Rough Rhinos

"fire"

- Colonel Mongke and the Rough Rhinos are legendary, each one is a different kind of weapon specialist. They are also a very capable singing group.

The Rough Rhinos are an elite group of Fire Nation Komodo Rhino cavalry. They do not seem to be under the direct control of the military, but instead work on a freelance basis for the Fire Nation. There are five members of the group, each of whom specializes in a different type of weapon/fighting style. Interestingly, each of their preferred weapons are not well adapted for close-combat.

Their leader, Colonel Mongke, is a talented Firebender, though was overpowered without significant effort by Zuko in The Desert. He is the only firebender in the group. It appears he served under Iroh in the Fire Nation military at some point in the past. Ogodei and Kahchi prefer Mêlée weaponry; Ogodei carries chains or "bogo" and Kahchi, a halberd. Interestingly, Ogodei sports a similar hairstyle to that of the hammer-and-chain wielding Fire Nation soldier who attacked Aang during the Siege of the North- the only other character to use a weapon of this type. Yeh-Lu specializes in explosives and wears armor that hides his face from view. His face is never seen in the series. Vachir wields a bow, and frequently uses lit arrows, making him the third member to fight with fire, despite there only being one firebender in the group. His facial tattoos suggest that he may have once been a member of the Yu Yan Archers.

The Rough Rhinos first appear while attempting to capture Team Avatar, and then later in the same episode when they invade Chin Village. The Rough Rhinos appear for a second time when they fail to capture Zuko and Iroh. They are last seen in Jet's flashback, when it is revealed that they are responsible for the destruction of Jet's village and the murder of his parents.

It is unknown what has become of the Rough Rhinos since the War ended.

Appearances

 * Jet
 * Avatar Day
 * The Desert
 * Lake Laogai

Trivia

 * All of the riders' names are based on various Mongolians related to Genghis Khan.
 * Their name is a pun on the Rough Riders, a horse cavalry once led by general and then president Theodore Roosevelt.
 * Despite their fierce reputation, according to Iroh, they are also a "very capable singing group".
 * Kahchi, due to his crescent blade pike and long beard, may be a reference to the legendary general, Guan Yu in early Chinese history.
 * Each rider seems to be related to a different part of the Fire Nation military; Mongke is a Firebender, Ogodei is an engineer, Yeh-Lu is a bombardier, Kahchi is a regular infantry and Vachir is a Yu Yan Archer.
 * Although a supposedly fearsome organization, they seem to be fairly unsuccessful during their appearances in the series.