Avatar 2: Why Is Kiri Different Than Other Na’vi & Why Can She Control Eywa

Avatar 2 left us in complete awe and with many questions lingering in our heads after the three-hour movie. There’s so much about the lore of the Na’vi people we don’t know, and one of the bigger questions we asked ourselves after revolve around Kiri. She is different and much more powerful than first meets the eye, so why is it that she’s different, and why can she control Eywa?

It is unknown why Kiri is different from other Na’vi members or why she can control Eywa. The mystery of Kiri will likely be revealed in the third installment of the Avatar franchise if it comes to it. A total of 3 more installments have been announced, so the secrets of the Na’vi, Eywa, and Kiri might be revealed later on.

Factual knowledge aside, can we theorize with somewhat accurate precision what Kiri is and why she can control Eywa? Luckily, the two movies were long and detailed enough for us to do just that, so let’s get into the nitty gritty details of Kiri’s past, present, and possible future throughout the rest of this article.

Who is Kiri?

Kiri is the adopted daughter of Neytiri and Jake Sully. Biologically, she is the daughter of a deceased scientist Grace Augustine played by Sigourney Weaver, that played a major role in helping Jake and other scientists fight off the threat that was the Sky People in Avatar 1.

Kiri, along with her brothers and sisters, is considered a freak because she’s a half-blood. Half-bloods are distinguished from other members of the Na’vi because they have five fingers on their hands instead of the typical 4, but if she’s no different than her brothers and sister, why is she still different?

It might just be that Kiri is a Tsahik like her grandmother, Mo’at, who can converse with Eywa, translate her will, and guide the clan to what she wants them to do and thinks is best for them but more on that theory and why it might not be true at all later.

Grace’s Death

Grace Augustine was a scientist that didn’t share the broken values with other Sky People. She wanted to know the Na’vi and Pandora and bond with them through Eywa. She was an outcast as a human and Na’vi but always remained loyal to the truth and what was right. She died after Jake, and the other scientists escaped the chamber they were put in with a rogue pilot. She was shot to near death by Colonel Quaritch in this attempt to escape.

Jake brought her to Hometree for Mo’at to try and transfer her consciousness into her avatar body, but she was too weak. Her soul and memories stayed with Eywa, and she might be the first human that had no connection to Eywa beforehand that is now a part of her. Grace’s avatar body remained and was kept in a chamber.

The Mystery of Kiri’s birth

If Grace died, how exactly was Kiri born? Even though her Avatar body has no spirit to make it alive, physically, her avatar body is as alive as any other walking and breathing member of the Na’vi. Her body is kept in a lab so that any lab member could have impregnated her. This is the theory that Spider and Lo’ak, who decided to mess with Kiri during one of the early scenes of the second movie, came up with. They theorized that Norm Spellman is her father because he might have been in love with Grace when she was alive.

Jake and Neytiri say it was a miracle and didn’t think much of it. All they knew was that they were prepared to care and love for the child as if it were their own, so it happened. Kiri was born, and she instantly became a member of the Sully family. They don’t see her as being different and don’t discriminate against her; they are family, and that’s all that matters to them.

A gift to honor Grace

Kiri might be a gift from Eywa to Jake, who fought as Toruk Macto after losing his good friend, Grace. She might be an embodiment of Grace but is a member of the Na’vi people’s body since Grace dedicated, and in the end, sacrificed her life for Pandora and, with it, Eywa.

How Exactly does Kiri Control Eywa?

The biggest connection anyone has to Eyva is a Tsahik who can converse with her and follow her will but not control her. No one can control Eywa. Eywa means only to bring the balance of life to the world of Pandora. Eywa is more or less a metaphysical entity even though the Na’vi believe that there are places from which she operates, like the Hometree from Avatar 1.

Every being in Pandora is connected to Eywa through neural pathways. You can think of it as one giant brain, and it seems like Kiri can access those neural pathways spiritually to control the beings, dance with the creatures of the sea, breathe together with grass and admire absolutely every aspect of Pandora, even something as seemingly simple as sand. She has great power, but the only reason why this works is that Kiri is pure at heart, and Eywa gave her the gift because she was worthy. Why would Eywa do that, and why to Kiri?

What does it mean to control Eywa?

I don’t think you can control Eywa; Eywa chooses to be controlled. It seems that Eywa chose Kiri to deliver her will in a way different from what was known so far because a Tsahik can’t do what Kiri does. A Tsahik accesses the communication lines and asks Eywa for the blessings she brings upon Pandora.

A theory

The only reasonable explanation as to why Kiri can control all living things on Pandora is because she is Eywa herself. Think about it, her conception remains a mystery, she was brought onto this world through a body of an Avatar that is a part of Eywa, and Eywa never does anything without reason.

The human threat was delayed but never terminated as they returned to Pandora to inhabit it, steal its resources, and repeat the same mistakes they made when they inhabited earth. They came back as a bigger threat, not only wanting to mine Unobtainium but to destroy Pandora completely because if they inhabit the planet, they have to destroy the forests, mountains, and seas, remove the threat of creatures that inhabit them, make roads, buildings, and live an unsustainable life.

If you kill a tree or a creature native to Pandora, you’re essentially killing Eywa. Eywa likely won’t take matters into her own hands because she only seeks balance but will guide the Sully family and help them restore the balance. Suppose the theory that Kiri is a physical embodiment of Eywa doesn’t pan out to be true. In that case, we can at least theorize that she is the ultimate Tsahik who can communicate with Eywa through other means than those known.