Matsya The Fish is said to be the avatar that rescued the first man, as well as other creatures of the earth, from a great flood.
Kurma is the tortoise The 2nd Avatar of Vishnu incarnation that relates to the myth of churning the ocean to obtain treasures dissolved in the ocean of milk.
Varaha The Third Avatar of Lord Vishnu is the boar that raised the earth from the bottom of the sea after the demon Hiranyaksha dragged it to the bottom of the sea.
Narasimha The Fourth Avatar of Lord Vishnu appears when the Hiranyakashipiu obtained a boon from Brahma that he could not be killed or harmed by any means.
Vamana The Fifth Avatar Lord Vishnu appears when the demon king Bali ruled the universe and the gods lost their power. Vamana visited the court of Bali and begged for as much land as he could cover in three steps.
Parashurama The Sixth Avatar Vishnu appears as a priest who comes to the world to kill bad kings and protect humanity from danger. He appears in the form of a man carrying an ax.
Lord Rama is the seventh avatar of Vishnu and a major deity of Hinduism. He is considered supreme in some traditions. He is the central figure of the ancient Hindu epic "Ramayana".
Lord Krishna is the eighth avatar of Vishnu and is one of the most widely revered deities in Hinduism. Krishna is depicted in a variety of forms because there are so many stories surrounding him.
In southern tradition the 9th Avatar of Lord Vishnu is considered as Balarama, brother of Lord Krishna. But in northern tradition Balaram is replaced by Buddha.
Kalki is the last incarnation of Vishnu. He is not expected to appear until the end of Kali Yuga, the current time period. Kalki will come, it is believed, to rid the world of oppression by unrighteous rulers.