10 Reasons You Must Watch Avatar: The Last Airbender
Don't let THAT M. Night Shyamalan remake put you off!
Avatar: The Last Airbender is a cartoon that was truly ahead of its time and today stands as a firm favourite among fans and critics.
First aired on Nickelodeon in February 2005, it ran for three successful seasons. The show follows the story of Aang and his friends in a fantasy world where certain people can manipulate the elements of fire, earth, water and air using a combination of Chinese-inspired martial arts and telekinetic powers.
Aang must bring balance back to a world after a hundred years of war and domination by the Fire Nation.
There are so many reasons why you should be watching this show right now, and not just because it's available on Netflix. It's light-hearted, funny and visually stunning, with deft story-telling and impressive character development.
At the same time, it explores themes that are rarely seen in Western cartoons aimed at a younger audience, such as grief, free choice, war, and genocide. This gives Avatar an unmistaken cross-generational appeal and launched it to award-winning status, boasting a Kids' Choice Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and plenty more.
Don't let 'that' M. Night Shyamalan movie put you off watching what critics largely refer to as the best animated television series of all time!
10. The Cast Of Characters Is Insane
Every good show rests on a great cast of characters, and Avatar: The Last Airbender has some of the very best in animation history.
Every one of the main cast are introduced by the early episodes of season two, meaning each is able to have the time to grow and develop as the show goes on, creating well-rounded, interesting characters with stories that you care about.
Avatar manages to achieve that Holy Grail of casts that means you genuinely like every character on screen, and none come across as weak, boring, or two-dimensional.
Stand-out personalities include our three main heroes, Toph (a sassy and blind earth-bending master), Zuko (voiced by Dante Basco, aka Rufi-OOO), Iroh (voiced by the legendary Mako before he passed away) and Fire Lord Ozai (voiced by Mark Hamill) to name just a few.
This doesn't even cover the strength of the secondary cast of characters, from Mai and Ty Lee, to King Bumi and Admiral Zhoa, pirates, bounty hunters.
There's even a wrestler called The Boulder, who - voiced by wrestler Mick Foley - sounds remarkably similar to The Rock...