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Aside from taking away someone's bending, as seen against Firelord Ozai, is there anything more to the energybending?

Do we know any details on the technique other than what was told in the series itself?

Madara's Ghost
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  • I see a problem with the tag here. [Tag:avatar-the-last-airbender] refers to the Legend of Aang, only, but this question covers the Legend of Korra, too. I don't know what the best way of fixing that would be, but if anyone has suggestions ... ;). – looper Feb 19 '13 at 08:13
  • Start a meta post on it please. On [meta]. It's a good concern, let's see what others are thinking. – Madara's Ghost Feb 19 '13 at 10:17
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    The above-mentioned [meta-post](http://meta.anime.stackexchange.com/questions/421/tag-avatar-the-last-airbender) – Kiruwa Feb 19 '13 at 20:15

5 Answers5

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Not much is known about Energybending. Before the four elements and the avatar were created, Energybending was the only bending-art in the world. Out of this, the four bending-arts were created (Airbending, Waterbending, Earthbending and Firebending), so these are based on Energybending. Energybending is the base of all arts. While the for bending-arts are based on the Chi, Energybending works a little bit different: It bends the energy in general and not the Chi.

With that, Energybending can be used to take and restore bending-power and knowledge (nothing more is shown, but I guess that much more is possible):

  • Avatar Aang uses the ability to take bending-power from Ozai in the last episode of Avatar: The last Airbender. This is a dangerous technique, as the soul of the user must be completely clean; otherwise, it can happen that the victim takes over the user.
  • Both the lion turtle (in Avatar: The last Airbender) and Aangs Spirit (in The Legend of Korra) use Energybending to transfer knowledge to other people. I guess it's possible to take memories, too, but that's nowhere proven.
  • Korra uses the ability to restore bending-powers to help some victims of Amon. The spirit of Aang uses that ability to restore Korras powers.

Also, Energybending is the only bending-power that can be used by a spirit without a medium (as shown when Aangs spirit teaches Energybending to Korra).

looper
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    This seems like the most thorough answer given, so you get the accepted. Make sure to update it if more information is revealed in the following books of Korra's legend. – Madara's Ghost Feb 19 '13 at 10:16
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EnergyBending skills

Transferring knowledge : We see this when the giant turtle transfers the knowledge of this bending to Aang.

Removing Bending Power : For when Aang seals the powers of Firelord Ozai

Restoring Bending Power : In The Legend of Korra, Korra goes into Avatar State and Aang restores the power of the people that were affected.

The lion turtle told him that in the era before the Avatar existed, the benders did not bend the elements, but the energy within themselves. In order to bend another's life energy, their own spirit must be unbendable, or they would be corrupted and destroyed.

This is the only information being able to found, maybe in the next books of Legend of Korra we would get new information.

looper
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Washu
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The others are already stated in the answers so I am only including explanations for the 2 that are not stated.

  • Granting bending

  • Removing bending

  • Astral projection

Tapping into the vast expanse of cosmic energy with the help of the Tree of Time, Korra was able to bend the energy within herself to create an astral projection of her spirit. Despite not having been bound by a corporeal form, the projection was able to both inflict and sustain great physical damage and utilize waterbending. This astral form was also capable of firing a beam of light similar to that of Vaatu.

  • Spirit energy manipulation

The ability to manipulate energy originating from the Spirit World. Korra first used this technique to manipulate the energy of the pod encasing Jinora, Ryu, and his tour group after they were captured by hostile spirit vines. She later employed the same technique in the mortal world to deflect a lethal beam of energy fired by Kuvira's spirit cannon and save the metalbender.

http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Energybending

Esqarrouth
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Nothing has been mentioned outside the official series episodes so there are few details to work with. The only other resources to look toward would be other series and how each used life force controlling powers.

PlugMyDuck
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  • Other series? Like what? – Madara's Ghost Feb 18 '13 at 21:47
  • Generally in series like Naruto, Madoka Magica, Darker then Black they are used as a battery or limiting factor. You could also look at mythology like from Mortal Kombat or Final Fantasy the Spirits within where the soul is violently ripped from a hosts body. It is really up to how someone defines the spirit. – PlugMyDuck Feb 18 '13 at 22:09
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Don't forget, it's probably possible to grant the power of bending to someone who cannot bend, as the Lion Turtles created the first Avatar.

Izumi-reiLuLu
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Mindstormer619
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  • This appears to be more of an edit to an existing answer (the top one?), rather than its own answer. Could you suggest and edit (just click the small **edit** link beneath) the top answer and add this information? – Madara's Ghost May 01 '14 at 10:20
  • I think this answer is based on speculation rather than something in canon. E.g: Official sources. – Izumi-reiLuLu May 01 '14 at 10:57
  • @MiharuDante there is evidence of such occurrences according to the [Avatar Wiki](http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Energybending#cite_ref-B1_8-0). – кяαzєя May 01 '14 at 18:53
  • @Krazer- The granting bending bit yes, but the Avatar giving non-benders who were born without bending.... probably speculation there although Lion Turtles has demonstrated this ability. – Izumi-reiLuLu May 01 '14 at 21:25
  • related: http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/41054/can-aang-or-korra-make-a-non-bender-into-a-bender – Izumi-reiLuLu May 01 '14 at 21:26