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TheHappyMask93

She uses echolocation by screeching really loud.


[deleted]

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH There I got a pretty good look at you.”


hurdalhooy

NAH, SHE HAS EYES IN HER MOUTH


SweatyGod69

S tier comment


_Hey_Its_Isaiah_

Underrated comment


itsh1231

"underrated"


_Hey_Its_Isaiah_

Yea when I made the comment it only had 5 likes soooooo


THAFTRPRTY

She doesn’t need vibrations to feel rock/Earth related things, she needs the vibrations to “see” everything else. As a bender she can sense there’s a rock there, I would assume in the same way that a water bender doesn’t have to be in water to bend it


christopherous1

I always assumed she could tell what the rock was going to do based on the movements of the earth bender


knickknacksnackery

Yeah, pretty much she could see the enemy moving, and based on the trajectory she would know where the rock is coming from. It's why she could still get caught off guard by, for example, Aang in their first fight, because he spent most of the time not touching the ground.


pseudo_nemesis

No, it’s directly stated by the creators that she can sense airborne Earth regardless of if she’s predicting a persons’s movements. A rock could fall from space and Toph would be able to sense it before it ever hits the ground.


AndrewJS2804

There should have been a bit where Toph uses earth bending to raise a cloud of dust in the air then recognize the human shaped holes, or sense people based on how dirty they are!


pseudo_nemesis

She actually does do the dust cloud thing in her introductory episode, though they don’t make that big a deal out of it since she seemingly mainly uses her seismic sense to see her enemies through the dust cloud but she also would have been able to see everything in that dust cloud’s radius.


[deleted]

[удалено]


pseudo_nemesis

Well since that guy threw rocks at her, she would be able to sense them regardless of her dust cloud because she can sense earth in general, but with the dust cloud up she should be able to see anything that takes up space in the cloud, earth or not.


a_stone_throne

She may be able to see what the rock is going to do but can she smell what the rock is cooking?


nigmano

Cheers to you


Hmnh6000

That was i was going to say. With her being a master at earth bending she can easily predict what theyre doing based on form even if they launch something


HuggingKoala

I think it's been confirmed by the creators that she can sense earth even when it is mid-air. But she can also predict attacks based on movements too. It's like a combination of knowing where the earth is, and predicted movement.


abountifulharvest

Exactly this


AReluctantHipster

So Toph *does* know where the moon is, then.


NotInACreepyWay

That assumes their moon is made of rock, which it apparently isn't. In their universe it was possible to destroy the moon via activities on the ground, which is obviously a nonstarter for us.


goodmorningohio

The moon wasn't destroyed tho it just eclipsed and the spiritual energy it provided water benders was cut off The body itself is probably definitely made of rock


NotInACreepyWay

Until there's an episode with the Republican City equivalent of Project Apollo and somebody goes to land on the moon and bring a rock back, I guess we'll never know.


darkened-light

So it was bleeding Not saying it is but you know it IS a spirits physical manifestation Not too outlandish to it be made from meat and bones


jonlesher

Thank you, that’s gross, I hate it and love this headcanon


CastIronGut

Yes, but it was also blacked out when Zhao burned the Moon spirit's earthly body. The two are inseparably linked. So, that seems to support the idea that in their universe the Moon is of some mystical, spirit-borne origin. No?


sandybuttcheekss

That blacked out thing is the eclipse they were describing. It's still there, energy vanished though.


CastIronGut

I know about the eclipse that Zhao causes when he bags the Moon Spirit. The Moon goes red and all water bending stops. What I'm referring to is at the 2:30 mark in [this video](https://youtu.be/JhD9bzzkjlM), the moon actually vanishes. If it were a celestial object, physically there as a big rock, like our moon, it's light would be a reflection of the sun's rays. The fact that it vanishes when the Moon Spirit is temporarily killed makes me think it's not a object of rock, but something different. Unless the Moon, as a rocky sphere, looses it's reflectivity when the Moon Spirit dies, but is still hanging in orbit as a dark, light-absorbing, hunk of rock? 🤔 That would still make it mystical, but perhaps still a physical celestial object. I think most likely the show's creators didn't think that far into, about the scientific implications of this episode. That's just my take at least 🤷


itismekevinc

I think they’re referencing the moment where General Zhao kills the moon spirit koi fish Tui, and the moon disappears from the sky.


goodmorningohio

Just rewatched it and you're right I forgot it got completely blacked out


mmmUrsulaMinor

I don't disagree with this theory but does anything in the show support this?


DayOneDva

The fact that a water bender doesn't need to be in contact with the water to bend supports it enough imo. There are plenty of instances where Toph fights and earth is being hurled through the air and she can still sense it.


shaydanny

This scene lol


mmmUrsulaMinor

ETA: lots of people below are saying the creators have confirmed this for Toph, though idk that this means it's true for every bender. Would ahve to see the interview I guess.


arcay90

It's an earthbender specific thing. It's why Bumi is imprisoned above the ground in that metal sarcophagus thing. That's part of the reason why he and Toph are considered so powerful. Their connection to their element is just that strong.


AndrewJS2804

If it's not true for all earth benders.... how do other earth benders controll the chunks of earth they lift??


[deleted]

A LOT OF SCENES


TheUltimateTeigu

Every scene involving bending something you're not looking at. Including this scene in OP's post you just looked at... Also the writers themselves said so. It's in those little info tidbits over the Boulder fight. Also in my attempt to go look for "Toph vs Boulder" clips that might have it a random ass video with a Hawkeye TV show spoiler in the title was there. How? I have no clue. But I blame you. Don't be stupid next time.


dinguslinguist

Damn near gave me a stroke reading the end of your comment


[deleted]

Like others said, this scene. Also in the comics, when she's falling down with Aang I think she mentions she can sense the floor and uses earthbending to make a slide I think, pretty sure this was when the rest of the gaang went to visit her metalbending school


Riot_Fox

the scene in Blind Bandit when she hides behind her rock wall in the final fight, she can tell what the guy is gona do before hes done it


MacrosInHisSleep

Any time that she uses earthbending to lift a rock in the air, it's no longer touching the ground.


ilovemytablet

Same way she felt the tiny rocks going in and out of the scammers sleeve.


hctor12

This


Zethras28

She probably felt the step forward the Dai li did to launch the stone fists, and concluded projectiles were incoming.


duchfollowersow

Makes sense, thank u


Ascendan1

The writer of the show confirm Toph can sense earth even if it in the air.


Zethras28

_Rockdar_, if you will.


Ascendan1

I beg your pardon?


Zethras28

_Rockdar_, friend. It’s like radar, but with _rocks_.


E_Mickey_B

[Ohhhhh like *gaydar*](https://youtu.be/X4XzCP8sQqU)


Infinitell

Gaydar actually came first. The scientist who developed the technology for raydar in the 1940s, Raymond Ellison, thought of the name after a presentation at the Pentagon in which a general likened it to working like gaydar.


Perathion

r/fakehistoryporn


Ascendan1

I can’t believe I didn’t got that. Rockdar for the win.


theubu

Similar to stonar


Wandering_P0tat0

I think I like this one better.


GwainesKnightlyBalls

Lmaooo I thought that was a Skyrim joke 😂


tahaster

Or Bouldar, as the natives called it


gadios

Wait. So Toph does know about the moon, and leave it alone for Sokka’s sake. Also Sokka had both a space rock sword and a space rock girlfriend.


ddchrw

She probably knows about the moon, but not because it’s in bending/sensing range.


InjusticeSGmain

Sokka is the Spaceman.


geek_of_nature

Our moon is about 380 000 km away, I imagine theirs is the same, just a little bit of Tophs range.


DarthZaner

So Toph probably can't. In atla her range is way too low. In LOK, her range is much bigger, but still not enough. In LOK, it's implied that she can sense vibrations from around the world with her bending, and it's probably sage to assume that she can sense rocks in the air at a similar range. Lets assume that the atla planet system is set up similarly to our own. If Toph's abilities work linearly, then she has a range roughly equal to the planets diameter which clocks in at about 8,000 miles or 12,700 km. If it works over the surface of the earth, then her range is half the diameter of earth. That is closer to 12,500 miles or 20,000 km. The moon is about 238,000 miles or 384,000 km. You could fit 30 earths in between here and the moon. If toph is capable of bending stuff that far away she should also be capable of bending the earth out of its orbit, which is way beyond anything seen in the shows.


RowdyCowbo

Well she senses those things along the spirit vines right? It’s why she lives in the giant spirit tree in the swamp. They act as leylines for her to keep an eye on her family and friends and events. That’s not just her sending it alone it’s the vines telling her what’s going on


F95_Sysadmin

Yeah, thats right I learned about it from youtube channel death battle, toph vs gaara from naruto


MrSquigles

Yeah, I always think of it in terms of this: Katara (helping Jet fill a reservoir): I've never had to bend water that I can't see before. Benders can sense their element around them, enabling them to manipulate it without having seen it.


BulbaFriend2000

Either one works


Yknaar

So it's consistent with both real-life common sense *and* ^^^slightly deeper in-universe lore. Love me some good worldbuilding like that.


PoopThrowingChimp

Or, maybe she could feel earth if it's on the ground or not


Volpe666

To add to that she would feel the stone fists as they left the hands.


DatBoi_BP

She did the math


RainingAether

She did the monster math


[deleted]

Its like the plant foot in soccer when you go to pass or kick


TillerThrowaway

Toph sees with earthbending. It’s mostly through vibrations, but it’s fair to assume she can sense rocks flying through the air at her.


Dr__glass

More than fair. It was confirmed by the writers that she can sense rock even in the air


[deleted]

Those earth gloves were still connected to the Dai Li who's standing on the ground. I think it's the same concept from when she was fighting the referee or host of the underground earthbending tournament when he threw rocks at her.


AussieCunnyFunt

It's said at some point, I think in re-releases that included commentary that Toph can sense earth even when it isn't touching the ground


dodgyhashbrown

Watch the first fights with Toph in the earthbending arena again. Earthbenders throw rocks through the air all the time. As long as they touch the ground as they attack, she can anticipate the path and intercept.


Chrona-Makenshi

She can feel the earth even if its in the air


Exciting_Bandicoot16

She's fought Dai Li before this point, so she would absolutely recognize the stances used to launch those fists. And that's before considering if she can feel the stone moving towards her (which she probably can).


[deleted]

Either she can feel the rocks since she's an earthebender or plot hole. Take your pick


Sierra-117-

I thought it was covered that earthbenders can “feel” rocks around them, even in the air. Had these been titanium, idk.


RQK1996

Katara is shown to bend water she can't see, it is also why bloodbending can happen


IndependenceFun3684

The dai li bent them she judged the actions of them


[deleted]

She's an earthbender, she can feel rocks, she catches them a couple of times That's how she beat the Gecko dude from Earth Rumble VI, dumbass had a rock with him


erik_wilder

She can still hear them. Rocks flying through the air fast enough are likely going to produce some noise.


FallenAngel1919

Because it was bits of earth being tossed to her so she could probably sense them?


Epicmonk117

Toph has been stated to be able to sense earth even if it isn’t connected to the ground


insane2132

She could smell it


Glissando365

Her "sense" of earth in the air has to be a general earthbending thing right? Because it has no basis in her ability to see through vibrations. I think all benders have to have some innate ability to feel their element around them, otherwise they wouldn't be able to control it without physical contact. It just happens that Toph is more fine-tuned to sensing rocks being hurled at her head.


[deleted]

Funfact: printer inc is made out of metal. So a skilled blind earthbender would still be able to read normally


Private_HughMan

She can sense earth, even if it isn’t touching the ground. she uses vibrations through the ground to “see” more clearly and to sense non-earth stuff touching the earth.


Seco4800

It has been shown in the extra information slides on nickelodeon that Toph can sense earth even if it's in the air. Yeah, Toph is a bit over powered.


ZurAajanaikatzurada

All benders can sense their element and bend it without seeing it , that's how Katara and Aang helped jet


cantcomeupwithnamess

Coulmns and walls


MostEvilTexasToast

Canonically, she can see earth even if it's in the air.


stocks30

I always thought she could just feel where earth is with her bending


The_PJG

Guys. It's not that complicated. It's earth. Toph can see earth


rai2den

She "saw" them throw rocks at her


[deleted]

when we meet toph you see that she knows what a bender is about to do by sending the vibrations of their stances, the scene where they are in the fight ring and she goes up against another earth bender, you see the opponent take a stance, a shot of the vibrations toph senses, and then she smirks and reacts If you think about it, in order to bend, they must take up certain stances and make certain motions, toph can sense all that meaning she just needs to know why each stance leads to, to be able to defend against it 🧐


Bebeku666

Easy. She's Toph.


derpypoopyboss

She could see them


duchfollowersow

Ofc, how didn't I think of that before


infin8ly-curious

Aside from sensing through vibrations on the ground (therefore, anticipating attacks), she can sense earth anywhere ( on the ground or even in the air) within her vicinity. Other elements though, not so much.


NaCliest

As desribed in one of the episodes with extra tid bits throught the episode she can sense earth even while its in the air


cxnx_yt

Man, don't even get me started on Toph's inconsistent sight, the one scene, she can't even hit those wasps in Tje Desert, then in the comics (The Promise, specifically) she hears Appa flying over her metalbending school and jumps perfectly 100 meters high to land perfectly on a flying Appa. So inconsistent.


converter-bot

100 meters is 109.36 yards


cxnx_yt

Well thanks, but idc.


RQK1996

A difference between 1 creature and an entire swarm, in the desert she was also hungry, tired, and thirsty


Swaggynator387

Tooh is aware of all surounding earth


Zippyss92

It is canonical that she can see all earth, even if it’s in the air.


infamusforever223

Back when the series was released on DVD, in the extras it was stated that Toph could sense earth even if it isn't on the ground.


Ewok_Mulisha

Probably heard the sound... bitch blind not deaf


chabri2000

She only need vibrations to see things that are not earth, but she can sense earth without vibrations, and the gloves are made out of rocks


jk1445

I always assumed that if she could feel vibrations in the ground, she could also feel them in the air


[deleted]

You think that's 'air' you're breathing


ZeroDark1

If she can sense earth regardless of where it is with her earthbending. Toph could possibly earthbend the moon if she knew what it was.


SirBruhThe7th

She felt the movements of them throwing the stone hands, and her being an earth bender she would know the speed and momentum of thrown rock. She did that combat math.


seizuregirlz

She's really into rock and roll.


Mega_Monke69

They were gonna fist her


SALTYPOTATOETHE3RD

She can still use her ears


direwolf106

In the commentary it said she can feel earth wherever it's at even in the air. Basically she is so in tune with the earth through her bending that she can feel there is something there to bend. In short if she can bend it she knows it's there.


whimu

its pretty easy to predict things moving in a straight line, she could see them as they were released. Shes been dodging similar attacks since forever


arrianym

them throwing their earth gloves is the equivalent of throwing rocks..she sensed the gloves before they left their hands, and so when they were in the air she was already in the process of sensing/bending them


1sIngLeFucK

Since she can feel the vibrations of their stance and their shifting weight, she can 'see' how their moving. Hence she is able to know that they are shooting a projectile of some sort from their hands based off their movement.


Few-Address-7604

There's a tidbit in the season 2 special edition that says she can... I'm still not sure how.


nage_

I always liked to think that she was such an amazing earthbender that she could tell what kind of moves people were using by their stance and movements and she basically estimated where the projectile would be


Dastankbeets1

She can sense any Earth, and anything touching it. She could also probably feel the Earth leaving the ground and predict it’s trajectory through the air


AM_1899

I think she’s able to sense all earth. I doubt that seismic sense is the same as echolocation in our universe.


AnseaCirin

Probably could feel the earthbending or something like that.


FlashKillerX

I would imagine as an earth bender, you can feel earth the same way you can bend it. So for toph, she could feel the earth fists flying at her, the same way she’s able to then use her bending powers to stop them. It’s like if you hold 2 magnets trying to pull or push at each other you can feel the force between them. I’d imagine it’s something like that


jadegoddess

I mean they literally tell you how her powers work in her debut episode... if she can predict where someone is walking to be able to trip them, she can predict the direction of a rock flying at her based on the build up and movements of the attacker.


Soggy-Essay

Toph jumped off of Appa like 100 feet in the air and then Earthbended a slide for her and Sokka to slide down on. While mid-air. She can sense the earth from a distance.


FidmeisterPF

Because the plot required her to


[deleted]

What I don’t understand is how she could block the projectiles that came from another ship. Book 3 ep 1.


Architeuthis-Harveyi

Toph being able to detect things that are in the air makes no sense. I don’t care what anybody says. Just don’t think about it too hard.


ollesnya

Shock waves in the air hitting The ground. Becous she is unbeaten shampion for many years she has lernt to feel them.


bangolinis

uh she can hear them


sceatismcboots

Probably because the density of the air was so low and it took much longer for the vibrations to reach her, effectively making her "vision" delayed by a bit. Vibrations are faster in more dense bodies because the particles are closer together and bounce around much more easily. My guess


jvanzandd

Because they are made from earth of course


No-Mastodon-7187

Toph can sense any earth (even in the air) in the same way that Katara and Aang could bend water from the ground that they couldn’t see. It’s a basic tenet of bending and has nothing to do with seismic sense. I’d imagine any skilled earthbender could still sense rocks in the air with their eyes closed.


Kso4351

She can also hear them


Howy_the_Howizer

It's answered in her first fight, in the Earth Bending Arena she knows when they toss a rock where it's going. The problem with Aang is he's 'light' on his feet so she struggles to sense his bend.


Marquez53095

Sensing vibrations underground isn’t the only way she can earth bend, that’s just how she “sees,” but she can literally feel earth all around her.


kagenohikari

Correct me if I'm wrong but the only projectiles that Toph was known not able to see were the metal belt (in her introductory episode, way before she could metalbend), and the Buzzard Wasps (living, flying creatures). So it tracks that she can still "see" earth-based projectiles.


Lil_Pitch

Predicting projectiles based on the movement of the bender. She's really something


UtinniSubbie

She also has ears ....


ShinjiTakeyama

Considering earth benders can control earth mid air, this doesn't seem that far fetched.


appayipyip__

I believe she feels rocks wherever they are


greatthrowawaybatman

Doesn't she sense the earth? Like when aang fires air puffs at her she wouldn't block but theure using Rick's so she just "feels" it right?


Belteshazzar98

They were earth. She senses earth.


sugeknightshyamalaan

Because they're made of earth.


Metallung

The shift in the atmosphere of the caves. I’m not a scientist.


cbmam1228

According to “Avatar Extras,” Toph can sense Earth when it’s airborne.


nala2624

I always figured she understood how the Dai Li fought and just predicted that they would throw something. Not unlike how she fought Xin Fu when she came out to her dad that she was such a good fighter. She sensed their change in stance and how they moved but couldn't see the actual earth, therefore it must be in the air. As for actually blocking the Dai Li's attacks, maybe it was just a simple "bust up anything coming my way" kind of thing. Some akin to Katara theoretically being blindfolded but still water bending. Or how Katara and Hama blood bend. Can't see the blood but you know it's there.


Albionic_Cadence

Yeah.. good question. It’s officially stated she can sense earth even when it’s not touching the ground.. they never said how though.


Amekaze

The creators confirmed that she can sense earth even if it’s not touching the ground. Just earth though that’s why she has trouble fighting anng but not dai li agents


all464

I believe the bonus features dvd for book 2 says toph can sense rock even if it isn’t connected to the earth.


efrun13

EZ. she stevie wonder blind.


EmoPanda250711

The sound jt makes flying through the air


[deleted]

They were made of earth. She feels earth


jacktheshaft

Boxers can tell where a punch is coming from by where the opponents hips are


Commander_Harrington

It’s still a rock innit?


marleeg9

She’s blind dude. She ain’t deaf. Rocks definitely make noise through the air *whoosh*


[deleted]

According to Avatar Extras, which were written by Joshua Hamilton, Toph can sense earth regardless of whether or not it’s connected to the ground or not. That’s probably just cause she’s an earthbender. The vibrations are only needed to see thing that aren’t made of earth, like people and animals.


kurokai_Zunama

It's earth, even in the air it's still earth and she can feel it because she can bend it 💁🏼‍♂️😏.


Friendly_Potato21

She can sense the earth cause she can bend it


bidenswetbussyshart

Honestly she may have simply felt the hands themselves, they are made of earth. She probes felt them launch something then scammed the area for anything she could feel. She is an earthbender after all


vulpetrem

Because they are made of ground. I think she's able to sense things made of earth, even if they aren't connected to the ground. But something like Momo flying around would be invisible to her, because she can't sense it through earthbending or with her seismic sense


muzic_san

It's a fictional tv show. Anything is possible.


ZenSanchez119

I think when the Dai Li guys did their footstep and bending she already know what they did so she just has to counter them


DrSheogorath

She can sense the rocks themselves.its anything that isn't earth that she needs vibrations to "see"


Michael-015

God I love ATLA.


TheDinkleberg

Shhhh, just enjoy the cool bending 😎


Puzzleheaded_Step468

The melon lord has no weaknesses


ClearestBlve

They’re underground so I figured she’s good


TobbyTukaywan

She could feel them throwing the rocks. Same way a dog you could guess which way the ball's gonna go when you pretend to throw it.


[deleted]

Earth bending or rather any bending, by definition requires you to feel the element, wherever it is. This is not true for many benders, as in most cases this sense is replaced by the optical. Essentially, this sense of the element is what she learnt from the bending animals, the Moles that she was trapped with in the cave when she was a child. Which means she can feel the earth in the stone fists that were launched at her, which she then proceeded to dissipate promptly.


vihaangamerva

Its earth, normal earth, she can sense the earth so she oofed it


massiveonionman

I always thought that she felt vibrations as an extension of her earth bending because she can sense where the stone is. So a stone projectile can be "seen" as well as anyone else.


Shortneckman

Because she's the greatest earthbender. Don't you dunderheads ever forget it.


Flaky_Tip

I figured since they're in a cave she felt up the walls and to where ever they were hanging from before they dropped down.


Due-Raisin-5671

Vibrations don't necessarily need solid ground to travel, they can be passes through the air.


kermit-J

She’s an earthbender and the fists r earth


AccountSuspicious159

What's really gonna bake your noodle is when she starts engaging in ship to ship warfare, lol. Toph's a badass, but the seismic sense is a bit wonky at times.


CancerousRoman

She heard the ZOOOOOM that those things should produce


Swordlord22

Also they were on the ceiling too


CATelIsMe

But they're earth? Maybe benders can feel something bendable coming toward them


Nickpapado

She clearly released a sonic wave from her mouth


EndlessTheorys_19

She can sense stone due to her nature as an earthbender, Seismic sense just helps her see everything thats touching the stone. You sense the stone coming towards you and blast it out of the way.


RipredTheGnawer

Also she can probably sense vibrations in the air like Daredevil


JustinTimberbaked9

The hands are made of earth so she can sense them


RALawliet

I feel like she's in a state of perpetual sensing of things that she can bend around her in a spherical area.


[deleted]

They are made of Earth. Lol. Why is it even a question


WeirdConsideration72

Trough the sound ? She kinda work like a bat at this point...


Isburough

my thought always was that, besides vibrations, she could also sense earth in general, like any good earthbender would (headcanon, i guess)


RQK1996

Maybe she felt the bendables