Twenty years ago, American culture was changed forever with the release of one of the greatest television shows of all time. The show in question? “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” 

“Avatar: The Last Airbender” was a game changer for Saturday morning cartoons immediately upon its release. 

The premise was simple enough. The world is separated into four nations, differentiated by their respective abilities to control, or “bend,” the four elements: water, earth, fire and air. 

One person in the world can bend all four and acts as a peacekeeper between the nations. This person is called the Avatar and he or she is reincarnated into a cycle of the four nations upon their death.

But when the Fire Nation unleashes war upon the world, they annihilate the Air Nomads, from which the next Avatar was supposed to originate. But the Avatar, a 12-year old boy named Aang, disappears before the massacre, ending up frozen in ice. 

The Fire Nation and the two remaining nations, the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom, wage war for 100 years in his absence.

When Aang is finally discovered by Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe in a seemingly random encounter, the three realize that he may be the only hope the world has of stopping the Fire Nation. Together, they set out on a quest for Aang to master the remaining elements so that he can defeat the leader of the Fire Nation, Firelord Ozai, and save the world. 

Along their journey, they are pursued by Prince Zuko, the disgraced son of the Firelord, and his uncle, the wise and laid back General Iroh.

Each season contains a mini-arc of sorts that sees Aang trying to master a different element. Each season of the series is a “book”, with each episode referred to as a “chapter.” Each book takes its name from one of the remaining elements that Aang must master: Water, Earth, and Fire.

What set this show apart from other children’s shows was its willingness to approach mature topics. 

Things like genocide and death are approached in a way that the audience will sympathize with, such as when Aang discovers (in the THIRD EPISODE) that his entire culture has been exterminated or when it’s revealed that Iroh’s son was killed in the war and he still grieves over the loss.

The show is also beloved for its well-developed characters. While the main characters are of course well-developed, it was the side characters that really stole the show. 

Zuko, who starts as an antagonist but is given one of the best redemption arcs in fiction, is just one example. 

This show is now 20 years old, but has aged remarkably well, and is still loved by people all over the world, including me. 

“Avatar: The Last Airbender” is so popular that there have been multiple attempts to remake the story, but none have captured the magic of the original. 

So get a Netflix account or steal the password of one who does and watch this show already. I am sure that you will not regret it. 

Categories: Arts & Entertainment