Screenshot: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Twelve years after its finale, Avatar: The Last Airbender continues to stand out for its striking combination of gravitas and levity. While the overarching narrative is a carefully crafted epic inspired by Asian mythology and philosophy, the show never forgets that there are a thousand mundane and funny moments that take place between every grand one, and it is this delicate balance of both solemnity and humor that ultimately elevates the story above a simple hero’s journey narrative and makes it truly memorable.
The Avatar: The Last Airbender opening sequence explains the entire premise of the series in just 45 seconds:
Over the course of 61 episodes and three seasons (known as “Books”), the show followed airbender Aang and his friends, Katara, Sokka, and Toph—as well as the enemies pursuing them, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation and his uncle Iroh—as Aang learns to master water, earth, and fire, and discovers the many changes that have happened to the world since he vanished a century ago.
Created by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, Avatar premiered on Nickelodeon on February 21, 2005. With an original 13-episode order, Konietzko and DiMartino assembled a talented team of writers, artists, martial arts consultants, and cultural experts to bring the show to life, including musical duo The Track Team (Benjamin Wynn and Jeremy Zuckerman), who composed the show’s stirring and distinctive soundtrack, which combines a symphony orchestra with traditional instruments from around the world, including Chinese lute, duduk, and the African kalimba.
After a successful first season, Nickelodeon renewed Avatar for just two more seasons, giving the team a finite number of episodes to carefully plan out the story. By the time The Last Airbender ended three years later, the show was critically acclaimed, with multiple awards to its name, and would soon grow into a franchise that included comics, an animated sequel series, and a universally panned 2010 film adaptation. Currently, a live-action television adaptation for Netflix is in the works, helmed by Konietzko and DiMartino, who serve as showrunners and executive producers, with Zuckerman attached to score.
Avatar does not hold back from depicting the far-reaching consequences of a 100-year war and the collateral damage—on both a societal and emotional level—of genocide, imperialism, political corruption, and sociopolitical games. Nor does it ignore the fact that Aang is only 12 years old and that the great responsibility that has been placed on his shoulders would be challenging for anyone, let alone a young boy who wakes up to a world that has turned upside down.
A key theme of the story is the importance of balance, whether it is the balance of the elements, the balance between the mortal and spirit worlds, or simply the balance between the banal and the more meaningful. There is always room for silly asides, even in the middle of battle, and the beauty of allowing space for lighthearted moments allows grander, game-changing moments to have their full impact. Another reason the series holds up is because of its excellent character work. The narrative is fully invested in the humanity of not only the protagonists, but of all the minor characters that surround them. No matter what is happening, the story makes room for lives both big and small, from Aang’s pet lemur, Momo, to a disgruntled cabbage vendor to low-level employees on a Fire Nation airship.
Avatar remains as popular as ever, with a passionate online fanbase that continues to create fan art, memes, and videos—a testament to the power of its narrative. With the complete series available to stream on Netflix beginning May 15, here are 10 episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender that best highlight its ability to balance developing individual characters and pushing the overall narrative forward.
“The Storm” (book one, episode 12)
“The Storm,” which falls slightly past the halfway mark of the first season, is an early example of how the series invested in establishing the humanity of all of its characters, whether they are heroes, villains, or minor players. Set against the backdrop of a fierce storm, the episode reveals two crucial missing pieces to Aang’s and Zuko’s respective backstories: how and why Aang disappeared for 100 years, and the tragic reason behind Zuko’s relentless drive to capture him. These painful memories are unveiled after both face unpleasant confrontations with people questioning their character: Aang is accused by an old fisherman of turning his back on the world when it needed him most, and Zuko is accused by the captain of his ship of being a spoiled, disrespectful prince who doesn’t care about other people. The reality, of course, is much more complicated, and it is an early indicator of how Aang’s and Zuko’s narrative arcs will continue to intersect throughout the series. “The world needs you now,” Katara tells Aang. “You give people hope.” Here it’s revealed that Zuko is one of them.
“The Siege Of The North” (book one, episodes 19 and 20)
Beautifully animated, the 50 minutes that comprise the two-part season finale of the first season are a profound lesson in the art of storytelling and the repercussions of war. Set in the austere surroundings of the Northern Water Tribe, the first few minutes of the first episode allow the characters to revel in the final moments of peace and joy, until black snow starts to fall from the sky, signaling the approach of the Fire Nation and the imminent destruction of their sanctuary. As Commander Zhao and his forces close in, Aang, Sokka, Katara, Princess Yue, and the warriors of the Northern Water Tribe lie in wait. “The stillness before battle is unbearable—such a quiet dread,” says Arnook, Princess Yue’s father, as the horizon darkens with the arrival of their ships. As the siege begins, heroes and villains alike are forced to make choices that have irreversible consequences, showcasing how far—or little—they have come. Self-sacrifice, fortitude, and compassion are the theme of the hour, especially as the characters are forced to deal with the repercussions of Commander Zhao’s cruel actions, which throw the world out of balance after he slays the moon spirit. Ultimately, although Sokka’s courage, Katara’s determination, Aang’s compassion, Princess Yue’s selflessness, and Uncle Iroh’s empathy help the Northern Water Tribe win the battle, with a destroyed home and the loss of a beloved princess, victory is bittersweet.
“The Blind Bandit” (book two, episode six)
While she appears as an apparition two episodes earlier, this episode serves as the official introduction of Toph, a 12-year-old earth-bending master who becomes Aang’s teacher. Born blind, she “sees with her feet” by feeling the earth’s vibrations. This technique also helps her accurately predict her opponents’ movements, giving her the upper hand in the WWE-esque earth-bending rumbles she competes in, effortlessly defeating every opponent, under the pseudonym “The Blind Bandit” and without the knowledge of her family. Delighted to find her, Aang descends upon the ring to ask Toph to be his teacher and accidentally ends up knocking her out of it. A furious Toph tells him to leave her alone and disappears into the darkness, but after some clever sleuthing, Aang, Sokka, and Katara discover she is the only daughter of the Beifongs, the most affluent family in the city, and must figure out a way to convince both her and her family to let her join their team.
“Zuko Alone” (book two, episode seven)
“It’s not nice to bother people about things they might not want to talk about. A man’s past is his business,” says the father of Lee, a young boy who Zuko meets while traveling alone through a dusty desert town in the Earth Kingdom after parting ways with Uncle Iroh. With the pace and setting of a Western, this is the only episode in the entire series that doesn’t feature Aang, Sokka, or Katara at all. Focused entirely on Zuko, this episode is a foundational part of Zuko’s character arc, juxtaposing the present with flashbacks to the past and revealing both the close and loving relationship he had with his mother and the fraught history of his relationship with his sister, Azula, who was “born lucky,” while he was “lucky to be born.” When Zuko defends Lee and his family by dueling with a cruel Earth Kingdom soldier, he conceals his ability to fire-bend and fights only with his dual swords. But when he is nearly knocked unconscious, he hears his mother’s voice, urging him to never forget who he is, causing him to reveal his true identity—which does not come without some heartbreaking consequences.
“Bitter Work” (book two, episode nine)
In “Bitter Work,” Aang begins his earth-bending lessons with Toph in earnest. Because earth is air’s natural opposite, Aang struggles to think like an earthbender, and in an attempt to help speed things along, Katara offers advice to Toph on how to guide Aang more effectively based on her experience as Aang’s water-bending master. Toph, of course, is uninterested in Katara’s platitudes, and continues to use her own unconventional methods to teach Aang how to earth-bend, which ultimately prove successful when he has to rescue Sokka after a hunting mishap. Meanwhile, Uncle Iroh, who has reunited with Zuko, teaches him the importance of seeking wisdom from many places when he reveals that he has invented a fire-bending technique that even Azula doesn’t know—the ability to redirect lightning. This episode is a great example of the value of respecting approaches and viewpoints that may be opposite to how you see the world, especially as they may come in handy when you least expect it.
“City Of Walls And Secrets” (book two, episode 14)
Nominated for an Emmy, this episode showcases the sinister power of political corruption and bureaucracy and how difficult it can be to make any sort of changes when the system is actively working against you. This episode starts with eerie, unsettling music as Joo Di meets Aang and his friends at the entrance to the city of Ba Sing Se, a Stepford smile plastered on her face as she explains she will be their official guide. As she takes them on a tour of the city, she blithely ignores Sokka’s demands to take them to the Earth King so they can inform him of the valuable intel they have gathered to help defeat the Fire Nation. “It’s called being handled. Get used to it,” mutters Toph, who is the only one who understands what’s going on. While Aang and the team struggle to find a way to get an audience with the Earth King, a subplot focuses on Jet’s obsession with proving that Zuko and Iroh, who are also in the lower ring of the city as refugees, are firebenders. After he unsuccessfully confronts them, Jet is taken away to an underground prison, where he is brainwashed to believe that there is no war and no refugees, just as Aang and the team learn that the Dai Li, who run the city, purposefully ban any talk of the war to maintain “a peaceful, orderly utopia… the last one on earth.”
“The Crossroads Of Destiny” (book two, episode 20)
The last episode of the second season, “Crossroads Of Destiny” is a gripping finale. After Azula conducts a coup of the Earth Kingdom with the Dai Li and captures Zuko with their help, she tosses him into the Crystal Catacombs deep underneath Ba Sing Se, where he meets Katara. Although she is hostile at first, Katara softens when Zuko reveals that he, too, lost his mother to the war. Touched, Katara offers to heal his scar with the small amount of healing water she has from the Spirit Oasis in the North Pole, but before she has a chance, Aang and Uncle Iroh arrive to rescue them, and she leaves with Aang. Unfortunately, just as Uncle Iroh tells Zuko that he has come to the crossroads of his destiny and that it is time for him to choose good, Azula arrives in the Catacombs, promising him everything he has wanted for the past few years: his honor and their father’s love. After watching him struggle and grow for an entire season, it is agonizing to watch Zuko as he is forced to choose between his morals and his deepest desires, and to team up with Azula to take down Aang and Katara, knowing that he has turned his back on the one person who always believed in him, no matter what.
“The Avatar And The Firelord” (book three, episode six)
“You need to understand how the war began if you want to know how to end it,” Avatar Roku’s spirit says to Aang at the beginning of this episode, just as Zuko, who feels restless and unhappy despite having returned to the Fire Nation with all of his honor and status restored, receives a mysterious message that tells him that he must know the story of his great grandfather’s demise to reveal his own destiny. This episode is a turning point in the final season, as Aang and Zuko simultaneously discover the truth behind the relationship between Avatar Roku and Fire Lord Sozin, who were best friends until Sozin’s aggressive imperial ideologies tore them apart.
“The Southern Raiders” (book three, episode 16)
In the penultimate episode before the series finale, Zuko has finally earned acceptance and trust from almost everyone, having turned his back on his father and Azula to join the Gaang as Aang’s fire-bending teacher. Everyone, that is, except Katara, who still has not forgiven him for his betrayal in the Crystal Catacombs, and tells him there is nothing he can do to make it up to her unless he finds a way to bring her mother back. Realizing that Katara has connected the loss of her mother with her anger at him, Zuko approaches Sokka and asks him to share more details about the day she died. After listening to the story, Zuko realizes that he knows the identity of their mother’s killer and offers to help Katara find him. She accepts, convinced that seeking vengeance is the only way she will find closure. Aang disagrees, but he accepts that this is a journey she needs to take. Ultimately, although Katara realizes there is little satisfaction to be found on the road to vengeance, she finally makes peace with Zuko and forgives him.
“Sozin’s Comet: Into The Inferno” (book three, episode 20)
“Sozin’s Comet” is an intricate, cinematic four-part series finale that initially splits the narrative into multiple parallel storylines that then converge by the final episode. One of the most compelling is the downfall of Azula, in part three. Betrayed by both of her closest friends, Azula has quickly spiraled out of control in advance of her coronation as Fire Lord. Isolated and paranoid, she starts to banish everyone in the palace until she is completely alone, breaking down and smashing a mirror as she hallucinates her mother staring at her in sad disappointment. Azula’s downfall comes to a head when Zuko returns to the Fire Nation with Katara to challenge her to an Agni Kai that will determine who will be crowned Fire Lord. With a stirring, spare musical score set perfectly in sync with every move, Azula and Zuko’s Agni Kai showcases some of the most beautiful animation in the entire series, with Azula’s chaotic ice-blue flames set against Zuko’s confident orange fire. Despite appearing to have the upper hand when she strikes Zuko with lightning, Katara ultimately takes her down. Chained to the ground, Azula shrieks in heart-rending despair as Zuko and Katara stare at her sadly. Though she may have been born lucky, she is still human, not a monster.
All three seasons (or books) of Avatar: The Last Airbender are now streaming on Netflix.
146 Comments
I think I stopped watching this show after book 2 wrapped up and I never got around to watching the third season. I’m excited to revisit this show again. Hopefully the sequel series gets added later because I’ve heard good things about that too
Book three is a really great season and finale. This list could have been made up entirely of episodes from that season. The sequel series is a mixed bag, but worth seeing. The final two seasons really rival the original show, but the couple of times I’ve rewatched the series I’ve skipped season 2 entirely.
On rewatch, Season 2 of LoK isn’t as bad as I remember, but it makes some choices I didn’t love, and I wish some of its ideas were fleshed out more, like the Civil War which should have been the main plot, but they had to figure out what to do with Spirits since that was the season’s theme. At least it gave us the highlight of the whole series: Beginnings.
Eh. I don’t love all the Raava and Vaatu, midichlorians crap…and that’s straight out of Beginnings.I think the last 3 or 4 episodes of S3 are the apex of the series…and honestly stand up with the best of ATLA.
If I remember right though, Book 2 did have an awesome Spirited Away homage.
I don’t either in theory. It seems like it would de-mystify the Avatar universe.On the other hand, at the time, it was a major shock to the system after the galling first half of Season 2, told with stunningly beautiful animation and with nods from everything from Spirited Away to Whisper of the Heart, it’s not surprising that it received such wide acclaim. The best episode of Book 2 is still A New Spiritual Age, I think.
Oh fuck yeah. I’ll watch Beginnings even if I’m skipping the rest of that season. It’s also I believe the only ep of Korra up to that point to use the animation studio from atla
I think season 3 of Korra can honestly rival season 2 of AtlA.
2 and 3 of Avatar and 3 and 4 of Korra are all genuinely great seasons of tv to me.
Book 2 of LoK is pretty dire. In fact, I was close to giving up, but then Book 3 just knocked it out of the park. (The final showdown between our heroes and the Red Lotus is absolutely brutal for a kid’s show.)
It introduced Varrick–that’s something.
True, that was that season’s crowning achievement.
ZHU LI—DO THE THING!Definitely the best part of the season that ended with Kaiju Korra fighting a giant evil kite. The question is, is he the best recurring character on either show? I think he is, honestly.
“You named your battleship after your assistant?”“Of course! She’s an unstoppable killing machine. Just like Zhu-Li.”
Also, Aang’s kids were well handled in Book 2. It makes sense that Aang would favor his air-bender son—it humanizes him by making him a flawed person, and it rings true. The way Tenzin came to terms with his father’s legacy in the Fog of Souls was also great.There we go-two things I liked about Book 2.
The sequel series is uneven, but very cool stylistically and ends strong, so it’s worth sticking it out
Yes! We’ve got fresh meat! 😋
The Legend of Korra doesn’t quite live up to AtLA, but it’s still good stuff for fans who wanted more. From a storytelling standpoint, it’s not as tight, and the characters and world-building isn’t as in depth as they used to be. But the animation and fights are a big improvement, and it’s got a stronger cast of villains, representing interesting philosophies. I’m a big fan of Season 1 for how new it all felt, and of Season 3 for the Red Lotus. Season 2 is kind of bad, but Seasn 4 is okay- if a bit rushed.
Have you rewatched Season 4? It’s insane how much better it works as a binge.
It’s been some years, but I remember liking the rise of this new empire (a power vacuum created by *spoilers* in Book 3), and just being happy to see Toph again as a tough old lady.:p
I was always more interested in what was going on with the adults. Their struggles with getting older and unresolved issues from their youth were a nice way to highlight the changing times.
I recently did a marathon from The Boy in the Iceberg to The Last Stand. After not having seen either show since they aired, I gotta say, the last two seasons of Korra were fantastic. It doesn’t hold up as well as Avatar does taken as a whole, mainly due to its extremely flawed second season and the strange ending to Air, but it’s still one of my favorite shows, and definitely one of the best animated shows out there. It’s an A- show to Avatar’s straight A, but that’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s a wonderful series.I might like Korra Alone more than Zuko Alone. Maybe. And that final stretch of Korra Season 3 might be the best stretch of either show. Season 4 is incredibly consistent and ends with a major bang.Overall a very worthwhile use of pandemic time—and relating to your original point, Season 4 gave us tons of Varrick, and finally gave Bolin something worthwhile to do.“Zhu Li, I’m starting to notice a voice in my head telling me right from wrong!”“That would be your conscience, sir.”
Enjoy! S3 absolutely sticks the landing.
The only issue with Korra is that it’s not Last Airbender. Really great show with some awesome characters. You just can’t go into it expecting it to be the previous show. Maybe wait awhile before watching Korra instead of right after finishing last.
Sokka’s Master is a real highlight for me, I think he might have the best character arc of the series, he becomes a master strategist and warrior gradually while never stopping being the comic relief, which is a really unique combo.
There are SO MANY episodes to pick, 10 just isn’t enough! I personally would have suggested The Waterbending Master from Book 1, which was such a strong episode for Katara’s arc early on, as well as some of the Water Tribe politics, as an example of how good the show was at fleshing out its cultures. Also, The Firebending Masters, from Book 3, that truly illuminates the balance of the element we’ve seen as so destructive all show. That was a key episode for Zuko and Aang finally working together, after being at odds for so long. This article rightly lists “Bitter Work,” but I think it overall downplays just how important all the bending was to the story and the growth of the characters.
Yeah Sokka was pretty funny at first, definitely being the main source of humor until Toph comes along. Then they have one episode where someone, I think it is Toph, jokes that Sokka is useless because he isn’t a bender. Then he starts to acquit himself and be the warrior/strategist that he promised his father he’d become. Yet it doesn’t change him except maybe giving him real confidence instead of the bluster and jokes as a compensating/defense mechanism he had in the first half of the show. I know Zuko rightfully gets credit for having an amazing character arc but i think Sokka’s is just as good if not better.
Yeah zukos arc rules obviously, especially how they don’t take it for granted anyone would trust him, so the back half of season three is mostly dedicated to him actually working to gain the respect of the main crew. At the end of the day it’s pretty standard redemption arc stuff, even tho its handled more thoroughly and gracefully than most other media manages. Sokkas arc works best for me because you can easily miss it until you look back on how he develops across the series.
Yeah Zuko has so much pressure on him to redeem himself and also forge bonds of trust (and on a lesser note, have cool adventures with everyone except Toph) and then stand up to his father. It is all really out there, whereas Sokka is more internal. Zuko did have that period where he had all he wanted but felt empty and guilty about Iroh,
however, with Sokka he had a loving family and good friends, yet didn’t feel like he was contributing enough. He could have stayed comic relief and nobody would have shot him with a lightning bolt. But he realized he was coasting and needed to change a few things about himself and ended up leading a very well trained army of non-benders, showing they can contribute on par with their magic peers. But he remained the haiku master meat loving joke person as well.
“Bye, space sword.”
F
There are several moments in the series that make me weep. “Bye, space sword” is not one of them, but it leaves me with this profound emptiness that I’ve yet to experience in another tv series or movie.
“When you first came here, it was not your skills that impressed me. No, it certainly wasn’t your skills.”
There are too many great ones to list, but Tales of Bah Sing Se definitely belongs on any top 10 list.
And ‘The Great Divide’ isn’t number one? Come on, you’re asleep at the wheel! XD
Even the show kind of admits that that episode is pretty superfluous in Season 3.
“Avatar Day” is worse than “The Great Divide”, on this I will not budge.
But Avatar day gave us the immortal line “That’s why we call it ‘justice’ because it’s just us”
Also, I love the scene where a group of hardened criminals give Aang relationship advice, including the part where Aang shows he can easily get out of his stocks.
“Nightmares and Dreamscapes” isn’t a favorite of mine
It’s a favorite of mine if only because of the showdown between Appa and Momo.
for me I like the one where Appa and Momo start talking, because Aang is hallucinating, but also cause Appa saying, “you got to take care of yourself man” in such a laid back voice. Also, it was the one that gave us Toph cosplaying as Fire Lord Ozai during Aang’s training.
I enjoy both, but in terms of superfluous episodes, I feel “avatar Day” provides some pretty stellar comedy throughout.
I beg your pardon, but “The Fortune Teller” is a strong contender for worst episode. Unlike the other reviled episodes, “The Fortune Teller” is built around plot contrivance to throw red meat at shippers. It doesn’t even veer into “it’s so bad it’s good” territory because it is so conservative in its approach.“The Great Divide” and “Avatar Day” understand their situations are ridiculous and are willing to embrace the insanity.
I will hear nothing against “The Fortune Teller”, which includes this great exchange:Villager: “Can your ‘science’ explain how it rains?”Sokka: “Yes! Yes it can!”
Eh, let’s keep flying!
The Painted Lady is pretty weak. Not even bad in an entertaining way like The Great Divide…just dull.
Tales of Ba Sing Se, purely for Iroh’s Tale…gets me every time.
No Tales of Ba Sing Se? *lights a candle*
The two I expected on the list were that one and The Ember Island Players – I know it’s not as plot-essential as these others, but like Tales it’s an iconic episode that really does something special that no other show could do as well, and I’m not sure this list showcases’ the show’s sense of humor well. Yes, it’s mostly really epic struggles, but it’s well balanced, tonally.
Totally. This was a very funny show, and whatsmore, in an era where people are obsessed with everything being serialized, Avatar was great example of the value of the episodic format. Besides, I always want Ember Island to get love, because it might be the best “clip show” ever made.
Ember Island Players still hasn’t been bested as a meta way of recapping a series.
Honestly, it was a real challenge for me to narrow this down to 10! I did actually have both Tales of Ba Sing Se and The Ember Island Players on my original shortlist. Ember Island Players ended up getting cut as I felt it wasn’t really an episode for a casual viewer – it’s much more of a present to dedicated fans who are already invested in the show, and Tales of Ba Sing Se got cut because Book 2 already had 5 episodes featured and I wanted to allow for there to be at least some sort of a balance between the three seasons. Other honorable mentions included The Blue Spirit, Sokka’s Master, The Puppetmaster, and The Boiling Rock. Truly so many good options to choose from- the whole show is amazing!
It’s definitely a hard show to just pick 10 episodes from – I enjoyed the article! This is one of those shows I’d love to introduce my daughter to, but I think I have to wait a bit still.
Don’t forget The Western Air Temple!“Hello, Zuko here!”
Yeah, Ember Island Players isn’t a good episode to watch in a vacuum. The casual viewer wouldn’t get stuff like the Jet gag.
It’s really not clear.
Yes. Yes! YES! TO ALL
I mean, you could have had ten episodes just from Book 2 and I wouldn’t have felt cheated.
Yikes, “The Puppetmaster”. Absolutely terrifying for what’s ostensibly children’s television.
I can certainly appreciate the struggle.
My rationale is that looking back, when I saw this list existed “Tales of Ba Sing Se” was the very first thing that popped into mind.
That said, I’m just happy to see this show get more exposure and to have a bit of nostalgia in getting to watch it again. Narrowing it down to ten episodes is one of those pretty much impossible tasks in something like this, so I’ll happily accept the bit of nostalgia while taking this as a good excuse to rewatch the series.
Other then saying “screw the top ten, just watch the whole damn thing”, I’m not sure how any list could not have Tales of Ba Sing not be the first one on the list.
Honestly, if I was locked in to write a 10 episodes list for Avatar, I’d list the first 9 and then mention all the other episodes in the final slot. This is one of those rare shows, even among serialized ones, that doesn’t waste a single episode. They’re all good and they all contribute something meaningful to overall narrative.
But if I wasn’t allowed to do that, I’d definitely include The Guru. It encapsulates a lot of the show’s philosophies, not to mention it’s one of the only times you see the birth of a new form of bending.
I loved the remake of Ember Island Players in Thor: Ragnarok.
I can see Ember Island getting a pass here only because it works best if you’ve seen the whole show start to finish. The more of the show you’ve seen, the better it is.
“The scar is NOT on the wrong side!”
THIS! one of my favorites of the “interlude” style episodes. Uncle Iroh’s story always makes me tear up 🙁 I was fully going through the list waiting for this episode to pop up.
Literally crying about Uncle Iroh right now.
I came here to write these exact words.
THE BOULDER, HAS PROBLEMS WITH THIS LIST. MISSING FROM IT, IS HE.
Hey, The Boulder is in the list!
Leaves from the vine…
But there’s no war there?
Foolish to ignoreOne of the best episodesOf any cartoon.
Sokka claims to wear
A “Warrior’s Wolf-Tail”… but…
…wolves? …in the South Pole?
Why not? This is a world with turtle ducks and platypus bears.
Sure, but you don’t see the platypus bears living in the ocean, or the turtle ducks living in deserts. Every creature, no matter how odd, has a home that makes sense from an environmental standpoint.Purple pentapods aren’t found in trees. Possum chickens don’t live atop frozen mountaintops. Hog monkeys don’t live underground in burrows.Wolves in the South Pole doesn’t make any sense. We’re shown the environment down there – it’s all just ice and ocean. There are no growing plants. All food comes from the sea. Wolves hunt on land. It doesn’t work.We never actually see any wolves in the South Pole, nor any suitable food source they could potentially survive off of. We do later see actual wolves depicted at the North Pole, in the Legend of Korra… but it’s actual land (arctic tundra) up there, not an ice sheet.Presumably, the handful of cultural references to wolves that the Southern Water Tribe have come from the time before the two clans split apart.
Also… isn’t it weird that they make a huge deal out of Bosco the bear being just a bear, rather than a platypus bear, or a skunk bear, or an armadillo bear, or a gopher bear, or whatever else – but they’re fine with just wolves?
I also like the part where they are searching for Appa. Toph putting up those posters will never not be funny, while also not being mean spirited towards blind people. The Kyoshi Island Warriors one and the Boiling Rock prison episode were good too. Ba Sing Se is the best though.
We don’t talk about “Tales of Ba Sing Se”! And that has nothing to do with Iroh’s Tale! And I’m fine, someone must just be cutting onions!
There were no Tales of Ba Sing Se.
I would also recommend several episodes from book 1. Even though more people tend to like the later seasons, I have a soft spot for season 1 because I feel like the episodes feel more self contained as their own story and the animation is actually amazing in these given episodes.
The Fortune Teller is one of my favorite episodes. It’s pretty light, not a lot of action or even very high stakes. But it’s gorgeous and the writing is so well done. It is the only episode that was nominated for its writing in the Annie’s. Jet and The Deserter are also great episodes exploring the themes of war and loss. They also have great action sequences and amazing animation.
Solid list! A co-worker just recently turned me to the Last Air Bender during the start of the quarantine, and I am about to finish my first rewatch of the series.I loved the series, especially the writing! I can definitely see the influences of Cowboy Bebop, FLCL, Spagetti Westerns, and other inspirations in the works. This is probably my favorite animation from the 2000s.Btw, I don’t think “The Southern Raiders” is the penultimate epsiode of the third season, there’s one after where they go and watch the theater adaptation of their journey.
The second season is my favorite. Mostly for Toph, but also, I loved Azula’s relentless pursuit of Team Avatar. “The Chase” and “The Drill” are amazing confrontations. Plus, I’m a big fan of Ba Sing Se as a key location, and the conspiracies going on there, too. But this list is Book 2-heavy, and I’d still maybe swap “The City of Walls and Secrets” (there’s no context for Jet here) for more from Book 3:
The Beach is a pretty great entry, examining our “bad guys” a little more, who can’t even enjoy being normal teenagers. Zuko has everything he ever wanted, and he’s still hasn’t found peace.
Day of the Black Sun was the huge plan the team had been working on since “The Library,” and this two-parter was the one that felt like the endgame to the whole series. To our surprise, our heroes failed.
Sozin’s Comet: Avatar Aang. The whole 4-parter should count lol, but this last episode in particular is a gem. Our hero’s biggest dilemma was the question of whether to kill the Fire Lord. As a monk and pacifist, it goes against everything he stands for (and not for nothing, he’s a child on a children’s show), but even his past selves were telling him “Dude, Ozai’s gotta go.” Building up to this, there truly seemed to be no other option. The way this was resolved was incredible, and I was impressed with the commitment to character without betraying it. As we routinely complain about more and more series finales being letdowns, Avatar stands as a show that has one of the best endings out there.
I’M ANGRY AT MYSELF!
The 4-part finale was fantastic. Even the Lion Turtle doesn’t diminish it. The Zuko/Azula battle is some of the best animated tv ever.
Awkward Zuko is best Zuko.“Oh, why am I so bad at being good?”
I’ll have to watch it again all the way through and pay attention, but the deus ex Lion Turtle struck me as coming out of left field when I watched it about 10 years ago.
There were a few really small hints toward it, but they were pretty much “blink and you’ll miss them”. For a series that’s so good at foreshadowing in clever ways, a more obvious reference early on would have been nice.
They did reference the lion-turtle in The Library, and mentioned a lion-turtle at least one other time, for what it’s worth.
They’re mentioned at least once in previous eps, at least at the ancient desert library they find record of them. You’re still not wrong I guess, but it’s never bothered me.
It never bothered me that much either. I guess it’s a minor narrative weakness, but the finale gets everything else so perfectly right that it really comes off as a blip.
I had trouble understanding the Lion Turtle’s voice.
“The Chase” and “The Drill” are just such masterful examples of ramping up tension in an episode. Azula is never anything but a potent threat all throughout.
The… Uh… The first ten… And uh… The second ten… And then so on until you run out of episodes. It’s such a perfect series.
Although one can keep flying past “The Great Divide”
Yeah, but the stylization on the flashback animations in that episode was fun.
Listen, I appreciate lists like this for signaling important episodes, but if you’ve never seen the shows, don’t do this. You’ll be doing yourself a disservice by not following the characters and the world the show builds as things grow and change, and you’ll be doing the show a disservice by not seeing it evolve as intended.
We don’t suggest individual chapters of a book to read before deciding if you want to commit to reading the whole thing, why do we do this with television? If you’re not committed to watching it all, or at least giving it the ol college try, from the beginning then just skip it altogether.
The first ten. Then the next ten. Repeat as necessary to finish the series.I just can’t break it up.
I’ve got a list of about 60 episodes I would recommend watching.
This list is a lie, just watch the whole series beginning to end!
The ENTIRE SERIES should be viewed start to finish. It’s a masterpiece. Don’t cherry pick episodes, you’ll still get hooked and will just be spoiling it for yourself.
Literally my whole family watched the season 2 finale. My parents never watched the show, but it was compelling enough that the main living room TV was taken over and used for it. As opposed to the usual, being banished to the other tv to watch whatever kids show we wanted to watch. Season 2 of avatar the last Airbender is probably some of the best TV around. Zukos growth, Toph being just an iconic character, the betrayal in the crystal caverns. Man, I love this show. I remember initially writing this show off when I first saw commercials for it, as being some American anime knockoff. Then, for some reason, Nick ran an all day marathon of the first…12 episodes? An I happened to tune in and…I liked it. A lot. I started watching episodes as they aired. My friends and I even got together to watch the season 1 finale. I was hooked, and I got all of my friends hooked too.
Hey at the end it says avatar is now streaming on netflix, but it actually doesnt come to netflix until tomorrow. Man i got so excited to go binge it all right now that i ran to netflix and was just disappointed to see its not up yet
Ember Island Players or we riot….
I mean, just watch the whole thing?I know it’s 2020 and we have to find a way to make every article into a top 10 to achieve maximum clickage but it just seems silly to recommend/showcase only 10 episodes of a show that is clearly best enjoyed in full and requires the episodes to be watched in sequence.Maybe it’s just me? It just strikes me as a little odd, like writing on article called “The 25 Pages of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban You Should Read When it Gets Reprinted this Year”
Every episode is good!! Man I can’t imagine trying to squeeze the story into something so short as ten episodes. Imagine if they tried to make a movie about this show. Even trying to get one season into a movie? That would be a nightmare.
Gonna need some more Cave of Two Lovers in here
My first thought on clicking the link was ‘Secret Tunnel or GTFO’
Nah. For me, “The Headband” is the best Kataang episode.
“Oh yeah, I just remembered the next bit … ‘and DIE!’”
“Don’t let the cave-in get you down…SOKKA!”
This show.. has to many great episodes to even start a “Best 10″I know people like Ba Sing Se, or the Fire Ember Players episodes, but I enjoyed the one where they arrive at the island where Ang’s previous incarnation was a earth nation woman. So their fighters were all female. It just says something when a character like Sakka would show off, fail and then humble himself to learn to be stronger. Even more so when he finds it degrading, but still goes along with it to learn and become a better warrior. OR one where Boomie teaches Ang that “Doing nothing” is a valid tactic.There’s just so many. I know a friend who’s favorite episodes had the cabbage guy in them, or arguing about ones where the Blue Demon’s first appearance shows off the true character of Zuko.
What’s the one episode that I should show someone to convince them to watch it with me? I can’t be objective because this show means so much to me. I mean, damn, I was roughly the Gaang’s age when it premiered. I still remember watching the first episode with my little brother. I’d love to find an episode to have on that’ll pique my wife’s interest, who is, sadly, adamant not to watch it with me.
“Warriors of Kyoshi” and “The King of Omashu” are both pretty good: a nice balance of the humour, action, and worldbuilding that ATLA does so well. But honestly, the best way is to start from the start. If your wife’s not into that, well, maybe you just have to accept that’s her loss.
“The King of Omashu” was the first one I ever saw and it hooked me. I’ve seen it so many times since that I’m sick of it now, but that first time … King Boomie had just the right amount of humor and menace where you weren’t ever completely sure where the show would break until the end. Then you get a good helping of Avatar backstory – a thumbnail of Aang’s predicament and of the world’s suffering without the Avatar for so many years.
*Bumi*
Either “The Southern Air Temple” or “The Storm.” Both episodes deal with the circumstances/consequences of Aang disappearing for 100 years and the complexity the show gives to Zuko. Or, if you want something with more action,or don’t want to give away Zuko’s sympathetic side right off the bat, “The Spirit World Part 2: Avatar Roku” has a good balance of action and story. And handily summarizes the plot of the show as well.
If she’s adamantly against watching it with you, I can only assume it’s because she wants to watch it alone. Any other explanation sounds like grounds for divorce.
An excellent selection of episodes from what I think is the most perfect show ever created. I only discovered it last year but it’s basically taken over my entire life (I even got a tattoo of Appa, the best boy TM). The list of what makes it so special is endless, but my favourite thing is just the sheer depth and care taken with every character’s arc. They all change and grow so much, and the lessons they all learn/impart on the viewers are just so important. Personal favourite eps not mentioned here: The Boiling Rock 1&2, The Painted Lady, The Cave of Two Lovers, The Puppetmaster, Sokka’s Master, The Guru, Appa’s Lost Days
I actually saw season one of ‘Legend of Korra’ first, before I knew of the original’s existence. (Not ideal, I know.) I loved ‘Korra’, but I had no idea how much greater a treat I was in for when I started watching ATLA.
Still haven’t seen Korra. I’m not quite ready to move on to such a different story, especially one without some of my favourite characters in it.
I came here looking for the “Cave of Two Lovers” episode. It needed a shout out. One of the many things this show does really well are it’s flashbacks & side stories – many with switched up animation. I’m so happy you found the show. I got in right when Book Two was wrapping up & caught up and watched Book Three unfold in real time. I forced a friend of mine to watch it and we both were so impressed. “It’s a show that gets better and better with every episode,” I told him. And after a week of binging he repeated the same back to me. “You were right. It just gets better and better with every episode. Amazing.” Both of us doing a dreamy sigh – like the dorks we were/are. The only other show I can think of that hits the same light & heavy tone … and goes on a full-season winning streak … is Legends of Tomorrow season 3.
Totally agree! It not only gets better with every episode, it gets better with every re-watch. I’ve been nerding tf out about it for a solid sixteen months and I still read analysis that blows my mind with something I hadn’t fully considered/appreciated. Just the other day I read an amazing breakdown of how Aang and Toph’s arcs mirror each other, reflective of their opposing elements, and their final battles culminate in them using the other’s element (i.e, Aang learning to stand his ground and not run from his problems, fighting Ozai alone on the rocks, and Toph learning to accept help from others, fighting alongside her friends in the air). I could literally talk about this show forever, gah. It’s just amazing.
It’s is perfect. I remember discovering it around 2010 and waiting till my oldest son was finally old enough to watch it. Now I’m waiting for my youngest son to be old enough to watch it again
The Puppetmaster was so chilling. That moment where she says, “They’re just flowers,” is brilliant. Because it’s true and easy to justify in the moment, but is a hint of what lies underneath.
That whole episode breaks my heart, I just want to give Katara a hug by the end 🙁 such an important episode for her arc, but it hurts so bad. Hama is a brilliant character, though it cracks me up a little that it’s Agnes Skinner’s voice.
Any discussion of Avatar’s best episodes limited to 10 will always be wanting.
The 10 61 Episodes to Watch when Avatar: The Last Airbender hits NetflixAll of themWatch all of themBoom, fixed your article.
“Born blind, she “sees with her feet” by feeling the earth’s vibrations.”Um, I think you’ll find Toph sees by yelling and feeling the soundwaves bounce back. *AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH* There. She got a pretty good look at you.In all seriousness, this excellent list just brings to mind all the other amazing episodes not mentioned. The pulse-pounding excitement of the prison break from “The Boiling Rock”. The mix of wonder and creepiness in “The Library”. “The Drill”, which makes the idea that Ba Sing Se’s walls will fall seem so plausible, and then makes the irony that the city falls from within rather than without a few episodes later so much more satisfying.
My God, what an amazing show.
The librarian is still the biggest surprise in the whole show, literally Ghibli level animation quality.. 😮
Excuse me. One does not just watch 10 random episodes of Avatar.
I’m excited by this like I don’t already own the series on DVD. Avatar really is the best western cartoon IMO.
It’s a pretty good list, but I always hated what happened to Azula in the finale.
It would have been more satisfying if she had lost on her own accord, the evil prodigy finally being put in her place by the good hearted brother that got over the trauma of his past.
But instead she was defeated and turned into a hysterical woman because she was given too much power, even though she was accustomed to it all her life.
I don’t get that…especially since evil people have been shown to be even more deadlier when given more power.
The fact that Avatar arriving on Netflix is the Top Twitter Trend and has everybody going crazy, as if that’s the first time anybody’s been able to watch the show since it ended, is frankly embarrassing.
I get this more than I get the Community furor. A:TLA has been hard to get without shelling out like, $60 bucks since it moved off Amazon. The Nick app sucks. Netflix is more accessible than either of those two options for a large swathe of the population. Now, in comparison, Community has been easily available on Hulu since it went off the air. I mean, I don’t mind that Community is making headlines and all, but *pour one out for the rival corporation.*
They’re hitting the right generational wave. Like Mr Calavera says, everyone who bought ATLA on DVD hasn’t watched their DVDs in two or three years now, because who collects anything on DVD anymore? Netflix is buying up every animation that isn’t Disney. They’re pushing it. It is that good of a show. It makes sense.
They actually can’t buy up all the animation that isn’t Disney, as the other major provider of animation is aligned with HBO Max.
True enough, but WB and Netflix are pretty friendly. Maybe that won’t last as the lines are drawn.
It was an Amazon Prime Day special to pick up the whole series on DVD for a relatively inexpensive price. I snatched that up and put it on to rewatch regularly.
It was and still is on the NickHits service, which requires a subscription to Amazon Prime and is itself an additional charge, so I can see why it would be offputting while still being on streaming.
*The 61 episodes to watch when Avatar: The Last Airbender hits Netflix.Fixed that for you…
Alternatively, every episode Iroh is in. Or just all of them.
The Puppetmaster should be #2, behind the Blind Bandit … period
Surprised that the School/Dance party episode wasn’t included. it is a great episode.
Netfixs is going to run Avatar ads right before She-Ra and vice-versa. FYI – She-Ra hits Avatar levels once or twice per season. It’s aimed at an audience maybe one-year-younger than ATLA, but when they hit their groove, the She-Ra folks are right there.
I loved this show when my mom’s friend downloaded it for us.
I feel like I’m in the minority in regards to Azula. I’ve never liked how fast she spirals out of control into full on madness. She was always a damaged sociopath but I can’t help but think it was just to kneecap her so she had a reason to lose to Zuko/Katara. It just feels like they had no idea to deal with her which is why she totally vanishes from the LoK when everyone else was mentioned at least in passing and then kind of turns into the post-Silent Hill 2 version of Pyramid Head where she just shows up to do bad things even though it doesn’t fit.Suddenly deciding to be a secret advisor to the Fire Lord? That so is not her style.
Any episode with The Boulder is gold.