Try our affiliated browser extension - redirect to BreezeWiki automatically!

Mingxia

"We are [sisters]. But I can't turn my back on the world the way Kyoshi wants us to. There are people out there that I want to meet, experiences I want to have. Kyoshi separated us from the rest of the world, but surely she didn't mean for us to stay that way forever. I have to go."
— Mingxia to Suki before migrating to the Earth Kingdom mainland.[1]

Mingxia was a Kyoshi Warrior who lived on Kyoshi Island by the late Hundred Year War. She disagreed with her home village's policy of self-isolation, leading her to leave the Kyoshi Warriors and migrate to the Earth Kingdom mainland. There, she began a romantic relationship with Meilin and eventually became part of a group of refugees, relocating to Ba Sing Se.

History

Early life

Mingxia was born in a village on Kyoshi Island that was led by Oyaji at the time.[1] Despite other villages on the island trading with the Earth Kingdom mainland,[2][3] Oyaji's village had long maintained strict isolationism, mostly cutting itself off from the rest of the world. Its inhabitants believed this to be a "mandate" by the island's founder, Avatar Kyoshi.[nb 1] Mingxia was of a similar age as Suki, and the two were best friends during their childhood. As part of a clique of friends, they aspired to join the Kyoshi Warriors together.

On one occasion during their youth, the group secretly ventured into the woods to observe some older Kyoshi Warriors train, impressing them greatly. Afterward, Mingxia treated her comrades to some steamed buns that she had stolen from the village's communal kitchen. When Oyaji later confronted them and asked them to reveal who had taken the buns, no member of the clique was willing to reveal Mingxia's responsibility. As a result, all were sentenced to cleaning duty. While working to scrub the kitchen, Suki and Mingxia reaffirmed that they would be "sisters forever".[1] At least once, Mingxia and Suki also went to the Kyoshi Shrine to compare their own shoes to the Avatar's massive boots.[5]

Leaving Kyoshi Island and life in the mainland

Suki and Mingxia hug

Years later, Mingxia and Suki had joined the Kyoshi Warriors. By this time, several harvests had failed on Kyoshi Island, threatening Oyaji's village with famine. Having come to the conclusion that isolationism was not the right pathway into the future, Mingxia confided to Suki that she intended to use the opportunity to convince the village leaders to change their policies and request help from outsiders. However, Suki disagreed and assembled her team to collect edible wild plants, successfully alleviating the village's difficult food situation. Regardless, Mingxia decided to still push for change and speak at the village assembly. She asked Suki to support her, but her friend stated that she could not, as it went against her beliefs. As generally expected, Mingxia's proposal to increase contact with the outside world was shut down by Oyaji.

As she wanted to see the rest of the world and was no longer willing to stay isolated on the island, Mingxia resolved to leave her home after her proposal had been rejected. Suki pleaded her to stay, fearing that she would never see her again. Mingxia told her friend how they would always remain friends and sisters, but that she also had follow her dreams. After a heartfelt goodbye, she departed for the mainland on a small boat. Ultimately, Mingxia's decision would influence Suki's world view and cause her to also leave Kyoshi Island during the later Hundred Year War.

Mingxia reassures Suki

Meanwhile, Mingxia traveled through the Earth Kingdom mainland, eventually meeting a girl named Meilin. The two fell in love and eventually joined a group of friends consisting of Dandan, Fenfang, and Peng. At times, she would entertain them with stories from her homeland, including her exploits with Suki. As a result of the Fire Nation's steady advance, the group eventually became refugees. In spring 100 AG, they decided to travel to the safety of Ba Sing Se from Full Moon Bay. To Mingxia's great surprise, she met Suki there, working as local security detail. The two were overjoyed to see each other again, with Suki revealing that her team had decided to assist the Earth Kingdom, and Mingxia introducing her comrades and girlfriend. Suki then showed them the next ferry before tearfully telling her friend that she had thought they would never see each other again. Mingxia then hugged her, telling her that she knew they would find each other as they would always remain sisters. She and her group then departed for Ba Sing Se.[1]

Appearances

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Graphic novels

Trivia

  • Mingxia is a confirmed LGBTQIA+ character in the Avatar universe.[1]
  • In one panel of Suki, Alone, Mingxia makes a cat face which is similar to Korra's in the episode Rebel Spirit.[6]
  • Mingxia was voiced by Justine Huxley when she performed a Dark Horse live reading of Suki, Alone.[7]

Notes

  1. ↑ The comic Suki, Alone claims that isolationism was a policy that applied to all of Kyoshi Island,[1] but this is contradicted by other canon information such as the episode "The Warriors of Kyoshi",[2] the older Avatar: The Last Airbender official website,[3] and Avatar Extras.[4] Thus, the isolationism as portrayed in the comic can only apply to some villages on the island, not all of them.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Hicks, Faith Erin (writer), Wartman, Peter (artist), Matera, Adele (colorist). Suki, Alone (July 27, 2021), Dark Horse Comics.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Malis, Nick (writer) & Volpe, Giancarlo (director). (March 4, 2005). "The Warriors of Kyoshi". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 1. Episode 4. Nickelodeon.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 From older Avatar: The Last Airbender official site, originally on Nick.com. Encyclopedia now broken, archived at The Lost Lore of Avatar Aang - Creature: Kyoshi Island.
  4. ↑ Avatar Extras for "The Warriors of Kyoshi" on Nicktoons Network.
  5. ↑ "Kyoshi Island", Avatar: Generations. Navigator Games & Square Enix Mobile London (August 11, 2022). Square Enix.
  6. ↑ Hedrick, Tim (writer) & Heck, Colin (director). (September 13, 2013). "Rebel Spirit". The Legend of Korra. Book Two: Spirits. Episode 1. Nickelodeon.
  7. ↑ Avatar: The Last Airbender - Suki, Alone Live Reading with Voice Actors and Comic Creators. DarkHorseComics - Twitch (September 22, 2021). Retrieved on October 6, 2021.