| "What about Meelo? He's hilarious too, you never know what's going to come out of his mouth!" |
| — Tenzin about Meelo.[1] |
Meelo is the third child and the first son of Tenzin and Pema, and grandson of Avatar Aang and Katara. He resides on Air Temple Island with the rest of his family. The young airbender has two older sisters, Jinora and Ikki, and a younger brother named Rohan.
History
170 AG
Korra's training
Meelo and his family arriving at the South Pole, with Meelo gnawing on his father's bald head.
When Korra was ready to start her airbending training, Meelo and his family traveled to the Southern Water Tribe to visit his grandmother and stay for the night. He was chewing on his father's head as the family arrived and hopped off their sky bison. When Katara took him off his father's shoulders, Meelo did not recognize his grandmother and quickly squirmed his way out of the hands of the "strange woman". He went on to play with his sisters in the snow, claiming to be a "snowbender", by using his airbending to blow off a pile of snow that covered him, showering his mother, much to her annoyance. Meelo and the rest of his family headed back home the next day, as Tenzin's duties as a United Republic Council member prevented them from relocating to the Southern Water Tribe as planned.[3]
Meelo met Korra again not long after their last encounter, as the Avatar had run away from home and traveled to Republic City. The young boy was thrilled when he saw her again, especially after his father complied and let Korra stay on Air Temple Island in order to learn airbending with them.[3]
As an airbender, Meelo was present during Korra's airbending training. While Korra was struggling with weaving her way through the airbending gates, he mimicked his father's advice by stating that Korra should try to "be the leaf." When Meelo participated in the meditation exercise, Tenzin singled him out as an example for Korra of how to properly meditate. However, the young boy had actually fallen asleep. Later on, when Korra destroyed the ancient training tool with her firebending in a fit of frustration and called Tenzin a "terrible teacher", Meelo instantly copied Korra's words, running around screaming and kicking the shambles of the now-broken tool.[4]
Meelo sat quietly at dinner as Councilman Tarrlok entered and offered Korra to join his task force. He later enjoyed playing with Ikki in a new car which was sent as a gift from Tarrlok to bribe Korra. He also attended the gala Tarrlok threw for Korra along with the rest of his family, where he apparently mistook an object for a toilet, much to his father's horror and embarrassment.[5]
Meelo cheering up the Team Avatar with his lightheartedness.
Upon the arrival of Mako, Bolin, Pabu, and Asami who had come to live on Air Temple Island, Meelo immediately took a liking to the new residents. After welcoming them to "[his] domain", Meelo seemed to develop a crush on Asami, calling her pretty and asking for a piece of her hair, prompting Mako to jokingly call him "competition". Later on, when the members of Team Avatar were talking about saving Republic City, Meelo interrupted by jumping down and passing gas on their hands. He enthusiastically agreed with them, although he had no idea what they were doing, making them all laugh.[6]
The following morning, Meelo, sleeping in the bed of his parents, awoke early to the phone ringing on a bedside table, and crawled over his father's face to reach it. He answered it and inquired who was calling, commenting that whatever it was had better have been important enough to justify waking him at six o'clock in the morning. Tenzin quickly stole the phone away from his son to take the message himself, and Meelo crawled back toward his mother.[7]
The Anti-bending Revolution
During the Equalist attack on Air Temple Island, Meelo and his older sisters aided Lin Beifong in defeating several chi blockers. He displayed impressive talent in airbending, immobilizing several of the Equalists within moments. After the attack, Meelo joined his sisters in welcoming their new baby brother, Rohan, into the world. Shortly thereafter, he escaped the island with his family on Oogi, and watched as Lin stopped the airships from following them and got captured, stating that she was his hero, to which his father sadly agreed to.[8]
Meelo, his sisters, and his father captured.
Despite Lin's sacrifice, Meelo and the rest of his family were captured by Amon, who intended to publicly remove their bending and destroy the last airbenders. Avatar Korra and Mako swiftly came to their aid, and Korra led Meelo and the rest of his family out into one of the hallways of the Pro-bending Arena. Tenzin led his children to find Pema and Rohan, to which Meelo happily exclaimed "Prison break!", while Korra and Mako defeated Amon.
Once Republic City was safe again, Meelo returned to Air Temple Island with his family. He witnessed his boisterous Uncle Bumi enter the harbor with the rest of the United Forces, much to Ikki's enjoyment and Tenzin's embarrassment. Meelo traveled with his family, along with the rest of Avatar Korra's friends and family, to the Southern Water Tribe to have Katara restore Korra's bending. When Katara was unable to heal Korra, Meelo stood by his family, who tried to tell her it would be all right. Meelo later witnessed Korra use energybending to restore Lin Beifong's earthbending, and watched Tenzin praise Korra for her accomplishments as the Avatar.[9]
171 AG
Journey to the air temples
Six months after the events of the Anti-bending Revolution, Meelo took part in an air scooter race with Korra and his sisters, coming in last place. Later, Meelo and his family traveled back to the Southern Water Tribe to attend the Glacier Spirits Festival.[10]
Meelo finding himself a ring-tailed winged lemur which he named Poki.
After Korra dismissed Tenzin as her instructor, Meelo joined his family in a journey to the Southern Air Temple, the home of his grandfather, Aang. Upon arriving, Meelo found a ring-tailed winged lemur and decided to name it Poki, but the lemur escaped the young airbender's tight grasp. After settling in, Tenzin took Jinora to the statue room, but realized that he had not kept a close enough watch on Meelo and Ikki; the two came storming in soon after, and Meelo subsequently crashed into an unknown statue.[11]
The next day, Meelo had successfully bonded with Poki, carrying the lemur atop his head. As he and Jinora rolled in on air scooters to join the adults, Pema noticed that Ikki was absent. Meelo confessed that he and Jinora had teased Ikki and she ran off; in between his explanation, he mentioned a shark-squid, causing his uncle to get all worked up. Tenzin, joined by Bumi and Kya, went out to search for Ikki.[12]
When Meelo saw his father return with his sister late the next day, he smiled at her, and upon his mother's insistence to speak, announced that he was glad she had returned, a statement echoed by his eldest sister, and readily accepted when she proposed that the three of them go play airball.[1]
Meelo attempting to teach Poki to roll over.
Over the next few days, Meelo started trying to train his lemur Poki, though without much success as he had failed to establish dominance over the animal and over-rewarded the creature, even for bad behavior. After he failed to teach Poki how to roll over, he accepted his father's offer to teach him how to become a master trainer. Meelo eventually succeeded in training Poki, giving a demonstration for the rest of his family. After the animal sat and rolled over on Meelo's command, the young airbender was complimented by his father, who expressed his faith in the boy for training Poki. Meelo countered that he did not just train Poki, but had extended his teachings to all the lemurs. To prove his point, he blew his whistle, prompting all the lemurs to execute several patterns in the air upon Meelo's direction. Although impressed with his son, Tenzin realized that he had gone too far in making Meelo a master trainer, and suggested that the boy forgot about the training discipline for a while and just enjoyed playing with his lemur. Relieved, Meelo readily took his father up on the suggestion, admitting that the training had tired him out. As he ran off with Poki, he blew his whistle a last time, signaling the other lemurs that they were free to do what they wanted again.[13]
At the Eastern Air Temple, Meelo listened in boredom to the itinerary his father had come up with for that day which included visiting a lot of the temple's ancient places. His attitude changed completely after Korra arrived at the temple, and he excitedly ran over to greet and hug her. However, as she brought the family up to speed with the current events they had missed due to their vacation, Meelo stared at her in shock.
To help Korra and Tenzin cross over to the Spirit World, Meelo rang a ceremonial bell on certain intervals.
After it became apparent that Korra needed to cross over to the Spirit World, Meelo tried to assist her and his father. When they were meditating on one of the grassy fields of the temple, Meelo was tasked with ringing a ceremonial bell while Ikki used her airbending to operate a horn. However, when Tenzin and Korra failed to enter the Spirit World, Meelo was chided by his father for ringing the bell on the wrong intervals. As Tenzin left, Korra assured him that his bell playing was just fine, a compliment he appreciated greatly by ringing his bell again.
Meelo continued to trail his father and Korra wherever they went to meditate, though he was shocked when he overheard his father confess that he had never been to the Spirit World before. When Jinora told her dragonfly bunny spirit friends that it was all right to reveal themselves, Meelo was excited to witness the spirits and immediately chased after them to play together.[14]
Awaiting the return of Korra and his family, Meelo was playing with Ikki in the temple's garden under the supervision of his mother. He was excited to see his father return, but grew saddened when he saw his sister's spiritless body.[15] He returned to Air Temple Island with his mother and Ikki, while Korra and the rest of his family set out to stop Unalaq before Harmonic Convergence came. From the balcony of the island's tower, he watched how Vaatu, merged with Unalaq, laid waste to the city, declaring the large spiritual form to be a monster, though excitedly commented upon the arrival of Korra's gigantic astral projection.[16]
Post-Harmonic Convergence
Two weeks after Harmonic Convergence, Meelo was playing together with his youngest sister and Pabu when Bumi came running and asked where Tenzin was. After Ikki called for their father, Meelo listened with interest to his uncle's story about his airbending feats, though when he failed to prove his skill, Meelo frowned and left him on the porch to follow the rest of the family inside to enjoy dinner. During the meal, however, Bumi did not let up on his attempts to try to airbend and Meelo complied to his request to have something thrown at him by launching a plate at him, looking on in shock when Bumi caught the object in a ball of air.[17]
Ikki and Meelo were mad upon learning that they would stay on Air Temple Island while Jinora traveled to Ba Sing Se with Tenzin and Team Avatar.
The next day, Meelo watched his uncle trying to bend on command to no avail. The revelation that other airbenders were emerging excited the young airbender and he began fantasizing about being a commander of his own Air Army. When Asami arrived that evening at Air Temple Island in the Future Industries airship the team would be using to travel toward Ba Sing Se, Ikki and Meelo excitedly created air scooters to take a tour of the transport. However, when they learned that they would need to remain at the temple while Jinora would accompany the group to the Earth Kingdom, they became upset and demanded an explanation from their parents. Kya eased their jealousy by pointing out that they were needed on the island to provide guidance for any new airbenders in the city. The prospect of possibly telling others what to do excited Meelo and he dropped the issue. When the team embarked on their journey, he waved them off, yelling that he would miss them.[18]
Later, as Meelo and Ikki were helping the airbenders get acclimated to Air Temple Island, they were approached by an airbender who claimed his name was Yorru and that he had heard the island was where the new benders could go. Meelo told him that he heard correctly and watched as the stranger demonstrated his bending. That evening, Meelo watched as Daw and another bender failed to get through the training gates, yelling at them and telling Daw to "be the leaf". The young airbender was soon left in amazement as he watched "Yorru" pass through the gates with little problem, calling him a leaf. The man bowed to Meelo, saying that a student was only as good as his master, to which the young boy respectfully bowed back before turning to Kya as she arrived to inform the group them of Tenzin's finding and planned training of new airbenders.[19]
Meelo stood alongside the new recruits as they prepared to rescue Jinora and Kai.
Meelo, Ikki, Kya, Pema, and new airbenders later arrived at the Northern Air Temple to resume training with Tenzin. During the obstacle course, Meelo launched watermelons at the trainees with his bending. Shortly after the course, a frustrated Tenzin put Meelo in charge of the training, who quickly jumped to the task, telling the recruits that one of them would not make it out alive after training was complete.
After they learned of Jinora being in danger, Meelo and Ikki gathered two bison on Bumi's request. Afterward, Meelo and the airbenders made their way to a bison rustlers' camp where Jinora, Kai, and bison calves were being held. Following on Bumi's speech, Meelo declared that no airbender would be left behind, and they charged into the rustlers' camp. He was able to leap an earthen wall on an air scooter and knock down the rustlers' leader, Ganbat, with a blast of air, along with another one who had tried to knock him down with a ramp of earth. After the rescue was successful, Meelo briefly sat on a baby bison's head.[20]
Sometime later, Meelo answered Bolin's radio call from Zaofu. He asked who was calling, though when told once more that it was Bolin, he answered that Bolin was currently not at the air temple, asking if he could take a message. Upon being asked to get his dad, Meelo revealed that Tenzin was outside with the bison and inadvertently distracted Bolin from their urgent situation by revealing they had found an entire heard of bison calves. However, when Korra took over and ordered Meelo as his commanding officer to get his father, the young boy snapped to attention and left to find Tenzin immediately.
Meelo and the other airbenders were gathered in a courtyard of the Northern Air Temple by the Red Lotus to use as leverage to get to Korra.
Although Meelo returned with Tenzin, they were too late to evacuate before the arrival of the Red Lotus. Meelo asked his father what was so alarming about the sight of the four people in the airship that had appeared, though was merely told that they needed to get everyone out of the temple. Staying close to his father, they met up with the rest of their family and tried to reach the bison to escape, though found themselves cornered by Zaheer. They were all rounded up in one of the temple's courtyards, though when Tenzin blew Zaheer, Ghazan, and Ming-Hua back, Meelo was ordered to follow Jinora and the others toward the stables and leave the temple. Although they managed to reach the stables, the bison took off without them after they got spooked by one of P'Li's combustion attacks, leaving them at the mercy of the firebender.[21]
Meelo and the other occupants of the temple were taken by P'Li to a series of caves, where they were held captive by Red Lotus sentries, restrained to the floor by platinum chains. At Jinora's gesture, Meelo told the guards he needed to go to the bathroom. After Jinora airbent at the guard, sending his keys flying, Meelo used his bending to send them in Opal's direction, allowing her to unlock her chains. When the guards caught them beginning their escape, they were attacked by the approaching Team Avatar. With the men defeated, they were all freed and left the cave with Meelo and his siblings running toward Tenzin and hugging him. As Korra dueled Zaheer, Meelo and the other airbenders followed Jinora into a circle and helped bend up a tornado, freeing Korra and allowing her to slam Zaheer to the ground. The Avatar, however, had been substantially weakened by a metallic poison, leaving her in a perilous state. Meelo watched in worry as Suyin tried to bend the substance out, but was soon left smiling as Korra was saved upon completion of the task.
Two weeks later on Air Temple Island, Meelo waited with his family, the Beifongs, Lord Zuko, and President Raiko as Asami wheeled out a debilitated Korra. Meelo jumped on the Avatar's lap, telling them Jinora was already in the temple, which he said smelled like "shoe trees", prompting Ikki to correct him that they were actually sandalwood trees. They were helped up the stairs to Jinora's ceremony by means of an earthen ramp by Lin. Inside, Meelo sat in the front row and watched as his oldest sister's tattoos were revealed and she was appointed as an airbending master.[22]
Personality
Meelo is enthusiastic, very energetic, and is always disrupting the calmness of Air Temple Island. Like his grandfather, he is goofy, as shown by his rambunctious behavior and the various comical comments he makes. Meelo loves to play around and explore, and he also enjoys jumping on his father's shoulders just to pull his beard or gnaw on his head. His sporadic behavior can be useful when it comes to doling out his unique approach to airbending, such as sleeping when it is time for meditation with his father and sisters, and using airbending while flatulating to make a soft landing and knocking out chi blockers when they where invading Air Temple Island.[2] He has also demonstrated a sassy side and a rather aggressive side as well, relishing his role in training the new airbender recruits in an aggressive and playfully frightening manner. During the training, he seems to be act as a somewhat draconian commander or stereotypical boot camp officer.[19][20]
Abilities
Meelo fighting Equalists.
Even though he is an airbender-in-training, Meelo has already demonstrated several skills. Apart from displaying a high level of acrobatics,[3] Meelo can also levitate himself with an air spout.[6] During the invasion of Air Temple Island, he showed remarkable skill in combative airbending, defeating six Equalists on his own. Meelo is quite agile, able to lightly jump from his grandmother's grip and flip to the ground. Several months after the Equalists' attack on Republic City, Meelo mastered the ability to use an air scooter, utilizing it in a race against his sisters and Korra,[10] as well as using a glider,[21] whereas a year prior, he was still piggybacking on Jinora's glider.[3]
Meelo is the only known airbender to use his bending abilities to increase the effects of his own flatulence. This was demonstrated when he dropped in on Team Avatar after cheering up Korra,[6] and to a greater extent during the Equalist attack on Air Temple Island.[8]
Despite his childish and goofy demeanor, Meelo is a fast and adept learner. He quickly mastered his father's lemur training techniques, to the point that he was able to train the entire group of lemurs that lived at the Southern Air Temple, directing them in a coordinated aerial display.[13]
He has also displayed an inclination toward military life, having a desire to become a commander like his uncle Bumi. He has shown this in his command of the lemurs of the Southern Air Temple[13] and his role in liberating the stolen bison from the poachers alongside the new airbenders, leading the charge with Bumi in an organized assault.[20]
Relatives
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Appearances
The Legend of KorraBook One: Air (气)
Book Two: Spirits (神靈)
Book Three: Change (易)
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Trivia
- Meelo's attire is reminiscent of clothing worn by young airbenders prior to the Air Nomad Genocide.
- Meelo was inspired by Professor Christopher Moss' son, Milo.[23] Christopher Moss is a great friend of the co-creators, and when they went to visit him in Amsterdam, his son was "crawling all over [his father]" while he calmly continued the conversation. This was later an inspiration to create Meelo's personality to "throw in the mix and test Tenzin's patience and fathering skills".[24]
- According to the creators, Meelo was originally going to be a "cute" kid until assisant director Ki Hyun Ryu suggested an alternative design.[24] Co-executive producer Joaquim Dos Santos went on to say that "the more ugly [Meelo] was, the cuter he became".[25]
- Oddly enough, Meelo did not recognize his grandmother, as he yelled, "Unhand me, strange woman!" when Katara picked him up.
- Meelo and his siblings never met their grandfather as Aang had passed away before their births.
- Meelo's "fartbending" was an idea that came from Ki Hyun Ryu, rather than the creators themselves.