As the secret service of Ba Sing Se, the Dai Li are a group of agents who work to maintain the power behind the Earth Kingdom throne, regardless of who's sitting in it. It could be the Earth King or Queen, a powerful minister, or even an invading Fire Nation Princess — the Dai Li are drawn towards strength, rather than illusions of nobility and grandeur.
In Avatar: The Last Airbender, however, they are shown to be cutthroat manipulators who see no difference between those they terrorize and those they claim to worship. The Dai Li are quite paradoxical in terms of their philosophy, as they themselves have shattered elements of their so-called "code" on numerous occasions.
10 The Were Created By Avatar Kyoshi
When Ba Sing Se experienced a shock revolution, the Avatar decided to establish a special group of Earthbending warriors to safeguard the city. Known as the Dai Li, they underwent arduous training under the guidance of Kyoshi, who taught them almost all of the techniques they currently use. In time, she grew to despise this organization, as she revealed her displeasure at her role in their formation during a conversation with Aang.
9 The Dai Li Were Meant To Serve The People
The revolution mentioned earlier was a "peasant uprising" against the Earth King, as the common folk believed that privileged royals were not fit to take care of their needs. The ruler arrogantly demanded that Avatar Kyoshi destroy the rebellion, a notion that she flat out rejected.
In response, the Earth King tried to have her imprisoned; a laughable concept, of course, because she wiped the floor clean with his soldiers. Kyoshi insisted that a settlement was essential, and created the Dai Li to protect Ba Sing Se as well as ensure that the citizens were not mistreated in any way.
8 Long Feng Was Involved In Their Political Corruption
Grand Secretariat Long Feng played an important role in manipulating the Dai Li into the scheming bunch of traitors they ended up becoming. Based on his authority, they took great care to prevent the knowledge of the Hundred Year War from leaking into the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se.
This was done because Long Feng wanted the Earth King to remain blissfully ignorant for as long as possible. Obviously this backfired on him, because the arrival of Azula changed the game entirely.
7 They Deviously Developed Their Brainwashing Technique
Anyone foolish enough to suggest that everything was not perfect with the world was taken to the Dai Li chambers located underneath the eerie Lake Laogai. Here, these innocent folk experienced a series of brainwashing procedures intended to force them under Long Feng's control (as well as remove any memories of unrest beyond the walls of the city.) In addition, scores of women were also brainwashed into becoming Joo Dee, who were created to carefully curate a guided tour of Ba Sing Se for curious travellers.
6 They Aren't As Powerful As They Seem
The Dai Li are really strong, but they are no match for the most talented characters in the franchise. On one hand, they are able to successfully provide back-up Azula and Zuko in the crystal cave, forcing Katara to escape with an unconscious Aang.
On the other, when the Red Lotus arrives in Ba Sing Se and demands the Avatar (who had supposedly been captured on the others of the Earth Queen), they are rebuffed. The Dai Li attempt to arrest them, but Zaheer, P'Li, Ghazan, and Ming-hua are far too sharp to lose such an easy battle.
5 The Dai Li Are Among The Best Earthbenders In The World
Considering their origins, the Dai Li were extremely proficient in the many nuances of Earthbending — their work was deft, nimble, and so quick that their victims were unaware of their presence until it was too late, as Team Avatar discovered during their stay in the city.
In fact, the Metalbending Police Department of Republic City seems to have been based on them. For instance, in the use of their metallic cables (which resembled the stone gauntlets that the Dai Li have a predilection for.)
4 They Employ Specialized Gear
Speaking of the stone gauntlets, the Dai Li were best known for their use of unique accessories that vastly improved their Earthbending. The gloves were often used to capture people, even from a great distance, and they did so with great secrecy and efficiency.
Further, their rock boots allowed the Dai Li to sort of "skate" on the earth, making them much faster than anyone actually using their legs to run. In addition, they could scale vertical walls with ease by Earthbending their shoes into the surrounding rock.
3 Their Membership System
The Dai Li were an elite task force, which means their conscription methods were finely tuned to maintain the high standard expected from their members. Potential "hiree" were most often chosen when they were young, as it was easier to instill the specific modes of indoctrination required to make them a full-fledged Dai Li agent.
Furthermore, there was a vague hierarchy in their organizational system, as Long Feng had a lieutenant under his command, not to mention the sergeant in charge of training the kidnapped Airbenders in The Legend of Korra.
2 Their Ability To Switch Allegiances Back And Forth
It looked like Long Feng had absolute authority over the Dai Li, but when Azula takes over Ba Sing Se, she successfully converts them to her cause (in other words, she convinces them that joining the winning side would be a lot more favorable to them than not.)
Later, she exiles them for their lateness, claiming that they were useless as bodyguards. The Dai Li somehow make it back into the good graces of the Earth monarchy, because they are seen once again serving the Earth Queen Hou-Ting in the sequel. And they are just as nasty as ever.
1 The Chinese, Roman, And Ottoman References
In real-life historical terms, the Dai Li resemble several versions of ancient Chinese officials, specifically belonging to the Qing Empire.The name most likely refers to Lt. Gen. Dai Li, who worked under General Chiang Kai-Shek as the head of the Military Intelligence Service from 1927 to 1946.
At the same time, they are strikingly analogous to the Roman emperor's Praetorian Guard as well as the Ottoman Sultan's Janissary Squad, both of which wielded considerable amounts of power over their respective rulers.