Bloodbending

"water"

- Controlling the water in another body, enforcing your own will over theirs. Once I had mastered the rats, I was ready for the men. And during the next full moon, I walked free for the first time in decades, my cell unlocked by the very guards assigned to keep me in. Once you perfect this technique, you can control anything, or, anyone.



Bloodbending is a specialized technique within the art of waterbending that allows a waterbender to hydrokinetically take hold of the various fluids contained within a living organism's body and then manipulate them to control the movement of their intended target.

The technique was discovered by the waterbender Hama in her youth whilst detained in a prison designed by the Fire Nation specifically to hold waterbenders. During her detainment, she concluded that all life contains water, and proceeded to develop the knowledge and skills of the art by practicing on elephant rats.

The forms and styles used by bloodbenders are very similar to how a manipulator controls a marionette, in particular the hand shape and movements. Whereas waterbending uses flowing motions with the arms, bloodbending seems to require a more rigid and abrupt form of movement, further highlighting its opposition to waterbending and its sub-skill, healing.

Due to its extreme nature, only a handfull of waterbenders can bloodbend. Bloodbending is deemed by most waterbenders to be a dark art and is rarely used in combat. The complexity and sophistication required to perform the art usually only allows for its use during a full moon, when a waterbender's power is at its absolute peak. Yakone and Tarrlok were the only known waterbenders capable of bloodbending without the aid of the full moon, though both individuals had their bending abilities removed. Yakone was also capable of bloodbending just by focusing his eyes and making minor hand motions.

Bloodbending is applied to daily activities infrequently. Knowledge of the art eventually became known to the public, and the practice of bloodbending was outlawed following the formation of Republic City.

Discovery
After being captured during one of the Fire Nation raids aimed at weakening the Southern Water Tribe, Hama, along with her fellow waterbenders, was sent to a maximum security prison in the Fire Nation designed specifically to hold benders of her kind. There the guards were cautious of providing prisoners with any form of bendable substance that they could utilize in making a reprisal, going so far as to chain the limbs of the prisoners before they were allowed to drink. Any sign of trouble was met with "cruel retribution".

Despite the helplessness she faced while imprisoned, Hama was able to feel the enrichment provided to her by the full moon, and she began to devise a plan that would lead to her escape. It was not long after that that she realized the rats which constantly scurried around the bottom of her cage were filled with bendable water.



Upon the arrival of the next full moon, Hama attempted to take hold of the blood within an elephant rat, and succeeded. She had performed bloodbending. In the following months she continued to develop the technique, mastering it to a point at which she could effectively control the movement of an entire horde of rats under the full moon. It was then that she felt she could test the art on the men.

During the next full moon, Hama used bloodbending to control a passing guard, forcing him to open her cage and allowing her escape. Hama walked free for the first time in many years, and eventually settled in a village near the outskirts of the Fire Nation archipelago.

The Puppetmaster
While imprisoned, Hama developed a deep hatred for the Fire Nation, and she vowed to take revenge at every instance possible. She created a makeshift prison underneath a mountain and formulated a plan where she would control unsuspecting Fire Nation villagers and lead them to the prison during a full moon. She used this technique and eventually imprisoned the owner of a quaint little inn. Hama became the inn's proprietor, and was able to repress accusations of being the one responsible for the disappearances by disguising herself as a sweet old innkeeper.

During a full moon, she planned to imprison an old man, Ding. The plan was initially successful, and Ding felt helpless as he was "possessed" by an unknown force. He was slowly led to the top of the mountain, where he looked up to the moon and what he thought would be his last glimpse of light. At that moment, however, the sun began to rise, and the power that Hama held over Ding slowly faded. Regaining control over his limbs, Ding sprinted away from the scene, and since then he has become the only passerby to ever escape the wrath of Hama.

Passing the knowledge to Katara
During the summer of 100 ASC, Team Avatar decided to camp near a Fire Nation village. However, Hama overheard them telling horror stories and deducted from Katara's story about Nini that they were from the Southern Water Tribe and offered the gang a place in her inn.

Upon discovering an old whale tooth comb in Hama's attic, she revealed herself to be a waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe and proposed to teach Katara some original Southern Tribe waterbending techniques, so that she could pass on the knowledge of the Southern customs before her death, something Katara happily agreed to.

Katara spent the next day learning various techniques from Hama, such as bending moisture from the air and water from within plants when no bodies of water were present. Hama stated that she would teach Katara the ultimate technique of waterbending at night, during the full moon, when their powers were at their peak. Katara was hesitant, claiming that villagers had been disappearing during the full moon. However, Hama seemed unaffected, stating that two master waterbenders under a full moon had nothing to worry about.

That night, Hama took Katara to the forest, where she explained her imprisonment and discovery of bloodbending. Katara was horrified, and refused to learn the art when Hama urged her to. This angered Hama, who then used bloodbending to control Katara. The young waterbender pleaded for mercy, but Hama refused to release her. Feeling the power of the moon enforce her waterbending as well, Katara honed her energy and broke free, stating that her own bending was more powerful than Hama's. The two began to duel, and Katara almost immediately took the upper hand.



Having discovered the truth about Hama from the villagers she imprisoned deep within the mountain, Sokka and Aang arrived soon afterwards to aid Katara and told Hama to surrender since she was clearly outnumbered. Hama refused, and used bloodbending to control them. Like a puppetmaster, she used them to attack Katara, who was forced to fight off her own friend and brother. Seeing how her attacks did not faze Katara, Hama maneuvered Aang toward Sokka, who had raised his sword. Katara, in an attempt to save Aang, used bloodbending to stop Hama, effectively breaking Hama's hold on the boys. She released her following the arrival of Toph and the freed villagers, who escorted Hama away from the scene. Now apprehended, Hama congratulated Katara on becoming a bloodbender, causing the young waterbender to break down into tears.

Yakone's trials
By 128 ASC, bloodbending had been deemed illegal, and anyone using the skill would be brought to justice. A man named Yakone possessed the rare skill, and had the unique ability to use bloodbending without needing the power of a full moon. He used his skill to rule Republic City from its "rotten underbelly" for years. Eventually, he was arrested and tried for bloodbending, for which the United Republic Council at last found him guilty. As Yakone was condemned to a life in prison, he bloodbent the entire courtroom, including Toph, Sokka, and Aang, being able to escape. However, Aang overcame the effect of the bloodbending due to the Avatar State and gave chase to Yakone. In the streets of Republic City, Yakone was able to subdue Aang using bloodbending once again and was intent on killing him by forcing his neck to break. However, when Aang entered the Avatar State and broke free of his hold again, he was easily overpowered. The Avatar then proceeded to trap Yakone in an earth shell and subsequently removed his bending, ending Yakone's reign as head of Republic City's criminal empire.

Abduction of Avatar Korra
Councilman Tarrlok revealed himself to be a bloodbender during an altercation with Avatar Korra in City Hall at 170 ASC, using the art on Korra before she could finish him off with two fire blasts. Aware of what Tarrlok was doing, she expressed disbelief at his ability to use the art when the full moon was absent. Not revealing how he did that, he used his abilities to knock her out.

When Tarrlok's lies about the supposed Equalist attack that resulted in Korra's kidnapping were uncovered by Team Avatar, Lin Beifong, and Tenzin, Tarrlok was forced to use his abilities once again to evade arrest. He incapacitated all of his accusers and fled the scene.

Tarrlok ran into Amon at the cabin where the Councilman held Korra prisoner. As the Equalist leader stated that it was time that Tarrlok was "equalized", the bloodbender laughed at his threat and proceeded to bend the Equalists into submission. However, much to his shock, he was unable to subdue Amon himself, who was only slightly affected by Tarrlok's hold, and proceeded toward Tarrlok before taking away his bending.

Potential
The control and manipulation of fluids within a person's body could accomplish a plethora of effects; for instance, bloodbending could be used to crush a victim's internal organs. In a similar manner, it could be used to pressurize, boil, or cool the water inside the body of an opponent, killing them in the process. Lastly, the technique could even be used to completely extract water from one's body, imitating the technique used with plants.



Despite its dark capabilities, in retrospect, bloodbending could be beneficial in healing. Bloodbending could be utilized in maintaining gashes and wounds, as to prevent loss of blood. More so, bloodbending could be used to alleviate blood clots and internal wounds, and can prove to be beneficial in life-or-death situations. Also, bloodbending could help in cardiac arrest, as it can be utilized in helping the heart beat if it were to stop by bending blood into and out of the heart.

Bloodbenders are capable of levitating their victims in the air by forcing the blood in their vessels upward.

Limits
Despite being an extremely powerful and dangerous technique, bloodbending is limited in the sense that it is usually only performable under the full moon, when a waterbender's abilities are peaked. This is due to the fact that bloodbending requires far more sophistication and precision than conventional waterbending, thus limiting its use to only when a waterbender's capabilities are culminated. The only known exceptions to this rule are Yakone and his son, Tarrlok, who are somehow able to bloodbend in the absence of a full moon.



More so, the effectiveness of bloodbending partially depends on an individual's knowledge regarding the human body, as the technique expects its user to control the fluids within particular veins and muscles. The utilization of bloodbending without a competent knowledge of the circulatory system may result in the death of the subject or subjects the technique is used on.

The degree in which a bloodbender can manipulate another person's body only occurs on a physical level, leaving the victim's mental faculties intact. This was seen when both Aang and Sokka were mentally aware that their bodies were being controlled by Hama, but were unable to control themselves. Consequently, a bloodbender is unable to manipulate the bending abilities of the victims, as bending also relies on the mental state of the bender.

Yakone and Tarrlok have both used bloodbending to levitate people off the ground, as well as knock several individuals unconscious simultaneously. In particular, Yakone nearly killed Avatar Aang by forcing his neck near its breaking point.

Lastly, bloodbending seems useless when applied to a fellow waterbender of the same calibre, or to a waterbender who is far superior to the user. This is evident when Katara manages to easily free herself from Hama's hold, regardless of the fact that the technique has been used successfully on dozens of other subjects. Bloodbending is also annulled when Avatars channel immense amounts of cosmic energy through the Avatar State, allowing them to break free of a bloodbender's hold instantaneously. Amon has also shown the ability to resist bloodbending. Although he stumbled slighty when Tarrlok focused all of his power on him, he quickly recovered and proceeded to take Tarrlok's bending.

Known users

 * Hama
 * Katara
 * Yakone (formerly)
 * Tarrlok (formerly)

Known resisters

 * Aang
 * Aang
 * Katara

Trivia



 * Katara used the technique twice, once inadvertently and once voluntarily. She first used the technique to prevent Hama from killing Aang and Sokka. Believing that he was the man that had killed her mother, Katara also utilized bloodbending willingly (albeit vengefully) against the Commander of the Southern Raiders.
 * It is odd that Katara was able to learn the technique so quickly, despite only knowing of its basis; however, it is important to note that Katara is a proficient healer and as such, has an advanced knowledge of the human body, along with the fact that she has exhibited the ability to advance expeditiously in her studies.
 * Even more so, the fact that she used bloodbending so effortlessly after only one attempt seems to indicate the extent of her waterbending prowess.
 * Those who practice this technique open themselves up to madness.
 * Only Tarrlok and his father Yakone are known to be able to bloodbend without a full moon. Both have employed their abilities on the Avatar, and both have had their bending removed.
 * Bloodbending is the only known bending technique to have been completely outlawed.