The series is set in a fictional world where human civilization is divided into four nations based on the four classical elements: the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads. In each nation, some people known as "benders" can telekinetically manipulate one of the four elements. The story follows the journey of twelve-year-old Avatar Aang, the last survivor of the Air Nomads and the next "Avatar" who can master all four elements, awoken after a century of being frozen in ice.
The series was first announced in September 2018, with DiMartino and Konietzko attached as both executive producers and showrunners. However, in June 2020, the pair departed the series over creative differences. In August 2021, Kim was officially announced as a writer, executive producer and showrunner. The first season was released on Netflix on February 22, 2024, and garnered mixed reception from critics. In March 2024, the series was renewed for a second and third season, with it set to conclude with the latter.
Premise
The series is set in a war-torn world where certain people can "bend" one of the four classical elements—water, earth, fire or air. Aang, the "Avatar" and the last living Airbender, is the bridge between the mortal and spirit worlds, and the only one capable of bending all four of the elements instead of just one. The Avatar maintains the balance of the world and nature to bring peace, and after awakening a century frozen after the genocide of his people, Aang is now faced with the responsibility of ending the ambitions of the militaristic Fire Nation to conquer the world. With his new companions Katara and Sokka, Aang sets out to master the four elements while pursued by Zuko, the exiled crown prince of the Fire Nation, who seeks to regain his honor by capturing him.[4]
Gordon Cormier as Avatar Aang: A free-spirited and peaceful twelve-year-old airbender who was frozen in ice for a hundred years. When he wakes up, all the other airbenders have been wiped out by the Fire Nation and he embarks on a quest to end the war and become the figurehead of balance and harmony for the world as the Avatar.[5]
Kiawentiio as Katara: A fourteen-year-old who is the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe after her mother was killed by the Fire Nation. Despite her personal tragedy, she joins Aang on his journey while growing to her true potential.[5]
Meadow Kingfisher portrays young Katara in flashbacks.[6]
Ian Ousley as Sokka: Katara's sixteen-year-old brother who has tried to become the quasi-leader of their tribe after their father left to fight in the war. He joins Aang on his mission along with Katara, and makes up for his lack of bending abilities with his intelligence, resourcefulness, and trusty boomerang.[5]
Dallas Liu as Prince Zuko: The scarred, exiled, and short-tempered seventeen-year-old crown prince of the Fire Nation, bent on capturing the Avatar to end his banishment and regain his honor.[5]
Ken Leung as Commander/Admiral Zhao: An ambitious, yet arrogant, ruthless, and dishonorable Fire Nation naval officer and Zuko's bitter main rival in his pursuit of the Avatar.[7] Leung initially assumed he was auditioning for a character from James Cameron's Avatar franchise due to how Netflix set up secret auditions with fake scenes during the casting process.[8]
Miya Cech as Toph Beifong (season 2): An abrasive and unfiltered earthbending prodigy who was born blind and uses her abilities to sense around her by feeling seismic vibrations.[12]
Recurring
Lim Kay Siu as Gyatso: A mischievous, chipper, kind, and caring Air Nomad monk who is Aang's mentor and father figure.[7]
Casey Camp-Horinek as Gran Gran: The matriarch of the Southern Water Tribe and Sokka and Katara's paternal grandmother.[13]
Momo, a winged lemur who befriends Aang and joins him on his journey.[14]
Ruy Iskandar as Lieutenant Jee: A Fire Nation officer on Zuko's ship.[15]
Ryan Mah as Lieutenant Dang: An officer in the Fire Nation Navy loyal to Zhao.[16]
Utkarsh Ambudkar as King Bumi: The elderly king of Omashu who is Aang's oldest friend.[17] Pradnesh Prakask portrays a young Bumi.
Elizabeth Yu as Princess Azula: The cunning and prodigiously gifted princess of the Fire Nation and Zuko's younger sister.[13]Showrunner Albert Kim stated ahead of the series premiere that Azula is featured a lot more in the new show's first season than she is in the original cartoon's first season, crediting the knowledge of what Azula does later in the original show's second and third seasons for the writers having the advantage of where to take her.[18]
Thalia Tran as Mai: Azula's stoic friend who is skilled in knife throwing.[19]
Momona Tamada as Ty Lee: Azula's acrobatic and cheerful friend who is skilled in chi-blocking.[20][21]
Amber Midthunder as Princess Yue: The princess of the Northern Water Tribe.[22] Midthunder also voices the fox form of Princess Yue in the Spirit World.
Guest
Season 1
Hiro Kanagawa as Fire Lord Sozin: The Fire Lord who started the 100-year war and Zuko's great-grandfather.[23]
David Sakurai as an earthbender who discovers Sozin's plan to attack the other nations.[24]
Yvonne Chapman as Avatar Kyoshi: The legendary earthbender Avatar preceding Aang's previous incarnation, Avatar Roku.[13]
Maria Zhang as Suki: The leader of Kyoshi Island's elite all-female soldiers, the Kyoshi Warriors.[13]
Tamlyn Tomita as Yukari: Suki's mother and the fiercely protective mayor of her small village on Kyoshi Island.[13]
Osric Chau as Tan: The leader of a group of Fire Nation rebels who plan to assassinate Ozai only to fall into a deadly ambush.[25]
Danny Pudi as Sai, the Mechanist: A single father and inventor from the Earth Kingdom.[26]
Lucian-River Chauhan as Teo: The Mechanist's wheelchair-using son.[27]
Sebastian Amoruso as Jet: The leader of the Freedom Fighters, a group of revolutionaries who fight back against the Fire Nation.[28]
Taylor Lam Wright as the Duke: The youngest member of the Freedom Fighters.[29]
Vincent Huang as Pipsqueak: A physically imposing member of the Freedom Fighters.
Wes Valarao as Smellerbee: A female member of the Freedom Fighters who is often mistaken for a boy because of her looks.[30]
Nathaniel Kong as Longshot: A silent archer and member of the Freedom Fighters.[31]
James Sie as the Cabbage Merchant: An unfortunate merchant whose produce is continually destroyed. Sie reprises his role from the animated series.[32]
Albert Nicholas as Captain Dixit: An earthbender captain who seeks revenge for Iroh's role during the siege of the Earth Kingdom city Ba Sing Se.
George Takei as the voice of Koh the Face Stealer: A centipede-like spirit who uses the stolen faces of his victims. Takei also voiced the warden of a Fire Nation prison camp in Book One of The Last Airbender.[33]
Randall Duk Kim as the voice of Wan Shi Tong: An owl-like spirit and collector of knowledge who is very distrustful towards humans.[34]
Arden Cho as June: A bounty hunter who is hired by Zuko to find the Avatar.[35][36]
Simon Chin as Yang: A bartender at an Earth Kingdom village who tells Zuko and Iroh about a sighting of the Avatar.[37]
Ash Lee as Shufen: The head of an Earth Kingdom village that is being terrorized by an angry forest spirit.
Joel Montgrand (season 1) and Adam Beach (season 3) as Chief Hakoda: Sokka and Katara's father and the chieftain of the Southern Water Tribe who left to fight in the war.[39][40]
Trevor Carroll as Bato: Hakoda's friend and a Southern Water Tribe warrior.
C. S. Lee as Avatar Roku: The firebender Avatar who precedes Aang and mentors him in communing with the spirit world.[41]
François Chau as the Great Sage: The leader of the Fire Sages at a fire temple dedicated to Avatar Roku.[42]
James Rha as Shyu: A Fire Sage who guides Aang through the fire temple.
Nathaniel Arcand as Chief Arnook: The chieftain of the Northern Water Tribe and Yue's father.[43]
A Martinez as Pakku: A waterbending master from the Northern Water Tribe.[44]
Irene Bedard as Yagoda: A waterbender healer from the Northern Water Tribe.[45]
Joel Oulette as Hahn: A Northern Water Tribe warrior formerly betrothed to Princess Yue.[46][47]
The airbender Aang learns from his mentor, the Monk Gyatso, that he is the next Avatar, a being who will bring balance to the Four Kingdoms. Weary of this responsibility, Aang flies on his sky bison Appa to "clear his mind". The Fire Nation, led by Fire Lord Sozin, commences a genocide of the Air Nomads. Aang and Appa escape the massacre but are caught in a storm and become frozen in an iceberg. A hundred years later, the siblings Sokka and Katara of the Southern Water Tribe discover the duo and free them for the iceberg, attracting the attention of Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, who has been sent by his estranged father Fire Lord Ozai on a quest to capture the long-lost Avatar. The Fire Nation confronts the Southern Water Tribe village, and Aang surrenders himself to save the lives of the villagers. Aboard Zuko's ship, Aang meets Zuko's uncle Iroh and later escapes with the help of Katara and Sokka. Together with Appa, they travel to the abandoned Southern Air Temple, where Aang discovers the remains of his people, including Gyatso. After briefly entering the Avatar State, Aang resolves to bring balance to the world.
Using a diary stolen from Zuko, Aang decides to visit Kyoshi Island, the home of Avatar Kyoshi. Meanwhile, Zuko and Iroh meet with Commander Zhao, a high-ranking officer in the Fire Nation navy, who learns about the return of the Avatar from one of their crew. The two factions then compete to find the Avatar first, both hoping to gain the favor of the Fire Lord. Aang and his friends arrive on Kyoshi Island, where they are confronted by the Kyoshi Warriors and their leader Suki. After learning that Aang is the Avatar, the villagers of the island then host the visitors. Sokka becomes close with Suki as she trains him to fight like a Kyoshi Warrior. With the encouragement of Katara, Aang enters into the Avatar State and communes with Kyoshi, who briefs him about his duties and responsibilities as the Avatar and warns him of a future Fire Nation invasion of the Northern Water Tribe. As Fire Nation forces led by Zhao and Zuko converge on Kyoshi Island, Kyoshi possesses Aang and drives away the invaders.
In the Fire Nation, Zuko's ambitious younger sister Azula foils a coup attempt against her father Ozai, currying his favor. Ozai receives a message from Zhao confirming that the Avatar is alive, and Azula sends Zhao a reply promising to help him and prevent her brother from regaining his honor. Aang and his friends travel to the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu, where they befriend Teo and his mechanist father Sai, who creates mechanical gliders for the king of Omashu. Katara spends time with Jet, leader of the Freedom Fighters, who are attempting to rid the city of Fire Nation spies. Zuko and Iroh infiltrate Omashu, intent on capturing Aang. After learning of the Freedom Fighters' plan to assassinate the king of Omashu, Aang and his friends stop them, but are attacked by Zuko. Aang fights with Zuko, who attracts the attention of Earth Kingdom soldiers after using firebending during their duel. Iroh creates a distraction that allows Zuko to escape, but the soldiers capture both him and Aang.
4
"Into the Dark"
Jabbar Raisani
Keely MacDonald
February22,2024(2024-02-22)
Aang is brought before the elderly king in his palace, and learns that he is Bumi, Aang's childhood friend. Angry that Aang had disappeared for a century, Bumi subjects him to a series of tests. Through Jet, Katara learns that Sai had been supplying Fire Nation spies with information to protect his son. Sokka tries to convince Sai to help expose the spies for the good of Omashu. Sokka and Katara then use a series of secret tunnels to reach Aang and encounter a troupe of singing minstrels and several badgermoles along the way. Bumi forces Aang to duel him, but Aang refuses to fight back and reminds Bumi of their past friendship. Bumi forgives Aang and is inspired to join the fight against the Fire Nation after Sai exposes the Fire Nation spies, before Aang and his friends leave the city. Meanwhile, Iroh is escorted away from Omashu by Earth Kingdom soldiers, but is reminded of his time as a Fire Nation general and the death of his son. Zuko soon rescues him, and the two head back to their ship.
Zuko and Iroh enlist the services of the bounty hunter June to help them hunt down the Avatar. Azula convinces Ozai to grant Zhao more resources, and he is promoted to admiral. Continuing their journey, Aang and his friends visit a village where several villagers have disappeared into the Spirit World. They are soon pulled into the Spirit World and encounter Hei Bai, the vengeful spirit of a nearby forest that the Fire Nation had burned down. The group becomes separated, and Katara experiences a vision of when her mother was killed while keeping her hidden from the Fire Nation. Sokka briefly meets a friendly fox spirit before experiencing a vision of his father chastising him for being a disappointment. Aang encounters the spirit Koh the Face Stealer, who reveals that he was responsible for kidnapping the missing villagers and has taken Sokka and Katara captive as well. Aang escapes Koh and encounters the spirit of Gyatso, who advises him to seek out Avatar Roku, who had previously encountered Koh, so Aang can learn how to save his friends.
6
"Masks"
Roseanne Liang
Teleplay by: Emily Kim & Hunter Ries and Bryan Konietzko Story by: Ubah Mohamed and Bryan Konietzko & Michael Dante DiMartino
February22,2024(2024-02-22)
In a series of flashbacks, Zuko insults a general's plan during a war meeting that involved sacrificing the 41st Division of Fire Nation soldiers. After Zuko refuses to participate in an Agni Kai duel against his father, Ozai exiles him as punishment. He gives Zuko command of a ship consisting of the previously doomed 41st division and tasks him with finding the Avatar to lift his banishment and regain his honor. In the present, Aang travels to Crescent Island to commune with Avatar Roku so he can save his friends from Koh. However, he is discovered by the Fire Sages, but a defecting sage helps him enter the shrine. Aang communes with Roku, who tells him to trade Koh a statue that Roku had previously stolen from him. Before Aang can leave, he is captured by June and brought to Zuko's ship. Zhao arrives and takes Aang prisoner to deny Zuko. Aang is later rescued by a swordsman known as the "Blue Spirit" and quickly discovers that he is Zuko in disguise. Aang then saves Zuko from Zhao's soldiers before escaping. Aang soon returns to the Spirit World and trades Koh the statue, freeing his friends and the captive villagers.
7
"The North"
Jet Wilkinson
Audrey Wong Kennedy
February22,2024(2024-02-22)
Zhao attempts to kill Zuko by blowing up his boat, and forces Iroh to help lead the invasion of the Northern Water Tribe. Zuko is later revealed to have survived by disguising himself as a guard. Ozai relentlessly tests Azula to prove her firebending abilities, and she impresses him after showing that she can generate lightning. Aang and his friends reach the Northern Water Tribe, where they are hosted by Chief Arnook and his daughter, Princess Yue. Aang warns Arnook about the impending Fire Nation invasion, but he remains unimpressed that Aang has only mastered one of the four elements. Sokka bonds with Yue, who informs him that she was the fox spirit he previously encountered due to her connection to the Moon Spirit. Aang visits the shrine of Avatar Kuruk to commune with him, but he remains reluctant to teach Aang and cautions him against becoming attached to his friends. Seeking to improve her waterbending, Katara requests that Master Pakku teach her to fight, but he refuses as women in his tribe do not fight due to tradition. Katara challenges Pakku to a duel, but despite Pakku winning, she inspires him to allow her to fight.
8
"Legends"
Jet Wilkinson
Albert Kim
February22,2024(2024-02-22)
A large Fire Nation fleet begins to lay siege to the Northern Water Tribe. Katara helps Pakku and Arnook defend the city, while Sokka protects Yue. Zhao briefs Iroh about his plan to kill the Moon Spirit to strip the waterbenders of their abilities. Zhao, Iroh, and a disguised Zuko then infiltrate the city amidst the invasion and reach the Spirit Oasis, where the Moon and Ocean Spirits reside. Despite Iroh's objections, Zhao kills the Moon Spirit, giving the Fire Nation the upper hand in the battle. Aang enters the Avatar State and merges with the Ocean Spirit before rampaging through the city, attacking the Fire Nation's forces. Zhao attempts to kill Zuko in a duel but is killed by Iroh, and they flee the battle together. Yue sacrifices herself to become the new Moon Spirit, allowing the waterbenders to regain their abilities and drive back the Fire Nation. Aang separates from the Ocean Spirit, and the Fire Nation retreats. In the aftermath, Aang decides that he must master the remaining three elements: water, earth, and fire. Meanwhile, Azula successfully invades Omashu and captures Bumi. Ozai learns that Sozin's Comet, which greatly enhances a firebender's abilities, will soon be returning.
Production
Development
In 2018, Netflix announced that a "reimagined" live-action remake of Avatar was to start production in 2019.[52][53] The series' original creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, were initially announced to be the executive producers and showrunners.[54][55] In June 2020, the creators departed the series due to creative differences. This was revealed after DiMartino published an open letter on his own website on August 12, 2020. The pair cited differences in their approach to the show compared with Netflix's vision, also citing a "negative and unsupporting" environment during their time with the studio;[56][57][58][59] the duo ultimately received writing credits for the first and sixth episodes.[60]
In August 2021, Albert Kim was officially announced as a writer, executive producer and showrunner; he commented in a blog post: "My first thought was, 'Why? What is there I could do or say with the story that wasn't done or said in the original?' But the more I thought about it, the more intrigued I became. We'll be able to see bending in a real and visceral way we've never seen before."[61] In the same post, Kim emphasized that "throughout this process, our byword has been 'authenticity'. To the story. To the characters. To the cultural influences. Authenticity is what keeps us going, both in front of the camera and behind it." Dan Lin, Lindsey Liberatore, Michael Goi, and Roseanne Liang were also announced as executive producers with Goi and Liang both directing episodes of the series.[62][61] In the first season, each episode reportedly cost more than $15 million to make.[63]
On March 6, 2024, the series was renewed for a second and third season, with it set to conclude with the latter.[64] On April 4, 2024, it was announced that Kim would be stepping down as showrunner but would remain as an executive producer, while co-executive producer Christine Boylan and executive producer Jabbar Raisani would become showrunners for the second and third seasons.[65]
Casting
Prior to their departure, DiMartino and Konietzko had revealed that they are committed to "culturally appropriate, non-whitewashed casting" according to a statement from Konietzko.[66] Konietzko had said that he was hoping to include Dante Basco, the original voice actor who played Zuko.[67] In August 2021 following leaked casting reports, Netflix revealed the show's cast for the main four characters: Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley and Dallas Liu as Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko respectively.[61] Kim felt that "this was a chance to showcase Asian and Indigenous characters as living, breathing people. Not just in a cartoon, but in a world that truly exists, very similar to the one we live in."[68] In November 2021, Daniel Dae Kim, who previously voiced General Fong in the animated series and later Hiroshi Sato in The Legend of Korra, joined the cast as Fire Lord Ozai.[9] Later that month, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Lim Kay Siu, and Ken Leung joined the cast of the series, playing Iroh, Gyatso, and Commander Zhao respectively.[7] In December, Elizabeth Yu, Yvonne Chapman, Tamlyn Tomita, Casey Camp-Horinek and Maria Zhang were added to the cast, respectively playing Azula, Avatar Kyoshi, Yukari (a new character added as Suki's mother in replacement of the mayor of Kyoshi Island), Gran Gran and Suki.[13]
In April 2022, Arden Cho and Momona Tamada joined the cast as June and Ty-Lee.[35][20] Later that month, C. S. Lee was cast as Avatar Roku.[41] In June 2022, A Martinez and Amber Midthunder were cast as Master Pakku and Princess Yue respectively.[44][22] In July 2022, it was revealed that James Sie would reprise his role as the Cabbage Merchant from the animated series.[32] In September 2022, additional roles were announced, with two of them being George Takei as the voice of Koh the Face Stealer and Randall Duk Kim as the voice of Wan Shi Tong. Takei previously voiced the Fire Nation Prison Rig Warden in the animated series, while Duk Kim had a minor role in the 2010 live-action film The Last Airbender.[69]
Production and filming began in Vancouver, British Columbia on November 16, 2021.[70][71] The series was filmed under the working titlesTrade Winds and Blue Dawn. Principal photography wrapped on June 17, 2022.[72][62][73][7][74] Stewart Whelan served as a cinematographer.[75] The second season began filming on September 16, 2024, and wrapped in May 2025 while the third season began filming that same month.[51]
On February 16, 2023, it was confirmed that award-winning Japanese-American composer Takeshi Furukawa was attached to the project as its composer.[76]
Jeremy Zuckerman, who composed music for the original show, was originally set to return to compose the music for the remake[77] but later denied his involvement with the show after DiMartino and Konietzko left the project.[78] The music was recorded at Synchron Stage in Vienna with the Synchron Stage Orchestra and Choir, in addition to the score being recorded in different places, including London at Angel Studios and Budapest at East Connection Music Recording.
Marketing
Promotional poster incorporating several notable characters from the first season.
The first look of the four main characters of the series — Aang, Katara, Sokka and Zuko — was released at Netflix's Tudum fan event in June 2023, along with a teaser featuring the four elements in the show.[79] This was followed by a first look at the characters from the Fire Nation in October 2023.[80] On November 9, 2023, Netflix released the first official teaser trailer for the series.[81] The official trailer for the series was released on January 23, 2024.[82]
Release
The first season was released exclusively on Netflix on February 22, 2024, with eight episodes in total.[83][84]
Reception
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season 62% approval rating based on 86 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.0/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Avatar: The Last Airbender serves as a solid live-action entry point into the beloved franchise, although it only sporadically recaptures the magic of its source material."[85]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 55 out of 100 based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[86]
Jack Seale from The Guardian gave the series a positive review, saying "The landscapes sparkle, there is a giant six-legged flying bison that carries everyone spectacularly from place to place through the clouds and the young cast are up to the task."[87] Josh Yehl from IGN gave a generally positive review, saying "The live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series enriches the original story with meaningful new material, but its breakneck pacing, exposition-heavy dialogue, and hit-or-miss effects aren't precisely in balance."[88] James Marsh from the South China Morning Post gave an extremely positive review, "Hardened devotees of the source material will inevitably find minor cosmetic and composite changes to quibble about, but critics will be hard-pressed to argue against Kim and his crew's heart being in the right place."[89]
Anita Singh from The Telegraph gave a mixed response: "It's solid entertainment: fast-moving, action-packed, with decent fight scenes and some appealing performances, all done on a generous Netflix budget. Don't expect subtlety – this is aimed at children so the characters and plot are broadly drawn."[90]Variety opined that, while it wasn't as bad as the 2010 film The Last Airbender, it "will leave fans wishing the streamer had left DiMartino and Konietzko's masterpiece alone."[91] Kelly Lawler from USA Today called the show "a corrupted facsimile of the original" and claimed "it's clear after two failed attempts to tell this story in live action that the greatness of Avatar was because of its animation, not in spite of it."[92]
Viewership
Avatar: The Last Airbender topped the weekly global Netflix chart from February 19–25, with 154.4 million hours watched by 21.2 million viewers in its first week.[93] During its second week, the series remained atop but viewership decreased to 144.2 million hours watched by 19.9 million viewers and ranked among the top 10 in 92 countries and at number one in 76 countries.[94] It thus amassed 298.6 million hours watched by 41.1 million viewers in less than two weeks of its release.[95]Nielsen reported that on the "streaming charts for the week of February 19–25", Avatar: The Last Airbender was number one in the "originals" category and also number one overall "with 2.56B minutes viewed".[96]
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