Talk:Airbending/@comment-110.33.12.96-20111218141713/@comment-110.33.25.210-20120128012232

To the Anon person before me, I like your thinking, but firstly I also thought the boulder Aang smashes in Winter Solstice Part 2 looked like a composite of rocks glued together, but we can't really be sure of that. Maybe the rock was just uneven in places and gave the appearance of looking like that. Even so, to fling it into the air and have it not fall away in pieces would show that this hypothetically-glued boulder is obviously packed tightly. Watch that scene again, and you'll see that Aang not only pushes fragments apart, but obliterates them completely into a cloud of dust! That attack was the equivalent of a solid punch through a piece of dry wall. Secondly, even if air is not shown to be capable of slicing through metal, are you forgetting the thick planks of wood Aang cuts through in Return to Omashu? Or the Swamp monster's arm (to free Sokka)? If he can do that, he could easily sever (as gross as this may sound) someone's head. Airbending does not lack offensive moves. It can do more than just hurt! Of course, this is a kids' show so that sort of violence can only be implied. It doesn't mean that every airbending move is painful, but that's a choice of the bender. Aang, being a kind, peaceful kid just doesn't resort to brute strength unless necessary. He air-slapped Wan Shi Tong pretty hard, for example but otherwise he'll usually just push someone out of the way. Plus, airbending CAN be used as a crude form of telekinesis. I know that in the real world, solid air doesn't really make sense, but neither does slicing water :) This is fiction, don't forget. Totally impossible to me and you.