The Avatar animated series are iconic shows everyone remembers with smiles on their faces due to their impact on viewers, time and again. Every Season/Book in the series was laced with thrilling adventure, good-natured comedy, great fight scenes, and lovable musical themes. In short, the series is breathtaking, and its true worth still remains in its high re-watch value. Avatar is best known for the four central bending skills – water, air, fire, and earth- forming the basis of most fights and occurrences in the series.

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The Avatars themselves are the culmination of all bending skills, capable of besting their opponents using their inherited trans-generational experience and the heightened Avatar State. However, a bending form that is not often talked about but is even more powerful than the default bending types is Energybending. Avatar: The Last Airbender first introduced energybending during the eve of Aang’s battle, using the sacred Lion Turtle. Later, Avatar: Legend of Korra revealed more details on the powerful technique. So, what are the core details to note about energybending?

Forms, arts, styles & techniques will be used interchangeably in relation to "bending types."

8 The Lion Turtles Are The First Known Energybenders

Avatar: The Last Airbender revealed energybending subtly during the last heated battle of the series, the war with the Fire Nation. In the midst of the battle preparation, Aang met the Lion Turtle, who passed down the knowledge of energybending to him. In Avatar: Legend of Korra, the lore behind the Lion Turtles was finally explained.

During the flashback revealing the first Avatar, Wan viewers witnessed the Lion Turtles use energybending on humans, manipulating their internal energies and chi paths. Consequently, the Lion Turtles are experienced practitioners of the technique. It is also possible that the Lion Turtles first created the powerful technique – which isn’t surprising regarding their spiritual nature.

7 The Four Central Bending Techniques Are Inferior Forms of Energybending

The four main bending styles: water, air, fire & earth may be the highlight of the Avatar franchise; however, it doesn’t change their inferiority compared to the original bending form. In Avatar: Legend of Korra, the Lion Turtles bestowing powers to humans were among the central discoveries in the Wan arc.

The abilities granted to humans were none other than the bending forms. Simply put, the bending forms are the human way of manipulating energy. It's powerful, no doubt, but it's still a watered-down imitation of the original bending style: Energybending.

6 Energybending Is The Oldest Bending Style

Since the four bending forms originate from the energybending, it’s only natural that it’s the oldest bending style. Furthermore, the Avatar Franchise did not reveal any other bending form that predates it. Before humans could bend, the Lion Turtles were natural Energybenders. They were the first creatures in the Avatar world, and each Lion Turtle had an affinity with a specific bending ability.

So, when they transferred a bending ability to humans using energybending, it was based on their natural affinity. For instance, if a Lion Turtle had a special affinity with fire, it could transfer firebending to humans. In summary, energybending is the first & oldest bending form, with each Lion Turtle possessing different variations.

5 Aang Used Energybending to Remove Firelord Ozai’s Firebending

In Avatar: The Last Airbender, Aang’s fated mission was to defeat Firelord Ozai by killing him. However, the young Avatar was opposed to killing Ozai. To try and prevent that, he consulted the past Avatars within, but their counsel still hinged on his “duty,” which involved murdering Ozai. In his troubled state, Aang then met the last Lion Turtle.

After explaining the situation to the ancient creature, the Lion Turtle transferred the art of energybending to Aang. Subsequently, Aang then used the technique to remove the Firelord’s firebending permanently. Aang also used the technique to remove Yakone’s bloodbending in Legend of Korra.

4 Energybending Can Restore The Four Central Bending Techniques

Since the Lion Turtles can transfer bending abilities using energybending, it is plausible that the technique can revive the art. Korra proved this theory in Legend of Korra. Amon, the powerful psychic bloodbender, was able to remove bendings. Even Korra was no exception to this. After he removed Korra's bending, she drowned in despair for a certain period until she met Aang.

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After Aang restored Korra's bending, she was able to restore the bending techniques removed by Amon. She restored Lin Beifong's earthbending, proving that energybending is the strongest bending form.

3 Energybenders Can Manipulate Spiritual Energy

Energybending is similar to Spiritbending, but it's different. Spiritbending is a higher form of waterbending that allows the Waterbenders to manipulate the energies present in spirits. On the other hand, energybending allows users to manipulate raw spiritual energy within the atmosphere.

It is an advanced form of spiritbending. In the Avatar franchise, only Korra has visibly practiced this formidable technique. Korra used energybending – spiritual energy manipulation, to save Jinora from hostile spirit vine traps in Legend of Korra’s second season.

2 Energybenders Can Manipulate Cosmic Energy

Cosmic energy manipulation is closely similar to spiritual projection. Spiritual projection involves detaching one’s spirit from the physical body – it can only be achieved when a bender has a high sense of spirituality. However, it lacks offensive power. Conversely, cosmic energy is a higher form of spiritual projection.

Energybending allows users to manipulate cosmic energy. Cosmic energy is metaphysical energy primarily used by Avatars – especially in the Avatar State. However, through energybending, users can manipulate cosmic energy differently. This was seen when Korra revealed her corporeal form – projecting her spirit into the physical realm to battle Vaatu. Even Vaatu, the Dark Avatar, was able to fire beams purely made from cosmic energy, revealing a different aspect of the technique.

1 The Avatars Are The Only Human Energybenders

Energybending is a powerful technique, and it cannot be used by regular benders, even powerful ones. Generally, the Avatars can't energybend. The reason Aang was able to use the art was due to the power transfer from the Lion Turtle. Similarly, Korra was able to energybend due to Aang's transfer of the knowledge of the technique.

Energybending is the technique that makes Korra stand out from the past avatars. Her execution of the technique was on a different level, surpassing even that of Aang. Unalaq as a dark Avatar was able to energybend, too, depicting that it's a skill, exclusive to only Avatars.

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