Avatar: The Last Airbender raised a generation with its enthralling plot, messages, and humor. This series is one of the most iconic shows to come out of mid-2000s television, especially considering how popular the franchise remains today. The Last Airbender is a comfort series to many of its fans, meaning there is no limit to how many times the audience is willing to throw it on television. Its overarching plot and three lengthy seasons make for a tempting binge rewatch.
That being said, no second or third watch will ever recreate the same experience as a viewer's first time going through a series. While The Last Airbender is amazing no matter how many times fans view it, there are some downsides to rewatching the series while already knowing how Book Three ends. Rewatching anything always comes with some harsh realities.
10 The Animation, While Good, Is Dated
The animators behind Avatar: The Last Airbender clearly know what they're doing. The action sequences are smooth, but the characters never lose their stylization and the background art is detailed. That being said, there will always be limitations with older series' animation.
This series was released when TV screens were smaller and high-definition was the new frontier. Now, throwing this series on the big screen tends to draw the viewer's eye to its imperfections, as minor as they may be. Luckily, Avatar's fanbase is loyal and most people find the older animation style charming.
9 The Filler is Unavoidable
While anyone can skip over filler during a rewatch of The Last Airbender, they'll inevitably miss important details that support the larger plot. Fans may be tempted to skip episodes like Book Two, Episode Four, "The Swamp," if they've already seen the series. While the episode itself has little to do with the overarching plot, Aang, Katara, and Sokka see visions in the Swamp that relate to their character arcs.
It may be tempting to hit that "skip" button, but no episode of this series can be glossed over without taking away from the binge session. Unfortunately, that means infamous episodes like Book One, Episode Eleven, "The Great Divide," can't be omitted from the roster.
8 Sad Scenes Are Somehow Sadder
This could be a good thing, depending on how emotional the viewer wants to get. Avatar as a franchise never fears touching on darker themes and never feels pressured to wrap things up with a neat bow. Sometimes, the characters just experience their negative emotions and learn to heal in whatever ways they can.
Scenes like when Aang discovers Monk Gyatso's body, when Katara faces her mother's murderer, and when Yue gives her life to the Moon Spirit are all scenes that don't get a "bright side." This realistic take on life works in the show, but it only makes the series' sad parts sadder with each watch.
7 Fans Know Certain Questions Aren't Answered The Second Time Around
While watching the series for the first time, fans are invested in all the unanswered questions that linger from season to season. No viewer can get to the third book without formulating at least five theories as to what happened to Zuko's mother.
Unfortunately, not every mystery that the series creates has a neat ending, and a lot of its loose ends are explored in its related comic series likeThe Search. While the comics are fun, most fans wish these details could be addressed in the animated show.
6 Book One Doesn't Have Toph Or Azula
It's unfair to expect every character to be introduced in the first few episodes, or even in the first season. Some of The Last Airbender's coolest characters are introduced in Book Two, Earth, including the show's master earthbender, Toph, and Fire Nation princess, Azula.
Book one is still great to rewatch, but it's harder for fans to ignore the absence of two of the series' best characters when they already know what Book Two has in store. During a second watch, the first season feels like it's missing something.
5 Already Knowing The Plot Of The Legend Of Korra Can Be Distracting
Everyone knows that spoilers ruin the fun, but it's kind of unavoidable if fans are trying to revisit The Last Airbender and they've already watched its sequel series, The Legend of Korra. Despite most fans loving Korra, it lays out the futures of the original series' characters, and, for a few of them, things get bleak.
Aang dies fairly young, the connection between the Avatar and the Avatar State gets wonky, and Toph ignores everyone to live in the swamp. Sure, The Legend of Korra is meant to be grittier than the 2005 series, but it's hard to watch Team Avatar have adventurous hijinks all while knowing how dark their future is.
4 Plot Twists Only Work Once
This issue is inevitable when fans rewatch any piece of media. The Last Airbender's plot twists always pull the rug out from under viewers' feet the first time around and are a reason many fans are so involved in the story.
Book Three, Episode Eight, "The Puppet Master," while not imperative to the plot, is a fan-favorite episode with the big reveal that Hama is a blood bender. Katara's character never recovers from this episode, and it's one of the darkest moments in the story. However, watching episodes like these during a rewatch, while still good, will never recreate the same hype as the first time around.
3 Zuko's Redemption Isn't A Surprise Anymore
While this could technically fit as a plot twist that doesn't work anymore, most fans wouldn't consider Zuko's switch to Team Avatar as a surprise, seeing as the Fire Nation prince throws out hardcore redemption vibes from episode one.
Zuko's internal conflict and growth is one of the main storylines, and fans love to watch the prince learn from his mistakes with advice from Uncle Iroh. While viewers never get sick of a good redemption story, there's nothing like watching Zuko stand up to his father for the very first time.
2 Characters Feel Younger And Their Responsibilities More Daunting
Most fans who grew up watching The Last Airbender are full-blown adults now, seeing as the series was released over fifteen years ago. Many people who once identified with Aang's goofy childishness and Toph's desire to run away from her parents now rewatch the series and are closer to Hakoda's age than anyone else's.
Seeing these children sacrifice not only their youth but their safety to win a hundred-year-old war is terrifying. Aang is a child, and yet the weight of the world lies on his shoulders and the clock is ticking for him to defeat Ozai. Aang's young age is a huge part of the series, but fans don't notice how young the airbender is until they rewatch the show a few years later.
1 It Reminds You That It's Over
With a series as expertly crafted as The Last Airbender, the worst part of it is that it comes to a conclusion. While the franchise's popularity has led to spinoffs, comics, and now a live-action Netflix adaption, nothing will compare to the original series' nostalgia factor.
The hardest part of rewatching the series is remembering that it is, in fact, over. Luckily, after fans wrap up "Sozin's Comet: Part Four," it's easy to give in to the temptation of starting back over from the series' start (again).