Avatar: The Last Airbender is a show on Nickelodeon. It follows the journeys of Aang, the successor to a long line of Avatars, and his friends Katara and Sokka.
From the show's opening theme, narrated by Katara:
Water.
Earth.
Fire.
Air.
Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony.
Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.
Only the Avatar, master of all four elements could stop them.
But when the world needed him most, he vanished.
One-hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar,
An Airbender named Aang, and even though his Airbending skills are great,
He still has a lot to learn before saving anyone.
But I believe Aang can save the world.
Influences
The show is heavily influenced by the style of Japanese anime, i.e. unanatomically huge eyes. It also draws on the classical Greek elements rather than the five eastern elements.
Characters
Aang is the protagonist, a 12 (or, technically, 112)-year-old child who was raised by monks. He is predominantly an Airbender, able to make whirlwinds, gales, or a ball of air that he rides along the ground and up walls somewhat like a unicycle. His familiars include an oversized flying ox named Appa (whose flight is triggered by the words "Yip yip!") and Momo, a flying lemur. Aang is also adept in the use of a retractable kite.
Katara, a supporting character, is a novice Waterbender, able to seal people in ice but not much else.
Saaka, her brother, distrusts magic and uses a small boomerang as his primary weapon. Saaka plays the part of the stereotypical antagonizing insecure teen.
Prince Zuko, an intermediate Firebender, attacks the Water Village upon discovering Aang. Although trained by his uncle Iroh, a crafty and much more proficient pyromancer, Zuko was humiliated when Aang, true to anime tradition, miraculously tapped his dormant powers and buried Zuko's ship under an avalanche.
Haru and his father, Tyro, are Earthbenders who, primarily with Katara's help, help liberate captured Earthbenders from a Firebender rig.
Currently Avatar airs at 8/7:30 PM Pacific and 5 PM on Saturdays.
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Avatar:The Last Airbender
