“ | I never thought I'd be so happy to see your ugly mugs again. | „ |
~ Ming-Hua to Zaheer and Ghazan after they broke her out of prison. |
“ | Will you just bury them already?! | „ |
~ Ming-Hua is anxious for Ghazan to kill Mako, Bolin, Asami and Tenzin at the Northern Air Temple. |
Ming-Hua is a supporting antagonist of The Legend of Korra, the sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender, serving as one of the three secondary antagonists (alongside P'Li and Ghazan) of Book 3: Change.
She is one of the four most dangerous criminals in the world, along with Zaheer, P'Li, and Ghazan. Specifically, she is the archenemy of Mako. Ming-Hua is a powerful waterbender that notably uses a specialized and unique form of psychic waterbending which allows her to create water-composed appendages in place of arms, which she lacks. This is especially interesting since waterbending almost completely relies on arm movements. she was voiced by Grey DeLisle who also voiced who also voiced azual
History[]
Past[]
Ming-Hua was born without arms, but thanks to her powerful water-bending skill was able to manipulate water to act as tentacles. She eventually became a member of the Red Lotus.
She and her gang had attempted to kidnap Korra when she was a little girl, but all of them were defeated by Tonraq, Sokka, Firelord Zuko, and Tenzin. When the Order of the White Lotus managed to capture her, they placed her in a special prison located above a volcano to make sure that she lacked any form of water or moisture that could be used to escape. All of the criminals were interrogated about why they tried to kidnap Korra, but none of them gave any answers. While in captivity, she passed the time by inventing stories about her captors.
Shortly after Harmonic Convergence, two criminal, as well as old friends of Ming-Hua, Zaheer and Ghazan arrived to bust her out of prison. The two knocked out the guards and threw a barrel of water at her prison cell, giving Ming-Hua enough moisture so she could create water tentacles and escape her containment. After the three managed to escape, they set forth to the Northern Water Tribe to break P'Li out of her prison. Ming-Hua froze the door to her cell to the point where it was brittle enough to open with waterbending. She freed P'Li and guided her out of the prison, thus reuniting the whole gang.
After the group's reunion, she proves to be the most psychotic member of the group, openly threatening and harming people without reason. When the group escapes Republic City after Zaheer becomes wanted for infiltrating Air Temple Island, she is seen driving the getaway car. She comments on how the police could have told them Korra's location, but Zaheer finds her easily. Ming-Hua is seen opening the window to Korra's room in Zaofu, and attempts to grab Lin's leg with her water whips as she rescues Korra. She is then sent to find Korra at the Misty Palms Inn along with Ghazan, and they encounter Mako and Bolin, easily overpowering the firebender. She tells Ghazan to go after the Avatar while she deals with Mako and Bolin, and brings them to Zaheer, saying that he might find them useful. He then resolves to travel to Ba Sing Se. En route to the city, she has a casual conversation with Bolin, displaying her affable side. After Zaheer kills Hou-Ting, she strangles the radio operator, but Zaheer interferes, telling her that the people are free now and should be treated as such.
When Zaheer plans to attack the Northern Air Temple, she holds Opal hostage, threatening to kill her if anyone steps in. She then engages in a duel with Kya, who knocks her off the side of the temple. However, she returns wielding eight water arms and easily defeats her opponent. She then takes part in the ruse to capture Korra by using her waterbending to simultaneously pose as multiple Air Nomad hostages. After Korra enters the Avatar State, Ming-hua and Ghazan battle Mako and Bolin respectively. Ming-hua lures Mako into a cave with water, but it backfires on her when Mako electrocutes the water, killing her instantly as she relies on the water to make her "arms".
Powers and Abilities[]
- Waterbending: Ming-Hua is a powerful Waterbender. Despite her lack of arms, Ming-Hua specializes in a special technique which allows her to create water-composed appendages, like water whips and tentacles, in place of her missing arms. Ming-Hua has shown to use Waterbending in a very violent manner. Proficient waterbenders can control water without the use of limbs, relying only on the torso to generate enough movement to manipulate a medium. With this technique, Ming-Hua can create water-like appendages as makeshift arms and even turn the entire body into an ice drill by generating enough momentum, enabling her to penetrate any surface. She created ice blades, ice hooks, Water cloak, ice drill, Ice prison, Water ball, Water ring and her own octupus arms. Her attacks are often lethal in intent and delivered with brutal, quick blows. Ming-Hua has also shown the ability, speed and flexibility to drive using her appendages.
Trivia[]
- Ming-Hua is voiced by Grey DeLisle, who also provided the voice of Azula in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
- Ming-Hua's bending was inspired by a grim joke about Amon. Someone suggested that he suggested he survived the explosion Tarrlok, but lost his limbs as a result, forcing him to replace them with water.
- It is hinted that she and Ghazan may have an "unspoken attraction" during their conversation with Bolin.
- Of the four Red Lotus members in Book 3, Ming-Hua appears to be the most unhinged and bloodthirsty, at one point even attempting to kill an innocent civilian before being stopped by Zaheer.
- She is also the only member without any unique bending abilities. Zaheer can fly, Ghazen can lavabend, and P'Li can combustionbend. However, she was originally supposed to bloodbend, but the creators didn't want another one of those after Amon.
- Ming-Hua is the third (and final) psychic waterbender seen in the Avatar universe, after Yakone and Noatak. However, she is the only waterbender shown to have no arms.
- Ming-Hua is the third bender with a physical disability, the first one being Toph Beifong, and second one being Combustion Man; Toph was blind, Combustion Man has metallic prosthetics which replaced his lost right arm and leg, and Ming-Hua has no arms. Like Toph, she was disabled since the time of her birth.
- Despite having no arms, which are required for most waterbending forms, she is a waterbending master, likely having learned how to bend using only her mind (or possibly also her hips and legs). Ming-Hua is even capable of using waterbending to simulate arms, having mastered this technique to the point where she uses it to drive an automobile.