Regain your honor, and watch Avatar: The Last Airbender!

As we grow up, we start to lose our love for cartoons and animated television—and that makes sense. We want to watch shows and movies that are in our age range and that we relate to. But I, for one, still love watching animated cartoons. And no, I’m not talking about Mickey Mouse Club House or Dora the Explorer. I’m talking about well-developed, nuanced, elaborate kids TV shows. There is one example that I always think of when it comes to profound television; Avatar: The Last Airbender. 

Many of you have probably heard of it, and some have not. It was a Nickelodeon show that ran from 2005 through 2008. It has three seasons, each extremely well-crafted and thorough. The show is set in a fantasy world, where some of the population can manipulate the elements, like water, fire, air, and the earth. There are separate peoples for each element: the Air Nomads, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation and Water Tribes. When you are able to control these elements it is referred to as, “bending.” 

In the time period before the show takes place, the Fire Nation attacks all of the other elemental tribes to gain world domination. They believe that they hold the most powerful element and deserve to control the other kingdoms. One hundred years after the Fire Nation wages war on everyone, two of our main characters, Katara and Sokka, are having a normal day in the Water Tribe. Katara has the ability to bend water, unlike her brother, Sokka. While they are fishing, they discover a glowing ice block (that shoots a beam of light into the sky) close to their home. Inside, they find a boy named Aang, still alive and well. As soon as they find out that he is still living, they take him and his flying bison; Aapa, back to their village. 

At first, Aang seems like a normal boy, until we find out that he is an Airbender. Centuries ago, all of the airbenders were killed, so everyone was shocked. It is also revealed that this ten-year-old boy was frozen inside of an iceberg for around one-hundred years, since no one has seen the airbenders for more than a hundred years. While Aang is trying to process the time jump he just experienced, several Fire Nation ships crash into the water tribe’s territory. This is when we meet two more important characters: Zuko and Iroh. Zuko is a teenage boy, and Iroh is his Uncle. Both of them have come looking for Aang, because he is the Avatar. 

The Avatar is a person who has the talent and ability to bend all four elements; water, fire, earth and air. They also are able to travel between the physical and the spirit worlds. Their job is to bring peace and balance to the world. There is only ever one avatar at a time, and a new avatar is only born after the old one dies. The Avatar gets reincarnated with a new body each time, but technically it’s the same person. Each time the Avatar gets reincarnated, it’s into a different nation. It's a cycle. No one has seen the Avatar since Avatar Roku, who was born into the Fire Nation. And this is because Roku’s successor, Aang, was trapped inside an iceberg for the past 100 years. This means that the world has been without an Avatar for more than a century. And that's why the world has gone out of balance. 

This is arguably one of the best kids shows ever. One of the reasons why I think this is because it has the most intricate world-building. Without going deeply into the show, all I can tell you is that this fantasy world has a rich history and a very well-developed map. Since it is based on many Asian countries, the world feels familiar, yet so out of the ordinary. The show also has an effective way of introducing new parts of the world. They have a “show not tell” system that explains the setting through human interactions, and not a huge monologue. 

Another justification for my claim is that Avatar: The Last Airbender is so emotionally deep. The writers of this show masterfully balanced lighthearted humor with emotional moments. This makes the dark scenes way more impactful. The plot also evolves alongside the characters, turning this show from whimsical and fun, into a moving epic. And I cannot press the fact enough that the characters really show change and dynamics throughout the show. You will be stunned by the ups and downs of the main characters. 

And most importantly, this show has a compelling plot. It is straightforward, yet complex. Each layer of storytelling gets revealed through each season, which makes it really cool to see. But, at the same time, it is so fun to re-watch because of the funny quotes you remember and the plot twists that hit you every time. 

Overall, Avatar: The Last Airbender has so many compelling points to it. Whether it’s the plot of shows you like, or the funny filler episodes; this show has it all. So, the next time you decide to watch a show, pull up Netflix and watch Avatar: The Last Airbender. It might be a kids show, but it’s as complex as any other show you might enjoy.