Avatar: The Last Airbender might have been a show for children, but plenty of moments could be terrifying even for adults. However, these moments do not impede the show’s child-friendly nature and are even some of the most beloved scenes for many fans. Given that these scenes are important to fans, Netflix must keep these scenes in the narrative for its live-action adaptation.
One of the many terrifying but still beloved scenes from the series is that of bloodbending, an ability that is present among waterbenders during the full moon (and later, even that requirement is removed). Given all the news that’s been coming out of the live-action Avatar series, the show must get this aspect of the universe right.
Bloodbending was discovered by Hama
Hama was a waterbender in the Southern Water Tribe. During the raids from the Fire Nation, Hama was among those who were captured and put in prison, as a means to weaken the southern water. Hama was put in jail specifically designed to keep water benders imprisoned.
While in jail, Hama figured that if all living beings have some amount of Water in them, there must be a way for advanced benders to bend those fluids. Practising this hypothesis on Elephant Rats, Hama was finally able to control the creatures during a full moon, where water benders are the strongest.
Using this ability, during the next full moon, Hama was able to escape. However, her hatred for the Fire Nation caused her to unleash her wrath on the citizens of the country, taking shelter in a village as an innkeeper. Creating a prison at the base of the mountain, Hama would ‘possess’ an inhabitant and lead them to the prison.
While bloodbending might save Avatar, it must stay afloat to get to it first.
While Netflix‘s Avatar: The Last Airbender initially received an overwhelmingly positive response for its trailers and teasers, as more information about the show trickles out, fans feel on edge about what they might see once the show premieres. To begin with, key character arcs seem like they are altered (such as Sokka’s sexism). Further, comments such as ‘the show wants to cater to fans of Game of Thrones’ have caused a lot of fans to already boycott the show.
To even get to bloodbending, which could save the show, the show will have to survive adapting Book 1 and Book 2 properly. Hama makes an appearance in Episode 8 of the final season of the show, which means we would not see the character until Episode 2 of the final season. Will the show have the ability to survive till then? Or will the first season fail to do what One Piece achieved? It all depends on how the creators handle the adaptation.
