Avatar: The Last Airbender—20th Anniversary
Created By: Michael Dante Dimartino, Bryan Konietzko
Starring: Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack De Sena, Dante Basco
Runtime: 3 seasons
Available to watch on Netflix

by Heidi Krull, Staff Writer

February 21 of this year marks the 20th anniversary of Avatar: The Last Airbender, a Nickelodeon original show that was a staple for many growing up in the 2000s. This show’s impact stretches beyond the typical expectations for a children’s show—featuring relatable, fun characters, and more mature themes that make it enjoyable for older audiences. Not only does this show span generations, but it also inspires generations to fight against tyranny and be the heroes the world needs.

Avatar begins with a monologue intro describing the current state of affairs. The Fire Nation has waged war on most of the world after the Avatar’s mysterious disappearance, and many have suffered during the 100 years he has been gone. The first scene shows siblings Katara (Mae Whitman) and Sokka (Jack De Sena) living their everyday lives in the Southern Water Tribe. Katara is the last waterbender of her tribe and, since their mother’s death, she has had to take on more responsibility. Sokka, the older of the two, wants to follow in their father’s footsteps and become a warrior. While fishing, the two get into an argument and Katara’s novice waterbending abilities cause an iceberg to crack, releasing an airbending boy named Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen) After meeting him, they realize that he is the Avatar. Through three seasons, Avatar raised the stakes, explored the personal relationships between each of the characters, and invited its viewers to wonder how far they would go to defeat evil.

One of my favorite parts of this show is the juxtaposition between Aang's joyful, child-like vibe and the cruelty the Fire Nation has inflicted on the world. While the first two episodes of season one are mostly playful and introductory, the few episodes following reveal something sinister: the genocide of the Air Nomads. A largely peaceful people, the Air Nomads had no army; the only thing they had on their side was the Avatar, and the Fire Nation felt like they had to snuff him out to ensure their absolute rule. While Aang was missing, he had no idea that the Fire Nation had wiped out his people and, once he found out, the overwhelming grief and pain he felt triggered his Avatar powers for the first time. The difference in tone between Aang’s typical self and the absolute depravity of the main villain serves multiple purposes throughout the show. For one, having a main character who is overall optimistic makes for a more child-friendly show, which was necessary for the show’s success. And, although the main plot points in this show are rather dim, the contrast between that and Aang’s positivity reminds us that, even in dark times, you can have a community that helps you through it.

What really makes Avatar a relatable experience is the complex relationships between each of the characters and the inner dilemmas they face within themselves. One character we can point to as a pinnacle of inner struggle is Prince Zuko (Dante Basco), the Fire Lord’s son. Zuko begins as an exiled prince, disgraced for disrespecting his father at a war meeting. Fire Lord Ozai burned Zuko’s face to teach him a lesson, despite Zuko refusing to fight back and profusely apologizing. On a journey to hunt down the Avatar as his father requested, Zuko slowly discovers that his worldview is skewed, and he has to unpack the corruption his father forced upon him. Not only did Zuko have an incredible redemption arc, but he was also a direct foil to Aang. Seeing their relationship unfold took this show to a higher level. Both characters have incredibly high, almost impossible expectations laid before them from a young age, but for totally opposite reasons. When they eventually become friends, it is because they helped each other move past their personal traumas and they’re stronger together despite their initial differences. Zuko also managed to become friends with Sokka and Katara, despite attaching their village in the past. This character is a testament to the strength it takes to admit when you were wrong about the world and shows the younger audience of Avatar that anyone can change for the better.

Avatar: The Last Airbender deals with a lot of violence, justified or otherwise. It would be obvious to point out the fantastical elements of said violence (AKA bad-ass element bending powers), but what is less obvious to highlight is the fact that this show, while never fully endorsing it, never condemns the use of violence when it is necessary. Toward the end of the show, Aang is grappling with the thought of having to kill Fire Lord Ozai. Air Nomads do not believe in taking the life of any creature, and despite what the Fire Nation did to his people, Aang simply cannot imagine taking the current Fire Lord’s life. He meets with multiple Avatars of the past, and all of them essentially tell him he has no other choice but to kill the Fire Lord, and that being complacent would mean doom for the rest of the world. I have always loved how this specific plot point reflects so heavily in real life. Oftentimes, people’s personal beliefs get in the way of them taking significant action, which can stifle a movement instantly. In the show, Aang uses his spiritual abilities to get around killing Ozai, and instead takes his bending away, meaning his fire-fueled powers could never hurt an innocent person again. What Aang achieves here is a lesson in accountability. He knew his role in the 100-Year War from the day he awoke from the iceberg, and he had to ask for help through his journey to make difficult (and often violent) decisions. Avatar does a stellar job differentiating between violence for violence's sake and violence that is vital to protecting vulnerable communities.

I rediscovered the beauty of Avatar: The Last Airbender during the 2020 COVID pandemic. As a struggling college student taking classes out of my childhood bedroom, this show brought a whimsical light to my life and reminded me of real, tragic events happening every day. All of the characters reminded me to fight for what I think is right and to push against injustice. As the 20th anniversary of this show comes around this year, we find ourselves in another collective crisis of racism, homophobia, and government corruption on a larger scale than I have personally seen before. Avatar has brought me a sense of comfort in these difficult times, and it has also reminded me to remember who the real enemy is. I invite my readers to do the same.

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