It makes sense in context of them looking for the Avatar still. If all the airbenders are dead, then the next Avatar should be born as a waterbender. Take them all captive and you already have him when his powers emerge.

>>80685
Makes sense.

>>80685
So, then they do what they did with the Air Nomads and kill them all just in case?

On that note, why not have Zhao ordered to kill Aang? Yeah, he will regenerate, but not until after the Fire Nation had already taken over the entire world and been in total power for (at least) 12 years.

>>80741

Which is still something that can screw them over later. Keeping Aang alive longer means that they add additional time to those 12 years.

And of course, there's the annoying way you could answer:

"Because then there's no show."

>>80771

When it comes tot total and unopposed global conquest, there's not really much of a difference between 11 years and 12 years.

>>80778

Tell that to The Third Reich.

Edit: By which I mean they were ousted from power after 12 years, not any Goodwin's law type shit.

I've always assumed the genocide of the Air Nomads wasn't completely intentional. Many Air Nomads were killed in battle, some probably died as POWs, and the women, children, and elderly people who escaped died of starvation/exposure/other natural causes while on the run. Of course, the Fire Nation knew they were driving an entire culture to extinction, but they didn't particularly care until they realized they'd fucked up and now had to go looking for the Avatar somewhere else.

As for the waterbenders, the Fire Nation couldn't just wipe them all out, because then the Avatar would be reborn again, and they'd have to go wipe out the Earth Kingdom. World domination is no fun if there aren't any people left to dominate.

>>80830
>I've always assumed the genocide of the Air Nomads wasn't completely intentional.
I think it was. I think Sozin was trying to give a giant "fuck you" to Avatar Roku. Backfired on him when he couldn't find the newest reincarnated Avatar.

>>World domination is no fun if there aren't any people left to dominate.
This.

>>80741
Zhao's orders probably weren't specific, and he likely wanted to take the Avatar alive because it's all the more glory for him.