P'Li

"fire"

- He's out, isn't he? Mmm, I'm feeling warmer already.

P'Li was a powerful firebending criminal who escaped a secret North Pole prison with the help of Zaheer, Ming-Hua, and Ghazan. She was the girlfriend of Zaheer, and a member of the Red Lotus until her death.

Imprisonment and escape
P'Li met Zaheer when he saved her from a warlord. Eventually, they became a couple.

In 158 AG, she, Zaheer, Ming-Hua, and Ghazan attempted to kidnap Avatar Korra, but were stopped by Zuko, Tonraq, Sokka, and Tenzin. All four were consequently incarcerated in separate prisons; P'Li was imprisoned by Unalaq and Zuko in a fortress deep within the icy tundras of the North Pole to negate her prowess in the art of firebending.

In 171 AG, P'Li was visited in her prison cell by Lord Zuko, Southern Chief Tonraq, and Northern chiefs Desna and Eska following the escapes of Zaheer, Ghazan, and Ming-Hua. Having not been visited by anyone "interesting" in thirteen years, P'Li deduced that the visit must have been because of Zaheer's escape, much to her pleasure.

Shortly afterward, P'Li's associates arrived at the North Pole to break her out of prison. Ming-Hua soon came and weakened the cell door with ice, causing it to fall open. The firebender's chains were broken off by Ming-Hua's water tentacles, and the two exited by climbing up the ice wall. P'Li called her friend a showoff for using her water arms to climb out the prison, believing they could have taken the elevator instead.



The two found themselves confronted by Zuko's dragon, Druk, who blasted fire at them, but P'Li redirected the flames around her and absorbed the heat. After "waiting thirteen years to feel this warm", she subsequently used a combustion beam attack to blast Druk away. The firebender used this technique a second time after noticing Tonraq fighting her boyfriend, destroying the chief's ice wall and knocking him out. The four soon fled the scene in a truck. While in the vehicle, P'Li embraced Zaheer and confessed her worries about never seeing him again before they shared a passionate kiss, much to Ghazan's annoyance.

Tracking the Avatar
The group traveled to Republic City, where Zaheer infiltrated Air Temple Island under a pseudonym, "Yorru", in an attempt to find the Avatar once again. However, Zaheer's cover was exposed, and after he escaped, the gang found themselves being searched for by the Metalbending Police Force. Deciding to flee the city, the gang commandeered a truck and coerced its driver into smuggling them out of the city. Upon the driver being stopped at a security checkpoint and being caught lying about his plans, he ran off, forcing the criminals to take control of the vehicle and make their escape. As police cars pursued them, P'Li used a combustion attack to down a few cars before Ghazan turned a part of the road into lava to stop the pursuit.

As soon as they were far away from the city, Ming-Hua complained that they should have grabbed a police officer to force the Avatar's whereabouts out of him. P'Li assured her that they would find Korra again. At that moment, Zaheer came out of meditation and announced that the Avatar was with the Metal Clan.

Infiltrating Zaofu


P'Li and her friends traveled to Zaofu and broke into Korra's room in Suyin's estate, capturing her as Zaheer paralyzed the Avatar and Naga with shirshu-spit darts. However, they were seen by Mako and Bolin. P'Li disintegrated a fire blast from the former and retaliated with her own fire. After the Zaofu guards discovered them and aimed search lights on them, P'Li used her precise combustion technique to blow up the lights, before arcing a combustion blast to hit the brothers. The four were soon surrounded by metal panels launched at them by the estate's guards, Lin, Suyin, and the twins Wei and Wing. Ghazan kept the group safe by dividing them from their attacks with a pool of lava. P'Li continued to attempt attacking their foes with combustion; one of her attacks was blocked just short of connecting with Team Avatar by Suyin, Wei, and Wing. After being pushed into a defensive position, P'Li was taken down by a well-placed shard of earth sent by Bolin; the strike hit her in her third eye, blocking her chi. This enabled Lin and Suyin to save Korra without being hurt. Upon realizing that they would not be able to reclaim the Avatar, Zaheer bent a sphere of wind, camouflaging the group and giving them time to escape.

Misty Palms Oasis
In a cave in the Si Wong Desert, near the Misty Palms Oasis, a meditating Zaheer informed the group Korra was at the nearby Misty Palms Inn. P'Li told Ming-Hua and Ghazan to track her down while she would keep watch over her boyfriend's body. She later watched as the two brought back Mako and Bolin and Zaheer told them they would be pursuing the Avatar to Ba Sing Se.

Liberation of Ba Sing Se
En route to Ba Sing Se, P'Li sat next to Zaheer in the front of the truck, while Ghazan and Ming-Hua guarded the brothers. Having arrived, the group made their way toward the Earth Kingdom Royal Palace, where P'Li witnessed how Zaheer struck a deal with Earth Queen Hou-Ting: information about the airbenders' whereabouts for the Avatar. After overhearing that the airship transporting Korra had crashed in the Si Wong Desert, P'Li opted that the Avatar would be long gone by the time the next Earth Kingdom airship could get to her.



Deciding to take matters in their own hands and forcing Korra to come to them, the Red Lotus barged into the throne room. When Hou-Ting ordered her Dai Li agents to apprehend them, P'Li used her combustion bending to keep them at bay. After all the bodyguards were taken care of and Zaheer had suffocated the Queen, P'Li accompanied Ming-Hua and Zaheer to the city's communications room in order for the latter to made a city-wide announcement of the end of the reign of Hou-Ting.

Threatening the Air Nation
P'Li and the Red Lotus made their way to the Northern Air Temple. As her associates gathered the temple's occupants in the courtyard, she remained aboard the airship, using her combustion beams to attack the airbenders who tried to escape, keeping them at bay. Although Kai managed to distract her long enough for the others to reach the flying bison stables, throwing one of her blasts off-target by hitting her with a blade of air, P'Li shot the young airbender out of the sky with a direct hit, sending him down the mountain. She subsequently focused on the bison awaiting the arrival of the temple's inhabitants, scaring off the creatures and effectively trapping the people. With nowhere to go, she left them at the stables to attack Kya and Bumi, who were hanging over the temple's ledge. Her attack missed, however, as Bumi let himself and his sister fall down at the last second. P'Li moved on to give Zaheer aerial support in his battle against Tenzin, shifting the odds in the favor of the Red Lotus, as she blasted Tenzin off the ledge of a walkway and into the attacking range of Ming-Hua and Ghazan, before throwing him against a wall with another blast, enabling her associates to corner him.

Abilities


P'Li was a skilled combatant and a powerful firebender, having been able to easily disperse a fire blast from a dragon using traditional firebending.

P'Li was also a combustionbender; able to perform the rare technique which produces concentrated beam of heat from her forehead which upon contact with the target produces a powerful explosions. Her combustion blasts had great destructive power, able to demolish most targets. She was able to use it with relative ease, firing several beams in succession to subdue numerous opponents. She was the only known user of the technique capable of curving her blasts, effectively enabling her to strike from various angles and directions. Despite P'Li's precision, a single strike to her forehead temporarily disrupted her ability to focus her chi and properly fire a combustion beam.

Trivia

 * Like Combustion Man, her tattoo of a third eye is a replica of the third eye of the Hindu God Shiva, which, when opened, engulfs anyone and anything before him in flames.