When one brings up the topic of the greatest and most impactful animated series around, it doesn’t take an expert to state that one of the names that will be uttered is none other than Avatar: The Last Airbender. Hard magic systems in entertainment mediums need to be absolutely crystal clear and rock solid at the same time, and Avatar managed to accomplish all this and then some more. We say this because the series developed the art of “bending” that is still referenced to this day as one of the best magic systems present in any fantastical form of entertainment around. The series had so much appeal that another series labeled as The Legend Of Korra was released to cure fans of the fever they’d garnered after staying without any Avatar material.
Of course, one simply can’t praise Avatar without mentioning the whole host of characters that have gone to play a major role in the events of the show. The stories of Aang, Katara, Sokka, Zuko, Appa, and Momo have remained in the minds of fans long after the show reached its epic conclusion. Of course, there’s one character we didn’t mention who is the major focus of this article — yep, we’re talking about none other than Toph Beifong. The character is widely touted to be one of the best personas in the show, but the fact of the matter is that there are several things about the character that most people simply ignore or haven’t noticed. Here are 25 such things about Toph in Avatar: The Last Airbender that you had little to no clue about.
25 “She” Was Supposed To Be A “He”
One of the major reasons why Toph has become such an iconic design is mainly because of the fact that she’s the exact opposite of what earthbenders generally look like in the show — rough burly men.
However, her original design was exactly that.
Instead, Toph was designed to look like a frail blind girl – until she whipped out some serious earthbending skills, that is.
Guess that goes to show just how useless appearances can actually be.
24 Toph’s Original Jock-Type Design Served As A Reference For Bolin
However, the original design of Toph didn’t exactly go to waste. While the idea of a big burly dude isn’t anything new, the creators realized that they needed to add a little bit of personality to make this character concept just a tad bit more interesting.
This led to the birth of Bolin.
The major source of comic relief in The Legend Of Korra is a memorable character in every sense of the word, and it must be said that Toph’s alternate design wasn’t wasted at all.
23 Toph Is Literally Meant To Sound Like “Tough”
Now, Toph’s name actually holds multiple meanings, but what we’re focusing on is the sound of the name itself. Just say it out loud, and you’ll know exactly what we’re trying to say.
Well, it’s technically true — Toph is quite… tough.
Aside from the sound itself, the name “Toph” has a bunch of other meanings. It reads out “expanding lotus” in Chinese, while “Beifong” means “northern.”
Quite neat, innit?
22 She Might Be Blind, But Toph Knows Her Math
You’d expect someone without eyesight to have some problem when it comes to counting money. After all, coins and notes denote different values, which can make it quite confusing for someone without a visual aid to figure out these values.
But — of course — Toph is anything but ordinary. In fact, it must be said that her math is pretty on point. She is able to count notes with the greatest of ease, which should ideally be impossible, given her situation.
21 Toph’s Earthbending Style Was Supposedly Invented By A Blind Woman
Toph’s earthbending skills are honestly quite out of this world. Anybody who’s seen the series can attest to the fact that any scene where Toph is practicing this art is nothing short of breathtaking and awe-inspiring. The fact that she’s blind just makes her skill with the bending art all the more impressive.
Well, fittingly enough, there’s a rumor going on in the Avatar fanbase that the earthbending style of Toph was actually invented by — you guessed it — a blind woman! Now isn’t that something?
20 Toph Is The Only Known Individual Capable Of Using Both Variations Of Seismic Sense
The Seismic Sense ability has proven to be incredibly helpful in ensuring that Toph is able to both locate enemies or objects and also detect people’s lies. If this sounds like a cheat code, then it’s probably because it’s exactly like that.
After all, Toph is the only person who can use both variations of the Seismic Sense — a feat that was unheard of before a blind girl was able to pull it off with the greatest of ease.
All earthbenders should really be ashamed of themselves.
19 Toph Can Use Her Seismic Sense On Sand As Well
You’d expect that a frail surface like sand would give away the moment you tried to utilize an ability like Seismic Sense on it. However, in the case of Toph, it seems that skill triumphs anything else by a long shot.
We say this because Toph is able to do exactly that on an unstable surface like sand with varying levels of accuracy. It’s honestly quite impressive and goes to show just how vast and expansive Toph’s skills actually are.
18 Toph’s Ability To Sense Lies Is Not Absolute
The other ability of the Seismic Sense that we were gushing on just a while back isn’t without its fair share of flaws. To be more exact, we’re talking about the ability of Toph to sense lies — while it has its benefits, there are times when it simply hasn’t worked out.
Perhaps the most famous example of this flaw is the scene where Azula managed to tell a number of ludicrous lies that Toph isn’t able to recognize. However, Azula is not the only person with this shield — the undercover Dai Li agent Old Sweepy was also able to do the same.
17 Despite Toph’s Hatred For Rules, She Likes Being In A Position To Enforce Them
Being the rebel that she is, Toph generally had a hatred for rules. She sported a palpable disdain when it came to following the norm, which can be clearly seen in the fact that she ran away from her freaking parents just because she didn’t want to live her life as the ditzy girl.
However, the fact of the matter is that she apparently didn’t mind enforcing rules once provided with the opportunity to do the same. We say this because she headed the Republic City Police Force and put certain rules into action, after all.
16 Toph Was The Only Member Of Team Avatar Who Didn’t Pair Up With Zuko
The much-awaited tryst between Team Avatar and Zuko was something that fans were pining for ever since Zuko’s face turn. Like a slow burn of sorts, each individual member of Team Avatar spent some quality time with Zuko as they… ahem warmed up to him, if you catch my drift.
However, there’s one glaring omission in these little side stories — Toph never paired up with Zuko at all. Although, to be honest, it wasn’t really important because…
15 She Was The Only Person Who Trusted Zuko When He Tried To Join The Team
Remember when we were talking about Toph’s ability to sense lies? Well, it seems that this ability is way more useful than most people give it credit for, since it also allowed her to figure out any person who was trustworthy… including Zuko himself.
Of course, Zuko kind of lost this trust when he accidentally burned Toph, but that was an honest mistake on his part (Toph did sneak up behind him, after all). At the end of the day, both people became fast friends.
14 Toph’s Hair Is Deceptively Long
The last trait that one would attach with the character of Toph is the fact that she has long hair. After all, she generally used to keep it in a bun for the purpose of convenience… but don’t fool yourself into believing this false sentence.
We say this because Toph’s hair is actually quite substantially long. There are scenes when she’s unraveled her bun to reveal flowing locks of hair that would leave anyone jealous and pining for their hair to also grow that long as well.
13 Toph Has No Reason To Fight The Fire Nation
This might sound like a rather heartless statement to make — after all, it’s not like Toph doesn’t want the greater good for the entire world. However, in terms of personal stakes, Toph really doesn’t have anything going for her.
She technically comes from a rich background and has never faced any problems by the Fire Nation. The Hundred Year War didn’t exactly scorch her backyard either, giving her even less of a reason to fight against a powerful nation that didn’t really do anything to her.
12 Toph Is Not Very Spiritual For A Bender
Spirituality is a major aspect of the Avatar universe, with benders all over the world connecting to their spiritual side to extend the reach of their powers. However, in this context, there’s is one bender who couldn’t give a toss about spirituality — Toph.
Of course, it’s not like Toph has completely discarded spirituality altogether — far from it. However, the fact of the matter is that she has never explicitly shown any preference towards it either, which is quite telling.
11 Toph And Aang Are The Same Age
While it might not be an especially surprising fact, it’s still quite jarring to think about the fact that Toph and Aang are the same age! After all, Toph came to the party with a massive set of skills that would put anybody to shame. The same can’t be said for Aang, who — some might argue — was still woefully inept as the Avatar up to that point.
So, in this context, it can get somewhat hard to imagine Toph and Aang to be the same age. Even if Toph was a few years older, her age would still betray what she actually is like.
10 Toph Utters The Last Line In The Original Series
With Aang being the focus of the series, one might assume that he would be the focal point of the ending moments of the show, and — to an extent — he was. However, don’t let that take away from Toph’s sizeable contribution to the series as a whole.
We say this because the last line in the series was uttered by Toph herself. To be more exact, the statement she made was, “I think you all look perfect.”
Isn’t that sweet?
9 Toph’s Outfit Is Influenced By European Fashion Styles
Toph’s green Earth Rumble outfit has become the stuff of legends amongst the fanbase, and for good reason — although, to be honest, this statement can apply to pretty much any classic outfit, worn by the members of Team Avatar.
And — of course — as is the case with most memorable outfits, there’s bound to be some inspiration behind the real deal. This is the case with Toph’s clothing as well, which was inspired by European fashion styles.
8 Toph Is The Youngest Person In The Original Series To Have Mastered Earthbending
Is there any department where Toph hasn’t exceeded expectations?
After all, the fact of the matter is that not only is she one of the most powerful and effective earthbenders of her time, but she’s also the youngest person in the original Avatar series to have mastered the art of earthbending.
It just goes to show just how talented Toph really is, and why she was the perfect earthbending mentor for an Avatar who was fighting against time to master all forms of bending.
7 Toph And Katara Are The Only Known People To Have Trained Two Different Avatars
Now, here’s another accolade that Toph shares with her friend, Katara. We all know that Katara and Toph taught Aang the arts of waterbending and earthbending respectively. However, once the new age of the Avatar came to be, both these individuals also played a significant role in grooming Korra as well.
This makes both Toph and Katara the only two people to have trained two different Avatars. While the validity of this statement might change with the advent of new information, the fact of the matter is that these two people have certainly made their mark in history nevertheless.
6 Toph Is Known To Hit People On The Shoulder As A Sign Of Affection
The last thing that one would associate Toph to be like would be a compassionate individual who showcases her love for people. Fans of the series will attest to the fact that Toph is generally quite cold, rude, and snide to boot.
However, this rough exterior actually hides a soft interior that treasures friends and relationships. There’s just a different way in which Toph expresses her affection — with a nice whack on a person’s shoulder.
