In the Asian-inspired world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, benders can control the four classic Greek elements, but only the avatar can bend all four at once. This unique individual contains the spirit of Raava (as The Legend of Korra explained), and an avatar serves as the bridge between the human and spirit realms.

RELATED: Legend of Korra: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Jinora

The avatar's duty is to maintain peace and balance in the world, striving to end conflicts before they begin and prevent great harm to the world by any means necessary. This doesn't always mean fighting (negotiation is always an option), but avatars are always ready to wield their power to put a stop to bloodthirsty armies or rampaging spirits. Now, which characters in the original Avatar: the Last Airbender would make good avatars, aside from Aang? And which characters would abuse the position or fail to make the most of it?

Update July 9th, 2020 by Louis Kemner: With Avatar: the Last Airbender on everyone's minds right now, it's exciting to ask all kinds of questions about the story, such as: what does it really mean to be the avatar? The avatar does bend the four elements and communicates with spirits, but a proper avatar is a neutral and compassionate peacekeeper who looks out for all. The avatar is the custodian of the entire human race and all the spirits, and in many ways, being the avatar has nothing to do with bending. So, let's assess a few more characters and see if they have what it takes.

15 Great Avatar: Katara

katara happy

This kind-hearted girl was, for a time, the last bender in the Southern Water Tribe, and she learned much when she visited the Northern Tribe to train under Pakku. Her skills are formidable, and she can even bend blood.

Fortunately, Katara never falls to the temptation to do evil or abuse her power, not even when she confronted her mother's killer. Her generous spirit, compassion, and sense of responsibility would make her an outstanding avatar.

14 Bad Avatar: Toph Beifong

Toph in ATLA

For the most part, Toph is an excellent member of team avatar and an incredible bender, but she is not quite suited for the role of avatar. She does have a deep understanding of earth bending, and she has more worldly knowledge than her noble upbringing would suggest.

But Toph is too quick to fight and antagonize others, and she is impatient and confrontational. Simply put, Toph is too heavy-handed to be a proper avatar, and her attitude would create as many problems as it would solve.

13 Great Avatar: Iroh

Uncle Iroh in Avatar

Iroh is a member of the Fire Nation royal family, but he is nothing like his younger brother Ozai. Iroh faced the horrors of war when he lost his son Lu Ten in the siege of Ba Sing Se, and ever since, he has become a man of compassion and forgiveness.

RELATED: Avatar: Uncle Iroh's 10 Best Moments

He thinks more like an airbender than a firebender, and his earthly wisdom and kindness allow him to inspire others and make many friends. This, in addition to his desire for peace, would make him an outstanding avatar.

12 Bad Avatar: Prince Zuko

Prince Zuko actually comes pretty close to being a good avatar, especially given his background. He is the son of Ozai, and he eventually claimed the mantle of Fire Lord. For a time, all he wanted was to capture the avatar and prove himself to his father for selfish reasons.

Zuko has since reformed himself and become a noble leader, but he is still rather hotheaded and prone to self-doubt and brash decision-making, which would compromise him as the avatar. He's better off being the avatar's friend and ally (which he actually is).

11 Good Avatar: Huu

huu avatar last airbender

He may look goofy, but Huu is an exceptional waterbender. He lives in the great swamp of the Earth Kingdom, where he has an affinity for plants and can bend the water inside them. Typically, he envelops himself in plant matter to form an organic mecha suit of sorts.

RELATED: Avatar: The Last Airbender Characters Sorted Into Their Hogwarts Houses

He's not dangerous, though, and only acts in the swamp's defense. Huu is a compassionate and kind fellow, and he understands that all things are connected, like different roots of the same tree, and that's a core philosophy of the avatar state.

10 Bad Avatar: Long Feng

Long Feng Avatar Villain

He is the head of the Dai Li and is quite intelligent, and he's able to negotiate and have polite conversation with just about anyone. The problem is that he uses his talents for selfish and destructive ends, rather than helping others.

Long Feng engineered the Dai Li ploy to control Ba Sing Se and use King Kuei as a puppet, is totally ruthless, and sees his power grab as a high-stakes game. His outlook and personality are a long way from what an avatar should be like.

9 Good Avatar: Chief Hakoda

Hakoda is the father of Sokka and Katara, and the chief of the Southern Water Tribe (what little is left of it). Like Long Feng, he is an intelligent non-bender who knows how to expertly lead troops for any operation and has their utmost respect.

RELATED: 10 Legend of Korra Gifts That Are D'Aang Good

The difference is that Hakoda fights to protect the innocent, not exploit or oppress them as Long Feng does. Hakoda is also much braver since he openly challenges the Fire Nation in battle as a field commander, rather than skulking and plotting in the shadows.

8 Bad Avatar: King Kuei

Earth King Kuei means well and became a sworn ally of the avatar once Long Feng was overthrown, and he mobilized the Earth Kingdom army to help fight during the solar eclipse invasion. But he's not cut out to be the avatar.

The problem is that King Kuei is rather ignorant of the world, being Long Feng's puppet for so long, and he is not as strong-willed and worldly as the avatar must be. In any situation of world conflict, King Kuei would struggle to reconcile the feuding sides and restore peace.

7 Good Avatar: Ty Lee

Ty Lee, if she were born as the avatar, would probably have a character arc similar to Korra's. She is a brash young woman who's eager to prove herself, and at first, she would get carried away as the avatar.

But Ty Lee means well, and she has no malice or cynicism at all. Instead, she could mature over time and learn from her past avatar selves, and channel her boisterous energy for creative ends and keep the peace. She would make for a very active (and cheerful) avatar.

6 Bad Avatar: Jeong Jeong

Jeong Jeong in Avatar: The Last Airbender with an open mouth.

It is pretty much a given that Ozai and Azula would make for terrible avatars, given their bloodthirsty and imperialistic attitude and serious narcissism. But what about other high-ranking firebenders, like Jeong Jeong?

He is a part of the White Lotus, which works in his favor, but his attitude is not where it should be. Jeong Jeong curses himself for being a firebender and feels somewhat jaded about it all, and he's not in the mood to be a hero. He only acts out of a sense of duty for the White Lotus, but an avatar must do more than that.

5 Good Avatar: Pakku

pakku water tribe

At first, Pakku made a bad personal impression, since he was strict and humorless, and he enforced the Northern Water Tribe's ban on training girls to bend water. But he proved his worth not long after that.

RELATED: Avatar: 10 Things Avatar Does Better Than Most Animes

Pakku is a master waterbender and a wise teacher, and he is also a kind fellow who's just a little bitter about the past. He lost the chance to marry the girl of his dreams, but now he's achieved that dream, and he is an active member of the White Lotus. He wants peace and prosperity for all (and totally reversed his position on girls bending water, too).

4 Bad Avatar: Admiral Zhao

admiral zhao

In some ways, Admiral Zhao does have what it takes to be the avatar. He's a highly skilled commander who can lead entire armies and coordinate any campaign of any scale. That would be a great skill for a peacekeeper who needs to manage large populations of people.

The problem: Zhao is thuggish and bloodthirsty. He's a reckless firebender who seeks only to destroy (to Jeong-Jeong's dismay), and he is rather arrogant and loves to pursue personal glory. These traits negate all of his positive qualifications, so he'd make a lousy avatar after all.

3 Good Avatar: Princess Yue

Yue In Avatar The Last Airbender Season 1

Meet princess Yue, who captured Sokka's heart the moment team avatar arrived at the Northern Water Tribe. As a princess, Yue was no doubt educated thoroughly on how to lead a nation of people, and how to care for them all.

RELATED: 5 Ways Aang & Goku Are Exactly the Same (& 5 How They Aren't)

That's a good start, and unlike the Fire Nation's princess, Yue is compassionate and selfless, and she proved this by manifesting her latent spirit abilities. When the moon spirit was killed at Zhao's hands, Yue gave her life to set things right. Now that's the kind of attitude a good avatar should have.

2 Bad Avatar: Mai

Mai is another member of princess Azula's team, and like Ty Lee, she turned on Azula when the latter started going out of control. Mai is much more loyal to prince Zuko, and she's used to the noble life.

While Mai has strong personal loyalty and a good head on her shoulders, she has shown zero inclination for larger projects or responsibilities. Mai isn't irresponsible, but then again, she'd be overwhelmed by the avatar's peacekeeping duties, and she would much rather hand over this job to someone else. It's not for her.

1 Good Avatar: King Bumi

Avatar Bumi

This quirky old man was Aang's childhood friend, and he is now the king of the city of Omashu. He likes to live it up, but he's also a tough and experienced bender who is absolutely willing to fight and defend what's his. He'll even do it alone.

Bumi is a patient, wise, and selfless king who's strong enough to crush his enemies but gentle to his people. And yes, he's also a member of the White Lotus. All of this makes him a good candidate for the role of the avatar.

NEXT: 10 Shows to Watch if You Like Avatar: The Last Airbender