Zaheer

"air"

- It's the dawning of a new age, the end of the White Lotus, and soon, the end of the Avatar.

 Zaheer is a fugitive member of the Red Lotus, who escaped the custody of the Order of the White Lotus in 171 AG after becoming an airbender. He believes strongly in the foundation of a new world, ruled by chaos, without the Order of the White Lotus, the four nations, or the Avatar. He is in a romantic relationship with P'Li.

Joining the Red Lotus and initial kidnapping attempt
Zaheer joined the Red Lotus as a teenager and learned about Raava, Vaatu, and Avatar Wan's decision to separate them, which he believed disrupted the world's balance. In 158 AG, Unalaq, a fellow Red Lotus member, devised a plan to kidnap Korra, something Zaheer supported, as they planned to use her to re-open the spirit portals and free Vaatu, while training her in bending and the ways of the Red Lotus. Although Unalaq did not go through with the mission and remained undiscovered, Zaheer, Ghazan, P'Li, and Ming-Hua went on with his plan, though were defeated and imprisoned by Tenzin, Tonraq, Zuko, and Sokka. Although they were subjected to relentless interrogation, Zaheer and his associates refused to speak of their motives at any point.

Escape from prison


Following Harmonic Convergence, Zaheer discovered he had become an airbender. Two weeks after Harmonic Convergence ended, he took advantage of his newfound abilities and waited to attempt his escape until his guards came to bring him his bowl of rice. With the metal covering of his cell door open, he was ordered to face the wall with his hands upon his head. As his food was being placed in his cell through an opening in the bars, Zaheer recited one of Laghima's poem verses and after explaining the meaning of the writing, he used his airbending to pull one guard against the cell bars, where he restrained him, effectively preventing the others from attacking lest they killed that guard. He open his cell door with the keys taken from the guard's waist and used his airbending to defeat and jail all of the other guards. Zaheer cautioned them to ration the bowl of rice they had brought him, as the next shift change was three weeks away, and announced the dawn of a new age, where there would be no Order of the White Lotus or Avatar. Using his airbending skills, he swiftly made his way down the mountain, seeking to free his incarcerated allies.

Releasing his friends


Zaheer managed to disguise himself as a White Lotus member and took a speedboat to Ghazan's prison. There, he fought off White Lotus sentries and supplied his friend with a few rocks to help him escape. After Ghazan used his lavabending to free himself from his cell and took care of the remaining guards, the two friends heartily greeted each other. Upon asked how he became an airbender, Zaheer explained that he believed it was a gift, bestowed upon him after Harmonic Convergence, to indicate that their path was the righteous one. Afterward, the duo journeyed to the volcano in which Ming-Hua's prison was located, intent on freeing her. Once they were within range of the waterbender's cage, Zaheer sliced the barrel of water that Ghazan had thrown in the air in half, enabling Ming-Hua to utilize it to escape. After the threesome took care of the remaining sentries, Zaheer announced that they would head to the Northern Water Tribe in order to free P'Li.

As they neared P'Li's prison, Zaheer created a snow storm to mask their approach before engaging in battle with Tonraq. The new airbender evaded all of the chief's attacks, before knocking him down with an air blast. After P'Li was freed by Ming-Hua, the four criminals made a clean getaway. Happy to see each other again, Zaheer and P'Li hugged, the airbender saying he never doubted he would see her again, before sharing a kiss.

Tracking the Avatar


Following the escape, Zaheer shaved his head and made his way to Air Temple Island under the pseudonym "Yorru". He explained to Ikki and Meelo that he had heard about the island being a sanctuary for airbenders, demonstrating his newly discovered abilities by creating a small tornado in his hand.

Zaheer subsequently joined the airbending training with Meelo at the spinning gates, where he passed through them with ease, surprising everyone. Earning the compliment of being a leaf from Meelo, Zaheer returned the courtesy by bowing respectfully toward the child, saying that a student was only as good as his master. When Kya announced that they would leave the following day to join Tenzin at the Northern Air Temple, Zaheer asked if the Avatar was with him. Learning she had split from Tenzin, he took the news as "unfortunate", as he had been "looking forward to meeting her".



That night, Zaheer wandered into Tenzin's study, where he found a locket containing a poem written by Guru Laghima. He was interrupted by Ikki, who stated that no one but her father was allowed in the study. Zaheer apologized, stating he could not sleep, and when asked by the young airbender what he was reading, he explained that it was a poem of Laghima, whom he credited as the wisest airbender to have ever lived. Their conversation was cut short by the arrival of Kya, who told her niece to go back to bed, before questioning Zaheer about his knowledge of airbending history. He replied that he had always admired the culture, though was eventually recognized for whom he was and subsequently attacked.

Zaheer grabbed an airbender staff and used it to shatter the ice bullets aimed at him before bending himself out of the window and gliding away. His escape was short lived, however, as Kya managed to catch him with a water tentacle and slam him down in the temple's pond. Recovering, Zaheer managed to avoid being frozen and blasted Kya back, though before he could escape, two firebending White Lotus sentries arrived. By the time he had done away with them, Kya was back on her feet attacked him with spirals of water. Ducking away, the airbender retaliated with a strong current of air, knocking Kya out cold against a wall, and escaped on the glider.



Zaheer regrouped with the Red Lotus at a vine-covered apartment in Republic City, hiding from the Metalbending Police Force. When asked by Ghazan if he wanted to try to take out President Raiko, Zaheer stated they would deal with him later as they were leaving the city. Hijacking a truck and forcing the driver to smuggle them out of the city, they made it as far as at a security checkpoint on Kyoshi Bridge, where they were discovered after their driver ran away. As one of the police officers turned the handle on the back doors of the vehicle, Zaheer blasted them open to keep the police back, while Ming-Hua drove away, with Ghazan and P'Li taking care of their pursuers. Taking refuge in a forest, Zaheer meditated and determined that the Avatar was with the Metal Clan in Zaofu.

Attempt to kidnap Korra


Zaheer and his gang traveled to the metal city and, with the help of Aiwei, were able to enter Suyin Beifong's estate without being noticed. Having cut an opening in the window to Korra's room, they were caught by Naga, who tried to attack. Although Ming-Hua bent three shirshu-spit darts into the polar bear dog to quiet her, Korra awoke to the sound of Naga falling and attacked, prompting Zaheer to quickly bend another paralyzing dart at her as well. With the Avatar in tow, the group began to escape, but ended up boxed in by metal plates in the estate's courtyard after Mako and Bolin alerted the Metal Clan to their presence. After Ghazan created a lava moat, melting the plates and creating a distance between the two groups, Zaheer attempted to use the smoke coming from the moat to create some cover by spinning his staff over his head. However, this motion enabled one of the guards to reel him in with a metal cable. Although he managed to free himself, he was forced to take on two metalbenders. When he noticed that Suyin and Lin Beifong had managed to save Korra, he attempted to pursue, though found himself grounded after Suyin pierced the wings of his glider with four metal arrows. Landing near his friends, he angrily declared their mission a failure and used the smoke to cover their retreat.

Explaining his motives
Zaheer and his companions made camp in a cave located at the outskirts of the Misty Palms Oasis, where he meditated into the Spirit World at sundown to meet Aiwei at Xai Bau's Grove. He blamed the truth seer for the Red Lotus' failure at Zaofu and the fact that they had now been compromised. Although Aiwei assured him that all incriminating evidence had been destroyed, Zaheer labeled Aiwei to be a loose end himself. As he grabbed him, Zaheer noticed Korra's presence, though before the Avatar could do something, the airbender teleported to the Fog of Lost Souls, where he condemned the truth seer to an eternity in the mental prison. Returning to Xai Bau's Grove, he learned that Korra had tracked him down by following Aiwei and offered her a chance to talk and find some answers. He revealed that he and his companions were members of the Red Lotus and told the Avatar of the organization's origin and purpose. Meanwhile in the physical world, he secretly revealed Korra's location at the Misty Palms Inn to his associates, who were guarding his body.



In the Spirit World, Zaheer kept the conversation with Korra going by elaborating on Unalaq's idea to kidnap her as a child, which was meant to bring balance to the world as she would have been used to re-open the spirit portals and release Vaatu. Rebuffing Korra's statement that they had different ideas of balance, Zaheer suggested that opening the spirit portals should only be the beginning, as the idea of separating the world in nations and governments was as foolish as separating the human from the spirit realm. He pointed out that she had already had to deal with a "moronic president" and a "tyrannical queen" and reminded the doubtful Avatar that it had been the Fire Lord's desire for world dominance that had led to the Air Nomad Genocide. Stating the natural order to be disorder, he believed that true freedom could only be achieved when oppressive governments were torn down and cited another one of Guru Laghima's sayings to emphasize his point: "New growth cannot exist without first the destruction of the old." Zaheer went on to explain he had begun to lose hope during his imprisonment, though when he had discovered his airbending abilities, he was strengthened in his belief that he was the one who could usher in the new era. He warned Korra that once change began, it could not be stopped. At her request to know what would happen if she was captured, he merely told her she would have her answer soon enough, assuming his accomplices to have captured her body by that point, and vanished.

Upon his return to the physical world, Zaheer was informed by Ming-Hua and Ghazan that Earth Queen Hou-Ting's army had gotten to the Avatar first, though that they had managed to capture Mako and Bolin. Zaheer instructed them to load the brothers in the truck, telling them they were going to Ba Sing Se.

Toppling the Earth Queen


Arriving at Ba Sing Se, Zaheer ordered Ghazan to gag Mako and Bolin. Upon gaining an audience with Earth Queen Hou-Ting, Zaheer assured her they wanted no bounty and that the brothers were merely a "thank you" gift for her taking time to talk to them. Zaheer used the location of the "stolen" airbenders as a bargaining chip to trade with the Queen for Korra, as he reasoned that that if she were to imprison the Avatar, she would invoke the wrath of the other nations, whereas if she handed Korra over to him, no one needed to know and she would still be rid of the Avatar while being able to get her airbenders back with no interference. With a deal having been reached, the four were escorted to an antechamber by Grand Secretariat Gun.

As the group relaxed, Zaheer noticed a Dai Li agent moving rapidly toward the queen's throne room. Intrigued, he used his airbending to secretly follow him and he overheard the agent telling Hou-Ting that the airship transporting Korra had crashed in the Si Wong Desert. Relaying the information to the others upon his return, it became clear that they would not be able to get to Korra before the Queen and Zaheer decided that he was through chasing her, declaring that it was time to make Korra come to them.



Zaheer blasted open the doors to the throne room and told the queen of their disappointment regarding the news on Korra. Deeming their eavesdropping actions to be punishable with imprisonment, the Red Lotus was offered the chance to evade arrest if they would give up the location of the airbenders. When Zaheer warned her that was not the deal, a fight ensued between them and the Dai Li, who were ordered to imprison them all. After the group easily defeated the earthbenders, Zaheer confronted the now defenseless queen. Stating he did not believe in queens, he used his airbending to pull the air from her lungs. While suffocating her in a sphere devoid of air, he told her that freedom was not something she could give or take on a whim, but that is was just as essential as air to her people and that without it, there was no life, only darkness. He emphasized his words by bending her breath away from her, ending her life.



With the queen murdered, Zaheer, Ming-Hua, and P'Li went to the city's radio control room, asking the operator how he could make an announcement to the city. As the man did not immediately cooperate, Ming-Hua grabbed him with a water tendril, prompting Zaheer to tell her to let go, as their goal was to help citizens like him. After the operator turned on the radio, Zaheer told the citizens that he and other revolutionaries had brought down the queen. Without revealing his identity, he simply told the people he was returning the city in their hands, as he believed they had no need for leaders telling them what to do and were free to find their own path.

Afterward, Zaheer ventured to the prison underneath the Earth Kingdom Royal Palace and released all the prisoners, save for Mako and Bolin. After dodging a fire blast from Mako, he threw the brothers back with airbending and implored them to listen to him. He calmly explained he was releasing them so they could relay a message from him to Korra.

Personality


Zaheer is a strong-willed, staunch anarchist, willing to destroy anyone who stands against him and resort to extreme measures against the government. He believes strongly in the freedom of the people and values it above the lives of those who oppose him. He shows no desire to needlessly attack others who pose no threat to him or his ideals, as demonstrated by the fact he told Ming-Hua to release the radio operator in Ba Sing Se. At the same time, he genuinely cares for the people he loves, such as his fellow Red Lotus members, whom he treats as equals. However, this does not excuse his from punishing those whom he deems a liability for his goals. He is clever and innovative, able to plan quickly and efficiently, as well as charming and charismatic when he needed to be, enabling him to sweet talk his way into homes or strike deals with people. He is intelligent and patient, capable of masterminding his own and his cohorts' breakouts in four separate prisons and duping the Order of the White Lotus guards.

Zaheer is passionate in regards to philosophy, particularly concepts involved in finding a deeper meaning behind human expectations, and dedicated to the Air Nomads' philosophy and mindset, save for their pacifistic nature. When he gained airbending, he took it as a sign that their path was a righteous one and used his knowledge of Air Nomad culture to quickly develop his new skills.

Blaming governments to be the cause of the greatest imbalance in the world, Zaheer holds the belief that disorder is the only true order, a philosophy that combines attributes ideas of freedom, modernism, human expectations, and a blatant disregard and disrespect toward authority. Because of this, he has no problem with killing people when he deems it necessary to achieve his goals.

Airbending


Despite only having airbending abilities for a short time and being self-taught, Zaheer already possesses a high proficiency in the art, creating large air currents capable of knocking people off balance, as well as increase his agility to evade attacks, enabling him to take on multiple benders at a time. He is also capable of using a glider, both in combat and as a means of transportation. He can take on multiple opponents at once and since he is not a pacifist like most airbenders, he also uses his airbending in a more offensive and even lethal manner, such as pulling the air out of Hou-Ting's lungs and suffocating her.

Other skills
Even before Zaheer obtained airbending, the Order of the White Lotus deemed him dangerous enough to be kept in a secret, secluded prison, similar to his powerful bending cohorts, and had to turn his back to the cell doors with his hands behind his head while receiving food. Zaheer is remarkably agile, able to do quick mid-wheel cartwheels without visible signs of using his airbending and despite being incarcerated for thirteen years.

Zaheer is also well-versed in Air Nomad philosophy and history, mainly teachings of the legendary airbender, Guru Laghima, whom he holds in high regard. Through meditation, Zaheer can enter the Spirit World and freely teleport himself and others to various places in that realm. While his soul is in the Spirit World, he can still communicate with his body in the physical world.

He is also proficient in the art of public speaking, capable of swaying the public opinion to support his goals.

Appearances
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Book Three: Change (易)
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Trivia

 * Zaheer is a common name in Asia and the Middle East that is inspired by the Islamic concept of Quran interpretation, which can be divided into its "apparent meaning" or zahir (ظاهر‎, pronounced za-heer) and its "inner meaning" or batin (باطن, pronounced ba-teen). Prior to Zaheer's escape from his prison, he explained to a White Lotus sentry a similar concept in interpreting the poetry of Guru Laghima, with zahir relating to "what you see" and batin relating to the "truth within the myth". Zahir is associated with Arabic, Hebrew, Urdu, Swahili and Turkish languages.
 * Zaheer is one of three known adults seen using a glider, the others being Tenzin and Roku's airbending master.
 * Zaheer has cauliflower ear from a career of fighting.
 * Zaheer is the first known airbender to use his skills to murder people.
 * Zaheer is the second known person to have committed regicide; the first being Ozai.