My Love Letter to Avatar: The Last Airbender
Image Courtesy of Nickelodeon via MSN
By Kayla Thuel
On February 21, Avatar: The Last Airbender celebrated the 20th anniversary of its initial TV release. The show was a hit among American children and tweens at its premiere, and quickly became the most-watched television show on Netflix when it was added to the service in 2020. Since then, the series has been reimagined numerous times in an M. Night Shyamalan live-action film adaptation (The Last Airbender, 2010), Nickelodeon animated follow-up series (The Legend of Korra, 2012), several video games, and now a Netflix original live-action series that has already begun production for its second season.
Avatar’s adaptations have received reviews ranging from mixed to dismal throughout the years. Shyamalan’s infamous The Last Airbender, for example, earned only a 5% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Although the 2024 Netflix series was received significantly better than the low bar set by Shyamalan’s 2010 film, its ratings are still mediocre overall, with a critic score of 61% and an audience score of 71%. With each new iteration arises a wave of critics who feel that the new iterations fail to match up to the lofty legacy set by co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.
In light of the show’s anniversary and ongoing debate over its newer adaptations, I want to take a moment to reexamine what has made the original such a treasured classic for over two decades.
I remember watching Avatar: The Last Airbender when I was about 8 or 9 years old, several years after it aired on Nickelodeon. Looking back now as a student teacher in college, it still carries a special place in my heart. Here are a few reasons why I recommend it as a must-watch for viewers of all ages!
For one, Avatar introduced U.S. viewers in the 2000s to a wide blend of cultural influences they may not have otherwise encountered, modeling healthy cultural interchange. The main team of protagonists, being a mix of teenagers from all four nations by the end of Season 3, already serves as a positive example of how to bond and work together with others beyond differences in background or personal values.
Further under the surface, the protagonists also represent the traditional aesthetics and values of the various Asian and Native American cultures that served as inspirations for each nation. Of course, these influences are presented in the context of Avatar’s own fantasy world and art style; they are not an entirely accurate reflection of each source culture. Nonetheless, the show provides introductory exposure for children to either engage with cultures beyond their own or see their own heritage reflected onscreen.
For many Millennial and Gen Z kids–including myself–Avatar served as a gateway to an insufferable teenage anime phase, and I credit the show as a major stepping stone in my present appreciation for international media. Although today’s children’s shows are now striving more aggressively to incorporate characters of minority backgrounds into popular media, Avatar’s less on-the-nose commitment to inclusion was a significant breakthrough for 2005.
Secondly, Avatar’s characters demonstrate realistic and complex psychological development in a way that offers young viewers a safe space to grapple with tough topics related to their mental health and identity development. As the plot progresses, we can observe the tension between Aang’s lofty role as the avatar and naїve tendency to run from conflict, Sokka’s insecurities in filling his father’s shoes as a leader, the pressure Katara feels to take on the role of her dead mother, Toph’s resistance to authority figures in pursuit of a childish concept of “freedom,” and Zuko’s personal redefinition of “honor”.
In the world of animation, we often see a strong divergence between cartoons “for kids” and those “for adults” (see: Bojack Horseman or Big Mouth). One reason why I believe Avatar is so widely cherished is because it hits the perfect sweet spot in between: it presents complex issues that I could follow coherently at age 9, with deep psychological implications that are still helping older fans unpack real-life dilemmas throughout their teenage and adult years.
Among other themes, Avatar confronts the difficulties of romance, trauma, grief, self-control, parent-child relationships, defining one’s identity and facing seemingly insurmountable decisions. “The Beach” (Season 3: Episode 5) is a perfect example of the series’ depth, as it essentially functions as a live therapy session for Zuko and company without feeling overly didactic.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is an invaluable masterclass for artists and story writers on how to successfully integrate world-building, narrative organization, cultural homage, and character development in a way that allows young people to engage with deep, important ideas in a way that still feels safe and developmentally appropriate, but not preachy or oversimplified. This beloved show helps us not only heal our inner child, but also continue to face the complications of adult life.
