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The Legend of Korra and Avatar: The Last Airbender both tell the story of a powerful bender who puts their own life on the line to save both benders and nonbenders from evil. Aang and Korra are both incredible protagonists who are willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of peace, but they can’t do it without the help of their bender and nonbender friends.
In a world where benders are perceived as the metaphorical backbone of society, the importance of nonbenders is often overshadowed. In fact, characters like Sokka and Asami prove that there are things nonbenders can do that benders cannot.
10 Nonbenders Can Avoid The Curse Of Privilege
While a bender does have the potential to bond with nature in a way that nonbenders can not, they are also more likely to lose their minds to the curse of privilege. The world in Avatar: The Last Airbender is defined by power. Those with power are offered wealth and freedom, while those without it are forced to live at the whim of power-hungry benders.
Though privilege may seem like a perk, there is darkness found in privilege that cripples the human mind and makes it sometimes difficult to understand what it truly means to be human. In the Avatar world, nonbenders are able to avoid this curse, and it allows them to form powerful communities despite their inherent disadvantage.
9 Nonbenders Don’t Let Power Get To Their Heads
Power is one of the most dangerous things that a human can be granted because of the way it tends to corrupt the ego. Every human is at risk of letting pride take over their personality, and those with power are even more likely to do so because of the way they can avoid the pain of failure.
Nothing teaches about the finite nature of humanity better than the act of failing. This is something nonbenders are constantly forced to deal with, and it allows them to learn and grow from it. The cabbage vender is the perfect example of this. After years of failing due to the antics of Avatar Aang, he never gave up and eventually rose to power.
8 Nonbenders Can Become More Skilled With Tools, Weapons, & Technologies
A bender’s ability to bond with their respective element opens the door to a relationship with nature that few non-benders get to experience. The flashback in Legend of Korra that follows Avatar Wan explains the bond that can be formed between bender and nature.
On the other hand, though, a nonbender’s fight to keep up with their bending peers allows them to bond with technology in a way that few benders can. Sokka’s skill with weapons is the perfect example of this, and the technological advancements that Asami’s family has made in The Legend of Korra prove that technology can offer nonbenders a number of useful perks in combat and life.
7 Nonbenders Don’t Have To Worry About Burning Down Their Own House Or Causing An Earthquake With Their Hands
When Airbending is reintroduced to the world in The Legend of Korra, it becomes abundantly clear just how much of a responsibility bending can be. While nonbenders are still required to be responsible members of society, they don’t have to worry about blowing off their door frame or accidently shifting the earth that serves as the foundation of their home. Everyone knows that great power requires great responsibility, but few acknowledge the fact that great responsibility often causes great amounts of stress and anxiety.
6 Nonbenders Can Avoid The Blame Associated With Poor Leadership
The Legend of Korra does a fantastic job of introducing a diverse set of villains, but Amon perhaps stands out the most. The equalist movement is riveting in the way it frames nonbenders as the villains, but even here, it’s actually a bloodbender who serves as the main antagonist of this arc. It seems that no matter where others are being manipulated by evil in the Avatar mythos, there is usually a bender at the center of it.
5 Sokka Is Proof Of A Nonbender With Wits & A Down-To-Earth Sense Of Humor
Sokka is one of the most famous animated characters of all time because of his sense of humor. While there are plenty of benders who offer up quips and jokes, Sokka’s humanity is untainted by godlike power, and it shows in his down-to-earth, relatable personality.
Perhaps the best example of Sokka’s untainted ego comes from the famous episode “Tales of Ba Sing Se.” In the 15th episode from season 2 of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Sokka enters the fray with a list of haiku that prove just how witty the young man really is. It is a hilariously impressive display of wordplay in which Sokka walks away as both a winner and a loser.
4 Terrorist Groups Rarely Target Nonbenders in ATLA or TLoK
There will always be an elitist class that is too immature to accept those who they feel are below them, but in the world of ATLA and TLoK, it seems the ones who are targeted the most are those with the most power. In both series, the Avatar is faced with a number of powerful foes simply for possessing the ability to bend all four elements.
The Legend of Korra starts off with an equalist movement that sees a terrorist groups target all benders as if they are a threat to society. The life of a nonbender may not be as glamorous as the Avatar’s, but it certainly is safer.
3 Nonbenders Can Relax & Enjoy Time With Friends Without Worrying About Saving The World
Without terrorist groups and power hungry megalomaniacs constantly threatening their lives, nonbenders are granted the perk of normality. It may seem silly to expect anyone’s lives to be normal in a fictional series about magical martial arts, but if anyone is allowed peace and normality in the Avatar Mythos, it is the nonbenders.
Aang’s struggles throughout the majority of his series are rooted in the fact that he wants to settle down and live a normal life. The responsibilities forced upon him make it impossible to relax and enjoy the life of a normal kid. On the other hand, thousands of nonbenders get to wake up in their bed, shower, and meet their friends for dim sum without ever worrying about the threat of the Fire Lord.
2 Less Time Mastering Bending Styles Means More Time Mastering Other Skills
Those who praise the efforts of Uncle Iroh do so in large part because of the way he is able to heal others with philosophical truths. Though his fire bending is impressive, The Dragon of the West’s most impressive attributes are those unrelated to bending.
Considering the time it takes to master the art of bending, few benders have the chance to master other skills. Fire Lord Ozai is one of the saddest examples of a man who has mastered bending but has failed in almost every other aspect of his life. It truly is incredible that Uncle Iroh is able to make a better cup of tea than all the nonbenders in the city of Ba Sing Se. Still, nonbenders can focus on honing other important skills while benders focus on bending.
1 Asami & Sokka Are Two Of The Most Relatable Characters In The Avatar Mythos Due To The Fact That They Can Not Bend
It would be incorrect to say that Sokka and Asami are the most loved characters in their respective series, but they are absolutely two of the most relatable characters in the entire Avatar mythos. Watching Avatar Aang fly through the sky on an airbending bison is enviable, but few viewers can relate this experience. Conversely, watching Asami speed through the city in her automobile is both enviable and relatable.
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