Lee Hakota-Zai

Hakota-Zai is often rather quiet, preferring to remain silent unless directly confronted in conversation. His quiet nature tends to make him seem statically calm and composed, yet one can tell from his more reclusive trends that he's seen some terrible experiences. Despite his cool, controlled demeanor, Hakota becomes more edgy, bitter, and generally cold in the presence of most benders.

It is also very evident that Zai holds a bitter undertone towards people as a whole, reflecting his distaste of common populace. This, though, is not due to his own status in life, but from others acting as to fit their own status' stereotypes-- at least such is his opinion.


The ability to earthbend was something Zai had known from a young age. However, his family and teachers lacked the same capabilities on Kyoshi island. It was a place of the arts of close-quarters combat with weapons, not elements. And so, Hakota has been trained in the expertise of the fans, blades, and martial arts; each art made up for the lack of combative bending. Though while Zai did not learn any form of bending from a teacher, he has formed his own strange style of bending to better compliment his normal fighting styles.

As for Zai's general abilities, he is often more prone to mastering the spiritual side long before putting the physical into practice. Perhaps it is this that makes him so proficient for combat.


--Earthbending (Unknown Level): Being so strange and supportive, Hakota's earthbending cannot truly be placed into a full category. He's mastered the spiritual side of the physical element, and has gained ever interesting abilities as a result. He can move swiftly along earthen ground to even challenge airbenders in speed [all without leaving a mark on the earth]; he can silence his own footsteps and even become invisible to seismic senses; he can move ceramic materials, and inks; he can even stop an otherwise lethal fall by having the earth catch him with minimal harm. Despite the out-of-place master-level abilities, he can barely throw a stone far nor fast, much less lethally. No boulder would even shudder at his attempt, and earth will not open in great gaps or otherwise before him. Even walls purely of stone are still insurmountable obstacles, and other earthbenders would find him unable to effect things they bend at him beyond slowing down some moderate stones and stopping small ones.


--Kyoshi Fans (Expert-Class): A symbol of both his adopted family and the Kyoshi on his home island, the fans are a requisite weapon to learn for their speed and grace. Zai's proficiencies with his ceramic fans are classic for a Kyoshi: speed, versatility, and precision. He doesn't necessarily hit hard so much as hit right on the mark just hard enough to harm. Part of this is also due to Zai's proclivity to not wish harm upon others, at least lethal harm. So his true strength is not in power, but speed. As is the Kyoshi way. And in his mastery of the Kyoshi ideals, he has become expert with the fans.


--Blades (Master-Class): Ever since Zai could wield a stick in his hands he found himself on the road to mastering the true art of melee: the blade. It is said with mastery of the blade comes mastery of life and death. It is of great misfortune Zai found its only use was to slay, and that it was an instrument of war and death alone.

He wasn't always of such a mind. Once when Zai was a renown assassin he had been know for his unusual prowess with the most symbolic weapon one can wield. This was an art all of his training had poured into in some way: the elegance of Kyoshi fans; the speed and precision of martial arts; and even the stalwart resolve and immersion of earthbening had proven of use in the art. But whatever the natural factors, Zai had spent every day of his life toning and perfecting every technique of the blade he could get his hands on-- from teachers available in the Kyoshi Legion to books sent out for/gathered from about the world. It was nearly an obsession of his, as it embodied all he had believed combat should be at that point in his life. Speed, precision, grace and lethality.

It has become a natural fact that Zai, while he still keeps his blade on him proudly, will never draw the weapon unless many lives are on the line; as he sees it a tool for death in his hands. One sharpened with the blood from his assassin years. And he only knows to kill with it. While Zai will always know sometimes murder is necessary, he has long tried to avoid it ever since it nearly took his own life from him.



--Chi-Blocking (Expert-Class): The secret art known only to a select few Kyoshi was unwittingly passed down to Hakota-- given it was not something they'd willingly teach the young boy since he was never a full-fledged Kyoshi initiate. Instead he'd watch the master of the secret-shrouded art as they assumed their own "private" regimens in the dead of night while a stealthy Zai looked on with a gaze intent on learning. He'd always practice the master's sessions later until he perfected the motions, and later stole away scrolls and books that had been hidden away, searching endlessly to find and learn from them all.

So Zai's studies were self-guided, but so devout and later toned through combat that he has become expert at both the physical and knowledgeable side of Chi-Blocking. He can block off chi in a limb and paralyze it as well with a tap for blocking their chi and then a second to cease the limb. He is also able to restore these points via touch and sense when a point has been blocked of chi. His most deadly blocking, though, is if he can hit four of the seven chakras, in which case not only will his opponent be unable to bend, but will be paralyzed from head to toe-- barely even able to breath before they pass out from lack of oxygen.

Chi-Blocking has a few inherent weaknesses, however: the art only works well in surprise, if an opponent expects chi-blocking, then they will be cautious about letting an opponent close--at such a point only Zai's sheer speed allows him to overcome an opponent; any sort of metallic armor can completely block points from contact(making entire areas unable to be targeted unless the armor is rent from the foe); and some know how to reverse the process physically (And in very rare cases mentally).

Zai's previous developments with the technique include being able to make one's bending more powerful, or more wild via touch. And in theory he could even unlock chakras with chi-blocking. But Chi-Blocking has always been an ancient art shrouded in secrets. One can never predict what they might learn of its capabilities.



Asides from his agile Kyoshi leathers, which offers mild protection against elements on his torso, forearms and shins, Zai has little gear to speak of outside normal clothing.

Zai's Custom-Forged Blade
Materials: Hardened, tempered high-carbon steel with a ceramic hilt.
Description: Nothing is really notable about this blade except it was forged by Zai under a master smith's guidance, and he included a ceramic hilt so he might bend the weapon back to him at a moment's notice.

Kyoshi fans
Materials: Ceramic materials
Description: Once again, simple weapons with ceramics involved so Zai may have slight control over the weapons.

Um, wow. This is really well made. One thing about it is that there are a lot of characteristics that are similar to my character. But, coincidences. Any who, approved.