7 Known Avatars In Anime

The Avatar is an international arbiter whose duty is to maintain harmony among the four nations, and act as a mediator between humans and spirits. When the Avatar dies, their spirit is reincarnated into the next Avatar, who will be from the next nation in a set order that is known as the Avatar cycle: Fire Nation, Air Nomads, Water Tribe, and Earth Kingdom. An Avatar is required to master each bending art, beginning with the element of their home nation, and proceeding to learn the others in the order of the Avatar cycle, starting at the age of 16. Avatars also possess the ability to enter a condition known as the Avatar State, in which they gain the knowledge and abilities of all past Avatars. Although it is when they are most powerful, if an Avatar were ever to be killed while in the Avatar State, the reincarnation cycle would end and the Avatar would never again be reborn. Upon mastering control of the Avatar State, an Avatar is referred to as "fully realized". The known Avatars in the order of current to oldest are:

Korra (Water Tribe) 

Korra is the current incarnation of the Avatar and immediate successor of Avatar Aang. Born and raised in the Southern Water Tribe, where she mastered waterbending, earthbending, and firebending, she later relocated to Republic City to attain a similar proficiency with airbending under the tutelage and guidance of Tenzin as well as overcome her aversion to the spiritual aspects of the bending arts. With the assistance of Aang's spirit, Korra gained the ability to energybend, and after connecting with her past lives, she gained the capacity to enter the Avatar State at will, marking her transition into a fully realized Avatar.

Techniques: Waterbending, Healing, Airbending, Earthbending, Metalbending, Firebending, Energybending, Avatar State, Medium, Raw Strength

Aang (Air Nomads) 

Aang was a male Air Nomad and the Avatar during the century-long conflict known as the Hundred Year War. His immediate predecessor was Avatar Roku, and his immediate successor is Avatar Korra. As the Avatar of his time, he was the only person capable of using all four bending arts: airbending, waterbending, earthbending, and firebending. He was also one of a select few Avatars, and one of the first in many cycles to learn the ancient art of energybending, and the first Avatar known to have actively used the technique.

Techniques: Airbending, Waterbending, Earthbending, Firebending, Energybending, Avatar State, Medium, Chi Sensing, Agility

Roku (Fire Nation) 

Roku was the Fire Nation-born Avatar immediately succeeding Avatar Kyoshi and preceding Avatar Aang. Roku was a wise and merciful Avatar with good intentions, though he himself acknowledged that he was too indecisive during his life. Roku's long friendship with Fire Lord Sozin resulted in his reluctance to end his friend's life and thus his imperial ambitions. This ultimately led to Roku's death, preventing him from stopping a war which would last for one hundred years, something which weighed heavily on him in his afterlife.

Techniques: Firebending, Earthbending, Airbending, Waterbending, Lavabending, Avatar State 

Kyoshi (Earth Kingdom) 

Kyoshi was the Earth Kingdom-born Avatar immediately succeeding Avatar Kuruk of the Northern Water Tribe, and preceding Avatar Roku of the Fire Nation. She died at the age of 230, making her the oldest confirmed human, and was also an exceptionally tall woman, towering over most people. Kyoshi was born to two criminals. She inherited her later signature outfit from her parents, adopting her mother's golden headdress and metal war fans and her father's face paint.

Techniques: Earthbending, Waterbending, Firebending, Airbending, Tessejutsu, Avatar State

Kuruk (Water Tribe) 

Kuruk was the Water Tribe Avatar immediately succeeding Avatar Yangchen and preceding Avatar Kyoshi. Native to the Northern Water Tribe, he lived in a time of relative peace due to the decisive actions taken by his predecessor. Though gifted as a bender, he was brash and arrogant, always preferring to "go with the flow". Due to this attitude and his pompous demeanor, Kuruk lost his fiancée, Ummi, to Koh the Face Stealer, while the world experienced great upheavals and strife following his death.

Techniques: Waterbender, Airbender, Earthbender, Firebender, Avatar State

Yangchen (Air Nomads) 

Yangchen was the Air Nomad Avatar succeeding a Fire Nation Avatar and preceding Avatar Kuruk. After mastering all the elements in her youth, she was eager to make a difference in the world despite her inexperience. She eventually became a respected figure and was hailed for her wisdom, determination, and power. Although Air Nomad culture emphasized pacifism and the sanctity of life, Yangchen was feared for her fierce willingness to do whatever was required to maintain balance and peace throughout the world in her duty as the Avatar. Due to her devotion, no threats of war occurred for an entire generation after her death. In death, she was revered as a holy individual, and people in the Earth Kingdom even began to pray to her for protection.

Techniques: Airbending, Waterbending, Earthbending, Firebending, Medium, Avatar State

Yangchen's predecessor (Fire Nation)

Yangchen's predecessor was the Fire Nation Avatar immediately preceding Avatar Yangchen.

Techniques: Firebender, Earthbender, Airbender, Waterbender, Avatar State

Salai (Unknown Nation)

Salai lived before Yangchen's predecessor and he is remembered as one of the greatest Avatars

Techniques: Firebender, Earthbender, Airbender, Waterbender, Avatar State

Wan (Fire Lion Turtle) 

Wan was the first Avatar, having lived ten thousand years prior to Avatar Korra's time. After being banished from his home, he learned to coexist with the spirits, deciding to help bring balance between them and the rest of mankind, a quest that eventually led to him becoming the first Avatar.

Techniques: Firebender, Earthbender, Airbender, Waterbender, Avatar State

All Avatar Techniques:

Simultaneous bending

The Avatar is capable of bending more than one element simultaneously. 

Avatar State

The strongest and most powerful ability that the Avatar can invoke is the Avatar State. It allows the Avatar to channel vast cosmic energies and the knowledge of previous Avatars, granting them increased strength and the ability to perform especially powerful and extraordinary feats of bending. The Avatar may unconsciously enter the State in response to the perception of mortal danger or high emotional stress, utilizing the State as a defense mechanism. While in this state, the Avatar has access to bending techniques that may have not yet been learned in their current lifetime but has no conscious control over the resulting actions, which can cause great collateral damage. An Avatar with full mastery of the Avatar State has conscious control over the State and can enter and exit it at will.