Airbender

Airbenders have is the aerokinetic ability to control and manipulate air. The peaceful Air Nomads utilized this type of bending in their everyday lives.

Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly problems and concerns; finding peace and freedom was the key to solving their difficulties in life. Airbenders continually sought spiritual enlightenment, and, as a result, all children born into the Air Nomads were benders. The first airbenders learned their art from the flying bison.

The key to airbending is flexibility and finding and following the path of least resistance. Airbending is notable for being almost purely defensive, as well as the most dynamic of the four bending arts. Airbenders can overwhelm many opponents at once with large and powerful attacks that could prove fatal; however, due to the pacifist nature of the Air Nomads, such attacks are rarely used. Instead, an airbender strives to use the opponents' energy against them. Due to their aforementioned spirituality, they often adapt to the situation surrounding them and employ negative jing, preferring evasive maneuvers as opposed to direct confrontation.

Air's Grace

Gust

Levitate

Earthbender

Earthbenders have the geokinetic ability to manipulate earth and rock in all their various forms, prevalent in the Earth Kingdom and the United Republic.

Earth is the element of substance, while the people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse, strong, and enduring. Following the lion turtles' decision to relinquish their role as protectors of mankind, Oma and Shu were the first earthbenders to learn this art from the badgermoles.

The key to earthbending is utilizing neutral jing, which involves waiting and listening for the right moment to strike and, when that moment comes, acting decisively. In other words, earthbenders generally endure their enemies' attacks until the right opportunity to counterattack reveals itself.

Earth's Stability

Mold Earth

Protection

Firebender

Firebenders have the pyrokinetic ability to control fire. It is unique among the bending arts, as it is the only one in which the performer can generate the element. The first human firebenders lived in a city atop a lion turtle during the era of Raava and the art later spread to the Sun Warriors, the Fire Nation, and the United Republic of Nations. The Earth Kingdom also has a small firebending minority.

As described by Iroh,  fire is the element of power, consisting of overpowering force tempered by the unflinching will to accomplish tasks and desires. However, during the Hundred Year War, a militaristic Fire Nation twisted this into firebending being fueled by rage, hatred, and anger. Firebending draws its power from the sun, and the first human firebenders derived their firebending techniques from the dragons.

Firebending is known for its intense and aggressive attacking style and general lack of adequate defensive moves, although firebenders can modify offensive maneuvers to function as a defense, such as creating large walls of fire or shooting down incoming attacks with fire jabs.

Fire's Passion

Control Flames

Produce Flame

Non-Bender

The majority of the humans in this universe cannot manipulate the elements. However, this certainly doesn't mean they aren't equal to benders in every way - they simply must be more creative with the abilities that they do have.

Adaptability

Skilled

Specialized

Waterbender

Waterbenders are the hydrokinetic ability to control water in all of its various forms. This type of bending is used by the people of the Water Tribe, who are divided into the Southern, Northern, and lesser-known Foggy Swamp tribes, as well as those of the United Republic, each with their own unique bending style.

Water is the element of change. The moon is the source of power in waterbending, and the original waterbenders learned to bend by observing how the moon pushed and pulled the tides. The Water Tribes are the only people who did not learn to bend from an animal, though the Moon and Ocean Spirits took the form of koi fish in the mortal world near the beginning of the Avatar world.

The fighting style of waterbending is mostly fluid and graceful, acting in concert with the environment. Foggy Swamp style waterbending, however, is more rigid and straight. Waterbenders deal with the flow of energy; they let their defense become their offense, turning their opponents' own forces against them. Even when waterbenders do take an attack stance, their moves always appear to flow from one to the other.

Water's Skill

Frostbite

Shape Water