The Avatar Cycle is something that has always fascinated fans. Legend of Korra was able to give us the origin of the cycle, showing the viewers how it was a human and a spirit allying together that created the Avatar, who would bring harmony and balance to the four nations and the human/spirit world.
One of the many things that have fascinated fans is how the Avatar cycle could be manipulated by other factions. Avatars could be killed to make sure the next Avatar comes from a particular nation. There have even been factions that have wanted to remove the Avatar cycle from the world completely, wanting to kill the Avatar in the Avatar state.
It is such creative explorations of key concepts in the series that have kept fans engaging with the franchise, and come up with theories that truly resonate with other fans of the franchise. One such theory is that Avatar Kyoshi was murdered in a conspiracy to have the Avatar potentially be born into the Fire Nation Royal family.
The fact that Sozin and Roku have the same birthday lends credence to the theory
Avatar Kyoshi was one of the most long-lived of the Avatars, living a whopping 250 years. The Avatar who followed her, Roku, was the Fire Avatar and was born on the same day as Sozin, the heir to the Fire Lord. While Kyoshi was one of the strongest Avatars and had faced a myriad of threats in her tenure, it’s this coincidence that lends credence to the fact that Kyoshi might have been a victim of a Fire Nation Conspiracy.
The theory suggests that in her old age, Kyoshi might have grown weaker, and could have been assassinated by the Fire Nation to control the Avatar cycle (as they have tried to multiple times). These are the same people who would go on to wipe out the Air Nomads in a bid to stop the Avatar Cycle. This would be a sound tactic, given that the Avatar of the time, Avatar Roku, was born on the same day as the Fire Nation Prince, Sozin, pointing towards a possibility of some foul play, that ultimately resulted in more problems for the Fire Nation.
The Avatar Cycle has become too predictable
The Avatar was once revered as a champion of balance, the strongest among the nations, and the one who would keep all factions of the world in check. However, it has become the norm since the time of Avatar Aang that the Avatar Cycle has become a tool of political gain and motivation, such that it has become more of a threat to balance than a convenience for the nations.
The predictability of the Avatar Cycle possibly caused the death of Kyoshi and led to the genocide of the Air Nomads. The information about the Avatar is also so widely known that factions take advantage of the knowledge to harm the Avatar, or even the Cycle completely, as was tried by the Red Lotus during Avatar: The Legend of Korra.
There has to be a system set up by the White Lotus that allows more safety for the next incarnation of the Avatar. Perhaps knowledge about who might be next in the cycle can be kept secret? This would have some interesting narrative and world-building beats which could make the Avatar even more engaging and complex as a character in the universe.
