Duels are battles fought by at least two individuals, and they can be considered a form of recreation, a way of settling disputes, or a training tool for students who are developing skills in a particular art.
Duels may be fought to the death in the most extreme cases, or may simply be friendly spars fought to pass time. Duels are practiced by a variety of cultures, but they are most notably seen in the Fire Nation in the form of an Agni Kai.
The following is a list of known duels that occurred in 296 and 295 BG.
Known duels[]
Training duel for Kyoshi[]
Combatants: Yun, Kyoshi, and Rangi
Victor: Kyoshi and Rangi
Following another unsuccessful firebending training session under Hei-Ran at the Avatar mansion, Rangi attempted to encourage "Avatar" Yun who joked about her poor skills at motivating others. By chance, their friend Kyoshi passed by and was drawn into the conversation when Yun argued that the young earthbender could use some training. When Kyoshi reluctantly agreed, Rangi joined her team to take some mock revenge on Yun for his previous joking. The two subsequently sparred with Yun who encouraged his opponents to fight with all their strength. The training duel resulted in Yun's narrow defeat, with Kyoshi shocked at her surprisingly decent martial abilities.[1]
Duels between Yun's team and Taliriktug's pirates[]
Combatants: Yun, Kyoshi, Rangi, and Taliriktug's pirates
Victor: Yun, Kyoshi, and Rangi
Yun, Kyoshi, and Rangi fought Taliriktug's pirates at Yokoya Port.
When Kyoshi was tasked by Mui to make some purchases at the settlements near the Avatar mansion, Yun eagerly joined her to get away from the endless training. Rangi agreed to also accompany them due to her position as Yun's bodyguard. As the group sought to gather all Mui had requested, they discovered a group of criminals harassing the fishers at Yokoya Port. The trio easily defeated the criminals, subsequently learning from the locals that these thugs belonged to a larger crime group. Yun agreed to help, and the three discovered after some investigating that the criminals were actual pirates led by Taliriktug. Despising organized crime, Kyoshi promptly demanded that they had to take down the pirates in Yokoya Port. Surprised at their friend's fury, Yun and Rangi agreed and eventually found Taliriktug as he was intimidating a local civilian. The group promptly attacked, resulting in a battle with the trio eventually defeating Taliriktug. The pirates fled from the settlement, causing the locals to celebrate Yun while ignoring Rangi and Kyoshi.[1]
Duel between Yun and Tagaka[]
Victor: Tagaka
Using ad hoc earth gloves, Yun fought Tagaka.
Yun, his masters, and his friends traveled to an iceberg near the South Pole region to sign a new treaty with Tagaka and the Fifth Nation, a location that the pirate queen had chosen for the negotiations. However, before signing the document, Tagaka revealed that the entire event had been designed as an ambush and promptly killed Yun's disguised waterbending teacher Amak, white Fifth Nation waterbenders pulled Rangi, Hei-Ran, and Jianzhu under the ice. Tagaka then drew her jian and swung it on the downstroke at Yun's neck, but the "Avatar" did not flinch. Instead, he managed to create an earth glove out of the stone ink slab on the negotiating table and caught Tagaka's blade as it made contact with his skin. The two benders began to duel in front of his allies' eyes. Amid their clash, Tagaka, revealed that she pretended to be a weaker bender than she really was, displaying great waterbending powers and opening several nearby icebergs to reveal her large, previously hidden fleet. Yun lost his balance at the sight and fell to the ground onto his back. Tagaka quickly blanketed him in ice, taking care to cover his stone-gloved hand, thereby imprisoning him. In desperation, Yun urged Kelsang to stop the ships instead of aiding him before the ice completely covered his head, but Tagaka managed to damage the Air Nomad's glider, causing him to fall in the sea. Then she levitated the chunk of ice Yun was buried in, threw it over the side of the iceberg toward her camp, and leaped down after him.[2]
Duel between Kyoshi and Tagaka[]
Victor: None; interrupted by Rangi and Hei-Ran
The duel between Kyoshi and Tagaka was interrupted by Yun's companions.
Following Yun and Tagaka's duel, Kyoshi managed to free herself and began to pursue them, sliding down the iceberg to the pirate camp. Kyoshi demanded that the pirate queen return Yun to her, but the waterbender instead admitted that she liked Kyoshi's potential as a fighter and asked her to join them. Kyoshi claimed that she would never become a daofei and realized that she would have to take Yun back by force. When the pirate pointed out that Kyoshi had no earth to bend around her, she suddenly felt that, in her time of desperate need, her voice would not be alone. Even though Kyoshi did not fully understand nor felt completely in control, she adopted a Crowding Bridge stance, feeling that she was "both leading and being led by an army of benders". She then pulled a column of gray-stone seafloor up from the surface of the ocean, which caught the hull of Tagaka's ship, destroyed several others in the process, and knocked pirates off their feet. Kyoshi then attacked Tagaka, but she dropped to her knees in exhaustion before bringing the earth close enough, leaving her vulnerable for the pirate queen to attack with her jian. However, Rangi and Hei-Ran suddenly came to Kyoshi's aid and began shooting fire at Tagaka, knocking her away.[2]
Duel between the rescue mission and Taliriktug's holdouts[]
Combatants: Jianzhu's guardsmen, adventurers, and Fifth Nation holdouts
Victor: Jianzhu's guardsmen and adventurers
After the defeat of Tagaka and the destruction of the Fifth Nation's fleet, a number of surviving corsairs hid in the debris of the battle, waiting for a chance to seize some ship to escape. A few of the Fifth Nation's slaves also survived the clash by hiding in the iceberg's caves. Seeking to rescue any remaining hostages, the Avatar mansion sent a rescue operation consisting of some of Jianzhu's guardsmen as well as a few adventurers to seek survivors on the battle site. The mission found two surviving slaves, including Hua, but were also attacked by Fifth Nation holdouts. As the mission members eventually tried to board their ship, a significant group of pirates led by Taliriktug launched a surprise attack to capture the vessel. The corsairs dueled the adventurers while the guardsmen prepared and defended the ship, eventually resulting in Taliriktug's defeat. After Hua convinced him that he should not just throw his life away, Taliriktug ordered his followers to retreat instead of making a last stand. The rescue mission was subsequently able to safely disengage, leaving Taliriktug's isolated force to their fate on the iceberg.[3]
Duel at the Xishaan Mountains[]
Combatants: Kyoshi and Jianzhu
Victor: None; interrupted by Kelsang
After Jianzhu took Yun and Kyoshi to the Xishaan Mountains in order to find out which of them was the true Avatar, and sacrificed the former to a spirit named Father Glowworm, Kyoshi attacked the Earth Sage in her rage and grief, tackling him off the mountainside. While Kyoshi fell down the slope, Jianzhu effortlessly used his earthbending to create a staircase down to her, easily breaking apart a large boulder the Avatar sent at him, and negating her attempts to break his earthbent foundation. Though the sage tried to convince Kyoshi to accept him as her master, telling her not to let Yun's "sacrifice" be in vain, she once again tried to attack him with a futile act of firebending; though the attack failed, her move not even producing any flames, her defiance angered Jianzhu, with his response being to bind her limbs in earthen shackles, and decrying that if she had had proper training, she would have been able to break free from such restraints. The sage's reference to his training of Yun as wasted time only furthered Kyoshi anguish. Her outburst condemning Jianzhu's cruelty caused him to muzzle her with dirt, to the point of nearly asphyxiating her. Only being released after Jianzhu explained his self-appointed responsibility to her and her Avatarhood, Kyoshi spent several minutes recovering from the sage's "lesson", despising her own powerlessness with each breath she took. By the time she was able to get up, however, Kelsang had arrived on his glider, forcing Jianzhu to back away from Kyoshi.[4]
Duel between Kelsang and Jianzhu[]
Combatants: Kelsang and Jianzhu
Victor: Jianzhu
Casualties: Kelsang dies
Kelsang and Jianzhu faced each other in the Xishaan Mountains.
Having discovered a map of where Jianzhu was taking Kyoshi and Yun, Kelsang flew all the way from Yokoya to the Xishaan Mountains, despite still being in recovery from the injuries he sustained during the battle against the Fifth Nation. Arriving at the mountain slope where Kyoshi and Jianzhu were standing on, Kelsang realized the state his adoptive daughter was in. He promptly got in between her and his best friend Jianzhu, leveling his staff at the Earth Sage, and demanding to know what had happened. Though Jianzhu attempted to distract Kelsang by revealing that Kyoshi was indeed the Avatar, while also lying about the circumstances of Yun's supposed death, Kyoshi told him the truth of what had happened. Jianzhu insisted that she was merely confused, allegeding that Yun's demise had been an accident. The monk believed his adoptive daughter, however, and ordered her to get behind him. As their friendship had already soured before this event, Kelsang regarded this as the last straw, while Jianzhu was unwilling to let the Avatar escape his control. Thus, they initiated a duel: Kelsang brought his staff down to create a gale of wind so he could blast the earthbender away with the least amount of harm. Jianzhu responded by bringing earth up to block the wind and shaved off a sharp razor of flint, no longer than an inch, which he sent through the wind and through his opponent's neck, killing the Air Nomad almost instantly. Jianzhu had a sad expression as he watched his old friend fall to the ground.[4]
Lei tai between Rangi and "Four Shadows" Guan[]
Combatants: Rangi[5] and "Four Shadows" Guan[6]
Victor: Rangi
Rangi decided to compete in a lei tai while the Flying Opera Company was in the daofei town of Hujiang, seeking to both endear the group to Autumn Bloom Society's leader, Mok, and to show Kyoshi what it was like to watch a dear friend intentionally put themselves in peril. Rangi initially outmatched her opponent, "Four Shadows" Guan, easily dodging his moves and then attacking him. Eventually, she intentionally let her guard down, looking at Kyoshi, and allowed Guan to land a hard hit. The firebender was temporarily knocked unconscious. Just as Guan, angered and humiliated by Rangi, was about to kill her, she recovered and broke his leg, becoming the new champion of the lei tai arena.[5] "Four Shadows" Guan was left so badly hurt by the duel that his companions had to leave him behind when later evacuating Hujiang. He was subsequently captured and tortured to death by Jianzhu.[6]
Duel between the Flying Opera Company and a shirshu[]
Combatants: Flying Opera Company and a shirshu
Victor: None; interrupted by daofei
While the Flying Opera Company was in the secret daofei town of Hujiang, Jianzhu sent a shirshu to track down Kyoshi and Rangi. When the beast started to raid the town's longhouses, the ensuing chaos alerted the group. They were still surprised when the shirshu attacked them, Kyoshi initially freezing in shock. To save her, Wong created a wall of earth between the Avatar and the shirshu, telling her to either fight or run. The animal clambered over the wall with ease before Kirima pulled water from a nearby trough and smashed at the animal's shoulders, trying to knock it off-balance. Rangi kicked low sheets of flame at the places it tried to land its forepaws.[7]
Kyoshi then knifed at the air in front of her, and the entire surface of the road began to grind and shift. A fissure opened, and one of the animal's legs slipped. Instead of trying to maintain its standing, the shirshu dove headfirst into the rift, using its natural tunneling instincts to turn the situation to its advantage. While Kyoshi was able to feel the vibrations beneath her, they were indistinct and directionless. Rangi suggested the group to spread out, after which Wong and Kirima leaped onto the roof of the nearest house using dust-stepping, leaving the Avatar and her bodyguard down below. The soil loosened around them, and Rangi tackled Kyoshi out of the center of the formation, boosting herself sideways with flame jets from her feet. They landed hard on their sides and the creature burst through the surface, rearing toward the sky. It screamed and its claws almost reached Kyoshi and Rangi's bodies, but Lek suddenly shot a fist-sized stone onto the tip of the shirshu's sensitive nose, sending it reeling. A hail of perfectly aimed stones gave Kyoshi and Rangi cover to run for safety, forcing the shirshu to back away as it tried to hide its nose from the strikes.[7]
At this point, some daofei started to shoot arrows at the creature's hindquarters, making it turn to face its new threat. More daofei then attacked with spears and shortbows. Kyoshi and the rest of the group took advantage of the shirshu's new distraction to flee.[7] The animal was eventually killed in the fighting.[7][6]
Duel between Kyoshi and Xu Ping An[]
Combatants: Kyoshi and Xu Ping An
Victor: Kyoshi
Casualties: Xu Ping An dies
When a rescued prisoner turned out to be Yellow Neck leader Xu Ping An, Kyoshi realized that she could not let him go free and challenged Xu to a lei tai duel. Kyoshi believed she could beat Xu, assuming him to be a regular earthbender. To her shock, however, Xu turned out to be a firebender and struck her with lightning at the start of their fight, incapacitating her in seconds. The young Avatar fell unconscious for a short moment, and Xu continued to fire several more blasts of lightning at her seemingly lifeless body while accusing her of ungratefulness. In truth, Kyoshi awoke, and though in immense pain, was grounding the lightning thanks to the armor under her clothing. After waiting for a few moments, Kyoshi entered the Avatar State. Her glowing eyes and the bending of multiple elements terrified Xu Ping An while Kyoshi lifted him high into the air. She thought for a short moment about what to do with him and when she realized that his shock had changed into hateful dismay without regret. Xu attempted to breathe fire into her face, though the Avatar easily deflected the attack. Realizing that he would never change his ways, Kyoshi let Xu fall to his death, and then returned to the ground.[8]
Duel between Yun and Father Glowworm[]
Combatants: Yun and Father Glowworm
Victor: Yun
Causalties: Father Glowworm is absorbed and seemingly destroyed[nb 1]
After Father Glowworm announced Kyoshi as the true Avatar, Jianzhu left Yun in the clutches of the spirit. The young earthbender was pulled into the Spirit World, where he initially tried to reason with the creature and proposed to become its pupil. Though amused and somewhat impressed by the man's boldness, Father Glowworm refused the offer and then attacked him to consume his flesh.[11] Yun proved to be a more powerful opponent than the spirit had expected, and they became locked in a fierce battle that lasted for days. Yun used his training from Amak to his advantage, sacrificing certain body parts that were expendable while keeping his vital organs. Although on the brink of collapse, Yun eventually fought the mighty spirit to a standstill. Realizing that it was gaining nothing from the fighting, Father Glowworm called for a ceasefire and proposed a new deal: It would grant Yun a bit of its powers to allow him to return to the human realm, whereupon the earthbender would provide the spirit other humans to use as sacrifices. Yun seemingly agreed to the deal and came closer, but then used his earthbending to trap the weakened creature. Ignoring Father Glowworm's desperate protests, Yun then overpowered and ate the spirit.[9]
Duel at the Fire Nation Royal Palace[]
Combatants: Yun, Kyoshi, Rangi, and Fire Nation royal guards
Victor: None
Causalties: Lu Beifong, Dairin, and several guardsmen die
In 295 BG, after Yun had taken the majority of the nobles visiting Fire Lord Zoryu's garden party hostage at the Fire Nation Royal Palace, and Kyoshi and Rangi failed to get him to surrender, the couple began to fight Yun, running after him after he leaped into the crowd. As the Avatar approached Yun with her war fans, he used a Fire Nation minister as cover, surprised that Kyoshi tried to hurt him. As she alternated stabs at his head and body, he sarcastically asked for thanks for his role in defeating Jianzhu, reminiscing about his mentor's death. Kyoshi asked what he wanted from her, and he responded that he wanted justice from everyone who lied to him about being the Avatar. Afterward, he tunneled beneath the floor, determined to find one of these individuals.[12]
Although Kyoshi and Rangi rushed to Hei-Ran's chamber before Yun, he had managed to kill Lu Beifong in the interim, dropping his body to the floor of the portrait gallery. Dairin's men surrounded Yun, believing he was without material to earthbend, but he made use of the earth-based pigment in the portraits of the Fire Avatars, holding the blob of paint above his head before he shattered it into sharp pellets that knocked back both Kyoshi and the guards, injuring and killing many of them, including Dairin, and using the opportunity to disappear.[12]
Duel in North Chung-Ling[]
Combatants: Kyoshi, Saowon clan, Keohso clan, Rangi, and Hei-Ran
Victor: None
After Koulin insulted Rangi's mother, an enraged Rangi punched Koulin across the jaw, truly starting a fight the Saowon and Keohso clans in North Chung-Ling. Koulin and Rangi fell into an exchange of brutal, vicious strikes with only their knees and elbows in light of the prohibition of Agni Kais during ongoing Festival of Szeto. Koulin attempted to smash her forehead into Rangi's eye, just missing, and cutting along the cheekbone. Rangi staggered away, and with the empty space, used fire to propel herself into a backflip, her knee coming down on Koulin's head and knocking her unconscious. While Rangi attempted to attack further, a shocked Kyoshi ordered her to stop and bring the unconscious woman to Atuat.[13]
Duel in the Avatar mansion[]
- Main article: Duel in the Avatar mansion
Combatants: Yun and the Flying Opera Company
Victor: Flying Opera Company
Casualties: Yun dies
After Kyoshi and Yun reunited at the Avatar mansion, the former made a last attempt to reason with her former friend. Yun rejected her offer, resulting in open fighting. The two initially used the building's stone to fight inside, largely destroying dining room and main hall. After some back-and-forth, he liquefied the stone floor to trap and encase Kyoshi. He then claimed that he never intended to hurt her and arguing that she was cursed by her newfound Avatar duties. Kyoshi proudly responded that she wore her makeup and armor because she chose to, and she had much truer friends than Yun.[14]
At that moment, Kirima launched an ambush by attacking Yun with water, allowing enough time for Wong to successfully earthbend Kyoshi out of Yun's trap. As Kirima rained water down, he protected himself with a slab and sent it flying at her, while moving away by bending the ground beneath him. Rangi then also joined the battle, jumping from Yingyong, the flying bison of Jinpa who circled above the mansion.[14]
Kirima sent a fresh torrent at Yun, who bent a new shield, which was deflected by Wong. Kyoshi tried to drag him down with earthbending, but he easily escaped from the ground and managed to shatter a great mass of stone tiles with a flick of his shoulders when Wong brought the flooring down upon him. Rangi stepped forward, breathing forth a great blast of fire, Yun sliding off to the side riding a swell of earth. Rangi ran the fire after Yun as he escaped, the earthbender caught off guard by the ferocity of her attack. In response, Yun violently shook the earth, sending Kyoshi and Rangi flying. As he liquefied the very foundations of the mansion, Wong and Kirima were forced from the roof, while Jinpa finally came in from above to rescue the combatants. Yun launched a hedge of stone spears, launching them at the airbender and managing to run him through the shoulder, pinning him to his bison's saddle horn.[14]
Kirima and Wong rushed to Yun, trying to attack him from a blind spot, but he created large pitfalls that broke their legs. Yun hurled broken earth discs at Kyoshi and Rangi, now attempting to chastise them instead of truly wound them. The pair then crudely put on a substitution of their signature makeup with blood, and began to jet-step with firebending, propelling themselves forward to Yun without touching the earth. Kyoshi shot a huge fireball in Yun's direction but managed to miss, yet Rangi managed to redirect the flame's course and hurled it back around, causing Yun's earthen barrier to explode. Yun tunneled down and made his way up to Rangi, stabbing her through the back with an earthen spike.[14]
As Kyoshi cradled her girlfriend in her arms, Yun warned Kyoshi that situations would keep occurring if she tried to stop him. Kyoshi began to apologize for stealing Yun's Avatarhood, bringing a hand to his chest to comfort him. Finally, she used an advanced healing technique to drastically lower his body temperature, freezing his heart and lungs solid, and killing him.[14]
Notes[]
References[]
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