Yangchen

"air"

- Selfless duty calls you to sacrifice your own spiritual needs and do whatever it takes to protect the world.

Avatar Yangchen was the Air Nomad-born Avatar immediately succeeding the unnamed fire Avatar and preceding Avatar Kuruk. Aang first saw her as an unnamed Air Nomad Avatar when Roku explained the function of the Avatar State. Later she introduced herself to him when he was in a coma following Azula's lightning attack. He did not, however, remember this encounter when he awoke from the coma. Finally, she manifested before him when he was meditating on how to stop Ozai without killing him, imparting the advice that he must sacrifice his own spiritual needs if the world requires it.

Yangchen was a respected Avatar noted for her wisdom, determination, and power. Though an Air Nomad, Yangchen was feared in her time due to her willingness to do "whatever it takes" to protect the world and keep it in balance. No threats of war occurred for an entire generation after her time.

Background


Yangchen was born and raised in the Western Air Temple. She, like all Avatars, mastered all four elements and the Avatar State. Yangchen proved to be powerful and even feared for her willingness to do whatever it takes to maintain peace. She was so respected as an Avatar that two statues were made of her: one in the Eastern Air Temple and one in the Western Air Temple. Because of her huge dedication to her duty, no threats of war occurred for an entire generation after her death.

Appearances during Aang's life
Yangchen was a very wise and powerful Avatar. During her brief meeting with Aang, she convinced him not to feel guilty, seeing as how previous Avatars had also struggled and made mistakes. Although she told Aang very little about her history, she felt very empathetic toward his shame at failing to protect Ba Sing Se.

Yangchen also imparted to Aang the purpose behind why the Avatar was born human: the Avatar must be compassionate to all people, and the only way of doing so was living among them. If the Avatar were instead an all-powerful immortal spirit living at the top of a mountain, he would not have anything in common with ordinary people. She acknowledged that the Avatar must experience human life and emotions, such as sadness, anger, joy, and happiness. The Avatar must learn how precious human life is in order to understand the need to protect it, thus with every incarnation, the Avatar Spirit comes closer to fully comprehending what it truly means to be human.



By the end of the meeting, Aang learned that the Avatar Spirit had been healed, although his ability to enter the Avatar State had been disrupted, he would have to rely on his friends rather than his past lives. Yangchen bade him farewell, and said that his journey in the Spirit World, reconnecting with his past lives, would be like a forgotten dream.

When on the lion turtle, Yangchen was the last Avatar Aang thought to summon, thinking an Air Nomad Avatar would sympathize with him best. She agreed that all life is sacred, and that many great Air Nomads had achieved spiritual enlightenment using this philosophy. However, as the Avatar, this was not possible since his first duty was to the world, which required him to sacrifice his own spiritual needs. After he heard this advice from an Air Nomad Avatar, Aang realized he had to do whatever it took to stop Ozai, even if it meant disregarding his own non-violent philosophy and taking the Fire Lord's life.

Appearances during Korra's life


Yangchen, alongside the other Avatars, appeared to Korra after she lost her bending to Amon. This appearance was representative of Korra establishing a connection with her spiritual side and for the purpose of having her bending restored. It gave her the ability to restore others' bending as well.

Relatives

 * Unnamed fire Avatar (immediate predecessor)
 * Kuruk (immediate successor)

Trivia

 * When abruptly asked for the name of the female airbender Avatar at the Pacific Media Expo, Bryan Konietzko jokingly dubbed her "Avatar Susan", indicating that they initially did not plan on developing the previous Avatars aside from the two already introduced.
 * Though there were statues of her in both the Eastern and Western Air Temples, she grew up in the Western Air Temple.
 * During Escape from the Spirit World, she was the only Avatar to not tell Aang of a mistake she made when she was alive.
 * "Yangchen" (spelled in Wylie དབྱངས་ཅན་ dbyangs can) is a common female Tibetan name meaning "melodious one (literally: melody-with)" but it is used as the Tibetan translation of Hindu goddess Sarasvati, who is recognized as the devi of learning and music (i.e. the arts).
 * The carving on Yangchen's necklace is a close match to the airbending symbol.