Avatar - The Last Airbender
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| German title | Avatar - The Last Airbender |
| Original title | Avatar: The Last Airbender |
 | |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Year (s) | 2005-2008 |
| length | 23 minutes |
| Episodes | 61 in 3 seasons ( list ) |
| genre | Adventure , fantasy , youth series |
| Theme music |
The Story (dt. The story ) |
| idea | Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko |
| production | Aaron Ehasz |
| music | Benjamin Wynn, Jeremy Zuckerman |
| First broadcast | February 21, 2005 on Nickelodeon |
| German-language first broadcast |
January 8, 2006 on Nickelodeon |
Avatar - The Last Airbender (Original title: Avatar: The Last Airbender ., Intl also Avatar: The Legend of Aang ) is an American fantasy - animated series that aired for three seasons was long on Nickelodeon. The series began in February 2005 and ended in July 2008 in the United States. It is set in a fictional world that is largely based on historical East Asia . The series is stylistically influenced by Japanese anime and thus stands out from other US cartoon series, but is not a pure imitation of the anime style. In this series, twelve year old Aang must bring peace and balance to the world by ending the Fire Nation's war with the rest of the world. In the course of the plot he encounters friends, companions and allies who support him, but is constantly hunted by the Fire Nation.
After Avatar - The Last Airbender was replaced by the sequel The Legend of Korra , the plot of which takes place 70 years later, the plot is continued in comics during this period .
Emergence
Bryan Konietzko had recently been appointed art director for the Nickelodeon cartoon Invader Zim when it was abruptly canceled in January 2002 at the beginning of production for the second season. Michael Dante "Mike" DiMartino was involved in a few cartoons in 2001, sometimes with Konietzko, whom he has known since her time at the Rhode Island School of Design . In his private life, he was still working on his own series idea, which no studio seemed interested in due to the similarities to already planned cartoons. When Konietzko told his friend about the end of Invader Zim , he decided not to take any more orders and to stay afloat with his savings. He wanted to use the time he would save with DiMartino to design their own cartoon series, which they had been planning for a long time.
Konietzko consulted with Eric Coleman, who was then head of development at Nickelodeon, about what kind of show both would like. Originally, DiMartino and Konietzko planned to create a "youth series with human figures", which Nickelodeon was not interested in: Inspired by the success of fantasy epics like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings , the series had to contain supernatural elements (magic), action and adventure . Konietzko promised Coleman to present a series proposal with DiMartino in a month. Konietzko and DiMartino initially found sketches of the former “with a grumpy bald man of forty, a robot cyclops with a stick with an arrow on his head, and a two-legged mix of polar bear and dog”, which meant a science fiction story. They then decided that a story with a child as the main character would be more interesting. In the second draft, the bald man became a “shepherd boy with a stick and arrow on his head, who travels the world as a nomad with a flying bison”. The shepherd became Aang, the flying bison became Appa, and the robot Momo-3 became the flying lemur Momo. Then they were inspired by the polar expeditions of Ernest Shackleton , so that the Shepherd became a "Survivor of a disaster at the South Pole". Then, two weeks after the conversation with Coleman, Konietzko got the idea "that the survivors are all children ... the arrow boy is an air child, the children from the South Pole are water people, the firemen are the bad guys and there are still earth people ..." The "South Pole Children" became the characters Sokka and Katara, and the series' mythology grew out of their love for Asian culture.
Two weeks later, on April 22, 2002, the two presented their final series concept, for which they developed and drew a 65-page series manuscript , early sketches by Aang, Katara and Sokka, and three different color illustrations. In the presentation, the basic plot of all three books was told from the start and a series pilot was ordered after two hours . After its completion and testing, six episodes were ordered, which was soon increased to 13 episodes. During production, another seven episodes, 20 total, were ordered for the first season.
The world of Avatar
The fantasy world of "Avatar" shows similarities to different East Asian cultures as well as the Yupik ( Eskimo ): All people in the whole world have Asian features and, depending on their origin, differences in skin complexion: The members of the "water tribes" tend to be darker and weary brown hair, while those of the “Fire Nation” have a rather pale complexion and black hair. The clothing also resembles historical Asia, like the uniforms of the “Fire Nation”, which imitate the armor of the samurai . The architecture of military fortresses is reminiscent of the Great Wall of China and otherwise mostly includes curved roofs and pagodas as well as typical Chinese lanterns. The flora often consists of the tall grass and bamboo typical of Asia , while the fauna is formed by mythical creatures, mostly chimeras or living beings that are larger than their originals in the real world.
The four elements water, earth, fire and air form the foundation of the story. One of these elements is assigned to all peoples of the world: the air nomads living in the four air temples, the water tribes at the north and south poles, and a group in a large swamp area, the great Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation on a continent strewn with volcanoes. In each of these peoples there are so-called tamers who can control the respective element. The avatar, who is regularly reborn in the cycle (water, earth, fire and air), is the only one who can tame all four elements and thus keep the world in balance. In addition, the avatar is the connection between the mortal world and the spirit world.
Short description
There is a small village at the South Pole where the water tribe is fighting for survival. A young waterbender named Katara (14 years) and her warlike brother Sokka (15 years) save the 12-year-old boy Aang from an iceberg. It turns out that Aang belongs to the almost forgotten nation of the Air Nomads and they soon realize that Aang is the Avatar, who has been lost for 100 years. Sokka and Katara are now doing everything to ensure that Aang recognizes his destiny as an Avatar and defends the water tribe, as well as the rest of the world, against the Fire Nation. Together with Katara and Sokka, Aang travels to all nations of the world to find teachers for the elements water, earth and fire. The series is divided into three seasons (books): water, earth and fire.
Air nomads
The aerial nomads were a spiritual order of monks who lived high up in the mountains, but have since perished. Young airbenders were trained in one of the four air temples, where they then lived as monks or nuns. In contrast to other nations, which were mostly ruled by monarchies, a theocracy prevailed in the air temples, the heads of monks ruled. Noticeable were the blue arrow tattoos that every trained airbender wore. In combat, airbenders used a mixture of the internal martial arts of Baguazhang and Xingyiquan . Air nomads, as the name suggests, lived without permanent settlements - only their tamers came together in temples, which was also due to their spirituality and strong ties to nature. Out of respect for the living, many air nomads were probably vegetarians. Aang does not eat meat either. The airbenders themselves could use special gliders to fly, as well as flying bison - the airbender's favorite pets were a kind of lemur . Particularly strong airbenders could influence the weather or create a vacuum. Her strength was particularly strong in autumn. The first airbenders were the sky bisons.
However, due to the war between the elements, the nomads were wiped out by Fire Lord Zosin, who lived 100 years ago. The airbenders' cultural assets were destroyed. He did this with the famous comet named after him ("Zosin's Comet"). The same only flies past this world every 100 years and greatly enhances the skills of the firebenders. The northern air temple is now inhabited by refugees and has been largely rebuilt. Following the example of the airbenders, the new settlers developed their own aircraft that they can use without taming forces. The air temples of the west and south are uninhabited and dilapidated, Guru Pathik lives in the eastern air temple, whose origin is unknown and which Aang helps to open his 7 chakras in the course of the 2nd book . The last living airbender is the Avatar Aang.
Water tribes
There are two major water tribes at the North and South Poles. While the southern tribe lives in a small village, there is a larger settlement at the North Pole, which has been developed into a fortress in order to be able to defy the Fire Nation. Cold shades of blue are characteristic of their clothing. They have tanned skin, brown to dark brown or black hair, and blue eyes. In addition to the two water tribes, there is also a group of waterbenders who live in the misty swamp in the Earth Kingdom. They learned to tame plants with the help of the water they contain.
Waterbenders use the movements of Tai Chi when taming and control the water in the respective aggregate states . Winter is the ideal season to tame water. The moon has a great influence on waterbending by assisting the tamer's powers. Conversely, the powers of a tamer are weakened during the day and even disappear during a lunar eclipse. In addition to fighting, waterbending can also be used for healing, but only a few women of the Water Tribe are gifted for this. There is also the difficult art of bloodbending, which can only be used during a full moon, when the powers of the waterbender are strongest. The tamer controls the water in the body of another living being and can control it like a puppet. Katara later forbids bloodbending because the will of the other is imposed.
Earth Kingdom
The Earth Kingdom is the largest empire in the world of Avatar. The capital Ba Sing Se ("the impregnable city") is the seat of the Earth King and is considered impregnable due to its huge walls. The defining color in fashion is green, mixed with light brown tones. The people of the Earth Kingdom have black or brown hair, their skin is lightly tanned, and their eyes are mostly greenish. The Earth King has little real power, while the empire is kept going by influential functionaries and a huge bureaucracy. The Dai Li functions as a kind of secret police in Ba Sing Se .
Earthbenders are strong warriors and use the Hung Gar style of Wushu . Due to the different nature of the element earth, different taming styles emerged. The sandbenders in the desert can use the loose grains of sand - similar to waterbenders in their element - to move around with the help of a desert sailor. Metal is also just another special form of earth in this world, so that this too can be tamed, as can lava, coal and ash. Spring has a beneficial effect on the earthbenders. The first earthbenders were blind badger moles.
Fire Nation
The imperialist fire nation is ruled absolutistically by the ruling fire lord. Its inhabitants are a warlike people, some of whom have already developed industrially. You have started the great war and are striving to conquer the other nations. In the Fire Nation clothing style, dark reds and blacks predominate. The Fire Nation people have amber eyes, black to brown hair, and very light skin tone. The powerful military of the Fire Nation is highly technical compared to that of the other races.
Firebenders mainly use northern Shaolin Wushu fighting techniques. The sun increases its taming powers, especially in summer. But they are weakened at night. The fire cannot be tamed during a solar eclipse. A special technique of firebending is the generation of lightning, which only a few firebenders can do. The first firebenders were the dragons, which have now (almost) all been exterminated.
The avatar
The avatar is the only person who can control all four elements and thus bring balance to the world. There is always only one avatar who is always reborn after death. The avatar also belongs to one of the peoples and his affiliation changes in a certain order, the avatar cycle (fire-air-water-earth).
In addition to the ability to tame all four elements, an avatar can put itself in the so-called "avatar state". In this he bundles all the forces of the previous avatars. However, should he be killed in this state, the avatar cycle is broken and the avatar ceases to exist. Mastering this state is very difficult and can only be achieved if the avatar finds his inner balance by opening all seven chakras. Anger or despair can produce an uncontrolled form of this condition. Furthermore, the avatar forms the bridge between the material and the spirit world. This means that he can “enter” the spirit world in which the spirits of the past avatars also reside. His body remains in the material world and the control of the elements is not possible for him. Well-known avatars are Korra, Aang, Roku, Kyoshi, Kuruk, Yangchen and Wan.
action
The four nations had existed peacefully together until the Fire Nation declared war on the others. However, the avatar that could have prevented this disappeared. 100 years later, Katara and her brother Sokka find the new avatar at the South Pole - a young airbender named Aang. Together with his flying bison Appa and the lemur Momo, they embark on a journey on which Aang must learn to master the other elements so that he can stop the fire lord Ozai and thus end the war.
The course of the story is told in three seasons ("books"), which are named after the element that Aang has to learn.
Book 1: water
Aang, Katara and Sokka travel from the South Pole to the North Pole to find a teacher who can teach Aang and Katara waterbending. Aang is revealed that he is the last airbender and that all of his people have been killed by the Fire Nation. In addition, Aang learns from Avatar Roku's spirit that a comet will approach at the end of summer, which will considerably strengthen the power of the firebenders and thus severely disturb the balance of the elements. Therefore Aang has little time to learn all types of taming and to defeat Fire Lord Ozai.
On their way, the three friends are pursued by the Fire Nation. Zuko, the exiled Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, hopes to regain his honor by capturing the Avatar. He is accompanied by his uncle, General Iroh. In Admiral Zhao there is another strong adversary of Aang, who has also made it his mission to catch the Avatar. He finally attacks the northern water tribe with a huge fleet, because he is convinced that he can defeat the water tribe by using the spirit of the moon, which is in the spiritual center of the North Pole ("spirit oasis") as Koi, together with the spirit of the sea lives, destroyed. The siege of the North Pole ends in a great battle in which Admiral Zhao first catches and finally kills the ghost of the moon. However, the princess of the water tribe, Yue, who was once given life by the moon spirit, sacrifices her life for the spirit. Zhao is carried off into the spirit world by ghosts and his fleet is destroyed by Aang, who has connected with the spirit of the sea. Ultimately, Aang finds his waterbending master in Katara.
Book 2: Earth
Aang and his friends return to Omashu in search of an earthbending teacher, as Aang wants Bumi as his teacher. However, Omashu has since fallen, leaving Ba Sing Se as the last stronghold of the Earth Kingdom. Since Bumi Aang recommends another teacher, they go on a search and find Toph Beifong, a strong and blind earthbender, who joins them and becomes Aang's earthbending teacher. On their further journey, the companions find information in a library that could turn the war against the Fire Nation. Before Zosin's comet returns at the end of summer, there will be a solar eclipse that will significantly weaken the Fire Nation. This is how the plan arises to carry out a counter-attack on the "day of the black sun" and to end the war. Hoping to find support from the Earth King, Aang and his friends set off for Ba Sing Se. But the project turns out to be difficult because, on the one hand, Appa is temporarily kidnapped and the rulers in Ba Sing Se deny the existence of the war.
Meanwhile, Zuko and Iroh are pursued as traitors to the Fire Nation by Zuko's younger sister, Azula. They hope to be safe among the numerous refugees in Ba Sing Se. But Azula also gets into the inner walls of the city and, with the help of the Dai-Li agents, begins an overthrow. After Zuko surprisingly joins her, Aang, who has meanwhile learned from a guru how to attain and control the avatar state by opening the chakras, is seriously injured in the fight of Azula while he was in this state, and floats in mortal danger. The companions must flee with the Earth King. With Ba Sing Se, the entire Earth Kingdom falls.
Book 3: Fire
Aang and his companions invade the Fire Nation in Fire Nation clothing and plan the invasion for Black Sun Day, an eclipse during which all firebenders are unable to evoke their element. This is the perfect time to attack the Fire Lord and defeat him. However, this has to be done very quickly, as the solar eclipse only lasts 8 minutes. On the day of the black sun, however, the friends suffer a defeat because they cannot reach the fire lord. He knew about the invasion plans because his daughter Azula was able to get hold of the information through an ambush. Thus, the Fire Nation was prepared for the plan of Aang and his companions and Fire Lord Ozai was able to hide in time. The friends flee to the western air temple, where they are joined by Zuko, who now turns against his family. He becomes Aang's teacher of firebending.
On Comet Day, Fire Lord Ozai plans to burn down the entire Earth Kingdom with a fleet of airships. Sokka, Toph and Suki destroy the fleet, while Aang and Ozai fight the final battle. Meanwhile, Zuko and Katara defeat the mad Azula. Aang does not kill the Fire Lord as it would be contrary to his pacifist nature, but he does deprive Ozai of the ability to bend fire. The war is over and Zuko becomes the new fire lord. He vows to rebuild the world and live in peace with the other nations.
Characters and Organizations
- Aang
- Aang, 12, is the main protagonist of the series. He is the last surviving air nomad and at the same time the avatar. He was raised by monks and is actually 112 years old. Since his identity in the face of the looming war with the Fire Nation and the fact that he was to be sent to another air temple for training, he was emotionally depressed and overwhelmed, he fled with his flying bison Appa. When caught in a storm, he froze himself in an iceberg and was only discovered by accident by Katara and Sokka 100 years later. He often does not feel up to his duties and takes the blame for all the suffering that was caused by the Fire Nation because he fled the temple at that time. He falls in love with Katara from the start, but it isn't until the last episode that they eventually become a couple.
- In search of suitable teachers who can teach him how to tame water, earth and fire, he travels around the world with Sokka and Katara.
- While fire lord Ozai begins the final campaign of annihilation against the other nations, there is a decisive confrontation between him and the Avatar, whereby Aang succeeds in defeating Ozai. After the war is over, Aang's task is to restore the balance between the nations.
- Katara
- Katara is a 14-year-old girl and the only living person of the southern water tribe who has control skills. She always wants to perfect this ability. She is responsible, ambitious and holds the group together. She has healing abilities that allow her to treat wounds and heal them completely. In addition, she involuntarily learns the skill of taming blood, which enables her to control living beings against her will. Over time, she falls in love with Aang. At the end of the series, they become a couple. Her mother was killed by the Fire Nation and her father is at war with the Fire Nation.
- Sokka
- 15-year-old Sokka is Katara's brother. He does not have the ability to tame, but can handle weapons very well. B. with his beloved boomerang or from the third season with his own sword made from meteorite rock. He is a strategist and brave, but often acts emotionally or rashly. He loves food - especially meat - and has a very extroverted approach to women. He is often quick-tempered and consistently convinced of his opinion. From the episode The Boiling Rock Part 1 , Sokka and Suki are a couple.
- Appa
- Appa is the flying air bison Aangs and the last representative of its species, which was wiped out by the Fire Nation together with the airbenders, who lived in close association with the animals. Important for the group around the Avatar is its function as a transport and pack animal, but it is also an important and connected companion, especially for Aang. Appa can unleash enormous powers and even tame air.
- Momo
- Momo is a flying lemur found by Aang and adopted as a pet. The flying lemurs were traditional pets of the aerial nomads. Like Appa, Momo is likely the last of its kind.
- Prince Zuko
- Zuko is the 16-year-old Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. He is the son of Fire Lord Ozai and Ursa, a descendant of Avatar Roku. When he was 13 years old, he contradicted a general in an important council of war, which Ozai saw as a violation of the general's honor and challenged Zuko to a ritual duel (Agni-Kai). Although Zuko did not want to fight Ozai and asked for forgiveness, Ozai punished him - in his view still very mildly - with a burn scar on his face, which disfigured him. More deeply hurts Zuko, however, the loss of his honor, which - as Ozai claims - he can only get back if he catches the Avatar and delivers it. By secretly considering this an impossible task, the Fire Lord intended to remove his unloved son from his surroundings. Zuko doggedly pursues this task, which shaped his youth. He mostly ignores the advice of his uncle Iroh, although he always emphasizes that only he can find his honor again and it cannot be returned to him. Even so, Iroh is highly valued by Zuko. He has a very bad relationship with his sister Azula, which is characterized by feelings of inferiority. In the course of the third book, Zuko turns against Ozai and joins Aang. After the war is won, he is crowned the new Fire Lord and plans with Aang to rebuild all nations.
- Ohhh
- Iroh is the older brother of Fire Lord Ozai and thus the uncle of Zuko and Azula. He was a major Fire Nation general and led the failed siege against Ba Sing Se, the capital of the Earth Kingdom. The alleged killing of the last living dragon earned him the nickname "Dragon of the West". After the death of his only son, he ended his military career and fell into deep disapproval with his brother. When Fire Lord Azulon, Iroh's father, died, Ozai passed him over to the throne. Since Zuko fell out of favor with the Fire Lord, Iroh has accompanied his nephew on his search for the avatar. He is extremely close to and worried about Zuko. With his very cozy manner, his preference for tea and his entertaining music evenings, as well as his passion for the demanding board game Pai-Sho, he is a balancing pole to Zuko's irascible and quick-tempered temperament. Even in old age, Iroh is still a powerful firebender and one of the few who can also create lightning. He developed the ability to redirect lightning himself by studying the other elements and deriving the technique from waterbending. He later passes this ability on to Zuko. He is a senior member of the Order of the White Lotus. Iroh advocates a balance between the peoples and thus ideologically opposes Ozai's position as a world power of the Fire Nation. He always shows himself wise and shows patience and considered action.
- Toph Beifong
- Toph is the twelve year old daughter of the very wealthy Beifong family from the Earth Kingdom. Although Toph was born blind, she is an excellent earthbender, as she can capture her surroundings through vibrations from the ground. She learned how to tame the earth from badgers, the original earthbenders. With her ability to tame her, she can compensate for her lack of eyesight, as she can perceive even the smallest vibrations and noises. Despite her skills (which she initially kept a secret from her parents), she is not allowed to leave the family estate. So she secretly takes part as "The Blind Bandit" in so-called earth-thunder tournaments, which take place underground in order to continuously improve her skills and becomes the undisputed champion. She later escapes from her parents' home and becomes Aang's teacher. Since Toph has had little contact with other people so far, it is difficult for her to settle into the group at first. She has a dry sense of humor, is headstrong and does not want to take part in joint tasks at first. In the course of the program she teaches herself how to tame sand and metal.
- Princess Azula
- 14-year-old Azula is the only daughter and darling of Fire Lord Ozai. As an excellent firebender, she is significantly more talented than her older brother Zuko. She can even tame lightning. After Zuko and Iroh are declared apostates, the Fire Lord assigns them to capture them. She is accompanied by her childhood friends Mai and Ty Lee. However, the two are not friends in the strict sense, but followers. Ty Lee is impressed by Azula's cunning and, like Mai, is at the same time afraid of her. Azula is highly intelligent, ruthless, and cruel. She strives for power and recognition. She is very insecure in the social sphere, even with her few friends, which is why she tries to control other people through fear. The later betrayal of Mai and Ty Lee, who refuse to continue to support her, eventually drives Azula insane.
- Fire Lord Ozai
- Fire Lord Ozai is the absolutist reigning monarch of the Fire Nation and is considered one of the most powerful firebenders. He is the father of Azula and Zuko, as well as the younger brother of Iroh. After Iroh lost his son in the Hundred Years War and the siege of Ba Sing Se broke off, Ozai asked his father to make him heir to the throne of the Fire Nation instead of Iroh. Iroh had shown weakness at a crucial moment and was therefore unsuitable to rule the Fire Nation in the future. Fire Lord Azulon was so enraged by this suggestion that he ordered Ozai to kill his own son, Zuko, to understand Iroh's suffering. With the help of his wife Ursa, Ozai then killed Azulon instead and, contrary to the actual line of succession, ascended the throne. Then he banished Ursa.
- He carried on the war of aggression against the remaining nations, which was started by Fire Lord Zosin, with unprecedented severity. He was given sovereignty in various regions of the Earth Kingdom.
- Ozai has deep trust in his daughter Azula and expresses his appreciation for her, while he tolerates Zuko, but despises him because of his resemblance to Ursa. In contrast to his brother, who served as a general, Ozai has no significant military past, which is why he only has a poor knowledge of military strategy. Because of this, he mostly leaves the planning and implementation of war operations to his loyal generals and Minister of War Qin. Even so, he still has absolute authority over the Fire Nation forces.
- Later (Book 3) Ozai proclaims himself the so-called Phoenix King. After the annihilation of the other peoples, a new empire would rise under his rule, beyond all imagination - like the legendary, self-reincarnating bird, the phoenix .
- Within the Fire Nation, the Fire Lord is also subordinate to the Phoenix King in his powers. After his self-elevation to an almost god-like power and dignitary, Ozai declares Azula the new fire lord.
- The power insignia of the Phoenix King includes, among other things, splendid armor, partly cast from pure gold, which includes a wide helmet and magnificent, enormous shoulder attachments. Because Ozai was unable to implement his intention to subjugate the other nations, he remained the only Phoenix King in history.
- Avatar Roku and Fire Lord Zosin
- Avatar Roku had been the incarnation of the Avatar before Aang and was a member of the Fire Nation. He had been a close friend of the then Fire Lord Zosin, who was the great-grandfather of Zukos and Azulas, the grandfather of Iroh and Ozai, and the father of Azulon. Roku turned against Zosin when Zosin decided to start a war of conquest against the other nations. Roku later lived on a volcanic island. When this was destroyed by an eruption , Zosin turned down the chance to save his old friend and left him to die. So that no new avatar could be born that could endanger his expansion plans, Zosin had all airbenders killed, but Aang escaped him. Like Zosin, Roku was a great grandfather of Zuko and Azula since he was the grandfather of Zuko and Azula's mother. Like all avatars, Roku can establish spiritual contact with Aang beyond death.
- Suki
- Suki is the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, a group of exclusively female elite fighters who cultically worship the former Avatar Kyoshi. She is Sokka's first and, ultimately, her final friend. In the first book she is initially averse to him because he is boastful beyond all measure. As he later apologizes for his behavior and shows himself brave, the two get closer. In the third book she is captured by the Fire Nation and kept in Boiling Rock Prison . Sokka frees her and integrates her into the group around Aang, whom she supports until the end of the war.
- Earth King Kuei
- Kuei is the reigning King of the Earth Kingdom during the events and is based in the capital Ba Sing Se. Even if its title suggests a certain exercise of power, it only has a primarily representative function. His room for maneuver is very limited, as he is particularly influenced by his advisor Long Feng. The Earth King's naivety enabled Long Feng and the Dai Li to keep the Fire Nation's threat to the capital a secret from him. In addition, the Earth King is not allowed to leave his palace. Shortly after Aang demonstrated the precarious situation of Ba Sing Ses to him, the city is conquered by Azula, who collaborates with the Dai Li. Kuei then leaves the capital, accompanied by his pet, the bear Bosco, to get to know the world better. Bosco is considered good-natured and calm, and the Earth King absolutely trusts his astute judgment of people.
- May
- Mai is the daughter of a highly respected Fire Nation nobleman. She had been close friends with Azula and Ty Lee since childhood, and was Zuko's friend before the story began. However, she is not a firebender and has instead focused on fighting with throwing stars and arrows. Azula recruits her and Ty Lee at the beginning of Book Two to hunt for the Avatar. Mai sometimes shows bored and unemotional behavior. After the fall of the Earth Kingdom, she returns to the Fire Nation with Azula and Zuko and becomes his friend again. Together with Ty Lee, she later opposes Azula, who loses her mind as a result.
- Ty Lee
- Ty Lee also comes from the Fire Nation and was close friends with Azula and Mai from the start. Like the latter, she is not a tamer herself, but thanks to her acrobatics and knowledge of the weak points of the human body, she is also able to defeat her opponents. She is also recruited by Azula to catch the Avatar when she was part of a traveling circus. In contrast to Mai, she is of a friendly and cheerful nature and immediately casts an eye on Sokka. Together with Mai, she later opposes Azula and finally joins the Kyoshi warriors.
- The Dai Li
- The Dai Li is an internal affairs intelligence agency based in the Earth Kingdom capital, Ba Sing Se. All agents are specially trained earthbenders. The Dai Li was launched and first trained by Avatar Kyoshi, which she later regretted as it has developed into a corrupt elite earthbending group. In order to neutralize ideological opponents and rebels in the city, it uses targeted brainwashing. Until the fire nation attacked Ba Sing Se, the Dai Li managed to hide the global war from the population and even from the Earth King. Later, the Dai Li is recruited by Azula and enables the Fire Nation to invade the capital and conquer the Earth Kingdom.
- The Order of the White Lotus
- This order is an international secret society dedicated to achieving and maintaining peace. In the event of the death of an avatar, she would act as a kind of substitute in an emergency. Recognition among members is done by using the white lotus stone in the board game Pai-Sho. Well-known members are Iroh, King Bumi, Sokka's sword master Piandao, Aangs and Katara's waterbending master Pakku, and the firebender Jeong Jeong.
Episode list
| Season | Number of episodes | First published in the USA | First publication in German | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| premiere | final | premiere | final | |||
| 1 | Water ( Water ) | 20th | February 21, 2005 | December 2, 2005 | January 8, 2006 | October 29, 2006 |
| 2 | Earth ( Earth ) | 20th | March 17, 2006 | December 1, 2006 | March 5, 2007 | September 18, 2007 |
| 3 | Fire ( Fire ) | 21st | September 21, 2007 | July 19, 2008 | April 12, 2008 | November 18, 2008 |
| SD | Short films | 3 | February 17, 2007 | September 11, 2007 | November 12, 2009 | |
Production and publication
The first season of the series was produced by Nickelodeon in 2005 and aired on February 21, 2005 on this station. Since the first season was successful, another two followed. The third season ran from September 21, 2007 in the USA. In addition, all episodes of the first, second and third season have been released completely as single DVDs and DVD boxes.
In Germany, Avatar has been broadcast by the broadcaster NICK since January 8, 2006, and the last episode of the third season was shown on November 18, 2008. In Austria, the first season of Avatar was broadcast on ORF 1 from April 12, 2008 to June .
In Germany, the seasons of the series were gradually released on individual DVDs. Then a DVD box was also released for each season, which corresponded to the European versions, on which the English, French and Dutch dubbing can be found in addition to the German.
Artbook
An art book for the entire series was published two years after the last episode was broadcast in the US . There was no German publication.
| title | published (USA) | Authors | ISBN | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Art of the Animated Series |
May 19, 2010 | Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko |
978-1-59582-504-9 |
Sequels
comics
In 2011, Nickelodeon and Dark Horse Comics announced the start of a partnership that will continue the story of Aang and his friends. The Lord of the Elements comic series has been published since January 2012 and so far comprises 20 issues, which consist of six comic series, each with three volumes and two individual volumes, which show small actions that take place during the period of the series.
| title | No. | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| The promise 1 | 1 | 978-3-86425-065-1 |
| The promise 2 | 2 | 978-3-86425-066-8 |
| The promise 3 | 3 | 978-3-86425-067-5 |
| The lost adventures | 4th | 978-3-86425-068-2 |
| The search 1 | 5 | 978-3-86425-150-4 |
| The search 2 | 6th | 978-3-86425-151-1 |
| The search 3 | 7th | 978-3-86425-152-8 |
| The gap 1 | 8th | 978-3-86425-367-6 |
| The gap 2 | 9 | 978-3-86425-368-3 |
| The gap 3 | 10 | 978-3-86425-369-0 |
| Smoke and shadow 1 | 11 | 978-3-86425-814-5 |
| Smoke and shadow 2 | 12 | 978-3-86425-815-2 |
| Smoke and shadow 3 | 13 | 978-3-86425-816-9 |
| North and South 1 | 14th | 978-3-95981-024-1 |
| North and South 2 | 15th | 978-3-95981-025-8 |
| North and South 3 | 16 | 978-3-95981-336-5 |
| Imbalance 1 | 17th | 978-3-959818-71-1 |
| Imbalance 2 | 18th | 978-3-959819-86-2 |
| Imbalance 3 | 19th | 978-3-959813-70-9 |
| Team Avatar stories | - | 978-3-959818-91-9 |
The legend of Korra
In July 2010, Nickelodeon announced a sequel or a follow-up series of Avatar - The Last Airbender at Comic-Con . The sequel / successor series, entitled The Legend of Korra , is produced by the producers of the original series. Nickelodeon is planning a 52-episode series in four half-seasons also called "books", the plot of which starts 70 years after the end of the original series and deals with the story of Korra, Aang's successor. It was first broadcast in the USA on April 14, 2012. In Germany, it was first broadcast on August 26, 2012.
comics
The legend of Korra will also be continued as a comic from June 2017. Only one trilogy called Turf Wars has been announced at the moment . The plot continues seamlessly to the end of the series. The comics will appear in German from July 2017 under the title Revierkampf .
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was produced by "The Track Team" consisting of Jeremy Zuckerman and Benjamin Wynn. With instruments such as the guzheng , the pipa or the duduk , background music was created for this fictional world. The official soundtrack has not yet been released as the television network Nickelodeon is holding back the rights.
synchronization
Bikini Studios GmbH in Berlin was responsible for the German dubbing . For the dialogue director Dr. was Harald Wolff responsible. Due to Julia Kaufmann's stay abroad , the role of Katara was newly cast in the final season.
Protagonists
| role | Main role | Supporting role | Voice actor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | German | |||
| Avatar Aang | 1.01-3.21 | Zach Tyler Eisen | Johannes Walenta | |
| Katara | 1.01-2.20 | Mae Whitman | Julia Kaufmann | |
| 1.01 (at the end) | Magdalena Turba | |||
| 3.01-3.21 | Tanja Schmitz | |||
| Sokka | 1.01-3.21 | Jack DeSena | David Turba | |
| Prince Zuko | 1.01-1.09, 1.12-1.13, 1.15, 1.18-2.05, (2.06) 2.07-2.09, 2.11-3.02, 3.05-3.06, 3.09-3.21 |
Dante Basco | Sebastian Schulz | |
| Ohhh | 1.01–1.04, 1.07–1.09, 1.12–1.15, 1.18–2.02, 2.04–2.05, 2.07–2.09, 2.11–2.20 |
Makoto Iwamatsu | Hans Teuscher | |
| 2.15, 2.18, 2.20, 3.19-3.21 | (3.02), 3.04, 3.06, 3.10, 3.12 | Greg Baldwin | ||
| Appa | 1.01-2.10, 2.15-3.21 | Dee Bradley Baker | Horst lamp (only 3.09) | |
| Momo | 1.03-3.21 | Till Völger (only 3.09) | ||
| Toph Beifong | 2.06, 2.08-3.21 | 2.04 | Jessie Flower | Marie-Luise Schramm |
| Suki | 3.14-3.21 | 1.04, 2.12, 2.16 | Jennie Kwan | Manja Doering |
- Silent appearances are in brackets
- Differing original names are in italics and in brackets
Antagonists
| role | Appearance (s) | Voice actor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | German | ||
| Admiral / Commander Zhao | 1.03, 1.08, (1.12) -1.13, 1.16, 1.20, (2.10) | Jason Isaacs | Erich Rauker |
| 2.10 ( flashback ) | Jason Isaacs (archive footage from 1.20) | Wolfgang Wagner | |
| Fire Lord Ozai | (1.08), 1.12 | Mark Hamill | Tim Moeseritz |
| 1.20 | Klaus Lochthove | ||
| 2.07, (2.19), 3.01, 3.09, 3.11, 3.18-3.21 | Axel Lutter | ||
| Princess Azula | (1.12, 1.20), 2.01-3.21 | Gray DeLisle | Yvonne Greitzke |
| May | 2.03- (2.18), 2.19-3.02, 3.05, 3.09, 3.15, 3.21 | Cricket Leigh | Tanya Kahana |
| Ty Lee | 2.03- (2.18), 2.19-2.20, 3.05 | Olivia Hack | Anne Helm |
| 3.15, 3.21 | Julia Stoepel | ||
| Xin Fu | 2.06, 2.11, 2.18-2.19 | Marc Graue | Andreas Hosang |
| Master Yu | 2.06, 2.11, (2.18) -2.19 | Sab Shimono | Kaspar Eichel |
| Long Feng | 2.14, (2.16) -2.20 | Clancy Brown | Klaus-Dieter Klebsch |
| Sprüh-Sprüh-Bang- Boom -Mann / Verschutzel-Mann (Sparky Sparky Boom Man / Combustion Man) |
(3.02), 3.05, 3.07, 3.12 | Greg Baldwin (no dialogue / only breath sounds) | |
- Silent appearances are in brackets
- Differing original names are in italics and in brackets
Minor characters
| role | Appearance (s) | Voice actor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | German | ||
| Kanna "Gran Gran" | 1.01–1.02 | Katharine Houghton | Regine Albrecht |
| (King) Bumi | 1.05 | Kevin Ng (12 years) | Hannes Maurer (12 years) |
| 1.05, 2.03, 3.19– (3.21) | André Sogliuzzo (King) | Hans-Werner Bussinger (King) | |
| Superintendent (Warden) | 1.06 | George Takei | Frank-Otto Schenk |
| Avatar Roku | (1.07) –1.08, 1.16, 1.20, 2.01, 3.01, 3.06, 3.19, (3.21) | James Garrett | Horst lamp |
| Pirate captain | 1.09 | Jack Angel | Klaus-Dieter Klebsch |
| 1.18 | Klaus Lochthove | ||
| Pirate Oh | 1.09 | Bryan Konietzko | Bernhard Völger |
| 1.18 | Markus Nichelmann | ||
| jet | 1.10, 2.12-2.14, 2.17 | Crawford Wilson | Florian Knorn |
| 2.17 ( flashback ) | Crawford Wilson (archive material from 1.10) | Konrad Bösherz | |
| Pipsqueak | 1.10, 3.01, 3.10-3.11, (3.21) | Sterling Young | Tilo Schmitz (1.10) |
| The Duke | 1.10, (3.01), 3.10– (3.11), 3.12, (3.13–3.14, 3.16, 3.21) | Mitch Holleman | Karlo Hackenberger |
| Hakoda | 1.15, (2.16) | André Sogliuzzo | Frank Muth |
| 2.19, 3.01, 3.10- (3.14), 3.15-3.16, 3.21 | Tim Moeseritz | ||
| June | 1.15, (3.18) | Jennifer Hale | Claudia Urbschat-Mingues |
| 3.19 | Nicole Hannak | ||
| Jeong Jeong | 1.16 | Keone Young | Lutz Schnell |
| 3.19– (3.20) | Horst lamp | ||
| Teo | 1.17, 3.10– (3.13, 3.14, 3.16, 3.21) | Daniel Samonas | Konrad Bösherz |
| Master Pakku | 1.18-1.20 | Victor Brandt | Uli Krohm |
| 2.01 | Kaspar Eichel | ||
| 3.19– (3.20) | Axel Lutter | ||
| Princess Yue | 1.18-1.20 | Johanna Braddy | Catrin Dams |
| 2.04 | |||
| 3.01, 3.08 (flashback) | Lydia Morgenstern | ||
| Koh the face robber | 1.20, (3.19) | Erik Todd Dellums | Gerald Paradise |
| General Fong | 2.01 | Daniel Dae Kim | Boris Tessmann |
| Avatar Kyoshi | (2.01), 2.05 | Jennifer Hale | Christin Marquitan |
| 3.19, (3.21) | Nicole Hannak | ||
| Avatar Kuruk | (2.01), 3.19, (3.21) | Jim Meskimen | Klaus-Dieter Klebsch |
| Huu | 2.04, 3.10– (3.11, 3.21) | William Bassett | Uli Krohm (2.04) |
| The Brocken (The Boulder) | 2.06, 3.10– (3.11, 3.21) | Mick Foley | Tilo Schmitz (2.06) |
| The big bad hippo | 2.06, 3.10– (3.11, 3.21) | Kevin Michael Richardson | Raimund Krone (2.06) |
| Lao Beifong | 2.06 | Cam Clarke | Wolfgang Wagner |
| Professor Zei | 2.10 | Raphael Sbarge | Uwe Büschken |
| Wan Shi Tong | 2.10 | Hector Elizondo | Axel Lutter |
| Guru pathic | 2.16, 2.19, 2.20 (flashback) | Brian George | Hasso Zorn |
| 3.09 | Reinhard Kuhnert | ||
| Earth King Kuei | 2.18– (3.01) | Phil LaMarr | Peter Flechtner |
| Doc / Xu / Bushi | 3.03 | Paul Eiding | Joachim Kaps |
| Master Piandao | 3.04 | Robert Patrick | Oliver Siebeck |
| 3.19– (3.20) | Tim Moeseritz | ||
| Fire Lord / Prince Zosin (Sozin) | 3.06 | Sean Marquette (Prince) | Till Völger (Prince) |
| Ron Perlman (Fire Lord) | Reinhard Kuhnert (Fire Lord) | ||
| Hama | 3.08 | Tress MacNeille | Marianne Lutz |
| Chit Sang | 3.14– (3.16) | Ezekial Rollins | Axel Lutter |
- Silent appearances are in brackets
- Differing original names are in italics and in brackets
Other media
Computer and video games
The following computer and video games were released for Avatar . These were all developed by THQ Entertainment. There are also some official PC online games, such as Avatar: Legends of the Arena .
| Original title | German title | platform | Release date (D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avatar: The Last Airbender | Avatar - The Last Airbender | PlayStation 2 , GameCube , Wii , PSP , Xbox , Nintendo DS , Game Boy Advance , PC | February 27, 2007, November 28, 2008 (PC, GBA) |
| Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Burning Earth | Avatar - The Last Airbender: The earth is on fire | Xbox 360 , Wii, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance | November 8, 2007 (PS2, NDS), November 22, 2007 (360), October 30, 2007 (Wii) |
| Avatar: The Last Airbender - Into the Inferno | Avatar - The Last Airbender: The Path of Fire | Wii, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS | October 31, 2008 (Wii, PS2), November 7, 2008 (NDS) |
| Avatar: Legends of the Arena | Pc | September 5, 2008 (PC) | |
| The Last Airbender | The Legend of Aang | Wii, Nintendo DS | Summer 2010 (Wii, NDS) |
Real film
On January 8, 2007, Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies announced that M. Night Shyamalan had been commissioned to write a script (together with Mike DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko), produce and direct a real-life Avatar film. This real version was planned as a trilogy, according to the books of the original. Since the rights to the title " Avatar " were not available, the film was released under the title "The Last Airbender" (in German-speaking countries as " The Legend of Aang "). The cinema release in Germany was on August 19, 2010. However, a successor was never produced.
Real series
On September 18, 2018 it was announced that Konietzko and DiMartino will produce and realize a real series adaptation of their own series for Netflix . A first concept drawing was presented and production is to begin in cooperation with Nickelodeon in 2019. On August 12, 2020, the two inventors announced that they had left the project in June due to differences with Netflix.
Awards
| Award | episode | |
| 2005 Pulcinella Awards: | ||
| Best Action / Adventure TV Series | - | |
| Best TV series | - | |
| 33rd Annie Award: | ||
| Best Screenplay in a TV Series | Book 1: Water Chapter 16: The Power of Fire (The Deserter) | |
| 34th Annie Award: | ||
| Best animation of characters in a television production | Book 2: Earth Chapter 6: The Blind Bandit (The Blind Bandit) | |
| Best Director in an Animated Series | Book 2: Earth Chapter 13: The Drill | |
| 36th Annie Award: | ||
| Best cartoon for kids | - | |
| Best Director in an Animated Series to Joaquim Dos Santos | Book 3: Fire, Chapter 20: Zosin's Comet, Part 3: Face to Face (Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno) | |
| 2007 Genesis Award: | ||
| Excellent kids entertainment | Book 2: Earth Chapter 16: Poor Appa (Appa's Lost Days) | |
| Primetime Emmy Awards: | ||
| Individual contribution to Sang-Jin Kim | Book 2: Earth, Chapter 17: Lake Laogai | |
| Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards 2008: | ||
| Favorite television series | - | |
| Peabody Awards 2008 | ||
| Relational characters and good portrayal of the consequences of a war | - | |
literature
- Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino: Avatar: The Last Airbender . The Art of the Animated Series. Dark Horse Comics, 2010, ISBN 978-1-59582-504-9 , pp. 184 (English).
Web links
- Avatar - The Last Airbender in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Avatar Wiki
- Avatar - The Last Airbender at Fernsehserien.de
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino: Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Art of the Animated Series . Dark Horse Comics, 2010, p. 10 ff.
- ↑ Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise, Volume 2 (German edition), 2012, pp. 77–79.
- ^ Ed Liu: NYCC 2008: "Avatar" Full Panel Report. (No longer available online.) In: toonzone.net. April 20, 2008, archived from the original on March 12, 2018 ; accessed on March 12, 2018 (English).
- ↑ Bryan Konietzko: Bryan Konietzko. (No longer available online.) In: Tumblr . February 18, 2012, archived from the original on June 4, 2016 ; accessed on March 12, 2018 (English).
- ^ Ed Liu: Toon Zone News Interviews Bryan Konietzko & Mike DiMartino on "Avatar the Last Airbender". In: toonzone.net. April 22, 2008, accessed September 10, 2018.
- ↑ Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Art of the Animated Series . Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
- ↑ darkhorse.com
- ↑ Nickelodeon Greenlights New Series From the Creators of the Animated Television Hit Avatar: The Last Airbender (accessed February 11, 2011)
- ↑ Dark Horse Comics' April 2017 Solicitations. In: cbr.com. January 25, 2017, accessed February 22, 2017 .
- ↑ Dark Horse Comics' April 2017 Solicitations. In: cross-cult.de . Retrieved February 22, 2017 .
- ↑ soundtrack.net
- ↑ Avatar - The Last Airbender. In: synchronkartei.de. German dubbing file , accessed on December 22, 2018 .
- ↑ The Last Airbender website , dates of the cinema releases in various countries on the official website for the movie
- ↑ Patrick Hipes: 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Live-Action Series In Works At Netflix. In: Deadline.com . September 18, 2018, accessed September 18, 2018.
- ^ Avatar The Last Airbender. In: Netflix . Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ↑ Bryan Konietzko. In: Tumblr . August 12, accessed August 21, 2020.
- ↑ Mike DiMartino: An open letter to Avatar: The Last Airbender fans. In: michaeldantedimartino.com. August 12, 2020, accessed on August 21, 2020.
- ↑ a b Cartoons on the Bay Picks Winner
- ↑ Annie Award: Legacy - 33rd Annual Annie Awards
- ↑ a b Annie Award: Legacy - 34th Annual Annie Awards
- ↑ a b Annie Awards 2007: For Your Consideration ( Memento April 15, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ The Peabody Awards - Avatar: The Last Airbender. In: peabodyawards.com, accessed January 21, 2018.
- ↑ The Art of the Animated Series on Darkhorse.com (accessed November 8, 2010)
