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While surpassing the cartoonAvatar: The Last Airbendermay seem impossible, aspiring to its level sets a high bar. Since its debut in February, Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the beloved Nickelodeon show has garnered positive reviews, despite introducing significant changes to the series.
From introducing Fire Lord Ozai much earlier in the series to flawlessly depicting Aang’s skilled flying abilities in the first season, it was a lot to take in, to say the least. But was it ultimately for the better or worse?
Why Did Netflix’sAvatar: The Last AirbenderGive Aang Such Significant Airbending Power?
Flying was a skill believed to have been lost with time and the nomads in the ATLA universe. It has been portrayed much later in Nickelodeon’sAvatar: The Last Airbenderuniverse with its follow-up series,The Legend of Korra.However, the live-action version of the Netflix seriesdecided to take some libertiesby showing Aang fly without any difficulties whatsoever in the very first scene where he is introduced. Although quite a significant departure from its source material, what implications does this hold?
Avatar: The Last Airbender Original Creators Made a Huge Blunder With Aang’s Greatest Power That Even Surpasses Bloodbending
Flying without a glider in theAvatar: The Last Airbenderuniverse was portrayed as nearly impossible, with Air Nomads utilizing a method where they control their fall with air bending. Actual flying is shown in the cartoon’s series sequel,The Legend of Korra,during Season 3 when Zaheer achieves the ability. And the funny part is Aang is never actually seen flying in the animated series, not without the help of Appa or his trusty glider!
Well, this change, thus, could imply several things. It might be to reflect Aang’s true age, which is 112, and the extent of his abilities as the Avatar. Alternatively, it could also demonstrate how Aang, despite being technically 12 years old, is capable of extraordinary feats and shouldn’t be underestimated. The answers to these questions may become clearer in theseasons to come.
Significant Changes Introduced by the Netflix Live Adaptation of the Hit Show
One significant change made by the Netflix adaptation ofAvatar: The Last Airbenderis the early introduction of Fire Lord Ozai. While the original animated series takes its sweet time to reveal, the face of the villain, and that is by book 3, the Netflix show does it much earlier in the first season. This decision can be speculated to have been made to explore the character’s relationships with his kids and enhance understanding of the motivations behind Zuko and Azula’s actions in a much more nuanced way.
Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Gave a Massive Power Boost to Aang That He Never Was Able to Achieve Even After Defeating Fire Lord Ozai
While this introduces many other aspects that may or may not work out for the show, the early introduction of Ozai also brings Azula into the picture right away. This allows fans to witness the development of Zuko and her relationship on-screen. However, it also takes away from the dramatic impact of Azula’s introduction that the original show had.
The show intentionally, or unintentionally, also shifted its focus away from one of the most beloved parts of the original series,Katara and Sokka,keeping them somewhat one-dimensional and reducing their screen time. This also meant reducing Katara’s journey and training to focus more on Aang.
Although these changes may or may not work out, only the upcoming season can provide answers to the myriad questions raised by these significant alterations.
Avatar: The Last Airbenderis now streaming on Netflix.
Sampurna Banerjee
Articles Published :1803
Sampurna Banerjee is an Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, and she’s written over 1,700 articles! She covers everything from celebrity news to the latest superhero buzz, streaming shows, and fan theories. If it’s trending in pop culture, Sampurna’s probably already on it.When she’s not working, you’ll probably find her rewatching The Office (again), getting into debates about Marvel’s timeline, or diving deep into Christopher Nolan movies for the hundredth time. She’s not just writing about entertainment, she’s living it.
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