Perhaps Bending madeAvatar: The Last Airbenderquite an iconic cartoon for its time, especially as it groundedAvatarand its world around its four elements instead of simply giving its protagonists a wide array of powers. Moreover,Avatar Generationsbeing an RPG may add an interesting tactical component to the combat system that can interest fans of the show.
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With Bending based primarily on various martial arts, it’s quite interesting to see howAvatar Generationsplans on integrating aggressive Firebending, fluid Waterbending, stalwart Earthbending, and agile Airbending into the game. However, perhaps more interesting is if the game actually includessome obscure Bending stylesthat Avatar Aang and the gang eventually encounter throughout his adventures. Just which Bending styles are worth the RPG adaptation?
7Energybending
Perhaps the most mysterious of the Bending arts introduced inThe Last Airbenderseries,Energybendingwas the talent Aang used to rid Fire Lord Ozai of his Bending. Having been taught Energybending by the Last Lion Turtle, it’s heavily implied that this style predates that of the Four Elements. It’s eventually explained that it’s the Lion Turtles thatused Energybending to “bend” the chi within humans to allow them to bend. However, when the Lion Turtles renounced their roles as mankind’s protectors to the Avatar, the art of Energybending was almost lost.
In the series, Energybending can “bend” the life force of its users and targets, allowing them to impart knowledge, remove Bending, or even restore it. Due to its complex nature, Energybending inAvatar Generationscould come with rather extremely specialized effects. These could include various buffs and debuffs that can have risk-based elements, ensuring players that want to use its powerful effects may suffer consequences.
6Healing Waterbending
One of the most interesting properties of Waterbending is its ability to heal others. However,Healing Waterbendingis not as common among Waterbenders as one would realize. Demonstrated heavily byThe Last Airbendercharacter Katara, Healing Waterbending requires her to deal with water’s healing properties and then applying it to a target to heal various illnesses and wounds - both physical and mental.
However, Healing Waterbending has its limitations, such as its inability to treat fatal injuries and scars, birth defects and complications, as well as bending severage. Interestingly enough, this specialization may be used to detect blocks in chi flow. InAvatar Generations, Healing Waterbending could be a subset of Waterbending techniques geared specifically towards support. This should encourage players to acquire separate Waterbenders in charge of healing and offense, separately, which could spice up the squad-based gameplay of the RPG.
5Lavabending
Earthbenders inThe Last Airbendermay finally be able to play “the floor is lava,” although literally, courtesy ofLavabending. This Earthbending specialization allows its users to manipulate molten rock, while formidable users may create lava through phase-changing earth itself. First demonstrated by Avatar Szeto in “The Avatar State” (S2E1),Lavabending became a complex-enough technique that popular first users were Avatars Kyoshi and Roku, capable of feats such as splitting Kyoshi Island from the Earth Kingdom and even causing the Fire Temple volcano on Crescent Island to erupt.
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Due to Lavabending posing both the offensive and defensive properties of superheated-lava, its potential in an RPG likeAvatar Generationscould be extremely immense. Its techniques could be along the lines of long-ranged lava projectiles or turning part of the environment into lava to deter close-ranged combatants. In a turn-based RPG, Lavabending could be incorporated as techniques that could buff attacks of Earthbending moves, essentially adding lava as part of their components.
4Combustionbending
Popularized bythe silent assassin known only by his moniker Combustion Man,Combustionbendinginvolves condensing and superheating surrounding air in front of a point and then unleashing it towards a target. InThe Last Airbenderuniverse, Combustionbending isn’t inherently acquired but rather “learned” through special programs, as evidenced with the likes of Combustion Man andThe Legend of Korra’sP’Li having the same third eye tattoo that serves as the conduit of the combustion force.
Unlike usual Firebending, Combustionbending is extremely volatile and dangerous. It can destroy huge rocks and can even “outfire” fire. However, enemies can capitalize on the technique’s inherent weakness, such as the need of an unobstructed path and immense focus for shots to hit. InAvatar Generations, Combustionbending could come with techniques that comprise of “loading” attacks that deal massive damage at the cost of not moving for a couple of turns.
3Lightning Generation, Redirection
Aside from her blue fire, it’s Azula and her affinity with lightning that easily made her a formidable enemy inThe Last Airbender. At its core,Lightning Generationinvolves the production of a bolt of lightning through circular motion with one’s fingertips. Although taxing on one’s chi, someone with a clear mind can arc the lightning to cause widespread damage. Alternatively, Lightning Redirection involves calling forth lightning and then absorbing it in their body, slowly guiding the blast to another direction to deal massive damage. Such is the power of this technique that Azula was able to incapacitateAang, perhaps the world’s most powerful Airbender, with a single blast.
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InAvatar Generations, Lightning Generation and Redirection could fall under one technique banner due to their similarities. Techniques involving Lightning Redirection could involve charge attacks where players can call forth a blast of lightning to a single target at the cost of loading time in turns. Likewise, Lightning Generation could be a faster form of lightning attacks that don’t need loading time but deal less AOE damage.
2Bloodbending
When Katara wanted to further her Waterbending techniques, her teacher Hama attempted to teach herBloodbending- a technique that horrified Katara that even she refused to use it. At its core, Bloodbending allows a highly-skilled Waterbender to manipulate water inside others in the form of blood, effectively putting their physical faculties under their control. Such was the complexity of the technique that Hama, the original Bloodbender, was only able to do it during the full moon at the height of Waterbending powers.
It was only inThe Legend of Korrathat other Bloodbenders appeared, and even then they were limited to one bloodline. InAvatar Generations, Bloodbending could be a Bending specialization boasting very few techniques that have high resource cost due to its complex nature. Moreover, some of these skills could focus on stunning or paralyzing individuals, perhaps with effects akin toPokemon’sConfuse that can make affected targets hit themselves.
1Metalbending
WhenToph proclaimed she was the greatest Earthbender of all timein the events ofThe Last Airbender, her invention ofMetalbendingpractically sealed the deal. After being caught and put in a metal cage in “The Guru” (S3E21), Toph realized with Seismic Sense that metal still had trace amounts of earth and, for all intents and purposes, bendable with enough focus. And sure enough, in a couple of episodes, Toph was able to twist and turn metal to her whims and even create metallic armor from steel walls capable of withstanding fire.
After the events of the series, Toph created the Beifong Metalbending Academy and even found the Metalbending Police Force inThe Legend of Korra. In theAvatar GenerationsRPG, a Metalbending specialization may give players access to techniques that resemble the Police Force’s moves. These include metal clasps that stun or paralyze enemies, as well as steel cords that may allow players to reach enemies from afar or boost some sort of speed stat.
Avatar: Generationsis slated to have a soft launch this August 2022 for Android and iOS.
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