“One of the things we see with the Fire nation is the ideological justification for what they’re doing,” says Olomi. With the Black Lives Matter movement casting a spotlight on the ripples still felt by slavery and colonialism, the political timbre of Avatar speaks powerfully to the reckoning with institutional racism provoked by the death of George Floyd.Īli A Olomi, an assistant professor of Middle East, Islamic and global south history at Penn State University in Pennsylvania, uses the series to demonstrate to students the impact of genocide, colonialism, imperialism, intergenerational trauma, radicalisation, surveillance and parental abuse. Resurrected after 100 years frozen in ice, he finds that his people have been the victim of genocide by the Fire nation. The show was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and follows the adventures of the effervescent and indefatigable Aang, the 12-year-old Avatar and last air-bender. Only one person, the Avatar – whose spirit is reincarnated upon their death and born to parents in the next nation in the “Avatar cycle” – can master all four elements to maintain balance between the nations.Įnchantment and anguish. Not to be confused with James Cameron’s film Avatar, the series debuted at No 1 on the streaming service when it was released in May and remained in the Top 10 for a record-breaking 61 days.Īvatar is set in a world of four nations – Water, Earth, Fire and Air – each of which is home to individuals able to “bend”, or control an element through martial arts. That scene has captivated millions around the world since the animated series was released 15 years ago by Nickelodeon – and it has had a revival since May, when it arrived on Netflix. We spied glistening tears in each other’s eyes for the split-second they met as we felt Iroh’s loss.
While I was watching it recently, my eyes cut to my younger brother sitting beside me, a 27-year-old man standing almost 6ft tall. Drowning in regret and a gilded sunset, his gruff voice slides mournfully as he sings: “Leaves from the vine, falling so slow, like fragile, tiny shells drifting in the foam.” Iroh, the former crown prince of the imperial Fire nation (voiced by the late Japanese American actor Mako), now a diminished, greying old man, sits by the graveside of his son. T here is a scene in Avatar: The Last Airbender that summons the ethereal enchantment and anguish of a Studio Ghibli movie every time you watch it.
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