Koh

"spirit"

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

Koh, the Face Stealer, is one of the most ancient and knowledgeable spirits of the Avatar universe. He is a malevolent entity residing under a old great tree in the Spirit World. Possessing the body of a gigantic centipede-like creature, Koh can change the appearance of his face to that of any in his collection at will. Upon seeing anybody or anything which expresses emotion, Koh will 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 the two were getting married, Koh stole the face of Ummi, Avatar Kuruk's lover, as punishment for Kuruk neglecting his duties as the Avatar. Although Avatar Kuruk attempted – and failed – to kill Koh in revenge, 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, Koh merely stated that they are opposites, forever revolving. He also told Aang that he had already met the spirits, and barely missed Aang's expression of epiphany when he realized that they are the fish in the Spirit Oasis.

Before Aang left, Koh stated they would meet again. 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. Unless Koh possessed the ability to see into the future, it was likely that because he regarded all Avatars as one and the same person, he meant he was sure he would eventually meet the Avatar again, without knowing if it would be Aang.

Koh was seen again, as a flashback during Kuruk's talk with Aang, saying that had he (Kuruk) been more attentive to his duties, he could have saved his wife from Koh.

Koh is most likely named for the Noh mask that he uses as his basic face. It is also worth noting that the Mandarin word for mouth is (口 kǒu) since he relied heavily on his glib speech in order to trick his prey.

Personality
As an ancient spirit, Koh is a perilous force not to be trifled with, though the extent of his power is never shown. Koh will steal the face of anyone or anything which shows emotion to him, which is why those who approach him are warned to remain unexpressive while in his presence. He possesses 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 suggest he is amoral rather then purely evil. He steals Ummi's face to punish Avatar Kuruk for ignoring his duties as Avatar and willingly tells Aang the location of the Moon and Ocean spirits and the danger they were in and leading Aang to his past Avatar lives. He appears to delight in speaking with 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 grey eye markings, which is the face he uses most often and so may be his true face although this is still subject to debate.
 * A blue-nosed Mandrill's face (revealed by Avatar Extras to be from the monkey outside Koh's lair).
 * Ummi, a Southern Water Tribe woman with long wavy brown hair, and brown eyes. Ummi 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 shifts to this face apparently when 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 be his natural face rather than one that was stolen. Koh may show this face during extreme emotion because he thinks it will startle his visitors, therefore showing emotion, and Koh will be able to steal his/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.

Trivia

 * The Avatar Extras during the episode provides additional information is 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 has his own realm. The realm is 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.