Koh

"spirit"

- It's been a long time since I've added a child's face to my collection.

Koh the Face Stealer was one of the most ancient and knowledgeable spirits in all of the Spirit World. Nearly as old as the Ocean and Moon Spirits, he was the only known individual to remember them crossing over to the physical world as koi fish. He was a malevolent entity residing under an ancient tree in the Spirit World. Possessing the body of a gigantic centipede-like creature, Koh could change the appearance of his face to that of any in his collection at will. Upon seeing anybody or anything express emotion, Koh could steal its face.

History


As one of the oldest spirits, Koh possessed a vast amount of knowledge of the spiritual realm and the beings which resided within it. When Ummi and Avatar Kuruk were getting married, Koh lured Ummi to the Spirit World, where he stole her face and trapped her forever as punishment for Kuruk's arrogant ways. Kuruk was determined to end Koh's life, but when the two met, the past Avatar could not go through with it as he realized that bringing an end to the spirit would also destroy the love of his life. Despite Kuruk's vindictive actions, Koh himself held no personal grudge against Aang, as he was a different incarnation of the Avatar.

When Aang went to Koh for information regarding the Moon and Ocean Spirits, Tui and La, Koh had a brief discussion with him concerning them. After Aang asked for their location in the mortal world, the old spirit did not provide a clear answer and merely stated that they were opposites, forever revolving. When he told Aang that he had already met the spirits, the Face Stealer barely missed Aang's expression of epiphany when he realized that the identities of Tui and La were the koi fish in the Spirit Oasis.

Before Aang left, Koh stated they would meet again, which they did when Aang found himself in the Spirit World after being struck by Azula's lightning in the Crystal Catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se. Koh then attempted to steal the young Avatar's face before he reconciled with the other past Avatars.

Personality
As an ancient spirit, Koh was a perilous force not to be trifled with, though the extent of his power was never shown. Koh stole the face of anyone or anything which showed emotion to him, which was why those who approach him were warned to remain inexpressive while in his presence. He possessed a sadistic personality, constantly trying to goad the slightest bit of emotion out of his visitors by frightening them with his monster-like appearance or taunting them with his many faces.

However, Koh's actions suggested he was amoral rather than purely evil. He stole Ummi's face to punish Avatar Kuruk for his arrogance, but willingly told Aang the location of the Moon and Ocean Spirits and the danger they were in, as well as leading Aang to his past Avatar lives. He was cryptic and often spoke in riddles.

Koh's faces


These are some of the many faces stolen by Koh. They are listed as they appear in the picture, from left to right.
 * A female Noh mask, a white face with red lips and gray eye markings. This was the face that Koh wore most often.
 * A curly-tailed blue nose face from the faceless monkey Aang noticed outside Koh's lair.
 * Ummi, a Southern Water Tribe woman with long wavy brown hair and brown eyes, who was the fiancée of Avatar Kuruk.
 * A bearded and mustached man's face. This is based upon another Noh mask. Before Avatar Kuruk's first appearance in the show, some fans believed this face to be that of the Avatar who tried to kill Koh.
 * An owl's face with light brown feathers and emerald green eyes.
 * A blue oni face, similar to the Blue Spirit mask worn by Zuko. Koh shifted to this face when expressing extreme emotion.
 * An old man's face with a white mustache and blue eyes. This is another mask used in Noh theater.
 * A young man's face with brown hair and gray eyes. He was a Fire Nation soldier.

Escape from the Spirit World

 * Chapter 1: Avatar Roku
 * Chapter 2: Avatar Kyoshi
 * Chapter 3: Avatar Kuruk
 * Chapter 4: Avatar Yangchen

Trivia

 * The Avatar Extras during the episode provide additional information on Koh:
 * Koh's bad breath almost made Aang crack while not showing emotion despite Koh's frightening faces.
 * Koh has his own realm. The realm is bleak and dim in appearance, with tall rock towers emerging from a fog-filled ravine. It is recognizable by the unusual tree above Koh's cave and the giant animals walking about the ravine.
 * Koh stated that he stole Ummi's face "about eight or nine hundred years ago", when in actuality Avatar Kuruk lived only about four hundred years before.
 * Even after Koh steals an individual's or animal's face, the creature still survives, as seen with a monkey who was still outside Koh's lair despite losing its face. However, this was in the Spirit World and food, water, and air may not be necessities like in the real world.
 * His name resembles the Japanese word "Kao" (顔), which means "face".