| "I'm not going to pass up the chance to go down in history as the Avatar's waterbending master." |
| — Kirima explains her motivation to Rangi.[1] |
Kirima was a criminal and the waterbending teacher of Avatar Kyoshi. A long-time member of the Flying Opera Company, a daofei outlaw group operating in the Earth Kingdom, Kirima was a highly experienced fighter and performer. Shaped by a life of hardships in the criminal underground, she was a confident, sarcastic, and tough individual, but also very loyal to her friends.
When the Flying Opera Company began to decline, Kirima wound up as one of its few loyal members and, along with her remaining comrades, came into contact with Avatar Kyoshi, daughter of their former bosses Jesa and Hark. After a series of tribulations, Kirima agreed to teach Kyoshi waterbending.
History
Early life
Kirima's exact origins are unclear, but she had no notable bending lineage[1] and lived in the Earth Kingdom from an early point in her life. She joined the Flying Opera Company, the crime group of Jesa and Hark, at some point before 307/306 BG. Kirima experienced the organization's high point, when it had numerous branches and was able to force Earth Kingdom officials to do their bidding.[2] In accordance of the Flying Opera Company's disguise as a theater troupe, she learned to perform like an actor.[4] She remained loyal to the group even during the period when Jesa and Hark retired from crime temporarily.[2]
After Jesa and Hark's death she and the rest of the group fell on hard times, especially after Jesa's flying bison Longyan's abandonment of the Flying Opera Company. They were reduced to a handful of members in a single village and ended up in debt to more unscrupulous figures in Chameleon Bay.[2] In one instance, Lek almost died from an allergic reaction; to save him, Kirima and the other Flying Opera Company members accept the Autumn Bloom Society of Hujiang as their elders. However, the group subsequently attempted to generally stay as far away from the Autumn Blooms as possible, knowing that the latter's leaders Mok and Wai were extremely dangerous and unreliable.[5]
At one point, Kirima had a short-lived affair with a male firebender. However, she terminated their relationship by kicking him out of her bed "with both feet" after he had begun to annoy her by talking endlessly about honor.[4]
Meeting Kyoshi and Rangi
In 296 BG, while they were stationed in Madam Qiji's Teahouse at Chameleon Bay, they got visited by two strangers, Kyoshi and Rangi, who were on the run and looking for allies. After hearing of their arrival in the teahouse's ground floor, Kirima jumped from one of the upper floors to assess the two, joining the other Flying Opera Company members. When Lek declared the girls lawmen and started to threaten them, Kyoshi used some of her powers to earthbend the entire building a bit, shocking Kirima and her comrades. Before the situation could escalate into violence, Kyoshi showed her mother's fans, causing the criminals to question her how she got them. When Kyoshi declared that she had inherited them, Kirima asked her in wonderment if she was indeed Jesa and Hark's daughter. Confronted by this new development, Kirima, Lek, and Wong then retreated to the teahouse's kitchen to discuss their further actions.
After coming to a conclusion, they formally introduced themselves to Kyoshi and Rangi, with Kirima making it clear that she wanted to be called "just Kirima" as she considered daofei nicknames silly. Accordingly, when Lek began to list all his impressive nicknames, Kirima silently showcased that she thought little of his self-grandiosity. After the introductions were done, the waterbender demanded Kyoshi to tell her story as far back as she remembered. As Lek expressed his disbelief in the girl's story, Kirima snapped at him that he should shut up and let her finish. Finally, Kyoshi demanded access to the Flying Opera Company's assets based on her parentage, causing Kirima to start laughing and point out that the bandit network from Jesa's journals no longer existed - the Chameleon Bay outfit was all that was left.
Disappointed at this revelation, Kyoshi and Rangi were about to leave when the firebender casually mentioned that they possessed a flying bison. This caught the attention of the criminals, and Kirima offered the Flying Opera Company's protection and help if the two girls agreed to share control of the bison for a time. However, their discussion was cut short when police arrived at the teahouse.[2] As three plainclothes officers also revealed themselves among the teahouses's guests, Kirima quietly snarled at Lek for his inability to spot them previously, despite his boasting about being great at identifying undercover police. A fight quickly erupted as the criminals did not surrender, prompting Kirima to freeze Lao Ge's spilled wine at the door, creating an ice sheet and causing several officers to slip. When Kyoshi bent the building, causing it to tilt, the group except for Lao Ge made their escape through the side door.[6]
As they fled through the streets toward Kyoshi's flying bison Pengpeng in order to get away, Kirima used her mist-stepping technique to get into the air and over the houses blocking their way. Wong and Lek used dust-stepping, while Rangi proved able to copy the method with firebending. In contrast, Kyoshi was forced to just burst through several building with her brute bending to flee, causing Kirima to make a quippy comment from above. She also informed Kyoshi about Rangi having taken the lead in their escape. Once they arrived at Pengpeng, the Flying Opera Company members explained that they had previously owned their own bison, with Kirima pointing out that Longyan had been Jesa's companion. This revelation resulted in Kyoshi explaining to Rangi that her mother had been an Air Nomad, causing tensions between the two. Kirima and Wong noticed this, and remained silent as the group flew away on Pengpeng. After covering some distance, the Flying Opera Company eventually made camp, and Kirima was one of the first to fall asleep.[6]
A new member of the Flying Opera Company
On the next day, the group hunted and cooked an elephant rat for breakfast, resulting in a conversation about Kyoshi having nearly starved as a child. Kirima was somewhat shocked to learn of this, knowing that Kyoshi had been at a farming community at the time, and commented that she must have hated the farmers for not sharing their food. Kyoshi's response about her instead resenting her parents upset Lek, whereupon Kirima pointed out that the boy had adored Jesa and Hark. However, the waterbender also made clear that she cared little for the entire drama, causing her to switch the topic and ask Rangi how she had ended up as Kyoshi's guard. When the Fire Army soldier began to explain by talking about honor, however, the waterbender cut her off due to remembering her past relationship with an honor-obsessed firebender.
Kyoshi then demanded from the criminals to make a proper deal and agree to teach her, causing Kirima to sarcastically point out that her waterbending lessons would not much help Kyoshi, believing her a regular earthbender. The girl deflected the comment and stood by her demand, wanting to learn their techniques such as dust-stepping. When Rangi casually pointed out that the Flying Opera Company members seemed quite obsessed about protecting their secret methods, considering that she had easily copied dust-stepping, Kirima coolly responded that other daofei would have murdered the firebender for this achievement. Despite the group's objections, Kyoshi continued to demand to become a full member of the Flying Opera Company. The criminals finally relented, and Kirima taught her a shortened oath before she, Wong, and Kyoshi conducted the sacred swearing-in ceremony in an ad-hoc manner.
Afterward, the waterbender informed Kyoshi and Rangi that they would first venture to the secluded daofei hub of Hujiang in the Taihua Mountains, hoping to get some job and supplies, before starting any training. When Kyoshi expressed frustration at this delay, Wong pointed out that he could teach her how to use Jesa's war fans and the girl quickly agreed to be taught in return for a share of her spoils in future criminal enterprises. Bemused, Kirima pointed out that Wong could have demanded much more money from Kyoshi, considering her eagerness at being taught. The group then set off for Hujiang on Pengpeng.[4]
Complications at Hujiang
When they arrived, Kirima and Wong introduced Kyoshi and Rangi to Hujiang, including its particular rules. After visiting the town's bazaar, Kirima and Lek were the first to spot Wai giving a speech, causing the waterbender to urge her group to leave as quickly as possible. However, as they tried to get away unseen, they ran into Mok who greeted them with false friendliness. Deferentially, Kirima introduced the Flying Opera Company's two new members to the Autumn Bloom leader. He then "invited" the group to a meeting at Huijang's challenge platform in the evening. After he had left, Kirima, Wong, and Lek explained how they had become indebted to the Autumn Bloom Society. Despite their misgivings over the Autumn Bloom's nature, they could also not ignore the summons of their elders and were now forced to join whatever scheme Mok had planned.
Later that day, the group joined Mok as he was watching the lei tai duels at the challenge platform. The meeting initially went badly when Lek spoke out of turn to prevent Mok from harming Kyoshi, causing Wai to stab the boy's hand. However, Rangi managed to impress Mok by joining the fights and winning a duel, whereupon the Autumn Bloom leader explained that he had a job for the Flying Opera Company: They were supposed to free a prisoner from the fortified mansion of an Earth Kingdom governor named Te Sihung. Mok claimed that they would be free of their debt to his group once the job was complete.
After parting Mok's company, the group returned to the inn where they were staying. Kirima attempted to heal Lek's hand, and offered the same for Rangi for the injuries she sustained in the lei tai but was declined. Though certain the firebender could handle herself, Kirima encouraged Kyoshi to chase after Rangi when the latter stormed off.[5]
The next morning, Kirima discovered Kyoshi and Rangi sleeping together by the beach of the nearby lake, and began teasing them with amusement over their newfound relationship. Kyoshi came out to her and revealed that the two were dating. Though Kirima had no issues over who her companions chose to romance, she warned that she would give them a tremendous amount of grief for dating within their own brotherhood. Kyoshi defended that she and Rangi had known each other long before they met the Flying Opera Company and reminded that her own parents were madly in love when they founded their gang.[7]
Training the Avatar
The trio returned to the town to rouse the rest of the company. Kirima located Wong at an "establishment", finding him in deep sleep. She consequently used her waterbending to put him into a bubble of water; as this failed to rouse him, she transported him out of building and turned the water into ice, rudely wakening him. She then liquified the water again and dried him off before informing him that they were leaving. At this moment, the group heard a loud crash, causing them to quickly run to their inn to avoid whatever was causing the noise. To their shock, however, it was a shirshu that was pursuing them specifically. They were forced to fend off its attacks until Lek arrived and used his bending to distract the beast, allowing other nearby daofei to gang up on it. The group used the opportunity to flee as quickly as they could.
Upon arriving at Pengpeng's resting place outside Hujiang, they found Lao Ge already prepared for their escape; he revealed what the shirshu was and that it was most likely tracking someone. The criminals' suspicion fell on Kyoshi, but before they could discuss the matter, the group spotted Autumn Bloom members approaching their location. Deducing that the latter were blaming the Flying Opera Company for the shirshu attack, the gang fled on Pengpeng.[7] After getting into the air and travelling some distance over Ba Sing Se, Kirima finally asked Kyoshi who her sworn enemy was. To the group's horror, she revealed that it was Jianzhu, with the waterbender being deeply upset that the gang's newest member had picked a fight with someone whose "body count [was higher] than septapox". To explain the situation properly, Kyoshi then finally revealed that she was the Avatar.[1]
However, Kirima, Lek, and Wong initially refused to believe this claim, with the waterbender chiding that lying to one's sworn family broke at least five daofei oaths. Rangi tried to support Kyoshi by pointing out her own involvement, causing an unimpressed Wong to dismiss the argument by comparing her to Kirima. The waterbender agreed with her comrade and asked Kyoshi to truthfully say what she had stolen from Jianzhu to cause his hunt. When Kyoshi remained firm by her claim, without being able to prove it due to her lack of bending skills, Kirima suddenly bent a pellet of water at her as a test. To everyone's surprise, Kyoshi instinctively bent the water, whereupon Kirima confirmed that she was doing nothing. Until the group touched down at one of Ba Sing Se's abandoned quarry, the waterbender was too shocked to say anything more.
Once back on the ground, the Flying Opera Company veterans began to treat Kyoshi much more respectfully, and conferred for a moment. Afterward, they declared that they and the Avatar should part ways, as Kyoshi should not associate with criminals like themselves. Kirima and Lek also argued that she would not be safe with them, as they still had to deal with the Autumn Bloom. To their surprise, however, Kyoshi refused to leave them behind, declaring her daofei oaths valid and the Flying Opera Company's members her sworn comrades. Kirima was quick to accept this turn of events, and commented that they had to quickly start training Kyoshi if she wanted to be of any use in the Autumn Bloom's upcoming operation. When Rangi reacted horrified at the idea of accelerated training under people with no bending lineage, Kirima grinned and responded that she had always wanted to start her own bending lineage, not to mention gaining fame as the Avatar's waterbending instructor. As the discussion progressed, the waterbender pointed out that improvised training was the only way to make Kyoshi a capable combatant. Slightly offended, the Avatar demonstrated her earthbending power by causing a large, nearby landslind, but Kirima was extremely unimpressed, noting that having just one "trick in [her] back" was exactly Kyoshi's problem.[1]
On the following day, the group began to relentlessly train Kyoshi while staying on the move, advancing toward Te's palace.[1][8] Even though the Avatar made good progress under Kirima's tutelage, friction remained between her and Rangi since the Fire Army soldier did not want her girlfriend to be trained in waterbending before airbending out of fear it would damage the Avatar Cycle.[8]
Dealing with the Autumn Blooms and Yellow Necks
After arriving in the vicinty of Te's fortified palace, the Flying Opera Company set up camp and began to scout their target. Observing the compound, Kirima discussed possible attack zones and strategy with Rangi. As they talked, the waterbender was slightly taken aback when the firebender revealed that the Fire Army prepared its soldiers for assaults on all kinds of fortifications including those in the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes. Arguing that the palace was too large to sneak in, locate, and free the prisoner, Kirima proposed that the gang could kill the sentries and open the gates for the Autumn Bloom assault, allowing the latter to overrun the structure.
However, Kyoshi wanted to keep the palace's population alive, and thus advocated a complex plan involving the group splitting up. The Flying Opera Company members eventually agreed, though neither Wong nor Kirima succeeded in teaching Kyoshi dust- or mist-stepping, initially assumed to be crucial for the plan. They had to adapt, and the Avatar ended up forming a strike team with Lao Ge. Just before the attack, Kirima and the other veterans helped Kyoshi and Rangi in putting on the Flying Opera Company's traditional makeup.[9] The group proceeded to infiltrate the compound, using their bending to herd the guards into one section and then separate them from the attacking Autumn Blooms, thereby preventing a massacre. Amid the chaos, Kirima, Wong, and Lek broke into the prison and rescued their target.[10]
They returned him to Mok and the Autumn Blooms, only to find out that the prisoner was Xu Ping An, the thought-dead leader of the Yellow Necks. The Autumn Blooms promptly revealed that they had been the remnants of the Yellow Necks the entire time, functioning under a false name to avoid detection.
Kirima and the rest of the group were shocked about this revelation as Xu and his Yellow Neck rebels were infamous because of their fanaticism and the atrocities they had committed during their past rebellion. Though her and the other Flying Opera Company members were treated cordially by Xu, who appeared thankful for their help, the Avatar immediately recognized that Xu's friendly demeanor thinly veiled an underlying madness. Having absolved themselves of their debt to the Autumn Bloom Society, the group thus excused themselves and retreated from the Yellow Necks' camp. Afterward, however, discussions erupted about what to do next: On the one side, they did not want an insane mass murderer like Xu to go free, but at the same time they could not defeat him and the rest of his small army in an open battle. Eventually, Kyoshi decided that they should monitor the Yellow Necks before intervening. Just as they had feared, however, Xu immediately ordered his followers to resume their rampage, attacking a nearby civilian family. Fearing for the family's safety, Kyoshi decided on a whim to challenge Xu to a duel per the daofei code of conduct, to halt his reign of terror before it could truly begin anew.
Kirima watched as Kyoshi dueled Xu, who turned out to be a firebender with lightning generation abilities. Xu struck Kyoshi with lightning at the start of their fight, incapacitating her in seconds and continued to fire several more blasts of lightning at her seemingly lifeless body while accusing her of ungratefulness. Kirima watched in shock as her friend, who she thought to be dead, entered the Avatar State and lifted Xu up in a tornado of air and fire with glowing eyes and let him fall to his death. She and the rest of the group, who were very anxious at this point, got greeted by Kyoshi afterward, assuring them that she was still the same before falling unconscious for three days.
Saving Rangi and splitting up
The group then took her to a nearby village where Kirima and an Earth Kingdom healer attended to her. When Kyoshi eventually awakened they once again got attacked by Jianzhu, who this time used shirshu-spit darts, and kidnapped Rangi while Lek allergically reacted and died. After burying Lek the group hatched a plan according to which the Avatar would confront Jianzhu while her friends saved Rangi.
After saving Rangi with Wong and Lao Ge they made their way to the Avatar estate in Yokoya, where Rangi reunited with her mother who had also just gotten poisoned by Jianzhu. Following Kyoshi's arrival after witnessing Jianzhu's death in Qinchao, everyone decided to part ways, as the Avatar wanted her friends out of harm's way when she revealed her identity to the world. Kirima and Wong opted to lay low while Kyoshi decided to reveal herself as the Avatar to the world.
Reunion
A year later, Kirima and Wong came to Yokoya for Kyoshi's final confrontation with Yun after Jinpa contacted them to let them know of their obligation to defend their sworn sister, and gifted them with a lot of money to make sure they showed.
After Yun liquefied the stone floor and used it to encase Kyoshi, Kirima surprised Yun by lashing down a water whip, only just missing Yun and allowing enough time for Wong to earthbend Kyoshi free. She rained water down on the false Avatar while he protected himself with a slab, sending it flying at Kirima, which she only just missed. Yun angrily asked if the "daofei scum" were truly Kyoshi's companions, and Kirima quipped that they did not socialize enough to be called that.
Kirima sent a fresh torrent at Yun, and Wong managed to deflect his shield. Wong and Kyoshi's earthbending attacks against Yun failed. Rangi, on the other hand, unleashed an attack on Yun, leaving all members of the Flying Opera Company, Kirima included, surprised at the sheer ferocity of her flames. When Yun began to liquefy the foundations of the mansion, Kirima was forced from the roof, attempting to use mist-stepping but crashing to the ground instead. Kirima and Wong got up and made their way to Yun's blindspot, but he created great pitfalls, and their legs were broken by their own momentum.
Kyoshi eventually managed to kill Yun with an advanced healing technique, and brought Kirima, Wong, Rangi, and Jinpa to the infirmary where they could recuperate. The older members of the Flying Opera Company were not given anything for their pain, as Jinpa more urgently needed the medicine. Kirima expressed annoyance at this situation when Rangi awoke, but the Avatar silenced both her as well as Wong. The two were told by Kyoshi that Atuat would be arriving to see to their injuries.[11] Later, Kirima attended Yun's burial and left before Kyoshi and Rangi.[12]
After the defeat of Yun, Kirima recovered from her broken legs, and was eager to find less dangerous jobs to set her up for her eventual retirement.[3] She and Wong worked on pruning and building the Flying Opera Company's criminal network and hoped to expand it far past Chameleon Bay in the next years.[3] Later, when a daofei group by the name of the Three Lanterns Social Club claimed expressed their wish to join forces with the Flying Opera Company in order to help the Avatar, Kirima and the rest of the team quickly grew suspecious. She decided to task a group of people with infiltrating the daofei group, asking them to identify their real leader and motives.[13]
Physical description
Kirima was a lithe young woman with piercing, sapphire-blue eyes and wolf-like features. She dressed in an Earth Kingdom tunic with a fur skirt over her trousers.[2]
Personality
Kirima was proud, confident, sarcastic, tough, and profit-oriented.[2] She was supremely confident in her skills as a fighter and a performer, and it was difficult to intimidate her.[3] Kirima often displayed little patience and a no-nonsense attitude regarding traditional concepts such as the daofei's nicknames[2] as well as the Fire Nation's obsession with honor, considering those silly or annoying.[1][8] While her respect for her comrades caused her to generally tolerate their quirks, she enjoyed teasing them.[1][2][8] Kirima also did not hesitate to make her feelings clear in the presence of less-familiar individuals,[1][8] including one of her lovers.[4]
She was loyal to her comrades and friends,[2] but less altruistic than Wong and Lek. Kirima would often offer help only if a tangible reward in form of fame and money was offered,[1][11] though she was still willing to risk her life for her sworn sisters and brothers.[11] She also tended to stay out of the private lives of her comrades. She was generally accepting of their relationships, but also considered it unwise to fall in love with one's own band of daofei, believing that such relationships usually ended badly.[7]
Appearances
Chronicles of the AvatarThe Rise of Kyoshi
The Shadow of Kyoshi
Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game |
| Preceded by Unknown |
Avatar's waterbending master 296 - unknown BG |
Succeeded by Taqukaq |
References
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