Who Is The Earthbender In The Avatar: The Last Airbender Intro?

Water. Earth. Fire. Air.

For a generation of viewers, it's impossible to hear the four natural elements without immediately being reminded of "Avatar: The Last Airbender." The show takes place in a world divided into four nations based on each of the elements where certain individuals can manipulate said elements. And naturally, there's Aang at the center of everything, who has the potential of controlling all four.

Even if you know nothing about "Avatar" before going into it, the show explains everything in the opening sequence. Every episode begins the same way: Introducing how fractured the world has become and demonstrating what all of the benders are capable of. And if you pay close enough attention, you should be able to make out each of the benders. The Firebender is Princess Azula, whom fans come to know far too well over the course of the series, while the Waterbender is Master Pakku. It's unclear who the Airbender is, but the Earthbender requires a bit of a deep dive to figure out who it is.

From the intro, you can see the silhouette of the Earthbender where there's an unmistakable beard and man-bun. That's not a ton to go off of during the beginning of the series, but on Episode 46, "The Avatar and the Fire Lord," we're introduced to an old Earthbending master by the name of Sud. He taught Roku, who was another Avatar before Aang. Sud showed Roku the ways of Earthbending until the student was finally able to overcome the teacher.

That flashback sequence is so far the only time Sud has been seen in the "Last Airbender" franchise. From what we see and hear from him, Sud is very much like other Earthbenders before and after him. He's described as "uncompromising, stubborn, and blunt," which are all attributes possessed by Aang's Earthbending teacher, Toph, too. 

Sud and Toph are more closely linked than you likely thought initially. Translated, "Sud" means "South" in Italian. Conversely, Toph's last name is Beifong, which is close to the way "North" is pronounced in Mandarin. This could suggest that it's not just the Avatar who's reincarnated. Perhaps over the course of a century, Sud reincarnated into Toph, or at the very least, the two are connected in some way.