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Appearance
Fire Nation nobles.
Members of the Fire Nation have black or dark brown hair, amber/gold, dark brown, or dark gray eyes, and pale skin. The
men in older years sport beards and mustaches, and almost all Fire Nation citizens have topknots. Members of the army wear
red and black uniforms that may have yellow touches to them. Civilians wear red and white or red tinted outfits. Nobles and
politicians wear a two pronged flamed topknot piece, and the Fire Lord wears a gold flame topknot piece. Their clothing and
architecture seem to reflect Chinese and some Japanese influences.
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National emblem
The national emblem of the Fire Nation is a stylized, teardrop-shaped flame forked into a trident of three tongues that
taper upward to a point. It is displayed on its flag, on the pennants of Fire Navy warships, and the sides of their various
vehicles of war. It seems that the royal family or certain higher members wear the emblem in their topknots. Azula, Fire Lord
Azulon, Fire Lord Ozai, and Ursa have been seen wearing them.
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Culture
As illustrated in its cultural festivals, the Fire Nation employs propaganda to indoctrinate a sense of nationalism and
loyalty to the Fire Lord (cult of personality) in its citizens from the earliest age possible. (A popular attraction cast
Ozai as a hero in a children's puppet show.)
However, little is known about the actual Fire Nation mainland. No foreign nation has ever attempted to invade or travel
to the Fire Nation due to its defences, many of the Fire Nation soldiers mention little about their homes, and almost all
recorded information on the Fire Nation has been destroyed. As a result, there is no clear idea as to what the geography,
appearance, population, or culture of the Fire Nation is actually like.
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Government
Fire Lord's Throne Room.
Fire Lord Ozai.
The Fire Nation is ruled with an iron fist by the latest in a long line of Firebenders, with the most recent leader being
Fire Lord Ozai. The Fire Nation's political system is an absolute monarchy that has been waging a century-long imperialist
war against the other three nations of the world; the stated goal of which is to create a planetwide empire. They are not
above employing genocide to accomplish this goal, having already eliminated the entire nation of Air Nomads, and driven the
Southern Water Tribe to the brink of extinction. A recent naval siege of the Northern Water Tribe failed, but the Nation's
current ambition is to conquer the Earth Kingdom by storming their capital city of Ba Sing Se. A previous siege of the city
led by General Iroh lasted six-hundred days until Iroh lost his son to the war, and therefore lost his will to fight. The
defeat has since branded him a failure. The Fire Nation has also taken the Earth Kingdom stronghold of Omashu.
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Military
Fire Lord's War Room.
The Fire Nation military is definitely the strongest of the four nations. Using a mystical comet that greatly enhanced
their powers, they succeeded in wiping out the Air Nomads early in the war. Though the Fire Nation is fighting on two-fronts
with the Water Tribe and the Earth Kingdom, they still have the upper hand. As the war drags on, it becomes clear that the
Fire Nation will eventually win if the Avatar does not intervene. The Water Tribe hasn't the military might to directly challenge
the Fire Nation, and the vast Earth Kingdom continues to lose territory to the Firebenders.
Fire Nation soldiers.
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Army
The Fire Nation's army comprises both normal foot soldiers (non-benders normally wield spears and swords) and Firebenders.
Firebending soldiers wear white faceplates shaped like abstract skulls, while ranking officers do not. Both have spiky fire
crests on the front of their helmets. Normal soldiers wear cone shaped helmets without masks. It is a possibility that a Firebending
soldier's skull mask is also used for psychological warfare due to their frightening appearances. Elite Firebenders who serve
as the Fire Lord's royal guard wear red armor all over.
Their cavalry ride Komodo-Rhinos. These creatures are mix between a large rhino and a komodo dragon, have three horns
like a triceratops and a long whip-like tail. Outfitted with heavy armor around the face, they're used for pulling carts and
carrying people, both for war and civilian purposes. Fire Nation soldiers mount these frightening beasts to terrorize their
enemies.
In the episode "The Northern Air Temple", the Fire Nation sieged an air temple with metal tanks. Each vehicle
was heavily armoured, equipped with fire ports (to allow the crew to fire projectiles from firebending to giant grappling
hooks), and had a water-based "balancing system" that allowed the tank to continue fighting even if it tipped over.
A Yu Yan Archer takes aim
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Yu Yan Archers
The Yu Yan Archers are Colonel Shinu's highly skilled unit of archers, capable of pinning a fly to a tree from 100 yards
away, without killing it. They're so skilled that they succeeded in overwhelming and capturing Aang, the Avatar, though he
subsequently escaped from custody.
Fire Nation naval forces
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Navy
The Fire Nation's navy comprises coal-powered warships, built of metal. In addition to its sturdy properties, the Fire
Nation's use of metallurgy to remove impurities from the metal ensures that Earthbenders cannot damage their ships with their
powers. These vessels serve many purposes, from ferrying and unloading troops to providing bombardment with their catapults.
In one particular episode, captured Earthbenders were forced into labor to work on a mid-ocean shipyard, and knowing that
they couldn't bend the metal of the rig, many of the captured Earthbenders lost their will to fight.
The Fire Nation's navy is very large; Admiral Zhao laid siege on the Northern Water Tribe with hundreds of ships, and
the Fire Nation certainly has many more. However, most of that fleet was destroyed during Siege of the North, Part II when
Aang became the physical incarnation of the ocean spirit, leaving only a few ships to retreat.
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Azula’s Ship
This royal ship is the pride of the Fire Nation Navy -- it is the most technologically advanced ship in the fleet. Compared
to Zuko's ship, Azula's ship is bigger, faster, newer, and in every way, better. This ship was specifically built for Azula
and no expense was spared for the Fire Lord's favorite child. The ship is guarded by the official Fire Nation Royal Guard,
an elite group of firebenders dressed in unique armour who serve for the protection of the Fire Lord and his family, excluding
Zuko and Iroh.
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Air Force
In the ending of the episode, The Northern Air Temple, the Fire Nation has acquired a hot air balloon. It is intended
that the Fire Nation will use this Force as an advantage in battles. "This defeat is the gateway to many victories".
For example, using the hot air balloon they could, in theory, just fly over the walls of Ba Sing Se.
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Rough Rhinos
A band of Fire-nation loyalists lead by Colonel Mongke. The Rough Rhinos are comprised of a variety of warriors of varying
skills, including a masked warrior who hurls explosives and a Yu-Yan archer. Riding their trademark mounts, they do not seem
to be part of any major unit, but act on their own free will, attacking enemies of the Fire Nation, and claiming land and
towns in the name of the Fire Lord. Both of their appearances have been defeats, both by Aang and company and by Iroh and
Zuko, although the latter was more of a humiliating draw.
See also: List of Avatar: The Last Airbender minor secondary characters#The Rough Rhinos
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Technology
The Fire Nation is the most technologically advanced of the nations, boasting Industrial-Age technologies like advanced
metallurgy, tanks, rudimentary explosives ("blasting jelly"), advanced catapults, and coal-powered, iron-clad warships.
Some of these innovations were commissioned by extorting an expatriate Earth Kingdom inventor, the Mechanist.
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Catapults
The Fire Nation navy uses metal semi-automated catapults. These work by setting a ball of coal in a shovel-like placement
that is attached to a machine. The placement is being held down by a rope. The coal-ball is ignited (set on fire) and the
rope is cut with a sword. This causes the bar holding the placement to fling over and toss the ignited coal-ball into the
air. This is likely an older model that was on Prince Zuko’s ship. The ships used by Admiral Zhao and the rest of
the Fire Nation's armed forces are more modern. They work by using is a large bar holding a metal net with a coal-ball inside
it. The coal ball is ignited and a pedal is hit with a mallet causing the bar to fling over and toss the ignited coal-ball
into the air. The army uses the same kind, replacing the metal net with a solid iron hopper.
In addition to use as a siege weapon, these catapults have been used effectively as anti-air weaponry against Aang and
Appa.
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Cities and locations
Avatar Roku's temple.
New Ozai, after the conquest of Omashu.
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Avatar Roku's temple
* On top of a rocky, crescent-shaped island in western Fire Nation waters is located Avatar Roku's temple. Built by
Avatar Roku himself, the temple contains numerous passageways that extend underground and a spiraling staircase that leads
to a sanctuary. In the episode "Avatar Roku (Winter Solstice, Part 2)", Avatar Roku's spirit temporarily merges
into Aang's body, and together they destroy the temple to allow Aang, Sokka and Katara to escape from Fire Nation soldiers
who had invaded it.
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New Ozai
* After conquering the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu, the city is being reconstructed to better suit the new Fire Nation
occupants. The former ruler, King Bumi, is currently deposed and Earth Kingdom forces continue to resist their new masters,
at least in secret. The new governor's daughter, Mai, is a friend of the Princess Azula, who renamed the city New Ozai after
her father.
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Tropical Jungles
* It is mentioned on the Nickelodeon website that there are tropical jungles in the Fire Nation. A large variety of
animals live here including the mongoose dragon.
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Influences
The Fire Nation is extremely influenced by ancient China and Japan in terms of architecture, clothing, hair, and combat
style. This is exemplified in the episode "Zuko Alone," where mourners are shown wearing white at a cremation funeral,
which is a Chinese tradition. Also most Fire Nation ships seemed to be based on the design of Korean Panokseons used in Joseon
Dynasty during the late 16th century.
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Notable figures
* Princess Azula
* Fire Lord Azulon
* Fire Lady Ilah
* General Iroh
* Prince Lu Ten
* Fire Lord Ozai
* Avatar Roku
* Fire Lord Sozin
* Princess Ursa
* Admiral Zhao
* Prince Zuko
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