Hmm.... I'd have to vote for fire. I imagine once you learned it, it would be easy enough (comparatively speaking, of course). However, it's that pesky learning process.

After all, you screw up with fire and you might land yourself in the infirmary. Just look at Zuko's failed attempts to create lighting (or more accurately; his many failed attempts to blow himself into itty-bitty pieces).

I really think what really matters is your natural affinity for an element. If you have a natural affinity for something, its easy. Like Aang rocks at airbending, is okay at water and fire, and can barely earthbend.

Aang has been doing Airbending a LOT longer than any other Element is the main reason he's good at it. He isn't all that good at Fire/Water because he just started learning it, and Earth is his opposite element is why he can barely do that at all.

Plus think about it like this, Aang had to first learn Airbending, he couldn't just do it right away, so think about the training he had to go through and such.

Aye, I agree with Jeax, but I'd have to say firebending is the hardest by agreeing with the pirate. It probably has to do though with a natural affinity of something because you were born into it, and in Aang case, he's got a natural inaffinity with Earth bending.

Well I don't think any would be that hard to learn because you would be raised in that enviroment and have the mindset to be able to bend the element without murdering your body, but then again Zuko sort of just says what I just said is wrong but opinions are opinions.

I would say fire, it requires so many emotions, water-calm, decisive, earth-steadiness, stubborn, air-nothing, freedom. Plus with fire the whole lightning thing would be pretty hard if all of your mentors had said that firebending required emotion and the strong will to force the fire in the direction you please.

I'd say either fire or earthbending.

Fire: because, like Shio and probably a bunch of other people said, it requires complete concentration and control over emotions. You could totally get out of control with firebending. Also, you have an unlimited amount of fire, so the destruction could (potentially) be ceaseless. Yeah, yeah, airbending is also pretty much unlimited, but fire is, at least in my opinion, more destructive. (I'm not looking for an argument here... *facepalm*)

Earth: because there are so many branches of it. We know of sand and metal, and obviously normal, but there are probably more sub-branches of earthbending. If you're a true earthbending master, you should at least know how to control both sand and metal a little bit. Sand is extremely difficult to bend (for most) because you are concentrating on copious amounts of extremely small objects. Metal would be even more difficult. Also, earth is probably the most destructive element (again, no arguments please) because it can A) break through water, B) halt fire and C) make an easy sheild against air. Plus it's the element that you actually have to be touching the earth and make some motion to bring up rocks to bend. (I think...)

Well, there's my input. Sorry if it conflicts or whatever. It's just what I think. *shrug*

It is hard to say as the only one who could actually learn to bend all four would be the avatar and it would seem that in his/her case the most difficult tends to be the one that is opposite your initial bending culture. All his life Aang was taught to bend, sway, and dodge, and then to learn earthbending he suddenly has to become stubborn and immovable. Total culture-shock.

Jeong Jeong does offer a bit of insight, however. He states that water is cool and soothing, earth is solid and stable, but fire is alive and that it can control you if you do not control it. He certainly would seem to vote fire being at least the most dangerous to try to bend and most likely the most difficult as well. Then again, he also views his firebending ability as a curse...

Copper for your thoughts.

my vote is to Fire

reasons: Though Earthbending is tough and needs to change ur thoughts its all mental. Water is the same as fire except fire can spread and can ultimatly destroy u. As for Air well unless you accidentally blow urself in the wrong direction and toss urself off a cliff then it's not to dangerous to you.

With Firebending there is no control of the fire itself until you've realized the nature of fire as Jeong Jeong said

My vote is...

They're all equal.

Observe:

Firebending is fuelled only by anger, and it's easy to become angry in battle. It's easy to manipulate. But lightning is not. Lightning requires no emotion or feeling, which is difficult to accomplish. It, therefore, has just neutralised itself from the option of being difficult or easy.

Waterbending is a flowing, yet solid element. The grasp must be firm, else it falls apart. However, bending ice is nearly like bending rock, and must be grabbed at much harder than plain water. It is also easy to flow water, but has similar properties to rockbending with icebending. It, therefore, has neutralised itself into being out of the difficult or easy vote.

Earthbending is a hard, situated element that you must literally "grab" at to manipulate. But imagine this: the smaller the rocks, like sand, the easier it is to manipulate. That, and sand versus tree earth also oppose each other, and therefore have also neautralised earthbending as being difficult or easy.

Airbending is extremely difficult to grasp as an element, and wind is impartial to flowing freely like water. However, due to air being everywhere, it's much easier to learn to hold, because you can learn anywhere under and conditions. And is thus neutralised from being difficult or easy.

So there you have it: they're all equal, difficult and easy alike.

^^hahaha ya he has a very good reasoning on that

But the main problem is personality. For some people containg the emotions entirely is not possible and some people have a difficult time getting angery. Example me people bug the day lights outta me, but i rare ever get mad.