Avatar: The Last Airbender (franchise) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Avatar |
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| Creator | Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko |
| Original work | Avatar: The Last Airbender (The Legend of Aang) |
| Owner | ViacomCBS |
| Print publications | |
| Books | List of artbooks |
| Novels | List of novels |
| Comics | List of comics |
| Films and television | |
| Films | The Last Airbender (2010) Untitled animated film (upcoming) |
| Television series | Avatar: The Last Airbender (upcoming) |
| Animated series | Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008) The Legend of Korra (2012–2014) |
The Avatar world is a super popular story series created by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino. It started with a cartoon show called Avatar: The Last Airbender (also known as The Legend of Aang). This show first aired on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008.
The story takes place in a cool fantasy world inspired by Asian cultures. In this world, some people can control, or "bend," one of the four elements: air, water, earth, or fire. But there's only one person, called the "Avatar", who can bend all four elements! The Avatar's job is to keep the world balanced and peaceful.
Since the first show, the Avatar universe has grown a lot. It now includes another animated TV show, a live-action movie, comic books, novels, video games, and more. A sequel cartoon, The Legend of Korra, aired from 2012 to 2014 and has its own exciting stories. The adventures of both shows continue in comic books. There are also art books, companion books, and video games for fans to enjoy. In 2010, the first cartoon was made into a live-action movie called The Last Airbender. In 2021, Nickelodeon announced a new company called Avatar Studios. Its goal is to create even more animated shows and movies set in the Avatar world. The original creators, Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, are leading this new studio.
Contents
Television Series
The Avatar world has given us some amazing TV shows. Here are the main ones:
| Series | Season | Episodes | Originally released | |||
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| First released | Last released | Network | ||||
| Avatar: The Last Airbender | 1 | 20 | February 21, 2005 | December 2, 2005 | Nickelodeon | |
| 2 | 20 | March 17, 2006 | December 1, 2006 | |||
| 3 | 21 | September 21, 2007 | July 19, 2008 | |||
| The Legend of Korra | 1 | 12 | April 14, 2012 | June 23, 2012 | Nickelodeon | |
| 2 | 14 | September 13, 2013 | November 22, 2013 | |||
| 3 | 13 | June 27, 2014 | August 22, 2014 | |||
| 4 | 13 | October 3, 2014 | December 19, 2014 | |||
| Republic City Hustle | 1 | 3 | August 9, 2013 | August 23, 2013 | YouTube | |
| Untitled live-action series | 1 | 10 | 2022 | TBA | Netflix | |
Movies in the Avatar World
The Avatar franchise also includes movies that bring the stories to life on the big screen.
| Movie | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Status |
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| The Last Airbender | June 30, 2010 | M. Night Shyamalan | Sam Mercer & Frank Marshall | Released | |
| Untitled animated Avatar Studios film | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | In development |
The Last Airbender Movie
The Last Airbender is a live-action movie from 2010. It was based on the first season of the Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon. The movie was directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It didn't get very good reviews from critics, but it still made a lot of money around the world.
New Animated Avatar Studios Movie
In February 2021, it was announced that a new animated movie from Avatar Studios is being made! This movie will be released by Paramount Pictures. It's the very first project from the new Avatar Studios, which is super exciting for fans.
Avatar Comic Books
The stories of Avatar continue in many comic books. These comics often pick up right after the TV shows end, or tell new adventures from the past.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Comics
These comics tell more stories about Aang and his friends after the original series.
| Title | Release date(s) | Type |
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| Avatar: The Last Airbender | January 25, 2006 – August 6, 2008 | Comic series based on the show |
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| Free Comic Book Day issues | May 7, 2011 – May 2, 2015 | Short comics |
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| Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Lost Adventures | June 15, 2011 | Collection of short stories |
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| Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Promise | January 25 – September 26, 2012 | Graphic novel trilogy |
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| Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Search | March 20 – October 30, 2013 | Graphic novel trilogy |
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| Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Rift | March 5 – November 18, 2014 | Graphic novel trilogy |
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| Avatar: The Last Airbender – Smoke and Shadow | October 6, 2015 – March 16, 2016 | Graphic novel trilogy |
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| Avatar: The Last Airbender – North and South | September 14, 2016 – April 26, 2017 | Graphic novel trilogy |
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| Avatar: The Last Airbender – Imbalance | December 18, 2018 – October 01, 2019 | Graphic novel trilogy |
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| Avatar: The Last Airbender – Team Avatar Tales | October 15, 2019 | Collection of short stories |
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| Avatar: The Last Airbender – Katara and the Pirate's Silver | October 14, 2020 | Original story |
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The Last Airbender Movie Comics
These comics are connected to the 2010 live-action movie.
| Title | Release date(s) | Type |
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| The Last Airbender Prequel: Zuko's Story | May 18, 2010 | Graphic novel |
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| The Last Airbender | June 22, 2010 | Graphic novel |
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The Legend of Korra Comics
These comics continue the adventures of Avatar Korra and her friends after her TV series ended.
| Title | Release date(s) | Type |
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| Free Comic Book Day issues | May 7, 2016 – May 5, 2018 | Short comics |
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| The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars | July 26, 2017 – August 22, 2018 | Graphic novel trilogy |
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| The Legend of Korra: Ruins of the Empire | May 21, 2019 – February 26, 2020 | Graphic novel trilogy |
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Avatar Books
The Avatar universe also has many books, including novels that tell new stories and art books that show how the shows were made.
Novels
These books tell longer stories, sometimes adapting the shows or creating new adventures.
| Title | Release date | Age group | Type |
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| The Earth Kingdom Chronicles | May 8, 2007 – April 8, 2008 | Children | Novel series |
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| Ready-to-Read | July 1 – December 16, 2008 | Children | Novel series |
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| Sozin's Comet: The Final Battle | May 20, 2008 | Children | Novel |
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| The Last Airbender Movie Novelization | May 25, 2010 | Children | Novel |
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| The Last Airbender Movie | May 25, 2010 | Children | Novel series |
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| Nickelodeon: Legend of Korra | January 8 – July 9, 2013 | Young adult | Novel series |
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| The Kyoshi Novels | July 16, 2019 - TBA | Young adult | Novel series |
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Art Books
These books are filled with amazing drawings, designs, and ideas that went into making the Avatar shows.
| Title | Release date | Type |
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| How to Draw Avatar: The Last Airbender | March 28, 2007 | Drawing book |
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| Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Art of the Animated Series | May 19, 2010 | Concept art book |
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| The Legend of Korra Book One: Air – The Art of the Animated Series | July 17, 2013 | Concept art book |
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| How to Draw The Legend of Korra | August 15, 2014 | Drawing book |
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| The Legend of Korra Book Two: Spirits – The Art of the Animated Series | September 3, 2014 | Concept art book |
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| The Legend of Korra Book Three: Change – The Art of the Animated Series | January 21, 2015 | Concept art book |
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| The Legend of Korra Book Four: Balance – The Art of the Animated Series | September 2, 2015 | Concept art book |
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Other Books
There are also other fun books like quiz books and illustrated journals from the Avatar world.
| Title | Release date | Type |
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| The Lost Scrolls | December 26, 2006 – January 23, 2007 | Companion book series |
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| The Ultimate Pocket Guide | July 24, 2007 | Companion book |
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| Brainbenders from the Four Nations | January 8, 2008 | Quiz book |
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| Avatar: The Last Airbender: Legacy | October 13, 2015 | Illustrated story |
| The Legend of Korra: An Avatar's Chronicle | August 6, 2019 | Illustrated story |
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| Avatar: The Last Airbender: Legacy of The Fire Nation | February 4, 2020 | Illustrated story |
Video Games
You can also play in the Avatar world with these video games!
| Title | Details |
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Original release date(s):
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Release years by system: 2006 – Game Boy Advance, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox |
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Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Burning Earth
Original release date(s):
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Release years by system: 2007 – Wii, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 |
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Avatar: The Last Airbender – Into the Inferno
Original release date(s):
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Release years by system: 2008 – Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2 |
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Avatar: Legends of the Arena
Original release date:
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Release years by system: 2008 – Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X |
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Original release date(s):
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Release years by system: 2010 – Wii, Nintendo DS |
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The Legend of Korra
Original release date(s):
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Release years by system: 2014 – Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One |
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The Legend of Korra: A New Era Begins
Original release date(s):
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Release years by system: 2014 – Nintendo 3DS |
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Characters and Voice Actors
Many talented actors bring the Avatar characters to life. Here are some of the main characters and the actors who voiced them in the animated shows or played them in the live-action movie.
- Note: A gray cell means the character was not in that show or movie.
Music from Avatar
The Avatar franchise also has awesome music! Here are some of the soundtracks:
| Title | Details |
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June 29, 2010 – Compact disc, digital |
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The Legend of Korra: Original Music from Book One
July 16, 2013 – Compact disc, digital |
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