Toph Beifong

History


Toph is the only child of the wealthy Bei Fong family of Gaoling. Born blind, she was sheltered by parents who believed her blindness made her fragile and incapable of looking after herself. They went to extreme measures to protect her, including hiding her existence from the rest of the world. Toph, resenting her parents' treatment, grew up hard and rebellious. One time, when she was six, she ran away from home into a cave inhabited by Badgermoles. According to Toph, they understood each other because they were both blind, and she learned Earthbending by imitating their movements. Toph learned to "see" through the use of her Earthbending, feeling persons and other objects through their vibrations, which she feels through the ground via her bare feet. Although her father, Lao Bei Fong, later hired the Earthbender Master Yu to instruct her, he didn't teach her anything other than beginner moves, unaware that she had already become very powerful. She became such a powerful bender that she secretly entered underground Earthbending tournaments as the Blind Bandit, and was actually the champion of Earth Rumble Six, before Aang challenged her.

The Blind Bandit


Toph makes her first appearance in "The Swamp" in Aang's vision, although he does not recognize her. Her next appearance is in "The Blind Bandit" as the title character. Aang recognizes her during Earth Rumble Six, realizing that she was in his vision and is perhaps the earthbending teacher he has been searching for. Aang finds an opportunity to speak with her when the tournament host Xin Fu asks for a volunteer to challenge the champion of the tournament, but while Aang attempts to talk to Toph, she assumes he is only there to fight her and keeps attacking him. Finally, Aang overtakes her by using his airbending ability, which Toph cannot sense due to her blindness. Upset at losing, Toph leaves the arena without ever giving Aang a chance to explain who he is and why he is searching for her. After asking around, Aang finds her once again at the Bei Fong Estate and tried to explain why he needs an earthbending teacher, but Toph calls for the guards. Aang flees, but he isn't ready to give up. He returns later, officially visiting the Bei Fong family, and is invited to dinner, where he attempts to talk to Toph's father about her earthbending and his need for a teacher. Toph tries to silence him, since her parents know nothing about her secret life as the Blind Bandit. Tensions run high between Aang and Toph, but the finally reconcile after dinner, when she explains about her parents and her ability to "see" through her bending. Their conversation is cut short when they are kidnapped by the members of Earth Rumble Six, because, by "The Boulder's" account, Toph seemed to have lost intentionally, since he did not see Aang earthbending when Toph fell in the arena.



Xin Fu, the host of Earth Rumble Six, demands that his money be returned in exchange for Toph and Aang. Katara, Sokka, Master Yu and Toph's father go to the arena and repay all the money. Toph is released, but Aang is kept, as they decide that they'd get more money by turning him over to the Fire Nation. Katara asks for Toph's help in defeating the earthbenders and rescuing Aang. Toph's father cuts Katara off, claiming once again that his daughter is too weak and blind to do any sort of fighting, but Toph agrees to save Aang. Toph displays some amazing bending and easily beats all of the Earth Rumble Six contestants, as well as Xin Fu, much to the amazement of both her father and Master Yu.

Later that night, Toph explains her secret life to her parents, telling them that she hopes it will not change their opinion of her. Toph's father responds that it does not change his love for her at all, but he has instead realized that he has allowed her too much freedom, and she will henceforth be watched by guards at all times. He also dismisses the Avatar and his friends from his home.



Just as they are about to leave, Toph appears and tells them that her father has changed his mind. While both Sokka and Katara realize that she is lying and is in fact running away from home, Aang seems to believe that she is being genuine and accepts her into the group happily. Back at the Bei Fong Estate, Toph's father offers a large reward to Master Yu and Xin Fu if they recover his daughter, whom he assumes was kidnapped by the Avatar.

Starting out
Not long after she joins the group, she starts a feud with Katara. As the group sets up camp, Katara notices that Toph is slumping lazily against a rock. Katara informs her that they usually divide the work among the group, implying she would like Toph to help them set up camp. Toph tells her not to worry, as she feels she can carry her own weight, suddenly earthbending a triangular, earthen, makeshift tent with two slabs of stone. Katara rephrases her last statement, telling her that they all have a job to do, including Momo, who then appears on her shoulder with berries. Toph refutes that she does not feel she has to help anyone else, because no one needs to help her. Katara attempts once more to suggest to Toph that she help out, but all this does is further irritate her. Katara finally gives up and walks back to their campsite. Later on, Katara tries to rectify with Toph for the previous argument, apologizing and noting that she thinks that they're all just a little tired and getting on each others' nerves. Toph, rather than sharing the blame and accepting her overture, simply agrees that she does seem a bit too tired and lays down to sleep. Katara, though clearly incensed by the insulting retort, brings herself to half-heartedly tell Toph goodnight and walks back to her own tent.



During the night, Toph awakens suddenly. Feeling the ground, she senses something approaching and alerts the rest of the group. When asked exactly that something is, all she can say is that it feels like an avalanche, but also not like an avalanche. After the leave the camp, the two grumpy girls continue to fight. Eventually Toph picks up her belongings and leaves the group. Toph continues through the forest; however, she meets an old man, who happens to be Iroh. Toph has tea with Iroh on a small cliff. She comments that Iroh is probably thinking she cannot take care of herself, as he would not let Toph pour her own cup of tea, but Iroh explains that he poured her tea only because he wanted to and for no other reason. Toph tells him that everyone treats her like she is helpless, but she can take care of herself. Iroh responds that she sounds like his nephew, mentioning how both seem to feel that they have to do everything themselves, but both have friends and family that love them and want to help them. He also adds that he has been trying to track Zuko, so that even though Zuko may want to be alone to figure out his problems at the moment, Iroh will be right there should Zuko need him. The meeting inspires Toph, and she decides to go back and find her friends, but first tells Iroh that Zuko is lucky to have an uncle like him, and also that perhaps Iroh should tell Zuko that the uncle needs the nephew as well. That night, Appa lands on a rock formation, and Toph can be seen sleeping next to Katara and the others.

Training Aang
It is Toph’s responsibility to teach Aang how to earthbend in preparation for the invasion of the Fire Nation. Her task, however, proves extremely difficult, as the fundamentals of earthbending are as far removed from those of airbending as is possible, and so Aang finds himself in conflict with his former training. Toph has very little patience for him and aggressively pushes him to learn to earthbend. She put him through a series of basic tests, but Aang has trouble grasping the concept of earthbending. He fails the first three tests, which include pushing a large boulder, lifting and carrying a boulder and pushing his fingers through solid rock. He performs slightly better in the next few tests and Toph deems him ready for a harder test, where he has to hold his stance and stop a boulder that is rolling down a cliff towards him. However, Aang chooses to evade the rolling boulder, thus angering Toph.



Demoralized, Aang takes a break from training with Toph, who insults him for not being able to stop the rock, choosing to work on his waterbending with Katara. He returns to find Toph using his staff as a nutcracker, also notices that Sokka is nowhere to be found. He finds Sokka trapped in a crack in the earth and tries airbending him out. When that fails, Sokka asks him to earthbend, but Aang tells him he cannot, nor can he get Toph because it would be too uncomfortable for him. The Sabertooth moose-lion Sokka was trying to capture earlier returns, closely followed by its mother, who charges at both Aang and Sokka. Aang stands his ground and defeats the mother using his airbending, saving Sokka. Toph, who was silently observing the conflict, half-heartedly congratulates Aang and continues cracking nuts with his staff. Incensed that she callously stood by and did nothing as Sokka's life was in danger, Aang forcefully demands that she return his staff. Toph then says that Aang is thinking like an Earthbender and tells to do the rock again, which Aang is successfully able to accomplish. After deeming Aang a true Earthbender, Toph drags Sokka out of the hole, finally giving him freedom.



Journey to Ba Sing Se
After the group looses Appa, they must travel by foot. After they bump into a family (with a pregnant mother) and Sokka's old girlfriend Suki, they decide to go on the Serpent's Pass. After Katara makes a bubble in the water that gets destroyed by the Serpent, Toph elevated the ground and brought them to the surface. This strands them in the middle of the water, with the serpent circling around. Aang attacks the serpent, telling Katara to get the others across while he distracts it. Katara creates an ice bridge for the others to cross, then leaps to help Aang without a second thought. The others cross, except for Toph, who is afraid to go, until the serpent slams the ground behind her. She begins to cross, until the serpent destroys the ice, sending her into the water. Sokka calls that he's coming after her, but Suki dives in first and saves her. Toph, thinking that it was Sokka, gives Suki a kiss on the cheek, before Suki can tell her the truth, much to Toph's embarrassment, stating "You can go ahead and let me drown now." The group survives the ordeal, and they head to Ba Sing Se.



Once the group arrives to Ba Sing Se, they are presented with even more trouble. A giant drill is trying to break down the walls of the mighty city. Sokka decides to get them to sabotage the drill. Toph refuses to enter the drill and instead tries to slow down the drill using Earthbending. After Katara gets out of the drill, she calls for Toph to help her bend the sluri in the pipes back to help bring down the drill. After Aang deals the final blow, the drill shuts down and the team is once more victorious.

In Ba Sing Se
Riding the Earth rail, the group finally enters Ba Sing Se. Sokka is confident that they will easily find Appa, but the city is bigger than they imagined... much bigger. Soon after they arrive, Toph and her friends are met by Joo Dee, a cheerful, incessantly-smiling woman assigned to guide them around the city. As a reward for protecting Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation attack, Toph, Katara, Sokka and Aang are given a house in the city's upper ring.

In the upper ring, Aang and his group are finally taken to their new house. When a possible audience with the Earth King is finally mentioned, it is revealed that they will have to wait at least a month. It soon becomes apparent that within the walls of the city, no one wants to talk or even think about the war raging in the rest of the world. Even Aang's attempts to find Appa bears no fruit as no one seems willing to divulge any information to them, thanks to some meaningful glances from Joo Dee. Along the way they also see members of the Dai Li — elite guards who safeguard Ba Sing Se's culture and society.



When a notice arrives of a party being held in the palace, Katara decides its a good way to reach the Earth King. Toph says that since the gang is mostly commoners, they'd be spotted right away if they went to the event. In the end, Toph decides that Katara can pass off as a high born girl, and both of them dress up in formal attire. They then head for the palace while Aang and Sokka wait at the house. The girls are initially refused entry by a guard, who rejects even Toph's family seal. They eventually get inside by tagging along with an official named Long Feng, but their attempts to sneak Aang and Sokka inside are stymied by Long Feng himself, who seems determined to personally help them out. Soon the Dai Li bind and gag Katara and Toph with earthbending. The then go and have a meeting with Long Feng and lean that Ba Sing Se is really controlled by him rather than the Earth King.

The story opens at the location of the gang's house in Ba Sing Se, the whole group busily cleaning themselves up for the day aside from Toph who has yet to wake up. When Katara wakes her, Toph presents herself with her hair a mess and her body covered in dust (or, "a healthy coating of Earth!") considering herself ready. Katara suggests they have a "Girl's Day Out," and takes her to the Fancy Lady Day Spa. Toph agrees, as long as they don't touch her feet. This request is denied and Toph sends one of the attendants through the wall during a pedicure. The girls then take a mud bath where Toph uses her Earthbending to make creepy faces with the mud and scare away the attendant. The two then relax in a sauna, using their Bending to both feed the fire and create the steam.



The girls leave the sauna now with make-up on their faces. As they cross a bridge, a girl named Star and her friends make fun of Toph's make-up. Toph is upset by these remarks and Katara tries to urge her to ignore them. Toph, however, laughs back at the girls and then Earthbends the rock of the bridge from under them, dropping them into the water. Katara finishes with her own parting shot by waterbending the girls downstream.

Katara tries to console Toph as they continue walking on. Toph claims that because she is blind, she does not have to worry so much about personal appearance or the approval of others, the words of the girls still hurt her all the same, and she sheds a few tears. Katara compliments that Toph is not only confident and self-assured, but also pretty. Toph proclaims she would like to return the compliment but has no idea what Katara looks like. Katara laughs at this and the story ends with Toph giving her a friendly punch on the arm.

Out in the city, the gang is setting up more posters for the lost Appa when Katara runs into Jet. He tells her that he wants to help, but Katara distrusts him and attacks. Jet deflects her attacks, and tries to prove his honesty by dropping his hook swords. The others arrive, drawn by the noise, and Jet tries again to explain himself. Then Jet shows them a flier. Toph, reading Jet's heartbeat and breathing patterns, pronounces that he's telling the truth. Katara is distrustful, but agrees. Jet leads them to a large empty warehouse, where he says they may have been holding Appa. Toph confirms it by finding a tuft of Appa's fur, and an old cleaning man says that Appa was sent off to Whale Tail Island, down near the South Pole. Aang immediately wants to set off, and Jet offers to come along. Toph asks Katara whether Jet was her boyfriend. She gets mad and says no, but Toph teases her by saying she can tell she's lying.

On their way out, the group is sidetracked when Smellerbee and Longshot happen to come across them. Katara once again turns on Jet, as he had claimed to have left the gang behind. Jet insists that he's been living alone in the city, but Smellerbee claims that he was dragged away by the Dai Li. Toph realizes they are both telling the truth, even though their stories don't match. Sokka quickly figures that Jet has been brainwashed by the Dai Li. Katara uses her healing to try to soothe it. Jet remembers that he was taken to a secret facility under a lake. Sokka remembers what Joo Dee had said about her "vacation", fully jogging Jet's memory. The base is under Lake Laogai. The group makes their way to the lake the next day, and Toph quickly finds and uncovers the underwater entrance. They go inside, quietly making their way through the dark corridors.



The gang find themselves confronted by Long Feng and several Dai Li agents. A battle quickly breaks out. Toph shows the true mastery of earthbending when she incredibly takes down several Dai Li agents. Long Feng escapes, with Aang and Jet in hot pursuit. After dealing a grievous blow to Jet, Long Feng escapes as the others enter the chamber. Katara tries to heal Jet, and realizes just how badly he was injured. Longshot, speaking for the first time in the series, tells Aang and his group that they should go and find Appa, and leave Jet to Smellerbee and himself. Jet tries to assure Katara that he'll be fine, but as they leave, Toph sorrowfully says that Jet was lying. Jet eventually died from his injuries.

After they exit the underground base, they finally meet back with Appa. Katara and Toph both want to leave Ba Sing Se, as they have found Appa and thus have no reason to remain there. On the other hand, Sokka wants to stay to inform the Earth King of all that is taking place within Ba Sing Se, as well as the approaching solar eclipse, as this was their entire reason for heading towards Ba Sing Se in the first place. Aang agrees with him. Ultimately, the others agree to do so, and all four ride Appa back to Ba Sing Se's upper ring, and manage to break into the palace, tearing their way through the Royal Guards despite a strong defense.



At the palace, Toph and her friends finally reach the Earth King's throne room, where they are encountered by Long Feng and many Dai Li, who stand before the Earth King as a last defense. Aang goes on to explain the various events going on that the Earth King is unaware of: a war outside Ba Sing Se's walls, Long Feng and the Dai Li's conspiracy, the imprisonment of Appa, and the brainwashing of Jet and countless other individuals. They decide to show the Earth King the outer wall, which was earlier penetrated by the Fire Nation's drill, but the King has had enough, and decides to return to the palace. Sokka quickly convinces him to continue the investigation, however, by letting him ride on Appa.

The Earth King arrives at the outer wall, and is shocked to see the remains of the Fire Nation's drill leading right up to and through Ba Sing Se's outer wall. Long Feng is then arrested. After the group splits up Toph goes to meet her mother, entering an upper-ring building that she finds empty. She enters, but only suspects trickery at the last minute, and is captured in a metal coffin. Master Yu and Xin Fu emerge from the shadows, and prepare to return Toph to the Bei Fong family so that they may retrieve their reward.

The Metalbender


Out on a road, an ostrich is pulling a cart carrying Master Yu and Xin Fu as well as Toph, who is trapped within a huge metal box. The two up front are arguing about which way to go in order to back to the Bei Fong estate, Toph's home, when Toph yells at the two to stop arguing and let her out to go to the bathroom. Master Yu starts to get up to let her out, but Xin Fu sharply pulls him back from the action, noticing the obvious trick where his companion does not. Toph pounds against the cage she is in, only infuriating Xin Fu more, who tells her that no matter how good an Earthbender she thinks she may be, there is no way that she can bend the metal. Toph continues bashing her hands into the metal walls of her cell. Her blows send out vibrations, allowing her to sense the fragments of Earth contained within the metal. Toph reaches out for the fragments, and continues stubbornly beating against the cell, eventually leaving a good-sized dent in the center. She cheers, and congratulates herself for her discovery, before continuing her assault on the cell's walls.



Master Yu and Xin Fu are startled by a tearing sound from the back of the wagon, and go to investigate. A massive hole has been ripped in the back of Toph's prison, and she is not inside. Toph emerges further back on the road, and uses Earthbending to thrust Xin Fu and Yu back into the coffin. She then grips either side of the hole she made earlier, and pulls them back together, trapping her captors in her place. After taking a few moments to yell out her triumph and state that she is the greatest Earthbender ever, Toph rapidly heads back to Ba Sing Se by surfing along a self-made wave of Earth. This leaves Xin Fu and Yu locked very uncomfortably within the coffin, and Xin Fu frustrated as ever at having to spend time with his companion.

The episode begins with Sokka and Aang both hurrying back to Ba Sing Se on Appa; as they fly along, they spot Toph, who is trying to get back to the Palace as quickly as she can. They pick her up and fly to Ba Sing Se, trying quickly to get there to see if Katara is all right. When asked if he had mastered the Avatar State, Aang lies to the others, saying that he has.



Outside of the palace, Sokka and Toph soon see General How, but before they can say anything, the Dai Li place him under house arrest. At that very moment, every general is arrested. The two make it into the Throne Room, and they reveal to the Earth King that the girls are not Kyoshi Warriors. Upon seeking Sokka, Ty Lee starts to flirt with him, but he says that he is involved with Suki. Ty Lee does not know who Suki is, which exposes them and Toph throws her to the side with some rocks. Mai, realizing that their identities were exposed, threw a hail of ornate shurikens at Toph, who blocked them with a wall of earth. Ty Lee begins to “fight” Sokka. However, the fighting is in vain, as Azula soon has the King at flame-point. Sokka and Toph give up immediately, and are soon disabled by Ty Lee.

Later, back in the Palace, Ty Lee is trying to teach Bosco the Bear how to walk on his front legs, but soon she is trapped by Toph. Toph and Sokka take a fighting stance against Mai, who in her nonchalance says to take the bear and the King reunites happily with his pet. After Aang gets wounded, the group (including the Earth King and Bosco) all escape Ba Sing Se on Appa.

Into the Fire Nation


Toph is found at the beginning of Season three on a Fire Nation ship taken by her and her friends. Shortly after Aang awakens, they are greeted by another Fire Nation ship. While the others hide, Hakoda and Bato try to talk their way out, but the crew eventually finds holes in their story. The Captain decides to let them think they got away, but sink the ship as soon as they are clear. Toph overhears the order, however, and swiftly drops the captain and his guards into the water by way of Metalbending. Katara then puts space between the two ships with a huge waterbending attack that nearly capsizes the enemy ship, and they try to escape. Despite the tremendous efforts of Katara and Toph, the ship takes heavy damage from the pursuing Fire Nation ship. Out of sheer bad luck, the Serpent of Serpent's Pass appears but is struck by a stray fireball. The heroes get the chance to escape as the enraged serpent attacks the Fire Nation ship. Aang later flees the ship believing that only he can fight the Fire Lord. Toph, Sokka, and Katara split with Hakoda and the others and find Aang on crescent island.



Toph and the others are traveling through the Fire Nation, using Waterbending to hide Appa in a cloud. They take temporary shelter in a cave, and then go to seek out new clothes to help them better blend into the Fire Nation. They find an unattended clothesline and steal some outfits, and then go to town to buy some accessories. Toph rips out the soles of her new shoes to maintain contact with the ground. After Aang decides to host a dance party for a bunch of Fire Nation students, Toph helps him with the construction (Earthbending).

The Runaway


After their money starts to run dangerously low, Toph uses her earthbending to make money for the group by scamming people off the streets. After winning large amounts, because of Toph, who was flaunting her blindness, and seeing the many people being persuaded because of it, Katara begins to think the idea is wrong. Katara objects at the immorality of the idea and argues with Toph over the issue. Toph retorts and calls her a "motherly" figure and complains bitterly that Katara is not her, Sokka or Aang's mother. Toph goes on to say how much she hates her own parents.

Sokka finds a wanted poster for 'The Runaway' (aka Toph). After Sokka reads it aloud Toph is delighted at the nickname, and how much money is being offered for her return, Toph convinced Sokka to keep the wanted poster a secret by giving him funds for Appa's armor. While going through Toph's possessions, Katara discovers the wanted poster and has an argument with Toph, to which Toph angrily replies that Katara is not her mother and should not tell her what to do. Sokka later talks to Toph to try to mend the rift between her and Katara. As they discuss Katara's motherly instincts, Sokka suggests that he and Toph have a chat about Katara. Toph is not aware that Katara is bathing in the water below them. Toph admitted that Katara cared for her more than her real mother ever did. A touched Katara suggests that she and Toph work together to collect the bounty that Toph has accumulated as the 'ultimate heist'.



After faking handing her in to the police, it turns out to be a trap set by Combustion Man. Katara and Toph are placed in a wooden prison - a material that neither of them can bend. Combustion-man goes to find Aang to kill him. As Aang and Sokka battle Combustion man, Katara waterbends her own sweat as a source of water to escape the prison. They race to help Aang, and arrive in the nick of time. Toph accurately hits Combustion Man's tattoo with a stone, which knocks him back. He gets up and attempts to shoot, only to find his chi blocked. Toph realizes she does not hate her parents after all. With Katara acting as a scribe, she writes down a heart-felt message for her parents and it is delivered using Sokka's newly adopted Messenger Hawk, Hawky (without Sokka's permission).

The Day of Black Sun
As well as contributing as a soldier during the Invasion to the Fire Nation capital, Toph accompanies Aang and Sokka into an underground bunker searching for Fire Lord Ozai, using her abilities to lead the way in the heart of the volcano, as well as fighting Azula and her Dai Li agents. She also escapes with the group when the invasion inevitably failed.

The Western Air Temple
When Zuko was bitterly rejected by the rest of her friends, Toph voiced the necessity of having their former enemy around to teach Aang firebending. She left angrily when the others' personal feelings are clouding their judgment. Unfortunately, Zuko scared her off when he accidentally burned her feet, thinking that he was being attacked.

After Zuko rescued the group from Combustion Man, Toph allowed him to join, jokingly telling him that it will give her an opportunity to get even with him for burning her. Later in "The Firebending Masters" when Zuko can no longer utilize his firebending because of his lack of rage, Toph suggested to relearn the art from the original firebenders, by citing her experience in learning Earthbending directly from badgermoles.

Personality
As the newest addition to Aang's party (until "Day of the Black Sun,") Toph brings a totally new personality to the group. Unlike the nurturing Katara, flighty Aang or gruff but goofy Sokka, Toph is fiercely independent, sarcastic, direct, brutally frank, and confrontational. She appears to have the same carefree and adventurous personality as Aang, and she is very tomboyish in the way she acts and dresses - a contrast to the delicate doll her parents see her as. However, unlike Aang, who avoids fighting whenever possible, Toph loves battling and takes great pride in her earthbending skills. She appears eager to prove that she is as strong as anyone who can see.

Toph's eagerness to prove that she can be independent has led to some initial difficulties with Aang and his friends. Toph insists that she can "carry her own weight", and often mistakes a simple friendly gesture as an act of pity for her blindness. Her encounter with Iroh, however, has taught her that Aang, Katara, and Sokka care for her because they are friends, not because her disability makes them feel obligated to do so.

Toph is brutally honest when criticizing others. She is vocal about her opinions on others regardless of status (the Avatar, Aang) or age (Iroh). Her occasional spoiled attitude or aloofness may be related to her being the only child of one of the richest families in the Earth Kingdom. Thanks to her time as a competitor and champion of the earthbending tournaments (in "The Blind Bandit"), she is an expert in verbally taunting and insulting her opponents, and on occasion her friends (particularly non-bender Sokka). Inside this hardened exterior, though, Toph hides the fact that she is insecure about her appearance, being unable to see what she looks like. However, despite her many quirks, Toph has shown that she is a quick learner, and her courage and loyalty to her new friends seems very stable.

Toph and Katara seem to be polar opposites; while Katara is kind, welcoming, and supportive, Toph is tough, unyielding, and steadfast. This extends to their teaching styles to Aang. However, Toph eventually shows a bit of compromise to help Aang through his initial difficulty with earthbending. Despite occasional clashes or spats Toph and Katara generally get along, perhaps if only for the fact that they are both girls.

One of Toph's most obvious traits involves personal hygiene. She is accustomed to lying on the ground, and walking everywhere barefoot leaving her soles quite soiled. This is common, however, as most Earthbenders in the show walk barefoot, likely so that their body is directly touching the earth at all times. Also, she has been seen belching loudly, picking her nose, breaking wind, spitting, and is usually covered in dirt or, as she calls it, "a healthy coating of earth."

Toph is well-educated in the manners and bearings of high society--she merely consciously and consistently chooses to ignore them. She makes an exception in one episode ("City of Walls and Secrets"), when the group needs to go to a special party to see the Earth King, in order to give news of the solar eclipse, only to meet the head of the Dai Li, Long Feng.

An ongoing joke concerning Toph's blindness is her lack of ability to discern anything that has been written or drawn. In "Lake Laogai", Toph becomes angry when Sokka suggests that she needs help putting up flyers. She spitefully puts up a poster, only to inadvertently place it backwards and remarking, "It's upside-down, isn't it?" Also in the episode, she compliments Sokka on his drawings of Appa despite the obvious fact that she cannot see them. Finally, in "The Runaway," after being presented with the same poster twice, Toph vocally expresses her annoyance with the constant oversight.

Name
As of yet, Toph is the only character within the series to express a last name, Bei Fong. In "The Serpent Pass", Toph's passport reads as 土國頭等護照北方拓芙 (tǔ guó tóu děng hù zhào běi fāng tuò fú) which translate as 'Earth Kingdom First Class Passport : Bei Fong Toph.' Here, her name means 'supported lotus,' which matches her parents view of their daughter as a flower that has to be protected. In "Tales of Ba Sing Se," her name was written as 托 夫 (Tuō Fū), which means "entrusted man." In "The Earth King," on the document from home, her name is reverted back to 拓芙. Her last name Bei Fong ( 北 方 ) is the Chinese pronunciation for the word "North". It is similar sounding to the Cantonese for 'to release back,' which is what Lao Bei Fong would like for the daughter whom he believed was kidnapped by the Avatar. The word 托 (Tuō) also means 'to support in one's palm' and is usually a prefix to another Fù ( 付 ) that means "hand over."

Earthbending
Although blind, Toph has the unique ability to use earthbending to "feel" even the most minute vibrations in the earth, including the march of ants several meters away and the presence of trees and buildings. Through this heightened seismic sense, she can visualize where people are, their relative distance to her, and their physical build, but she cannot visualize faces, as stated in "The Tales of Ba Sing Se. This sense provides her with a distinct advantage when facing other Earthbenders in combat. Because she can predict attacks as they begin and quickly react, her speed and agility also greatly beneficial.

However, because Toph is dependent on vibrations in the earth, she is vulnerable to air-based attacks. At the end of the same episode, Toph is completely surprised by Sokka dropping a large belt on her head.

Terrain that impairs Toph's ability to sense vibrations also hinders her abilities, as shown in the episodes "The Library" and "The Desert," Toph has some difficulty with sand, describing the vibrations in the earth as "fuzzy." She is able to compress sand into solid rock to gain some temporary footing, but is still unable to accurately aim attacks under those conditions. Toph also expresses an aversion for flying, as she she can't sense her surroundings without her feet on solid ground.

Also as a result of her closeness or affinity with earth, Toph can rest or sleep comfortably on solid rock without any sleeping bag or blanket and can walk on any kind of terrain in bare feet, a standard trait for Earthbenders. Toph relies on direct contact between her feet and the ground for "sight" as well as for her earthbending. Toph is very reluctant to allow anyone to touch her feet, probably because insensitive handling thereof would make her deaf to other vibrations and thereby render her helpless. She touches them regularly, however, to groom them and keep them clear of debris for better contact with the ground.

Despite her substantial prowess on land, Toph does not perform well in water. She is not able to swim, and became nauseous when she needed to travel by submarine in "The Day of Black Sun".

Toph has a great sense of hearing and can recognize people by the sound of their voices. In "The Desert", Toph recognizes the Sandbender who stole Appa, adding that that she never forgets a voice. In "City of Walls and Secrets", Toph is seen feeling even slight vibrations as she tells a man they meet "I can feel you shaking." In the episode "Lake Laogai", Toph demonstrated an ability to sense when a person is lying by the vibrations of their heartbeat and breathing patterns. However, Toph's senses are not absolute, as Azula demonstrates that she is easily able to lie without even the slightest physical reaction.

Toph's earthbending style is based on Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu, which is a style that is apparently unique to her; the style of Earthbending used by other Earthbenders is rooted in the Hung Gar style of Kung Fu. She is the only bender on the show known to use a style based on a different root martial art than the standard for their bending art. This may be because she is self-taught rather than trained in the traditional earthbending form. According to creator commentary, Toph came to develop her unique style by observing the movements of the similarly blind earthbending Badgermoles that can be found around her hometown. In "Sokka's Master", Toph herself mentions that she was taught by these creatures.

As of the episode "The Guru," Toph is the first known character with the ability to bend metal. Metal is derived from ore, which is found in the earth. In the episode, while Toph is seen concentrating in her iron prison, Guru Pathik explains in a parallel scene that "Metal is just a part of Earth that has been purified and refined." Because of Toph's ability to feel the vibrations in earth, she is able to locate the impurities (the small fragments of earth) in metal and manipulate them to "bend" the metal portion. As of the end of Book Two, Toph is the only known Earthbender with the ability to bend metal. In "Sokka's Master", Sokka gives Toph a small piece of meteorite, which being composed of earth and metal, she can easily mold into a myriad of shapes, and subsequently transforms it into an arm bracelet she now wears. Aside from these abilities, Toph has shown herself to be one of the most powerful Earthbenders in the series, being the only known earthbender to ever bend metal, a feat that even the Avatar has been unable to perform since the origin of earthbending.

Relatives

 * Lao Bei Fong (father)
 * Poppy Bei Fong (mother)

Trivia

 * Toph was originally supposed to be a big, muscular guy as revealed by the the co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko during an interview with Toon Zone. The interview can be read here:
 * The shadowed Earthbender shown in the opening sequence was originally a sort of prototype of an earlier version of Toph.