I don’t think Hei-Ran is a bad person, and I think the way people talk about her sometimes ignores how much our perspective changes throughout the Kyoshi novels.
When we first meet her, we’re seeing her largely through Yun’s eyes. Of course he doesn’t like her. She’s an incredibly harsh teacher, who expects perfection, and constantly pushes him to be better. To Yun, who’s carrying the pressure of being the Avatar, she comes across as cold and unforgiving.
But then there’s the scene where Jianzhu wants Yun’s feet cut.
People often use that as evidence that Hei-Ran is just as awful as Jianzhu, but that’s not how I read it at all. She hesitates. She doesn’t seem comfortable with it. The scene feels more like she’s being pulled along by Jianzhu’s authority than enthusiastically agreeing with him. Jianzhu dominates that entire group for years, and even people who disagree with him struggle to push back. I think this sets up their relationship the entirety of book one, where Jianzhu manipulates her throughout, while lying to her at every opportunity.
I think it’s important to note all throughout book 1, she is in conflict with Jianzhu. She berates him, gets frustrated with him and even at one point that’s her hair down because she feels she has lost her honour following him.
Even when we hear about Hei-Ran’s conduct in Agni Kais and the allegations of unjust killings, I don’t think the novels present it as straightforward evidence that she’s evil.
Rangi is visibly upset when it’s brought up because, even within Fire Nation culture, those accusations cross a line. If I’m remembering correctly, one of the victims was even a member of their own family. But Rangi’s reaction also makes sense because honour is central to her worldview. She was raised to believe that discipline and honour were paramount, so the idea that Hei-Ran may have acted dishonourably is what truly unsettles her.
To me, that scene says less about Hei-Ran being irredeemably evil and more about how seriously Rangi takes the Fire Nation’s ideals. If anything, it highlights the tension between Hei-Ran’s fearsome reputation and the more nuanced person we actually come to know throughout the novels.
Even Kelsang, arguably one of the most compassionate characters in the series, committed horrific acts. He destroyed fleets of ships, drowning countless people in the process, and was even shunned by many fellow Air Nomads because of it.
Jianzhu is obviously the one who goes too far, but even some of his actions began with understandable intentions. His campaign against the Yellow Necks wasn’t born out of random cruelty. It was driven by a desire to bring stability to a world without an Avatar. The problem was that he became convinced that the ends always justified the means.
That’s what makes the older generation so compelling. None of them are spotless. Hei-Ran, Kelsang, and Jianzhu all made decisions that cost lives because they believed they were protecting the world during a time when there was no Avatar to keep the balance.
But the main shift in how I see her, is when we get Kyoshi’s perspective in book two.
Suddenly Hei-Ran feels like a much more rounded character. Yes, she’s still strict. Yes, she’s emotionally distant. But she’s also shown to be honorable, despite her mistakes. And deeply committed to her duties, while also genuinely caring in her own way. A lot of that is because Kyoshi gets to see her as Rangi’s mother, not just as a teacher.
I also think people forget that Hei-Ran changes. Once Jianzhu is gone, she isn’t trying to force Kyoshi into his impossible vision of the Avatar. She’s willing to accept Kyoshi for who she is, even if she doesn’t always agree with her or her methods. She also apologises for her behaviour to Kyoshi expressing remorse as to what she did to her and Yun.
She’s not a warm or nurturing person, and she’s definitely made mistakes, especially with Rangi, but that’s very different from being a bad person.
To me, Hei-Ran is one of the more interesting adult characters because she’s flawed without being villainous. She’s a product of Fire Nation culture almost. She’s an example of discipline over comfort, of duty over emotion and of strength over softness. Those values make her a difficult teacher and a complicated mother, but they don’t make her evil.
I think the contrast between Yun’s and Kyoshi’s perspectives is intentional. Yun sees the teacher who constantly pushes him. Kyoshi gets to see the person behind that. Neither perspective is wrong, they’re just incomplete on their own.
But to me, I always liked Hei-Ran and felt she was an intriguing character.
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