Firebending

Firebending


Firebending, one of the four elemental bending arts, is the pyrokinetic ability to control fire. It is unique among the bending arts, as it is the only one in which the performer can spontaneously generate the element. While the first human firebenders were the Sun Warriors, it has since spread to the people of the Fire Nation, and the United Republic of Nations.

Fire is the element of power, consisting of overpowering force tempered by the unflinching will to accomplish tasks and desires. However, it can also be fuelled by negative feelings such as hate and anger, which ultimately make it more powerful, but at the cost of the bender sinking deeper into negativity. Firebending draws its power from the sun, and the first human firebenders derived their firebending techniques from the dragons.

Firebending is notable for its intense and aggressive attacking style and general lack of adequate defensive moves, although some notable firebenders utilize creative defensive techniques by creating large walls of fire, or shooting down incoming objects with precise attacks.

Origin
During the era of Raava, people received the element of fire from the lion turtle that was the guardian of their city, who would grant them the power of fire bending. They could request it whenever they ventured into the Spirit Wilds and were to return it when they came back. However, Wan stole the power to better his life and that of his impoverished friends, but was captured, and banished. He was allowed to keep the power of fire to protect himself, and ended up befriending the spirits. As such, he managed to hone his firebending skills by learning the proper way of bending from the dragons that lived in the Spirit Wilds. He developed his style in such a manner that his fire became an extension of his body, rather than a mere tool for protection as the others perceived it. Others learned of his survival, and also set out into the Spirit Wilds with the power of fire, no longer wanting to live under the poor conditions they had in the city.

In the years following, firebending was learned from the dragons that had once populated the firebenders' land. The first people during the era of the Avatar to learn from the dragons were the Sun Warriors, who understood the connection between the fire of their souls, the fire of the dragons, and the sun.

Firebenders draw their power from the sun and other solar objects, such as comets. A solar eclipse has the potential to completely negate a firebender's power, which is the result of a direct connection between the sun and firebending. Firebenders are also said to draw power from volcanic energy and lightning.

Fighting Style
Firebenders use their chi as a source for their bending. This facet of firebending is a sharp contrast to the other bending arts, which manipulate already present sources of their element, though firebenders can also control or enhance flames nearby. Unlike other bending disciplines, firebending has few defensive moves aside from blocking and dodging, although master firebenders are able to create walls of fire to absorb incoming attacks or shoot down approaching projectiles.

Firebending uses concentrated barrages of fire to overwhelm opponents before striking a fatal blow. Swift, whirling kicks and punches generate diverse shapes for offensive attacks. This strategy is probably what makes firebending arguably the most suited to pro-bending out of all the bending arts. Firebending tactics and forms have required little modification for use in pro-bending, the most noticeable difference in the restriction on the use of prolonged fire streams. Nevertheless, quick flurries of kicks and punches allow a pro-bending firebender to retain excellent mobility around the arena while simultaneously trying to push back the members of the opposing team.

Circular motion is also a crucial element to the skill as it seems to "power up" and enhance the firebender's flames. When creating lightning, the firebenders often move their arms in slow, circular motions, similar to waterbenders but with more tension. As said before, firebenders often use whirling kicks or punches to create arcs, or just to power their bending.

Firebending Abilities
Blocking fire: A skilled firebender can defuse and extinguish an oncoming fire blast from another firebender by using a swift kick, jab, or any other defensive maneuver, allowing them to stop attacks.

Fire blade: As a more advanced version of a blazing arc, firebenders can create thin blades of fire by narrowing their flame projections, which can subsequently be launched at opponents.

Blazing rings and arcs: Spinning kicks or sweeping arm movements create rings and arcs to slice larger, more widely spaced, or evasive targets.

Fire bomb: Considered a short range attack, a firebender can create a flame at the end of a limb, and thrust the flame down in an explosive burst.

Fire circle: The bender creates a circle of fire and suspends it in the air for an extended period of time.

Flame redirection: In a similar fashion to waterbending, firebenders are capable of changing the course of an incoming fire blast and redirecting it back at the attacker using fluid motion. This move exemplifies the use of firebending as an extension of the body and is used infrequently in modern combat in favor of more offensive maneuvers.

Fire daggers: Blowtorch-like jets which are created from the fist or fingertips to use as close range sword-like attacks. However, they lack the ability to actually block physical objects.

Fire streams: Another basic firebending ability, firebenders can shoot continuous streams of fire from their fingertips, fists, palms, or legs. These streams can be widened to create flame-thrower like techniques.

Fire whip: An extension of a fire stream, this continuous stream of flame can be utilized as a whip. Can counter water whips.

Fire lashes: An even further extension of the fire whip/stream, firebenders can create a long lash of fire, and bring them down on their enemies.

Fireballs or "Fire-jabs": A basic ability, jabs and punches produce miniature fireballs and missiles of flame. These can be charged up (refer to charged attacks) to create larger, slower bursts, or swiftly and repetitively fired to keep opponents off balance.

Heat control: Certain advanced firebenders appear to have the ability to control heat. Using this technique, firebenders can heat a wide range of liquids, like water or tea, heat metal to scalding temperatures, or melt ice.

Shield of fire: This creates a protective fire shield around the front of, or the whole body of, a firebender that can deflect attacks and explosions. It may be a lesser version of the Wall of Flames.

The Dancing Dragon: This firebending form was learned from the sacred statues that were hidden atop the ancient civilization of the Sun Warriors. It involves a more fluid and natural form of firebending. It is a simple, yet possibly very powerful firebending form, as it also brings advantages for more skilled firebenders. It is also one of the few firebending techniques with defensive capabilities. There is a circular nature to the technique, which is unusual in firebending; the only other known techniques to incorporate smooth, circular movements are the fire circle and lightning generation.

Master Level Techniques
Charged attacks: Certain firebenders have been shown charging their attacks before releasing them, allowing them to create enormous blasts of fire.

Fire augmentation: Firebenders can also control the size and intensity of any nearby flames and can draw them in to manipulate them at will.

Fire comet: An advanced form of the fire stream in which the user pressurizes the fire into a ball, and shoots it toward the enemy.

Fire missiles: A more advanced form of the fire stream, powerful firebenders can shoot long streams of fire that follow the target as they move.

Fire pinwheel: A whirling disk of flame, capable of being used at long range.

Intertwined fire stream: An advanced move based on the basic fire stream. The performer directs two powerful fire streams at their opponent, though by intertwining the two streams, a massive comet shaped fire stream is formed that has more power than the single stream.

Jet propulsion: Skilled firebending masters are able to conjure huge amounts of flame to propel themselves at high speeds on the ground or through the air. This technique can also be used to briefly run up a vertical surface or alongside a horizontal one.

Pressure control: An advanced form of heat control, the firebender superheats the air around him or her, causing a rise in air pressure in small, enclosed areas which often has explosive implications.

Pressurized fire stream: A more powerful form of the fire stream, achieved by pressurizing the fire before it is released. It covers more area than a regular fire stream.

Wall of flames: One of firebending's few defensive techniques, either a situated explosion or controlled inferno, this wall of concentrated flames acts as a barrier to incoming attacks. It may be a more powerful version of a fire shield. It not only protects against attacks, but when used right, can be used to stealthily escape from foes.

Avatar Level Techniques
Lavabending/magmabending: Avatar-level firebenders are able to bend lava and magma, although not with the same ease by which waterbenders bend water. They can even cause dormant volcanoes to erupt at will. This ability contrasts sharply with other types of firebending, as lava and magma are superheated physical substances, rather than a chemical reaction. The manipulation of lava is a combination of earthbending and firebending, and thus only an Avatar can perform it on their own.

Long-range multiple fire whips: An Avatar-level firebender can produce fire whips, the most being five at once. They are capable of reaching across long distances. Each fire whip is also very wide and moves in a similar fashion to squid or octopus tentacles. They have enough destructive power to demolish large rock formations.

Special Techniques
Blue fire: While not to be confused with lightning, blue fire also seems to possess more physical force and produces a combustive effect that is more intense than that of normal fire. Speculation is that blue fire can only be acheieved through a complete mastery of Firebending as well as a burning inner will, usually involving the lust of more power.

Breath of fire: The breath of fire involves the user firebending out of his or her mouth, mixing air from the lungs with the flame, creating a wider, hotter blast. With its wide, encompassing range, the technique allows for staving off multiple opponents and is also shown to be able to instantaneously warm the body even under frigid conditions.undefinedIt is also useful for stealth, as it requires no hand motions and can thus be impossible to predict. Suprisngly, tea can also serve as a catalyst for this technique.

Energy reading: In a similar way to healing, firebenders are capable of using fire to sense chi paths and interpret spiritual energy.

Heat control: Certain advanced firebenders appear to have the ability to control heat. Using this technique, firebenders can heat a wide range of liquids, like water or tea, heat metal to scalding temperatures, or melt ice.

Lightning
Certain powerful firebenders are able to generate and manipulate lightning by separating the yin and yang energies. Lightning, also known as "the cold-blooded fire", is considered the most powerful firebending technique, and its use is available only to a select few firebending prodigies and masters.

Some experienced firebenders are unable to generate lightning because they do not possess inner peace. If a firebender who harbors inner turmoil tries to generate lightning, it would only cause a miniature explosion.

Lightning generation: Lightning generation is the ability to generate and direct lightning. It requires peace of mind and a complete absence of emotion.

Lightning redirection: After observing the redirecting techniques of waterbending, a technique was developed to redirect the course of lightning strikes by absorbing it through one arm, guiding it through the stomach, and out the other arm.

Opposing Bending Art
Firebending is the opposing art to waterbending, though they share facets of self-control, diversity, and variation in strength due to external forces and strong emotions. Firebenders use quick strong punches and kicks to shoot fire, while waterbenders use smooth movements and elegant turns and spins to return the momentum of the opponents' attacks. Firebenders attack first, while waterbenders wait and turn their target's attacks against them.

The two bending arts are also opposed by their celestial power source; firebending is fueled by the sun, waterbending by the moon.

Like all bending arts, firebending is balanced out as to not be more or less powerful than the other arts. It has repeatedly been illustrated that it is the skill and prowess of the user that determines victory.

Weapons
Firebenders sometimes incorporate weapons into firebending, such as swords and other bladed weapons, shaping and channeling the flames down the blades.

Weaknesses
Extreme cold: Cold temperatures reduce a firebender's abilities, to the point where in consistent subzero temperatures even attempting to use fire is useless.

Full moon: With waterbending becoming stronger with it and firebending being water's opposite element, the full moon weakens firebending to some degree.

Lack of defense: The major combat weakness behind the applied art of firebending is its confrontational nature. Due to its aggressiveness and pursuit of continuous assault, it traditionally lacks basic defensive techniques, which can leave an inexperienced bender considerably vulnerable to enemy counterattacks, though masters can effectively use firebending for defense.undefinedIt also consumes a vast amount of energy leaving the bender at a considerable disadvantage in a prolonged battle. A common mark of a firebending master is the ability to sustain attacks for long periods.

Lack of drive: In order to firebend properly, one must have "inner fire", his or her drive, without which one's firebending becomes weak. If one loses a drive they have had for years, their bending may even disappear until they restore their drive or find a new one.

Other circumstances: A firebender's power may decrease in any situation which might extinguish their flames, such as being underwater or caught in the rain, although this could be overcome by melting objects at close proximity.

Poor breath control: According to Iroh, true firebending power comes not from physical size or strength, but rather from the very control of one's breath. Firebender discipline stresses self-restraint and breath control as a means of directing and containing the fire manifested. Poor breath control means dangerously poor control of any fire generated. For this reason, breathing exercises are one of the most critical first steps for beginning firebenders.

Poor self-control: Though anger, rage and other intense emotions can amplify the power of firebending, it can lead to dangerous explosions or wildfires and can also cause any nearby flames to burn out of control.

Solar eclipse: Firebending's connection to the sun results in a lessening of strength during the night and a complete loss of firebending during a solar eclipse.

Spirituality and Firebending
A firebender's powers seem to increase during the day in the presence of the sun. Because of this solar sympathy, their powers are weakened at night and a solar eclipse can temporarily negate their powers entirely, much like waterbenders' powers are negated during a lunar eclipse. Aside from their main power source, the sun, firebenders also draw their energy from other heat sources, including volcanic activity, lightning, and passing comets, if they somehow become a heat source, such as a comet, which ignites when it brushes the atmosphere. A firebender's power is intensified in warmer climates and is at its peak when situated near their native equatorial homelands during the summer.

Firebending's distinctiveness is in its uncontrolled nature; fire, if left to itself, will consume everything it can. Firebending is thus a matter of controlling an element rather than directing it. Many firebenders are intoxicated by their power, while more prudent ones feel cursed or humbled by it. Fire is life and industry, comforting and creative.

Agni Kai
Among firebenders, or at least those of the upper-class, disputes of honor are settled by a challenge to an Agni Kai, or "fire duel", a traditional firebender duel that is centuries old. Such a duel is conducted in an open-air arena, and it may be witnessed by spectators. The traditional time for an Agni Kai is sunset or sunrise, although it is not a requirement. While not an explicit condition, Agni Kai have become almost exclusively duels to the death. The victor may spare the defeated, but it is generally looked upon as an act of weakness rather than generosity. The duel is traditionally fought bare-chested and the contestants may have one or more "seconds", i.e. people who stand around in that person's corner of the field and may attend to their champion before and after the duel, or bear them away in case they die fighting. The opening pose of an Agni Kai is squatting with back turned to the opponent. During this phase, both contestants traditionally wear a red-and-black shawl over their bare shoulders, which is dropped upon turning to face each other. It is considered dishonorable to attack from behind in an Agni Kai, especially for a defeated opponent who has been spared by the victor.

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