Talk:Energybending/@comment-24.59.22.94-20100830223029/@comment-3075159-20100925072754

1) It's an implied usage...

2) Foggyswamp style waterbending shouldn't require an average waterbender more knowledge than how to focus and bend the water in plants.

3) Yes, but water-/air-/earthbenders kinda rely more on physical matter for their bending. Their chi controls the matter. For firebending, I'd say that it's the closest to energybending since it is directly related to chi.

4) It can be inferred that there might have been two groups: those who decided to go with new bending styles based on fire, water, earth, and air and those who decided to stay with energybending. If that's the case, the energybenders died off, leaving no one to pass the traditional techniques.

5)Yes. Especially since Aang learned energybending, because the fully-realized Avatar's knowledge is that of all Avatars before him and whatever he himself has learned.

6)Maybe, but it's not likely. The time since energybending and elemental bending is an extremely long period (if you assume that the lionturtle was alive during the energybending time). It's like evolution: even though two species had a common ancestor, as time goes by, they eventually become incompatable. The four elements have actually been separated for too long and it's likely that a person's base nature determines what bending art they'll learn.

For the Iroh water/fire example, I don't think he could learn both. Fire and water are opposites, so add that to the above theory, and it's highly unlikely. :/