Avatar The Last Airbender is a classic, that's something we think everyone can agree on. It aired back in 2010, but the pure quality of both its narrative and animation immediately upgraded it to "classic status". And, there is one more aspect to this show people don't realize is also prolific, the comedy.
The character writing in this show is top-notch as we see with Zuko's redemptive arc, but the jokes are equally amazing. And, we're here today to talk about the ten lines from different characters in the show that are the most meme-worthy.
10 Sokka's Funniest Line: "My First Girlfriend Turned Into The Moon"
We had to start with the best of the best of course. This is by far the funniest exchange between characters in the entire show. Seriously, the previous Fire Prince, who was directly involved in the raid where Sokka's first girlfriend died, is now giving Sokka emotional support as the two of them fly in a balloon towards a prison in the middle of a boiling lake.
So, already, the situation is comical. Then, you add in the comedy from the absurdity of the words themself and how anyone could say "My girlfriend turned into the moon" and actually mean it, and this one-two punch of pure comedic genius knocks anyone with a sense of humor to the floor.
9 Cabbage Man: "My Cabbages!"
The line "My Cabbages!" is almost as well known by 90s kids as the beloved "My leg!" line from Spongebob Squarepants. This phrase of course comes from Cabbage Man, a guy with no name who would go through great misfortune before starting his business. Cabbage Man and his cabbages constantly get bullied throughout the entirety of Avatar.
It starts with Omashu, then the Pirate Pier, more suffering of cabbage loss at Full Moon Bay, and finally one more setback in Ba Sing Se. But, if you watched Legend of Korra, you know that things eventually did work out okay for this merchant as well as with his descendants.
8 Toph's Rude Introduction: "The Boulder Is Over His Conflicted Feelings And Is Ready To Bury You In A ROCK-A-LANCHE!!"
Ah, the introduction of Toph Beifong. Toph is one of the most popular characters in the series and for good reason. She's stronger than most while dealing with a disability, invents metal-bending, is tough/blunt to a fault, and is arguably one of the best benders in the world. Fans find out all these things over time, but looking back, it makes her first interaction with the Boulder all the better.
This line about the Boulder getting over his conflicted feelings immediately showed that the writers of this show knew enough to both write for kids and adults alike. Plus, it also showed how big of wrestling fans they were.
7 Sokka's Desert Trip: "It'll Quench Ya, It's The Quench-i-est!"
Oh boy, it's the walk through the desert. This was an odd one tonally simply because it comes right after Appa gets taken by Sandbenders yet half of the episode is dedicated to the stunts of Momo and Sokka who are under the influence of some suspect Cactus Juice. Plus Katara, one of the most badass characters in the show, has to play babysitter.
Still, somehow, it works. We didn't expect to see drug-related humor in AtlA but this one was straight to the point. Both Sokka and Momo are absolutely hilarious throughout this episode and you can tell the animators really got a chance to experiment a bit.
6 A Typical Aang Line: "I Laugh At Gravity All The Time!"
This next one's a twofer as it works amazingly as a meme-able quote from the show and also a perfect encapsulation of Aangs personality. This quote pops up in Book One: Water during The Northern Air Temple episode as Team Avatar first hears about the people occupying the Air Nomads Northern Home.
During the story, Katara asks Aang if all air benders were really like how the story described them. And, as a response, Aang mentions that he laughs at the concept of gravity on a daily basis. Which, makes sense given his jovial personality, his twinkle-toes and gravity-defying bending, and his "nothing is impossible" status as the Avatar.
5 The King Bumi Chamber Debate: "The Guards Will Show You To Your Chamber. The One That Used To Be The Bad Chamber, Until The Recent Refurbishing That Is."
King Bumi is such a delight of a character in AtlA. The King of Omashu happened to be friends with Aang 100 years ago and they seemed to be around the same age. So, since Aang is 12 in Book One, we can assume Bumi is around 112 years old. But, for a guy over a century old, this King still has the bending, surprisingly the bod, and also the jokes.
Bumi is hilarious! But, nothing gets us more than when he and his aid have a discussion about the "good and bad chambers". It felt like a joke they'd come up with in the writer's room but would never actually put in the show, and that's why it's just so good.
4 The Second Best Sokka/Zuko Interaction: "Did Jet Just...Die?" "You Know, It Was Really Unclear"
Death is the one thing Nickelodeon avidly seemed to persuade the Avatar animation team from showing or talking about, and Jet was no exception. Therefore, his death against Long Feng was very ambiguous and they could only allude to it with Toph saying he was lying about his wounds and so on.
It seemed like the Directors of the show weren't huge fans of the decision and decided to make fun of it (along with many other things) in the Book Three Episode "The Ember Island Players". In it, there's the tell-tale line that fans always seem to quote where Zuko asks if Jet's actor just died on stage to which Sokka replies "You know it was very unclear". This still has to be one of the most meta-jokes in all of animation.
3 Zuko's Iroh Impression: "You Must Look Within Yourself To Find Yourself, Only Then Will Your True Self Reveal Itself"
Zuko's gradual acceptance into Team Avatar throughout all of the Third Book is one of the most adorable aspects of the show, but nothing was better than seeing the previously fanatical prince practice his conversation skills to a frog in the episode "The Western Air Temple."
But, the part where he tries to replicate Uncle Iroh's gems of wisdom is one of his shining moments. Something about him being so off-base yet so on point at the same time just perfectly encapsulates the best aspects of his character and his uncle's.
2 Zuko's Daddy Issues: "We Need You, Uncle. You're The Only One Left Who Can Defeat The Fatherlord."
Speaking of the relationship between Iroh and Zuko, who didn't tear up when they finally reunited in the White Lotus camp at Ba Sing Se? But, the conversation the morning after had us in tears as well, only this time it was from laughter.
Zuko was never close to his father (considering he was responsible for so much of the Fire Nations evil), and he was more than fine with the idea of Aang killing him, but something about Zuko accidentally calling him the "Fatherlord" when talking to Iroh just perfectly encapsulated all their complex family issues.
1 Dream Appa Makes Sense: "You've Got To Take Care Of Yourself, You Can't Go On Like This"
And lastly, we feel like no one talks about the "Nightmares and Dreams" episode enough the sets up the tone of the Black Sun invasion quite spectacularly. Aang can't sleep as he can only think about how nervous he is to fight the Fire Lord, so the young Airbender goes days without sleeping.
And, at the end of his insomnia he starts to hallucinate, it's pretty hilarious. But, the part that we remember oh so clearly is when Appa (the best of the traveling Avatar pets) suddenly starts talking! Sure it was an illusion, but we always imagined Appa thinking about things in that voice from that point on.