Avatar: The Last Airbender introduced audiences to the bending arts, which was a fun spin on a tried and tested magic system that was based on the four classical elements. It fused the elements with martial arts, spirituality, and celestial objects, which was able to weave an original magic system with complex lore that intrigued fans about how the magic of the world of Avatar conducts itself.
Complex magic systems like the bending arts tend to come with meticulous planning from the creators. However, there is one aspect of firbending in particular that is uncharacteristically left unexplored in the final seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender, a concept that factors heavily into the finale of the series.
There is a plothole about firbending in Avatar: The Last Airbender
Bending in general has been depicted as being drawn from multiple sources. Lion Turtles, celestial bodies, animals like sky-bisons, and even the bender themselves, all influence how the bending arts are used in combat. While it is greatly explored how these things influence the bending arts, there is never a concise explanation of how the celestial bodies affect fire bending, and why it is as different from other bending arts with similar sources of power.
It is shown that celestial bodies like the Sun and comets can affect firebending, with a total eclipse able to blot out firebending completely, while the arrival of Sozin’s comet increases the abilities of all firebenders tenfold.
While these concepts were integral to the plot of the final season, it was not as well explored as the other celestial bodies and their relations to their respective bending arts. For example, the waxing and waning of the moon affect waterbenders, but it does not cause them to be completely without power at the new moon, as opposed to an eclipse that completely blocks out the powers of a firebender.
Bending is further complicated in The Legend of Korra
The Legend of Korra introduced us to the concept of bending coming from Lion Turtles, and then getting further diversified as the bending arts became more complicated with the introduction of concepts like flight and lava bending.
While The Last Airbender introduced audiences to metal bending, electricity generation, and combustion bending, the nature of it all becomes more difficult to understand with the introduction of these abilities, when taken in tandem with all the concepts around bending that had been introduced.
Further, we also learn that all bending comes from Lion Turtles, who, in addition to helping Aang energybend, were also responsible for more primitive societies having the power to bend the four elements.
This, combined with the lore established in the first series, makes it difficult to understand. There is also the fact that audiences are introduced to lavabending in the sequel series, something that has been explicitly stated to be one of the sources that firebenders draw power from.
