Avatar: The Last Airbender is a series that shaped a generation of children, both as watchers and as future anime and cartoon writers. It is hands down one of the best cartoons to ever be made, and this is due to a combination of fantastic writing and animation.
Avatar features well-developed characters, fantastic comedy, fluid animation, and brilliant storytelling. Episodes are packed full of excitement and some are still vivid in the minds of fans to this day. These are 1o of the best episodes according to IMDB.
Update April 11th, 2020 by Louis Kemner: By now, Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel The Legend of Korra have proven themselves some of the most popular animated American TV shows of all, and they are often lumped in together with Japanese anime (since they share visual styles). By now, the top episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender have shifted around a little in the rankings, so these entries have been rearranged to match. In addition, five more of the top episodes are now included, from #11-15. Let's see what these exciting episodes have to offer.
15 The Puppetmaster 9.1
At first, it's tempting to dismiss this episode as fluff, but The Puppetmaster is one of the most fascinating episodes of season 3. In a Fire Nation town, Aang's group hears of a local legend of people disappearing into a mountain, and indeed, Toph can feel people crying out in that supposedly haunted mansion.
Then the group meets Hama, a kind old woman with a secret: she is of the Southern Water Tribe. She teaches Katara bloodbending (which she invented herself), but she proves totally unhinged. Katara learns bloodbending on the fly and, with the full moon's aid, subdues Hama. It's not just the firebenders who are monsters around here.
14 The Day Of The Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion - 9.1
The amphibious assault on the Fire Nation capital begins, and a combination of Apa, waterbender submarines, and earthbender tanks makes this battle possible. The progress is slow but steady as the invaders break through the Fire Nation's defensive lines.
Meanwhile, avatar Aang steels himself for what is to come, and he is ready to face Fire Lord Ozai at last. He takes off on his glider to storm the palace, but he'll be surprised by the sight that greets him: an abandoned room. Where is everyone?
13 Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King - 9.1
Who is the Phoenix King? This is a title that Fire Lord Ozai invented during the first episode of the four-part finale of the series. He decided that just being Fire Lord is not enough: he is the immortal king of all the world, the Phoenix King, and names Azula as the next Fire Lord.
In Ozai's eyes, the Fire Lord is just a regional administrator, and Azula is fine that that idea. Zuko, meanwhile, informs Aang's group of the devastation that his father has planned, and Aang balks at the idea of murdering the Fire Lord to prevent that carnage. But if Aang won't kill him, then how will this war end?
12 The Tales Of Ba Sing Se - 9.2
This episode from season 2 is famous among fans of Avatar: the Last Airbender. It's an anthology, but this is no ordinary collection of short stories. All the main characters go off in pairs or alone and learn their own life lessons, from Toph to Zuko. Zuko's first date was adorable.
Then the tearjerker scene arrives. The last tale is that of uncle Iroh, who at first has a good time teaching vital life lessons to the people whom he meets, but then he makes a solitary sojourn to pay tribute to his lost son Lu Ten, who died in the siege of Ba Sing Se. No one will ever forget Iroh singing the soldier song.
11 The Firebending Masters - 9.2
Zuko is ready to teach Aang firebending... except his own firebending is on the fritz. What to do? Zuko and Aang take a trip to some ruins where the ancient Sun Warriors once lived, and fun afoul of an Indiana Jones-style trap.
The Sun Warriors are still alive and well, and they help protect the two last living dragons in the world. Aang and Zuko are allowed to visit them and learn some real firebending from the masters, but this is easier said than done.
10 The Boiling Rock, Part 2 - 9.2
A superb episode centered around finishing the prison break from part one. Sokka and his team think up a decent prison break strategy in which they commandeer a gondola and kidnap the warden in order to make a quick escape. Of course, this wouldn't be much of an episode if things simply went according to the plan.
As our heroes are escaping, Azula shows up to throw a wrench in their plans. As the tides turn and it looks like the party would be recaptured, Mai comes to the rescue. Her love for Zuko outweighs her fear for Azula, and her betrayal buys enough time for the gang to comfortably escape. The episode wraps up perfectly with Hakoda being reunited with both his children. This really solidifies the theme of friendship that is littered throughout the series.
9 Siege of the North - 9.4
This is the penultimate episode of the first season of Avatar. It manages to superbly build up the tension by cornering the northern water tribe.
For much of this season, team Avatar has been chased around and they are once against cornered. The overwhelming force of the fire nation means that the audience begins to get increasingly worried about how this season will climax. Every time the situation seems to be getting better, the fire nation manages to rewrite the script. Some instances are Aang's body being captured by Zuko after his spirit went to the spirit world and Katara losing to Zuko after having the upper hand the night before.
8 The Day of the Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse - 9.4
Another brilliant episode that is structured around one of Sokka's military tactics. This time, the plan is to take down the Firelord as soon as the eclipse begins (because fire benders cannot bend during an eclipse). Team Avatar manages to get into an underground bunker (at the center of a volcano) but, upon arrival, they encounter Azula instead of Fire Lord Ozai.
Azula and Ozai expected this attack months in advance and were able to navigate the situation in a way that allowed them to eventually claim victory on the day. After failing to even meet the Fire Lord, team Avatar is dejected, and it gets worse when the adults had to sacrifice themselves in order to allow the younger members of the rebellion to escape.
7 Zuko Alone - 9.5
This is one of Avatar’s most character-driven episode, and it was absolutely brilliant. It perfectly captures how much Zuko has grown over the years and culminates with him remembering who he was meant to be.
Ursa always wanted Zuko to grow up to be a strong and dependable man, and this episode sees him come closer to being that. This episode gives Zuko several trials that he must overcome to realize his potential. Firstly, he had to choose to go hungry instead of robbing a family of their food. His final task tested his courage in revealing exactly who he was. Zuko was at a disadvantage in battle, and the only way for him to save the boy he was fighting for was to use his bending. He did this despite knowing the hate he would receive from those around him.
6 The Avatar and the Fire Lord - 9.5
An area in which Avatar has always stood out is the way in which they handle the provision of historical information. This is used as a means of providing the audience with proper context in which they can understand the lore, as well as learn lessons.
This episode provided significant information on the lives of Avatar Roku and Fire Lord Sozin. Along with providing this history, it also aimed to reaffirm one of Avatar: The Last Airbender’s main themes, which is ‘duality and balance.' This whole episode was used to highlight to the audience that any person is both capable of incredible good and horrific bad.
5 Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters - 9.5
This episode sends Aang on a spiritual journey in which he must search himself in order to find the answer to the question: "Can I kill the Fire Lord?" He searches himself quite literally as he asks his previous lives, most of which encourage him to be decisive and to sacrifice himself for this world.
In the meantime, the rest of Team Avatar and the White Lotus also seek the answer to their destinies and what they need to do in the final battle. To this end, Zuko and Katara decide to go defeat Azula, Toph and Sokka decide to battle against the airships to support Aang, while the White Lotus moves to retake Ba Sing Se. The episode climaxes with Aang receiving spiritual advice from a Lion Turtle, with him seemingly knowing what he must do in his battle against Ozai.
4 The Crossroads of Destiny - 9.6
For so long, Ba Sing Se stood unconquered, but, in this episode, we finally see the Earth Kingdom's capital fell at the combined hands of Azula, Zuko, and the Dai Li. This episode signified a major shift in the battle between Team Avatar (and the rest of the nations) and the fire nation.
For so long, it seemed that Team Avatar stood a chance of protecting this kingdom but, just as victory was in sight, Zuko's decision to join Azula placed them at a significant disadvantage. This allowed Azula to defeat Aang while he attempted to enter the Avatar State. The title is particularly fitting given that it was Zuko's decision on what his destiny should be that decided the outcome of this battle as well as the season in general.
3 The Siege of the North, Part 2 - 9.7
Easily one of the best episodes, this finale delivers on all the hype and promise built up throughout the season. Continuing from the previous episode, team Avatar finds themselves in a rather precarious position. Aang's body is with Zuko and the northern water tribe is cornered, and the moon spirit dead.
The Moon goes black, and this fits the somber tone of this episode. Hope is bleak as the sense of overwhelming doom starts to build up. But, again, a flip in the script as Aang assimilates with the ocean spirit before wreaking havoc the fire nation's forces. Yue sacrifices herself and becomes the new moon spirit, and that provides the stability to bring back balance to the world. This, again, highlights a major theme in Avatar: balance.
2 Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno - 9.8
This episode signifies the beginning of the end. All parties are placed exactly where they need ahead of the final battle. In a sense, this episode is divided amongst the three key battles to decide the war: Aang versus Oza, Zuko and Katara versus Azula Sokka, Toph and Sukki versus the fire nation troops, and the members of the White Lotus versus the troops of Ba Sing Se.
This episode features some of the most impressive fight choreography seen throughout the series. This, coupled with brilliant music and sound work, makes for an absolutely spectacular penultimate episode.
1 Sozen's Comet, Part 4 - Avatar Aang - 9.8
It is quite fitting that the final episode of the series would claim the top spot. This episode truly had everything; stellar fights, beautiful music, magnificent character resolutions, and peace.
This episode sees Aang renter the Avatar state to dish out a complete ass whooping to Ozai before permanently taking his bending away. Whilst this is happening, The White lotus retakes Ba Sing Se, Sokka, Toph and Sukki destroy all the fire nation airships, and Katara and Zuko takedown Azula. Each of these resolutions leaves the audience feeling fulfilled and, to top it off, we see the cementing of relationships build throughout the series as well as the beginning of a new and prosperous era.