Avatar: The Last Airbender

For other uses, see Avatar: The Last Airbender (disambiguation) and Avatar (disambiguation).

Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre	Action Adventure Comedy drama Fantasy
Created by	Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko
Voices of	Zach Tyler Eisen Mae Whitman Jack DeSena Dante Basco Jessie Flower Dee Bradley Baker Mako Greg Baldwin Grey DeLisle Mark Hamill
Composer(s)	Jeremy Zuckerman Benjamin Wynn
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	61 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko Aaron Ehasz
Running time	23 minutes
Production company(s)	Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Release
Original network	Nickelodeon
Picture format	NTSC
Original release	February 21, 2005 (2005-02-21) – July 19, 2008 (2008-07-19)
Chronology
Related shows	The Legend of Korra
External links
[{{#property:P856}} Website]

Avatar: The Last Airbender (abbreviated as ATLA), also known as Avatar: The Legend of Aang in some regions, or simply Avatar or The Last Airbender, is an American animated fantasy action television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio.

Avatar is set in an Asiatic-inspired world in which some people can telekinetically manipulate one of the four elements—water, earth, fire or air—through practices known as "bending", inspired by Chinese martial arts. The only individual who can bend all four elements, the "Avatar", is responsible for maintaining harmony among the world's four nations, and serves as the link between the physical world and the spirit world. The series is centered around the journey of twelve-year-old Aang, the current Avatar and last survivor of his nation, the Air Nomads, along with his friends Katara, Sokka, and Toph, as they strive to end the Fire Nation's war against the other nations and defeat Fire Lord Ozai before he conquers the world. It also follows the story of Zuko—the exiled prince of the Fire Nation, seeking to restore his lost honor by capturing Aang, accompanied by his uncle Iroh—and later, his sister Azula. Avatar is presented in a style that combines anime with American cartoons and relies on the imagery of primarily Chinese culture, with some other East Asian, Southeast Asian, South Asian, New World, Siberian, and Arctic influences.

Avatar: The Last Airbender was a ratings success and received widespread acclaim from audiences and critics alike for its characters, cultural references, art direction, voice acting, soundtrack, humor, and themes. These include concepts rarely touched on in youth entertainment, including war, genocide, imperialism, totalitarianism, indoctrination and free choice. It won five Annie Awards, a Genesis Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Kids' Choice Award, and a Peabody Award. The show is regarded by many critics as one of the greatest animated television series of all time.

Avatar aired on Nickelodeon for three seasons, from February 2005 to July 2008. The extended Avatar franchise includes an ongoing comics series, a prequel novel series, an animated sequel series, and a live-action film, as well as an upcoming live-action remake series produced for Netflix. The complete series was released on Blu-ray in June 2018 in honor of the tenth anniversary of its finale and was made available to stream on Netflix in the United States and Canada in May 2020, on Paramount+ in June 2020, and on Amazon Prime Video in January 2021.

Series overview

Setting

Main article: World of Avatar: The Last Airbender

A map of the four nations

Avatar: The Last Airbender is set in a world where human civilization consists of four nations, named after the four classical elements: the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads. In each nation, certain people, known as "benders" (waterbenders, earthbenders, firebenders and airbenders), have the ability to telekinetically manipulate and control the element corresponding to their nation, using gestures based on Chinese martial arts. The "Avatar" is the only individual with the ability to bend all four elements.

The Avatar is an international arbiter whose duty is to maintain harmony among the four nations, and act as a mediator between humans and spirits. When the Avatar dies, their spirit is reincarnated in a new body, who will be born to parents in the next nation in a set order known as the Avatar cycle: Fire, Air, Water, and Earth. By tradition, the new Avatar will travel the world to learn all four bending arts, after which they will begin in earnest their role as global peacekeeper. The Avatar can enter a condition known as the "Avatar State", in which they temporarily gain the skills and knowledge of all their past incarnations. Although this is when they are at their most powerful, if the Avatar was ever killed while in the Avatar State, the reincarnation cycle would be broken and the Avatar would cease to exist.

Synopsis

Main article: List of Avatar: The Last Airbender characters

A century ago, young Avatar Aang, afraid of his new responsibilities, fled from his home and was forced into the ocean by a storm. He encased himself and his sky bison Appa in suspended animation in an iceberg near the South Pole. Shortly afterward, Fire Lord Sozin, the ruler of the Fire Nation, launched a world war to expand his nation's empire. Knowing that the Avatar must be an Air Nomad, he carried out a genocide against the Air Nomads with the help of a comet enhancing firebenders' power. A hundred years later, siblings Katara and Sokka, teenagers of the Southern Water Tribe, accidentally discover Aang and revive him.

In the first season, Aang travels with Katara and Sokka to the Northern Water Tribe so he can learn waterbending and be prepared to defeat the Fire Nation. Prince Zuko, the banished son of the current Fire Lord Ozai, pursues them, accompanied by his uncle Iroh, hoping to capture the Avatar in order to restore his honor. Aang is also pursued by Zhao, a Fire Nation admiral aspiring to win Ozai's favor. When his navy attacks the Northern Water Tribe, Zhao kills the moon spirit; Yue, the princess of the tribe, sacrifices her life to revive it, and Aang drives off the enemy fleet.

In the second season, Aang learns earthbending from Toph Beifong, a blind twelve-year-old earthbending prodigy. Zuko and Iroh, now fugitives from the Fire Lord, become refugees in the Earth Kingdom, eventually settling in its capital Ba Sing Se. Both groups are pursued by Azula, Zuko's younger sister and a firebending prodigy. Aang's group travels to Ba Sing Se to seek the Earth King's support for an attack on the Fire Nation timed to an upcoming solar eclipse, during which firebenders will be powerless. Azula instigates a coup d'état, bringing the capital under Fire Nation control, and Zuko sides with his sister. Aang is fatally wounded by Azula, but he is revived by Katara.

In the third season, Aang and his allies invade the Fire Nation capital during the solar eclipse, but are forced to retreat. Zuko abandons the Fire Nation to join Aang and teach him firebending. Aang, raised by monks to respect all life, wrestles with the possibility that he will have to kill Ozai to end the war. When Sozin's comet returns, Aang confronts Ozai and uses his Avatar powers to strip Ozai of his firebending ability; meanwhile, Aang's friends liberate Ba Sing Se, destroy the Fire Nation airship fleet, and capture Azula. Zuko is crowned the new Fire Lord and the war comes to an end.

Episodes

Main article: List of Avatar: The Last Airbender episodes

See also: Sozin's Comet

The series consists of sixty-one episodes. The first episode—an-hour-long premiere—aired on February 21, 2005, on Nickelodeon. The series concluded with a two-hour television movie broadcast on July 19, 2008. Each season of the series is known as a "book", in which each episode is referred to as a "chapter". Each book takes its name from one of the elements Aang must master: Water, Earth, and Fire. The show's first two seasons each consists of twenty episodes and the third season has twenty-one. The entire series has been released on DVD in regions 1, 2 and 4.

As of May 2020, the complete series is available on Netflix in the United States. It became the most popular show on US Netflix within the first week of its release there, despite not being featured on the main page. The show broke the record for longest consecutive appearance on Netflix's daily top ten list, with 60 straight days on the list, one of only two shows in the top ten record holders that was not a Netflix original series as of July 2020. Later in June 2020, the complete series became available on Paramount+ (at the time CBS All Access) and later on Amazon Prime Video in January 2021.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is a 61-episode, Emmy Award-winning American animated television series written and created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. It first aired on February 21, 2005, on Nickelodeon with a one-hour series premiere and concluded its run with a two-hour TV movie on July 19, 2008. The Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise refers to each season as a "Book", in which each episode is referred to as a "chapter". Each "Book" takes its name from one of the elements that Aang, the protagonist, must master: Water, Earth, and Fire. The show's first two seasons each consisted of 20 episodes, while the third season had 21. In addition to the three seasons, there were two recap episodes and three "shorts". The first recap summarized the first eighteen episodes while the second summarized season two. The first self-parody was released via an online flash game. The second and third were released with the Complete Second Season Box Set DVD. The entire series has been released on DVD in Region One, Region Two and Region Four.

In the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe, there are people who are able to manipulate, or "bend", the four elements: Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. Along with the four elements, there are four nations that correspond with each element. Not everyone can bend an element, and those that can can only bend one. However, the Avatar is a being able to manipulate all four elements as well as communicate with the spirits. The Avatar is also born into one nation, and after dying, is reincarnated into another nation following the pattern of Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. The series takes place 100 years after the Fire Nation declares war against all other nations and has killed off all airbenders in search of finding the Avatar, who has been reincarnated as an airbender named Aang. The Avatar, trapped in ice for 100 years, knows nothing of the war. The series starts with Aang being accidentally freed by Katara, a waterbender. The series then primarily follows the adventures of Aang and his companions, Sokka, Katara, and later Toph and Zuko, as he tries to master all four elements and defeat the Fire Nation. There is also a strong secondary focus on Zuko, the banished and disinherited crown prince of the Fire Nation. Zuko was scarred in a duel with his own father, the current Fire Lord, and is obsessed with trying to capture Aang to regain his father's favor and in doing so restoring his honor.

Series overview

Season		Episodes	Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
	Book One: Water	20	February 21, 2005 (2005-02-21)	December 2, 2005 (2005-12-02)
	Book Two: Earth	20	March 17, 2006 (2006-03-17)	December 1, 2006 (2006-12-01)
	Book Three: Fire	21	September 21, 2007 (2007-09-21)	July 19, 2008 (2008-07-19)

Episodes

Book One: Water (2005)

Main article: Avatar: The Last Airbender (season 1)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Animated by	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code	Viewers (millions)
0	0	"Pilot"	Tin House, Inc.	Dave Filoni	Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko	January 1, 2005 (2005-01-01)	100	N/A
Sokka and his sister Katara must travel the world to find masters for Aang, who is the Avatar. However, they must evade a critical foe, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, who wants to capture Aang. Note: Mitchel Musso voiced Aang in this pilot but was later replaced by Zach Tyler Eisen when the show began production.
1	1	"The Boy in the Iceberg"	JM Animation	Dave Filoni	Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko	February 21, 2005 (2005-02-21)	101	3.47
While fishing, Sokka and Katara discover Aang and his flying bison Appa icebound floating on the sea. After freeing them, they discover that Aang is an Airbender from the Air Nomads, a race of people assumed to have died out a hundred years before. When he goes with them to the water tribe he doesn't reveal that he is the Avatar that has the ability to bend the four elements. The Avatar is reincarnated generation after generation and would be the only one who could prevent the Fire Nation from conquering all the nations, which is why the Fire Nation exterminated the Air Nomads, Aang's tribe. Meanwhile, Zuko, the banished Prince of the Fire Nation, is patrolling the seas in search of the Avatar. While exploring an abandoned Fire Nation ship, Katara tells Aang about the war that had been going on for the past hundred years. They accidentally set off a light beam in the ship, which alerts Zuko to the village.
2	2	"The Avatar Returns"	JM Animation	Dave Filoni	Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko	February 21, 2005 (2005-02-21)	102	3.47
When Zuko locates the Southern Water Tribe village where Aang has been, he demands the Avatar be surrendered to him. Aang returns to the village, despite having been banished, to surrender himself to Zuko as long as he agrees to leave the village alone. Aboard Zuko's ship, Aang is at Zuko's mercy, but he eventually manages to maneuver away from the guards and to battle Zuko. Katara and Sokka take the flying bison Appa to go after Aang. Aang and his friends manage to defeat Zuko and his subordinates. Katara and Sokka decide to travel with Aang to the North Pole so that Aang can learn Waterbending from members of the Northern Water Tribe.
3	3	"The Southern Air Temple"	DR Movie	Lauren MacMullan	Michael Dante DiMartino	February 25, 2005 (2005-02-25)	103	3.41
Due to an interest in reliving his old memories, Aang suggests a visit to the Southern Air Temple. He tells stories of his old mentor, Monk Gyatso, as well as sports and games that Airbenders used to play. At the temple, Aang finds a flying lemur, whom he names Momo. Upon arrival, it becomes clear to Sokka and Katara that the Fire Nation have slaughtered the inhabitants, but Katara keeps Aang in the dark to spare his feelings. When Aang discovers the truth for himself, he becomes upset and enters the Avatar State. Luckily, Katara calms him down and he is forced to accept that he is the last airbender. Meanwhile, because his ship was damaged by Aang in the previous episode, Zuko needs to stop at a docking area to have it repaired. There, he and his uncle run into Commander Zhao, who manages to learn that the Avatar has been found. Zuko challenges Zhao to a duel (known as an agni-kai) over the right to track the Avatar, which Zuko wins. Zuko spares Zhao's life; Zhao in turn tries to kill Zuko after Zuko turns his back on Zhao, though Iroh stops the attack in time.
4	4	"The Warriors of Kyoshi"	JM Animation	Giancarlo Volpe	Nick Malis	March 4, 2005 (2005-03-04)	104	3.47
Looking for a short break from their travels, Aang brings the gang to the Earth Kingdom's Kyoshi Island, where he seeks to ride "Elephant Koi," large fish who inhabit the surrounding waters. Before they are able to leave, the gang are captured by a group of female warriors who live on the island. Aang is able to convince them to trust him, for Kyoshi was a past Avatar and he is the current Avatar. Sokka is trained by the Kyoshi Warrior Suki who manages to change his sexist attitude, and Aang lets the village's reverence of him go to his head. Meanwhile, Zuko catches up to them and begins to burn the village until the group draws him off.
5	5	"The King of Omashu"	DR Movie	Anthony Lioi	John O'Bryan	March 18, 2005 (2005-03-18)	105	3.54
The next stop on the group's trip around the world is the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu. There, Aang shows Katara and Sokka the Omashu chute mail delivery system, which he and his friend Bumi (a Hindi word meaning 'Earth') used to ride for fun a hundred years ago. The trio gives the chutes a try but runs into trouble after it destroys a cabbage merchant's cart. Put in front of the crazy King of the city, the gang is unexpectedly given a feast. The King suspects that Aang is the Avatar and puts him through three deadly challenges to test his skills. After the last challenge, Aang is forced to figure out the King's name, and based on the nature of the challenges, he realizes that the King is his old friend Bumi. Bumi informs Aang of what his task as the current Avatar entails.
6	6	"Imprisoned"	JM Animation	Dave Filoni	Matthew Hubbard	March 25, 2005 (2005-03-25)	106	3.38
Aang, Katara, and Sokka camp near a small Earth Kingdom town that is controlled by the Fire Nation, which bans Earthbending. Katara convinces a young Earthbender named Haru to save an old man with earthbending, only to have Haru captured by the soldiers as the old man turns him in. Katara devises a plan to get herself arrested so Aang and Sokka can follow her to where Haru was taken and liberate him. While at the prison, a metal sea fortress that is impervious to Earthbending, Aang and Katara incite a rebellion with an inspiring speech and the realization that the coal powering the fortress is susceptible to Earthbending. The imprisoned Earthbenders manage to liberate themselves and return to their occupied cities.
7	7	"The Spirit World (Winter Solstice, Part 1)"	DR Movie	Lauren MacMullan	Aaron Ehasz	April 8, 2005 (2005-04-08)	107	3.29
Aang finds himself in a small Earth Kingdom village that is being attacked by a monster from the Spirit World. One night, this monster (named Hei Bai) captures Sokka. Aang decides to go after him. But after Aang is knocked out, he accidentally ends up in the Spirit World. There, he is told that Avatar Roku has a message for him. Aang proceeds to calm the attacking beast, restoring peace to the village. Meanwhile, Iroh gets captured by the Earth Kingdom. The soldiers who captured him wish to take him back to Ba Sing Se to face justice, the city Iroh laid siege to for 600 days during his youth as a Fire Nation general. This causes Zuko to stop his chase for the Avatar and to instead go after Iroh.
8	8	"Avatar Roku (Winter Solstice, Part 2)"	DR Movie	Giancarlo Volpe	Michael Dante DiMartino	April 15, 2005 (2005-04-15)	108	3.12
Aang has to travel to the Fire Temple to receive the message from Avatar Roku on the Winter Solstice. They are chased by Zuko and attacked by a Fire Nation blockade led by Zhao on the way there. When Aang gets to the temple he is shocked to learn the five Fire Sages there are no longer the Avatar's allies. However, a friendly sage helps Aang get to the sanctuary where he can talk to Roku. Avatar Roku informs Aang about "Sozin's Comet," which will return in just under a year and give the Fire Nation the power to finish the war. When Aang leaves the sanctuary, he is attacked by Zhao and the Sages. Aang defeats them when he manifests the spirit of Roku, who destroys the temple.
9	9	"The Waterbending Scroll"	JM Animation	Anthony Lioi	John O'Bryan	April 29, 2005 (2005-04-29)	109	3.15
Katara, despite her limited training as a waterbender, begins teaching Aang, and is frustrated when he surpasses her without effort. However, Aang accidentally washes away their supplies while practicing. When they go into town to buy more supplies, Katara finds a waterbending scroll at a store run by pirates. After Katara steals the scroll, the pirates chase the group (includes heavy references to the chase scene from the film Ong Bak). Meanwhile, Zuko runs into the pirates and agrees to help them find Aang and the scroll that Katara stole. Zuko captures Katara and the pirates capture Aang and Sokka. A fight breaks out between Zuko's crew and the pirates. During the commotion, the group escapes with the waterbending scroll.
10	10	"Jet"	JM Animation	Dave Filoni	James Eagan	May 6, 2005 (2005-05-06)	110	3.40
A band of guerrilla fighters, led by the rogue Jet, rescue Aang, Katara, and Sokka from a small group of Fire Nation soldiers. Jet invites the team back to the Freedom Fighters' hideout, where the group plots out its attacks. Sokka has suspicions about Jet, however, which leads the young rebel to tempt Sokka with missions. His plan fails, making Sokka more skeptical of Jet's motives. Aang and Katara decide to help Jet "save" a nearby Earth Kingdom town, but Jet's real intent is to drown the village, willing to sacrifice the lives of innocent civilians to destroy the Fire Nation garrison there. However, Sokka manages to evacuate the city, Earth and Fire citizens alike, in time to avoid Jet's plot.
11	11	"The Great Divide"	DR Movie	Giancarlo Volpe	John O'Bryan	May 20, 2005 (2005-05-20)	111	3.10
The next destination the gang stumbles into is the Great Divide, the world's largest canyon. The group starts bickering, so Aang decides to put his Avatar skills to the test. He successfully solves their minor disputes, but Aang tries to put his skills to practical use, when two Earth Kingdom tribes, who have been in a feud for 100 years, need to cross the canyon together. Aang sends Appa across with most needy people of the two tribes, and, with the help of a knowledgeable earthbender, guides the rest across the vast, dry landscape. In the end, Aang is able to end the feud, and the two tribes travel together to the capital city of Ba Sing Se.
12	12	"The Storm"	JM Animation	Lauren MacMullan	Aaron Ehasz	June 3, 2005 (2005-06-03)	112	3.25
The group is in need of money, so Sokka decides to help out a fisherman who is willing to pay him to help him on his next fishing trip, even though a storm seems imminent. The fisherman recognizes Aang as the Avatar "who turned his back on the world". Aang runs away in guilt, but Katara manages to track him down. Aang reveals to Katara that the monks at the Southern Air Temple wanted to send him away to the Eastern Air Temple to separate him from Monk Gyatso, the only person who cared about Aang as a person instead of as the Avatar. This led Aang to run away from home and (eventually) seal himself in the iceberg. Meanwhile on Zuko's ship, Zuko's crew begins to question his leadership, until Iroh enlightens them on how the prince was scarred in a duel, and was then banished from the Fire Nation, by his own father.
13	13	"The Blue Spirit"	DR Movie	Dave Filoni	Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko	June 17, 2005 (2005-06-17)	113	3.19
Sokka suffers from an illness due to his exposure to the elements during the storm. When Katara begins to contract the illness as well, Aang goes to a nearby herbalist institute in hopes of finding a cure for his friends. On his way to collect the remedy the herbalist recommends, Aang is kidnapped by a group of Fire Nation Yuu Yan archers, commanded by the newly promoted Admiral Zhao. However, a masked marauder, the titular "Blue Spirit," rescues Aang from Zhao; the "Blue Spirit" is knocked unconscious during the escape, and Aang discovers that he is Prince Zuko. Aang offers him friendship, but departs when he is rebuffed.
14	14	"The Fortuneteller"	JM Animation	Dave Filoni	Aaron Ehasz John O'Bryan	September 23, 2005 (2005-09-23)	114	2.05
Katara, Aang, and Sokka go into a village that relies solely on the predictions of a fortuneteller, Aunt Wu. Sokka is skeptical and refuses to believe anything the fortuneteller says, and tries to disprove all the predictions she makes. Katara, on the other hand, is obsessed, and keeps returning to the fortuneteller for more predictions on her love life. Aang, who has just recently become smitten with Katara, attempts to attract her attention throughout the episode, with limited success; eventually he attempts to fetch a rare flower from the lip of a nearby volcano, which is revealed to be on the verge of erupting—a direct contradiction to Aunt Wu's predictions. Katara and Aang use waterbending to manipulate the clouds as a warning to the villagers, and the group manages to evacuate the village before the volcano erupts. As the lava comes toward the town, Aang pushes it back with strong airbending, causing Sokka to comment that Aang is a "powerful bender". This catches Katara's attention, as Aunt Wu had earlier predicted that she would marry a "powerful bender".
15	15	"Bato of the Water Tribe"	DR Movie	Giancarlo Volpe	Ian Wilcox	October 7, 2005 (2005-10-07)	115	3.37
Sokka, Aang, and Katara find a seemingly abandoned Water Tribe fleet ship. Camping out by the boat, the kids discover that it belongs to Bato, an old friend of Katara and Sokka's father, Hakoda, and fellow member of the Southern Water Tribe. While they reminisce about the old days, Aang feels left out; when a messenger arrives with a message from Hakoda, inviting his children to visit them, Aang intercepts it and keeps it to himself, fearing they will abandon him. Later he comes clean about the message, but Sokka, furious at Aang for keeping it from them, is insistent on leaving to find his father. Meanwhile, Zuko finds a bounty hunter, June, to help him track down the Avatar. This leads to a skirmish, with Katara and Sokka returning to rescue Aang and resume their collective journey to the North Pole.
16	16	"The Deserter"	JM Animation	Lauren MacMullan	Tim Hedrick	October 21, 2005 (2005-10-21)	116	3.17
The protagonists travel into a Fire Nation town, which is hosting a festival of Fire Nation culture. Unfortunately, Aang's identity is discovered, but a strange man, Chey, helps the gang escape. Chey tells the trio about "the deserter", a man named Jeong Jeong who is the first man to desert the Fire Nation army and live. More importantly, he is a firebender who is not allied with the Fire Nation. However, Jeong Jeong refuses to teach Aang, still haunted by his failure to teach self-control to a previous student; it is only when Avatar Roku intervenes that Jeong Jeong consents to teach Aang. Aang, unfortunately, shows the same disregard for discipline, and accidentally burns Katara. While she discovers that she can heal others, and herself as well, Aang still regards firebending as dangerous and vows never to firebend again. Meanwhile, Aang is tracked down by Admiral Zhao, who is revealed to be Jeong Jeong's undisciplined former student. He fights Aang, but Aang is able to escape him by using his lack of self-control against him; he causes Zhao to burn his own ship.
17	17	"The Northern Air Temple"	DR Movie	Dave Filoni	Elizabeth Welch Ehasz	November 4, 2005 (2005-11-04)	117	1.68
A storyteller tells the gang of a group of people who travel in the air. According to the story, these people reside at the Northern Air Temple. The group decides to check it out, but are disappointed to just see normal people gliding. Aang is saddened that the Northern Air Temple has changed so dramatically since the time when he visited over 100 years ago, as its current residents have remodeled it extensively. Teo, a young paraplegic, convinces Aang to open the one remaining area of the temple left untouched. Aang is shocked to see the room stored with dozens of inventions with Fire Nation insignias on them. The Mechanist, Teo's father, confesses to aiding the Fire Nation with building weapons. When the Fire Nation comes to collect their latest invention, Aang tells them to leave. The Fire Nation proceeds to launch an attack against the temple, but Aang and the villagers manage to successfully defend against the attack. The Fire Nation, however, does manage to recover the invention, a war balloon.
18	18	"The Waterbending Master"	JM Animation	Giancarlo Volpe	Michael Dante DiMartino	November 18, 2005 (2005-11-18)	118	3.50
After the journey to the Northern Air Temple, the group lurks around the waters surrounding the North Pole, seeking out the Northern Water Tribe. They are found by a group of waterbenders from the tribe, who show them the way. Upon arriving, the gang is welcomed warmly by the citizens of the Northern Water Tribe, and the chief of the tribe throws a huge party in celebration. Sokka meets Yue, an attractive princess whom he falls for. Aang and Katara seek to learn waterbending from a master named Pakku, but he refuses to teach Katara due to sexist customs. Katara proves herself worthy, both by demonstration of technique and by invoking the memory of Pakku's beloved ex-fiancee—Katara's own grandmother, who could not stand to live under the Northern Water Tribe's misogyny—and Pakku relents. Meanwhile, Admiral Zhao hires the pirates from "The Waterbending Scroll" to assassinate Zuko; hearing his nephew was killed, Iroh agrees to assist Zhao with an attack on the North Pole. But Zuko has survived, and, with Iroh's help, sneaks aboard Zhao's lead ship as his fleet departs.
19	19	"The Siege of the North, Part 1"	DR Movie	Dave Filoni	Aaron Ehasz	December 2, 2005 (2005-12-02)	119	3.42
As the Fire Nation's forces close in on the Northern Water Tribe, the leaders and citizens scramble to find a way to defend against the armada. As night begins to fall, Admiral Zhao decides to heed Iroh's advice and halt the attack since waterbenders are stronger under the moonlight. Zuko leaves Zhao's ship and infiltrates the tribe on his own, seeking to capture Aang. Aang believes going into the spirit world and speaking to the moon and ocean spirits could give him the wisdom to defeat the Fire Nation. However, after Aang's spirit leaves for the spirit world, Zuko arrives to kidnap his body; despite stern resistance from Katara, he succeeds when dawn breaks and it is revealed that the fire nation is the strongest when the sun comes up.
20	20	"The Siege of the North, Part 2"	JM Animation	Dave Filoni	Aaron Ehasz	December 2, 2005 (2005-12-02)	120	3.42
Zuko struggles to find shelter in the freezing temperatures of the North Pole, while Sokka, Katara and Yue search for him and Aang. At the Northern Water Tribe, firebenders and Fire Nation tanks manage to infiltrate the city. Admiral Zhao slays the moon spirit, Tui, and the waterbenders lose their ability to waterbend. In anger, Aang, who along with Zuko was rescued by Sokka, Katara and Yue , goes into the Avatar State and, in joining with the Ocean Spirit La, destroys the entire Fire Nation armada and army, with the exceptions of Iroh and Zuko. Yue, who was imbued with some of the energy of the Moon Spirit when she was a baby, sacrifices her life to revive it, and becomes the Moon spirit. Zhao is pulled underwater by the Ocean Spirit in retaliation for slaying the Moon Spirit, refusing to accept Zuko's help when he attempts to save him; Zhao is never seen again. At the end of the episode, Ozai assigns Azula a mission to hunt down her traitor uncle and brother.

Book Two: Earth (2006)

Main article: Avatar: The Last Airbender (season 2)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Animated by	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code	Viewers (millions)
21	1	"The Avatar State"	DR Movie	Giancarlo Volpe	Aaron Ehasz Elizabeth Welch Ehasz Tim Hedrick John O'Bryan	March 17, 2006 (2006-03-17)	201	3.38
Aang and his friends rest at Earth Kingdom Outpost after their journey from the North Pole. They are to be escorted to Omashu, where Aang intends to find King Bumi to teach him earthbending. But General Fong, inspired by Aang's battle-determining actions during the Siege of the North, suggests that Aang defeat the Fire Lord and end the war immediately by triggering the Avatar State. In the meantime, Zuko and his uncle are visited by his sister, Azula, who has come bearing a message from the Fire Lord, requesting their return home. After many failed attempts, the General finally succeeds in triggering the Avatar State by faking Katara's death. Aang nearly destroys the base in anger but is then told by Avatar Roku that if he is killed in his Avatar state that the Avatar spirit will cease to exist. The group decides to go to Omashu alone. Zuko and his uncle discover Azula's summons to be a ruse in order to imprison the pair. They escape however, but are subsequently forced to become outcasts, realizing that they are to become fugitives of the Fire Nation after Iroh's treacherous saving of the Moon Spirit at the North Pole, and Zuko's failure to capture the Avatar.
22	2	"The Cave of Two Lovers"	JM Animation	Lauren MacMullan	Joshua Hamilton	March 24, 2006 (2006-03-24)	202	3.27
While on the way to Omashu, Aang and the group meet a group of carefree traveling bards, who take them through a vast tunnel known as the Cave of Two Lovers. Zuko and Iroh are sheltered by kind villagers after Iroh accidentally drinks tea made of a poisonous plant. Song, a young and compassionate healer, shows Zuko the effects of war from a normal citizen's perspective. Aang and Katara grow even closer as they discover the origins of the cave, which includes the tombs of the first two earthbenders. Their torch burns out plunging them in darkness thus setting off the glowing lights in the ceiling, allowing the group to escape and make it to Omashu, which is under control of the Fire Nation.
23	3	"Return to Omashu"	DR Movie	Ethan Spaulding	Elizabeth Welch Ehasz	April 7, 2006 (2006-04-07)	203	3.20
Omashu has been captured by the Fire Nation. Aang and friends sneak in and are nearly captured, but Sokka fakes a deadly illness (pentapox) to scare off the guards. They meet a resistance movement, and help the whole city escape with the same fake epidemic. The Fire Nation Governor's infant son and Mai's baby brother, Tom-Tom, accidentally leaves with the citizens. Aang attempts to trade him for King Bumi, but Princess Azula calls off the trade. Aang manages to rescue Bumi after a fight with Azula, but Bumi allows himself to be recaptured, saying that he must wait for a more proper time. He instructs Aang to find an earthbending teacher who "waits and listens" before striking at the right moment.
24	4	"The Swamp"	JM Animation	Giancarlo Volpe	Tim Hedrick	April 14, 2006 (2006-04-14)	204	3.10
While flying, Aang and friends are attracted to a mysterious swamp and get separated from one another. They begin to see unique illusions in the swamp: Sokka sees Princess Yue, Katara sees her dead mother and Aang sees a mysterious girl. They are reunited and attacked by a swamp monster who turns out to be a wise man from a tribe of swamp waterbenders. He explains that all beings are connected, as the swamp is a single large tree, and the visions are of people they have met or will meet. Meanwhile Zuko, disgusted with having to live as a beggar, dons the mask of the Blue Spirit once again.
25	5	"Avatar Day"	DR Movie	Lauren MacMullan	John O'Bryan	April 28, 2006 (2006-04-28)	205	3.11
Aang and friends stumble upon a town celebrating an Anti-Avatar Day. The villagers blame the Avatar for killing their leader, Chin the Great, in a past life. Aang is arrested and put on trial for his crimes. Zuko disguises himself as the Blue Spirit to steal food for him and his uncle. Iroh is not happy with what Zuko is doing, and Zuko decides to leave him. After Fire Nation soldiers attack the village, Aang is pardoned after he defeats them. The town changes the anti-Avatar celebration to a pro-Avatar celebration.
26	6	"The Blind Bandit"	JM Animation	Ethan Spaulding	Michael Dante DiMartino	May 5, 2006 (2006-05-05)	206	3.33
Aang is searching for an earthbending teacher, but with little success. While at Xin Fu's earthbending tournament Aang finds a talented blind earthbending girl named Toph and realizes she was the one in his vision. But she cannot become Aang's teacher due to her wealthy and overprotective parents. Xin Fu kidnaps Aang and Toph thinking he was cheated. Toph reveals her power by defeating Fu's gang, but her parents become even more restrictive. She runs away from home and joins Aang. Toph's parents, believing Aang had kidnapped her, promise Xin Fu and Master Yu a chest of gold if they bring her back.
27	7	"Zuko Alone"	JM Animation	Lauren MacMullan	Elizabeth Welch Ehasz	May 12, 2006 (2006-05-12)	207	3.33
After leaving his uncle Zuko continues his journey to an Earth Kingdom town where a young boy named Lee befriends him. Zuko remembers his childhood, including Azula's psychopathic behavior and his own perseverance. Finally he recalls his mother's last words and the announcement that his grandfather died and mother has suddenly left. As Zuko defends the family his identity as the Fire Prince is revealed, and the boy and his family reject him because of it.
28	8	"The Chase"	DR Movie	Giancarlo Volpe	Joshua Hamilton	May 26, 2006 (2006-05-26)	208	3.33
Aang and his friends are chased by a mysterious machine, which makes it impossible for the group to stop and sleep. The lack of sleep makes everyone irritable, and causes a quarrel between Katara and Toph. While fighting Toph blames Appa for the chase and the group realize that they are being tracked because Appa is shedding. Aang takes some of Appa's fur to act as a decoy to lure the followers away, but he is cornered by Azula. His friends, plus Zuko and his uncle, arrive to take Azula down together, but she injures Iroh in the moment of distraction and escapes.
29	9	"Bitter Work"	DR Movie	Ethan Spaulding	Aaron Ehasz	June 2, 2006 (2006-06-02)	209	3.26
Aang finally begins his earthbending training with Toph, but grows frustrated when he encounters difficulty with the earth element, the natural opposite of air. Similarly Iroh tries to teach Zuko lightning, but Zuko's anger keeps him from having the cold precision lightning requires. Iroh says true wisdom comes from many sources, describes the four elements, and advises that understanding the other elements makes one whole. Aang finds Sokka in danger from a Moose-Lion and is able to save him by firmly standing his ground as an earthbender would. Iroh teaches Zuko a technique he learned from studying both Northern and Southern waterbenders, which safely redirects lightning.
30	10	"The Library"	JM Animation	Giancarlo Volpe	John O'Bryan	July 14, 2006 (2006-07-14)	210	3.18
At an oasis, the group encounters a professor who tells them about a hidden Spirit Library in the desert. Inside, Sokka discovers a crucial weakness to the Fire Nation that could end the war: the date of the upcoming solar eclipse which will cripple the firebenders' firebending. The spirit of the library, Wan Shi Tong, refuses to allow them to leave with the knowledge and sinks the library into the sand. Meanwhile, Appa is kidnapped by Sandbenders. They all escape from the library but are devastated by the loss of Appa. Note: That is Zhao's final official appearance in this series. He is shown in a clip from "The Siege of the North" at the beginning, recapping that Zhao found the library years ago. It is, however, a younger version due to the fact that he was a lieutenant at the time.
31	11	"The Desert"	DR Movie	Lauren MacMullan	Tim Hedrick	July 14, 2006 (2006-07-14)	211	3.18
The gang is stranded in the desert, helpless without Appa. Iroh finds a co-member of a secret society, using his White Lotus opening in Pai Sho, who helps protect Iroh and Zuko from the Fire Nation. While there, they are recognized by the men hired by Toph's father, who plan to capture them for the reward. After going through the many perils of the desert, Aang tracks down the sandbenders who stole Appa, and learns that Appa was traded to a merchant in Ba Sing Se. Upon hearing that Appa was muzzled, Aang becomes so angry and upset that he enters the Avatar State, almost wiping out the sandbenders, but is calmed down by Katara.
32	12	"The Serpent's Pass"	JM Animation	Ethan Spaulding	Michael Dante DiMartino Joshua Hamilton	September 15, 2006 (2006-09-15)	212	4.10
After leaving the desert, the group meets up with Suki, and attempts to lead a couple through the Serpent's Pass. They are attacked by a giant serpent, but ward it off and make it across. Meanwhile, Zuko and Iroh are also on their way to start a new life in the Earth Kingdom capital of Ba Sing Se, and encounter Jet and some of the Freedom Fighters, with whom Zuko starts to bond. The group finally makes it to Ba Sing Se only to find the Fire Nation is about to send a gigantic drill to destroy the city's wall.
33	13	"The Drill"	DR Movie	Giancarlo Volpe	Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko	September 15, 2006 (2006-09-15)	213	4.10
Having successfully crossed the Serpent's Pass, Aang is determined to go to Ba Sing Se where he hopes to find his lost sky bison, Appa. However, he discovers a Fire Nation drill heading straight for Ba Sing Se, intent on penetrating the wall. Aang and the group succeed in stopping and destroying the drill from the inside. Meanwhile, Jet wishes to recruit Zuko for his Freedom Fighters, but learns that Zuko and Iroh are firebenders.
34	14	"City of Walls and Secrets"	JM Animation	Lauren MacMullan	Tim Hedrick	September 22, 2006 (2006-09-22)	214	3.27
Aang and the rest of the group arrive in Ba Sing Se to find Appa and inform the Earth King about the solar eclipse, but they are constantly hindered by their tour guide, Joo Dee. They soon learn that any mention of war is forbidden and enforced by the Dai Li, secret police of Ba Sing Se, and their corrupt leader, Long Feng, who appears to know something about Appa. Elsewhere, Jet repeatedly tries and fails to gather evidence that Zuko and Iroh are firebenders. His last attempt, challenging Zuko to a sword fight, ends in his own arrest and being brainwashed by the Dai Li into believing there is no war in the city. Note: This was nominated a Primetime Emmy for "Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)".
35	15	"The Tales of Ba Sing Se"	DR Movie	Ethan Spaulding	Joann Estoesta Lisa Wahlander Andrew Huebner Gary Scheppke Lauren MacMullan Katie Mattila Justin Ridge Giancarlo Volpe	September 29, 2006 (2006-09-29)	215	3.12
"The Tales of Ba Sing Se" is a set of vignettes about each of the main characters' adventures in Ba Sing Se, providing a glimpse of their personalities and private lives. "The Tale of Toph and Katara" – Katara and Toph have a girls' day out. "The Tale of Iroh" – Iroh helps people in town before celebrating the birthday of his dead son, singing "Leaves from the Vine". "The Tale of Aang" – Aang helps a zookeeper build a new zoo. "The Tale of Sokka" – Sokka accidentally ends up in a girls-only poetry club. "The Tale of Zuko" – Zuko goes out on a date. "The Tale of Momo" – Momo looks through Ba Sing Se for Appa. Note: Iroh's tale was dedicated to his voice actor Mako Iwamatsu, who had just died 7 days after Chapters 10 and 11 initially aired.
36	16	"Appa's Lost Days"	JM Animation	Giancarlo Volpe	Elizabeth Welch Ehasz	October 13, 2006 (2006-10-13)	216	3.54
After being abducted, Appa is traded to the Fire Nation Circus where the Circus Trainer mistreats him, though the Sky Bison soon escapes with the help of a small boy. He later unwillingly enters a fight with a Boarcupine, and though wins, is badly wounded. By fortune, Suki and the Kyoshi warriors come across Appa and help him recover from his injuries, but are later attacked by Azula and her team and Appa is forced to flee. He returns to his childhood home at the Eastern Air Temple, where he encounters a mysterious guru. The guru aids Appa in his search for Aang, telling him to find Aang in Ba Sing Se, but before he is able to, he is captured by Long Feng. Note: This episode won a Humane Society award for its portrayal of the mistreatment of animals.
37	17	"Lake Laogai"	DR Movie	Lauren MacMullan	Tim Hedrick	November 3, 2006 (2006-11-03)	217	3.27
Finally having had enough of the rules of the city, the group decides to go against the law to find Appa. As they do so, the gang meet Jet again. They find Smellerbee and Longshot and realize Jet was brainwashed by the Dai Li. They travel to Lake Laogai in the hopes of finding Appa. Instead, they encounter Long Feng, who mortally wounds Jet. Elsewhere, Zuko finds Appa and discovers that Aang is in the city. However, with encouragement from his uncle, Zuko decides to free the sky-bison and give up the Blue Spirit alter-ego forever. After an intense battle on the surface, Aang and Appa are finally reunited.
38	18	"The Earth King"	JM Animation	Ethan Spaulding	John O'Bryan	November 17, 2006 (2006-11-17)	218	3.76
The group breaks into the Earth King's palace to warn Kuei about the War, which the Dai Li kept hidden from him. They eventually convince Earth King Kuei by showing him the destroyed Fire Nation drill and Long Feng is arrested for treason. Meanwhile, Zuko succumbs to an illness which Iroh calls a metamorphosis caused by his conflicting destiny and is haunted by nightmares. Azula and her best friends, now disguised as the Kyoshi warriors, have infiltrated the city.
39	19	"The Guru"	DR Movie	Giancarlo Volpe	Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko	December 1, 2006 (2006-12-01)	219	4.40
After the group receives letters that were confiscated by Long Feng, Aang meets Guru Pathik, who trains him to master the Avatar State through the unlocking of chakras. Toph is captured by Xin Fu and Master Yu, who transport her back to her parents, but she escapes by inventing metalbending. Long Feng is tricked into a deal with Azula where he will exchange Aang for control of the Dai Li. Aang unlocks all chakras but the seventh and last, which requires giving up all earthly attachments, which turns out to be his genuine and intense romantic love and affections for Katara. Failing to abandon his strong romantic attachment to Katara, Aang sees a vision of her in danger and leaves his training against the Guru's wishes.
40	20	"The Crossroads of Destiny"	JM Animation	Michael Dante DiMartino	Aaron Ehasz	December 1, 2006 (2006-12-01)	220	4.40
With Long Feng released, Zuko prepares to capture the Avatar. Before he can do so, Azula takes control of the Dai Li (and hence Ba Sing Se), explaining that they admire her brutal discipline. She has Zuko imprisoned. When Aang attempts to free Katara, Zuko is told by his uncle that he must choose between himself and Azula. He chooses to help Azula attack the Avatar. Aang realizes that he must let go of Katara in order to save her and fulfill his destiny, but the Fire Nation princess zaps Aang with lightning while in the mightily powerful Avatar State, putting the Avatar near the brink of death. Iroh delays to allow Aang's friends to escape along with the Avatar's comatose body. Katara uses the mystically enchanted spirit water to save Aang as they flee from the now-fallen Earth Kingdom's largest city, Ba Sing Se, with the now deposed of Earth King Kuei.

Book Three: Fire (2007–08)

Main article: Avatar: The Last Airbender (season 3)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Animated by	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code	Viewers (millions)
41	1	"The Awakening"	Moi Animation	Giancarlo Volpe	Aaron Ehasz	September 21, 2007 (2007-09-21)	301	3.06
Aang awakens to find himself weakened, his head full of hair, and all of his friends dressed in Fire Nation clothing riding a stolen ship. He is dismayed to discover that the world believes him to be dead, just like when he was frozen in ice. Zuko and Azula are welcomed home as heroes, where Firelord Ozai makes his first appearance and congratulates Zuko for killing the Avatar. Zuko realizes Azula credited him for ulterior motives of her own. Aang tries to run away by himself, but his friends find him. He realizes that with the fall of Ba Sing Se, secrecy is their greatest advantage, and gives up his glider to the lava flows of Avatar Roku's island.
42	2	"The Headband"	JM Animation	Joaquim Dos Santos	John O'Bryan	September 28, 2007 (2007-09-28)	302	3.06
Aang and friends steal some clothes as temporary disguises while traveling in the Fire Nation, and Aang is accidentally taken to a Fire Nation school. He hides his tattoos with a headband and long sleeves, and learns the Fire Nation pledge of loyalty as well as the propaganda about the death of the Airbenders. He organizes a school-wide dance party for the up-tight Fire Nation kids. When the principal arrives to shut it down the kids help Aang escape. Capoeira is shown as a Fire Nation traditional dance. Meanwhile, Zuko starts to believe the Avatar is alive and hires an assassin to kill Aang.
43	3	"The Painted Lady"	Moi Animation	Ethan Spaulding	Joshua Hamilton	October 5, 2007 (2007-10-05)	303	3.22
The gang arrives at a Fire Nation village populated by sick and starving people. They are sick because of the nearby Fire Nation ammunitions factory polluting the river. Katara convinces them to stay by making Appa appear sick and assumes the role of "The Painted Lady," a local legend, to heal the sick and steal food from the factory. She ends up destroying the factory once Aang finds out her ruse, spurring the soldiers to attack the village. Katara reveals herself to the villagers, who thank her for her selfless aid. Katara is also thanked by the spirit of the real Painted Lady.
44	4	"Sokka's Master"	JM Animation	Giancarlo Volpe	Tim Hedrick	October 12, 2007 (2007-10-12)	304	3.22
Sokka feels left out as he is the only person of the group unable to bend. He finds sword master Piandao to train him, forging his own sword out of a meteorite. The sword master teaches Sokka the philosophy of swordsmanship by giving him various seemingly boring tasks like painting and rock-gardening. When he gains Piandao's respect he reveals he is not from the Fire Nation. Piandao says he knew that already and that the ways of the sword belongs to all nations. He gives Sokka a white lotus Pai Sho tile as a farewell gift. Meanwhile, Iroh devises a plan to escape prison and starts training in secret. Note: At the end of the episode, Sokka gives Toph a piece of the meteorite. She bends it to create the Nickelodeon splatter shape.
45	5	"The Beach"	Moi Animation	Joaquim Dos Santos	Katie Mattila	October 19, 2007 (2007-10-19)	305	3.22
Zuko, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee are forced to go on vacation to Ember Island. After winning a volleyball game they get invited to a party. Azula tries to flirt but scares guys away with her psychotic raving. Zuko sees a guy flirt with Mai and angrily destroys a vase, prompting her to tell him off. Later around a campfire Ty Lee reveals she is so outgoing because she grew up with six identical sisters and hated it. Mai reveals her parents worried about their careers and gave Mai anything she wanted as long as she acted cold and proper. Zuko reveals he hates himself because he is not sure of the difference between right and wrong anymore. They bond by returning to the party and trashing the place as the host looks on in horror. Meanwhile, Aang and his best friends are attacked by Zuko's assassin, who pyrokinetically/thermokinetically generates extremely destructive beams of red-hot fire from his third eye.
46	6	"The Avatar and the Firelord"	JM Animation	Ethan Spaulding	Elizabeth Welch Ehasz	October 26, 2007 (2007-10-26)	306	3.20
Aang and Zuko both learn about the strong and close childhood friendship of Avatar Roku and Fire-lord Sozin. Sozin argued with Roku that, as the pinnacle of civilization, the Fire Nation should control the destiny of the entire world to ensure universal prosperity. As Roku was the Avatar, he knew the importance of balance between all people and disagreed. When Sozin greedily took an Earth Kingdom colony, Roku had threatened to kill him if he tried to do anything that crossed the line. When Roku's island volcano erupted, Sozin came to help but, at the last moment, realized that he could rule the world if he let Roku die. Roku then died due to the volcanic gases, regretting his decision of mercy and leniency towards his once-best-friend. In his prison cell, Iroh tells Zuko that as the great-grandson of both Roku and Sozin, he alone has the ability to resolve their endless conflict and restore order and peace to the world.
47	7	"The Runaway"	Moi Animation	Giancarlo Volpe	Joshua Hamilton	November 2, 2007 (2007-11-02)	307	3.22
Katara expresses her disapproval when Toph begins scamming Fire Nation civilians for quick cash. Toph thinks Katara is acting too motherly, and a rift forms within the group. To patch things up, Katara decides to pull a scam with Toph, but they are caught by Zuko's assassin, Combustion Man. He uses them as bait in an attempt to kill Aang, but Katara's quick thinking saves the day.
48	8	"The Puppetmaster"	JM Animation	Joaquim Dos Santos	Tim Hedrick	November 9, 2007 (2007-11-09)	308	3.52
The gang discovers that there have been strange disappearances in a Fire Nation town during a full moon. They befriend an old innkeeper named Hama, who reveals that she is a waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe that had been taken away sixty years previously alongside her fellow Southern waterbenders. She becomes Katara's mentor and shares with her the tragic story of her life as a longtime prisoner of the Fire Nation. A horrified Katara discovers that Hama is enacting her revenge by kidnapping Fire Nation civilians with bloodbending, a sinister and dark technique of waterbending which can only be used during a full moon by an incredibly strong and skilled waterbender and when his or her waterbending abilities are at their strongest potential. The resulting battle forces Katara to use the technique against Hama to save Aang and Sokka. Hama is taken away by the village, and she congratulates Katara on mastering bloodbending. A horrified and saddened Katara breaks down in tears and Aang and Sokka comfort her.
49	9	"Nightmares and Daydreams"	Moi Animation	Ethan Spaulding	John O'Bryan	November 16, 2007 (2007-11-16)	309	3.52
The invasion is four days away, and Aang begins to feel nervous about confronting the Fire-Lord. Feeling that he is unprepared, he trains constantly and loses sleep, causing him to hallucinate and have nightmares. After three straight days, it takes the collaboration of Sokka, Toph, and Katara to get him to finally sleep and feel confident about facing Fire Lord Ozai.
50	10	"The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion"	JM Animation	Giancarlo Volpe	Michael Dante DiMartino	November 30, 2007 (2007-11-30)	310	3.77
On the day of the solar eclipse, many of the characters from the previous episodes reunite with the gang to help them fight and the invasion begins. Hakoda returns with a ragtag team of several allies whom the group has met during their adventures. Aang finally kisses Katara as sign of his strong feelings for her, worried that she may not return. They successfully infiltrate the Fire Nation capital as the invasion force breaks through many security barriers. Aang reaches the Fire-Lord's palace... only to find out that no one is home.
51	11	"The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse"	Moi Animation	Joaquim Dos Santos	Aaron Ehasz	November 30, 2007 (2007-11-30)	311	3.77
As the eclipse begins, Sokka, Aang, and Toph search for the Fire-Lord, but only find Azula in an underground bunker, who stalls them. When Sokka realises her plan, she provokes him by telling him of Suki's capture. Zuko confronts his father in another bunker. He tells Ozai Azula struck down the Avatar, who is alive, that the Fire Nation only spreads fear and hatred, and in order to restore peace he will join the Avatar. Zuko refuses to kill Ozai as that is the Avatar's destiny, not his. As he leaves, Ozai stalls him by revealing the events of the night Fire-Lord Azulon died. He had been ordered to kill Zuko, but Zuko's mother sought an alternative, creating a treasonous plan for Ozai to take the throne, resulting in her banishment. The eclipse ends and Ozai attacks. Zuko redirects Ozai's lightning back at him and leaves. Iroh single-handedly breaks out from prison before Zuko can join him. Aang is forced to allow his army to be captured, but flees with his friends to the Western Air Temple with Zuko trailing them on a stolen warship balloon.
52	12	"The Western Air Temple"	JM Animation	Ethan Spaulding	Elizabeth Welch Ehasz Tim Hedrick	July 14, 2008 (2008-07-14)	312	3.55
Zuko follows Aang and his friends to the Western Air Temple, seeking to join their group. There, Zuko desperately tries to prove to them that he has changed for the better. It is only after Zuko helps save them from Combustion Man that he receives their acceptance as Aang's firebending teacher and the fifth member of Team Avatar. However, an embittered and venomous Katara still refuses to believe that Zuko has really changed and threatens to take his life at the slightest sign of any treachery.
53	13	"The Firebending Masters"	Moi Animation	Giancarlo Volpe	John O'Bryan	July 15, 2008 (2008-07-15)	313	3.55
Zuko tries to teach Aang how to firebend, but has lost his own ability to do so as he is no longer reliant on rage. Toph suggests they learn from the original source of firebending, the mighty dragons. Zuko and Aang travel to nearby ruins of the Sun Warrior civilization. Zuko reveals that his uncle Iroh killed the last dragon long ago, a glory hunt that earns the firebender the title of 'Dragon'. After finding the Sun Warriors still exist they must carry a sacred flame up to the mountain to meet the dragons, but their flames go out at the last moment. They perform the dragon dance seen in the ruins, and the last two dragons reveal that the true secret of firebending is life, not destruction. Iroh had lied about the dragon's extinction after receiving similar training. Both Aang and Zuko begin to firebend again, stronger and more skillfully than before.
54	14	"The Boiling Rock, Part 1"	JM Animation	Joaquim Dos Santos	May Chan	July 16, 2008 (2008-07-16)	314	3.97
Sokka and Zuko infiltrate the Fire Nation's top prison, the Boiling Rock, to find Sokka's father Hakoda. It is surrounded by a boiling lake, trapping Sokka and Zuko when their balloon crashes. They find Suki and hatch an escape plan with Sokka disguised as a guard. Zuko is captured and the warden recognises him, being Mai's uncle. A prisoner, Chit Sang, blackmails them into letting him help. As they are nearing escape, a new batch of prisoners arrive, including Sokka's father Hakoda. Sokka, Zuko, and Suki decide to stay to save him. As Chit Sang and his friends leave without them but make a mistake.
55	15	"The Boiling Rock, Part 2"	Moi Animation	Ethan Spaulding	Joshua Hamilton	July 16, 2008 (2008-07-16)	315	3.97
Sokka, Zuko, Suki, and Chit Sang create a new plan for escaping the prison after the original plan failed. Mai appears and demands to know why Zuko left her. He says he's trying to save the Fire Nation, not destroy it. They take the warden hostage to escape on the gondola over the boiling water. The guards attempt to cut the line following the warden's orders, but Mai saves them by stopping the guards. Azula is furious over their betrayal, but Mai declares she loves Zuko more than she fears Azula. After Ty Lee stops Azula's attack on Mai with Chi-blocking and tries to aid her escape, Azula furiously has them both imprisoned.
56	16	"The Southern Raiders"	Moi Animation	Joaquim Dos Santos	Elizabeth Welch Ehasz	July 17, 2008 (2008-07-17)	316	4.23
Azula chases Aang from the temple. Zuko confronts Katara about her distrust of him and tries to gain her friendship. He decides to help Katara find the soldier responsible for Kya's untimely death. Aang warns her that revenge is not the answer. Along the way, Katara's behavior becomes increasingly aggressive, and she even resorts to mercilessly bloodbending a Fire Nation soldier. They eventually find the retired soldier, Yan Rha, where Katara discovers that her mother had died protecting her. Despite Katara's uncontrollable rage and anger, she is unable to take revenge on such a pathetic person. Katara and Zuko leave, and Katara finally forgives Zuko and accepts him as a good friend in the form of a warm and friendly hug.
57	17	"The Ember Island Players"	JM Animation	Giancarlo Volpe	Tim Hedrick, Josh Hamilton John O'Bryan	July 18, 2008 (2008-07-18)	317	4.53
Sokka discovers that the Ember Island Players, a Fire Nation theater group, is debuting a play based upon their adventures. The play turns out to be Fire Nation propaganda, and although the audience enjoys the play, Aang and his friends are embarrassed by the inaccurate and exaggerated portrayals of themselves (with the sole exception of Toph, who is amused by her depiction as a large muscled man who employs a primitive form of sonar by yelling at everything). In context, the play also serves as a concise summary of Aang's entire journey throughout the show. The play ends with the Fire Nation winning the war, Azula killing Zuko and the Fire Lord killing the Avatar, which triggers a standing ovation from the audience and clearly frightens Aang.
58	18	"Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King"	JM Animation	Ethan Spaulding	Michael Dante DiMartino	July 19, 2008 (2008-07-19)	318	5.59
Aang has decided to fight the Fire-lord after Sozin's Comet passes. Zuko derails this plan by revealing that Ozai intends to raze the entire Earth-Kingdom continent while under its influence. The gang begins a frantic training regimen while Aang struggles with his responsibilities: his friends exhort him to simply kill Ozai, but Aang clings to the pacifist beliefs of his Air-Nomad heritage. In his sleep, Aang is drawn towards a mysterious island that appears suddenly in the sea; the next day, his friends find June the Bounty Hunter to attempt to locate him again. Ozai bequeaths his throne to Azula and declares himself "Phoenix King", ruler of the known world while Aang awakens on the unknown island now in the middle of the sea.
59	19	"Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters"	Moi Animation	Giancarlo Volpe	Aaron Ehasz	July 19, 2008 (2008-07-19)	319	5.59
On the island, Aang seeks guidance from his past lives, but they too insist he must take violent action against the Firelord. The island turns out to be a giant lion-turtle, which gives Aang the guidance he has been seeking. After June is unable to find Aang, Zuko decides to ask June to find his uncle instead. After June leads them to the outer wall of Ba Sing Se, they meet King Bumi, Jeong Jeong, Master Pakku, and Master Piandao, who are members of the Order of the White Lotus. The group soon finds out that Iroh is their leader. After reuniting with Iroh, the team decides to split up and go in different directions to help stop the Fire Nation: Zuko and Katara will handle Azula at the capital of the Fire Nation; Sokka, Suki and Toph will attempt to deflect the Fire Nation airships encroaching on the Earth Kingdom, and Iroh is to lead the Order in the liberation of Ba Sing Se. Sozin's Comet arrives and Phoenix King Ozai prepares to destroy both the Earth Kingdom and the Avatar.
60	20	"Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno"	JM Animation	Joaquim Dos Santos	Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko	July 19, 2008 (2008-07-19)	320	5.59
Azula's mental stability, undermined by the betrayal of her childhood friends at the Boiling Rock, begins to deteriorate as her coronation as Fire lord approaches. Zuko and Katara confront her right when she is about to be crowned Firelord, but Azula challenges her brother to an Agni Kai. Zuko, although initially winning, is gravely injured when Azula throws lightning at Katara which he dives in the way of. Aang duels Ozai without result, still unwilling to kill him. Sokka, Toph, and Suki attempt to halt the Airship fleet but are soon separated, while the Order of the White Lotus battles for Ba Sing Se's freedom.
61	21	"Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang"	JM Animation	Joaquim Dos Santos	Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko	July 19, 2008 (2008-07-19)	321	5.59
Ozai accidentally causes Aang to enter the mighty Avatar State. The Order of the White Lotus successfully liberates Ba Sing Se, while Sokka, Suki and Toph disable all of the Airships. Katara freezes and chains Azula down, triggering a psychotic breakdown in Azula, then uses her exceptionally strong healing abilities to revive a severely wounded Zuko. Aang easily overwhelms Ozai, yet still refuses to kill him. Aang uses his knowledge from the lion-turtle-a newly acquired bending ability called energybending-to permanently strip Ozai of his firebending abilities, defeating the Phoenix King without taking his life. Newly appointed Fire Lord Zuko declares the war over, and Aang and his friends celebrate together at Iroh's tea shop in Ba Sing Se. Zuko and Mai reconcile officially, and Zuko confronts his father, angrily asking where his mother, Ursa, is being kept. Aang and Katara share a loving hug and kiss passionately before the sunset. Note: The series is directly followed by The Promise, The Search, The Rift and Smoke and Shadow comic trilogies. This series is followed by The Legend of Korra.

DVD releases

The first Avatar: The Last Airbender DVD set became available on January 31, 2006. The first season had five DVD sets, each containing four episodes. For season two and three, four DVD sets were released, with five episodes on each. The only exception to the release pattern was the last DVD set of season three, which contained a sixth episode. At the end of each season, a box set was released, containing all of the episodes from the season. Each box set contains an additional disc of bonus features not available as an individual disc release like every episode of the series.

Region 1

Volume	Book 1: Water			Book 2: Earth			Book 3: Fire
	Released	Discs	Episodes	Released	Discs	Episodes	Released	Discs	Episodes
1	January 31, 2006	1	4	January 23, 2007	1	5	October 30, 2007	1	5
2	March 28, 2006	1	4	April 10, 2007	1	5	January 22, 2008	1	5
3	May 30, 2006	1	4	May 22, 2007	1	5	May 6, 2008	1	5
4	July 18, 2006	1	4	August 14, 2007	1	5	July 29, 2008	1	6
5	September 19, 2006	1	4	There is no volume five DVD for this season.			There is no volume five DVD for this season.
Box set	September 19, 2006	6	20	September 11, 2007	5	20	September 16, 2008	5	21
Collector’s Edition	June 22, 2010	7	20	Currently no information.			Currently no information.
Complete Series box set	October 6, 2015	16	61	N/A			N/A

Region 2

In the United States, all Season One DVDs were encoded using NTSC. Since this is not compatible in most countries outside North America, Nickelodeon released separate DVDs in regions where the video would be encoded using PAL instead. These releases began on February 19, 2007; each DVD was released months after the original release. As with the original DVDs, each set contained five episodes on one disc, with the exception of The Complete Book One Collection Box Set, which contained all of the twenty episodes in the season on five discs. In the Netherlands, all episodes came out in a box.

The Complete Collection featuring all 3 books was released in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2012.

Volume	Book 1: Water			Book 2: Earth			Book 3: Fire
	Released	Discs	Episodes	Released	Discs	Episodes	Released	Discs	Episodes
1	February 19, 2007	1	4	Not released	1	5	Not released	1	5
2	June 4, 2007	1	4	Not released	1	5	Not released	1	5
3	September 3, 2007	1	4	Not released	1	5	Not released	1	5
4	February 18, 2008	1	4	Not released	1	5	Not released	1	6
5	May 26, 2008	1	4	There is no volume five DVD for this season.			There is no volume five DVD for this season.
Box set	January 26, 2009	5	20	July 20, 2009	4	20	February 1, 2010	4	21
Complete series box set	August 6, 2012	13	61

Region 4

The following release dates are the Australian release dates, and may or may not represent the release dates for all of region 4.

Volume	Book 1: Water			Book 2: Earth			Book 3: Fire
	Released	Discs	Episodes	Released	Discs	Episodes	Released	Discs	Episodes
1	March 15, 2007	1	4	June 4, 2009	1	5	June 3, 2010	1	5
2	July 5, 2007	1	4	August 4, 2009	1	5	September 23, 2010	1	5
3	March 13, 2008	1	4	October 29, 2009	1	5	October 7, 2010	1	5
4	June 19, 2008	1	4	March 31, 2010	1	5	November 4, 2010	1	6
5	March 5, 2009	1	4	There is no volume five DVD for this season.			There is no volume five DVD for this season.
Box set	June 4, 2009	5	20	September 9, 2010	4	20	December 2, 2010	4	21

Footnotes

1, 2, 3.^ Production code format taken from the commentary for "Sozin's Comet: The Phoenix King"

References

Specific

Development

Conception and production

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Michael DiMartino (left) and Bryan Konietzko, the series' co-creators

Avatar: The Last Airbender was co-created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko at Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, California. Its animation was mostly done by South Korean studios JM Animation, DR Movie, and MOI Animation. According to Konietzko, the series was conceived in early 2001 when he took an old sketch of a balding, middle-aged man and imagined the man as a child. He drew the character herding bison in the sky and showed the sketch to DiMartino, who was watching a documentary about explorers trapped at the South Pole.

Konietzko described their early development of the concept: "There's an air guy along with these water people trapped in a snowy wasteland ... and maybe some fire people are pressing down on them". Two weeks later, the co-creators successfully pitched the idea to Nickelodeon vice-president and executive producer Eric Coleman.

The series was introduced to the public in a teaser reel at Comic-Con 2004, and premiered on February 21, 2005.

In an interview, Konietzko said: "Mike and I were really interested in other epic 'Legends & Lore' properties, like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, but we knew that we wanted to take a different approach to that type of genre. Our love for Japanese anime, Hong Kong action and kung fu cinema, yoga, and Eastern philosophies led us to the initial inspiration for Avatar: The Last Airbender."

According to head writer Aaron Ehasz, Konietzko and DiMartino originally envisioned the series being three seasons long but Nickelodeon asked Ehasz what his ideas for a fourth season would be, and he later discussed these ideas with both Konietzko and DiMartino. Ehasz believed that a fourth season would be created but this plan was interrupted when Konietzko and DiMartino became occupied with assisting M. Night Shyamalan on the film The Last Airbender. Ehasz says that Shyamalan insisted they create a fourth season instead, but Konietzko and DiMartino wanted to focus on the live-action film as they were executive producers on the project. However, Konietzko and DiMartino have denied this, and claim that a fourth season was never considered by themselves nor Nickelodeon.

Pilot

A pilot episode for the series was made in 2003. It was animated by Tin House, Inc., written by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, and directed by Dave Filoni. Mitchel Musso voiced Aang in this pilot but was later replaced by Zach Tyler Eisen when the show began production. In the episode, Sokka and his sister Kya (renamed to Katara by the time the series aired) must travel the world to find masters for Aang, who is the Avatar; however, they must evade a critical foe, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, who wants to capture Aang.

This episode was first publicly released as one of the extras in the NTSC season 1 DVD box set, which were not available with the previously released individual volumes. As the PAL box set lacks extras, the episode was not made available on DVD in PAL regions. The episode was released with audio commentary from the creators, which unlike commentary on other episodes in the season is not possible to disable on the DVD set. On June 14, 2010, the unaired pilot was made available with and without commentary for the first time via the iTunes Store.

In 2020, the pilot was shown on Twitch.

Influences

Fictional locations featured in the show are based on the architecture and designs of real locations. For example, the creators modeled the city of Ba Sing Se off the Forbidden City in Beijing, China.

The series is notable for borrowing extensively from East Asian art and mythology for its universe. Its creators employed cultural consultants Edwin Zane and calligrapher Siu-Leung Lee to help determine its art direction and settings. Its character designs are influenced by Chinese art and history, Hinduism, Taoism and Buddhism, and Yoga. Jeremy Zuckerman and Benjamin Wynn created the series' music and sound design together in the early developmental stages and then went on to divide the tasks, Zuckerman taking on the musical responsibility and Wynn the sound design. They experimented with a wide range of instruments, including the guzheng, pipa, and duduk, to match the show's Asia-influenced setting. The art style of the fictitious locations used in the series are based on real locations in Asia. Sites such as the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China in Beijing were inspirations for the Earth Kingdom city of Ba Sing Se, and Water Tribe locations were based on Inuit and Sireniki cultures. According to writer Aaron Ehasz, early Fire Nation designs were based on Japanese culture. To avoid accidentally making broad statements, they redesigned many settings and peoples to be more "broadly inspired". For the final design, the creators went with a more Chinese style for the Fire Nation's clothing and architecture. For instance, the Fire Temple was based on the Yellow Crane Tower, as its flame-like architectural elements were a perfect motif for the Fire Nation architecture according to the creators.

The gestures used by the "bender" characters are derived from Chinese martial arts, for which the creators employed Sifu Kisu of the Harmonious Fist Chinese Athletic Association as a consultant. Each fighting style is unique to the "benders" who use them or characters who are aligned to a certain element. For example, practitioners of "waterbending" use movements influenced by T'ai chi and focused on alignment, body structure, breath, and visualization. Hung Gar was the inspiration for practitioners of "earthbending", and was chosen for its firmly rooted stances and powerful strikes as a representation of the solidity of earth. Northern Shaolin, which uses strong arm and leg movements, was chosen to represent "firebending". Ba Gua, which uses dynamic circular movements and quick directional changes, was used for "airbending". The Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis style can be seen practiced by the earthbender Toph, who develops a unique fighting style as a result of her blindness. Asian cinema influenced the presentation of these martial-art bending moves.

Themes

The series addresses many topics rarely touched on in youth entertainment, including issues relating to war, genocide, imperialism, colonialism and totalitarianism, gender discrimination and female empowerment, marginalization and oppression, spirituality, as well as the philosophical questions surrounding fate, destiny and free will.

The show is set during a period in which the world is engulfed in an imperialistic war initiated by the Fire Nation. While war is a constant backdrop, the show depicts these effects through the eyes of common people—the oppressed Earth Kingdom citizens as well as indoctrinated Fire Nation schoolchildren—to show how war makes victims of everyone. And while the Fire Nation is presented as the instigator of violence, the show also depicts the systemic inequality experienced by residents in the Earth Kingdom city of Ba Sing Se as well as the nefarious activities of the city's secret police. These situations show the corrupting nature of power and the nuances of good and evil. The show introduces viewers to genocide early on when protagonist Aang visits his former home in the Southern Air Temple. He arrives to discover his people have been massacred and displays a range of emotions, from rage to loss.

The character Zuko and his relationship with his father and Uncle Iroh is the series' main redemption arc, and represents the show's message that destiny and fate are not binding or set by other people, but can be changed. In season two, Zuko struggles to conform to the destiny and path determined by his father, but Iroh prods him, asking, "who are you, what do you want?"

The show also represents a diverse cast of characters in order to tackle the issue of marginalization. For example, in introducing a blind character like Toph and a paraplegic boy like Teo, the show depicted characters with vulnerabilities overcoming their physical and societal limitations. This is also true when it comes to the show's female characters. For example, female protagonist Katara faces systemic sexism when she reaches the Northern Water Tribe to learn waterbending. In another instance, her brother Sokka is initially dismissive of the all-female Kyoshi Warriors, but learns to respect and appreciate their skills. According to Kirk Hamilton of Kotaku, these themes represent the show's message that it is more important to be oneself than hew to societal expectations.

Reception

Ratings

Avatar: The Last Airbender was the highest-rated animated television series in its demographic at its premiere; an average of 1.1 million viewers watched each new episode. It had 5.6 million viewers for its highest-rated episode and was a highly rated part of the Nicktoons lineup beyond its 6-to-11-year-old target demographic. A one-hour special, The Secret of the Fire Nation, consisting of the episodes "The Serpent's Pass" and "The Drill", aired on September 15, 2006, and attracted 4.1 million viewers. According to the Nielsen ratings, the special was the fifth highest-rated cable television program that week. In 2007, Avatar: The Last Airbender was syndicated to more than 105 countries and was one of Nickelodeon's top-rated programs. The series ranked first on Nickelodeon in Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Colombia.

The four-part series finale, "Sozin's Comet", had the series' highest ratings. Its first airing averaged 5.6 million viewers, 95 percent more than Nickelodeon had in mid-July 2007. During the week of July 14, it was the most-viewed program by the under-14 demographic. The finale's popularity was reflected in online media; Rise of the Phoenix King, a Nick.com online game based on "Sozin's Comet", had almost 815,000 game plays in three days.

Critical response

Avatar: The Last Airbender received universal acclaim. As of July 2020, the show has a critics score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 23 reviews. Max Nicholson of IGN called it a "must-watch" and described it as "one of the greatest animated series of all time". Nick Hartel of DVD Talk called the series a remarkable, "child friendly show" whose legacy "should endure for years to come". Erik Amaya of Bleeding Cool described the series as "impressive in its sophistication" and "fantastic". Henry Glasheen of SLUG Magazine called the series "adventurous and exciting", a "classic" and occasionally moving. According to Brittany Lovely of Hypable, it tells "complex and beautiful" stories. Joe Corey of Inside Pulse described the series as an anime-action hybrid. Chris Mitchell of Popzara called it one of best shows to air on Nickelodeon, praising the series' background music and voice acting. D. F. Smith of IGN recommended it to viewers who enjoy action-adventure cartoons.

Rob Keyes of Screen Rant called the series "one of the greatest cartoons ever made". Mike Noyes of Inside Pulse recommended it to viewers who enjoy "great" adventure. Gord Lacey of TVShowsOnDVD.com called the series "one of the finest animated shows ever". According to Todd Douglass, Jr. of DVD Talk, adults will enjoy the series as much as children do. Joshua Miller of CHUD.com called it "phenomenal" and "one of the most well animated programs (children's or adult) American TV has ever had"; according to Miller, the series is heavily influenced by anime. Tim Janson of Cinefantastique described it as "one of the most engaging animated shows produced". Dennis Amith of J!ENT called the series "one of the best animated TV series shown in the US by American creators". Amith praised its sophisticated storylines, edginess, humor, and action. Franco "Cricket" Te of Nerd Society described Avatar: The Last Airbender as "one of the best cartoon[s]" he had ever seen, recommending the series for its characters and plot. Scott Thill of Wired called the series engaging and its setting, influenced by the Eastern world, "fantastic". Kirk Hamilton of Kotaku said the series should be part of the Golden Age of Television, and recommended "the sophisticated kids show" to others.

The show's writing and themes have been widely lauded by critics. Michael S. Mammano of Den of Geek called the plot "smartly-written" and praised the animation. Nicole Clark, writing for Vice News, stated that the show's narrative depth was "its greatest asset", and praised the story's "emotional authenticity" and how it "expose[d] very young viewers to darker subject matter, like genocide and authoritarianism, while giving them a framework for understanding these issues." Jenifer Rosenberg of ComicMix liked the program's emphasis on family, friends, community, and education. According to Nick Hartel, the series touches on themes of "genocide and self-doubt" without frightening younger children; rogue characters are redeemable, sending an important message that people can change and are not bonded to "destiny". Chris Mitchell called the plot "fantastic". D. F. Smith compared the series' plot to Japanese action cartoons, calling its tone and dialogue "very American" and praising the humor leavening an epic, dramatic theme suitable for all ages. Rob Keyes also praised the series' humor and affecting plot: "[It] will capture your hearts".

According to Mike Noyes, the series amalgamates elements of "classic fantasy epics". Todd Douglass, Jr. called the plot engaging, well-thought-out, and meaningful. The series' concept is "well-realized", with a consistent story. Douglass wrote that the characters "[have] a real sense of progression", and praised the writers for their humor, drama, and emotion. Joshua Miller called the series surprisingly dark despite its "silly" theme; the plot is livelier than that of Lost and, similar to the latter show, emphasizes character development. According to Miller, its writing was "true adult levels of storytelling". Tim Janson described the series as more than fantasy- and superhero-themed, seeing the characters as central and relatable. "Cricket" Te praised the series' use of Buddhist philosophies and the diverse presentation of its themes of courage and life. Kirk Hamiltion praises the series for expressing towards its audience to be themselves and for its quiet progressivism.

Critics also praised Avatar: The Last Airbender's character development, art, animation, and choreography; Eric Amaya enjoyed the expressive animation that complements the writing. According to Amaya, the elements were influenced by Hayao Miyazaki. Todd Douglass, Jr. called the character development interesting, while Nicole Clark wrote that the show "managed to do what so few shows even today have: assemble a cast of characters that depicts the world as it is, with a range of identities and experiences." Jenifer Rosenburg praised the series' portrayal of females as "strong, responsible, [and] intelligent". According to Joshua Miller, the bender characters' use of bending for everyday activities brings "depth and believability" to the Avatar world. Miller called the series' designs "rich and immersive", with each nation having its own, detailed look. He praised the action scenes as "well rendered", comparing the development of the Avatar world to that of The Lord of the Rings, and the fight choreography as "wonderful in its most minor details". D. F. Smith enjoyed the series' painstaking backgrounds. "Cricket" Te praised each episode's color palette and the choreography's combination of martial arts and magic. Nick Hartel criticized the animation, although he found it an improvement over previous Nickelodeon shows. Chris Mitchell called the animation fluid. "Cricket" Te agreed, noting its manga influence. According to Brittany Lovely, non-bender characters in battle are "overshadowed" by their bender counterparts. Joe Corey called the animation's action and environments a "great achievement", and Rob Keyes praised the series' fight choreography. According to Kirk Hamilton, the action sequences in the series are amazing while being child-appropriate and exciting.

Legacy

Avatar: The Last Airbender has become a cult classic and had a large impact in the 2010s on how networks viewed animated programs; subsequent children's shows would often blur the lines between youth and adult programming, featuring more adult themes.

Multiple media publications have hailed Avatar as one of the best (animated) television series of all time. In 2013, TV Guide included Avatar among the 60 greatest cartoon of all-time list. In 2018, Vanity Fair ranked the series as the 11th-best animated TV show. IndieWire ranked Avatar at number 36 on its 2018 list of the "50 Best Animated Series Of All Time".

The series experienced a resurgence in popularity following its addition to Netflix on May 15, 2020; it reached the number-one position on the platform's top series in the U.S. four days after release, and was the most-popular film or show for the week of May 14–21. The series maintained a spot within Netflix's top ten series for a record-setting 60 days, the most of any show since the company debuted its list of top series in February 2020. The series would become the most-streamed children's series on the platform for the year. Both fans and co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko attributed Avatar's renewed popularity to its relevance to contemporary events, including the COVID-19 pandemic and racial unrest in the U.S., with DiMartino remarking: "The major issues in the stories—genocide, totalitarianism, systemic injustice, abuse—sadly, these have been pervasive issues throughout history and continue to be. The show is a reflection of our world. But now, we happen to be living through a time in which all these problems have been exacerbated."

Awards and nominations

Award nominations for Avatar: The Last Airbender

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Status
2005	Pulcinella Awards	Best Action Adventure TV Series	Avatar: The Last Airbender	Won
		Best TV Series	Avatar: The Last Airbender	Won
2006	33rd Annie Awards	Best Animated Television Production	Avatar: The Last Airbender	Nominated
		Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production	Lauren MacMullan for "The Deserter"	Won
		Writing for an Animated Television Production	Aaron Ehasz and John O'Bryan for "The Fortuneteller"	Nominated
2007	Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2007	Fave Toon	Avatar: The Last Airbender	Nominated
	34th Annie Awards	Character Animation in a Television Production	Yu Jae Myung for "The Blind Bandit"	Won
		Directing in an Animated Television Production	Giancarlo Volpe for "The Drill"	Won
	Genesis Awards	Outstanding Children's Programming	"Appa's Lost Days"	Won
	59th Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Animated Program	"City of Walls and Secrets"	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation	Sang-Jin Kim for "Lake Laogai"	Won
2008	2008 Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Cartoon	Avatar: The Last Airbender	Won
	Annecy International Animated Film Festival	TV series	Joaquim Dos Santos for "The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse"	Nominated
	Peabody Awards	Peabody Award	Avatar: The Last Airbender	Won
	13th Satellite Awards	Best Youth DVD	Book 3: Fire, Volume 4	Nominated
2009	36th Annie Awards	Best Animated Television Production for Children	Avatar: The Last Airbender	Won
		Directing in an Animated Television Production	Joaquim Dos Santos for "Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno"	Won
	Golden Reel Awards	Best Sound Editing: Television Animation	"Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang"	Nominated
	Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2009	Fave Toon	Avatar: The Last Airbender	Won
2010	Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2010	Top Toon	Avatar: The Last Airbender	Nominated

Other media

See also: Avatar: The Last Airbender (franchise)

Books

Several books based on the show have been published. Dark Horse Comics published an art book titled Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Art of the Animated Series on June 2, 2010, with 184 pages of original art from the series.

Comics

Main article: Avatar: The Last Airbender (comics)

Several comic-book short stories were published in Nickelodeon Magazine, and Dark Horse published Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Lost Adventures—a collection of these and new comics—on June 15, 2011.

Dark Horse published a graphic-novel series by Gene Yang that continues Aang's story after the Hundred Years' War. Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Promise, published in three volumes in 2012, explores the fate of the Fire Nation colonies that become The Legend of Korra's United Republic. This series was translated into Hebrew in 2016–2017. A second set of three comic books, Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Search, focuses on Zuko and Azula, and the fate of their mother Ursa. The second set was translated into Hebrew in 2018–2019. The third set, Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Rift, shifts the focus to Aang, the creation of Republic City, and Toph's relationship with her family. The Rift was followed by Avatar: The Last Airbender – Smoke and Shadow about a resistance force in the Fire Nation against Firelord Zuko, who at the end of the original series assumed the throne. The fifth graphic novel was Avatar: The Last Airbender – North and South, which follows the events of Smoke and Shadow and is about Katara and Sokka returning to the Water Tribe to see various changes to their homeland. The next graphic novel is titled Imbalance and was released in October 2018. The series explores the emerging conflict between the benders and non-benders that becomes the center for the conflict in the first season of the sequel, The Legend of Korra. Unlike the previous five books it was written by Faith Erin Hicks.

Prequel novel series

A two-part young adult novel series focusing on Avatar Kyoshi written by F. C. Yee was published in July 2019 by Abrams Children's Books. The first book of the Kyoshi Novels is Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Rise of Kyoshi. The second part in the series, titled The Shadow of Kyoshi, was released on July 21, 2020.

Video games

A video-game trilogy based on the series has been released. The Avatar: The Last Airbender video game was released on October 10, 2006, and Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Burning Earth was released on October 16, 2007. Avatar: The Last Airbender – Into the Inferno was released on October 13, 2008. Avatar: Legends of the Arena, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) for Microsoft Windows, was released on September 15, 2008, by Nickelodeon. Players can create their own character and interact with other players around the world. Avatar: The Last Airbender was THQ's bestselling Nickelodeon game in 2006 and was one of Sony CEA's Greatest Hits. Aang and Zuko appear as skins for Merlin and Susano, respectively, in Smite. Avatar: The Last Airbender characters and locations are featured in Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix. A turn-based role-playing game by Navigation Games, titled Avatar Generations, is scheduled for an early 2023 release for iOS and Android.

Film adaptation

Main article: The Last Airbender (film)

The series' first season was the basis of the 2010 live-action film The Last Airbender, which was written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It was intended as the first of a trilogy of films, each of which would be based upon one of the three television seasons. The film was universally panned for its writing, acting, whitewashed cast, and Shyamalan's direction; it earned a 5% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes as well as five Razzies at the 31st Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture, and some critics described it as one of the worst films ever made. Although the film originally shared the title of the television series, the title The Last Airbender was used because producers feared it would be confused with James Cameron's film Avatar. The Last Airbender stars Noah Ringer as Aang, Nicola Peltz as Katara, Jackson Rathbone as Sokka, Dev Patel as Zuko, and Shaun Toub as Iroh.

Sequel series

Main article: The Legend of Korra

The Legend of Korra, a sequel series to Avatar: The Last Airbender, premiered on Nickelodeon on April 14, 2012. It was written and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the creators and producers of the original series. The show was initially titled Avatar: Legend of Korra, then The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra; its events occur seventy years after the end of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The series' protagonist is Korra, a 17-year-old girl from the Southern Water Tribe who is the incarnation of the Avatar after Aang's death.

Live-action series remake

Main article: Avatar: The Last Airbender (upcoming TV series)

Netflix announced in September 2018 that a "reimagined" live-action remake of Avatar was to start production in 2019. The series' original creators, DiMartino and Konietzko, were to be the executive producers and showrunners. The two said that they intended to adapt the series "with a culturally appropriate, non-whitewashed cast". It was announced that Jeremy Zuckerman, who composed music for the original show, would also be returning to do the music for the remake. On August 12, 2020, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko both revealed on their social media that they had departed the show due to creative differences.

In February 2021, Albert Kim was reported to have been brought on as the showrunner. In August later that year, it was reported that Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio Tarbell, Ian Ousley and Dallas Liu were cast in the roles of Aang, Katara, Sokka and Zuko, respectively. On November 3, Daniel Dae Kim, who voiced General Fong in the original series, was reported to have been cast as Fire Lord Ozai, followed two weeks later by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Lim Kay Siu and Ken Leung in their respective roles as Iroh, Gyatso and Zhao, along with news that production had begun in Vancouver. More casting news followed in December, with Elizabeth Yu, Maria Zhang, Yvonne Chapman, Casey Camp-Horinek and Tamlyn Tomita respectively cast as Azula, Suki, Kyoshi, Kanna and Yukari, the latter an original character.

Avatar Studios

On February 24, 2021, ViacomCBS announced Avatar Studios, a new division of Nickelodeon centered on developing animated series and films set in the Avatar universe, to be distributed via Nickelodeon's linear and digital services, Paramount+, theatres, and other third-party platforms. The division is helmed by original series creators DiMartino and Konietzko, who are its co-chief creative officers and report to Nickelodeon Animation Studio president Ramsey Ann Naito. In addition to this announcement, the company also stated the studio would begin production of an animated film sometime in 2021. Konietzko and DiMartino remarked that "with this new Avatar Studios venture we have an unparalleled opportunity to develop our franchise and its storytelling on a vast scale, in myriad exciting ways and mediums", while ViacomCBS Kids & Family president Brian Robbins declared "Avatar: The Last Airbender and Korra have grown at least ten-fold in popularity since their original hit runs on Nickelodeon, and Ramsey Naito and I are incredibly excited to have Mike and Bryan's genius talent on board to helm a studio devoted to expanding their characters and world into new content and formats for fans everywhere".

Animated films

On June 15, 2022, Paramount announced that three animated Avatar: The Last Airbender films are in production.

Tabletop roleplaying game

Main article: Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game

On July 12, 2021, Magpie Games announced that on August 3 of the same year they'd be launching a Kickstarter campaign for Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game, an officially licensed tabletop roleplaying game set in the universe of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. The campaign raised USD $9.53M, becoming the most successful campaign for a tabletop game in Kickstarter's history. Pre-orders for much of the game's content opened on October 12, 2022.

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