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 due to both his friendly nature and his position as the Avatar.

Love Interests
From the very beginning of the series, there has been very strong evidence that Aang only has one love interest: Katara.

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

The first thing Aang saw upon waking from his one-hundred-year sleep was the face of the fourteen-year-old Waterbender, Katara, who was his liberator from the iceberg. Aang instantly formed a tight bond with her, and this friendship could only have been strengthened by the fact that Katara was ready to choose Aang over her very family and tribe. Throughout his time at the South Pole, there were multiple more-or-less subtle hints of some initial attraction. Later, many of his actions and antics were motivated by his want to impress her and gain her attention; for example, when they visited Kyoshi Island, he was idolized by the children there but mainly ignored by Katara, much to his disappointment. His growing affection for her served as an important plot point when he made her a necklace to replace her grandmother's, which had been lost earlier; he eavesdropped on her as she had her fortune told by Aunt Wu and gleefully celebrated after hearing that she would marry a powerful bender. When having his own fortune told, Aang specifically asked Aunt Wu about girls. He began acting "aloof" on the orders of Sokka, who mistook Meng as his target, but this only succeeded in confusing her; finally, after seeng a female react positively to the gift of a rare panda lily, Aang climbed to the top of Mt. Makapu to bring Katara such a flower. 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 reshaped those clouds, you have the power to shape your own destiny."

He, Katara and Appa became lost in the labyrinth where the only solution to successfully navigating the tunnels was to trust in love. When Katara, who was embarrassed and shortly afterward dismissed the idea as crazy, suggested that by kissing they could find their way out, Aang's attempts of agreeing with her backfired and left 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!' (Storms off.) Aang (sadly): 'What is wrong with me?'" Eventually, desperation - and possibly mutual affection - led to the two trying out the suggestion. However, the torch burned out completely as they were leaning 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 was in the form of the rebirth for his love of the deceased Air Nomads when he went to the Eastern Air Temple. This love for her put Aang in an unforeseen position to learn to control the Avatar State from Guru Pathik. Pathik told Aang that controlling 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 was told that he must let go of his earthly attachment to Katara. He was reluctant to agree and eventually abandoned the process entirely when he had a vision that Katara was 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, her changing outfit usually had a very positive influence on him. While spending some time in prison, Aang received some advice concerning her from the other inmates. During a secret dance party, he danced with her quite impressively, gaining the attention of the entire party. when he made the remark about how young love is hard, receiving a word of consolation from him ("It gets better."). When trying to jog Jet's memory, after Sokka suggests Katara kiss Jet to bring back his memory, Aang muttered under his breath that the idea is '"a bad one."

Facing separation from Katara, Aang attempted to tell her of his feelings, only to be interrupted by Sokka at the last minute.

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

Later, he was successful in telling her this, and sneaked in a kiss or two as part of a daydream, but was unable to do so moments after with the real Katara. Ultimately, however, the upcoming final battle with the Fire Lord Ozai, and the possibility that he might not come back alive from that encounter, gave Aang enough courage and motivation to successfully declare his affections for her - in the form of a kiss, to which she responded by leaning in. Afterwards, though, she looked away, and her expression seemed 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 was Aang's only teacher to use positive reinforcement as a teaching method. Aang responded 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, Katara remained the only person able to calm Aang down from the Avatar State. Also, Katara was able to renew emotions and believed in Aang where others were unable. While others had tried to renew Aang's optimism and hope, only Katara was successful.

Aang grew jealous of the actress on the stage playing Katara confessing her love to Zuko and saying that she sees Aang as a brother. This upset Aang and he later confronted her about it. She said that it was only acting, but Aang was unconvinced. He thought that something should have happened between them since they kissed on the morning of the invasion. Katara told Aang that she was just confused, and that it "wasn't the right time". Aang tried to kiss her, only to have her pull back and (a bit forcefully) reiterate that she was confused. She left Aang feeling heart-broken and stupid for his own actions.

In the very final scene, Katara approached Aang and instigated a hug and a passionate kiss. This finally demonstrated that Aang's feelings for Katara were mutual, and the two enjoyed a long-term relationship and marriage, culminating with the birth of three children, one of them an Airbending son named 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.

Friends
On his journey around the world, Aang has made many friends from all four nations. Though only Bumi remains 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 that those one hundred years have passed, most of his friends from pre-war are either deceased or very old. He has since then made many new friends after being liberated from the iceberg. His friends include Katara, Sokka, 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!" 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. 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" and making fun of Katara by imitating 'spirit magic'. He also seems to desire Sokka's permission for a relationship with his sister Katara (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.

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 choose to accept him after he saves their lives, Sokka gives his consent, trusting Aang's judgment 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 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).

When Aang first met Toph for real, 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. 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. 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. He takes back his staff/glider when she refuses to stop mishandling it. 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. He refers to everyone, including Toph, as his family. Aang and Toph have become good and steadfast friends. 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. After Toph explains the full capacity of her power, Aang responds: "That's amazing!" He repeats the same line after Toph reveals how she learned Earthbending. Toph also seems to eventually show respect for Aang's own bending power. 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 "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, 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 Aang's loyal pet and friend, as well as Team Avatar's primary means of travel. Aang first 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. After Aang offered an apple to Appa, the young sky bison seemed to bond with Aang immediately, affectionately licking Aang's face. Aang loves his fellow survivor of a century of sleep, as they both may be the last of their kind.

Appa is very faithful and protective towards Aang, and on various occasions he has entered into battle to protect his little friend. The feeling is mutual: when Toph blamed Appa of leaving a trail of fur for Azula and her gang to follow, Aang angrily defended Appa. When Appa was later kidnapped by Sandbenders in the Si Wong Desert, Aang became sober and, later, furious upon hearing that Sandbenders stole him. He entered the Avatar State and destroyed all the Sandbender skiffs and almost killed the Sandbenders, had it not been for Katara who managed to comfort him. During his time apart from Appa, Aang was often morose and driven to get him back, which he finally did when Team Avatar traveled to Lake Laogai. After reuniting with Appa, Aang cried in happiness.

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!".

Momo
"'Say hello to the newest member of our family.' - Aang talking about Momo in The Southern Air Temple"



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 when 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." It is revealed that Aang plans to receive teachings in Earthbending under King Bumi, but after Aang finds out that Bumi has been taken prisoner 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. 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, 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. During their first encounter after that, 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. Both Aang and Zuko confront their pasts and 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.

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.

He claims to have changed for the better, but then chooses to side with Azula and tries to capture Aang again.

Zuko, under the belief that Aang is still alive, hires an assassin to "end" the Avatar.

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. 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 to perform the Dancing Dragon, 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 ended up on the back of a lion turtle and given a new ability, Energybending, which he uses 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 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 its 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. His advice regarding his doubt about taking the Fire Lord's life was to "be decisive". Otherwise, Aang would make the same mistake Roku made by sparing Fire Lord Sozin.

Other than Roku, Aang relied 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 reminded Aang of her conflict with Chin the Conqueror and how she saw no difference whether she killed him deliberately or not and how Aang must do whatever it took 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 couldn't let his spiritual beliefs get in the way of his duty to the world. After this advice Aang realized the only way he could save the world was 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.

When Aang learns of Gyatso's death, he becomes so enraged that he triggers the Avatar State and 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, 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. She serves as a guide when she tells Aang that he must meet his other past lives to fix his Avatar Spirit after being struck by Azula's lightning. When he woke up from his coma and left his friends to face the Fire Lord on his own, 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'"

When Aang is confused as being 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.

Kuzon
"'I used to visit my friend Kuzon here all the time.'- Aang in 'The Headband.'"

Kuzon was Aang's former friend in the Fire Nation. The two are thought to have had a very close relationship, as "[they] used to get in and out of so much trouble together." Aang even referred to him as "one of the best friends he ever had."

Kuzon also offered a helping hand when Team Avatar travelled into the Fire Nation. When Aang was asked his name by a Fire Nation school teacher, he chose the name Kuzon as a covername.

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.

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. The two engaged in a fight across the city. Aang, with help from Bumi, escaped her.

The two met again when 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 when 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, but even with his Waterbending and Earthbending abilities, he was still evenly matched until he managed to destroy the drill.

His fourth face off against Azula occurs in the Crystal Catacombs. 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 Invasion, 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 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 was quite possibly one of Aang's most hated foes, as he blackmailed the Avatar with a kidnapped Appa, murdered Jet and almost framed Team Avatar for being enemies of the Earth Kingdom.

Long Feng was first introduced when Katara and Toph attempted to crash a party the Earth King was attending in order to sneak Aang in and allow the Avatar to speak with the King. When the door guards refused to let them in due to the facts that the two didn't have tickets - only Toph's passport - Katara and Toph unwittingly asked the Grand Secretariat for help in "finding their parents".

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.

Team Avatar then storms 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.

Joo Dee
"'You are absolutely forbidden by the rules of the city to continue putting up posters.' 'We don't care about the rules and we're not asking permission! We're finding Appa on our own and you should just stay out of our way!' - Aang and Joo Dee in Lake Laogai"

In the beginning of Aang and his friends' stay in Ba Sing Se, a woman named Joo Dee greeted them and explained that she would be their helper during their visit. After the Gaang arrived, she showed them around the city, leading them eventually to the apartment-like guest house in which they would be staying. During the tour, Joo Dee evaded any questions about seeing the Earth King, and when Aang attempted to glean information about Appa's possible location from different citizens of Ba Sing Se, she purposefully motioned for those interrogated not to speak a word. Finally, after she attempted to stop Aang from distributing flyers asking for Appa, he stepped up and said he would do whatever he wanted to. There were not many confrontations between the two, and after the group was reunited with Appa, Aang was never seen with Joo Dee again.

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

Though they rarely met, Combustion Man, formerly known as Sparky Sparky Boom Man, was 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 worried Zuko, Combustion Man never ceased his efforts to kill the Avatar. In their first meeting, he and the rest of Team Avatar was no match for him despite their mastery of bending. In their second meeting, Aang, after saving Sokka, was almost killed but was saved by Katara who froze the Combustion Man's head in an ice cylinder. Afterwards, Toph bended a rock at him; the stone hit his third eye, disrupting his ability, and caused it to ignite the air around him, allowing 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 the assassin 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. This provoked the assassin into attacking 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. It was revealed that in order to stop the Fire Nation and save the world, Aang had to face and defeat the Fire Lord before Sozin's Comet, which would enhance all Firebending, arrived at the end of summer. To that end, Aang trained throughout his journey to master the four elements so that the Avatar would be able to defeat him.

When Aang meditated on his fears in order to open his earth chakra, he saw a vision of the Fire Lord shrouded in flames, representing his greatest fear.

During the days prior to Sozin's Comet, Aang found himself unwilling to kill Ozai. Aang insisted that he had no reason to defend Ozai but that as an Air Nomad he had been taught that all life was precious and therefore had to be respected. Aang, in a meditative trance, was attracted to an island, where he confronted this personal conflict and asked the previous Avatars for guidance; however, he became increasingly desperate when each past life told him that, as the Avatar, he would have to resort to extreme measures to protect the world, and he reluctantly agreed to kill Ozai. Shortly after coming to this decision, Aang realized that the island was moving and that it was an animal of some kind; the wise Lion Turtle informed the young Avatar of an ancient though forgotten art which could be used to defeat Ozai, and Aang regained confidence in his ability to defeat the Fire Lord without taking his life.

When Ozai and his fleet of airships arrived to burn down the Earth Kingdom, Aang damaged the Fire Lord's personal ship and caused him to recognize the Avatar's presence. Ozai immediately went on the offensive, and though Aang used a combination of all four elements in the ensuing battle, the Fire Lord proved to be the Avatar's greatest opponent yet with his enhanced Firebending and fighting prowess. During this fight, Aang was able to redirect lighting that Ozai had generated, but the monk chose not to redirect it at the Fire Lord in order to take his life but rather to shoot it harmlessly into the sky. Eventually, Ozai gained the upper hand, and Aang, badly injured, protected himself from further attack within a ball of rock. The Fire Lord continually assaulted the Avatar with flame while Aang attempted to maintain his shield, but the stone sphere finally gave way, and the Avatar slammed into a pillar of rock, inadvertently opening his blocked chakra and allowing him to enter the Avatar State. Due to the sheer power of the Avatar State, the Fire Lord was forced on the defensive, and, after a terrible battle, Aang managed to overpower him and pin him down with Earthbending. The Avatar State, as well as the past lives controlling him, was intent on taking the Fire Lord's life, but Aang managed to regain control and stop at last minute.

Aang refused to take Ozai's life, stating, "I’m not going to end it like this." When the Avatar's back was turned, Ozai attempted to attack again, but Aang used Toph's technique of Seismic Sense to sense the Fire Lord's movements and restrained him using Earthbending. Remembering what the Lion Turtle had told him, Aang used Energybending to strip Ozai of his Firebending, thus sparing his life but rendering himself totally powerless. Weak and dazed, he Fire Lord found himself unable to even stand and fell limply to the ground. In the process, it was revealed that Aang had become a fully realized Avatar.

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

Aang and Ozai never truly knew each other, as they only met once, but the Fire Lord seemed to have nothing but disdain for the Avatar, while Aang himself likely didn't think much of Ozai, regarding him simply as "a horrible person" without whom the world would probably be better off. This however, didn't prevent him from sparing Ozai's life, though he did so for his beliefs, not for the Fire Lord.