Which apex predator does Jake re-bond with before the final battle? The answer is Toruk.
Toruk is the great leonopteryx, Pandora’s enormous airborne apex predator. Jake Sully previously bonded with one during the climax of Avatar, earning the title Toruk Makto, or “Rider of the Last Shadow.” That title carries immense symbolic authority because Toruk Makto traditionally unites Na’vi clans during times of great crisis.
In Fire and Ash, Jake initially resists returning to the role. He ultimately re-bonds with Toruk before the climactic battle because the Na’vi need a unifying leader against the RDA and the allied Mangkwan forces. Riding Toruk allows Jake to rally multiple clans and attack the human fleet from the air.
The distinction matters because Pandora has several famous large creatures. A thanator is a dangerous land predator, a tulkun is a sentient whale-like marine animal, and an ikran is a smaller banshee commonly used as a mount. Toruk is the singular, legendary apex flyer associated with Jake’s leadership.