Talk:Bending Arts/@comment-2.103.60.89-20110708164646/@comment-96.49.110.117-20110726140136

@Drreverol

I initially felt this too, but the creators actually did a good job of explaining the genocide. The Air Nomads were monks, which probably means that breeding was more ceremonial amongst them (an assumption I know... I could be wrong, but it's a decent guess). Their population was not incredibly high as per word of god, and simultaneous comet-powered firebending attacks on all four temples- like massacring hundreds of children and couples (disgusting) would've caused enough chaos for most of them to be wiped out. As done in the comic (which you should pick up), Sozin then set up temples filled with airbender artifacts to lure airbenders into traps. After 100 years, given that they have a very distinctive look about them (tattoos and all), that most were raised in a very different way from everyone else... I no longer find it hard to believe as a culture they were wiped out. Compound that with the fact survivors might be rooted out when the firebenders attacked and all were airbenders- they'd have to hide that for the rest of their lives. Hama did it somewhat, perhaps there were airbending Hamas for a time too, but it's all very doubtful. However, I agree with you that the airbending gene is not wiped out. Either through airbenders breeding with other populations, or because Aang managed to revitalize the sky bison population and a new group of airbenders could emerge learning from them.