Top 10 Greatest Avatar Characters

This eccentric billionaire and inventor was introduced in season two of “The Legend of Korra” and quickly became one of the show’s breakout characters because of his quirky charm, zaniness, and charisma. While he was originally a supporting antagonist with few moral scruples, in keeping with “Avatar” tradition, Varrick experienced substantial character growth. By the show’s finale, he became a valuable ally for Korra and friends, taking a principled stand that helped save them. Of course we couldn’t mention Varrick without also recognizing his loyal assistant, Zhu Li, ever calm and cool in the face of Varrick’s antics, while possessing a keen wit and brilliant mind.

The favorite child of Fire Lord Ozai, despite being a younger sibling, the almost sociopathic Azula had an adversarial relationship with her brother Zuko. Even when both siblings were actively working against Team Avatar, Azula was Zuko’s primary antagonist with her erratic and callous behavior serving as a foil for his stoic and honor obsessed personality. Despite her violent and cruel nature, Princess Azula can also be viewed with sympathy. Her instability comes from a place of vulnerability, with her rage acting as a mask for her fear. Ultimately, her downfall was caused by her losing her edge due to injured pride that spiralled into insanity.

“Avatar” and “Korra” have always had strong female protagonists, which can be traced back all the way to the very first episode, featuring Katara as an intelligent waterbender who showed serious potential. Throughout the show, Katara provided much needed stability and reason for Team Avatar. However, in pursuit of revenge for her fallen mother and anger with the Fire Nation, Katara was pushed to the brink, going to some dark and interesting places, even learning the tabooed bloodbending. Katara also became an important link between the two shows and was one of the most frequently featured characters from “Avatar” to return on “Korra.”

Like their audience, the members of Team Avatar were much older in “Korra,” and the way they faced adult issues reflected that. Bolin was no exception; likeable and funny, but at times also incredibly tragic, he was orphaned at a young age and frequently dealt with problems in his love life. Over the course of the show, he matured significantly, yet never lost that spark of joy. In “Korra,” the world of “Avatar” had matured, with the formerly rigidly defined four nations becoming more intermingled, represented by the interracial Bolin fittingly becoming a lavabender.

For “The Legend of Korra” to succeed, it would need a memorable leading character to follow in Aang’s footsteps. Korra lived up to, and even surpassed expectations, while being a very different kind of avatar, and a strong female leading character. Just like Bolin and the rest of the new Team Avatar, Korra dealt with much more complex emotional issues than many of the characters on “Last Airbender.” Korra copes with depression, PTSD, and had difficulty defining herself as a person outside of being the Avatar, all while taking valuable lessons from her own failures and those that she defeated.

Sokka started the show off as easily the funniest character on the show, with his overconfidence and clumsiness often making him the butt of the joke. Of course even from the beginning, he showed a tremendous amount of bravery and capacity for growth. This was on display early on when, after being dismissive of the female Kyoshi Warriors, he was easily beaten and embarrassed. Humbled, he gave them the respect they deserve by the end of the episode. While he managed to maintain his status as comic relief, he eventually also became the fearsome warrior he always envisioned himself as, and a master strategist.

Toph was the last main character introduced on the original show, but wasted no time becoming a fan favorite. Smart, sarcastic, independent, and bold, Toph saw her blindness not as a disability, but as a benefit, using it to become arguably the best earthbender in the world. Among many other achievements, she discovered metalbending. While she would often tease her teammates, particularly Sokka and Aang, she truly cared about her friends. Her presence was felt on Korra as well, not just with her own cameos, but in Lin Beifong, her tough as nails daughter, who became one of the best “Avatar” characters in her own right.

At first glance, Iroh is an easygoing and wise old mentor who doles out wisdom in the form of riddles, but prefers a peaceful easy life to the war his country has been thrust into. As the show went on, we learned he was also one of the most powerful benders in the world and former crown prince of the Fire Nation. After the death of Iroh’s son, however, he lost any desire to lead, and eventually joined his nephew, the banished Prince Zuko. In Zuko, Iroh saw another chance to be a good father and help the young prince to become a good man.

It would be impossible to have a worthwhile list about the best characters from “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and not feature the title character. Of course Aang isn’t just great because he is the central character. Living with the weight of the fact that the world has plunged into a century- long war because he disappeared, Aang is initially unable to handle the responsibility put before him at an incredibly young age. Over the course of the show, he matured and learned to be the hero that the world needed, while never abandoning his core beliefs.

Before we reveal our top picks here are a few honorable mentions:

Mai

Desna & Eska

King Bumi (King of Omashu)

Mako

Appa

Prince Zuko began “Avatar” as the show’s primary antagonist, but it wouldn’t be accurate to call him a villain. Driven by a single-minded furious devotion, Zuko was in direct opposition to Aang. His primary goal was to kidnap the Avatar in order to regain the honor that was taken from him when his father, Fire Lord Ozai, burned and banished Zuko. Zuko’s journey saw him ally with Aang at times and saw him question if what he was doing was right. When his father restored his honor, Zuko’s inner conflict only intensified, leading him to make his own honor - and he became one of the Avatar’s greatest allies and friends.