Toph Bei Fong



Toph and Avatar: The Last Airbender are Property of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, all rights of the creators reserved.

First introduced as a neutrally-aligned, largely obscure figure during the Uterio War, Toph Bei Fong (北方拓芙) is a being of unknown race who has been said to be forced to travel from place to place to avoid either persecution or constant conflict.

An Earthbender of notable potency and skill, Toph would likely have been an immense asset to either side of the war; against or alongside Uterio Di Armechio, she would have been a boon to any army or a dreadful force to reckon with.

The potency of her skills come from how she learned by imitating Badgermoles - Creatures who were blind like her, and the very original Earthbenders - And discovering how to use her latent talents in the art as an extension of her senses.

Essentially, her skill in Earthbending's techniques is so profound because the ground beneath her feet, the rock and soil around her that she manipulates through bending, are all used to accomodate her blindness when perceiving the world.

History
Despite how far-reaching the Uterio War proved to become, Toph and her mostly unknown allies managed to remain neutral in the conflict. This was a feat which many could not achieve for the war's sheerly massive scope of combat, and the incredible drive of its leading commanders to trample their foes and/or exact justice for the wrongdoings of their longtime enemies. Nonetheless, Toph was never forced to choose sides in the battle.

She has become a teacher of Earthbending following the war, on a Springtime Planet called Fanrong at an unspecified location in the Universe. It is unknown what led her to become such a teacher, or why a notable number of students risked a savage forest and dangerous rogues like Killerbee to seek her tutelage. As well, she has consented to allowing Zev Raregroove and his allies to live in her school until the former regains his strength.

Personality
Rude, callous, but otherwise laidback, Toph can range from abrasive at the best of times to an absolute nightmare for any one person to take on. She's shown significant pride in her abilities as a fighter, a short temper, and limited amounts of patience. Unrelenting, stubborn, and driven, Toph is as impossible to shake as a mountain and shows very little fear to situations which would terrify most. She also lacks any sort of jaded attitude over her blindness, and seems to enjoy making jokes at the expense of those who forget the "disability" of hers.

Relationships
Uterio: Uterio Di Armechio was a large threat to the peace Toph and her allies strove to find; thus, he was likely considered their enemy. However, they successfully refrained from joining in the war against him until its end, and Toph seems to have at last found peace on Fanrong.

Klak: In regards to Klak, Toph appears to view him similarly to Uterio; that being a threat to the rare peace she had found on a planet which became a battlefield between his allies and Uterio's forces. However, she held little to no animosity towards Klak in the short time they interacted with each other.

Students: A tough, unrelenting kind of master, Toph's Earthbending students have learned to never refuse her orders and seem to be flourishing under her tutelage.

The Badgermoles: Due to Badgermoles having been Toph's "masters" in Earthbending, Toph holds great reverence and affection in her heart for them.

Abilities & Skills
Earthbending: Toph is able to use practiced martial arts to control any rock and soil beneath her feet, directing all earthen substances to form projectiles, barriers, etc. with such movements. She is at least an adept-level user, but considering the fact that she is now a teacher, Toph is likely master-level.

It has been confirmed that her technique is unique compared to other Earthbenders, based on Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu rather than Hung Gar styles like other Earthbenders. As well, she seems to be unusually precise and flexible in the art compared to how rigid most Earthbenders are.

As of recent events, it has been revealed as to why Toph's style is different from the primary Earthbending art: She was semi-taught by the Badgermoles, the original Earthbending creatures and the ones who taught the art to humans. Due to most Earthbenders being tutored by other humans, the technique utilized by Toph is much different; as she was mostly self-taught while observing the original animals to use the art.

Seismic Sense: By keeping the soles of her bare feet in solid contact with any earthen structure, Toph is able to read vibrations in these surfaces and thus "see" her surroundings with remarkable clarity. It is unknown if other Earthbenders are capable of it, but it has been confirmed to be connected with her unique Earthbending style: As the precise, orchestrated foot placement of her technique is used to assist her in utilizing Seismic Sense.

In the same way that a Badgermole navigates underground tunnels by using their body as a medium for vibrations in the earth, Toph picks up the same movements in the ground beneath her feet to read the movements of her foes and detect those who attempt to sneak around her. In addition to this, Toph is able to detect vitals from a person from so much as their foot brushing the ground.

Acute Hearing: Though not specifically explored in the RPG thus far, it has been seen that Toph's blindness has also lead to her auditory perception becoming very keen. She is able to recognize a specific individual in mere moments just by the sound of their voice.

Quotes
- Toph explaining why she chose to help Zev and his allies.
 * "I just didn't feel like being a jerk when I woke up this morning."

Trivia

 * Oddly, Toph is among the few notably powerful individuals on the mortal spectrum whom Zev Raregroove and, more tellingly, the incredibly well-informed Yoruichi Shihouin have no knowledge of.
 * Despite having a different style than other Earthbenders, Toph is the first named, confirmed Earthbender in BZPower Battles thus far. As well, due to her honed connection to the earth, she is among the most potent.
 * The school of martial arts upon which Toph's Earthbending style is based was rumored to have been founded by a blind woman, although this story of origin has never been confirmed by history.
 * Killerbee and her group of rogues appear to owe some loyalty to Toph and her school.