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Avatar: The Last Airbender Forums

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  • Avatar of blitzwing17

    blitzwing17

    [21]Oct 6, 2006
    • member since: 04/26/05
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    Genetics, heridity, whatever...the point is we have not yet seen a Earth Kingdom citizen bend water. So it may not be purely genetics, the fact is, where you are born has a direct impact on the type of bending you are capable of. This could be from the parents(genetics), or given from the birth land( earth spirits and such) passing on to the next generation an ability to bend.

    KHM791, presents an interesting point that even if the fire lord is defeated there might not be a chance for future airbenders. And while there is no concrete proof of this it is something that could be brought up in future episodes.
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  • Avatar of Nenimo

    Nenimo

    [22]Oct 6, 2006
    • member since: 07/06/06
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    Most everything that I have seen of avatar lends me to believe that bending isn't something genetic but something related to your personal spirit. Otherwise Aang would have to have 4 parents or some kinda genetic soup for him to be able to bend all 4 elements.
    It could also be that bending is something that is just really hard to do and that the nations keep the secret really close to themselves which is why you don't see random earth people just popping up with water bending tallents.

    I would like to see it as some kinda reincarnation thing where after the airbenders were all killed they simply were reincarnated as kids all over the various nations and that season 4 (should there be one) is about Aang rebuilding the air nation.
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  • Avatar of kris_arlens

    kris_arlens

    [23]Oct 6, 2006
    • member since: 04/16/06
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    Nenimo wrote:
    I would like to see it as some kinda reincarnation thing where after the airbenders were all killed they simply were reincarnated as kids all over the various nations and that season 4 (should there be one) is about Aang rebuilding the air nation.


    that's actually a good idea. i am assuming that in their world, the spirits give them their bending abilities based on how they act in the first years of their lives. i also think that the sandbenders are really airbenders in disguise, because all they seem to do is make tornadoes out of sand, and aang could do the same with just his airbending. i don't think genetics has much of a part in it, but i do think that there is some king of nation gene that unless the child is to be the avatar, they will only have the possibility of bending the element native to their nation, just in case a spirit messes up and confuses an airbender for a firebender or something. so if aang takes a bunch of sandbenders to one of the air temples and the sandbenders reproduce, then the airbenders could live again. i also do not believe in mixed-breed benders unless they are the avatar. two parents of different nations would probably produce children that are only able to bend whatever element native to the nation they are born in. oh, and by the way, not every single inch in ther world is necessarily part of a nation. we have not seenn a labeled, up-close map of their world yet, so we have no proof of the whole world being split into four nations and that's it. i have way too many theories.
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  • Avatar of electricblue18

    electricblue18

    [24]Oct 6, 2006
    • member since: 09/10/06
    • level: 7
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    kris_arlens wrote:
    Nenimo wrote:
    I would like to see it as some kinda reincarnation thing where after the airbenders were all killed they simply were reincarnated as kids all over the various nations and that season 4 (should there be one) is about Aang rebuilding the air nation.


    that's actually a good idea. i am assuming that in their world, the spirits give them their bending abilities based on how they act in the first years of their lives. i also think that the sandbenders are really airbenders in disguise, because all they seem to do is make tornadoes out of sand, and aang could do the same with just his airbending. i don't think genetics has much of a part in it, but i do think that there is some king of nation gene that unless the child is to be the avatar, they will only have the possibility of bending the element native to their nation, just in case a spirit messes up and confuses an airbender for a firebender or something. so if aang takes a bunch of sandbenders to one of the air temples and the sandbenders reproduce, then the airbenders could live again. i also do not believe in mixed-breed benders unless they are the avatar. two parents of different nations would probably produce children that are only able to bend whatever element native to the nation they are born in. oh, and by the way, not every single inch in ther world is necessarily part of a nation. we have not seenn a labeled, up-close map of their world yet, so we have no proof of the whole world being split into four nations and that's it. i have way too many theories.


    You are forgetting that when Toph tried to blast sand at the sandbenders, they wrapped the sand around their feet and legs so that they couldn't be knocked down. I don't think Aang can really do that with air.
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  • Avatar of piranhapete

    piranhapete

    [25]Oct 6, 2006
    • member since: 12/31/04
    • level: 11
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    dumbTVnut wrote:
    arthuroys, 3 problems:

    1.It can't have genetics because its a cartoon! Its nothing but a whole lot of dead cellulose plasterd into sheets and bits on a set of Silicon Graphics computers
    2.Even in its virtual world who and why someone has bending powers is purely the will of the writers (may ink be upon them.)
    3. The identical twins in episode 1.14 "The Fortuneteller" clearly demonstrates that bending does not follow mendelian genetics, though it can still be genetic (again assuming genetics even applies
    to this fantasy world) it would be complicated.


    1. It's a cartoon depicting a fantasy world in which genetics still has a part. Get used to it.
    2. The writers have used their will to make it apparent that bending is genetic. At least, the element is.
    3. This has already been discussed to great length, but let me try to explain this:
    -Whether you bend or not is not genetic, but the element that you do bend if you are a bender is.
    -Everyone is given a spirit when they are born. If that person's personality, or "spirit" is particularly powerful, then that person has the ability to bend. -Katara, for example, was the only person in the South pole who had not given up hope for the Avatar's return. She was also the only waterbender in the South pole. A coincedence? Definetely not.
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  • Avatar of karatewolfpunk

    karatewolfpunk

    [26]Oct 6, 2006
    • member since: 06/17/05
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    I don't think this is a waste of thread, it kinda seems like the question that needs discussion.

    If Aang does get a little productive with Katara, don't you think it would be gross if the children intermarried? :
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  • Avatar of KilalaRose

    KilalaRose

    [27]Oct 6, 2006
    • member since: 03/26/06
    • level: 13
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    karatewolfpunk wrote:
    I don't think this is a waste of thread, it kinda seems like the question that needs discussion.

    If Aang does get a little productive with Katara, don't you think it would be gross if the children intermarried? :
    in some cultures, at least in ancient times, intermarriages were quite common. the Egyptians, for example, would marry a brother or sister to keep royalty in the family. but, i would say it would be gross, and i seriously doubt that would happen
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  • Avatar of RVD3210

    RVD3210

    [28]Oct 6, 2006
    • member since: 03/03/05
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    • rank: Soup Nazi
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    KilalaRose wrote:
    karatewolfpunk wrote:
    I don't think this is a waste of thread, it kinda seems like the question that needs discussion.

    If Aang does get a little productive with Katara, don't you think it would be gross if the children intermarried? :
    in some cultures, at least in ancient times, intermarriages were quite common. the Egyptians, for example, would marry a brother or sister to keep royalty in the family. but, i would say it would be gross, and i seriously doubt that would happen


    Sweet! That means relative marriage, and getting extra retard babies! XP, sorry...that was uncalled for...*bows for forgivness.*
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