satake
Oct 15, 2008 19:38:56 GMT -6
Post by satake on Oct 15, 2008 19:38:56 GMT -6
We have seen throughout the Avatar series great displays of power through bending. There are even greater displays of power when multiple benders team up. We know it takes many years of practice and teaching to become a master bender but how far can you go from that. Are there earth benders that can raise mountains? Fire benders that make fire rain from the sky? Water benders that could wipe out entire cities with a tsunami? were there air benders that could create massive tornadoes? Essentially I'm wondering, how far can a bender go?
Also we have seen that certain things can increase people's bending power. The full moon strengthens waterbenders and Sozin's comet for firebenders. Is there something that could strengthen earthbenders or was there anything that strengthened airbenders?
kyozuki
Oct 15, 2008 21:46:03 GMT -6
Post by kyozuki on Oct 15, 2008 21:46:03 GMT -6
Hhmm, good question. I think there would be a limit to what a bender could achieve, mostly based on level of control and personal stamina - in The Drill, Katara and Aang get quite worn out cutting all the way through a support column. Stuff like raising mountains and tsunamis though.... I'd say those are limited to the Avatar. And even then, s/he would need to be in the Avatar state to pull it off (points at Kyoshi splitting Kyoshi island off the mainland and moving it out to sea).
As for strengthening.... good question. Maybe airbenders get stronger at higher altitudes, where there's more ozone.... that'd make them more powerful during lightning storms. Earthbenders.... dunno, something involving magnetism? I'd imagine what would really make them powerful would be having the right material to work with - rocks are mostly silicates, so maybe a quartz cyrstal?
kaitokatashi
Oct 16, 2008 18:24:49 GMT -6
Post by kaitokatashi on Oct 16, 2008 18:24:49 GMT -6
This is an excellent question. I've pondered this issue myself.
How far can a bender go? Well, that depends, I guess. It seems like bending strength is an acquired skill (i.e. a Master Firebender being able to siphon heat as opposed to a novice Firebender who wouldn't be able to), so practice would make perfect in this case, it seems; however, the biggest problem is that we really haven't seen extremes of bending (without aid) other than the kind of bending we saw in the Sozin's Comet special when the Master Benders of the White Lotus are taking back Omashu (even then, I'm not quite sure, as I haven't seen those episodes since I first watched them). I do agree with Kyozuki, however, about the Avatar being able to pull off the extremes you mentioned (good example, BTW).
As for increases in bending power, it seems like Airbenders and Earthbenders are the only bending styles who don't have natural aids. According to Wikipedia,
Source: Wikipedia
so it looks like Earthbenders aren't really limited to what types of Earth they can bend. Like I said before, it doesn't look like Airbenders have any natural aids.
