Avatar: The Last Airbender

[Lago_AM3P]

Does the limitation of the various peoples of this world's ability to only use bending in accordance with their region a genetic thing or a cultural thing?

[technomancer]

It hasn't been said one way or another in the show. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say it's a genetic thing, but with strong mystical overtones. Kitara is the Southern Water Tribe's last waterbender. I'm pretty sure her mom was a waterbender. Juko (sp?) and his sister are both firebenders, as is their father and grandfather. On the other hand, Toff's parents don't seem to be earthbenders, and Toff is like the best earthbender ever.

It can't be just genetic, otherwise interbreeding would throw benders into the wrong society (or incest would kill a society), but it also can't be just regional, since it seems to be implied that some firebenders were born in other kingdoms, due to the colonization.

In any case, it seems to me that firebending must be the easiest (or most dominant), because there seems to be a ton more firebenders than others.

[Username17]

I think it's cultural. Otherwise the Firebender conquests would have given their faction water and air bending.

-Username17

[the_taken]

My theory's that it's cultural. Genetics and region cause a certain tendency for a person to become part of a certain culture, but it's not guaranteed. There's a set of twins where one is an earthbender and the other isn't.
Additionally, there's nurture aspects that must be present at an early age for a person to develop bending, and if you miss out on these before you turn 3 or something, you're a regular human. In the show, firebending culture has significant influence in the world, and in spreading it's aspects it causes more firebenders to show up. Also, Kitara is a waterbender, but as the show progresses she seams to display more and more traits that I would attribute to Fire Nation people. Confidence, self-respect and individuality.

The Avatar breaks these rules by being a genetic anomaly coupled with a spiritual energy (it's soul) that generates all four aspects required for all of the bending arts.
The Avatar's job is to be so powerful with all of the elements that he convinces people to see it his way, which is balance in all arts. Too much of the personality tratis of one element 'cause really bad things to happen, like sociopaths and psychopaths and zealots and elitism.

After the Avatar dies, the element he first learned is canonized by a few as the best element, and benders of that art feel that they're the hawt shit that all other elements must respect without expectations of returns. The Avatar get's reborn to squash this most recent pro-one element (that he inadvertently causes every time he's reborn) over and over again in cosmic whack-a-mole style.

[MrWaeseL]

Is airbending something like skydiving?

[technomancer]

It can be. Aang has these flappy things on his air nomad robes that are designed to catch the wind, allowing him to use airbending to jump great distances and break his fall without breaking him. He appears to need a bit more surface area (but not much more) to actually fly. His glider (which allows him to fly) probably has about half as much surface are as a hang glider does.

[MrWaeseL]

1196118912[/unixtime]]It can be. Aang has these flappy things on his air nomad robes that are designed to catch the wind, allowing him to use airbending to jump great distances and break his fall without breaking him. He appears to need a bit more surface area (but not much more) to actually fly. His glider (which allows him to fly) probably has about half as much surface are as a hang glider does.

What the fuck

[Crissa]

There seems to be two components:

Talent - which seems to be genetic; a firebender can never learn other bending with practice; and you need to be taught by example as well.

Skill - which is cultural; you have to be taught how to use it, it doesn't come without long effort and study of the patterns, which look just like Tai Chi.

So anyone can learn the motions, but without an example, you'd never manage the first step to bending. Once a bender has that first step, they can learn from a book.

There's books/scrolls of bending wandering around the world in which they are in, and these are insufficient to teach others how to do it. There are isolated tribes and captured tribes and they refuse to teach turncoats how to do it. So there is a large cultural component.

On the other hand... It seems that even raising someone with the teaching is insufficient to teach them that culture's bending.

And apparently most of the cultures have no bending at all.

-Crissa

[technomancer]

http://www.citv.co.uk/static/avatar2.jpg

That image will show the glider, plus the robe. The red cloth shoulder coverings catch the air when he bends it so he can jump really far and make soft landings.

[Lago_AM3P]

I haven't seen the third season so maybe I'm wrong.

But, chakra and chi are distinct and recognized elements in the show. There's even a martial artist on Azula's team that's so hardcore with it that she can disable your bending.

That said, how come there aren't any hardcore martial artists like Rock Lee or Kenshiro who perform literally superhuman feats (rather than standard wuxia moves)?

Also, why does there seem to be so many more firebenders than anyone else? Forced inbreeding? Spartan-like training for the populace? Some combination?

[angelfromanotherpin]

1196186088[/unixtime]]Also, why does there seem to be so many more firebenders than anyone else? Forced inbreeding? Spartan-like training for the populace? Some combination?

The war's been going for a long time, and the fire nation's been winning. Since benders also tend to be fighters, and losing seems to mean being captured (see Season 3, Episode 8: 'The Puppet Master') which in turn means fewer teachers to pass on the skillz, it's not surprising that there would be more Firebenders than other kinds.

[shirak]

1196106070[/unixtime]]I think it's cultural. Otherwise the Firebender conquests would have given their faction water and air bending.

-Username17

Well, Mai of Azula's Angels being an Airbender is one of the most widely accepted theories on her abilities. Which kinda means Aang will have to sex her silly so the Airbenders can get reborn. Otherwise, Aang's fourth reincarnation cannot be born as one.

Talk about arranged marriage.

[angelfromanotherpin]

You mean, Mai, the girl who can't do anything? I'm not sure what these 'abilities' you speak of are.

All she can do in combat is throw blades which never hit anyone. She hasn't even figured out the Beast Wars trick where halfway through combat you remember you aren't allowed to hit people and start aiming for terrain or clothes or whatever.

All she can do out of combat is be emo and boring. Her only contribution is being honest in not putting up with Zuko's crap, and she's not even very good at that.