Christianity and Avatar: The Last Airbender

There are certain TV shows that go beyond their age demographic.  I'm not talking about shows that kids watch on TV without their parent's permission, but shows that are loved by different age groups and are considered major cultural phenomenons.  One of these shows is Avatar:The Last Airbender.  A:TLA was an anime styled American cartoon that ran 3 seasons on Nickelodeon, from 2005 to 2008.  The show was a major critical success and was popular with both kids and adults.  That's because this show didn't pander to it's audience like other kids cartoons, but instead showed the character dealing with real, human issues that we can relate with.  Themes of love, trust, betrayal, identity, and forgiveness are just some of the major themes seen in Avatar: The Last Airbender.  All this was wrapped up in a great story that that brought laughs and tears to its audiences.  Something else that was a major point in the series was its openness to various ideas and beliefs.  Though the characters themselves did not practice a specific religion, you can see major religious themes within the show.  Many of these themes parallel with the ideas of the Christian faith.  To help you understand, I'm going to focus on two major characters in the show and how their decisions in the show reflect what we believe as Christians.  The ideas expressed here are shared with many other non-Judea-Christian beliefs, but I want to look at this through a more focused lens (ie, me, a Catholic, which is also Christian).

Here's a little backstory on Avatar's plot.....if you just want to watch the show's intro instead, you can do that..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izc4-vpv6os

....Or you could read this.....In the Avatar world, people are divided into 4 nations: the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, the two Water Tribes and the Air Nomads.  Many people in the world, have control over one of the four elements.  These people are called benders.  There is one person however who has the ability to control all four elements: the Avatar.  In the beginning of the story, we meet Katara and Sokka, a brother and sister, from the Southern Water Tribe, who find Aang, the last living Air Nomad and the new Avatar, trapped in an iceberg.  100 years ago, the Fire Nation began a conquest of the other three nations, and since then, the world has been at war.  After killing the last Avatar, the Fire Nation attack the Air Temples, killing everyone there, since the new Avatar would be an Airbender.  Aang, however, had just run away from his temple after learning that he was the new Avatar.  While flying near the South Pole, he got caught in a storm and was trapped until Katara and Sokka found him.  Now, he has to travel to each of the other three nations to learn waterbending, earthbending and firebending, in the hopes that he can defeat the Fire Lord and end the war.

The funny thing is that after listening to Sunday's First Reading (Peter and Paul meeting the crippled man), I gained a little more insight to the comparisons I wanted to make between Christianity and A:TLA.  Just be warned, there are spoilers ahead, so if you haven't watched the show, stop reading now, watch it and then come back.  Seriously, go watch it. Right now.  Now.....

First, I want to talk about Sokka.  For the majority of the story, Sokka is the comic relief.  He always has a joke or is getting himself into funny situations.  Even the rest of "Team Avatar" see him as their entertainment; not in a demeaning way, but as someone who makes them smile and laugh during their dangerous journey.  Towards the end of the story however, Sokka begins to change.  Though he was not born a bender, he becomes the team's strategist, coming up with plans and schemes to get them out of (and sometimes into) tricky situations.  Thanks to the homily my pastor gave at mass today, I began to see Sokka as Peter from the Bible.  Both didn't ask to join in on this crazy adventure, but when presented with the opportunity, willingly came along.  Also, just like Sokka, Peter grew over time and eventually became the leader for the Catholic Church; the rock that Christ built His Church upon.  The same happened to Sokka.  In the A:TLA spinoff series, The Legend of Korra, Sokka became a respected leader in the United Republic of Nations, even getting his own statue in front of the Water Tribe Embassy building in Republic City (We think).  Both show that one born of humble beginnings can be called to do great things if one believes.  God has plans for all of us, and though we may not always know or understand those plans, He can put us on a path to a greater destiny we could ever imagine.

Now, I want to talk about Zuko, who is probably one of the best written characters in the entire show (and that's saying something, since the writing for all the characters is fantastic).  In the first season, Prince Zuko is the main antagonist.  Banished from his homeland, he searches for the Avatar as punishment for his disobedience.  After finding Aang in the South Pole, he begins to chase him, Sokka and Katara as they journey to the North Pole.  In the second season, Zuko is betrayed by his homeland and travels the Earth Kingdom as an outlaw, rediscovering himself in the process and letting go of the anger that had been growing in his heart.  In the third season, Zuko briefly returns to the Fire Nation as its prince, but leaves in order to join Aang and teach him firebending.  Going back to Sunday's reading, to me, Zuko is the Paul of the Avatar universe.  When we first meet him, he is persecuting Jews, in order to gain favor with the Sanhedrin, but after an amazing conversion experience, he joins with Peter and the other Apostles to share the word of Christ.  Both go through amazing changes, discovering truth and remaking their lives in a way that serves others.

Though this is not a Paul related experience, Zuko has one of the most beautiful, Christ-like moments of the entire show.  After abandoning his Uncle Iroh, who has been traveling with him since season one, Zuko once again attempts to capture Aang at the end of season two.  Zuko is then welcomed back as Prince, while Iroh, who helped the Avatar, becomes a prisoner of the Fire Nation. Though both escape the Fire Nation partway through the third season, Zuko does not see Iroh again until the series finale.  Upon seeing his uncle, Zuko tells Iroh about how sorry he is, and begs for his forgiveness, to which Iroh replies with a hug, explaining that he was never mad at Zuko, but afraid that he had lost his way, but now is happy that Zuko found his way back.

Seriously, this scene is a tearjerker, like I just rewatched it, and am now in tears.  If you want have feels as well, here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q1dRSh8Idk

Though Iroh is not God (but he's still pretty freaking awesome!), this scene parallels to the power of God's love and forgiveness.  Just as Iroh was sad that Zuko lost his way, God is sad when we lose our way, and drift away from Him.  However, when we finally return to God, He is ready to accept us with open arms, because He will always love us.  Reminds you of a certain parable about a son who leaves his father, but returns, doesn't it?  To me, this is what Confession feels like.  For anyone who hasn't experieced Confession, it's when Catholics go to their priest, who is standing in the place of God, and confessing their sins, asking God's forgiveness (It's probably a bit more complicated then that, but I wanted to make it as simple as possible).  During Confession, God is giving us a hug and telling us how happy He is that we have returned to Him.  It can be difficult to return to God, believing that He won't love us anymore, but again, just like Iroh, God will always love us, and is always waiting for us to find Him again.

There are a lot of other great messages in A:TLA, but I decided to focus on what I learned from Sokka and Zuko, because, to me, they have the largest amount of character development out of everyone in the entire series.  I highly suggest you watch this show, whether you are young or old!  Avatar is a great series that brings together fun, action and morals to create probably one of the best written children's series of all time.  It's a show that teaches young people about things that they might face in the future, but presents it in a fun and exciting way!  So go check it out!  I promise you won't regret it.  After you're done with that, you can check out The Legend of Korra, which just started its 3rd season!

I always knew that I wanted to write a blog post about this show, and after some reflection, I was glad that God put these ideas in my mind.  I'm always amazed where God will reveal Himself.  Sometimes, it's a kid's show, or a song, or even a single moment in the day.  It's important to always look for God in everything we do, because you never know how He will try to reach you.

Peace and Love