| “ | It's been a long time since I've added a child's face to my collection. | „ |
| ~ Koh |
Koh, also known as the Face-Stealer, is a minor villain in the Avatar series. He is one of the oldest known spirits, and is very knowledgeable as well as malevolent. Koh enjoys stealing the faces of anyone who expresses emotion in his presence. Because of his frightening appearance, he also enjoys coaxing fear out of anyone who meets him, thus stealing their faces. He only
plays a minor role in the story itself, telling Aang about the ocean and moon spirits, but is responsible for causing the grief of at least one of Aang's past lives.
History
Past
Koh is the nemesis of Avatar Kuruk, a Water Tribe Avatar and the third Avatar preceding Aang. Because of Avatar Yangchen's extremely successful tenure as Avatar which resulted in multi-generational peace, Kuruk did not have to do any work as her successor, leading him to lead a casual life and an arrogant attitude. He eventually found a lover, only for Koh to steal her face as punishment for Kuruk's arrogance. He spent the rest of his life hunting the spirit, and still hunted him well into the afterlife. He could not go through with killing the spirit, however, as he realized that Koh's death would also result in the death of his lover.
Confrontation With Aang
When Aang first meditated into the Spirit World, he sought information about Tui and La, the Ocean and Moon spirits. Roku first told him about Koh, since he was old enough to know Tui and La before their crossing into the mortal world. He also warned Aang of his malevolent nature and not to express any emotion in front of him. The ancient spirit would not give a straight answer in their encounter, merely stating that Tui and La were opposites (push and pull), and told the Avatar that he had already met the spirits. When Aang came to the realization that the spirits were the koi fish in the Spirit Oasis, Koh made his move and attempted to steal Aang's face, but barely missed his brief. expression of emotion. Before departing, he told the Avatar they would meet again.