Water. Earth. Fire. Air. As it’s reiterated in each opening of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the four nations once lived in harmony before the Fire Nation attacked, changing everything. Establishing itself as one of the most beloved animated series of the 2000s, and with a new animated movie on the way, Avatar: The Last Airbender is revered for its rich world-building and even more intricate character development. The animated series has been adored by audiences of all ages, as its masterclass of storytelling has defined it to be one of the greatest television series yet.

The animated series first premiered on Nickelodeon in 2005, and upon its arrival, captivated a diverse audience. Netflix later acquired the title and began streaming the cartoon on their streaming service while also developing their live-action series sourced from the same material. While audiences become deeply acquainted with the collection of unique and distinguishable characters that populated the show, there are still bits of information about them that aren’t all too well-known.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

5 Momo Was Supposed to Represent Monk Gyatso

     Image via Screen Rant

Momo, the all-too-cute Lemur Bat, was once imagined to be the reincarnation of Monk Gyatso. Gyatso served as Aang’s mentor after he accepted his fate as the Avatar, guiding Aang through the transition from his traditional Air Nomad life to being the savior that the world had been waiting for. Momo, a loyal animal-companion to the young Avatar throughout his journey, has been speculated to be Gyatso’s next bodily vessel. When Momo was first being written, it was once considered that Momo was actually Gyatso’s spirit. The idea itself was an interesting approach to the character, though it was ultimately decided that it would be too much of a risk to move forward with.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

4 Avatar Aang Has the Ability to Energybend

     Image via Hero.Fandom.Com

Before the last Lion Turtle had passed away, in order to prepare Avatar Aang to battle Firelord Ozai, he bestowed upon him the ability to energybend. This was imperative in allowing Aang the option of defeating the Fire Lord without having to actually kill him (the morality of which Aang, in fact, continually wrestled with). Per its name, the term “energybending” granted Aang with the ability to control another person’s life energy.

3 Monk Gyatso’s Namesake is Taken from the Dalai Lama

     Image via Avatar Wiki - Fandom

The name Tenzin Gyatso is taken from the 14th Dalai Lama, who shares the same name. Tibetian monk Gyatso was once considered to be one of the foremost spiritual leaders, though he has since retired from his position. He was born into a farming family in northeast Tibet, and at the age of two, was claimed to be the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso. He assumed the role of His Holiness at age 23, and then was called upon for political matters in 1950. Gyatso went on to present the Five-Point Peace Plan in 1987 in order to salvage the nation of Tibet. On May 29, 2011, he was responsible for ending the 386-year-long-cycle of the Dalai Lama as the political and spiritual head of Tibet. It was then that Gyatso retired from his position. The name “Tenzin,” in fact, carries forward into the sequal series The Legend of Korra, which sees Aang’s son (named Tenzin) training the new Avatar.

2 Azula Almost Had an Arranged Marriage

     Image via Trilemma Productions

Azula was nearly found herself in an arranged marriage by the show’s final season, but the plot point was deemed unfit for her overall narrative. Indeed, at one point in the show’s continuum, the Fire Nation princess almost faced an engagement to Fire Nation General Zhao’s son, and their wedding would have taken place in Book 3. Ultimately, the writers decided against it and chose a different fate for Azula: her face-off against Prince Zuko in their final, and seemingly fated, Agni Kai, which proved to be one of the most defining moments of the series.

1 Toph Was Almost a Male Character

Throughout the extent of the series, Toph mastered the art of earthbending, and later on, was heralded as the founder of metal-bending. She forged through, refusing to let her loss of sight impede her skills as an earthbender. Originally, however, Toph was designed as a male character with perfect vision. The episode “Ember Island Players” nodded to early concept by making Toph a Dwayne Johnson-like in the show’s parody of itself.