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 was the escaped crime boss Yakone. Alongside his younger brother, the former Councilman Tarrlok, Amon was shaped by Yakone to be a tool for his revenge against the Avatar.

Background


Noatak was born in the Northern Water Tribe to Yakone and his wife, and he was the older brother to Tarrlok by three years. He was a good-natured child who always looked out for his younger brother, and 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 his sons on a supposed hunting trip far from their home, where he revealed his true identity as a notorious crime boss of Republic City and explained to them the power of bloodbending. Stating that their family had the strongest line of bloodbenders in history and with the intent of making his sons bloodbenders of the highest order, Yakone would train his sons every full moon to use their bloodbending on animals, such as ox goats and wolves. Reveling in his newfound power, Noatak had mastered Yakone's psychic bloodbending technique by the time he was fourteen. As a bloodbending prodigy, he carried the burden of all Yakone's expectations, and over the years he became cold and detached.



Eventually, Yakone ordered his sons to bloodbend each other, which Noatak did with great ease, ignoring Tarrlok's screams of pain. When Tarrlok refused to bloodbend Noatak, 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, thus causing Noatak to agree with his father that Tarrlok was weak. He ran off in the blizzard, prompting Yakone and Tarrlok to search for him for days and eventually assume that he had perished in the storm.

At some point in his life, Noatak discovered that he could use his bloodbending skills to strip a bender of his ability. He 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 poor family of non-benders who were being extorted by a firebender. When his father supposedly confronted the bender, he and the rest of his family was murdered and Amon's face was left scarred, forcing Amon to hide behind a mask ever since.

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 away 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 who 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 where she was quickly overpowered and incapacitated by chi blocking. Amon emerged from the shadows and revealed that he would allow her to keep her bending for the time being, stating that she would otherwise become 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 put an end to the hero-worship of bending athletes by shutting down the Pro-bending Arena and canceling 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. After the championship match, he entered the arena 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 used the cheating of the Wolfbats as an example of typical abusing behavior of benders, and stated that their faith was to be seen as a warning to all benders who dared to oppose his goals. He mentioned that the current tyrannical bending regime would soon be replace with "a fair minded, Equalist" government. Along with his followers, Amon planned on taking back Republic City and eventually equalize the entire world by removing bending everywhere altogether. Declaring the revolution to have begun, he partially destroyed the playing field with an explosion before leaving the Pro-bending Arena via the roof on an airship. Boarding the zeppelin, he narrowly escaped Korra's firebending attack; he stared her down 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 subdued 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", and 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. Noticing Amon, she shot several ice spears in his direction, but the Equalist leader evaded them all and briefly gave chase, but stopped 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.

That evening, after the entire city had fallen, Amon arrived on Air Temple Island where his followers brought a captured Lin Beifong to him. He offered her 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
After the original habitants had fled, Amon made Air Temple Island his base of operations, and has his followers bring forth all the captured benders in order to strip them of their powers. He had taken residence in the tower on the island and used it as a makeshift prison for the captured Tarrlok. Having witnessed Amon leaving the island per airship to head down toward the Pro-bending Arena for the Equalist Victory Rally, Mako and Korra infiltrated the tower in order the ambush him upon return, However, they found an imprisoned Tarrlok who revealed Ammon's backstory and true identity as Noatak.

The city under his control, Amon started his victory speech at the arena with the story that a firebender had struck down his family and scarred him for life. However, he was interrupted by Korra who outed him as a waterbender who used the prohibited skill of bloodbending to take people's bending away as opposed to using a gift given to him by the spirits. Though his family tree was revealed by the Avatar, Amon remained calm and confident, and refuted Korra's accusations by taking off his mask, revealing the supposed scar on his face that was bestowed upon him by a firebender. Using convincing makeup to fool the audience, Amon managed to turn the tables and make Korra out to be the liar in the people's eyes. When Korra and Mako were about to leave, Amon called out to them, directing their attention to Tenzin and his children whom he had captured. Wanting to "rid the world of airbending", he invited them to come down to the stage to stop him. Arrogantly turning his back to the duo to face Tenzin, he was forced to jump out of the path of Mako's lightning attack. Able to avoid Mako's fire blasts, the air swipes the freed Tenzin threw at him proved to be too much and he was flung off the stage.



Amon recovered quickly and went on the pursuit, following Korra and Mako who were acting as a diversion to let Tenzin and his family escape. He found them in one of the arena's storage rooms, subduing them easily with his bloodbending, believing that they were alone with no witnesses. However, after taking away Korra's bending, Amon realized his distraught Lieutenant saw the whole thing. Being denounced as a traitor by his second-in-command, Amon was forced to defend himself, using his bloodbending once again to stop easily stop the attack before sending him flying through the air. The distraction provided Mako with the time that he needed to charge a lightning attack, enabling him to immobilize Amon so he could grab a severely weakened Korra to escape. However, Amon caught up with them quickly, and again used his bloodbending to effectively halt 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. Not paying attention to the downed Korra, he was completely taken off guard when she, seeing Mako in danger, suddenly unlocked her airbending and used it to knock him away from Mako. As she unleashed a barrage of air attacks upon him, flinging him through the hallway, he attempted to fight back with bloodbending, but Korra managed to break his hold on her, blasting him out of a window into the harbor below, where he began sinking rapidly into the sea.



Unaware that the water had washed his scar away, he regained consciousness underwater and instinctively used his waterbending to emerge from the sea on a giant waterspout to avoid drowning, exposing his waterbending abilities to his followers. Realizing he had lost all his leverage and followers, he made his escape, dropping back into the water to avoid Mako's barrage of fire blasts. He managed to make his way back to Air Temple Island, where he released Tarrlok, expressing regret for what he had to do to him and once more offering his younger brother a chance to leave with him so they could start a new life together, as he was all he had left in the world.

The two brothers acquired a speedboat and made their way out of Republic City, journeying across the Mo Ce Sea. Amon expressed his joy of being together with family again, though he had almost forgotten the sound of the name he was born with, but donned when he still had a loving family. Amon, who was driving the boat, shed a tear upon hearing his brother assure him it would be like the old days, right before Tarrlok used one of the many electrified gloves lying in the boat to ignite its fuel tank as to end the madness that Yakone's desire for revenge had placed on them. The resulting explosion formed a large mushroom cloud, visible from afar, killing them both.

Personality


Noatak once was a caring boy who protected his younger brother. However, having been corrupted by the use of bloodbending at a young age, and having to endure the burden of all of Yakone's expectations due to his prowess, Amon became a calm and composed individual, more cold and detached from the world. He developed some sociopathic aspects and a desire for power, fueled by his intent to equalize the entire world. 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". Amon sincerely believed in his rhetoric, having striven to be fair and treat everyone equal 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 composed, 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, and chasing after Korra following her escape from Tarrlok's hideout. In his made-up past, Amon stated that a firebender was responsible for his severely scarred face, using pinkish-red washable makeup to make his story more convincing, claiming this to be the reason to wear a mask all the time.

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. Mortal danger and his strong instinct to survive caused him to slip up once, revealing his true self. However, even then he regained his composure rather quickly, successfully enabling him to escape.

Waterbending
From a young age, Amon showed a great natural talent for waterbending, quickly impressing Yakone and ultimately mastering the art under his father's tutelage. A true prodigy, his mastery of the art was immense, capable of launching himself out a body of water on a gigantic waterspout, and propelling himself over the surface at a speed exceeding that of Mako's fire blasts.

Bloodbending


Amon just as quickly mastered the rare and outlawed art of bloodbending, becoming exceptionally skilled and powerful at the ability. Amon learned his father's technique of psychic bloodbending, the ability to bloodbend without the aid of a full moon, mastering it at the age of fourteen, allowing him to perform his bending skills without any physical movement, but just sheer focus and strength of will. Much like his father, 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 could also levitate his targets, throw them around, subdue them, and knock them unconscious. He also showed the ability to resist bloodbending with little effort, even against a fellow master of the skill like his brother, Tarrlok.



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 with the use of energybending. 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. 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 its effects. The only known way to reverse Amon's bending-block is through the use of energybending, as demonstrated by Avatars Aang and Korra.

Other skills


Amon was a very versatile individual. To conceal his bending abilities, he mastered hand-to-hand combat and the art of chi blocking as an alternate fighting style. His prowess proved great enough to defeat even the most powerful of benders. He also proved himself an agile and nimble fighter, allowing him to maneuver gracefully to the extent of being able to dodge any bending assault, even 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.

Aside from his combat abilities, Amon possessed great intellect and charisma. He effectively masqueraded his bloodbending technique, which he used to sever people's bending, as a mystical weapon given to him by the spirits, and he maintained this facade consistently under the heat of battle. A gifted political strategist, 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.

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.
 * The ideogram, present on his early character designs, 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, and Amon means "Hidden One" in the ancient language.
 * 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 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, Katara and Aang in the Avatar State being the other two.
 * Tarrlok said his brother was the strongest bender he had ever encountered.
 * Amon is the only character known to be both a bender and a chi-blocker, as Ty Lee and the Equalist chi-blockers were all non-benders.
 * Amon was true to his word when he said he would "save [Korra] for last," as she was the final person whose bending he removed.