The Avatar: The Last Airbender fandom has been growing immensely since the release of the Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action show on Netflix.
The original show is a Nickelodeon cartoon franchise that came out in 2005 with three seasons. Unlike some other early 2000s cartoons, this franchise is still evolving. More shows, books, comics, and even movies have been released since.
The fandom has a very tight-knit community all around but especially on platforms like Reddit. On the r/TheLastAirbender subreddit, there are 1.7 million people in the community. They engage in constant discussion about the franchise’s different media, with new discussions daily for the original 2005 show over 10 years later.
Every Show Summed Up
The franchise begins with the previously mentioned show, Avatar: The Last Airbender, which aired on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. The story follows 12-year-old Aang as he is revealed to be the next Avatar, master of all four elements.
After the completion of the show in 2012, The Legend of Korra premiered on Nickelodeon. This story follows Korra, the next avatar after Aang. The show continued until 2014 with a total of 4 seasons. TLOK takes place 70 years after the end of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Korra faces many hardships when becoming the Avatar.
Netflix recently has made a live-action adaption of Avatar: The Last Airbender. This show was released in February 2024 and has already been renewed for two more seasons, the third season being the show’s last.
We Don’t Talk About Ong
There is one adaption that has the biggest love-hate relationship in the fandom. Depending on who you ask, some people hate the movie adaptation, while others don’t think it’s bad. The plot aligns with the show but isn’t translated properly into the movie.
On Rotten Tomatoes, there is a 5% tomato meter and 30% audience score. The Critics Consensus that Rotten Tomatoes provides says that “The Last Airbender squanders its popular source material with incomprehensible plotting, horrible acting, and detached joyless direction.”
The creators of the original show, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konientzko, were put in charge of the movie at first but then were quickly shooed away. This may have been the downfall of the movie, because their advice would have proven critical.
Upcoming Movies
If you’re willing to wait a bit longer, more movies are coming to the franchise.
Aang: The Last Airbender is said to release in January 2026 through Paramount. The movie was originally set to release in October 2025 but was recently pushed back. Aang: The Last Airbender will be following the original gang in their 20s. Plot-wise, not much has been released, but a voice-acting cast has been announced. We know that Eric Nam will voice Aang, Dave Bautista will be an unnamed villain, and Dante Basco will return as Zuko.
This movie is supposedly the first of a trio. So far, there is no other information available.
Avatar Books
There are hundreds of literature related to ALTA. One of the bigger series people may not know about is the Chronicles of the Avatar series. The books are considered to be canon parts of the Avatar universe since the authors of the series work closely with DiMartino. The first four books are written by F.C. Yee, and the upcoming fifth book is by Randy Ribay.
Book One
The first two books are about Avatar Kyoshi. The first book, The Rise of Kyoshi, takes place 369 years after ATLA. The story follows Kyoshi’s life as a teenager into her life as the Avatar we know her to be. This book has 32 chapters.
A five-star Goodreads review left by Teodora said, “There’s something about this Avatar universe that simply makes me utterly OBSESSED. Maybe it’s the adrenaline I get from all the schemes and fights, maybe the 5-year-old in me wanting to control elements is kicking her legs and screaming now, but what I know for sure is that I love this. The story is very well put together and the narrative is flowing nicely. The characters are accurate and there'[re] always details there that simply keep everything tied together nicely.”
The book has a 4.45 total review on Goodreads with 32,192 rating ratings total.
Book Two
The second book is the second part of The Rise of Kyoshi, named The Shadow of Kyoshi. The story takes place a year after the first story. Kyoshi is attempting to make peace across the four nations while facing a threat from the Spirit World. This book has a prologue, an epilogue, and 27 chapters.
A five-star Goodreads review from Iris says “okay but seriously wow this series is good. like damn. the characters, the writing, the fast-paced plots, the discussions of morality . . . this book has it all. I think with atla, it’s ultimately a kids show and it works perfectly, but because of that it can only get so dark; the kyoshi books are firmly YA, and it means they can get a lot grimmer, a lot more existential and morally questionable and messy.”
The book has a 4.36 total review on Goodreads with 20,777 ratings total.
Book Three
The next two books from the series are about Yangchen, the next Avatar before Kyoshi. The third book of the series is The Dawn of Yangchen. This book follows Yangchen and her partner, Kavik, to the Earth Kingdom city Bin-Er. In the story, we watch Yangchen transition from a young woman to a revered leader. This book has a prologue, epilogue, and 39 chapters.
The book has a 4.21 total review on Goodreads with 29 ratings so far.
Book Four
The fourth book after that is The Legacy of Yangchen. It follows Yangchen as villains from the last story try to break free from the authority of the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, and the Fire Nation. If you want to learn more about the combustion benders from the shows, this is absolutely the book to read. It has 37 chapters.
A five-star Goodreads review from Daphne said, “I liked this book slightly better than the first one. Neither of them live up to the Kyoshi novels to me, but I still really enjoyed them in their own right. They’re filled with much more political intrigue and drama and a bit less action, but I didn’t mind that. I find the characterization of Yangchen incredibly fascinating and I love the direction they went with her. The other characters are great too.”
The book has a 4.18 total review on Goodreads with 2,955 ratings total.
Book Five
The next book hasn’t been released yet. Book five, The Reckoning of Roku is the only book of the series that’s written by Randy Ribay. It’s set to come out July 23rd of this year. The story is going to follow Avatar Roku and Firelord Sozin who, at this time, is the crown prince.
Avatar Comics
There are hundreds of graphic novels and comics related to the franchise, with 28 comics released by Nickelodeon Magazine alone. Additionally, Dark Horse Comics has released graphic novels to fill in the seventy-year time gap between the ALTA and LOK shows.
Screen Comix has a few comic books that have retellings of the show. It’s a good way to consume the show without having to rewatch it if you don’t like watching TV.
There is also a Chibi comic. This one is called Aang’s Unfreezing Day. The story is about Aang not knowing what his birthday is after being frozen for a hundred years and his friends surprising him with a special day.
Finally, there are a few non-canon comics, including New Recruits by Dave Roman, Gym Time by Benjamin Wilgus, and The Last Airbender Prequel: Zuko’s Story by Dave Roman and Benjamin Wilgus.
These don’t even include the many, many comics for The Legend of Korra!
Live in Concert
Avatar: The Last Airbender In Concert has been on tour worldwide. Starting in September, there are 81 upcoming tour dates.
The show consists of an orchestra sharing the sounds of the Avatar: The Last Airbender soundtrack. The music was composed and arranged by Jeremy Zuckerman, who has also done music for The Legend of Korra.
Looking Forward
You can never have too much Avatar with this ever-growing franchise. Over the last 10 years, numerous different types of media have been made for new and loyal fans to consume and bond over. There’s endless content available to keep the love going, and I am excited to see how the universe and fandom continue to evolve.