The Kyoshi Novels Are Actually So Good!

Like most adults who enjoy watching cartoons, I LOVE Avatar The Last Airbender. And yes, it did take me months to get through the first episode.

Sue me!

I was introduced to it as an adult and I didn’t have any nostalgia drawing me towards it. So I got halfway through episode 1 and was, understandably, bored. It wasn’t until I was watching a Trope Talks video about villain redemption arcs and was given a deep dive into Zuko’s arc (spoilers, I guess), that I truly felt a desire to give the show another go.

And let me tell you, once you get through the first few episodes. This show is a masterpiece in world-building, character development and storytelling. And so, yes, I proceeded to watch all of Avatar, all of The Legend of Korra, read most of the comics and listen to a few podcasts for good measure (Avatar The Podcast and Braving The Elements are amazing by the way).

Until finally, I got to the Kyoshi novels.

And man do I finally get all the jokes about Rangi being the real angry lesbian warrior ready and willing to fight everyone. I’m not going to lie, I genuinely assumed that all the TikTok videos had just been part of some elaborate fan made work I just hadn’t come across.

But no, they came from the novels and man oh man, are they good! It’s just another layer into the masterpiece that is the world of Avatar The Last Airbender. And it does an amazing job of showing the progression of time. And it gives you just the barest hint of what is to come during the next Avatar’s reign.

But most importantly, it reveals the avatar to be a truly flawed individual. Maybe they are a bridge between the human and spirit world, maybe they are the saviour of the world. But they’re also, unequivocally, human. And that makes them flawed individuals. It is the nature of the cycle that each avatar will mess up the world in their own unique way, and the next avatar will have to help fix those mistakes.

And that’s why I don’t mind that Aang wound up being a flawed character who created conflict and trauma during his life. You can’t put the weight of the world on someone’s shoulders and not expect it to mess them up in some way. And especially considering that Aang was the only remaining survivor of genocide. Considering that he was still a child when he came across the corpse of his best friend, I am not surprised he turned out to be a messed up adult.

And reading the Kyoshi novels puts that all into perspective. Korra didn’t ruin Aang’s characterisation. It simply revealed the nature of the Avatar cycle. Even Yangchen created problems for the avatar that came after her.

***Spoilers coming up … duh!***

Kyoshi Breaks The Mould

Honestly, after seeing how young Korra and Aang both were when their avatarhood was discovered, it was a bit shocking to see just how long it took Kyoshi to unlock any element outside of earthbending. I didn’t think it was possible for there to be a fake avatar. Sure, Aang was discovered before he showed any talents in waterbending but once he had a master, it didn’t take long for him to show an aptitude for it. And then there was Korra, who figured out three elements as a toddler.

So it was definitely strange to watch Kyoshi fumble around for mastery of even her base element: earthbending.

She is wild. She is chaotic and her main motivation for most of the first book is revenge.

Even Korra wasn’t willing to go to the same lengths Kyoshi was. For Kyoshi, her main motivation for learning other forms of bending was so she could most efficiently kill the man who murdered her best friend. And in the end it all came to nothing. This duology isn’t meant to be satisfying. Going into it, you already know the major conflict that is to come. While there are temporary victories, there is still a strong sense of dread throughout the story. And when you get to the ending, you finally understand what led the fire nation to do what they did: pure selfishness born out of cowardice.

The False Avatar

Yun’s story broke my heart. He was this sweet, compassionate boy who had all of the kindness sucked out of him. Unfortunately for him, the moment he was in a moment of need, he was surrounded by selfish people. After spending his whole life being compassionate and kind, and actively giving up parts of himself to protect the innocent, it was too much to discover that not only was he NOT the avatar but most people wouldn’t even spare him water if his life depended on it. And that broke him.

This is something we simply don’t see in Avatar The Last Airbender. Sure, Zuko has a phenomenal redemption arc but he ends up a hero. And while Azula does stay a villain to the end, she never started off kind and compassionate. Her trauma made cruelty her second nature.

But I genuinely didn’t expect Yun to turn evil. He was kind and loving in a way that was genuine. Sure, he was the false avatar but it wasn’t by design. He truly set out to help people and it simply wasn’t enough. In the end, he was nothing more than a chess piece who could be discarded at a moment’s notice.

And honestly, while I enjoy the story, I’m glad the cartoon was more light-hearted. While the cartoon is complex and compelling, it still promotes the idea that good prevails. While the ending of the duology is bittersweet. Sure, Kyoshi may have won this time, but she’s also inadvertently set up the conflict the next avatar will face. Her power and anger gives rise to the fire nation’s greed.

And while she won’t live long enough to fight it herself. She will have no peace in death. Her mistakes will be on full display in her next life.

The Corruption Of Team Avatar

If you thought Team Avatar was ruined in The Legend of Korra, then you would hate what they do to Kuruk’s Team Avatar. At least Team Avatar from the main storyline all stayed on the good side. Sure, they were flawed individuals who made gigantic mistakes as adults, but at least none of them became evil and chose to sacrifice a teenager for power. Man, it honestly makes me question Kuruk’s ability to judge people. Even the best in his team, Kelsang, had his dark moments.

And don’t even get me started on Jianzhu. Considering that he was basically a father figure to Yun, it makes Ozai look like a loving parent by comparison. At least Ozai was open with how little he valued Zuko and at least he “returned” Zuko’s honour to him when he thought Zuko killed the avatar. Jianzhu raised a kid, tortured said kid in the name of training and then let kid be taken by an evil spirit the moment he stopped being useful. It wasn’t even like Yun ever disobeyed or disrespect Jianzhu (not that that is an excuse for abusing a child but how do you just let your kid, who’s done nothing, die). And the fact that he’s massacred people by burying them alive just for being criminals?

In fact, every single person in Kuruk’s team is a war criminal who should be locked up. Clearly, morality is not always a factor when it comes to joining team Avatar.

Final Thoughts

This isn’t really like my usual reviews. I guess I don’t have too much to say. It’s a GREAT duology but I think by the nature of the fact that it’s a prequel to the main storyline, it’s depressing. Even when there’s a victory, in the back of your mind, you can’t quite let go of the main series. I recommend consuming ATLA content in chronological order. Even though I haven’t read Yangchen yet, I’d suppose that would make the most sense. Followed by the Kyoshi novels, followed by the cartoon, then the comics, and finally The Legend of Korra. It makes the most sense this way.

And I think you’re more likely to forgive the Legend of Korra for the liberties it takes with original team Avatar’s characterisation when you realise, that’s just how the world is. People aren’t perfect beings. Everyone has flaws. Everyone has vices. And it’s unfair to assume that you know exactly who someone is based on their actions when they were 12. So yeah, the Legend of Korra didn’t ruin Avatar The Last Airbender, it simply added another layer.