Top 10 Avatar: The Last Airbender Questions That Got Answered AFTER the Show Ended

At the end of “Avatar,” Iroh fulfilled his destiny of reclaiming Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation. He retired, spending his days relaxing in his tea shop, essentially inventing boba tea. This lasted until Zuko decided to search for his mother. Iroh became interim Fire Lord, and his first action was announcing “National Tea Appreciation Day.” After a conflict with Ozai loyalists, he returned to Ba Sing Se. Spirits became shop regulars, even helping him land a date with Li-Mei[a], who Iroh grew fond of. Eventually, he ascended to the Spirit World, where he built a whole new tea shop, and later became acquainted with Korra.

The Kyoshi Warrior played a big part in taking down the Fire Lord. To get her there, the gang had to break her out of Boiling Rock, a maximum security prison. What she got up to while locked away was left a mystery, until the comic “Suki, Alone” was released. It covers her entire time in prison, alongside multiple childhood flashbacks, giving Suki needed characterization. She befriends a thief, Biyu, and together they grow secret food supplies for the prisoners. This sweet friendship soon sours, with Biyu snitching to the warden, who sends Suki to solitary confinement. On release, she almost kills Biyu, but gives up when she turns to begging. The comic ends with Sokka and Zuko arriving.

The basic types of bending are water, earth, fire, and air. In the original series, we also get to see bending energy, metal, lightning, and blood. They barely scratch the surface, but subsequent comics and “The Legend of Korra” expanded heavily upon them. Toph’s pioneering metalbending gets heavily developed, with her Metalbending Academy becoming a major school. The Republic City police force even became specialized metalbenders. Lavabending also appears and is later taught by Toph’s academy. Lightning generation becomes widespread, powering Republic City’s generators. Bloodbending becomes more common too, with antagonist Yakone[c] mastering the technique, without requiring a full moon.

Katara and Sokka’s home had seen better days before Aang’s discovery, being close to extinction. After the gang aided the Northern Water Tribe, they began sending aid to the South. It returns in the comics and “The Legend of Korra,” where we see major improvements. Hakoda[d] became Head Chieftain, and his old village was replaced with a grand city. The south industrialized, finding tons of crude oil under the ice. The North’s influence gradually increased, but this meant they became prosperous by Korra’s lifetime. A civil war soon broke out, with the South coming out on top and winning independence. By the series’ end, the tribe grows bigger than ever before, entering an era of prosperity.

“The Promise” is a comic set directly after “Avatar.” It focuses on the Harmony Restoration Movement, a campaign thought up by Aang, which seeks to transfer Fire Nation colonials back to the Fire Nation. It went smoothly at first, until getting to the older colonies, with interracial families, and citizens who never lived in the Fire Nation. One colonist attempted to kill Zuko, motivating him to erase the colony, until he realized the citizens of both nations lived in peace. Zuko decided to reform these colonies instead, prompting the Earth King to employ force. Thankfully Aang saved the day, and these colonies later joined the United Republic of Nations.

Despite being one of the Fire Nation’s strongest, Azula’s madness got the better of her. As soon as the show ends, she’s given immediate psychiatric care. Eventually, she and Zuko set out to find their mom, but as you might expect, she’s plotting to dethrone Zuko and kill his mother. After finding her, she’s met with love, confusing a still-wild Azula, who runs away. Her next action is helping her buddies escape the mental institution they kept her. Together, they start kidnapping children, but Zuko stops it. She later visits a temple, where a monk convinces her to address her issues, almost finding clarity. Disappointingly, Azula rejects the attempt, deciding redemption isn’t for her, and wanders off solo.

Benders are the minority, yet they rule the world, causing the non-benders to feel marginalized. This issue gets little focus in “Avatar,” but causes a major conflict in “Legend of Korra” Book One. In Republic City, the Equalist party gains prominence, believing bending is a form of oppression, and hoping to eradicate it. They’re experts at Chi[e]-blocking, utilizing radical methods, often forms of terrorism. Turns out their leader was a Bloodbender, which hampers their support. By the show’s end, the Equalists are still active, under a new leader - Yoshiro. Some Equalists are pacifists, but Yoshiro is not one, idolizing Amon and opting to use violence if possible.

A year after Ozai’s defeat, Aang finds his fan club, which he converts into Air Acolytes. They preserve pieces of Air Nomad culture, seeking to uphold their customs. Aang’s son Tenzin then becomes the next Airbender. A subsequent Harmonic Convergence gives numerous non-benders airbending powers. This is a giant boost to the Air Nation’s recovery, with Tenzin and Korra working together to gather and train Airbenders. They’re significantly different from the Airbenders of Aang’s era, with new clothing styles and popularising wingsuits. By the end of “Legend of Korra,” the Air Nation is a major political entity, which Aang would be proud of.

After one Avatar dies, another is born to fill their place. This cycle continues eternally. That’s most of the information given in “The Last Airbender.” “The Legend of Korra” sheds significant light on the origins. Originally, there were two ancient spirits - Raava and Vaatu[f], who represent light and dark respectively. When Wan accidentally frees Vaatu, he sets off on a journey to fix his mistake, gaining elemental powers from four separate lion turtles and eventually fusing with Raava. The act brought balance to the spirits, and allowed Wan and Raava to trap Vaatu again. Sadly, Vaatu’s influence lives on in the conflicts between humans. Though Wan[g] is unable to bring peace in his lifetime, the Avatar Cycle is set, ensuring his mission will continue.

One of the biggest questions left was the fate of Zuko’s mother, addressed in the comic “The Search.” Previous Fire Lord Azulon forced Ozai to marry Avatar Roku’s granddaughter, Ursa[h], thinking she would birth powerful children. Azulon and Ozai schemed to murder Zuko, but Ursa retaliated, having Azulon poisoned. The condition was that Ozai forced Ursa to never return. Ursa sailed to her home village, falling in love with her old boyfriend. The Mother of Faces not only changed her appearance, but also wiped her memory. She became “Noriko” and had another child, Kiyi. Upon learning this, Zuko convinces Ursa to move back to the Fire Nation, earning the title of Lady.

Are there any unsolved mysteries you’d like to see them answer? Leave them in the comments section!

[b]SOO-kee
bee-yoo / B.U. / bee-YOO
[c]yah-CONE https://youtu.be/jZ7wqizbwTo?si=I1AoePgFJ2yFF6IW&t=24
[d]huh-KOH-duh
[e]chee
YOSHY-roh??? only in comics
ah-MAWN
[f]RAW-vuh
VAW-too
[g]WAWN
[h]URR-suh
ah-ZOO-lawn https://youtu.be/bUWYSDp4NT4?si=20JwiM2FpVEVazPy
??? nore-REE-koh / NOREY-koh???
kee-yee?