An Introduction to Avatar: The Last Airbender
“Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked,” explains Katara’s voiceover at the beginning of Avatar, The Last Airbender.
“Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked,” explains Katara’s voiceover at the beginning of Avatar, The Last Airbender.
I realize that Avatar: The Last Airbender and its follow-up series, The Legend of Korra, are cartoons meant for children. But let me tell you, if you’ve written them off as silly kids' shows, you’re really missing out. They are so good. Please don’t judge the animated series based on the aberration that was the M. Night Shyamalan film.
For some context, as of this writing, I have seen Avatar: The Last Airbender two or three times and its follow-up series, The Legend of Korra, once. I’ve also had the misfortune of seeing the Shyamalan film and would prefer to forget that it exists. I have not read any of the comics.
I might be getting ahead of myself. If you’re not familiar, Avatar: The Last Airbender was an animated series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. It ran on Nickelodeon from 2005 - 2008. The premise is that each culture / nation values a particular element (earth, air, fire, and water) and some people - called “benders” within each culture - have the ability to manipulate the element in question. One person in the entire world has the ability to manipulate all four elements. This person, called the Avatar, is supposed to bring balance to the world. When this person dies, he or she is reincarnated. In each generation, the Avatar is born into a different nation.
However, before the start of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the current Avatar went into hiding and the Fire Nation started waging war. Avatar: The Last Airbender follows the Avatar as he re-emerges, makes friends, and attempts to end the war being waged by the Fire Nation. If he’s able to do this, balance will be restored.
The Legend of Korra follows Korra as she goes through her own journey as the next Avatar.
What I really like about Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra is that both series tackle difficult subjects (usually) very well. There are some amazing story arcs throughout both series. I believe that both Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra can be enjoyed by children and adults alike.
For this series, I will be re-watching these amazing series and will be sending out my thoughts as I watch. Each newsletter edition will feature two episodes.
Once I’m done with the series, I may touch on some of the comics and/or the live-action series that hit Netflix. We’ll see how I feel once I get there.
Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra aren’t perfect by any means. The creative team is largely White, from what I understand. I think there’s room for criticism there, especially since the cultures represented in this universe are based on Asian cultures.
Stream It!
I look forward to going on this journey with you.