Why You Should Watch Avatar: The Legend of Aang

Water. Earth. Fire. Air

The 4 elements that set the structure of the show Avatar: The Legend of Aang.

First airing on Nickelodeon on February 21st 2005, the show saw high success within the 3 seasons it aired through the television network.

And slightly more recently, Netflix aired the show and it proved so popular that it stayed in Netflix's Top 10 Streamed content for 2 months.

But what is it that made the show so popular? Well, we won't go into the details of why it stayed in Netflix's top 10 for so long, but on a brief note, it allowed original viewers to rewatch in a chronological order (instead of the shows Nickelodeon decided to air) and it was able to access a new audience who never watched the show.

If you never have seen Avatar (not the blue people), well let me explain what it is all about.

General Premise of the Show

So the show is set in its own world that features of 4 nations, the Water Nation, Earth Nation, Fire Nation and the Air Nation.

The reason they are separated like this is because of the element that some of the locals of each nation can 'bend'. Some residents can manipulate their native element to use as weapons, entertainment, whatever they decide.

The Avatar, is the one person who is able to bend all 4 elements and who's duty it is to keep peace between all nations.

However, Aang is the last airbender, for the Fire Nation have been on a rampant war path to conquer the entire world. So much so, that they killed the entire Air nation, as they knew the Avatar (the only one who could stop their mission) would regenerate as an Air Bender (I won't go into the details of the Avatar Cycle).

But, Aang ran away and to survive a deadly storm, used his Avatar State (kind of like super seiyan) and froze himself in an iceberg for 100 years.

He is then found by Katara and Sokka, two Southern Water tribe teenagers and then the adventure ensues of Aang's destiny.

Why it is a great show

But, If you are thinking about why you should watch the show, as an avid fan, I'm happy to let you know that aside from the natural world-building and epic fight scenes, there are actually a lot of excellent reasons why the show resonates with multiple generations.

There are plot spoilers ahead by the way.

Strong Females

First and foremost, I don't think there is another show that has so many prominent strong female characters.

Katara, Toph, Azula, Suki, Kyoshi, even Yue all play pivotal roles throughout the series.

Katara starts as a girl trying to learn waterbending, to teaching the Avatar how to manipulate water. She goes on her own journey about developing her bending and even goes on to evolving into 'blood-bending' essentially allowing her to control people. A skill only demonstrated by the strongest of benders.

Toph is the greatest Earth bender and also teaches Aang Earth bending. We will get in to further detail about why Toph is such a great character in a later paragraph.

Azula is the key protagonist (aside from Firelord Ozai) and is portrayed as calculated, precise and untouchable in terms of physical and mental warfare. She's only 14 in the show yet demonstrates high levels of strength, tactical choices and determination to appease her father Firelord Ozai.

Suki, despite being a non-bender demonstrates world-class hand-to-hand combat and is more than capable of kicking anyone's ass (even when captured in a prison surrounded by male prisoners).

Avatar Kyoshi, a previous form of the Avatar is portrayed as nothing less than a bad bitch. And Princess Yue sacrifices herself without hesitation for her people, because it's what a Princess should do.

There are a number of other female characters that deserve a mention such as Tai-Lee and Mai. The re-incarnation of this show with Avatar Korra actually builds on this as well with the Avatar being a female who is supported by a cast of stronger females.

It is very rare for a show to demonstrate such a subversion from the typical damsel in distress and it is a breath of fresh air.

Disability Empowering

It is also a show that strongly represents minorities as well, particularly those with disability.

I previously mentioned Toph who taught Aang earth bending. She is a blind character.

She learnt earth bending from the Badger Moles (who invented the art) because they realised that like themselves, Toph is blind. Through this, she then was able to 'see' by detecting vibrations through the ground and being able to act accordingly.

Yet, it is also consistently reminded that despite being such a strong character, she is blind. Often when flying on Appa (Aang's flying bison), she felt uncomfortable because she couldn't detect the vibrations through the earth. She would cling on to Sokka throughout the entire journey.

But it isn’t just blindness that is represented. Teo, a paralysed teenager, who's family moved into the Northern Air Temple having found no air nomads to be living there, is actually able to fly better than Aang on their gliders thanks to his father's inventions.

Now Aang, being a master air bender, should be able to use a glider better than anyone, but he was outmatched by a disabled teen. Teo is a character that didn’t explicitly say 'oh I'm disabled', you can see he is. But the show doesn't feel the need to tell you because it puts those with a disability on the same playing field.

The representation in the show is incredible.

Adult Topics

Now, despite all of the fun and games that come with learning about the characters, there are actually a number of extremely adult topics that are introduced to a very young audience.

It can offer a great reference point for parents when explaining these difficult topics.

There are topics such as:

• Genocide

• Dictatorship

• War

• Immigration/Refugees

• Kidnapping

• Parental Issues

• Depression

• Industrialisation/Climate Change

I think we can both agree that these aren't themes of a children's show. But due to the convincing and incredible world building, you forget that these are frequent topics.

Being able to expertly introduce topics like these to children is the finest line to walk, but even so, I think re-watching it as an adult, even I forgot these themes are evident. The writers have done an incredible job.

G.O.A.T Character Arcs

Avatar has arguably the GREATEST character arc of all time. And I'm not just saying that.

Fire Prince Zuko, who is burned on his face by his father (Firelord Ozai), outcasted from his nation and sent on a mission to find the Avatar (who at the time of set off wasn't even known to be alive) at the age of 13 because he needed to restore his honour and appease his dad.

Yet, it is his Uncle Iroh, who we will discuss later, who is able to make him realise that the way his father treats him is not right and Zuko's life is his to choose, not his family's.

It is through this, that we see Zuko chasing Aang around the world in series 1, to being banished from the fire nation, becoming a refugee and learning the impacts of the Fire nation's invasion on the world in series 2 to standing up to his father, re-learning fire bending from a place of life and energy, not hatred and anger and (spoiler) becoming the rightful Fire lord in series 3.

I mean, I know I've summed it up in about 4 sentences, but I have not done it justice. His character visually changes, his fighting style, his body language, the way he carries himself, you see the difference.

Avatar Aang's character arc is also one of note.

He emerges from the iceberg a child but very quickly, he must understand his role as the only one able to prevent the impending war. In what takes previous Avatar's decades to learn (the 4 elements, being the bridge between the human and spirit world, being the beacon of peace for all), Aang must learn in months.

The evolution of the Avatar is striking, because despite his rapid maturity, Aang is unwaivering in his personal belief of being a monk and not killing any other living creature, not even Fire lord Ozai.

It is through his cornerstone belief that the Lion Turtle's are able to grant him energy bending. Aang took away Ozai's bending instead of killing him, despite the fact that each of his predecessors told him to 'do what needed to be done' (IE kill Ozai)

He was the first Avatar to learn energy bending which really cemented Aang's legacy in the Avatar cycle.

Life Lessons

Avatar: The Legend of Aang does a great job in showing the benefits of overcoming your fears.

This is most apparent when Aang is trying to learn earth bending, which is the natural opposite to his home element.

Air bending is all about freedom and evading conflict. Earth bending is all about facing things head on with a strong stance and gritted teeth.

By doing those tasks we don't want to do, or eating the frog as some call it, it allows us to leave our comfort zone, develop as a person, learn a lesson or two and look back at the incident and wonder why we were ever scared in the first place.

Earlier, we mentioned Uncle Iroh.

For many, he is their favourite character. It is his unbounded wisdom and dedication to his nephew that makes him a top tier character.

Uncle Iroh was meant to be the next Fire Lord. He conquered Ba Sing Se (the earth nation capital and iconic for its two walls of protection) and was known as the Dragon of the West.

But, the death of his soldier son Lu Ten, made Iroh realise that he is fighting someone else's war and what is the price? Like Zuko, he is quickly outcasted by his country. But because of his life pivot, he is able to provide Zuko the guidance he needs when making the big decisions.

You'll know of at least one of Iroh's lessons if you've been on my home page, but there are many lessons that he leaves the audience with. His most important? Probably something related to tea (never call it 'hot leaf juice').

His most impactful moment, for me at least, is when he is talking Zuko down about stealing Appa from Ba Sing Se because it means he could capture the Avatar.

Iroh hammers home the point of thinking things through and choosing what Zuko wants to do. It is the start of Zuko's redemption arc.

I'm sure if you google Iroh quotes, you'll be able to leave reading the article infinitely wiser.

We've touched upon destiny and choosing your own path throughout the article, but it really is one of the larger themes throughout the show. It really is evident that everyone is in control of their own life and that it is OK to do what you want to do.

It is a shining beacon of accepting yourself for all of your flaws and turning them into your greatest strengths.

For both Aang and Zuko, their destiny appeared to be written for them. Yet they ended up being able to take control and choosing an outcome that suited them best.

That's Why You Should Watch ATLA

This is just the smallest of windows into what makes Avatar: The Legend of Aang a breath-taking show. I haven't mentioned the stunning visuals, the soundtrack, the gasping moments that have to be experienced first hand as well as the other connotations and themes throughout the show.

Everyone's character arc is complex, diverse and is brilliantly written within 3 series.

If you are looking for a community to join that is friendly, if you are looking for a new show to watch or if you're looking for something that can make you look at yourself in the mirror a little harder and demand change, then look no further than my favourite show Avatar: The Legend of Aang.