Capable of stealing faces and condemning his victims to an empty existence, Koh is one of the more terrifying spirits in Avatar: The Last Airbender. The evil creature threatened Aang in the first season of the show, when he tried to find the Moon and Ocean spirit. If Aang showed any emotion at all, Koh had the power to steal his face and condemn him to a state between life and death. Fortunately, Aang was able to keep a neutral expression, and Koh was forced to answer his questions. Others, however, were not so lucky.
Koh is an ancient spirit born from the Mother of Faces. His mother is responsible for creating the faces of all living beings in the Avatar universe. Unlike her son, the Mother of Faces can be kind, and once a season, she grants one favor to a human. She would be instrumental in Zuko’s quest to find his mother, but also in helping restore the face of one of Koh’s victims. Before the events of Avatar: The Legend of Korra, she was one of the few spirits were willing to consort with humans. But, unlike her, Koh sought humans for his own purposes.
Koh’s goal was to find and punish those he considered wrongdoers by stealing their faces. After he became strained from his mother, he also believed his actions would draw him closer to her. Although this tactic didn’t work, as she wasn’t even aware he had chosen Koh as his name, he continued to ambush and scare humans. Not many people could keep their expressions neutral when confronted with his monstrous centipede body and ever-changing face. So it’s not surprising that, during his long life, Koh stole millions of faces, and there is no way to know precisely how many he possesses. However, when he appeared in season 1, he revealed eight faces to Aang. Later, another victim was identified in the sequel comic series The Search. Below are all the known faces Koh stole throughout the show and comics.
Female Noh
This face belonged to a woman with white skin, red lips, and gray markings around her eyes. Many of the faces Koh showed to Aang are inspired by the masks used in the Japanese Noh theater. In Noh, actors wear specific masks that represent their character’s emotions and personalities. Like in the Greek theater, these masks have exaggerated expressions so anyone in the audience could follow the play even from afar. They also can portray sadness or happiness depending on the angle of the actor’s head. Since women were not allowed to act until 1941, men in Noh theater would wear female masks to represent the gender.
Bearded Man
Another face Koh stole came from an adult bearded man with a mustache. This is another face inspired by the Noh Theater. Instead of the female mask, this one is similar to the ones worn to represent male human characters, such as the Heita mask.
Old Man
This face of an old man was inspired by the Okina mask. In Noh, these masks are used to represent gods. The distinctive long white beard and eyebrows signal the wisdom of the characters portrayed.
Blue Oni
Koh stole the face of a blue creature with upward fangs and a large nose. It’s unclear if the previous owner was a spirit, animal, or human. This face is very similar to the Blue Spirit mask used by Zuko to rescue Aang in season 1. In Noh theater, oni masks portray devils and are used to ward off evil spirits and bring luck.
Curly-tailed Blue Nose Monkey
Koh can steal faces not just from humans, but from any creature or animal. When Aang visits him, he sees a faceless monkey. Later, Koh’s face turns into the curly-tailed blue nose monkey. Since his mother creates the faces of all beings, it makes sense that he has the ability to steal any face, no matter what species.
Owl
This was another animal face Koh stole, though not much else is known about this one. But perhaps the face is a reference to Wan Shi Tong, the Knowledge Spirit who guarded a library in the middle of the desert in season 2. Like Koh, Wan Shi Tong wasn’t too keen on humans, believing them to be greedy and untrustworthy.
Fire Nation Soldier
This face was of a young man with brown hair and gray eyes. According to a defunct official website for Avatar: The Last Airbender, this face belonged to a Fire Nation soldier.
Rafa
Rafa was a young man from the Northern Water Tribe. He was a thief who stole from powerful people for his own amusement. Although he always returned the items at the urging of his sister, Koh was not a forgiving spirit. To punish Rafa, he took his face and left him to live an empty life, unable to eat or drink. His sister, Misu, hoped to cure him by seeking the Mother of Faces. They spent much of their lives roaming the Fire Nation to find her. Rafa wore a wooden mask to hide his condition.
Rafa and Misu first appear in the comic book The Search. While looking for Zuko’s mother, Aang and the group encountered brother and sister in the Forgetful Valley forest. After Misu explained her brother’s situation, Aang entered the Spirit World to help them communicate with the Mother of Faces. Aang managed to persuade the spirit to help Rafa once it was revealed that Koh was responsible for the man’s situation. With his face restored, Rafa and Misu left the forest to go back home.
Ummi
Ummi is perhaps one of the most tragic victims of Koh’s wrath. She was a member of the Southern Water Tribe who fell in love with Kuruk, one of the past Avatars. Unlike Aang and other reincarnations, Kuruk lived during a period of relative peace and stability. Without any major conflict needing his attention, Kuruk spent most of his time mastering the Avatar state and looking for worthy opponents to test his fighting skills. He liked to show off his bending abilities and mostly let the four nations deal with their own problems.
After Ummi and Kuruk fell in love, they quickly decided to marry. Their wedding would take place at the Spirit Oasis in the Northern Water Tribe. However, before the ceremony could happen, Koh dragged Ummi to the Spirit World and stole her face to punish the Avatar for his arrogance. Kuruk spent the rest of his life trying to rescue Ummi from the Spirit World, every time enraging Koh. His dislike for Avatars persisted as he was outwitted by Aang in the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender.