What is a Hei Bai in Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender? Katara and Sokka are in danger once Aang lets them walk into the Spirit World with him and the gang runs into the fearsome creature.
CONTENT SPOILERS: This article includes spoilers for the live-action Netflix series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, so proceed with caution.
What is a Hei Bai in Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender?
As the live adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender premieres on Netflix, fans are looking out for comparisons to the original animated series.
For example, fans noted how much "darker" the live-action series is, especially when it comes to the VFX behind the Hei Bai from episode 5 titled Spirited Away.
But before we dig any deeper, what is a Hei Bai in Avatar, anyway?
The Mandarin word "Hei Bai" translates roughly to "black and white spirit". In the animated series, Hei Bais usually appear as docile panda bears that protect the Earth Kingdom forest.
However, because of the Hei Bais' strong protective instinct they can turn into frightening, armed creatures when provoked by ill-intentioned outsiders.
In the animated series, the Forest Spirit doesn't know it was the Fire Nation who burned down its sanctuary, so it decides to take revenge by kidnapping villagers every night at sundown.
Thankfully, Aang manages to rescue the kidnapped villagers, along with Katara and Sokka, from the Spirit World.
READ MORE: What Happened to Jet in Avatar: The Last Airbender? Character's Fate Explored
Why Does the Forest Spirit Look so Scary in the Live-Action Series?
In the Netflix live-action series, fans get to see more of the Hei Bai in its menacing, Spirit World form. Here it doesn't look like a harmless panda, which makes the overall effect much scarier.
What also contributes is the fact that, in the new series, the Hei Bai has scratches across its face in both the docile and scary incarnations – even the panda bear statues are scratched. In the animation, this grim detail is nowhere to be seen.
Later on, a talking white fox reveals to Sokka that the "monster" they're afraid of is actually just in pain. "It's hurt," the fox explains, "[Pain] changes you into something that you're not."
So far the show's creators haven't revealed their plans for the Hei Bai, but the departure from its portrayal in the animation is likely intentional. The Netflix version of Avatar: The Last Airbender, scary Hei Bai and all, was meant to be "much darker" than its source material.
From its panda bear statues in the physical world, the forest and its statues were seen having scratches across their faces, with a similar problem that they faced in the animated show.
Meanwhile, all eight episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender are available to stream on Netflix.
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