Avatar: The Last Airbender is a Feminist Cartoon

I am a big fan of anime, Japanese animation, because I love that it uses artwork and other startling visual media in order to tell the story. I have to admit that I was skeptical of checking out Avatar: The Last Airbender because it is produced in America (and would thus be more ethnocentric) and because it is geared towards children. Fortunately, others in my online anime communities have shared their love for Avatar , so my SO and I broke down and decided to check it out.
I am so glad I did. Not only is it visually stunning, funny, and filled to the brim with complex social issues, it’s also a feminist cartoon. Be still my animation-loving heart. I’d like to share some of the reasons why I love Avatar so much. The following will contain some slight spoilers.
I could go on at length about the different aspects of that are truly great. I love that this story is not set in America. It is set in a kind of alternate universe that is distinctly Asian. Much of the costuming and character appearances show medieval Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Indian (among others that I’m not so quick to identify) influences. The diversity of the characters represented in this show is staggering. Not only are different ethnicities represented, but differing levels of disabilities are brought forth in major characters (one main character is blind, another more minor character uses a wheelchair). *A side note: This show is being made into a live-action movie by M. Night Shamalan, and there was a huge uproar in the Avatar community because nearly all of the actors cast were Caucasian. Way to totally leave out one of the best aspects of this show there, Mr. Shamalan. Blech.*
Best of all, the female characters are just as powerful as male characters. I’ve been so used to female characters merely playing second fiddle to the main male characters. Sometimes, the females get to be the “love interest,” and sometimes they get to be the “healers.” This show turns all of those tropes on their head! If I was a pre-teen when this show was popular, there is just so much that I would have been able to take from it in terms of pride and confidence in my abilities. Here is a video that contains a thumbnail representation of all of the main (human) characters:

If you watch it, you will see that there is a great representation of very powerful female characters. While the video is kind of split between the “good guys” and the “bad guys,” the wonderful thing about this show is that the reality of their characters and personalities is way more complex and interesting, reflecting the reality of most people’s personalities.
To expand on the idea of powerful female characters, I’d like to tell the story of two characters of this show specifically: Katara and Azula. Katara is the first character we meet. She, along with her brother, finds the Avatar (Aang, a 12 year-old boy) frozen in ice. Katara is a self-taught water bender. She was the one with the power to release Aang from the ice so that he can begin his journey to put the world into balance.
Katara begins to teach Aang water bending, and Aang quickly masters in moments the moves that took Katara months and years of self-teaching. I thought the show was going to pull one of those women-can-be-powerful-but-not-as-powerful-as-the-hero tropes. WRONG! While Aang continues to learn water bending, the group finds a true water bending master. Katara demands to be taught by this master. He refuses her, and tells her to learn to use water bending to heal, like all the other women should. She learns healing right away, and demands again to be taught to fight. Using the little water bending she taught herself, she challenges the master and holds her own to the point he relents and teaches her. She masters water bending right away, surpassing Aang in water bending skill for the rest of the show’s run. She is one of the most ferocious fighters in their group and is fiercely loyal and protective of those she loves. She’s a strong character and is never relegated to the “sidekick” role that so many female characters in animation often have.
On the other side, there is Azula. She’s the daughter of the Fire Lord, who is trying to conquer the rest of the world. She’s just as ambitious as he is. She’s a “bad guy,” but her characterization never relies on the usual “evil woman” tropes. She’s very pretty, gorgeous even, but not ever really portrayed as sexy, nor does she use her “feminine wiles” to get what she wants. She uses her brains and skill and superior military acumen to plan ten steps in advance. She is unapologetically ambitious and is a true genius when it comes to strategy, I found myself rooting for her because she often deserved to win.
Azula, for most of the series, is accompanied by her two friends, both also female and talented fighters in their own right. The three of them are able to thwart the “good guys” in ways the entire Fire Nation army (and her own brother) were unable to the entire first season. While Azula maintains much of the cold military and ambitious exterior, she’s characterized as so much more. She’s adorably dorky and out of her element when it comes to relating to other teen boys (great Azula quote: “That’s a sharp outfit. Careful, you could puncture the hull of an empire class Fire Nation battleship leaving thousands to drown at sea… because it’s so sharp.”). While set up as the main “bad guy” for the series, she was a real delight to watch.
The series wasn’t perfect. I have issues with the heteronormative way the characters are all presented. Also, I have major issues with Azula’s characterization in the last few episodes. But overall, this is a wonderful series to watch. I’d recommend it to anyone, young or old. I think it’s a great show for girls and young women, especially, because of the strength of ALL of the female characters that are portrayed.