seems like there are schools of it and stuff. And if anyone can learn it then what is so special about being the Avatar. I have only seen the movie
Since my 9 year old is watching the entire series, I’ll go ahead and reply.
There are special people that can learn how to bend each of the elements. Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. Only one person, the Avatar, has the ability to bend all four elements.
The Avatar in the show (and movie) is still a kid though and only knows how to bend Air since that’s the tribe he’s from. In the movie, which follows the storyline of the first season of the series, he also learns how to bend the water.
I believe, also, that the Avatar is the only person that has the ability to communicate with the spirit realm. When an Avatar dies, he is reincarnated and the process starts anew.
Well there’s your problem right there.
Seriously, check out the series. I’m 37 and I loved it.
Most people are just normal. You can’t learn to bend if you’re not a born bender. Aang was a born Airbender, and since he is the Avatar, he could learn other elements too.
At least that’s how it seems to me, Unauthorized Cinnamon. 
I see how it is. I get mocked for making topics for stuff “my friend” wants to know, but as soon as a topic about a cartoon comes up, everyone on the board has a 9 year old who watched it.
no need to be embarrassed
I’m 31 and I on my third viewing of all three seasons but I love cartoons. It’s a good show.
To answer your question: no not just anyone can bend. You have to be born with the ability and then you can learn to master the element.
Actually, I had a 10 year old who watched it. But I was far more into the show than he was.
And to answer the question, only some people can bend. It may run in families, but even twin brothers might have one twin be a bender and not the other twin. Nobody knows who might be a bender until they show the ability. And benders don’t generally become skilled benders without being taught by another bender.
Bob and Cinnamon have pretty much nailed it. Bending requires both an innate talent and training. Humans aren’t the only benders, though–certain species of animals are natural benders, and human benders originally learned the basics from observing the animals. Flying bison, for example, are natural airbenders.
The Avatar is special in having the innate ability to master all four of the elements, as the others have said. There’s more to it than that, however; reincarnation plays a major role in the Avatar’s abilities. Upon death, the Avatar is reincarnated into the next nation in the cycle; while the new Avatar does not normally recall his previous life directly, in extremis, he can call upon the accumulated knowledge and power of all his previous incarnations. This potential makes him vastly more dangerous than, say, a team of master benders of each element.
No kids here. I’m an adult, and I love the series. I recommend watching it–there’s way more depth to it* than could have been crammed into a movie…even a good movie.
*Disclaimer, lest I be accused of embarrassment: I like shallow cartoons, too.
There’s a Avatar spinnoff in the making. Supposed to start next year. Avatar: The Legend of Korra.
Benders go to Bending School from the conveyor belt right after they’re born, and graduate in 15 seconds.
In the year 3003, at least.
I not only didn’t watch it with a 9 year old; I don’t have any kids at all. I watched it because it’s a good show. It would probably also be a good show for a kid, but me neither being nor having a kid, that didn’t matter to me.
To the questions of the OP, benders aren’t all that rare, given the number of them we see in the militaries of the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation. But it’s still something you either are or you’re not: Katara was a water-bender, but Sokka wasn’t and never could be, even if he tried (“why is it that whenever you play with your magic water, I’m always the one who gets wet?”). And aside from the Avatar, nobody could learn bending from outside of their own people’s element (so an Earth Kingdomer would never be a water-bender), though some of the wiser benders did develop techniques inspired by the other elements.
Schools for benders aren’t for teaching the ability to bend itself, but to bend well. At the start of the show, for instance, Katara couldn’t do much more than splash her brother, and if she never had any training, that’s probably all she’d ever be able to do. But she did have training, both formal and informal, over the course of the series, such that, by the end, she’s able to do all sorts of advanced feats.
My biggest gripe about the movie (of many) is that they stripped ALL of the humor that’s a big part of the series. Turned it into something much too serious.
Not to mention spirit bending, which wasn’t revealed until the series finale.
to expand on this, even though the show is very ambiguous, it seems like the moves are heavily predicated on form. it’s reminiscent of chi, and bending is more effective when your body follows a set pattern. Like in tai chi and other martial art forms, the moves and formations are very important. that’s what the schools teach. however, some benders are just naturally inclined because they can “feel” the bending material better - like Toph the earthbender. Being blind she was just naturally more in tune with the earth and as a result was a beastly earthbender without having formal “training”.
*no kids, but saw an episode with my sister and got hooked. it’s a really cool and unique fantasy universe and i’m eager to watch future episodes.
I’ve never watched it, so I can continue mocking you from a stance of uncompromised moral superiority.
Being blind Toph wasn’t afraid of the giant badgermoles who befriended her when she ran away from home and taught her to earthbend. Since badgermoles are natural earthbenders, their teaching was particularly effective and as a result Toph was a very powerful earthbender. Toph also learned from the badgermoles how to ‘see’ using her bending.
The bending forms and style are based on real styles.
From Wiki:
“In addition to the use of four classical elements in the series, the fighting styles associated with each element are all taken from different styles of Chinese martial arts. The series employed Sifu Kisu of the Harmonious Fist Chinese Athletic Association as a martial arts consultant.[38] Each fighting style was chosen to represent the element it projected. Tai Chi was used for “Waterbending” in the series, and it focuses on alignment, body structure, breath, and visualization. Hung Gar was used for “Earthbending” in the series, and was chosen for its firmly rooted stances and powerful strikes to present the solid nature of earth. Northern Shaolin, which uses strong arm and leg movements was used for “Firebending”. And Ba Gua, which uses dynamic circular movements and quick directional changes, was used for “Airbending”.[21][39][40] The only exception to these styles is Toph, who can be seen practicing a Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis style.”
Toph is kind of unique as she using a specific style, “Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis” while the others use general forms within their style.
I’m excited because tonight I’ll be watching the last four episodes of the series and they are some of my favorite. The scene where the lion-turtle tells Aang about energy-bending is one of my favorites.
“Before we bent the elements we would bend the energy within ourselves.” or somesuch.
I’ve only seen a couple of episodes, but I always got the idea that Sokka was the kind of oblivious comic relief character. You know, the loyal sidekick that just happens to sometimes not be too bright. Katara got the brains between the siblings.
So yeah, watching the movie was weird because nothing funny ever really happens and Sokka was so serious.
Sokka’s arguably the smartest person on the show. At the very least, he’s the most practical - he’s usually the one coming up with their strategies and long-term plans. He does get to be the butt-monkey an awful lot, because he can be very self-centered and cocky, but that’s mostly a product of him being a teenage boy, not him being intrinsically dumb.
Actually, Sokka is the comic relief, but he’s also the smart one. He played detective in one episode, and ended up being involved in several significant inventions.
Agreed. If you take him in isolation from his companions, he’s actually rather impressive. Consider that he hangs around with the Avatar, one of the world’s most powerful earthbenders, and an extraordinarily gifted waterbender (she achieved mastery at, what, 14, and kept right on learning). He’s a regular kid who somehow landed on the Magic All-Star team, and still manages to hold his own, and even be essential to their success at times.
Seriously. The guy invented several elements of modern warfare, led a strike team infiltration of an enemy nation, and dated the friggin’ moon. All while he was still too young to vote. He’s pretty epic, even if he does act silly and get himself into trouble a lot.