The world of the Avatar continued with the follow-up series The Legend of Korra. Korra, the Avatar after Aang, is native to the Southern Water Tribe and was capable of bending three elements as a toddler. Given her natural ability, she was eager to start her tenure as the new Avatar.
However, the first threat she faced, Amon, was a truly terrifying person who had the ability to remove people's bending seemingly permanently. Amon initially claimed to be a nonbender, beginning an anti-bending movement in Republic City and taking away bending from powerful citizens, but by the end of the first season, he is revealed to have been using bloodbending as his removal method all along. While the reveal is shocking the first time, upon rewatching, it's easy to notice some clues that were there all along.
10 Amon's Movements Are Similar To Hama's
Amon doesn't have the most screen time, and even when he does, he typically isn't moving around all too much. With that said, he still makes some sharp and calculated movements reminiscent of Hama from Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA).
Hama was of course the one who is credited with inventing bloodbending as well as teaching it to Katara. Her movements are much more pronounced when bloodbending than they are when waterbending. Eagle-eyed fans may have noticed the similarity between her bloodbending technique and Amon's bending removal technique.
9 Amon Is Highly Knowledgeable In Chi Blocking & Human Pressure Points
While chi blocking techniques are more popular among non-benders, understanding the flow of chi in the body is crucial for learning proper healing via waterbending. The same could be said for knowing and understanding the different pressure points on the body to address specific areas.
However, this knowledge would also be immensely valuable to a bloodbender. Understanding the chi pathways of the body would help with more natural control over the victim. Additionally, the pressure points are incredibly useful when subduing a foe via bloodbending, as pooling blood in the right spot would cause them to pass out.
8 Amon Typically Strikes At Night When His Power Would Be At Its Greatest
While it's not unusual for villains to strike in the shadow of night, Amon seems to do so exclusively. Because waterbending in general is much stronger at night due to its dependence on the moon spirit, bloodbending would also gain the same power boosts as it's a subset of waterbending.
It was previously believed that bloodbending could only occur under the power of a full moon, but evidently, any moon will do. There are even bloodbenders who can bloodbend their opponents psychically, as well as during the day, both of which are terrifying notions.
7 The Equalist Symbol Resembles a Red Or Blood Moon
The organization that Amon is in charge of, known as The Equalists, utilizes a large red circle on their propaganda. At first glance, it seems like an innocuous symbol, but upon rewatching the show knowing Amon's true abilities, the circle takes on new meaning.
The red circle is likely a reference to a full blood moon, which is red in color. A bloodbender would be at their most powerful during this lunar event. Perhaps this was a way for Amon to subtly indicate his true identity adn power, despite building a reputation as a nonbender.
6 The Look In His Eyes As He Takes Someone's Bending Is A Clear Indicator (As Well As The Eyes Of His Victims)
While Hama and Katara were the only bloodbenders in ATLA, fans did see it more than a couple of times. The evil intent in a bloodbender's eye is the same as the look Amon has when he is taking away someone's bending. Even when Katara was seeking revenge for her mother, she had a viciousness in her eyes that fans hadn't seen before.
Additionally, each person who had their bending taken away by Amon had the same look of terrified desperation as those who had succumbed to being bloodbent. Even the eye twitching is eerily similar and should have been a clear indicator, especially as more flashbacks were revealed.
5 The Moon Appears Right After Amon States That The Avatar Will Know His True Power
This giveaway hits right on the nose. Just after Mako and Korra escape from the Equalist rally after rescuing Bolin, Amon's goons chase after them, but once they turn a corner out of sight, Amon calls off his henchmen.
He says the time will come later to capture the Avatar then something along the lines of, "Then she will know my true power," before the show cuts to the next scene. The next scene just so happens to begin on the image of the full moon. The moon serves as a symbol of waterbending and bloodbending, and it's likely that this was a clear and purposeful choice by the show's directors.
4 The Increasing Yakone Clues Are A Dead Giveaway
After Korra's increasing encounters with Amon, Aang tries to spiritually warn Korra about his experience with Yakone, who was a ruthless bloodbender in Republic City during his reign as Avatar. It took Korra a while to decipher the full message, but once she did, she thought Aang was warning her about Tarrlok rather than Amon.
Even so, Korra knowing the story of Yakone was crucial. There are also moments where some of the older characters indicate that Amon is the biggest threat to the city since Yakone. Not only was the biggest threat since a bloodbender another bloodbender, but it was also a bloodbender of the same lineage.
3 Aang Says To Yakone What Amon Says To Lightning Bolt Zolt
In the picture above, Amon tells one of the leaders of the Triple Threat Triads, Lightning Bolt Zolt, that he is going to take away his bending permanently. In the previous entry, Aang tells Yakone that he is going to take away his bending forever. While it isn't verbatim, it's incredibly close.
Considering Amon grew up in Yakone's household, he has likely heard the story of how the Avatar took away his father's bending dozens of times during bloodbending training, and he likely internalized it. Once Aang speaks that line to Yakone, fans remember how similar it sounded to the scene above, yet another indication that Amon was a bloodbender the entire time.
2 The Tarrlok Connection Starts Slow & Ends With A Bang
After Korra confronts Tarrlok about arresting her friends, she tells him that he's no better than Amon for acting the way that he was, which should have been a big hint on a rewatch. This infuriated Tarrlok to the point where, shortly thereafter, he revealed to Korra that he is a skilled bloodbender.
Once Tarrlok knocks Korra out, she has another glimpse of Aang's flashback, the same one she had been seeing after her close encounters with Amon. This should have been an indication to fans that perhaps Amon and Tarrlok are connected. Korra reveals to Tarrlok that she knows he is Yakone's son, but at the time she has no idea that Amon is Tarrlok's brother.
1 He Shows Resistance To Bloodbending When It's Used Against Him
In the scene above, Tarrlok manages to take down all of Amon's goons with his powerful bloodbending. However, Amon proves too powerful for Tarrlok's basic attack. Tarrlok then steps it up a notch, which appeared to work, before Amon broke free of this bloodbend as well. Amon then proceeds to make quick work of his brother and relieves him of his bending.
While fans still didn't know these two were related at this point, the fact that Amon could successfully resist bloodbending should have been the final indicator for fans to realize that Amon was in fact a bloodbender. The writers had been cleverly leaving bread crumbs along the way for an excellent reveal in the end.
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