Koh

"spirit"

- It's been a while since I've added a child's face to my collection.

Koh, The Face Stealer, is one of the most ancient and knowledgeable spirits of the Avatar universe. He is a malevolent entity residing under a great tree in the Spirit World. Possessing the body of a gigantic centipede like creature, Koh can change the appearance of his face at will. Upon seeing anybody or anything which expresses emotion, Koh will steal its face.

History


Being one of the oldest spirits, Koh possesses vast knowledge of the spiritual realm and the beings which reside within it. Koh stole the face of Ummi, Avatar Kuruk's lover. When Ummi and Kuruk were getting married, Koh stole her face as punishment for Kuruk neglecting his duty as the Avatar. Avatar Kuruk attempted to kill Koh in revenge, but failed. However, he holds no grudge against Aang, as he is a different incarnation of the Avatar.

In "The Siege of the North, Part 2", Aang goes to Koh for information regarding the Moon and Ocean Spirits (Tui and La), and Koh has a brief discussion with him concerning the Spirits. After Aang asks for their location in the Mortal World, Koh merely states that they are opposites, forever revolving. He also tells Aang that he has already met the spirits, and barely misses Aang's expression of epiphany after he realizes that they are the fish in the Spirit Oasis. Before Aang leaves, Koh states they will meet again. It could simply be that Koh, who regards all Avatars as one and the same, meant he will eventually meet another Avatar in the future, not specifically Aang. They do however, meet in Escape from the Spirit World, where Koh tries to steal Aang's face before he reconciles with the other past avatars.

Koh was seen again in "Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters", as a flashback during Kuruk's talk with Aang, saying that had he been more attentive to his duties, he could have saved his wife from Koh.

Koh is most likely named for the Noh mask that he uses as his basic face. It is also worth noting that the Mandarin word for mouth is (口 kǒu) since he relies heavily on his glib speech in order to trick his prey.

Personality
As an ancient spirit, Koh is a perilous force not to be trifled with, though the extent of his power is never shown. Koh will steal the face of anyone or anything which shows emotion to him, which is why those who approach him are warned to remain unexpressive while in his presence. He possesses a sadistic personality, constantly trying to goad the slightest bit of emotion out of his visitors by frightening them with his monster-like appearance or taunting them with his many faces. However, Koh's actions suggest he is amoral rather then purely evil. He steals Ummi's face to punish Avatar Kuruk for ignoring his duties as Avatar and willingly tells Aang the location of the Moon and Ocean spirits and the danger they were in.

Koh's Faces


These are some of the many faces stolen by Koh. They are listed as they appear in the picture, from left to right.
 * A female Noh (which his name might have come from) mask; a white face with red lips and grey eye markings, which is the face he uses most often and so may be his true face.
 * A blue-nosed Mandrill's face (presumably the face of the monkey that was outside of Koh's cave).
 * Ummi, a Southern Water Tribe woman with long wavy brown hair, and brown eyes. Ummi was the fiancée of Avatar Kuruk.
 * A bearded and mustached man's face. This is based upon another Noh mask. Before Avatar Kuruk's appearance, some fans believed this face to be the Avatar who tried to kill Koh.
 * An owl's face. Light brown feathers and emerald green eyes.
 * A blue oni face, similar to the Blue Spirit mask worn by Zuko. It is interesting to note that he shifts to this face apparently when in extreme emotion, such as when he declared that the Moon and Ocean spirits were in danger or when he almost stole Aang's face, as such it may be his natural face rather than one that was stolen.
 * An old man's face, white mustache and blue eyes. This is another mask used in Noh theatre.
 * A young man's face, brown hair and gray eyes. There is a belief among many fans that it is the face of Lu Ten. The only reason is that it resembles Iroh a lot, though it does not resemble the picture of Lu Ten that Iroh shows in Tales of Ba Sing Se.

Trivia

 * In "The Siege of the North, Part 2" with "Avatar Extras" bonus commentary, additional information is provided on Koh:
 * The first two names they considered for Koh were "Koh the Expression Taker" and "Koh the Mug Mugger".
 * Koh's bad breath almost made Aang crack while not showing emotion despite Koh's scary faces.
 * Koh has his own realm. The realm is bleak with dim coloring and tall rock towers emerging out of a fog filled ravine. It's recognizable by the unusual tree above Koh's cave, and giant animals walking around the ravine.
 * Koh (Ko) is also the Korean word for nose.