The first series ofThe Last Airbenderintroduces the concept of the Avatar, who must learn to master all four elements to keep the balance between the human world and the spiritual realm, and who must restore peace to the four nations. The Last Airbender has a very clever style of storytelling, because it also takes the audience on the journey at the same time, introducing them to each of the elements, and the culture behind them.
The first two episodes focus on the Southern Water Tribe, showing Katara’s growing struggle to learn water-bending as the only person left in her tribe with the gift. It also highlights the Fire Nation’s wrath and mighty strength in discipline, throughZuko, the best character on the show. The third episode highlights the peace and fun that used to exist within the Air Nation, where Aang grew up. Whilst revealing a little more about his personal journey, and how he became trapped in the ice, it also revealswhy the Fire Nation killed the Air Nomads.
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Then the 4th and 5th episodes come on to talk about some of the most ingenious kingdoms inThe Last Airbender:the earth kingdoms. First Aang, Katara and Sokka visit the island dedicated toAvatar Kyoshi, one of the most interesting protagonists, and Aangs former self, before coming to rest in Omashu. Omashu is a hugely efficient city, which uses its earth bending to quickly and efficiently transport things to its outer circles. It’s an ancient system that has long existed, but one that has been transformed and updated by its current king. Aang doesn’t know it at the time, but the King of Omashu is his old friend Bumi, a prankster and a rebel who loves the joy that chaos can bring. Upon their arrival in the city, Bumi sets the Avatar 3 important trials, each of which is meant to teach him a very valuable lesson that he will need to survive his journey ahead.
The first trial, which Aang is forced to take part in as Bumi holds Katara and Sokka captive, is to retrieve a key from a chain dangling in the middle of a waterfall, surrounded by razor-sharp rocks. Aang tries all the usual techniques he can think of, including attempting to climb up the slippery surface of the rocks below the falls, and trying to jump into the body of the waterfall using his air bending to propel him, both of which almost gets him impaled on the rocks below.
It’s only when he tries something completely unorthodox and decides to air bend a stalagmite at the chain containing the key that he successfully achieves the mission and the key lands in the wall just above Bumi’s head. So the first trial teaches him to think outside the box. In becoming an Avatar, and learning to master all of the elements, Aang must try things completely apart from anything he has ever known, and learn to do things in new and unusual ways, which stray from his comfort zone.
The second trial thatKing Bumi (played in The Last Airbender series by Utkarsh Ambudkar) sets is to retrieve his pet Flopsy. Aang, of course, begins chasing a small rabbit around the stadium, assuming that this is the animal the King of Omashu is referring too, but quickly becomes chased by a large hybrid creature with fangs and horns. Aang runs from the creature, intent on pursuing the rabbit, whilst the huge beast follows after him, more and more intently every time he calls the name Flopsy after the rabbit. Until, suddenly, Aang realizes that the creature has been Flopsy all along, and turns to face it. It immediately becomes docile, wagging its tail and rolling over to have its belly rubbed.
So this, the second trial set by the King of Omashu, was meant to teach Aang not to judge a book by its cover. The thing that looks the most obvious isn’t always the right path, and the thing that looks scary and unknown will often lead to far greater success, a fact that Aang comes back to over and over again in his time battling great foes like Ty Lee and Mai, who look friendly enough, but prove to possess deadly abilities.
And the third trial, the most important trial of all, is about not underestimating your enemy. When asked to pick a person to battle, Aang is presented with 2 possible opponents but opts instead to challenge Bumi, because he seems to be a frail old man. But, he is the king for a reason, and it’s because he is one of the most formidable earth-benders of their time. Aang massively underestimates his old friend’s skill, and spends most of the battle evading attacks and struggling to stay afloat, because he continuously underestimates the next level of how Bumi’s power can build.
They eventually come to a truce of sorts, where Bumi lets Katara and Sokka go after Aang finally realizes that the king is his old friend. And before they leave Omashu, he imparts his old wisdom to Aang about ‘opening your mind to the possibilities.’ Each of the trials, in one way or another, teaches the air bender to do something different to his usual instincts, a lesson that makes all the difference in his final battle with Ozai when he majorly thinks outside the box and removes the Fire Lord’s connection to his element through the previouslyunknown form of energy bending.
