Elemental bending defines the combat system of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and characters can bend either water, earth, air, or fire. And in the Avatar's case, such as Avatar Aang himself, all four elements can be finely manipulated for combat or even rescue operations. All of Aang's best fights scenes involve some heavy bending.

RELATED: Avatar: 10 Things Korra Can Do Without Her Bending

However, Aang as a character isn't just a vehicle for the show's combat scenes. He has many skills, talents, and interests, many of which don't involve bending or violence at all. Above all, Aang is a mediator, diplomat, and peacemaker, and he would be happy if he never had to fight with bending ever again.

10 Aang Can Visit The Spirit World

5 aang in spirit world

Every Avatar acts as a bridge between the spirit world and the mortal realm since each Avatar has Raava the light spirit inside them, ever since Avatar Wan himself. Aang can visit the spirit world at will, but he has an easier time if he is in a spiritually charged place, such as that oasis at the Northern Water Tribe.

No bending is necessary to visit the spirit world or explore it. In fact, bending isn't even possible in this realm unless they enter through the northern or southern portals. As of Aang's time, those portals were closed; years later, Avatar Korra would open them.

9 Aang Can Negotiate With Spirits

koh face stealer avatar

Aang can do a lot of things with spirits, owing to his Avatar status, and he can interact with these supernatural beings even if he never visits the spirit world in person. Some spirits wander the mortal realm, including a panda-shaped spirit that guards a forest in the Earth Kingdom.

Aang can negotiate or speak with these spirits to understand their needs and interests, and thus help maintain peace between spirits and humanity. Years later, Aang's son Tenzin would continue this work and try to make humans and spirits get along.

8 Aang Can Play With Animals

rabaroo drinking water avatar

Many charming and fascinating animals populate the Avatar world, from rabaroos to the unagi sea serpent to fire ferrets, and Aang loves them all. In another life, Aang might have been a zookeeper or veterinarian, since he loves to play with animals of all shapes and sizes.

RELATED: Star Wars: 10 Things Obi-Wan Can Do Without His Lightsaber

But it's not just fun for Aang. He is also highly knowledgeable of how many species act and think, and this allows him to gently defeat dangerous animals in battle or simply drive them away. It's remarkable how much he understands the fauna of each nation.

7 Aang Can Ride On Appa

Avatar Aang Meets Appa Avatar The Last Airbender

Most Air Nomads form deep friendships with sky bison, and Aang's bison friend is Appa, who is an expert Airbender himself. Even if Aang isn't performing any airbending himself, Appa certainly can, and Appa can use his bending to fly for hours in the sky.

Appa always trusts Aang to ride on him like an oversized horse, and Aang has long since fitted a comfortable saddle on Appa for extended flights across the land. Aang can tour the world without any bending of his own.

6 Aang Can Train Air Acolytes

aang season 3 finale outfit

Aang is heartbroken that the Air Nomads are all gone, but he won't let their culture die out for good. During the events of the Dark Horse comics, Aang met some girls who loved all things Airbender, and he decided to put their enthusiasm to good use. The air acolytes were born.

RELATED: One-Punch Man: 10 Things Saitama Can Do Without His Punches

None of the acolytes are Airbenders, of course, but they don't have to be. Aang taught them all about authentic Air Nomad culture, and the acolytes used Aang's teachings to restore old Air temples and keep the culture alive. By Korra's time, each temple had plenty of acolytes, all thanks to Aang.

5 Aang Can Train New Airbender Monks

Legend Of Korra: Tenzin serious expression

Aang's son, Tenzin, had exactly one teacher: his father. Of course, many aspects of Tenzin's training would involve Aang demonstrating Airbending, but there is more to this lifestyle than bending. Many of an Air Nomad's duties involve meditation, prayer, and training sky bison instead.

Aang could teach his sole Airbender son all sorts of things without having to bend, such as how to meditate, what an Airbender daily routine looks like, how to tame a sky bison, and the complete history of Airbenders. Tenzin learned well.

4 Aang Can Maintain International Relations

king kuei ba sing se

The Avatar has a duty not just to the spirit realm, but also to the human world of politics and military affairs. A good Avatar will help maintain peace and make sure that all nations are watched over, and this means serving as a neutral mediator between all nations, territories, tribes, and other political entities.

RELATED: One Piece: 10 Things Zoro Can Do Without His Swords

Aang needs no bending to help maintain healthy diplomatic ties with various nations. In fact, a show of force with bending will simply make a bad impression. Aang must use his Air Nomad wisdom and diplomatic savviness to help world leaders get along and prevent war.

3 Aang Can Cooperate With Police Investigations

aang toph arrest yakon Avatar

Aang never became a police officer, but his good friend Toph Beifong did, and they continued to fight evil together in their middle adulthood. In the streets of Republic City, the criminal Waterbender Yakon was causing trouble, and Toph was on the case. So was Aang.

Aang didn't normally get involved in such cases, as he explained, but Yakon the bloodbender was a special case, so he indeed got involved. Toph had no problem with that, and the two of them soon arrested the gangster. When Yakon escaped, Aang took action, and finally started using his bending.

2 Aang Can Wear Disguises

aang in earth kingdom outfit

Aang couldn't afford to walk around in his Air Nomad outfit, so he often wore disguises when visiting towns and cities, especially in the Fire Nation itself. Aang once wore a mask and cloak at a fire festival, and he also has been seen wearing Earth Kingdom attire and even a Fire Nation school uniform.

On a more humorous note, Aang once disguised himself as an elderly man, complete with fake hair and a beard, to hide his true age. He also hunched over and adjusted his voice to complete the disguise. He did this when trying to gain admittance into Omashu.

1 Aang Can Use His Status To Influence People

Avatar Aang Communicates with Korra Legend of Korra

Aang isn't the type to abuse his influence or power, which is fortunate, since the Avatar can get away with practically anything. Everyone knows what the Avatar is, even if they haven't met him or her in person, and Aang gets all kinds of special favors when his Avatar status is thrown around.

Aang can often gain admittance to certain parties, groups, or towns with this status, and officials are often eager to help him after learning who he is. The exception was the ferry into Ba Sing Se; it was Toph who used her influence to score some free ferry tickets into the city.

NEXT: Attack on Titan: 10 Things Aang Can Do Without His Titan Powers