Kai (Legend of Korra)

Kai is the supporting character of the Nickelodeon show, Legend of Korra. He is an orphan who became an airbender after the Harmonic Convergence of 171 AG. He is a mischievous thief who was later caught by the Dai Li in Ba Sing Se for using airbending.

History
Kai grew up an orphan. When he was finally adopted by a nice family in 170 AG, he took advantage of their kindness by stealing their life savings and spent six months on the run from Earth Kingdom authorities. Following Harmonic Convergence, he soon discovered he possessed airbending. Soon after, he encountered Team Avatar, who was searching for airbenders to rebuild the Air Nation. He told them a false story of how his parents were killed by outlaws who were pursuing them, earning their sympathy and quickly being accepted in their company. Just as he boarded their airship, ready to depart, a sheriff and his deputies arrived, whom he falsely claimed to be outlaws. After Avatar Korra bested them, the sheriff revealed Kai's true identity as a thief. The boy attempted to run off with his loot, but was caught by Mako. The sheriff quickly took custody of the young lad, intending to send him to prison. However, in exchange for returning the life savings to Kai's family, Korra convinced the sheriff to allow Kai to turn over a new leaf with Team Avatar. Though the compromise was accepted, Mako warned Kai that he would be watching him.

While en route to Ba Sing Se, Kai attended an airbending lesson under Jinora's tutelage, during which he swiftly took down Bumi with one air swipe. He stole the retired commander's wallet during the skirmish, engaging in a game of chase after Bumi found out.

Upon arriving in Ba Sing Se, Kai's kleptomania got the better of him and he slipped away to use his airbending to pickpocket the wealthy. When the team noticed his absence, Kai was found by Mako and Bolin while he robbed a rich Ba Sing Se citizen. He ran away from them, though as he boarded the Ba Sing Se Monorail, he was grabbed by the collar by Mako. However, he used his airbending to free himself and managed to exit the cart just in time before it left for the Lower Ring, leaving the brothers on it without their wallets.

That night, he used his loot to settle down in a luxury resort, where has was addressed as "Master Fong". The following day, he resumed his scam to rob more citizens, though by nightfall, he was cornered by two Dai Li agents in a small alley. Although he tried to make a run for it, he was captured by their rock gloves and subsequently thrown in prison with other airbenders, where he was notified that he had been conscripted in Earth Queen Hou-Ting's first airbending regiment.

Later, Kai was pitted against the other airbenders during a training session, and was bullied by his Dai Li overseer for holding back against and apologizing to his sparing partner, Yung. When the session turned to defense against earth projectiles, Kai proved more adept than the others, prompting the overseer to attack him more furiously. Kai retaliated with an airblast, which his opponent evaded and punished the boy for his insolence by throwing him in a cell known as "The Hole". Shortly afterwards, Jinora's projected spirit appeared before him, having focused on his energies to find his location so she and Team Avatar could rescue him and the others.

Later that night, Mako, Bolin, and Jinora located and freed Kai from his prison cell. Jinora first greeted him with a kiss on the cheek, causing Kai to blush. He then faced disapproving glares from Mako and Bolin, prompting him to apologize for what he had done. Bolin quickly forgave him with a hug, though Mako complained about the loss of his money. As the foursome attempted to leave, they were confronted by a trio of Dai Li agents, among them the overseer, who declared that Kai's desertion would be punishable by death. Though Bolin was able to down two Dai Li agents, the overseer grabbed Jinora, though Kai saved her and defeated the overseer using airbending. They then escaped the Earth Queen's temple, before Bolin catapulted them onto Oogi. Once they had left Ba Sing Se, Kai joined the other airbenders in following Tenzin to the Northern Air Temple.

Airbending
Kai is a capable airbender, even though he is untrained. He was able to use significant air blasts to knock Mako and Bolin onto the monorail, allowing him to escape, as well as directing specific gusts of air to facilitate his thefts. After training while captive by the Dai Li, Kai displayed remarkably improved abilities in combative airbending, being able to knock out the apparent lead Dai Li agent while rescuing Jinora in a single maneuver.

Other skills
Kai is stealthy, as he was able to slip away from Team Avatar when they arrived in Ba Sing Se, and a good liar, as he convinced Team Avatar to believe his story before the sheriff arrived. He is also a very skilled pick-pocketer.