A:TLA Annotations

The Bending Arts: Firebending

Firebending is based on Shaolin Gong Fu

Those who practice Shaolinquan leap about with strength and force; people not proficient at this kind of training soon lose their breath and are exhausted. Taijiquan is unlike this. Strive for quiescence of body, mind and intention.^[4]

Of the multitude styles of kung fu and wushu, only some are actually related to Shaolin. Aside from a few very well known systems, such as Xiao Hong Quan, the Da Hong Quan, Yin Shou Gun, Damo Sword, etc.,^{[citation needed]}, after the loss of records during the 20th Century Cultural Revolution it would be almost impossible for a particular style to conclusively establish a connection to the Temple.

I find the last sentence interesting, since both, Fire Nation Firebending and Gongfu have lost their connection to their source.

Look, it’s the actual creators talking:

Firenbending is based on Chinese martial arts i.e. another point tipping the scale against the Fire Nation being Japan.

Sozin’s throne room and more facts why the Fire Nation is not Japan.

The carved gold dragon behind Sozin’s throne resembles a Chinese Imperial dragon, like the one © that decorates the throne room in the Forbidden City. Sozin’s throne also resembles the Dragon Throne (B).

The carvings on Sozin’s throne are also stylized Chinese Imperial dragons (D).

As a comparison (A) the b/w picture on the left shows the Japanese Imperial throne which was destroyed in WWII. As you can see, there is no similarity between that throne and Sozin’s.

And as a final note: The official art book states: “For her -Elsa Garagarza- first assignment, the Fire Lord’s throne room, she was given three words: Egyptian, Chinese, scary.” (p. 61)

On clothes and why the Fire Nation is not Japan:

We see all the Fire Lords, Uncle, Zuko, Ursa and Azula as well as Roku wearing hanfu:

Hanfu  汉服 or Han Chinese Clothing, also sometimes known as Hanzhuang (漢裝), Huafu (華服), and sometimes referred in English sources simply as Silk Robe  (especially those worn by the gentry) refers to the historical dress of the Han Chinese people, which was worn by men and women for millennia before the conquest by the Manchus. (Manchus = Ba Sing Se in Atla)

Tthe qipao, is a Manchu NOT a Han garment, which is erroneously assumed to be the solely recognizable style of “traditional” Chinese garb.

Hanfu has a history of more than three millennia, and is said to have been worn by the legendary Yellow Emperor. 

To sum it up: As discussed before the Fire Nation hairstyles we see are Three Kingdom inspired, their armor is influenced by the Tang Dynasty and they are wearing hanfu. All of the above are Chinese, not Japanese.

See also: The Tibet-Air Nomads parallel.

More on Chinese vs Japanese clothes, Chinese clothes

Of chairs and why sitting on the floor does not mean the Fire Nation is based on Japan:

For one: Japan is only one among many Asian countries that sits on the floor i.e. it is still common today in Thailand. Just as much as sitting on the floor does not make the Fire Nation Morocco, it does not make it the Japan either.

Secondly: Most of the visual references made in the show refer to a time period (in China) where chairs were not known and/or not commonly used.

Before the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), the predominant sitting positions in the Han Chinese culture and neighboring cultures such as the Japanese Culture, Korean Culture, Turkic Culture in Central Asia and Tai Kadai Cultures to the southwest were the seiza and lotus position on the floor or sitting mats. The earliest images of chairs in China are from sixth-century Buddhist murals and stele, but the practice of sitting in chairs at that time was rare. It was not until the twelfth century that chairs became widespread in China.

To sum it up: Sitting on the floor is no indicator towards any one of the Asian cultures/time periods/dynasties that the show draws from for reference.

Hairstyles

Neither Fire Nation topknots, nor the Earth Kingdom ones are Japanese/Samurai. They are Three Kingdom inspired.

Let me first note that it is a pain to find any real references for guys’ hairstyles through the ages. Girls’? SURE. Guys’ not so much. It also does not help that the time period (Three Kingdoms and Tang Dynasty) that the majority of the hairstyles are taken from are extremely popular. Any search will find a gazillion TV shows, mangas and movies before it will find anything that even remotely resembles a real source.

After several days and countless hours I’ve given up. You are getting movie screenshots. Feel free to google/baidu Tang Dynasty TV show or Three Kingdoms for more pictures.

Sources: One, two, three

On the Fire Nation, Tibet and the genocides

The A:TLA situation:

Sozin used the power of the comet to launch an attack and commit genocide on the Air Nomads.

Sozin attacked the Air Nomads for two reasons: 1. To get to the Avatar 2. To destroy the military advantage airbending provided i.e. air support would have been a big hindrance in his war against the rest of the world. The Air Nomads were destroyed due to their religious and strategic importance.

Now, in human history genocides are not particularly hard to find, so what links this one to the specific one in Tibet?

The Air Nomads - Buddhism parallel has been discussed in previews posts.

But how does the Tibet situation compare:

1. Religious significance and genocide:

Between 1959 and 1961 the PRC destroyed most of Tibet’s over 6000 monasteries, only eight remained in 1976. Communism sees religion as one of the major hindrances to the development of society and as a tool to keep people under control and the Theocracy in power. Which led to the removal/destruction/execution of the monasteries and the religious cast.

Further parallels: The 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso was not formally enthroned until 17 November 1950, during the People’s Republic of China invasion of the kingdom. The 14th Dalai Lama fled to India where he has led a government in exile since.

2. Strategic advantage:

Tibet’s location puts it at a key military position between China and India. Military control of said region is as important today as it has been in past wars.

To sum it up: Taking into consideration that A:TLA is set in a sino-centric universe, the parallel between the Air Nomads and the Tibet situation is all but accidental, but seems to be an obvious comment on real world politics.

The name Agni was taken from the Hindu deity Agni:

Agni is a Hindu deity, one of the most important of the Vedic gods. He is the god of fire^[1] and the acceptor of sacrifices.

And that is about where the resemblance ends:

In Hindu scriptures, Agni (3) is depicted with two or seven hands, two heads and three legs. He has seven fiery tongues with which he licks sacrificial butter. He rides a ram or in a chariot harnessed by fiery horses, goats or, more rarely, parrots.His attributes are an axe, torch, prayer beads and a flaming spear. 

The Angi (1) (statue/mask in Zuko’s room) we see in A:TLA does have none of these attributes, but for the fire. A:TLA Agni resembles a stylized dragon, very much the one we see in Sozin’s throne room (2) which, on the other hand in based on the Chinese Imperial Dragon (4). It can be safely said that A:TLA Agni is not supposed to be a Hindu deity, but only shares a name and the association with fire with one.

And then the Fire Nation Attacked

The Air Nomads - Tibet; Dalai Lama - Avatar parallel cannot be denied. Let’s compare, for one thing, the architecture and recent history in that region.

The destruction of most of Tibet’s more than 6,000 monasteries happened between 1959 and 1961.Of the 6,259 monasteries in Tibet before the Chinese occupation, only eight remained in 1976.

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I will get more into that later, for now, let’s just take a look at the burning temple we see in the opening sequence. I am aware that that is not the exact temple, but the style and the fact that it is located on top of a mountain are not coincidental and are creating an intentional parallel between the Air Nomads and the Tibetan Monasteries.