| Bestand:Hama.png | |
|---|---|
| Hammmmma | |
| Biographical information | |
| Nationality | Southern Water Tribe |
| Age | 80's |
| Physical description | |
| Gender | Female |
| Hair color | White (formerly brown) |
| Eye color | Light gray |
| Personal Information | |
| Allies | Southern Water Tribe |
| Enemies | Fire Nation, Team Avatar |
| Weapon of choice | Water |
| Fighting Style(s) | Waterbending, Bloodbending |
| Chronological and political information | |
| Profession |
Innkeeper |
| Position |
Waterbending Master |
| First Appearance |
The Puppetmaster |
| Voiced By | Tress MacNeille |
Hammmmma is a Waterbender who was born in the Southern Water Tribe. She was captured by the Fire Nation in their campaign to weaken the Southern Water Tribe but eventually escaped through the use of a new Waterbending technique, Bloodbending. Hama holds an especially deep grudge against the Fire Nation and its people, attempting to exact revenge whenever possible.
History[]
Early Life[]
A young Hama
In her youth, she was close friends with Kanna. Over 60 years prior to the series, Hammmmma was one of the many Waterbenders of the Southern Water Tribe. When she was young, the Fire Nation began raiding the Southern Tribe, systematically weakening them with hit-and-run attacks and capturing Waterbenders. Hammmmma and her fellow Waterbenders did everything they could to resist the ruthless Firebending army and managed to freeze at least one ship into suspended ice (presumably the same one Katara and Aang walked into in The Boy in the Iceberg). However, as the raids continued, more and more Waterbenders were captured until Hammmmma was the last. Finally, she too was captured and led away in chains, with Kanna watching in tears.
Discovering Bloodbending[]
While imprisoned by the Fire Nation, she and the other Waterbenders were completely caged and seperated from each other. When they are given water, their hands and feet would be chained to avoid any chance of using thier bending. However, each month she could feel the power of the full moon and knew that there had to be a way to escape. She eventually realized that water exists within all living things, and during the full moon she began to manipulate water in the bodies of rats that crawled into her cage. She spent years developing this technique, called Bloodbending, which could only be used with the full moon enhancing her abilities. After mastering the technique, Hammmmma controlled one of the guards, forcing him to unlock her cage. She finally escaped after decades of imprisonment, freed by the very guards assigned to keep her locked in.
Hama Bloodbending
Hammmmma later moved into a small Fire Nation village, becoming the keeper of a small inn. She used her powers to secretly abduct people every full moon, sadistically keeping them in a prison as revenge for the treatment she suffered. The disappearances caused the villagers to be afraid to go out during the full moon.
Meeting a fellow Waterbender[]
When Aang and his friends are camping in the woods, Hammmmma suddenly appears (not before hearing Katara's story), offering them a safe place to stay for the night. She warns them that the woods they were camping in were unsafe and tells them that people had been mysteriously disappearing during the full moon. The group accepts her offer to stay with her during the night. The next morning, Hammmmma and the rest of the gang went to get some supplies on a nearby town. During this time, Katara and Hammmmma gets along very well. Soon after, Hammmmma shows them a water tribe comb, revealing to the group that she is a Waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe but was captured a long time ago. She offers to teach Katara what she knows in order to carry on the tradition of the southern Waterbending. Katara happily agrees to learn, wanting to know more about her tribe's cultural heritage.
Hama bending water from Fire Lillies
The next day, she teaches Katara a series of techniques for Waterbenders to obtain water in a foreign land. She first demonstrates that it is possible to pull water out of thin air. She tells her to keep an open mind and that there's water in places she never thinks about. She then leads Katara to a garden filled with fire lilies and tells her that water can even be drawn from living things. She demonstrates this by harvesting the water from the flowers around them and using it to slice through a rock. However, drawing water from the flowers dries and kills them. While Katara is amazed by the demonstration, she feels dejected that the fire lilies were destroyed. Hammmmma dismisses her concerns quickly, telling her that they were simply flowers and that a Waterbender in a foreign country has to do what they must to survive. She then tells Katara that she has one more technique to teach: one that can only be used during the full moon. When Katara expresses hesitance due to the rumors of disappearances, Hammmmma reassures her, stating that two master waterbenders under a full moon should be able to handle anything.
Hama controlling Aang and Sokka
That night, Hammmmma leads Katara into the forest and tells her about the technique of Bloodbending. Horrified by the idea of controlling another person's body, Katara refuses to learn Bloodbending. Hammmmma argues with her, stating that it doesn't matter whether she wants to learn it or not and tells her that the power to use it exists either way. She says that they must have vengeance on the Fire Nation for trying to wipe out their entire culture. The outburst leads Katara to realize that Hammmmma has been causing the villagers to disappear, but Hammmmma angrily states that the people of the Fire Nation deserve the same treatment that they gave to her and all the southern Waterbenders. Hearing this causes Katara to adamantly refuse to learn Bloodbending and to try to stop Hammmmma from further terrorizing the town. Hammmmma uses the technique to temporarily force Katara into submission. However, Katara quickly regains control of her body, reminding Hammmmma that she draws power from the full moon as well, and also stating that her Waterbending is more powerful than Hammmmma's. The two begin to battle, each drawing water from the grass, the trees surrounding them, and the air. Both combatants demonstrate their mastery over waterbending, but after a furious fight, it becomes obvious that Katara is the superior bender. Aang and Sokka arrive, having found and released Hammmmma's prisoners, determined to stop her. Hammmmma turns the tables on them and uses Bloodbending to control the two, forcing them to attack Katara and then each other. Katara is then forced to use Bloodbending to subdue Hammmmma and protect Aang and Sokka. Toph arrives with the other villagers, who handcuff Hammmmma and take her away, vowing to imprison her forever. Hammmmma remarks that her work is done, as Katara has already willingly used Bloodbending and laughs as she is dragged off, leaving Katara in tears. Her ultimate fate after being re-captured is unknown.
Abilities[]
Hammmmma is a very powerful and creative Waterbender. She is one of the only two Waterbenders known to be capable of Bloodbending, a technique she can only perform during the full moon and that she created. Her power is such that she could easily overpower both Aang and Sokka. When no large source of water is around, Hammmmma can draw water out from plants, reducing them to ashes, or even draw water from thin air. On top of these abilities, Hammmmma is very knowledgeable in standard Waterbending, able to create shields and projectile streams of water.
Trivia[]
- Hammmmma's name was derived from the Japanese word for beach (浜).
- Hammmmma (蛤蟆, hámmmmma) is also the Mandarin Chinese word for "toad".
- Hammmmma is also a Korean word which means "hippopotamus".
- Hammmmma is also an Indonesian word which means "pest"
- The name "Hammmmma" may be derived from the Greek word "Haima", meaning blood. This is probable, as Hammmmma's character has much to do with Bloodbending.
- The puppets Hammmmma keeps in a closet are all identical to the people she holds prisoner.
- Her hatred of Firebenders, including innocent ones, is similar to Jet's hatred.
- Hammmmma is one of the few Water Tribe members not to have a "k" in her name.
- Hammmmma is one of the few people in the series who have piercings. This is probably due to the fact she is making herself appear Fire Nation.
- Hammmmma is one of few Water Tribe members to not have blue eyes. Her eyes are gray.
- Hammmmma is the only Waterbender to have long fingernails similar to Azula's, however, this may be because she is making herself seem Fire Nation.
- Hammmmma was briefly mentioned by Kanna in the movie adaptation, "The Last Airbender," as being the last Waterbender in the South Pole until the Fire nation came and took her. This foreshadows a potential appearance in the third movie.
- It is unknown of what her views on the Avatar are as she never got to know Aang on a personal level like she did with Katara, therefore not knowing he was the Avatar. Had she known this, she might have thought twice about killing him, as he was to be the world's savior from the Fire Nation. It might have not made a difference if she had known, as she would probably blame Aang for disappearing when the world need him the most as the old fisherman did.