The worldwide hit anime series Avatar: The Last Airbender features a beloved four-element combat system known as bending. Certain people are born with the ability to bend fire, air, water, or earth, with each bending style having its own combat tactics and mindset. Firebenders are aggressive, earthbenders are patient, waterbenders are defensive, and airbenders are flexible and detached.
If other anime characters gained the ability to bend, or were born with it, then certain characters would certainly make good Airbenders, even if they don’t have the lifestyle of a monk. Airbending is perfect for anime characters who are light and mobile in battle, using clever tactics and flexible thinking to stay out of the enemy’s reach before deliving the final blow. Ideal Airbenders might also have a pacifistic attitude, or at least, they will fight to end the violence rather than dominate everyone around them. With those factors in mind, ten anime characters stand out as the best Airbender candidates.
Each element in Avatar: The Last Airbender is a force of nature. These characters from different anime universes would be great waterbenders.
10 Thorfinn Karlsefni is Light on His Feet and Fights For Peace
He Traded His Rage For a Vision of Peace and Unity For All
In the first major story arc in the excellent seinen anime Vinland Saga, Thorfinn Karlsefni seemed like a total Firebender. He favored aggressive tactics and was fueled by rage and passion, but that was not the true Thorfinn. His mind was twisted by hatred and thoughts of revenge, while the true Thorfinn Karlsefni is an idealistic young man who opposes war in all forms.
Over time, fans got to know the real Thorfinn, who is an Airbender at heart. Like the Air Nomads in Avatar, Thorfinn is a believer in peace who understands that war and violence are never justified, nor is fighting glorious or fulfilling. Also, while Thorfinn was once reckless in battle, he was also agile and light on his feet, like a true Airbender.
Vinland Saga
TV-MA
Anime
Action
Adventure
Following a tragedy, Thorfinn embarks on a journey with the man responsible for it to take his life in a duel as a true and honorable warrior to pay homage.
Release DateJuly 6, 2019
CastYûto Uemura , Mike Haimoto , Shinya Takahashi , Alejandro Saab , Hiroki Gotô , Aleks Le , Kaiji Tang , Michael C. Pizzuto
Main Genre Anime
Seasons 2
Studio Wit Studio, Studio MAPPA
Creator Makoto Yukimura
Production Company Wit Studio, Mappa
Number of Episodes 48 Episodes
Streaming Service(s)Netflix , Crunchyroll , Amazon Prime Video
9Captain Soi Fon Favors Stealth and Mobility to Fight
Positioning and Speed Trump Brute Force in Her Mind
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10 New Anime Characters Who’d Be Powerful Earthbenders
Every anime has some characters that would thrive in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. Here are some that would make great earthbenders.
Most Soul Reapers in the Bleach anime use zanpakuto, or soul-cutting swords, rather than elemental bending or magic to fight. That means their ideal Avatar bending style is based on each Soul Reaper’s personality and their balance of speed, aggression, endurance, and defense. With all that in mind, Captain Soi Fon of squad 2 is clearly an Airbender.
In the fondly-remembered Soul Society arc, Soi Fon showed off her skills as a fast-moving, stealthy ninja who used superior positioning and her deadly shikai to get the edge on her former mentor, which is a vicious yet valid way to act like an Airbender. As a bonus, when Soi Fon used her Shunko, it had air-like qualities to contrast with Yoruichi’s lightning version.
Bleach
TV-14
Action
Adventure
Fantasy
Bleach revolves around Kurosaki Ichigo, a regular always-grouchy high-schooler who for some strange reason is able to see the souls of the dead around him.
Release DateOctober 5, 2004
CastMasakazu Morita , Fumiko Orikasa , Hiroki Yasumoto , Yuki Matsuoka , Noriaki Sugiyama , Kentarô Itô , Shinichirô Miki , Hisayoshi Suganuma
Main Genre Anime
Seasons17 Seasons
CreatorTite Kubo
Production CompanyTV Tokyo, Dentsu, Pierrot
Number of Episodes366 Episodes
Streaming Service(s)Hulu , Prime Video
8Nami Uses a Climate Baton and Is an Expert Navigator
Nami is Already a Master of Wind
Plenty of Devil Fruits in One Piece allow the user to control the elements, from Ace being a Firebender to Aokiji embracing the ice side of waterbending and Pica being an Earthbender of sorts. Meanwhile, Luffy’s navigator Nami has no Devil Fruit of her own, but she has mastered the ocean, the skies, and her climate baton, making her a weather expert like no other.
All of Nami’s skills make her an Airbender at heart, able to sense the slightest disturbance in the ocean’s winds and using air in clever ways while fighting with that Climate Baton of hers. Nami is also a rogue sort of Airbender, being a sneaky, fleet-footed cat burglar who favors stealth and mobility over sheer strength on missions.
One Piece (1999)
TV-14
Animation
Action
Adventure
Follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his pirate crew in order to find the greatest treasure ever left by the legendary Pirate, Gold Roger. The famous mystery treasure named “One Piece”.
Release DateOctober 20, 1999
Creator(s)Eiichiro Oda
CastMayumi Tanaka , Akemi Okamura , Laurent Vernin , Tony Beck , Kazuya Nakai
Main Genre Animation
Seasons1
StudioToei Animation
CreatorEiichirô Oda
Production CompanyToei Animation
Number of Episodes1K+
Streaming Service(s)Crunchyroll , Hulu , Funimation , Adult Swim , Pluto TV , Netflix
7 Tengen Uzui Moves Faster Than the Wind
Ninjas Like Tengen Favor Speed Over Brute Force
It’s common for ninjas in anime to focus on speed, stealth, and mobility over sheer force, and Demon Slayer‘s Tengen Uzui is like that, too. He may be a tall, burly man who can hack off a demon’s head with great force when swining his sword, but that’s not his main strength. He put his ninja training to good use when covertly scoping out the entertainment district arc to find Daki, then fought her and Gyutaro with incredible speed.
Tengen’s Sound Breathing style allowed him to keep pace with Gyutaro’s superhuman speed and strength, and best of all, Tengen had his three kunoichi wives to back him up, being a believer in the power of friendship. Tengen would do fairly well with waterbending or firebending, but all things considered, airbending is the best element for him.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
TV-MA
Animation
Action
Adventure
Release DateJanuary 22, 2021
CastNatsuki Hanae , Zach Aguilar , Abby Trott , Akari Kitō , Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
Main Genre Animation
Seasons4
6 Naruto Uzumaki is Clever and Thinks On His Feet
He’s a Tricky Prankster Like Many Airbenders
In the “Tales of Ba Sing Se” episode, Aang spoke to Earth King Kuei and made a decision for the sake of the animals.
In the Naruto anime, Naruto Uzumaki used a simple test with special paper to determine that his natural chakra element is wind, and he even invented the Windmill Rasengan as a result. That’s a good sign that Naruto is a born Airbender, though there’s more to it, since he also has the tactics and mentality of an Airbender, not just the techniques of one.
Airbenders are clever and quick-witted people with light and flexible minds to match their tactics, and that describes Naruto well. He’s always flitting from one idea to another, never too attached to a single fighting style or position for long. Naruto likes to explore one idea after another and has a restless mind like the wind, from his new jutsu to his lofty idealism to his whimsical pranks.
Naruto
TV-PG
Action
Adventure
Naruto Uzumaki, a mischievous adolescent ninja, struggles as he searches for recognition and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the village’s leader and strongest ninja.
Release DateSeptember 10, 2002
CastJunko Takeuchi , Maile Flanagan , Kate Higgins
Main Genre Anime
Seasons1
CreatorMasashi Kishimoto
Production CompanyPierrot, Staralis Film Company
Number of Episodes220
5Tanya Degurechaff is Most Comfortable in the Skies
She is an Airbender in Practice
With her militaristic attitude and desire to subjugate the Empire’s neighboring nations, Tanya Degurechaff feels more like Firebenders like Fire Lord Ozai and Admiral Zhao in Saga of Tanya the Evil. However, finding the right bending style isn’t entirely about military tactics and dreams of conquest, because in theory, any elemental bender might do that, as Kuvira the Earthbender showed.
On a practical level, Tanya is an expert Airbender. Like other mages, she can soar in the skies above the deadlocked land battle, using elegant and flowing movements to navigate a 3-D battlefield to remain one step ahead of her enemies. Tanya’s attitude and powerful rifle shots feel like firebending, but her airborne tactics make her more like a twisted Airbender after all.
Saga of Tanya the Evil (2017)
TV-MA
Action
Adventure
A girl with blond hair, blue eyes, and porcelain skin fights on the front lines of a brutal war and climbs the ranks of the imperial army.
Release DateJanuary 16, 2017
CastMonica Rial , Aoi Yuki , J. Michael Tatum
Main Genre Anime
Seasons1
StudioNUT
Number of Episodes12
4 Iruma Suzuki Likes to Keep the Peace
He’s Almost Like a Monk Already
The protagonist of Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-Kun is a true Airbender monk at heart, someone monk Gyatso would definitely get along with. Airbenders are largely pacifistic in their lifstyle, lacking a formal military and refusing to take lives if they can help it. They are the defenders of peace and balance, which also makes them excellent Avatars, as Avatar Aang himself showed.
Iruma Suzuki is like that in the Netherworld, being a kindhearted boy who wants everyone to get along and understand one another rather than compete for dominance. He is a protective and nurturing person who will heal and cooperate with anyone or anything to complete the mission, so that attitude alone makes him a bonafide Airbender on the inside. His agile, dextrous dodging also mark him as a fine Airbender.
Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun
TV-14
Comedy
Drama
Fantasy
A human child is adopted by a demon and sent to a demon school. He must find a way to survive in the dangerous but fun world he has entered.
Release Date October 5, 2019
Cast Ayumu Murase , Daisuke Ono , Saori Hayami
Main Genre Anime
Seasons3
StudioBandai Namco Pictures
CreatorOsamu Nishi
Number of Episodes65
3 Yor Forger Fights to Protect Others and is Quick On Her Feet
She Fights For Family Now as the Thorn Princess
Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Fire Nation is known for its fierce bending style, so of course firebenders are some of the strongest benders in Avatar.
Magic and elemental bending are absent in Spy x Family‘s relatively grounded world of 1960s Cold War intrigue, but some characters in this anime still have the heart of certain elements. Yor Forger, for example, has the mindset and the elegant, fleet-footed moves worthy of any Airbender.
Yor may be vicious and deadly as the Thorn Princess, but for her, that’s just work, and she identifies less with it all the time ever since she married into a found family. With more personal stakes in mind, Yor fights for everyone’s peace and happiness rather than to destroy things or for her own glory. That’s the Air Nomad way, and it helps that regardless of her outrageous strength, Yor’s best asset is actually her agility as a trained assassin.
Spy x Family
TV-14
Comedy
Action
Anime
A spy on an undercover mission gets married and adopts a child as part of his cover. His wife and daughter have secrets of their own, and all three must strive to keep together.
Release DateApril 9, 2022
CastTakuya Eguchi , Atsumi Tanezaki , Saori Hayami
Main Genre Anime
Seasons2
StudioWit Studios / Clover Works
CreatorTatsuya Endo
Number of Episodes37
Streaming Service(s)Crunchyroll , Hulu
2 Joseph Joestar is a Born Trickster
He Had Some Fancy, Clever Moves in Battle Tendency
A few Stands in the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure anime use elemental attacks, including the flames of Magician’s Red, the ice of White Album, and the earth manipulation of Oasis. But before Stands entered the picture, the heroes’ bending styles were determined by their attitudes and conventional fighting styles, such as that of Joseph Joestar in Battle Tendency.
Joseph was no monk in that arc, but he did have the quick-thinking, prank-oriented, and clever mentality of an Airbender. He was the one who kept running in circles around his enemies with improvised weapons and predicting his enemies’ moves, even stating what they’re going to say before they say it. There was a still a bit of that in the Stardust Crusaders arc when he used a combnation of Hamon and his Hermit Purple Stand, but Battle Tendency was his real Airbender phase.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
TV-14
Animation
Action
Adcenture
The story of the Joestar family, who are possessed with intense psychic strength, and the adventures each member encounters throughout their lives.
Release DateOctober 4, 2012
CastDavid Vincent , Matthew Mercer , Daisuke Ono , Unshô Ishizuka , Tôru Ohkawa
Main Genre Animation
Seasons5
CreatorHirohiko Araki
1Alphonse Elric is Clever and Fights For Peace
Alchemy Rewards the Tricky Mind of an Airbender
Alchemy in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood tends to reshape earth, such as the rock walls that the Elric brothers often form, while Colonel Roy Mustang is famous with his flame alchemy, making him a Firebender. Air isn’t a typical elemental weapon in this anime, but if anime fans consider each character’s mentality, then Alphonse Elric is quite the Airbender.
During his search for the Philosopher’s Stone and then his mission to stop Father, Alphonse was a defensive, noble fighter who fought to defend lives and keep the peace, even more so than his hotheaded brother Edward. Al is a gentle soul who loves everyone and everything around him, all while using his clever mind and quick-thinking tactics to keep pace with his many enemies.
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
TV-14
Action
Adventure
Fantasy
Two brothers search for a Philosopher’s Stone after an attempt to revive their deceased mother goes awry and leaves them in damaged physical forms.
Release DateApril 5, 2009
CastRomi Park , Rie Kugimiya , Vic Mignogna , Maxey Whitehead
Main Genre Anime
Seasons1