Bloodbending has been a taboo bending form for several decades, preceding back to the raids during the Hundred Year War. Very few people know of its power and refuse to share what they know with the general public. Those who experienced bloodbending up close and personal never lived to share the information with others.
A bloodbending master understands its dangerous capabilities and how formidable it can be in battle. It’s an ancient but dangerous art, and they must pass its techniques down to as many young, promising waterbenders as possible. Even with its advantages, there are a few drawbacks to bloodbending.
10 Perk: Bloodbending Leaves No Traces If It’s Done Properly
One of bloodbending’s advantages is that it leaves no lasting damage if performed correctly. The bender can move the restrained victim’s body at will, shoving them into hard surfaces or even twisting their limbs. However, there’s no visible evidence of bloodbending.
This type of bending requires a user to utilize the blood inside the victim to control their muscles. Unlike the other bending types, bloodbending leaves no distinct traces behind. Most victims won’t even understand what happened to them.
9 Drawback: Bloodbending Can Only Be Performed Under The Full Moon
Like waterbenders, a full moon is when a bloodbender’s at their strongest. Unfortunately, bloodbending can only manifest during the full moon. It can be limiting depending on the circumstances. There have been three exceptions to this bending rule: Amon, Tarrlok, and Yakone.
Bloodbending already takes a high skill level and concentration, but these three men have taken it to a new level. It’s unknown how they can control victims without the full moon’s power, but it’s believed that natural talent, as well as more intense mental and physical training, factors into their mastery.
8 Perk: Very Few People Know About Bloodbending
Despite its infamy, bloodbending is a very secretive art only taught to high-level waterbenders. Not many people know about its advanced techniques, but they’re familiar with bloodbending enough to fear it.
When Hama first discovers bloodbending, she uses the water in elephant rats to control them, gradually honing her skills before testing them on her captors. Hama believes this new form of waterbending can be used against her enemies and is desperate to pass on her skills. Because not many people know the secrets behind bloodbending, it’s perfect to use when ambushing an enemy.
7 Drawback: It’s Forbidden
Bloodbending’s frightening nature has struck fear in the hearts of those unfortunate enough to witness or even experience it. It’s now a banned bending form, prohibiting anyone from even knowing about it.
For a bloodbending master, it’s hard to pass their techniques to possible prospects. There’s already a negative stigma around it because benders who use it are usually driven by revenge or power, painting them as murderers or mad. In times of peace, it would be detrimental for bloodbending to be permitted.
6 Perk: A Bloodbender Can Control A Victim By Using The Water In Their Body
Because it derives from waterbending, bloodbending utilizes the blood in a victim’s body to control them. However, all living beings contain water, allowing a bloodbender easy access and control to their bodies.
As Hama demonstrated in the episode “The Puppetmaster,” she bends the moisture from the air to drain the water from fire lilies despite no present bodies of water. This is a convenient technique that can be used even in the hottest and dryest climates.
5 Drawback: Bloodbending Can Drive A User To Madness
Bloodbending is a powerful but dark form of bending, and such power can drive a user insane if not careful. This bending style is also known as the “puppet master’s technique” because of how easily users can control their opponents.
Bloodbenders like Hama and Amon use their power for revenge. Seeing their opponent vulnerable only inflates their egos and, now hungry for power, encourages them to take their ambitions too far.
4 Perk: Can Strip A Victim Of Their Bending Permanently
One significant advantage of bloodbending is the ability to permanently remove an opponent’s bending.Bloodbenders have access to other benders’ chi paths, which creates the connection between a bender and their abilities.
After restraining the victim, a bloodbender only needs to touch their thumb to their forehead to disrupt their chi flow, permanently severing the connection and removing their bending. This technique is similar to energybending, the same technique Aang used to strip Ozai of his bending. However, energybending allows a bender to regain his abilities while bloodbending has permanent results.
3 Drawback: Bloodbending Is Only As Strong As Its User
Only a handful of waterbenders know the art of bloodbending, which requires a lot of training. Compared to waterbending’s fluid, calming motions, bloodbending is rigid and unpredictable. It’s an extreme and dangerous combat style that starkly contrasts waterbending, but it’s frighteningly effective.
However, bloodbending takes a lot of mental concentration to adapt to such an unforgiving style of fighting. If a user doesn’t have the mental fortitude to bloodbend, they can’t perform the art effectively.
2 Perk: Highly Advanced Bloodbenders Can Control The Mind
There’s a form of bloodbending known as psychic bending – its power is known to even fewer waterbenders. So far, only three waterbenders can use psychic bloodbending: Yakone, Amon, and Tarrlok.
Psychic bloodbending allows a user to control a victim through telepathic means; there’s no need to move their arms like regular bending, making their attack more abrupt and discreet. Amon could use psychic bloodbending to hide his bending abilities from his opponents.
1 Drawback: The Victim Can Resist If They’re Stronger Or Of Equal Skill
A bloodbender can only restrain a weaker victim. Benders of similar or superior skill level can break free or even resist a bloodbender’s hold completely. Katara and Amon are two great examples.
Even when Sokka and Aang are under Hama’s control, Katara manages to free herself from her hold after a bit of a struggle. Amon, on the other hand, has prior experience with bloodbending and can easily resist its grip. As a child, he and his brother practiced bloodbending when they went hunting, allowing him time to understand its weaknesses.
About The Author
