Now that we have a general sense of the atmosphere of Avatar, let’s delve into who makes up the world, or in other words, our main characters. Note that I’m only covering the characters that will be featured in the movie; there are about three times as many characters in the show.
Aang- Aang, the current Avatar, is a twelve-year old air nomad who had frozen himself and his companions Appa and Momo in an iceberg in order to survive the Fire Nation’s attack on all air nomads. When he’s released 100 years later, the world is being torn apart by war. It is his destiny to stop the war and stop the Fire Nation from gaining control of the four nations.
Appa and Momo-Appa, a sky bison, and Momo, a winged lemur, are Aang’s companions. Momo is the only known winged lemur to survive the Air Nomad Genocide, and Appa transports Aang, Katara, and Sokka around on their journey.
Katara-Katara is a waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe. She and her brother Sokka discover Aang frozen in the iceberg and chip him out. Katara is the only waterbender left in her tribe; the Fire Nation destroyed the other waterbenders, including Katara and Sokka’s mother, during a raid. Katara and Sokka help Aang on his journey to stop the Fire Nation.
Sokka-Sokka is Katara’s older brother. The more strategic and cautionary of the two, Sokka makes sure he, Katara, and Aang stay directed on their path to stopping the Fire Nation. His maturity, along with a desire to prove himself, also stems from the fact that he’s the oldest male in the Southern Water Tribe; his and Katara’s father, Chief Hakoda, left with all of the other men of the tribe to fight the Fire Nation, leaving Sokka in charge of the entire tribe. His leadership and strategic skills, along with his humor, become hallmarks of his personality.
Suki-Suki is from Kiyoshi Island in the Earth Kingdom. She is the eldest of the Kiyoshi Warriors, a female group that bases their clothing, makeup, and fighting style from Avatar Kiyoshi, an avatar from the Earth Kingdom. Suki and Sokka eventually become an item.
Princess Yue-Princess Yue is from the Northern Water Tribe. Born with a serious illness, her father prayed to the moon spirit to save her. The moon spirit granted his wish by giving Yue part of its life, which causes Yue’s hair to turn white. Although she is arranged to marry Hahn, a warrior who is more in love with himself than with Yue, she and Sokka develop a relationship. When Commander Zhao fatally wounds the moon spirit, Yue gives up her life in order to save her people. She comes back to Sokka as the moon spirit and kisses him in a final goodbye. Yue as the moon spirit is mentioned throughout the series, as well as Sokka’s lingering feelings for her.
Prince Zuko-Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation’s sole mission is to find and capture the Avatar in order for the Fire Nation to proceed with their plans for full domination. Zuko, who is accompanied by his uncle Iroh, is also searching for the Avatar in order to prove himself worthy to his father, Fire Lord Ozai, who has scarred and banished him, believing he is not worthy of his birthright.
Iroh-Iroh is Zuko’s patient uncle who accompanies Zuko on his quest to find Aang. He gives Zuko advice, most of which Zuko doesn’t readily accept. He treats Zuko like his son, and seems to care more for him than his own father.
Commander Zhao-Commander Zhao is Zuko’s rival and has decided to find Aang himself. He is the person responsible for the raid on the Southern Water Tribe, momentarily killing the moon spirit, and nearly killing Zuko.
For full histories on these characters, visit Avatar Wikia.
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