Top Avatar: The Airbender episodes fans hope Netflix captures in live-action series

Fans have high hopes for Neflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series, so here are the top episodes they hope the show will adapt.

Almost two decades after its original premiere on Nickelodeon, the hit animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender is getting a live-action series on Netflix.

Set in a fictional world where people can bend the four elements, the series follows Aang, a young air bender who is known as the Avatar which is the only person in their world who can bend all four elements at once. Along with his rag-tag group of friends, Aang goes on a perilous journey to save the world from the evil clutches of the Fire Nation.

The cartoon did get one live-action adaptation in the form of a 2010 film, but it was not well received by fans so, while fans are excited about the Netflix series, they’re a bit skeptical as well. But, overall, ATLAB fans are more excited to see which stories the streaming platform will adapt for the show, so here’s a list of the show’s top episodes that fans would love to see in the Netflix show.

“The Tales of Ba Sing Se” (Season 2, Episode 15)

One of the slower episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender, “The Tales of Ba Sing Se” showcases different cute storylines involving our favorite characters as they try to live somewhat normal lives in the Earth Kingdom city of Ba Sing Se.

Whether it’s Prince Zuko’s awkward date with an unsuspecting Earth Kingdom girl, Katara and Toph’s heart-to-heart over a makeover, or Uncle Iroh dedicating a memorial to his lost son, this episode is a great slice of life for fans to enjoy in the midst of Aang and his friends’ quest to defeat the Firelord.

“The Avatar and the Firelord” (Season 3, Episode 6)

Avatar: The Last Airbender has a few flashback episodes, but “The Avatar and the Firelord” stands out amongst them all because it highlights the direct link between Firelord Sozin (Zuko’s grandfather and the person who started the great war) and Avatar Roku (Aang’s ancestor).

Throughout the series, fans had a front-row seat to how evil and corrupt the royal family of the Fire Nation could be, but this episode goes back in time to show that the fractured relationship between the Firelord and the Avatar wasn’t always that way.

At one time, the Firelord and Avatar worked together in harmony, but it was the Firelord’s thirst for power that sent both men down a path filled with destruction and betrayal that trickled down to the next generation.

“The Crossroads of Destiny” (Season 2, Episode 20)

The season finale of Season 2, “The Crossroads of Destiny” is the real turning point for the series as various characters destroy their relationships throughout the runtime.

Zuko betrays his uncle in favor of his sadistic sister Azula’s favor and helps her not only take over Ba Sing Se for their fire, but also allows her to use her lightning abilities to shock Aang out of his Avatar state almost permanently. It’s a heartbreaking episode that leads the group to their final outing against the Firelord.

“The Puppetmaster” (Season 3, Episode 8)

Avatar: The Last Airbender never shied away from darker topics despite being a children’s show and “The Puppetmaster” is one example of it.

Though the group thinks they just met a friendly yet eccentric innkeeper, things turn incredibly dark very quickly as they’re exposed to the horrifying world of blood bending, which causes Katara to reflect on her abilities as a water bender and what that means to her.

“The Blind Bandit” (Season 2, Episode 6)

One of the best introductory episodes in the series, “The Blind Bandit” sees Aang and his crew go to an underground Earth-bending fight club to look for a master to teach Aang Earth bending and they find one in the form of a blind young girl named Toph.

Not only is Toph one of the top fan-favorite characters in ATLAB, but her presence also challenges what it means to be a bender in this world and her brash approach to life is something our original group of travelers was desperately missing.

“The Storm” (Season 1, Episode 12)

Another flashback episode, “The Storm” is an interesting episode as it shows more of both Aang and Zuko’s backstories in a way that fans can see how similar the enemies are.

Both Aang and Zuko have to deal with the heavy burdens put upon their shoulders with Aang being the Avatar and Zuko trying to be the perfect prince in the eyes of his father. Both boys go through incredibly traumatic experiences that led them to this path and fans are shown that, though Aang is a “hero” and Zuko is a “villain,” not everything is as black and white as it first appears.

“The Ember Island Players” (Season 3, Episode 17)

“The Ember Island Players” is another lighthearted episode that is smacked in the middle of the last leg of the group’s journey to defeat the Firelord.

It’s a very meta-commentary on the series as it highlights the biggest moments from the shows while making a lot of jokes at various dropped plotlines and even pokes fun at some romantic ships that fans have fawned over.

“Zuko Alone” (Season 2, Episode 7)

One of the very few single-character-driven episodes, “Zuko Alone” focuses on the mental and physical state of Prince Zuko as he abandons is travels with his uncle in order to do his own thing.

Up until this point, Zuko was still completely focused on finding Aang and delivering him to the Fire Nation in order to restore his honor but, in this episode, he’s forced to grapple with the horrifying actions his family and nation have inflicted on the rest of the world along with contemplating if his mission is worth putting himself through all this trouble.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is set to hit Netflix on February 22 — you can learn more about the highly anticipated series here.