By Lewis Glazebrook Published 20 minutes ago
Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender is mostly faithful to the original show, though it makes one glaring change with Aang’s Waterbending training.
Warning! This article contains spoilers for Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
Summary
- Aang's lack of Waterbending skills in Netflix's live-action Avatar is a glaring error in translating the story of the original show.
- Season 1 showcases fantastic bending fight sequences and real-life martial art forms, yet Aang has not learned a single Waterbending move by the end of all eight episodes.
- A potential fix for Aang's Waterbending absence could come with a time jump in Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2.
Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender has incredible fidelity to the source material, yet one change in Aang's Waterbending training stands out as a blatant mistake. Despite changes being made to the animated show's timeline to condense a larger season into eight episodes, Netflix's live-action adaptation manages to retain the best elements of Nickelodeon's beloved cartoon. From The Last Airbender's past Avatars to the realistic fighting styles of bending, Netflix's show is a worthy reimagining of what came before it.
Concerning the bending specifically, Netflix's The Last Airbender shines in comparison to M. Night Shyamalan's feature film adaptation from 2010. Through showcasing Aang's Airbending and Avatar mastery as well as the warriors of the Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Water Tribes, the live-action show includes a myriad of fantastic bending fight sequences. However, one major change is made from the original show concerning Aang's Waterbending training, a change that will need to be rectified going into Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2.
Netflix is yet to renew Avatar: The Last Airbender for a second season.
Aang Hasn’t Learned A Single Waterbending Move In Netflix’s Last Airbender Season 1
Custom image by Debanjana Chowdhury
The change in question is that by the time of The Last Airbender season 1's ending, Aang has not learned a single Waterbending move. In the original show, the earlier episodes of its debut season saw Katara teaching Aang the limited moves she has learned. These scenes, combined with Aang learning the moves of the Waterbending Scroll, saw him become increasingly skilled in Waterbending before learning from Master Pakku in the Northern Water Tribe.
However, Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender does not follow the same trend. Throughout the entirety of the live-action show's first season, Aang only Waterbends when in the Avatar State. Aside from these moments of incredible power committed by other beings such as the Ocean Spirit, Aang's Waterbending training does not begin as early as it did in the source material.
Aang’s Lack Of Waterbending Can Only Be Fixed With 1 Storytelling Trick
That said, Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2 could fix this lack of Waterbending by being set after a time jump. The final few scenes of Netflix's The Last Airbender season 1 include a conversation between Katara and Master Pakku in which the former says Aang still needs to learn Waterbending, while the latter insists he could not have asked for a better master. This implies that Aang's Waterbending training will begin after the culmination of The Last Airbender season 1, meaning a time jump could fix the Avatar's Waterbending absence.
It could be mentioned how Aang and Katara have been endlessly training since the North Pole, showing Aang to be much more adept at Waterbending than he was in Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1.
The Last Airbender season 2 could pick up a few weeks or even months after season 1's ending, given that the show did not put a time limit on when Sozin's Comet will return. If so, it could be mentioned how Aang and Katara have been endlessly training since the North Pole, showing Aang to be much more adept at Waterbending than he was in Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1. Not only would this catch Aang up on the Waterbending he missed in the show's first season, but it would allow Katara to come into her own as an even stronger Waterbending Master.
All episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1 are now streaming on Netflix.
Cast Gordon Cormier , Dallas Liu , Kiawentiio , Ian Ousley , Daniel Dae Kim , Paul Sun-Hyung Lee Release Date February 22, 2024 Where To Watch Netflix
