Well you got to remember that the show is on nickelodeon and can't exactly show some one being burnt to a crisp... that would be rather gruesome. But as for the air bender killing people, I think they would just blast some one with a really high pressured air thing... I don’t know how to really explain it scientifically how other people try to do it but then again I’ve never been a huge fan of trying to mix science with a completely magical world. But I think an air bending attack is kind of like an impact, and if an air bender wanted he could hit smaller targets on a body with a more concentrated attack.

So imagine getting hit in the throat with and sledge hammer made of air! Or in the chest... but yeah that’s how I think an air bender would kill some one! Sorry if my explanation doesn’t make sense o.o

*cough*
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Need I say more?

Probably for non-Narutards. This is Hayate, who was brutally slaughtered by a blast of air. Which means it is possible to kill people with air. Yay.

Woosh! *hand motions* Airbending slice! *finger walking* And then we go on our way!

Though I doubt Airbenders would kill people, seeing as they are, for the most part, peaceful.


[glow=purple,2,300]<Katara edit: Kochi, DO NOT edit out Moderator or Admin edits. Also, when posting an image that has potentially offensive content, please make it a link and warn members.

And Satsujinkyou's name isn't Saj. Thanks.>[/glow]

So, yeah, I imagine there's a reason for this. I mean of course you could toss someone off a balcony or cliff or something with a gust of air or smash them against a wall until they can't take the beating anymore, but I think there's a reason all of the airbenders were monks.

Monks are typically peaceful people, and air always did seem like the most tranquil substance to bend. I think in retrospect (since they're all dead, this word is appropriate) we can see airbending and monks as a hand in hand matter. It's not about killing, its about discipline and enlightment.

I agree with Oni and Satty here. (Mind if I call you Satty? ) For the most part, airbending is not about pure killing. Its actuelly the oppisite. Its main goal, much like the martial art its based off of, is about evasion, speed, and simply not getting hit. However, there is a dark to it obviously. Now most of you are thinking, "But wait, I thought you said they were monks? Aren't they peaceful and go lucky people?" Yes, but if your life is on the line and you know it, most of the time the most peaceful person is gonna try and either escape, or kill his attackers to survive. Now what could I possibly be talking about? The second episode I believe. When they went to the Aang's Air Temple and where he descovered his master's skeleton, surrounded by many, many fire nation soldiers. I am sure they did not just lay down and stayed there because they felt like it. Airbending, like most things, have a darker side. If you know how to do it, you can cause some real damage.

Now as for the firebending style, of course they are moving back. They don't want to get burnt. The power from firebending is like a little thing us boys in D&D like to call "Burnign Hands." Basically, YOU HEAT FLASH THEM, burnign whatever it is they are wearing and let them burn. Can you say, flamethrower! ;D

I love Burning Hands. It's depicted as a triangular flaming stream that occurs when a sorcerer places both of his hands in the direction of the enemy. I don't think the Firebenders can do techniques like that. I think firebending attacks are limited to a few ways that are controllable. People seem to think that you can wave fire around like nothing, like the guy in that Fire Nation festival. I disagree, though.

I think it's about projecting fire with swinging and thrusting motions. I think you need to punch or thrust your palm to make combustive attacks. I think the whips Zuko did require a highly refined form. I don't think you can wave fire like f'in crazy, but that there's limits and elegance to it.

In the opening you see some guy do an ax kick, thereby creating an flaming explosion that moves upwards. When Zuko and Zhao duel, you see them fire off blasts by punching. People mistake firebending for that X-Men guy's power, or for absolute control over fire. I personally think, instead, that firebending is not the CONTROL of FIRE but, ohmygod, the BENDING of fire. The INFLUENCE of its motions to make it potent.

I think your partially right, but I think that your not completely right. I agree that you do not have complete control of fire (like you cannot stop it from burning you) but I think that benders still have a great deal of control. Remember when Aang asks whoever the old guy was to teach him firebending and he made the candles light up like tiny pillars of flame? What about when Iroh tells Zuko that they have no idea about the avatar's whereabouts in the second third episode? (I think it was the third episode). Prehaps the second season finally when Iroh does that awesome DRAGOND BREATH OF DOOM attack? Course, most of these attacks are made by those who are above the skill level of an average firebender. Punches, thrusts, and kicks probally have more power and are more straight forward so they are probally more effective than most attacks. Zuko's fire whips were made to fight Katara because she wasn't too close and was using fire whips. If she was close, Zuko would probally just use the normall stuff because then his attacks would have more effect, but she was distant so Zuko changed his tactics to suit his opponent's methods.

In otherwords, Burning hands in avatar is very possible, but I think thats the most we can hope for. (No 20 foot fireballs. )
Thats my unprofessional two cents of rambling. MUAHAHHAHAHA! ;D

Water benders could probably just kill you where you stand. I mean, they can move, freeze, and manipulate water, and if you are mostly water, they can just freeze the water in you. Poof, you die. Water bending seems like the easiest way to kill people, yet you don't see anybody... er, frozen to death. That's probably because it's Nickelodeon, though. They can't really show death.

In fire bending, I agree with Satsujinkyou. I mean, they don't have complete CONTROL over fire. Zuko's scar kind of proves that. In some other fantasy places, the people can't be burned by the fire, but here, Zuko obviously got burned. So, they can just manipulate the fire, not control it completely.

Totally off topic, but.... OH MY GOD! 1,000 POSTS! 1K! AHHH!

There, you see? I mean, water is this actively present element as is Earth - It's there, you can control it. You can pick it up, toss it, you can treat it like you treat anything in real life - And when you're an experienced bender, you can go further. You can manipulate the shape with the wave of your hands or the stomp of our feet, like some sort of element-wielding Jedi. Earth, Air, and Water are all control.

But fire, fire isn't just there. It doesn't just sit around and exist, you can't fill a box with fire. You can't pick up fire or push it over - It's not a substance and it stands out when put with the other three elements of Avatar. You can't control fire like you would an actually, physical object - You can only learn to influence it, and this is obvious in their fighting styles.

They don't control fire, they don't make a ball of fire and throw it at you - They thrust balls of fire from their fists. Firebending doesn't seem to be about making and controlling, it seems to be about influencing and wielding. Fire is not your weapon, it's an extension of your body. You can kick and firebend with your kick - But you can't like kick and make six fireballs pop out of your ear and shoot someone, the fire is going to act in a manner relative to the motion used to invoke it. It'll sweep like your kick does.

That's why a thrusting punch seems to be the only way to create a combustive fireball, as demonstrated in fights between Zhao and Zuko - Because a fireball launching, impacting, and exploding seems to relate to a punch that, in a manner of speaking is launched, impacts, and causes an explosion of force and pain.

I'm a bit perplexed by Zuko's fire whips, but I noticed the way his hands were positioned when he made them. And note that when he and Katara made their little whips, they didn't "CONTROL" the whips, they "INFLUENCED" them. They didn't use their powers to tell them where to go, they influenced them with their own bodily motions. While waterbending is more arm and hand movement, fire is whole body, it's using your arms and legs as an arsenal of explosives and flames.

You'll get a good understanding of my meaning if you watch Zhao trying to fight Aang on his ships in the episode where Aang learns firebending. I just hope the role players on this site don't use firebending in any other way, because I sincerely think it's wrong.

*puts on spiffy Doctor’s Coat* ((well.. I actually don’t get one until I start med school in 3 years *cries* but the point remains =P))

There is a fundamental problem with the idea that waterbenders can manipulate the water in your body. The problem being.. that there is VER VERY LITTLE pure water in your body at a single point in time that has not been chemically altered into either plasma, or a bodily function sustaining electrolyte fluid… While it is true that your body is like 80% water.. but the catch is.. its not real water =P

Here is my take on why waterbenders cant bend the “water” in a body, using science as evidence =P. From what we have seen so far in the series, (which is what I will stick by… if it hasn’t been seen in the series.. then it can’t happen. Period) Only pure elements (Rock, water, air, fire) can be bended by their respective benders. And most of you are probably asking yourselves… What about the slurry, or the perfume?

The answer is simple and makes sense scientifically. Again the following is based on the premise that benders can only bend pure elements as seen on the TV show.

First we have to have a little science refresher! There are two types of mixtures that are common; hetero/homogeneous mixtures, and biochemical mixtures. There are also two different types of reactions, Physical and Chemical. This will come in just a few minutes but let us first look at the two types of mixtures:

Heterogeneous/ Homogeneous mixtures:
These are mixtures that we see everyday.. Vinegar and oil, gravel, salad, soda, slurry, perfume, etc… The main thing to know about these types of mixtures… is that they can be separated into their basic elements. Slurry and perfume can have the water evaporated from in leaving water vapor and dirt. Both are now bendable elements. When they are combined in slurry, like in the TV show, they could be bent by a waterbender or an earthbender… why? Because if a watebender is bending the water in the slurry, the water molecules are directly influencing the dirt particles to move them on a molecular level... and visa versa with the earthbender. The dirt particles are forcing the water molecules to follow it.

Another reason why this can happen is because its undergoing a physical reaction. Physical reactions are mixing, shaping form or state, and any other physical process that does not change the element on a molecular level. SO by mixing water and dirt to get slurry, you still haven’t changed the fact that it contains water and dirt. Both of which are completely bendable compounds.

Biochemical Mixtures:
This is where my main point gets made. Once water enters your body it immediately undergoes many chemical reactions to make it usable to the body. Example: Cell metabolism, the creation of ions. This is where 99% of the water goes. In the mitochondria of the cell, water gets reduced and oxidized and changed chemically into NADPH, random salts, ATP (very important), waste (Urea), pryuvate, glucose, etc…

The main thing here is that these processes are Chemical reactions. In a chemical reaction: compounds get modified on the molecular level and changes the nature of the product. Reduction of water into HCl, or oxidation of water into peroxide H2O2. Dry HCl (acid with no water medium) has no chemical similarities to water, therefore a different compound. Dry H2O2 is not the same as water, they may be really really close, but it is a different chemical with different properties then water. Therefore scientifically NOT WATER.

So back to my original argument. Water is constantly reduced, and oxidized in the body… I don’t want to get into the biochemical processes of Cell metabolism, That will end with me writing out synthesis reactions and I don’t want to do them, then scan them in and paste them here…

What im trying to say OVERALL, is that water is highly conserved in the body. It gets used instantly by every cell in the body. When water mixes with Stomach acid, it instantly turns to salts.. simple acid/base reactions. Then more advance oxidation and reduction reactions happen in the cell, and then the water gets converted to Urea and disposed of through urine.

So while the body may contain water in it, it is rapidly used and I don’t think a waterbender is quick enough to get a hold of the water molecules in the body before they are reduced or oxidized by cells. Cell metabolism happens countless time within a single seconds.. it is always happening, converting and reducing water to needed compounds.

When a person is brought in suffering from dehydration, they don’t give him water.. they give him a banana bag, which contains proteins, electrolytes, salts, and other things that the body needs that are made by water… you can survive without water if you are attached to a banana bag or IvIG… proof that while water is sufficient, it is not necessary… money wise.. its cheaper to drink the water…

Oh FYI.. a banana bag doesn’t use water.. it uses a saline solution to dilute the needed compounds….

So that is my two cents…

Once the water goes inside your body, it undergoes chemical changes and is no longer water, therefore can’t be bent in my opinion.

References:
Campbell’s biology 7th edition (Campbell et all)
Organic Chemistry (McMurry et. all)
Principles of Biochemistry (Albert L. Lehninger et. lall)
Human Anatomy and Physiology 6th edition (Elaine N. Marieb et all)

True, but you are using as an example a person who by definition lacked control as stated by his former teacher Jeong Jeong. I think there are too many examples of firebending being controlled to say it is not or can't be done. Iroh's "hand torch" lighting the way below Bah Sing Sei, the performer in the village in "The Deserter," Zuko with the candles, Roku vs the Fire Sages, etc. Furthermore, the fact that Uncle Iroh makes it a point to tell Zuko that lightning cannot be controlled in my opinion implies that normal firebending can be/is controlled. The show also shows firebenders able to keep from being burned by other firebenders' attacks. Zuko demonstrates this during the Agni Kai with Zhao when he parted the fireblasts sent at him.

I think the thing to note with all bending is you don't just think "I want to send a blast of air at so and so" or "I want to keep my oponent's fire from burning me" you have to go through specific movements. During the fight between Katara and Master Pakku, once Pakku had Katara caught in the ice cage, she was done not because she could no longer control water, but because she was no longer able to do the motions necessary to exert that control.

I loved your dissertation on waterbending Yi Feng! However, question for you: If such is the case, how is it that waterbenders can use the water in the body to redirect the flow of chi and facilitate healing?

Copper for your thoughts.

Simple! I learned this!!

Chi doesn’t follw the blood stream like most people think.. it has special electromagnetic pathways called Meridians. There are like.. 27 prime meridians that run through your body (Governor Vessel, Stomach, Heart, Triple heater, gallbladder, Liver, Bladder, Colon, Conception Vessel, Spleen to name a few common ones)

The main way to fix obstructed Chi flow along these pathways is to go to a shen balancer or an acupuncturist. They will use pressure points along with the art of Tai Chi to help level the flow of Chi.. So the way to heal blocked Chi is through Tai Chi exercises and Tai Chi pressure points. The Fact that they attached water to Tai Chi is clearly circumstance when it comes to healing. Because Tai Chi is considered the healing martial art.

Water and Chi do not combine in the body, they have their own channels that are electromagnetic and pressure sensitive. Chi is very secretive thing and only acupuncture and Tai Chi are able to balance disrupted Chi. So Waterbenders can heal because they heal through the power of Tai Chi, like Satsujinkyou said, The element is an extension of the bender’s body. SO instead of the bender actually touching the person to heal them, they use water. In reality, it is Tai Chi that fixes the electromagnetic pathways via pressure points (damming up a river, redirecting a river.. etc..)

I hope that answers the question ^_^

I believe this bending water in the body technique was first mentioned on the Avatar site at Nick.com. Now while it hasn't specifically happened in the show yet, I try to consider that site to be slightly more canon and official than if someone just happened to tell me because they believed in it.

Really, I think this whole thing boils down to sacrificing actual phsyics and sciences for the sake of story. The average person would believe that this sort of technique is possible if they were watching the show and wouldn't bat an eye about it. Why? Because as a story device it would probably be quite interesting and entertaining.

This pretty much ties into why firebenders don't seem to always get burned or be on fire. It's only used when it serves the story (Zuko's scar, and Aang's injuries in various battles, like the one against Zhao in the Deserter), otherwise any firebender who sent a huge ball from their fists, or attempted to dissipate an incoming strike would be very horribly scarred and burned. It wouldn't be a whole lot of fun. What this series tries to do is strike a medium between believable science, story, and mythical nature of elements.

Airbenders did not use their bending for injury or pain, but it is hard to ignore the fact that they could defend themselves to an extent. Monk Gyatso's skeleton is proof that it took a gaggle of soldiers to finally bring him down. Perhaps some technique he used that took them out with him? There's no way to tell for sure at this point. But, a true airbending master probably knew enough about their discipline to be able to defend themselves, and that could lead to possible injury or death. (See? I am being sort of on topic here) And it's quite obvious that with carefully placed blasts of air one could knock their opponent into an environmental hazard, which could also result in death. Indirect, yes, but it still counts.

I would really take the nitty gritty of all of this with a grain of salt. What the writers will do is whatever serves the story in the most satisfying fashion. If that means ignoring actual science (and I think they've done that a few times already), then that's what they're going to do.

Edit: I forgot to mention about Katara's other healing abilities, ones that completely healed her hands and rid Aang of burns after his fight with Zhao (again, because it was needed as a plot device), and also somehow facilitated Jet's memory unlocking (though I would debate that it might've been intentional to lure them into the Dai Li dungeon trap). I'm curious if there is a scientific explanation behind that the same way there is for Katara unblocking peoples' chi.

potentially an airbender could completely remove the air from around their opponent thereby causing them to die of asphyxiation......and completely nullifying Firebending (fire needs air to function right?).......technically speaking an airbender could create a complete vacuum around a person......

No, that is just not possible. Airbenders bend air but that doesn't mean they are in complete control of it! To make a complete vacuum would be impossible, even if Aang was in the avatar state. You wanna explain how anyone could fight the laws of nature right here. Aang has stopped fire before in a fight against Zuko, with the big creature that sees via smell, but that was different. He didn't make a Vacuum. Shugo, making a vaccuum, if it was even remotely possible, would require such energy and strength that it would hardly be worth it, because your fighting to keep the air outside of your area of choosing. That is why a can crunches when you take the air out of it. Could one of admin guys help me out here with a science awnser? Yi Feng? Ai Lin? Someone?

I never said that he could do it......I was just saying that is was theoretically possible......well maybe not a complete vacuum but at least keeping your opponent from breathing.........unless you breath something other then air.....like helium........and anything crunches when you remove the air from it.

Shugo: this is a discussion board, meaning that your posts have to be 300+ characters… Any more posts under the minimum will result in further action against you.

Sorry for this being late Yoshiro… I shall come to the rescue!

Yoshiro is right, making a vacuum solely out or air is impossible… Physics 101. You could make a cyclone, and experience lower pressure on the inside then outside. But a total vacuum is impossible to make in our atmosphere without the help of machines and an airtight enclosure… As for the whole concept of crushing someone in a vacuum… you got your pressure backwards

When a person goes into a vacuum, they don’t implode or crush, they explode. Why? Because air pressure always goes from high to low.. if you’re in space(true Vacuum) and you remove your helmet, you will explode because the air inside you is at a higher pressure then your surroundings and will try to equalize the environment by rushing out of your body by any means necessary. Same concept with a balloon of air… Take a balloon higher and higher in the air, it will expand and expand until it explodes, because the air inside wants to get out in a vain attempt to equalize the surroundings.

Now.. if you increase the pressure around you, like you’re diving into the ocean. If you were still using the balloon, you will notice that it will shrink… why? Because the higher pressure outside is exhibiting more force on the lower pressure air in the balloon. Again, the gradient is from high pressure to low pressure. High pressure will try to rush into the low pressure in an attempt to equalize it.

So.. in a way Shugo is partially right… things do crush when you remove air, as a result of the higher pressure outside rushing in. But he is also wrong….

If you stick the person in a vacuum chamber, you can suck all the air out and he won’t crush. Why? Because there is a barrier between him and the high pressure. This is how a decompression chamber works for deep sea scuba divers. If the barrier between the pressures is the person’s skin, then yes then sucking the air out of him will cause him to implode. But if you stick him in a vortex or a vacuum chamber.. he wont explode, because his surroundings are also in a vacuum... so if you’re sucking the air out of both the chamber and the person, then there will be no difference, just asphyxiation, but no implosion. If there was indeed implosion when you suck the air out of a person.. then I would have died 3 years ago =P.. (Bad scuba incident.. never do it again…)

Your lungs can still collapse if the air is taken from your body, I hear. But, I sincerely think the airbenders can't do that. Perhaps the human anatomy is too hard to work air through. Their control of air seems limited to pushes and pulls, like they can set air rotating or jut it in directions, but they can't wave it around like a waterbender does water. And, from what I see, they can't keep air in one place like the earth and water - It's constantly moving, like Aang's little air ball that he rides on. Except he's the Avatar, he can probably keep it tame for a long, long time. I think denying someone breath or stealing from their lungs is impossible for any airbender to accomplish.

Too difficult.

I didn't read everything that's posted here, but I was thinking about airbending being lethal and I think that it very much can be. It doesn't have to be pressure or anything either. If any of you have ever used those air cans or anything you should be able to get this easy. If you hold the button down the can gets really cold and if you put your hand out the air is really cold. Why? Because the gas is stripping the heat from the can and once enough of it is gone the air gets cold.

Now let's take an airbender and Joeschmo. Let's have the airbender bend big gusts of wind over Joe, without trying to blow him away. Eventually enough heat will be stripped from Joe's body that he would freeze. Airbender Fatality.