Amon is the main villain The Legend of Korra season 1 and the mysterious leader of the Equalists, an anti-bending movement in Republic City. Amon and his supporters oppose the use of bending, believing it to be inherently unequal and oppressive to those without powers. Their goal is to wipe out bending from the world using Amon’s ability to remove a bender’s powers, which he claims to have been given to him by the spirits. The Equalists managed to gather support after years of nonbenders suffering under the threat of the bending triads in Republic City, thus being a popular movement not easily dismissed as outright evil like the Fire Nation in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
The idea of being stripped of her bending scared Korra, and Amon proved to be a terrifying villain and cunning opponent to the inexperienced Avatar. Appearing to be always one step ahead of his adversaries, Amon used his charisma and unique ability to persuade and recruit many people who felt wronged by benders, quickly expanding the movement and becoming a threat to benders in Republic City. With the help of chi-blocking, an ability previously introduced by Ty Lee in Avatar: The Last Airbender, nonbenders could now fight against benders almost on equal footing and neutralize their abilities. The movement then quickly grew, and soon the Equalists were a major faction within the city.
The Equalists’ central belief is that benders were responsible for all the wars and the suffering of nonbenders. Amon’s special ability, only before given to Aang, is considered by them to be proof that their cause is righteous and supported by the spirits. However, Amon is a mysterious figure, hiding his identity and past behind a mask. To his supporters, he claims to have been scarred by a firebender after his entire family was killed, but Korra and her friends eventually learn the truth and expose the real Amon for everyone to see.
Amon’s Origin & Bending Powers Explained
Despite what he has told his followers, Amon and his family were not attacked by a firebender, and they were not simple farmers. The truth is Amon is the son of notorious criminal Yakone, a man who mastered bloodbending, one of the most powerful bending powers, to control Republic City, defying the Avatar and the law for years. After finally getting caught, Yakone was stripped of his bending powers by Aang and sent to prison. But, with the help of his gang, he managed to escape and started a new life in the Northern Water Tribe. There, he married and his wife gave birth to two boys: Noatak and Tarrlok.
Once he realized both boys were waterbenders, Yakone began to eagerly teach them all he knew, hoping to use them to reclaim his place in Republic City and kill the Avatar. His training was relentless and he had no problem teaching them how to bloodbend, something he could do without the full moon. Desiring revenge above everything, he even forced Noatak and Tarrlok to use bloodbending against each other. When Tarrlok refused, Yakone threatening him, only to be stopped by Noatak. Tired of being merely a tool for his father’s revenge, Noatak ran away and disappeared in a snowstorm.
After Noatak’s presumed death, Yakone gave up on revenge and died a few years later. Meanwhile, Tarrlok eventually became a member of the United Republic City Council and a fierce enemy of the Equalists, happily using violence against them. What he didn’t know was that Noatak had assumed the alias of Amon and was the one behind the anti-bending movement. As the leader of the Equalists, Noatak hid all his bending abilities, using chi-blocking and martial arts instead. Due to his incredible talent, he was able to bloodbend without any gestures or physical movements. This allowed him to fool his supporters, enemies, even his own brother into thinking he’s a nonbender. It also made Amon a great villain for The Legend of Korra. He was a terrifying opponent who had incredible fighting skills while was also being incredibly smart and charismatic.
Amon’s Anti-Bending Plan In Legend of Korra Season 1
Although Amon did lie about his identity and past, his goals as the leader of the Equalists were genuine. His plan was to achieve ultimate “equality” by stripping all benders of their powers, forcibly “equalizing” the world. He saw it as the only way to stop wars and end the struggle of nonbenders. Calculating and cunning, Amon first gathered popular support for his movement, avoiding outright confrontation with Korra and preferring to use the resentment among nonbenders to fuel recruitment. He held rallies and demonstrated his abilities in front of a large crowd to show he was capable of stripping benders of their powers. All of this was to gain followers before he moved onto more extreme and violent actions.
With the help of new weapons made by Hiroshi Sato and chi-blocking, Amon attacked the Pro-Bending Arena and declared war on all benders. After the attack and always one step ahead, the Equalists framed Cabbage Corp and set traps as the police went to investigate its factory. Later, Amon captured the council members and then used Sato’s airships and mecha tanks to take over Republic City, quickly smashing any opposition. The Equalists used the Air Temple in the city as their base of operations, where benders would be taken to have their powers stripped away by Amon. The Equalists were able to achieve a lot by hiding the identities of their more powerful members, Sato and Amon. But once Korra reveals the truth about Amon, the movement could no longer sustain itself.
How Amon Takes Away People’s Bending Powers
Sometime after he left his family, Amon not only managed to learn how to bloodbend outside a full moon but also discovered he could use it to strip people of their bending abilities. By manipulating the blood inside the body, he was able to sever a bender’s connection to their chi paths, permanently blocking them from accessing their powers. Although not the same technique Aang used on Fire Lord Ozai at the end of Avatar: The Last Airbender, it essentially worked the same way and could not be healed through conventional means, not even by Katara. To reverse its effects, Korra had to use energybending.
While Amon lied about this ability being given to him by the spirits, he still discovered and mastered a special skill nobody else had manifested in the world of The Legend of Korra. So far, he’s the only known person able to do it, making him one of the most dangerous villains Avatar Korra faced.