For those of you who are dedicated fans of the show Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel, Legend Of Korra, you will understand why I had to write this. In case you missed it, I already wrote an article about why Avatar: The Last Airbender is such an amazing show, but I thought that we needed to have this conversation about Toph.

In many ways, Toph is our hero and role model. Not only is she extremely smart and level-headed (at least after her initial skirmishes that she got into after joining the team), she is also a fearless Earthbender and Metalbender, whose battle skills are unmatched. She proved that being disabled does not make you weak. So allow me to talk to you about some of the greatest battle scenes with Toph Beifong!

When she battled the best Earthbenders at Earth Rumble VI in Gaoling.

When the blind bandit first entered into the scene, no one could have imagined that a twelve-year old girl could possibly be a formidable Earthbender, let alone The Boulder. But Toph quickly proved that she was no helpless blind girl, quickly putting The Boulder and later all the contestants to shame when she, Katara, and Sokka went to rescue Aang. I mean come on, how could anyone not be in awe of those moves?

When she and the team fought the Dai Li to see the earth king and to rescue Appa.

I must say that in terms of Earthbending battle sequences, this was my favorite of Toph’s. The way she effortlessly swept aside those Dai Li agents was no small feat, especially with that domino move. If you ask me, those agents should have run screaming once they saw her but alas, they never do learn!

When she invented Metalbending and amazed everyone with her terrifying moves.

Toph has proven time and time again that being blind was never a disability, and she did that not just by becoming a master Earthbender but by discovering an entirely new subset of Earthbending! Toph became the first Metalbender and quickly perfected the skill, which sets the bar high for us. How can we complain about balancing homework and jobs when Toph Beifong mastered Earthbending and discovered Metalbending at age twelve despite her blindness? I feel like the rest of us should just throw up our hands at this point.

When Toph helped battle Azula on the Day Of Black Sun.

Out of all the female characters, Azula has got to be one of the most terrifying. It’s true that the team did ultimately lose this battle but the fact that Toph managed to even unsettle Azula a little bit is enough to garner more respect for our queen!

When she kicked Korra’s butt even at the age of 86.

Is it possible for Toph to be more incredible? Even as an old lady she’s got the power to put Earthbenders in their prime to shame. She’s still a formidable opponent, both in attitude and skill!

We salute you, Chief Beifong!