Who is Avatar Kyoshi and who plays her in Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’?

With Avatar: The Last Airbender getting the live action Netflix treatment, many new fans are being introduced to the rich lore of the show’s world.

One vital character is Avatar Kyoshi, who was the avatar two cycles prior to Aang taking up the mantle. She was known as a fierce warrior and was said to be 7 feet tall. Before her death she molded a group of warriors in her image (the Kyoshi Warriors), who also play a vital role in the series. Basically, she was a bad-ass.

But what was really Avatar Kyoshi’s story? And who plays her in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender? Read on to find out!

Who is Avatar Kyoshi?

Kyoshi was born in the Earth Kingdom to a pair of criminals: Jesa, a runaway Air Noma nun, and a thief named Hark. While they were not great parents, they did leave Kyoshi with her metal fans and her famous face paint, so in that way their legacy lives on. The pair eventually abandoned her and she was left struggling as a homeless orphan, having to eat out of the garbage and scavenge for survival.

When the masters Jianzhu and Kelsang came to her village in search of the new avatar, Kyoshi watched from the sidelines. Eventually, she was called up and passed one of the tests: Recognizing a relic that had belonged to a previous avatar. However, her traumatic upbringing had led her to be untrusting, and before she could undergo more tests she ran away. However, the air nomad Kelsang had an inkling that she was special, and so became her defacto caretaker.

As he was away often, Kelsang paid farming families to look after Kyoshi when he wasn’t around, but he soon realized many were taking his cash and not feeding her. As a result, he found her a position at the Avatar Mansion, a large structure that was being made so that the new avatar could have a place to practice and perfect their bending.

For most of her childhood it was believed her wealthy acquaintance (and later good friend) Yun was the avatar. As she grew into her role, Kyoshi became more trusting, and even made some friends, most notably the firebender Rangi. During this time, Kyoshi developed more of a peaceful, turn-the-other-cheek persona, taking the bullying of others in her stride even though it was within her power to destroy them. She even stopped practicing earth bending, believing it useless to her.

However, this idyllic and easy life soon came to an end. Kelsang had long suspected that she was the avatar, and it was soon revealed that the orphan servant girl was the real deal. This led to a horrific confrontation in which she lost Yun to a spirit, and Kelsang was murdered by Jianzhu. Kyoshi escaped from the horror, and ended up travelling around with a group of criminals, before eventually taking on the Master Jianzhu, who had grown even more power hungry. However, she didn’t strike the final blow: that was left to Yun, who had returned to avenge himself against Jianzhu for abandoning him to the spirits.

After Jianzhu was defeated, the Earth Kingdom fell into disarray as a leadership vacuum filled the space he’d previously taken. This, plus a few other traumas, shaped her view that only justice and force could bring peace, and as a result she was happy to use her powers to kill those she perceived to be upsetting the balance of the world. She soon revealed herself to be the avatar, and began taking on the necessary duties.

During her time as avatar she stopped the dangerous Yellow Neck uprising, subdued Fire Lord Zoryu as he attempted a massacre, and famously defeated Chin the Conqueror, who had planned on taking the Earth Kingdom by force. She eventually founded Kyoshi Island and the Kyoshi Warriors to keep that region of the world safe, while also pushing reforms in the Earth Kingdom that turned it into a constitutional monarchy. She was also known for helping the poor, which is unsurprising given her background.

She lived until 250, making her the longest living avatar. During most of her life there was peace, but her actions did cause some problems. The largest was the fact she helped to form the Dai Li, the Earth Royal Family’s elite fighting unit, who were used to commit evil during and after her lifetime.

Why is Avatar Kyoshi important in Avatar: The Last Airbender?

Avatar Kyoshi is important for many reasons in Avatar: The Last Airbender. As she is a former avatar, Aang is a reincarnation of her. This means she is able to contact him and give him advice, which is sorely needed for the young, isolated airbender.

Additionally, the microstate of Kyoshi Island which she founded, and her group of fighters the Kyoshi Warriors, play a vital role in the series. Aang and his team end up on Kyoshi Island early on in both the animated and live action series, and with Kyoshi’s help Aang is able to control the avatar state for the very first time. Additionally, Suki, the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, becomes a love interest for Sokka and also helps the gang later on in the series, playing a vital role in their eventual defeat of Fire Lord Ozai.

One final important role that Kyoshi has is acting as a more serious foil to Aang and his predecessor (her successor) Roku. The latter two are both very easy going and excel at the more diplomatic elements of being the avatar, but their fair-mindedness is often taken advantage of by unscrupulous forces.

Who plays Avatar Kyoshi in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender?

In Netflix’s live action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Kyoshi is played by Yvonne Chapman. The Canadian actress and model was previously best known for her recurring role as Zhilan Zhang in Kung Fu, but has also appeared in The 100, Family Law, and a number of other shows.

In the animated series the voice actress Jennifer Hale took on the role.

If you want to learn more about Kyoshi’s fascinating life, there are a number of comics dedicated to her, and it is strongly rumored that there will an upcoming animated series that will chronicle her life from Avatar Studios.