids, previously (Assumedly, if that's a word) Zuko's son, Etc.)