Lavabending is Complicated and The Most Dangerous Element in Avatar! 

Confront a water bender with an icy wasteland and they eventually learn to bend ice. Throw an earth bender in to a lava filled volcano and they'll most likely die first. This is probably why there aren't many lava benders.

Let's just hope blood benders never realize they can freeze water.

I loved Bolin getting Lavabending at the end of TLOK Book 3. He kept getting embarrassed not being able to metalbend, so inheriting a much rarer ability, with the added benefit of being the one thing able to save them in that tunnel situation, felt like an earned payoff for a character that had been sidelined as comic relief, seemingly less important/useful than the rest of "Team Avatar" for most of the prior episodes.

Metal bending requires the highest level of traditional earth bending (toph being the best example as her fighting style is based around waiting before acting and staying in one spot) but bolin’s fighting style AND life style goes against traditional earth bending (because his fighting style is based around making the first move and his personality is usually hyperactive) so him being able to do lava bending makes sense to me

I personally think lava isn’t the fusion of fire and earth, but rather the reverse of metal. A metal bender should be refined and disciplined, while lava should be creative and messy. Metal is the most refined form of earth, while lava is the most primal.

All it takes is one lava bender to turn Ba Sing Se into Na Sing Se

Another reason why I think Bolin is able to lava bend besides heritage is his upbringing. Bolin is the younger brother so he had Mako to look up to and they are two different types of bending with no formal schooling. Bolin bends lava like a firebender, learning from Mako.

I've always thought that lava bending is possible by extremely compressing earth as to make its temperature raise, thus generating flowing lava.

To think the lava bending probably being the most destructive element given to the most kindest and wholesome character

Uncle Iroh even mentioned in ATLA that his “Lightning Redirection” technique that he taught Zuko was self learned by studying Waterbending techniques, probably the 1st direct reference of “Bending Hybridization” in the series

I've said it before, and I'll mention it again. Ghazan's movements seem to mimic Volcanoes, the only natural form of lava. Given his Polynesian-like tattoos, he seems to be an islander, and if so, that perhaps gives him his source for lavabending's movements: Volcanoes. Flowing pyroclastic rushes, Hurled half-molten rocks and rapid upward blasts of Superheated Stone. I believe true lavabending, as the art, can only be created by studying volcanic activity; As dangerous a source for tutelage as the element itself.

Bolin is one of the best characters in the whole Avatar story. The fact that he was ready to sacrifice himself to give his brother and others a lttle more time to maybe save themselves, is one big proof.

About time peeps put some respect on Bolin’s name

I agree that lava bending is similar to water benders changing water from liquid to solid. I always figured that the reason lava bending is so much rarer is that water only needs to change ~30 C (60F), whereas turning earth to lava would require 1000C (2000F) temperature changes, and thus be much more difficult

I think it was a missed opportunity to have a scene where Kuvira tried to convince Bolin to use his lavabending powers in a particularly destructive way.

I agree with most of it, but because of the few true lava benders, I don't think it's safe to assume it has something to do with the bender's parents. Maybe the technique uses the flow of waterbending and the heat of fire bending and that's why we only see it after the cultural exchange of Republic City. It makes more sense with the lore of the show.

Thr fact that it was Bolin that untapped his ability to lava bend was one of the highlights of both series for me. No better person could have been gifted with such a powerful bending ability

As a geologist student let me say it loud and clear: lava bending would be the most terrifying and most dangerous ability for the bender and for those it is used against. It's like water bending but with the punch of earth (trice the density) and the heat of the hottest of fire (+1000°C). Not to mention all the nasty fumes solved in molten rocks (HCl; H2S; HF; CO2 and Co). Try to rapidly cool it down, you create a phreato-magmatic explosion, turning the molten rock into a hot cloud of tiny glass shards (volcanic ash). If we apply some real life logic to the show, you could counter lava bending by fighting a lava bender on ground not easily turned into lava at surface conditions e.g. limestone, clays. Other than that, it was nice knowing you.

I think Yun's (from the Avatar Kyoshi book's) style of Earthbending is largely a precursor to lava-bending. Kyoshi describes it as "melting earth down into a liquid-like element" that he's able to use in very waterbender-style manipulations.

What this speaks to me of is bender's with the ability to excite the atoms within their element. This wouldn't just stop at earth into lava. But, theoretically Water benders could create boiling water. Air benders could create massive storms by exciting the air to create massive pressure differentials. Fire benders could theoretically use super hot oxygen trails to create oxygen bombs. This opens up pretty much Nuclear capabilities for benders.

5:58 everytime... this scene... roku's dragon protecting him and dying with him in the eruption always has me crying

I feel like lava bending comes from adapting from one’s environment. Earthbending in the past has usually been almost limitless as the ground underneath them has always been used by earthbenders to fight. But for Bolin, when he was fighting in the arena, he doesn’t have a massive amount of earth to play with, only small disks. He couldn’t fight like a traditional earth bender, but needed to adapt to reserve his resources and use earth with precision like how a water bender would need to learn how to reserve their water when not around a body of it. Bolin learned how to analyse earth as if it was a liquid form because of how he was brought up to change his style of earthbending. Look at Bolin fight. He doesn’t fight moving like how we see earthbenders should. He moves more like a water bender. With the style of earthbending changed, a different type of bending can be formed. Don’t believe me? Look at the sand benders in ATLA. They moved like airbenders instead of earthbenders. Their environment lacked hard earth so they learned to adapt with the light sand and bent that instead in a more fluid air-like motion. Bolin has adapted the same way while being an Earthbender, using his resources like how a water bender would, and firebenders. Bolin managed to merge the concepts of the earth element, the fluid-ness of waterbending, and the heat of fire benders while fighting in the arena. Bolin already mastered the techniques required for him to lavabend, but it was at a particular moment where he had to try or die where he gave it his all and learned to bend the earth elements in lava and deconstruct earth into lava and move it like water. This could only have happened in a person who has mastered and adapted to the bending styles of other martial arts while being an earth bender.

I would like to the sound bending, a type of air bending in the future hahaha

Ghazan is an exceptional bender, a true bending master, like all of the red lotus, so I guess just as Uncle Iroh learned to redirect lightning while studying waterbenders, Ghazan may have learned to bend lava. After all, lava is basically earth at another temperature, and besides, he was always in the company of a great waterbender (Ming-Hua), so it would make sense that their proximity would give Ghazan some basis for "liquid earth" bending.

They should explore airbending more, creating vacuums would be devastating as well

Let's be honest,we all know what is the most dangerous bending. Cabbagebending

2:54 There's actually a third moment Avatar Roku uses lava bending. In the episode Team Avatar first goes to Roku's island, Roku's spirt comes to save them. We see Roku's spirit lift his hand and the next shot cuts to pools of lava rising through the temple, destroying it. It the first time we actually see lava bending in the series.

I have a theory that Azula’s blue fire may have been a fusion of fire and air; as her grandfather was the avatar and her mother was never shown to be a fire bender herself. It would explain why we haven’t seen it since despite so many fire-benders surpassing her.

And when the World needed him most SliceofOtaku came back

Gonna be honest I like LOK but IMO the biggest injustice of that show was the fact that we never get literally anything on the history of the red lotus. Would have been so cool to learn how Ming-Hua developed her armless waterbending, how Ghazan learned he could lavabend, how P'li learned she could combustionbend, and how good of a fighter Zaheer was before he got airbending. They drop a line here or there mentioning their backstory but it never gets fleshed out and I so wish we could have learned more about them

And taking into account the general traits of each of the elements, it makes sense why water benders can phase shift their element the easiest because water is the most versatile of the elements, and earth bending is the most rigid of the element. Fun to think about 😊

I also noticed that known lavabenders have a connection to the elements of earth and fire. For example Bolin has fire nation mother and earth kingdom father. There are other lavabenders like Ghazan, and the boy Toph met in the comics, but we do not know anything about they’re ancestors so we can’t be entirely sure if this is the case. I have also noticed that the only avatars that have lavabended were born earth benders or fire benders.

Honestly compared to water healing and spirit projection, lava bending makes perfect sense

Lava bending is the most dangerous! Blood bending: Am I a joke to you?

Love to hear the joy and excitement in your voice. Glad your back Slice. Excellent breakdown, I never considered all the deep details.

Lava Bending really made like Bolin in my eyes. While he was struggling with Metal Bending (which was invented by Toph, who was considered one of the greatest Earthbenders in her time), he ended up learning something even more powerful. It's possible Bolin could end becoming likely a legend by mastering this skill. Let's be real Metal Bending may be an interesting sub skill, but Lava-Bending is just awesome!

Can we just appreciate how clean ghazan is Like every frame he is in he is just cool

While the logic is sound, I feel that the "its genetic" route takes the specialness away from an achievment. Bolin was being set up to be considered different from other earth benders not only in his fighting style(his style of earthbending is offensive focused like that of his firebending brother) but also in his mentality( bolin is never still in any sense, he is constantly trying to move around). This is why he was able to pick up lava bending so easily while being constantly unable to to anything remotely related to metal bending because both styles are diametrically opposed in terms of how they are achieved( metal bending requires the user to sit still and listen to feel out the element while lava bending requires to user to be energetic, free flowing, and unyielding.

I just wish you showed Bolin winking in that lava fight. Best scene ever

idk why lava bending is such a hot topic. it's just liquid dirt. Water benders can turn water to ice and back again, so why can't earth benders? There's a reason in last air bender the lion turtle basically said it was energy bending

*Plot Twist:* The Original Lavabender was Groudon

It’s not that difficult to understand, is it? Waterbenders are able to change the state of water as well as control these different states. We see Katara bend water vapor, liquid water, and ice. And we also see her CREATE these, which means waterbenders can control the temperature of their element. Therefore an earth bender can bend lava because it is just hot earth. They are just changing the temperature.

Airbenders have too much restraint. Imagine shockwavebending, vacuumbending, or screambending.

actually Mako knows lightning bending so he doesn't need a lava bending

Lava Bending with Seismic Sense at the level of Bumi's skill set would make for an unstoppable lava bender

Nitpicking: Bolin's parents, while Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, were never said to be benders at all. Also, not quite a fan of the common implication that Fire Nation ancestry contributes to having lavabending. Bending doesn't crossover like that, and nothing about Ghazan indicates such ancestry. I find that a better explanation comes from drawing a parallel to Iroh's development of lightning redirection. Iroh studied waterbending, and applied its philosophy to lightningbending, which is purely firebending. With Bolin, when he first meets Korra, he gives her a quick rundown of probending style earthbending, which departs from the traditional earthbending she's been taught, like staying light on your feet. I think this distancing from traditional earthbending is what allows, or at least facilitates, the learning of lavabending. Ghazan also has something like this, as the third Korra artbook mentions that the Red Lotus members developed their "vagabond form of combat" by picking up moves from wherever they travelled and adapting them to their personal fighting style. Though I don't believe the ability to lavabend and metalbend are mutually exclusive, like I've seen some argue, I think Bolin's struggle to metalbend can also be traced to his departure from traditional earthbending. In The Promise Part 2, Toph characterized metal as "the most stubborn part of the most stubborn element". Bolin does fight things head on, but he's also quick to pivot if what he's doing isn't working. Though we never saw, I think that Bolin's aptitude for lavabending, which is more fluid, would also give him some edge with other different, fluid forms of earthbending, like mudbending and sandbending.

Your theories and explanations are really well thought and put together.

12:01 ok I have a bit of a problem here when he says "single target focus" even in the original series Hama who created it was able to blood bend Sokka and Aang at the same time as well as in Korra we've seen particularly talented blood benders (Yakone and Tarrlock) bloodbend entire rooms full of people and in Yakone's case this included a fully realized avatar.

Long ago, this channel lived in harmony. Then, everything changed when the copystrike trolls attacked. Most of 2020 passed, and a new video found this channel; an avatar video on Lavabending. And while its premise is great, it's far from outperforming most popular youtubers. But I believe, this channel can outperform the platform.

He's back!

When i saw lavabending in Kora i thought well it makes sense, since in that universe the water bending can froze, unfroze and condensation (in theory i think they can boil water too) so in my mind with the lavabending it's the same concept about freezing water xd but they are heating the earth like with the tectonic plate subducts to make magma

A new subscriber today....keep it going man

Metalbending supports this theory, because it was considered impossible until Toph figured it out then she began teaching the practice all over the place, 70 years later Metalbending is considered something that any basic Earthbender can figure out given the right teacher because the practice and teaching of it have been refined and passed down for decades. Lavabending would eventually be the same if Bolin began teaching others how to do it.

PRAISE THE LORD, HE RETURNS! Hope you're doing okay, man.

It may be extremely rare but I wouldn't say that it's a mix of earth and fire genetics. 1) Waterbenders can freeze and evaporate water and use it as they please. 2) Tenzin states that airbenders can keep themselves warm in cold temperatures while heating up the air around them 3) Firebenders can (kinda) create plasma with lightning-bending, which is (kinda) hot fire. So it's not a stretch to believe that earthbenders could heat up earth to the point it melted.

Awh bb my heart is with you ❤️ You are so precious with that ending ahh Thank you for doing what you do and ily too 🥰

That's freaking scary seriously what if a sociopathic mass murdering manic had their hands on Lava bending, also I'm glad you got your first channel back Slice.

But how about combustion bending, isn't it too dangerous to even posses the ability like every combustion benders we see died with their own attack.

glad ur back man just watched my first vid but you are a trooper sir

Thank you for finally saying I've been waiting for someone to bring this up forever

As you said in your "waterbending is overpowered" video, Korra was able to outperform two earthbenders during the battle against Kuvira's mech, by freezing a portion of the leg, then striking to topple it. Overpowered, because of a phase shift. Additionally, the red lotus lavabender was capable of _singlehandedly_ penetrating the walls of Ba Sing Se, using lavabending. Overpowered, because of a phase shift. Coincidence? I thonk not, after all, in the words of guru pahtik: "The greatest illusion in this world is that of separation. Even the four elements are not separate, four parts of the same whole" I wonder what airbending techniques could be created by compressing or cooling gases: liquid nitrogen is deadly, and most of the atmosphere is nitrogen.

Bender can manipulate the temperature of the element they’re bending like turning water to ice or turning fire to blue fire, that’s why you can turn Earth to lava, it completely makes sense because lava is just heated rock.

i love how this video only reinterates what Iroh taught to zuko about being whole only when you understand all basic bending arts besides your own. Bolin fought ghazan multiple times and was near a primarily water bender for a long time to adapt those practices, and I add similarity to water bending in this case because its a liquid, yet denser, and we can see how both of those lava benders use not so rigid and not so fluid movements to do this

I think it’s crazy how we’re still learning about the avatar even after all this time, it’s like having only scratched the surface

I'm so glad Slice of Otaku is back

When you mentioned that waterbenders learned how to harness the different phases of water by adapting to their climate two things popped into my head: 1. Waterbenders also studied the different phases of the moon to learn how to phase water in and out if its different states. 2. Science class in the Avatar Universe are suddenly a lot cooler.

I love both and all types of bending and I would love to learn them all 😁

I think it would be more accurate to call the Avatar's Lava bending, Magma Bending. as they are bending the magma from beneath the earth and bringing it to the surface. where as lava benders are creating it.

It felt like you’ve been gone for 10 YEARS!!

duuude, imagine if a water bender used leaves, froze them, and threw them fast like Mai did with her knives...😭

I noticed that Bolin keeps his hands open when he lava bends and earth bending is generally done with a closed fist. It shows that you need to be “flowly” kinda like a water bender to utilize it

Roku's been shown in the show to have used Lavabending 3 times. 55 BG Volcano eruption on Crescent Island. 12 BG Fighting said Volcano which led to his death. 99 AG He used it to destroy the Fire Temple during the winter solstice.

Hearing that "I love you" at the end after so long is enough to bring me to tears honestly...

Lavabending: No can beat me? Bloodbending: Allow me to introduce myself.

"have an awesome day, i love you" right back at ya

Idk how I found this video, but THANK YOU.👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 This was FANTASTIC.

Someone make 1h of "hi how are you slice of otaku here" PLS

It would have been cool if they actually used blood bending against the bad guys

never thought about this way! this kinda amazing

When the metal benders saw him bend lava they should had said "I quit, he just bend lava, LAVA! But of course you other guys trained to fight a lava bender right?"

the only thing I'll never agree with is that to lavabend you need fire nation/fire bender blood Come on, theres no such thing as one people bending more than one element unless they are the avatar. If anyone tries to argue that fire bending blood is necessary to a earth bender to lava bend, or that lava bend is a combination of 2 elements, that one didnt watched the series at all

Dude I hope your doing well and I'm so glad your posting!

Me, who should clearly be learning for the exam I have in 5h: "Interesting!"

So that's what happened to you. I missed your videos and I'm glad your back. I love you!😄

Okay a few things. The Avatar before Yangchen is called Szeto. We actually know of 3 instances of Roku lavabending, although we never directly see the second, which is when he formed the passages in the sage temple out of the magma, as is described by the fire sage helping Aang. With the above example this also suggests it may have been outside of the Avatar state.

Suki, Ty Lee, and Toph all had a thing for Sokka. Making him the most dangerous bender: _backbending_

this was really cool!

Water benders can change the temperature of ice into water, and vice versa. I feel like at its core (metaphorically and literally) earth can drop in temperature to melt, just as water benders can move and phase shift ice.

Metal bending was not common but toph taught people how to metal bend it became common. Bolin can do the same thing to teach people how to lava bend so it can be more common.

Imagine an Avatar that can master and bend the four elements of natural disasters. Lava/magma, tornado/hurricane, tsunami, and earthquake.

Omg ur BACKKK

Great video!!!

I always saw it in the following ways: Water: -Ice, steam, and water -Blood and Plant -weakness: no moisture, water, ice, no bending Earth: -Stone, Sand, Soil -Metal and Lava -weakness: no earth to stand on or use Air: -wind, storms, air pressure -weakness: not really one Fire: -Flame and heat -Lightning -Weakness: solar eclipse as a studier of science though, i think that lightning bending also requires a certain affinity for air bending, as if anything, creation of lightning would also be involved with air pressure and atmosphere conditions which an airbender can manipulate. Another theory for fire bending that is based on Iroh's explanation of fire bending, is that firebending doesn't have a source requirement, as all you are doing is projecting energy, not making it, whether it be as fire or lightning or heat. This falls into your theory as to why mako and other firebenders wouldnt be able to lavabend. Because lava isnt fire. It's molten earth. Sure, there is heat involved yes, but thats coming off of the magma/lava, NOT the source of it. Whereas metalbending as you said relies on manipulating the trace amounts of earth left in the metal, lavabending relies on manipulating the pure molten earth in a liquid state, similar to how sand benders can create sandstorms and sand streams to move their sandships without being airbenders, they simply manipulate the sand in a way that is akin to air or water and make it move in such a way to generate that force. Metal bending is about taking something dense, and manipulating it as though it was a liquid. But with lavabending, you are taking something dense, and not only manipulating its form, but also its state. Metal benders never convert their metal to liquid form, only manipulating it as such, but with earth, you are achieving a similar result by converting the rock into liquid, as you said just like ice to water to steam for water benders, but given the high melting point of rock, it would be a much harder thing to do.

Since every bender can control the state of their element, like ice for water, and lava for earth. Fire is a reaction not matter, and thus does not have a state, but air benders should be able to create EXTREMELY cold liquid air, they just haven’t tried like how toph hadn’t realized how to metal bend until thousands of years after earth bending had been established.

I really love Ghazan, he seemed too happy looking Bolin using Lavabending against him

Bolin not being able to Metal bend low-key broke my heart, he wanted it so bad. When he started to Lava bend i let out a scream of accomplishment on his behalf i was so hyped 😂

The only thing we know about the bad guy lava bender is that he might of had his mustache when he was a kid.

THE KING RETURNS. Jesus glad u got ur channel back

If I remember correctly. The non avatar lava benders shown were earthbenders with a firebender parent

During 99 AG when Roku takes over Aang's body to destroy the Fire Temple during the winter solstice, he turns the floor into lava. It wasn't pre-existing lava. He simply turned the floor into lava opening up a fissure in the ground. At that point he was able to reach the lava underneath the volcano on the island to help destroy the temple. But he did; however; use lavabending the exact same way as Ghazan and Bolin use it. By phase shifting the Earthen floor into a liquid state.