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Military of the Water Tribe

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Military of the Water Tribe
Military of the Water Tribe
General information
Leader(s)
Notable members
Headquarters
Affiliation
Purpose

Defense of the Water Tribes

Chronological information
First appearance

"Bato of the Water Tribe"

Last appearance

"Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang"

The Military of the Water Tribe is a military group of organizations protecting the various Water Tribes. It is divided between the Northern Water Tribe, the Southern Water Tribe, and the Foggy Swamp Tribe.

Chain of command is not very well defined. There is no overall military commander of the Water Tribe, command being divided between the North and South. It is clear however, that the Chiefs of the two tribes have the overall command of their respective tribal militia.[1][2]

As a result of the strong customary theme expressed by the two major sects, the Water Tribe military is considerably less sophisticated than that of the recently industrialized Earth Kingdom or the highly industrialized Fire Nation. It is also much smaller. Nevertheless, the tribes also exhibit deep pride and willpower typical of a warrior race.

Contents

Northern Water Tribe Edit

The more organized Northern Water Tribe has a more sophisticated militia. All adult male members of the Northern Water Tribe are fully-trained warriors. There are both waterbender warriors and non-bender warriors.[1]

Equipment and uniform Edit

Infantry Edit

These Water Tribe elite fighters are all master waterbenders and skilled at defending the ramparts of the Northern Water Tribe. They bear the traditional war-paint of both the Northern and Southern Water Tribes.

Non-bender weaponry includes clubs, spears made of bone, also used in spearfishing, scimitars, and machetes laced with whale teeth on the dull side of the blade. They typically apply black and white warpaint onto their full face before going into battle.[1]

Other equipment Edit

The Northern Water Tribe makes use of armories located on the warrior training grounds, which serve as weapon storage and war planning rooms where orders are distributed. Their waterbenders engender and utilize a countless amount of iceberg spikes scattered across the ocean just outside the city as a first line of defense against Fire Nation ships. The spikes are capable of ripping through solid metal and sinking even the largest ships. The currents in the iceberg fields are known to be extremely dangerous, but are easily traversed by Water Tribe vessels. The iceberg spikes themselves are also used as cover for warriors to hide behind, enabling them to easily ambush any unwanted visitors.[1]

Navy Edit

The Northern Water Tribe has a small number of ships. The most common ship is a double-hulled vessel powered by waterbending. Though its small, compact size enables it to be used for a variety of applications, including transporting civilians across the canals within the city, its main purpose is to be used for short, open ocean trips. Even though it's not necessarily designed for long voyages, it is capable of being used to travel over a thousand miles and withstanding the harshest ocean conditions. Warriors use this ship to patrol and protect the waters just outside the Northern Water Tribe.[3]

A larger Northern Water Tribe ship.
Natsu11Added by Natsu11

The Northern Water Tribe also possesses, however, great ships and maritime vessels. Master Pakku used such a ship, technically called a catamaran, to travel from the Northern Water Tribe to the Southern Water Tribe as he began his effort to restore the decimated sister tribe. The ship is massive, easily transporting scores of waterbenders and healers, the Avatar, along with his friends, and his ten ton flying bison. The ship dwarfs Appa, who could be seen standing on its deck just before Aang and friends departed from Pakku and headed off on their journey toward the Earth Kingdom.[4]

Though perhaps used as a plot device, the Water Tribe, ironically, has the smallest navy in the world (excluding the Air Nomads on the basis that they did not exist at the time), and that the nation whose power is quelled by water, the Fire Nation, has the most powerful navy of them all.

Special task forces Edit

Hahn's task force Edit

Hahn's task force.
ThailogAdded by Thailog

These militants of the Northern Water Tribe were recruited when Chief Arnook called on his tribe asking for participants for a mission to stop the invading Fire Nation Navy. Sokka was one of the participants, and while training for the mission, he got into a quarrel with its then leader, Hahn. He was subsequently removed from the team by Chief Arnook, although in reality it was so he could protect Princess Yue. Hahn and his team disguised themselves as Fire Nation soldiers with the intent of infiltrating the Fire Nation Navy in order to assassinate its commander, Admiral Zhao (the outfits were however outdated).[1]

Hahn's task force was apparently successful in boarding Zhao's ship, but the mission ended in failure when Zhao threw the warrior overboard just as he attempted to kill the admiral. What became of Hahn and the rest of his team was never revealed.[5]

List of known commanders Edit

Southern Water Tribe Edit

Warriors of the South discussing plans.
ThailogAdded by Thailog

All adult male members of the Southern Water Tribe are fully-trained warriors. Since the loss of the waterbenders, the Southern Water Tribe has been a purely non-bender force.

Equipment and uniform Edit

Infantry Edit

Warrior weaponry includes clubs, bladed boomerangs, spears made of bone, also used in spearfishing, scimitars, and machetes laced with whale teeth on the dull side of the blade.[6] Water Tribe warriors typically apply black and white warpaint onto their full face before going into battle.[7]

Hakoda's expeditionary force, however, appears to wear different armor when on campaign. They wear helmets in the shape of a wolf's head and have arm braces and greaves. They also carry large shields.[8]

Other equipment Edit

Southern Water Tribe warriors have used "tangle mines", buoyant, terrible smelling makeshift mines of Hakoda's invention, which he affectionately nicknames the "stink n' sink". The tangle mines are constructed with a bamboo frame and covered with dried animal skin, while the inside is filled with skunkfish and seaweed. These mines float in the water and detonate when a ship hits them. When the mines detonate, they erupt seaweed, which tangles around the propeller of the ship, incapacitating it, and skunkfish, which terrible smell forces people to abandon ship. Though a very unusual type of mine, they had apparently been quite effective.[2]

Navy Edit

Southern Water Tribe ships.
RenatablsAdded by Renatabls

The Southern Water Tribe has a number of ships. The ships of the Southern Tribe seem to be cutter sailing ships, containing wooden hulls and utilizing the wind for propulsion. The boats are shown to be operated by at least two people, one to maintain the main sail and one to control the jib, a smaller sail at the rear.[6] The ships appear to be designed more for use as a transport vessel than combat.

List of known commanders Edit

Foggy Swamp Tribe Edit

The Foggy Swamp Tribe has a far less organized military than either the Northern or Southern Tribes. However, its waterbenders are skilled fighters and have been involved in at least one operation, the Invasion of the Fire Nation.[8]

Their military uniform consists of simple wooden chest and arm guards. Foggy Swamp members utilize their waterbending when needed for combat purposes.[8] They also use small canoes which are used mostly for hunting and traveling.[9]

List of known commanders Edit

List of major engagements Edit

References Edit

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "The Siege of the North, Part 1". Aaron Ehasz (writer) & Lauren MacMullan (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. December 2, 2005. No. 19, Book 1: Water
  2. 2.0 2.1 "The Guru". Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (writers) & Giancarlo Volpe (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. December 1, 2006. No. 19, Book 2: Earth
  3. "The Waterbending Master". Michael Dante DiMartino (writer) & Giancarlo Volpe (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. November 18, 2005. No. 18, Book 1: Water
  4. "The Avatar State". Aaron Ehasz, Elizabeth Welch Ehasz, Tim Hedrick, John O'Bryan (writers) & Giancarlo Volpe (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. March 17, 2006. No. 1, Book 2: Earth
  5. 5.0 5.1 "The Siege of the North, Part 2". Aaron Ehasz (writer) & Dave Filoni (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. December 2, 2005. No. 20, Book 1: Water
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Bato of the Water Tribe". Ian Wilcox (writer) & Giancarlo Volpe (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. October 7, 2005. No. 15, Book 1: Water
  7. "The Avatar Returns". Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (writers) & Dave Filoni (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. February 21, 2005. No. 2, Book 1: Water
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion". Michael Dante DiMartino (writer) & Giancarlo Volpe (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. November 30, 2007. No. 10, Book 3: Fire
  9. "The Swamp". Tim Hedrick (writer) & Giancarlo Volpe (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. April 14, 2006. No. 4, Book 2: Earth
  10. "The Southern Raiders". Elizabeth Welch Ehasz (writer) & Joaquim Dos Santos (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. July 17, 2008. No. 16, Book 3: Fire
  11. "The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse". Aaron Ehasz (writer) & Joaquim Dos Santos (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. November 30, 2007. No. 11, Book 3: Fire

See also Edit

  • Showing 8 most recent

12 comments

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  • This artical says that they have the smallest navy of the four nations, but the Earth Kingdom has mentioned a navy, but we have never seen it. I think the Earth Benders would have a small navy because its hard to Earthbend on Water. Thoughts?

    • That is kind of the reason. They don't feel at home in the seas.

    • Yes,and that water tribe IF isolated and without help from other countries can't build themselves a huge navy. since they can't easily obtain resources needed for a huge navy buildup. Now, the Earth Kingdom can,but they are more focused in building weaponry and vehicles for their own home defense. And that earthbending is limited in warships,but that could be easily repaired by bringing in small earth projectiles and trebuchets lightened up by torches. ~fnsupport~

  • Why didn't the Northern Water Tribe help with the Invasion of the Fire Nation? They were the only organize military not taken over by the Fire Nation.

    • They were miles and miles away. It would have taken a lot of organizing, but, you are right, it was possible :)!

    • And that would leave them vulnerable, if even 25% of NWT Forces did go to war,helping the EK. If I was an FN admiral,that's the PERFECT moment to strike,and disrupt their operations, crushing their base and capturing their forces in the campaign at EK. So I think they just focused in living 'normal' lifes, and trying to survive the war. ~fnsupport~

  • I think that only regular non-bending infantry wear facepaint (i.e. Sokka, the troops on the wall in the picture above). Bending infantry wore more traditional water tribe clothing (also in the picture of the troops on the wall). Of course there is no way of proving this but I think it was what the animators had in mind.

  • they don't have the submarines in this article!

  • This army is so small compared to the Fire Nation's. I find it hard to believe they lost.

  • Avatar Answers Wiki -- but I think that it's your rank in their military, but you may be able to customize them.

  • I have a question!! What of the insignia on the torso of the southern watertribe wolf armor? Is it a matter of rank of somesort of family crest? Because I was watching The Day of Black sun and noticed in one shot where Hakoda, Bato, and an unknown character were standing nexy to each other, and the insignias were all different and I AM CONFUSED!

  • I am Cheif Huu

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