Since the Air Nomads have been almost wiped out at the start of The Last Airbender, the Avatar franchise does not have as many airbending fights as it does for other elements. However, air is such an interesting element, and each fight that audiences do see pushes the boundaries of the fighting style and allows new techniques to be shown.
Viewers get to see a lot more fights once the nation is restored in The Legend of Korra, which introduces even more amazing fight sequences. Each fight is great, but a few do stand out against the rest.
The Airbenders Vs The Dai Li
When new airbenders are created in The Legend of Korra‘s third season, they are kidnapped and forced to become weapons for the Earth Kingdom. Of course, Korra does not stand for this and helps them all escape. When the Dai Li attacks, the airbenders manage to hold them off with a massive blast of air.
This fight isn’t the most impressive, since the airbenders by this point are pretty low-skilled, but still, this is the first time viewers see a large group of airbenders in action, and it’s great. The fight is short but tense, as it is more a precursor to the troubles that will come from the Earth Queen and the Dai Li later.
The Defence Of The Northern Air Temple
When the Fire Nation attacks the Northern Air Temple, Aang, Katara, and Sokka must team up with the temple’s residents in order to defend their home. Only Aang can use actual airbending, and he doesn’t use it a lot, so this fight isn’t as impressive as it could be. But the others manage to use gliders in order to fight, which also puts the power of air on their side.
This fight also includes Sokka’s ingenious invention of the hot air balloon, so even he gets to airbend somewhat, leading to this episode being one of Sokka’s best. All in all, it’s a clever fight that uses the surroundings of the mountains and the sky to create a visually interesting fight.
The Airbenders Vs The Bison Rustlers
When Kai and Jinora get kidnapped by Bison Rustlers, the new Air Nomads team up together and manage to save everyone. The new benders haven’t been training for very long by this fight, so their moves aren’t too impressive yet, but the battle showcases the reasoning behind a lot of airbending techniques, giving the audience an insight into airbending that hadn’t been seen before.
The fight is also a great moment for Bumi, who gets over the struggles that he was facing during the episode in order to lead the airbenders to victory. Overall, the fight gives a good idea of how great the Air Nation can become once again.
Aang Escapes Zuko’s Ship
This scene is the first time viewers properly see Aang’s airbending skills in action. The fight takes place in the second episode of the series, so it is quite light-hearted, and more comical than action-packed. But it is still a memorable fight.
When Aang is captured and taken aboard Zuko’s ship, he uses air to run across the ceilings and around the guards. Furthermore, when Zuko corners him, and poses as if viewers are about to see an epic fight, Aang hilariously airbends a bed to hit Zuko multiple times, leading to Zuko collapsing rather pathetically. This fight gave audiences a good idea of just how funny the show could be.
Jinora, Ikki, And Meelo Vs The Equalists
When the Equalists try to attack Air Temple Island, it seems like Lin Beifong may get captured. But suddenly Tenzin’s kids arrive to save the day. Jinora flies in on her glider, saying one of the best quotes in The Legend of Korra, “Stay away from my dad’s ex-girlfriend,” and blasts an Equalist away.
Ikki knocks more Equalists over with an airball, and Meelo uses his iconic fart-bending to defeat the remaining enemies. Lin at first yells at the children to be careful, but after seeing this fight, she no longer feels worried. Up until this point, the kids hadn’t been super proactive fighters, so it was great for audiences to see them hold their own in a fight.
Korra And The Airbenders Vs Zaheer
In this blood-pumping final fight, which happens during one of Korra’s best episodes, ironically Korra is struggling, hence why this fight isn’t ranked super high. Zaheer is at his most powerful, having gained the ability to fly without the need for a glider. Korra is in the Avatar state, and manages to keep up with Zaheer for a while. But since she is dealing with mercury poison in her bloodstream, she almost gets suffocated by Zaheer just like the Earth Queen.
Thankfully, the airbenders, now fully trained, come to her rescue, creating a large air vacuum that prevents Zaheer from escaping. Despite how powerful an airbender Zaheer is, even he cannot beat a nation of airbenders.
Aang And Zuko Fight For Katara’s Necklace
When Zuko captures Aang’s friends and has Katara’s necklace, Aang and Zuko face off in an air and fire battle. While this fight isn’t big, it’s ranked highly since it shows a lot of fun airbending techniques, as Aang runs across rooftops and knocks Zuko into towers, and the two often mirror each other’s moves despite using different elements.
The fight also gives an iconic moment when Aang and Zuko have to dance around each other on the edge of a well, during which Aang manages to get Katara’s necklace back. Aang flies into the air and into the well, blasting Zuko away hilariously. It’s one of the best fights of season one.
Zaheer Vs The Earth Queen
Since humans constantly need air to survive, so many Avatar fans wondered how deadly airbending could be. This fight gave a terrifying answer, hence its third-place ranking. When the Earth Queen double-crosses the Red Lotus, the group easily fights off her guards. Then Zaheer does the unthinkable, and pulls all of the air from the Earth Queen, causing her to suffocate to death.
Viewers were aware that bending the elements could be deadly, but since Avatar is primarily a kids show, no one ever thought that a moment like this would happen. This fight truly showed how terrifying Zaheer could be, and is one of the most memorable moments in Avatar history.
Korra Vs Amon
Amon is one of the most powerful benders in The Legend of Korra, and his story coincides with Korra struggling to airbend. Their power play culminates in the first season’s final episode, where a momentarily powerless Korra, terrified that Amon will take Mako’s bending, manages to overcome her airbending block and fires a massive punch of air towards her adversary.
It’s a triumphant moment for Korra, since she has been struggling so much up to this point. It’s also incredible to see Amon actually get hit, as he has previously always been so evasive. While the fight isn’t the absolute best airbending fight in the franchise, it is exhilarating to watch.
Zaheer vs Tenzin
This fight is the best because it is the only fight where two airbending masters are truly trying to defeat one another. By this point in the franchise, this hadn’t really been seen before, and it was incredible to watch, especially since Tenzin seemed to be the only one who could singlehandedly hold his own against the imposing Zaheer.
The techniques shown are incredible as both opponents have to compensate for the air being sent their way as well as the air they are sending out. The fight also takes a tense turn once the rest of the Red Lotus gang up on Tenzin, and seeing him get beaten down repeatedly was horrifying for viewers to watch.
