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The Air Nomads were a peaceful society, and they used airbending in their everyday lives. Airbending is the most dynamic of the four bending arts, and for the most part, it is used for defensive purposes. Air represents freedom, and in order to be a true airbender, one must detach themselves from the world’s problems and embrace both peace and freedom. Fans have met a few airbenders over the years, but some are stronger than others.
8 Laghima
Laghima was an Air Nomad guru who lived more than 3,000 years ago, and he was first introduced in The Legend of Korra’s third season. He was known for his poetry and philosophical views, and his writings were so influential that countless generations of Air Nomads studied them.
He was a talented airbender as well, and when he discovered the secret to weightlessness, he unlocked the ability of flight. Laghima spent the last 40 years of his life in the air, without ever once setting foot on the ground.
7 Opal
The New Air Nation was born after the Harmonic Convergence caused a massive energy shift. This shift gave Opal and many others the ability to airbend. Opal is Suyin’s daughter and Toph’s granddaughter, which means that she comes from a family of talented earthbenders.
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She may be a relatively new airbender, but she has shown considerable skill, in fact, some consider her to be a natural. Early on, she was able to create multiple air blasts, and she could produce surprisingly strong waves of air. As her skills improved, she was able to maintain a large defensive whirlwind by herself.
6 Jinora
Jinora is Avatar Aang’s granddaughter and Tenzin’s eldest child. Other than being a loving older sister to her three siblings, she is a talented airbender who earned her airbending tattoos when she was just 11 years old. This made her the first new airbending master in generations.
She was able to fend off the Equalists when they attacked Air Temple Island. Her airbending enhanced her fighting style, which relied on the element of surprise. Spiritual projection is an advanced bending technique, and Jinora was able to use it by combining her spiritual energy with her bending. With it, she could phase through objects and travel large distances within seconds.
5 Zaheer
As the leader of the Red Lotus, Zaheer is one of the Avatar franchise’s best villains. Some consider his actions to be justified because he wished to bring true balance back to the world, but in order to achieve this, he needed to dismantle the world’s governments and eliminate the Avatar.
He was imprisoned for 13 years for attempting to kidnap Korra when she was a child, but he broke out after the Harmonic Convergence turned him into an airbender. He may have been a self-taught bender, but he quickly mastered the art, to the point that he could fight Tenzin. He was also capable of flight, and he was able to take Korra to her limit while she was in the Avatar State.
4 Tenzin
Tenzin is Aang’s youngest child, and when he was growing up, he was the only one of his siblings who could airbend. He was personally trained by his father and became the first new airbending master in over a century. He then trained his three children, as well as Avatar Korra.
Tenzin was a pacifist at heart, but he was a talented fighter nonetheless. He was the first person to land a direct hit on Amon, and he was able to fend off the Equalists. Even while restrained, Tenzin can produce powerful tornadoes. He is one of The Legend of Korra’s strongest characters, as evidenced by the fact that it took all four members of the Red Lotus to beat him.
3 Gyatso
Prior to the Hundred Year War, monk Gyatso was Aang’s guardian and mentor. When he was younger, he was friends with Avatar Roku. He was a member of the Council of Elders, making him one of the leaders of the Air Nomads, and he was considered to be the strongest airbender in the world at the time.
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Fans never got to see Gyatso fight, but his strength and skill are quite evident. When the Fire Nation assaulted the Southern Air Temple, Gyatso was able to fight and kill several firebenders whose powers were all enhanced by Sozin’s Comet.
2 Avatar Yangchen
Yangchen was the Air Nomad Avatar before Aang, and she mastered all four elements when she was young. As a fully-realized Avatar, Yangchen was the strongest bender in the world during her time, and unlike other Air Nomads, she was willing to do anything to ensure peace.
When it comes to airbending, she could create air currents that were capable of moving the sky itself. She was renowned for her wisdom and power, but she was also feared because of her strength. She was so revered that no conflicts erupted for an entire generation following her death.
1 Avatar Aang
To many, Avatar Aang is one of the best heroes in all of animation history. He was a fun-loving and peaceful child who was forced to bring peace to a world ravaged by war. By the time he was 12, he was already an airbending master, and he was able to master the other elements in a matter of months.
Before Jinora, he was the youngest airbending master in history, and when he became a fully realized Avatar, air remained his preferred element. He ended the Hundred Year War when he defeated Fire Lord Ozai and founded Republic City. He was able to use energybending as well, an ancient art that allowed him to take away other benders’ abilities.
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