Wikia

Avatar Wiki

Koh

Comments737
8,303pages on
this wiki
128px-Padlock-olive.svg Spirit Emblem

"It's been a long time since I've added a child's face to my collection."
— Koh to Aang.[1]

Koh
Koh
Biographical information
Age

Ancient

Physical description
Gender

Male

Hair color

Changes with face

Personal information
Enemies

Avatar Kuruk

Chronological and political information
Position

Spirit

Affiliation

Spirit World

First appearance

"The Siege of the North, Part 2"

Last appearance

Escape from the Spirit World
(actual)
"Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters" (flashback only)

Voiced by

Erik Todd Dellums

Koh the Face Stealer was one of the most ancient and knowledgeable spirits in all of the Spirit World. Nearly as old as the Ocean and Moon Spirits, he was the only known individual to remember them crossing over to the physical world, taking the form of koi fish. He was a malevolent entity residing under an ancient tree in the Spirit World. Possessing the body of a gigantic centipede-like creature, Koh could change the appearance of his face to that of any in his collection at will by "blinking".[2] Upon seeing anybody or anything express emotion, Koh would steal its face.

Contents

History Edit

Koh yells at Aang
Koh unsuccessfully trying to scare Aang in order to steal his face.
RenatablsAdded by Renatabls

As one of the oldest spirits, Koh possessed a vast amount of knowledge of the spiritual realm and the beings which resided within it. When Ummi and Avatar Kuruk were getting married, Koh lured Ummi to the Spirit World, where he stole her face and trapped her forever as punishment for Kuruk's arrogant ways.[3] Kuruk was determined to end Koh's life, but when the two met, the past Avatar could not go through with it as he realized that bringing an end to the spirit would also destroy the love of his life.[4] Despite Kuruk's vindictive actions, Koh himself held no personal grudge against Aang, as he was a different incarnation of the Avatar.[1]

Aang appealed to Koh for information regarding the Moon and Ocean Spirits, Tui and La, where Koh warned the Avatar of impending danger the spirits faced. When Aang asked for their location in the mortal world, the old spirit did not provide a clear answer and merely stated that they were opposites, forever revolving. When he told Aang that he had already met the spirits, the Face Stealer barely missed Aang's expression of epiphany when he realized that the identities of Tui and La were the koi fish in the Spirit Oasis.

Before Aang left, Koh stated they would meet again,[1] which they did when Aang found himself in the Spirit World after being struck by Azula's lightning in the Crystal Catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se.[5] During that encounter, Koh attempted to steal the young Avatar's face before he reconciled with the other past Avatars.

Personality Edit

As an ancient spirit, Koh was a perilous force not to be trifled with, though the extent of his power was never shown. Koh stole the face of anyone or anything which showed emotion to him, which was why those who approached him were warned to remain inexpressive while in his presence. He possessed a sadistic personality, constantly trying to goad the slightest bit of emotion out of his visitors by frightening them with his monster-like appearance or taunting them with his many faces.

However, Koh's actions suggested he was amoral rather than purely evil. He stole Ummi's face to punish Avatar Kuruk for his arrogance, but willingly told Aang the location of the Moon and Ocean Spirits and the danger they were in, and led him to his past Avatar lives. He was cryptic and often spoke in riddles.

Koh's faces Edit

Koh's faces
Koh's known faces.
Lady LostrisAdded by Lady Lostris

These are some of the many faces stolen by Koh. They are listed as they appear in the picture, from left to right.

  • A female Noh mask, a white face with red lips and gray eye markings. This was the face that Koh wore most often.
  • A curly-tailed blue nose face from the faceless monkey Aang noticed outside Koh's lair.[6]
  • Ummi, a Southern Water Tribe woman with long wavy brown hair and brown eyes, who was the fiancée of Avatar Kuruk.
  • A bearded and mustached man's face. This is based upon another Noh mask. 
  • An owl's face with light brown feathers and emerald green eyes.
  • A blue oni face, reminiscent of the Blue Spirit mask worn by Zuko. Koh shifted to this face when expressing extreme emotion.
  • An old man's face with a white mustache and blue eyes. This is another mask used in Noh theater.
  • A young man's face with brown hair and gray eyes. He was a Fire Nation soldier.[2]

Appearances Edit

Avatar: The Last Airbender Edit

Book One: Water (水) Edit

Book Two: Earth (土) Edit

Escape from the Spirit World Edit

Book Three: Fire (火) Edit

Trivia Edit

  • Koh's bad breath almost made Aang crack while not showing emotion, despite the former's frightening faces.[6]
  • Koh stated that he stole Ummi's face "about eight or nine hundred years ago", when in actuality Avatar Kuruk lived only about four hundred years before.
  • Even after Koh steals an individual's or animal's face, the creature still survives, as seen with a monkey who was still outside Koh's lair despite losing its face. However, this occurred in the Spirit World where food, water, and air may not be necessities like in the real world.
  • His name resembles the Japanese word "Kao" (顔), which means "face".
  • Koh has several similarities to Níðhöggr, a dragon of Norse mythology which gnaws on one of the three roots of Yggdrasill, the World Tree. It is sometimes believed that the roots are trapping the beast from the world, much like the tree in which Koh lives.
    • He also bears similarities to the Great Old Ones from the works of H.P. Lovecraft, in terms of his ancient knowledge, demonic form, and nightmarish lair.

References Edit

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "The Siege of the North, Part 2". Aaron Ehasz (writer) & Dave Filoni (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. December 2, 2005. No. 20, Book One: Water
  2. 2.0 2.1 From older Avatar: The Last Airbender official site, originally on Nick.com (link). No longer updated.
  3. Escape from the Spirit World: Avatar Kuruk Online Comic Book.
  4. The Legend of Korra: Welcome to Republic City. Nickelodeon (April 6, 2012). Retrieved on April 6, 2012.
  5. "The Crossroads of Destiny". Aaron Ehasz (writer) & Michael Dante DiMartino (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. December 1, 2006. No. 20, Book Two: Earth
  6. 6.0 6.1 Avatar Extras for "The Siege of the North, Part 2" on Nicktoons Network.

Start a Discussion Discussions about Koh

Advertisement | Your ad here

Related videos

Remove video
Are you sure you want to remove this video from the Videos list?
Please wait wile we are removing the video
Error occurred while loading data. Please recheck your connection and refesh the page.
88 Videos on this wiki
Add a video
Be the first to add a video
1 of 1

Latest images

Add an image
6,197images on the wiki
See all photos >

Recent Wiki Activity

See more >

Around Wikia's network

Random Wiki