Avatar: The Last Airbender was guided by a core philosophy that people aren't "good" or "evil," but are either "in balance" or "out of balance."
Avatar: The Last Airbender is well known for its complex characters, which are perfectly explained by a core philosophy of the show. Avatar, which originally aired on Nickelodeon, is surprisingly complex and covers mature themes. Despite the fact that Avatar is rated TV-Y7-FV, war, death, and genocide are integral elements of the plot. But it’s the characters that are the real heart of Avatar. The main cast of Avatar is introduced early on in season 1, episode 1, “The Boy In The Iceberg.” Katara, Sokka, Aang, Zuko, and Iroh are all established by the end of the pilot. At least three other characters who are introduced after the pilot could also be considered part of the main cast: Toph, Azula, and Suki.
Of these eight characters, each has a clear arc and journey. More importantly, their arcs make sense because the characters have clear goals guided by their complex personalities. Even Azula, who grows more unhinged and violent as the show continues, has a clearly defined arc. Azula changes dramatically from her first appearance to her last. Azula becomes more and more paranoid and isolated from her family, and eventually, Mei and Ty-Lee also leave when they realize Azula would not hesitate to kill them. This confirms Azula's hidden fear of abandonment and drives her into deeper paranoia. Yet, all of Avatar's characters are at times unpredictable in very human ways, including Azula. This is because of the show’s core philosophy.
In Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Art of the Animated Series, showrunners Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino write that a “core philosophy of the series” is that “people aren’t good or evil, but are either in balance or out of balance.” Each of Avatar's characters perfectly embodies this philosophy because the “good” characters don’t always do the “right” thing and the “evil” characters don’t always do the “wrong” thing. Every character can be seen in varying degrees of "balance."
As the Avatar, Aang most clearly symbolizes the importance of balance. To master all four elements and bring balance to the world, Aang is first required to achieve balance within himself. However, Aang is still a flawed human. Aang is deeply spiritual, a devout pacifist, and a naturally “balanced” character, but even Aang kills a buzzard wasp in an act of revenge. At the time, Aang was likely ‘out of balance’ because he was overcome with emotion and reacted without first reflecting. Aang has several other experiences throughout the series that show his tendency to react with emotion. However, in the Avatar finale, Aang becomes a fully realized Avatar after achieving balance. Because of this, Aang restrains himself from killing Fire Lord Ozai and uses energybending to take away Ozai’s firebending instead.
Ozai’s own brother, Iroh, is likely the most balanced character from Avatar’s beginning to end, but Zuko is widely regarded as the most compelling character in Avatar because of his redemption arc. At the beginning of the series, Zuko is hellbent on destroying the Avatar to restore his honor and please his father. But, as Zuko learns and grows, he begins to make outward choices that reflect his inner change. This is illustrated even more clearly when Zuko loses his firebending abilities and learns that life and energy must exist to balance fire’s destructive and violent potential. Zuko was completely out of balance when his sole purpose was domination and revenge, but then Zuko began to see the Fire Nation for what it was and realized that he needed the Avatar to help him restore balance.
When viewing Avatar’s characters through the lens of “in balance” or “out of balance,” they become even more relatable and realistic. Many children’s shows, or rather film and television in general, feature characters who neatly fit into a label of “good” or “evil,” but Avatar’s characters contain multitudes. From its very beginning, Avatar has spoken to viewers in a way that few other shows have because, underneath the mythical setting and characters’ supernatural abilities, Avatar: The Last Airbender teaches deeply poignant lessons about the complexities, contradictions, and balance within every person.
The pilot of Avatar: The Last Airbender can be watched here, and the recently released second printing of Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Art of the Animated Series is now available from Dark Horse. The follow up, The Legend of Korra: The Art of the Animated Series-Book One: Air, will receive a second reprint in February 2021, also from Dark Horse.
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