Avatar: The Last Airbender is an American fantasy action-adventure television series developed by Albert Kim for Netflix. It is a live-action adaptation of the animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelodeon. The cast includes Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley, Dallas Liu, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Ken Leung, Daniel Dae Kim, Elizabeth Yu, Momona Tamada, and Miyako. The series is set in a world divided into four nations based on the classical elements: the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads. In each nation, people known as "benders" can manipulate one of the four elements. The story follows the journey of twelve-year-old Aang, the last survivor of the Air Nomads and the next "Avatar", the only bender who can master all four elements.
First announced in September 2018, DiMartino and Konietzko were originally attached as both executive producers and showrunners; however, the pair later departed the series due to creative differences, and Kim replaced them as showrunner. The first season was filmed from November 2021 to June 2022, while the second and third seasons were filmed back-to-back from September 2024 to November 2025.
The first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender premiered on February 22, 2024. In March 2024, the series was renewed for a second and a third season. The second season premiered on June 25, 2026. The third and final season is set to premiere in 2027. The series received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the visual effects, action sequences, musical score, and cultural representation, but criticized the writing, pacing, and some performances. However, it was considered a significant improvement over the universally panned 2010 film adaptation.
Premise The series is set in a war-torn world where certain people can "bend" one of the four classical elementswater, earth, fire, or air. Aang, the "Avatar" and the last living Airbender, is the bridge between the mortal and spirit worlds, and the only one capable of bending all four of the elements instead of just one. The Avatar maintains the balance of the world and nature to bring peace, and after awakening frozen, a century after the genocide of his people, Aang is now faced with the responsibility of ending the ambitions of the militaristic Fire Nation to conquer the world. With his new companions Katara and Sokka, Aang sets out to master the four elements while pursued by Zuko, the exiled crown prince of the Fire Nation, who seeks to regain his honor by capturing him.
Cast and characters Main
Gordon Cormier as Aang: A free-spirited and peaceful twelve-year-old airbender who was frozen in ice for one hundred years. When he wakes up, all the other airbenders have been wiped out by the Fire Nation and he embarks on a quest to end the war and become the figurehead of balance and harmony for the world as the Avatar. Gian Carlo portrays young Aang in flashbacks. Kiawentiio as Katara: A fourteen-year-old who is the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe after her mother was killed by the Fire Nation. Despite her personal tragedy, she joins Aang on his journey while growing to her true potential. Meadow Kingfisher portrays young Katara in flashbacks. Ian Ousley as Sokka: Katara's sixteen-year-old brother who has tried to become the quasi-leader of their tribe after their father left to fight in the war. He joins Aang on his mission along with Katara, and makes up for his lack of bending abilities with his intelligence, resourcefulness, and trusty boomerang. Dallas Liu as Prince Zuko: The seventeen-year-old scarred, exiled, and short-tempered crown prince of the Fire Nation, bent on capturing the Avatar to end his banishment and regain his honor. Jordan Roberto Chien portrays young Zuko in flashbacks. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Uncle Iroh: A retired Fire Nation general and the wise and nurturing uncle and mentor to Zuko. Ken Leung as Commander/Admiral Zhao (season 1): An ambitious, yet arrogant, ruthless, and dishonorable Fire Nation naval officer and Zuko's bitter main rival in his pursuit of the Avatar. Leung said he initially assumed he was auditioning for a character from James Cameron's Avatar franchise due to how Netflix set up secret auditions with fake scenes during the casting process. Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai: The tyrannical and sadistic ruler of the Fire Nation, Iroh's younger brother, and Zuko and Azula's father. Kim had previously lent his voice to the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise: as General Fong in Book Two of The Last Airbender and as Hiroshi Sato in The Legend of Korra. "He's deliciously a villain, and that's what I sank my teeth into," Kim said in an interview, going on to compare Ozai with Darth Vader from Star Wars. Elizabeth Yu as Princess Azula (season 2; recurring season 1): The cunning and prodigiously gifted princess of the Fire Nation and Zuko's younger sister. Showrunner Albert Kim stated ahead of the series premiere that Azula is featured a lot more in the show's first season than she is in the first season of the animated series, crediting the knowledge of what Azula does later in the original show's second and third seasons for the writers having the advantage of where to take her. Cordelia Chao portrays young Azula in flashbacks. Momona Tamada as Ty Lee (season 2; recurring season 1): Azula's acrobatic and cheerful friend who is skilled in chi-blocking. Miyako as Toph Beifong (season 2): An abrasive and unfiltered earthbending prodigy who was born blind and uses her abilities to sense around her by feeling seismic vibrations.
Recurring
Lim Kay Siu as Gyatso (season 1): A mischievous, chipper, kind, and caring Air Nomad monk who is Aang's mentor and father figure. Casey Camp-Horinek as Gran Gran (season 1): The matriarch of the Southern Water Tribe and Sokka and Katara's paternal grandmother. Matthew Yang King (seasons 1–2) and Dee Bradley Baker (season 2) as the vocalizations of: Appa, a sky bison who is Aang's companion. Momo, a winged lemur who befriends Aang and joins him on his journey. Ruy Iskandar as Lieutenant Jee (season 1): A Fire Nation officer on Zuko's ship. Ryan Mah as Lieutenant Dang (season 1): A Fire Nation naval officer loyal to Zhao. Maria Zhang as Suki: The leader of Kyoshi Island's elite all-female soldiers, the Kyoshi Warriors. Utkarsh Ambudkar as King Bumi: The elderly king of Omashu who is Aang's oldest friend. Pradnesh Prakask portrays a young Bumi in flashbacks. Danny Pudi as Sai, the Mechanist: A single father and inventor from the Earth Kingdom. Thalia Tran as Mai: Azula's stoic friend who is skilled in knife throwing. Sebastian Amoruso as Jet: The leader of the Freedom Fighters, a group of revolutionaries who fight back against the Fire Nation. Amber Midthunder as Princess Yue (season 1): The princess of the Northern Water Tribe. Midthunder also voices the fox form of Princess Yue in the Spirit World. Rekha Sharma as Amita (season 2): A herbalist from Omashu who bonds with Sai. Jeremiah Oh as General Vinh Tran (season 2): A Fire Nation general who leads the campaign to invade Ba Sing Se. Crystal Yu as Poppy Beifong (season 2): Toph's overprotective mother. Hoa Xuande as Professor Zei (season 2): A scholar and professor at Ba Sing Se University. Justin Chien as Earth King Kuei (season 2): The ruler of Ba Sing Se. Chin Han as Long Feng (season 2): The cultural minister of Ba Sing Se and leader of the Dai Li. Amanda Zhou as Joo Dee (season 2): A guide for new arrivals in Ba Sing Se. Lourdes Faberes as General Sung (season 2): The commander of forces protecting the outer walls of Ba Sing Se. Gabriel Takahashi as Lieutenant Khettry (season 2): An Earth Kingdom officer in Ba Sing Se. Kelsey Lopes as Jin (season 2): A waitress at a tea shop in Ba Sing Se who is interested in Zuko.
Guest
Introduced in season 1 Hiro Kanagawa as Fire Lord Sozin: The Fire Lord who started the 100-year war and Zuko's great-grandfather. Clyde Kusatsu as Kaja: A Fire Sage who serves Sozin. Kusatsu previously voiced the character Pasang in the animated series. David Sakurai as an Earth Kingdom spy who discovers Sozin's plan to attack the other nations. Yvonne Chapman as Avatar Kyoshi (seasons 1–2): The legendary earthbender Avatar preceding Aang's previous incarnation, Roku. Tamlyn Tomita as Yukari: Suki's mother and the fiercely protective mayor of her small village on Kyoshi Island. Lucian-River Chauhan as Teo (seasons 1–2): Sai's wheelchair-using son. James Sie as the Cabbage Merchant (seasons 1–2): An unfortunate merchant whose produce is continually destroyed. Sie reprises his role from the animated series. Osric Chau as Tan: The leader of a group of Fire Nation rebels who plan to assassinate Ozai. Taylor Lam Wright as the Duke: The youngest member of the Freedom Fighters. Vincent Huang as Pipsqueak: A physically imposing member of the Freedom Fighters. Wes Valarao as Smellerbee (seasons 1–2): A female member of the Freedom Fighters who is often mistaken for a boy because of her looks. Nathaniel Kong as Longshot (seasons 1–2): A silent archer and member of the Freedom Fighters. Albert Nicholas as Captain Dixit (seasons 1–2): An Earth Kingdom captain in Omashu who seeks revenge for Iroh's role during the siege of Ba Sing Se. Justin Wong as Chong (seasons 1–2): The leader of a group of nomadic minstrels in Omashu. George Takei as the voice of Koh the Face Stealer: A centipede-like spirit who collects the faces of his victims. Takei previously voiced the warden of a Fire Nation prison camp in the animated series. Randall Duk Kim as the voice of Wan Shi Tong (seasons 1–2): An owl-like spirit and collector of knowledge who is very distrustful towards humans. Arden Cho as June: A bounty hunter who is hired by Zuko to find the Avatar. Rainbow Dickerson as Kya: Sokka and Katara's mother. Joel Montgrand (season 1) and Adam Beach (season 3) as Chief Hakoda: Sokka and Katara's father and the chieftain of the Southern Water Tribe who left to fight in the war. Trevor Carroll as Bato: Hakoda's friend and a Southern Water Tribe warrior. Ash Lee as Shufen: The head of an Earth Kingdom village that is being terrorized by an angry forest spirit. Ciara Mandel as Lian: Shufen's daughter. Simon Chin as Yang: A bartender at an Earth Kingdom village. C. S. Lee (season 1) and Lawrence Kao (season 2) as Avatar Roku: The firebender Avatar preceding Aang, who mentors him in communing with the spirit world. François Chau as the Great Sage: The leader of the Fire Sages at a fire temple dedicated to Avatar Roku. James Rha as Shyu: A Fire Sage who guides Aang through the fire temple. A Martinez as Pakku: A waterbending master from the Northern Water Tribe. Nathaniel Arcand as Chief Arnook: The chieftain of the Northern Water Tribe and Yue's father. Irene Bedard as Yagoda: A waterbender healer from the Northern Water Tribe. Joel Oulette as Hahn: A Northern Water Tribe warrior formerly betrothed to Princess Yue. Meegwun Fairbrother as Avatar Kuruk (seasons 1–2): The waterbender Avatar preceding Kyoshi.
Introduced in season 2 Dolly de Leon as Lo and Li: Azula's twin advisors. Madison Hu as Fei: A farmer whose parents were killed by Fire Nation soldiers. Rickie Wang as Peng: Fei's younger brother who encounters Zuko. Kelemete Misipeka as The Boulder: An overconfident earthbending wrestler. Lily Gao as Ursa: Zuko and Azula's mother. Shintaro Kanaoya as Lao Beifong: Toph's father and a wealthy businessman. Andy Yu as Ji Shen: The Beifong family secretary. He is loosely based on the character Master Yu from the animated series. Mapuana Makia as Lady Ouyang: A socialite in Ba Sing Se who is acquainted with the Beifong family. Michael Cha as Lord Ouyang: A socialite in Ba Sing Se and Lady Ouyang's husband. Terry Chen as Jeong Jeong: A former Fire Nation officer who deserted the army and took refuge in Ba Sing Se.