Organizations in the World of Avatar

There are a multitude of organizations in the World of Avatar. They range from vigilante fighting groups to councils of elders dedicated to the peaceful rule of a nation.

Council of Elders


The Council of Elders were the leaders of the Air Nomads. Each of the Air Temples had its own council of Head Monks and/or Nuns, their members being both the political and the religious authorities. The Northern and Southern councils were composed of five head monks each, and the Eastern and Western councils were composed of five head sisters each.

Military of the Water Tribe


The Military of the Water Tribe is a group of organizations protecting the Water Tribes. It is divided between the Northern Water Tribe and the Southern Water Tribe.

Chain of command is not very well defined. There is no overall military commander of the Water Tribe, command being divided between the North and South. It is clear however that the Chiefs of the two tribes have the overall command of their respective tribal military.

Military of the Earth Kingdom
The Military of the Earth Kingdom is the military organization responsible for the defense of the Earth Kingdom. It consists of an Army, a Navy and several Special Forces. It wields considerable power, having held off Fire Nation assaults for a century.

The Earth King is the constitutional overall commander, although at times his actual power has been very limited. The main commanding authority is the Council of Five, a council of five senior generals who oversee any war effort from Ba Sing Se.

Council of Five
The Council of Five is the highest authority in the Earth Kingdom military, and oversees the country's entire war effort against the Fire Nation. The council is headed by General How, the commanding officer of the military. Among the council members is General Sung, who defends Ba Sing Se's Outer Wall from attack. The other three generals were briefly seen, but weren't named.

Dai Li


The Dai Li were the secret police of Ba Sing Se who worked to capture, interrogate and imprison political dissidents. They were created by Avatar Kyoshi hundreds of years ago with the aim of "protecting the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se".

Kyoshi Warriors


The Kyoshi Island Warriors are an all-female group of fighters led by Suki on Kyoshi Island. Their individualities have been greater expanded since the first season. In "The Warriors of Kyoshi", all of the other warriors look exactly the same, but in "Appa's Lost Days" they all have different hairstyles and headdresses.

Earth Rumble VI


Earth Rumble VI underground Earthbending Tournament is literally held underground in a giant earthen arena in Gaoling. The Earth Rumble competitions are similar to real world professional wrestling—extravagant fighters with unique names and skills fight each other in matches. The competition is a popular Earth Kingdom attraction, and the stands are always full except for the front rows, which are constantly demolished and pummeled from flying rocks. The host of the tournament is Xin Fu.

Freedom Fighters
The Freedom Fighters are a gang of teenagers who want to rid the world of Firebenders, even if it means killing innocents. While the exact origin of this group is unknown, it was obviously started by Jet.

Gan Jin


The Gan Jin are an Earth Kingdom tribe that appeared in "The Great Divide", they have a clean and sophisticated appearance and snobbish attitude as opposed to the dirty and slobbish Zhang tribe; with whom they share a mutual enmity, due to an ancient wrong a hundred years ago.

Zhang
The Zhang are an Earth Kingdom tribe that appeared in "The Great Divide". The tribe are refugees of The War. They are heading away from the Fire Nation to the safety of Ba Sing Se. However, the route to the Earth Kingdom capital takes them through the largest canyon in the Four Nations, the Great Divide.

Sandbender Tribes
The Sandbenders are tribes of people who can control sand in the Earth Kingdom. Sandbenders are the indigenous people of the Si Wong Desert. There are different tribes of Sandbenders, including the Hami Tribe.

Terra Team
The Terra Team is an elite platoon of Earthbenders under the command of General Sung. They are seen in the episode "The Drill" and attempt to stop the drill.

Royal Earthbender Guards


The Royal Earthbender Guards of Ba Sing Se, known commonly as the King's Guards, are Earthbending warriors within the Earth Kingdom and are affiliated with neither the Dai Li nor the military. They serve as personal protectors of the Earth King.

Ba Sing Se University
Ba Sing Se University is a major school of thought, serving scholars throughout the Earth Kingdom. The greatest university in the world, at least according to its enrollment materials, the campus is a major landmark in the Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se.

Beetle-Head Merchants
These desert-dwellers pre-date all other tribes in the Si Wong Desert. Legend has it that their beetle-like headpieces date back to ancient times when their ancestors lived underground and survived the attacks of giant gilacorns by mimicking the appearance of the nasty-tasting Sour Beetles—the only creatures on the desert floor not palatable to gilacorns.

Pirates


The Pirates are people who along with others of equal status, is dedicated to boarding of vessels at sea to steal. The Pirate Captain is the sinister leader of the band of pirates that first appear in "The Waterbending Scroll". At some point, he stole a scroll containing Waterbending moves from the Northern Water Tribe.

Earth Kingdom Rebellions
The Earth Kingdom Rebellions were a set of rebellions formed during the later stages of The War at an unknown time after the Coup of Ba Sing Se. It was mentioned in 100 ASC to Fire Lord Ozai in a war meeting a day before the eclipse that these rebellions were preventing the Fire Nation from acheiving total victory in the Earth Kingdom. It was this information that made Ozai decide to use the power of Sozin's Comet to burn down the Earth Kingdom, ending the rebellion once and for all.

5-7-5 Society
The 5-7-5 Society is a Haiku Club in Ba Sing Se. The Haiku is a form of poetry. Madame Macmu-Ling is the master and teacher of the 5-7-5 Society.

Military of the Fire Nation
The Military of the Fire Nation is the unified military forces of the Fire Nation. It is the most powerful military force in the world and is much more technologically advanced than any other of the four nations. It would have won the war without the intervention of the Avatar.

Fire Sages


The Fire Sages are the religious authority of the Fire Nation, responsible for identifying the Avatar's incarnations when he is born in the Fire Nation, guarding the temple and conducting weddings, coronations and funerals for the Royal Family and to those who seek their help. When Avatar Roku died, they waited for the next Avatar, but he never came, so because Aang never came they served the Fire Lord instead. It can be assumed that they now, again serve the Avatar.

Sun Warriors


The Sun Warriors were the civilization that first learned Firebending from the dragons and were the precursors to the modern-day Fire Nation. They were believed to have died out many years ago, but are still alive.

Fire Nation Palace Servants
Over 100 servants work in the Fire Nation Royal Palace and tend to the Royal Family's every need. To become a royal servant is the honor of a lifetime for the servants and their families.

Ember Island Players
The Ember Island Players are a local acting troupe who perform at the Ember Island Theater, which is Ember Island's only theater. They do not have a reputation for quality acting, but they take themselves very seriously and almost always pack the house, though this is probably because the theater is one of the only sources of night time entertainment on the island. They aired the play The Boy in the Iceberg.

Fire Nation Circus


The Fire Nation Circus is a traveling circus that performs in the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom. It features an extremely large collection of rare and exotic animals. Ty Lee once performed as an acrobat at this circus, until she was intimidated by Azula into joining her on her mission to capture her brother. This circus also attempted to house and train Appa during his lost days.

Fire Nation Colonies
The Fire Nation Colonies are a system of colonies governed by the Fire Nation. Most of them are located within the Earth Kingdom. Fire Lord Sozin began to dream of a global empire comprised of the Four Nations. It was intended to be a prosperous unity that would "share" the wealth and prosperity that the Fire Nation was enjoying while under Sozin's rule. As time went on, Sozin's desire for control of the globe grew drastically, and his rule became increasingly dictatorial.

Fire Nation School


Located on one of the outer islands of the Fire Nation, this upper-class school molds the young minds of the Fire Nation. This school in particular is one of the better public schools of the Fire Nation. The teachers here maintain extreme order and are very focused on creating the perfect Fire Nation citizen.

The Flamey-Os
This is a young, underground Fire Nation band. The band's members are school-aged kids who dream of touring the world.

Royal Fire Academy for Girls
The Royal Fire Academy for Girls is an upper class academy located in the Fire Nation. Mai, Ty Lee, and Azula attended this academy when they were young. Firebending techniques, politics and warrior skills are likely taught at the academy. It is a very elite school, and only the Fire Lord and other rich nobles living in the capital can send their daughters to the school.

Royal Procession
The Royal Procession are an elite group of Firebenders that are tasked with the order of protecting the Fire Nation Royal Family from enemies. They wear unique red armor that has three eye holes instead of two. The Royal Procession are good against normal foes, but they are no match to Zuko and Iroh.

Yu Yan Archers


The Yu Yan are a extremely skilled group of Fire Nation archers that were mainly used as security guards up until Zhao used them in his hunt of the avatar. A Rough Rhino was an archer. One of their most remarkable skills was shooting up to four arrows at a time, in a similar manner to Longshot.

Rough Rhinos
The Rough Rhinos are an elite group of Fire Nation Komodo Rhino cavalry. They do not seem to be under the direct control of the military, but instead work on a freelance basis for the Fire Nation. There are five members of the group, each of whom specializes in a different type of weapon/fighting style. Interestingly, each of their preferred weapons are not well adapted for close-combat.

Order of the White Lotus


The Order of the White Lotus is an ancient secret society that transcends national boundaries. The Order is about philosophy, beauty and truth. They are devoted to the sharing of ancient knowledge and philosophy across national and political divides. Formed centuries ago by the wisest scholars from all over the world, the Order began as a club where these ancient masters could challenge one another on the Pai-Sho table. They derived their name from the White Lotus tile used in Pai Sho, a key element in their favored strategy in the game. Iroh is a Grand Lotus of the Order.

Team Avatar


The Team Avatar is composed originally of Aang, Katara, and Sokka. Their mission is to save the world from the Fire Nation. They traveled from the Southern Water Tribe to the Fire Nation. They started their journey when they found Aang in the iceberg. As their journey continues, they find an earthbending teacher for Aang, named Toph. In Book 3, more are added such as Suki and Zuko. They are successful in completing the mission in the show's finale Sozin's Comet. Each member of Team Avatar mastered their own element. Almost all members of Team Avatar had a flashback of their own childhood.