The Small Fries

Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko created one of the greatest shows to grace the television screen: Avatar: The Last Airbender, which aired from 2005-2008 on Nickelodeon. The story follows our reluctant hero, Aang, and his companions on a journey all over the world to master all four elements. As the Avatar it is his duty to help restore peace and balance to a war ridden world. He has only one year to stop Fire Lord Ozai from taking over the rest of the world. Meanwhile, Aang is being hunted by the exiled prince of the Fire Nation, Zuko. With the help of his companions and several unlikely allies, he sets out to complete his mission: to defeat the Fire Lord.

Growing up, I remember sitting with my brother and best friend, watching this show religiously. However, it’s been years since the series finale, and I had obviously forgotten quite a bit about it. After recently rewatching the show, I have decided many things. 1. I blame this show for my fangirl status. 2. I really miss the show and the characters. 3. I still have so many questions and wish it was more than three seasons long. Thank god for the comic books.

The Gaang: Appa, Momo, Sokka, Katara, Aang, Toph, and Zuko

The characters in the Avatar universe are so well written and strong, but they aren’t without their flaws. They have background stories that give them so much depth, making them completely relatable. Some of the characters show better character development than others, but it’s amazing how each character shows some sort of growth. Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Zuko show the most growth out of all the characters. Aang grows from childish air nomad to the fully realized Avatar over the course of a year. We see him in the first episode, “The Boy in the Iceberg,” when he wakes from his hundred year slumber to a war torn world. By the time “Sozin’s Comet: Avatar Aang,” airs, he has taken on all of his responsibilities and welcomed the challenge of facing Fire Lord Ozai. Throughout the series, we see Aang struggling to come to terms with actually facing him. He talks about how he ran before the war in “The Storm.” In the four part series finale, Aang runs again from the task of facing and ultimately killing the Fire Lord. However, this leads to him finding his answers and becoming the Avatar the world needs.

Avatar Aang and Momo

Sokka, our favorite meat, sarcasm, and boomerang guy, grows into a warrior and a leader. In the first season, Sokka of the Southern Water tribe is just trying to keep his village safe and sound while the rest of the warriors are fighting in the war against the Fire Nation. We see him lose his sexist views that girls are weaker than guys as he gets his butt handed to him by the Kyoshi Warriors in the fourth episode, “The Warriors of Kyoshi.”

Sokka learning a lesson from Kyoshi Warrior, Suki

Quickly, we see Sokka changing and growing. By season two, he is formulating plans to defeat the Fire Nation, and in “The Day of Black Sun,” a two part event in season three, Sokka is leading the attack on the Fire Nation. After learning from Master Piandao, Sokka has grown as warrior, giving him even more confidence to lead. In “Sozin’s Comet,” we see him leading the attacks on the Fire Nation airships, and ultimately bringing down the entire fleet with the help of Suki and Toph. Sokka is one of my favorite characters to watch grow up over the course of these three seasons. He goes from a goofy teenager with narrowed views of the world to a well-rounded warrior accepting unlikely allies, despite the harm they have caused him. *cough cough, Zuko, cough cough*

Sokka leading the attack in "The Day of Black Sun"

Katara, Sokka’s younger sister and Waterbending Master, grew a lot over the course of three seasons. We learn early on that the Fire Nation took her mother away from her, and that is one of her driving forces. It is something that has scarred her and, like Sokka, has fueled her hate for the Fire Nation. Throughout each season, we see her as the kind, nurturing caregiver she is. Sokka even notes that in season three episode, “The Runaway,” that Katara has always been the mother-figure to him, because he lost his mom at such a young age. We see this as she cares for the Gaang when they are sick or hurt. She’s always the one making sure they have enough supplies and keeping everyone in line (despite Toph’s rebellious attitude). However, as the show continues, we see sides of Katara start to seep through that we hadn’t seen in earlier seasons. Once she becomes the a Waterbending Master in “The Siege of the North,” Katara starts evolving more into her warrior and healer status she has. We see her heal Aang (basically bringing him back from the dead) at the end of season two in “The Crossroads of Destiny” and even offers to heal Zuko in the same episode.

Katara facing off against Zuko in "The Siege of the North"

Once the Gaang picks up Toph, Katara’s mothering side becomes even more prominent; especially when Toph calls her out on it. In “The Painted Lady,” we see Katara pretending to be a Spirit to help a suffering Fire Nation river village. “I will never turn my back on people who need me,” she tells Sokka, who is questioning her motives for helping a FIRE NATION village. She is able to put her hatred aside for the country that killed her mother to help those in need; showing that Katara is able to look past her prejudice towards the entire nation in order to help people that are suffering from the war.

Katara as The Painted Lady

When we finally learn the whole story behind the loss of her mother in the season three episode “The Southern Raiders,” we see more into what shaped Katara. She lost her mother when she was a young girl, and she is fueled by hate and anger towards the Fire Nation. The choices and decisions that she makes in this episode show us how hurt Katara really is. She had to grow up entirely too fast, because a war took her mother away from her. By the end, she is able to forgive Zuko for everything he has done and accept him as a close friend an ally...or maybe more….hmmm. She even agrees to help him in “Sozin’s Comet: Into the Inferno and Avatar Aang.” She manages to defeat one of the most powerful Firebenders in the world, Princess Azula, and heal Prince Zuko. Katara grew from a damaged girl of war whose motives were driven by the loss of her mother and the love she has for those left to a Waterbending Master and Healer who will “never turn [her] back on people who need [her],” even a Fire Nation Prince. Needless to say, Sifu Katara is a badass character that I would rather have on my side than against me.

Katara healing Prince Zuko after saving her life in "Sozin's Comet"

It took Fire Prince Zuko a while to learn that lesson. Banished from his home land for dishonoring his family, he was scarred and sent to hunt the Avatar; only allowed to return to the Fire Nation after finding him. Honestly, I could sit here and write an entire segment on how Zuko is, without a doubt, one of the best characters to appear on television. He makes some of the most drastic changes. Over the course of the sixty-one episode series, Zuko manages to go from trouble-exiled prince who has lost his way to a reformed ally of the Avatar on the path to restoring peace and balance in the world. *sheds tear*

One reason I love rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender is because of Prince Zuko’s character development. First of all, I just want Zuko to be happy. He’s had such a terrible life, and he deserves one thing to go right for him. In “Zuko Alone,” we get a glimpse into Zuko’s troubled past, and in “The Storm,” we see exactly how and why Zuko was banished by his father. Both of these episodes give us a chance to see why Zuko is the way he is. All his life he has strived for his father’s affection, and with everything he’s done he has fallen short of his goal. Whereas his younger sister, Azula was rewarded everything, because she was Ozai’s golden child. His main support was his mother, who mysteriously disappeared after the death of Fire Lord Azulon. She sacrificed herself for Zuko when he was a young boy, and he never sees her again. Ozai holds the information over his head, thus showing viewers how tortured Zuko his by his own family.

Prince Zuko and Aang in "The Avatar Returns"

In the beginning, Prince Zuko, though hellbent on capturing the Avatar, is clearly just lost. He’s not the evil villain that we think he is. If anything Zhao and Azula are the main adversaries for the Gaang in seasons one and two. We see a glimpse of the good side of Zuko in “The Blue Spirit,” which shows him saving Aang from Zhao’s clutches. This is definitely my favorite episode in season one, because it is so unexpected to see Zuko as a masked vigilante that is saving the Avatar. He is saving Aang instead of kidnapping him. Whatever his true motives were, Zuko acts as an ally to Aang instead of against him to help his own agenda move along.

Aang and The Blue Spirit

He also does this without his Uncle Iroh knowing. Iroh acts as Zuko’s moral compass throughout the series, until season three when he is left to determine his own destiny alone. Zuko captures Aang in “The Seige of the North.” This shows the desperation in his desire to return home. He may think that the capture of the Avatar is wrong, but Zuko wishes to return home and receive his father’s love more than he wishes to do the right thing. In season two, when Zuko is on the run from his sister, we see his character develop a lot more. He starts contemplating which side is right or wrong. In “Lake Laogai,” we see him struggling with freeing Appa or holding him hostage in order to capture Aang. Thanks to the help of Iroh, he makes the decision to free Appa. However, this sends him into a war within himself in “The Earth King,” where he must decide which side he chooses.

Iroh and Zuko: Above is just after Zuko's banishment. Below is Zuko asking for Iroh's forgiveness.

“The Crossroads of Destiny” is Zuko’s first test, and he fails miserably. After spending a moment gaining Katara’s trust in the prison Azula threw them in together, he turns against everyone, including his uncle. He joins forces with Azula and attacks Katara and Aang, in an effort to bring them down; ultimately leading to Aang becoming severely injured. Needless to say, when season three starts, Zuko is now more lost than ever. He tries to speak with his Uncle in the Fire Nation’s prison, asking for advice, but Iroh won’t budge. He knows that this is something Zuko needs to figure out on his own. In “The Beach,” Zuko explains that he is angrier than ever before, and the only explanation he has is he’s angry with himself. He is once again at war: The good Zuko versus the bad Zuko.

The Final Agni Kai between Azula and Zuko in "Sozin's Comet"

Finally, in “The Day of Black Sun” we see Zuko choose. He decides that his destiny is to join forces with the Avatar to restore peace and balance in the world. The scene where Zuko stands up to his father is one of the most powerful scenes in the entire show. It shows how much he’s grown as a character as well as a Firebender. He only continues to grow, learning he must pay for his mistakes that he’s made. In “The Western Air Temple,” Zuko is trying to make amends with the Gaang in order to join them and teach Aang Firebending. “The Firebending Masters” takes him back to the heart of Firebending, and ultimately showing him he chose the right path. “The Boiling Rock” shows Zuko helping Sokka rescue his father and Suki from a Fire Nation prison. “The Southern Raiders” is a real turning point for him, because he finally gains back Katara’s trust after risking everything to help her track down and face her mother’s murderer. The final four episodes, “Sozin’s Comet,” show us the new and improved Zuko as he helps prepare for the final battle and ultimately the final Agni Kai against his sister. When we finally see Fire Lord Zuko, he is a completely different character than Fire Prince Zuko we met in season one. He had gone through a lot of changes over the course of a year, but it’s so amazing and well written that it keeps me revisiting this series.

Zuko saving Katara from Azula's lightning

Zuko’s character is completely relatable, because we all have that battle inside between good and evil and which path to take. Out of all the characters in ATLA, he has grown the most and developed some of the best relationships because of his struggle throughout the story. His character arc is well fleshed out and detailed that he seems almost real. Everyone can relate to season one, two, or three Zuko at one point, which gives this show even more depth and meaning.

Zuko and his mother in a flashback in the episode, "Zuko Alone"

As much as I love this show and am addicted to the universe, there was only one big issue I had with it. At the very end of the series finale, “Sozin’s Comet: Avatar Aang,” we see the typical hero get the girl. This may be an unpopular opinion, but it really caught me off guard. The entire time DiMartino and Konietzko were building Aang and Katara’s relationship it seemed more Mother-Son or Sister-Brother relationship. Katara cared for Aang like she would her children. I never felt any chemistry between them. The argument is that the writer’s built it up for “Kataang” to happen, however I thought it felt forced.

Aang and Katara in "The Ember Island Players"

Anytime there was any “romance” happening between the two characters, Aang was always the one initiating the moment, and almost pushing Katara away. Even in “The Ember Island Players,” Aang tells Katara how he feels. When she replies that she is confused and needs time to think, he forces himself on her. To me that is not the right way to build a relationship between characters. The canonizing of this relationship seemed more forced than anything in the show, and I felt that the writers did this to prove a point that the hero should always get the girl.

The final scene between Aang and Katara

With that being said, I’m sure you’d like to know how I think it should have end. WELL, I am a firm believer that Katara and Zuko had a stronger relationship than Katara and Aang. They had chemistry and they balanced each other. I mean, COME ON! First of all, Fire and Water. They’re polar opposites! Yin and Yang. Tui and La. BALANCE. Their relationship could have meant so much more to the show, because it would have resembled a world that is restoring balance after a war as well as resolving hostilities between nations. Not only would it have been a great symbol, but they also had more in common. They both understood each other. Each of them lost their mother because of the Fire Nation, bringing them even closer together. Not to mention, Katara is the ONLY character he ever let touch his scar that brings him so much emotional pain.

Zuko and Katara in prison in "The Crossroads of Destiny"

After “The Southern Raiders,” they both had mutual respect for one another. Aang didn’t understand Katara’s need to find her mother’s killer. Zuko, however, is there for her, and doesn’t judge her decisions when she is bloodbending for information. If anything, he grows to respect her even more and sees her as his equal. Whereas, Aang, with most certainty, would have judged and condemned Katara for her actions in her mission with Zuko. After this, Zuko and Katara have an even stronger relationship.

Katara and Zuko in "The Southern Raiders"

Katara is there for Zuko when he seeks his uncle’s forgiveness, and in the series finale, Zuko asks Katara to join him when he goes to face his sister. Let me start off this bit by saying, YOU DON’T JUMP IN FRONT OF LIGHTNING FOR JUST ANYONE! Zuko risks his own life when Azula sends a bolt of lightning towards Katara. Um, Zuko sacrifices his life and the future of the Fire Nation just to save a Waterbender only because he’s friends with her? Yeah. I’m not convinced.

On their way to find The Southern Raiders

Say what you will about Zutara, but they had chemistry. It may be wishful thinking on my part, but their relationship ended up being one of the strongest on the show, aside from Zuko and Iroh’s. It's just a shame the writer's never expanded on such a strong bond, even if it is just a friendship. They set them up with so much potential.

Katara has forgiven Zuko for everything he's done to them

Overall, Avatar: The Last Airbender is possibly one of the best cartoons of my generation. It had an amazing story that taught great lessons with characters that had depth and relationships with meaning. Each character was relatable, and at one point I saw myself in every character. They each had such detailed backgrounds. This set up an entire universe that was able to continue on: Legend of Korra and several comic books. I like to argue that this show is not a children’s show. It is full of dark undertones and deep meanings that may be too difficult for children to understand. I’d say that it is directed to the Young Adult age group, or even adults. It carries a message for all ages, however. Rewatching this show as an adult has allowed me to pick up on the stronger themes and lessons in each season that I definitely missed when I was younger. This show has obviously made an impact on television if it is still being heavily debated and discussed seven years after it has ended.

Pick up the entire box series on October 6, 2015.

--Kasey