Aonung te Tsika'u Tonowari'itan is a fifteen-year-old Na'vi hunter / free-diver from the Metkayina clan and the eldest child and only son of the clan leaders, Tonowari and Ronal, and Tsireya and Pril's brother. When the Sully family arrived at the reef village, his father assigned him to help the Sully children adjust to the reef lifestyle. He obeyed his father grudgingly. Aonung initially intimidated Lo'ak and Kiri for being different, along with his friends. But as the threat of the RDA looms larger, Aonung sees the bigger picture and finds friendship with the Sully children.
Aonung is the first and only son of Tonowari and Ronal. He lived in Awa'atlu in the Eastern Sea, becoming a skilled warrior in training. During The Way of Water, Aonung does not have tattoos and also lacks warrior garments, as he is too young for their rites of passage. As such, he is on the cusp of being viewed as an adult. Per his role, he must learn how to ride an ilu and threaten ocean predators away that may prey on both of their species. Other adolescent boys looked up to him as a role model. He also grew to enjoy bodysurfing and plunge-diving.
His songcord contains an ilu tooth as well as polished barnacles that were once located under his father's canoe, although the significance of these objects are unknown. His knife is made of a skimwing's jawbone.
Meeting the Sully Family[]
Aonung sees the Sully family.
Aonung was among the crowd that greeted Jake Sully and his family when they arrived to the shores of Awa'atlu. While observing the forest Na'vi, he and his friend Rotxo were amused at the tails of Lo'ak and Neteyam, comparing them to a child’s. This earned him some reprimand from his sister Tsireya.
Once his father, Tonowari, granted the Sully family uturu (a Na'vi tradition that states that any refugee seeking refuge must be granted safe harbor), he assigned Aonung and Tsireya to teach the Sully children the ways of the Metkayina. Aonung initially protested at the task, but his father was firm on his decision, leaving his son the only option to obey.
Teaching the Sully Children[]
Ordered by his father, Aonung and Tsireya taught the Sully children how to free dive. While diving underwater in the reef, he and Rotxo were confused as to why the forest Na’vi did not follow, despite their frequent signing to follow, unaware that they did not understand the Na'vi sign language. Aonung also taught them how to ride the ilus. When Lo'ak fails to properly ride the creature, Aonung and his friends laugh at his expense.
Aonung's group enters a fight with Lo'ak and Neteyam.
Later he and his friends found Kiri looking at the sand under the water. Noticing her bizarre behavior, Aonung called her weird and began to harass her about her human heritage. This eventually led him and his friends to enter a physical fight with Lo'ak and Neteyam. When Jake asked Neteyam about the fight, he said that they looked a lot worse than him and his brother, seen by Aonung possessing many bruises.
Lo'ak later apologized for hitting Aonung. He accepted Lo’ak’s apology and invited him to hunt with his friends outside the reef. Lo'ak refused because his parents have told him not to go there, but Aonung convinced him and he reluctantly accepted. When they arrived at Three Brothers Rock, Aonung told Lo'ak to call the fish, but then he and his friends abandoned him there as revenge leading Lo'ak in mortal danger by an Akula.
That night, Aonung was scolded by his parents for taking Lo'ak off the reef after they found him, though Lo'ak was led back to the village by a tulkun who saved his life. Aonung was surprised when Lo'ak blamed himself instead of him, which earned Lo'ak his friendship and respect.
Aonung and the group discuss Payakan.
The next day, Aonung heard Lo'ak explain how the lone tulkun saved him. Aonung replied that no tulkun lives alone, but Tsireya soon realized that Lo'ak was talking about Payakan, an outcast. Aonung explained that Payakan had killed several Na'vi and other tulkuns further south years ago, but Lo'ak refused to believe that Payakan is a murderer.
When the tulkun returned home, Aonung was seen swimming with one of the creatures on his ilu along with Neteyam, Kiri, Tuk and Rotxo. After the migration, Aonung along with Neteyam, Tsireya, and Rotxo witnessed Lo'ak bond with Payakan, though Lo'ak was later scolded along with Tsireya by Tonowari and Ronal for doing so with the outcast tulkun.
When his mother's spiritual sister and her calf were killed by the Sky People and his father declares war, Aonung seemed to agree. Jake convinced them not to attack the Sky People and to tell their tulkuns to leave so that no other tulkuns would be harmed.
Aonung and Rotxo witness Kiri's powers.
Aonung, Tsireya, Rotxo and the other Sully children followed Lo'ak who went to see Payakan to warn him of the whalers. Upon returning to the Three Brothers Rocks, Aonung helped to remove the tracker from Payakan that marked him as a hunting target for the SeaDragon. They fought to get the tracker out of his skin and they eventually succeeded. Then they quickly moved away from the SeaDragon on their ilus. Aonung managed to escape being captured along with Kiri and Rotxo, although the humans were able to capture Lo'ak, Tuktirey, and Tsireya. Later, he witnessed with Rotxo how Kiri managed to defeat a Mako Submersible by controlling and using her bond with Eywa to control the underwater flora and fauna.
Aonung attends Neteyam's funeral.
When Kiri was captured by Lyle Wainfleet's banshee, both he and Rotxo looked on in dismay at their inability to assist her as she was dragged out of the water by the soldier and brought to the SeaDragon.
After the battle, Aonung attended Neteyam's funeral to pay his respects with Tsireya and Rotxo. He comforted his sister by caressing Tsireya's shoulder during the funeral.
Assisting the Sullys (Avatar: Fire and Ash)[]
Aonung is seen riding with his tulkun spirit brother with the Sully children.
When Lo'ak goes after Payakan alone, him, Tsireya and Rotxo follow him. When Lo'ak awakens, Aonung pulls him up and tells him that his friend's path is his path.
Later, Lo'ak tries to convince the council of tulkun to no longer exile Payakan. Aonung joins the rest of the teens in defending Lo'ak and Payakan, commenting he will be also outcasted if Payakan is rejected, which upsets Tonowari who calls out Aonung's name.
Aonung survives the Battle at the Cove of the Ancestors, but his friend Rotxo, as well as his mother Ronal, are killed in battle. After it is over, Aonung joins with Tsireya and Tonowari to link his newborn sister Pril to the Spirit Tree during the Calf Communion.
Personality[]
Aonung taunting Lo'ak.
Initially, Aonung seems to hold prejudice towards the forest Na'vi for their biological differences, and not having the similar physique that the ocean Na'vi have. He teased the older Sully children for their weaker endurance underwater, and finds amusement at Lo'ak's initial struggle taming an ilu.
Aonung eventually takes accountability for his recklessness. When Lo'ak took the blame for him, Aonung was impressed and seemed to be more open to the Sully siblings. He does not hesitate to help Tsireya and the Sully children when rescuing Payakan from the RDA. Kiri saves him with her powers later on.
Due to being skilled in hunting and diving, Aonung is well-liked and admired by his peers, usually seen in company of his best friend, Rotxo.[2] Aonung enjoys bodysurfing and plunge-diving through the reef wall tunnels during changing tides.[3]
As the oldest child of the clan's leaders, he would be pressured to meet his parents' high expectations, masking it with reckless behavior. He rarely speaks up in the presence of his parents.
Tonowari is the Olo'eyktan of the clan and Aonung's father.
Not much is known about Aonung's relationship with his father. He seems to respect him, although his father reprimands him when he does something wrong, showing how much his father cares for his son. When he finds out that his son and his daughter Tsireya are in danger, he decides to go save them along with his wife Ronal.
Ronal was the Tsahìk of the clan and Aonung's mother.
The relationship with his mother is not detailed or completely explained, but it seems that they are close, since she is often worried about his well-being. He lost his mother during the final war in Avatar: Fire and Ash.
He seems to be quite close to his younger sister Tsireya, since they are seen together for a long time, constantly showing how much he cares about her; for example, when his father punished her for having allowed the union between Lo'ak and Payakan, Aonung is seen looking at her sad and worried. He is seen next to Tsireya and Rotxo during Neteyam's funeral. While they cry, Aonung is seen caressing his sister's shoulder to comfort her.
Pril is Aonung's youngest sister. The relationship he has with Pril has not yet been explored further, however Aonung is present with his father and younger sister, when his newborn sister has her first communion with Eywa.
They are often seen spending time together. When they go to rescue Payakan with Tsireya, Lo'ak, Neteyam, Kiri and Tuk, they separate to protect themselves from the Sky People. During the escape, Rotxo goes with Kiri and Aonung. He lost his best friend during the final war in the Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Kiri is Aonung's friend, formerly object of ridicule.
When Rotxo asked where Kiri was when they were swimming, Aonung can be heard asking "who?" showing he did not bother to learn or remember her name. When Aonung and his friends find Kiri near the water staring at the sand, he calls her a freak and makes fun of her hands due to some half-breeds having five fingers instead of four. During the Mako Submersible chase, Aonung, Kiri and Rotxo swim towards coverage, and Kiri uses her connection with Eywa to destroy the vehicle using a giant sea anemone.
Lo'ak tells Aonung he knows what it's like to be one big family disappointment.
Lo'ak is Aonung's friend, formerly object of ridicule.
Aonung and his friends laughed about Lo'ak's tail at first. Soon, a fight ensued after Aonung harassed Kiri about her hands and called her "weird." When Lo'ak later returned for a half-hearted apology, Aonung and his friends convinced Lo'ak to hunt with them outside the reef near the Three Brothers, only to leave him behind as a prank while Lo'ak was hunting for fish, resulting in him being in mortal danger when an akula appeared and attacked him until a tulkun named Payakan saved him from the beast. Later, it clearly appears that Aonung felt remorse for nearly killing Lo'ak, showing genuine concern for his well-being when he realized the gravity of the situation. Aonung's respect for him grew when Lo'ak took the blame for his actions. After that, the teasing stopped. Aonung eventually helped Lo'ak free Payakan from the RDA.
When Lo'ak went after Payakan, Aonung and his friends followed him. Much to the shock of his parents, Aonung and the other teenagers joined Lo'ak in standing up for Payakan, threatening to exile themselves with Lo'ak and his Spirit Brother if Payakan was forced to leave. This show of support helped to convince the Matriarch to hear Payakan out.
Neteyam orders Aonung to stop bullying his siblings.
Neteyam is Aonung's friend.
When Aonung met Neteyam, he didn't return his greeting. Neteyam was seen raising his eyebrows and wagging his tail restlessly while viewing Aonung for the first time.[4] Aonung and his friend Rotxo laugh at the size of Neteyam's and Lo'ak's tail, comparing it to a baby's.
When Aonung and his friends tease Kiri and Lo’ak, Neteyam steps in and shoves Aonung to the side, earning a glare from Aonung. Neteyam demands Aonung and his friends to leave his siblings alone and to respect them. Aonung and his friends listen and back down due to Neteyam's rank being higher than his as Neteyam has finished his iknimaya while Aonung has not. But just when the Sully kids turn their back, he continues to poke fun at them which causes a fight to break out.
During unseen time, Neteyam learned that Aonung had endangered Lo'ak's life in the ocean, and forcefully brought Aonung to reveal what happened to the clan.[5]
Later on, Aonung seems to respect Neteyam's responsibilities as an older sibling and assists him when chasing after Lo'ak. Aonung is seen mourning at Neteyam's funeral.
In the original script, he apologizes to Kiri for his behavior before while they are hiding in an airbell from the RDA, causing her to point out the awkward timing:
Aonung: "Kiri, I am sorry I was such a skxawng, before."
Kiri: "You want to talk about this NOW?"
Also in the original script, Rotxo calls Aonung "cuz", raising the possibility they are cousins in the final film.
Joshua Izzo confirmed that Ronal is Aonung's birth mother, despite theories that he is the son of Tonowari and another mother. This theory was caused by Tonowari saying, "My son, Aonung; our daughter, Tsireya..."
Aonung is very similar to Tsu'tey. Tsu'tey made disparaging remarks at Jake for being an avatar. After a tough challenge where Jake befriends an animal with Tsu'tey's group (the banshee bonding) and the two eventually became allies. Aonung makes rude remarks at Lo'ak for having avatar DNA, but after an incident where Lo'ak follows Aonung's group and winds up bonding with an animal (Payakan), the two become friends.
Neteyam with Aonung.
Neteyam and Aonung became an extremely popular fan pairing soon after The Way of Water was released, causing the two characters to be adopted by LGBTQ+ Avatar fans.[7][8][9] "Aonunete" is the fan made name for this paring. This pair became so popular to the degree that they have thousands of fanarts, this ship has over 160 million TikTok views and the pairing has just as much fanfiction as Jake and Neytiri on the site Archive of Our Own.
Some fans have also made the ship of Aonung and Kiri due to the development of their interactions throughout the film, even having them created the ship name "Kirinung".
