Suyin Beifong

"earth"

- I was ... more of a rebel. Mom wasn't too happy with how either of us turned out. When I was sixteen, I left home to explore the world. I sailed the seas on a pirate ship, joined a traveling circus for a while, and lived in a sandbender commune in a desert. It took me a while, but I finally realized what I was looking for was a family. So I bought this plot of land, found a brilliant architect who later became my husband, and created a place I could truly call home.

Suyin Beifong, or Su for short, is a dancer and the leader of Zaofu. As the daughter of Toph Beifong, Suyin is a powerful metalbender with many talents and skills. Although a troubled past strained her relationship with her older half-sister, Lin, Suyin is happily married to an architect named Baatar, with whom she has five children, and considers family of utmost importance.

Early life


Born six years after her half-sister, Lin, Suyin also inherited the earthbending prowess of her mother, Toph Beifong, and eventually mastered the art and its sub-skills. Having endured constant restriction during her own childhood, Toph gave Suyin and Lin much more freedom. However, Toph's carefree approach to raising the two led Lin and Suyin to act out more in hopes of getting her attention. Lin became a police officer while Suyin became a delinquent. At some point during 140 AG, Suyin became associated with members of the Terra Triad, to Lin's disapproval. Eventually, she was roped into aiding a robbery by driving the getaway car, only to be stopped by Lin. As Lin caught her with a metal cable, losing her cool, Suyin cut the line by metalbending her wrist guard, which snapped back at Lin and scarred her face. Afterwards, the two sisters were brought before a distraught Toph, who expressed her anger at them both. Not wanting Suyin to go to jail, Toph destroyed the police report and sent Suyin to live with her grandparents.

In 142 AG, at the age of sixteen, Suyin went to travel the world. Her adventures included sailing on a pirate ship, joining a traveling circus, and living in a sandbender commune. Eventually, she decided to settle down and start a family, and bought a large plot of land where, with the help of her future husband Baatar's architectural skills, she created the city of Zaofu. Suyin went on to have four sons and a daughter, as well as create a successful dance group. At some point, Toph began visiting Suyin and reconciled with her daughter, though they were both disappointed that Lin refused their invitation to do the same.

171 AG


After Harmonic Convergence, Suyin gave shelter to Varrick, who was on the run from Republic City, and her daughter, Opal, gained airbending abilities. Learning that other airbenders were emerging, Suyin sent a request to Avatar Korra to help train her daughter. Upon their arrival in the city, Team Avatar found Suyin rehearsing with her dance troupe for a performance to be held the following month, although the latter quickly ended practice when she noticed the team's presence. Aiwei quickly informed her that the Avatar had lied about how many people were in her group. To Suyin's surprise and delight, Korra confessed that Lin had also come to Zaofu. When asked by the Avatar how she knew Lin, Suyin revealed that the two were sisters, which Lin later clarified as half-sisters.

Suyin and the group ventured to the police airship, from which Lin had not yet disembarked. She hoped for a simple hello out of her half-sister after being able to see her for the first time in thirty years, but Lin bitterly asserted that she had nothing to say to her. Suyin claimed that she had been trying to mend relations, to which Lin responded by accusing Suyin of tearing the family apart, prompting Suyin to counter that Lin had kept it that way.

Desiring not to argue about the past, Suyin decided to bring Korra's group to her estate to meet her family, beginning with her twin sons Wei and Wing, who were in the process of playing a game they themselves had invented called power disc. When Wei scored on Wing, Suyin congratulated the former before saying she was proud of both of them. She next led them to her son Huan, who made art through metalbending, and asked him to meet the Avatar's group and his aunt. Finally, Suyin introduced them to an excited Opal, though when Lin grew impatient to leave with the airbender, Suyin described her half-sister as "the woman apparently trying to abduct [her]". Afterward, she explained that the rest of the group was set up for their stay, while insisting that Korra train Opal. A nervous Korra believed that Opal should get training at the Northern Air Temple, but Suyin remained insistent, believing that it could be done right at home. The Avatar ultimately relented, and tried to explain Lin's impatience by saying that four criminals were after the group. Suyin assured them that there was plenty of security around before telling them to prepare for dinner, saying that her chef would prepare an appetizing meal.

Just as they started dinner, Suyin's husband, Baatar, alerted her that he and their eldest son, Bataar Jr., would have to skip on eating with them due to a major breakthrough in the remodeling of a tram station. Suyin let her husband head off, not desiring to stand in the way of success. She subsequently expressed what a blessing it was to have five children, to which Lin remarked that their mother said the same thing but never really meant it. Suyin later asked Korra about the search for new airbenders, to which the Avatar answered by explaining that she had recently freed a group of them from the Earth Queen's possession.



The metalbender promptly chastised the queen, calling her a woman who believed she could whatever she wanted, and referring to the monarch's rule as outdated. She asked Korra what she thought about the monarchy, and after hearing that Korra had not thought much about it, Suyin advised her to gain an understanding of it, due to the evolving world, which she believed was reason enough for the queen to step aside. Lin responded by making a facetious comment about Suyin's apparent expertise in global affairs, to which Suyin challenged her sister to say what she wanted to say to her face. They were promptly interrupted by the arrival of Varrick and Zhu Li. Suyin explained to the group that Varrick was heading up the technology division. When Lin lashed out at her sister for harboring a criminal, Suyin defended the industrialist by saying that he did not deserve to be imprisoned for the rest of his life and reasoned that her own chef was once a pirate, declaring that people could change. Lin coldly stated that her half-sister had not changed at all and stormed out of the room.

After dinner, Suyin found Korra observing a model of Zaofu in her office, and explained why she built the city. Korra thanked her host for giving them a place to stay and apologized for Lin's behavior. When asked by Korra what had happened, the matriarch explained hers and Lin's difficult childhood and the many occupations she held before settling down. Though the Avatar commented that she had created the perfect life, Suyin remarked that it would have been as such if Lin had been a part of it, but she gave up any hope of reconciliation long ago. Korra attempted to mend the sisters' rift by asking Opal attempt to connect with her aunt but she was rudely sent away.

The following day at breakfast, Suyin expressed her disapproval with her sister's behavior toward Opal. As Wei and Wing join them for a quick bite before their power disc match, Suyin asked if they were ready. After Korra rejected the twins' offer to join them for the game because she did not know metalbending, Suyin was surprised that Lin did not teach her. Suggesting with a laugh that Lin would have been a bad teacher, the matriarch offered to teach Korra, something she eagerly accepted. With Bolin not so sure about his own desire to learn the art, Suyin kept an offer open for him. She soon noticed the metal neck plating around her gown being pulled along with the rest of their dishes, and she ducked as the latter went toward Varrick's magnetic suit.

Later that morning, Suyin led Korra to a courtyard where she kept pieces of meteorite, one of which she used as a demonstration of metalbending for her. After showing a few shapes, the metalbender gave the fragment to Korra. They soon noticed Bolin sneaking around to watch them, and Suyin again offered to teach him, telling him that the only thing that could stop him from performing the act was his attitude. Bolin decided to just watch, and Suyin turned her attention to Korra again, advising the Avatar to focus on the pieces of earth within the metal. Once Korra completed the act, Suyin congratulated her.



The matriarch continued to watch as Korra continued to catch on to metalbending, complementing her on being the first Avatar to perform it. Bolin soon approached Suyin and shyly asked her to train him as well, to which she happily agreed. At that moment, however, Lin confronted Suyin about the incident that led to their separation. Responding to Lin's claim that she let their mother threw her career away, she reminded her that Toph retired a year as a hero, but Lin counter-claimed that what Suyin had done left their mother ashamed to wear the badge. The matriarch claimed she was not perfect but had changed and reconciled with Toph, telling her half-sister that she had the chance to do the same. When accused of having not changed, Suyin said Lin was the one who had not done so; she was still a bitter loner who only cared about herself and that was why Tenzin left her. No longer able to keep calm, Lin attacked Suyin, and the latter decided to counterattack, sparking a full-fledged duel. She dodged rocks and metal and, at one point, knocked over Lin with a meteorite fragment, but was unable to keep her half-sister down. At a second point, she used the metal walling to send Lin back several feet. Suyin angrily asked if Lin had vented completely, but when she refused to stand down, prepared to hurl a giant rock at her against Lin raising the metal stairs. At that point, Opal interfered, blowing their weapons away with airbending and demanding to know why they wanted to hurt each other. Soon after, Suyin watched as her sibling passed out.

Later, Suyin and Baatar were approached by Opal, and they each gave their daughter permission to travel to the Northern Air Temple and train with Tenzin. Suyin soon approached Lin in front of a statue of Toph, believing she had a role in Opal's decision, and expressed her approval of Opal's honesty and desire for her to be happy. She lamented about having too much freedom from their mother but giving her own daughter too little, wanting for her to choose her own way. The metalbender subsequently apologized for giving Lin a hard time when they were younger, unable to imagine her life without having been sent away, chuckling at her sibling's joke that she would be in prison. Suyin also told Lin that Republic City was happy to have her, and that their mother was proud of them too. She expressed her desire to move on and for Lin to join her life, hoping to have the kids be joined by their aunt and a co-director for her dance troupe. Lin advised her to take things slow, starting with a promise not to show up and attack her again. Suyin agreed and shook her sister's hand.

Sometime later, Suyin hosted a farewell dinner for Opal. She expressed her pride in her daughter while complementing her on being a good daughter, sister, and friend. She expressed her belief that Opal would become an airbending master. Suyin kissed her on the side of her forehead before raising her glass to lead the toast. After dinner, Suyin, her family, and their guests helped see her off as Opal departed in an airship.

That night, the estate was penetrated by Zaheer's gang, who sought to kidnap Korra. Hearing the ruckus, Suyin, Wei, and Wing joined in the effort to surround them, covering them with metal panels, only for Ghazan to divide the sides by turning the ground into a pool of lava. Suyin and her sons were able to save Team Avatar and Lin from a combustion attack by P'Li by shielding them with a metal panel before joining them behind another. Unsure as to how they got in, Suyin declared they would not escape. She planned for her and Lin to descend from the dome on metal cables, telling Bolin he would need to disable P'Li's third eye before the siblings dropped in. Suyin, Lin, and the twins made their way to the dome's roof, warning Wei and Wing to metalbend them up in case of trouble. Upon getting the go, Suyin and Lin dropped in. Bolin was able to land a pebble on P'Li's third eye at the last second, blocking her chi, and giving the half-sisters the opening they needed to rescue Korra. As they ascended, Zaheer pursued on his glider, but Suyin shot four arrows into it, causing their foe to fall to the ground, which Lin thanked Suyin for. After getting Korra safely to the roof, Suyin called on the radio for her guards to search the estate. A short time later in her office, the matriarch was left unsure as to how the incident happened, calling the operation well-planned. At Korra's suggestion that one of the guards helped them, Suyin demanded they be questioned.

The next morning, Suyin watched as Aiwei interrogated the guards on duty and even Varrick. At Lin's suspicion, the metalbender agreed to be questioned, declaring she had nothing to hide. She calmly stated she had nothing to do with the attack; Aiwei determined she was telling the truth. The next guard in was Hong Li, whom Aiwei found to be lying about not having any role. Suyin threw the guard into the wall, demanding how they got in and out in addition to there whereabouts before calling him a traitor to the clan.

Later that day, Suyin and Lin made their way to Aiwei's house after hearing an explosion. The matriarch asked where Aiwei was, to which Korra and Mako told her of his betrayal of the clan, having allowed Zaheer's gang entrance and exit through a secret passageway, while lying about Hong Li and destroying any evidence of his presence. Suyin was shocked as she trusted Aiwei, Lin laying a hand on her shoulder in comfort. Regathering in her office, she recalled trusting the emissary with her life and thought they were all a family. When Lin and Korra argued over the Avatar's safety, Suyin stated her agreement with her half-sister, assuring Korra that Aiwei and his associates would be brought to justice. She told Team Avatar that her staff would prepare their airship for a morning departure.

A short time later, however, Suyin stopped by to visit the team again, asking Korra if Naga could track Aiwei. After being given an affirmative response, she handed Korra the key to a fully-loaded jeep, which they could use to find the traitor. She explained her agreement with Lin was just to let half-sibling hear what she wanted to hear, instead being a ploy to buy them time to begin their search. The metalbender assured them Lin would be dealt with and embraced Korra before they left.

Personality


A direct opposite of Lin's uptight and blunt personality, Suyin is a more carefree and upbeat individual. She enjoys many hobbies as a means to express herself. She is also very open with her opinion, showing personal distaste for political control to revolve around royalty. She also has a deep love for family, even for her estranged half-sister. She is very much a humanist in her beliefs, seeing the potential in other people and encouraging them to pursue their passions and talents to the ultimate extent of their capabilities. She does a good job of this, especially in regards to encouraging her very diverse children and their respective interests; from her eldest son's engineering projects with her architect husband, to Huan's sculpting career, Wei and Wing's athletics, and her daughter Opal's airbending. In addition, Suyin believes in giving others a second chance at redemption, as she does with Varrick even though he is a wanted fugitive. However, this is a sharp contrast as she offered Aiwei no leeway whatsoever in terms of redemption like she did Varrick, likely stemming from the personal nature of his betrayal.

Realizing that her mother allowing her and Lin too much freedom when they were younger was the cause of many of her youthful troubles, she is more controlling and protective of her own children, similar to her own grandparents. She does however realize this when she allows Opal to leave home to train.

Abilities


Like her mother and half-sister, Suyin is a proficient earthbender, mastering the traditional style and its sub-skill, metalbending. In battle, she is able to immediately shift between either style or utilize both in perfect unison. She is also skilled enough to take on Lin toe-to-toe and pressure her (although she was weakened). Her proficiency in metalbending enabled her to construct an entire city out of metal. As a dancer, she is rather graceful, maintaining both her balance and posture while swinging down a metal cable in synchronization with her troupe. Using this skill in battle, she can seamlessly twist and maneuver through a barrage of earth projectiles with no wasted movement. She can create metal daggers and use them to great effect, such as piercing a glider staff.

Trivia

 * Suyin and her sister are the first known siblings in The Legend of Korra to be half-siblings. They are also the second known half-siblings in the franchise, after Zuko and Azula and their younger half-sister, Kiyi.
 * Neither Suyin nor Lin know the identities of their respective fathers.
 * Suyin is the first master to instruct the Avatar in the art of metalbending.
 * A young Suyin was voiced by Jessie Flower, who also voiced her mother in Avatar: The Last Airbender.