Mechanist

The Mechanist is a brilliant, eccentric Earth Kingdom inventor and engineer. He is the father of Teo.

History


After a flood destroyed his village (killing the Mechanist's wife and leaving his son Teo paraplegic), the Mechanist led his people into the surrounding mountains in search of a new home. They came across the Air Nomads' long abandoned Northern Air Temple, and promptly moved in. Inspired by the Airbenders, the Mechanist mass-produced modified versions of the Airbenders' gliders, creating a whole new method of transportation for his people. He devised an ingenious hot air-based power source for the whole temple, completely refurbishing and remodeling it. Among other ingenious inventions of his, the Mechanist also created time candles (filled with an exploding powder to signify the time of day) and a cut-safe knife sharpener. This "only took [him] three tries to get it right!", explaining the lack of three fingers on his left hand.



Roughly a year after they settled, the Fire Nation blackmailed the Mechanist to build new weapons, including steam-powered battle tanks and a war balloon, under the threat of invading the temple if he didn't comply. He eventually redeemed himself by breaking the arrangement, and helping Aang to repel the Fire Nation when they attempted to storm the temple. He is seen drawing up plans for the massive drill eventually used during the episode "The Drill", so Fire Nation soldiers were apparently able to steal the drill plans sometime during the attack, along with recovering the downed hot air balloon.



The Mechanist returns in "The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion". Before coming ashore, he causes an explosion on one of the boats where he was working on his new invention, peanut sauce bombs, which Pipsqueak and The Duke seem to enjoy as they comment that they are: "destructive as well as delicious!" Sokka asks if his plans were able to be complete the plans he sent. The Mechanist said that he was able to finish and that he thinks the Fire Nation will be quite surprised about what he has built. Sokka's plans were to build submarines that would be controlled completely by waterbending, even though Sokka's blueprints were somewhat confusing. The submarines have many functions such as transportation, and is equipped with torpedo tubes. The Mechanist also presented Aang with a new glider with a special food compartment. During the invasion, he tags along with the invasion force, only to find that his hot air balloons have been manufactured by the Fire Nation. We last see him with the rest of the invasion force, prepared to let themselves be captured so that the younger ones escape on Appa. He was sent to a prison by the end of "The Western Air Temple".

After the War ended, the Mechanist was freed and reunited with his son, Teo. The two were last seen in the Fire Nation capital, watching the coronation of Zuko to be the next Fire lord.