Organizations
In Avatar, there are a few groups or organizations that play important roles in the plot. They all have different functions, so I'll give a brief explanation here.|
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Team Avatar
The most prominent group in the series is Team Avatar, also known as The Gaang by fans. This simply refers Aang along with group of characters that follow and support him. The number of members fluctuated through-out the series, but the most distinguished ones were Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko and Suki. Their underlying goal is to defeat the Fire Lord and stop the war once and for all.
| Sokka: Team Avatar is back! Air. Water. Earth. Fire... Fan and sword! |
While the Gaang consisted of mainly children and teenagers, by the end of the series, they had at least one bending Master from each of the four nations working together. They were the embodiment of balance. Each member had a valuable and significant contribution to the team, which allowed them to become a force to be reckoned with.
Kyoshi Warriors
The Kyoshi Warriors are a group of female fighters who protect Kyoshi Island. With their face paint, metal fans and green robed armour, they are distinctly recognizable. Their choice of weapons and clothing were chosen to emulate Avatar Kyoshi, the founder of Kyoshi Island. However, none of the Kyoshi Warriors are benders, so their fighting style is unique. The current leader of the Kyoshi Warriors is Suki.
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Suki: There were no men. We ambushed you. Now tell us, who are you and what are you doing here?
Sokka: Wait! There's no way a bunch of girls took us down. Suki: A bunch of girls, huh? The Unagi's gonna eat well tonight. |
The Kyoshi Warriors do not generally train outsiders, but a few exceptions has been made, such as Sokka, who was the first ever male Kyoshi Warrior even though he still had to wear the traditional clothing.
Even though Kyoshi Island remained as one of the few places that were neutral in the war, Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors were inspired by Aang. They ended up leaving the island to help out in the war efforts against the Fire Nation.
Freedom Fighters
The Freedom Fighters are a group of children who were orphaned due to the War. They have made it their goal to eliminate the Fire Nation. Their leader and founder is Jet. All the members go by their nicknames, such as Smellerbee, Longshot, Pipsqueak and The Duke. Whether it's by their own choice or because some of them just can't remember their real names is unknown.
The Freedom Fighters were most likely based on Robin Hood and his band of merry men, except instead of tormenting the rich, they torment the Fire Nation. They also live in the tree tops and are very familiar with the layouts of their forest. They ambush Fire Nation soldiers through surprise attacks and then raids their camps for supplies.
| Jet: Today, we struck another blow against the Fire Nation swine. I got a special joy from the look on one soldier's face when The Duke dropped down on his helmet and rode him like a wild hogmonkey. Now, the Fire Nation thinks they don't have to worry about a couple of kids hiding in the trees. Maybe they're right. Or maybe they're dead wrong! |
While the Freedom Fighters started off with noble intentions, their thirst for revenge turned their actions into unjustifiable acts of violence. They picked on a helpless old man simply because he was from the Fire Nation and were planning on flooding an enter Fire Nation colony, sacrificing all the villagers living there for the "greater good". Aang, Katara and Sokka put an end to their scheme and shortly after, the Freedom Fighters disbanded.
Yu Yan Archers
The Yu Yan Archers are a group of elite Fire Nation archers. Their reputation is lengendary. They never miss a target and is said to be able to pin a fly to a tree 100 yards away without killing it. Zhao used them to capture the Avatar, and even with Aang's agility and airbending abilities, the Yu Yan Archers were still able to pin and capture him. They also knocked out the elusive Blue Spirit and were close to capturing him.
Dai Li
The Dai Li is a group of powerful Earthbenders that act as enforcers of the law in Ba Sing Se. They were originally formed by Avatar Kyoshi for the purpose of protecting the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se. However, over time, they became corrupt. Their commander is Long Feng who also acts as the Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se. With both positions, he became the most feared man in all of Ba Sing Se and acts as the true leader. He reduced the Earth King into nothing more than a figurehead.
The Dai Li makes it so there is no mention of the War within the walls of Ba Sing Se. They arrest and brain wash any person who makes a commotion about the War, effectively silencing them. They also "train" (see brain wash) tourist guides named Joo Dee, who would brightly assure everyone about how perfect life is at Ba Sing Se.
The Dai Li are specially trained Earthbenders, who wear long green robes and pointy hats that shields their eyes. They also wear stone gloves that they use as hand cuffs. Citizens never mention them, but they know that they are being watched and are frightened into not say anything incriminating.
The Dai Li only extends their loyalty to whoever is at the most powerful, which is how they ended up pledging their loyalty to Azula, directly resulting in the downfall of Ba Sing Se.
White Lotus
The Order of the White Lotus is a secret society that seeks philosophy, beauty and truth. Members include some of the most prominent people in the world. Their purpose is to share and collaborate knowledge, regardless of national boundaries.
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Suki: But wait! How do you all know each other?
Bumi: All old people know each other, don't you know that? Piandao: We're all part of the same ancient secret society, a group that transcends the divisions of the Four Nations. |
The Order was first founded by some of the world's leading scholars and it allowed them to compete against each other in Pai Sho. The White Locus is one of the tiles in the game and they used it to verify the identity of a member. Tiles are placed in a specific orientation on the board to form a large lotus flower with the White Lotus tile in the very center.
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The Order is a very influential society and seems to have eyes and ears everywhere, even in the remote recesses of the desert. Members always lend hand to other members in need. They also have a heirarchial organization, with a Grand Lotus being at the very top. The current Grand Lotus is Iroh, who also happens to be a Grand Master. Other notable members include King Bumi, Master Pakku, Jeong Jeong and Master Piandao. As you can probably tell, members come from all corners of the world.
The Order of the White Lotus not only includes the most brilliant minds in the world, but also powerful benders and fighters. However, they don't involve themselves with physical attacks unless it's absolutely neccessary. But when they do band together, even if they are a bunch of old men, I doubt anything or anyone will be able to stop them.
