Can we talk about how explosives and gunpowder are a thing in the Avatar universe?
Based on how characters react to them, they’re not some new innovation. Characters know what bombs or “blasting jelly” are when they see them. Even Aang, who was born 100 years ago, knows.
It appears that Fire Nation militarized their use more than any other nation. For example, they have ballistas that fire explosive-tipped bolts as shown during the Day of the Black Sun episodes. This is the first time we, the audience, see explosive weapon in direct-fire role and characters are unphased by it.
Few episodes later, we see literal cannons mounted on Fire Nation’s airships.
This leads me to believe that direct-fire gunpowder / explosive weapons already existed for a long time and that even firearms could be a thing in-universe.
I get it, this is a kids show and they can’t show people getting shot. More importantly, having a straight-up “gun” would lessen the significance of bending.
However, they’ve firmly established that such technology and concept exists.
Instead of delving into the traditional “gun” territory, it could always be based off of early Asian gunpowder weapons. Long before the introduction of Western-style matchlocks, Chinese and Korean soldiers used “hand cannons” for combat. Koreans even had carts lined with multiple guns or rocket-propelled arrows and also made liberal use of cannons during naval battles.
So what I’m saying is, if you’re doing some worldbuilding through fanart or fanfics, it wouldn’t be strange to have Fire Nation ships armed with cannons (with trebuchet being the primary long-range weapon since early gunpowder weapons lacked range) or infantry using gunpowder weapons.
Just because we didn’t see them on screen doesn’t mean we can’t infer their existence :)
I mean, for god’s sake, they have tanks, ironclads, and airships.
PS: This makes me wonder if Fire Nation had gunpowder weapon as far back as Kyoshi’s time period. That could further explain why its Navy was considered the most capable even back then.
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