"You boys smell something in here? Wait, I know what that is; yeah, that's the scent of losers."

— Tahno to the rest of his team about the Fire Ferrets.[1]

Tahno is a waterbender and captain of the White Falls Wolfbats. He showed disgust toward the Fire Ferrets[1] and led his pro-bending team to a third round knockout victory in the finals, making them reigning tournament champions four years running, despite foul play during the match.[2]

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History

170 AG

Meeting Avatar Korra

During her date with Bolin at Narook's Seaweed Noodlery, Korra noticed that Tahno and the rest of the Wolfbats, as well as their fangirls, were observing them. Bolin warned Korra not to make eye contact with him, describing him as a "nasty dude". However, she ignored his advice and glared straight at Tahno. Upon seeing this, he stood and gestured for the rest of his posse to follow. He exchanged insults with the Avatar and tried to provoke her, even allowing her "the first shot". Bolin warned her that if she hit him, the Fire Ferrets would be disqualified from the Pro-bending Tournament. Heeding his warning, Korra ended the exchange by calling Naga to intimidate him, which the polar bear dog did with a loud surprise roar from the window. Tahno yelped and reeled backward with fright as the animal roared at him. He attempted to regain whatever dignity he could still muster and signaled for his posse to follow him out.

The Pro-bending Championship

After the Fire Ferrets claimed victory in a thrilling semifinal, Tahno approached them with more insults. The Wolfbats beat the opposing Mo Ce Mongoose Lizards in a surprisingly fast first-round knockout, securing a spot in the tournament's finale. During this "brutal" match, Tahno took out the opposing team's waterbender by putting a hole in the glass of his helmet with a very powerful strike to the head. This player and one other were carried out on stretchers, groaning.[1]

Tahno and the Wolfbats' entrance in the championship match was overly extravagant and highlighted by fireworks and pyrotechnic displays. Tahno and his team very nearly cheated their way to a first round knockout, leaving Korra and Mako hanging from the edge of the arena. However, Korra swung Mako back up onto the ring, keeping the Fire Ferrets in the final. Mako proceeded to knock Tahno back a zone, angering him greatly. Round two was a draw and therefore decided by a one-on-one tie breaker between Tahno and Korra. Tahno goaded Korra into taking the first shot, calling her a "little girl", but was shocked as an unexpected strike to the head knocked him and his helmet out of the center ring. In rounds two and three, an angry Tahno used various illegal moves such as icing and combining earth and water to strike his opponents with powerful illegal head-shots, all of which were ignored by the officials.

After all three Ferrets were in the drink, he and the Wolfbats celebrated their victory, but as they did so, they were surprised to witness the beginning of an Equalist attack. As Amon entered the ring, the Wolfbats decided to fight him and his chi blockers. They were swiftly defeated and Tahno pleaded for Amon to not take his bending away, going so far as to offer him the championship pot. His efforts were ultimately futile as Amon "cleansed" the Wolfbats' "impurity". Afterward, they were thrown in the water and managed to swim to the exit. During his speech, Amon referenced his cheating, calling him and his teammates "bullies who cheated their way to victory" and admonished the crowd for celebrating it.[2]



A changed man

In the aftermath of the attack on the arena, Tahno visited the best healers in Republic City, but none of them could revert what Amon did to him. Tahno, now a broken mess and distraught from having his bending taken away, ran into Korra at the police headquarters just before he was about to be questioned about the events during the tournament. While conversing with Korra, he made her promise that she would get Amon for him. Despite his situation, he still managed to crack a joke at her, albeit good-naturedly, by calling her the "Ah-vatar" before going with Lin Beifong and Tenzin for his interrogation.[3]

171 AG

Sometime following the end of the Anti-bending Revolution, Tahno's waterbending abilities were restored by Korra and he and his teammates returned to competition. Following the events of the Unalaq Crisis, Tahno and his team participated in a charity pro-bending tournament to help repair damages done to Republic City. The Wolfbats made it to the finals, where they were defeated by their old rivals, the Fire Ferrets.[4]

174 AG

When Kuvira threatened to take Republic City by force, Tahno ignored the voluntary evacuation request issued by President Raiko and instead retreated to Narook's Seaweed Noodlery with his fangirls and Ming. However, he did react to Prince Wu's plea to evacuate.[5] After the conclusion of the battle, Tahno provided the entertainment during the dinner party of Varrick and Zhu Li's wedding by playing the trombone in a band.[6]

Personality

Tahno had a predominantly haughty and arrogant personality. He always enjoyed standing out over others, especially his pro-bending rivals, making sarcastic comments and boasting while in front of them. His arrogant and egotistical side was shown when Korra beat him in a tiebreaker round by using a head-shot water strike; after being knocked back, he told his teammates that they were going to send their opponents "to a watery grave". However, after Amon took his bending away, the bully in him weakened and he became more polite than prior to his ordeal with the Equalist leader.[3] Additionally, after Korra restored his bending, Tahno became more fair in pro-bending.[4]

Abilities

Tahno has demonstrated himself to be a formidable waterbender, using his abilities to great effect during pro-bending matches. However, it is questionable how skilled Tahno really was, as he repeatedly used illegal tactics and was quickly defeated by Korra in a tie-breaker. Regardless, Tahno also proved to be exceptional with changing the state of water, as he used illegal icing moves in pro-bending matches.[2]

Outside of his bending abilities, he also has considerable musical skills, as he is capable of playing the trombone to a level fitting of playing in a band and entertaining wedding guests.[6]

Appearances

The Legend of Korra

Book One: Air (气)

Book Two: Spirits (神靈)

214. "Light in the Dark" (vision, no lines)

Book Four: Balance (平衡)

Trivia

Tahno's image was on the back of the newspaper Korra was reading during breakfast one morning on Air Temple Island. [7]

Tahno left a surplus of headshots plastered around Republic City, some of which were collected by Korra, and used by the Fire Ferrets as target practice in the gym. [2] [8] There were posters of Tahno at Narook's Noodlery in the booth where he was sitting. [1]

Tahno's design is based on top Japanese kickboxer Kizaemon Saiga, known for his flamboyant appearance and "ridiculous antics". [9]

Tahno's voice actor, Rami Malek, pronounced "Avatar" as IPA:/ɑvətɑr/, as done by another middle eastern actor Shaun Toub in The Last Airbender movie. It is also a nod to the Sanskrit pronunciation of the word 'Avatar'.

movie. It is also a nod to the Sanskrit pronunciation of the word 'Avatar'. Tahno has very pale skin, despite it being common for people of Water Tribe descent to have darker skin.