Photo: Netflix
We highlight some of Netflix’s biggest changes Avatar: The Last Airbender It was created as a live-action adaptation of the popular Nickelodeon cartoon.
long ago, Avatar: The Last Airbender The fanbase lived in safe harmony, knowing that this beloved animated show was as perfect as it could be. But then Netflix came along and spent a huge budget on a live-action remake of the original, making many changes to the story and tone along the way.
We knew about Netflix from the beginning. Avatar We’ll see a lot of changes from the source material, for better or worse. It’s simply impossible to cram 20 episodes worth of story into eight live-action episodes. And then freedoms are taken and story arcs are merged, leading to some exciting changes.
Let’s take a look at some of the most notable changes from the Netflix adaptation, starting with the first scene.
The Fire Nation is attacking.
Source: Netflix
The manga begins with Katara and Sokka stepping outside of Wolf Cove and encountering Aang trapped in an iceberg. However, in the live-action version, she is depicted 100 years earlier and has a more brutal and lore-filled approach.
The Netflix show opens with a massacre of the Fire Nation’s air nomads, their existence all but eradicated from the world. This was the event that triggered the Hundred Years’ War. And when the incident happened, Anne was out of town and had no idea about the massacre in his hometown.
This was one of the most welcome changes to the story. We’ve never seen this event play out on screen before, but it set the dark tone for the series very well and gave fans some key lore along the way.
Azula season 1 features
In the original show, Princess Azura doesn’t appear until season two. However, considering she is a fan favorite, the creators of the live-action show decided to extend her story into season one. Azula, Crown Prince Zuko’s sister, is a fearsome warrior, and she has a long-standing sibling rivalry with Zuko.
It was a welcome change that Azura’s story, played by Elizabeth Yu, begins in season one. This really helped flesh out her character and set the stage for her larger role in future seasons.
King Bumi
Source: Netflix
One rather unexpected change was Anne’s meeting with King Bumi. This story is very close to the anime version remix. Bumi, the king of Omashu, is an eccentric and goofy person, but in the live-action version, he becomes a more serious character. Additionally, in the original, both Sokka and Katara are taken hostage until Aang completes Bumi’s game. In the Netflix series, on the other hand, the brothers don’t appear until the final game and aren’t taken hostage at all. They also join the fight.
Bumi’s more serious demeanor in the live-action show further helps portray Aang having to make impossible decisions in the war with the Fire Nation. This version better fits the dark tone the creators were aiming for, but misses out on the more fun and goofy version of Bumi in the manga.
jet
Source: Netflix
In Episode 3, the live-action show started to get a little confusing, combining several storylines from the animated show at once. That made everything feel a little uneven. Most notably, Jett joins the show in episode three. A freedom fighter from the Earth Kingdom, the live-action show sets his story in Omashu. However, in the original work, it is based in Ba Sing Se, the largest city in the Earth Kingdom. A place that has not yet been introduced in the live-action program.
Jett’s role on the Netflix show lasted only one episode. It would have been nice to see him play a bigger role in the story.
two lovers cave
Source: Netflix
Netflix’s Avatar is actually remixing the secret tunnels near Omashu in a way that many fans aren’t too fond of. The animated episode, one of his biggest story changes, two lovers cave, which doesn’t happen until season two. However, the Netflix show sees fit to implement the story into episode 3. In doing this, they limit the screen time of the story and balance it with the games Aang plays with Bumi.
Additionally, in the manga, Aang joins both Sokka and Katara in the cave, leading to a very important plot detail between Katara and Aang in particular. It felt a little weird and turned a great story into a so-so side plot.
violence and brutality
Credit: Netflix
While it’s not a huge change story-wise, many fans have noted a major change in tone once the story was adapted into live-action. Of course, this cartoon is ostensibly a children’s show. It’s quirky, goofy, and fun. And while the live-action remake retains some humor, it also ramps up the violence, thanks in large part to Ian Owsley’s Sokka.
The level of violence surprised many viewers, from the aforementioned Fire Nation attack on the Air Nomads to Azula staring at a man being burned alive.
That said, showrunner Albert Kim has already stepped in to explain the brutality of this adaptation. “It was about setting a bet on this world,” he told Variety. “One of the things we wanted to do was to show how dangerous bending is. Firebending should feel dangerous. It should feel like something that could hurt you. ” He went on to mention the benefits of hindsight and acknowledged how animated shows can get darker in later seasons.
Whether or not this change is welcome depends on your tastes, but it was certainly a change that got people talking.
avatar teacher
Source: Netflix
Thank you in part for extending her series of stories. Avatar In the novel, Kyoshi became a popular character among fans. The live-action show’s writers knew this and decided to capitalize on her character in season one. When Team Her Avatar arrives on Kyoshi Island in episode 2, they are chased by the Fire Nation.
What ensues is a battle, but instead of Aang fighting, Avatar Kyoshi connects with him from within her shrine and fights in her physical form. This is an epic scene that would never happen in the original show and will delight fans. While it is rare for a former avatar to connect with an active incarnation and take on physical form, it is not unheard of. We’ve seen it happen with the animated show Avatar His Roku.
I liked this scene, but it’s a shame that Anne riding the eel was left out. That would have been fun!
spirit world
Credit: Netflix
The ability to master all four elements is not the only thing an avatar can do. You can also enter the spirit world. And in Episode 5, “Spirited Away,” Anne travels to another world for the first time. There, both Sokka and Katara join him, just being in his presence. However, that’s not the only difference. Wang Xi Tong, a giant owl-like being who doesn’t appear until Season 2 of the animated show, makes a surprise appearance.
These changes were certainly bold moves and set the series on a different trajectory.
Commander Zhao
Credit: Netflix
Commander Zhao has no loyalty to Prince Zuko and does not listen to his final pleas to regain his father’s respect. Zao only cares about himself, and only about capturing the Avatar by force as efficiently as possible. The show changes his character slightly and changes how certain aspects of his journey play out. For example, how he learns the true identity of the Moon Spirit mortal being.
Actor Ken Leung embraced the changes from the beginning and explained to Metro why the changes were made. “Like when I discovered how to kill the Moon Spirit in the Secret Spirit Library,” he said. “I think we felt like maybe it was a little convenient, that he just happened to be doing it…so we kind of changed things around a little bit.”
