| "Hanging out with my sisters last night made me realize that there are advantages to being part of a matched set. Lots of the world's problems are too big to tackle alone." |
| — Ty Lee to Suki.[1] |
The seven Ty sisters consisted of Ty Lee, Ty Lin, Ty Lat, Ty Lao, Ty Liu, Ty Lum, and Ty Woo. Daughters of a Fire Nation noble family, all sisters looked exactly alike. In order to preserve a sense of individuality, the sisters each adopted a special skill or hobby: Ty Lee claimed acrobatics for herself, Ty Lin played the flute, Ty Lat swam, Ty Lao danced, Ty Liu played the harp, Ty Lum did origami, and Ty Woo insulted people, though they were all skilled in acrobatics.
All Ty sisters left the family at the end of the Hundred Year War; while Ty Lee initially joined a circus and Azula's team, eventually ending up as a Kyoshi Warrior, the other sisters formed the "Flying Ty Sisters", becoming the most famous acrobats of the Fire Nation.[1]
History
Early life
From an early age, the identical septuplet sisters had great problems gaining a sense of individuality, as even their parents repeatedly mistook them for each other. As a result, the sisters agreed to choose different hobbies and to stay away from each other's so their parents could not compare them with one another.[1] Despite that, Ty Lee continued to feel like she was part of a matched set and constantly had to compete for attention.[2] She also came to attend the prestigious Royal Fire Academy for Girls where she befriended Princess Azula and Mai[3] and learned chi-blocking.[2][4]
Leaving their family
Still feeling neglected by her family, Ty Lee eventually ran away to join a circus traveling the Earth Kingdom.[2] Their parents subsequently sent the other Ty sisters after her, but by the time they caught up with the circus, Ty Lee had already joined Princess Azula's quest to capture the Avatar and find Zuko and Iroh.[1]
Enjoying the time at the circus, Ty Lin, Ty Lat, Ty Lao, Ty Liu, Ty Lum, and Ty Woo decided to stay and became famous acrobats as the "Flying Ty Sisters".[1] Meanwhile, Ty Lee came to be crucially involved in the war, hunting Aang and aiding Azula in her quests until betraying her in order to save Mai.[5] Imprisoned by the Fire Nation until the war's end with the Kyoshi Warriors, Ty Lee befriended the warrior girls and went on to join them.[1][6]
Family reunion
As a Kyoshi Warrior, Ty Lee became one of Fire Lord Zuko's bodyguards in 101 AG,[7] while her sisters returned to the Fire Nation with the circus.[1]
By 102 AG, Ty Lee became depressed, as she began to feel like she was part of a matched set once again. This caused Toph Beifong to take her to the Fire Nation circus in order to cheer her up. Arriving there, Shuzumu mistook her for one of her sisters, pushing her into the Flying Ty Sisters' tent. Surprised and ecstatic to be reunited after so long, the sisters embraced, with Ty Lum, Ty Lat, and Ty Lao explaining to Ty Lee how they had joined the circus. Ty Woo mockingly added that Shuzumu said that they were even more popular than Ty Lee during her time as a performer. Perceiving this as breaking their promise to stay away from each other's hobbies, the latter quickly became upset. Ty Liu and Ty Woo countered that they had never agreed to relinquish acrobatics, claiming that Ty Lee had stolen it from them. An argument ensued, with each sister claiming to be the best at acrobatics, causing Ty Lee to angrily storm out of the tent. Despite her intention to leave, Toph managed to convince her to stay and attend the platypus bear show with her.[1]
As the announcer introduced her sisters as the next act, Ty Lee grew annoyed and quickly left the tent with Toph. On their way out, Toph noticed two men plotting to burn down the circus and confronted them. A fight ensued, but when Ty Lee kicked the large assailant directly in the chest, though her attack had no effect, rendering her without any defense. Before he could do anything, however, the other Ty sisters jumped out of a nearby tent and overwhelmed him together. When Ty Lee thanked them for their help, commenting that it was a good thing they had become acrobats after all, the sisters reconciled and embraced, causing Ty Woo to complain that they hugged "like a bunch of nitwits".[1]
After leaving, Ty Lee rejoined the Kyoshi Warriors,[1] aiding Zuko during the insurgency of the New Ozai Society[8] and the hunt for the Fire Warriors.[9]