Talk:Fire Nation/@comment-70.191.93.233-20120525031617/@comment-174.6.153.137-20120527045616

I am really tired of statements like this around the web.

It is not based on Japan. The only place in Avatar that is distinctly Japanese in culture is Kyoshi Island. The culture of Fire nation is nothing like Japan.

The Fire temple is based off of the Yellow Crane temple in China.

The crown prince hairpiece given to Avatar Roku is a custom traced to the Han Dynasty emperors. The way Sozin and Roku took off and put on the headpiece is also an indication of how ancient Chinese men wore their hair.

The men of Fire Nation collect all of their hair into topknots, like those of men throughout Chinese history prior to the Manchurian Qing dynasty (the influence of which seen in Ba Sing Se in which the men wore braided ponytails). The Japanese hairstyle for men is called the chonmage and required the top of the head to be shaved before the rest being collected into a topknot.

The imperial buildings of Fire nation have yellow roofs - this is distinctly Chinese. The royal palaces of Japan do not observe this architecture style. The Fire nation palace is specifically modelled after the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden city.

Zuko 's swords are called dao, which are wielded single-handedly. The Japanese katana (wielded by the Kyoshi warriors), is double-handed.

Please learn/research enough information about both Chinese and Japanese cultures before making such a statement that is an insult to both.