While some of the characters in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe are truly scary like Kyoshi and Yangchen, what’s even scarier than that are the different bending techniques. Or, to be more precise, the bloodbending technique. Out of all the Chinese martial arts-inspired bending techniques, perhaps the most dangerous is none other than this one bending practice.
Although many may tend to differ and claim other bending techniques using air, earth, fire, and water are more perilous, it is only a fact that this technique is actually the most critical bending art. Proving this was the devastating death of Katara and Sokka’s mother in Avatar, Kya, who just may have been killed because of this very technique that had the Fire Nation squeaking in fear.
Kya May Have Died in Avatar: The Last Airbender Because of Bloodbending
All of the Avatar: The Last Airbender fans are aware of just how brutally the Fire Nation treated the people of the Southern Water Tribe. While they initially imprisoned all those waterbenders, their methods started getting crueler as they eventually started killing just anyone whom they suspected of being a waterbender.
Though Katara was shown as the last remaining waterbender because of this very killing spree of the Fire Nation, viewers got to know by season 3 of the saga that there was another waterbender besides her as well: Hama. However, Hama was imprisoned by the Fire Nation in her youth during the raid of the Southern Water Tribe.
Initially, Hama relayed to the Team Avatar that she could not use her waterbending abilities to their full extent because of her imprisonment. However eventually, as the story further unfolded, fans got to know that Hama actually escaped from prison by manipulating the prison guards’ blood by using the dangerous bloodbending technique that she created while stuck behind the locked bars.
When looking at all these events closely and how the Fire Nation’s practices toward the Southern Water Tribe abruptly became more ruthless than ever, a connection forms that pretty much explains it all: This dangerous skill that Hama acquired while in prison may have made them more terrified than ever, leading to them eliminating just anyone whom they suspected of being a waterbender.
A Reddit user JohnZ117 shared this same theory, all the while further adding that this very treacherous practice by Hama could have been the reason why Katara and Sokka’s mother Kya had to die such a tragic death. After all, why else would they have abruptly killed Kya, who claimed to be a waterbender, instead of just imprisoning her like everyone else?
A little backstory here for those who may not know how Kya died: During the time the Southern Raiders attacked the Southern Water Tribe, they claimed they were looking for the last Southern waterbender. At that time, Kya was alone with Katara, and since Katara was the last waterbender remaining, Kya lied about being the waterbender herself to save Katara.
While she initially thought this would lead to her getting imprisoned by the Fire Nation, little did she know that a much heartbreakingly brutal fate awaited her. Instead of imprisoning her for the information she provided to them in exchange for protecting the young Katara, the Raiders’ leader killed her thinking she was the last remaining waterbender.
As devastating as all of this may sound, this story only further emphasizes the theory that Kya wouldn’t have been led to her untimely demise had it not been because of Hama, who further terrorized the Fire Nation by inventing the utterly destructive waterbending technique during her prison time.
Katara Also Learned Bloodbending, But Only Used it to Stop Hama
Even though this bending technique was indeed massively dangerous, Katara, the last freely living waterbender besides Hama, still learned it. As the Fire Nationals continued to be absolutely merciless when it came to the waterbenders and started eliminating them for fear of them becoming as powerful as Hama, it is only understandable that Katara learned the technique too.
However, unlike Hama, who enjoyed using the technique and used it to kidnap the Fire Nationals, Katara was scared of becoming someone who could make others dance at the tips of her fingers. Thus, instead of using this power to make others do whatever she wanted, Katara used it to stop Hama from her treacherous acts.
All in all, this entire story and Kya’s tragic death are only further proofs of just how damaging of a technique this particular bending is, that made even the Fire Nation absolutely squeak in fear!
