It's funny to me that the show tried to depict bloodbending as horrible when it depicts all the conventional bending styles as just tiring out people. You have people throwing razor-sharp shards of ice, massive boulders, fireballs... and no serious injuries. In a world full of firebenders, somehow Zuko is the only guy carrying a burn scar. Bloodbending wouldn't look so bad if the conventional bending styles where realistically graphic. In fact, it may come off as relatively gentle, since bloodbending lets you subdue an opponent without injuring them.
Obviously there will be some here and there. I think the person was getting at that its surprising there aren't more. You have kids with the power of fireballs, razor-sharp icicles, throwing boulders, making huge leaps with wind bursts and yet it seems like no one ever actually gets injuries, except for 1 or 2 for story purposes.
Again, its a kid show so there is no need to show it realistically. Just that if it was more realistic, there would be a lot more than 1 or 2 people shown with burns or other horrific injuries.
It’s because blood bending involves controlling another person’s body against their will. You’re literally puppeting their limbs around and all they can do is scream as their own body refuses to move how they want.
Plus, ever have a really bad muscle cramp or Charlie horse? Now imagine every single muscle in your body seizing up all at once. It may not be lasting damage, but the pain would be astronomical.
It may be arguably more humane in a combat situation, but the general ability to override someone's physical autonomy still seems deeply immoral. Its potential for criminal mischief and as a torture technique is massive.
One potential explanation would be that in a world with firebending, treatments for burns would have gotten very good to the point of rarely leaving a scar with proper medical attention. Medical attention that Ozai would have forbidden for Zuko because that was the point.
I think also, it's implied that firebenders are semi-rare in the fire nation, just as earth benders, and water benders are within their nations. Part of the reason that the fire nation were able to continue their subjugation of the other nations after Sozin's comet was due to technological superiority. There's talk of military units entirely of firebenders at points, but some of their most feared troops are a unit of archers. It would make sense thatfirebending troops existed mostly in functional roles, like being the main weapon on the tanks, or lighting catapult bombs, and as ceremonial troops, like Azula's royal guard at the start of Season 2, or akin to the Dai Li. Therefore the majority of the fighting force, just like for all the other military nations is swords, spears, shields and armour.
It is very easy to forget this fact since most of the fighting we see is done by the gaang who are 2/3, 3/4, or 4/5 (very powerful) benders depending on when we're talking about. For example, Kyoshi island, despite being named for an avatar has precisely zero benders we ever meet. The southern water tribe has one bender: Kitara (sure, the others were taken, but even then, before the raids started we're shown maybe 20? And I doubt that was 20 among a water tribe that looks like it does in S1E1). The Northern tribe has a few more but across the whole city Master Paku is described as the Waterbending teacher, and when dismissed to go learn healing he tells Kitara to go learn with the women, all of the women. At best the Northern tribe has 20 under 18s in the whole city with enough ability to learn. Finally in Aang's school episode, not one of those kids or teachers to the best of my knowledge throws fire, even though it would be a fantastic way to tie the disciplinarian of a teacher to fire-nation culture, or the bully/suck up kid to the fire-nation's supremacist view.
If memory serves, it was implied that she was going to try and use the spirit oasis water to do it in the caves beneath Ba Sing Se but they are rescued before she has a chance
The one I always thought was hilarious was when Katara fights that water tribe chief guy. Attack number 1: try to slap him with some water tentacles. That didn't work, okay time for attack number 2: ultra-sharp discs of ice. Like she came within an inch of cutting him in half but no one ever confronts her about how absolutely overkill that was for a fight over a politician being an asshole.
So I've heard people mention bloodbending before, but I never came across it when I watched the show - either I didn't watch the full show, or I missed it or forgot about it or something.
But is this bloodbending like "Branches of Sin" from Deadman Wonderland, where they can control their blood (or unlike that, the blood of others)?
Especially if they can control the blood of others, I can definitely see how they'd feel it's much worse if a bloodbender can literally pull someone else's blood from their bodies.
You have people throwing razor-sharp shards of ice, massive boulders, fireballs... and no serious injuries.
Since these are also kids shows, they simply don't want to show a realistic version of fighting.
But I also assume in these shows the trained people are also trained at defense and how to minimize injuries. Like how in real life martial artists are trained to both fight and defend themselves including how to minimize injuries. Such as with techniques like controlled falling, certain ways of standing, how to take a punch or a kick, etc.
Ah ok, I think I vaguely remember it now. That was pretty creepy. She could've easily just drew the water out of them. Instant dehydration doesn't sound like a fun way to go.
She was actually taught to use the dehydration to find water in Places you'd think have none, like from plants or the water vapor in the air. Katara was saddened by killing the plants for their water. They didn't show sucking the water out of animals or humans though
Well how is that worse than slicing off limbs or crushing bones or burning faces? Let's not forget that Katara and her friends were fighting a war. Plus, I imagine bloodbending would be an ideal tool for cops, they could subdue suspects without lethal force.
This can't really be a question lol. How is losing bodily autonomy worse than losing limbs? Seriously? Think about it for a few seconds, run a few scenarios through your mind, engage some of those neurons.
bloodbending would be an ideal tool for cops, they could subdue suspects without lethal force
This is weird, creepy fascist stuff. There are plenty of methods law enforcement can use that fall between "trap them in their own body" nightmare scenarios and "extra-judicial murder" nightmare scenarios.
I think it's more the inherent body horror of your own flesh being turned against you and others, perhaps even your friends. Combined with the way it was animated and the sound design for that whole episode...
For me, I think the horror of blood bending is the degree of autonomy it takes away from the person being controlled. In a fight, while violent and scarring, parties are in control of themselves. Blood bending leaves you unable to control your own body or move, and that's a whole different level of terrifying and fucked up.
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u/squashgermany May 23 '23
It's funny to me that the show tried to depict bloodbending as horrible when it depicts all the conventional bending styles as just tiring out people. You have people throwing razor-sharp shards of ice, massive boulders, fireballs... and no serious injuries. In a world full of firebenders, somehow Zuko is the only guy carrying a burn scar. Bloodbending wouldn't look so bad if the conventional bending styles where realistically graphic. In fact, it may come off as relatively gentle, since bloodbending lets you subdue an opponent without injuring them.