AN: Spoilers for the entirety of the show “Avatar: The Last Airbender”.

I have heard of this show frequently over the years but I only recently got around to watching it. I will admit, it was a slow start. I think I watched half of the first episode and left it for months. But once the show caught my attention, I couldn’t stop watching. I don’t know how long it took me to finish the series but it was probably a short enough period to be classified as unhealthy.

I was honestly shocked by the depth and quality of the show, seeing as its target audience are kids. This show successfully explores the horrors of war in a child friendly medium. This isn’t simply a discussion of good vs. evil but it does expose the way that colonization works. It exposes the depth of the propaganda and the way that colonizers can get away with justifying their actions to their own people.

Class Inequality

The clearest example of class inequality in this show is within Ba Sing Se. The city’s method of allocating different rings for different classes (the wealthy live in the middle ring and the poor live in the outer ring) is a clear way of showing the structural boundaries that exist between the rich and the poor. The poor cannot even enter the domain of the rich so how could they even dream of bettering their situation in life? Meanwhile, the rich are happy so long as they are not faced with the reality of the conditions faced by the poor.

And yes, this has definitely been exacerbated by the war. While the city’s inhabitants may be discouraged from even acknowledging the existence of a war, its governing powers are not under this restriction. For those in power and those responsible for protecting the city from the Fire Nation, Ba Sing Se seems like a haven.

The people may be living in terrible conditions but at least they are safe from the Fire Nation. As the city is allowing refugees into their walls, those in power consider their quota of aid fulfilled. And the separation of the rich and poor make it almost impossible for those with the most influence and power to really even see the full extent of the crisis.

While the physical walls may not always exist in the real world, there are definitely barriers to exiting poverty. For one, poor people often either don’t have access to education or the access they have is very limited. It is also true that the rich and the poor live in different areas within society. So while the children of the rich may go to a school where they have access to all the resources they may want or need, the children of poor people go to schools that are often underfunded.

And yes, there will always be a few people who manage to escape the poverty they were born into. But these people are the exceptions to the rule, they are not the norm. The vast majority of people born in poverty, will not be able to escape it regardless of their potential. This may seem depressing but it is crucial that we acknowledge this reality if we are ever to create a better society. Acknowledgement must come in order for there to be support structures put in place. In order for governments and societies to set up welfare systems.

In having an issue like class inequality addressed in a children’s show, Nickelodeon ensures that future generations are raised to be aware of the structural issues faced by those in poverty. It ensures that the next generation are more likely to care and lobby for change.

Genocide

The worst act committed by the Fire Nation, by far, was their committing genocide. Complete genocide required Fire Nation soldiers to kill everyone, not just the monks. There would have been elderly people, children, pregnant women etc. War is terrible but the genocide committed by the Fire Nation makes the other atrocities committed by them seem almost humane.

Being a kids show, the portrayal of this genocide was limited but it wouldn’t have been too different from the Holocaust. Only this time, the genocide would’ve been completed much quicker. The Fire Nation set out specifically to murder the entire population. And seeing as Fire Lord Sozin knew the Avatar would be a child, he would have specifically ordered his soldiers to kill the children in particular.

This, honestly, horrifies me. As terrible as it is to kill opposing soldiers in a war, that is nothing on the coldness that would be required to kill innocent children.

The Impact Of War

Child Soldiers

Aang’s brief attendance at a Fire Nation school clearly shows that the children of the Fire Nation are brought up on lies and propaganda. Their lessons are designed to turn them into mindless followers of the Fire Lord. Every aspect of their culture has been replaced with propaganda. Propaganda that attempts to convert the senseless slaughter of a peaceful people into a justified victory for the Fire Nation. Propaganda designed to dehumanize all non Fire Nation citizens and even Fire Nation citizens who do not merely follow these teachings.

This has a hugely negative impact on the Fire Nation’s ability to empathize with the other nations. They were taught, from childhood, that they were superior and that the actions taken by their Fire Lord are just. This means that in order for any one individual within the Fire Nation to develop empathy for people outside of their nation, they must first acknowledge that everything they were taught, since childhood, are lies.

This makes it even harder for people to recognise the horrors committed by the Fire Nation. In fact, the citizens are likely to see any resistance from the other nations as either ingratitude or ignorance.

PTSD’s Impact On The Psyche

Characters like Azula, Jet and Zuko are perfect examples of how war impacts the psyche. All three characters experience PTSD in vastly different ways. Azula loses her ability to empathise, Jet loses the ability to consider the value of human life and Zuko becomes fuelled by rage and hatred. And while Zuko manages to let go of the anger and Jet at least somewhat recognises the error of his ways, Azula sinks further into delusion and paranoia. By the end of the show, Azula is convinced everyone around her is out to kill her.

Azula’s breakdown near the end of the show perfectly captures what happens after a lifetime of being exposed to war. Azula was never taught to value human life, in fact, she was taught that human life had no value. She did not value even her own citizens as people and her friends received just a bare minimum level of kindness and decency from her.

On the flip side, while Zuko had some of the same teachings, he was protected by his mother and then his uncle. He was never fully able to descend to Azula’s level because he always valued at least his own people. This meant that once the propaganda and brainwashing was shown to be wrong, he was more quickly able to switch to the good side.

Azula, meanwhile, having never learnt to value human life, took all acts of bravery and selflessness as an attack against her. She believed herself to be superior and anyone who stood in her way, even if they were her own friends, were met with ruthlessness.

The Creation Of Refugees

A story about war cannot be considered realistic unless it showcases refugees (who are often the first casualties of war). Their existence within a narrative allows the audience to see the many people who have lost their homes due to senseless violence.

In discussions regarding immigration and asylum seekers, so many are quick to see them as outsiders attempting to leech off the system. Often in discussions about providing humanitarian aid and asylum, the conversation is rarely focused on the experiences of refugees. More often than not, the conversation centers around how this will affect the nation providing aid.

In including refugees within a narrative about war, Nickelodeon ensures that people are able to see the heart of the issue. That regardless of how it might inconvenience us, refugees deserve a safe place to live. They have no control over the actions of their nation of origin and they just want to be safe.

Power Vacuums

Unfortunately, the Fire Nation soldiers are not the only ones terrorising the other nations. While the Fire Nation continues to falsely imprison benders and dissenters to their rule, the other nations are harmed further by their own people. As war requires a constant stream of soldiers, those left behind often use their strength to exploit the weaker in their communities.

This is seen in the episode “Zuko Alone” (Season 2, Episode 7) where Zuko finds a group of Earth Nation soldiers terrorizing a town that has already lost citizens to the war. As the strongest within the town are pulled away by the war, it creates a power vacuum which is filled by a group of power hungry soldiers.

For the most vulnerable within these communities, the Fire Nation are not the only threat. Many of these towns that are left alone by the Fire Nation soldiers are being terrorized by their own. This is often the unfortunate reality of war and chaos. Where there is no force left to keep aggressors in check, they run wild.

Final Thoughts

So many people watched this show as a child and will tell me I missed out. But I actually think I’m better off for watching it as an adult. I can now more fully appreciate this show and the messages it expressed. While it is certainly not lacking in slapstick humour, there’s enough reality and seriousness to truly make you understand that it is based on real experiences. People in real life may not have the ability to bend the elements but our history is intimately acquainted with war. Any history book can tell you how people and nations, who care more about power than human life, will go to extreme lengths in order to see themselves at the top.

At its heart, this show is about more than bending. It’s about power and control. It’s about the exploitation of the most vulnerable people in society by those who seek power. The most obvious example of this being the genocide committed against the Air Nation: a nation known for being detached and peaceful.

This show does not hesitate to criticize colonization and empires. It does not hesitate to show to children just how mindless war is. And it does it in a format that kids will enjoy.

10 / 10 would recommend it to anyone who hasn’t yet seen the show.