Toph Beifong
Backstory:
Toph Beifong is an earthbending master, one of the most powerful of her time, and the discoverer of metalbending. Blind since birth, Toph was constantly treated condescendingly because of her visual impairment, particularly by her overprotective parents, Lao and Poppy Beifong. Upon discovering badgermoles, earthbending animals who are also blind, she learned how to use earthbending as an extension of her senses. This gave her the ability to "see" every vibration that passes through the ground.
Having developed her own unique style of earthbending, Toph acquired a toughened personality and became famous for winning underground earthbending tournaments under the alias "The Blind Bandit", doing so behind her parents' backs. Although initially uninterested in directly aiding the war effort, she eventually chose to leave behind her old life, and travel with Avatar Aang and his friends as his earthbending teacher, when her parents finally became unbearable for her. Toph's total mastery over earthbending, unique personality, and thoughtful pragmatism made her a valuable addition to the team.
Powers and Abilities:
Superhuman Physical Characteristics,
Chi Manipulation (Chi is the source of a user's bending),
Earthbending,
Metalbending,
Sandbending,
Surface Scaling/Magnetism Manipulation,
Seismic Sense,
Limited Attack Reflection
Weaknesses: Relies on her seismic sense to know her surroundings, can't swim, and is blind without her bending.
Terra Markov (2003 cartoon)
Backstory:
Terra and her brother Geo-Force were the prince and princess of Markovia. She was a hard-headed child and was confused with who she was. Terra hated being told how to act. She and her brother were put through experiments to make them heroes in order to protect their family. The experiments worked, but she could not control them, so she ran away so she would not hurt anyone. Ever since, Geo-Force has been looking for her.
She traveled around very frequently. However, there are some clues to her past. When Slade had Terra alone with him in the episode "Terra", he stated that Terra did try to help others. He then said that on each occasion, something even worse happened as a result of using her geokinetic abilities. This is possibly the reason for her frequent travel.
In the episode "Aftershock - Part 1", Terra fights Robin as he tries to reason with her. She angrily told Robin (while trying to kill the Boy Wonder) that she did not want to be rescued and that she was "not some sad little girl", expressing a vast and deep-rooted anger that was not entirely directed towards him. This may be a clue to her earlier life.
Powers and Abilities:
Superhuman Physical Characteristics,
Geokinesis (Earth control),
Skilled hand-to-hand fighter,
Energy Projection,
Flight (with her Geokinesis),
Explosion Manipulation (Can make rocks explode like fireworks. Can detonate the earth beneath her),
Summoning (Able to create rock golems to attack for her),
Air Manipulation (Can generate tornadoes)
Weaknesses: She can't control her powers properly (at first), Terra can be easily manipulated
Song: Titans of the Earth
In the tranquil city of Ba Sing Se, the Spring weather was idyllic, with a clear blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds. However, the tranquility was broken when a colossal dust cloud surged forth from the use of earth manipulation. This event occurred in the lower rings of the city, signaling an abrupt disruption to the otherwise peaceful atmosphere.
A group of three criminals found themselves buried under the earth debris caused by Terra Markov, a youthful teen girl. Her golden locks gently fluttered in the breeze as she removed the goggles from her eyes. Wearing a black shirt bearing a yellow 'T,' Terra confidently stated,
"That will teach you not to mess with me."
Despite her confident demeanor, Terra was far from pleased about having to resort to self-defense. Though she had gained mastery over her powers, she continued to harbor a deep distrust in herself, particularly regarding interpersonal interactions. The scars from her tumultuous journey with the Teen Titans and her encounter with Slade still weighed heavily on her mind. Convinced that isolation was the only way to prevent herself from causing further harm, Terra had voluntarily embraced the life of a lonely wanderer.
With a firm inhalation through her nostrils, Terra braced herself to leave the scene, collecting the dropped groceries. Just as she was about to depart, a girl's voice called out to her, making her pause in her tracks.
"I could have done better."
The girl stated, her tone conveying a sense of superiority. Terra halted and turned towards the source of the voice, revealing Toph Beifong, known as the Blind Bandit. Despite her milky film-covered eyes, Toph's gaze remained just as intense, her green eyes seeming to bore into Terra.
"What?"
Terra responded, a hint of annoyance in her voice. Toph approached Terra with a commanding stride, her smirk growing more pronounced. With a self-assured tone, she reiterated her previous statement,
"I could have done better. Your fighting technique was sloppy. Who taught you how to fight?"
Terra's face contorted with a mix of emotions as the question sparked painful memories of her past. The mere mention of the training and abuse she endured under Slade's tutelage provoked an instant reaction. Terra turned away, her voice laced with a hint of defensiveness as she replied coolly,
"My life is none of your business. Just leave me alone."
Toph was mildly surprised by Terra's response. She had anticipated some pushback, perhaps even a verbal spar. However, Terra's meek demeanor left Toph feeling rather dissatisfied.
With a hint of disappointment, Toph taunted, "What, you're just walking away? Wow. You're even more spineless than I thought."
Terra felt a shiver go down her spine, her doubts about her bravery resurfacing. Despite knowing her tendency to back down, she still bristled at the criticism. Trying to be the bigger person as she walked away, she spoke with a hint of desperation,
"Stop it. Just stop. Please."
Toph's irritation grew further. With a stomp, she grabbed a small pebble and clenched it in her hand. Her voice rose in volume as she scolded Terra,
"Where's your pride as an Earthbender?! You should be as strong and unshakeable as the very earth you bend! But you're not strong! You're just a coward!"
With a swift throw, Toph hurled the pebble at Terra's head, forcing the girl to halt in her tracks. Frustration welled up within Terra as she clenched her jaw in response to Toph's harsh words. Dropping her groceries, she lifted two boulders with her Geokinesis and hurled them at Toph. In response, the Blind Bandit grounded her stance before raising her own arms to create two skewed walls that deflected the attack. A small smirk played upon Toph's lips as she felt a flicker of satisfaction, her voice brimming with anticipation,
"Finally."
Toph utilized her Earthbending to harness the force within the slanted wall, propelling it toward Terra, who swiftly evaded the assault by jumping aside and performing a roll. Though imperceptible to the naked eye, the action created a small shockwave that rippled through the ground, which Toph detected with her heightened seismic sense thanks to her bare feet. With her acute awareness, Toph could discern every movement Terra made that connected with the earth beneath, despite her lack of vision.
Toph executed a swift kick into the ground, summoning an upcoming fissure to surge towards Terra. In response, Terra flung her arms apart, employing her Geokinesis to bifurcate the incoming fissure, thereby deflecting the attack. With a hint of disbelief, Terra exclaimed,
"Wait, how can you tell where I am? You're blind!"
Toph smirked mischievously as she gently traced her foot along the ground, before performing a flourish with her wrist, causing the earth below Terra's feet to shift suddenly. This move destabilized Terra's balance, tripping her and making her fall to the ground.
"Heh, wouldn't you like to know?"
Toph taunted, amusement lacing her voice. Terra frustratedly brushed her blonde locks aside, before extending her hand forward forcefully. Acting in kind, she shoved the soil beneath Toph, causing her to lose balance and land on her front.
"You're not the only one who can knock someone off their feet."
Terra retorted, a hint of defiance in her voice. Toph found herself genuinely taken aback, her usual composure and immovable stance shattered by the unexpected upset of her balance. Despite the hit to her ego, Toph couldn't help but appreciate the challenge that Terra presented.
"Now you've done it."
Toph warned with a mix of bravado and determination, her voice filled with a renewed vigor. With determined focus, Toph firmly grounded her feet and clenched the earth in front of her. Summoning her Earthbending prowess, she lifted a segment of the ground with her power, then forcibly slammed down, propelling an ever-growing ripple wave of earth in Terra's direction.
As the intimidating wave of earth rushed towards her, Terra's eyes widened in recognition of the incoming attack. Acting swiftly, she used her Geokinesis to raise a platform of earth beneath her, propelling her into the air and flying above the wave, skillfully avoiding it. Toph, with her acute senses, could detect the movement of the platform that Terra was using for flight. Grumbling to herself, She mused,
"First Twinkle Toes, now her. Too nimble for an Earthbender... maybe I should call her Slipperily Girly? ... Nah, I'll keep working on it."
With renewed focus, Toph zeroed in her attention on the battle, strategizing her next move. Utilizing her Geokinesis, Terra lifted large shards from the surrounding buildings, sending them cascading down upon Toph. In response, Toph swiftly raised her arm and performed a sweeping arc, conjuring a dome of cobblestones that enveloped her in a protective barrier, neutralizing the incoming attacks.
Narrowing her eyes, Terra advanced the platform downwards towards the dome. With a powerful shove, she made the platform descend upon the defensive structure, causing it to collapse. She landed on the building of a house. However, Toph was nowhere to be seen. A hole in the structure was the only indication of her absence.
"What?"
Terra pondered aloud, confusion clouding her features as she tried to locate Toph's whereabouts. Toph took the element of surprise, surging through the ground and launching up to Terra's level on the roof with a pillar of earth. She then pushed out forcefully, unleashing a barrage of rocks from the pillar towards the blonde girl. Caught off guard, Terra barely managed to deflect the initial onslaught before the force of the attack sent her stumbling off the roof. She landed with a resounding thump on the hard ground, her fall cushioned by her Geokinesis, but not enough to entirely soften the impact, causing her to cry out in pain and frustration.
Toph agilely glided down the roof, her Earthbending allowing her to land safely on the gravelly ground below. With a smirk, she taunted,
"What? Can't handle a small drop? Looks like you're not as tough as you think you are."
With a guttural sound, Terra propelled her arm, flipping the earth below Toph like a slab of stone before the Blind Bandit had the chance to react with proper Earthbending technique, sending her flying back and colliding with a pile of crates with a yell. Anger seethed within Terra as she vented,
"Get over yourself!"
As Toph pushed herself back up, she was still disoriented from the previous attack. However, her keen seismic sense allowed her to anticipate Terra's next move. Acting swiftly, Toph erected a series of stone pillars in a diagonal pattern, intending to knock Terra off course. However, Terra demonstrated remarkable agility, weaving around each pillar with serpentine evasion, dodging the attacks with surprising finesse.
Taking a fragment of rock from the broken pillar, Terra reared back to bash it against Toph's head. However, Toph, with her lightning-fast reflexes, shattered the rock to dust with a backhand strike. However, now that she was fighting in close quarters, Terra took advantage of Toph's blindness and unleashed a rapid sequence of martial arts punches, aiming to land blows that were invisible to the Blind Bandit.
Toph was caught off guard by the unexpected flurry of punches. Most Earthbenders fought from a distance, rarely resorting to hand-to-hand combat. This situation felt different, and Toph struggled to defend herself, feeling a pang of discomfort physically, and mentally. Despite her tendency to fight dirty and pragmatically, she couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that something was off about hitting a blind girl in this manner.
Toph managed to catch one of Terra's kicks, but was quickly met with another blow from the blonde's other leg. She winced at the impact but, keeping her composure, she turned her head towards Terra with a hint of derision.
"Beating a blind girl? Even for a coward, that's just low."
Toph quipped, her voice laced with a mix of annoyance and disbelief. Terra huffed, brushing her golden locks aside, and retorted with a hint of disdain.
"Please. You strike me as the type who would ruthlessly exploit any vulnerability, disabled or otherwise, if they can put up a fight."
Toph's eyes widened at Terra's words. While she was an unapologetic fighter who didn't mind underhanded tactics, being accused of taking advantage of the disabled bothered her. She replied firmly, her voice tinged with anger.
"You don't know anything about me."
Toph lashed out with a swift punch to the ground, propelling Terra back with a sloped pillar of earth. Caught off guard, Terra let out a cry of surprise as she hit the ground. Seeing an opportunity, Toph swiftly disappeared underground using her Earthbending, confident that Terra would pursue her.
Recovering from the attack, Terra noticed the hole Toph had vanished into, and quickly decided to follow, utilizing her Geokinesis to glide down the tunnel with ease. She slid down the shaft with a mix of determination and caution, her body maneuvering through the cramped underground space.
As Terra descended into the depths, she reached an expansive underground cave that had remnants of an ancient city. Glowing crystals emitted a soft, otherworldly light, giving the surroundings an ethereal ambiance, as though time had come to a standstill within this subterranean sanctuary. Terra gazed around her in awe, her eyes taking in the breathtaking sight of the ancient cavern filled with luminescent crystals. As she stepped deeper into the underground chamber, her surroundings held a sense of wonder and mystery.
"Whoa..."
She murmured, her voice filled with wonder and curiosity.
"Hey, Blind Beater!"
Toph called out. Terra turned towards the Blind Bandit, not appreciating the nickname.
"You want to beat me so bad! Alright then! Come and get me!"
Terra let out a sigh, shaking her head in response to Toph's remark. With a firm tone, she retorted,
"Let's get one thing straight: You started this fight. I warned you to leave me be. If you can't handle the consequences, then you shouldn't have started it in the first place."
Toph's expression darkened at Terra's words. She clenched her fists, ready to continue the fight.
"Oh, I can handle whatever you dish out. You're the one who should be worried."
With a quick movement, Toph summoned shattered bits of crystals from the cavern's natural surroundings. She then manipulated them, encasing her body in a crystalline armor before launching herself forward in a gliding motion. She charged towards Terra, her eyes locked on her target. Terra, mirroring Toph's actions, created a protective covering of earth around her own body, preparing herself for the imminent clash. They both charged towards each other, closing the distance between them. As they finally collided, the impact created a shockwave throughout the cavern, causing the very earth to shake beneath them.
Toph and Terra were locked in a fierce struggle, their hands gripping each other tightly. They pushed against each other, their respective manipulation styles—Earthbending and Geokinesis—engaged in a test of strength and power. The tension was palpable as each girl desperately struggled to gain the upper hand. The pressure between Toph and Terra grew increasingly intense, with both girls exerting their full strength. Terra's eyes glowed yellow, a sign of her growing power. As she channeled her energy, her aura seeped through the crystal encasing Toph. Cracks began to form across the surface, the pressure slowly increasing and causing the crystal to splinter.
"Agh!"
Toph cried ed out in pain as she felt her body being slowly crushed by the constricting pressure. Recognizing the need to escape the crushing pressure, Toph quickly wrenched her palms away from Terra's grip, creating an opportunity to counterattack. In one swift motion, she propelled her hands forward, employing the minimal force required to generate maximum impact. Terra was sent careening back, her stone armor unable to withstand the unexpected blow. She slammed into a wall, crying out in pain from the impact.
Toph slumped to her knees, her crystalline armor crumbling and cascading to the ground in broken fragments. With the shattering of her armor, her arms were exposed, covered in cuts and bleeding profusely. Her hands trembled as she endured an intensity of pain she had never experienced before. Blood dripped to the ground, creating small pools around her. Toph gritted her teeth, taking deep, shaky breaths to steady herself. She whispered,
"Come on, Toph. Pull it together. You can do this."
With a firm resolve, she punched both of her bleeding fists into the blood-sodden earth, willing the earth to compact and cover her arms, leaving her elbows free for movement. This makeshift tourniquet stopped most of the bleeding, and renewed her resolve. Despite the severe injury, Toph refused to give in. She was still the greatest Earthbender alive. Terra's voice rang out, filled with frustration.
"Stop! This is pointless!"
As she let loose a surge of power, her eyes and body emitted a brilliant yellow glow. With her Geokinesis, she lifted several cylinders of earth around herself, launching them one after another at Toph. The Blind Bandit, using her Earthbending, swiftly erected a substantial wall to intercept and block all incoming attacks. With a powerful punch into the ground, Terra unleashed a fissure that traveled straight to the wall, intending to break it apart. However, before the fissure could shatter the wall, Toph sprang up on a stone platform, propelling herself high into the air with a frontflip. As she descended, she dived feet first into the fissure, causing a significant portion of the area to cave in, creating a deep indentation. Toph then emerged from the fissure, riding a moving wave of earth beneath her feet, her momentum carrying her forward with a burst of speed.
Overwhelmed by Toph's unwavering determination, Terra heightened the floor of the cavern, creating a steep incline that rose higher than the wave that Toph was surfing on. However, Toph simply leaped onto the rising hill, utilizing footholds to catapult herself forward, continuing her relentless pursuit.
Just as Toph was about to close the distance between them, Terra screamed out,
"Get away!"
And raised her hands, before forcefully bringing them down. The hill that Terra had raised shattered and fragmented in a violent display. Toph cried out in surprise and pain as she was thrown back, tumbling harshly to the ground below. With the impact, her bun came undone, revealing a thick and voluminous mane of hair, a clear indication of how much the situation was spiraling out of control.
Toph let out a pained groan as she painstakingly rose to her feet, the toll of the fight becoming increasingly apparent. Not only that, her seismic sense through her feet alerted her to an impending danger; Terra's action had caused even more damage to the cavern than either could anticipate, and the ceiling was slowly caving in on top of them.
Taking a moment to gather her strength, Toph assumed a powerful horse stance, planting both feet firmly into the ground. With a determined expression, she inhaled deeply before raising her arms in a forceful upwards motion, attempting to single-handedly prevent the impending cave-in.
A look of intense concentration washed over Toph's face as she strained with every fiber of her being. The weight of the earth above her was immense, far greater than she had anticipated at this subterranean depth. She clenched her teeth, determination etched deeply on her features, but her voice betrayed her internal struggle.
"I...I can't do it!"
She uttered, the tremor in her voice betraying the extent of the effort required, and the fear she was feeling to hold back the inevitable. Sensing Terra's footsteps approaching through her seismic sense, Toph turned towards her, detecting the raised hands that signaled her intentions. In that moment, the gravity of the situation settled into Toph. Her initial arrogance had led her to this point, and she realized that she was facing the consequences of her actions that she could not escape. Overwhelmed, Toph closed her blind eyes, tears streaming down her face as thoughts of her friends filled her mind.
"I'm sorry."
She whispered, her voice full of both regret and despair. To Toph's surprise, the final blow that she expected didn't come. Instead, the weight above her lessened, and she hesitantly opened her eyes. With her seismic sense, she focused her awareness and felt Terra standing beside her, her arms raised in an effort to support the load using her Geokinesis. Terra's firm words echoed through the cave, offering unexpected assurance.
"Hold on. I got you."
She said, her voice steady and resolute. Toph initially recoiled in surprise, but quickly composed herself, nodding in determination. With a shared focus, they channeled their energies towards the cave-in above. As the ceiling caved in around them, a sinkhole formed on the surface, a testament to the extent of the disaster. After a few minutes, a hole emerged from the sunken land, and both girls burst through it, panting heavily.
Emerging from the deep hole, both girls crawled a few feet outwards before exhaustion overcame them. They collapsed onto their backs, their gazes lifting towards the clear sky above, a stark contrast to the dangerous situation they had just endured. Toph's voice trembled as she caught her breath, her words coming out in between labored gasps.
"You…you saved me. Why?"
She questioned, her initial expectation being that Terra would have finished her off in the depths below. Terra slowly shut her eyes, her adrenaline levels beginning to decrease. She let out a weary sigh, her voice tinged with a hint of vulnerability and self-reflection. She confessed,
"I don't really see myself as much of a hero, but..."
She paused, her voice gaining conviction,
"...but it was the right thing to do. You needed help."
Toph felt the weight of Terra's response sinking in, her arrogance slowly giving way to humility. As the guilt for her earlier treatment of Terra settled in, she couldn't help but feel remorseful for her own past behavior. Her words held genuine regret as she apologized, acknowledging her mistakes.
"I'm sorry. For everything I said."
Terra let a faint smile cross her face, her exhaustion catching up to her. She sighed softly, her voice carrying a hint of weariness.
"I appreciate the apology."
She accepted Toph's remorseful words with a weary nod. Now that the immediate danger had passed, Toph took a moment to regain her composure, resorting to humor to salvage her battered pride. A dramatic sigh escaped her lips as she offered a touch of banter, a hint of bruised pride still evident in her tone.
"As much as it pains me to admit, you're the greatest Earthbender in the world now."
Her voice was laced with reluctant acknowledgement. But then, with a hint of determination, she added,
"But don't get too comfortable. Our rematch will come, and I'll reclaim my title."
Terra let out a soft chuckle, a slight nod acknowledging Toph's challenging words. Her voice held a hint of nonchalance as she responded.
"I don't really need the title. But the next time we meet, anything could happen."
Terra extended her hand, gently grasping Toph's own, as they both lay there on the ground, feeling the warm embrace of the Spring breeze caress their faces. There was a moment of peacefulness, a sense of unspoken understanding between them.
Strength: Both of these young girls command the Earth with the best of them, but surprisingly, even for me, Toph wasn't the best this time. When Toph was holding up the Si Wong Library from sinking into the desert, its estimated that the library weighed 56 million tons. And not only was it falling into the sand, Wan Shi Tong was forcefully pulling the library down, likely subjecting the sand underneath to turn into glass in order to do that. To stop such a feat would mean that Toph was exerting 18 KT of TNT. This would be like using Earthbending to be able to just barely keep the Hiroshima bomb to a minimized explosion that can't be further suppressed, instead of freely exploding outward. However, when Terra lost control of her powers in her debut episode, she accidentally created an earthquake that was going to collapse a mine that her and the Titans were in. While the size of the mine is impossible to completely measure, to bring down a well structured mine would require a magnitude 6-7 earthquake, Which would yield in estimated power of 72 kilotons. This makes Terra roughly 4X stronger at bare minimum. And since she's learned control and had the power to start, and then stop a volcano erupting at the end of the Aftershock episodes, this would actually make her 350X stronger at most.
Speed: This one was even steeper. Toph scales to Aang, who can react to lightning at Mach 150. But Terra can scale to Raven, who can dodge and block an attack from Doctor Light after the laser was fired. Frame by frame, this is measured out to be a reaction time of 87% light speed. This puts Terra at having reactionary feats of Mach 760,407. This makes Terra slightly over 5,000X faster, so not even the seismic sense would be able to keep up if Terra decided to go for a speed blitz.
Skill: Toph is definitely more skilled. Terra was experimented on to achieve her powers, and actively went out of her way of using them unless she had to in most circumstances. Whereas Toph straight up enjoys fighting, and uses Earthbending whenever possible.
Experience: Toph was also more experienced. Sure, Terra faced against more varied opponents, but Toph has been the reigning champion of the Earth Rumble tournament for several years, and has only gone on to do more impressive things since then.
Powers: Both girls commanded the ground with mastery, and Toph's ability to metalbend could give her a leg up if she was in a metal heavy location, but how they use their powers gives Toph the disadvantage. She has to physically move similar to the praying mantis kung fu fighting style to use Earthbending. Terra can just use her powers with simple body movement, or even just her mind with Geokinesis.
The winner is Terra Markov.
Next time:
"I am Robin. Son of Batman. And that's all you need to know!"
"You don't have to be a badass to be a superhero Dave, you just gotta be brave."
