Military of the Water Tribe



The military of the Water Tribe is a group of organizations protecting the Water Tribes. It is divided between the Northern Water Tribe and the Southern Water Tribe.

Chain of command is not very well defined. There is no overall military commander of the Water Tribe, command being divided between the North and South. It is clear however that the Chiefs of the two tribes have the overall command of their respective tribal militia.

As a result of the strong customary theme expressed by the two major sects, the Water Tribe military is considerably less sophisticated than that of the recently industrialized Earth Kingdom or the highly industrialized Fire Nation. It is also much smaller. Nevertheless, the tribes also exhibit deep pride and willpower typical of a warrior race.

Northern Water Tribe
The more organized Northern Water Tribe has a more sophisticated militia. All adult male tribe members of the Northern Water Tribe are fully-trained warriors. There are both Waterbender warriors and non-bender warriors.

Infantry


Benders wear face masks to cover their mouths and hoods.

Non-bender weaponry includes clubs, spears made of bone (also used in spearfishing), scimitars, and machetes laced with whale teeth on the dull side of the blade. They typically wear black and white warpaint on their full face before going into battle.

Other Equipment
The Northern Water Tribe makes use of armories located on the warrior training grounds which serve as weapons storage and war planning rooms where orders are distributed. Their Waterbenders engender and utilize a countless amount of iceberg spikes scattered across the ocean just outside the city as a first line of defense against Fire Nation ships. The spikes are capable of ripping through solid metal and sinking even the largest ships. The currents in the iceberg fields are known to be extremely dangerous, but are easily traversed by Water Tribe vessels. The iceberg spikes themselves are also used as cover for warriors to hide behind, enabling to easily ambush any unwanted visitors.

Navy
The Northern Water Tribe has a small number most common ship is a double-hulled vessel powered by Waterbending. Though its small, compact size enables it to be used for a variety of applications, including transporting civilians across the canals within the city, its main purpose is to be used for short, open ocean trips. Even though its not necessarily designed for long voyages, it is capable of being used to travel over a thousand miles and withstanding the harshest ocean conditions. Warriors use this ship to patrol and protect the waters just outside the Northern Water Tribe.

Hahn's Task Force
These militants of the Northern Water Tribe were recruited in The Siege of the North, Part 1, when Chief Arnook called his tribe to him to ask for participants for a mission to stop the invading Fire Nation Navy. Sokka was one of the participants, and while training for the mission, got into a quarrel with its then leader, Hahn.

List of Known Commanders

 * Chief Arnook
 * Hahn

Southern Water Tribe


All adult male tribe members of the Southern Water Tribe are fully-trained warriors. Since the loss of the Waterbenders, the Southern Water Tribe has been a purely a non-bender force.

Infantry
Warrior weaponry includes clubs, bladed boomerangs, spears made of bone (also used in spearfishing), scimitars, and machetes laced with whale teeth on the dull side of the blade. Water Tribe warriors typically wear black and white warpaint on their full face before going into battle.

Hakoda's expeditionary force however appears to wear different armor when on campaign. They wear helmets in the shape of a wolf's head and have arm braces and greaves. They also carry large shields.

Other Equipment
Southern Water Tribe Warriors have used "tangle mines," buoyant, terrible smelling make-shift mines of Hakoda's invention, which he affectionately nicknames the "stink n' sink." The tangle mines are constructed with a bamboo frame and covered with dried animal skin, while the inside is filled with skunkfish and seaweed. These mines float in the water and detonate when a ship hits them. When the mines detonate, they erupt seaweed, which tangles around the propeller of the ship, incapacitating it, and skunkfish, which terrible smell forces people to abandon ship. Though a very unusual type of mine, they had apparently been quite effective.

Navy


The Southern Water Tribe has a number of ships. The ships of the Southern Tribe seem to be cutter sailing ships, containing wooden hulls and utilizing the wind for propulsion. The boats are shown to be operated by at least two people, one to maintain the main sail and one to control the jib, a smaller sail at the rear. The ships appear to be designed more for use as a transport vessel than combat.

List of Known Commanders

 * Chief Hakoda
 * Bato
 * Sokka

List of Known Commanders

 * Huu
 * Tho
 * Due