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!!This is a partial character sheet for ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra''. Visit [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorra here]] for the main character index. Subjective trope and audience reactions should go on the [[YMMV/TheLegendOfKorra YMMV page]].
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Amon]]
!Amon [[spoiler:/ Noatak]]
[[quoteright:332:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Amon_5948.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:332: "I am the solution."]]
->Voiced by SteveBlum
The leader of the Equalists and the primary antagonist of the first book. A man shrouded in mystery, Amon seeks to rid the world of benders and usher in a new era of equality. He seeks to destroy Korra, whose presence in Republic City threatens his anti-bender agenda.
----
* TheAce: Let us count the ways...
** Amon is exceptionally intelligent, proving himself capable of extraordinary strategic organization, and his challenge to the Council in "And the Winner Is..." is a near-flawless XanatosGambit, creating a situation in which it is nearly impossible for him not to advance.
** He's a charismatic public speaker, winning over huge numbers of non-benders to his side and inciting their distrust, all while playing himself up as a tragic and noble figure.
** He's a master of a dangerous martial-arts style that allows non-benders to challenge benders.
** And to top it all off, [[spoiler:he's a prodigy waterbender--one of the strongest non-Avatar benders in the entire franchise--who could bloodbend with his mind, outside of a full moon, at the tender young age of [[ChildProdigy fourteen.]]]]
* [[spoiler:AccidentalPublicConfession]]: [[spoiler:Non-verbal one. After being blasted out of a window into the ocean, he reflexively waterbends himself back out to avert drowning, exposing himself as a waterbender and washing off the paint used to fake a firebending scar.]]
* AmbiguouslyEvil: While Amon is unquestionably a villain, to what degree is another matter. [[spoiler: After the reveal, his exact motives for his revolution are not made clear, though according to Tarrlok, he believed bending was the root of all evil in the world.]]
* AntiVillain: Wanting equality and to help lower class citizens isn't bad... but doing so by trying to eradicate bending is extreme. He only targets benders who use their abilities for evil, at least until he's built up enough support to get away with more ambiguous targets or full-on public servants. He has also told Korra to her face (while his men held her down) that the only reason she still has her bending is that he is saving her for later. For all purposes, he does appear to have a moral code. It's just that he is pragmatic enough to take more amoral or even outright immoral actions to see his plans come to fruition.
** [[spoiler:It's revealed in the finale he's actually Yakone's son and a bloodbender, and, according to Tarrlok, came to the conclusion that bending was the root of all evil due to his father's [[AbusiveParents abusiveness]]. The fact that bloodbending is known to get people DrunkOnTheDarkSide probably didn't hurt. He ultimately seems to come in as a [[SlidingScaleOfAntiVillains Type III]] AntiVillain with shades of type II, or a [[AvertedTrope Straight up villain]] with some elements of a Type II AntiVillain if one believes that Tarrlok was wrong in his assessment of Amon's motivation.]]
* ArcVillain[=/=]BigBad: Of Book One.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: He prefers not to fight (see Pragmatic Villainy) but when he does....
* {{Badass}}:
** BadassBaritone: He ''is'' voiced by SteveBlum.
** BadassBoast:
--->'''[[spoiler:Tarrlok]]:''' [[WhatTheHellAreYou What... what are you?]]\\
'''Amon:''' I am the solution.
** BadassInCharge
** BadassLongcoat: A bit shorter than some other examples, but no less badass.
** EmpoweredBadassNormal: He's a BadassNormal who claims to have gotten his powers through contact with the Spirits. [[spoiler: Actually a subversion, since he's had his powers from birth and lied about their origins and nature.]]
* [[spoiler:BadPowersBadPeople]]: Zig zagged. [[spoiler:He's a bloodbender, but he's a villain of the KnightTemplar flavor, so he's bad in a rather unorthodox way.]]
* BelievingTheirOwnLies: Tarrlok theorizes that [[spoiler:while the Equalists philosphy was based on lies]], Amon genuinely believes benders are the source of the world's woes.
* [[spoiler: BigBrotherInstinct: Tarrlok claims he always looked out for him when they were kids. In "Out of the Past" he does the gruntwork of taking Tarrlok to the truck himself while the Lieutenant and some mooks try to nab Korra. At the finale, Amon tells him he's all he has left in the world.]]
* BondVillainStupidity: Subverted. While he lets Korra go even though he has her completely at his mercy, he has a damn good reason to do so. [[spoiler:Debending her would only make her a martyr and his plan was not yet ready.]]
* [[spoiler: BoomerangBigot: He's a waterbender, and none too proud of it, if Tarrlok's right about his motives.]]
* BreakingSpeech: He delivers one so effective and intimidating that Korra suffers a complete breakdown afterwards.
* [[spoiler: CainAndAbel: Zigzagged. He takes away his brother's bending, but his brother ultimately kills him. And, well, he still loves him regardless.]]
* TheChessmaster: Holy crap, yes. His actions in Episode 6 sealed his status as one and [[MagnificentBastard even more.]] See XanatosGambit below.
* [[spoiler:ChildProdigy: Mastered bloodbending at ''14''.]]
** [[spoiler:And his father's ''psychic'' bloodbending, at that: the kind that can be performed with a glare. Oh, and he doesn't need a full moon, either.]]
* CombatPragmatist: Uses ambushes, greater numbers, weapons the opposition has no defense against, and psychological warfare to lead the Equalists to victory. [[spoiler:He also subtly uses bloodbending to gain the edge in fights with other benders without exposing himself.]]
* CoolMask: Some kind of Venetian Carnival mask, it has the spook factor of one.
* CrazyPrepared: The Finale reveals that [[spoiler:he wears fake scars on his face just by the off chance that someone might knock his mask off, or force him to reveal his face.]]
** [[SubvertedTrope Just not]] [[spoiler: water proof fake scars]]
* CreepyMonotone
* CulturePolice: Desires to end pro-bending as means to end "bending worship".
* [[spoiler:DaddyIssues]]: [[spoiler:Courtesy of Yakone, who forced him and his brother into bloodbending.]]
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Pretty much for the entire run of the season. In fact, his only important mistakes come up [[spoiler:[[AccidentalPublicConfession due to survival instincts]] and [[LastOfHisKind a lack of experience]] with [[BlowYouAway airbenders]]]].
** When Korra challenges him to a one-on-one duel, he [[JustYouAndMeAndMyGuards ambushes her while she's alone with several Equalists for backup.]]
* DarkAndTroubledPast
* DarkMessiah: He's set himself up as a Messiah figure to the Equalist movement, and his ultimate goal is to replace the Avatar as the world's savior. Though the Equalists are not a religious movement, he does claim that his exceptional abilities were granted to him by the spirits that protect the world, and that it is his destiny to be the savior of non-benders by bringing them into balance with those who can (or could) bend.
* DarthVaderClone
* [[spoiler: DeathEqualsRedemption[=/=]HeelRealization]]: Depending on your [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation interpretation]] [[spoiler:of the single tear he cries before Tarrlok kills the two of them]], it's possible he fell under this trope; [[spoiler:if he was indeed aware of what Tarrlok was about to do, and did nothing to stop him, the likely conclusion is that he accepted his brother's judgement, and understood why he needed to die]].
** [[spoiler: The other running theory behind the SingleTear is he was so happy about the idea of starting a new life with his brother,]] so he might fall under this trope either way.
** [[spoiler: Averted in theory three, which is that Tarrlok killed them both because Amonoatak's "new life with his brother" meant "start an Equalist revolt somewhere else."]]
* DeathGlare: Gives quite a potent one to Korra as seen in episode 4 when he confronts her underneath Aang's statue. It's especially notable since he can give quite a DeathGlare even behind that mask.
* DePower: He has the ability to strip people of their bending. [[spoiler:He somehow uses bloodbending to do it, and in such a way that even Katara can't heal it. However, true energybending can counteract this.]]
* DiabolicalMastermind
* DissonantSerenity: The cargo bay of his [[CoolAirship zeppelin]] being filled with flame by Korra [[UnflinchingWalk doesn't even break his stride]]. [[spoiler:He doesn't seem fazed by Tarrlok's bloodbending, and while he's affected he is able to push through and maintain his composure without faltering.]] The mask definitely helps with the effect.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: On ''multiple'' levels.
** His ideals parallel the development of Communism and Fascism, (particularly the former given the "equality" rhetoric) which rose to compete against the democracies of the early 20th century. His rhetoric also is reminiscent of the Taiping Rebellion, as he fashions himself as a messianic figure and tries to replace the Avatar.
** The way in which he blames "every war" on bending, after several episodes in which its spiritual side has been stressed by Tenzin, is uncannily similar to the misnomer that religion is the cause of over 90% of the world's wars.
** The white version of his flag calls to mind Japan's history of ultra-nationalist, xenophobic anti-government terrorists, particularly just prior to the Meiji restoration and in the 1920's and 30's, the latter of which gave rise to the ImperialJapan of WorldWarTwo infamy.
* TheDreaded: He terrifies Korra to the point that she breaks down into tears after one confrontation with him, and his encounter with Bolin left the earthbender with nightmares for at least a week.
* [[spoiler:DrunkOnTheDarkSide]]: [[spoiler:Like Tarrlok, he was taught bloodbending by his father, which may have had something to do with his descent into villainy.]]
* [[spoiler:EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He does seem to still love Tarrlok, although he rejected him when they were children and took his bending away, though given Amon's hatred of bending (once again, according to Tarrlok), he might've seen that last part as a favor.]]
* EvilerThanThou: Amon ends up pulling this on every villain not working for him.
* EvilSoundsDeep: What else would you expect from SteveBlum? Evil's as deep as the ocean.
* ExpressiveMask: On occasion, there are subtle illustration changes to the mouth on his mask and his eyes and tone do the rest.
* [[spoiler: FamousLastWords]]: [[spoiler:"I had almost forgotten the sound of my own name."]]
* [[FantasticRacism Fantastic Racist]]: Hates benders and seeks to get rid of bending altogether.
* TheFaceless: Due to FacialHorror. [[spoiler:He's lying, and his face is revealed, first as a young boy, then as an adult, in the penultimate and final episodes of the first book, respectively.]]
* FacialHorror: The reason for his mask. He got the scars from the same Firebender that killed his family. [[spoiler:He's lying. Underneath the mask, [[CrazyPrepared and the makeup he's wearing under the mask]], he's actually [[http://minuiko.tumblr.com/post/25723337788/one-other-thing-it-kills-me-to-see-how-helpless good looking]].]]
* FatalFlaw: Amon's eventual downfall comes from one simple fact: although he is a [[TheChessmaster truly brilliant strategist]] whose schemes account for every eventuality he can think of, he has no ability to improvise and thus no fallbacks for eventualities he ''didn't'' think of, meaning [[spoiler:Korra's airbending]] catches him completely off-guard at the worst possible moment and sinks his ''entire'' plan, mere moments from victory.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He plays up the idea that he's actually a nice guy just doing a dirty job. He [[WouldHurtAChild usually]] gives his victims the chance to fight for their bending, and he's quite polite when speaking, but he's still the leader of a terrorist organization seeking to create an upheaval against all benders and he's still totally crazy and wants to destroy all bending because [[spoiler: his father was a douchenozzle.]]
* [[spoiler:FightsLikeANormal: If it's any of the types, it's Type 3. He almost exclusively uses non-bending martial arts, except for his psychic bloodbending for the most part, to remove people's bending or to make their attacks miss him. He only pulls out the big guns on his waterbending [[AccidentalPublicConfession by instinct to survive]] or when he otherwise has no reason to hide. Far and wide, however, he fights more or less like a BadassNormal because it helps hold up his schemes.]]
* {{Foil}}:
** To Korra. [[spoiler:His debending powers make him a sort of anti-Avatar]]. He's also styling himself in the same vein as an Avatar, claiming to be a savior sent by the spirits. He also is a very calm, controlled individual who claims to be sent by the spirits, while Korra is a BoisterousBruiser who has ''major'' difficulty with the spiritual side of bending. [[spoiler: It also turns out they're both native waterbenders and bending [[ChildProdigy Child Prodigies]]. In a geographical sense, Korra was born and raised in the south pole while Amon originates in the north pole. Not to mention his young self looks strikingly like a male version of Korra.]]
** His back-story is very similar to Mako and Bolin's. They all had parents killed by a firebender. But while the brothers eventually learned to live with their loss, he took it in a completely [[FantasticRacism different direction.]] [[spoiler: Of course, this turns out to be a lie.]]
*** On the other hand, [[spoiler:he is truly a Foil to Mako on a much deeper level- Mako is fiercly protective of his younger brother and protected him throughout their bad childhood, whilst Amon abondoned Tarrlok and left him to deal with their abusive father alone. Both are also very talented Benders, and the more talented of their brothers, and Amon goes out of his way to compliment Mako on that front. Both are the TheStoic in their SiblingYinYang relationship to their more emotionally sensitive younger kin too. The fact that Amon lied about their similar-sounding backstory only drives the point home further that Mako is the anti-Amon.]]
** In a meta sense, he's a foil to Ozai in the same sense that Korra is to Aang. Whereas Ozai was a power-hungry conqueror, Amon is a partisan revolutionary. Ozai was a clear monster, whereas Amon seems to be (and is if Tarrlok is to be believed) case of a KnightTemplar AntiVillain. Ozai was a firebender that had [[spoiler:his bending removed with energybending]] and Amon [[spoiler:is a water and blood bender who uses his powers to lobotomise other people's bending away. Ozai was a younger brother who wanted to be [[EvilOverlord just like his father]] and Amon was an older brother who hated his father.]]
** In another sense, he could be seen as this to [[spoiler:Aang of all people, they both are fighting against what they see as an oppressive government (though Aangs fight is rightfully more legitimate.) they also both ran away from the pressures put upon them by their elders while young, and they are great sources of hope and fear, it helps that the Young Amon sounded eerily similar to Aangs younger self, too.]]
** In a way, he could be seen as this to Tarrlok. Both men are highly charismatic people who've captured the hearts of their respective branches of public, [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking they're both more than capable of holding their own in a fight]], [[spoiler:and they both have secret powers that come off as a major shock to anyone who's fighting them for the first time]]. And then it turns out [[spoiler:[[SiblingYinYang Tarrlok is Amon's brother.]]]]
* FreudianExcuse: Amon's parents were murdered and his face disfigured by a firebender when he was just a child.
** [[spoiler:Turns out that backstory is a lie, but his real backstory is arguably just as sympathetic. His father, Yakone, was an extremely [[AbusiveParents abusive parent]], and forced him and his brother Tarrlok to learn bloodbending so he could use them to exact revenge on Republic City and the Avatar. Ultimately, this mistreatment put Amon on the path to darkness. Eventually, when his father made him and his brother use bloodbending on each other, he turned on his father, and ran away from home, and implied to be convinced that bending was evil.]]
* FromNobodyToNightmare: He was once a simple FarmBoy... then, his family was murdered. Now he's a DarkMessiah revolutionary trying to bring down bending and replace the Avatar.
** [[spoiler: [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig Zagged]] in the finale; turns out his father was Yakone, who fled Republic City. He was still nobody when he left the Northern Water tribe, but his story wasn't the one he claimed it was.]]
* [[spoiler:FullCircleRevolution]]: [[spoiler:When the Equalists took over Republic City, they're just as worse as every bad bender who oppressed them]].
* GeniusBruiser: Really good public speaker, social leader, and [[TheChessmaster master strategist]]; expert chi-blocker[[spoiler:, prodigy waterbender and psychic bloodbender]].
* GloriousLeader
* GoldAndWhiteAreDivine: An unusual case in that said colour pattern is confined to his mask.
* GoodColorsEvilColors:
** His mask is white and gold, noble colors, which are his ''mask'' which he hides behind, his red circle on his head could be his "evil" ambitions poking through his veneer of righteousness, and the fact that this is surrounded by black seems to mean he is the one noble being surrounded by darkness "benders" his point of view.
** When viewed through the lens of [[http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-messages-meanings/color-around-the-globe/china-the-colorful-masks-of-the-chinese-opera.html Chinese opera]], Amon's mask takes on considerable symbolism. Its white/silver and gold color scheme immediately places the character in the realm of the mystic, with the gold/yellow coloration also playing into the character traits of treachery and ferociousness. The red circle on his forehead evokes a hint of Buddhist symbolism, referencing his spiritual connection, and also carries some connotations with intelligence and cleverness.
** White is the color of death in Asian cultures, which fits well with the symbolism often attributed to the WhiteMaskOfDoom. Red and gold are generally considered positive colors in Chinese culture, making their use [[LightIsNotGood ironic]] in this case.
** The gold on his mask can also be seen as green. Another [[http://atla-annotated.tumblr.com/post/19671786341/amons-mask-analyzed-through-beijing-opera analysis]] through that lens holds that the white symbolizes cunning, treachery, and craftiness, the green is violence and lack of self-restraint, and the red dot is both spirituality and the mocking of it.
* [[spoiler: GoOutWithASmile: After losing Republic City and the Equalists, Amon decides to reclaim his old identity as Noatak and turn over a new leaf with Tarrlok, his long-lost brother. As they leave on a getaway boat, Noatak happily contemplates the new life they would build with each other as brothers, while Tarrlok silently decides to kill both of themselves as recompense for their past crimes and to halt their father's villainous legacy once and for all. From the driver's seat Noatak smiles as he muses on how he'd almost forgotten the sound of his own name and begins crying, perhaps [[DeathEqualsRedemption realizing and accepting]] what Tarrlok is about to do just before Tarrlok ignites the gas tank and detonates the boat.]]
* HeroKiller: More like Hero De-Bender. [[spoiler:Anyone he can lay his hands on is effectively neutralized since they can no longer bend. His first confrontation with Korra also implies that he plans to kill her after taking away her bending, though that may have been poor use of the phrase "untimely demise" as a metaphor.]] He fully enters into this trope after de-bending [[spoiler:Lin Beifong ''and'' '''KORRA''']]
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: [[spoiler:If you believe he really did see bending as the root of all evil, he became just as bad if not ''worse'' than the corrupt benders who was fighting against in the end.]]
* [[spoiler: HiddenAgendaVillain]]:[[spoiler: After TheReveal, his true motivations are never truly addressed. His backstory implies he's either a KnightTemplar seeking to rid the world of bending because he seeks it as the root of all evil, or was seeking to follow in his father's footsteps and take over Republic City. Evidence is presented for both.]]
* {{Hypocrite}}: He wants to get rid of benders for making non-benders live in terror, while his own strategy consists of doing exactly that. Not to mention that he's not only [[spoiler:a bender himself, but a ''bloodbender'', aka the most dangerous type of bender in the world. While Tarrlok thinks Amon is none to proud of his powers, (see YouAreWhatYouHate) he still uses them subtly to fight, rather than fighting like a BadassNormal]]. In the end, [[spoiler:the Lieutenant]] is not at all happy to realize this.
* IAmTheNoun: "I am the ''solution''".
** Also printed on some of his posters, though that's a [[BilingualBonus Readers Of Chinese Bonus]].
* ImplacableMan: No matter what you throw at him, he won't stop coming.
* InTheHood
* TheJuggernaut: [[spoiler:When Tarrlok tries to use bloodbending on him, he just shrugs it off and keeps advancing. Turns out he was bloodbending himself.]]
** [[spoiler: This appears to have happened some time in his backstory, between Noatak running away from home and taking up the identity of Amon.]]
* JustToyingWithThem: Amon makes a show out of tying up [[ElementalPowers bending]] members of a crime syndicate (and one of the heroes who got mixed up with them) and [[spoiler: removing their powers]] in front of a huge crowd of [[AntimagicalFaction Equalist]] sympathizers. This trope comes into play when, as part of his show, Amon lets the crime boss loose and offers him the chance to fight to protect himself. It's all the more impressive when Amon wins. [[CurbStompBattle Rather easily]], in fact. [[spoiler:It's later revealed he uses bloodbending to get them to move somewhat predictably without revealing his ability, making his defeat of them inevitable.]]
* JustYouMeAndMyGuards: [[spoiler:How Amon eventually responds to Korra's mano-a-mano challenge to him. Could be justified because Tarrlok was supposed to have soldiers watching the fight, and Amon is GenreSavvy enough to suspect something like that.]]
* [[spoiler:KarmicDeath]]: [[spoiler:In the first season finale. Tragic, but nevertheless karmic.]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Every early instance of on-screen [[spoiler:de-bending]] we saw him carry out was upon someone who was used their bending to illegally gain a position of power while being protected from reprisals by corruption in the system (the Triple Threat Triad, an organized crime syndicate, as well as the Wolfbats who cheated their way into winning the tournament, and [[spoiler:Tarrlok]]). This is a consistent part of his political strategy, and also why he refuses to fight Korra at first.
** KickTheDog: After his plans have advanced far enough that he doesn't need the good press anymore, he has no problem attacking benders who haven't done anything to deserve it. [[spoiler:The Metalbending police, the entire Republic City Council (save Tenzin), the last airbenders (who escaped), and Lin Beifong. Not to mention bombing the crap out of Republic City. In the finale, he has benders lined up execution-style, captures Tenzin and his family to eliminate airbending altogether (despite the Air Acolytes being altogether peaceful, and Tenzin supporting non-bender rights more than anyone else), and attacks and possibly ''kills'' the Lieutenant when he finds out Amon is a bloodbender and makes a MookFaceTurn.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]: [[spoiler:Escapes Republic City with Tarrlok, but Tarrlok ultimately decides to sacrifice himself to stop him once and for all by blowing up the boat they're in.]]
* KneelBeforeZod: [[spoiler:Forces a pack of wolves to do this as a child with bloodbending.]]
* KnightOfCerebus: The first couple of episodes are relatively lighthearted and upbeat. Then Amon takes center-stage in the third episode and every episode proceeds to get darker and darker. In the end, Amon is the only major villain in the entire franchise who is not EVER used for laughs. Even Ozai, after he was defeated, was the butt of jokes from other characters. [[spoiler:But even after his defeat, he still left enough of a mark on Korra that the season very nearly had a DownerEnding.]]
* KnightTemplar: Amon definitely invokes this in his rhetoric, and follows up rather well, rapidly escalating the stakes from [[spoiler: vigilantism to terrorism to an open revolt which temporarily succeeds in deposing the government of Republic City.]]
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: [[spoiler: After being defeated by Korra and Mako, he immediately leaves and retrieves Tarrlok, before leaving the defeated Equalists behind to start a new life with his brother.]]
* LightIsNotGood: Though Amon invokes certain heavenly archetypes with his [[GoldAndWhiteAreDivine white and gold]] sun mask, Egyptian sun god name, and [[MessianicArchetype possible mystical connections]], he's still the leader of a terrorist organization. [[spoiler:He's a waterbender, and while a bloodbender, his method is essencially a reversal of [[HealingHands waterbending healing]], manipulating chi regardless. Thus, arguably WhiteMagic.]]
* LightningBruiser: Extremely agile and nimble fighter with the strength to take down even the most skilled benders with no sweat.
* MadeOfIron: He took a lightning bolt to the chest, several seconds long at that, and ''walked it off''.
* MageKiller: Not surprising, given that he's the leader of [[AntimagicalFaction the Equalists]].
* [[spoiler:MakingASplash]]: [[spoiler:Turns out he's a waterbender and a bloodbender, possibly the most powerful who ever lived.]]
** [[spoiler:BloodMagic]]
* [[MalevolentMaskedMen Malevolent Masked Man]]: Like the lower-level Equalists, although they're GasMaskMooks and his is more of a traditional mask.
* MissionFromGod: He claims that he was chosen by the spirits to bring down bending and replace the Avatar.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "Amon" has plenty of possible meanings.
** To start, it's the name of an Egyptian god and a [[ArsGoetia demon]].
** The word or root "Amen" means "what is hidden", "what is not seen", "what cannot be seen" and the like.
** One of the worst Nazi criminals was [[Film/SchindlersList Amon Goeth]].
** [[http://masterarrowhead.tumblr.com/post/21546778935/hawkfeather-atla-annotated-energybending-a Amon is also the name of an acupuncture point on the back of the neck.]] Amon was shown pressing onto that point as well as the forehead.
** A fan [[http://atla-annotated.tumblr.com/post/21979689321/amon-is-the-answer-interesting-choice-of translated his name written in Chinese characters]]. 阿蒙. ‘cover; ignorant; suffer’.
* NightmareFuel: Very much InUniverse for Korra and Tenzin.
* NoSell: When [[spoiler:Tarrlok]] uses [[spoiler:bloodbending]] to incapacitate his mooks, Amon shrugs it off. Even when [[spoiler:Tarrlok]] redoubled his efforts, it just barely slowed Amon down. [[spoiler:Since he can bloodbend with his mind, he was able to counteract Tarrlok's powers without moving.]]
* OddNameOut: [[spoiler:While Yakone and Tarrlok have {{Meaningful Name}}s, Amon's real name is simply the name of a river.]]
* ObviouslyEvil: He looks pretty dang evil, but looking at him through the lens of Asian Culture (which Avatar takes heavy cues from), he looks a ''lot'' more evil. See GoodColorsEvilColors.
* [[spoiler:ThePowerOfBlood[=/=]PeoplePuppets]]: [[spoiler:He's a bloodbender. He's so good that he can do it [[BeyondTheImpossible without moving his hands. In daytime.]]]]
** [[spoiler:PsychicPowers]]: [[spoiler:Tarrlok specifically calls his bloodbending this.]]
* PragmaticVillainy:
** "[[Recap/TheLegendOfKorraS1E4TheVoiceInTheNight The Voice in the Night]]" reveals just how pragmatic he is, to the point of ReasonBeforeHonor.
** Get challenged to a one-on-one duel? No {{Mooks}} for either side? [[spoiler:So you've made yourself defenseless. Perfect. Meet my platoon of chi-blockers.]]
** At last, I have my most dangerous opponent [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty at my mercy]]. [[spoiler:See ya round kid. The international public outcry wouldn't be worth it right now. But don't worry! I'm going to save you for last, letting you watch all you love and care for be destroyed before I take you out. Toodle-oo!]]
* PreAssKickingOneLiner: "It is time for you to be Equalized."
* [[spoiler:PsychopathicManChild]]: [[spoiler:In his final scenes he displays naivety and untoward optimism, shucking off his persona of Amon as if it was a disguise. He's incredibly cheerful for a defeated man and is seemingly giddy from the prospect of being with his little brother again, as if he and Tarrlok are two little schoolboys running away from home. He seems to think everything will be just fine, ignoring the fact that every facet of their identities were shaped so that a normal life would be improbable or even impossible.]]
** That said, [[spoiler: the sheer amount of explosives/electric weapons, as well as his tear before Tarrlok exploded the boat, might imply it was a ruse to lead his brother to kill them both, or that he wasn't just going to let his revolution die.]]
* RedEyesTakeWarning: He never does this personally, but quite a few of the Equalist powers depict him this way, probably for RuleOfDrama.
* RebelLeader: He is the leader of the anti-bending movement.
* TheRevolutionWillNotBeVilified: [[spoiler:Once the Equalists took over, it's totally subverted]].
* [[spoiler: TheRunaway]]: [[spoiler: In his ''real'' backstory.]]
* [[spoiler:SelfDisposingVillain]]: [[spoiler:A case where the hero isn't even aware of it. Korra never has the chance to take care of him, since he escapes. [[MurderSuicide Tarrlok takes care of that.]]]]
* ShadowArchetype: To Korra, as essentially the anti-Avatar. He's also one to Bolin and Mako, as they've all lost their parents to Firebenders. However, Amon now wants to destroy all benders, while Bolin and Mako are making the best of their situation.
* [[spoiler:SiblingYinYang]]: [[spoiler:With Tarrlok.]]
* [[spoiler:SingleTear]]: [[spoiler:Sheds one right before his death]].
* TheSocialExpert
* [[spoiler:StrawHypocrite: Possibly. He leads a crusade against bending, when he is in fact a waterbender--in fact, his method for removing other people's bending involves bloodbending. But it's not known if he truly believes in the cause, even if he uses bending to achieve it, or whether he's just exploiting the cause for his own personal gain or a desire to upstage his father.]]
* TheStoic: Always calm and collected, even in the midst of battle.
** [[spoiler:NotSoStoic: When he takes off his mask to "disprove" Korra's revelation of his backstory, Amon is suddenly much more enthusiastic and emotional in his speech. Considering that he was lying, it's most likely an act.]]
*** [[spoiler: Amon loses his composure after he inadvertantly outs himself as a bender to his followers, and during his reunion with Tarrlok, is far more emotional than he had been up to that point, even shedding a tear just before dying.]]
* StrongerSibling: [[spoiler:He's Tarrlok's.]]
* SuperPowerLottery: He's an incredibly skilled chi-blocker, and can permanently disable bending. [[spoiler: Add in his bloodbending, and Amon really won this thing.]]
* [[spoiler: TallDarkAndHandsome: All of which come standard for members of the Water Tribes.]]
* TellMeHowYouFight: [[spoiler:Tarrlok identifies Amon as his brother, despite Amon's appearance being totally concealed, by the distinctive feel of his bloodbending]].
* [[spoiler:ThisCannotBe]]: [[spoiler:When he debends Korra only for her to use airbending against him.]]
* [[spoiler:TragicVillain]]: In the finale, it's revealed that [[spoiler:Amon is actually Tarrlok's older brother, Noatak. He and Tarrlok were forced by their [[AbusiveParents father]] Yakone to learn bloodbending, so that he could use them to exact vengeance on Republic City and the Avatar. After Yakone forced him and Tarrlok to use bloodbending on each other, Noatak turned on his father, incapacitated him with bloodbending, and ran away from home, taking up the identity of Amon years later. According to Tarrlok, he really and truly believed bending to be the root of all evil in the world, despite being a bender himself, though Tarrlok also implies Amon enjoyed the power bloodbending gave him.]]
** It's worse than that. [[spoiler: He wanted Tarrlok to run away with him, but Tarrlok didn't want to leave their mother behind. At the finale he's looking forward to a peaceful life with his brother. Apparently that's all he really wanted.]]
* [[spoiler:{{Tykebomb}}: His father Yakone tried to turn him and his brother, Tarrlok, into this in a plot for revenge on Republic City and the Avatar. While he ''did'' turn on his father, he ultimately ended up fulfilling what Yakone wanted him to do anyway, make Republic City suffer.]]
* TheUnfettered
* UnflinchingWalk:
** Pulls this off in the face of a fireball that blasts most of his {{Mooks}} away.
** Also, [[spoiler:when up against Tarrlok, he pulls this off. Which is impressive, because he ''shouldn't'' have been able to stand, let alone walk. It turns out Amon himself is a bloodbender, hence why he wasn't affected.]]
* [[spoiler: UnreliableExpositor]]: [[spoiler: His given backstory is a lie in order to gain support and sympathy.]]
* [[spoiler:UsedToBeASweetKid]]: [[spoiler:Until his father forced him and his brother to learn bloodbending.]]
* VillainExitStageLeft: [[spoiler: After being defeated and uncovered by Korra, Noatak asks Tarrlok to escape together and rebuild a life as brothers. Tarrlok agrees, but has [[MurderSuicide ulterior motives]] for doing so.]]
* VillainHasAPoint: His talk about benders oppressing non-benders gained a lot more credence [[spoiler:once Tarrlok took over.]]
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Invoked. His EvilPlan requires popular support, so he avoids actions that could negatively impact his reputation. While officially considered a terrorist, he has amassed a modest army, enough to threaten all of Republic City.
* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown]]: [[spoiler:After Korra manages to use airbending despite having been debended. He ''really'' gets this once he's not only unmasked, but his makeup to make him look scarred is washed off in the water, revealing him for what he really is.]]
* [[spoiler:VillainousRescue]]: [[spoiler:Rescues Korra from Tarrlok, though he didn't plan on letting her go free after taking down Tarrlok.]]
* VisionaryVillain: A world of equality.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: The only known Equalist to have one.
* [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim Why Don't You Just Shoot Her?]]: He makes it clear that he could have easily taken away Korra's bending when he ambushed her. He also makes it clear that doing so would have made her into a martyr, which is why Korra will be the last to lose her bending, and then she will die.
* [[spoiler:WorldsStrongestMan]]: [[spoiler:Described as one of the most powerful benders ''ever''. He's possibly the strongest non-Avatar bender to ever live, as his family's psychic bloodbending, of which Amon's is the demonstrably strongest, has only ever been broken by the [[SuperMode Avatar State]].]]
* WouldHitAGirl: He knocks Korra unconscious when he ambushes her. And he plans to kill her.
* WouldHurtAChild: In the finale, [[spoiler:he has captured Tenzin and his family and plans on debending them.]]
* XanatosGambit: Pulls one off in "And the Winner Is...". He makes [[DoNotAdjustYourSet a public demand over the radio]] that the city government shut down the Pro-Bending arena and cancel the championship match. If the pro-bending championships are not stopped, then he and the Equalists have an audience for the demonstration of their power and he gets to begin his war. If the tournament is canceled the government has given into Amon's demand and showed that it will not challenge him.
* [[spoiler:YouAreWhatYouHate]]: By implication, [[spoiler:if he was really sincere about his belief that benders are the source of all evil in the world, he is a Type 3 or even Type 4]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Lieutenant]]
!The Lieutenant
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Screen_Shot_2012-04-29_at_11_40_21_AM_7512.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"You benders need to understand... there's no place in this world for you anymore."]]
->Voiced by Creator/LanceHenriksen
Amon's second-in-command.
----
* AmbiguouslyEvil: While there's no doubt he's one of the bad guys, his reasons for doing the things he does remain unknown, as is whether he would qualify as a straight up villain or an AntiVillain.
* AwesomeBackpack: He carries a power generator on his back to supply power for his weapons.
** AmmunitionBackpack
* {{Badass}}
** BadassBaritone
** BadassMoustache
** BadassNormal
* [[spoiler:BrokenPedestal: Let's just say that he didn't take learning the truth about Amon well]].
* TheDeterminator: Always back up and ready for another fight, no matter how much of a beating he takes.
* DiminishingVillainThreat: Appears very threatening early on, soundly defeating Bolin and Mako in "The Revelation," but every time he is encountered thereafter, he is usually either attacking a helpless or outmatched opponent or he loses.
* TheDragon: For Amon.
** [[spoiler:CoDragons: With Hiroshi Sato]]
* DualWielding: Electricfied kali sticks in both hands.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Everyone up to and including Amon, in fact.
** Bolin calls him Moustache Guy, though.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Being voiced by Lance Henriksen, this is a given. That man could inhale multiple canisters of helium and he would still sound like he had more than one puberty.
* GlassCannon: Very agile and deadly in combat. He hits as fast as lightning, and he's very powerful. However, he goes down after one hit.
* GogglesDoNothing
* GoodHairEvilHair: He has a Fu Manchu moustache.
* HonorBeforeReason: Considering that he saw Amon [[spoiler: bloodbending]] Korra and Mako at the same time, he probably realized that a head-on charge would be suicide, but decided he'd rather go out swinging than continue to follow a lie.
** A much smarter approach would have to have pretended not to know anything, snuck up close to Amon, and then ambush him at close quarters with an electrified weapon, and only ''after'' Amon is down throw off his mask and give his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. But possibly he knows Amon well enough to know that such a sneak attack wouldn't work.
* IcyBlueEyes
* ImpossiblyCoolWeapon: He wields a pair of electrified kali sticks, because his opponents are metalbending cops, and electricity works pretty well on all benders. The fact that an industrialized city like Republic City has conductive metal ''everywhere'' doesn't hurt, either.
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: Starts to shade into this as the DiminishingVillainThreat kicks in. Poor guy can't do ''anything'' right.
* IronButtmonkey
* ItsPersonal: [[spoiler:When Korra's trapped in a metal cage, he shows a certain satisfaction in getting to shock her unconscious as payback. Unfortunately for him, she was one step ahead.]]
** He also takes [[spoiler:realizing that he'd been played by Amon]] pretty badly.
** Otherwise averted. It's suggested that he feels eradicating bending is a ''logical conclusion''.
* MadeOfIron: Has been sucker punched with a boulder, knocked off a building, blasted over a roof, and smashed into the ground from midair by a polar bear dog. And each time, he has dusted himself off and returned ready to fight again.
* MookFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Turns on Amon when he finds out about his bending, though as usual he didn't do that well in the ensuing "fight".]]
* NobleTopEnforcer: While the Lieutenant comes off as sadistic and cruel, he truly believes in the Equalists' agenda and dedicated his life to it.
* NoNameGiven
* NoPeripheralVision: Maybe it's the goggles, but the Lieutenant has had an unfortunate tendency to be taken out by surprise, typically by someone new showing up from behind or the side while he's fighting another opponent.
* PsychoElectro: While he is serious in wanting to end bending like all other Equalists, he seems to actually enjoy inflicting pain on benders with his electric arsenal a bit ''too much''.
* ShockAndAwe
** StaticStunGun
* SimpleStaff: Of the two handheld rod variety.
* SpannerInTheWorks: His [[CurbStompBattle "battle"]] [[spoiler:with Amon gave Mako the time to muster up the energy to fire off his lightning.]]
* TallDarkAndHandsome: He actually doesn't look that bad unmasked.[[hottip:*:Seen [[http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5q76pCfDJ1qa7n5e.gif here]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: He really did believe in Amon's message and felt that the world would be better off without bending. [[spoiler:He was enraged when he saw that Amon was a liar and a fraud.]]
* [[spoiler: YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Amon tries this after he walks in at a ''very'' inconvenient time. Whether it takes or not is [[HesJustHiding a subject of much debate]], especially given his IronButtMonkey status.]]
** [[spoiler: WordOfGod has ended the debate by confirming via DVD commentary that he did indeed survive and was just knocked unconscious.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Chi-blockers]]
!The Chi-blockers
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Chi_blockers_6466.jpg]]
The foot-soldiers of the Equalist cause, trained in chi-blocking to nullify the powers of benders.
----
* AirplaneArms: They use the further back, ninja-like variation.
* BadassArmy: BadassNormal GasMaskMooks trained specifically in a PressurePoint-striking fighting method designed to temporarily [[PowerNullifier disarm]] and [[TheParalyzer disable]] the wielders of ElementalPowers. Later armed with electric weapons that achieve similar effects to chi blocking without needing special training, and eventually equipped with heavy firepower in the form of mecha tanks, airships and [[spoiler: bomber airplanes]].
* BadassBiker: The chi blockers are excellent motorcyclists.
* BadassNormal: They completely dominate Korra and Mako in their first fight, due to clever use of their gadgets and their martial arts.
* CombatPragmatist: They take any advantage they can get. Aside from their grenades, they use bolas, tripwires, whips, and do not obey MookChivalry, for the most part.
* EliteMooks: They're pretty much an entire army of them. Even just a few of them can put up a hell of a fight against very powerful benders.
* EqualOpportunityEvil: Their figures show that more than a few are [[DarkActionGirl women]]. The ladies fight alongside the men. Also we can't be sure with their masks, but they seem to be non-benders from any of the three nations.
* GasMaskMooks: Since they use gas grenades, this is a necessary aspect of their outfit. Also helps when [[spoiler: being knocked down by fartbending]].
* KickTheDog: Electrocuting Shiro Shinobi, the announcer, who is a non-bender and wasn't fighting back.
** Using Bolos and attacking the non-bender communication-staff at the police station.
* KungFuProofMook: The Equalists' MiniMecha are made from platinum, metal so pure metalbenders are incapable of manipulating it.
* MageKiller: Their combat training specifically targets benders.
* MiniMecha: Their platinum mech-tanks.
* MookChivalry: Averted for most of the first book, but played straight in "Turning the Tides" when half a dozen stand still and let themselves be knocked over by a slow attack, and they back away when the Lieutenant fights Lin.
* {{Ninja}}
* TheParalyzer: Their blows cause temporary (and apparently painful) paralysis in addition to serving as a...
* PowerNullifier: Even after the paralysis wears off, a chi-blocker's strike will render their target temporarily unable to bend.
* PressurePoint: The centerpiece of their fighting style, featuring extremely rapid strikes.
* SamusIsAGirl: A minor variation; some of the chi-blockers are clearly women, but you [[FreezeFrameBonus have to be paying attention]].
* ShockAndAwe: A favored tactic of theirs, in various flavors:
** The less skilled among them use electricity-generating gloves. The ones in full attire never do.
** The MiniMecha have built in tasers and can fire bola disks which shock the recipient unconscious. This same weapon is used by hand occasionally.
* SmokeOut: They use grenades that release a greenish, slightly unpleasant gas to dissuade pursuers.
* TheVoiceless: They apparently use this as a psychological tactic, as their near-absolute silence in battle, communicating and coordinating only through gestures and reading each other's body motions, accentuate the inhumanity their faceless masks lend them. It's almost jarring when we hear them speak in episode 9 during unguarded moments.
* TheWorfEffect: In episode 10, several of them were quickly defeated by Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo. Somewhat justified by the fact that airbenders only number in the single digits and only one is actually an adult, so they weren't prepared for it. Add on to that the fact that they were attacked by children, which would be a surprise in itself assuming they were actually willing to assault children in the first place.
** Then there's the fact that Airbending is all about dodging and weaving plus, the chi-blockers were trained to fight other bending that they can SEE. Seeing that Tenzin and his kids are the only known Airbenders in existence.
* ZergRush: They performed this quite often, though also mixed smart tactics and gadgets with it, making them very dangerous. Probably the best example would be when they ambushed Korra with about two dozen attacking her at once.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Protester]]
!The Protester
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Screen_Shot_2012-04-29_at_11_27_37_AM_9261.png]]
->Voiced by Creator/CarlosAlazraqui
He's a protester who comes into the Republic City park to preach about Amon's ideals.
----
* AttentionWhore: He promotes the Equalists for this reason, according to the official website. He attempts to get said attention by taking the unpopular position on any given issue (in this case, bending rights). His parents were evidently supportive of benders.
* BackForTheFinale
* BigWhat: He lets one out in the finale when [[spoiler:Amon outs himself as a waterbender.]]
%% EyesOfGold has more requirements for the trope than just "gold eyes". The protestor does not fit any of them.
* HotBloodedSideburns: Which also point to Fire Nation parentage.
* NoNameGiven
* TooDumbToLive: This feels the need to openly insult any benders he sees, and it's made pretty clear that most of them could beat him without using any bending. [[GenreSavvy Doing so would prove him right, though, a fact he exploits in the first episode when dealing with Korra.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:[[spoiler:Hiroshi Sato]]]]
[[spoiler:See Characters/TheLegendOfKorraOtherMajorCharacters.]]
[[/folder]]
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Amon]]
!Amon [[spoiler:/ Noatak]]
[[quoteright:332:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Amon_5948.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:332: "I am the solution."]]
->Voiced by SteveBlum
The leader of the Equalists and the primary antagonist of the first book. A man shrouded in mystery, Amon seeks to rid the world of benders and usher in a new era of equality. He seeks to destroy Korra, whose presence in Republic City threatens his anti-bender agenda.
----
* TheAce: Let us count the ways...
** Amon is exceptionally intelligent, proving himself capable of extraordinary strategic organization, and his challenge to the Council in "And the Winner Is..." is a near-flawless XanatosGambit, creating a situation in which it is nearly impossible for him not to advance.
** He's a charismatic public speaker, winning over huge numbers of non-benders to his side and inciting their distrust, all while playing himself up as a tragic and noble figure.
** He's a master of a dangerous martial-arts style that allows non-benders to challenge benders.
** And to top it all off, [[spoiler:he's a prodigy waterbender--one of the strongest non-Avatar benders in the entire franchise--who could bloodbend with his mind, outside of a full moon, at the tender young age of [[ChildProdigy fourteen.]]]]
* [[spoiler:AccidentalPublicConfession]]: [[spoiler:Non-verbal one. After being blasted out of a window into the ocean, he reflexively waterbends himself back out to avert drowning, exposing himself as a waterbender and washing off the paint used to fake a firebending scar.]]
* AmbiguouslyEvil: While Amon is unquestionably a villain, to what degree is another matter. [[spoiler: After the reveal, his exact motives for his revolution are not made clear, though according to Tarrlok, he believed bending was the root of all evil in the world.]]
* AntiVillain: Wanting equality and to help lower class citizens isn't bad... but doing so by trying to eradicate bending is extreme. He only targets benders who use their abilities for evil, at least until he's built up enough support to get away with more ambiguous targets or full-on public servants. He has also told Korra to her face (while his men held her down) that the only reason she still has her bending is that he is saving her for later. For all purposes, he does appear to have a moral code. It's just that he is pragmatic enough to take more amoral or even outright immoral actions to see his plans come to fruition.
** [[spoiler:It's revealed in the finale he's actually Yakone's son and a bloodbender, and, according to Tarrlok, came to the conclusion that bending was the root of all evil due to his father's [[AbusiveParents abusiveness]]. The fact that bloodbending is known to get people DrunkOnTheDarkSide probably didn't hurt. He ultimately seems to come in as a [[SlidingScaleOfAntiVillains Type III]] AntiVillain with shades of type II, or a [[AvertedTrope Straight up villain]] with some elements of a Type II AntiVillain if one believes that Tarrlok was wrong in his assessment of Amon's motivation.]]
* ArcVillain[=/=]BigBad: Of Book One.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: He prefers not to fight (see Pragmatic Villainy) but when he does....
* {{Badass}}:
** BadassBaritone: He ''is'' voiced by SteveBlum.
** BadassBoast:
--->'''[[spoiler:Tarrlok]]:''' [[WhatTheHellAreYou What... what are you?]]\\
'''Amon:''' I am the solution.
** BadassInCharge
** BadassLongcoat: A bit shorter than some other examples, but no less badass.
** EmpoweredBadassNormal: He's a BadassNormal who claims to have gotten his powers through contact with the Spirits. [[spoiler: Actually a subversion, since he's had his powers from birth and lied about their origins and nature.]]
* [[spoiler:BadPowersBadPeople]]: Zig zagged. [[spoiler:He's a bloodbender, but he's a villain of the KnightTemplar flavor, so he's bad in a rather unorthodox way.]]
* BelievingTheirOwnLies: Tarrlok theorizes that [[spoiler:while the Equalists philosphy was based on lies]], Amon genuinely believes benders are the source of the world's woes.
* [[spoiler: BigBrotherInstinct: Tarrlok claims he always looked out for him when they were kids. In "Out of the Past" he does the gruntwork of taking Tarrlok to the truck himself while the Lieutenant and some mooks try to nab Korra. At the finale, Amon tells him he's all he has left in the world.]]
* BondVillainStupidity: Subverted. While he lets Korra go even though he has her completely at his mercy, he has a damn good reason to do so. [[spoiler:Debending her would only make her a martyr and his plan was not yet ready.]]
* [[spoiler: BoomerangBigot: He's a waterbender, and none too proud of it, if Tarrlok's right about his motives.]]
* BreakingSpeech: He delivers one so effective and intimidating that Korra suffers a complete breakdown afterwards.
* [[spoiler: CainAndAbel: Zigzagged. He takes away his brother's bending, but his brother ultimately kills him. And, well, he still loves him regardless.]]
* TheChessmaster: Holy crap, yes. His actions in Episode 6 sealed his status as one and [[MagnificentBastard even more.]] See XanatosGambit below.
* [[spoiler:ChildProdigy: Mastered bloodbending at ''14''.]]
** [[spoiler:And his father's ''psychic'' bloodbending, at that: the kind that can be performed with a glare. Oh, and he doesn't need a full moon, either.]]
* CombatPragmatist: Uses ambushes, greater numbers, weapons the opposition has no defense against, and psychological warfare to lead the Equalists to victory. [[spoiler:He also subtly uses bloodbending to gain the edge in fights with other benders without exposing himself.]]
* CoolMask: Some kind of Venetian Carnival mask, it has the spook factor of one.
* CrazyPrepared: The Finale reveals that [[spoiler:he wears fake scars on his face just by the off chance that someone might knock his mask off, or force him to reveal his face.]]
** [[SubvertedTrope Just not]] [[spoiler: water proof fake scars]]
* CreepyMonotone
* CulturePolice: Desires to end pro-bending as means to end "bending worship".
* [[spoiler:DaddyIssues]]: [[spoiler:Courtesy of Yakone, who forced him and his brother into bloodbending.]]
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Pretty much for the entire run of the season. In fact, his only important mistakes come up [[spoiler:[[AccidentalPublicConfession due to survival instincts]] and [[LastOfHisKind a lack of experience]] with [[BlowYouAway airbenders]]]].
** When Korra challenges him to a one-on-one duel, he [[JustYouAndMeAndMyGuards ambushes her while she's alone with several Equalists for backup.]]
* DarkAndTroubledPast
* DarkMessiah: He's set himself up as a Messiah figure to the Equalist movement, and his ultimate goal is to replace the Avatar as the world's savior. Though the Equalists are not a religious movement, he does claim that his exceptional abilities were granted to him by the spirits that protect the world, and that it is his destiny to be the savior of non-benders by bringing them into balance with those who can (or could) bend.
* DarthVaderClone
* [[spoiler: DeathEqualsRedemption[=/=]HeelRealization]]: Depending on your [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation interpretation]] [[spoiler:of the single tear he cries before Tarrlok kills the two of them]], it's possible he fell under this trope; [[spoiler:if he was indeed aware of what Tarrlok was about to do, and did nothing to stop him, the likely conclusion is that he accepted his brother's judgement, and understood why he needed to die]].
** [[spoiler: The other running theory behind the SingleTear is he was so happy about the idea of starting a new life with his brother,]] so he might fall under this trope either way.
** [[spoiler: Averted in theory three, which is that Tarrlok killed them both because Amonoatak's "new life with his brother" meant "start an Equalist revolt somewhere else."]]
* DeathGlare: Gives quite a potent one to Korra as seen in episode 4 when he confronts her underneath Aang's statue. It's especially notable since he can give quite a DeathGlare even behind that mask.
* DePower: He has the ability to strip people of their bending. [[spoiler:He somehow uses bloodbending to do it, and in such a way that even Katara can't heal it. However, true energybending can counteract this.]]
* DiabolicalMastermind
* DissonantSerenity: The cargo bay of his [[CoolAirship zeppelin]] being filled with flame by Korra [[UnflinchingWalk doesn't even break his stride]]. [[spoiler:He doesn't seem fazed by Tarrlok's bloodbending, and while he's affected he is able to push through and maintain his composure without faltering.]] The mask definitely helps with the effect.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: On ''multiple'' levels.
** His ideals parallel the development of Communism and Fascism, (particularly the former given the "equality" rhetoric) which rose to compete against the democracies of the early 20th century. His rhetoric also is reminiscent of the Taiping Rebellion, as he fashions himself as a messianic figure and tries to replace the Avatar.
** The way in which he blames "every war" on bending, after several episodes in which its spiritual side has been stressed by Tenzin, is uncannily similar to the misnomer that religion is the cause of over 90% of the world's wars.
** The white version of his flag calls to mind Japan's history of ultra-nationalist, xenophobic anti-government terrorists, particularly just prior to the Meiji restoration and in the 1920's and 30's, the latter of which gave rise to the ImperialJapan of WorldWarTwo infamy.
* TheDreaded: He terrifies Korra to the point that she breaks down into tears after one confrontation with him, and his encounter with Bolin left the earthbender with nightmares for at least a week.
* [[spoiler:DrunkOnTheDarkSide]]: [[spoiler:Like Tarrlok, he was taught bloodbending by his father, which may have had something to do with his descent into villainy.]]
* [[spoiler:EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He does seem to still love Tarrlok, although he rejected him when they were children and took his bending away, though given Amon's hatred of bending (once again, according to Tarrlok), he might've seen that last part as a favor.]]
* EvilerThanThou: Amon ends up pulling this on every villain not working for him.
* EvilSoundsDeep: What else would you expect from SteveBlum? Evil's as deep as the ocean.
* ExpressiveMask: On occasion, there are subtle illustration changes to the mouth on his mask and his eyes and tone do the rest.
* [[spoiler: FamousLastWords]]: [[spoiler:"I had almost forgotten the sound of my own name."]]
* [[FantasticRacism Fantastic Racist]]: Hates benders and seeks to get rid of bending altogether.
* TheFaceless: Due to FacialHorror. [[spoiler:He's lying, and his face is revealed, first as a young boy, then as an adult, in the penultimate and final episodes of the first book, respectively.]]
* FacialHorror: The reason for his mask. He got the scars from the same Firebender that killed his family. [[spoiler:He's lying. Underneath the mask, [[CrazyPrepared and the makeup he's wearing under the mask]], he's actually [[http://minuiko.tumblr.com/post/25723337788/one-other-thing-it-kills-me-to-see-how-helpless good looking]].]]
* FatalFlaw: Amon's eventual downfall comes from one simple fact: although he is a [[TheChessmaster truly brilliant strategist]] whose schemes account for every eventuality he can think of, he has no ability to improvise and thus no fallbacks for eventualities he ''didn't'' think of, meaning [[spoiler:Korra's airbending]] catches him completely off-guard at the worst possible moment and sinks his ''entire'' plan, mere moments from victory.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He plays up the idea that he's actually a nice guy just doing a dirty job. He [[WouldHurtAChild usually]] gives his victims the chance to fight for their bending, and he's quite polite when speaking, but he's still the leader of a terrorist organization seeking to create an upheaval against all benders and he's still totally crazy and wants to destroy all bending because [[spoiler: his father was a douchenozzle.]]
* [[spoiler:FightsLikeANormal: If it's any of the types, it's Type 3. He almost exclusively uses non-bending martial arts, except for his psychic bloodbending for the most part, to remove people's bending or to make their attacks miss him. He only pulls out the big guns on his waterbending [[AccidentalPublicConfession by instinct to survive]] or when he otherwise has no reason to hide. Far and wide, however, he fights more or less like a BadassNormal because it helps hold up his schemes.]]
* {{Foil}}:
** To Korra. [[spoiler:His debending powers make him a sort of anti-Avatar]]. He's also styling himself in the same vein as an Avatar, claiming to be a savior sent by the spirits. He also is a very calm, controlled individual who claims to be sent by the spirits, while Korra is a BoisterousBruiser who has ''major'' difficulty with the spiritual side of bending. [[spoiler: It also turns out they're both native waterbenders and bending [[ChildProdigy Child Prodigies]]. In a geographical sense, Korra was born and raised in the south pole while Amon originates in the north pole. Not to mention his young self looks strikingly like a male version of Korra.]]
** His back-story is very similar to Mako and Bolin's. They all had parents killed by a firebender. But while the brothers eventually learned to live with their loss, he took it in a completely [[FantasticRacism different direction.]] [[spoiler: Of course, this turns out to be a lie.]]
*** On the other hand, [[spoiler:he is truly a Foil to Mako on a much deeper level- Mako is fiercly protective of his younger brother and protected him throughout their bad childhood, whilst Amon abondoned Tarrlok and left him to deal with their abusive father alone. Both are also very talented Benders, and the more talented of their brothers, and Amon goes out of his way to compliment Mako on that front. Both are the TheStoic in their SiblingYinYang relationship to their more emotionally sensitive younger kin too. The fact that Amon lied about their similar-sounding backstory only drives the point home further that Mako is the anti-Amon.]]
** In a meta sense, he's a foil to Ozai in the same sense that Korra is to Aang. Whereas Ozai was a power-hungry conqueror, Amon is a partisan revolutionary. Ozai was a clear monster, whereas Amon seems to be (and is if Tarrlok is to be believed) case of a KnightTemplar AntiVillain. Ozai was a firebender that had [[spoiler:his bending removed with energybending]] and Amon [[spoiler:is a water and blood bender who uses his powers to lobotomise other people's bending away. Ozai was a younger brother who wanted to be [[EvilOverlord just like his father]] and Amon was an older brother who hated his father.]]
** In another sense, he could be seen as this to [[spoiler:Aang of all people, they both are fighting against what they see as an oppressive government (though Aangs fight is rightfully more legitimate.) they also both ran away from the pressures put upon them by their elders while young, and they are great sources of hope and fear, it helps that the Young Amon sounded eerily similar to Aangs younger self, too.]]
** In a way, he could be seen as this to Tarrlok. Both men are highly charismatic people who've captured the hearts of their respective branches of public, [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking they're both more than capable of holding their own in a fight]], [[spoiler:and they both have secret powers that come off as a major shock to anyone who's fighting them for the first time]]. And then it turns out [[spoiler:[[SiblingYinYang Tarrlok is Amon's brother.]]]]
* FreudianExcuse: Amon's parents were murdered and his face disfigured by a firebender when he was just a child.
** [[spoiler:Turns out that backstory is a lie, but his real backstory is arguably just as sympathetic. His father, Yakone, was an extremely [[AbusiveParents abusive parent]], and forced him and his brother Tarrlok to learn bloodbending so he could use them to exact revenge on Republic City and the Avatar. Ultimately, this mistreatment put Amon on the path to darkness. Eventually, when his father made him and his brother use bloodbending on each other, he turned on his father, and ran away from home, and implied to be convinced that bending was evil.]]
* FromNobodyToNightmare: He was once a simple FarmBoy... then, his family was murdered. Now he's a DarkMessiah revolutionary trying to bring down bending and replace the Avatar.
** [[spoiler: [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig Zagged]] in the finale; turns out his father was Yakone, who fled Republic City. He was still nobody when he left the Northern Water tribe, but his story wasn't the one he claimed it was.]]
* [[spoiler:FullCircleRevolution]]: [[spoiler:When the Equalists took over Republic City, they're just as worse as every bad bender who oppressed them]].
* GeniusBruiser: Really good public speaker, social leader, and [[TheChessmaster master strategist]]; expert chi-blocker[[spoiler:, prodigy waterbender and psychic bloodbender]].
* GloriousLeader
* GoldAndWhiteAreDivine: An unusual case in that said colour pattern is confined to his mask.
* GoodColorsEvilColors:
** His mask is white and gold, noble colors, which are his ''mask'' which he hides behind, his red circle on his head could be his "evil" ambitions poking through his veneer of righteousness, and the fact that this is surrounded by black seems to mean he is the one noble being surrounded by darkness "benders" his point of view.
** When viewed through the lens of [[http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-messages-meanings/color-around-the-globe/china-the-colorful-masks-of-the-chinese-opera.html Chinese opera]], Amon's mask takes on considerable symbolism. Its white/silver and gold color scheme immediately places the character in the realm of the mystic, with the gold/yellow coloration also playing into the character traits of treachery and ferociousness. The red circle on his forehead evokes a hint of Buddhist symbolism, referencing his spiritual connection, and also carries some connotations with intelligence and cleverness.
** White is the color of death in Asian cultures, which fits well with the symbolism often attributed to the WhiteMaskOfDoom. Red and gold are generally considered positive colors in Chinese culture, making their use [[LightIsNotGood ironic]] in this case.
** The gold on his mask can also be seen as green. Another [[http://atla-annotated.tumblr.com/post/19671786341/amons-mask-analyzed-through-beijing-opera analysis]] through that lens holds that the white symbolizes cunning, treachery, and craftiness, the green is violence and lack of self-restraint, and the red dot is both spirituality and the mocking of it.
* [[spoiler: GoOutWithASmile: After losing Republic City and the Equalists, Amon decides to reclaim his old identity as Noatak and turn over a new leaf with Tarrlok, his long-lost brother. As they leave on a getaway boat, Noatak happily contemplates the new life they would build with each other as brothers, while Tarrlok silently decides to kill both of themselves as recompense for their past crimes and to halt their father's villainous legacy once and for all. From the driver's seat Noatak smiles as he muses on how he'd almost forgotten the sound of his own name and begins crying, perhaps [[DeathEqualsRedemption realizing and accepting]] what Tarrlok is about to do just before Tarrlok ignites the gas tank and detonates the boat.]]
* HeroKiller: More like Hero De-Bender. [[spoiler:Anyone he can lay his hands on is effectively neutralized since they can no longer bend. His first confrontation with Korra also implies that he plans to kill her after taking away her bending, though that may have been poor use of the phrase "untimely demise" as a metaphor.]] He fully enters into this trope after de-bending [[spoiler:Lin Beifong ''and'' '''KORRA''']]
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: [[spoiler:If you believe he really did see bending as the root of all evil, he became just as bad if not ''worse'' than the corrupt benders who was fighting against in the end.]]
* [[spoiler: HiddenAgendaVillain]]:[[spoiler: After TheReveal, his true motivations are never truly addressed. His backstory implies he's either a KnightTemplar seeking to rid the world of bending because he seeks it as the root of all evil, or was seeking to follow in his father's footsteps and take over Republic City. Evidence is presented for both.]]
* {{Hypocrite}}: He wants to get rid of benders for making non-benders live in terror, while his own strategy consists of doing exactly that. Not to mention that he's not only [[spoiler:a bender himself, but a ''bloodbender'', aka the most dangerous type of bender in the world. While Tarrlok thinks Amon is none to proud of his powers, (see YouAreWhatYouHate) he still uses them subtly to fight, rather than fighting like a BadassNormal]]. In the end, [[spoiler:the Lieutenant]] is not at all happy to realize this.
* IAmTheNoun: "I am the ''solution''".
** Also printed on some of his posters, though that's a [[BilingualBonus Readers Of Chinese Bonus]].
* ImplacableMan: No matter what you throw at him, he won't stop coming.
* InTheHood
* TheJuggernaut: [[spoiler:When Tarrlok tries to use bloodbending on him, he just shrugs it off and keeps advancing. Turns out he was bloodbending himself.]]
** [[spoiler: This appears to have happened some time in his backstory, between Noatak running away from home and taking up the identity of Amon.]]
* JustToyingWithThem: Amon makes a show out of tying up [[ElementalPowers bending]] members of a crime syndicate (and one of the heroes who got mixed up with them) and [[spoiler: removing their powers]] in front of a huge crowd of [[AntimagicalFaction Equalist]] sympathizers. This trope comes into play when, as part of his show, Amon lets the crime boss loose and offers him the chance to fight to protect himself. It's all the more impressive when Amon wins. [[CurbStompBattle Rather easily]], in fact. [[spoiler:It's later revealed he uses bloodbending to get them to move somewhat predictably without revealing his ability, making his defeat of them inevitable.]]
* JustYouMeAndMyGuards: [[spoiler:How Amon eventually responds to Korra's mano-a-mano challenge to him. Could be justified because Tarrlok was supposed to have soldiers watching the fight, and Amon is GenreSavvy enough to suspect something like that.]]
* [[spoiler:KarmicDeath]]: [[spoiler:In the first season finale. Tragic, but nevertheless karmic.]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Every early instance of on-screen [[spoiler:de-bending]] we saw him carry out was upon someone who was used their bending to illegally gain a position of power while being protected from reprisals by corruption in the system (the Triple Threat Triad, an organized crime syndicate, as well as the Wolfbats who cheated their way into winning the tournament, and [[spoiler:Tarrlok]]). This is a consistent part of his political strategy, and also why he refuses to fight Korra at first.
** KickTheDog: After his plans have advanced far enough that he doesn't need the good press anymore, he has no problem attacking benders who haven't done anything to deserve it. [[spoiler:The Metalbending police, the entire Republic City Council (save Tenzin), the last airbenders (who escaped), and Lin Beifong. Not to mention bombing the crap out of Republic City. In the finale, he has benders lined up execution-style, captures Tenzin and his family to eliminate airbending altogether (despite the Air Acolytes being altogether peaceful, and Tenzin supporting non-bender rights more than anyone else), and attacks and possibly ''kills'' the Lieutenant when he finds out Amon is a bloodbender and makes a MookFaceTurn.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]: [[spoiler:Escapes Republic City with Tarrlok, but Tarrlok ultimately decides to sacrifice himself to stop him once and for all by blowing up the boat they're in.]]
* KneelBeforeZod: [[spoiler:Forces a pack of wolves to do this as a child with bloodbending.]]
* KnightOfCerebus: The first couple of episodes are relatively lighthearted and upbeat. Then Amon takes center-stage in the third episode and every episode proceeds to get darker and darker. In the end, Amon is the only major villain in the entire franchise who is not EVER used for laughs. Even Ozai, after he was defeated, was the butt of jokes from other characters. [[spoiler:But even after his defeat, he still left enough of a mark on Korra that the season very nearly had a DownerEnding.]]
* KnightTemplar: Amon definitely invokes this in his rhetoric, and follows up rather well, rapidly escalating the stakes from [[spoiler: vigilantism to terrorism to an open revolt which temporarily succeeds in deposing the government of Republic City.]]
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: [[spoiler: After being defeated by Korra and Mako, he immediately leaves and retrieves Tarrlok, before leaving the defeated Equalists behind to start a new life with his brother.]]
* LightIsNotGood: Though Amon invokes certain heavenly archetypes with his [[GoldAndWhiteAreDivine white and gold]] sun mask, Egyptian sun god name, and [[MessianicArchetype possible mystical connections]], he's still the leader of a terrorist organization. [[spoiler:He's a waterbender, and while a bloodbender, his method is essencially a reversal of [[HealingHands waterbending healing]], manipulating chi regardless. Thus, arguably WhiteMagic.]]
* LightningBruiser: Extremely agile and nimble fighter with the strength to take down even the most skilled benders with no sweat.
* MadeOfIron: He took a lightning bolt to the chest, several seconds long at that, and ''walked it off''.
* MageKiller: Not surprising, given that he's the leader of [[AntimagicalFaction the Equalists]].
* [[spoiler:MakingASplash]]: [[spoiler:Turns out he's a waterbender and a bloodbender, possibly the most powerful who ever lived.]]
** [[spoiler:BloodMagic]]
* [[MalevolentMaskedMen Malevolent Masked Man]]: Like the lower-level Equalists, although they're GasMaskMooks and his is more of a traditional mask.
* MissionFromGod: He claims that he was chosen by the spirits to bring down bending and replace the Avatar.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "Amon" has plenty of possible meanings.
** To start, it's the name of an Egyptian god and a [[ArsGoetia demon]].
** The word or root "Amen" means "what is hidden", "what is not seen", "what cannot be seen" and the like.
** One of the worst Nazi criminals was [[Film/SchindlersList Amon Goeth]].
** [[http://masterarrowhead.tumblr.com/post/21546778935/hawkfeather-atla-annotated-energybending-a Amon is also the name of an acupuncture point on the back of the neck.]] Amon was shown pressing onto that point as well as the forehead.
** A fan [[http://atla-annotated.tumblr.com/post/21979689321/amon-is-the-answer-interesting-choice-of translated his name written in Chinese characters]]. 阿蒙. ‘cover; ignorant; suffer’.
* NightmareFuel: Very much InUniverse for Korra and Tenzin.
* NoSell: When [[spoiler:Tarrlok]] uses [[spoiler:bloodbending]] to incapacitate his mooks, Amon shrugs it off. Even when [[spoiler:Tarrlok]] redoubled his efforts, it just barely slowed Amon down. [[spoiler:Since he can bloodbend with his mind, he was able to counteract Tarrlok's powers without moving.]]
* OddNameOut: [[spoiler:While Yakone and Tarrlok have {{Meaningful Name}}s, Amon's real name is simply the name of a river.]]
* ObviouslyEvil: He looks pretty dang evil, but looking at him through the lens of Asian Culture (which Avatar takes heavy cues from), he looks a ''lot'' more evil. See GoodColorsEvilColors.
* [[spoiler:ThePowerOfBlood[=/=]PeoplePuppets]]: [[spoiler:He's a bloodbender. He's so good that he can do it [[BeyondTheImpossible without moving his hands. In daytime.]]]]
** [[spoiler:PsychicPowers]]: [[spoiler:Tarrlok specifically calls his bloodbending this.]]
* PragmaticVillainy:
** "[[Recap/TheLegendOfKorraS1E4TheVoiceInTheNight The Voice in the Night]]" reveals just how pragmatic he is, to the point of ReasonBeforeHonor.
** Get challenged to a one-on-one duel? No {{Mooks}} for either side? [[spoiler:So you've made yourself defenseless. Perfect. Meet my platoon of chi-blockers.]]
** At last, I have my most dangerous opponent [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty at my mercy]]. [[spoiler:See ya round kid. The international public outcry wouldn't be worth it right now. But don't worry! I'm going to save you for last, letting you watch all you love and care for be destroyed before I take you out. Toodle-oo!]]
* PreAssKickingOneLiner: "It is time for you to be Equalized."
* [[spoiler:PsychopathicManChild]]: [[spoiler:In his final scenes he displays naivety and untoward optimism, shucking off his persona of Amon as if it was a disguise. He's incredibly cheerful for a defeated man and is seemingly giddy from the prospect of being with his little brother again, as if he and Tarrlok are two little schoolboys running away from home. He seems to think everything will be just fine, ignoring the fact that every facet of their identities were shaped so that a normal life would be improbable or even impossible.]]
** That said, [[spoiler: the sheer amount of explosives/electric weapons, as well as his tear before Tarrlok exploded the boat, might imply it was a ruse to lead his brother to kill them both, or that he wasn't just going to let his revolution die.]]
* RedEyesTakeWarning: He never does this personally, but quite a few of the Equalist powers depict him this way, probably for RuleOfDrama.
* RebelLeader: He is the leader of the anti-bending movement.
* TheRevolutionWillNotBeVilified: [[spoiler:Once the Equalists took over, it's totally subverted]].
* [[spoiler: TheRunaway]]: [[spoiler: In his ''real'' backstory.]]
* [[spoiler:SelfDisposingVillain]]: [[spoiler:A case where the hero isn't even aware of it. Korra never has the chance to take care of him, since he escapes. [[MurderSuicide Tarrlok takes care of that.]]]]
* ShadowArchetype: To Korra, as essentially the anti-Avatar. He's also one to Bolin and Mako, as they've all lost their parents to Firebenders. However, Amon now wants to destroy all benders, while Bolin and Mako are making the best of their situation.
* [[spoiler:SiblingYinYang]]: [[spoiler:With Tarrlok.]]
* [[spoiler:SingleTear]]: [[spoiler:Sheds one right before his death]].
* TheSocialExpert
* [[spoiler:StrawHypocrite: Possibly. He leads a crusade against bending, when he is in fact a waterbender--in fact, his method for removing other people's bending involves bloodbending. But it's not known if he truly believes in the cause, even if he uses bending to achieve it, or whether he's just exploiting the cause for his own personal gain or a desire to upstage his father.]]
* TheStoic: Always calm and collected, even in the midst of battle.
** [[spoiler:NotSoStoic: When he takes off his mask to "disprove" Korra's revelation of his backstory, Amon is suddenly much more enthusiastic and emotional in his speech. Considering that he was lying, it's most likely an act.]]
*** [[spoiler: Amon loses his composure after he inadvertantly outs himself as a bender to his followers, and during his reunion with Tarrlok, is far more emotional than he had been up to that point, even shedding a tear just before dying.]]
* StrongerSibling: [[spoiler:He's Tarrlok's.]]
* SuperPowerLottery: He's an incredibly skilled chi-blocker, and can permanently disable bending. [[spoiler: Add in his bloodbending, and Amon really won this thing.]]
* [[spoiler: TallDarkAndHandsome: All of which come standard for members of the Water Tribes.]]
* TellMeHowYouFight: [[spoiler:Tarrlok identifies Amon as his brother, despite Amon's appearance being totally concealed, by the distinctive feel of his bloodbending]].
* [[spoiler:ThisCannotBe]]: [[spoiler:When he debends Korra only for her to use airbending against him.]]
* [[spoiler:TragicVillain]]: In the finale, it's revealed that [[spoiler:Amon is actually Tarrlok's older brother, Noatak. He and Tarrlok were forced by their [[AbusiveParents father]] Yakone to learn bloodbending, so that he could use them to exact vengeance on Republic City and the Avatar. After Yakone forced him and Tarrlok to use bloodbending on each other, Noatak turned on his father, incapacitated him with bloodbending, and ran away from home, taking up the identity of Amon years later. According to Tarrlok, he really and truly believed bending to be the root of all evil in the world, despite being a bender himself, though Tarrlok also implies Amon enjoyed the power bloodbending gave him.]]
** It's worse than that. [[spoiler: He wanted Tarrlok to run away with him, but Tarrlok didn't want to leave their mother behind. At the finale he's looking forward to a peaceful life with his brother. Apparently that's all he really wanted.]]
* [[spoiler:{{Tykebomb}}: His father Yakone tried to turn him and his brother, Tarrlok, into this in a plot for revenge on Republic City and the Avatar. While he ''did'' turn on his father, he ultimately ended up fulfilling what Yakone wanted him to do anyway, make Republic City suffer.]]
* TheUnfettered
* UnflinchingWalk:
** Pulls this off in the face of a fireball that blasts most of his {{Mooks}} away.
** Also, [[spoiler:when up against Tarrlok, he pulls this off. Which is impressive, because he ''shouldn't'' have been able to stand, let alone walk. It turns out Amon himself is a bloodbender, hence why he wasn't affected.]]
* [[spoiler: UnreliableExpositor]]: [[spoiler: His given backstory is a lie in order to gain support and sympathy.]]
* [[spoiler:UsedToBeASweetKid]]: [[spoiler:Until his father forced him and his brother to learn bloodbending.]]
* VillainExitStageLeft: [[spoiler: After being defeated and uncovered by Korra, Noatak asks Tarrlok to escape together and rebuild a life as brothers. Tarrlok agrees, but has [[MurderSuicide ulterior motives]] for doing so.]]
* VillainHasAPoint: His talk about benders oppressing non-benders gained a lot more credence [[spoiler:once Tarrlok took over.]]
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Invoked. His EvilPlan requires popular support, so he avoids actions that could negatively impact his reputation. While officially considered a terrorist, he has amassed a modest army, enough to threaten all of Republic City.
* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown]]: [[spoiler:After Korra manages to use airbending despite having been debended. He ''really'' gets this once he's not only unmasked, but his makeup to make him look scarred is washed off in the water, revealing him for what he really is.]]
* [[spoiler:VillainousRescue]]: [[spoiler:Rescues Korra from Tarrlok, though he didn't plan on letting her go free after taking down Tarrlok.]]
* VisionaryVillain: A world of equality.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: The only known Equalist to have one.
* [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim Why Don't You Just Shoot Her?]]: He makes it clear that he could have easily taken away Korra's bending when he ambushed her. He also makes it clear that doing so would have made her into a martyr, which is why Korra will be the last to lose her bending, and then she will die.
* [[spoiler:WorldsStrongestMan]]: [[spoiler:Described as one of the most powerful benders ''ever''. He's possibly the strongest non-Avatar bender to ever live, as his family's psychic bloodbending, of which Amon's is the demonstrably strongest, has only ever been broken by the [[SuperMode Avatar State]].]]
* WouldHitAGirl: He knocks Korra unconscious when he ambushes her. And he plans to kill her.
* WouldHurtAChild: In the finale, [[spoiler:he has captured Tenzin and his family and plans on debending them.]]
* XanatosGambit: Pulls one off in "And the Winner Is...". He makes [[DoNotAdjustYourSet a public demand over the radio]] that the city government shut down the Pro-Bending arena and cancel the championship match. If the pro-bending championships are not stopped, then he and the Equalists have an audience for the demonstration of their power and he gets to begin his war. If the tournament is canceled the government has given into Amon's demand and showed that it will not challenge him.
* [[spoiler:YouAreWhatYouHate]]: By implication, [[spoiler:if he was really sincere about his belief that benders are the source of all evil in the world, he is a Type 3 or even Type 4]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Lieutenant]]
!The Lieutenant
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Screen_Shot_2012-04-29_at_11_40_21_AM_7512.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"You benders need to understand... there's no place in this world for you anymore."]]
->Voiced by Creator/LanceHenriksen
Amon's second-in-command.
----
* AmbiguouslyEvil: While there's no doubt he's one of the bad guys, his reasons for doing the things he does remain unknown, as is whether he would qualify as a straight up villain or an AntiVillain.
* AwesomeBackpack: He carries a power generator on his back to supply power for his weapons.
** AmmunitionBackpack
* {{Badass}}
** BadassBaritone
** BadassMoustache
** BadassNormal
* [[spoiler:BrokenPedestal: Let's just say that he didn't take learning the truth about Amon well]].
* TheDeterminator: Always back up and ready for another fight, no matter how much of a beating he takes.
* DiminishingVillainThreat: Appears very threatening early on, soundly defeating Bolin and Mako in "The Revelation," but every time he is encountered thereafter, he is usually either attacking a helpless or outmatched opponent or he loses.
* TheDragon: For Amon.
** [[spoiler:CoDragons: With Hiroshi Sato]]
* DualWielding: Electricfied kali sticks in both hands.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Everyone up to and including Amon, in fact.
** Bolin calls him Moustache Guy, though.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Being voiced by Lance Henriksen, this is a given. That man could inhale multiple canisters of helium and he would still sound like he had more than one puberty.
* GlassCannon: Very agile and deadly in combat. He hits as fast as lightning, and he's very powerful. However, he goes down after one hit.
* GogglesDoNothing
* GoodHairEvilHair: He has a Fu Manchu moustache.
* HonorBeforeReason: Considering that he saw Amon [[spoiler: bloodbending]] Korra and Mako at the same time, he probably realized that a head-on charge would be suicide, but decided he'd rather go out swinging than continue to follow a lie.
** A much smarter approach would have to have pretended not to know anything, snuck up close to Amon, and then ambush him at close quarters with an electrified weapon, and only ''after'' Amon is down throw off his mask and give his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. But possibly he knows Amon well enough to know that such a sneak attack wouldn't work.
* IcyBlueEyes
* ImpossiblyCoolWeapon: He wields a pair of electrified kali sticks, because his opponents are metalbending cops, and electricity works pretty well on all benders. The fact that an industrialized city like Republic City has conductive metal ''everywhere'' doesn't hurt, either.
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: Starts to shade into this as the DiminishingVillainThreat kicks in. Poor guy can't do ''anything'' right.
* IronButtmonkey
* ItsPersonal: [[spoiler:When Korra's trapped in a metal cage, he shows a certain satisfaction in getting to shock her unconscious as payback. Unfortunately for him, she was one step ahead.]]
** He also takes [[spoiler:realizing that he'd been played by Amon]] pretty badly.
** Otherwise averted. It's suggested that he feels eradicating bending is a ''logical conclusion''.
* MadeOfIron: Has been sucker punched with a boulder, knocked off a building, blasted over a roof, and smashed into the ground from midair by a polar bear dog. And each time, he has dusted himself off and returned ready to fight again.
* MookFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Turns on Amon when he finds out about his bending, though as usual he didn't do that well in the ensuing "fight".]]
* NobleTopEnforcer: While the Lieutenant comes off as sadistic and cruel, he truly believes in the Equalists' agenda and dedicated his life to it.
* NoNameGiven
* NoPeripheralVision: Maybe it's the goggles, but the Lieutenant has had an unfortunate tendency to be taken out by surprise, typically by someone new showing up from behind or the side while he's fighting another opponent.
* PsychoElectro: While he is serious in wanting to end bending like all other Equalists, he seems to actually enjoy inflicting pain on benders with his electric arsenal a bit ''too much''.
* ShockAndAwe
** StaticStunGun
* SimpleStaff: Of the two handheld rod variety.
* SpannerInTheWorks: His [[CurbStompBattle "battle"]] [[spoiler:with Amon gave Mako the time to muster up the energy to fire off his lightning.]]
* TallDarkAndHandsome: He actually doesn't look that bad unmasked.[[hottip:*:Seen [[http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5q76pCfDJ1qa7n5e.gif here]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: He really did believe in Amon's message and felt that the world would be better off without bending. [[spoiler:He was enraged when he saw that Amon was a liar and a fraud.]]
* [[spoiler: YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Amon tries this after he walks in at a ''very'' inconvenient time. Whether it takes or not is [[HesJustHiding a subject of much debate]], especially given his IronButtMonkey status.]]
** [[spoiler: WordOfGod has ended the debate by confirming via DVD commentary that he did indeed survive and was just knocked unconscious.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Chi-blockers]]
!The Chi-blockers
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Chi_blockers_6466.jpg]]
The foot-soldiers of the Equalist cause, trained in chi-blocking to nullify the powers of benders.
----
* AirplaneArms: They use the further back, ninja-like variation.
* BadassArmy: BadassNormal GasMaskMooks trained specifically in a PressurePoint-striking fighting method designed to temporarily [[PowerNullifier disarm]] and [[TheParalyzer disable]] the wielders of ElementalPowers. Later armed with electric weapons that achieve similar effects to chi blocking without needing special training, and eventually equipped with heavy firepower in the form of mecha tanks, airships and [[spoiler: bomber airplanes]].
* BadassBiker: The chi blockers are excellent motorcyclists.
* BadassNormal: They completely dominate Korra and Mako in their first fight, due to clever use of their gadgets and their martial arts.
* CombatPragmatist: They take any advantage they can get. Aside from their grenades, they use bolas, tripwires, whips, and do not obey MookChivalry, for the most part.
* EliteMooks: They're pretty much an entire army of them. Even just a few of them can put up a hell of a fight against very powerful benders.
* EqualOpportunityEvil: Their figures show that more than a few are [[DarkActionGirl women]]. The ladies fight alongside the men. Also we can't be sure with their masks, but they seem to be non-benders from any of the three nations.
* GasMaskMooks: Since they use gas grenades, this is a necessary aspect of their outfit. Also helps when [[spoiler: being knocked down by fartbending]].
* KickTheDog: Electrocuting Shiro Shinobi, the announcer, who is a non-bender and wasn't fighting back.
** Using Bolos and attacking the non-bender communication-staff at the police station.
* KungFuProofMook: The Equalists' MiniMecha are made from platinum, metal so pure metalbenders are incapable of manipulating it.
* MageKiller: Their combat training specifically targets benders.
* MiniMecha: Their platinum mech-tanks.
* MookChivalry: Averted for most of the first book, but played straight in "Turning the Tides" when half a dozen stand still and let themselves be knocked over by a slow attack, and they back away when the Lieutenant fights Lin.
* {{Ninja}}
* TheParalyzer: Their blows cause temporary (and apparently painful) paralysis in addition to serving as a...
* PowerNullifier: Even after the paralysis wears off, a chi-blocker's strike will render their target temporarily unable to bend.
* PressurePoint: The centerpiece of their fighting style, featuring extremely rapid strikes.
* SamusIsAGirl: A minor variation; some of the chi-blockers are clearly women, but you [[FreezeFrameBonus have to be paying attention]].
* ShockAndAwe: A favored tactic of theirs, in various flavors:
** The less skilled among them use electricity-generating gloves. The ones in full attire never do.
** The MiniMecha have built in tasers and can fire bola disks which shock the recipient unconscious. This same weapon is used by hand occasionally.
* SmokeOut: They use grenades that release a greenish, slightly unpleasant gas to dissuade pursuers.
* TheVoiceless: They apparently use this as a psychological tactic, as their near-absolute silence in battle, communicating and coordinating only through gestures and reading each other's body motions, accentuate the inhumanity their faceless masks lend them. It's almost jarring when we hear them speak in episode 9 during unguarded moments.
* TheWorfEffect: In episode 10, several of them were quickly defeated by Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo. Somewhat justified by the fact that airbenders only number in the single digits and only one is actually an adult, so they weren't prepared for it. Add on to that the fact that they were attacked by children, which would be a surprise in itself assuming they were actually willing to assault children in the first place.
** Then there's the fact that Airbending is all about dodging and weaving plus, the chi-blockers were trained to fight other bending that they can SEE. Seeing that Tenzin and his kids are the only known Airbenders in existence.
* ZergRush: They performed this quite often, though also mixed smart tactics and gadgets with it, making them very dangerous. Probably the best example would be when they ambushed Korra with about two dozen attacking her at once.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Protester]]
!The Protester
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Screen_Shot_2012-04-29_at_11_27_37_AM_9261.png]]
->Voiced by Creator/CarlosAlazraqui
He's a protester who comes into the Republic City park to preach about Amon's ideals.
----
* AttentionWhore: He promotes the Equalists for this reason, according to the official website. He attempts to get said attention by taking the unpopular position on any given issue (in this case, bending rights). His parents were evidently supportive of benders.
* BackForTheFinale
* BigWhat: He lets one out in the finale when [[spoiler:Amon outs himself as a waterbender.]]
%% EyesOfGold has more requirements for the trope than just "gold eyes". The protestor does not fit any of them.
* HotBloodedSideburns: Which also point to Fire Nation parentage.
* NoNameGiven
* TooDumbToLive: This feels the need to openly insult any benders he sees, and it's made pretty clear that most of them could beat him without using any bending. [[GenreSavvy Doing so would prove him right, though, a fact he exploits in the first episode when dealing with Korra.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:[[spoiler:Hiroshi Sato]]]]
[[spoiler:See Characters/TheLegendOfKorraOtherMajorCharacters.]]
[[/folder]]
to:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Amon]]
!Amon [[spoiler:/ Noatak]]
[[quoteright:332:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Amon_5948.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:332: "I am the solution."]]
->Voiced by SteveBlum
The leader of the Equalists and the primary antagonist of the first book. A man shrouded in mystery, Amon seeks to rid the world of benders and usher in a new era of equality. He seeks to destroy Korra, whose presence in Republic City threatens his anti-bender agenda.
----
* TheAce: Let us count the ways...
** Amon is exceptionally intelligent, proving himself capable of extraordinary strategic organization, and his challenge to the Council in "And the Winner Is..." is a near-flawless XanatosGambit, creating a situation in which it is nearly impossible for him not to advance.
** He's a charismatic public speaker, winning over huge numbers of non-benders to his side and inciting their distrust, all while playing himself up as a tragic and noble figure.
** He's a master of a dangerous martial-arts style that allows non-benders to challenge benders.
** And to top it all off, [[spoiler:he's a prodigy waterbender--one of the strongest non-Avatar benders in the entire franchise--who could bloodbend with his mind, outside of a full moon, at the tender young age of [[ChildProdigy fourteen.]]]]
* [[spoiler:AccidentalPublicConfession]]: [[spoiler:Non-verbal one. After being blasted out of a window into the ocean, he reflexively waterbends himself back out to avert drowning, exposing himself as a waterbender and washing off the paint used to fake a firebending scar.]]
* AmbiguouslyEvil: While Amon is unquestionably a villain, to what degree is another matter. [[spoiler: After the reveal, his exact motives for his revolution are not made clear, though according to Tarrlok, he believed bending was the root of all evil in the world.]]
* AntiVillain: Wanting equality and to help lower class citizens isn't bad... but doing so by trying to eradicate bending is extreme. He only targets benders who use their abilities for evil, at least until he's built up enough support to get away with more ambiguous targets or full-on public servants. He has also told Korra to her face (while his men held her down) that the only reason she still has her bending is that he is saving her for later. For all purposes, he does appear to have a moral code. It's just that he is pragmatic enough to take more amoral or even outright immoral actions to see his plans come to fruition.
** [[spoiler:It's revealed in the finale he's actually Yakone's son and a bloodbender, and, according to Tarrlok, came to the conclusion that bending was the root of all evil due to his father's [[AbusiveParents abusiveness]]. The fact that bloodbending is known to get people DrunkOnTheDarkSide probably didn't hurt. He ultimately seems to come in as a [[SlidingScaleOfAntiVillains Type III]] AntiVillain with shades of type II, or a [[AvertedTrope Straight up villain]] with some elements of a Type II AntiVillain if one believes that Tarrlok was wrong in his assessment of Amon's motivation.]]
* ArcVillain[=/=]BigBad: Of Book One.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: He prefers not to fight (see Pragmatic Villainy) but when he does....
* {{Badass}}:
** BadassBaritone: He ''is'' voiced by SteveBlum.
** BadassBoast:
--->'''[[spoiler:Tarrlok]]:''' [[WhatTheHellAreYou What... what are you?]]\\
'''Amon:''' I am the solution.
** BadassInCharge
** BadassLongcoat: A bit shorter than some other examples, but no less badass.
** EmpoweredBadassNormal: He's a BadassNormal who claims to have gotten his powers through contact with the Spirits. [[spoiler: Actually a subversion, since he's had his powers from birth and lied about their origins and nature.]]
* [[spoiler:BadPowersBadPeople]]: Zig zagged. [[spoiler:He's a bloodbender, but he's a villain of the KnightTemplar flavor, so he's bad in a rather unorthodox way.]]
* BelievingTheirOwnLies: Tarrlok theorizes that [[spoiler:while the Equalists philosphy was based on lies]], Amon genuinely believes benders are the source of the world's woes.
* [[spoiler: BigBrotherInstinct: Tarrlok claims he always looked out for him when they were kids. In "Out of the Past" he does the gruntwork of taking Tarrlok to the truck himself while the Lieutenant and some mooks try to nab Korra. At the finale, Amon tells him he's all he has left in the world.]]
* BondVillainStupidity: Subverted. While he lets Korra go even though he has her completely at his mercy, he has a damn good reason to do so. [[spoiler:Debending her would only make her a martyr and his plan was not yet ready.]]
* [[spoiler: BoomerangBigot: He's a waterbender, and none too proud of it, if Tarrlok's right about his motives.]]
* BreakingSpeech: He delivers one so effective and intimidating that Korra suffers a complete breakdown afterwards.
* [[spoiler: CainAndAbel: Zigzagged. He takes away his brother's bending, but his brother ultimately kills him. And, well, he still loves him regardless.]]
* TheChessmaster: Holy crap, yes. His actions in Episode 6 sealed his status as one and [[MagnificentBastard even more.]] See XanatosGambit below.
* [[spoiler:ChildProdigy: Mastered bloodbending at ''14''.]]
** [[spoiler:And his father's ''psychic'' bloodbending, at that: the kind that can be performed with a glare. Oh, and he doesn't need a full moon, either.]]
* CombatPragmatist: Uses ambushes, greater numbers, weapons the opposition has no defense against, and psychological warfare to lead the Equalists to victory. [[spoiler:He also subtly uses bloodbending to gain the edge in fights with other benders without exposing himself.]]
* CoolMask: Some kind of Venetian Carnival mask, it has the spook factor of one.
* CrazyPrepared: The Finale reveals that [[spoiler:he wears fake scars on his face just by the off chance that someone might knock his mask off, or force him to reveal his face.]]
** [[SubvertedTrope Just not]] [[spoiler: water proof fake scars]]
* CreepyMonotone
* CulturePolice: Desires to end pro-bending as means to end "bending worship".
* [[spoiler:DaddyIssues]]: [[spoiler:Courtesy of Yakone, who forced him and his brother into bloodbending.]]
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Pretty much for the entire run of the season. In fact, his only important mistakes come up [[spoiler:[[AccidentalPublicConfession due to survival instincts]] and [[LastOfHisKind a lack of experience]] with [[BlowYouAway airbenders]]]].
** When Korra challenges him to a one-on-one duel, he [[JustYouAndMeAndMyGuards ambushes her while she's alone with several Equalists for backup.]]
* DarkAndTroubledPast
* DarkMessiah: He's set himself up as a Messiah figure to the Equalist movement, and his ultimate goal is to replace the Avatar as the world's savior. Though the Equalists are not a religious movement, he does claim that his exceptional abilities were granted to him by the spirits that protect the world, and that it is his destiny to be the savior of non-benders by bringing them into balance with those who can (or could) bend.
* DarthVaderClone
* [[spoiler: DeathEqualsRedemption[=/=]HeelRealization]]: Depending on your [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation interpretation]] [[spoiler:of the single tear he cries before Tarrlok kills the two of them]], it's possible he fell under this trope; [[spoiler:if he was indeed aware of what Tarrlok was about to do, and did nothing to stop him, the likely conclusion is that he accepted his brother's judgement, and understood why he needed to die]].
** [[spoiler: The other running theory behind the SingleTear is he was so happy about the idea of starting a new life with his brother,]] so he might fall under this trope either way.
** [[spoiler: Averted in theory three, which is that Tarrlok killed them both because Amonoatak's "new life with his brother" meant "start an Equalist revolt somewhere else."]]
* DeathGlare: Gives quite a potent one to Korra as seen in episode 4 when he confronts her underneath Aang's statue. It's especially notable since he can give quite a DeathGlare even behind that mask.
* DePower: He has the ability to strip people of their bending. [[spoiler:He somehow uses bloodbending to do it, and in such a way that even Katara can't heal it. However, true energybending can counteract this.]]
* DiabolicalMastermind
* DissonantSerenity: The cargo bay of his [[CoolAirship zeppelin]] being filled with flame by Korra [[UnflinchingWalk doesn't even break his stride]]. [[spoiler:He doesn't seem fazed by Tarrlok's bloodbending, and while he's affected he is able to push through and maintain his composure without faltering.]] The mask definitely helps with the effect.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: On ''multiple'' levels.
** His ideals parallel the development of Communism and Fascism, (particularly the former given the "equality" rhetoric) which rose to compete against the democracies of the early 20th century. His rhetoric also is reminiscent of the Taiping Rebellion, as he fashions himself as a messianic figure and tries to replace the Avatar.
** The way in which he blames "every war" on bending, after several episodes in which its spiritual side has been stressed by Tenzin, is uncannily similar to the misnomer that religion is the cause of over 90% of the world's wars.
** The white version of his flag calls to mind Japan's history of ultra-nationalist, xenophobic anti-government terrorists, particularly just prior to the Meiji restoration and in the 1920's and 30's, the latter of which gave rise to the ImperialJapan of WorldWarTwo infamy.
* TheDreaded: He terrifies Korra to the point that she breaks down into tears after one confrontation with him, and his encounter with Bolin left the earthbender with nightmares for at least a week.
* [[spoiler:DrunkOnTheDarkSide]]: [[spoiler:Like Tarrlok, he was taught bloodbending by his father, which may have had something to do with his descent into villainy.]]
* [[spoiler:EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He does seem to still love Tarrlok, although he rejected him when they were children and took his bending away, though given Amon's hatred of bending (once again, according to Tarrlok), he might've seen that last part as a favor.]]
* EvilerThanThou: Amon ends up pulling this on every villain not working for him.
* EvilSoundsDeep: What else would you expect from SteveBlum? Evil's as deep as the ocean.
* ExpressiveMask: On occasion, there are subtle illustration changes to the mouth on his mask and his eyes and tone do the rest.
* [[spoiler: FamousLastWords]]: [[spoiler:"I had almost forgotten the sound of my own name."]]
* [[FantasticRacism Fantastic Racist]]: Hates benders and seeks to get rid of bending altogether.
* TheFaceless: Due to FacialHorror. [[spoiler:He's lying, and his face is revealed, first as a young boy, then as an adult, in the penultimate and final episodes of the first book, respectively.]]
* FacialHorror: The reason for his mask. He got the scars from the same Firebender that killed his family. [[spoiler:He's lying. Underneath the mask, [[CrazyPrepared and the makeup he's wearing under the mask]], he's actually [[http://minuiko.tumblr.com/post/25723337788/one-other-thing-it-kills-me-to-see-how-helpless good looking]].]]
* FatalFlaw: Amon's eventual downfall comes from one simple fact: although he is a [[TheChessmaster truly brilliant strategist]] whose schemes account for every eventuality he can think of, he has no ability to improvise and thus no fallbacks for eventualities he ''didn't'' think of, meaning [[spoiler:Korra's airbending]] catches him completely off-guard at the worst possible moment and sinks his ''entire'' plan, mere moments from victory.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He plays up the idea that he's actually a nice guy just doing a dirty job. He [[WouldHurtAChild usually]] gives his victims the chance to fight for their bending, and he's quite polite when speaking, but he's still the leader of a terrorist organization seeking to create an upheaval against all benders and he's still totally crazy and wants to destroy all bending because [[spoiler: his father was a douchenozzle.]]
* [[spoiler:FightsLikeANormal: If it's any of the types, it's Type 3. He almost exclusively uses non-bending martial arts, except for his psychic bloodbending for the most part, to remove people's bending or to make their attacks miss him. He only pulls out the big guns on his waterbending [[AccidentalPublicConfession by instinct to survive]] or when he otherwise has no reason to hide. Far and wide, however, he fights more or less like a BadassNormal because it helps hold up his schemes.]]
* {{Foil}}:
** To Korra. [[spoiler:His debending powers make him a sort of anti-Avatar]]. He's also styling himself in the same vein as an Avatar, claiming to be a savior sent by the spirits. He also is a very calm, controlled individual who claims to be sent by the spirits, while Korra is a BoisterousBruiser who has ''major'' difficulty with the spiritual side of bending. [[spoiler: It also turns out they're both native waterbenders and bending [[ChildProdigy Child Prodigies]]. In a geographical sense, Korra was born and raised in the south pole while Amon originates in the north pole. Not to mention his young self looks strikingly like a male version of Korra.]]
** His back-story is very similar to Mako and Bolin's. They all had parents killed by a firebender. But while the brothers eventually learned to live with their loss, he took it in a completely [[FantasticRacism different direction.]] [[spoiler: Of course, this turns out to be a lie.]]
*** On the other hand, [[spoiler:he is truly a Foil to Mako on a much deeper level- Mako is fiercly protective of his younger brother and protected him throughout their bad childhood, whilst Amon abondoned Tarrlok and left him to deal with their abusive father alone. Both are also very talented Benders, and the more talented of their brothers, and Amon goes out of his way to compliment Mako on that front. Both are the TheStoic in their SiblingYinYang relationship to their more emotionally sensitive younger kin too. The fact that Amon lied about their similar-sounding backstory only drives the point home further that Mako is the anti-Amon.]]
** In a meta sense, he's a foil to Ozai in the same sense that Korra is to Aang. Whereas Ozai was a power-hungry conqueror, Amon is a partisan revolutionary. Ozai was a clear monster, whereas Amon seems to be (and is if Tarrlok is to be believed) case of a KnightTemplar AntiVillain. Ozai was a firebender that had [[spoiler:his bending removed with energybending]] and Amon [[spoiler:is a water and blood bender who uses his powers to lobotomise other people's bending away. Ozai was a younger brother who wanted to be [[EvilOverlord just like his father]] and Amon was an older brother who hated his father.]]
** In another sense, he could be seen as this to [[spoiler:Aang of all people, they both are fighting against what they see as an oppressive government (though Aangs fight is rightfully more legitimate.) they also both ran away from the pressures put upon them by their elders while young, and they are great sources of hope and fear, it helps that the Young Amon sounded eerily similar to Aangs younger self, too.]]
** In a way, he could be seen as this to Tarrlok. Both men are highly charismatic people who've captured the hearts of their respective branches of public, [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking they're both more than capable of holding their own in a fight]], [[spoiler:and they both have secret powers that come off as a major shock to anyone who's fighting them for the first time]]. And then it turns out [[spoiler:[[SiblingYinYang Tarrlok is Amon's brother.]]]]
* FreudianExcuse: Amon's parents were murdered and his face disfigured by a firebender when he was just a child.
** [[spoiler:Turns out that backstory is a lie, but his real backstory is arguably just as sympathetic. His father, Yakone, was an extremely [[AbusiveParents abusive parent]], and forced him and his brother Tarrlok to learn bloodbending so he could use them to exact revenge on Republic City and the Avatar. Ultimately, this mistreatment put Amon on the path to darkness. Eventually, when his father made him and his brother use bloodbending on each other, he turned on his father, and ran away from home, and implied to be convinced that bending was evil.]]
* FromNobodyToNightmare: He was once a simple FarmBoy... then, his family was murdered. Now he's a DarkMessiah revolutionary trying to bring down bending and replace the Avatar.
** [[spoiler: [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig Zagged]] in the finale; turns out his father was Yakone, who fled Republic City. He was still nobody when he left the Northern Water tribe, but his story wasn't the one he claimed it was.]]
* [[spoiler:FullCircleRevolution]]: [[spoiler:When the Equalists took over Republic City, they're just as worse as every bad bender who oppressed them]].
* GeniusBruiser: Really good public speaker, social leader, and [[TheChessmaster master strategist]]; expert chi-blocker[[spoiler:, prodigy waterbender and psychic bloodbender]].
* GloriousLeader
* GoldAndWhiteAreDivine: An unusual case in that said colour pattern is confined to his mask.
* GoodColorsEvilColors:
** His mask is white and gold, noble colors, which are his ''mask'' which he hides behind, his red circle on his head could be his "evil" ambitions poking through his veneer of righteousness, and the fact that this is surrounded by black seems to mean he is the one noble being surrounded by darkness "benders" his point of view.
** When viewed through the lens of [[http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-messages-meanings/color-around-the-globe/china-the-colorful-masks-of-the-chinese-opera.html Chinese opera]], Amon's mask takes on considerable symbolism. Its white/silver and gold color scheme immediately places the character in the realm of the mystic, with the gold/yellow coloration also playing into the character traits of treachery and ferociousness. The red circle on his forehead evokes a hint of Buddhist symbolism, referencing his spiritual connection, and also carries some connotations with intelligence and cleverness.
** White is the color of death in Asian cultures, which fits well with the symbolism often attributed to the WhiteMaskOfDoom. Red and gold are generally considered positive colors in Chinese culture, making their use [[LightIsNotGood ironic]] in this case.
** The gold on his mask can also be seen as green. Another [[http://atla-annotated.tumblr.com/post/19671786341/amons-mask-analyzed-through-beijing-opera analysis]] through that lens holds that the white symbolizes cunning, treachery, and craftiness, the green is violence and lack of self-restraint, and the red dot is both spirituality and the mocking of it.
* [[spoiler: GoOutWithASmile: After losing Republic City and the Equalists, Amon decides to reclaim his old identity as Noatak and turn over a new leaf with Tarrlok, his long-lost brother. As they leave on a getaway boat, Noatak happily contemplates the new life they would build with each other as brothers, while Tarrlok silently decides to kill both of themselves as recompense for their past crimes and to halt their father's villainous legacy once and for all. From the driver's seat Noatak smiles as he muses on how he'd almost forgotten the sound of his own name and begins crying, perhaps [[DeathEqualsRedemption realizing and accepting]] what Tarrlok is about to do just before Tarrlok ignites the gas tank and detonates the boat.]]
* HeroKiller: More like Hero De-Bender. [[spoiler:Anyone he can lay his hands on is effectively neutralized since they can no longer bend. His first confrontation with Korra also implies that he plans to kill her after taking away her bending, though that may have been poor use of the phrase "untimely demise" as a metaphor.]] He fully enters into this trope after de-bending [[spoiler:Lin Beifong ''and'' '''KORRA''']]
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: [[spoiler:If you believe he really did see bending as the root of all evil, he became just as bad if not ''worse'' than the corrupt benders who was fighting against in the end.]]
* [[spoiler: HiddenAgendaVillain]]:[[spoiler: After TheReveal, his true motivations are never truly addressed. His backstory implies he's either a KnightTemplar seeking to rid the world of bending because he seeks it as the root of all evil, or was seeking to follow in his father's footsteps and take over Republic City. Evidence is presented for both.]]
* {{Hypocrite}}: He wants to get rid of benders for making non-benders live in terror, while his own strategy consists of doing exactly that. Not to mention that he's not only [[spoiler:a bender himself, but a ''bloodbender'', aka the most dangerous type of bender in the world. While Tarrlok thinks Amon is none to proud of his powers, (see YouAreWhatYouHate) he still uses them subtly to fight, rather than fighting like a BadassNormal]]. In the end, [[spoiler:the Lieutenant]] is not at all happy to realize this.
* IAmTheNoun: "I am the ''solution''".
** Also printed on some of his posters, though that's a [[BilingualBonus Readers Of Chinese Bonus]].
* ImplacableMan: No matter what you throw at him, he won't stop coming.
* InTheHood
* TheJuggernaut: [[spoiler:When Tarrlok tries to use bloodbending on him, he just shrugs it off and keeps advancing. Turns out he was bloodbending himself.]]
** [[spoiler: This appears to have happened some time in his backstory, between Noatak running away from home and taking up the identity of Amon.]]
* JustToyingWithThem: Amon makes a show out of tying up [[ElementalPowers bending]] members of a crime syndicate (and one of the heroes who got mixed up with them) and [[spoiler: removing their powers]] in front of a huge crowd of [[AntimagicalFaction Equalist]] sympathizers. This trope comes into play when, as part of his show, Amon lets the crime boss loose and offers him the chance to fight to protect himself. It's all the more impressive when Amon wins. [[CurbStompBattle Rather easily]], in fact. [[spoiler:It's later revealed he uses bloodbending to get them to move somewhat predictably without revealing his ability, making his defeat of them inevitable.]]
* JustYouMeAndMyGuards: [[spoiler:How Amon eventually responds to Korra's mano-a-mano challenge to him. Could be justified because Tarrlok was supposed to have soldiers watching the fight, and Amon is GenreSavvy enough to suspect something like that.]]
* [[spoiler:KarmicDeath]]: [[spoiler:In the first season finale. Tragic, but nevertheless karmic.]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Every early instance of on-screen [[spoiler:de-bending]] we saw him carry out was upon someone who was used their bending to illegally gain a position of power while being protected from reprisals by corruption in the system (the Triple Threat Triad, an organized crime syndicate, as well as the Wolfbats who cheated their way into winning the tournament, and [[spoiler:Tarrlok]]). This is a consistent part of his political strategy, and also why he refuses to fight Korra at first.
** KickTheDog: After his plans have advanced far enough that he doesn't need the good press anymore, he has no problem attacking benders who haven't done anything to deserve it. [[spoiler:The Metalbending police, the entire Republic City Council (save Tenzin), the last airbenders (who escaped), and Lin Beifong. Not to mention bombing the crap out of Republic City. In the finale, he has benders lined up execution-style, captures Tenzin and his family to eliminate airbending altogether (despite the Air Acolytes being altogether peaceful, and Tenzin supporting non-bender rights more than anyone else), and attacks and possibly ''kills'' the Lieutenant when he finds out Amon is a bloodbender and makes a MookFaceTurn.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]: [[spoiler:Escapes Republic City with Tarrlok, but Tarrlok ultimately decides to sacrifice himself to stop him once and for all by blowing up the boat they're in.]]
* KneelBeforeZod: [[spoiler:Forces a pack of wolves to do this as a child with bloodbending.]]
* KnightOfCerebus: The first couple of episodes are relatively lighthearted and upbeat. Then Amon takes center-stage in the third episode and every episode proceeds to get darker and darker. In the end, Amon is the only major villain in the entire franchise who is not EVER used for laughs. Even Ozai, after he was defeated, was the butt of jokes from other characters. [[spoiler:But even after his defeat, he still left enough of a mark on Korra that the season very nearly had a DownerEnding.]]
* KnightTemplar: Amon definitely invokes this in his rhetoric, and follows up rather well, rapidly escalating the stakes from [[spoiler: vigilantism to terrorism to an open revolt which temporarily succeeds in deposing the government of Republic City.]]
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: [[spoiler: After being defeated by Korra and Mako, he immediately leaves and retrieves Tarrlok, before leaving the defeated Equalists behind to start a new life with his brother.]]
* LightIsNotGood: Though Amon invokes certain heavenly archetypes with his [[GoldAndWhiteAreDivine white and gold]] sun mask, Egyptian sun god name, and [[MessianicArchetype possible mystical connections]], he's still the leader of a terrorist organization. [[spoiler:He's a waterbender, and while a bloodbender, his method is essencially a reversal of [[HealingHands waterbending healing]], manipulating chi regardless. Thus, arguably WhiteMagic.]]
* LightningBruiser: Extremely agile and nimble fighter with the strength to take down even the most skilled benders with no sweat.
* MadeOfIron: He took a lightning bolt to the chest, several seconds long at that, and ''walked it off''.
* MageKiller: Not surprising, given that he's the leader of [[AntimagicalFaction the Equalists]].
* [[spoiler:MakingASplash]]: [[spoiler:Turns out he's a waterbender and a bloodbender, possibly the most powerful who ever lived.]]
** [[spoiler:BloodMagic]]
* [[MalevolentMaskedMen Malevolent Masked Man]]: Like the lower-level Equalists, although they're GasMaskMooks and his is more of a traditional mask.
* MissionFromGod: He claims that he was chosen by the spirits to bring down bending and replace the Avatar.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "Amon" has plenty of possible meanings.
** To start, it's the name of an Egyptian god and a [[ArsGoetia demon]].
** The word or root "Amen" means "what is hidden", "what is not seen", "what cannot be seen" and the like.
** One of the worst Nazi criminals was [[Film/SchindlersList Amon Goeth]].
** [[http://masterarrowhead.tumblr.com/post/21546778935/hawkfeather-atla-annotated-energybending-a Amon is also the name of an acupuncture point on the back of the neck.]] Amon was shown pressing onto that point as well as the forehead.
** A fan [[http://atla-annotated.tumblr.com/post/21979689321/amon-is-the-answer-interesting-choice-of translated his name written in Chinese characters]]. 阿蒙. ‘cover; ignorant; suffer’.
* NightmareFuel: Very much InUniverse for Korra and Tenzin.
* NoSell: When [[spoiler:Tarrlok]] uses [[spoiler:bloodbending]] to incapacitate his mooks, Amon shrugs it off. Even when [[spoiler:Tarrlok]] redoubled his efforts, it just barely slowed Amon down. [[spoiler:Since he can bloodbend with his mind, he was able to counteract Tarrlok's powers without moving.]]
* OddNameOut: [[spoiler:While Yakone and Tarrlok have {{Meaningful Name}}s, Amon's real name is simply the name of a river.]]
* ObviouslyEvil: He looks pretty dang evil, but looking at him through the lens of Asian Culture (which Avatar takes heavy cues from), he looks a ''lot'' more evil. See GoodColorsEvilColors.
* [[spoiler:ThePowerOfBlood[=/=]PeoplePuppets]]: [[spoiler:He's a bloodbender. He's so good that he can do it [[BeyondTheImpossible without moving his hands. In daytime.]]]]
** [[spoiler:PsychicPowers]]: [[spoiler:Tarrlok specifically calls his bloodbending this.]]
* PragmaticVillainy:
** "[[Recap/TheLegendOfKorraS1E4TheVoiceInTheNight The Voice in the Night]]" reveals just how pragmatic he is, to the point of ReasonBeforeHonor.
** Get challenged to a one-on-one duel? No {{Mooks}} for either side? [[spoiler:So you've made yourself defenseless. Perfect. Meet my platoon of chi-blockers.]]
** At last, I have my most dangerous opponent [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty at my mercy]]. [[spoiler:See ya round kid. The international public outcry wouldn't be worth it right now. But don't worry! I'm going to save you for last, letting you watch all you love and care for be destroyed before I take you out. Toodle-oo!]]
* PreAssKickingOneLiner: "It is time for you to be Equalized."
* [[spoiler:PsychopathicManChild]]: [[spoiler:In his final scenes he displays naivety and untoward optimism, shucking off his persona of Amon as if it was a disguise. He's incredibly cheerful for a defeated man and is seemingly giddy from the prospect of being with his little brother again, as if he and Tarrlok are two little schoolboys running away from home. He seems to think everything will be just fine, ignoring the fact that every facet of their identities were shaped so that a normal life would be improbable or even impossible.]]
** That said, [[spoiler: the sheer amount of explosives/electric weapons, as well as his tear before Tarrlok exploded the boat, might imply it was a ruse to lead his brother to kill them both, or that he wasn't just going to let his revolution die.]]
* RedEyesTakeWarning: He never does this personally, but quite a few of the Equalist powers depict him this way, probably for RuleOfDrama.
* RebelLeader: He is the leader of the anti-bending movement.
* TheRevolutionWillNotBeVilified: [[spoiler:Once the Equalists took over, it's totally subverted]].
* [[spoiler: TheRunaway]]: [[spoiler: In his ''real'' backstory.]]
* [[spoiler:SelfDisposingVillain]]: [[spoiler:A case where the hero isn't even aware of it. Korra never has the chance to take care of him, since he escapes. [[MurderSuicide Tarrlok takes care of that.]]]]
* ShadowArchetype: To Korra, as essentially the anti-Avatar. He's also one to Bolin and Mako, as they've all lost their parents to Firebenders. However, Amon now wants to destroy all benders, while Bolin and Mako are making the best of their situation.
* [[spoiler:SiblingYinYang]]: [[spoiler:With Tarrlok.]]
* [[spoiler:SingleTear]]: [[spoiler:Sheds one right before his death]].
* TheSocialExpert
* [[spoiler:StrawHypocrite: Possibly. He leads a crusade against bending, when he is in fact a waterbender--in fact, his method for removing other people's bending involves bloodbending. But it's not known if he truly believes in the cause, even if he uses bending to achieve it, or whether he's just exploiting the cause for his own personal gain or a desire to upstage his father.]]
* TheStoic: Always calm and collected, even in the midst of battle.
** [[spoiler:NotSoStoic: When he takes off his mask to "disprove" Korra's revelation of his backstory, Amon is suddenly much more enthusiastic and emotional in his speech. Considering that he was lying, it's most likely an act.]]
*** [[spoiler: Amon loses his composure after he inadvertantly outs himself as a bender to his followers, and during his reunion with Tarrlok, is far more emotional than he had been up to that point, even shedding a tear just before dying.]]
* StrongerSibling: [[spoiler:He's Tarrlok's.]]
* SuperPowerLottery: He's an incredibly skilled chi-blocker, and can permanently disable bending. [[spoiler: Add in his bloodbending, and Amon really won this thing.]]
* [[spoiler: TallDarkAndHandsome: All of which come standard for members of the Water Tribes.]]
* TellMeHowYouFight: [[spoiler:Tarrlok identifies Amon as his brother, despite Amon's appearance being totally concealed, by the distinctive feel of his bloodbending]].
* [[spoiler:ThisCannotBe]]: [[spoiler:When he debends Korra only for her to use airbending against him.]]
* [[spoiler:TragicVillain]]: In the finale, it's revealed that [[spoiler:Amon is actually Tarrlok's older brother, Noatak. He and Tarrlok were forced by their [[AbusiveParents father]] Yakone to learn bloodbending, so that he could use them to exact vengeance on Republic City and the Avatar. After Yakone forced him and Tarrlok to use bloodbending on each other, Noatak turned on his father, incapacitated him with bloodbending, and ran away from home, taking up the identity of Amon years later. According to Tarrlok, he really and truly believed bending to be the root of all evil in the world, despite being a bender himself, though Tarrlok also implies Amon enjoyed the power bloodbending gave him.]]
** It's worse than that. [[spoiler: He wanted Tarrlok to run away with him, but Tarrlok didn't want to leave their mother behind. At the finale he's looking forward to a peaceful life with his brother. Apparently that's all he really wanted.]]
* [[spoiler:{{Tykebomb}}: His father Yakone tried to turn him and his brother, Tarrlok, into this in a plot for revenge on Republic City and the Avatar. While he ''did'' turn on his father, he ultimately ended up fulfilling what Yakone wanted him to do anyway, make Republic City suffer.]]
* TheUnfettered
* UnflinchingWalk:
** Pulls this off in the face of a fireball that blasts most of his {{Mooks}} away.
** Also, [[spoiler:when up against Tarrlok, he pulls this off. Which is impressive, because he ''shouldn't'' have been able to stand, let alone walk. It turns out Amon himself is a bloodbender, hence why he wasn't affected.]]
* [[spoiler: UnreliableExpositor]]: [[spoiler: His given backstory is a lie in order to gain support and sympathy.]]
* [[spoiler:UsedToBeASweetKid]]: [[spoiler:Until his father forced him and his brother to learn bloodbending.]]
* VillainExitStageLeft: [[spoiler: After being defeated and uncovered by Korra, Noatak asks Tarrlok to escape together and rebuild a life as brothers. Tarrlok agrees, but has [[MurderSuicide ulterior motives]] for doing so.]]
* VillainHasAPoint: His talk about benders oppressing non-benders gained a lot more credence [[spoiler:once Tarrlok took over.]]
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Invoked. His EvilPlan requires popular support, so he avoids actions that could negatively impact his reputation. While officially considered a terrorist, he has amassed a modest army, enough to threaten all of Republic City.
* [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown]]: [[spoiler:After Korra manages to use airbending despite having been debended. He ''really'' gets this once he's not only unmasked, but his makeup to make him look scarred is washed off in the water, revealing him for what he really is.]]
* [[spoiler:VillainousRescue]]: [[spoiler:Rescues Korra from Tarrlok, though he didn't plan on letting her go free after taking down Tarrlok.]]
* VisionaryVillain: A world of equality.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: The only known Equalist to have one.
* [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim Why Don't You Just Shoot Her?]]: He makes it clear that he could have easily taken away Korra's bending when he ambushed her. He also makes it clear that doing so would have made her into a martyr, which is why Korra will be the last to lose her bending, and then she will die.
* [[spoiler:WorldsStrongestMan]]: [[spoiler:Described as one of the most powerful benders ''ever''. He's possibly the strongest non-Avatar bender to ever live, as his family's psychic bloodbending, of which Amon's is the demonstrably strongest, has only ever been broken by the [[SuperMode Avatar State]].]]
* WouldHitAGirl: He knocks Korra unconscious when he ambushes her. And he plans to kill her.
* WouldHurtAChild: In the finale, [[spoiler:he has captured Tenzin and his family and plans on debending them.]]
* XanatosGambit: Pulls one off in "And the Winner Is...". He makes [[DoNotAdjustYourSet a public demand over the radio]] that the city government shut down the Pro-Bending arena and cancel the championship match. If the pro-bending championships are not stopped, then he and the Equalists have an audience for the demonstration of their power and he gets to begin his war. If the tournament is canceled the government has given into Amon's demand and showed that it will not challenge him.
* [[spoiler:YouAreWhatYouHate]]: By implication, [[spoiler:if he was really sincere about his belief that benders are the source of all evil in the world, he is a Type 3 or even Type 4]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Lieutenant]]
!The Lieutenant
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Screen_Shot_2012-04-29_at_11_40_21_AM_7512.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"You benders need to understand... there's no place in this world for you anymore."]]
->Voiced by Creator/LanceHenriksen
Amon's second-in-command.
----
* AmbiguouslyEvil: While there's no doubt he's one of the bad guys, his reasons for doing the things he does remain unknown, as is whether he would qualify as a straight up villain or an AntiVillain.
* AwesomeBackpack: He carries a power generator on his back to supply power for his weapons.
** AmmunitionBackpack
* {{Badass}}
** BadassBaritone
** BadassMoustache
** BadassNormal
* [[spoiler:BrokenPedestal: Let's just say that he didn't take learning the truth about Amon well]].
* TheDeterminator: Always back up and ready for another fight, no matter how much of a beating he takes.
* DiminishingVillainThreat: Appears very threatening early on, soundly defeating Bolin and Mako in "The Revelation," but every time he is encountered thereafter, he is usually either attacking a helpless or outmatched opponent or he loses.
* TheDragon: For Amon.
** [[spoiler:CoDragons: With Hiroshi Sato]]
* DualWielding: Electricfied kali sticks in both hands.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Everyone up to and including Amon, in fact.
** Bolin calls him Moustache Guy, though.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Being voiced by Lance Henriksen, this is a given. That man could inhale multiple canisters of helium and he would still sound like he had more than one puberty.
* GlassCannon: Very agile and deadly in combat. He hits as fast as lightning, and he's very powerful. However, he goes down after one hit.
* GogglesDoNothing
* GoodHairEvilHair: He has a Fu Manchu moustache.
* HonorBeforeReason: Considering that he saw Amon [[spoiler: bloodbending]] Korra and Mako at the same time, he probably realized that a head-on charge would be suicide, but decided he'd rather go out swinging than continue to follow a lie.
** A much smarter approach would have to have pretended not to know anything, snuck up close to Amon, and then ambush him at close quarters with an electrified weapon, and only ''after'' Amon is down throw off his mask and give his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. But possibly he knows Amon well enough to know that such a sneak attack wouldn't work.
* IcyBlueEyes
* ImpossiblyCoolWeapon: He wields a pair of electrified kali sticks, because his opponents are metalbending cops, and electricity works pretty well on all benders. The fact that an industrialized city like Republic City has conductive metal ''everywhere'' doesn't hurt, either.
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: Starts to shade into this as the DiminishingVillainThreat kicks in. Poor guy can't do ''anything'' right.
* IronButtmonkey
* ItsPersonal: [[spoiler:When Korra's trapped in a metal cage, he shows a certain satisfaction in getting to shock her unconscious as payback. Unfortunately for him, she was one step ahead.]]
** He also takes [[spoiler:realizing that he'd been played by Amon]] pretty badly.
** Otherwise averted. It's suggested that he feels eradicating bending is a ''logical conclusion''.
* MadeOfIron: Has been sucker punched with a boulder, knocked off a building, blasted over a roof, and smashed into the ground from midair by a polar bear dog. And each time, he has dusted himself off and returned ready to fight again.
* MookFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Turns on Amon when he finds out about his bending, though as usual he didn't do that well in the ensuing "fight".]]
* NobleTopEnforcer: While the Lieutenant comes off as sadistic and cruel, he truly believes in the Equalists' agenda and dedicated his life to it.
* NoNameGiven
* NoPeripheralVision: Maybe it's the goggles, but the Lieutenant has had an unfortunate tendency to be taken out by surprise, typically by someone new showing up from behind or the side while he's fighting another opponent.
* PsychoElectro: While he is serious in wanting to end bending like all other Equalists, he seems to actually enjoy inflicting pain on benders with his electric arsenal a bit ''too much''.
* ShockAndAwe
** StaticStunGun
* SimpleStaff: Of the two handheld rod variety.
* SpannerInTheWorks: His [[CurbStompBattle "battle"]] [[spoiler:with Amon gave Mako the time to muster up the energy to fire off his lightning.]]
* TallDarkAndHandsome: He actually doesn't look that bad unmasked.[[hottip:*:Seen [[http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5q76pCfDJ1qa7n5e.gif here]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: He really did believe in Amon's message and felt that the world would be better off without bending. [[spoiler:He was enraged when he saw that Amon was a liar and a fraud.]]
* [[spoiler: YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Amon tries this after he walks in at a ''very'' inconvenient time. Whether it takes or not is [[HesJustHiding a subject of much debate]], especially given his IronButtMonkey status.]]
** [[spoiler: WordOfGod has ended the debate by confirming via DVD commentary that he did indeed survive and was just knocked unconscious.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Chi-blockers]]
!The Chi-blockers
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Chi_blockers_6466.jpg]]
The foot-soldiers of the Equalist cause, trained in chi-blocking to nullify the powers of benders.
----
* AirplaneArms: They use the further back, ninja-like variation.
* BadassArmy: BadassNormal GasMaskMooks trained specifically in a PressurePoint-striking fighting method designed to temporarily [[PowerNullifier disarm]] and [[TheParalyzer disable]] the wielders of ElementalPowers. Later armed with electric weapons that achieve similar effects to chi blocking without needing special training, and eventually equipped with heavy firepower in the form of mecha tanks, airships and [[spoiler: bomber airplanes]].
* BadassBiker: The chi blockers are excellent motorcyclists.
* BadassNormal: They completely dominate Korra and Mako in their first fight, due to clever use of their gadgets and their martial arts.
* CombatPragmatist: They take any advantage they can get. Aside from their grenades, they use bolas, tripwires, whips, and do not obey MookChivalry, for the most part.
* EliteMooks: They're pretty much an entire army of them. Even just a few of them can put up a hell of a fight against very powerful benders.
* EqualOpportunityEvil: Their figures show that more than a few are [[DarkActionGirl women]]. The ladies fight alongside the men. Also we can't be sure with their masks, but they seem to be non-benders from any of the three nations.
* GasMaskMooks: Since they use gas grenades, this is a necessary aspect of their outfit. Also helps when [[spoiler: being knocked down by fartbending]].
* KickTheDog: Electrocuting Shiro Shinobi, the announcer, who is a non-bender and wasn't fighting back.
** Using Bolos and attacking the non-bender communication-staff at the police station.
* KungFuProofMook: The Equalists' MiniMecha are made from platinum, metal so pure metalbenders are incapable of manipulating it.
* MageKiller: Their combat training specifically targets benders.
* MiniMecha: Their platinum mech-tanks.
* MookChivalry: Averted for most of the first book, but played straight in "Turning the Tides" when half a dozen stand still and let themselves be knocked over by a slow attack, and they back away when the Lieutenant fights Lin.
* {{Ninja}}
* TheParalyzer: Their blows cause temporary (and apparently painful) paralysis in addition to serving as a...
* PowerNullifier: Even after the paralysis wears off, a chi-blocker's strike will render their target temporarily unable to bend.
* PressurePoint: The centerpiece of their fighting style, featuring extremely rapid strikes.
* SamusIsAGirl: A minor variation; some of the chi-blockers are clearly women, but you [[FreezeFrameBonus have to be paying attention]].
* ShockAndAwe: A favored tactic of theirs, in various flavors:
** The less skilled among them use electricity-generating gloves. The ones in full attire never do.
** The MiniMecha have built in tasers and can fire bola disks which shock the recipient unconscious. This same weapon is used by hand occasionally.
* SmokeOut: They use grenades that release a greenish, slightly unpleasant gas to dissuade pursuers.
* TheVoiceless: They apparently use this as a psychological tactic, as their near-absolute silence in battle, communicating and coordinating only through gestures and reading each other's body motions, accentuate the inhumanity their faceless masks lend them. It's almost jarring when we hear them speak in episode 9 during unguarded moments.
* TheWorfEffect: In episode 10, several of them were quickly defeated by Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo. Somewhat justified by the fact that airbenders only number in the single digits and only one is actually an adult, so they weren't prepared for it. Add on to that the fact that they were attacked by children, which would be a surprise in itself assuming they were actually willing to assault children in the first place.
** Then there's the fact that Airbending is all about dodging and weaving plus, the chi-blockers were trained to fight other bending that they can SEE. Seeing that Tenzin and his kids are the only known Airbenders in existence.
* ZergRush: They performed this quite often, though also mixed smart tactics and gadgets with it, making them very dangerous. Probably the best example would be when they ambushed Korra with about two dozen attacking her at once.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Protester]]
!The Protester
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Screen_Shot_2012-04-29_at_11_27_37_AM_9261.png]]
->Voiced by Creator/CarlosAlazraqui
He's a protester who comes into the Republic City park to preach about Amon's ideals.
----
* AttentionWhore: He promotes the Equalists for this reason, according to the official website. He attempts to get said attention by taking the unpopular position on any given issue (in this case, bending rights). His parents were evidently supportive of benders.
* BackForTheFinale
* BigWhat: He lets one out in the finale when [[spoiler:Amon outs himself as a waterbender.]]
%% EyesOfGold has more requirements for the trope than just "gold eyes". The protestor does not fit any of them.
* HotBloodedSideburns: Which also point to Fire Nation parentage.
* NoNameGiven
* TooDumbToLive: This feels the need to openly insult any benders he sees, and it's made pretty clear that most of them could beat him without using any bending. [[GenreSavvy Doing so would prove him right, though, a fact he exploits in the first episode when dealing with Korra.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:[[spoiler:Hiroshi Sato]]]]
[[spoiler:See Characters/TheLegendOfKorraOtherMajorCharacters.]]
[[/folder]]
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->Voiced by LanceHenriksen
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->Voiced by LanceHenriksen
Creator/LanceHenriksen
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* [[spoiler: YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Amon tries this after he walks in at a ''very'' inconvenient time. Whether it takes or not is [[HesJustHiding a subject of much debate]], especially given his IronButtmonkey status.]]
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* [[spoiler: YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Amon tries this after he walks in at a ''very'' inconvenient time. Whether it takes or not is [[HesJustHiding a subject of much debate]], especially given his IronButtmonkey IronButtMonkey status.]]
** [[spoiler: WordOfGod has ended the debate by confirming via DVD commentary that he did indeed survive and was just knocked unconscious.]]
** [[spoiler: WordOfGod has ended the debate by confirming via DVD commentary that he did indeed survive and was just knocked unconscious.]]
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* [[spoiler: YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Amon tries this after he walks in at a ''very'' inconvenient time. Whether it takes or not is [[HeSJustHiding a subject of much debate]], especially given his IronButtmonkey status.]]
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* [[spoiler: YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Amon tries this after he walks in at a ''very'' inconvenient time. Whether it takes or not is [[HeSJustHiding [[HesJustHiding a subject of much debate]], especially given his IronButtmonkey status.]]
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--->'''[[spoiler:Tarrlok]]:''' [[WhatTheHellAreYou What... what are you?]]
--->'''Amon:''' I am the solution.
--->'''Amon:''' I am the solution.
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--->'''[[spoiler:Tarrlok]]:''' [[WhatTheHellAreYou What... what are you?]]
--->'''Amon:'''you?]]\\
'''Amon:''' I am the solution.
--->'''Amon:'''
'''Amon:''' I am the solution.
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* BelievingTheirOwnLies: Tarrlok theorizes that [[spoiler:while the Equalists philosphy was based on lies]], Amon genuinely believes benders are the source of the world's woes.
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** Then there's the fact that Airbending is all about dodging and weaving plus, the chi-blockers were trained to fight other bending that they can SEE. Seeing that Tenzin and his kids are the only known Airbenders in existence.
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* [[spoiler:DiscOneFinalBoss]]
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* [[spoiler:[[MommyIssues Daddy Issues]]]]: [[spoiler:Courtesy of Yakone, who forced him and his brother into bloodbending.]]
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* [[spoiler:[[MommyIssues Daddy Issues]]]]: [[spoiler:DaddyIssues]]: [[spoiler:Courtesy of Yakone, who forced him and his brother into bloodbending.]]
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* TooDumbToLive: This feels the need to openly insult any benders he sees, and it's made pretty clear that most of them could beat him with using any bending. [[GenreSavvy Doing so would prove him right, though, a fact he exploits in the first episode when dealing with Korra.]]
to:
* TooDumbToLive: This feels the need to openly insult any benders he sees, and it's made pretty clear that most of them could beat him with without using any bending. [[GenreSavvy Doing so would prove him right, though, a fact he exploits in the first episode when dealing with Korra.]]
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* [[spoiler:WorldsStrongestMan]]: [[spoiler:Described as one of the most powerful benders ''ever''. His ability to NoSell his brother's own powerful bending is a testament to that, as is virtually every fight he is involved in being a NoHoldsBarredBeatDown.]]
to:
* [[spoiler:WorldsStrongestMan]]: [[spoiler:Described as one of the most powerful benders ''ever''. His ability He's possibly the strongest non-Avatar bender to NoSell ever live, as his brother's own powerful bending family's psychic bloodbending, of which Amon's is a testament to that, as is virtually every fight he is involved in being a NoHoldsBarredBeatDown.the demonstrably strongest, has only ever been broken by the [[SuperMode Avatar State]].]]
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* [[spoiler:WorldsStrongestMan]]: [[spoiler:Described as one of the most powerful benders ''ever''. His ability to NoSell his brother's own powerful bending is a testament to that, as is virtually every fight he is involved in being a NoHoldsBarredBeatDown.]]
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* [[spoiler:FullCircleRevolution]]: [[spoiler:When the Equalists took over Republic City, they're just as worse as every bad bender who oppressed them]].
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* TheRevolutionWillNotBeVilified: [[spoiler:Once the Equalists took over, it's totally subverted]].
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* ArcVillain: Of Book One.
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* ArcVillain: ArcVillain[=/=]BigBad: Of Book One.
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* ArcVillain/BigBad: Of Book One.
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* ArcVillain/BigBad: ArcVillain: Of Book One.
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* ArcVillain: Of Book One.
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* ArcVillain: ArcVillain/BigBad: Of Book One.
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Badass Abnormal has been renamed to Empowered Badass Normal. Make sure you check out the new page and its definition before adding the trope.
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** BadassAbnormal: He's a BadassNormal who claims to have gotten his powers through contact with the Spirits. [[spoiler: Actually a subversion, since he's had his powers from birth and lied about their origins and nature.]]
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** EmpoweredBadassNormal: He's a BadassNormal who claims to have gotten his powers through contact with the Spirits. [[spoiler: Actually a subversion, since he's had his powers from birth and lied about their origins and nature.]]
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* [[spoiler: TallDarkAndHandsome]]
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* [[spoiler: TallDarkAndHandsome]]TallDarkAndHandsome: All of which come standard for members of the Water Tribes.]]
