The Avatar series is well known for its flashy and well animated battles, but the characters behind these battles are what really give them their flare. The fact that each member of Team Avatar is not outshined by Korra and/or Aang is proof of just how fantastic these shows are. Even those without bending manage to prove their value throughout the two separate series. The show writers made sure that each member of the team was given their moment to shine, both emotionally and physically, but this does not mean they are an equal match for other members of Team Avatar. Some characters are simply more powerful than others.
While it is rare to see Team Avatar battling among themselves, each member has demonstrated their peak abilities enough to find a spot on this list. These demonstrated abilities will be pulled from the tv series exclusively, meaning any incredible feats that Aang accomplished post ATLA, will not be counted here.
10 Korra
Like all the Avatar before her, Korra is a force of nature. Unlike Aang though, Korra loses connection with the former Avatar spirits, making all of her incredible feats of strength hers alone. Throughout The Legend of Korra, this young Avatar is shown to be a master of every element. Before even growing into adulthood, Korra masters metal bending and a new style of fighting that fits within the confines of the pro-bending arena. This confident young woman proves very early on in her series that she only needs one element to beat most of her opponents.
9 Aang
Aang's young age may be the only thing separating him from Korra, but there is also something to be said about the culture of airbending that places him in second place. His mastery of airbending is impressive, and something Korra never accomplishes during her own series, but it seems to prevent him from truly demonstrating his strength in battle. The boy demonstrates incredible skills with the other elements, but each is held back by the pacifism taught to him by the air temple monks. This is certainly not a weakness, and in a list crediting moral strength, Aang would certainly top it. Still, each time Aang meets an equal in battle that he cannot sway with peaceful words, he is forced to rely on the avatar state, or risk being defeated.
8 Toph
This young girl's strength lies in the combination of her open mindedness and her bending abilities. Toph's earthbending is incredible. The self-proclaimed "best earthbender in the world" lives up to her name. While a member of Team Avatar, Toph develops an entirely new subsection of earthbending by making metal look like putty. On top of this, her seismic sense of touch allows her to see better than those with two fully functioning retinas. While other styles can certainly compete with earth- and metalbending, Toph's ability to sense her opponents movement is what really separates her from the crowd.
7 Katara
On a full moon, Katara's full potential is enough to warrant losing her bending abilities because of the threat she poses. Similarly to Aang though, her moral strength restrains her from demonstrating these skills.
Even without the threat of bloodbending, Katara is still a master level waterbender. Her development throughout the series is one of the best examples of power scaling that has ever made it to tv. The young girl that could barely catch a fish in the first episode manages to catch Azula, a firebending prodigy, in the final episode. Add that to her abilities as a healer and you have one powerful bender.
6 Bolin
Bolin has shown that he is a master of earthbending without ever having to move a mountain to do so. This earthbender finds his strength in accuracy. Where others like Korra and Toph manipulate the landscape while earthbending, Bolin only needs a small amount of earth to take out his opponents thanks to the accuracy of his shots.
It was Bolin who managed to take out P'li in their first encounter thanks to this kind of accuracy. In another encounter with the Red Lotus, Bolin learns to lavabend, giving him the ability to manipulate the landscape in ways most earthbenders can only dream of. Pair this with his accuracy and you have one dangerous earthbender.
5 Zuko
The heir to the Fire Lord is master of both firebending and the sword. Though his firebending progressed at a slower rate than many others, his ability with the blade and martial arts skills are formidable on their own. These skills allowed him to infiltrate a Fire Nation outpost by himself and even caused his father to pause when confronted without his bending. Let it be known that the same master swordsman that taught Sokka trained Zuko when he was a child.
The fact that his firebending developed at a slower rate does not mean he was not powerful while using the element. Zuko trained his skills with some of the most powerful firebenders ever, including his uncle Iroh and a literal dragon.
4 Mako
Combine a professional bender with a detective and you get one of the most strategic and creative benders in the Avatar canon. Mako proves throughout The Legend of Korra that he is one of the best benders in the entire show. Even Amon gives Mako credit before attempting to steal his bending. He may lack the traditional skills one would pick up in a dojo, but his mastery of lightning bending and his ability to fight well alongside others are strengths others fail to demonstrate quite as well as Mako does.
3 Asami
Though Asami is a non bender, her mastery of martial arts and her affinity with technology make her a very formidable opponent. Throughout The Legend of Korra, Asami uses the shock gloves created by her father to take out more than a few opponents. Some of these opponents even have the ability to bend.
Her agility, mastery of the martial arts, and knowledge of engineering make her a strong opponent to deal with and a powerful teammate.
2 Sokka
The leader of Aang's team may not be a bender, but he is a valuable member nonetheless. As he developed throughout Avatar: The Last Airbender, Sokka learned to wield many different weapons, including his boomerang and a space sword. Though you could make a good case for his mastery of the boomerang, Sokka's survival hung on his intelligent and strategic mind more often than his fighting skills.
Sokka is a natural born leader, making him as strong as the people he surrounds himself with. Luckily, as the leader of Team Avatar, he is surrounded by plenty of strength.
1 Appa
Before diving into the strengths of this Flying Bison, Momo, Pabu, and Naga all deserve an honorable mention on this list. None of these beasts could manage to outmaneuver the entire Fire Nation navy for a year though, so Appa wins his spot fair and square. The maneuverability brought on by the power of flight, paired with the strength hidden behind his massive frame, makes for an extremely strong member of Team Avatar. Flight is not his only airbending ability either. Appa shows many times that all it takes is a swing from his massive tail to send a gust of wind in whichever direction he chooses.