How many elements does the Avatar master?

The Avatar masters four elements: water, earth, fire, and air. This ability makes the Avatar unique in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, where most people can bend only one element—or none at all.

The Avatar is reincarnated through the four nations in a repeating cycle: Air Nomads, Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, and Fire Nation. Each incarnation is normally born into the next nation in that sequence. Aang, the series’ central Avatar, is an Air Nomad who must learn the other three elements after awakening from a century-long absence.

Mastering all four elements is only part of the Avatar’s role. The Avatar is also expected to maintain balance between the human world and the spirit world. A common mix-up is counting energybending or specialized techniques as additional elements; those are abilities, not separate elements.