Avatar: The Last Airbender only seems to become more beloved as time goes on. Fans had already adored the series after its initial release in the early-2000s, but the hit series seemed to blow up and find new life after the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. Because everyone was locked inside, a new generation discovered the show and fell in love. In 2012, Nickelodeon aired The Legend of Korra to continue the Avatar franchise. Even though it was initially met with mixed reviews, it has since cemented its spot in the franchise lore, with Korra being accepted as a worthy successor to Aang.
Fans have known the Avatar universe was expanding for a few years now, with a new live-action series in development, but it was revealed in the past year that the world will be getting even larger. A new animated film is on the way, starring classic Team Avatar members. Then, there’s the Netflix live-action series. More importantly, there will also be a brand new animated series starring the next incarnation in the Avatar cycle. Before this new series airs, it’s a good time to look back at all the maintainers of peace already known. Here is every Avatar introduced in the animated Avatar universe so far.
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Avatar Korra
ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks
Kicking off the list is the current Avatar, Korra. Born into the Southern Water Tribe, Korra learned she was the Avatar in her infancy and was more than happy about it. She readily accepted the responsibility, training for years to master earth, water, and fire bending until the age of 17, when she traveled to Republic City to learn air bending. Her greatest accomplishments were defeating the revolutionary Amon, ending the Harmonic Convergence, uniting the spirit realm with the human world, and bringing an end to the Earth Empire.
As the Avatar, Korra is strong-willed, but overly confident to the point that it, at times, endangered the world. She often felt that being the Avatar granted her the trust and sole responsibility of the world’s protection, but had to learn through trial and error what it really meant to hold the responsibility of bringing balance to the world. Korra had to reach the very depths of despair first before she could rebuild herself into the warrior the world needed. By the end of The Legend of Korra, she was the most fully realized Avatar she could be, but by the end of the series, she had concluded that the world no longer needed the Avatar. In the upcoming sequel series, fans may discover if she was wrong as the new earth-bending Avatar inherits her legacy.
Avatar Aang
Nickelodeon Studios
Next on the list is the most popular Avatar. Aang quite possibly had a harder go of it as the Avatar out of anyone in the entire line because he was forced to become a fully realized Avatar years before he was ready. Frozen in a block of ice for a century, Aang re-awoke in the middle of a long-standing conquest from the Fire Nation to take over the world. The Airbenders were all gone, and the war was nearing its end, forcing the 12-year-old boy out of time to master all four elements in a little under a year, something that took most Avatar’s a lifetime to do. He succeeded in what may have been his greatest victory. His other achievements included establishing Republic City, stopping the criminal Yakone, reintroducing energy bending to the Avatar Cycle, and reviving the Air Nation.
Aang was a very happy-go-lucky kid for most of the series, which makes sense as he was frozen soon after discovering he was the Avatar. Despite the immense weight he carried, he readily accepted the duty. And despite the danger and the potential of the Fire Nation’s victory, Aang always maintained his cheery disposition and childlike wonder. His charisma was infectious enough that he could make anyone forget about their dire circumstances for a bit and remember how it felt to be happy. Aang never caved into the pressure he faced, which helped him achieve victory and end the war. Whoever the next Avatar may be, they’ll have large shoes to fill because it’s Aang who set the bar so high.
Avatar Roku
As the Avatar, Roku was a force of nature. Based on flashback clips, he was capable of using all four elements at the same time. He may have even been able to use lava bending, although this is not confirmed. Most of what was known about Roku was seen in Book 3, episode 6 of The Last Airbender, where his journey was explained in detail. He learned he was the Avatar at age 16 and trained for years to master all four elements. He was a kind man and respected the individuality and talents of others. However, his penchant for showing mercy to his enemies would become a detriment to his duty as Avatar, as he freely admits. It’s because of this that he failed to stop his former friend Sozin from starting The 100-Year War, a failure that would cost Roku his life. His duties as Avatar did not end there, though, as his spiritual form acted as a guide to his successor Aang in mastering the elements to end the war Roku failed to prevent.
Avatar Kyoshi
Of all the Avatar’s revealed in the two animated series, Kyoshi may be the only one who could be considered an anti-hero. Because she’s only made a small handful of animated appearances, many fans might not know much about her. Most of her story is told through the novels The Rise of Kyoshi and The Shadow of Kyoshi. Despite her intense stoicism and strong disposition, she was insecure. She also stood at a staggering seven feet tall and lived for over 200 years, the longest of any Avatar. Kyoshi had a hard life from the beginning. She was born to two criminals and was raised in squalor and crime. Her background would later influence her methods of maintaining peace when she became the Avatar.
Unlike Roku, Kyoshi was swift and decisive when it came to handling matters, having no qualms against killing adversaries and even threatening world leaders. Her accomplishments include ending Chin the Great’s conquest, ending the Camellia-Peony War, establishing the Kyoshi Warriors, and maintaining peace in the Earth Kingdom states. However, her actions would also have consequences because her elimination of Chin and creation of the Dai Li would lead to the eventual decline of her homeland.
Avatar Kuruk
Nickelodeon
Kuruk was a widely misunderstood Avatar and was seen mainly as a failure. He was a kind person at heart and initially took his duties as the Avatar seriously. He trained regularly with his friends and often sought to better himself. Things began to decline for him when he became involved in fighting dark spirits. He loathed having to kill the beings he considered sacred, but their presence in the human world was a danger, and they thus had to be destroyed. In doing so, each kill took a toll on Kuruk’s mental health as he made the task a priority. One which largely went unrecognized. As he sunk into depression, he started focusing less on his duties, preferring to let the nations work out matters themselves. This is where his “go with the flow” reputation was born.
He sadly saw himself as a failure and buried his self-loathing in alcohol, womanizing, and regularly sparring with other benders. Kuruk tried to leave these ways behind when he married his wife Ummi, but she was taken by the spirit Koh on their wedding night. Kuruk never stopped looking for her, but he died at age 33. He carried his regrets with him even in death, and his spirit continued to search for his beloved Ummi.
Avatar Yangchan
Kuruk may have inherited his mental anguish in part from Yangchen. After all, all his actions against dark spirits were due to her actions. This Air Nun held many of the same values as Aang, but as indicated when he spoke to her, she was willing to do whatever she needed to maintain peace. Yangchen was a skilled diplomat able to resolve many issues peacefully, but was also willing to take part in conspiracy and espionage to keep the world safe, sometimes resulting in dire consequences down the road. As an air bender, she proved to be a lethal warrior. One willing to use deadly means to eliminate enemies. One of her flaws was that she was too much of a pleaser and gave everyone what they wanted. In doing so, they eventually grew to neglect to pay homage to the spirits. This resulted in many dark spirits leaking into the world, leading to Kuruk’s later hardships.
Like Kuruk, Yangchen struggled to cope with her duties as the Avatar. She constantly heard the voices of her past life and struggled to keep them in check. The issue got so bad that she sometimes lost touch with reality. At times, Yangchen even became frustrated with humanity’s refusal to change. No matter what she did, they always resulted back to toxic habits, nullifying any actions the Avatar did. Not every incarnation adopted the sacred duties as happily as Aang. Sometimes, the burden is just too much.
Avatar Wan
Wan was the very man who started it all. When he became the first Avatar, the world was a much different place. Spirits and humans shared one world, although not exactly in harmony. Wan was a common thief who made enemies everywhere he went. Despite this, he had a good heart. When he found himself in exile, he was able to gain bending abilities from a massive lion turtle and went to live among the spirits, earning their trust. One day, Wan came across Vaatu and Raava fighting and inadvertently aided Vaatu in escaping. Vaatu was an evil spirit that desired to plunge the world into darkness. But with the help of his counterpart, Raava, Wan traveled and gained more bending abilities to combat Vaatu.
With Raava’s help, he sealed the darker spirit away and then sent the remaining spirits back to their own realm, closing the doors between the domains to ensure spirits would never be harmed. Wan then dedicated his life to maintaining peace in the human world. However, he realized by the time he died that their conflict never ended. This would ultimately lead Raava to create the Avatar cycle, allowing Wan to be reincarnated again and again to continue fighting for peace.
