Avatar: The Last Airbender: Difference between revisions
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GeneralIroh (talk | contribs) Not only do we not need an 'episodes' section in the main article, the link went to a river in Germany. Nice use of piped links! |
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Although normally years of disciplined training are required to master a single Bending art, Aang must be a master of all four and defeat [[List of Avatar: The Last Airbender major secondary characters#Fire Lord Ozai|Fire Lord Ozai]] by summer's end, when the return of Sozin's Comet will give the Firebenders the power to win the war. If these events come to pass, not even the Avatar will possess the ability to restore balance to the world.<ref name="Roku"/> |
Although normally years of disciplined training are required to master a single Bending art, Aang must be a master of all four and defeat [[List of Avatar: The Last Airbender major secondary characters#Fire Lord Ozai|Fire Lord Ozai]] by summer's end, when the return of Sozin's Comet will give the Firebenders the power to win the war. If these events come to pass, not even the Avatar will possess the ability to restore balance to the world.<ref name="Roku"/> |
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== Episodes == |
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[[Main|List of Avatar: The Last Airbender episodes]] |
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== Characters == |
== Characters == |
Revision as of 01:36, 5 February 2007
Avatar: The Last Airbender | |
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File:Avatar-TLAlogo.jpg | |
Created by | Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko |
Starring | Zach Tyler Eisen Mae Whitman Jack DeSena Jessie Flower Dante Basco Mako Dee Bradley Baker Grey DeLisle Crawford Wilson Olivia Hack Cricket Leigh Clancy Brown Mark Hamill Jason Isaacs |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of episodes | 40 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Running time | 23 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | Nickelodeon |
Release | February 21, 2005 – Present |
Avatar: The Last Airbender (also known as Avatar: The Legend of Aang in several countries), is an American animated television series that currently airs on the Nickelodeon television network. Set in an Asian-influenced world of martial arts and elemental magic, the series follows the adventures of the successor to a long line of Avatars, Aang, and his friends in their quest to save the world from the ruthless Fire Nation. The series is written in the form of a book series, with each episode being a "chapter" and each individual season a "book."
Originally slated to begin airing November of 2004, Avatar: The Last Airbender debuted on TV on February 21, 2005. The show is also available on DVD or for download at the iTunes Store and the XBOX Marketplace. Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko are the creators and executive producers of the series. The show receives high ratings in the Nicktoons lineup, even outside its intended 6-to-11-year-old demographic. Avatar: The Last Airbender is popular with both audiences and critics,[1] garnering 4.4 million viewers on its best-rated showing.[2]
The series' success prompted Nickelodeon to order a second season,[3] and a third season has been announced for 2007.[4] Merchandise based on the series includes six DVD sets of episodes, six-inch (15.34 cm) scale action figures, a video game, stuffed animals distributed by Paramount Parks, and two Lego sets.[5]
Background
Creation
Avatar: The Last Airbender is co-created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko at Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, California. It is animated in South Korea. The first episode of Avatar was created six years following its original conception, a period much longer than the norm for animated shows.[6] While it was originally set to premier in November of 2004, the first episode of Avatar aired on February 21, 2005. Following the conclusion of the first season of Avatar, Nickelodeon promptly ordered a second twenty-episode season that premiered on March 17, 2006, and concluded on December 1, 2006.[3] A third season will begin airing in 2007.[4]
Premise
Avatar: The Last Airbender takes place in a fantasy world, home to humans, fantastic animals, and supernatural spirits. Human civilization is divided into four nations, the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Air Nomads, and the Fire Nation. Within each nation, an order of men and women called "Benders" have the ability to manipulate their native element. These Bending arts combine a certain style of martial arts and elemental mysticism. The Bending types are Waterbending, Earthbending, Firebending, and Airbending.[7]
In each generation, one person is capable of Bending all four elements; this is the Avatar, the spirit of the planet manifested in human form. When the Avatar dies, he or she is reincarnated into an unborn baby native in the next nation in the Avatar Cycle, which parallels the seasons: winter for water, spring for earth, summer for fire, and autumn for air.[8] While legend holds that the Avatar must master the elements in order, starting with their native element, this can sometimes be compromised when the situation requires it. Learning to bend the element opposite one's native element is extremely difficult because opposing Bending arts are based on opposing fighting styles and doctrines.[9]
The Avatar possesses a unique power that resides within him or her, called the Avatar State. It is a defense mechanism that empowers the Avatar with the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars. When the Avatar enters this state, his or her eyes and mouth begin to glow. The glow is the combination of all the Avatar's previous incarnations focusing their energy through his or her body. However, if the Avatar is killed in the Avatar State, then the reincarnation cycle will be broken, and the Avatar will cease to exist.[10]
Through the ages, countless incarnations of the Avatar have served to keep the four nations in harmony and maintain world order.[7] The Avatar also serves as the bridge between the physical world and the Spirit World, home of the world's disembodied spirits.[11]
Plot synopsis
A century prior to the series' opening, Aang, a 12-year-old Airbender of the Air Nomads' Southern Air Temple, learned from the elder monks that he was the Avatar. Usually, the Avatar is told of his or her true identity after turning sixteen; however, the monks feared that a war between the four nations was on the horizon and that soon the Avatar would be required to maintain balance and order in the world. Shortly thereafter, the monks decreed that Aang would be separated from his guardian, Monk Gyatso, and sent to the Eastern Air Temple to complete his training.
Confused, frightened, and overwhelmed by these recent events and his new responsibilities as the Avatar, Aang fled from his home on his flying bison, Appa. While traveling over frigid southern ocean waters, a sudden storm caused Appa to plunge deep into the sea. Aang unconsciously entered the Avatar State, and used Airbending to protect Appa and himself by creating an air bubble around them. However, the air bubble quickly froze into a sphere of ice, forcing the two of them into a state of suspended animation.[8]
The series opens one hundred years later, with the Fire Nation on the brink of victory in its imperialist war. The Water Tribes are in crisis — the Southern Water Tribe's warriors have left to wage war, leaving their home defenseless, while the Northern Water Tribe, though largely intact, is continually on the defensive.[12] The vast Earth Kingdom is now the only true barrier to the Fire Nation's conquest, but as the Fire Nation continues to encroach on its borders and conquer its territories, hopes of victory grow bleaker with each passing year.
Two teenage siblings from the Southern Water Tribe — Katara, an inexperienced Waterbender, and her brother Sokka — discover and free Aang and Appa from the iceberg. Aang soon discovers to his horror that, during his absence, a century-long war has been waged. The very year he vanished, Fire Lord Sozin took advantage of both the Avatar's absence and the Firebending-enhancing powers of a passing comet to launch a war on the other nations.[13] To Aang's shock and disbelief, the Fire Nation's opening gambit had been a genocidal assault on the Air Nomads. The Air Temples were stormed and the Airbenders slaughtered in the Fire Nation's effort to break the Avatar Cycle, leaving Aang as the last known Airbender in existence.[8]
As the Avatar, Aang's duty is to restore harmony and peace to the four nations. Along with his newly discovered friends Katara and Sokka, his flying bison Appa and his winged lemur Momo, and later the blind Earthbender Toph, Aang travels the world to master all four elements. During his quest, he must constantly evade capture by the banished Prince Zuko and his sister, Princess Azula.
Although normally years of disciplined training are required to master a single Bending art, Aang must be a master of all four and defeat Fire Lord Ozai by summer's end, when the return of Sozin's Comet will give the Firebenders the power to win the war. If these events come to pass, not even the Avatar will possess the ability to restore balance to the world.[13]
Characters
Main characters
One of the Avatar series' strong points is character development and depth. All the main characters are portrayed as "marvelously flawed human beings," and the series shone in its initial season with the characterizations of its main antagonists.[14]
Aang (Mitchel Musso in the unaired pilot, Zach Tyler Eisen onwards) - The fun-loving, 12-year-old main character of the series, Aang is the current incarnation of the Avatar, the spirit of the planet manifested in human form. As the Avatar, Aang must master all four elements to bring peace to the world and restore the balance between the Four Nations.[15] Aang loves to travel the world and is always eager to learn new things. At times he is somewhat naive of the world and others' true feelings, as he is often too preoccupied with the events immediately surrounding him to notice what occurs on a more in-depth level. |
Katara (Mae Whitman) - The 14-year-old, sole remaining Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe, Katara, along with her brother Sokka, discovers Aang at the beginning of the series. She and Sokka accompany him on his quest to defeat the Fire Lord and bring peace to the war-torn nations. Katara is mature, loving, and responsible. Always looking out for the well-being of others, she is an apt leader when the situation calls for one.[16] However, she can be overbearing at times, and believes without exception that her way is the right way, never relenting on her views even when they are disproved.[17] Despite Katara's kind nature, she has a temper which, when combined with her impressive Waterbending skills and idealistic views, can be quite destructive. After the passing of their mother at the hands of the Fire Nation, Katara took on a motherly role over her older brother Sokka, a nature that she later took to in relation to Aang. |
Sokka (Jack DeSena) - A 15-year-old warrior of the Southern Water Tribe who, with his sister Katara, accompanies Aang on his quest to defeat the Fire Lord. Sokka describes himself as "meat-loving" and "sarcastic."[9] Unlike his companions, Sokka cannot Bend an element. However, the series frequently grants him opportunities to demonstrate his true gift: ingenuity. He takes great pride in his mental and physical strength, though it is often overshadowed by others' ability to Bend. He is extremely clever, relying on science where the mystical and martial arts elude him, though his silly and immature manner often causes others to underestimate his intellect.[18] |
Toph Bei Fong (Jessie Flower) - A 12-year-old, blind Earthbender who leaves her wealthy lifestyle and home to join Aang on his quest. Toph has largely lived alone all her life due to overprotective parents, which makes her somewhat selfish, sarcastic, and, at times, arrogant. She also does not hesitate to speak her mind and be bluntly truthful. Though blind, Toph has been shown to be a very exceptional Earthbender. [19] |
Zuko (Dante Basco) - The exiled 16-year-old prince of the Fire Nation, Zuko is obsessed with capturing the Avatar in his quest to restore his honor and redeem himself in the eyes of his father, Fire Lord Ozai. His character matures throughout the show, influenced by his time as an exile, and he becomes less of a spoiled prince and more of an emotional outcast, at times struggling with his feelings of pity and bonding with the same people his nation has terrorized. He often acts coldly, but has revealed himself to be a very caring character as well - a trait which most often is exhibited in the presence of his Uncle Iroh. Zuko's appearance is well-known due to the scar over his left eye, which he received during an Agni Kai with his own father.[20] |
Azula (Grey DeLisle) - The 14-year-old princess of the Fire Nation, Zuko's younger sister, and Fire Lord Ozai's favorite child, Azula has been cruel and self-centered her entire life. Her mind is set on war and power; she manipulates and even tortures others to advance her own desires, ignoring family and emotional bonds whenever necessary. As a Firebending prodigy with a sadistic personality, Azula is a dangerous bender. She sees others as expendable, and intimidates her lackeys and all those under her command.[10] |
Iroh (Mako) - A retired Fire Nation general and Prince Zuko's uncle, Iroh is the older brother of Fire Lord Ozai and was the original heir to the throne of the Fire Nation.[21] An immensely powerful Firebender of the highest order, he looks upon Zuko as a son more than as a nephew, especially after the loss of his own son, Lu Ten. On the surface, Iroh is a cheerful and kind old man whose hobbies include drinking tea, playing Pai Sho, and singing. Much older and more experienced than any of the other main characters, Iroh chooses to take a less active role in the affairs of the series, acting as more of a tutor and guide to Zuko and most everyone he meets, including Aang and company.
Secondary characters
InfluencesCultural referencesAvatar is notable for borrowing extensively from Asian art and mythology to create a fully realized fictional universe. Apart from its anime-inspired character designs, Avatar also draws on a mix of Chinese, Japanese, Mongolian, Korean, Indian, and Tibetan philosophy, religion, language, clothing, martial arts, and culture. In addition, the show's Water Tribe is heavily influenced by Inuit culture. Explicitly stated influences include Chinese art and history, anime, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism,[22] and Yoga.[23] The production staff employs a cultural consultant, Edwin Zane, to review scripts. AvatarThe term "Avatar" comes from the Sanskrit word Avatāra, which means "descent." In Hindu mythology, gods often manifest themselves into Avatars to restore balance on earth after a period of great evil. The Chinese characters appearing above the word "Avatar" in the show's opening mean "the divine medium who has descended upon the mortal world."[24] When Aang was a child, he unknowingly revealed that he was the Avatar when he chose four toys out of thousands. These four toys were the same ones that past Avatars had chosen for generations when they were children, revealing that Aang was the reincarnation of the Avatar. There is a similar test a child must pass in order to be recognized as the reincarnation of a Tulku Lama in Tibetan Buddhism. According to the book Magic and Mystery in Tibet by Alexandra David-Neel, "a number of objects such as rosaries, ritualistic implements, books, tea-cups, etc., are placed together, and the child must pick out those which belonged to the late tulku, thus showing that he recognizes the things which were his in his previous life."[25] Avatar's official site states "the successor is expected to show signs of continuity with the previous Avatar, such as being born within a week of the death."[7] ElementsAvatar draws on four classical elements for its bending arts: Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. Although each has its own variation, almost all ancient philosophies incorporate these four elements in some way. They are commonly used as the basis of elemental magic in modern fiction. In the show’s opening, each element is accompanied by a representative Chinese seal script character of the element, along with a corresponding attribute:
Asian cultureCalligraphyChinese characters done in traditional East Asian calligraphy styles is used for nearly all the writing that appears in Avatar. For each instance of calligraphy, an appropriate style is used, ranging from the Seal script (more archaic) to the Clerical script.[24] The show employs calligrapher Siu-Leung Lee as a consultant and translator. Fighting stylesThe fighting choreography of Avatar draws from martial arts, and the fighting styles and weaponry are based on Chinese martial arts, with each bending art corresponding to a certain real-world style or styles. The creators use Tai Chi for waterbending, Hung Gar for earthbending (although Toph employs Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis style),[27] Northern Shaolin for firebending, and Ba Gua for airbending.[7] The show employs Sifu Kisu of the Harmonious Fist Chinese Athletic Association as a martial arts consultant.[28] Each fighting style was chosen to represent the element it projected:
The ability to bend appears to stem from spirituality. As stated by the creators, all Air Nomads are benders because of their increased spirituality compared to other nations. Civilization reduces spirituality and thus every nation has a different percentage of benders.[30] Asian filmAsian cinema had a profound effect on the utilization of the choreographed martial art bending moves. Avatar creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino stated the particular influence in a magazine interview:
AnimeWhile Avatar is not considered an anime because of its primarily American style and writing, one review has commented that "Avatar blurs the line between anime and (US) domestic cartoons until it becomes irrelevant."[32] In addition, Avatar has many features of anime such as having a different color palette than other animated shows.[33] However, Avatar creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino confirmed a particular anime influence in a magazine interview: According to an interview with the artists involved in creating Avatar, Appa's design was based on the Catbus in My Neighbor Totoro, due to the peculiar task of creating a mammal with six legs.[35] Avatar also draws inspiration from the anime works of Shinichiro Watanabe's Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, as well as FLCL (Fooly Cooly) of Studio Gainax. Bryan has commented that some his most cherished Watanabe fight scenes were the fight between Bebop's Spike Spiegel and a drug smuggler in "Asteroid Blues," as well as the duel between Jin and a blind female Jojutsu-user in the Champloo episode "Elegy of Entrapment (Verse 1)." Avatar director Giancarlo Volpe also claims the staff "were all ordered to buy Fooly Cooly and watch every single episode of it."[36] ResponseRatingsWhen the show debuted it was rated the best animated television series in its demographic.[37] The show averages 1.1 million viewers on the Friday Night block of programming on Nickelodeon when new episodes premiere at 8:00 EST.[37] The one-hour special showing of Secret of the Fire Nation (consisting of the episodes "The Serpent's Pass" and "The Drill"), which was aired on September 7, 2006, gathered an audience of 4.1 million viewers. According to the Nielsen Media Research, the special was the best performing cable television show airing in that week.[38] Nominations and awardsAvatar won two Pulcinella Awards in 2005 for "Best Action/Adventure Series" and "Best Series of the Year."[39] It received Annie Award nominations for "Best Animated Television Production" and "Best Writing in an Animated Television Production" ("The Fortuneteller"), and won "Best Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production" ("The Deserter").[40] For 2006, two Avatar crew members are nominated: Yu Jae Myung for "Character Animation in a Television Production" ("The Blind Bandit") and Giancarlo Volpe for "Directing in an Animated Television Production" ("The Drill").[41] Media InformationBroadcast historyThe show was first revealed to the public in a teaser reel at Comic-Con 2004.[42] It was scheduled to air on Nickelodeon on November 29 of that year, but was delayed until February 21, 2005. The first two episodes of the series were shown together in a one-hour premiere event in the United States. In subsequent months, Avatar: The Last Airbender aired in various nations outside the US, beginning with Australia. By the end of the year, the show had also aired in Canada, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Norway, Indonesia, India, Brazil, South Korea, Latin America, the United Kingdom, Italy, and The People's Republic of China. In 2006, the show premiered in Germany, Spain, and The Netherlands. It has aired under various titles in its various broadcasting areas. Promotion and merchandisingAvatar's success has led to promotions with Burger King and Upper Deck Entertainment, an Avatar-themed roller coaster, and a special issue of Nick Mag Presents dedicated entirely to the show. Various members of the Avatar staff and cast appeared at the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con International convention, while co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko appeared as guests of honor with Martial Arts Consultant Sifu Kisu at the Pacific Media Expo on October 28, 2006. Avatar also has its own line of t-shirts, LEGO playsets, toys, a trading card game, a cine-manga, and a video game. Feature film adaptationOn January 8, 2007, Paramount Pictures' MTV Films and Nick Movies announced that they have signed on M. Night Shyamalan to write, direct and produce a trilogy of live action films based on the series.[43] References
External linksWikiquote has quotations related to Avatar: The Last Airbender.
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