|
| “ | I believe I have your attention, benders of Republic City. So once again the Wolfbats are your Pro-Bending Champions. It seems fitting that you celebrate three bullies who cheated their way to victory, because every day you threaten and abuse your fellow non-bending citizens, just like the Wolfbats did to their opponents tonight. Those men were supposedly the best in the bending world and yet it took only a few moments for me to cleanse them of their impurity. Let this be a warning to all you benders out there; if any of you stand in my way, you will meet the same fate. Now, to my followers, for years the Equalists have been forced to hide in the shadows. But now, we have the numbers and the strength to create a new Republic City! I’m happy to tell you that the time for change has finally come. Very soon, the current tyrannical bending regime will be replaced by a fair-minded Equalist government. You and your children will no longer have to walk the streets afraid! It’s time to take back our city. For centuries, benders have possessed an unnatural advantage over ordinary people. But thankfully, modern technology has provided us with a way to even out the playing field. Now, anyone can hold the power of a chi-blocker in their hand. My followers and I will not rest until the entire city achieves equality. And once that goal is achieved, we will equalize the rest of the world! The Revolution has begun! | „ |
| ~ Amon. |
| “ | I am the solution. | „ |
| ~ Amon |
Amon, born as Noatak, is one of the main antagonists of The Legend of Korra, serving as the main antagonist of Book One: Air and as a posthumous antagonist for the remainder of the series. He is the charismatic and mysterious leader of the anti-bending terrorist organization known as the Equalists, whose ultimate goal is allegedly to create equality by ridding the world of bending and is Korra's first archenemy.
In reality, Amon was a Bloodbender the son of the notorious crime lord Yakone who was hellbent on destroying the Avatar and conquering Republic City, unknowingly following his father's legacy.
He was voiced by Steve Blum with the voices of the young Noatak provided by Jacob Bertrand and Alexander Martella.
Description
Amon appears to be a calm, passive individual most of the time, as he has never been seen losing his composure. He has a bitter hatred for benders, as he blames them as a whole for the death of his family, his supposed disfiguring, and every war that has ever occurred. Amon is cruel and cold, seen when he taunts Korra about his plans to defeat her.
In spite of his apparent cruelty, Amon claims to be a staunch believer in what he views as equality. He refers to his followers as his "brothers and sisters", and does not seem to require for them to refer to him in any title, seen when all of them simply refer to him as "Amon". He also allows some benders to fight back to give them a chance to keep their bending, as seen during his confrontation with Zolt in "The Revelation".
Amon has introduced himself to be a very skilled and nimble fighter. His superior agility allows him to dodge the attacks of benders, and his knowledge about chi blocking, as well as his power to take bending away forever, provides an incredible counterattack, making him the equal of any bender. Amon was also revealed to be a very powerful waterbender and a psychic bloodbender, upon which his unique bending-removal technique had derived.
Biography
Childhood
Prior to their training as bloodbenders, Noatak and Tarrlok lived a very carefree life.
Noatak was the firstborn child of the former notorious crime boss, Yakone, and the older brother of Tarrlok. The two brothers lived happily during their younger years unaware of their father's true identity, until they both learned their waterbending abilities, prompting Yakone to display a harsher personality towards the two, particularly Tarrlok. Noatak would regularly defend his brother against his father whenever he lashed out on Tarrlok. Eventually, they were both taught to bloodbend, when Yakone revealed his criminal life to them, declaring that they would avenge him and become bloodbenders of the highest order.
Noatak used his profound abilities to perform extraordinary feats, such as manipulating an entire pack of wolves. Unfortunately, he carried the burdens of his father's expectations and eventually became cold and detached. Tarrlok, however, was more often opposed to the idea of bloodbending and found it to be cruel and sinister in nature. Yakone later forced the two to bloodbend each other, and while Noatak showed little restraint in doing so, despite his brother's agonizing screams, he defended Tarrlok when Yakone lashed out on him for refusing to do the same. Noatak then bloodbent his father, and declared that bloodbending was not the most powerful weapon, but that the Avatar was and reminded his father that the Avatar had removed his bending through energybending. He then ran away, despite Tarrlok's pleas, and lead a life of his own, blaming bending for all the events that had caused his life such trauma. Yakone and Tarrlok believed that Noatak died in the harsh tundra of the North Pole.
At one point, Noatak discovered that Bloodbending could be used to permanently block a person's chi-paths which leaves them unable to use Bending, effectively replicating the Avatar's use of Energy Bending to remove a Bender's power. Using this technique, he claimed the alias of Amon and began an anti-bending revolution within Republic City through the organization known as the Equalists. Amon fabricated a fake backstory for himself and dyed a fake scar over his face as a means to justify his use of a mask. Over time the Equalist movement grew in power as most non-Benders in Republic City lived in poverty and were frequently extorted by criminal gangs ran by Benders, which Amon took advantage of to gain more supporters.
Republic City
1.jpg){kind=link}
After receiving the news of Korra's arrival in Republic City, Amon declares to accelerate his plans.
When Korra announced her official relocation to Republic City during a press conference at the City Hall, Amon heard her responding to questions through the radio. When his second-in-command inquired him about how he was going to handle Korra's arrival, Amon replied that since the Avatar had arrived early, they would have to "accelerate" their plans.
During an event he held known as "The Revelation", Amon claimed he was born on a small farm to a family of non-benders. The family was then apparently harassed by a firebender. When Amon's father confronted the supposed assailant, the firebender ruthlessly murdered his family and severely deformed Amon's face, prompting him to wear a mask to conceal his facial scars. Amon then claimed that the spirits determined the Avatar to be a failure and blamed every war in history on Bending thus they granted him the power to remove people's Bending in order to bring a new balance to the world. He set forth a demonstration to remove Lightning Bolt Zolt's bending, though allowed him to fight for it. Amon was successful, and removed his bending in the presence of his followers, along with Korra and Mako, who had infiltrated the event.
Amon demonstrating the extent of his power by removing Zolt's firebending before an awestruck crowd.
He later defeated more benders, including Shady Shin. However, before he could remove Bolin's bending, Korra let out a steam screen into the room, allowing Bolin to escape with his brother, Mako. As the brothers and Korra later escaped, Amon elected to leave them be, so he could allow word of his power to spread. Amon had made a severe impression on Korra, as she was plagued by nightmares of him taking away her bending.
Amon refuses to duel Korra, but warns the young Avatar that he will inevitably destroy her.
Once he heard that the United Republic Council had proclaimed him public enemy number one, he spread a message over the radio to his fellow Equalists, using the actions of the council as proof of the oppressing nature of benders. However, he declared that their goals would not be stopped from this problem. After Councilman Tarrlok and Avatar Korra successfully executed a raid on an Equalist training facility in the Dragon Flats district, he was publicly challenged by Korra to a midnight duel on Aang Memorial Island with the condition that the island would be exempt of the task force and chi blockers. Amon didn't show up on time, nor did he come alone. As Korra was on her way to leave the island, many Equalists reeled in Korra inside the island's museum. There, Amon emerged from the shadows and revealed to her that he got her message. Amon told Korra that their showdown is inevitable but is premature at that moment, declaring that rather than taking her bending, he told would "save [her] for last", but would nonetheless "destroy [her]". He then knocked out her and let her retain her bending.
.jpg){kind=link}
On the eve of the Pro-bending championship match, Amon demanded that the council shut down the Pro-bending Arena and put an end to the tournament, threatening that there would be "severe consequences" if they did not. The council voted to keep the arena open, which Amon revealed to be in line with his plans for the situation. He invaded the arena after the Wolfbats won by cheating and called out Republic City and stripped Tahno of his bending. After making a speech to the audience and partially destroying the arena, Amon airlifted out of the arena, narrowly escaping Korra's attacks.
Amon approaches Tarrlok and nearly effortlessly overcomes the effects of the councilman's bloodbending.
Several days later, Amon, accomponied by several Equalists, appeared to Tarrlok in his hideout deep within the surrounding woodland of Republic City. Despite Tarrlok's unique bloodbending skills, Amon was minimally affected by the bending, taking a momentary pause to regain control, and was eventually able to counteract his bending completely. Tarrlok, confused that his bloodbending had been deflected, was then swiftly subdued by Amon and had his bending removed, paralyzing him for a period of time. At that moment, Tarrlok noticed that Amon's Bending removal process felt identical to that of Noatak's Bloodbending, making him realize that Amon was actually his long lost brother in disguise. Aware that Tarrlok figured out his identity, Amon held his brother in a solitary prison.
After the United Forces battle fleet arrived during the battle for Republic City, Amon's forces engaged them with a surprise attack, with an aerial assault led by Hiroshi Sato destroying the fleet after it ran into a minefield. Later on, when Korra and Mako infiltrated Air Temple Island to locate Amon, they instead found Tarrlok's private prison. Tarrlok proceeded to tell the two about Noatak's backstory and how he was actually using Bloodbending to remove a person's bending. With that knowledge, Korra and Mako vowed to expose Amon as a fraud during the victory rally.
When Korra challenged Amon's story of his past at the rally in the pro-bending arena and claimed that he's a waterbender, Amon revealed his face to the crowd, showing what appeared to be a firebending scar stretching across his face, thus making Korra look like she was lying. As Amon turned his attention to Tenzin and his children to "wipe out Airbending," Mako shot lightning at the stage, allowing Korra time to free Tenzin and his family. Amon, his Lieutenant, and several other chi blockers attempted to fight back but were all blown off the stage by Mako and Tenzin.
During the Equalist victory rally, Amon's supposed scar was the fabricated proof to his fictional cover story.
Amon pursued and eventually found Korra, subduing her with bloodbending. When Mako arrived to help, he too was stopped by Amon's bloodbending. With the Avatar and her friend helpless, Amon took away Korra's bending. This action was witnessed by the Lieutenant, who, after seeing Amon use bloodbending, denounced him as a traitor and attempted to attack, although Amon was able to stop him easily with his bloodbending power and hurled him through the air.
The distraction, however, allowed Mako to struggle into position and blast Amon with lightning, buying time for him and Korra to escape. Amon caught up with them and again used his bloodbending to stop them. He prepared to take away Mako's bending, musing over the fact that no one else had been able to resist him so, and that it was almost a shame to take bending away from one so talented. Korra, however, seeing Mako in danger suddenly unlocked her airbending and used it to to knock Amon away from Mako. As she unleashed a barrage of air attacks upon him, Amon attempted to fight back with bloodbending, but the narrow corridor allowed Korra to keep on attacking and blast him out a window into the harbor below.
Defeat and death
Reunited with his brother, Noatak reminisces while fleeing Republic City on a speedboat.
A crowd of Amon's followers witnessed him fall into the ocean and soon after saw his mask rise from the water, they denounced Korra as a tyrant believing she had just killed Amon. Amon, about to drown, arose from the sea on a giant column of water out of instinct, unaware that his followers witnessed him Waterbending and that this fake scar was washed away by the ocean thus confirming the Avatar's accusations of him being a fraud. Realizing that he had lost everything, Amon dodged Mako's blasts of fire and fled, deciding to reconcile with Tarrlok and start over. They escaped out to sea on an Equalist speedboat. Amon, now going by his true name, happily spoke of how there was nothing they could not do together, and shed a tear. Tarrlok, however, used an Equalist glove to ignite the fuel tank, causing the boat to explode, killing them both and putting an end to Yakone's vengance plans for good. Over the course of the next 6 months Korra used Energybending to cure all of Amon's victims.
Legacy
Korra's Hallucination
Amon returned in Book 3 as one of Korra's hallucinations when the Red Lotus administered mercury poison into her body. During this visage, Zaheer 's face slowly crumbled, revealing Amon's mask, telling her the world didn't need her anymore.
Toph's Opinion
| “ | What did Amon want? Equality for all. | „ |
| ~ Toph about Amon. |
Amon was mentioned by Toph, when she explained to Korra that even through Amon fought for the wrong side, his intentions of wanting equality for all was a reasonable motive. After the Anti-Bending Revolution, Republic City abolished its un-elected United Republic Council, because of it's unfairness among non-benders. Instead Republic City had a democratically elected president that gave non-benders a voice above benders and finally equalizing non-benders and benders.
Personality
| “ | The revolution may be built on a lie, but I think Amon truly believes bending is the source of all evil in the world. | „ |
| ~ Tarrlok about Amon. |
From an early age Amon had been driven by a quest of equality in the world. Oppressed by his bloodbending father for most of his teenage years, Amon abhors benders and their tyranny over non-benders, believing them to be the cause of all war and misery in the world despite being a bender himself. He believes his power to remove people's bending is the solution to equality. It's implied that his father's bloodbending on him detached Noatak from the world as he was always kind to Tarrlok before but the cruel abuse made him a cold sociopath.
As leader of the Equalists, Amon was a charismatic spokesman garnering many followers to his cause. Though worshiped by most of the Equalists, his fearsome demeanour and actions have alienated even his own followers (one in particular gave Korra and her friends the location to Hiroshi Sato's mech factory after realising Amon was a revolutionary terrorist rather than a man of the non-benders (Thought this was later reveald to have been a ruse)). Even his loyalist lieutenant was horrified to learn Amon was in fact a bender having devoted his life to the revolution. Presenting himself as a humble victim of a firebender to rally people with a falsified scar to support his backstory, Amon often martyred himself for his cause. Despite being a bender himself, there was never a doubt in his mind that bending was the true source of evil in this world.
Though staunch and cruel in his convictions, Amon was not without an honourable side. He is truly dedicated to his goal of equality and he does not make his followers refer to him with a superior title, all of whom he calls his "brothers and sisters". He even seemed to respect Aang for his ability to remove people's bending, considering it a greater skill than bloodbending and was impressed by Mako's firebending skills by besting him (a feat very few were able to do). He will even allow benders to keep their bending if they can best him in combat as seen with Zolt.
Amon relied on fear as the key to his revolution against bending. He frequently threatened benders, including Korra, and warned those that stood in his way that they would be destroyed. Additionally, he was not afraid to use violence to achieve his goals, and justified his movement’s weaponry by calling it a way for non-benders to defend themselves against benders.
Though Amon’s alleged backstory was a lie, Tarrlok believed that his anti-bending rhetoric was sincere. In practice, Amon only ever attacked benders, save the Lieutenant, who attacked Amon first. Even when fighting benders, Amon did not aim to kill, but merely stole bending.
Despite being a powerful bloodbender and waterbender, Amon loathed this as it reminded him of his cruel childhood and thus revolved his combat style around his enemies being intimidated. This was reinforced by his unwaverably calm demeanour even in battle to the point where even the Avatar herself could not break his cold demeanour. He was intelligent enough to coordinate attacks on Republic City to push Tarrlok to paranoia and fulfil his prophecy that benders would eventually oppress non-benders to submit the citizens of Republic City to Equalist rule.
In his final moments, Amon regained a shred of his former life as Noatak. Though he wanted to return to the "good old days" with Tarrlok, his final tear before his death implied that he knew about his brother's murder-suicide but was ready to end his painful life as he wanted: with his brother.
Powers and Abilities
Waterbending
Amon was a highly powerful waterbending master; it was stated by his brother, Tarrlok, that he had never encountered a bender as strong as Amon.[5] Drilled relentlessly by his father in waterbending, Amon displayed a natural talent for waterbending from a young age, quickly impressing Yakone and ultimately mastering the art under his father's tutelage. A true prodigy, his mastery of the art was immense; he was capable of launching himself out of underwater on a gigantic waterspout and propel himself over the surface at a speed exceeding that of Mako's fire blasts. He could also bend on instinct and rapidly respond to adverse conditions.
Bloodbending
Amon just as quickly mastered the rare and outlawed art of bloodbending, becoming exceptionally skilled and powerful at the ability. Under Yakone's tutelage, he mastered the technique to such an extent that he could perform it at anytime, without the aid of a full moon, by the age of fourteen. At the same time, he also learned his father's special skill of psychic bending, allowing him to perform his bending skills not only through physical movement, but also through sheer focus and strength of will. As the son of the infamous bloodbending criminal Yakone, Amon was also able to use more common bloodbending techniques, such as body manipulation and torture, to an extremely powerful degree while exerting minimal effort. He could also levitate his targets, throw them around, subdue them, and knock them unconscious. With his skill in psychic bending, he could also bloodbend one or multiple targets into submission while able to freely move in for other measures to finish his opponent. Additionally, he exhibited the ability to resist bloodbending with little effort, even against his brother, Tarrlok, who had also mastered the skill to a similar level. Despite growing fascinated by this skill, he ultimately desired more, wanting to have the power to remove people's bending, just as Avatar Aang had done to his father with the use of energybending. He eventually succeeded in this goal by using his mastery of bloodbending to "sever" an individual's bending connection by blocking their active chi paths, effectively achieving the same result as energybending. No medical intervention was effective in reversing this effect, and even Katara, a world-renowned healer and bloodbending expert in her own right, was unable to reverse its effects. The only known way to reverse Amon's bending block is through the use of energybending, as demonstrated by Avatars Aang and Korra.
Hand-to-Hand Combat
Amon's agility.
Amon was a versitile combatant outside of his bending abilities. Due to his need to hide his true nature as a Waterbender, Amon largely relied on martial arts and Chi Blocking to fight. Amon's style tended to be nimble and graceful to avoid close-ranged attack, and made the most of his natural agility. He augmented this with small applications of Bloodbending to defend against and redirect attacks. Quick on his feet, he dodged Lightning Bolt Zolt's fire blasts with no effort as well as his lightning blast near point blank range. Amon also demonstrated strong physical resilience, and was able to quickly recover from powerful attacks (the most prominent example being his quick recovery from a point-blank lightning bolt fired at him by Mako).
Intelligence
Aside from his combat abilities, Amon also possessed great intellect and charisma, making him a master manipulator. He effectively masqueraded his bloodbending technique, which he used to sever people's bending, as a mystical weapon given to him by the spirits. He was able to maintain this facade consistently even under the heat of battle. A gifted political strategist, he accurately portended that if he removed the Avatar's bending too early in his revolution, it would only end in Korra becoming a martyr, ensuring that benders across the globe would unite against his anti-bending agenda. He took his charade to such heights that apart from wearing a mask, he even applied make-up to fake a large facial scar to legitimize his fabricated story of being mutilated by a firebender in order to further drive bending hate and sympathy for his cause. As evidenced by the multiple attacks orchestrated by the Equalists, Amon was also a capable strategist and tactician, outmatching other organized forces such as the Metalbending Police Force and the United Forces armada on several occasions. He was also well-versed in terrorist tactics, subverting nonbenders by manipulating their hate and bestowing fear upon benders, always seeking a psychological edge against his opponents, and consistently using intimidation and threats against his numerous enemies.
Quotes
| “ | My quest for equality began many years ago. When I was a boy, my family and I lived on a small farm. We weren't rich and none of us were benders. This made us very easy targets for the Firebender who extorted my father. One day, my father confronted this man, but when he did, that Firebender took my family from me. Then, he took my face. I've been forced to hide behind a mask ever since. As you know, the Avatar has recently arrived in Republic City. And if she were here, she would tell you that bending brings balance to the world, but she is wrong. The only thing bending has brought to the world is suffering. It has been the cause of every war in every era, but that, is about to change. I know that you all have been wondering "What is the Revelation?" You are about to get your answer. Since the beginning of time, the spirits have acted as guardians of our world, and they have spoken to me. They say the Avatar has failed humanity, that is why the spirits have chosen me to usher in a new era of balance. They have granted me a power that will make equality a reality; the power to take a person's bending away. Permanently. | „ |
| ~ Amon's speech. |
| “ | I received your invitation, young Avatar. (Amon moves his hands towards Korra as if to remove her bending. Korra cringes and closes her eyes, but instead, Amon grabs her chin and turns her face towards him) Our showdown, while inevitable, is premature. Although it would be the simplest thing for me to take away your bending right now... I won’t. You’d only become a martyr. Benders from every nation would rally behind your untimely demise. But I assure you, I have a plan. And I’m saving you for last. Then, you’ll get your duel, and I will destroy you. (he knocks her out) | „ |
| ~ to Korra. |
| “ | (Tarrlok is walking up the stairs and is greeted by Amon, the Lieutenant, and 3 other Equalists) Tarrlok: Amon! Amon: It is time for you to be equalized. Tarrlok: You fool. You've never faced bending like mine. (Tarrlok easily bloodbends the Lieutenant and the 3 other Equalists into submission, but Amon, seemingly unaffected by it, walks towards him. A surprised Tarrlok tries harder to bloodbend Amon, but after struggling for a few seconds, he easily overcomes it.) Tarrlok: What...? What are you? Amon: I am the solution. (Amon subdues Tarrlok and takes his bending away.) |
„ |
| ~ Amon vs Tarrlok. |
| “ | The two of us together again, there's nothing we can't do! (Tarrlok: Yes, Noatak.) Noatak. Hmph, I had almost forgotten the sound of my own name. (Tarrlok: It will be just like the good old days.) | „ |
| ~ Noatak and Tarrlok's last conversation, before Tarrlok kills them both. |
Trivia
- Steve Blum is best known as the voice of Ares from God of War, Gene from Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops, Professor Galvez Mena from Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Starscream from Transformers Prime, and the English voice of Orochimaru from Naruto.
- Amon is the seventh evil spirit listed in "Ars Goetia" in The Lesser Key of Solomon. He is said to be a Marquis of Hell.
- Like several other characters, Amon was revealed on July 23, 2011 at San Diego Comic-Con.
- Amon was the only known person who was not an Avatar to have had the ability to remove someone's bending.
- Amon is the only character known to be both a bender and a chi blocker.
- Amon is considered a far greater threat than Firelord Ozai. Amon was a self-proclaimed freedom-fighter using charisma to gather allies when Ozai was a tyrannical emperor ruling by fear. Amon's overall presence and ability to take someone's bending away was considered downright terrifying.
- Ironically, Amon's father, Yakone was Aang's final adversary, and Amon himself was Korra's first adversary.
- The name Amon is very similar to Amun (also known as Amun-Ra), the solar/creator deity and King of the Gods in Egyptian mythology. The spelling "Amon" is also used in some transliterations. Amon is an Egyptian name meaning "hidden", which may refer to his covered face. A sun symbol is on his mask as well.
- The Chinese transliteration for Amon's name, 阿蒙 (pinyin: āméng) can have a few meanings, but the most appropriate is "to cover".
- Amon has the Chinese ideogram for "peace" on his chest. The same ideogram also means "fair" and "equal", matching the Equalists' name.
- Amon is the name of the second deadliest pressure point in the human body. Located on the back of the neck, a precise strike can be fatal.
- Amon also has similarities to V from V For Vendetta, both being masked revolutionaries who had their faces burned by fire, as well as masters at manipulation. Unlike V, however, Amon wore a fake scar.
- The relationship between Amon and Tarrok is similar to 2012 KBS television series Bridal Mask is about two brothers living Korea under Japanese rule in 1930s where the older one - Kang-san is masked hero for protected people from Japanese and younger one - Kang-to is Pro-Japanese officer who obsessed captured Bridal Mask before he become second the Bridal Mask after his brother's death by accident where Kang-to shot him.
- Stills of Amon's debut in "The Revelation" has been parodied across the internet, portraying him telling nonsensical jokes, thus leading to the birth of the meme "Comedian A mon", also known as "Stand-Up Amon".
- Amon is the second villain to die at the hands of a family member, after Azulon and before Unalaq.
- In the late development art, his symbol on his chest means Fire in Kanji.
- Amon can be viewed as the opposite of another Avatar villain, Liling. Liling hated non-benders and viewed benders as the natural order of things, the polar opposite of Amon's goals.
External links
- Amon on the Avatar Wiki
Template:Avatar Villains