Who are the strongest characters in Avatar: The Last Airbender?

In this list, we’re going to be looking at the strongest characters from the original Avatar: The Last Airbender show, and ranking them based on their overall power as displayed in the show.

#7 Zuko

It’s funny that for as central of a character that Zuko is and as intriguing as he is, he’s actually not the strongest character in the series. Despite coming from a family of powerful benders, Zuko is not the bending prodigy his sister is, and honestly seems to be more of a virtuoso with his swords than he is with his bending.

That being said when you remove all the comparisons, Zuko is a powerful bender in his own right, and one of the strongest swordsmen in the show. His main flaw throughout the show from a character and bending standpoint is his inability to decide. Once he gets past that, he gets considerably stronger, even mastering the ability to redirect lightning bending (something only the powerful Iroh has shown himself to be capable of).

#6 Katara

Katara has arguably the best arc in regards to gaining power over bending out of everyone in the series, even Aang. While Aang may reach unparalleled levels of power, he also started with considerable air bending skills and even ended the first season with an incredible display of power in the Avatar State. Meanwhile, Katara could hardly bend at all at the beginning of the show, and it wasn’t foreshadowed that she would end up being as powerful as she is.

By the end of the show, she has power equal to if not greater than Fire Nation royalty, and even masters some truly scary things like blood bending (shivers).

Katara is the perfect depiction of the power of water-bending – graceful, enduring and overwhelming, and the ideal teacher for Aang.

#5 Toph

Toph is crazy strong when we first meet her, and she gets even tougher at the series goes on. She may be blind, but that blindness almost just gives her more power, causing her to rely more profoundly on her earth-bending to sense her opponent’s movements.

While earth-bending often gets less attention than some of the other, flashier bending styles out there, Toph shows how powerful it can actually be. Beyond that, Toph is the inventor of metal bending, and that’s an incredible asset to have when facing off against a world dominating army that likes to use metal tanks and stuff.

Bottom-line, Toph is a once in a generation talent that puts her even on a similar pedestal as the Avatar in terms of strength, an Aang is one lucky guy to have her as his teacher.

#4 Azula

Azula scares me. Quite honestly, she should scare anyone who is fully aware of the extent of her power. Capable of lightning bending just like her father, her raw power is beyond just about anyone’s capability in the show of handling (besides perhaps her more grounded father and uncle). We can certainly see why Zuko has something of a chip on his shoulder – he doesn’t have the kind of dicipline and cruelty that Azula has that makes her a true fire-bending prodigy.

However, Azula also is a bit nuts, something which really comes out in her final battle against Katara and Zuko. That flaw eventually leads to her downfall

#3 Uncle Iroh

Uncle Iroh is a force to be reckoned with, and really a close contender with his brother, the Fire Lord, for strongest fire-bender in the series. Uncle Iroh has shown incredible proficiency in leading armies, excellent strategy in his work with the secret organization called the White Lotus, and a kind and mentoring heart in his mission to save Zuko from becoming like the rest of his deranged but powerful family.

Beyond that, Uncle Iroh’s power is virtually unmatched, and it’s quite likely that he could even overwhelm his brother if the two were to ever face off. Not only can he fire-bend at the highest level, he’s also met with the fire dragon spirits to learn the secrets of redirecting lightning.

Uncle Iroh is a terrible force to be reckoned with so don’t let his affable, tea-loving demeanor fool you.

#2 Fire Lord Ozai

The Fire Lord is a powerful bender capable of going toe-to-toe with even the Avatar. His powers, however, are greatly enhanced by the Comet, and he only dares to make his most risky moves when that comet is present.

We see Fire Lord Ozai use fire-bending out of his feet to propel him like a jet when battling Aang, and summon powerful lighting to strike down his foes. Beyond his bending prowess, however, Ozai is a terrible dictator, and wields the power of the world’s strongest nation in an attempt to utterly vanquish any remaining opposition.

It’s quite likely that without Avatar Aang to stop him, he would have succeeded.

#1 Avatar Aang

Avatar Aang basically has to be the strongest character in the series because in him is contained all the knowledge and power of the previous Avatars. All of this power is capable of being accessed when any Avatar enters the Avatar State. The Avatar state grants Aang unparalleled power, and the ability to use techniques and bend elements with mastery that he himself hasn’t yet gained.

Of course, Aang is only a child by the conclusion of the show, so it’s pretty likely that he went on to achieve far greater mastery over the elements during his lifetime than what we ever see.

Beyond even the Avatar State or mastering the elements, however, Avatar Aang goes a step further by learning to bend energy itself. It’s this powerful ability that grants him total dominance over his foes, even managing to defeat the Fire Lord Ozai.

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