Oyaji

"earth"

- How do we know you're not Fire Nation spies? Kyoshi stayed out of the War so far. And we intend to keep it that way!

Oyaji was the leader of the Kyoshi Island village. When Aang and his friends first arrived on Kyoshi Island, he was initially averse to the idea of them coming, as Kyoshi Island had remained neutral in the Hundred Year War to that point. However, he later stood beside them, and helped get his people to safety when the Fire Nation attacked.

History
Oyaji was appointed to the position of village leader twenty years before Team Avatar's arrival.

When Avatar Aang, Katara and Sokka came to Kyoshi Island, Oyaji, Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors were initially suspicious of Aang, but they believed that he was the Avatar once he airbent in front of them. He was then seen running to Sokka and the other Kyoshi Warriors, urging them for help as Prince Zuko and his troops were approaching. He later quietly thanked Aang after he used the unagi for extinguishing the fires, a result of the fight between Aang and the Kyoshi Warriors and the Fire Nation.

A few months later, he helped Katara and Sokka somewhat in their quest to clear Aang's name. He explained the legend around Avatar Kyoshi's weapons and clothing while sternly trying to keep the siblings from touching them, and explained the meaning of the picture "Birth of Kyoshi". He also informed Sokka about Suki's departure from Kyoshi Island and the influence the group had on her.

Trivia

 * The word Oyaji (親父) is an informal Japanese word meaning "dad", "father", "old man" and a number of other ways of referring to a male parent or older relative.
 * Oyaji was voiced by James Sie, who also voiced the cabbage merchant in the original series, and later Lau Gan-Lan in The Legend of Korra.
 * He was proud of the fact that Kyoshi Island had stayed out of the war and was wary of outsiders who might threaten the island's peace.