The last remaining Sky Bison in the world as well as one of the cuddliest characters in Avatar: The Last Airbender is Appa. He is the definition of a gentle giant, although he can be quite aggressive and quick to anger if he perceives the slightest of threats aimed at his loved ones— especially Aang and Momo.

He disappears from the story for a short while, but the episode dedicated to his painful experiences after being sold by the Sandbenders received a Humane Society Genesis Award for its "message of respect and compassion for animals." Thus, while everything about Appa is adorable, but a lot of facts about him and his importance to the story are not as obvious as they should be.

Updated on March 28, 2024 by Jennifer Roy: With the release of Netflix's live action Avatar: The Last Airbender series, Appa continues to be a beloved character in the franchise. This article has been updated to adhere to CBR's current formatting guidelines.

10 Appa Chose Aang, Rather Than The Other Way Around

Aang becomes an Airbending Master at age 12, setting a new all-time record that will only be broken by his granddaughter, Jinora. Tradition dictates that the ceremony includes bonding with a spirit animal, specifically one of the many Sky Bison that populate the regions around the Air Temples.

When Aang meets a number of different calves to choose from, he is aware that he has to respect the decision made by the Sky Bison, rather than picking one he liked the most. Once Appa accepts his gift of fruit, the deal is set for the rest of their lives.

9 He Was Originally Going To Be A Dog-Like Creature

Before he was turned into a Sky Bison, the showrunners had originally planned for Appa to be a canine-based creature, as seen in early concept art for Appa in Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Art of the Animated Series. Appa is certainly not as massive as he later becomes, but he still is big enough to carry the Avatar on his back.

However, the decision to alter Appa into his current form was a sensible one because Appa's final design remained adorable and surprisingly helpful as a mode of transportation for the entire team. The dog-esque creature idea was retained by the creators, and later "converted" to Korra's polar bear dog in the animated sequel, Naga.

8 Appa Went Through Several Stylistic Changes Before His Final Design

The concept for Appa's species was actually based on a combination between a bison and a manatee (or sea cow). This choice makes sense considering that most animals in the Avatar universe are strange hybrids, such as Rooster Pigs and Ostrich Horses.

Interestingly, the initial designs for this mellow beast reveal that he resembled a sea cow more than he did a bison, but this was modified over time. Also, the animators planned to give Appa helical horns; this was scrapped because the hand-drawn style used by the series made them tricky to display.

7 Appa Weighs At Least 20,000 Pounds

As Team Avatar has mentioned on several occasions, having Appa around in a tight situation is truly a godsend, even if he only functions as a living battering ram. This is due to his incredible size, which is at least 10 feet tall at the shoulder (this is unconfirmed, but the value should be around this range from comparing him with his humans.)

Both Aang and Sokka have claimed that Appa weighs ten tons, approximately 20,000 lbs, but since it is unlikely that they have actually measured his weight, it is mostly an estimation.

6 Appa Ignores Aang's Whistle If He's Sleeping

When Aang purchases a bison whistle on one of their stopovers, the gang mocks him for wasting their money— Katara demands that she be allowed to control their finances from that point onwards.

This is largely due to the fact that when he blows the whistle for the first time, Appa doesn't come as he had promised her would. Unfortunately for Aang, he doesn't realize that his furry pal either can't hear it or chooses not to do so if he's sleeping at the time. The latter is rather improbable, though.

5 Appa Is Actually An Omnivore

For the most part, Appa behaves exactly like one of the cow family: He prefers to eat plants, hay, fruits, leaves, grass. In fact, a large fraction of his diet is vegetarian, but this still does not make him herbivorous, regardless of his bovine dentition or the arrangement of teeth in the mouth.

When necessary, for instance, during the episode "Appa's Lost Days," he tries to eat an egg because he had been starving for quite some time. If he can digest animal matter, then he's obviously an omnivore.

4 Appa Comprehends Speech & Language

Appa expresses himself in grunts and bellows, and it looks like Aang is the only person who has any idea what is being communicated. Nonetheless, the Avatar has a penchant for making up stories, so he might simply be playing a prank on his friends.

On the other hand, it's definitive that Appa can understand what the others are saying, seeing as he accurately responds to Aang's instructions— like when he asks him to pretend to be tired so that he could stay on Kyoshi Island long enough to ride the Elephant Koi. More importantly, Appa and Momo have developed a language system that is decipherable only amongst themselves.

3 Appa Is Smarter Than Many Human Characters

Appa is extremely mild-mannered (except when he perceives a threat to Aang or the others), which means that it is surprisingly easy to befriend the gentle creature. One example of this is his instant love for Sokka, which the latter would appreciate more if he didn't get drenched in Sky Bison saliva so often.

In addition, Appa possesses more intelligence than many people assume. Appa shows his smarts with how quickly and accurately he responds to specific instructions. A lot of the humans in the show could probably learn something from him.

2 Appa Dies When Aang Dies

As sad as it sounds, the connection between an Airbender and their Sky Bison is permanent, implying that it can only be broken through death. When Aang dies, around 53 years after the end of the Hundred Year War, it is believed that Appa goes with him.

Another reason for this outcome is that both of them had spent a century in icy hibernation, which may have had a drastic impact on their respective lifespans. Still, Appa and Aang's simultaneous deaths show their strong connection over the years and highlight the importance of their bond.

1 Appa Is Not The Last Of The Sky Bison

The last Airbender is paired with the only remaining member of the Sky Bison, or so it seems in the beginning. Aang suspects that the gentle animals were eradicated along with the rest of the Air Nomads during the Fire Nation raids, a belief that holds for quite some time.

In The Legend of Korra, there are a considerably more Sky Bison flying around, and none of them are descended from Appa— apparently Aang "discovers" that many of them had survived the Hundred Year War in hiding, only emerging when the world became more peaceful. Thus, even after Appa's death, the sky bison live on.