I would assume so execpt for the fact that all Air Nomads were Airbenders, but this is not attributed to genetics, but to the high level of spirituallity of the Air Nomads. So which is it, genetics or spirituality?
I would assume so execpt for the fact that all Air Nomads were Airbenders, but this is not attributed to genetics, but to the high level of spirituallity of the Air Nomads. So which is it, genetics or spirituality?
Which element a kid can get seems to be genetic (with the possible exception of airbending; we don't know how much Harmonic Convergence threw that out of whack, or whether or not any Bopals could inherit their mom's element). Whether or not they're benders at all seems to be almost random; we've seen several nonbender parents with bender kids (the Watersibs' parents, the Beifongs, Ursa and Ikem).
all these people arguing and no one was really paying attention to the show? I mean it's clearly more complex than just making a choice between the 2.
every element has its own kind of energy and if ur body happens to have that energy flowing on/in u you'll be able to bend.
it doesn't matter what makes u have that energy on/in you but certainly, there are many factors including:
genetic heredity, the avatar or the turtle lions (or whatever) closing/opening or just basically gives u that energy, u get it urself through training, like how some characters in the show learned the bending from animals and the moon.
(it isn't clear if anyone can learn to bend from the animals or it depends on their personality and physical and spiritual state of their body)
it doesn't seem they explained deeply these things but apparently even if anyone could learn bending by training and trying to get these energies to flow inside u by some spiritual actions people don't seem to care enough to even try...
it just feels like they're agnostic or don't care about their spirituality (aka religion) and a world where Buddhism seems to be the only religion out there?
anyways it's pretty complex therefore u can't just make a simple choice between genetics and spirituality.
Quantaz, are you saying Amon's followers could have just learn, but because of their agnostic they couldn't?
no, it seems like they didn't even know that or they didn't want to.
I wonder when bendering became genetic. I mean there are two main points people learned through animals and spirts. So I guess spirts came first causing the people who learned among the spirts to learn it and I guess the spirts powers caused a genetic change. Others learned through animals
I was just thinking of this. In Katara's case, neither Hakoda nor Kya were benders. Now that I think of it, I don't know if either of Toph's parents were benders either. Perhaps it's possible that one of their parents were benders and they passed it on, but it's a bit of a mystery to me.
Maybe it functions a bit similarly to magic in Harry Potter, where you could essentially be the equivalent to a "pure-blood", a "half-blood", a "muggle-born", or a "squib".
I do think it's genetic. However, like anything it can skip generations. There is enough proof that many of the benders are get it from their parents. Like how Katara's and Aang's are either air or water benders. I wonder if a Avatar somehow had their kid be the avatar
The creators never actually clarified that it's genetic as in a string of DNA; they describe it in those terms but always bring it back to the spiritual side of things and not merely a direct line. They also seem to prefer it being somewhat mysterious, which doesn't fit with a purely biological nature.
In saying that the Firelords have always seemed like an exception to me; until the current generation the children of a Firelord have been (talented) benders again and again.
So too, with the Air Nomads; I have always thought that their small population and lack of intermingling with other populaces contributes to their high density of benders. They're spirituality and closed society are closely connected though, so it's not simply genes.
I'd say it's not genetic in the literal sense, but hereditary in a metaphysical one. Apart from Harmonic Convergence you won't have Earth kingdom citizens suddenly Air Bending, or Water Tribespeople suddenly becoming Firebenders.
That does beg the question of culture though; if someone was born to Earth nation parents but raised in the Fire Nation by a couple of Fire Benders would there be any possibility of them becoming a Fire Bender? My instinct is no; otherwise Air Bending could return without such a dramatic plot device and retcon of bending origins.
Beyond the pair of twins where one had Earthbending and the other didn't I think the most interesting example of heritage in relation to Bending is Bolin; I mean seriously, of all Earth Benders to have the ability to learn Lava Bending it's the kid whose parents are from the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation respectively with a brother who is highly talented at Fire Bending... Coincidence? I think not!
Not sure about Ghazan's heritage but I think this tells us something personally.
Anyway, all in all I think there's nothing strictly genetic biologically but it does have a lot to do with heritage; it's more abstract than recessive genes but more than just random chance. A spiritual legacy, perhaps.
Genetics decide what element the person would bend, while something else would decide if this bending gene is active. That's the only way it makes sense.