Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra had a number of villains who wreaked havoc and chaos in their own ways. Aang, Korra, and their predecessors had to face fierce bending masters, power-hungry conquerors, underdog rebels, infamous assassins, and political manipulators. Each villain has required a different approach from the Avatars and their allies, but only a few were capable of shaking up the world as everyone knew it.

Aang was focused on the threat of Fire Lord Ozai throughout Avatar: The Last Airbender, but he often met villains along the way. While he tried to stop Ozai, he had to contend with the likes of Hama, Jet, Long Feng, and Azula. Korra had a new existential threat every season. She had a revolving door of villains, battling Amon, Unalaq and Vaatu, Zaheer and the Red Lotus, and Kuvira. Korra, though, had her share of minor villains manipulating events from the background.

The eminently powerful villains were capable of giving an Avatar the fight of their life, but even a few of the minor villains and sometimes-allies refused to be brushed aside. Which of the Avatar's many villains was the best of the worst?

Here are the 25 Most Powerful Villains Of The Avatar Universe, Officially Ranked.

Jet

For a small-time rebel leader, Jet caused more than his share of trouble. Jet and his band destroyed an Earth Kingdom village controlled by the Fire Nation, and they would have wiped out the residents if Sokka had not warned the village. He was an excellent fighter with hook swords. He was evenly matched with Zuko, a master swordsman. He managed to delay Aang in an extended fight before Katara stopped him in a surprise move. He was strong-minded enough to resist Long Feng's brainwashing, but fell to a single fatal blow from Long Feng.

Lightning Bolt Zolt

Lightning Bolt Zolt ran the underworld of Republic City. He was a powerful firebender, capable enough with lightning generation to teach the technique to Mako. He was the leader of the Triple Threat Triad, known for harassing peaceful non-benders who found it difficult to defend themselves against his violent bender henchmen. This habit of preying upon weak targets put him in Amon's crosshairs. Zolt fell on his first encounter with Amon, and he was the first victim of Amon's bending removal. Without his bending, Zolt was just a bully with empty threats, and he was replaced as the leader of the triad.

June

June was infamous as a bounty hunter, known for tracking down anyone wherever they might be. She found both Katara when the Fire Nation could not manage to track down the Avatar and his friends. She later tracked down Iroh after he disappeared following his prison breakout. Most of her skill with tracking came from her control over the shirshu she rode. She found a process that worked for her as a non-bender bounty hunter, and she used it to great effect. Aside from her tracking abilities, she was an experienced fighter, able to wipe the floor with multiple opponents in record time.

Desna and Eska

Desna and Eska were reluctant but effective henchmen for Unalaq. They both took part in the civil war between the Northern and Southern Water Tribes, leading the North's forces. In battle, they forced the Southern forces into retreat and effectively defended Unalaq from the attacks of his brother Tonraq. When they turned against Korra, they showcased their powerful waterbending by cutting her ship in two and holding their own against the Avatar in a water battle. However, in the end, they had little interest in helping Unalaq accomplish his dark spiritual goals and turned to fight at Korra's side.

Long Feng

Long Feng was a power player in the Earth Kingdom and head of the elite Dai Li. He held Ba Sing Se in an iron grip and manipulated the Earth King from behind the scenes. The main source of Long Feng's power was the secret brainwashing program he operated under Lake Laogai. He was a master earthbender, only requiring a single move to trap Appa or deliver a fatal attack on Jet. Long Feng was ultimately thwarted by Azula, who turned the allegiance of the Dai Li. Without the Dai Li, Long Feng had no leverage in the Earth Kingdom and was forced to work for Azula.

iral Zhao

iral Zhao may have been one of the foremost leaders of the Fire Nation military, but he was not prepared for the challenge Aang would bring him. In one of his earliest conflicts with Aang, Jeong Jeong evaded Zhao, and then Aang goaded the iral into destroying his own ships during their fight. He also lost a duel to 16-year-old Zuko in a single move. He was a powerful firebender, but he did not think through most of his attacks. His most effective plan was the Siege of the Northern Water Tribe, in which he destroyed the Moon Spirit, but even that plan was violently thwarted by Aang and the Ocean Spirit.

Mai

Mai was a deadly opponent with a knife when she wanted to be. She measured up surprisingly well in fights against benders, keeping them on defense or pinning them down with her throwing knives. Like her partners Azula and Ty Lee, she was quick, agile, and nearly acrobatic warrior. Mai could incapacitate multiple opponents when outnumbered without injuring anyone in the process. When she turned on Azula, she engaged multiple experienced Fire Nation guards and held them off long enough for Zuko to escape. However, she did not have a wide enough skill set to defeat master benders during regular engagements.

Varrick

Varrick was a master of manipulation and subterfuge hiding under a cover of eccentricity. He engineered a civil war between the Southern and Northern Water Tribes. He attempted to take President Raiko to draw the United Republic into the conflict, and he spread propaganda to sway the public toward his goals. When Mako got suspicious of the plan, Varrick frames Mako for a crime and disgraced him. Varrick's plan failed, but he did not stay down for long. He escaped from prison and continued to pop up in the middle of every conflict, always pursuing his own angle.

Ty Lee

Ty Lee's agility and precision in a fight made her a formidable opponent even for a bender. Her chi-blocking left bending masters and skilled warriors incapacitated. She was an accomplished acrobat, which often allowed her to get the drop on her enemies and evade their offensive strikes. If she was given the chance, she could outmaneuver any opponent. She incapacitated Azula once, a rare feat, though she had the element of surprise on her side. However, she often faced the same enemies, and familiar opponents like Suki, Sokka, and Katara could avoid her chi-blocking because they knew her technique.

Combustion Man

Combustion Man was an assassin like Aang and his allies had never seen. Unlike other benders, he could create destructive, concussive explosions and required none of the complex motion most benders had to use. Aang nearly avoided assassination on more than one occasion. Combustion Man often pinned down his opponents, making it difficult for them to leave their cover to go on offense. He had one glaring weakness. Any impact on his third eye would cause his explosions to turn back on him, which is why he was eventually taken out by Sokka and his boomerang.