One special power that the Avatar has is called the "Avatar State." When an Avatar goes into the Avatar State, he or she gains all of the knowledge and abilities that all of the past Avatars have had. The Avatar State is a defense mechanism. An Avatar goes into this state automatically. However, if he or she practices for a very long time, he or she can control when they go into the Avatar State and what they do while they are in it. If an Avatar is killed in the Avatar State, then the Avatar Cycle will be broken. Then there will be no more Avatars. Through the years, there have been many Avatars. They keep all of the four nations peaceful. Another special power that the Avatar has is being able to go into the Spirit World. He or she can link the physical world to the Spirit World. In this way, he or she can solve problems that regular benders cannot.