Avatar is set in a largely Asian-inspired world in which some people cantelekinetically manipulate one of thefour elements—water, earth, fire or air—through practices known as "bending", inspired byChinese 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 and spirit worlds. The series follows the journey of twelve-year-oldAang, the current Avatar and last survivor of his nation, the Air Nomads, along with his friendsKatara,Sokka, andToph, as they strive to end the Fire Nation's war against the other nations and defeat Fire LordOzai before he conquers the world. The series also followsZuko—the exiled prince of the Fire Nation, seeking to restore his lost honor by capturing Aang, accompanied by his uncleIroh—and later, his sisterAzula.Avatar is presented and animated in a style that combines Japaneseanime influences with those ofAmerican cartoons and relies on the imagery of primarilyChinese culture,[2][3] with various other influences from differentEast Asian,Southeast Asian,South Asian,North Asian, andindigenous American cultures.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is set in a world where human civilization consists of four nations, named after the fourclassical 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 totelekinetically manipulate and control the element corresponding to their nation, using gestures based onChinese 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 isreincarnated 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
A century ago, young AvatarAang, 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 insuspended animation in an iceberg near the South Pole. Shortly afterward, Fire Lord Sozin, the ruler of the Fire Nation, launched aworld war to expand his nation's empire. Knowing that the Avatar must be an Air Nomad, he and his army carried out agenocide against the Air Nomads, which he timed with the arrival of acomet that gives firebenders tremendous power. A hundred years later, siblingsKatara andSokka, 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 to learn waterbending and be prepared to defeat the Fire Nation. PrinceZuko, the banished son of Fire Lord Ozai, pursues them, accompanied by his uncleIroh, 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 fromToph Beifong, a blind earthbending prodigy. Zuko and Iroh become refugees in the Earth Kingdom, eventually settling in its capital Ba Sing Se. Aang's group travels to Ba Sing Se to seek the Earth King's support for an attack on the Fire Nation during an upcomingsolar eclipse, during which firebenders will be powerless. Both groups are pursued byAzula, Zuko's younger sister. Azula infiltrates Ba Sing Se and instigates acoup d'état against the Earth King, bringing the capital under Fire Nation control. Zuko betrays Iroh and returns to the Fire Nation.
In the third season, Aang and his allies invade the Fire Nation during the eclipse, but are forced to retreat. Zuko abandons the Fire Nation to teach Aang firebending. Aang, raised 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.
The series consists of sixty-one episodes. The first episode—an-hour-long premiere—aired on February 21, 2005, onNickelodeon.[11] The series concluded with a two-hour television movie broadcast on July 19, 2008.[12] 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.[11] The show's first two seasons each consists of twenty episodes and the third season twenty-one. The entire series has been released onDVD inregions 1, 2, and 4.[13]
As of May 2020,[update] the complete series is available onNetflix in the United States.[14] It became the most popular show on U.S. Netflix within the first week of its release there, despite not being featured on the main page.[7] 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.[15] Later in June 2020, the complete series became available onParamount+ (at the time CBS All Access)[9] and later onAmazon Prime Video[10] in January 2021.
Michael Dante DiMartino (left) and Bryan Konietzko (right), the series' creators
The creators and producers ofAvatar: The Last Airbender,Michael Dante DiMartino andBryan Konietzko, met at a Halloween party in 1995 during their time as students in theRhode Island School of Design, and began their professional partnership later that year when Konietzko assisted DiMartino in painting backgrounds and cels for the latter's student film. DiMartino and Konietzko moved to Los Angeles in 1996 and 1998 respectively to pursue careers in the animation industry. In between jobs, DiMartino animated a short titledAtomic Love that he pitched as a TV series, but was unsuccessful due to the amount of robot-based animated series already in development. During Konietzko's stint as an art director onInvader Zim, he and DiMartino formulated the idea of pitching a coming-to-age series based on their childhoods, but were too busy with their respective jobs to solidify the concept. WhenInvader Zim was abruptly canceled in January 2002, Konietzko declared to DiMartino his resolution to get their idea made at all costs.[16]
By this time, Konietzko had established a good relationship withNickelodeon head of developmentEric Coleman, who was interested in the prospect of Konietzko creating and pitching his own show. Upon the end of his job onInvader Zim, Konietzko met with Coleman, introduced him to DiMartino and discussed their intent to create a series that held heart and integrity while meeting the network's commercial requirements. Although their meeting went well, Coleman revealed that the network was not looking for coming-of-age stories based on human characters. He added that the network was following the success of theLord of the Rings andHarry Potter film series and was thus searching for non-violent action and adventure concepts with an emphasis on legends and lore. Lastly, he established that the show would require the point-of-view of either a kid hero or a non-human character, emphasizing that middle-aged human protagonists would be off-brand for Nickelodeon. Konietzko concluded the meeting with the promise of a pitch along those directives within a month.[16]
DiMartino and Konietzko indiscriminately laid out their conceptual sketches in their effort to establish a new idea. Among them was a sketch that Konietzko created during his time onInvader Zim, which featured a robot cyclops monkey with an arrow on his head and holding a staff, a balding middle-aged man in a futuristic outfit, and a bipedal polar bear-dog hybrid. Konietzko citedCowboy Bebop as the sketch's primary influence, describing the sketch as a "half-baked" attempt at a similar science fiction adventure concept. Recalling Coleman's advice against middle-aged main characters, Konietzko redrew the human character as a boy, but retained his baldness and transferred the robot's staff and arrow to him. After adding the new drawing to the collection of sketches, Konietzko began drawing other fanciful animal hybrids, which culminated in a drawing of a good-natured and nomadic "Huck Finnesque" boy herding a group of flying bison-manatee hybrids. The sketch was influenced by the works of renownedanime film directorHayao Miyazaki, of whom Konietzko and DiMartino were fans.[17]
DiMartino drew inspiration for what would become the Southern Water Tribe from a documentary on theImperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, and he pitched Konietzko the idea of a group of people similarly trapped in the South Pole.[18] Two weeks after their meeting with Coleman, Konietzko was suddenly inspired by DiMartino's idea and formulated a concept of a group of children in the South Pole who were terrorized by "fire people" and rescued by the young nomad from his earlier drawing.[18][19] Konietzko and DiMartino reconvened that evening and began developing the series' setting over the next two weeks.[18] Although DiMartino and Konietzko were themselves fans of the two successful British fantasy series that Nickelodeon sought to emulate, the pair chose to differentiate their own series by inserting influences from Asian cultures and philosophies, traditionalmartial arts,yoga, anime, andHong Kong cinema.[18][20] The co-creators successfully pitched the concept to Coleman with early sketches ofAang,Katara, andSokka, three color images depicting the desired action, adventure, and magic aspects, and a description of the series' characters, setting and full story arc.[18][21] The series was introduced to the public in a teaser reel atComic-Con in July 2004,[22] and premiered on February 21, 2005.[23]
According to head writerAaron Ehasz, Konietzko and DiMartino originally envisioned the series as three seasons long. However, Nickelodeon asked Ehasz about his ideas for a potential fourth season, which he later discussed with both Konietzko and DiMartino. Ehasz believed that a fourth season would be created, but this plan was interrupted when Konietzko and DiMartino decided to focus on assistingM. Night Shyamalan as executive producers forThe Last Airbender film. Ehasz claims that Shyamalan insisted they create a fourth season, but Konietzko and DiMartino wanted to work on the live-action film and reverted to the original three-season plan.[24] Konietzko and DiMartino have denied Ehasz's statements, asserting that a fourth season was never considered by them or Nickelodeon.[25] Shyamalan has made comments that align with Ehasz's, such as acknowledging uncertainty at the time about whether the series would conclude after three seasons. He also mentioned that while he was supportive of the co-creators continuing the animated series beyond three seasons, he refused to sign on for the live-action adaptation if that happened because he wanted to direct a trilogy.[26]
Pilot
Apilot episode for the series was made in 2003. It was animated by Tin House, Inc., written by DiMartino and Konietzko, and directed byDave Filoni.Mitchel Musso voiced Aang in this pilot but was later replaced byZach 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 theNTSC season 1DVDbox set, which were not available with the previously released individual volumes. As thePAL 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.[27] On June 14, 2010, the unaired pilot was made available with and without commentary for the first time via theiTunes Store.[28] In 2020, the pilot was streamed onTwitch.[29]
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 theForbidden City inBeijing, China.
Jeremy Zuckerman andBenjamin Wynn created the series' music and sound design together in the early developmental stages and then went on to divide the tasks, with Zuckerman taking on the musical composition and Wynn the sound design. They experimented with a wide range of instruments, including theguzheng,pipa, andduduk, to match the show's Asian-influenced setting.[33]
The art style of the fictitious locations featured in the series are based on real locations in Asia. Sites such as theForbidden City and theGreat Wall of China inBeijing were inspirations for the Earth Kingdom city of Ba Sing Se,[34] and Water Tribe locations were based onInuit andSireniki cultures.[4] According to 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".[4] For the final design, the creators went with a more Chinese style for the Fire Nation's clothing and architecture.[35] For instance, the Fire Temple was based on theYellow Crane Tower, as its flame-like architectural elements were considered a perfect motif for the Fire Nation architecture, according to the creators.[36]
The gestures used by the "bender" characters are derived fromChinese martial arts, for which the creators employed Sifu Kisu of the Harmonious Fist Chinese Athletic Association as a consultant.[37] 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 bytai chi and focus 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".Bagua, which uses dynamic circular movements and quick directional changes, was used for "airbending".[38] The Chu GarSouthern Praying Mantis style can be seen practiced by the earthbender,Toph, who develops a unique fighting style as a result of her blindness.[39]Asian cinema also influenced the presentation of these martial-art bending moves.[19]
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 can and does make victims of everyone.[4] 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 corrupt secret police. These situations show the corrupting nature of power and the nuances of good and evil.[4] 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, such as rage, guilt, and sadness.[40]
The character Zuko and his relationship with his father and Uncle Iroh is the mainredemption arc of the series, and represents the show's message that destiny is not binding but rather can be changed.[41] In season two, Zuko struggles to conform to the destiny and path determined by his father,[4] but Iroh prods him, asking, "who are you, what doyou want?"[42]
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 aparaplegic boy like Teo, the show depicts characters with vulnerabilities overcoming their physical and societal limitations.[4] 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, only to learn that girls and women are prohibited from doing so; a rule that is deeply ingrained within the culture. In another example, her brother Sokka initially espouses sexist viewpoints and is dismissive of the all-female Kyoshi Warriors, but learns to respect and appreciate their skills and mature as a person and fighter.[4] According to Kirk Hamilton ofKotaku, these themes represent the show's message that it is more important to be oneself than to hew to societal expectations.[42]
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.[43] It had 5.6 million viewers for its highest-rated episode[44][need quotation to verify] and was a highly rated part of theNicktoons lineup beyond its 6-to-11-year-old target demographic.[45] 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 theNielsen ratings, the special was the fifth highest-ratedcable television program that week.[46] In 2007,Avatar: The Last Airbender was syndicated in 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.[47]
The four-part series finale, "Sozin's Comet", had the highest ratings of the series. Its first airing averaged 5.6 million viewers, 95 percent more than Nickelodeon had in mid-July 2007.[citation needed] During the week of July 14, it was the most-viewed program by the under-14 demographic.[48][49] The finale's popularity was reflected in online media;Rise of the Phoenix King, aNick.com online game based on "Sozin's Comet", had almost 815,000 plays in three days.[50]
Critical response
Avatar: The Last Airbender received universal acclaim. As of July 2020[update], the show has a critics score of 100% onRotten Tomatoes based on 23 reviews.[51] Max Nicholson ofIGN called it a "must-watch" and described it as "one of the greatest animated series of all time".[52] Nick Hartel ofDVD Talk called the series a remarkable, "child friendly show" whose legacy "should endure for years to come".[41] Erik Amaya ofBleeding Cool described the series as "impressive in its sophistication" and "fantastic".[53] Henry Glasheen ofSLUG Magazine called the series "adventurous and exciting", a "classic" and occasionally moving.[54] According to Brittany Lovely ofHypable, it tells "complex and beautiful" stories.[55] Joe Corey of Inside Pulse described the series as an anime-action hybrid.[56] Chris Mitchell ofPopzara called it one of the best shows to air on Nickelodeon, praising the series' background music and voice acting.[57] D. F. Smith ofIGN recommended it to viewers who enjoy action-adventure cartoons.[58]
Rob Keyes ofScreen Rant called the series "one of the greatest cartoons ever made".[59] Mike Noyes of Inside Pulse recommended it to viewers who enjoy "great" adventure.[60] Gord Lacey ofTVShowsOnDVD.com called the series "one of the finest animated shows ever".[61] According to Todd Douglass Jr., of DVD Talk, adults will enjoy the series as much as children do.[62] Joshua Miller ofCHUD.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.[63] Tim Janson ofCinefantastique described it as "one of the most engaging animated shows produced".[64] 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.[65] Franco "Cricket" Te of Nerd Society describedAvatar: The Last Airbender as "one of the best cartoon[s]" he had ever seen, recommending the series for its characters and plot.[66] Scott Thill ofWired called the series engaging and its setting, influenced by the Eastern world, "fantastic".[67]Kirk Hamilton ofKotaku said the series should be considered part of theGolden Age of Television, and recommended "the sophisticated kids show" to others.[42]
The show's writing and themes have been widely lauded by critics. Michael S. Mammano ofDen of Geek called the plot "smartly-written" and praised the animation.[68] Nicole Clark, writing forVice 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."[4] Jenifer Rosenberg of ComicMix praised the program's emphasis on family, friends, community, and education.[69] According to 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".[41] Chris Mitchell called the plot "fantastic".[57] D. F. Smith compared the series' plot to Japanese anime, calling its tone and dialogue "very American" and praising the humor leavening an epic, dramatic theme suitable for all ages.[58] Rob Keyes also praised the series' humor and affecting plot, saying, "[It] will capture your hearts".[59]
According to Noyes, the series amalgamates elements of "classic fantasy epics".[60] Douglass Jr. called the plot engaging, well-thought-out, and meaningful, stating that the series' concept was "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.[62] Joshua Miller called the series surprisingly dark despite its "silly" theme, saying that the plot is livelier than that ofLost and, similar to the latter show, emphasizes character development. According to Miller, its writing was "true adult levels of storytelling".[63] Janson described the series as more than fantasy- and superhero-themed, seeing the characters as central and relatable.[64] "Cricket" Te praised the series' use ofBuddhist philosophies and the diverse presentation of its themes of courage and life.[66] Hamilton praised the series for encouraging its audience to be themselves and for its quiet progressivism.[42]
Critics also praisedAvatar: The Last Airbender's character development, art, animation, and choreography; Eric Amaya enjoyed the expressive animation that complemented the writing. According to Amaya, elements were influenced by the work ofHayao Miyazaki.[53] Douglass Jr. called the character development interesting,[62] 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."[4] Rosenburg praised the series' portrayal of its female characters as "strong, responsible, [and] intelligent".[69] According to Miller, the bender characters' use of bending for everyday activities brought "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 theAvatar world to that ofThe Lord of the Rings, and the fight choreography as "wonderful in its most minor details".[63] Smith enjoyed the series' detailed backgrounds.[58] Te praised each episode's color palette and the choreography's combination of martial arts and magic.[66] Hartel criticized the animation, although he found it an improvement over previous Nickelodeon shows.[41] Mitchell called the animation fluid.[57] Te agreed, noting its manga influence.[66] According to Brittany Lovely, non-bender characters in battle are "overshadowed" by their bender counterparts.[55] Joe Corey called the animation's action and environments a "great achievement",[56] and Keyes praised the series' fight choreography.[59] According to Hamilton, the action sequences in the series were amazing while being child-appropriate and exciting.[42]
Legacy
Avatar: The Last Airbender become acult 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.[70][71]
Multiple media publications have hailedAvatar as one of the greatest animated television series of all time.[72][4][73][74][75][76][77] In 2013,TV Guide includedAvatar in its 60 greatest cartoons of all-time list.[78] In 2018,Vanity Fair ranked the series as the 11th-best animated TV show.[79]IndieWire rankedAvatar at number 36 on its 2018 list of the "50 Best Animated Series Of All Time".[80]
The series experienced a resurgence in popularity following its addition toNetflix 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.[81] 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.[15] The series would become the most-streamed children's series on the platform for the year.[82] Both fans and co-creators DiMartino and Konietzko attributedAvatar's renewed popularity to its relevance to contemporary events, including theCOVID-19 pandemic andracial 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."[83]
Netflix announced in September 2018 that a "reimagined" live-actionremake ofAvatar was to start production in 2019. The series' original creators, DiMartino and Konietzko, were to be the executive producers andshowrunners.[5] On August 12, 2020, DiMartino and Konietzko both revealed on their social media that they had departed the show due to creative differences.[106][107][108][109] In February 2021, Albert Kim was reported to have been brought on as showrunner.[110] The first season was released on Netflix on February 22, 2024[111] to mixed reviews.[111][112][113] On March 6, 2024, Netflix renewed the show for a second and third season.[114]
The Legend of Korra, a sequel series toAvatar: The Last Airbender, premiered on Nickelodeon on April 14, 2012.[115] It was written and produced byAvatar creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the creators and producers of the original series.[116] The show was initially titledAvatar: Legend of Korra, thenThe Last Airbender: Legend of Korra; its events occur seventy years after the end ofAvatar: The Last Airbender.[117] The series' protagonist isKorra, a 17-year-old girl from the Southern Water Tribe who is the incarnation of the Avatar after Aang's death.[115] The series ran for 4 seasons, ending after 52 episodes on December 19, 2014.[118]
On February 20, 2025, 20 years after the original show debuted, it was announced that a new sequel titledAvatar: Seven Havens was green-lit. The series will consist of 26 episodes, spread across two seasons, and will be produced by DiMartino and Konietzko.[119][120]
In February 2021, along with the announcement of the formation ofAvatar Studios, it was reported that the studio's first project would be an animated theatrical film that would begin production later in 2021.[121] In June 2022, it was announced thatLauren Montgomery, a former storyboard artist onAvatar and a supervising producer forKorra, would serve as director.[122] In April 2024, Paramount revealed the film's tentative title,Aang: The Last Airbender, along with the casting ofEric Nam as Aang,Dionne Quan as Toph,Jessica Matten as Katara, Román Zaragoza as Sokka, andDave Bautista as an antagonist.[123][124] The film is set to be released theatrically on January 30, 2026, byParamount Pictures.[125]
Other media
Books
Several books based on the show have been published.Dark Horse Comics published an art book titledAvatar: The Last Airbender – The Art of the Animated Series on June 2, 2010, with 184 pages of original art from the series.[126] A second edition of the book was released on November 25, 2020, featuring a new cover and eight new pages.[127]
Chronicles of the Avatar is a series of novels that tell the stories of the Avatars beforeAang.[128] The series began with theyoung adult novel duology focusing onAvatar Kyoshi, which was written by F. C. Yee. The first book,Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Rise of Kyoshi, was published in July 2019 by Abrams Children's Books.[129] The second part in the series, titledThe Shadow of Kyoshi, was released on July 21, 2020.[130] The duology was followed by the third novelThe Dawn of Yangchen, also written by Yee and released on July 19, 2022.[131] Yee's fourth novel in the series,The Legacy of Yangchen, was released on July 18, 2023.[132] The fifth book of the series, titledThe Reckoning of Roku, focuses on Avatar Roku and will be written by Randy Ribay and released on July 23, 2024.[133]
Several comic-book short stories were published inNickelodeon Magazine, and Dark Horse publishedAvatar: The Last Airbender – The Lost Adventures—a collection of these and new comics—on June 15, 2011.[134]
Dark Horse published a graphic-novel series byGene 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 becomeThe Legend of Korra's United Republic. This series was translated into Hebrew in 2016–2017.[135] 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.[136] The second set was translated into Hebrew in 2018–2019.[137] 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.[138]The Rift was followed byAvatar: 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.[139] The fifth graphic novel wasAvatar: The Last Airbender – North and South, which follows the events ofSmoke and Shadow and is about Katara and Sokka returning to the Water Tribe to see various changes to their homeland.[140] The next graphic novel is titledImbalance 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.[141]
In 2020, Dark Horse began publishing standalone comics, the first of which wasKatara and the Pirate's Silver which was written by Faith Erin Hicks and Tim Hedrick and followsKatara aligning herself with a group of pirates after she gets separated from the rest of Team Avatar.[142] The comic was released on October 13, 2020.[143] It was followed byToph Beifong's Metalbending Academy on February 17, 2021, which followsToph in between the events ofThe Rift andSmoke and Shadow.[144][145] This was followed bySuki, Alone, released on June 27, 2021, and follows Suki when she was imprisoned after the events of the episode "Appa's Lost Days".[146] These three standalone comics were released in a boxed set in November 2021 under the nameTeam Avatar Treasury.[147] This was followed by 2023'sAzula in the Spirit Temple,[148] and 2024'sThe Bounty Hunter and the Tea Brewer, which focuses onIroh and June the Bounty Hunter.[149][150]
In October 2023, Nickelodeon and GEA Live announcedAvatar: The Last Airbender in Concert, an ongoing concert tour featuring Zuckerman's score for the series.[161] The tour was initially announced for four dates and locations in the UK, US, and France, and premiered inLondon, England on January 21, 2024.[161][162] The concert runs for over two hours and the music is performed by an orchestral ensemble, while several moments from the series are displayed on a large screen.[161] Zuckerman, in assistance with DiMartino, Konietzko, and original editor Jeff Adams expanded the series' score and compositions for the concert.[163] The concert is produced by Nickelodeon, GEA Live, and Senbla.[164]
References
^Perlmutter, David (2018).The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 50–51.ISBN978-1538103739.
^abMichael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. Avatar: The Last Airbender I.P. Bible.
^Yee, F. C.; Dimartino, Michael Dante (2019).AVATAR, THE LAST AIRBENDER: THE RISE OF KYOSHI (CHRONICLES OF THE AVATAR BOOK 1). Amulet Books.ISBN9781419735042.
^Yee, F. C.; Dimartino, Michael Dante (2020).Avatar, The Last Airbender: The Shadow of Kyoshi (The Kyoshi Novels Book 2) Hardcover – July 21, 2020. Amulet Books.ISBN978-1419735059.
^Yee, F. C. (2022).AVATAR, THE LAST AIRBENDER: THE DAWN OF YANGCHEN (CHRONICLES OF THE AVATAR BOOK 3). Amulet Books.ISBN9781419756771.
^Yee, F. C. (2023).AVATAR, THE LAST AIRBENDER: THE LEGACY OF YANGCHEN (CHRONICLES OF THE AVATAR BOOK 4). Amulet Books.ISBN9781419756795.
^Ribay, Randy (2024).AVATAR, THE LAST AIRBENDER: THE RECKONING OF ROKU (CHRONICLES OF THE AVATAR BOOK 5). Amulet Books.ISBN9781419776038.
