Over the past 20 years, few animated shows have been more popular than Avatar: The Last Airbender. Between the adventures of Aang and their sequel, The Legend of Korra, the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise has consistently entertained fans since debuting in 2005, due in no small part to its spectacular cast of benders.

From Aang and his incredible airbending to Toph and her discovery of metalbending, there’s no shortage of impressive benders throughout the events of ATLA and TLOK. That said, only a proud few can stand as the greatest benders of their respective elements.

Zaheer Is the Most Talented Airbender of the New Generation

The Legend of Korra introduces a host of talented benders to the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise, including a brand-new generation of Airbenders who gain their powers following the events of the Harmonic Convergence. Of these new-gen Airbenders, none are stronger than the radical member of the Red Lotus & primary antagonist of The Legend of Korra Season 3, Zaheer.

After spending much of his life reflecting on the teachings of the ancient Airbender Guru Laghima, Zaheer gains the ability to Airbend while in prison, and he quickly proves himself to be one of the most talented benders of the modern era. Like Laghima, Zaheer can levitate and fly through the air, which gives him a massive advantage against other Airbenders. Combined with his high-level martial arts and ruthless tactics, Zaheer is capable of simultaneously going toe-to-toe with figures like Korra, Tenzen, and Lin Beifong, making him a legitimate threat to even the likes of the Avatar.

Toph Beifong Reinvented Earthbending

Earthbending undergoes a massive amount of change between the beginning of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, and no one deserves more credit for its development than Toph Beifong. The daughter of the Beifong Family is an Earthbending prodigy from a young age, as well as the individual who singlehandedly founded the Metalbending style.

During her journey with Aang to defeat Fire Lord Ozai, Toph demonstrates more aptitude for Earthbending than any other character in the franchise. Even compared to longtime Earthbenders like King Bumi or Toph’s daughters, Lin and Suyin, Toph has more versatility and overall talent than any of her peers, which is why she remains a defining element of Earthbending culture over 70 years after the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Kuvira Takes Metalbending to the Next Level

Although Toph Beifong is the best overall Earthbender in the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise, the Blind Bandit doesn’t show quite as much aptitude with its subtypes as the new-gen prodigies introduced in The Legend of Korra. When it comes to Metalbending, Toph takes a backseat to Kuvira, who proves herself to be the greatest Metalbender of her generation by conquering the Earth Kingdom and nearly overthrowing Republic City with her army.

Kuvira is clearly presented as being stronger than either Lin or Suiyin Beifong, and considering her ability to control a giant mecha robot using metal gyroscopes, she’s an easy choice as the most proficient metalbender in the entire series. While Toph Beifong may have been able to defeat “The Great Uniter” in her prime, neither version of Toph that appears in Avatar: The Last Airbender or The Legend of Korra could have overcome Kuvira’s strength.

Katara Sets the Standard for Waterbenders

Avatar: The Last Airbender follows the story of Aang, but his companions are arguably just as impressive as he is when it comes to their respective talents. As Aang’s Waterbending mentor, Katara proves herself to be a generational talent by defeating a host of powerful benders, ranging from the dangerous Bloodbender Hama to the maniacal Firebender Azula.

By the events of The Legend of Korra, Katara is still the world’s most proficient healer, so it’s safe to assume that she continued to develop her Waterbending skills into her adulthood. Minus the Avatars, no individual shows more prowess with Waterbending than Aang’s first friend, which is why she’s an easy choice as the franchise’s best waterbender.

Ghazan Changes Entire Landscapes With His Lavabending

Lavabending is one of the rarest subtypes of bending in the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise, and only a handful of characters show the ability to perform it in either ATLA or The Legend of Korra. Ghazan —the first character to use Lavabending on-screen — is a vital member of the Red Lotus, as well as the most proficient Lavabender of the modern era.

Using Lavabending, Ghazan topples the entire Northern Air Temple, which is easily one of the most impressive feats any non-Avatar bender performs in the entire franchise. Additionally, he also levels a large section of Ba Sing Se’s Inner Wall, making him a legitimate threat to even the most talented benders. As impressive as Bolin’s Lavabending is (especially considering his inexperience), it will take years before the young bender is capable of rivaling Ghazan’s sheer destructive capability.

Amon Rewrote the Rules of Bloodbending

When Bloodbending first appears in Avatar: The Last Airbender, it’s presented as one of the most overpowered (and unethical) types of bending in the world. However, as terrifying as Hama and Katara are during their Bloodbending displays, no character demonstrates more incredible talent with the Waterbending subtype than the leader of the Equalists, Amon.

Originally born as Noatak, Amon was raised by fellow Bloodbender Yakone, who infamously Bloodbended Aang, his allies, and an entire courtroom full of witnesses during his own trial. While Amon might not demonstrate the raw power of Yakone, his refined skills are said to surpass his father’s — an assertion supported by the fact that Amon learned how to take away an individual’s bending using his Bloodbending.

Ozai Legitimately Deserves the Title of Fire Lord

From the beginning of Avatar: The Last Airbender, it’s clear that the series’ protagonists will have to defeat Fire Lord Ozai if they hope to achieve their goal of liberating the world from his rule. Unfortunately for them, this means that Aang and his crew have to defeat none other than the most powerful Firebender of the entire franchise.

The race for Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s best Firebender is closer than any other bending style. Azula is the most skilled Firebender, Iroh is the most spiritual Firebender, and Prince Zuko blends the talents of his family to become the most well-rounded Firebender in the franchise. However, Firebending is ultimately about power, and no Firebender has more raw power than Ozai. The Fire Lord gives Aang a run for his money during Sozin’s Comet, utilizing landscape-altering blasts and propelling himself through the air in order to gain the upper hand in their duel.

Iroh Is the Father of Modern Lightning Bending

Like Firebending, it’s difficult to glean who the best Lightning Bender is in the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise. Ozai, Azula, Zuko, and Mako all demonstrate an impressive mastery over the Firebending subtype, but none of them has a more revolutionary impact on Lightning Bending than the beloved Dragon of the West, Iroh.

Although Iroh is one of the most talented Firebenders of all time, his true claim to fame is his mastery over lightning. Thanks to his spiritual connection, Iroh isn’t chained by the anger that plagues much of his family, allowing him to learn how to redirect lightning as though he were Waterbending. Though he may not be the Lightning Bender with the most raw power, Iroh’s versatility, spirituality, and experience are enough to cement him as the greatest Lightning Bender of the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise.

Korra’s Energybending Feats Surpass Aang’s

Of all the bending forms seen in Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, none is rarer than Energybending. The unique ability is exclusively utilized by the Avatar, with both Aang and Korra using it in their respective journeys. While both Aang and Korra achieve incredible feats using Energybending, Korra ultimately gets the edge in a competition between the two thanks to her versatility.

Aang’s use of Energybending is limited to his removal of Ozai and Yakone’s bending. As impressive as these accomplishments are, Korra ends up using Energybending to do much more than manipulate a single individual’s energy. During her standoff with Kuvira, Korra deflects a massive blast of spiritual energy from the villain’s mecha rifle, and during her battle with Vaatu, Korra even uses astral projection to fight a giant version of the ancient spirit. Overall, Korra’s implementation of Energybending is far and away the most impressive in the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise, even if Aang deserves major credit for what he accomplishes with the bending style.