| "The Avatar can be reborn. But you can't, Kyoshi. I don't want to give you up to the next generation. I couldn't bear to lose you." |
| — Rangi to Kyoshi.[1] |
Rangi was a Fire Army officer and firebending instructor who was the only child of Junsik[10] and Hei-Ran,[11] Avatar Kuruk's former firebending teacher. Born into the illustrious Sei'naka clan, a noble family that had taught members of the Fire Nation Royal Family firebending for generations,[5] Rangi was rigorously trained as a Fire Nation soldier and eventually appointed as a bodyguard to Yun, the falsely identified Earth Kingdom Avatar. She became close friends with him and Kyoshi, who was his servant at that time.
After Kyoshi's identity as the true Avatar was revealed, Rangi fled with her into the inner Earth Kingdom, where they joined the Flying Opera Company, and Rangi began to train Kyoshi in the art of firebending. In 296 BG, the two began a romantic relationship with each other, though they parted ways in order for Rangi to save her mother from a lethal poison.[12]
The following year, Kyoshi and Rangi reunited during the Festival of Szeto, and worked with each other and their allies to put an end to the escalating Camellia-Peony War.[13][14] Rangi fiercely fought by Kyoshi's side during her lover's final confrontation with Yun, and though she was terribly wounded, she was successfully healed by the Avatar. Rangi promised to stay by Kyoshi's side, no matter what.[15]
Quick Answers
Who are Rangi's parents and what is their significance in the Avatar universe?
What is the Sei'naka clan and why is it important in the Fire Nation?
How did Rangi become a bodyguard to Yun, the falsely identified Earth Kingdom Avatar?
What is the nature of Rangi's relationship with Avatar Kyoshi?
What is the significance of 'white fire' in relation to Rangi?
History[]
Early life[]
Rangi was born in 312 BG to Hei-Ran,[11] a member of the prestigious Sei'naka clan,[5] and Junsik,[10] who died when she was still young.[16] Growing up, she attended the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, though hated the experience. She developed an intense rivalry with Koulin, who spread vicious rumors about her mother.[14] Other students avoided her because of Hei-Ran's reputation for killing numerous people in Agni Kai duels. Rangi felt deeply conflicted when learning about this; on one side, she greatly loved her mother, but on the other side, she disagreed with Hei-Ran's actions and came to distrust her.[11] At the academy, she attended the officer's school[14] and joined the Fire Nation Army's junior corps,[2] where she underwent rigorous and brutal training that included instructions in combat, survival exercises in the wild,[17] and the study of military tactics.[18] Her poor experiences in school motivated her to get high grades so she could graduate early.[14] She traveled with her mother when she was twelve, which involved lots of arguing.[14] At some point in her youth, she also visited the village of Yu Dao.[2]
Serving as Yun's bodyguard[]
At the end of her education, Rangi graduated as an elite soldier,[19] which led to her being appointed to serve as a bodyguard to Yun, the Earth Kingdom boy falsely identified by Jianzhu as the Avatar. As a result, she traded her residence in the Fire Nation for Yokoya Port in the southwestern Earth Kingdom, where a mansion was built to accommodate Yun and his entourage. While the construction was ongoing she met a young Kyoshi, who was hired to be a servant girl at the mansion, and took a liking to her.[7] Temperamentally imperious and used to the rigorous ways of the military, Rangi expressed this by yelling at and ordering Kyoshi around. It took the latter weeks to understand that this rough treatment actually meant that Rangi cared about her, but the two eventually became friends. Ever since they came to know each other, Rangi would run at top speed from place to place to see Kyoshi and arrive very early to wait for her, without Kyoshi being aware of the fact.[13] Rangi also came to adore Yun, and she grew close to him.[7][20] Despite their different social standings and personalities, the three of them formed a close-knit group.[21] Since her own father died when she was young, Rangi also grew fond of Kelsang and his kindness and humor.[16]
Kyoshi half-jokingly described Rangi as her hero, much to the firebender's annoyance.
In 296 BG, Rangi witnessed Kyoshi being held up and harassed by local youngsters on the grounds of the mansion and promptly intervened. Aoma, the bullies' ringleader, tried to convince her that they had good intentions, but Rangi would not hear of it. As a result, Aoma earthbent the jar with kelp that Kyoshi was transporting far into the air and fled the scene. Dismayed, Rangi urged Kyoshi to use her own bending to catch the jar, but the latter replied that she could not do so. As the two argued, Rangi failed to notice that the jar was falling down directly onto her position. Kyoshi threw herself onto the firebender to shield her from the impact with her own body, but Yun caught the jar with his earthbending before it could impact either of them. Flustered by Kyoshi's actions, Rangi angrily told her to get off her. Rangi's temper was tested even further when Yun started to joke around with the two girls, using his earthbending to communicate from afar, as she believed that their antics had distracted the Avatar from his training. As the two girls returned to the mansion, Rangi berated Kyoshi for not standing up for herself, refusing to hear her use neutral jing as an excuse, and started to plot revenge against Aoma, reasoning that they should "destroy her so messily that it sends a message to the others." However, Kyoshi responded that she did not need to resort to violence as she had "strong heroes" like Rangi to protect her. The firebender responded with frustrated annoyance.[2]
Rangi and her friends fought a group of pirates in Yokoya Port.
Soon after, Rangi witnessed the end of one of Yun's training session with Hei-Ran. Seeing her friend discouraged by his lack of progress, she unsuccessfully tried to motivate him. When Yun began to joke about her attempts to be encouraging, she suggested that he could spar with her to support his training. Yun readily agreed, though also roped Kyoshi into supporting the firebender during the mock duel. After this small peer training session, Mui interrupted the group's activities to ask Kyoshi to get some ingredients for the kitchen. Much to Rangi's horror, Yun saw this as an opportunity to slip out of the Avatar mansion for a while by assisting Kyoshi in her chores as a servant. Seeing that her protests were useless, Rangi went along to ensure the Avatar's safety. Upon arriving at the nearby port, the group discovered that the local fishers were blackmailed by pirates posing as traders. Regarding it as his responsibility as the Avatar to help, Yun began to investigate, convincing Rangi to go along by pointing out that it was a matter of his personal honor. As they searched for the criminals, Rangi was surprised to witness Kyoshi behaving more determined and grim than usual, a side she had rarely seen before. The group ultimately solved the issue by defeating the criminals' leader, Taliriktug, and driving the pirates away. Afterward, the group continued to collect ingredients by catching some wild crab urchin and helping out a farmer to convince him to hand over dried soy beans.[22]
When Yun later set out for a peace conference with the Fifth Nation pirates near the South Pole, Rangi, her mother Hei-Ran, and Kyoshi were among his companions. After arriving at the agreed meeting point on an iceberg, the group took part in a banquet hosted by the outlaws during which Pirate Queen Tagaka brought up Hei-Ran's Agni Kai duels, enraging Rangi. She barely managed to keep her anger at both the pirate and her mother under control. When Tagaka and her followers retreated from the banquet, Rangi stormed out as soon as Jianzhu dismissed those present save for Yun. She was later informed that she would not need to guard Yun during this night as adequate security measures were already in place. Rangi consequently made her way to her tent, finding Kyoshi seemingly drunk in the snow in front of it. After bringing her friend inside and getting ready to sleep, Kyoshi began to talk about what Tagaka had told them in an effort to console the obviously upset Rangi. Instead, this upset the firebender even more. Close to tears, she revealed how her mother had even killed one of her cousins during the duels, and that she was widely regarded as an assassin, something which Rangi despised utterly. Kyoshi hugged her friend and managed to calm her down; intertwined, the firebender eventually fell asleep. It was the first time the two shared such an intimate moment.[11]
Rangi and Hei-Ran helped to rescue Kyoshi and Yun from Tagaka.
On the following day, the negotiations with Tagaka resumed but they turned out to be an ambush by the pirates. Rangi, along with several others of Yun's party, was dragged into the ice by Tagaka's waterbending followers. Eventually managing to free themselves, Rangi and her mother mounted Pengpeng, Kelsang's flying bison, to go help Kyoshi, who had left in pursuit of the pirates who had managed to kidnap Yun. When they caught up with her, they found her locked in combat with the Pirate Queen herself. Rangi and her mother promptly took over the fight, allowing Kyoshi and the others to focus on destroying the Fifth Nation pirate fleet.[11]
Fugitive[]
The battle had concluded to their advantage, but back at Yokoya Port, it gave rise to heavy discussions about Kyoshi's identity as the true Avatar. When Kyoshi regained consciousness from battle, Rangi confronted her and revealed that Kelsang had confessed his suspicions of her being the true Avatar. As she began to accuse her friend of potentially discrediting Yun and Jianzhu, she unintentionally began to burn Kyoshi's chest with her finger. By the time a hesitant Kyoshi flinched, Rangi recoiled in horror at what she had done and left Yun's quarters in shame.[20]
Sometime later, Jianzhu took Yun and Kyoshi away from the Avatar mansion on a secret mission. In the following, stormy night, Rangi discovered Kyoshi had returned alone to the mansion from Jianzhu's clandestine outing. Kyoshi told her that Jianzhu had sacrificed Yun to a monstrous spirit after it had identified her as the Avatar and had killed Kelsang when he had come to rescue them, which had caused her to enter the Avatar State. A shocked Rangi tried to rationalize that Kyoshi had misremembered her account of events and insisted that they hear Jianzhu's explanation, but Kyoshi argued she had to leave at all cost. Realizing that Kyoshi would not last long in the outside world without her help, Rangi decided to join her as they fled Yokoya on Kelsang's bison, Pengpeng.[23]
The next morning, Rangi informed Kyoshi that they needed to find masters capable of recognizing her legitimacy and train her in the four elements. When she intended to leave Kyoshi to set up camp while she searched for aid, the two girls started to fight for control of Pengpeng, as Kyoshi was afraid they would only be reaching out to one of Jianzhu's allies. Rangi ultimately relented when Kyoshi used her oath to the Avatar against her. Although Kyoshi declared she would find bending masters unknown to Jianzhu by herself, Rangi refused to abandon her.[21]
Their travels brought them to Chameleon Bay, where they decided to track down the Flying Opera Company, a daofei organization that had been founded by Kyoshi's parents. However, to Kyoshi's disappointment, the organization had been reduced to handful of members. Rangi then unintentionally let slip that they had a sky bison, peaking the Flying Opera Company's interest.[24] But just as Kyoshi hesitated to form a partnership, they were confronted by a trio of officers identifying themselves as enforcers of Governor Deng, which Rangi and Kyoshi silently identified as an ally of Jianzhu, forcing them to make a hasty escape. As they fled through Port Chameleon Bay's shantytown, Rangi witnessed the daofei using their bending to elevate themselves into the air. Within minutes, she began to mimic the technique using firebending. Upon reuniting with the rest of the group as well as Pengpeng outside the town, Rangi was shocked when the other Flying Opera Company members revealed that Kyoshi's mother, Jesa, had been a renegade Air Nomad.[24]
Life as an outlaw[]
After becoming fugitives, Rangi served as Avatar Kyoshi's bodyguard.
The next morning, Rangi roused Kyoshi to begin her firebending training by maintaining a Horse stance for ten minutes as punishment for not telling her the truth about her mother. Three minutes in, Kyoshi confessed her mother's backstory about how she abandoned her spirituality for her lowlife father. Soon after, Rangi refused Kyoshi's intent on performing actual firebending, observing that her body was too tensed up, but the Avatar ignored her anyway, only to produce a spout of black smoke. As they were discovered by Lek, Rangi took responsibility for Kyoshi's little mishap.[17]
Afterward, the group shared breakfast where Rangi surprised the Flying Opera Company members by having no issue with eating grilled elephant rat. As they conversed, Kyoshi revealed her interest in learning earthbending from Wong and Lek, the Flying Opera Company's earthbenders. The daofei stated that for this to happen, Kyoshi would have to become a full member of their group. Horrified at the thought that her friend's masters would be criminals, Rangi voiced her opinion that the Flying Opera Company's "dust stepping" and "mist stepping" abilities were not quite as impressive as they believed, as she had quickly copied them. Regardless, Kyoshi could not be convinced to change her mind. When Kyoshi officially joined the Flying Opera Company, swearing the group's oaths, to gain them as allies, the firebender consequently just shrugged in frustration.[17]
Although Rangi was contemptuous of the daofei and regarded her chosen path with criticism, the firebender continued to follow her friend as part of the Flying Opera Company. Rangi was resolved to remain by Kyoshi's side even though she felt helpless as the latter seemingly began to corrupt herself by becoming a daofei and actively seeking revenge against Jianzhu for killing Yun as well as Kelsang.[17][1]
When they all traveled to Hujiang, a daofei-controlled town, Rangi and the others were summoned by Mok, the leader of a large daofei group named the Autumn Bloom Society and the patron of the Flying Opera Company. To both endear the group to Mok and show Kyoshi what it was like to watch a dear friend intentionally put themselves in peril, Rangi chose to compete in a lei tai, an underground fight that could result in the loser's death. Rangi initially outmatched her opponent but was rendered semi-unconscious by a lucky blow to her face, cracking her lip. She recovered just in time to break her opponent's leg and stop him from delivering his fatal blow, emerging as the champion of their fight.[1]
Her victory impressed Mok, who invited the Flying Opera Company for a feast, where he revealed his plan to rescue a prisoner from Governor Te Sihung's mansion and he wanted the company to infiltrate the estate while the Autumn Bloom kept the guards distracted. However, his admiration of Rangi soon turned to displeasure when she inquired the identity of the prisoner and if he had any intelligence on the mansion, exposing him as poor tactician.[1]
After leaving Mok's company, Rangi declined healing from Kirima and stormed off to sit by herself at the shore of a shallow lake, where she was found by Kyoshi. Rangi was berated by Kyoshi for having taken such a foolish risk. She defended herself by pointing out that it was no different than everything the other woman had done ever since they had fled Yokoya. When Kyoshi tried to justify her actions on the basis that Jianzhu had to die, Rangi demanded to know why she wanted him dead so badly. Hearing Kyoshi admit that she was afraid of the master earthbender, Rangi broke down into tears, saying that she had never wanted Kyoshi to feel that way. She blamed herself, claiming that Kyoshi would have known only love and no fear if only she had protected her better. Kyoshi assured Rangi that she did feel loved and kissed her. Rangi pushed her away, seemingly rejecting her, but she quickly clarified that it was not the kiss that bothered her but rather her wounded mouth and told Kyoshi to kiss her somewhere else, thus signifying the beginning of their romantic relationship.[1]
The next morning, the happy couple were rudely awoken by an amused Kirima. Non-verbally deciding to come out, Kyoshi passionately defended their newfound love. Subsequently, as the trio made their way back to town, Rangi playfully ran the back of her nails down Kyoshi's hand, nearly causing her girlfriend to trip and fall on her face.[25]
Just as they collected Wong, Hujiang came under attack by a shirshu, which began to target Kyoshi and Rangi. Fortunately, Lek managed to distract the creature before the Flying Opera Company left the other daofei to deal with it, but not before Lek accused Kyoshi of being the shirshu's target.[25] Once they made it as far as Ba Sing Se, Kyoshi confessed about Jianzhu's pursuit of her and her identity as the Avatar. Initially, the Flying Opera Company, save Lao Ge, did not believe, despite Rangi supporting her claim. But when Kirima spontaneously bent a pellet of water at Kyoshi, Rangi reacted with astonishment upon seeing her immobilize it in thin air and embraced her girlfriend for bending another element.[5]
Upon landing Pengpeng in an abandoned quarry, Rangi assumed from their companions' private discussion that they were about to turn on them and urged Kyoshi to take Pengpeng and flee. Surprisingly, the Flying Opera Company treated Kyoshi with reverence and suggested they part ways, not wanting to taint the Avatar's reputation, though Kyoshi insisted on sticking by them to absolve their debt to the Autumn Bloom and for bending training. Rangi later discussed Kyoshi's disability with earthbending to the others, so Wong and Lek volunteered to help her overcome that.[5]
As Rangi continued her girlfriend's firebending training, she criticized her emotional state, which would affect her firebending. She then attempted to suggest they change course and go to the Earth Sages to prove her identity as the Avatar, but Kyoshi argued that any sages they know of were already aligned with Jianzhu, or even if Hei-Ran would side with them over him. Relenting, Rangi requested her girlfriend promise to be a virtuous and just Avatar.[6]
Subsequently, as Kirima insisted on taking her turn with Kyoshi, Rangi attempted to chase her off, but the waterbender ultimately backed off when the firebender expressed her weariness with her nickname, "Topknot". As Kyoshi asked what her problem was with Kirima, Rangi ordered her into another Horse stance. While testing her physical endurance by stepping on Kyoshi's bent knee, Rangi explained that she did not want her girlfriend to be trained in waterbending before completing her airbending training out of fear it would damage the Avatar Cycle. Seeing this depress her girlfriend, Rangi gave her a loving kiss, all the while ensuring she maintained her stance.[6] Some time afterwards, she gave Kyoshi informal airbending training.[16]
Rangi later took part in Mok's attack on Governor Te's Palace and witnessed Kyoshi's duel with Xu Ping An, the leader of the Yellow Neck bandits.[26] Following the duel, the Company was once again attacked, this time by Jianzhu himself, who did succeed where his shirshu had failed, and Rangi was kidnapped. During her imprisonment, Jianzhu cut off her top-knot as a warning to Kyoshi to not cross him.[27] The Flying Opera Company launched a successful rescue mission on Kyoshi's orders, while the Avatar herself took on Jianzhu once and for all. As the couple reunited, Rangi told her girlfriend that her mother had been affected by Jianzhu's poison, which was deadly if remained untreated, and that she thus planned to take her mother to the Northern Water Tribe in order to find the best healers. Expressing their desire to meet again one day, the two girls said their farewells and went their separate ways.[12]
Return to the Fire Nation[]
After more than a year of her mother recovering from the poisoning, Rangi and Hei-Ran traveled to the Fire Nation Capital for the Festival of Szeto, joined by Hei-Ran's personal healer Atuat. By this time, she had been promoted to First Lieutenant in the Fire Army. Fire Lord Zoryu also invited Kyoshi to the celebration. Taking note of Kyoshi's arrival on Yingyong, she sprinted all the way from the garden to the main gate of the palace to impress Kyoshi, and greeted her with a passionate kiss.[13]
Rangi proceeded to greet Kyoshi's secretary, Jinpa, upon meeting him for the first time. They made their way to the palace, where Kyoshi's group was welcomed by Chancellor Dairin, who began a guided tour of the palace. Rangi observed the portraits in the Royal Gallery, before Dairin paled at a detail Kyoshi pointed out in Fire Lord Chaeryu's portrait. Dairin brought the group to their accommodations, where Rangi asked Jinpa about Kyoshi's eating and sleeping habits, chiding her for not taking better care of herself. Jinpa left, and the couple talked about Kyoshi's search for Yun. Rangi suggested that they let Yun come back to them only when he was ready. She proposed to cheer Kyoshi up, and ran her fingers over Kyoshi's tunic, and then disappointed the Avatar by clarifying they could practice stance training.[28]
Some hours later, Rangi made sure Kyoshi was ready for the Fire Lord's garden party. She disapproved of Kyoshi wearing her regular fighting clothes, telling her that she was the guest of honor, and did not constantly have to be at war. Rangi herself dressed in an elegant red silk gown. She told Kyoshi not to wear her iconic make-up during the festival. When Kyoshi was about to protest, Rangi clarified that the paint was for their missions as part of the Flying Opera Company, not mingling among those who did not understand the daofei code. She then explained various rules of decorum to Kyoshi, such as not to touch her hair, as it would be seen as highly disrespectful. Jinpa arrived at that moment and showed them to the palace gardens.[29]
Rangi and Kyoshi were surprised to find that the garden party was much larger than expected, with five hundred guests instead of the expected twenty to thirty. The group watched a short musical performance, and Dairin explained that they had to mingle in the direction of the Fire Lord. Rangi explained that Kyoshi should meet with the other guests, but did not have to talk to them directly if they did not introduce themselves. Rangi watched Kyoshi humiliate an angry Governor Shing, and told her to be more careful with Fire Nationals. At that moment, Hei-Ran approached.[29] Rangi's mother apologized for the pain she had caused Kyoshi while trying to find her, and informed her that it was Jianzhu who orchestrated the poisoning, which Rangi affirmed. As Hei-Ran told Kyoshi about her guilt, Rangi put her hand on her mother's shoulder to comfort her. Hei-Ran told Rangi that all was well, and that she could go see Atuat, as she needed a moment alone to talk with Kyoshi. A mortified Rangi returned to Kyoshi as she began to address Chaejin, realizing that Kyoshi mistook him for Fire Lord Zoryu.[30]
Shocked, Rangi asked Kyoshi what she had done after she attempted to dismiss Chaejin in the Fire Lord's presence. Hei-Ran took them to a side before Kyoshi could make another diplomatic blunder, and Rangi began to chide her girlfriend. She told her that she had insulted the Fire Lord by declaring she would fix his problems, thus implying that Zoryu was weak; as well as attempting to use right of dismissal in the presence of the Fire Lord. She told Kyoshi that she had acted without thinking, and looked on as her mother disciplined the Fire Lord himself. Hei-Ran asked Rangi why she could not think of a diversion to prevent the diplomatic catastrophe, as she was responsible for the Avatar in all respects, embarassing the lieutenant. Rangi explained the prominence of the Saowon clan to Kyoshi, and their rivalry with Zoryu at court. Hei-Ran, Atuat and Jinpa departed when the firebending master felt unwell, leaving the youths alone. Rangi and Zoryu reminisced about Yun's talent for fixing the political situation at court, and the lieutenant accompanied the Avatar and Fire Lord back to the party. As the other two began to informally bond, she told the two powerful figures to start acting appropriately.[31]
At that moment, the group was shocked to see Yun in the palace gardens, holding the nobles hostage by sinking them into the ground with his bending. As Yun began to give a speech, Rangi shouted for Kyoshi to take him down. Kyoshi unsuccessfully confronted Yun before calling for Rangi in a panic, informing her that Yun was going after Hei-Ran. Rangi nearly scorched several bystanders in flame as she used her bending to propel her steps toward the palace, bursting into Hei-Ran's room. No-one had seen Yun, however, and Rangi noticed a sound coming from the portrait gallery. Kyoshi told Rangi to stay in place as she confronted Yun; afterwards, Rangi began coordinating the palace lockdown with her mother.[32][33]
The following morning, Rangi took breakfast with Hei-Ran and Kyoshi. Rangi's knuckles tightened as Hei-Ran acknowledged that Yun wanted to assassinate her, and Kyoshi and Hei-Ran began talking about how they could find more information about Yun and Father Glowworm. Hei-Ran proposed that they go to North Chung-Ling to meet a Fire Sage friend of Kuruk, and Rangi opposed leaving just after the palace was attacked. Rangi refused to accept that Yun was the same as he was after killing four people, which upset Kyoshi. Rangi paced back and forth, refusing to calm down when Hei-Ran disciplined her. She raised that Yun was no trained killer, but was shocked to learn about Yun's secret assassination lessons from Sifu Amak at the mansion. She told Hei-Ran that she had turned Yun into a monster, and grabbed the breakfast table, throwing it over the balcony.
Rangi stormed off, and found Jinpa in the stables, offering to help groom Yingyong. Kyoshi arrived, and Rangi angrily asked why Kyoshi had only used her war fans instead of bending against Yun. Kyoshi raised that she did not want to hurt their friend, but Rangi voiced that she was worried that Yun would hurt Kyoshi. Kyoshi promised that she would never let Yun harm anybody, including Rangi and Hei-Ran. Rangi and Kyoshi joked about her throwing the table off the balcony, Kyoshi claiming that she would never let her forget her terrible breach of manners. Zoryu, Hei-Ran, and Atuat arrived at the stables, and Rangi grew horrified when Hei-Ran drew a knife and dropped to her knees. Hei-Ran ritualistically cut off her top-knot to show her dishonor, noting that she was no longer worthy of her daughter's esteem. She told Rangi that the honor of their family was now in her hands. Rangi was distraught with rage that she could say nothing in response to her mother. Rangi protested about the plan to travel to North Chung-Ling, but Hei-Ran reprimanded her, telling her that even though she had no honor, she was still Rangi's mother, and expected her to comply.[34]
Traveling to North Chung-Ling[]
Rangi landed Yingyong near North Chung-Ling, and Hei-Ran told her to work on her bison landing, to which Rangi disagreed. She fumed to Kyoshi that she hated traveling with her mother, and that she only managed to get through Agna Qel'a as Hei-Ran had been comatose. On a whim, Kyoshi picked up Rangi by the waist and whirled her around, glad that no one was around to scold them for inappropriate touching. Rangi laughed, claiming that Kyoshi was embarassing her.
They made their way into the city, and Rangi disapproved that they had come to a carnival town, bemoaning that the city had cashed in on its spiritual reputation and had become a gambling den full of charlatans and cheap entertainment. As they began to talk about the ruling Keohso clan, Kyoshi asked Rangi about her own clan, and asked to see Rangi's home island someday. As Atuat and Jinpa distracted the townsfolk by gambling, Rangi accompanied Hei-Ran and Kyoshi to Nyahitha's tent. When the sage explained his method of controlling gas so people would experience hallucinations, Rangi called him a fraud, and disapproved of the Avatar learning from him. Rangi was skeptical when Nyahitha began to claim that a curse had been placed on everyone who learned about Father Glowworm's existence.
Noting a commotion outside the tent, Rangi pointed out the presence of Lady Huazo, curious about why she had come to such a city. Rangi and Hei-Ran burst out the tent once a fight began to start after a man of Huazo's vanguard spat on the ground. Rangi gave Huazo a steady gaze when the noblewoman moved to pet her mother's shorn hair, but did not raise a word against her. When Koulin revealed that she was also present, Rangi faked joy, going to hug the teenager. They pulled themselves apart as Huazo departed. Rangi did not raise a word when Sanshur Keohso asked them if they should let Huazo disrespect them as she had done to Hei-Ran. As they left the fair, Kyoshi asked Rangi if she was glad to see Koulin again, and she revealed her misery at the academy, and how vicious Koulin had been as a child. Rangi and Kyoshi proceeded to stop a fight between a young Keohso merchant and his relatives, who had beaten him bloody for putting up a Saowon banner for wanting to business with them.[14]
The following day, Rangi was alerted to a fight gathering in town by Nyahitha. She rushed to the town square, and asked the two clans to heed the Avatar's call to stand down. She plead Koulin to not bear her aunt's grudges, and the other teenager responded by saying that only the daughter of a shorn, honorless woman would result to begging. Enraged, Rangi punched Koulin across the jaw, truly beginning the fight between the two clans. Koulin and Rangi fell into an exchange of brutal, vicious strikes with only their knees and elbows in light of the prohibition of Agni Kais during the holiday. Koulin attempted to smash her forehead into Rangi's eye, just missing, and cutting a cash along the cheekbone. Rangi staggered away, and with the empty space, used fire to propel herself into a backflip, her knee coming down on Koulin's head and knocking her unconscious. While Rangi attempted to attack further, a shocked Kyoshi ordered her to stop and bring her to Atuat.[35]
At the Coral Urchin Noodle Shop, Rangi watched on as Atuat worked to heal Hei-Ran after she had been grievously wounded by Yun. Rangi stood at the foot of Hei-Ran's bed as Kyoshi entered her mother's room, and hissed that Kyoshi had used her mother as bait, learning about Hei-Ran's plan to have Kyoshi sacrifice her to Yun. Kyoshi said she never agreed, but Rangi angrily asked when Kyoshi was going to tell her. She told Kyoshi that she meant nothing to her any more, and barged out of the room. A moment later, Rangi stormed back in, screaming that Kyoshi had not eaten since the previous day, giving her noodles that she had cooked with her own firebending to show her affection.[36]
Although Kyoshi intended to execute her plan to kidnap Huazo without informing Rangi, the firebender arrived on the scene just before Kyoshi was about to take off on Yingyong. She asked if Kyoshi had lost her mind, and the Avatar gently bent Rangi into the ground, halfway up to her shins. Rangi asked to be let go, and Kyoshi asked Rangi to forgive her. Kyoshi kissed Rangi before leaving on Yingyong, Rangi screaming after her.[37]
Final confrontation with Yun[]
A month later, Rangi returned to Yokoya for Kyoshi's final confrontation with Yun. When Kirima and Wong revealed themselves to Yun, he asked if Rangi was also there, which she affirmed.
Kirima sent a torrent of water at Yun, who bent a new earth shield, soon deflected by Wong. Kyoshi tried to drag Yun down with earthbending, but he easily escaped from the ground, and managed to shatter a great mass of stone tiles with a flick of his shoulders when Wong brought the flooring down upon him. Rangi stepped forward, breathing forth a great blast of fire, Yun sliding off to the side riding a swell of earth. Rangi ran the fire after Yun as he escaped, everyone caught off guard by the sheer ferocity of her attack.
In response, Yun violently shook the earth, sending Kyoshi and Rangi flying. As he liquified the very foundations of the mansion, Wong and Kirima were forced from the roof, while Jinpa finally came in from above to rescue the combatants, but was severely wounded by Yun's stone spear attacks.
Yun hurled broken earth discs at Kyoshi and Rangi, now attempting to chastise them instead of truly wound them. The pair then crudely put on a substitution of their signature makeup with blood, and began to jet-step with firebending, propelling them forward to Yun without touching the earth. Kyoshi shot a huge fireball in Yun's direction, but managed to miss, yet Rangi managed to redirect the flame's course and hurled it back round, causing Yun's earthen barrier to explode. Yun tunnelled down and made his way up to Rangi, stabbing her through the back with an earthen spike. After Kyoshi used an advanced healing technique to drastically lower Yun's body temperature and kill Yun, she entered the Avatar State to bend a sliver of water up from the well under the mansion, using it to heal Rangi.
Rangi opened her eyes in the mansion's infirmary, Kyoshi having been working on Rangi since stabilizing her. She told Rangi that she was not properly healed and that she would likely catch a fever from the dirty wound or punctured gut. Rangi said she did not care, and Kyoshi responded that she did. The Avatar told her that she would get a lot worse before she got better, but by then, Atuat and Hei-Ran would be there with her. She asked if it was over, which Kyoshi affirmed. The two lovers pressed their foreheads together, and cried for their friend.[38]
Kyoshi and Rangi were the last to linger by Yun's grave after he had been buried on a hill overlooking Yokoya. Kyoshi asked Rangi if she was right to kill her friend because she could not save him. Rangi replied that she did not know, and that while she could not tell Kyoshi anything about the future, she would be there with her.[15]
Later life[]
Rangi came to Ba Sing Se with Kyoshi when the Avatar spent time dealing with violent daofei in the Lower Ring, forming a task force to deal with the situation. Rangi was not part of the task force, but she worked with them from time to time. However, in 293 BG, Kyoshi had to leave the city to deal with business elsewhere, though Rangi remained in the Earth Kingdom capital. After the Avatar left, Earth King Yi Ming began to take more control of the task force, and began labeling any criminals, malcontents, or threats as daofei.[39][40] A crisis threatened to unfold when the children of Ambassador Quin of the Fire Nation were kidnapped. The evidence pointed to an ex-daofei called Mengyao, but Rangi suspected that she had been framed. Rangi saw the turmoil in the city and worried that things would turn violent. She had to enlist others to help resolve the situation in the Lower Ring when she left to inform Kyoshi about the situation, calling on a group mostly consisting of former outlaws that was made up of Tao, Masaru, Sarnai, Jing, and Quartz.[41][42][43]
As Kyoshi's girlfriend and bodyguard, Rangi often spent most of her time with the Avatar. Sometimes they had to spend time apart, as they needed to deal with separate missions, but Rangi was often serving the Avatar in some official capacity, and traveled all around the world as part of her duties, including Agna Qel'a, Ba Sing Se, and Omashu.[8]
Physical description[]
Rangi often wore a Fire Nation military armor and a classic top-knot.
Rangi was a young woman of above-average height[1] with a charred rasp of a voice.[2] She had a streamlined figure that belied the solidness of her muscles; her arms and back being well-formed and strong from years of training.[1] She wore black and red formfitting armor[2] over a sleeveless white tunic and held her hair back in a top-knot with strands of hair often coming loose to hang around her face. Rangi was considered to be beautiful by several people, including Kyoshi and Lek, but often wore an unapproachable look of superiority. Like her mother, Rangi had a porcelain-doll face, pitch-black hair, and eyes tending toward a darker bronze than typical Fire Nation gold.[7]
Personality[]
Rangi was headstrong, aggressive, and had a fierce reputation. Somewhat arrogant and instilled with a military mindset, she regarded most people as "scum" that did not even "warrant the effort" of being yelled at. She tended to be abrasive and dismissive even around people that she liked.[2] Like her mother, she often used a tight-lipped expression to hide her true emotions[11] and paced in circles when she was upset.[44] In order to appear professional, she further tried to hide her liking toward anything that could be considered silly, like a weakness for a particular snack,[29] and tried to suppress her giggling while goofing around with her friends.[45]
Despite her seemingly cold personality, she cared deeply for her friends and was able to open herself and share her feelings with those close to her as she did with Kyoshi, showing a more vulnerable and emotional side when they were alone. She had a habit of crying when she was very worried about someone. Described as a "raging mother hen", she was fiercely protective of her friends, made sure they performed their own duties correctly, and was quick to scold them for any mistakes.[2] After she learned Kyoshi was eating poorly, she made sure to watch her eat a right amount.[34]
She was not shy to resort to violence to get her way, and she took combat with earnestness, being able to remain impassive and centered during a fight in order to carefully calculate her movements. When it came to a duel, Rangi was persevering and did not give up without giving the best of her capabilities.[1] However, according to her mother, Rangi was still ultimately a kind person, unwilling to go to the same lengths Kyoshi was.[30]
Due to her strict sense of honor, she looked down on certain type of people: She despised assassins, was disgusted by charlatans who faked spiritual experiences for money, and had a low opinion of daofei, although she eventually grew fond of the Flying Opera Company, considering them her sworn brothers and sisters. Like many members of her clan, Rangi strived for perfection because her clan did not have anything but their skills and services to offer, making them fear they would be nothing if they were not the best at what they did.[14]
The firebender could be quite drastic and extreme at times to prove others a point, even putting herself in danger, such as when she faced a strong lei tai fighter to let Kyoshi know how helpless she felt whenever the Avatar threw herself into danger.
Rangi was regarded as a person of powerful faith and a "true believer", having immense respect for the Avatar she had sworn to protect and obey.[44] She believed the Avatars should be just and virtuous leaders[6] and that all of their actions were meaningful.[11] She intensely abided by traditions and remained faithful to them, but as a result it was hard for her to deal with uncertainty. It was noted by her teammates that she grew exasperated each time they ignored an established practice regarding the Avatar, such as when the soldier expressed her obstinacy to deviate from the pattern of the Avatar Cycle at the moment of training Kyoshi's abilities, claiming that bad things happen when an Avatar tried to defy the natural order of bending.[6] She even had nightmares about the elemental cycle breaking as a result, despite acknowledging that her fear was irrational and her not otherwise being superstitious.[16]
However, Kyoshi later realized that Rangi's greatest faith was for her friends instead.[1] As she cared about Kyoshi as much more than just the Avatar, she felt comfortable talking back to her when necessary,[21] while in the past she had often tried to act more professional and respectable toward the false Avatar Yun, which could also fail due to their friendship. She was worried about all the pressure Kyoshi had to deal with and firmly believed that Kyoshi deserved happiness, to feel safe, and to be loved as just the person she was.[1]
Like other Fire Nation civilians, Rangi also had great pride for her nation, praising it to the point it exhausted Kyoshi and even talking about her honor to the point where the Flying Opera Company teased her about it.[24] She was also willing to admit its flaws, like the wealth inequality[24] and that some of their customs regarding social etiquette in the palace could seem frivolous.[29] Like to all the Fire Nationals, her hair was very important to her, and she was horrified and ashamed to be seen by Kyoshi after her topknot was forcibly cut.
As Kyoshi's teacher, she was strict and had very high standards, but was very knowledgeable about firebending. She appeared to enjoy acting dominant toward Kyoshi by giving her harsh, physically taxing orders (especially the Horse stance) and then motivating her by flirtatious and suggestive behavior and words.[6] She also enjoyed flustering Kyoshi in general, such as by suddenly touching her hand playfully and teasingly after spending an intimate night together.[25] However, this teasing was also often a way to cheer up Kyoshi after she noticed the Avatar was feeling down about something.
Abilities[]
Rangi was a skilled and agile firebender.
Rangi was an expert firebender who was capable of great, ferocious attacks. She was a particularly innovative bender, having invented the jet-stepping firebending technique that was used by the Flying Opera Company.[38] Rarely for firebenders, Rangi was able to produce emotionally-charged and highly destructive white-colored fire if the situation demanded it.[8]
Even without her bending, Rangi was an expert martial artist, easily capable of taking down Guan, the reigning champion of a lei tai arena, as well as Koulin.[1][35] She also had knowledge about the use of melee weapons as, when Yun told Kyoshi he had no idea how to fight with a sword, the latter said Rangi could teach him.[45] She was considered an expert at sword combat.[8]
Relatives[]
| Hei-Ran |
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Appearances[]
Chronicles of the AvatarThe Rise of Kyoshi
The Shadow of Kyoshi
Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying GameAvatar games |
Trivia[]
- Rangi's name is a truncated version of "horangi" (호랑이), meaning "tiger" in Korean.[46]
- Rangi's design was inspired by the fan arts of the user "kkachi95" from Tumblr and Instagram. This is the first known instance in which a canonical character is somewhat influenced by a fanwork.[47]
- Rangi's armor has a Korean-inspired design on top of original Thai/Chinese-inspired Fire Nation design. Although Korean designs are rare in the franchise, kkachi95 thought it appropriate since the novel takes place 396 years before Avatar: The Last Airbender.[48]
- F.C. Yee kept Azula's image in mind in the process of writing, although meaningful differences were made, such as Rangi not worrying too much about loose hairs out of place.[49]
- Rangi is one of three human characters known to bend colored fire,[38] the others being Azula throughout Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Zuko in Smoke and Shadow.
- Rangi's technique of using Guan's strength against him on the lei tai is a basis for the signature fighting style of the Kyoshi Warriors.[50]
- Rangi enjoyed eating stalknose mushrooms.[29]
| Preceded by Hei-Ran |
Avatar's firebending master (jointly with Hei-Ran)[51] 296 - unknown BG |
Succeeded by Unknown, eventually Jeong Jeong |
References[]
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