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Created by Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and aired from the year 2005 until 2008, Avatar: The Last Airbender is an animated American television series. This series is imbued with a fantastic storyline, filled with compelling characters, and is beloved by viewers of all age groups. It may seem like just an animated story, existing to entertain its audience but in reality, the show educates the public, especially children on complex morals, attitudes, and humanism that are relatable to our daily lives.
The story takes place in a world governed by four divisions represented by the four elements, the water tribe, the earth kingdom, the fire nation, and the air nomads. A certain population in each division is born with the ability to control an element according to their will, a skill known as bending. The fragile balance between nations as well as the spiritual and physical realms is maintained by the Avatar, the only person in this world who has the power to manipulate all four elements. The story starts one hundred years after the outbreak of a terrible war between the Fire Nation and the other three divisions. With the disappearance of the last Avatar and no one to maintain balance, the fire nation sought dominance over the world and wiped out all the air nomads, the division to which the Avatar supposedly belongs at its current birth. A hundred years later, Katara and Sokka, siblings from the northern water tribe, were out fishing when they came across a massive iceberg. Katara accidentally cracks the iceberg and to their surprise, a young boy emerges from within. This boy was named Aang, the new Avatar who vanished a hundred years ago, being preserved alive in the iceberg along with his flying bison and monkey. Knowing that he is the only person capable of restoring balance and harmony to the world, Aang, Katara, and Sokka embark on a thrilling and dangerous journey across the kingdoms to master all four elements and end the destruction caused by the fire nation.
Princess of the fire nation and sister to Prince Zuko, Azula was one of the most hated villains. She was a powerful symbol of sadistic evil and while we observed Zuko trying to reach the light, Azula grasped and embraced the darkness. Strangely, while watching this series we learn to sympathize with Azula as she tries but fails to blend in with kids her age. Her attempts at small talk and flirtation are terrible which shows that Azula was isolated as much as Zuko was. It can also be concluded that Azula suffered from mental illness. Throughout the series, she experiences hallucinations of her vanished mother and has frequent episodes of being paranoid, mistrusting her allies, and suffering from breakdowns. When taken out of her comfort zone and forced to socialize, it is evident that she is insecure and uses aggression as a mask to hide from social difficulties. Azula is normally very sharp-mouthed and harsh so when she expresses such vulnerability, it makes this bloodthirsty tyrant feel as human as any other character and the viewers can sympathize with her struggle.
Prince Zuko is the epitome of this theme. Although at first Zuko was pictured as a ruthless character on the search to capture the Avatar and regain his honor, through the guidance of his uncle, Iroh, Zuko learns to change his purpose in life and defies his family because he finally understands that it's the right thing to do. Another example is Katara who refuses to become a blood bender, even though it would be a great tool against her enemies. Aang refuses to kill the fire lord, even though it is what everyone expects and wants from him. All these characters take responsibility into their own hands for the role they play in the world. Even if it means going against the role expected of them.
In a moment of sorrow and rage at finding out the treachery caused by the fire nation to the air nomads, Aang explodes into the Avatar state, endangering the lives of his friends. As the Avatar, Aang recognizes the importance of letting go of the past and instead of filling himself with guilt and grief, Aang eventually learns to forgive himself and to effectively carry out his role as the Avatar. Zuko's uncle, Iroh, embraces the past and wills himself to talk about the tragic loss of his son as well as the mistakes of his former life. Being the father figure that Prince Zuko never had, Iroh influences change in Zuko and shows the audience the potential for a person to change for the better.
Throughout the series, we see the importance of forgiveness and giving second chances to those who deserve it. For example, when Katara is trapped in a cave with Zuko, she rages on about the crimes of the Fire Nation and how they took her mother away from her. At a loss for words, Zuko confides his sadness at losing his mother. After this honest conversation about their pasts, Katara can forgive Zuko enough to offer him help. In a way, this scene is a moment of closure for Katara. It shows that by forgiving Zuko and listening to his perspective of things, Katara was finally able to begin healing from the trauma caused by the fire nation in her personal life.
Ageism is an issue commonly overlooked in most media. The stereotypical image of the old not being capable of action is completely brushed aside in this series. In the avatar, the children and teens are presented as having valid and complex thoughts and feelings that are accepted by the adults. Elderly people who are commonly displayed as growing weak, are shown that with age, benders become more powerful and skilled. The wisdom they acquire as they get older has a stronger influence on their bending. For example, Uncle Iroh, even though old, is one of the greatest firebenders in the nation he even earned the nickname 'The dragon of the West' because of his ability to breathe fire. Avatar opts to allow both its young and old characters dignity and power.
Surrounded by powerful benders, Sokka struggles with feeling ordinary in several episodes. Being a warrior with a lot to prove, Sokka feels completely useless without his weapons. This, of course, is not true. Sokka proves to be an excellent military strategist as well as a determined fighter. His crazy jokes are what keep Team Avatar going and create humor even in the direst situations. On the other hand, Toph, being blind since birth, refuses to let her disability become a limitation. She instead uses this disability to 'see' using vibrations in the ground and becomes an incredibly powerful earthbender. She later even created an earth-bending style of her own, known as metal bending by using vibrations of earth particles in metal and bending it according to her will.
Although Avatar: The Last Airbender was designed as a children's cartoon, it has expressed widespread approval and developed a large fanbase with not only children but adults as well. DiMartino and Konietzko have effectively turned this series into a thorough educator of morality, progressiveness, and humanism.
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