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The Wondrous Pacifism of Avatar Aang
Why it matters that a children’s hero chooses non-violence every time.
I was only nine when Avatar: The Last Airbender began airing on Nickelodeon.
By the first episode, I was immediately enthralled its colorful world, by its magic, by its curious cast of characters. I would plop my impressionable butt on a couch religiously every single Monday for three years, excited to get a glimpse into my favorite fantasy world. If I could have pressed a button to catapult myself through the TV screen to join Aang and his friends, I would have slammed it faster than Sokka could say “Cactus juice.”
On my fourth-grade playground, my friends and I would chaotically swoosh our arms around and make silly sound effects — pretending to be the “benders” of the Avatar world: Fire, Earth, Air, Water. Most of my friends were drawn to the tortured angst of Zuko or the fiery passion of Katara.
But me? I was always drawn to Aang, the sensitive, tattooed, bald kid at the center of all the drama. On the surface, he seems like a classic Chosen One hero — powerful, prophetic, and destined to defeat a great evil.
But on rewatch (the series recently dropped on Netflix) it’s apparent that Aang is not a normal hero. His morality and virtue system sets him apart. He…
