History BigBad / AvatarTheLastAirbender

* [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderFireLordOzai Fire Lord Ozai]] is the overall BigBad of the series, reigning as the supreme leader of the Fire Nation during the twilight of the Hundred Year War upon the Avatar returning from his 99-year sleep. He continues Sozin's and Azulon's legacies of Fire Nation imperialism, eventually coming close to world domination upon the arrival of Sozin's comet. While he doesn't play an active role until Season 3, his influence remains strong, with the first two seasons' {{Big Bad}}s being his strongest subordinates who carry out the Fire Nation's conquests in his name. It's only fitting that he becomes the FinalBoss for [[TheHero Avatar Aang]], and his defeat marks the end of the Fire Nation being a ruthless empire and the beginning of a new era of peace with his son, Zuko, as the new Fire Lord.

!!Animation

!!Comics

!!Literature

** ''Literature/TheLegacyOfYangchen'': Zongdu Chaisee of Jonduri is the creator of the Unanimity, and seeks to create other unique fighting styles (such as lavabending and chi-blocking) to maintain her power.

* Season One: The exiled [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderZuko Prince Zuko]] is TheHeavy as the most persistent member of the Fire Nation hunting the Avatar. However, while he more than makes up for it in sheer determination, his lack of favor with his father severely handicaps his efforts. It comes as no surprise that he's upstaged in the finale by his rival in the search for the Avatar, the higher-ranked Admiral Zhao, who attempts to assassinate the prince and kill the Moon Spirit in his invasion of the Northern Water Tribe.
* Season Two: [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderPrincessAzula Princess Azula]] takes over the hunt for the Avatar, her disgraced brother, and her treasonous uncle on top of leading the attack on Ba Sing Se. Long Feng, the leader of the [[SecretPolice Dai Li]] and the true power behind the Earth King's throne, is a secondary threat scheming to maintain control by keeping Ba Sing Se oblivious to the ongoing war, but he proves to be a BigBadWannabe when he loses the Dai Li to Azula after working with her to pull a coup.
* Season Three: Ozai finally enters the limelight, planning to use the power of Sozin's Comet to wipe out the Earth Kingdom. Azula remains TheDragon who foils the Gaang's invasion of the Fire Nation and personally clashes with them up until the GrandFinale, when she's made the new Fire Lord--although it's a title immediately made [[PuppetKing irrelevant]] when Ozai crowns himself Phoenix King. Fittingly, the climax of the series features [[TwoLinesNoWaiting dual confrontations]], with Aang facing down Ozai while Zuko and Katara challenge Azula.

* Season One: [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraAmon Amon]] is the mysterious leader of the Equalist movement working to rid the world of bending. Tarrlok, [[spoiler:the son of the powerful bloodbending criminal Yakone]], is a CorruptPolitician who exploits the Equalist threat to gain more power, but he's ultimately a BigBadWannabe whose schemes are quickly unraveled before his bending is taken by Amon. Amon's true identity is [[spoiler:Tarrlok's brother Noatak, and his ability to remove bending is in truth a specialized technique using the unique bloodbending inherited from their father.]]
* Season Two: Unalaq, Korra's EvilUncle, is TheHeavy who secretly orchestrates the Dark Spirit attacks as an excuse to take over the Southern Water Tribe. Vaatu, the EvilCounterpart of the Avatar Spirit Raava, is his master whom he seeks to free and merge with, the two fusing into a "Dark Avatar" in the finale. Acting as a secondary threat and brief ArcVillain is [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraVarrickandZhuLi Varrick]], a businessman who starts a civil war between the Water Tribes for profit and tries to drag the United Republic into the conflict by kidnapping their president.

** ''Literature/TheDawnOfYangchen'': Henshe is the Zongdu of Bin-Er who unleashes the three Unanimity combustionbenders (Yingsu, Xiaoyun, & Thapa) to intimidate the Earth King into submission on behalf of his masters, Bin-Er's corrupt shang merchants. However, Henshe's [[BigBadWannabe incompetence]] leads to the Unanimity quickly establishing themselves as [[DragonInChief far greater threats]] once they make their debut in the climax.

* Season One: The exiled [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderZuko Prince Zuko]] is TheHeavy as the most persistent member of the Fire Nation hunting the Avatar. However, while he more than makes up for it in sheer determination, his lack of favor with his father severely handicaps his efforts. It should come as no surprise that he's upstaged in the finale by the higher-ranking Admiral Zhao, who attempts to assassinate the prince and kill the Moon Spirit in his invasion of the Northern Water Tribe.

* Season Two: Unalaq, Korra's EvilUncle, is TheHeavy who uses the Dark Spirit attacks as a front to take over the Southern Water Tribe. His master, Vaatu, is the EvilCounterpart of the Avatar Spirit Raava whom he seeks to free and merge with, the two fusing into a "Dark Avatar" in the finale. Acting as a secondary threat is [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraVarrickandZhuLi Varrick]], a businessman who starts a civil war between the Water Tribes for profit and tries to drag the United Republic into the conflict by kidnapping their president.

** ''[[ComicBook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheSearch The Search]]'': Azula, having gone off the deep end after her defeat, aids Zuko in his search for their mother only for the chance to kill her, intending to then usurp the Fire Nation throne [[spoiler:using a letter that (falsely) proves Zuko isn't Ozai's true heir.]] Meanwhile, Ozai serves as the primary villain in the FlashbackBPlot and is the catalyst for all the comic's events.

** ''Literature/TheDawnOfYangchen'': Henshe is the Zongdu of Bin-Er who unleashes the three Unanimity combustionbenders (Yingsu, Xiaoyun, & Thapa) to intimidate the Earth King into submission on behalf of his masters, Bin-Er's corrupt shang merchants. However, Henshe's [[BigBadWannabe incompetence]] leads to the Unanimity quickly establishing themselves as [[DragonInChief the true threats]] once they make their debut in the climax.

** ''[[ComicBook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheSearch The Search]]'': Azula, having gone off the deep end after her defeat, aids Zuko in his search for their mother only for the chance to kill her, intending to then usurp the Fire Nation throne [[spoiler:using a letter that (falsely) proves Zuko isn't Ozai's true heir.]]

* In General: [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderFireLordOzai Fire Lord Ozai]] is the overall BigBad of the series, reigning as the supreme leader of the Fire Nation during the twilight of the Hundred Years' War upon the Avatar returning from his 99-year sleep. He continues Sozin's (and Azulon's to a lesser extent) legacy of Fire Nation imperialism, eventually coming close to world domination upon the arrival of Sozin's comet (and his short "reign" as Phoenix King). While he doesn't play an active role until Season 3, his influence among the first two seasons [[BigBad Big Bads]] (i.e., Zhao, Azula) remains strong. It's only fitting that he becomes the FinalBoss for [[TheHero Avatar Aang]], and upon his defeat marks the end of the Fire Nation being a ruthless empire and the beginning of a new era of peace with his son, Zuko, as the new Fire Lord.

* Season Two: [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderPrincessAzula Princess Azula]] takes over the hunt for the Avatar, her disgraced brother, and her treasonous uncle on top of leading the attack on Ba Sing Se. Long Feng is a secondary threat as the leader of the [[SecretPolice Dai Li]] and the true power behind the Earth King's throne scheming to maintain control by keeping Ba Sing Se oblivious to the ongoing war, but he proves to be a BigBadWannabe when he loses the Dai Li to Azula after the two work together to pull a coup.
* Season Three: [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderFireLordOzai Ozai]] finally enters the limelight, planning to use the power of Sozin's Comet to wipe out the Earth Kingdom. Azula remains TheDragon who foils the Gaang's invasion of the Fire Nation and personally clashes with them up until the GrandFinale, when she's made the new Fire Lord--although it's a title immediately made [[PuppetKing irrelevant]] when Ozai crowns himself Phoenix King. Fittingly, the climax of the series features [[TwoLinesNoWaiting dual confrontations]], with Aang facing down Ozai while Zuko and Katara challenge Azula.

* Season One: [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraAmon Amon]] is the mysterious leader of the Equalist movement working to rid the world of bending. Tarrlok, [[spoiler:the son of the powerful bloodbending criminal Yakone]], is a CorruptPolitician who exploits the Equalist threat to gain more power, but he's ultimately a BigBadWannabe whose schemes are quickly unraveled before his bending is taken by Amon--really [[spoiler:his brother Noatak, whose ability to remove bending is in truth a specialized technique using the unique bloodbending they inherited from their father.]]
* Season Two: Unalaq, Korra's EvilUncle, is TheHeavy who uses the Dark Spirit attacks to take over the Southern Water Tribe in his quest to release his master Vaatu, the EvilCounterpart of the Avatar Spirit Raava, so he can fuse with him into a "Dark Avatar." Acting as a secondary threat is [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraVarrickandZhuLi Varrick]], a businessman who starts a civil war between the Water Tribes for profit and tries to drag the United Republic into the conflict by kidnapping their president.
* Season Three: [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraZaheer Zaheer]] is the leader of the Red Lotus, a group of anarchists out to remove world leaders and spread chaos across the world; they had previously sought to kidnap Korra as a child and use her to release Vaatu before being betrayed by Unalaq. Upon gaining airbending after Harmonic Convergence, Zaheer frees his three compatriots to capture Korra and destroy the Avatar Cycle for good. Earth Queen Hou-Ting is a BigBadWannabe forcibly conscripting the new airbenders in the Earth Kingdom into her service, but she's killed by Zaheer when she fails to deliver Korra to him in exchange for their location.
* Season Four: [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraKuvira Kuvira]] is a ward of Suyin who becomes a tyrannical dictator in her efforts to reunite the shattered Earth Kingdom, seizing power from Prince Wu to rechristen the nation as the Earth Empire. Baatar Jr., Suyin's oldest son, is Kuvira's {{Dragon}} and [[UnholyMatrimony fiancé]] who forces Varrick and Zhu Li to help weaponize spirit vines, constructing the [[WeaponOfMassDestruction Colossus]] mech for Kuvira to conquer the land "stolen" by the United Republic.

** ''Literature/TheRiseOfKyoshi'': Jianzhu, one of Avatar Kuruk's former companions, took up the slack of managing world affairs due to his friend's perceived laziness, and after his death becomes a ControlFreak who will do anything to prevent the next Avatar from falling into Kuruk's failings. He puts Yun through grueling training after misidentifying him as the Avatar before leaving him to die to Kuruk's ArchEnemy--the malevolent spirit Father Glowworm--and hunting down a runaway Kyoshi once he realizes his mistake.

* Season Three: [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderFireLordOzai Fire Lord Ozai]] finally enters the limelight, planning to use the power of Sozin's Comet to wipe out the Earth Kingdom. Azula remains TheDragon who foils the Gaang's invasion of the Fire Nation and personally clashes with them up until the GrandFinale, when she's made the new Fire Lord--although it's a title immediately made [[PuppetKing irrelevant]] when Ozai crowns himself Phoenix King. Fittingly, the climax of the series features [[TwoLinesNoWaiting dual confrontations]], with Aang facing down Ozai while Zuko and Katara challenge Azula.

* Season One: The exiled [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderZuko Prince Zuko]] is TheHeavy as the most persistent member of the Fire Nation hunting the Avatar. However, while he more than makes up for it in sheer determination, his lack of favor with his father severely handicaps his efforts. It should come as no surprise that he's upstaged come season's end by the higher-ranking Admiral Zhao, who attempts to assassinate the prince and kill the Moon Spirit in his invasion of the Northern Water Tribe.
* Season Two: [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderPrincessAzula Princess Azula]] takes over the hunt for the Avatar, her disgraced brother, and her treasonous uncle on top of leading the attack on Ba Sing Se. Long Feng is the leader of the Dai Li SecretPolice and the true power behind the Earth King's throne who schemes to maintain his control over Ba Sing Se by keeping its citizens oblivious to the ongoing war, but he proves to be a BigBadWannabe when he loses control of the Dai Li to Azula after the two work together to pull a coup.
* Season Three: [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderFireLordOzai Fire Lord Ozai]] finally enters the limelight, planning to use the power of Sozin's Comet to wipe out the Earth Kingdom. Azula remains TheDragon who foils the Gaang's invasion of the Fire Nation and personally clashes with them up until the GrandFinale, when she's made the new Fire Lord--although it's a title made [[PuppetKing irrelevant]] when Ozai crowns himself Phoenix King. Fittingly, the climax of the series features [[TwoLinesNoWaiting dual confrontations]], with Aang facing down Ozai while Zuko and Katara challenge Azula.

* Season Two: Unalaq, Korra's EvilUncle, is TheDragon to Vaatu and TheHeavy using the Dark Spirit attacks to orchestrate the release of his master, the EvilCounterpart of the Avatar Spirit Raava, so they can fuse into a "Dark Avatar." Acting as a secondary threat is [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraVarrickandZhuLi Varrick]], a businessman who starts a civil war between the Water Tribes for profit and tries to drag the United Republic into the conflict by kidnapping their president.

* Season Three: [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraZaheer Zaheer]] is the leader of the Red Lotus, a group of anarchists out to remove world leaders and spread chaos across the world; they had previously sought to kidnap Korra as a child and use her to release Vaatu before being betrayed by Unalaq. Upon gaining airbending after Harmonic Convergence, Zaheer frees his three compatriots to capture Korra and destroy the Avatar Cycle for good. _ is a BigBadWannabe forcibly conscripting the new airbenders in the Earth Kingdom into _ service, but _ killed by Zaheer when _ fails to deliver Korra to him in exchange for their location.