Bumi


 * This article is about Aang and Katara's eldest son. For other uses see Bumi (disambiguation).

"URN"

- Look, uh, I'm sorry I didn't turn out to be an airbender like you hoped. But I've tried my best to keep the world safe. Hope I made you proud.

Bumi is Avatar Aang and Katara's first child and oldest son, as well as the only nonbender among the couple's three children. Before his retirement in early 171 ASC, he was the commander of the Second Division of the United Forces.

Early life


The firstborn and only nonbender among Aang and Katara's three children, Bumi grew into a very rambunctious child who needed close supervision. As with his sister Kya, Bumi was somewhat distant from his father, who was primarily focused on his Avatar duties, preserving Air Nomad culture, and training Tenzin in airbending.

Once he was old enough, Bumi joined the United Forces, where he became a commander. At one point in his career, he commanded a rescue mission in the mountains near Ba Sing Se.

170 ASC
In 170 ASC, during the Battle for Republic City, Bumi was sent a wire by Gommu from General Iroh after his fleet was defeated by Equalist biplanes. He was told to hide his armada at Red Sand Island until Iroh signaled him that it was clear to attack.

Bumi later arrived at Air Temple Island with reinforcements, crowing and cackling atop his ship, much to the embarrassment of his younger brother, Tenzin, who seemed slightly annoyed at having to entertain his hyperactive brother. Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo, however, were delighted to see their uncle.

Retirement and life with Tenzin's family


Six months after arriving in Republic City, Bumi retired from the United Forces and came to live on Air Temple Island with Tenzin and his family. Bumi later stood at a gateway on Air Temple Island that doubled as the finish line to the air scooter race between Korra, Ikki, Jinora, and Meelo, serving as a referee. He waved a checkered flag as Korra passed and declared her the winner of the race. Bumi sided with Korra in her argument with Tenzin when she insisted that she had already mastered airbending, annoying his younger brother. When Tenzin dryly asked him if it was too late for him to rejoin the United Forces, Bumi happily announced that his resignation papers had already been processed and he promised "24/7 Bumi time" for his younger brother, pinching Tenzin's face in a teasing manner.

Bumi continued to tease his brother, as he mocked Tenzin's ability to be relaxed on a vacation, and suggested he accompany them just to see "vacation Tenzin", which Tenzin opposed. However, when Korra interjected that they would first visit the Southern Water Tribe to attend the Glacier Spirits Festival, Bumi joyfully announced that Tenzin could not keep him from accompanying them there, as their mother, Katara, had already invited him.



Upon arriving at the South Pole, the brothers are reunited with their sister Kya, and Bumi teamed up with his sister to tease Tenzin some more. At the royal banquet, Bumi mocked Tenzin over being potentially replaced by Chief Unalaq as Korra's mentor. When the time came that Tenzin was preparing his departure for the air temple, Bumi was allowed to tag along, after their mother had persuaded Tenzin to spend time with his siblings. As Bumi struggled to get up on Oogi, Tenzin helped him up with a small air blast.

Family troubles
Upon arriving at the Southern Air Temple, a frustrated Bumi and Kya asked for assistance with their luggage, though ended up severely annoyed when a female Air Acolyte told them that she thought they were Tenzin's servants. Their irritation grew as the woman felt sorry for them after learning that they were not airbenders.



The next day, as the family began relaxing, Bumi interrupted Tenzin's relaxation as jumped out with an unbuttoned robe and boxers, to the discomfort of his sister. Tenzin then tried reminiscing on past vacations with their father, only for his siblings to inform him that only he accompanied Aang on those vacations. Suddenly, Jinora and Meelo arrived without Ikki. Jinora confessed that they had teased Ikki, causing her to run off. Meelo also mentioned a shark-squid in between Pema's questions, which Bumi claimed was his nemesis. Tenzin, Bumi and Kya then began searching for Ikki.

Traveling far from the temple, Bumi briefly played a prank on Tenzin by pretending to be Ikki hiding in a bush. As Kya rejoined them, Tenzin wondered where he gone wrong with his children. Kya believed this to be because Tenzin let his duties get in the way of being a father, remembering that Aang was the exact same way, only for Bumi to squeeze Tenzin's cheeks and say that Aang always had time for the airbender. Tenzin brushed him off, insisting that their father loved them all equally and asked why they were even discussing things long past. After Tenzin ran off, both Kya and Bumi mocked him for running away in the "typical airbender" style.



As night fell, Bumi recounted a search-and-rescue operation he performed outside of Ba Sing Se, which only irritated his brother, who criticized his embellishing regarding facing three typhoons. Bumi defended that he was only trying to inspire him. Kya then found footprints leading down the mountain, but instead of following those tracks, Bumi insisted they make their way down the waterfall, insisting that the faster route would be no trouble for benders. His siblings, however, upstaged him by effortlessly making it down to the bottom with their bending. Though Tenzin offered to air lift him down, Bumi refused his help, only to slip and fall into the water. Kya began to heal his head injury and chastised him for failing to accept that he can't do everything a bender can. Bumi disregarded her words, insisting that she was not their mother, prompting Kya to stop healing him and let the water splash on his head. Bumi attempted to turn to Tenzin for support, but his younger brother retorted that he had always been the most childish, whereas he had to be the responsible one. Kya took offense to the remark, stating that only she was willing to move to the South Pole to support their mother after their father died. Tenzin defended that he had the responsibility of carrying on the traditions of the Air Nomads, but his siblings retorted that he should not be carrying the burden alone, since they are also Aang's children and started regretting joining him on this vacation. Tenzin confessed that he never wanted to bring them along in the first place and told them to return to the temple in case Ikki had returned while he continued searching.



Later the next day, Bumi walked into the air temple sanctuary and stood before the statue of Aang, wondering if he had done enough to uphold his father's legacy and help the world. Kya arrives, and assures him that their dad is proud of him, giving him an assuring hug. After Tenzin returned with Ikki, Bumi and Kya apologized to their brother for taking out their frustrations on him. Kya pulled out a picture that Katara had given to her before they left, showing the much younger children with their parents in happier days. A few days later, he witnessed in delight as Meelo orchestrated a ring-tailed winged lemur air show.

Eastern Air Temple
Having arrived at the Eastern Air Temple, Bumi engaged in a discussion with his sister, trying to convince her that he once won a rock-throwing contest against an earthbender; their conversation was cut short when Tenzin announced their itinerary for the day. However, before they could embark on the tour of the temple, Korra arrived, pleasantly surprising everyone. Bumi was shocked to learn the events they had missed by being closed off from the outside world, placing the blame for that with Tenzin.

When it became apparent that Korra needed to enter the Spirit World, Bumi tagged along to several locations where he witnessed Korra and Tenzin meditating in an attempt to cross over. He was shocked to hear Tenzin's confession that he had never been to the Spirit World before, though when his brother listed that as being his biggest shortcoming as a son of Aang, Bumi amusedly welcomed him to the "I Disappoint Dad Club". After Jinora told her dragonfly bunny spirits that is was all right to reveal themselves, Bumi bonded with a blue spirit, as the entity landed and stayed on his shoulder; he named the spirit "Bum-Ju", short for Bumi Junior.



As they arrived at the location, Bumi witnessed Tenzin performing a cleansing ceremony. However, he chided his brother for having chased away the dragonfly bunny spirits. The ritual also drew out a swarm of bat-like dark spirits that promptly attacked them. He ducked for cover and waiting until Korra used Unalaq's purification technique to calm them down.

Bumi spent the remainder of the day waiting with the others while Tenzin attempted to cross over to the Spirit World through meditation. Growing tired, he used a long stick to poke his brother in the back, asking whether or not he was in the Spirit World. When it became apparent that it was not going to work and that it was Jinora's destiny to guide Korra into the Spirit World, Bumi and his siblings remained behind to keep their bodies safe until they returned.

Later that night, Bumi tried to comfort his brother, who was concerned about Jinora, by reminding him that their father entered the Spirit World all the time. When Tenzin worried that they would be defenseless without their bending, Bumi took offense, saying he was not defenseless without bending. As Tenzin failed to come up with a reason for the difference in his brother's situation, Kya came to his aid by proposing it was his positive attitude, to which Bumi responded that he preferred to think it was his "acute intellect and cat-like reflexes". He was advised by his brother to get some rest, offering to take first watch. Bumi told Tenzin to wake himself and Kya up if "interesting spirit-y stuff" happened, such as Korra and Jinora's bodies suddenly beginning to float away. Kya subsequently chastised her brother, and Bumi took a gentler tone, assuring Tenzin that he and his sister were there if he needed them. The next morning, Bumi was awoken by Korra's sudden return to the physical world.

Water Tribe Civil War
Bumi subsequently followed his siblings, his eldest niece, and the Avatar back to Republic City. They landed at the Pro-bending Arena following the arrest of Varrick and his assistant. He was later at the police headquarters with the police force applauding Mako.

Later, on the Zhu Li en route to the South Pole, Bumi is playing a flute. When Tenzin suggested breaking through the security forces guarding the southern spirit portal, he objected due to them being outnumbered. However, he once again brought up a similar encounter in which he defeated pirates with a feather, two eggs and a barrel of molasses, much to the airbender's ire. They subsequently returned to the Southern Water Tribe compound for their mother to tend to Jinora. When deciding on how to enter the spirit portal, Bumi once again brought up a similar, albeit exaggerated, tale regarding an oasis and sandbenders, which prompted Asami to come up with the idea of launching an aerial attack into the spirit portal.

Bumi, Tenzin, Kya and Korra attempted to enter the portal atop Oogi, where they were soon attacked by swarms of dark spirit. He attacked a dark spirit which has attached to Oogi, causing both of them to plunge into the snow. On the snow, Bumi fought a losing battle against the dark spirit, using punches and a hidden knife. However, he unwittingly calmed the dark spirit when playing a flute. He was soon joined by Naga and Pabu. Outside the security fences of the portal, Bumi managed to ambush and overpower a patrolling guard and stole his uniform. In disguise, he attempted to calm the numerous dark spirits, but failed, causing them to attack him. While escaping the spirits, he entered a mecha tank for cover, but the spirits soon entered the engine causing it to move out of control. In a desperate attempt to regain control, Bumi accidentally fired a tethered cable to the middle tower, causing the tank to circle the encampment and destroy everything. When the spirits soon made their way into the mecha tank's interior, Bumi ejected and landed into a tent, knocking over Eska and Desna, and freed Team Avatar and his siblings who were captured.

When the team went out, his younger brother was amazed at how he wiped out the entire camp. He tried to explain, but decided against it as he knew Tenzin wouldn't believe him. Bumi soon entered the southern portal with Korra, Mako, Bolin, and his siblings. While Korra and her friends battled with Unalaq, Bumi and his siblings left to find Jinora.

Personality


When Pema asked Katara if Tenzin and his siblings were as rambunctious as her own children, Katara replied by saying that Bumi was, while Tenzin had always been "rather serious". Bumi is described by General Iroh as being a "bit of a wild man, but the bravest commander you'll ever meet". When he first arrived in Republic City's harbor, Bumi let out a large celebratory bellow as his way of greeting those awaiting his arrival, proving half of Iroh's statement correct. His wild personality stems from the fact that he came from a family of benders and became determined to prove that he can do everything a bender can, a trait he carried since childhood. Bumi later showed an apologetic and vulnerable side over this in front of his father's statue, feeling guilty over not being born an airbender like his father wanted, but still hoped that he made him proud by devoting his life to making the world a better place.

Bumi is also a bit of a story teller, able to "take a story about buying figs into a feat of derring-do".

Abilities
Bumi is a very capable leader, having been a former commander of the United Forces' Second Division. Despite lacking any bending abilities, he is renowned for his strategy and courageousness, though these attributes are often overshadowed by his apparent immaturity. He describes himself as having an acute intellect and cat-like reflexes. This is supported by his skilled use of boxing and concealed throwing knives.

Appearances
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Book Two: Spirits (神靈)
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Trivia

 * Bumi was named after Aang's childhood friend, King Bumi.
 * Both men share a rowdy, wild, and reckless personality, along with a similar dark-skinned and gruff appearance.
 * Bumi is the first known nonbender and non-airbender child of an airbender.
 * He is also the only known child of a member of the original Team Avatar to be a nonbender.
 * While originally fit upon his first appearance, Bumi has since gained weight within the six months following his retirement after the Anti-bending Revolution.
 * Bumi is able to play a flute with some skill.