Chin


 * This article refers to Chin the Great. For other uses, see Chin (disambiguation).

Chin the Conqueror, also known as Chin the Great, was a ruthless warlord from the northwestern Earth Kingdom born over 370 years ago during the life of Avatar Kyoshi. He launched a largely successful war against the Earth King before being indirectly killed by Kyoshi in defense of her homeland.

History
Chin was remembered as a capable, if tyrannical, leader, who successfully took advantage of widespread dissatisfaction with the reign of the 46th Earth King. He used the state of political affairs to launch a military campaign, unifying the Earth Kingdom under his control. Massing a large and formidable army, he successfully managed to gain control of the entire continent with the exceptions of Ba Sing Se and a small peninsula in the southwest, which Avatar Kyoshi called home. When Chin demanded that the inhabitants submit to his rule, Kyoshi defied his order. Chin then assumed an offensive position at the mouth of the peninsula, because his stubborn nature did not allow him to accept failure. Kyoshi acted to defend her people by entering the Avatar State, and splitting her village from the mainland, creating Kyoshi Island.

As the land mass moved off, the ground on which Chin stood became an unstable cliff over the ocean. Chin died when this ledge gave way beneath him, though it is important to note that he was not murdered by Kyoshi; his obstinance was the ultimate cause of his demise as he had sufficient time to move to a solid footing before his fall.

The Village of Chin, located at the place where Kyoshi Island split from the mainland, was named in his honor. The locals there still referred to Chin as a great hero and a statue of him had been erected there.

Trivia

 * The Chinese characters carved on the lower part of the statue in ancient Seal Script read 秦帝, which means "Emperor Chin". He is named and based on Qin Shi Huang, the controversial first Emperor of China who united the country and from whom China gets its English name.
 * Chin's status as a great conqueror yet one who was short in height may have been a reference to Genghis Khan or Napoleon Bonaparte.
 * Some people in the Earth Kingdom believed that Chin suffered from Napoleon Complex, and sought to conquer the Earth Kingdom simply to make up for his short stature.
 * Seeing that it was the Avatar's duty to maintain peace and stop war, it was strange that Avatar Kyoshi did not stop Chin before their battle, and his death.
 * This was probably due to Kyoshi believing that the Earth King's rule was unjust, hinted at by her apparent dislike and outright defiance of the king's order to crush the rebellion.
 * It is also possible that since Chin's ambition, at that point, did not extend beyond the realm of the Earthbenders, that his actions did not threaten the overall balance of the world yet. However, by the end of his conquests, Avatar Kyoshi decided that Chin had to be stopped. She later related this to Aang by explicitly saying "In my day, Chin the Conqueror threatened to throw the world out of balance."