Wěi Zhū-Liáng

Wěi Zhū-Liáng (朱伟良; Zhū Wěiliáng; born 6 Mǎoyuè 154 AG) is the current Avatar from the Earth Kingdom's Republic City, succeeding Avatar Nakoa Aeluq.

Before Wei's identification as the Avatar, Yu-Ming Liu was mistakenly identified as the Avatar by the Earth Sages until it was corrected in a royal address by 82nd Earth Monarch Huang Ling on 13 Zǐyuè 179 AG.

Early Life

Wěi Zhū-Liáng was born in Republic City as the second son of Jin and Caihong, alongside his sister, Min. Although the children had been unexpected, Wei grew up in a beautiful home, sheltered from much of the outside world. His family's circumstances afforded them a degree of comfort and privacy, keeping Wei and Min largely removed from the bustling city beyond their residence.

However, despite such comfort, Wei's early childhood was a lonely one. His parents were mostly absent and their attention was largely towards his siblings; Caihong devoted much of her attention to Min, while Jin focused on training their eldest son, Kang whom he regarded as his heir to the family. Consequently, Wei was raised by the family's caretakers and had little opportunity to develop a close relationship with his older brother.

Upbringing

When Kang ran away from home at 18, Wei lost the closest thing he had to a brother. The two had only recently grown close after Kang took him around Republic City, giving Wei a glimpse of the world beyond their home. His fleeing left Wei with little understanding of why his brother had chosen to leave.

Their father, Jin, however was furious at Kang's disappearance, blaming his employees for failing to locate him and now saw Kang's flee as a waste of the years he had spent preparing him to inherit the family legacy. This also changed the way Jin treated Wei. With Kang now gone, his attention turned towards his remaining son, but saw him as an opportunity and alternative way of preserving the family's legacy.

At some point during his youth, Wei found himself in trouble with the law after being cornered by a pair of muggers during his exploration of the city, where his ability to bend was also exposed. When his father arrived, he was furious to discover that his son was a bender, much like Kang. To avoid further damage to the family’s reputation, Jin used a considerable sum of money to ensure the matter was settled quietly.

"The Incident" had a long lasting effect on Wei after, his relationship with his father only deteriorated further, and he became reluctant to use his bending again.