picaro [pik-er-oh]
noun
1. A rogue or vagabond.
picara [pik-er-uh]
noun
1. A woman who is a rogue or vagabond.
EX. Toph AKA The Blind Bandit is probably the fan favorite of the show. This picara's biggest heist was stealing plenty of attention on the show and she deserves it. She came in the second season and, with the introduction of her character, the show's pacing picked up and everything got off the ground.
AND PART 3: THE WISE FOOL
Today's subject is...
THE LOVEABLE ROGUE
Toph is a popular character for plenty of reasons; she is a bit of a tomboy, she has a great sense of humor, she has deeper insights underneath her facade, she is a talented fighter, a forgiving person, a bit of a loose canon, a reckless rogue, a loyal friend, and the single most talented Earthbender...IN THE WORLD! Oh, and she does this all while, being blind. That's right. She is blind. And she learned how to sense vibrations through her feet....from giant BADGER MOLES. She is a mix of Daredevil and Han Solo; she is not just handi-capable, she is handi-incredible!
Toph came into the show at the perfect time. Book 2 is where the story finally gets off the ground and the filler thins out; every episode becomes vital to their quest or character development. And this complex character came in and broke the mold. Toph Beifong is an Earth Bender from one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the Earth Kingdom. Yet, when our characters meet this tomboy, she is the champion of the Earth-bending equivalent of pro-wrestling in her home town. The gang had been searching for an Earthbending teacher for Aang and, long story short, wanting to escape her overbearing parents, she runs away with them.
Toph is by nature, but not by desire, a loner. She has led a life of practical solitude, has been forced to act within the convention of her family's wishes, and probably didn't have many friends growing up. As a way to deal with her lot in life, Toph is loud, obnoxious, outgoing, impulsive and boorish, but she is also attentive, patient, insightful, confidant, and sincere in her actions. The story of her growth is one of winning the respect of others but being able to let others get close to her.
As a teacher she is strict. At first, she is especially unforgiving of Aang's difficulties with Earth-bending. The style revolves around strength and determination, instead of the spontaneity of Air-bending. Yet, she is ultimately a great teacher, learning from her own experiences with teaching Aang.
If her biggest weakness is her difficulty with accepting help, her biggest strength is her judgement of people. It is Toph who meets and enjoys the company of Iro, later to recognize him and give him a chance. And, even though Zuko has hurt her friends several times and his nation has invaded her own, she is the first to accept Zuko into the group (she cheated a little since she can usually tell if someone is lying by the vibration of their heartbeat) and forgave him after he accidentally burned the bottom of her feet. By the third book, she is confident enough to trust people and, because of her experiences of being alone, is more open-minded than even Aang.
In conclusion, lets look at the moment of Toph's greatest achievement (even greater than her assistance in disabling the invading Fire Nation zeppelin fleet). Let's get an important fact out of the way, Toph is the first Metal-Bender. The minerals in steel, purified by fire, are something that Earth-Benders couldn't bend, which allowed the Fire-Nation to win battles with great war machines. Toph changed that when, after being kidnapped to be brought back home in a metal cage, in her desperation, she focused intensely. Suddenly, she was able to feel out the elements that made-up the metal and bent them to escape. It was in this moment, that Toph realized that, as a matter of fact, she, a blind twelve year-old, was THE GREATEST EARTH-BENDER IN THE WORLD!
