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Avatar: The Last Airbender is an American animated television series that aired for three seasons on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. The series was created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who served as executive producers along with Aaron Ehasz. Avatar is set in an Asian-influenced world[1] of Chinese martial arts in which elemental manipulation is possible. The show drew on elements from traditional Asian culture, blending the styles of anime and American domestic cartoons.[2] The series follows the adventures of the main protagonist Aang and his friends, who must save the world by defeating the evil Fire Lord and ending his destructive war against the three other nations.[3] The pilot episode first aired on February 21, 2005[4] and the series concluded with a widely praised two-hour television movie on July 19, 2008.[5] The show is obtainable from various sources, including on DVD, the iTunes Store, the Zune Marketplace, the Xbox Live Marketplace, the PlayStation Store, Netflix Instant Play, and on the Nicktoons Network.[6] Avatar: The Last Airbender was popular with both audiences and critics,[7] garnering 5.6 million viewers on its best-rated showing and receiving high ratings in the Nicktoons lineup, even outside its 611-year-old demographic.[3][8] Avatar: The Last Airbender has been nominated for and won awards from the Annual Annie Awards, the Genesis Awards, the primetime Emmy awards and a Peabody Award among others. The first season's success prompted Nickelodeon to order second[9] and third[10] seasons. In other media, the series has spawned a live-action movie trilogy, the first titled The Last Airbender, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, scaled action figures,[11] a trading card game,[12][13] three video games based on the first,[14] second,[15][16] and third seasons, stuffed animals distributed by Paramount Parks, and two LEGO sets.[17] An art book was also released in mid-2010.[18] Furthermore, the president of Nickelodeon announced on July 21, 2010 that a mini-Spin-off called The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra will premiere in 2012.[19]

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Also known as

Avatar: The Legend of Aang Avatar: The Bender of the Four Elements (Bulgarian title)

Genre

Action/Adventure Fantasy Comedy-drama

Format Created by

Cartoon series Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko

Written by

Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko Aaron Ehasz Tim Hedrick Nick Malis

Directed by

Lauren MacMullan Dave Filoni Giancarlo Volpe Ethan Spaulding Joaquim Dos Santos

1 Series overview 1.1 Backstory 1.2 Season One (Book One: Water) 1.3 Season Two (Book Two: Earth) 1.4 Season Three (Book Three: Fire) 2 Characters 3 Production 4 Themes 4.1 Duality 4.2 Destiny and Free Will 4.3 Other Themes 5 Reception 5.1 Awards and nominations 6 Other media 6.1 Literature 6.2 Promotion and merchandising 6.3 Video games 6.4 Film adaptation 6.5 Spin-off 7 References 8 External links

Voices of

Zach Tyler Eisen Mae Whitman Jack DeSena Jessie Flower (Seasons 2 & 3) Dee Bradley Baker Dante Basco Grey DeLisle Mark Hamill Mako (Seasons 1 & 2) Greg Baldwin (Season 3) Jason Isaacs

Composer(s) Country of origin Language(s) No. of seasons No. of episodes

Jeremy Zuckerman United States

English 3 61 (List of episodes) Production

Executive producer(s)

Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko Aaron Ehasz

Main article: List of Avatar: The Last Airbender episodes

Running time Production company(s)

23 minutes Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Broadcast Original channel Nickelodeon Picture format Original run NTSC 4:3 (480i) February 21, 2005 July 19, 2008 Chronology Followed by The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra

Avatar: The Last Airbender takes place in a world that is home to humans, fantastic animals, and spirits. Human civilization is divided into four nations: the Water Tribe, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads. Each nation has its own natural element, on which it bases its society. Furthermore, people known as Benders have the power and ability to control and manipulate the eponymous element of their nation using the physical motions of martial arts. The show's creators based each Bending style on a style of real-world martial art, leading to visual differences in the techniques used by Waterbenders (T'ai chi), Earthbenders (Hung Ga kung fu, for the most part), Firebenders (Northern Shaolin kung fu) and Airbenders (Baguazhang).[20]
A map of the four nations. The characters at the top, , mean "the superheroes [the world or the country or the land] in four." The characters of the four lands are (Water Peaceful), (Earth Strong), (Fire Fierce), and (Air Harmony). The phrase at the bottom, , reads "correct all things under heaven".

At any given time, there is only one person alive in the world of Avatar who is capable of bending all four elements: the show's eponymous Avatar, the spiritual entity of the planet manifested in human form. When an Avatar dies, he or she is reincarnated into the next nation in the Avatar Cycle, in the order of the seasons. Legend holds the Avatar must master each bending art in seasonal order as well, starting with their native element. For the Avatar, learning to bend their opposite element can be extremely difficult; the example shown in the series is Aang's inability to stand his ground head-on while Earthbending, his Airbender training having placed emphasis on circling, approaching from new angles and adapting on the fly.[21]

The Avatar possesses a unique power and ability called the Avatar State, which endows the Avatar with all the knowledge and abilities of all past Avatars and acts as a self-triggering defense mechanism, although it can be made subject to the will of the user through various methods, such as extensive trial and training.[22] If an Avatar is killed in the Avatar State, the reincarnation cycle will be broken, and the Avatar will cease to exist.[23] Through the ages, countless incarnations of Avatar have served to keep the four nations in harmony, and maintain world order.[20] The Avatar serves as the bridge between the physical world and the Spirit World, allowing him or her to solve problems that normal benders cannot.[24]

Backstory
The events one hundred years before the beginning of the show are revealed gradually and out of order throughout the series. One hundred years before the start of the series, a twelve-year-old Airbender named Aang learns he is the new Avatar. Fearful of the heavy responsibilities of the position, and being separated from his beloved mentor, Monk Gyatso, Aang flees from home on his animal guide, a giant six-legged flying bison named Appa. During their flight, they become caught in a fierce storm and crash into the ocean; Aang's protective Avatar State is triggered, and it encases the pair in an iceberg, in suspended animation. Meanwhile, Fire Lord Sozin, who killed the previous Avatar because he would have acted to stop his war plans, begins a genocidal assault on the Air Nomads. Sozin knew that the new Avatar would be an Air Nomad, and eliminated them in order to ensure his domination of the world would not be interrupted. Aang is the only Air Nomad to survive the attack.

Season One (Book One: Water)

Main article: Avatar: The Last Airbender (season 1) One hundred years later Katara, a fourteen-year-old Waterbender girl, and her older warrior brother, fifteen-year-old Sokka, free Aang and Appa from the iceberg. After Aang is revealed to be the Avatar, the three travel to the Northern Water Tribe so Aang and Katara can learn Waterbending. While on their journey, Aang and friends visit the Southern Air Temple where Aang discovers that the Fire Nation wiped out the Air Nomads. At the Southern Air Temple Aang meets his Avatar guide, Avatar Roku. On their journey, the trio is constantly pursued by Prince Zuko, the exiled son of Fire Lord Ozai, who can only reclaim his honor and throne if he captures the Avatar. Zuko travels with his uncle Iroh, a legendary Fire Nation general and the older brother of Ozai. Competing with Zuko for the Avatar is Admiral Zhao, who leads a Fire Nation assault on the Northern Water Tribe. The attack is repelled thanks to Aang and his friends, but after the siege is ended, the Fire Lord tasks his daughter Azula to capture Zuko and Iroh, who are now considered traitors to the Fire Nation.

Season Two (Book Two: Earth)

Main article: Avatar: The Last Airbender (season 2) After leaving the North Pole, Aang masters Waterbending under Katara's tutelage. Searching for a new Earthbending teacher, the group meets Toph, a blind Earthbending prodigy who teaches Aang how to "see" using Earthbending and vibrations. Meanwhile, Zuko and Iroh, now fugitives from the Fire Nation, attempt to lead new lives in the Earth Kingdom. Zuko, with the help of his uncle, tries to come to terms with his troubled past and his obsession with capturing the Avatar. Aang and his friends discover that an upcoming solar eclipse will deprive Firebenders of their bending, leaving them open to invasion and giving Aang his chance to defeat the Fire Lord, but in learning this Aang's Sky Bison is lost to a group of Sandbenders. Azula and her two friends Mai and Ty Lee pursue Team Avatar, who struggle to reach Ba Sing Se, the Earth Kingdom capital, and tell the Earth King of the eclipse. After capturing and impersonating the Kyoshi Warriors, friends of Team Avatar, Azula persuades an elite group of Earthbenders called the Dai Li to instigate a coup d'tat, allowing the Fire Nation to capture Ba Sing Se. In a final confrontation, Zuko sides with his sister, who promises to restore his honor. Aang is lightning struck by Azula and is presumably killed. Iroh helps Aang and Katara to escape after Zuko betrays him, and is imprisoned by the Dai Li for his actions. Katara brings Aang back with special spirit water from the North Pole, but his seventh chakra is blocked and therefore he cannot enter the Avatar State.

Season Three (Book Three: Fire)

Main article: Avatar: The Last Airbender (season 3) See also: Sozin's Comet: The Final Battle Aang awakens from his injury to find the group disguised as Fire Nation soldiers heading West on a Fire Nation ship, while Zuko has been restored to his position as crown prince and Iroh is imprisoned as a traitor. Sokka has planned a small-scale invasion of the Fire Nation to capture the Fire Lord's palace and defeat Fire Lord Ozai, taking advantage of the solar eclipse. The invasion will be staged by a ragtag group of benders and warriors whom Aang has helped along his journey. Initially the invasion proceeds as planned, but Aang fails to find the Fire Lord before the eclipse ends. The invasion ultimately fails, and only Aang and the rest of the young ones are able to escape. Zuko, in a change of heart, decides to defy his father and join the Avatar. Zuko catches up with Aang at the Western Air Temple and offers to teach Aang Firebending. After some reluctance from Katara and Sokka, Team Avatar allows Zuko to join the group. In the four-part series finale, Aang and his friends confront the forces of Fire Lord Ozai, who plans to use the power of Sozin's Comet to destroy the

other nations and rule the world as the Phoenix King. Iroh, after becoming amazingly strong and breaking himself out of prison, leads the Order of the White Lotus to liberate Ba Sing Se. The Order of the White Lotus is a group of masters including King Bumi, Master Pakku, Master Piando, Jeong Jeong and General Iroh. Sokka, Toph and Kyoshi Warrior Suki take down the Fire Nation's airships, preventing them from burning down the Earth Kingdom. Meanwhile, Zuko and Katara go to take on Azula. However Azula, sensing she cannot take on both Zuko and Katara at the same time, challenges Zuko to an Agni Kai duel. Zuko seems to have the upper hand due to Azula's deteriorating mental state. However, when Azula fires a lightning bolt at Katara, who is watching the duel from the sidelines, Zuko jumps in the way and intercepts the bolt to save her, gravely injuring himself in the process. Katara then manages to restrain Azula and heals Zuko. Aang struggles in his battle against Ozai, since he is reluctant to take his life. However, Aang is able to reenter the Avatar State and ultimately defeats Ozai by taking away his firebending powers with a technique known as energy-bending, taught to him by an ancient lion-turtle. With Ozai defeated, the war quickly ends. Zuko is crowned the new Fire Lord and, with the help of the Avatar and his friends, begins rebuilding the four nations. After Zuko is crowned the new Fire Lord he goes to confront his father in prison and demands to know where his banished mother is. The screen then cuts to a scene at Ba Sing Se where the group is enjoying the new peace. The series ends as Aang and Katara kiss under the sunset.

Main article: List of Avatar: The Last Airbender characters Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen) is the 12-year-old, fun-loving protagonist of the series who had been frozen in ice with his flying bison, Appa, for 100 years. He is freed by a young Waterbender named Katara with whom he falls in love later. Normally a very peaceful person, Aang is fiercely protective of the people he cares about, particularly Katara and Appa. In the first episode of Season 2 a General of the Earth Kingdom tries to force Aang into the Avatar state; which was only achieved after feigning the death of Katara. In season 2 he is involuntarily forced into the Avatar state by the knowledge that Appa is missing. Overall, he becomes angry and short tempered when he cannot protect the ones he loves. He is the current incarnation of the Avatar, the spirit of the planet manifested in human form. Aang is a reluctant hero trying to return balance to the world. Aang also has arrow tattoos on his forehead and limbs, something that was part of Airbender culture before they were wiped out.[25] According to the show's creators in DVD extras, the tattoos mark Aang as an airbending master and he is the youngest airbender in history to earn them. Katara (Mae Whitman) is a 14-year-old Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe. Katara and her brother, Sokka, discover and free Aang from a block of ice in which he had been frozen for 100 years. With her brother Sokka, she accompanies Aang on his quest to defeat the Fire Lord and, eventually, becomes his Waterbending teacher. Katara is the only waterbender left in the Southern Water Tribe as well as one of the only Waterbenders that possesses the knowledge of bloodbending.(Season 3) Bloodbending allows her to control any person by bending the water inside the blood; but she only uses this ability twice in the series. She has also the ability to heal people. Katara is a usually a very kind person, she does whatever she can to help others. In the final episode of Season 2 she offers to heal Zuko's scar with the water Master Pakku gave her from the spirit oasis at the North Pole; to which he accepts. However, she is interrupted by the arrival of Aang and Iroh. As displayed when she meets Jet for the second time in Ba Sing Se, and when Zuko joins the team; Katara is deeply affected by treachery. It is one of the only things that truly upsets her, she often brings up the mistakes the individuals made in the past. It is also very difficult for her to trust again once someone has betrayed her or someone she cares about. But after a short journey with Zuko, to capture the man who killed her mother, Katara learned to be more forgiving. In the original un-aired pilot episode, Katara's name was Kya; this later is stated to be her mother's name. Katara is in love with Aang, though she rarely shows it. Sokka (Jack DeSena) is a 15-year-old warrior of the Southern Water Tribe. With his sister, Katara, he accompanies Aang on his quest to defeat the Fire Lord. As both the joker and the idea man of the group, Sokka describes himself as a "meat-loving" and "sarcastic"[21] guy. In the end of Season 1, Sokka was in love with Yue, the princess of the Northern Water Tribe. Unlike his companions, Sokka does not have any bending ability; however the series, though it often makes him the victim of comedy at his expense, frequently grants him opportunities to use his ingenuity and weapons, including his trusty boomerang and a sword he forged from a meteorite in Season 3. At the end of the show, it becomes apparent that Sokka is in a relationship with Suki, a Kyoshi warrior. Toph Bei Fong (Jessie Flower) is a blind female Earthbender who is 12 years old.[20] She first appears in the second season of the show. Not long after meeting Aang and his friends, she leaves her wealthy family and comfortable home to join Aang on his quest with a plan to teach him Earthbending. This is because she was constantly belittled by her parents even though she secretly became one of the strongest earthbenders of the kingdom by competing in Tournaments. Through the series, it is noted that Toph has a small crush on Sokka which is shown as comic relief because of her random bursts of emotions towards Sokka. Though blind, Toph "sees" by feeling vibrations in the ground through her feet; she can even use this ability to tell the state of mind of those around her by feeling their breathing and heartbeat. She uses this ability to develop the art of Metalbending by feeling the earth and minerals in refined metal. Though Toph can be rigid and hard headed as is true to her earthbending nature, she begins to open up as she gets to know the others better and becomes close friends to Aang, Katara, and Sokka. Momo (Dee Bradley Baker in both the animated series and the live-action film)[26] is an intelligent and curious winged lemur. Aang found him at the Southern Air Temple soon after starting his quest and decided to keep him as a pet.[27] He often picks fights with other winged and smaller creatures and with Appa over food. Momo is shown to only understand Aang and has trouble deciphering other people's speech. In "Tales of Ba Sing Se", Momos name was written as (m m). Appa (Dee Bradley Baker in both the animated series and the live-action film)[26][28] is Aang's flying bison who serves as the group's main mode of transportation around the world. He is stuck in suspended animation with Aang for 100 years, and shares a very strong bond with him.[29] He possesses the ability to fly and can use his tail to create powerful gusts of air. According to Aang, flying bison were the first Airbenders.[27] Zuko (Dante Basco) is the 16-year-old exiled prince of the Fire Nation and original antagonist of the series. He is determined, strong willed, and rarely shows weakness, but he eventually shows his more sensitive side in the third season. Due to events in Zuko's past, his father, Fire Lord Ozai, deems him a complete failure, burns the left side his face (leaving him with his trademark scar) and banishes him. The only way for Zuko to regain his honor and return to the Fire Nation is to capture the Avatar. Over time, Zuko struggles to deal with his anger, self-pity, and complex familial relationships, as well as the choice between good and evil. He takes on the vigilante identity of "the Blue Spirit" at the end of season one and beginning of season two. In season three, he develops a romantic relationship with Mai and defects from the Fire Nation to join the Avatar. At the end of the series, after the defeat of the Phoenix King, he is crowned ruler of the Fire Nation. As the new Fire Lord he ends the war and promises to aid in rebuilding the other nations. For several years Zuko thought his mother had passed away after mysteriously disappearing in the middle of the night. Zuko learns that in reality Fire Lord Ozai had only banished her from the Fire Nation. After Zuko is awarded his ruling, he asks his father, who is now behind bars, where his long lost mother is located. However, the location of Zuko's mother is never revealed to viewers. Azula (Grey DeLisle) is the 14 year old manipulative princess of the Fire Nation. She is Zuko's younger sister and one of the major

antagonists of the series. Azula is a Firebending prodigy and is one of the few living Firebenders capable of casting lightning. She uses fear to control her relatives and friends Mai and Ty Lee, reserving her family loyalty for her father alone. It is revealed, later in the third season, that, even though she was admired by everyone when she was younger, her mother favored Zuko over her. At the end of season three, she loses her sanity because of the betrayal of Mai and Ty Lee and has an angry, but tearful fit when she is defeated by Zuko and Katara in the series finale. Suki (Jennie Kwan) is the leader of the young (and exclusively female) Kyoshi Warriors. She is an exceptionally skilled fighter and staunch ally of the protagonists. She was imprisoned by the Fire Nation after the Kyoshi Warriors were defeated by Azula, but was ultimately released by Sokka, Zuko, Hakoda, and Chit-Sang. She remained with the protagonists thereafter and fought with Toph and Sokka to disable the Fire Nation air force. She is one of Sokka's love interests and Sokka's girlfriend by the end of the series. Iroh (Mako Iwamatsu in season one and two. Greg Baldwin in season three) is a retired Fire Nation general, known as the Dragon of the West, and Prince Zuko's uncle and mentor. Iroh was the original heir to the Fire Nation throne until his brother usurped the throne after Fire Lord Azulon's death.[30] Iroh may have been less eager to take the throne because his son Lu Ten was killed in battle. Iroh's grief kept him from power as well as taking the Earth Kingdom city of Ba Sing Se. On the surface, Iroh is a cheerful, kind, optimistically eccentric tea-loving old man, but he still remains a powerful warrior and a devoted surrogate parent to Zuko. Iroh is a Grand Master of the Order of the White Lotus, a secret society of men from all nations and helps retake Ba Sing Se during the series finale. Unlike most Firebenders, Iroh does not use anger as the source of his strength; instead he uses the original Firebending skills learned from the Dragons. Mai (Cricket Leigh)[31] is Zuko's love interest and the friend of Ty Lee. She was Azula's friend until the middle of season 3. She is also very skilled at throwing knives. Mai is very cold throughout the series, but declared to Azula that she loved Zuko. Ty Lee (Olivia Hack)[28] is a circus girl and friends with Mai and Azula (until the middle of season 3). She fights using chi blocking and is extremely flexible and a skilled acrobat. She has six exactly identical sisters; she, wanting to be different from her sisters, joined the circus. In the final episode, she chooses to join the Kyoshi Warriors. She appears to have a small crush on Sokka, especially throughout Book 2. Ozai (Mark Hamill) is the father of Zuko and Azula, younger brother of Iroh, and ruler of the Fire Nation as Fire Lord. Although he is the primary antagonist for the series, he played a behind-the-scenes role during the first two seasons. His face was not shown until the first episode of Book 3.

Avatar: The Last Airbender was co-created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko at Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, California. Animation work was mostly done by three animation studios in South Korea: JM Animation, DR Movie and Moi Animation. According to Bryan Konietzko, the program was conceived in the spring of 2001 when he took an old sketch of a balding, middle-aged man and re-imagined the character as a child.[1] Konietzko drew the character herding bison in the sky, and showed the sketch to Mike DiMartino. At the time, DiMartino was studying a documentary about explorers trapped in the South Pole. Konietzko described their early development of the concept: We thought, "There's an air guy along with these water people trapped in a snowy wasteland... and maybe some fire people are pressing down on them..."
Michael DiMartino, one of the co-creators of the show, at the 2008 New York Comic Con.

The co-creators successfully pitched the idea to Nickelodeon vice president and executive producer Eric Coleman just two weeks later.[32]

The series was first revealed to the public in a teaser reel at Comic-Con 2004,[33] and aired February 21, 2005. In the United States, first two episodes of the series were shown together in a one-hour premiere event. A second twenty-episode season ran from March 17, 2006 through December 1.[9] A third and final season, beginning September 21, 2007, featured twenty-one episodes rather than the usual twenty.[10] The final four episodes were packaged as a two-hour movie. Avatar is notable for borrowing extensively from Asian art and mythology to create its universe. The series' character designs are heavily influenced by anime as well as Chinese art and history, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism,[34] and Yoga.[2] Traditional East Asian calligraphy styles are used for nearly all the writing in the series. For each instance of calligraphy, an appropriate style is used, ranging from seal script (more archaic) to clerical script.[35] The show employed a cultural consultant, Edwin Zane, and calligrapher Siu-Leung Lee as consultants for the series' cultural influences. [2][36] The choreographed martial art bending moves were profoundly affected by Asian cinema.[1] In an interview, Bryan revealed that, "Mike and I were really interested in other epic 'Legends & Lore' properties, like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, but we knew that we wanted to take a different approach to that type of genre. Our love for Japanese anime, Hong Kong action and kung fu cinema, yoga, and Eastern philosophies led us to the initial inspiration for Avatar."[37] The show's character designs are heavily influenced by anime; the show, however, is not generally considered to be "anime" because of its origination in the United States. All music and sound used in the series was done by Jeremy Zuckerman and Benjamin Wynn, who formed The Track Team. They experimented with use of a wide range of different instruments, such as the guzheng, pipa and duduk, to compose a background music that fits into the world.[38] The term "Avatar" comes from Sanskrit. The word Avatra, (Sanskrit: ), which means "descent"; its roots are ava, "down," and tri, "to pass." In the Hindu scriptures, avatara signifies the descent of Divinity into flesh. One who attains union with Spirit and then returns to earth to help humanity is called an avatar. The Chinese characters that appear at the top of the show's title card mean "the divine medium who has descended upon the mortal world."[35] According to the plot, during a period where Aang was young, he unknowingly revealed he was the Avatar when he chose four toys out of thousands, each of which were the childhood toys of the previous Avatars. In Tibetan Buddhism, there is a similar test for reincarnations of a Tulku Lama. In Magic and Mystery in Tibet, Alexandra David-Neel writes that "a number of objects such as rosaries, ritualistic implements, books, tea-cups, etc., are placed together, and the child must pick out those which belonged to the late tulku, thus showing that he recognizes the things which were theirs in their previous life."[39] Each successor is expected to show signs of continuity with the previous Avatar, such as being born within a week of the death. Avatar: The Last Airbender draws on the four classical elements common to many ancient philosophies for its bending arts: Water, Earth, Fire and Air. Although each has its own variation, most ancient philosophies incorporate these four elements in some way. Examples include the classical Hindu, Buddhist, and Greek elemental traditions. In the shows opening, each element is accompanied by two Chinese characters: an ancient Chinese seal script character on the left representing the element being shown and a modern Chinese character on the right describing some feature of the

element. The character (pinyin: shui), which stands for water, is shown with (pinyin: shan), which means benevolence and adaptivity. The character (pinyin: tu), which stands for earth, is shown with (pinyin: qiang), which means strength and stability. The character (pinyin: huo), which stands for fire, is shown with (pinyin: lie), which means intensity and passion. Finally, the character (pinyin: qi), which stands for air, is shown with (pinyin: he), which means peace and harmony.[40] In addition to the use of four classical elements in the series, the fighting styles associated with each element are all taken from different styles of Chinese martial arts. The series employed Sifu Kisu of the Harmonious Fist Chinese Athletic Association as a martial arts consultant.[41] Each fighting style was chosen to represent the element it projected. T'ai chi was used for "Waterbending" in the series, and it focuses on alignment, body structure, breath, and visualization. Hung Gar was used for "Earthbending" in the series, and was chosen for its firmly rooted stances and powerful strikes to present the solid nature of earth. Northern Shaolin, which uses strong arm and leg movements was used for "Firebending". Ba Gua, which uses dynamic circular movements and quick directional changes, was used for "Airbending".[20][42][43] The only exception to these styles is Toph, who can be seen practicing a Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis style.[44]

Duality
Duality, especially between good and evil, plays a huge role in Avatar. For instance, half of Zukos face is scarred and is more prominently featured when Zuko is angry or tempted by evil. Conversely, the undamaged half of his face is showed when he shows compassion. This is further developed when it is revealed that his two great grandfathers are Fire Lord Sozin (responsible for starting the war) and Avatar Roku (who honorably tried to stop the war). The conflict between his two great grandfathers is representative of the conflict between good and evil in Zuko. This theme is often symbolized by the colors blue and orange (or occasionally red).

Destiny and Free Will

Many of the characters in the show have a destiny that was forced upon them. Aang, as the Avatar, must end the war by defeating the Fire Lord. Zuko believes it is his destiny to regain his honor by capturing the Avatar and bringing him to his father so he may one day be Fire Lord. Iroh believed it to be his destiny to conquer Ba Sing Se. Throughout the show, it is revealed that Aang initially rejected his identity as the Avatar, and fled his people. He learns to accept and embrace his destiny and only then can he defeat the Fire Lord. Alternatively, Zuko learns that the destiny he thought he had to fulfill is not what he truly wants in life. Though it takes a long time, he is eventually able to disregard the destiny he feels is immoral and act in accordance to his own wishes. Only when he solves his internal struggle is he able to reject his perscribed destiny, and make his own way. He chooses to help the Avatar, defeat Azula, and become the new Fire Lord. As a young man, Iroh led a Fire Nation siege on Ba Sing Se for 600 days, breaking through the outer wall, but abandoning the field when his son was killed in battle. He believed it his destiny to conquer the city, but was unable to do so. In the third season, Iroh lives in Ba Sing Se among the people of the Earth Kingdom and finds that he is very happy there. When it is conquered by the Fire Nation, Iroh realizes it is actually his destiny to reconquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth Kingdom.

Other Themes
Many of the characters depicted as morally ambiguous, such as Jet and Long Feng. These characters have backstories that reveal where their flawed sense of morality originates, and while their actions are often immoral, their intentions are understandable. In the third season, it is shown that the Fire Nation encourages intense nationalism and so it is understandable why characters like Zuko and Azula view the world the way they do. The themes of war and hope are also touched upon, with Aang struggling to bring peace to a shattered world. Throughout the series, many survivors and refugees whose lives have been destroyed by the Fire Nation are found trying to rebuild their lives. Katara usually sticks up for these people, saying that hope is all that they can give, while Sokka is more indifferent and is only focused on aiding Aang. Other themes include love, friendship, courage, choice, and redemption.

When the series debuted, it was rated the best animated television series in its demographic;[45] new episodes averaged 3.1 million viewers each.[45] A one-hour special showing of "The Secret of the Fire Nation" which aired on September 15, 2006, consisting of "The Serpent's Pass" and "The Drill", gathered an audience of 5.1 million viewers. According to the Nielsen Media Research, the special was the best performing cable television show airing in that week.[46] In 2007, Avatar was syndicated to more than 105 countries worldwide, and was one of Nickelodeon's top rated programs. The series was ranked first on Nickelodeon in Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, Belgium, and Colombia.[47] The series finale, Sozin's Comet: The Final Battle, received the highest ratings of the series. Its July 19, 2008 premiere averaged 5.6 million viewers, 95% more viewers than Nickelodeon had received in mid-July 2007.[48] During the week of July 14, it ranked as the most-viewed program for the under-14 demographic.[49][50] Sozin's Comet also appeared on iTunes' top ten list of best-selling television episodes during that same week.[51] Sozin's Comet 's popularity affected online media as well; "Rise of the Phoenix King", a Nick.com online game based on Sozin's Comet, generated almost 815,000 game plays within three days.[52] IGN listed the complete series as 35th in its list of Top 100 Animated TV Shows.[53]

Awards and nominations

Awards 2005 Pulcinella Awards:[54] Best Action/Adventure TV Series Best TV Series 33rd Annie Awards:[55] Best Animated Television Production Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production (The Deserter) Nominated Won Won Won Outcome

Writing for an Animated Television Production (The Fortuneteller) 34th Annie Awards:[56] Character Animation in a Television Production (The Blind Bandit) Directing in an Animated Television Production (The Drill) 36th Annie Awards:[57] Best Animated Television Production for Children Directing in an Animated Television Production (Joaquim Dos Santos for Into the Inferno) 2007 Genesis Awards: Outstanding Children's Programming (Appa's Lost Days) Primetime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Animated Program (City of Walls and Secrets) Individual Achievement Award (Sang-Jin Kim for Lake Laogai) Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards 2008: Favorite Cartoon[58] Annecy 2008: TV series (Joaquim Dos Santos for The Day of Black Sun Part 2: The Eclipse)[59] 56th Golden Reel Awards: Best Sound Editing in a Television Animation (Avatar Aang)[60] 2008 Peabody Awards: "Unusually complex characters and healthy respect for the consequences of warfare"[61]

Nominated

Won Won

Won Won Won Nominated Won Won

Nominated

Nominated

Won

Literature
Dark Horse Comics released an art book titled Avatar: The Last Airbender The Art of the Animated Series, on June 2, 2010 which contains 184 pages of the original art and creation behind the Avatar animated series.[62] Several comic book short stories were published in Nickelodeon Magazine, and on June 15, 2011 Dark Horse Comics released a collection of these and new comics in a single volume called Avatar: The Last Airbender The Lost Adventures.[63] Dark Horse Comics has an "ongoing partnership" with Nickelodeon to publish books related to the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender.[63]

Promotion and merchandising

Avatar's success has led to some promotional advertising with third-party companies, such as Burger King and Upper Deck Entertainment. Avatar-themed roller coasters at Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America and one formerly at Kings Island also appeared. During the show's runtime, Nickelodeon published two special issues of Nick Mag Presents dedicated entirely to the show. Various members of the Avatar staff and cast appeared at the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con International convention, while Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko appeared with Martial Arts Consultant Sifu Kisu at the Pacific Media Expo on October 28, 2006. Avatar also has its own line of t-shirts, LEGO playsets, toys, a trading card game,[64] a cine-manga, and three video games, as well as an MMO.[65]

The two Lego sets: a Fire Nation ship and an Air Temple

The Fisher-Price-produced action figure toy line generated some controversy with its exclusion of any female characters.[66] Mattel came to release information stating that they have taken account of Katara's increased role within the program, and that she would be included in the figure assortment for a mid 2007 release.[67] The figure ultimately went unreleased, however, as the entire line was canceled before she could be produced. Nickelodeon executives have since released optimistic plans for upcoming marketing strategies in regards to Avatar. Nickelodeon President Cyma Zarghami openly stated her belief that the franchise "could become their Harry Potter".[68] They expect consumers to spend about $121 million in 2007, rising to $254 million by 2009.[68] The marketing plans are to be coincided with the release of the first live-action film based on the series in 2010, which will be the first film in a trilogy.[68]
The "Avatar Airbender" roller coaster at Mall of America's Nickelodeon Universe.

Video games
A video game trilogy about Avatar: The Last Airbender has been created. Avatar: The Last Airbender, the video game, was released on October 10, 2006. Avatar: The Last Airbender The Burning Earth was released on October 16, 2007. Avatar: The Last Airbender Into the Inferno was released on October 13, 2008. The three games were loosely based on seasons one, two and three, respectively. Players can select characters and complete quests to gain experience and advance the storyline. Despite lackluster critical reviews, the games did extremely well commercially; for example, Avatar: The Last Airbender was THQ's top selling Nickelodeon game in 2006 and even reached Sony CEA's "Greatest Hits" status.[69] Avatar: Legends of the Arena, a massive multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) for Microsoft Windows, was launched on September 25, 2008 by Nickelodeon.[70] Each user is able to create their own character, choose a nation, and to interact with others across the globe.[70][71][72]

Film adaptation
Main article: The Last Airbender The first season of the show became the basis for the 2010 live-action film The Last Airbender, written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It is claimed to be the first movie of a planned trilogy from each of the television 3 seasons. Critical reception was overwhelmingly negative from both critics and fans alike, earning the film a 6% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and five Razzies in 2010. The film originally shared the title of the television series, but it was changed to The Last Airbender because the producers were worried it would be confused with the James Cameron film Avatar. The film version stars Noah Ringer as Aang, Dev Patel as Zuko, Jackson Rathbone as Sokka, and Nicola Peltz as Katara. Iroh is played by Shaun Toub and Fire Lord Ozai by Cliff Curtis.

Spin-off
Main article: The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra It was announced at the annual Comic-Con in San Diego on July 22, 2010 that a series based on Avatar: The Last Airbender is currently in development at Nickelodeon and due for release sometime in 2012.[73][74] It will involve Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the creators and producers of the original series.[75] Tentatively titled The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra (originally titled Avatar: Legend of Korra), it will be a twenty-six episodes[76] mini series that takes place in the same fictional universe as the original show,[74] except seventy years later.[77] It has also been confirmed that the first twelve episodes will be in the first season and the other fourteen in the second season. The series will focus on Korra, a teenage female protagonist from the Southern Water Tribe and the current reincarnation of the Avatar.[74] The character was partly inspired by Avatar Kyoshi of the original series, whom the creators say was very popular among fans. In order to avoid repetition of Aang's adventures, the creators wanted to root the show in one place, called Republic City. A concept drawing of the city, released with the announcement of the series, shows the city's design as inspired by Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s, Hong Kong, Manhattan, and Vancouver. In the show, Korra will have to learn Airbending from master Tenzin, son of Aang and Katara, and contend with an anti-bender revolution taking place in the city.[78]

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Official website (http://www.nick.com/shows/avatar/) Avatar: The Last Airbender (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417299/) at the Internet Movie Database Avatar Wiki, an external wiki (http://www.wikia.com/wiki/c:avatar) Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Avatar:_The_Last_Airbender&oldid=458350398" Categories: 2000s American animated television series 2000s American television series 2005 American television series debuts 2008 American television series endings American comedy-drama television series Steampunk television series Anime-influenced animation Avatar: The Last Airbender Fantasy television series Martial arts television series Nicktoons YTV shows This page was last modified on 31 October 2011 at 20:07. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.