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| By King Bumis Heir | Part of the Avatar: Civil Strife continuity. |
| Juji's fine. He comes back to life in the end when the doomsday device shifts the polarity of the Earth. Oops. Spoiler. Sorry.
Warning! This page contains spoilers for Avatar: Civil Strife.
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| "No, I saw what you did! You slid your foot out causing a small rock to pop out of the ground. You used it to your advantage because you couldn't beat him without bending." |
| — Shuaige contended his argument with Avani in Chapter 4: Of Conquerors and Guardians Part 2: The Fall of Guandi. |
Shuaige Qishi is an earthbending captain stationed in northern Pingyao, and commands a company of eighty soldiers. Shuaige appears is one of the main characters in Avatar: Civil Strife.
History[]
Shuaige was born to the Qishi family of the Upper-Middle Ring, a family who's wealth comes from a printing business. With shops all across Ba Sing Se and even in Jinan, Yunan province. Shuaige's parents closely supervised their son's academic education and even signed him up for an earthbending dojo when they found him to be a bender.
At the age of sixteen, he enlisted into the army, where he mastered earthbending after two years and met his First Lieutenant Baoshou Er. Shuaige has completed more than four tours within his twelve years of serving in the army, currently being stationed in northern Pingyao. This next campaign he's in is to liberate the city of Ta Ren from the Oma Kingdom, eventually merging into a much bigger field army that will tear the regime in the city apart.
With the help of a new ally, Avatar Avani, he's hoping to use her responsibly and effectively. Shuaige has laughed in Avani's face along with Baoshou when she thought she was going to working with them and not under them. Shuaige has already grown dislike for the Avatar for being disrespectful, and immature.
Butting Heads with the Avatar[]
Since the first day of training Shuaige along with Baoshou trained their soldiers separately, Captain Qishi dealt with the earthbenders while the First Lieutenant with the non-benders. Shuaige trained the recruits in a way he's planned but with Avani's impatience she seems to be the only one out of line and has rebelled the authority of Captain Qishi. They've argued with one another about her training amongst the others. During their second day of training he switched Avani's partner from Zuqiu to Taobing on purpose to challenge her. Taobing was a former Lei Tai champion, eventually toward the end of the day Shuaige had everyone spar their partner. Avani had to spar with Taobing, who had her beat and with Avani determination to win she cheated.
Listening to her past live's terrible advice she cheated by dislodging a rock out of the ground in front of Taobing. The fighter tripped and as he was falling Avani struck him in the chin knocking him out. While she might have won, she didn't trick Shuaige who watched her closely and saw the illegal move. After he declared Taobing the winner he yelled at Avani, and ordered Baoshou to take her to the Ring of Punishment where he would strike her sixty times with a bo staff as a form of punishment. Baoshou escorted her to the area, where she was forced to disrobe so that Shuaige could beat her as her first offense. Shuaige is the type to seek approval from Shuicheng.
It is known that for the past two months Shuaige and Avani have butted heads which caused her to be punished a few times. During artillery training, Airen accidentally knocked over a stand that caused Avani to grab hold of the rocket. Once it fired it crashed outside the camp's walls and began a fire. Shuaige immediately blamed Avani but Airen interjected and explained that it was his fault and not the Avatar's. When Qishi attempted to apologize Avani told him to leave her alone and she walked away. However, when she and Shuaige travel to the town to speak to Magistrate Minsheng. Avatar Hansuke takes control of Avani and forces her to speak to Shuaige, which eventually leads to her apologizing and forgiving Shuaige.
Shipment[]
Shuaige and Avani ventured in Zi Guangi to discuss things with Magistrate Minsheng, the county leader of the area. Shuaige felt it'd be a great idea to have the Avatar accompany him. He believed that Avani gave people hope, and if she played along they could convince the magistrate to let them escort the shipment. They sat for dinner with the old man and his family as he relayed the information to them and mentioned enemy movement nearby. However, the enemy has been avoiding military patrol from Fort Li Jun and Ba Sing Se's borders.
Minsheng eventually made a comment about how the Yanzhao creeped him out, and Avani felt slightly offended by it. After she and Qishi left, she complained to Shuaige about Minsheng's comments. She defended the Yanzhao and mentioned they're good people, those who have negative comments likely have something to hide. While Shuaige remained quiet about his thoughts on the spy ring.
Avani, Shuaige, and the men woke up the next morning to retrieve the shipment that needed to be delivered. They spent a total of almost two days delivering the goods to Taiyuan, the capital of Pingyao province. Along the way, Avani and Captain Qishi's company ran into the hands of the champion of the Meng, Gan and his brigade. Who further themselves into enemy territory, Shuaige's group was ambushed by Gan, when an archer killed an earthbender on ostrich horseback. Shuaige ordered his men and the Avatar to initiate battle after this ambush and they fought with little to no injuries. When Gan revealed the numbers of his army, Baoshou begged Avani to do something.
In this moment, Avani triggered her Avatar State and unleashed an earthquake, causing fear into the hearts of the barbarian soldiers and their leader. They fled with only one hundred of them remaining to sacrifice themselves in a distraction. Avani killed half of them solely while the rest fled, Shuaige ordered her to cease the fighting and banned her from confronting them alone. After the skirmish it resulted in Taobing being injured in the process after he was hit in the left shoulder with an arrow. Shuaige was impressed when he witnessed Avani heal Taobing's wound.
Arriving in Taiyuan[]
The company's arrival in the city of Taiyuan was met with immediate civil war business, Captain Qishi along with Avatar Avani. They headed toward the Palace of the capital where Governor Xingren Wuqi awaited their presence to discuss their report of their skirmish with the Oma Kingdom troops; and presence of enemy soldiers on the western border. As Avani and Shuaige were escorted to the palace that's when they were introduced to the humongous predatory bird known as a hag heron. Which apparently was owned by Wuqi's stewardess Yima. Once inside the siheyuan of the governor they met with both the statesman and his stewardess. They reported their success of escorting the shipment of armor and weapons from Zi Guangi to Taiyuan. On the way they mention being ambushed by Oma troops, which resulted in a casualty on their part and several deaths of Oma soldiers. Avani said the barbarians ran for the hills when they realized they angered the Avatar herself. This report further proved of Oma Kingdom soldiers and their presence deeper in Li Jun county. This was bad news for Taiyuan and Fort Li Jun. Governor Wuqi was however puzzled as to how they avoided the sight of the military fort that housed a ton of reinforcements. This further worried him about a siege of the city in the imminent future.
In the midst of their meeting Congxiong burst through the living quarter doors to meet with the Avatar. He was previously told the Avatar would be present at a meeting by his mother. Congxiong was arrested by the guards of the governor and tossed out of the palace. However while he was dodging them and resisting arrest he extended an invitation to the Avatar that evening to the Reveler's Den. Where Congxiong planned to throw her an event, Avani was hesitant at first of attending the gathering as she was anti-social.
Party's Aftermath[]
The incident at the Reveler’s Den represents a failure of control, vigilance, and judgment within a civilian social space Shuaige already regarded as dangerous and unnecessary. Before the event, Shuaige had expressed open disapproval of Avani attending noble gatherings, viewing them as distractions from the escalating military crisis and as environments where political and personal risk outweighed any benefit. Shuaige arrived at the Reveler’s Den in the aftermath of the disturbance to find Avani intoxicated, publicly accused of dishonor by Congxiong, and Airen incapacitated and unresponsive. At the time, Shuaige did not possess complete knowledge of the manipulation that had occurred—specifically, the deliberate drugging of Airen and the systematic attempt to isolate Avani. His immediate assessment was therefore based on visible chaos, conflicting testimony, and the need to de-escalate a situation that threatened to spiral into public scandal. Acting on instinct and duty rather than with complete information, Shuaige intervened to shield Avani from further verbal assault and to remove both Avani and Airen from the Den. He prioritized containment and protection, treating the incident as a volatile breach of decorum that hostile nobles or political rivals could easily weaponize against the Avatar and her companions. In the days that followed, as the Yanzhao investigation unfolded and further details emerged, Shuaige came to understand the extent of Congxiong’s actions and the deliberate exploitation involved. This realization reframed the incident in his mind—not as a lapse in Avani’s judgment, but as a calculated act of predation enabled by noble privilege and social complacency.
Execution of Wei and Taobing[]
The execution of Wei and Taobing was a moment of enforced command rather than personal judgment. The incident occurred when Shuaige unexpectedly entered a military tent and discovered the two soldiers engaged in a forbidden sexual encounter, an act criminalized under Haijunese law. The broader context of escalating war, internal discipline, and the constant threat of scrutiny by state authorities shaped Shuaige’s immediate assessment. At the time, he viewed the situation not as a private moral failing but as a liability that, if discovered by external forces, could result in severe consequences for the unit as a whole. His response was therefore governed by the rigid logic of military law and containment rather than deliberation or compassion.
Believing that delay or concealment would worsen the outcome, Shuaige issued a direct order for Airen to carry out the executions. This decision was made swiftly, without consultation, and under the assumption that enforcement of the law—however brutal—would prevent wider repercussions. Shuaige did not physically participate in the killings, but as commanding officer, he bore responsibility for the order. Following the executions, Shuaige did not pursue further disciplinary spectacle. The matter was treated as closed within the unit, and operations resumed without a formal report or acknowledgment. However, the absence of external consequence did not equate to internal resolution.
Battle of Taiyuan[]
The Battle of Taiyuan marked the moment when defensive certainty collapsed into irreversible loss. As Oma forces massed outside the city, Shuaige coordinated ground defenses with the understanding that Taiyuan’s survival depended on holding the walls until reinforcements could stabilize the front. Avani’s presence among the defenders was viewed as a strategic and symbolic necessity, despite Shuaige’s private concern over the risks of deploying the Avatar so close to the breach. As the Oma assault intensified and the walls neared failure, Avani entered the Avatar State in an effort to halt the advance. From Shuaige’s vantage point, her ascent briefly restored morale among the Haijunese defenders. The Avatar’s intervention appeared to slow the breach and force the Oma to reposition. This momentum ended abruptly when Deng, chief of the Ke clan, struck Avani out of the sky with a precision earthbending attack. Shuaige witnessed the impact and Avani’s subsequent fall beyond the line of sight. The force and trajectory of the strike led him to believe the Avatar had been killed initially. Reports of her apparent death spread rapidly among the defenders, contributing to a severe collapse in morale. Shuaige immediately ordered a recovery effort despite ongoing combat. Avani was located unconscious and critically injured, having struck the ground hard during the fall. With the battle deteriorating around them, Shuaige personally oversaw her removal from the combat zone and ordered her transport to the infirmary in the Southern Tusuzu Sector. Upon arrival, Shuaige handed Avani over to Aunt Bai and the infirmary staff. At the time, he possessed no confirmation of her survival beyond shallow breathing and was informed that her condition was unstable. With no authority to remain and no clarity on her fate, Shuaige returned to the battlefield knowing that the city’s defenses were now operating without the Avatar.
In the hours following Avani’s removal from the battlefield, Shuaige Qishi returned briefly to the infirmary in the Southern Tusuzu Sector to receive an update on her condition. It was there that Aunt Bai confirmed that the Avatar was alive but unresponsive. Rather than relying solely on conventional medical indicators, Aunt Bai demonstrated Avani’s continued survival through the resonance of the Zhendi stones, which remained active and stable within the crystal array. According to Bai, the stones’ sustained hum and responsiveness indicated that Avani’s body and spirit were still tethered, though her consciousness had withdrawn beyond immediate reach. She formally identified Avani’s condition as a spiritual coma, stating that while the body was being held intact, the spirit was “gone somewhere the rest of us can’t follow.”
For Shuaige, this confirmation produced conflicting reactions. The belief that the Avatar had survived the fall brought immediate relief. Still, it was tempered by the realization that she was effectively removed from the conflict—and possibly from the world—for an indeterminate period. The proof offered by the Zhendi stones eliminated uncertainty but replaced it with a different burden: the knowledge that Avani was alive, suffering, and unreachable.
Abilities[]
Shuaige was born an earthbender and spent much of his childhood training in a formal dojo, where he worked to master earthbending alongside a rigorous academic education. At the age of sixteen, he enlisted in the Haijun Kingdom Army. After two years of active service, he achieved complete mastery of his earthbending abilities. Over the following decade, Shuaige steadily rose through the military ranks through discipline, competence, and endurance. After twelve years of service, he attained the rank of Captain in the Haijun Kingdom Army.
Instruments[]
Outside of his military life, Shuaige has maintained a long-standing connection to music. As a boy, he learned to play the erhu and was known to participate in a school band. He continued practicing into adulthood, and in his late twenties still plays regularly. During campaign nights, Shuaige was known to play his erhu alongside Fangzhu, who played the flageolet, providing music while others in the camp danced—one of the few moments where Shuaige allowed himself quiet expression beyond command.
Appearances[]
Avatar: Civil Strife[]
Book One: War[]
- Chapter 2: A Strange Visitor
- Chapter 3: Of Conquerors and Guardians Part 1: The Siege of Laofung
- Chapter 4: Of Conquerors and Guardians Part 2: The Fall of Guandi
- Chapter 5: Coming of Age
- Chapter 6: The Shipment
- Chapter 7: The City of Labyrinths
- Chapter 8: Secrets and Quarrels
- Chapter 9: Havoc in Li Jun
- Chapter 10: Escalation Part 1: Union of Two Bloods
- Chapter 11: Escalation Part 2: Siege of Taiyuan
- Chapter 12: Escalation Part 3: Storming the Spire
Trivia[]
- Shuaige Qishi means "pretty, man, knight" in Chinese.
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