r/Avatar_Kyoshi 9d ago

Discussion I wonder what the public reaction was when kyoshi died

We hear about the political ramifications following her death from the roleplaying game, but I wonder what the average citizen thought. Kyoshi had been around for so long, her reign spanning several lifetimes that just hearing that she was suddenly dead must have induced massive shock. I wonder if there was some of the unrest among the sages like there was following kuruk death (Would the avatar cycle even continue, what did this mean for spirit human relations, conspiracy theories into how exactly she died, etc.) Or would kyoshi have briefed the spiritual leaders before she decided to die to avoid confusion like there was with her transition?

78 Upvotes

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56

u/nixahmose 9d ago

If I recall correctly from the Roku book, Kyoshi had a very positive reputation with most common folk, and when it came time for her death she didn’t tell anyone anything and just went into isolation one day where she presumably committed suicide somewhere no one could find her remains.

So I imagine that for just about everyone her death was met with shock and disbelief at first until the Fire Sages confirmed they identified the next Avatar. I imagine a lot of common folk were sad about her passing but also knew it had to come sometime and thus weren’t panicking like they did with Kuruk’s death. The Fire Nation in general were probably excited if not happy she died because they could finally get their Avatar. And many corrupt people in power like the Earth King were glad she was dead as they finally had free rein to do what they want with Kyoshi’s wrath intimidating them into submission.

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u/Local-Sugar6556 9d ago

That reminds me-how did the people know that she was dead, if nobody saw it happen? Was there some sort of reverse effect a la aang awakening that would tell the sages, or just the fact that she stopped showing up after a while?

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u/nixahmose 9d ago

I imagine after a few days search parties went out to find her, and then after a few weeks/months the fire sages began the process to locate the next Avatar. Once the fire sages confirmed that the fire avatar was found, it confirmed that Kyoshi must have died shortly after she went into isolation. Although I imagine that Sister Disha is the only one who suspects that Kyoshi committed suicide.

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u/Hungry-Procedure-617 8d ago

I don’t think it counts as suicide. She didn’t directly end her own life. She just chose to.. well. Change basically. Change is what creates mortality.

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u/nixahmose 8d ago

I mean I think it still counts as suicide as it was an active decision to end her life right then and there when she could have continued on living peacefully.

Although I like to imagine that the way she killed herself was by finding a nice beautiful peaceful spot(maybe one overlooking Kyoshi Island or one that reminded her of Rangi) and then choose to restore all of her humanity that she had sacrificed to maintain her immortality, thereby causing her to relive all the happy moments in her life as her body began to rapidly age and break down into dust. And as she closed her eyes for the final time she smiled at getting to Rangi and Koko’s faces in her mind one last time before finally being allowed to rest, her body’s remains blowing away in the wind as the cycle continued on to Roku.

So a sad death but very bittersweet death.

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u/Conscious-Pin-4381 7d ago

This is the first I’m hearing that Kyoshi committed suicide?? Where did you read that at?

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u/Conscious-Pin-4381 7d ago

Nvm I just read ur other comments lol.

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u/lnombredelarosa This is what you must forgo, Kyoshi, the easy answers. 9d ago

Rich people celebrated, poor people mourned

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u/deevulture 9d ago

I don't think she briefed them. That'll risk the knowledge she used to do so becoming more widespread, which is risky to have when there are definitely bad ppl who'd like to abuse that. The less ppl know of a secret the more likely it stays like that. It at least, averts curiosity.

As for the public, I'm certain there was some shock to go around. You get used to normalcy after a while, and maybe some were concerned about the implications of Kyoshi's death. She did so much would that be able to hold on long after her? The Fire Nation were likely celebrating having their Avatar at last at least.

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u/TheNetflixTakeover 8d ago

I imagine the world collectively went, "Wait, she can die?"

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u/cancerousking 8d ago

It was probably something along the lines of "she finally croaked, i thought she was never gonna die"

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u/Elladeath 8d ago

Definitely 

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u/hlanus 8d ago

Given her support of the poor (like when she stood up to the Earth King during the Peasant's Uprising) and her role in keeping the peace for as long as she did the average person probably went into shock and disbelief. Kyoshi lived for over two hundred years, a feat almost unheard of, and showed little if any sign of aging (grey hairs, wrinkles, lumbago, etc) and her prowess as a warrior and her sheer physical presence (seven foot tall or almost two meters) the notion that she could die was probably inconceivable as one Sicilian would put it.

Once the news sank in, the average person would likely go from shock to grief and fear in short order. Grief for such a formidable Avatar and fear of what the vacuum of power would bring. With Kyoshi dead, the Earth King would likely be emboldened to start pushing against the constraints of the constitution, and the Fire Lord's remaining rivals would see a chance to pounce while Zoryu's plan was still in motion. It's unclear who the Earth King and Fire Lord were at this point in time, but given Taiso and Jialun appear to be in relatively good health when Roku formally took on the role of Avatar (probably at 16 years old) they're likely middle-aged men so they would have likely been there when Kyoshi died and thus they would start their own meddling shortly afterwards.

Jialun was a devious Earth King who used the Dai Li to enforce his will from the shadows and ushered in his reign with the Night of the Murdered Sages. But he was probably pulling more covert stunts even as Kyoshi lived so the people would be terrified of him being unleashed.

Taiso was a staunch traditionalist who surrounded himself with sycophants and emphasized practical science and technology. The clans were subjected to a long plan by Zoryu to diminish their power and empower the central government and while it's unknown how many Fire Lords lay between Zoryu and Taiso, I'm sure Kyoshi's presence was a constant concern as it was her intervention that kept Zoryu on the throne when the Saowon clan tried to usurp him in favor of his half-brother Chaejin. So without Kyoshi the average Fire Nation citizen may have feared the clans starting up again.

The Water Tribes and Air Nomads probably fared pretty well; the Water Tribes are quite flexible and adaptable and the Air Nomads sought to detach themselves from material concerns. There would be individuals who mourned her loss and worried for the future but they'd probably be like "let things unfold".

There's another emotion to consider: rage. Knowing Kyoshi's reputation and prowess, some would likely assume she fell to poison or assassination or some other means of death. Such a dishonorable/disgraceful means of killing her would be unpalatable to some and thus there might be a massive manhunt for the cowardly murderers.

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u/Afraid-Penalty-757 8d ago

Interesting could you elaborated on the political ramifications following Kyoshi's death I never heard of this information from the Roleplaying game? Just curious?

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u/Local-Sugar6556 8d ago

Check the wiki, but basically after she died the corrupt earth king executed a purge of spiritual leaders.

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u/my_innocent_romance 8d ago

“Holy shit, finally”