Both Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel series, The Legend of Korra, feature dozens of powerful characters capable of bending classical elements to their will. Most powerful among those characters is the Avatar, the strongest bender in the world at any given moment and the only one capable of bending all four elements. We sorted through the history of the Avatar and ranked the five best incarnations of the Avatar spirit. 

5. Roku

For most of A:TLA, we know Roku almost exclusively as Aang’s guide and chief connection to the Avatar spirit. We finally learn more about him in the season three episode, “The Avatar and the Firelord,” which flashes back to Roku’s youth and tells us how the Hundred-Year War started. What we learn about him is...umm, not great.

What’s great about Roku:

He had a pet dragon!

• He’s 50% responsible for Zuko existing!
• ...erm, well, not much else. After Firelord Sozin suggested they team up to conquer the world, Roku—the man responsible for maintaining balance between the four nations—left him alone for multiple years, and is inexplicably unaware that the fire nation has invaded and colonized the earth kingdom.
• As if that weren’t enough, after hanging Sozin from the flagpole by his underwear, Roku leaves him to his devices again for 25 years, time which Sozin likely used to devise his ultimate attack, only to die at the hands of—you guessed it—Sozin. 

4. Kyoshi

The most recent natively earthbending Avatar, Kyoshi is best known for her feats of titanic bending strength. She founded the Dai Li, which did not go particularly well, and inspired the Kyoshi Warriors, which did go well. Call it a draw?

What’s great about Kyoshi:

• She turned fans—fans—into an effective weapon. Not only did they enhance her airbending by increasing the volume she could manipulate, but they even made her earthbending more precise—evidently something she struggled with. A very creative use of tools.
• SHE CREATED AN ISLAND WITH BENDING. AN ENTIRE, CITY-SIZED CHUNK OF EARTH WAS IN ONE PLACE, AND KYOSHI MOVED IT TO ANOTHER PLACE BY HERSELF. It doesn’t get much more powerful than that.
• Unfortunately, she was a bit...tactless, let’s say. While creating the island, she killed Chin the Conqueror, the fallout of which led to Aang nearly being boiled alive and, even worse, allowed the episode “Avatar Day” to be made.

3. Wan

TLOK introduces Wan in “Beginnings,” the Avatar universe’s two-part Book of Genesis which shows how the first Avatar came to be. He’s responsible for shaping much of the Avatars’ lives, and the lessons he learned about spirituality and balance still ring true 10,000 years later. Consider his high placement a well-earned legacy award.

What’s great about Wan:

• He actually kind of sucks as a person at first. He’s a lying thief,which is how he got his powers in the first place(stealing them from a lionturtle). His transformation into a hero, guided by spirits, demonstrates how humans and spirits coexisting can shape the world into a better place.
• He defeats the literal incarnation of evil and darkness! Sure, he’s the one who released it on the world, but being the Avatar is all about results, right?
• Before Wan came to the airbenders’ lionturtle, they’d never seen any other humans, and Wan had never seen airbenders. Without Wan, not only would there be no Avatar, but the four nations might still be living separately rather than in harmony.

2. Aang

Choosing between Aang and Korra is like picking a favorite child, only your children are the only thing standing between the world and eternal ruin. He may be  runner-up here, but make no mistake: Aang is an incredible character who happens to be perfectly capable of leveling a continent.

What’s great about Aang:

• Even forced to deal with a condensed version of the Avatar training program—he only gets a few months to master three elements and is taught exclusively by teenagers—Aang still manages to come through and end a war that had been raging for generations.
• Depending on how much you blame him for his frozen sabbatical, Aang’s biggest threat—the war—isn’t on him so much as it’s on Roku. After he cleans up a mess that’s not really his, Aang oversees a largely peaceful time during which society and technology prosper and no major threats to world peace arise.
• Not only does Aang defeat Firelord Ozai, but in doing so, he learns one of the most powerful Avatar techniques ever: the ability to permanently seal  a person’s bending  through energybending. His discovery of this ability not only allows him to beat Ozai without killing him, it plays a huge part in Korra’s development as the Avatar.

1. Korra

Our most recent Avatar is also the best one. She undergoes some truly brutal torture, including being poisoned (on a kids’ show!)and having her bending taken away—and she’s left to do it without the guidance of former Avatar spirits. In spite of that, she tackles greater threats than any Avatar had ever faced and leads the world into a more balanced and harmonious state than it had been in centuries.

What’s great about Korra:

• Part of the Avatar’s job description is keeping balance between the four elements, and Korra earns huge points for her restoration of the once-extinct airbenders. As a bonus, she’s also responsible for bridging the gap between the physical and spiritual realms, so even more balance!
• After Unalaq severs her connection with her past lives, Korra essentially starts from scratch. Even without the guidance of previous Avatars, she not only saves the world on multiple occasions but helps keep peace between benders, non-benders, and even spirits.
• Both Korra and Aang often struggle with their emotions, but when it comes to control, Korra tops Aang in the most important aspect: the Avatar state. While Aang doesn’t really learn to move into and out of the Avatar state at will until the end of his series, Korra masters that ability early on in hers. Her command over the Avatar’s most potent weapon gives her the slightest of edges.

Also be sure to read:

[Top 5] Avatar: The Last Airbender Best Avatars

[Top 10] Avatar: The Last Airbender Best Episodes Worth Watching Again

[Top 10] Avatar: The Last Airbender Best Moments Worth Watching Again

[Top 10] Avatar: The Last Airbender Best Fights

[Top 10] Avatar: The Last Airbender Best Characters