| “ | At least I'm different now. 'Circus freak' is a compliment! | „ |
| ~ Ty Lee to Zuko. |
Ty Lee is a supporting antagonist-turned-anti-heroine in Avatar: The Last Airbender. She is a 14-year-old girl and she was the athletic member of Azula's team, once called "Circus Freak".
She was voiced by Olivia Hack.
Biography
Ty Lee was Azula's best friend, and she is still Mai's best friend. She is always in a cheery if not over-cheery mood. It turns out she has six identical septuplet sisters.
Before she joined Azula's team, she was working in the circus because she was afraid that she would have to deal with being with six other sisters that looked exactly like her, and not being able to be her own person. Unlike Mai, she doesn't use any weaponry. She uses her fists and chi-blocking.
When Mai double-crossed Azula, Azula almost attacked Mai, but Ty Lee used her chi-blocking on Azula, ultimately leading to her redemption. She and Mai both ended up getting arrested. Azula told the guards to take Mai and her out of her sight and to let them rot. Ty Lee and Mai were imprisoned with the Kyoshi Warriors where, Ty Lee shared her chi blocking skills with the Kyoshi warriors and eventually befriended them.
After Aang defeated Fire Lord Ozai and Azula was defeated by Zuko and Katara, Zuko became the new Fire Lord and released Ty Lee, the Kyoshi Warriors, and Mai from prison. After her release from prison, Ty Lee met with Suki, who made her a new Kyoshi Warrior. Ty Lee later attended Zuko's coronation, where she met up with Sokka, Suki's boyfriend, who was confused as he believed Ty Lee was disguising as a Kyoshi Warrior until Suki told him otherwise.
Personality
Ty Lee was bubbly and outgoing, yet slightly airheaded. She was a direct contrast to Azula's cruelty and Mai's constant torpor. She took delight in her acrobatic abilities, never missing an opportunity to show them off, and often craved attention and recognition, a result of her upbringing as part of an identical set of seven sisters. These attention issues also caused her to be a bit of a flirt, which is also why (according to Mai) she needed the affection of multiple boyfriends.
Ty Lee showed a strong sense of loyalty to her friends, Mai and Azula. Despite her obvious differences from Mai, she had a deep respect for her, and they often made an effective fighting duo, teaming up numerous times in the series. Ever since childhood, Ty Lee also considered Azula as a friend, but as she got older, that loyalty seemed to have been out of fear of the princess. When she first refused Azula's request that she join her search for the traitorous Zuko, Azula persuaded Ty Lee by endangering her life during a circus performance. For some time, she never disobeyed Azula's orders. However, her breaking point came at last at the Boiling Rock, during Azula's attempted murder of her own brother and Ty Lee's childhood friend, Zuko. When the rope holding Zuko's gondola was about to be cut, potentially sending Zuko along with several prisoners and friends plummeting to their deaths, Ty Lee showed concern while Azula smirked next to her. After Mai helped Zuko and his friends escape the prison, Azula threatened her life. Seeing Mai in the face of Azula's terrible rage and fearing for Mai's safety, Ty Lee attacked Azula, ending up in jail but finally conquering her own fears and taking a stand against her "friend" after months of obedience.
Ty Lee was known not to hold grudges against her enemies despite their encounters on the battlefield. This was evidenced by her eventual bond with the Kyoshi Warriors, whose confinement she was partially responsible for. She was able to establish a fairly strong friendship with the group while they were imprisoned together. She also showed affection for Sokka, despite having fought him under the orders of Azula.
She was known to be close to animals. In Ba Sing Se, she was seen teaching Bosco acrobatic moves before Toph earthbent her to the ground.
Ty Lee often came off as superficial, which was demonstrated for the first time when she affirmed her beauty to a Kyoshi Warrior and a second time when she warned her friends about the negative energy of their serious conversation, which she said would give them acne. However, whenever a true test of character came up, Ty Lee proved herself to be much deeper than people gave her credit for.
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