“I imagine that bending specializations are still fairly rare. Yes, we saw a powerplant with a bunch of them, but that could just be a collection of the elite. As a world (or at leats a city) undergoing an industrial revolution, they need some form of power – firebenders provide that handily (pun intended) with both fire and lightning. Note how quickly Mako is able to get that job. It suggests that firebenders who can use lightning are still in short supply. Metal bending is also part of an elite still – just the cops, who are descendants and students of Toph.
On the other hand, perhaps those two specializations are indeed more common. One possible explanation is that the different nations have come together at this point. As we learned from Iroh, the strength of the Avatar comes from the embodiment of all four elements in one being. Iroh puts that to practical use by studying the waterbending discipline, developing his lightning-redirection technique. Perhaps benders in LoK have taken to studying with benders from other nations, thereby elevating their own disciplines!
[edit]
I am curious about what you guys think of two other theories that have been floating around the internet.
1. Amon is Bumi, the non-bender son of Aang. Note how he is "being the leaf” as he dodges Zolt’s attacks.
2. Amon is the “avatar” that was born when Aang died at the end of book 2; he lost his bending when Aang was revived but retained his connection to the Spirit World (might also explain Korra’s difficulty with the spiritual side of being the avatar).
– from an e-mail sent to us by Eric
Eric!
Great thoughts in your lengthy e-mail. Your (omitted above but still read) comments on the ongoing “Yellow Theory” are still bouncing around in my mind grapes!
But, specifically, to address the two theories.
1. First off, I kind of love that Bumi is a Squib (to borrow the Harry Potter term for a non-magical being born to magical parents), and I love that he’s named Bumi. I’d suspect he’s going to show himself at some point because he has a character design with crazy awesome hair. Being that he has a face, I’d guess that he’s not Amon, but that’s just conjecture.
He was totally “being the leaf,” though. I wonder if that will come up?
2) This would be when Aang’s chi was blocked much like the theory that Amon isn’t Energy Blocking, but rather committing a more complex full-body chi block. Interesting thought. Being that the White Lotus is the ancient society with all the rules about how Avatar’s work, they’d likely be the ones to know if this is possible.
Is it mathematically possible? Aang died at 66, Tenzen was Aangs last child born when Aang was 32 and Tenzen is a good 50/51 when we meet him. I think mathematically, this makes Amon’s birth falling between Books 2 and 3 unlikely.