Aang's relationships

This page is comprised of Aang's relationships with other characters in the series. Aang has met many people around the world, both as a result of his nature, and his position as the Avatar.

Love Interests
When Aang was released from his one hundred year sleep, the first thing he saw was Katara's face. In the first episode, when the trio were traveling to the Southern Air Temple, it was shown that Aang was constantly smiling at Katara, and ever since that moment he has had a crush on her of which she did not realize until later on in the series. Aang and Katara's first romantic moment was in The Cave of Two Lovers when they got separated from Sokka and their Nomad friends. It is unknown if they kissed or not because their torch went out the moment they both leaned in. Aang finally kissed Katara just before the Invasion, by doing so he revealed his feelings for Katara. They fully kiss another time at the very end of the series.

Katara

 * "Why would I let go of Katara? I-I love her!" - Aang to Guru Pathik in "The Guru"



The first thing Aang sees upon waking from suspended animation is the face of the young Waterbender, Katara, who was his liberator from the iceberg. Aang formed a stronger bond with her than with anyone else, and several more-or-less subtle hints of him having instantly fallen in love with her were already given in "The Boy in The Iceberg", where they first met. In "The Warriors of Kyoshi", many of his actions and antics were motivated by impressing her and gaining her attention. For most of the episode, he was idolized by the children of the Kyoshi Island, but mainly ignored by Katara, much to his disappointment. His growing affection for her served as an important plot point in "The Fortuneteller", where he made her a necklace to replace her grandmother's, which had disappeared earlier, eavesdropped on her as she had her fortune told by Aunt Wu and gleefully celebrating after hearing that she would marry a powerful bender. He began acting "aloof" on Sokka's advice (who mistook Meng as his target) only succeeding in confusing her and finally climbed to the top of Mt. Makapu to bring her a rare panda lily. This resulted in him finding out that the volcano was about to erupt after all, contrary to Aunt Wu's earlier prediction. Before leaving the village, Aang asked Aunt Wu if she had lied about his love life (during his fortunetelling). Aunt Wu responded by saying: "I'll tell you a secret young airbender, just as you you reshaped those clouds, you have the power to shape your own destiny."

The episode "The Cave of Two Lovers", had Aang and Katara (and Appa) trapped in a labyrinth, the only way out being, apparently, to trust in love. When Katara (embarrassed, and dismissing the idea as crazy) suggests that by kissing they could find their way out, Aang's attempts of agreeing with her backfires and leaves her angry with him:


 * Katara: "Well, what if we kissed?"
 * Aang: "Us kissing?"
 * Katara: "See? It was a crazy idea."
 * Aang: "Us...kissing."
 * Katara: "Us, kissing! What was I thinking? Can you imagine that?"
 * Aang: "Yeah...'I definitely wouldn't want to kiss you."
 * Katara: "Oh, well I didn't realize it was such a horrible option. Sorry I suggested it!"
 * Aang: "No, no, I mean. if it was a choice between kissing you and dying-"
 * Katara: "Ugh!"
 * Aang: "What? I'm saying I'd rather kiss you than die, that's a compliment!"
 * Katara:"Well I'm not sure which I would rather do!"
 * Aang: "What is wrong with me?"

Eventually, desperation (and possibly mutual affection) leads to the two trying out the suggestion. However, the torch burns out completely as they are moving in, resulting in a very ambiguous scene: it is unknown to audiences if the two actually kissed. However, in the segment "The Women of Avatar: The Last Airbender" (found on the bonus disc of the Book 3 boxed set) Mae Whitman (the voice of Katara) has confirmed that the two did kiss.

It was then revealed that Aang's love for Katara is the form of the rebirth for his love of his dead people as he goes to the Eastern Air Temple in "The Guru". This love for her put Aang in an unforeseen position to learn to control the Avatar State from Guru Pathik. Pathik tells Aang that the control of the Avatar State involves the releasing of various emotions in the seven chakras spread throughout the body, including earthly attachment. In order to open the seventh chakra, Aang is told that he must let go of his earthly attachment to Katara. He is reluctant to agree, and eventually abandons the process entirely when he has a vision that Katara is in danger, despite Guru Pathik's warning that it would lock his inner chakra and he would never be able to enter the Avatar state at all.

Apart from these, only occasional hints have been shown on-screen of Aang's feelings for Katara: He has received a kiss to the cheek from her on three occasions, blushing each time. Similarly, as shown in "City of Walls and Secrets", "The Fortuneteller", and "The Headband", her changing outfit usually has a very positive influence on him. While spending some time in prison in "Avatar Day", Aang receives some advice concerning her from the other inmates. Again in "The Headband", during a secret dance party, he dances with her quite impressively, gaining the attention of the entire party. In "The Avatar and the Fire Lord", he agrees with the Avatar Roku telling how young love is hard, receiving a word of consolation from him ("It gets better."). In Lake Laogai, when trying to jog Jet's memory, Sokka suggests that Katara should kiss Jet, she says, "Why don't you kiss him, Sokka?" To which he replies, "It's just an idea". Aang then adds under his breath, "A bad one".

In "The Earth King", facing a separation from Katara, Aang attempts to tell her of his feelings, only to be interrupted by Sokka at the last minute.

At the end of "The Crossroads of Destiny", Aang and Katara face overwhelming odds against Azula, Zuko, and the Dai Li. Believing that entering the Avatar State is their only hope, Aang isolates himself and meditates, hoping to let go of his attachment to Katara and unlock the seventh chakra. Though Aang begins to release the chakra and entered the Avatar State, according to Nick.com's description of the "Celestial Avatar Spirit Aang", he is unable to complete the process due to the interruption caused by Azula's lightning bolt strike. Consequently, Aang was prevented from clearing the seventh chakra and mastering the Avatar State, leaving his attachment to Katara intact.

Later, he is successful in telling her this, and sneaks in a kiss or two, in a daydream, in "Nightmares and Daydreams", but is unable to do so moments after with the real Katara. Ultimately, however, in "The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion", the upcoming final battle with the Fire Lord Ozai, and the possibility that he might not come back alive from that encounter, gives Aang enough courage and motivation to successfully declare his affections for her - in the form of a kiss, to which she responds by leaning in. Afterwards, though, she looks away, and her expression seems slightly sad (although this could be interpreted as her thinking about the kiss and worrying about the fact that she may never see Aang again).

Katara is Aang's only teacher so far to use positive reinforcement as a teaching method. Aang responds well to this method, most likely due to the generally free-spirited nature of Airbenders - or due to his special bond for her in general. In addition, as of the events in "The Southern Air Temple" and "The Desert", Katara remains the only person able to calm Aang down from the Avatar State. Also, as seen from events in "The Serpent's Pass", Katara is able to renew emotions and believes in Aang where others were unable. While others had tried to renew Aang's optimism and hope, only Katara was successful.

In "The Ember Island Players", Aang grows jealous of the actress on the stage playing Katara confessing her love to Zuko and saying that she sees of Aang as a brother. This upsets Aang and he later confronts her about it. She says that it was only acting, but Aang is unconvinced. He thinks that something should have happened between them since they kissed on the morning of the invasion. Katara tells Aang that she is just confused and Aang tries to kiss her, only to have her pull back and exclaim that she just told him that she was confused. She leaves Aang feeling heart-broken and stupid for his own actions.

In the very final scene of "Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang", Katara is seen approaching Aang and instigating a hug and a passionate kiss. This finally demonstrates that Aang's feelings for Katara are mutual, and the two enjoyed a long-term relationship, culminating with the birth of a son, Tenzin. The creators themselves have commented within an interview that they have always favored the idea of a relationship between Aang and Katara - indeed, their romance even has its own short theme song (called "Kataang" by The Track Team), which is the song that played during the story of Oma and Shu in "The Cave of Two Lovers".

It is also hinted that they would be together as every male avatar before Aang had a wife whose resemblance was almost similar to Katara. Another hint is when Avatar Roku stated that some friendships can even transcend lifetimes, suggesting that Katara might be the reincarnation of the lover of the previous Avatars.

Friends
On his journey around the world, Aang has made many friends from all four nations. Though only Bumi remains as his only friend from before the war and Aang's one hundred years frozen in the iceberg, he has mentioned that he had many friends from the other nations, including the Fire Nation. Now those one hundred years have passed, most of his friends from pre-war are either deceased or very old. He has however made many new friends since his return. From the Water Tribe Katara and Sokka, and also the Earth Kingdom Toph and Suki. He has also become friends with former enemies, such as Zuko and Iroh.

Sokka

 * "You're the idea guy." - Aang to Sokka in "The Drill"



While Aang has since disproved the young warrior's initial suspicions that he was a Fire Nation spy, his occasional carelessness can raise Sokka's hackles. When Aang tried Firebending, resulting in Katara's burnt hands, Sokka pushed a concerned Aang into the ground angrily, yelling "You burned my sister!" Also, for his part, Aang often makes light of Sokka's serious demeanor. Along with Katara, he views Sokka's skeptical favoring of science over magic with some bewildered amusement, though he has grown impressed with Sokka's engineering skills. In "The Drill", Aang tells Sokka that he's usually the one who comes up with plans to help them, proving that he depends on Sokka's help and intelligence openly. Aang also does not voice any annoyance towards Sokka, nor contempt for his lack of Bending skills. As the series progresses, the two boys form a very solid bond of friendship. Aang and Sokka are often seen goofing around with each other, much to Katara's annoyance. In fact, the childlike nature of their characters usually results in them sharing in on a joke or react very similarly to games and activities, such as both of them chuckling at the mention of "buttresses" in The Library, and making fun of Katara by imitating 'spirit magic' in The Painted Lady. He also seems to desire Sokka's permission for a relationship with his sister Katara, as seen in "The Fortuneteller" (though Sokka could not tell he was talking about Katara). Their relationship becomes more profound during season three, where Sokka seeks Aang's advice and consolation after a moment of blunder in front of the invasion force during The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion.

Aang and Sokka have become very cooperative on the battlefield, as Sokka chose to assist Aang in his failed attempt to kill Fire Lord Ozai. It was prior to that battle that Aang cheered Sokka up following his botched battle speech, and Sokka confessed that while he didn't like Aang at first, he'd grown to love him over time. When Zuko requested that he join the group, Sokka refused on Aang's account, thinking of defending his friend's safety. Finally, however, when Aang does chose to accept him after he saves their lives, Sokka gives his consent, trusting Aang's judgement on the matter. Sokka also aided Aang significantly during his friend's last confrontation with Fire Lord Ozai in the Wulong Forest, where together with Suki and Toph, he brought down the Fire Nation Airship Fleet, stopping the continued destruction of the Earth Kingdom from the other Fire Benders while Aang defeated Ozai.

It can be assumed that Aang and Sokka stayed good friends, and eventually brothers-in-law when Katara married Aang. Sokka later became an uncle, when Aang and Katara had their son Tenzin.

Toph Bei Fong

 * "I don't want to fight you. I just want to talk to you." - Aang to Toph in "The Blind Bandit"



Toph first appeared in "The Swamp" as a vision to Aang. The vision was a message that he would meet her in the future (as Aang correctly concluded in the episode). Her real first appearance was in "The Blind Bandit".

When Aang first met Toph in "The Blind Bandit", their relationship got off to a rocky start. She initially disliked him because he defeated her in a match in Earth Rumble VI. While Aang tried to get her to be his Earthbending teacher, Toph wasn't interested in the offer, fearing her parent's wrath if they found out about her secret life. However, after a dinner fiasco in front of her parents, Toph "calls a truce" with Aang, and they are able to talk, though she still shows doubts of leaving her parents and explains why she feels she cannot leave. At the end of the episode however, Toph joins Aang's group to teach him Earthbending. In "The Chase", Aang snaps at Toph when she accuses Appa of leading Azula to them, which causes her to temporarily leave the group. She rejoins them at the end of the same episode and helps the others fight Azula. In "Bitter Work", Toph officially begins teaching Aang Earthbending. She quickly reveals that she has a much different teaching approach than Katara, akin to that of an army drill sergeant. Just like their elements, Aang and Toph's personalities are complete opposites as well. At first, Aang is intimidated by Toph's bold nature and tries to work peacefully around it. He eventually learns to stand up to her, however. At the end of "Bitter Work", he takes back his staff/glider when she refuses to stop mishandling it. In "The Desert", Aang, yells at Toph in a fit of anger, believing that she allowed Appa to be captured based on her previous complaints about him.

However, they seem to get along much easier in later episodes. In the episode "The Earth King", he refers to everyone, including Toph, as his family. Aang and Toph have become good and steadfast friends. In the episode "The Runaway", Aang can be seen having fun with Toph and Sokka by scamming people of their money. Toph also regularly refers to Aang as "Twinkle Toes", a nickname she uses to tease Aang's light footstep.

Despite their differences, Aang seems to hold Toph in great admiration, respect, and even awe at times because of her unique bending capabilities. In "The Blind Bandit", after Toph explains the full capacity of her power, Aang responds: "That's amazing!". He repeats the same line in "The Firebending Masters", after Toph reveals how she learned Earthbending. Toph also seems to (eventually) show respect for Aang's own bending power: in "The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion", Toph tells him during a group hug before he flies off to face Ozai, "I hope you kick some serious Fire Lord-butt, Twinkle Toes!", and in Nightmares and Daydreams saying: "You're the man, Twinkle Toes!" showing her belief in his capability.

It is highly likely Toph knew about Aang's love for Katara, due to her ability to detect physical reactions in people. When Katara kisses Aang's cheek in "The Earth King", Toph is standing right next to him when he blushes.

Appa

 * "I missed you, buddy." - Aang to Appa in "Lake Laogai"



Appa the flying bison is both Aang's dear pet, friend and the group's primary means of travel. Aang met Appa at the Eastern Air Temple when he was just a calf because all Airbender children are paired with a flying bison for life. Appa is not only a skilled flier but also an adept swimmer, and he seems fairly impervious to adverse weather. Aang loves his fellow survivor of a century of sleep, as they both may be the last of their kind. Aang possesses a flying bison whistle (almost inaudible to humans, much like a dog whistle) to summon Appa from a distance, and he commands him to fly with a cry of "Yip-yip!".

Appa is a natural Airbender, and like the badgermoles, inspired the locals to develop their own Airbending skills. The Airbenders even tattoo themselves with the flying bison's arrow-shaped markings. Appa seems to be able to communicate with animals of other species, such as Momo, and he hates going underground (as seen in the episode "The Cave of Two Lovers").

Appa is very faithful and protective of Aang, and on various occasions he has actively entered into battle to protect his little friend. The feeling is mutual: In "The Chase", despite the difficulties at hand, Aang only became very angry when Toph blamed Appa for them. And when Appa is taken by Sandbenders in "The Desert", Aang is driven mad in his anger, reverting to his Avatar State and destroying all the Sandbender skiffs and almost killing the Sandbenders. During the several episodes it took to retrieve Appa, Aang was often morose and very driven to get him back, which he finally did in "Lake Laogai", and he cried in happiness at getting him back.

Momo

 * "I know you can't really talk. Pretending you can just helps me think." - Aang to Momo in "Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters"



Aang discovers Momo, a winged lemur, while wandering about the ruined Southern Air Temple. Aang quickly claimed him as a pet and named him after the peach Momo was holding at the time (momo is Japanese for "peach"). He also seems very protective of Momo, as seen in the episode "The Desert", where he strikes a Buzzard-wasp in order to protect him. This is also seen during his final battle with Ozai, as Aang tells Momo, the only one that accompanied him in the Lion Turtle, to stay far away from the fighting. Though Momo doesn't understand human speech, it seems that he is capable of understanding Aang to some extent.

King Bumi

 * "Bumi, you're a mad genius!" - Aang to Bumi in "The King of Omashu"



King Bumi, the Earthbender ruler of the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu, is the only known still living peer of Aang, prior to Aang's disappearance 100 years ago. Aang fondly remembers how a young Bumi taught him to use Omashu's mail chutes as a giant super slide. Now a supercentenarian, Bumi maintains the eccentric and unconventional thinking that caused Aang to dub him, "a mad genius." In the second season premiere, it is revealed that Aang plans to receive teachings in Earthbending under King Bumi, but after he is taken prisoner in "Return to Omashu", with no intention of escaping from his prison, waiting for an unsaid opportunity, Aang is forced to find a new teacher.

Iroh

 * "So, Toph thinks you give pretty good advice. And great tea." - Aang to Iroh in "The Crossroads of Destiny"



Aang spent some time with Zuko's uncle Iroh when they were tunneling into the underground of Ba Sing Se to save Katara and Zuko, in "The Crossroads of Destiny". Despite the past, Aang bore no real grudge against Iroh and vice versa. Instead, Aang asked Iroh for some advice as Iroh had done for Toph earlier. When Aang told him he had given up the chance to gain control of the Avatar state when he had heard it would mean forgoing his feelings for Katara, Iroh commended Aang on choosing love instead of power. Iroh later fought off Zuko and Azula, allowing Katara to escape with the injured Aang. Katara then revives Aang with the water from the spirit oasis in the North Pole.

Iroh later assisted Team Avatar in defeating the Fire Nation and now is an official friend of Aang.

Zuko

 * "If we knew each other back then, do you think we could have been friends too?" - Aang to Zuko in "The Blue Spirit"



The Firebender Prince Zuko was once one of Aang's greatest enemies. His quest to capture Aang, thus ensuring the Fire Nation's victory, is a threat to Aang's work and the world at large. Yet each has worked in the other's service. Because Zuko's throne and right to return home from exile are forfeit if he does not find the Avatar, he must protect Aang from other potential threats. When Aang was captured by Zuko's rival, Admiral Zhao, in "The Blue Spirit", Zuko posed as a blue-masked, dual-broadsword-wielding vigilante named the Blue Spirit to free Aang from custody. In turn, Aang rescued Zuko from capture when he was knocked unconscious in their escape attempt. Afterward, reflecting on an old Fire Nation friend named Kuzon, Aang asked Zuko if they could have been friends under different circumstances, only to receive a fire blast in reply, though Zuko subtly seemed to regret the action after-the-fact.

Despite objections, Aang also saved Zuko from freezing to death in the icy tundra of the North Pole, in "The Siege of the North, Part 2". During their first encounter in Book 2, (episode "The Chase") Zuko and Aang initially trade blows but eventually fight alongside once again, this time against Zuko's sister, Azula.

The character development of Zuko in the series parallels that of Aang's. In the episode "The Storm", both Aang and Zuko confront their pasts and in "Bitter Work", while Aang was trying to learn a new art (Earthbending), Zuko was also learning a new skill (generating and redirecting lightning).

As individuals, Aang and Zuko share many similarities: both have had profound father figures in their lives - Monk Gyatso served as Aang's guardian when taken from his parents, while Iroh acted as a watchful mentor to his nephew Zuko after Ozai banished him. The two also share shameful pasts and must live with the guilt of disappointing those that they revered the most, forever marked in remembrance; Aang with his traditional tattoos and Zuko with the scar he received from his father. Lastly, the two are fighting for something: Aang for the world and the people around him, Zuko for his honor. To an end, Aang has displayed interest in Zuko as a person, but Zuko only sees Aang as a means to regain his lost honor.

During the course of "The Earth King", Zuko fell into a deep fever, during which he experienced a number of visions, hallucinations, and dreams, some of which seemed to allude to future events in his life. In the last of these, Zuko experienced a false awakening in which he saw himself with Aang's tattoos and no scar.

At the end of Book 2, he claims to have changed for the better, but then chooses to side with Azula and tries to capture Aang again.

In the beginning of Book 3, Zuko, under the belief that Aang is still alive, hires an assassin to "end" the Avatar.

At the end of "The Avatar and the Fire Lord", it is revealed that Zuko's mother Ursa is in fact Avatar Roku's descendant. Consequently, Aang is the reincarnation of one of Zuko's maternal great-grandfathers (Avatar Roku), making Zuko Aang's spiritual relative. However it seems likely Aang is unaware of this, as he only saw visions of Roku's life while Zuko was informed he is Roku's descendant by Iroh, and Zuko apparently never tells this to Aang. Recently Zuko defected from the Fire Nation to join the Avatar, in "The Western Air Temple" after some initial distrust Aang accepts Zuko as his Firebending teacher upon hearing Zuko's statement Firebending requires proper control.

Aang and Zuko were also able to work together during "The Firebending Masters", and Zuko was able to help Aang to understand Firebending. Despite Zuko's past misdeeds, Aang seems to have developed a fair degree of respect and admiration for him, even giving him the nickname "Sifu Hotman", much to the prince's annoyance.

Prior to the arrival of Sozin's Comet, Zuko berated Aang for his failure to focus on firebending training. When Aang instead decides to goof off with his friends on Ember Island, Zuko attacks him in a brazen attempt to get Aang to re-focus. When he tells Aang of Ozai's intent to destroy the Earth Kingdom with the comet, Aang realizes the severity of his inevitable task. Zuko then trains Aang how to redirect lightning to use against Ozai, and explains the danger of redirecting from his own experience against his father. The situation extends as Aang contemplates whether he should kill Ozai, since Air Nomads valued all life, even when Zuko and the rest of the team explain that it has to be done. The next day, Aang disappears without a trace, even from the Bounty Hunter June and her Shirshu Nyla.

It turns out that Aang was taken by a lion turtle and given the the new ability, Energybending, which he uses this new ability to triumph over Ozai by taking his bending away. With this victory and Zuko's victory over his sister Azula, Zuko becomes the new Fire Lord, and swears that with Aang's help, he will work together to restore peace and unity to the war-torn nations. They also finally affirm the fact that they are now officially good friends ending in a warm hug.

Avatar Roku
"I have mastered the elements a thousand times in a thousand lifetimes. Now I must do it once again" - Roku to Jeong Jeong in "The Deserter"

Roku was the previous Avatar incarnation before Aang. Aang first learned about Roku by seeing his statue at the Southern Air Temple in the hall of statues, and officially met Roku in "Winter Solstice Part 2: Avatar Roku at the temple on Crescent Island. This is where Roku tells Aang about Sozin's Comet and how the Fire Lord must be defeated before it's arrival at summer's end. Since then, Roku had become a spiritual guide to Aang, teaching him everything he knew about being the Avatar, such as the Avatar State, and helping him when he needed advice. However, that advice wasn't always what Aang wanted to hear. In "Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters" his advice was to "be decisive" when confronting Ozai. Otherwise, Aang would make the same mistake Roku made by sparing Fire Lord Sozin, and the Fire Nation would win the war.

Since Zuko is Roku's great-grandson, and Aang was Roku in his past life, Zuko and Aang are spiritually related. The same goes for Aang and Azula.

Other Past Avatars

 * "Only justice will bring peace." - Avatar Kyoshi
 * "You must activly shape your own destiny and the destiny of the world." - Avatar Kuruk
 * "Selfless duty calls you to sacrifice your own spiritual needs, and do whatever it takes to protect the world." -Avatar Yangchen in "Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters"

Other than Roku, Aang relies on his three past lives before Roku for support and guidance. The day before Sozin's Comet arrived Aang was unsure on whether he should kill Ozai or not to save the world. After Roku gave Aang advice that he wasn't keen on he asked his other past lives for help. He first asked Avatar Kyoshi for advice. She reminds Aang of her conflict with Chin the Conqueror and how she see's no difference whether she killed him deliberately or not and how Aang must do whatever it takes to stop Ozai. Aang regretted asking Kyoshi for this advice. Aang then asked Avatar Kuruk for advice. He talked about how laid back he was and how his lack of duty cost him his bride Ummi to Koh. His advice was that as the Avatar, he must actively shape his own destiny and the destiny of the world. Aang was still uncomfortable with his given advice from Avatars of Fire, Earth and Water so he asked the Air Nomad Avatar before him; Avatar Yangchen. Although she agreed that all life is sacred and that Aang was taught well, she told Aang that he can't let his spiritual beliefs get in the way of his duty to the world. After this advice Aang realized the only way he can save the world is to kill Ozai.

Monk Gyatso

 * "He taught me everything I know." - Aang to Sokka and Katara in "The Southern Air Temple"



Although Gyatso and Aang's relationship has only been revealed through flashbacks, it seems apparent that the older monk was an important figure in the young Avatar's life, as a mentor, guardian and surrogate father. According to Aang, Gyatso taught him everything he knew about Airbending. When the other head monks revealed to Aang that he was the Avatar, Gyatso was the only person who sympathized with him. He tried to relieve Aang's confused emotions through fun and games. When the other Air monks tried to separate Aang and Gyatso, so that the young Airbender could focus on his training, Aang ran away from the Southern Temple.

In "The Southern Air Temple", when Aang learns of Gyatso's death, he becomes so enraged that he triggers the Avatar State. In "The Guru", when Aang meditates on his grief, he has a vision of the Air Nomads, with Gyatso first among them.

Princess Yue

 * "You already saved the world. And you'll save the world again. But you can't give up."
 * "You're right. I won't give up." - Yue to Aang in "The Awakening"



During the events of "The Siege of the North, Part 1 and "The Siege of the North, Part 2, Yue brought Aang to the Spirit Oasis, in order to help him communicate the Spirit World to seek help against the Fire Nation's invasion. Yue sacrificed her life in order to restore the Moon Spirit that was killed by Admiral Zhao, becoming the physical appearance of the spirit as well.

As the Moon Spirit, Yue aided Aang many times. As a guide in the events of "Escape from the Spirit World" in which she tells Aang that he must meet his other past lives to fix his Avatar Spirit. And in "The Awakening", in which she calmed the seas, encouraged Aang not to give up, and bending a giant wave to give him a safe journey in his trek towards the Fire Nation.

On Ji

 * "Don't let the headmaster catch you with that monkey." - On Ji to Aang in "The Headband"



In "The Headband", when Aang is confused with a Fire Nation student, he meets a girl called On Ji at the school and they become friends. Although On Ji's boyfriend, Hide, says for Aang to not talk to her anymore, he invites her to the party at the cave and even dances with her. When the headmaster of the school and several teachers arrive at the party to stop it, Aang and his other friends flee with the help of the other students. On Ji's destiny is unknown.

On Ji showed interest in Aang, and it became more evident when she blushed after seeing Aang approaching her.

Enemies
However, being the Avatar in this time is not smooth sailing. Aang has made many enemies from both the Fire nation and the Earth Kingdom. The most notable of these were Prince Zuko (formerly), General Iroh (formerly), Admiral Zhao, Fire Lord Ozai, Princess Azula, Long Feng, Combustion Man and many others.

Admiral Zhao

 * "I've never run from you. Untie me and I'll fight you right now!" - Aang to Zhao in "The Blue Spirit"



Admiral Zhao was a high ranking and important officer in the Fire Nation military who had believed since childhood that he was destined for greatness. After discovering Aang's return to the world, Zhao became convinced that capturing Aang would be one of the paths to that greatness. As a result Zhao became one of Aang's primary enemies during Book One, although the two would only encounter each other face to face on a few occasions.

Zhao participated in a number of notable attempts to capture Aang. The first came during Aang's visit to the Fire Temple in order to seek advice from the spirit of Avatar Roku. Zhao attempted to corner and ambush Aang, but was thwarted when Roku himself intervened and caused an eruption of the volcano the temple was situated on. Later Zhao employed the skills of a legendary squad of archers to trap Aang, only to watch as Aang escaped from imprisonment with help from the disguised Zuko. While Aang was briefly being tutored by renegade Firebending master and Zhao's former teacher Jeong Jeong, Zhao led a convoy of ships up the river to Jeong Jeong's camp, where he attacked both his former teacher and Aang. However, Aang had learned from Jeong Jeong about Zhao's tremendous temper and lack of control, and decided to use that against his foe. He egged Zhao on until, careless with rage, Zhao's wild Firebending destroyed the ships in his convoy. Aang then left Zhao there to stew on this, effectively defeating Zhao without having thrown a punch.

Finally, Zhao led a huge armada to attack and destroy the Northern Water Tribe, where Aang was studying Waterbending. Having discovered the mortal forms of the Moon (Tui) and Ocean (La) Spirits, Zhao sought to kill the Moon spirit, the Waterbenders' source of power. While Aang is in the Spirit World, Zhao invades the Oasis and bags the Moon Spirit fish (which was what the spirit looked like after it gave up its immortality to become a part of the mortal world), causing a lunar eclipse which negated Waterbending abilities. Quickly confronted by Aang's group and Iroh, Zhao killed the Moon Spirit and fled. Angered, the Ocean Spirit allowed Aang to control its powers while in the Avatar State to vanquish Zhao's fleet. Foiled in his escape by the appearance of Zuko, Zhao fought the prince until the Moon Spirit was restored by Princess Yue's sacrifice. Seeing the return of its ally, the Ocean Spirit left Aang to hunt down Zhao. Zhao, unwilling to accept help from Zuko even if it meant the cost of his own life, is carried underwater to his apparent death, a fact which Aang seems to be unaware of. Out of every villain mentioned, heard, and seen, Zhao had the shortest amount of interaction with the avatar.

Azula

 * "You mean you haven't guessed? You don't see the family resemblance? Here's a hint. (Imitating Zuko) I must capture the Avatar to restore my honor. It's alright you can laugh, it's funny." - Azula to Aang in "The Chase"



Azula is Zuko's younger sister, a princess of the Fire Nation and once the heir to the throne, considering Zuko's status as an exile and having been declared a traitor by his father. Cruel, ruthless, cunning and a Firebending prodigy who has mastered Firebending despite her youth, Azula is a formidable opponent for Aang.

Azula had taken over the Fire Nation's attempts to capture Aang during his attempts to rescue King Bumi in the episode "Return to Omashu". The two engaged in a fight across the city. Aang, with help from Bumi, escaped her.

The two met again in "The Chase" where Azula and her allies relentlessly pursued Aang and his friends. Finally, the two confronted each other in a deserted Earth Kingdom town. As they prepared to face off, Zuko arrived, and Azula had to fight against the two who were attacking her independently. Azula would have emerged victorious if not for Sokka, Katara, Iroh, and Toph arriving to help.

Aang and Azula would face off for a third time in "The Drill", where they battled on top of a massive Fire Nation drill attempting to breach the walls of Ba Sing Se. Aang is better able to fight Azula on his own, and with Waterbending and Earthbending abilities, was still evenly matched until he managed to destroy the drill.

His fourth face off against Azula occurs in "The Crossroads of Destiny". Zuko joins the fight on Azula's side, Aang fights and struggles against each individually. The arrival of corrupted Dai Li forces Aang to attempt to open the seventh Chakra and enter the Avatar State. However, just seconds after entering the State, he is struck in the back by a lightning blast from Azula and falls to the ground, defeated. He is caught by Katara and they manage to escape with the intervention of Iroh, who held off the siblings and the Dai Li as Katara escapes with Aang. Later, Katara uses her water from the Spirit Oasis in the North Pole to bring Aang back to life.

Following Aang's defeat at Ba Sing Se, Azula, along with the rest of the world, assumed that he was dead and that the War had been effectively won. However, after talking to Zuko regarding Aang's chances of survival, he unintentionally gave her the suspicion that the Avatar might have actually survived. In order to avoid punishment from her father Ozai, Azula told him that it was Zuko who killed him, therefore leaving Zuko to face punishment should Aang have returned.

During the events of The Day of Black Sun, Azula meets Aang once again when he comes to kill her father. She was prepared for him as she learned of the invasion back in Ba Sing Se, and she deployed a pair of Dai Li agents to distract him and his friends so that they could not reach Ozai before the end of the eclipse. Her agents were defeated, but Azula was not finished. The group realized what she was doing and tried to ignore her diversions until Azula harassed Sokka by mentioning that Suki was her prisoner. Aang tried to get Sokka to stop interrogating her as she would not talk, but his anger got the best of him and Azula escaped once the eclipse ended. Aang and his group retreated out of the Fire Nation following their defeat, and Azula chose not to pursue as she knew he would be back.

Azula's final encounter with Aang and the group occurred during The Southern Raiders at the Western Air Temple when she tried to destroy the temple and the group with an Airship fleet.

Aang never faced Azula in direct combat again. Azula later lost her sanity and was sent to a mental health facility after being defeated by Katara and Zuko.

Aang, being Roku's reincarnation, is Azula's spiritual great-grandfather although it is unclear if either is aware of this. Of all the villains in the series, Azula is the one who came closest to killing Aang. Her lightning strike was essentially fatal as Katara had to use the Spirit Water to resurrect Aang who would remain in a coma for several weeks. This also temporarily cut off his connection his previous lives and blocked his connection to the Avatar State until the series finale.

Other than being enemies, Aang and Azula don't seem to have much of a relationship, and it is unknown what their personal views on one-another are, if any. Azula appears to regard Aang simply as an opponent to be destroyed as she does most people, while Aang isn't shown to have any opinions regarding Azula besides his obvious fear of her prowess.

Long Feng

 * "I'll tell them! I'll make sure everyone knows!" - Aang to Long Feng in "City of Walls and Secrets"



Long Feng is quite possibly one of Aang's most hated foes, as he blackmailed him with a kidnapped Appa, killed Jet and almost framed Team Avatar for being enemies of the Earth Kingdom.

Long Feng is first introduced during City of Walls and Secrets, where Katara and Toph attempt to smuggle into a party the Earth King was attending, in order to sneak Aang in and allow the Avatar to speak with the King. Toph and Katara unwittingly approach him in order to gain access when the door guards do not let them pass merely at the show of Toph's Bei Fong passport.

Long Feng subsequently manages to secure all four children, Avatar included, before they manage to exchange word with the Earth King. He then proceeds to inform them that the Earth King is almost powerless in his own city, and that it is Long Feng, head of the Dai Li agents, who has control over the city. He also informs them that it was forbidden to speak of the war inside the city walls. Upon realizing that the Earth King is little more than Long Feng's "puppet", Aang threatens to reveal this to the King, as well as all the people in the city.

Long Feng responds in kind, simply mentioning that Aang's search for Appa would be hindered if he did not obey the Dai Li leader, which enrages the Avatar as Aang realizes Long Feng does, indeed, have Appa in custody.

Partly due to meeting Jet under very suspicious circumstances (orchestrated by Long Feng himself as he attempts to make Aang leave the city), and partly through luck in meeting Long Shot and Smellerbee, the group are able to realize that something very sinister is occurring, and that Jet has been brainwashed. Upon restoring his memory, Jet leads them to Lake Laogai, where Team Avatar are confronted with the full extent of the conspiracy, which includes the brainwashing of a large number of girls to become 'Joo Dee's. When Aang is again confronted by Long Feng inside the underground bunker, the extent of the Dai Li's brainwash is shown when he forces Jet to attack Aang, and Jet is eliminated by the Dai Li leader when Aang manages to break him out of the trance and regain control of himself. Once outside, the group re-unites with Appa, and are able to overcome all the Dai Li agents with his help, Appa even biting Long Feng's leg in the process.

During the episode The Earth King, Team Avatar storm the Earth King's castle, and using the bite mark on Long Feng's leg, are able to convince the Earth King to follow them. After a failed attempt to show him the Dai Li headquarters, which had been destroyed meanwhile, the Earth King is finally convinced of Long Feng's betrayal by seeing the drill outside the walls. Long Feng is arrested; however, the Dai Li remain loyal to him, and he attempts to outsmart Azula, only to be outsmarted in turn, indirectly being the instrument for both the fall of Ba Sing Se and Aang's near-death at Azula's hands. It is unclear what Long Feng's destiny is once Azula takes over; Dai Li agents can be seen with her on The Day of Black Sun, but Long Feng is never seen again.

Combustion Man

 * "It's Sparky Sparky Boom Man!" - Aang to Sokka in "The Runaway"



Though they have rarely met, Combustion Man is one of Aang's deadliest enemies due to his unique ability to superheat the air around him and shoot extremely explosive fire out of his tattooed third eye. Hired by a worrying Zuko, Combustion Man never ceased his efforts to kill the Avatar. In their first meeting, the gang was no match for him despite their mastery of bending. In their second meeting in the "Runaway" Aang is almost killed but is saved by Katara who freezes the Combustion Man's head in an ice cylinder. Afterwards, Toph, bends a rock at him which explodes and a small chunk of it hits Combustion Man's tattoo. This disrupted his ability, and caused it to ignite the air around him, and allowed the group to escape. Their last meeting was at the Western Air Temple, where Combustion Man tried once again to kill Aang, even after Zuko called off the mission, threatening not to pay him, and offering more money for him to stop, neither of which had any effect. Zuko managed to push Combustion Man to miss his target twice, which caused him to attack Zuko, who managed to protect himself, though he had to grab onto a plant root not to fall down the cliff. Combustion Man was defeated after his ability was once again disrupted, this time by Sokka's well calculated boomerang throw.

Fire Lord Ozai

 * "But he's still a human being."
 * "You're going to defend him?"
 * "No, I agree with you. Fire Lord Ozai is a horrible person and the world would probably be better off without him, but there's gotta be another way." - Aang to Zuko in "Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King"



The ruthless leader of the Fire Nation, Ozai, is Aang's greatest foe. It was Ozai who charged Zhao with the task of capturing the Avatar, and even promoted him to Admiral so that he would have greater resources to do so. In "Winter Solstice Part 2: Avatar Roku", it is revealed that in order to stop the Fire Nation and save the world, Aang must face and defeat the Fire Lord before a deadly comet arrives that will enhance Firebending power. To that end, Aang has been training hard to master the Four Elements so that he may have the power to defeat him.

In "The Guru" when Aang meditates on his fears, he sees a vision of the Fire Lord, shrouded in flames.

During the days prior to Sozin's Comet, Aang finds himself unwilling to kill Ozai. Aang insists that he has no reason to defend Ozai, but as an Air Nomad, he was taught that all life was precious and therefore had to be respected. Aang, in a meditative trance, is attracted to an island, where he confronts this personal conflict, and asks the previous Avatars how he should confront the issue. He is disappointed when they tell him that as the Avatar he must resort to extreme measures to protect the world, and reluctantly agrees to kill Ozai. However, he runs into a spirit as he returns to the battlefield. A wise Lion Turtle, who was effectually the moving island Aang was called on, informed him on a new method to defeat Ozai, and Aang regained confidence in his ability to defeat the Fire Lord without killing him.

When Ozai and his fleet of Airships arrived to burn down the Earth Kingdom, Aang faced off with him, and used a combination of all four elements to fight Ozai. The Fire Lord proved to be his greatest opponent yet with his enhanced firebending and easily dodged Aang's enormous attacks. Eventually, Ozai gained the upper hand and Aang found himself badly injured, protecting himself from further attack within a ball of rock. Ozai launched relentless attacks in order to burn out the Avatar while Aang worked to maintain his shield. When his chakra once again became unlocked, Aang finally entered the Avatar State and launched an enormous wave of attacks on Ozai. The Fire Lord was forced to retreat and finally, Aang overpowered him and pinned him down with Earthbending. The Avatar State, and the voices of his previous incarnations, seemed intent on killing the Fire Lord at that moment, but Aang regained control and stopped at last minute.

Aang confessed to Ozai that he did not have the heart to kill him, so Ozai attempted to attack again. However, Aang used Toph's technique to sense his movements and once again pinned him down, using Energybending to strip the Fire Lord of his Firebending, therefore sparing his life but rendering him totally powerless. Ozai found himself unable to even stand, and fell to the ground limply.

Ozai was later imprisoned for war crimes as his son took over as Fire Lord. Aang finally fulfilled his destiny to save the world from the treacherous Fire Lord.

Aang and Ozai never really got to know each other very well as they only met once but Ozai seems to have nothing but disdain for Aang while Aang himself doesn't think much of Ozai, regarding him simply as "a horrible person" whom the world would probably be better off without. This however, doesn't prevent him from sparing Ozai's life.