Amon

"water"

- The era of bending is over! A new era of equality has begun!

Amon, formerly known as Noatak, was the charismatic and mysterious leader of a group of chi blockers known as the Equalists, whose ultimate goal was to create equality by ridding the world of benders. A nimble and stealthy fighter, he is fearless in facing his opponents, regardless of their bending skills and abilities.

Early life
Noatak (a.k.a Amon) was born in the Northern Water Tribe to Yakone and a Water Tribe woman. His father used his gang to escape from jail and underwent surgery to change his appearance. He fled to the Northern Water Tribe and eventually married a woman from the tribe, raising a family. Eventually, Noatak's mother gave birth to another boy, Tarrlok.

When Tarrlok and Noatak both discovered they were waterbenders, Yakone trained them harshly to develop their skills. A few years later, Yakone took them on a "hunting trip" far from their home, where he revealed his real identity and their power of bloodbending. Noatak excelled in the art, but after Yakone ordered him to bloodbend Tarrlok, he backed away and escaped, never to be seen again by his parents.

At some point in his life, Amon became the leader of the Equalists, an organization based in Republic City. They terrorize the city, striving to rid the world of bending. To garner sympathy, Amon claimed that he was born on a small farm to a family of non-benders who were being extorted by a firebender. When Amon's father eventually confronted their oppressor, the bender killed his family and severely deformed Amon's face, forcing him to "hide behind a mask" ever since. Although he later took off his mask to reveal a scar, the scar turned out to be just make-up that simply washed off when he fell into water.

Accelerating plans
When Avatar Korra announced her official relocation to Republic City during a press conference at City Hall, Amon heard her responding to questions through the radio. When his second-in-command inquired about how he was going to handle the unforeseen situation, Amon replied that since the Avatar had arrived early, they would have to "accelerate" their plans.



Later, at an Equalist assembly called "The Revelation", Amon announced to the gathered crowd that he planned on eradicating the world of benders, as they "had only brought suffering" and "were the cause of every war in every era". Amon believed the spirits had chosen him to usher in a new era of balance to the world by permanently removing people's bending in order to make equality a reality. As a demonstration of his abilities, he had his Equalist henchmen bring forward several Triple Threat Triad members and Bolin and proceeded to remove their bending, one by one, starting with Lightning Bolt Zolt's firebending. However, before he could remove Bolin's earthbending, Korra created a distraction by letting a screen of water vapor out into the room, allowing Mako to grab Bolin and escape. As the brothers and Korra were riding atop Naga with several Equalists chasing them, Amon opted to let them leave, as they would be the perfect tool to tell Republic City of his strength and power.

Meeting Korra
Amon had made a severe impression on Korra and she was plagued by nightmares of him in which he took away her bending. Upon hearing that the United Republic Council had proclaimed him public enemy number one, he spread a message over the radio to his fellow Equalists, using the actions of the Council as proof of the oppressive nature of the benders.



After Councilman Tarrlok and Avatar Korra led a task force that successfully raided an Equalist training facility, he was publicly challenged by her to a midnight duel on Aang Memorial Island without the involvement of the task force or chi blockers. However, Amon did not show up on time, nor did he come alone. Just as Korra began to leave the island, several hidden Equalists reeled her inside the island's museum. There, Amon emerged from the shadows and revealed that he would allow her to keep her bending for the time being because removing it then would only make her a martyr and cause benders from every nation to rally behind her "untimely demise". However, he warned a terrified Korra that he would "save her for last" and finally "destroy her" in their inevitable showdown.

Attack at the Pro-bending Arena


On the eve of the pro-bending championship match, Amon demanded that the Council shut down the Pro-bending Arena and put an end to the tournament, threatening that there would be "severe consequences" should they refuse. The Council voted to keep the arena open, which Amon revealed to be in line with his plans for the situation. He later entered the arena after the tournament and stripped Tahno and the rest of the White Falls Wolfbats of their bending powers. While some of his Equalists took out the police officers in the stands with electrified gloves, he gave a speech in which he stated his goals to replace the current government with "a fair minded, equalist government" and remove bending from the world altogether. He partially destroyed the playing field before leaving the Pro-bending Arena via the roof on an airship. Boarding the zeppelin, he narrowly escaped Korra's firebending attack and remained unfazed as the flames swirled around him.

Cleansing of Tarrlok


Days later, Amon, accompanied by Lieutenant and a group of Equalists, found Tarrlok in his hidden hideout deep in the mountains surrounding Republic City. Warning the Councilman that it was his time to be "equalized", the waterbender defended himself by bloodbending his attackers. Although his henchmen were easily overpowered by Tarrlok, Amon himself was able to resist the bloodbending's effects, and used Tarrlok's state of shock to approach him and take away his bending. When asked what he was, referring to his ability to overcome the effects of bloodbending, Amon simply responded that he was "the solution".

While taking care of Tarrlok, he ordered his fellow Equalists to retrieve Korra, who was trapped inside a metal prison box in the basement. He reminded his men not to underestimate the Avatar and ordered them to electrify the box to knock her out before opening it. However, as he was putting Tarrlok in the truck they arrived in, Korra stormed out of the cabin, having overpowered the other Equalists. Noticing Amon, she shot several ice spears in his direction. Amon evaded them all and briefly gave chase, however, stopping when Korra made her escape by swiftly gliding down the snowy slopes of the mountain. When the Lieutenant and the other Equalists joined him in watching Korra leave, he lightly scolded them for having underestimated her.

Attacking Republic City


Amon observed the attack on Republic City from an airship floating above the metropolis. Eventually, his airship was in the vicinity of the police headquarters as Tenzin and Team Avatar were fighting the Equalists' mecha tanks. After Hiroshi Sato, who was present aboard the airship with Amon, expressed his disgust while watching his daughter fighting alongside benders, the revolutionary leader promised him that he would have his daughter back soon. Later, Amon was on Air Temple Island when his followers brought a captured Lin Beifong to him. He offered Lin the chance to keep her bending by telling him where Korra was, but at Lin's refusal, Amon proceeded to take away her bending.

Ambushing the United Forces
After the United Forces arrive, Amon's troops, including Hiroshi, sent biplanes to ambush the troops, destroying their ships. Later on, when Korra and Mako try to locate Amon, they learn from Tarrlok that he was his brother, under the real name of Noatak. It is additionally revealed that Amon does not use energybending, as previously thought, but is a waterbender, and somehow uses bloodbending to remove a person's bending.

Amon reveals his face to the crowd, showing what appears to be a firebending scar, thus making Korra look like she is lying. As Amon attempts to take Tenzin's bending, Mako shoots lightning at the stage, allowing Korra time to free Tenzin and his children.

Amon eventually finds Korra, and bloodbends her. When Mako comes in to help, he bloodbends him too, and successfully takes Korra's bending. Lieutenant shows up and betrays Amon after seeing him use bloodbending, but is easily defeated by Amon.

Mako and Amon have a short battle while Mako attempts to run away with an unconcious Korra, which ends in Amon bloodbending Mako to prevent him from espacing. Much to Amon's suprise, Mako is able to resist the bloodbending and right as he is about to strip Mako of his bending, Korra awakes and finds out she has lost all her bending, but can airbend. She resists Amon and uses airbending to blast him out of the window behind him, causing him to crash into the ocean below, his mask falls off, and his "scar" washes off in the water. He waterbends back to the surface, revealing himself in front of everyone, then flees.

He then apologized to Tarrlok, and the two run away on a speedboat to start anew. While Amon (now Noatak) is giving a small speech, Tarrlok uses an equalist glove and electrocutes the boat's fuel tank as one last act of heroism.

Personality
Amon is a calm and composed individual, but beyond that much of his personality is unknown, as are his motivations aside for his stated claims. He has a severe abhorrence toward benders and is a staunch believer in what he views as equality and affectionately refers to his followers as "brothers and sisters".



He is clever and calculating, as well as a convincing orator. He has a high command of the art of public speaking, knowing how to mystify and terrify his audiences and enemies alike, creating loyalty with each word, and gaining widespread following for his cause. He seems to have plans for Korra and has thus far avoided fighting her, resorting to allowing her to escape and spread word of his abilities to the city. Amon also chose not to take away her bending when he ambushed her after refusing to fight her, foreseeing that it would make her a martyr for benders and unite them globally against his cause.

Amon is a cautious and calculating person, always prepared for direct confrontation with opponents, no matter how skilled they may be. He has displayed utter fearlessness, such as when he was almost blasted by Korra's firebending, overcoming Tarrlok's bloodbending, and chasing after Korra following her escape from Tarrlok's hideout. He is a strong-willed individual in possession of a high level of self control, making him an extremely formidable opponent. His calm and composure never wavers; when Korra escaped her prison and fired large missiles of ice at him, Amon didn't hesitate to chase after her, but he remained composed when he lightly scolded his subordinates for underestimating her, which he had warned them not to do.

Abilities


Amon is a talented and powerful waterbender and bloodbender. He inherited his father's Yakone's psychic bloodbending and is probably one of the strongest bloodbenders to ever live. Amon has also shown himself to be a very skilled, agile, and nimble fighter; his superior agility allows him to maneuver himself gracefully to the extent of being able to dodge lightning at close range. His knowledge of chi blocking is powerful, making him dangerous to benders. He has also demonstrated the ability to take away a person's bending through bloodbending, seemingly permanently, an ability that remains shrouded in mystery. No medical intervention has been able to restore one's bending as of yet. At the end of the finale, however, Korra's spitirual side comes out and she establishes contact with Aang. He restores her bending and gives her the wisdom to restore the bending of others.

Amon is able to resist bloodbending. However, bloodbending does seem to have some effect on Amon, although slight, as he was shown to be struggling against it initially, as the surrounding Equalists were subdued completely.

Aside from his mysterious abilities, Amon's greatest skills are his intellect and charisma. Displaying a gift for political strategy, he accurately portended that if he took away Korra's bending so early in his revolution, it would only end in Korra becoming a martyr, ensuring that benders across the globe would unite against his Anti-bending Revolution. He is also well-versed in terrorist tactics, subverting non-benders by manipulating their hate and bestowing fear upon benders, always seeking a psychological edge against his opponents, and consistently using intimidation and threats against his numerous enemies. As evidenced by the multiple attacks orchestrated by the Equalists, Amon is also a capable strategist and tactician, outmatching other organized forces such as the Metalbending Police Force on several occasions. Also he is capable of applying makeup since he can easily make a fake scar on his face.

Known victims
Amon has utilized his powerful bloodbending skills and abilities to block the following people's bending:


 * Lightning Bolt Zolt
 * Shady Shin
 * Triple Threat Triad member wearing green
 * Triple Threat Triad member wearing brown
 * Tahno
 * Ming
 * Shaozu
 * Five members of the Metalbending Police Force, including this metalbender officer.
 * Tarrlok
 * Lin Beifong (bending restored by Avatar Korra)
 * The White Lotus sentries on Air Temple Island.
 * Korra (bending restored by Avatar Aang)

Relatives

 * Tarrlok (younger brother)
 * Yakone (father)

Trivia

 * Like several other characters, Amon was revealed on July 23, 2011 at San Diego Comic-Con.
 * When Amon removed Lin Beifong's bending, his mask appeared to change facial expressions, from a smirk to a frown. Whether or not this is an animation error or an important plot point is yet to be seen.
 * The red circle on Amon's mask is similar to that of the large red disk featured on the flag of Japan, which represents the rising sun and thus the dawn of a new era. This circle also marks one of the two pressure points Amon touches to take one's bending away.
 * Amon may be an English phonetic spelling for "Aman" meaning "peace" in Indonesian and Malay, Sanskrit (अमन) and Urdu (امن). This may explain the Chinese ideogram, meaning "peace" on the chest of his previous character design. The 平 ideogram also means "fair" and "equal", matching the Equalists' name.
 * The Chinese transliteration for Amon's name,, can have a few meanings, but the most appropriate is "to cover".
 * Amon is an Egyptian name meaning "hidden", which may refer to his covered face.
 * The name Amon is very similar to Amun-Ra, the King of Gods in early Egyptian mythology, who is associated with hidden things and the unknown.
 * Amun-Ra's ascent to the egyptian pantheon also coincides with a time when the egyptians were opressed under Hyksos rule, just as Amon is venerated due to the opression of non-benders.
 * Noatak (Nuataaq in Iñupiaq) is a census-designated place in the U.S. state of Alaska.
 * Amon is the seventh evil spirit listed in "Ars Goetia" in The Lesser Key of Solomon. He is said to be a Marquis of Heck
 * Among the demons representing the seven deadly sins in mythology or classical literature, the name Amon is associated with the inner demons of wrath.
 * However, the only sources that list Amon as a demon (both french grimoires) attribute him lordship over reconciling friendships (see Ars Goetia), making the name ironic at best.
 * Amon states that bending has been the cause of every war in every era. That would be an error considering the war between the villages of Oma and Shu which subsequently led to, and thus it took place before, the origin of earthbending.
 * Amon of Judah was the name of a king recalled in the Bible. Amon is most remembered for his heretic practices while king, which led to a revolt against him and his subsequent assassination.
 * Amon sounds similar to the term Anon - short for Anonymous, people who post on image boards that do not require registration (*chan), an internet movement, and/or concept of anonymous activists who protest political injustice. They often use a Guy Fawkes mask as a symbol for the movement and as a disguise, which is similar to the mask Amon uses.
 * Amon's outfit bears a resemblance to Dr. Doom, a villain from Marvel comics. Amon also has similarities to V from V For Vendetta, both being masked revolutionaries who had their faces burned by fire, as well as masters at manipulation. Later, Amon unmasked his face in Book 1 and Avatar Korra destroyed him.
 * Amon claimed to have lost his family to a firebender, in a manner similar to how Mako, Bolin and Jet lost their parents, how Asami, Sokka, and Katara lost their mothers, and how Aang lost his people, the Air Nomads.


 * Amon is the only known person who is not an Avatar to have the ability to remove someone's bending.
 * Noticeably, while similar to energybending as both place the right thumb on the target's forehead, Amon's ability is normally performed from behind his target with his left thumb at the back of the neck whereas Aang's ability was performed in front with his left thumb at the target's chest.
 * Regardless, this seems non-indicative of any differences other than methods, since Aang is making use of two chakras (the Anahata and the Ajna) and Amon is also making use of two chakras (the Vishudah and Ajna), so theoretically any arrangement is possible.
 * Amon has drawn many parallels to Makoto Shishio, an antagonist from the Rurouni Kenshin series, who is also voiced by Steve Blum. Both characters assembled militias to overthrow the government and institute new jurisdiction. Although Shishio wanted to create a society governed by natural selection where only the strong survive, in stark contrast, Amon seeks to stop the strong from taking advantage of the weak. Most of Shishio’s skin was burnt off and, much like Amon, his face is covered throughout the majority of the series.
 * Coincidentally, a pressure point around where Amon touches on the back of the neck when taking a person's bending is actually called Amon.
 * Amon also shares voice actor of character Gene from the game "Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops". Like Amon, Gene is the leader of a group of soldiers that rebelled against the CIA in order to create a world where soldiers are not used as tools by the government.
 * Amon is the first character in the Avatar universe to be both a bender and a chi-blocking practitioner.
 * Amon escapes with Tarrlok in the season 1 finale, but is assumed to be dead after Tarrlok uses one of the equalist's gloves to send an electric current in the fuel tank of their escape boat, causing a large explosion at sea.