Although Avatar: The Last Airbender primarily dealt with the adventures of Aang and his friends, the series occasionally included insights into past Avatars and their adventures that stoked fans' imaginations. One of the most intriguing figures glimpsed in the past of Avatar Roku was his waterbending master, seen briefly engaging in a massively powerful duel while training the Avatar. Yet until now, the expert waterbender did not even have a name.
Now, with the release of Avatar Legends' core book and the expansion Wan Shi Tong's Adventure Guide, fans have learned not only his name but that he may be one of the most powerful waterbenders in the entire franchise.
The waterbender revealed to be named Taqukaq was first seen in the Season 3 episode "The Avatar and the Fire Lord." Not even speaking during the brief glimpse of his training with Roku, Taqukaq proved to be a formidable foe when he raised and attacked with a massive torrent of water that cracked apart the glacier the two dueled upon. In return, Roku sent his own tidal wave that tore Taqukaq into the city behind them shortly before the waterbending master shrugged it off.
This quick exchange stood out as one of the most powerful displays of waterbending in the franchise, and in learning more about Taqukaq's background, it appears that this was not a one-of-a-kind showing. Avatar Legends delves into the member of the Northern Water Tribe's past, where even from childhood, he felt a connection with the Spirit World. That connection allowed Taqukaq to discern the secrets of waterbending from the Moon and Ocean Spirits Tui and La, allowing him a unique perspective on waterbending that few other masters can boast.
In addition to the strong foundation for his abilities, Taqukaq gained experience as a spy performing missions of espionage abroad. To assist him in his missions, he developed a unique ability seldom seen in the Avatar world: the ability to bend clouds of steam that could obscure his actions. Vaporizing water was not something even Katara learned to do until she fully mastered her abilities, and even then, she never performed the feat with such proficiency as to obfuscate herself in the midst of action.
Those talents combine with Taqukaq's ability to create deadly knives of water or slides of ice that allow him to navigate his environs with ease. None of these abilities are seen elsewhere in the series demonstrated by anyone but masters, and in addition to the already demonstrably powerful column of water he attacked with in his duel with Roku, it's entirely possible that the Norther Water Tribesman is one of the most powerful waterbenders in the canon.
He would certainly need to be in order to train Roku to be as powerful as the Avatar became -- and that was not a tutorship that was easily won. Taqukaq only agreed to mentor Roku after the Avatar spent years dedicating himself to the lifestyle of the Northern Water Tribe; a demonstration of just how valuable Taqukaq's training must have been to demand such commitment.
As Avatar Studios and further expansions from Avatar Legends delve further into the waterbender's life, there may be even more feats to behold as his story unfolds. However, as is, there's certainly a strong argument that he is one of the greatest waterbenders the franchise has seen to date -- and yet most Avatar fans may not yet even be aware he has a name.
