Aang

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Avatar roku)
Jump to: navigation, search
Aang
Avatar: The Last Airbender character
Aang kneeling in a battle pose, holding his staff behind him.
First appearance "The Boy in the Iceberg"
Voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen
Mitchel Musso (Unaired Pilot)
Information
Gender Male
Nationality Air Nomads
Bending Element Air (main), Fire, Water, Earth, Energy
Hair color Black / dark brown
(generally shaven)
Position Protagonist

Aang (Sanskrit: आङ Āṅ) is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The character is created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and is voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen. Aang is depicted as the show's protagonist and as such has appeared in all the episodes but one ("Zuko Alone"). Aang also appeared in the pilot episode which has not been aired.[1]

Aang is the series' reluctant hero,[2].[3] The creators intended Aang to defeat enemies with his wits and be a Trickster.[4]

The series depict Aang as the last surviving Airbender and a monk of the Air Nomads, the people able to manipulate the air. He is a supercentenarian at the age of 112;[5] but remained in suspended animation for one century, making his biological age twelve.[5] It is revealed in the second episode that he is the current incarnation of the Avatar, the spirit of the planet in human form.[3][6] As such, Aang has the ability to control the four classical elements and is tasked with keeping the Four Nations at peace.[2] The show follows Aang's journeys to complete this task, during a war instigated by the Fire Nation.[2]

Aang has appeared in other media, such as trading cards,[7][8] video games,[9][10] T-shirts,[11] and web comics.[12] Aang has also appeared in the feature film The Last Airbender, wherein he was played by Noah Ringer.

Contents

[edit] Creation and conception

Aang's character was developed from a drawing by Bryan Konietzko, depicting a bald man with an arrowlike design on his head, which the artist developed into a picture of a child with a flying bison.[13] Meanwhile, Michael Dante DiMartino was interested in a documentary about explorers trapped in the South Pole, which he later combined with Konietzko's drawing thus:

There's an air guy along with these water people trapped in a snowy wasteland...and maybe some fire people are pressing down on them...
—Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko[13]

The plot they described corresponds with the first and second episodes of the series, where the "water people" (Katara and Sokka) rescue the "air guy" (Aang) while "trapped in a snowy wasteland" (the Southern Water Tribe) with "some fire people [that] are pressing down on them" (Fire Nation Troops and Zuko).[5][6][13] The creators of the show intended Aang to be trapped in an iceberg for one thousand years, later to wake inside a futuristic world, wherein he would have a robot named Momo and a dozen bison. The creators lost interest in this theme, and changed it to one hundred years of suspended animation. The robotic Momo became a flying lemur, and the herd of bison was reduced to one.[13]

Aang's character has a well-developed cultural ideology. According to the show's creators, "Buddhism and Taoism have been huge inspirations behind the idea for Avatar."[14] A notable aspect of the character is his vegetarian diet, consistent with Buddhism or Taoism.[14] In the Brahmajala Sutra, a Buddhist code of ethics, vegetarianism is encouraged.[15] In "The King of Omashu", Aang demonstrates his vegetarian beliefs by refusing to eat meat.[16] Furthermore, Aang consistently shows a reluctance to fight and an aversion to killing. In "The Spirit World (Winter Solstice, Part 1)", Aang encounters an angry spirit destroying a village and kidnapping villagers; but instead of fighting the spirit, Aang negotiates.[17]

Airbending, the martial art Aang primarily uses in the show, is based on an "internal" Chinese martial art called Baguazhang. This fighting style focuses on circular movements, and does not have many finishing moves; traits meant to represent the unpredictability of air and the peaceful character of Airbenders.[18]

In the episode "Tales of Ba Sing Se", Aang’s name was written as 安昂 (ān áng) in Chinese.

[edit] Plot overview

A book cover with Aang in the Avatar State, and various elements shooting around and behind him.
A depiction of Aang in the Avatar State in the cover of the novel of the series finale "Sozin's Comet: The Final Battle".

The producers of the show have named each season a "book", whereof each was named after one of the four elements in the show. Flashbacks also reveal events that happened before the show opened, [19] as in one wherein the elders of the Air Temple hold a private meeting with Aang to reveal his identity as the Avatar. Monk Gyatso, Aang's mentor and father-figure, insists that Aang be raised as an ordinary child; [20] whereupon the other elders attempt to separate the two, prompting Aang to flee their monastery. During this flight, Aang and his bison Appa become caught by a storm, and later encased in an air-pocket among icebergs. [5][20]

After 100 years therein, deuteragonist Katara and her brother Sokka free Aang and Appa; and[5] the four embark to find a Waterbending master to teach Aang and Katara.[6] Throughout their journey they are pursued by Zuko, the banished prince of the Fire Nation.[5] In one episode, Aang meets his previous incarnation, Avatar Roku, who informs him that he must master all four bending arts and defeat Fire Lord Ozai before the end of summer.[21] Among the Northern Water Tribe, Waterbending Master Pakku teaches Aang, and later Katara.[22] In the second season, Aang learns earthbending from Toph Bei Fong, a blind earthbending prodigy.[23] During the season finale, a guru attempts to teach Aang to open his seven chakras in order to control the defensive 'Avatar State'; but when Aang perceives Katara in danger, he leaves before the seventh chakra is opened, and thus loses his progress until the seventh is opened by another figure.[24]

In the third season, Aang and his remaining allies attack the Fire Nation's capital; but are thwarted by Princess Azula.[25] In the following episode, Zuko has a change of heart and offers to teach Aang firebending. In "The Firebending Masters" Aang and Zuko learn firebending with the help of their world's last two dragons.[26]

During the series finale, Aang's seventh chakra is opened by an immense 'lion-turtle'. Enabled by this encounter, Aang removes Ozai's ability to manipulate fire, and thus renders him harmless. Later, in the Fire Nation capital, Aang is seen beside Zuko while the latter is appointed Fire Lord. [27]

It has been revealed that a new series, Avatar: The Legend of Korra, is being created as a sequel, wherein appears Korra, the next Avatar following Aang. Although no specific plot details have been revealed, it has been revealed that following the events of the series, Aang and Katara were married, and had a number of children including Tenzin, an Airbending Master who resides in Republic City, a location which harbors Benders from all over the four nations; and that Aang has died at the age of 67.

[edit] Characteristics

The Avatars standing in line, including Aang, Roku, Kyoshi, Kuruk, and Yangchen, in that order.
The Avatars (from right to left): Aang, Roku, Kyoshi, Kuruk, Yangchen, and other previous Avatars.

Michael Dante DiMartino, the show's co-creator, said:

We wanted Aang to solve problems and defeat enemies with his wits as well as his powerful abilities.
—Michael Dante DiMartino[4]

Aang is depicted in the series as a vegetarian, as shown in "The King of Omashu"[16] and "The Headband"[28] when he refuses to eat meat since the Air Nomads taught him that all life is sacred.[27] Aang states a reluctance to fight in "The Spirit World (Winter Solstice, Part 1)"; Aang negotiates with a spirit who is destroying a village instead of fighting.[17] Due to his non-violent nature, he is also depicted as showing ethical reluctance in killing Firelord Ozai,[29] and eventually strips Ozai of his bending instead of killing him.[27] In the show, Aang has a complex network of friends extending over all four nations.[5]

Aang reveals in "The Storm" that he wishes he had been there to help his people a century ago, but would rather live a child's carefree life.[19] Multiple times in the show, Aang demonstrates how much he cares for those close to him and also demonstrates his fun-loving nature. He also showed that he can act immaturely, and once tried to deceive others in order to keep the group together. In "Bato of the Water Tribe", Aang thinks Katara and Sokka might leave to visit their father. Aang hides the map showing their father's whereabouts and lies about having it in the first place.[30]

In some episodes, he demonstrates flight abilities with airbending. One technique for this is to make a whirling spherical whirlwind and ride on it, which Aang calls the Air Scooter.[31] Other methods of flying include his glider,[5] and Appa.[32] In the Avatar State, Aang can also fly inside a spherical whirlwind.[33]

[edit] Reception

In the show's intended demographics, Aang has been received exceptionally well. Kendall Lyons stated, "Aang seems to be the lighthearted kid that you can easily familiarize yourself with", and that he "seems to bring comfort in the most dangerous or hostile situations."[34] There are many similar descriptions about Aang as a child-like character who is "reckless and excitable".[35] Reviews point out that "as the Avatar, Aang seems unstoppable, but as Aang, he is just another Airbender"; the review states later that the show continues to focus on a more realistic character instead of a perfect one by revealing many character flaws.[36]

[edit] Appearances in other media

Noah Ringer portraying Aang in M. Night Shyamalan's "The Last Airbender".
Noah Ringer as Aang in M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender.

Aang's character appeared in the Avatar: The Last Airbender Trading Card Game on a multitude of cards.[7][8] He appeared in the Avatar: The Last Airbender video game as one of the four playable characters.[37] Two sequels were made: Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Burning Earth,[9][38] followed by Avatar: The Last Airbender – Into the Inferno. Avatar T-shirts, some with Aang appearing on them, are being sold through the Nickelodeon Shop website.[11] Tokyopop has published a films comic (sometimes referred to as cine-manga), in which Aang, being the main character of the show, appears repeatedly.[12]

Aang appeared in Escape from the Spirit World, an online video game that can be found on Nickelodeon's official website. The game includes certain plot changes that are not shown in the show. The show's directors, Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, claim the events are canon.[10]

In 2008 director M. Night Shyamalan cast 12-year-old Tae Kwon Do practitioner Noah Ringer as Aang in the film adaptation of the series, The Last Airbender.[39] The casting of a white actor in the role of Aang (as well as a primarily Caucasian cast) in the Asian-influenced Avatar universe triggered negative reactions from some fans marked by accusations of racism, a letter-writing campaign, and a protest outside of a Philadelphia casting call for movie extras. A counter-movement was spawned in response by other fans who believed the casting was appropriate. [40][41][42] The casting decisions were also negatively received by several critics who stated that the original casting call expressed a preference for Caucasian actors over others.[43]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Written and Directed by: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko; Voices: Mitchel Musso as Aang and Mae Whitman as Kya (2006-09-19). Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Complete Book One Box Set (DVD). Nickelodeon. 
  2. ^ a b c "Watch Out For Avatar on September 10!". Nickelodeon Asia. Archived from the original on 2008-06-08. http://web.archive.org/web/20080608012157/http://www.nicksplat.com/Events/200509/07000082.html. Retrieved 2008-03-14. 
  3. ^ a b Pittarese, Frank (2006). "Nation Exploration". Nickelodeon Magazine (Winter 2006): 2. 
  4. ^ a b DiMartino, Michael Dante; Konietzko, Bryan (2007-09-06). Interview: Avatar's Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino. Interview with Eduardo Vasconcellos. IGN Entertainment. http://tv.ign.com/articles/818/818284p1.html. Retrieved 2007-11-11. 
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h "The Boy in the Iceberg". Director: Dave Filoni, Writers: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2005-02-21. No. 1, season 1.
  6. ^ a b c "The Avatar Returns". Director: Dave Filoni, Writers: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2005-02-21. No. 2, season 1.
  7. ^ a b "Avatar Trading Card Game". Nickelodeon. Archived from the original on 2008-03-02. http://web.archive.org/web/20080302152900/http://entertainment.upperdeck.com/avatar/en/interface.aspx. Retrieved 2008-03-24. 
  8. ^ a b "Avatar: The Last Airbender Trading Card Game". BoardGameGeek. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/22469/avatar-the-last-airbender-trading-card-game. Retrieved 2008-03-24. 
  9. ^ a b "Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Burning Earth" (Flash). Nickelodeon. http://www.avatartheburningearth.com/. Retrieved 2008-03-13. 
  10. ^ a b "Avatar Escape From The Spirit World" (Adobe Flash File). Viacom Corporation. http://www.nick.com/avatarescape/index.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-02-19. 
  11. ^ a b "The Nickelodeon Shop — Avatar". Nickelodeon. http://shop.nick.com/?categoryId=2060004. Retrieved 2008-02-11. 
  12. ^ a b created by Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko. (2006). Avatar: The Last Airbender Cine-Manga Volume 1. Avatar: The Last Airbender Cine-Manga. Tokyopop. ISBN 1-59532-891-2. http://www.tokyopop.com/product/1423. Retrieved 2008-03-14. 
  13. ^ a b c d DiMartino, Michael Dante; Konietzko, Bryan (2006). "In Their Elements". Nickelodeon Magazine (Winter 2006): 6. 
  14. ^ a b DiMartino, Michael Dante; Konietzko, Bryan (2006). "Myth Conceptions". Nickelodeon Magazine (Winter 2006): 7. 
  15. ^ Jing, Fanwang. "Brahmajala Sutra Translated Text". Purify Out Mind. p. 4. http://www.purifymind.com/BrahmaNetSutra.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-12. "He must not create the causes ... and shall not intentionally kill any living creature." 
  16. ^ a b "The King of Omashu". Director: Anthony Lioi; Writer: John O'Bryan. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2005-03-18. No. 5, season 1.
  17. ^ a b "The Spirit World (Winter Solstice, Part 1)". Director: Lauren MacMullan; Writer: Aaron Ehasz. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2005-04-08. No. 7, season 1.
  18. ^ "Nickelodeon's Official Avatar: The Last Airbender Flash Site". Nick.com. http://www.nick.com/shows/avatar/. Retrieved 2006-12-02. 
  19. ^ a b "The Storm". Director: Lauren MacMullan; Writer: Aaron Ehasz. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2005-06-03. No. 12, season 1.
  20. ^ a b "The Southern Air Temple". Director: Lauren MacMullan, Writer: Michael Dante DiMartino. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2005-02-25. No. 3, season 1.
  21. ^ "Avatar Roku (Winter Solstice, Part 2)". Director: Giancarlo Volpe, Writer: Michael Dante DiMartino. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2005-04-15. No. 8, season 1.
  22. ^ The Waterbending Master". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2005-11-18. No. 18, season 1.
  23. ^ "The Blind Bandit". Director: Ethan Spaulding; Writer: Michael Dante DiMartino. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2006-05-05. No. 6, season 2.
  24. ^ "The Guru". Director: Giancarlo; Writers: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2006-12-01. No. 19, season 2.
  25. ^ "The Day of Black Sun Part 1: The Invasion". Director: Giancarlo Volpe; Writer: Michael Dante DiMartino. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2007-11-23. No. 10, season 3.
  26. ^ "The Western Air Temple". Director: Ethan Spaulding; Writers: Elizabeth Welch Ehasz, Tim Hedrick. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2007-12-14. No. 12, season 3.
  27. ^ a b c "Sozin's Comet". Director: Ethan Spaulding; Writers: Elizabeth Welch Ehasz, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2008-07-19. No. 58-61, season 3.
  28. ^ "The Headband". Director: Joaquim dos Santos; Writer: John O'Bryan. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2007-09-28. No. 2, season 3.
  29. ^ Liu, Ed (2008-07-18). ""Sozin's Comet" Produces an Epic Season Finale for "Avatar the Last Airbender"". Toon Zone. http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/25009/sozins-comet-produces-an-epic-season-finale-for-avatar-the-last-airbender. Retrieved 2008-07-20. 
  30. ^ "Bato of the Water Tribe". Director: Giancarlo Volpe; Writer: Ian Wilcox. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2005-10-07. No. 15, season 1.
  31. ^ "The Drill". Director: Giancarlo Volpe; Writers: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2006-09-15. No. 13, season 2.
  32. ^ "The Swamp". Director: Giancarlo Volpe; Writer: Tim Hedrick. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2006-04-14. No. 4, season 2.
  33. ^ "Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang". Director: Joaquim dos Santos; Writer: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2008-07-19. No. 21, season 3. Transcript.
  34. ^ Lyons, Kendall (2005-12-08). "Avatar: The Last Airbender". Animation Inside. p. 2. http://www.animationinsider.net/article.php?articleID=613. Retrieved 2008-02-15. "Aang seems to be the lighthearted kid that you can easily familiarize yourself with. He seems to bring comfort in the most dangerous or hostile situations." 
  35. ^ Robinson, Tasha (2006-03-07). "Avatar: The Last Airbender". Sci-Fi Weekly. p. 2. Archived from the original on 2008-02-17. http://web.archive.org/web/20080217013803/http://www.scifi.com/sfw/anime/sfw12366.html. Retrieved 2008-02-15. "Aang, meanwhile, is as reckless and excitable as a kid his age should be, but he also shows the marks of a monastic life of training and responsibility." 
  36. ^ Mell, Tory Ireland (2008-02-27). "Avatar: The Last Airbender - "The Spirit World (Winter Solstice, Part 1)" Review". IGN Entertainment. http://tv.ign.com/articles/855/855270p1.html. Retrieved 2008-03-11. "As the Avatar, Aang seems unstoppable, but as Aang, he is just another Airbender..." 
  37. ^ "Avatar: The Last Airbender Video Game". Nick.com. Nickelodeon. http://www.nick.com/games/avatar-games. Retrieved 2008-03-22. 
  38. ^ "IGN.com: Avatar: The Burning Earth". IGN. http://wii.ign.com/objects/905/905219.html. Retrieved 2008-03-13. 
  39. ^ Sperling, N (2008-12-17). "Movies". 1026. Entertainment Weekly. p. 15. 
  40. ^ Graeme McMillan (2008-12-17). "Avatar Casting Makes Fans See... White". io9 (Gawker Media). http://io9.com/5111680/avatar-casting-makes-fans-see-white. Retrieved 2008-12-19. 
  41. ^ Jeff Yang (2008-12-29). "'Avatar' an Asian thing- why isn't the cast?". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/28/DDMU15ICE4.DTL. Retrieved 2008-12-29. 
  42. ^ Naomi Tarlow (2008-12-29). "Protesters oppose "whitewashing" in new Shyamalan film". Daily Pennsylvanian. http://thedp.com/node/58215. Retrieved 2008-12-29. 
  43. ^ Hoffman, Jordan (2010-05-21). "Racebending — The Controversy Continues — The Last Airbender". UGO.com. http://www.ugo.com/movies/airbender-casting-call-controversy-continues. Retrieved 2010-06-16. 

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aang&oldid=481245152"
Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages