Theory: Why the air people lost their cloud

AvatarPhoenixGrey2·4/17/2024 in General

I've always been confused by the airbending clouds that the air people and Wan use during beginnings.

It's not an air spout, it's not Zaheer flight, it's not a wind jumpy thing. They just created a cloud, and flew up. It's racked by brain forever what happened to it. But, I think I have an idea about why it was lost. In Beginnings, it doesn't seem the air people have met the flying bison yet. Airbenders learned proper airbending from the flying bison. Maybe, after learning from the flying bison, they realized that the clouds weren't a "real" bending move and thus stopped using it and teaching it. Thus, it was lost to time.

What do you think?

Airbending Beginnings, Part 2 Flying bison

Islingr22·4/18/2024

I love this theory! It totally fits with the theory that people could be given control over an element by a lion turtle, but could not actually be bending an element until they were taught by an original bender. They had raw control over it, but not practiced control like the original benders had. The airbenders learned sophisticated airbending from flying bison, and the water benders, earth benders, and fire benders learned true bending from observing the moon, badger moles, and dragons respectively!

There's a good video explaining the theory:

Who Are The TRUE Original Benders? [Avatar: The Last Airbender Theory]YouTube

(Edited by Islingr22)

Expanse2·4/18/2024

I think it is Zaheer flight. It's just the alternate animation. The airbenders could all fly, because they had no earthly tethers. But then, they found the sky bison, which removed that ability because they tethered themselves by loving the bison.

Your theory is really good too though.

AvatarPhoenixGrey2·4/18/2024

@Expanse2 its definitely not Zaheer’s technique. I’ve seen that theory before. There are 2 problems with it. 1) The airbenders clearly have an earthly tether, as does Wan. The airbenders have a community. They have to take care of that community. It’s a tether. Wan has friends and Raava and other things other than pure purpose. Again, a tether. 2) Animation wise, it makes no sense. The airbenders are clearly standing on something. They are flying across that cliff without having to do Zaheer’s motion. Also, though everything in Beginnings is stylized, it’s still clear in terms of move of bending it is. That is not flight. If it was flight, there would be no cloud.

What do you think?