Combustion Man

"I've heard about you. They say you're good at what you do. And even better at keeping secrets. The Avatar is alive. I want you to find him. And end him."

- Zuko to Combustion Man in "The Headband"

Combustion Man was a silent Fire Nation assassin who served as an antagonist in the first half of Book 3: Fire, being hired by Prince Zuko to track down and eliminate the Avatar. Utilizing a unique method of Firebending which allowed him to trigger huge explosions at will, he terrorized the Avatar and his friends, following them on their travels across the Fire Nation.

History


According to the shows creators, Combustion Man discovered this ability when he was a young child, but initially could not control it, which lead to him accidentally blowing off his right arm and leg. He has since replaced these with his trademark metal prosthetics. He then went on to aquire a formidable reputation in a series of a very quick Agni Kai. Huge, silent, willing to do any dirty job with no questions asked, and driven to complete his assignments, Combustion Man is a formidable opponent with a reputation for being "good at what [he] does" and "even better at keeping secrets".

For this reason, Combustion Man was hired by Zuko to kill Aang, knowing he was alive and could destroy his father's new respect for him. Professional and diligent, the assassin eliminates or intercepts any evidence that could compromise his secrecy. When Aang is spotted by two Fire Nation soldiers, Combustion Man's Ravenhawk intercepts their Messenger Hawk to Fire Lord and he destroys the message. That night he stealthily approaches Aang and his friends campsite, but his metallic footsteps are detected by Toph. Eschewing stealth, Combustion Man attacks. His powerful bolts counter anything the group throws at him, forcing them to take cover. Aang tells his friends to flee while he himself tries to lead the enemy away. Following a running battle, in which Aang uses both Airbending and Earthbending to fend off Combustion Man's attacks to no effect, Aang eventually retreats onto Appa and the group fly away.



In "The Runaway," Combustion Man operates more subtly setting up a trap via a wanted poster and captures Katara and Toph, locking them in a wooden cell deprived of both earth and water to bend. The two are nothing more than bait to lure in Aang, which proves successful. After Katara uses her sweat to Waterbend and escape, they help Aang and Sokka, who had only avoided the ambush because Aang heard the assassin inhaling. Toph accidentally hits Combustion Man's tattoo with a stone, which knocks him back. He gets up and attempts to shoot another explosion in the group's direction, only to find his chi blocked. The air around him detonates and the group escapes leaving him visibly angered.

In "The Western Air Temple" he somehow locates the group in the temple. Zuko, having undergone a change of heart, deflects his opening attack and tells him to stop. However the assassin is now attacking out of hurt pride, not for money and Zuko's threats to both cancel his payment and double it, both fail. Zuko's antics prove to be a useful distraction for the group who use the time to take cover. When Combustion Man resorts to blowing up pylons supporting the temple, Sokka takes aim and uses his trademark boomerang to strike Combustion Man square on the forehead, briefly stunning him and blocking his chi. A repetition of the events of "The Runaway" occur and this time destroys the entire tower he was standing on. His metal arm is seen among the debris and it was later confirmed by Mike and Bryan at New York Comic Con 2008 that he is dead.

Combustion Man is mentioned by Sokka but not seen in the play in "The Ember Island Players".

Powers and Abilities
Combustion Man's abilities reflect his namesake, and he is able to trigger explosive detonations through his unique style of firebending. According to creator commentary on "The Western Air Temple", his unique abilities are due to an extremely overdeveloped third eye. He channels chi energy from his stomach, and then focuses and fires it from his third eye, through a tattoo on his forehead. This energy created thin transparent energy bolts which detonates the surrounding area on contact. This ability is mentally driven, requiring only inhalation and focus on his part (making his fighting style much less dynamic than standard firebending) and can be used at great ranges with considerable accuracy. A single energy bolt is very powerful and can disintegrate large boulders or evaporate entire bodies of water with ease. The true degree of his power and skill is considerable, and in almost all encounters he overpowered everything Aang's group attacked him with.

In addition to his unique talents he possesses considerable physical strength, easily overpowering Zuko with only one hand even when looking the other way, and his metal prosthetics make dangerous weapons. Despite his huge frame and two metal limbs, he is surprisingly agile, using his clawed metal hand and foot as a grapple or to break the force of a fall.

His amazing durability enabled him to charge through Aang's tornadoes and block Katara's "icicle-striking" technique unfazed. It also enabled him to fire prolonged blasts, as seen when he fires a more timely blast at Zuko's fire shield to push him backwards.

Trivia

 * In a way, hiring Combustion Man is Zuko's last act as an enemy of the Avatar. When he goes to join the gang, one of his first acts of redemption to them is helping to defeat him.
 * Combustion Man is never seen or heard speaking save growls of pain and annoyance, and his name is never revealed (although Zuko appears to know his identity he never states it).
 * His demise may be an allusion to David and Goliath.
 * It's suggested in the DVD commentary for "The Western Air Temple" that he continued to attack the group because he figured Ozai would be grateful even if Zuko wasn't going to pay him. It is also highly possible that he had a grudge against Aang for being able to defeat and elude him once before.
 * His tattoo of a Third Eye is reminiscent of the Hindu god of Destruction, Shiva. Shiva is often depicted with a third eye with which he burned the god of love, Kama, to ashes.
 * Sokka first named him Sparky-Sparky Boom Man in "The Runaway", but later changed his mind and called him Combustion Man.