Avatar: The Last Air Bender Watch Order
Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Zuko, I assume you knew them, or if not are they somehow familiar to you? For sure many of us watched The Last Airbender on TV as a kid. To give you a recap, it is about a boy trapped in an iceberg near a coastal island, who then went into fighting bandits and pirates, traveling to a vast earth kingdom, meeting new friends, experiencing unbelievable phenomena, seeing the spirit world, and invading the powerful Fore Nation with big ships and massive factories. That’s the Avatar: The Last Air Bender! One of the best series ever aired back in our childhood!
But if you haven’t watched this series, and are now planning to watch it, you came to the right place because this article is all about the episodes of the series. It is basically an episode guide to give you a summary of each episode. This is also perfect for those who have stopped watching the series for a long time and want to resume the story. With this guide, you will be able to somewhat experience the fun-packed and unworldly adventure of Aang and his friends to bring peace and restore the balance of the world.
Avatar: The Last Air Bender Book 1 – WATER
Note that each season of the Avatar series is called “Book” and every episode is called “Chapter”, which makes it different than what other anime series use.
This is the first season of Avatar: The Last Air Bender story. It’s all about the introduction of the characters and the problem that they are currently facing. It focuses on the Avatar itself and the beginning of his adventures after 100 years of being trapped in an iceberg.
Chapter 1 – The Boy in the Iceberg
The legend of the Avatar is told. Katara and Sokka, two siblings from the Southern Water Tribe, find a strange boy trapped within a floating iceberg. They free him and the boy introduced himself as Aang, or the Avatar (who has an immense power that can control the four elements).
Later then, Aang and his sky bison Appa accompany the two siblings to their village. However, his unfreezing attracts the attention of the fire nation.
Chapter 2 – The Avatar Returns
After being known that the avatar is in the Southern water tribe, Zuko leads their troops to find Aang in the Southern water tribe whatever its cost. Aang, Katara, and the villagers drive the fire nation down and bring peace to the Southern Water Tribe’s peaceful village at the South Pole.
After seeing that Aang is truly the avatar, Katara and Sokka decided to join him on his journey.
Chapter 3 – The Southern Air Temple
Aang, Katara, and Sokka went to Aangs home known as the Southern Air Temple 100 years ago, an excited Aang finally returns home but is completely shocked when he finds out about the genocide that the fire nation commits to his fellow air benders.
Chapter 4 – The Warriors of Kyoshi
The gang arrives at Kyoshi Island and they were captured by some Kyoshi warriors. When Aang reveals himself as the avatar, news quickly spreads out and the people began to revere the avatar, however, the news reaches even Prince Zuko who then goes to Kyoshi Island to capture him.
Chapter 5 – The King of Omashu
While they are in Omashu, Aang shows his friends the mail delivery system of Omashu which he and his friend Bumi had once ridden for fun a hundred years previous. The King of the Omashu challenged Aang’s ability and critical thinking so they can able to leave the city despite the damage they have done.
Chapter 6 – Imprisoned
In a nearby Earth Village, where the gang decided to camp meets a teenage earth bender named Haru. However, that village where they currently staying lives in fear since it was already controlled by the fire nation. The fire soldiers imprisoned any earth bender they can find.
Chapter 7 – The Winter Solstice Part 1: The Spirit World
Aang and his friends visit a village being terrorized by an angry World Spirit known as Hei Bah. As Aang attempts to stop the Spirit he was accidentally transported into the Spirit World. Meanwhile, Iroh was captured by Earth Kingdom soldiers.
Chapter 8 – The Winter Solstice Part 2: Avatar Roku
To receive the message of the previous Avatar, Aang must reach a temple in the Fire Nation before the sun sets on the following day. There he will learn what he must do to restore balance to the world.
Chapter 9 – The Water Bending Scroll
Katara steals expensive water bending scrolls from pirates, so she can learn more and also teach Aang how to water bend before they reach the North Pole. When Zuko and Iroh knew what happened, they team up with the pirates to pursue the group.
Chapter 10 – Jet
The trio accidentally stumbles into a Fire Nation camp. While being surrounded by the fire soldiers, they were saved by Jet and his Freedom Fighters and invited back to their treetop hideout.
Chapter 11 – The Great Divide
Traveling on foot, Aang and his friends venture into the Great Divide. While traveling, Aang’s diplomatic skills were tested as the Avatar when he must help the two feuding clans Zhang and the Gan-Jin, who has been in a feud for 100 years to cross a dangerous canyon peacefully.
Chapter 12 – The Storm
The group meets a fisherman who asked Sokka for assistance. Although he knew that Aang is Sokka’s Friend, he angrily called Aang “ the avatar who turned his back on the world” Guilt-
ridden Aang flies away, and later relives the events why he escapes to his destiny after finding out that he is the Avatar 100 years ago and tells them to Katara, After resolving the feud in Zuko’s ship, Iroh tells the story of how Zuko’s get his scar and why he was banished from the fire nation.
Chapter 13 – The Blue Spirit
Katara and Sokka suffer from an illness, because of that Aang needs to go to the herbalist to cure them. However, Aang was captured by the Yuyan archers by the command of the newly-promoted Admiral Zhao. Luckily, a mysterious man with a “ Blue Mask “ helps Aang to escape the prison.
Chapter 14 – The Fortuneteller
The gang visits a village that solely relies on the prediction of a fortuneteller called Aunt Wu who is said to never be wrong. Sokka is still skeptical and refuses to believe in everything she says.
Chapter 15 – Bato of the Water Tribe
Sokka and Katara meet Bato a friend of their father who is also a member of the Southern water tribe warrior offers to take them to join the Water Tribe’s navy. While Sokka and Katara are excited to reunite with their father again, Aang feels out of place, and fears that his friends will choose to see their father again over staying with him.
Chapter 16 – The Deserter
The Trio travel into a Fire Nation which is hosting a festival of Fire Nation culture. Unfortunately, Aang’s identity was revealed and they are chased by the fire soldiers. After being chased, the three encounters a Fire Nation Deserter, led by ex-admiral Jeong Jeong and convinces him to teach Aang the fire bending with the help of Avatar Roku’s spirit.
Chapter 17 – The Northern Air Temple
When Aang hears a story about the people who can fly are residing in the Northern Air Temple, He was excited to see the aforementioned temple, however, his excitement fades and become
a disappointment when he saw how the inhabitants from the Northern Air Temple renovated the temple.
Chapter 18 – The Waterbending Master
The heroes finally arrive at the North Pole, but the water-bending master Paku refuses to teach Katara believes that it is not meant for women to learn. Sokka spends time with Yue, the princess of the Northern Water Tribe.
Chapter 19 – The Siege of the North Part 1
Katara finally convinces water bending master Paku to become her teacher and became the star pupil. Commander Zhao plans a siege on the Northern Water Tribe. Meanwhile, Sokka’s on a mission to halt the siege while Aang buys them some time.
Chapter 20 – The Siege of the North Part 2
As the Fire Nation continues to attack the Northern Water, Sokka, Katara, and Yue follow Zuko to search for Aang. In the Spirit World, Aang learns about the current situation of the Moon and Ocean Spirit.
BOOK 2 – EARTH
The story progresses and the Avatar learned how to use water bending. Most of the story is all about the Group’s adventure to find earth bending master who can teach Aang how to earthbend. The group meets new friends and allies on their way, they also face dangerous enemies and difficult challenges than before.
Chapter 1 – The Avatar State
After leaving the North Pole, Aang and his friends arrive in the nearby Earth Kingdom to be escorted to the Omashu to begin his earth bending training from King Bumi, but a local general convinces Aang that all he needs to do is learn to unleash his avatar state to defeat the Firelord. Azula, Zuko’s sister, arrives to escort her brother and uncle Iroh back to the Fire Nation.
Chapter 2 – The Cave of Two Lovers
On their way to Omashu, Team Avatar meets a group of traveling bards who take them through a vast tunnel known as the Cave of Two Lovers, so they can travel underground to avoid Fire Nation attacks. In the cave, Aang, Katara, and Appa were separated from Sokka and the traveling bards. Meanwhile, Iroh and Zuko adjust to their life as fugitives.
Chapter 3 – Return to Omashu
When they arrived in Omashu, they are surprised that it was already captured by the Fire Nation. The Avatar team devises a plan to rescue Aang’s friend, King Bumi, that was captured by the Fire Nation. Azula gathers her two old friends to help her with her quest.
Chapter 4 – The Swamp
Aang hears a mysterious swamp calling to him. While flying over a mysterious swamp, Aang, Sokka, Katara, Appa, and Momo were separated by a tornado. After landing in the mysterious swamp, Appa and Momo are captured, and the gang finds out that this is not any natural swamp. Meanwhile, Zuko, although disgusted by being a beggar, he and his uncle, Iroh seeks money and live as a beggar.
Chapter 5 – Avatar Day
The Gang stumbles upon a town where it celebrates Avatar Day, however, it turns out that it is an anti-avatar celebration and Aang was arrested for allegedly committing a crime because of his past incarnations actions. Sokka and Katara travel to Kyoshi Island to prove Aang’s innocence.
Chapter 6 – The Blind Bandit
Still searching for earth bending master, Aang, and his friends discover an earth bending tournament where they see a young blind girl Toph who is a powerful earth bender. Later, Aang and Toph are captured by the owner of the tournament.
Chapter 7 – Zuko Alone
As Zuko tries to survive by himself and without the guidance of his uncle, he meets a boy named Lee. He then remembers his past including his mom’s banishment and his sister Azula. Also, he remembers how his father became the fire lord.
Chapter 8 – The Chase
Team Avatar is getting relentlessly chased by a mysterious machine which results in the group to experience being sleep-deprived when they try to get away from Azula and her two friends, Mai and Ty Lee. Katara and Toph get into a heated argument, and Aang finds a way how to escape Azula by creating a decoy using Appa’s fur. Because of the feud in the group, Toph decided to leave and later meets Iroh who is currently searching for his nephew Zuko.
Chapter 9 – Bitter Work
Aang tries to learn earth bending from Toph, however, he is frustrated because of the handicapped he faces in learning earth bending since it is the opposite of air bending. Iroh is teaching Zuko how to redirect lightning to prepare him for facing Azula.
Chapter 10 – The Library
Sokka convinces the others to seek out knowledge in Spirit Library hidden in the Si Wong Desert hopes of finding the weakness of the Fire Nation.
Chapter 11 – The Desert
Since Appa was captured by the sand binders. The Avatar Team lost in the desert and they must find a way out. Elsewhere, Iroh and Zuko get help from a secret organization to protect them from the fire nation and other bounty hunters.
Chapter 12 – The Serpent’s Pass
Aang and his friends finally leave the desert and get tickets for the ferry headed to Ba Sing Se While traveling, they meet Suki again who is trying to lead a couple who are expecting a baby so the group decided to skip the ferry ride to help them and the other refugees to cross the Serpent’s, a dangerous mountain-side path surrounded by water.
Chapter 13 – The Drill
After arriving at the great wall of Ba Sing Se, The gang discovers that the Fire Nation has constructed a great drilling machine to penetrate the wall. The group must devise a plan to stop the invasion of the Fire Nation. Meanwhile, Jet discovers Zuko’s identity.
Chapter 14 – City of Walls and Secrets
Team Avatar gets a house to stay in the Earth Kingdom’s Capital, determined to find Appa and inform the Earth King about the eclipse where they can invade the Fire Nation but unfortunately, mysterious forces within the city stopped them. Jet is also in the city, and he is trying to expose Iroh and Zuko for being fire benders.
Chapter 15 – The Tales of Ba Sing Se
This chapter is a series of short stories about how Katara, Toph, Iroh, Sokka, Aang, Zuko, and Momo spends their life as they stay in Ba Sing Se. This chapter also shows a glimpse of the personality of the aforementioned individuals.
Chapter 16 – Appa Lost Days
In this episode, we go back in time to the moment Appa was stolen in the Si Wong Desert by the sand binders. After his abduction, Appa is eventually sold to a Fire Nation circus, where he is forced to perform but he managed to escape with the help of a boy. We will find out where he has gone and who he has met along the way.
Chapter 17 – Lake Laogai
The Avatar gang decided to obstruct the constraints set by Dai Lee and continues to find Appa. Later encounters Jet in Ba Sing Se and he helps them to discover the location of Appa.
Chapter 18 – The Earth King
The Gang battle Long Feng as they break into the Earth King’s palace when they attempt to tell the Earth King about the war and the destroyed fire drill. Zuko becomes seriously ill due to a spiritual crisis.
Chapter 19 – The Guru
Aang receives guidance from Guru Pathik at the Eastern Air Temple on how to control his Avatar State; Sokka is reunited with his long-lost father; Katara meets with the generals and plans to invade the Fire Nation; Iroh and Zuko run their tea shop.
Chapter 20 – The Crossroads of Destiny
Aang, Sokka, and Toph rushed to save Katara where they meet Iroh who asked for their assistance to save Zuko too (the two were also captured by the fire nation)The heroes work together to inform the King about the coup and to stop Azula’s plan.
BOOK 3 – FIRE
This is the continuation of what happened to after their failed attempt to invade the Fire Nation. After their defeat, the world knows that Aang died because of his fight against the Fire Nation,
Fire Lord Ozai and the Fire Nation celebrates, but little did they know Aang and his friends are still alive and they already infiltrated the Fire Nation by the inside.
Chapter 1 – The Awakening
Weeks after the fall of the Earth Kingdom, Aang (with a hair) finally wakes up on a Fire Nation cruiser after weeks of being in a coma. He was surprised since all of his friends and allies wears a fire soldier uniform. The group will soon infiltrate the Fire Nation. Meanwhile, Zuro is back to his home again as a hero.
Chapter 2 – The Headband
Aang disguised as a normal kid, and goes to a Fire Nation school and to view the perspective of the fire nation about the world. Zuko visits his uncle in prison.
Chapter 3 – The Painted Lady
The group arrives in a fishing village being poisoned by a nearby factory and a local legend comes to life to help the people in the village.
Chapter 4 – Sokka’s Master
Sokka realizes that he must do something to help his friends to win the war and seeks an apprenticeship with a swordmaster named Piandao. The imprisoned Iroh devise a plan to
escape and train to build his strength.
Chapter 5 – The Beach
Zuko, Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai go on a forced vacation to Lo and Li’s beach house to learn about themselves and one another. Aang and his friends are attacked by an assassin sent by Zuko.
Chapter 6 – The Avatar and the Firelord
This episode is about Aang and Zuko set on a parallel adventure where they find out the history of their forebears.
Chapter 7 – The Runaway
Katara disapproves of Toph’s way of how to make quick cash by scamming Fire Nation street gamblers which results in the group’s vulnerability.
Chapter 8 – The Puppetmaster
The gang stumbled across a Fire Nation Town where strange disappearances occur during the full moon. They befriend the innkeeper named Hama who later introduces herself as a water
bender from the Southern Tribe.
Chapter 9 – Nightmares and Daydreams
As the invasion is drawing near, Aang felt nervous since he thinks that he’s not ready enough to confront the Fire Lord. Aang is having a nightmare about being unprepared to face Firelord Ozai.
Chapter 10 – The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion
Team Avatar reunites with many of their allies including Haru and his father, the Swampbenders, Pipsqueak, and The Duke, and The Mechanist and his son Teo Zuko to begin a full-scale invasion in the Fire Nation Capital.
Chapter 11 – The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse
Aang, Sokka, and Toph continue to search for Fire Lord Ozai underneath the volcano but the only one they find is Azula, waiting for them to come. Zuko finally confronts his father and announced that he will join the Avatar’s group to end his father’s cruelty.
Chapter 12 – The Western Air Temple
The team avatar leaves the Fire nation, as the invasion failed and hides out in the Western Air Temple. Unknowingly, Zuko followed them and tries to convince the gang of his change of heart.
Chapter 13 – The Firebending Masters
Zuko joined the group and he tries to teach Aang how to fire bend, but unfortunately, even Zuko can’t fire bend anymore since he is no longer draws his fire bending power from rage, anger, and his desire to capture Aang. The two travel to find the true source of fire coming from the Firebending Masters.
Chapter 14 – The Boiling Rock, Part 1
Sokka and Zuko infiltrate the Boiling Rock, Fire Nation’s most heavily guarded prison to save Hakoda.
Chapter 15 – The Boiling Rock, Part 2
Sokka and Hadoka devise a plan to break from the prison that very day. But problems come when Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee arrive at the prison.
Chapter 16 – The Southern Raiders
Zuko helps Katara to track down the person who killed her mother, Kya, who was killed in a Southern Water Tribe raid.
Chapter 17 – The Ember Island Prayers
The gang discovers that there’s a play about their adventures in Ember Island so decided to come over to watch. But it turns out that it’s a fire nation propaganda theatre play that badly portrays their character.
Chapter 18 – Sozin’s Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King
Aang was informed about the Fire Lord’s plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom using the comet’s power. However, he disappeared during the night and his friends searched for him all over Ember Island but failed to find him.
Chapter 19 – Sozin’s Comet, Part 2: The Old Master’s
Aang awakes on a mysterious island known or a lion turtle and confronts his past lives for advice on how to stop the Fire Lord without killing him. As the group failed to search for Aang, Zuko tells June to search for his uncle Iroh instead. When Zuko and Iroh finally meet, Iroh suggests that Zuko must face Azula for the throne. Sokka, Suki, and Toph attempt to stop the airship fleet bound for the Earth Kingdom.
Chapter 20 – Sozin’s Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno
Zuko fights Azula with the help of Katara for the throne; Sokka, Suki, and Toph begin to destroy the airship fleet Elsewhere, Aang finally meets Ozai.
Chapter 21 – Sozin’s Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang
The deciding moment has finally arrived. Aang faces the Fire Lord. Can he beat Ozai, the Phoenix King? Will Aang use force to end a war? What will our hero do?
Comics After The TV Series
After the TV Series, the makers of Avatar decided to create a continuation of Aang’s story, as well as more character development for the other characters in the story. But instead of releasing it on TV like before, they made a comic book series instead. The comic book series show more adventures of Aang, the deepening insanity of Azula, and many more. Here are the following in chronological order:
The Promise
This story took place a year after the 100 Years War as the newly appointed Fire Lord Zuko tries to repair all the damages that the Fire Nation brought to the world. First, he removes all the Fire Nation colonies and returns them to the original owner. However, one of the colonies, Yu Dao is against the decision of the Fire Lord. Considering his promise to Zuko to keep him from becoming a Fire Lord like his father, the Avatar, Aang helps Zuko with the problem that he currently faces.
The Search
This is about the adventure of Fire Lord Zuko to find the whereabouts of his mother, Ursula. He makes a deal with Azula, releasing her from the mental institution in exchange for her help in his quest to find their mother. Zuko and Azula set out on a journey to Hira’a, the place where Ursula grew up and the two were accompanied by Aang, Sokka, and Katara.
The Rift
The disappearance of the air nomads results in the people wholly forget about their culture and existence. It makes Aang anxious, however, as a solely remaining air bender, Aang begins the process to revive the Air Nomad tradition.
Smoke and Shadow
Fire Nation faces a new problem again because a new movement called, New Ozai Society wants to dethrone Zuko as a Fire Lord because they believed what a mysterious figure said as a prophecy. The mysterious figures or called the Kemurikage spirits tell a prophesy that Zuko must leave the throne or the Fire Nation will collapse. The Firelord seeks the assistance of the Avatar and his friends to solve his problems.
North and South
When Aang leaves to aid Zuko with the Kemurikage, Katara and Sokka return to their homeland, the Southern Water Tribe. The two are shocked to find that their beloved village has become a flourishing city by the management of their one and only father Hadoka and Malina, a woman from the Nothern water tribe. The two are truly worried that the once simple village that they love became a bustling city and it felt different than the one in their upbringing.
Imbalance
The sixth and final graphic novel trilogy. Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph return to Toph’s hometown and they deal with a dispute with bender vs non-bender. They must do something before it gets worst.
We can’t deny the fact the Avatar: The Last Air Bender is a story with many lessons to learn from. Trust in yourself, being kind to nature, finding good friends, respecting all living things, and a whole lot more, are just some of the lessons we can learn from the story. As the story progresses, we can even see the growth of every character.
Although they face different problems as an individual they still manage to deal with it. Those challenges that they face even though on their worst time, they still see even a little hope to solve their problems.
The series aired on television with three seasons, the Book of Water, Earth, and Fire tells us about how Avatar Aang and his friends risked their lives to fight the powerful Fire Nation. After the series, there’s a graphic novel published which is the sequel of the story. It shows us six different stories telling the whereabouts of Aang and his friends after the conclusion of the 100 Years War.
If you finished the story and are curious about what happened to the life of Aang and his friends still and want to dive deeper into the story of the Avatar there’s a new series called The Legend of Korra which centers on the life of Avatar Aang’s successor, and the next Avatar, Korra.