The Dai Li
The Dai Li are the secret police of Ba Sing Se, who work for Long Feng and weed out political dissidents.
Origin
The Dai Li was created several centuries ago by Avatar Kyoshi to preserve the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se, in response to a peasant uprising against the government and 46th Earth King. She currently regrets having created the Dai Li, as she had no idea how corrupt they would become at the time.
History
Selectively picked at a young age, the members of the Dai Li are elite officers of Ba Sing Se under the control of Long Feng. Since talking about the war with the Fire Nation is against the law in Ba Sing Se, the Dai Li keep a close watch on all refugees and new immigrants to the city, disappearing anyone who dares to break the code of silence. They employ skilled Earthbenders as a secret police group, who wear gloves made apparently out of earthen materials in order to dexterously Earthbend on the go. The Dai Li also are adept at using Earthbending to cling to sheer rock surfaces, such as walls or ceilings. They conceal chained metal cuffs within their sleeves, which they use to snare and hold prisoners, particularly other earthbenders so as to inhibit their bending. They appear to use hypnosis to persuade rebels and uprisers (such as Jet) that there is no war within the walls of Ba Sing Se. Most of Ba Sing Se's citizens seem to fear them and want nothing to do with them, knowing that nothing but trouble can arise from meddling in any of their affairs. In the events of the Season 2 finale, the Dai Li abandon Long Feng and pledge loyalty to Azula. She also points out that, while earthbenders, the Dai Li posseses "a killer instinct that's so firebender."
Trivia
- The Dai Li first appear in "City of Walls and Secrets."
- The Dai Li may have been based on various "secret polices" in other works of fiction, such as the Thought Police from 1984 or the Fingermen from V for Vendetta.