Koh

"spirit"

- It's been a while since I added a child's face to my collection.

Koh the Face Stealer was one of the most ancient and knowledgeable spirits of the Avatar universe; he was nearly as old as the Ocean and Moon spirits. He was a malevolent entity residing under an old 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 which expresses emotion, Koh could steal its face.

History


Being one of the oldest spirits, Koh possessed a vast 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 a punishment for Kuruk's arrogant ways. Kuruk was determined to end the spirits life, but when the two met again, the past Avatar couldn't go through with it as he realized that bringing an end to to 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 the spirits. After Aang asked for their location in the mortal world, the old spirit didn't 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 identity of the 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, where Koh tried to steal Aang's face before he reconciled with the other past Avatars.

During Kuruk's talk with Aang, the spirit said that if Kuruk had been more attentive to his duties, he could have saved his wife, Ummi.

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 ignoring his duties as Avatar, but willingly told Aang the location of the Moon and Ocean Spirits and the danger they were in, and led 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 (which his name might have come from) mask; a white face with red lips and gray eye markings, which was the face he used most often and so may had been his true face although this is still subject to debate.
 * A blue-nosed Mandrill's 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 appearance, some fans believed this face to be the Avatar who tried to kill Koh.
 * An owl's face. Light brown feathers and emerald green eyes.
 * A blue oni face, similar to the Blue Spirit mask worn by Zuko. It is interesting to note that he shifted to this face apparently while in extreme emotion, such as when he declared that the Moon and Ocean Spirits were in danger or when he almost stole Aang's face. As such it may have been his natural face rather than one that was stolen. Koh may have shown this face during extreme emotion because he thought it would startle one of his visitors, therefore showing emotion, and Koh would be able to steal his or her face.
 * An old man's face, white mustache and blue eyes. This is another mask used in Noh theater.
 * A young man's face, brown hair and gray eyes. He was a Fire Nation soldier.

Trivia

 * The Avatar Extras during the episode provides additional information was provided on Koh:
 * The first two names they considered for Koh were "Koh the Expression Taker" and "Koh the Mug Mugger".
 * Koh's bad breath almost made Aang crack while not showing emotion despite Koh's scary faces.
 * Koh had his own realm. The realm was bleak with dim coloring and tall rock towers emerging out of a fog filled ravine. It's recognizable by the unusual tree above Koh's cave, and giant animals walking around the ravine.
 * Koh (Ko) is also the Korean word for nose and the Chinese word for mouth.
 * 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.
 * Koh's appearance, the bleak and nightmarish look of his residence, his age and wisdom, and his power to steal faces make him very similar to supernatural alien creatures described in horror writer H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.