Tenzin

"air"

- I have done my best to guide Republic City toward the dream my father had for it, but you're right. It has fallen out of balance since he passed. I thought I should put off your training in order to uphold his legacy, but you are his legacy.

Tenzin, the youngest child of Avatar Aang and Katara, is the only living airbending master, and represents the Air Nation on the United Republic Council. A calm and serious man, he carries a great responsibility on his shoulders to protect not only the next Avatar, but also Republic City according to his father's dreams. He resides on Air Temple Island, a secluded sanctuary constructed by his father, with his pregnant wife, Pema, and his three children, Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo.

Background
Born nineteen years after the Hundred Year War to Aang and Katara as the youngest and only airbender of their three children, Tenzin was taught the traditions and customs of the Air Nomads by his father, eventually acquiring the traditional Air Nomad tattoos symbolizing his status as an airbending master. He and Lin Beifong were friends since childhood, and were a couple for some time. During their slowly deteriorating relationship, Pema approached the airbender and confessed her feelings for him, starting their own. Tenzin and Pema eventually married, and had three airbending children with her; two daughters, Jinora and Ikki, and a son, Meelo. They have another child on the way. At some point in his life, Tenzin became a member of the United Republic Council as the representative of the Air Nation.

Training Korra
In 170 ASC, Avatar Korra moved in with him to start her airbending training. Initially, however, he refused to bring Korra to Republic City with him from the Southern Water Tribe. Despite this, Korra came to the city in pursuit of Tenzin. He later discovered she was detained by Lin Beifong, and proceeded to bail her out and allowed her to stay, after realizing Korra was what Republic City needed.



When Korra read about pro-bending, she was excited to go see a match, but Tenzin refused as he believed it to be a mockery of bending and would only serve as a distraction to her airbending training. He later theorized Korra's struggles to learn airbending were because the art was opposite of Korra's nature. They made their way to training, where Tenzin stated that Korra had to make her way through a series of spinning gates, instructing her to be free like a leaf. However, Korra failed several times, and subsequently also had difficulties with meditation. The situation only worsened when Korra continued to be unsuccessful at moving through the gates. When Korra destroyed these gates in frustration, he snapped at her, revealing the gates to be a two thousand-year-old relic. Korra snapped back that he was a bad teacher and stormed off from the scene.

Later, Tenzin discovered that Korra was at a pro-bending match through a radio broadcast. Angered, he went to the arena to retrieve her, but Korra again refused, stating she needed to learn modern fighting, but he stated back that she needed to learn airbending. During round three of the pro-bending match, Korra finally demonstrated airbending movements while dodging attacks from her opponents, rallying her team to win the match. This caught Tenzin's notice, and he even let out a slight cheer before calming himself down.

After the match, Korra returned to the island and apologized to Tenzin for her frustrations, while Tenzin apologized back for stating that he ran out of patience while trying to teach her it. The two then agreed that they had no hard feelings, but he was still left a bit angry when Korra told Tenzin that she was now a permanent team member of the Fire Ferrets and would compete in the pro-bending tournament in a couple of weeks.

After Korra returned from an Equalist rally and stated how Amon had succeeded in taking away someone's bending ability, Tenzin stated that "The Revolution is more dangerous than ever".

The task force


Realizing the threat Amon and the Equalists posed to everyone, Tenzin attended an important meeting with the United Republic Council, where a solution about the Equalist movement was going to be discussed. When Councilman Tarrlok proposed the formation of a task force to attack Amon head-on, Tenzin strongly opposed this, stating that such an aggressive action would only cause bigger problems between benders and non-benders. However, the airbender found himself outvoted by the remainder of the council.

When Tarrlok visited Air Temple Island, Tenzin found himself obligated to let him pass during a family dinner, much to his wife's irritation. At Korra's refusal to join Tarrlok's task force, he was surprised, and interrupted the Northern waterbender before he could insist and try to convince her to change her mind, saying that Korra had already made a decision. Noting Tarrlok's increasingly extravagant gifts, Tenzin approached Korra and informed her that he, although glad she had refused the offer, hoped she had done it for the right reasons and knew it was okay to be afraid. But at Korra's silence, he assured her he would be there to talk about anything if she needed it.

During a gala Tarrlok threw in Korra's honor, an exasperated Tenzin had to deal with Meelo's antics, and, worriedly watched Korra's announcement to join the task force to the press. After Korra publicly challenged Amon to a duel, Tenzin flew to her location using a glider, trying to dissuade her, but without success. When Tenzin found her on Aang Memorial Island, he was concerned that Amon had taken her bending, but at Korra's denial, he was relieved and offered her comfort when she cried in fear of Amon.

The Equalists revolt
After this encounter, Tenzin and the rest of the United Republic Council were threatened by Amon to shut down the Pro-bending Arena or face "severe consequences". Despite Tenzin's disapproval, the rest of the Council voted to keep the arena open. Tenzin accompanied Chief Lin Beifong as she and the Metalbending Police Force protected the arena from the Equalists.



Tenzin and Lin watched the match together, and he even protested a series of controversial calls made that allowed the White Falls Wolfbats to defeat the Fire Ferrets. After the match, the two were electrocuted and knocked unconscious by two Equalists with electrified gloves. After everyone was reunited safely, Tenzin tried to ease Lin's regrets of playing right into Amon's hands by suggesting that everyone was. He then declared that "Republic City [was] at war."

Later, Tenzin assisted Lin in her investigation of the arena attack, helping her interview the witnesses which included Hiroshi Sato and Tahno. Soon after, Korra overhead Hiroshi Sato while in his home saying that the Cabbage Corp investigation provided a decent distraction, and that he would "strike" soon; she immediately told Tenzin and Lin, who both agreed that Sato had the means and the motive make weapons for the Equalists, so they decided to interrogate him again. Tenzin and Lin visited the Sato estate and after informing him of their suspicions, the businessman assured them that he had no ties with the Equalists, and he gave them permission to search all of Future Industries' factories.

While Tenzin and Lin were distracted after a search of Future Industries yielded no evidence, a worker slipped Korra a note to meet him beneath the Silk Road Bridge that night. The three arrived and the worker revealed that Sato was indeed manufacturing weapons in an hidden factory under his home.



Tenzin, Lin, Korra, and some metalbending officers investigated the mansion, finding the factory and Sato's mecha tanks. However, they soon discovered it was a trap, and Sato cornered the benders and began attacking them with the help of some Equalists. Along with the rest of the group, Tenzin was eventually overpowered and knocked out. Sato ordered his men to bring the benders to Amon to have their bending taken away; however, Mako and Bolin managed to sneak into the factory undetected, and began carrying the airbender, Korra, and Lin out. Sato cornered them before the brothers could escape, but he and the Lieutenant were suddenly attacked by Asami, allowing the group to escape the Sato estate via airship, but they were forced to leave behind Lin's officers.

As Lin began to recover from the attack, she told Tenzin she was resigning as chief of police in light of her recent failures. Tenzin told her she could not give up, but the chief explained her decision had been made with the objective of taking down Amon without the restraints of the law.

Personality


Tenzin is far more calm and stern in demeanor than his father; however, he does have a sense of humor at times. He always tries to be a calm person, an attempt that is sometimes thwarted by his three "crazy" children. Similarly, his mother describes him as having a serious personality since childhood compared to his own siblings. He finds his patience severely tested with the arrival of the impetuous Korra. He works hard to transmit the Air Nomad teachings and culture, while taking his leadership role in Republic City very seriously. He does embody the Air Nomad nature of being peaceful and calm, but can sometimes be riled when around his children or toward Korra due to their differing perspectives. Tenzin is a very staunch traditionalist, and at times can come across as rather inflexible and stubborn. This also shows in his disdain for pro-bending, which he considers violent, irrelevant, and a perversion to more traditional forms of bending. However, after Korra joined the Fire Ferrets, he brushed up on the rules of the game and seems well versed in the sport. By doing this, he shows that he is willing to show a liking in the interests of those close to him.

Abilities
Tenzin is the only child of Aang who is an airbender. He mastered the art through his father's teaching and, at some point in time, earned his arrows, making him the only airbending master in the Avatar World after the passing of his father. His combat prowess is evident during the first confrontation with the Equalists' mecha tanks, exhibiting air blasts that were powerful enough to knock his opponent backward and displaying a previously unseen variant of Aang's air scooter technique - a "wheel" of air which not only allowed him to evade attacks but was powerful enough to deflect the claws of the Mecha Tanks. Presently, he passes on the teachings to his children and Avatar Korra. He is also able to use a glider by bending air around it.

Relatives

 * Aang (father)
 * Katara (mother)
 * Sokka (maternal uncle)
 * Hakoda (maternal grandfather)
 * Kya (maternal grandmother)
 * Kanna (maternal great-grandmother)
 * Pakku (maternal step-great-grandfather)
 * Korra (spiritual reincarnation of Aang)
 * Kya (older sister)
 * Bumi (older brother)
 * Pema (wife)
 * Jinora (eldest daughter)
 * Ikki (youngest daughter)
 * Meelo (son)

Trivia

 * Tenzin is an extremely common Tibetan name meaning "defender of the faith" or more applicably, "upholder of the teachings". Its popularity derives from the fact that it is the first name of the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, who also served as the inspiration for Monk Gyatso.
 * It is interesting to note that Tenzin learned airbending from his father, Avatar Aang, and that the next Avatar, Aang's reincarnation, will seek out his tutelage to learn the art of airbending, meaning that in a way, Tenzin is passing on his father's teachings back to him.
 * He owns a flying bison named Oogi.
 * He leads his family in prayer before dinner.
 * Tenzin is the first airbender to be born after the Air Nomad Genocide.