Amon

"water"

- The era of bending is over! A new era of equality has begun!

Amon, born as Noatak, was the charismatic and mysterious leader of a revolutionary group of chi blockers known as the Equalists, whose ultimate goal was to create equality for all by ridding the world of benders. A nimble and stealthy fighter, Amon was fearless in facing his opponents, regardless of their bending skills and abilities.

Claiming he was a non-bender and possessed the ability to remove a person's bending permanently, a power only the Avatar had ever demonstrated, Amon gained the confidence and support of many people with the same ideals. While the complete conquest of Republic City by the Equalists was at hand, Amon was outed by Avatar Korra as a fraud. In actuality, he was a prodigious Northern Water Tribe bloodbender whose father, the escaped crime boss Yakone, shaped alongside his younger brother, the former Councilman Tarrlok, to be tools for his revenge against Avatar Aang.

Background


Noatak was born in the Northern Water Tribe to Yakone and a Water Tribe woman. Three years after he was born, Noatak's mother gave birth to another son, Tarrlok. Tarrlok described Noatak as "...always looking out for [him]" and "even then [at a young age], he still wanted everyone to be treated fairly and equally".

When Noatak and Tarrlok both discovered they were waterbenders, Yakone trained them harshly to develop their skills. When Noatak was ten, Yakone took them on a "hunting trip" far from their home, where he revealed his true identity as a Republic City crime boss and explained to them the power of bloodbending. Every full moon, Yakone would train his sons to use their bloodbending on animals, such as ox goats and wolves, which Noatak succesfully achieved, outperforming Tarrlok. Noatak excelled at the art, although he became colder and more detached from his brother. A few years later, Yakone succeeded in teaching his sons how to bloodbend without the assistance of a full moon and was very impressed with his oldest son's talent, thus Noatak mastered his father's psychic bloodbending technique by the time he was fourteen.



Eventually, Yakone ordered his sons to bloodbend each other. Noatak bloodbent his brother with great ease, ignoring Tarrlok's screams of pain. When it was Tarrlok's turn, he refused to bloodbend Noatak as he did not want him to experience the terrible feeling of being bloodbent. Yakone became furious, calling Tarrlok weak and prepared to attack him as punishment. However, Noatak defended his brother by bloodbending his own father, citing that Yakone, having been stripped of his waterbending by the Avatar, was the weak one. Noatak proceeded to ask his brother to come with him to start a new life away from Yakone, but Tarrlok declined, arguing that he was worried about their mother. This caused Noatak to agree with his father that Tarrlok was weak and then run off, prompting Yakone and Tarrlok to search for him for days. Eventually, the two assumed that he had perished in the blizzard. The incident left a terrible wound on the family, with Yakone losing his interest in revenge as he spent his last years with what remained of his family.

At some point in his life, having mastered a means to strip a bender's ability through bloodbending, Noatak took the alias of Amon and became the leader of the Equalists, an organization striving to rid the world of bending. To gather sympathy, Amon claimed that he was born on a small farm to a family of non-benders who were being extorted and then murdered by a firebender and scarred his face. Amon stated that the incident left his face severely scarred, and used pinkish-red washable makeup to create a scar to make his story more convincing, although most of the time his face was hidden by a mask.

Accelerating plans
When Avatar Korra announced her official relocation to Republic City during a press conference at City Hall, Amon heard her responding to questions through the radio. When his second-in-command inquired about how he was going to handle the unforeseen situation, Amon replied that since the Avatar had arrived early, they would have to "accelerate" their plans.



Later, at an Equalist assembly called "The Revelation", Amon announced to the gathered crowd that he planned on eradicating the world of benders, as they "had only brought suffering" and "were the cause of every war in every era". Amon proceeded to rally his followers with his story of being a non-bender while claiming himself to be chosen by spirits to usher in a new era of balance to the world by permanently removing people's bending in order to make equality a reality.

As a demonstration of his abilities, he had his Equalist henchmen bring forward several Triple Threat Triad members and Bolin, and proceeded to remove their bending, one by one, starting with Lightning Bolt Zolt's firebending. However, before he could remove Bolin's earthbending, Korra created a distraction by letting a screen of water vapor out into the room, allowing Mako to grab Bolin and escape. As the brothers and Korra were riding atop Naga with several Equalists chasing them, Amon opted to let them leave, as they would be the perfect tool to tell Republic City of his strength and power.

Meeting Avatar Korra
Amon had made a severe impression on Korra and she was plagued by nightmares of him in which he took away her bending. Upon hearing that the United Republic Council had proclaimed him public enemy number one, he spread a message over the radio to his fellow Equalists, using the actions of the Council as proof of the oppressive nature of the benders.



After Councilman Tarrlok and Avatar Korra led a task force that successfully raided an Equalist training facility, he was publicly challenged by her to a midnight duel on Aang Memorial Island without the involvement of the task force or chi blockers. However, Amon did not show up on time, nor did he come alone. Just as Korra began to leave the island, several hidden Equalists reeled her inside the island's museum. There, Amon emerged from the shadows and revealed that he would allow her to keep her bending for the time being because removing it then would only make her a martyr and cause benders from every nation to rally behind her "untimely demise". However, he warned a terrified Korra that he would "save her for last" and finally "destroy her" in their inevitable showdown.

Attacking the Pro-bending Arena


On the eve of the pro-bending championship match, Amon demanded that the Council shut down the Pro-bending Arena and put an end to the tournament, threatening that there would be "severe consequences" should they refuse. The Council voted to keep the arena open, which Amon revealed to be in line with his plans for the situation. He later entered the arena after the tournament and stripped Tahno and the rest of the White Falls Wolfbats of their bending powers. While some of his Equalists took out the police officers in the stands with electrified gloves, he gave a speech in which he stated his goals to replace the current government with "a fair minded, Equalist" one and remove bending from the world altogether. He partially destroyed the playing field before leaving the Pro-bending Arena via the roof on an airship. Boarding the zeppelin, he narrowly escaped Korra's firebending attack and remained unfazed as the flames swirled around him.

A family reunion


Days later, Amon, accompanied by Lieutenant and a group of Equalists, found Tarrlok in his hidden hideout deep in the mountains surrounding Republic City. Warning the Councilman that it was his time to be "equalized", the waterbender defended himself by bloodbending his attackers. Although his henchmen were easily bloodbent by Tarrlok, Amon's skill in the practice allowed him to resist, much to the Councilman's shock. When asked what he was, referring to his ability to overcome the effects of bloodbending, Amon simply responded that he was "the solution," as he proceeded to take Tarrlok's bending.

While taking care of Tarrlok, he ordered his fellow Equalists to retrieve Korra, who was trapped inside a tiny metal box in the basement. He reminded his men not to underestimate the Avatar and ordered them to electrify the box to knock her out before opening it. However, as he was putting Tarrlok in the truck they arrived in, Korra stormed out of the cabin, having overpowered the other Equalists. She had used a ribbon from her sleeve to hold on to the bars on the top of the box, avoiding the deadly shock the other Equalists were about to give her. Noticing Amon, she shot several ice spears in his direction, but the Equalist leader evaded them all and briefly gave chase, however, stopping when Korra made her escape by swiftly gliding down the snowy slopes of the mountain. When the Lieutenant and the other Equalists joined him in watching the Avatar leave, he lightly scolded them for having underestimated her.

Attacking Republic City


Amon observed the start of the Battle for Republic City from an airship floating above the metropolis. Eventually, his airship was in the vicinity of the police headquarters as Tenzin and Team Avatar were fighting the Equalists' mecha tanks. After Hiroshi Sato, who was present aboard the airship with Amon, expressed his disgust while watching his daughter fighting alongside benders, the revolutionary leader promised him that he would have his daughter back soon. Later, Amon was on Air Temple Island when his followers brought a captured Lin Beifong to him. He offered Lin the chance to keep her bending in exchange for information regarding Korra's whereabouts, but at her defiant refusal, Amon proceeded to take away her bending.

Endgame


Amon soon used Air Temple Island as his base and began to strip benders of their powers by the dozens. After the United Forces battle fleet arrived, led by General Iroh, Amon's forces ambushed them with an aerial assault led by Hiroshi Sato, destroying the fleet after it ran into a minefield. Later on, when Korra and Mako infiltrated Air Temple Island to locate Amon, they instead found an imprisoned Tarrlok, and he revealed Amon's true identity as his brother Noatak.

With the knowledge that Amon was a bloodbender, Korra challenged Amon's story of his past at the rally in the Pro-bending Arena. However, using his convincing makeup to fool the audience, Amon managed to make Korra a liar in the mob's eyes. As Amon turned his attention to Tenzin and his children to "wipe out airbending", Mako shot lightning at the stage, allowing Korra time to free Tenzin and his family. Amon, his Lieutenant, and several other chi blockers attempted to fight back but were all blown off the stage by Mako and Tenzin.

Amon pursued and eventually found Korra, subduing her and Mako with bloodbending, once believing that they were alone with no witnesses. However, after taking away Korra's bending, Amon realized his distraught Lieutenant saw the whole thing and, after seeing Amon use bloodbending, denounced him as a traitor and tried to attack him, however, Amon used bloodbending to stop his attack easily before sending him flying through the air. The distraction allowed Mako to struggle into position and blast Amon with a lightning, buying time for him and a severely weakened Korra to escape. Amon caught up with them and again used his bloodbending to stop them.



He prepared to take away Mako's bending, musing over the fact that no one else had been able to resist him so, and that it was almost a shame to take bending away from one so talented. Korra, however, seeing Mako in danger, suddenly unlocked her airbending and used it to knock Amon away from him. As she unleashed a barrage of air attacks upon the waterbender, Amon attempted to fight back with bloodbending, but Korra managed to keep on attacking and blast him out a window into the harbor below and Amon began sinking fast into the sea.



Unaware that his scar was washing away, he regained consciousness underwater. To avoid drowning, Amon instinctively used his waterbending to emerge from the sea on a giant waterspout. This, in turn, exposed him to his followers just as they began to denounce Korra as a tyrant for "killing" him. Amon, realizing he had lost all his leverage and followers, made his escape despite Mako's efforts to stop him using firebending. Arriving at Air Temple Island, Amon released Tarrlok, while once more offering his younger brother a chance to leave with him so they could start a new life and expressing regret for what he had to do to him. However, after they acquired an Equalist motorboat and journeyed to the middle of the Mo Ce Sea, Tarrlok intended to end the madness that Yakone's desire for revenge had placed on them. Amon, who was driving the boat, shed a tear upon hearing his brother assure him it would be like the old days. Tarrlok then proceeded to detonate the boat's gas tank. The resulting explosion killed them both.

Personality


As Tarrlok explained, before he became Amon, Noatak was a caring boy who protected his younger brother. However, having "reveled in his new found bloodbending power" at a young age, and endure the burden of all of  Yakone's expectations due to his prowess, Amon became a calm and composed individual with sociopathic aspects and a desire for power. Believing that the Avatar is more powerful than a bloodbender due to being able to remove a person's bending; Amon eventually devised his own method to remove a person's bending using bloodbending.

Amon had a severe abhorrence toward benders and was a staunch believer in what he viewed as equality, affectionately referring to his followers as "brothers and sisters". According to Tarrlok, Amon sincerely believed in his rhetoric, having striven to be fair since he was a child. Ultimately, it was a misguided desire for justice, as well as latent power craving, that led him to start the Anti-bending Revolution.

He was clever and calculating, as well as a convincing orator. He had a high command of the art of public speaking, knowing how to mystify and terrify his audiences and enemies alike, inspiring loyalty with each word, and gaining widespread following for his cause. At the very beginning of the revolution, he seemed to have plans for Korra and had thus far avoided fighting her, resorting to allowing her to escape and spread word of his abilities to the city. Amon also chose not to take away her bending when he ambushed her after refusing to fight her, foreseeing that it would make her a martyr for benders and unite them globally against his cause.



Amon was a calculating person, his schemes well planned and executed with great efficiency. He was also very cautious, avoiding direct conflict with benders, especially powerful ones like Korra, knowing that he risked exposure against formidable benders. He had displayed utter fearlessness, such as when he was almost blasted by Korra's firebending, overcoming Tarrlok's bloodbending, chasing after Korra following her escape from Tarrlok's hideout. In his made-up past, Amon stated that the incident left his face severely scarred, using pinkish-red washable makeup to make his story more convincing, being this the reason of the wearing of a mask.

He was a strong-willed individual in possession of a high level of self control, making him an extremely formidable opponent. His calm composure never wavered; when Korra escaped her prison and fired large missiles of ice at him, Amon did not hesitate to chase after her, but he remained composed when he lightly scolded his subordinates for underestimating her, which he had warned against.

Waterbending
Amon, even at a very young age, showed a great natural talent for waterbending, quickly mastering the art under his father's tutelage. His mastery of the art was immense, capable of launching himself out a body of water on a gigantic waterspout, diving back underwater within moments and swimming away at a speed exceeding that of Mako's fire blasts. He also mastered the psychic bending technique at the age of fourteen, allowing him to perform his bending skills without the aid of his hands.

Bloodbending


Having inherited his father's high aptitude for waterbending, Amon just as quickly mastered the rare and outlawed art of bloodbending, becoming exceptionally skilled and powerful at it. In his training under Yakone, Amon learned how to bloodbend without the aid of a full moon, even at any given time he desired. Much like his father Yakone, Amon was also able to use more common bloodbending techniques such as body manipulation and torture to an extremely powerful degree while exerting minimal effort. He also showed the ability to resist bloodbending with little effort, even against a fellow master of the skill like his brother.



Despite growing fascinated by this skill, he ultimately desired more; wanting to have the power to steal people's bending like Avatar Aang did to his father. He eventually succeeded in this goal by using his mastery and precision with bloodbending to "sever" an individual's bending connection, effectively giving the same result as the Avatar's ability. No medical intervention was able to reverse this effect, and even Katara, a world-renowned healer and bloodbending expert in her own right, was unable to reverse it. The only known way to reverse Amon's bending-block is through energybending, as demonstrated by Avatars Aang and Korra. Korra implied that he used bloodbending quietly to assist him in fights. This explains how he managed to dodge almost all attacks launched at him; presumably by subtly restraining some of his opponent's movements to slow them down. Amon could even levitate his targets, throw them around, subdue them, and knock them unconscious.

Known victims
Amon utilized his agility and bloodbending process to remove the bending of the following individuals:


 * Lightning Bolt Zolt
 * Shady Shin
 * Triple Threat Triad member wearing green
 * Triple Threat Triad member wearing brown
 * Tahno
 * Ming
 * Shaozu
 * At least five members of the Metalbending Police Force, including this metalbender officer
 * Tarrlok
 * Lin Beifong (restored by Avatar Korra)
 * At least one member of Tarrlok's task force
 * Korra (restored by Avatar Aang)

Other skills


Amon had also shown himself to be a very skilled, agile, and nimble fighter; his superior agility, in combination with stealthily bloodbending his opponent, allowed him to maneuver himself gracefully to the extent of being able to dodge lightning at close range. He was also an extremely durable individual, as he was able to withstand a point-blank lightning shot by Mako, and subdue him with his bloodbending seconds later while appearing unharmed. However, the electricity did not seem of lethal intensity to him.

Aside from his mysterious abilities, Amon's greatest skills were his intellect and charisma. Displaying a gift for political strategy, he accurately portended that if he took away Korra's bending so early in his revolution, it would only end in Korra becoming a martyr, ensuring that benders across the globe would unite against his Anti-bending Revolution. He was also well-versed in terrorist tactics, subverting non-benders by manipulating their hate and bestowing fear upon benders, always seeking a psychological edge against his opponents, and consistently using intimidation and threats against his numerous enemies. As evidenced by the multiple attacks orchestrated by the Equalists, Amon was also a capable strategist and tactician, outmatching other organized forces such as the Metalbending Police Force on several occasions.

Likewise, Amon was also a versatile individual, as he was able to develop an alternative fighting style to conceal his bending abilities. This came in the form of chi blocking, encompassing non-bending fighting techniques which proved lethal enough to overpower and defeat even the most powerful of benders. However, his true proficiency is put into doubt, as it seems he heavily relied on subtle bloodbending rather than the skills of the martial art. Regardless, such techniques allowed Amon to masquerade his abilities as a mystical weapon against benders, gifted to him by the spirits, and he maintained this facade consistently under the heat of battle. The revolutionary leader only regressed to his waterbending after his identity was discovered by Avatar Korra.

Appearances
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Book One: Air (气)
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Trivia

 * Given his altruistic intentions and tragic past, Amon technically is an anti-villain. He is the first anti-villain in the Avatar universe to be an adult, since the two previous ones, Zuko and Jet, were both minors at the time their story arcs took place.
 * Amon's ability is called in the art of, which is roughly translated into "the death hand", precisely meaning who is elite in killing but not curing.
 * Like several other characters, Amon was revealed on July 23, 2011 at San Diego Comic-Con.
 * Amon may be an English phonetic spelling for "Aman" meaning "peace" in Indonesian and Malay, Sanskrit (अमन), and Urdu (امن). This may explain the Chinese ideogram, meaning "peace" on the chest of his previous character design. The 平 ideogram also means "fair" and "equal", matching the Equalists' name.
 * The Chinese transliteration for Amon's name,, has several meanings, but the most appropriate is "to cover".
 * Amun Ra, which can also be spelled as Amon, was an Egyptian Sun God.
 * Amon's name may also be a reference to Anonymous, a loosely associated hactivist group known for acting anonymously through online communities and for wearing Guy Fawkes masks in public.
 * The Guy Fawkes mask also bears a striking resemblance to the mask Amon wears.
 * Amon made up a story of having lost his family to a firebender, in a manner similar to how Mako, Bolin, and Jet lost their parents, how Asami, Sokka, and Katara lost their mothers, and how Aang lost his people, the Air Nomads.
 * Amon is the only known person who is not an Avatar to have had the ability to remove someone's bending.
 * Amon, along with Tarrlok, are the first two people to die on screen in The Legend of Korra.
 * Amon is the third known person to break free of a bloodbender's hold by their own doing.
 * Tarrlok said his brother was the strongest bender he had ever encountered. This is significant, as he encountered Korra, Lin, Tenzin, and many other skilled benders.
 * Amon is chronologically the first known child of a bender whose abilities were taken from him by the Avatar to be born after his father's bending was removed.
 * Amon is the only character known to be a bender and a chi-blocker, as Ty Lee and the Equalist chi-blockers were all non-benders.
 * Amon threatened to remove airbending from the world at a rally with Aang's airbending descendants, but any future descendants would have the potential to inherit airbending regardless if it had been removed from their parents.
 * Amon is also the name of a demon associated with the sin of wrath or hate.