Avatar: The Terminal Airbender draws on many different elements of Chinese civilisation, and each of the four types of bending is based on a different martial arts field of study - from tai chi to kung fu. Martial arts consultant Sifu Kisu, who has been practising different fighting styles since he was vii years old, provided movement references for the animators to give each of the 4 elements their own distinct feel. Sokka's sword master in Avatar: The Final Airbender season three, Master Piandao, was actually created as an homage to Kisu.

One of the well-nigh highly-praised aspects of Avatar: The Concluding Airbender is its elaborate fight sequences, in which firebenders confront off confronting waterbenders, waterbenders face off against earthbenders, and a few in the Iv Nations take the privilege of fighting Aang, the final airbender. In order to make the fights experience existent and make each of the 4 types of bending look distinct from one another, the animators used reference videos of Sifu Kisu and other martial artists working through the activity beats in the script. Kisu created a "Bible" of movements for each of the four bending disciplines, with the martial arts they were based on corresponding to the spirit of the element.

Earthbending, which features strong, rooted stances and powerful movements, is based on the southern Chinese martial art Hung ga. Toph Beifong fans will notice how the earthbending master favors low stances with her feet planted far apart, then that fifty-fifty her torso looks like an unmovable rock. "Hung ga is based on the movements of animals - especially the tiger, which represents hard power, and the crane, which stands for soft ability," Sifu Kisu explains in the making-of featurette Avatar: The Terminal Airbender - Creating the Fable.

Waterbending, Katara's speciality, is based on the more fluid movements of tai chi - which, Kisu explains, is "less near forcefulness and more than about alignment, body structure, breath, and visualization." Combat is simply one element of tai chi, which is only as often used in a slower form to guide meditation and strengthen the connection between the listen and the body. This style is reflected in the fact that waterbending is the merely type of bending that tin can be used for healing purposes.

Firebending, the often terrifying weapon wielded by Prince Zuko and his fellow Burn down Nation benders, is based on Northern Shaolin kung fu. "It'south a very strong, dynamic style that uses powerful hand and leg movements," says Kisu, calculation that many other styles of martial arts have their roots in N Shaolin. The ambitious style is a good fit for Zuko, who uses his firebending every bit an outlet for his anger. More than broadly, it's well-suited to the Burn Nation, which throughout Avatar: The Last Airbender is pushing to conquer all of the other tribes.

Finally at that place'due south airbending, Aang'southward original discipline and the i that comes well-nigh naturally to him. Aang uses airbending for all sorts of things, including flying with his glider and rushing around on an air scooter. Airbending movements are based on bagua, also known as circumvolve walking, which is why Aang is constantly moving in a circle when performing his airbending. The air scooter itself is based on this principle of circle walking. Bagua is representative of Aang and the Air Nomads' principle of pacifism; it's less about attacking an opponent, and more almost constantly evading their grasp.

More: Concluding Airbender: How The Very Kickoff Avatar Was Created

Moon Knight's Post-Credits Scene Could Exist The Start Of [SPOILER]'s Story

About The Author

Hannah Shaw-Williams (3313 Articles Published)

Hannah has been with Screen Rant since 2013, covering news, features, movie premieres, Comic-Con and more! Y'all tin can follow her on Twitter @HSW3K

More From Hannah Shaw-Williams