A 15-year-old cartoon made for kids is not exactly what I pictured myself bingeing during quarantine, but after years of friends begging me to give the show a chance and reviews rating the show among all-time greats like “Breaking Bad” and “The Wire,” I finally flopped onto my bed with an open mind and turned on “Avatar: The Last Airbender” (not to be confused with the movie about the giant blue aliens).
If you have never heard of “Avatar” (well, that’s rough, buddy), the story follows 12-year-old Aang, the current Avatar and last survivor of the Air Nation. As the Avatar, Aang must master the four elements unique to each nation—Water, Earth, Fire and Air. Alongside his friends, Katara, Sokka and Toph, Aang seeks to defeat the Fire Lord and end the Fire Nation’s war against the other nations once and for all.
I am not quite sure what I expected, but after I binged the entire last season in a day, slowly closed my laptop, and stared into oblivion, not quite ready to leave this world I had come to adore, I truly understood why this show is one of the greats. Trust me when I say that no one is exaggerating the astonishing storytelling, character development and maturity that “Avatar” displays. However, what truly makes the show stand out, in my opinion, is the depth and diversity of its female characters.
In many action shows, what normally constitutes a strong female character is her ability to have her hair look perfect while she beats up a few bad guys. This character archetype has been dubbed by many as a #girlboss who needs snide one-liners to tell people she is “strong” instead of displaying unique motivations, interests or hobbies. Consider the all-female team-up scene in “Avengers: Endgame” during the final battle. Even ignoring the fact that there are only 10 female characters that are significant enough to be in this scene out of the 22 movies Marvel had made to this point, the sequence pandered to the audience with an epic music score and two minutes of action to cover the reality that virtually none of these characters had a significant individual character moment. They are good at fighting and punching monsters, so the narrative assures us that they must be quality, distinct characters as well. In a way, the scene attempts to trick the audience into thinking these female characters are strong, when all the filmmakers did was give them a couple minutes of screen time and call it a day.
Contrary to the mainstream narrative, however, “Avatar” boasts an expansive cast of female characters with distinctive backstories and personalities. For example, take the main female character, Katara. Katara is a Waterbender and the typical Mom Friend™ that every friend group needs. Her greatest strength is found in her kindness toward others; she is sweet and supportive, but she never comes off as condescending or snobbish. And while she may be kind, Katara is not meek in any regard. She is outspoken about her beliefs and will do anything necessary to protect her friends. But like any realistic person, Katara also exhibits plenty of flaws. She does not let go of grudges easily, and sometimes her temper can get the better of her. However, by showcasing Katara’s weaknesses, her strengths are put on full display when she ultimately learns how to overcome her flaws.
Another main character, Toph, is a brilliant representation for the disabled community. A 12-year-old who has been blind since birth, Toph uses Earthbending to see the world around her. Instead of letting her disability define her, Toph’s blindness is presented as a strength through her unique bending skillset. But because of her sheltered upbringing, Toph can occasionally come off as brash and irritating. She disregards rules and regulations and, many times, does not take responsibility for her actions. But one of Toph’s greatest strengths lies in her natural will to do what is right and protect her friends above all else.
Perhaps one of the show’s most interesting characters, however, is a villain—Azula. What makes Azula fascinating is that, in many respects, she fits the #girlboss stereotype. She is an excellent fighter, has plenty of epic one-liners, and she rarely has a bad hair day. But instead of presenting these as strengths of her character, “Avatar” shows these very characteristics to reflect a broken and damaged person. Azula is not simply evil for the sake of being evil, but her tragic backstory does not necessarily excuse her actions. Her character reflects some of the villains we may meet in our everyday lives—people who, for one reason or another, have chosen the wrong path.
The characters of “Avatar” are not just diverse in race, but they represent a plethora of unique motivations and personality traits. Each of us probably knows someone like Katara, Toph or even Azula. They are strong characters not simply because they are physically strong, but because each positive trait is complemented by a negative, just like normal people. What makes “Avatar” a great show is not that the characters are some larger than life portrait of what we wish we could be—its greatness is highlighted by characters that struggle and fail just like the rest of us.
After I finished “Avatar,” I could not stop wishing that I had seen this show as a young girl. I wish I had witnessed Katara’s fierce kindness or Toph’s determined loyalty. I wish I had seen them overcome their fears and flaws in spite of what the world told them they could or could not do. I wish I had known back then that a strong girl is not just a pretty face with no discernible weaknesses. Especially when it came to Marvel movies, my chief middle school obsession, I wish I could have had admirable female superheroes to look up to rather than love interests with no agency.
The recent resurgence of “Avatar” on Netflix has given me hope that their portrayal of a strong female character can be the reality for young girls going forward. The enormous popularity of a 15-year-old show reveals that the world not only accepts these characterizations but longs for them. I was too late to reap the benefits this show would have had on me as a young girl, but perhaps the show’s popularity so many years later will finally convince Hollywood that the #girlboss is simply not going to cut it anymore. Maybe characters like Katara, Toph and Azula, amongst many others, will inspire creators to consider what truly makes a character great. I have hope that they will know, for in the words of the wise Uncle Iroh, “Failure is only the opportunity to begin again.”
