The internet transformed nitpicking into an art form. Since the dawn of mankind, people have analyzed and criticized their sources of entertainment. While a few might come across as harsh or unfair, the majority of them stem from a genuine passion for that product. The digital age provides fans (and haters) access to a near unlimited source of information, making it ridiculously easy to discover a community for pretty much anything. This is by no means a bad thing, as online groups allow fans to discuss their favorite series and movies with people who are actually interested. We no longer have to corner our closest friends to ramble on about the latest episode of Game of Thrones or One Piece.
While this is generally a positive aspect of fan communities, it also means creators have to be extra careful to not include any obvious plot holes. One or two fans might not pick up on every single mistake, but that changes drastically as the size of the group increase. Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra inspired countless of viewers, resulting in an extensive online discussion after the release of a new episode. As writers try to balance multiple characters and season-long storylines, occasionally a plot thread might slip through the cracks and someone is bound to notice.
Time to poke holes at one of Nickelodeon's best series! Here are 25 unresolved mysteries and plot holes Avatar: The Last Airbender left hanging.
25 Amon Can Block Bending...Because A Villain Must Be Special
Avatar: The Last Airbender ends with an epic battle between Aang and the Fire Lord Ozai. As the latter was considerably more powerful than the young Avatar, Aang learned a cool trick called energy bending, which removed Ozai's fire bending abilities. It was something of a Deus Ex Machina, but there needed to be a way to defeat this overpowered villain. Jump forward to the first season of The Legend of Korra and the main antagonist is capable of doing something similar. The leader of an anti-bender revolutionary group, Amon was capable of blocking a bender's abilities, although they could not be completely removed. The skill was definitely not energy bending, but the show does not really explain how Amon is capable of pulling off such an incredible act. Towards the end of the arc, it is revealed that he is a bloodbender, but that is all the information provided.
24 What Happened To Azula?
Although Ozai was the final boss for the original series, Azula stole the show. Zuko's gifted but sadistic sister demonstrated an incredible talent for strategic planning, as she was a central figure during the Fire Nation's attack on Ba Sing Se and the Day of Black Sun. While her father treated her like the ultimate weapon, Azula struggled with insecurity issues due to the belief that her mother preferred Zuko. She was destined to be crowned the next Fire Lord, although this never came to pass as she was defeated by her brother and Katara. After her defeat, the teenager suffered a mental breakdown and was put into a healthcare facility. Despite playing such a huge role in the original series, The Legend of Korra does not mention Azula. In the comics, she ends up doing a lot, but no real closure was provided for those who only watched the TV shows.
23 Ty Lee And Azula's Hidden Romance
While Team Avatar received the majority of the screen-time, Azula's group also benefited from a few cool character moments. Azula, Maki, and Ty Lee had an interesting dynamic, and a handful of episodes were even dedicated to developing their rapport. Ty Lee has a fascinating backstory, as she ran away from home to seek individuality due to having six identical sisters. Due to her natural good looks, Ty Lee often caught the eyes of boys, although her mind was almost always focused on Azula. While Korra and Asami were the first official non-conventional couple introduced in the franchise, there were hints that Ty Lee harbored similar feelings for Azula. As they were mainly secondary characters, the relationship was not given enough time to develop further than a friendship, but it might have been interesting.
22 Katara's Disappearing Necklace
As humans are simply not infallible, continuity errors are bound to happen. This is especially true in animation, as it is not always possible to go back and fix every mistake or omission. The Fortuneteller serves as one of the earliest episodes dedicated to the potential romance between Aang and Katara. After the latter loses her mother's necklace, the Avatar creates one for her and she decides to wear it. At this point, Katara is unaware that Aang harbors romantic feelings for her, seeing this gesture as merely a sign of friendship. Anyway, the necklace disappears once they get to the next village, with nobody the wiser. It is a small point to pick up on, and it hardly pulls you out of the episode, but we are not above nitpicking.
21 Who Fathered Toph's Children?
This entry is less of a plot hole and more of a whodunit. Great shows tend to leave a few lingering questions, just to give the fanbase something to discuss. Admittedly, this can be frustrating when it involves huge plot points, but that is not the case here. After becoming Republic City's first Chief of Police, Toph gave birth to Lin and Suyin, although they do not share the same father. As they kept their mother's maiden name, it is unlikely either of these relationships went the distance, and fans were left guessing whether the two girls were fathered by a character from the first series. The comics expanded slightly on this topic, revealing that Lin's father is a man named Kanto, although Suyin's heritage is left a mystery. Maybe some questions are better left unanswered.
20 Koh The Face Stealer Vows To Meet Again...Perhaps, Via Another Medium
There could never be enough of Koh the Face Stealer. As an extremely knowledgeable entity, Koh has been around for centuries and is the only one to remember when the Ocean and Moon Spirits traveled to the physical world. Also, as indicated by his rather suggestive name, Koh is a pretty bad dude. At the end of season one, Aang travels to the Spirit World seeking information on the location of the Ocean and Moon Spirits. Koh provides a helpful hint and proclaims that they will meet again. Fans who only watched the series are probably wondering what the hell happened to the Face Stealer, as he is never really brought up again. Koh's triumphant comeback is relegated to an online game called Escape from the Spirit World, which takes place between Book Two and Three.
19 Momo Has A Secret
The Avatar franchise introduced quite a few cute pets and animals for viewers to fawn over. One of these creations was Momo, a winged lemur and Aang's loyal companion. He lived at the Southern Air Temple and was the only survivor of his species after the Fire Nation attacked the Air Nomads. Nicktoons' Avatar Extras showed reruns of the series while including cool tidbits of information as text bubbles. During one of these events, they revealed the writers bounced around the idea that Momo was the reincarnated Monk Gyatso. This actually makes some sense, as Aang discovered Momo just before locating the Monk's corpse. This story thread was eventually dropped, as the lemur was turned into a straightforward mascot for Team Avatar.
18 Was Aang A Prodigy?
The Avatar's strength lies in their ability to control the four elements. This allows for a great deal of flexibility in combat situations while ensuring they always have a trump card for whoever they face. Since the rest of the world is restricted to a single element, the Avatar always knows the perfect ability for taking advantage of the enemy's weakness. Avatar Roku preceded Aang and required around twelve years to master the four elements. His successor managed to pull it off in around one. By the end of season three, Aang is described as the most powerful firebender in the world, while Katara compares his waterbending to that of a master. Although Aang is definitely talented, he is never really presented as a prodigy. How was he able to learn the four elements so quickly?
17 Lavabending
Despite its red-hot appearance, Lava is more rock than fire. It forms in the interior of certain planets and occasionally comes up to the surface following an eruption. Avatar: The Last Airbender introduces lavabending as a special skill that only the Avatar can perform, as it requires both earth and firebending. The Legend of Korra updated this tidbit, declaring that earthbenders are capable of manipulating lava. While not everyone is predisposed to this skill, this made lavabending considerably more commonplace than initially believed. Early on, it was even believed this technique was a special skill for firebenders, as Avatar Roku was the first person shown using it. It is almost like nobody was quite sure what to do with lavabending.
16 Zaheer's Peter Pan Syndrome
With one exception, Airbenders cannot fly. That requires removing every single tether they have to the world, which is near impossible. As Avatar: The Last Airbender tackled some rather serious topics, it might have seemed silly to show a bunch of characters flying everywhere. Zaheer is the one exception, as he does his best Peter Pan impression during The Legend of Korra. After the death of his girlfriend, Zaheer takes to the skies, indicating that he is free from any earthly binds. Tenzin comments that Zaheer is using skills that have not been employed for thousands of years, which is rather impressive. Still, all it took was a close death for Zaheer to learn how to fly? Over those many years, there was not a single airbender who suffered a personal tragedy and lost hope?
15 Bolin's Crush On Korra
The Legend of Korra got off to a rocky start, as the Nickelodeon series struggled to establish itself as a worthy follow up to The Last Airbender. The Equalist arc held potential, but so much of the first season was wasted developing a love triangle between Korra, Mako, and Bolin. The latter dedicated most of his early screen time to thinking about how to get into the Avatar's pants when his time could have been better-spent practicing pro-bending. As an audience member, it would have made for a more compelling sit as well. Bolin's crush is taken pretty seriously, eventually leading to a date with Korra. Obviously, things do not work out, as Korra clearly prefers the bad-boy type. Bolin's crush disappears pretty quickly, as he starts to date other characters, as The Legend of Korra dropped the whole love triangle.
14 INTENSE Cruelty
How could anyone not love Bosco? The dancing bear served as Earth King Kuei's personal pet and lived in the Royal Palace. Bosco was considered to be the only member of his species, although his master did order a search party to find the bear a mate. If nothing else, Kuei made for a rather awesome wingman. So, how does Bosco's story came to an end? Does he fall in love and father a litter of cubs? Or, maybe, the bear returns to his natural habitat? No, the beloved dancing bear is eaten by King Kuei's successor. Maybe it is best to take a moment to let that sink in. During The Legend of Korra, a rumor spreads that the Earth Queen Hou-Ting had Bosco for dinner. While this is never outright confirmed, and it seems way too violent for a children's show, it is the last time Bosco is mentioned.
13 Love Conquers All... Or Does It?
Saving the world is never easy, especially for a group of teenagers who are going through puberty. Despite his mature personality, Aang was only 12 years old when he returned to the battlefield. Unsurprisingly, he spends a good deal of the three seasons fantasizing about girls, with Katara receiving the majority of his attention. While the age difference was rather off-putting, Aang's crush was rather endearing and humanizing. During the final season, Aang is told that he needs to let go of Katara to master the Avatar state. This never actually happens, as the Avatar becomes even more obsessed over the waterbender. Thankfully, Aang manages to tap into the Avatar state anyway and ends up saving the day. Considering this was presented as an important task for Aang, it is swept under the rug during the final battle.
12 Survival Of The Fittest
In the non-James Cameron Avatar universe, many people are born with special abilities to manipulate the elements. Depending on their genetic make-up; they can either manipulate fire, water, air, or earth. Unfortunately, not everyone is born equal, resulting in a few muggles. These citizens have no talent for bending, putting them at a great disadvantage. Each nation has benders and muggles, with the exception of the Air Nomads, who never miss a beat. Before the fire nation eradicated them, the Nomads had four main temples spread across the world, and all of their citizens could blow wind. The explanation for this is that the Nomads have a higher level of spirituality than the other nations. While that might be the case, bending is not only based on spirituality, as physical talent is also needed. How is it possible that not a single one was born during the years?
11 Missing In Action — Silly
It is better to not mess with a guy's toys. Sokka loved his trusty boomerang and "space" sword, to the point that he seemed to have an emotional attachment to them. During the climactic battle, Sokka and Toph were caught in a precarious situation, as they were trapped on a platform at the mercy of a group of firebenders. As there was no other choice, Sokka threw his weapons at the planks supporting their enemies, buying them enough time to be rescued. Unfortunately, his trusty boomerang and meteorite sword fell into Wulong Forest to never be seen again. There was simply nothing that could be done to bring back these significant artifacts. If only Team Avatar had a talented bender capable of manipulating the Earth to discover where they landed.
10 The White Lotus Are Practically The Illuminate
The Order of the White Lotus is an underground society consisting of scholars who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of truth and philosophy. Despite the fact that nations rarely ever interact with each other in the World of Avatar - at least prior to the conclusion of the Hundred Year War - the White Lotus transcends these superficial boundaries. They are enlightened and Aang tasks them with guiding any future Avatar, ensuring they always play a role in how the world develops. Adding to their overall mystery, their origin story comes across as something fabricated by rumors and storytellers. The White Lotus was formed due to scholars wanting to challenge one another at a game of Pai Sho, which is how they got their name.
9 Firebenders Are Immune To Fire?
Soldiers of the Fire Nation are literally playing with fire. Sorry, we could not help it. While the other benders use primarily safe elements, firebenders are constantly at risk of hurting themselves. It is assumed that firebenders create their element by using their own chi as fuel, which allows the oxygen in the air to be burned. This gives them a slight advantage over the other elements, as they are not required to be next to any fire. The benders tend to create a flame right above their exposed hands, which never results in any burn marks. Sure, they can manipulate fire, but does that mean their skin cannot get burned? Taking into account Zuko's facial scar, this is obviously not the case, yet the soldiers do not wear protective gear to avoid receiving a nasty burn.
8 The Wan And Mystery
If forced to pick the worst season out of both series, it would have to be The Legend of Korra's second book. The first season suffered from poor pacing, but served up an interesting antagonist and a few great action sequences. Book Two: Spirits introduced a pantomime villain and traded the booming metropolitan Republic City for a rather bland water-tribe village. Still, it was not completely terrible, as fans were treated to an entertaining double episode establishing how the first Avatar came to pass. This two-parter was a lot of fun to watch, although it did dig a few plot holes along the way. Earlier, it is established that a Spirit would eventually kill a human if they happened to fuse together. The first Avatar forms when Wan fuses with Raava, the spirit of peace and light. The story neglects to really explain why this relationship does not result in Wan's demise.
7 Please Explain The Wandering Lion-Turtle
How does an island-sized turtle just disappear? This mystical creature has a significant role in Avatar's lore, as they were the first to bestow humans with the power of bending. During more primitive days, the Lion-Turtles would temporarily grant settlers the ability to manipulate an element so they could protect themselves while out in the wilderness. They also served as cities for these groups of people. Sadly, over thousands of years, these beautiful beings were hunted down and brought on the verge of extinction. Luckily for Aang, one survived the genocide of his species and showed up to teach the Avatar how to bend energy. This happens in the nick of time since the fight against Ozai was right around the corner. Once the lesson was thought, the turtle slips away and is never seen again.
6 Why Does Tenzin Have A Flying Bison?
During Avatar: The Last Airbender, the series suggested that Aang's flying companion was the last of his species. As the sky bison lived alongside the Air Nomads, they also fell victim to the onslaught by the Fire Nation, resulting in Appa being the only survivor. This fact does not change during the series, therefore, it is kind of unexpected when The Legend of Korra reveals that Tenzin has his own bison. At first, one might assume this is simply Appa, but that is not actually the case. In the comic series, Team Avatar discovered a new herd of bisons after the conclusion of the Hundred Year War. Tenzin's pet is named Oogi, and he belongs to this flock. For those who never got around to reading the comics, the inclusion of new sky bison must have left them scratching their heads.