One of the beloved tv collection of the twenty first century, Avatar: The Final Airbender celebrated its twentieth anniversary this yr. The 2005 Nickelodeon hit follows a younger airbender named Aang who discovers he’s the Avatar, a reincarnated hero destined to grasp water, earth, fireplace, and air as a way to convey steadiness to the world.
He’s joined on this journey by the sarcastic swordsman Sokka, passionate waterbender Katara, strong-willed earthbender Toph, and finally his enemy-turned-mentor Prince Zuko. The collection has a powerful following for its detailed world-building, character growth, and themes.
Not too long ago, collection creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko spoke about Avatar: The Final Airbender’s legacy with BuzzFeed, revealing their favourite episodes and different opinions concerning the collection. DiMartino revealed that his high episode adjustments: “I at all times say the identical ones, however I will say a brand new one this time!“
The animator defined that his son “not too long ago began watching the collection — he is recognized about it for a very long time, however he is now watching it — and [DiMartino] was watching the Jet episode with him.” Because it had “been so lengthy since [he] watched a few of these episodes,” DiMartino discovered a brand new appreciation for it:
“Jet” has this ethical dilemma in it. You are rooting for Jet to wipe out the dangerous guys, however he is additionally harming harmless individuals. Sokka is onto it, and it is acquired a superb “ethical grey space” that we prefer to discover within the collection.
For his half, Konietzko valued the episodes that make the world of Avatar: The Final Airbender really feel extra lived in. He defined:
In the mean time, there are two that stand out for me. I like “The Fortuneteller” as a result of we really get to know a neighborhood. It is actually powerful with 22 and a half minutes to flesh out a neighborhood tradition. Plenty of occasions, they roll into city, and it is simply type of a generic city. “The Fortuneteller” was an opportunity the place you actually acquired to know this native vibe.
For comparable causes, “The Headband” stands out, the place Aang immerses on this native Fireplace Nation college. I like how the scholars really feel actual! It is easy to think about the Fireplace Nation as this one factor, however for the individuals born there, they solely know what they’re being advised. They’re being raised underneath propaganda, however they’re simply children. I like the vibe of that episode, and [director] Joaquim Dos Santos did an incredible job on that one.
Apparently, each Konietzko and DiMartino’s selections are pretty unusual throughout the Avatar: The Final Airbender fandom, with the climactic season finales and character-driven adventures like “Zuko Alone” usually topping fan rankings. Humorously, DiMartino additionally addressed one of many collection’ least widespread episodes, “The Nice Divide:”
I like getting to look at it via my son’s eyes, seeing him uncover it, and what he finds humorous and thrilling. For instance, everybody complains about “The Nice Divide.” When that one got here on, I used to be like, “What’d you concentrate on this?” My son was like, “It was fairly good. It was humorous!” Possibly that episode isn’t for everyone, however Avatar does have that endurance, nonetheless connecting with individuals 20 years later and provoking them.
Konietzko echoed DiMartino’s statements concerning the present’s legacy and attraction, noting that “Avatar type of encapsulated a time in [fans’] lives the place possibly they had been attempting to determine the world.” As for the present’s message, “it is not a “good versus evil” kind factor; it is all about steadiness, and that is what the Avatar’s fundamental activity is to realize.“
No matter which themes and episodes resonate with a person viewer, one factor stays true: Avatar: The Final Airbender impressed a era and continues to take action even a long time later.
Avatar: The Final Airbender
9/10
- Launch Date
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2005 – 2008
- Community
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Nickelodeon
- Showrunner
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Michael Dante DiMartino
- Administrators
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Giancarlo Volpe, Ethan Spaulding, Lauren MacMullan, Dave Filoni, Joaquim Dos Santos, Anthony Lioi