The starring roles of the show (Aang, Katara, and Sokka) were coded as being of East Asian (Aang) and Inuit (Katara, and Sokka) descent, but were played by actors of European descent in the film.
The ethnicities associated with the four main characters are: Aang: Asian - East Asian or South Asian. Katara: Native American - Indigenous North American. Sokka: Native American - Indigenous North American.
In the series, these characters have a dark complexion. In the film, however, these characters are also portrayed by white actors, Nichola Peltz as Katara and Jackson Rathbone as Katara's elder brother, Sokka. The defining traits of these characters are that they are helpful, intelligent, resourceful, and brave.
Are there any black people in Avatar: The Last Airbender?
While the series may not have explicitly black characters, it is important to recognize that the Avatar universe is a work of fiction and its representation of diversity may not align with real-world demographics.
The characters were both visually designed and coded as Asian and Inuit. For the early aughts, this kind of representation was far from common, but even more progressively, these weren't stereotypical portrayals either.
Yes, Dark Skinned Erasure Is A Problem. Here’s Why.
What is Katara's race?
The starring roles of the show (Aang, Katara, and Sokka) were coded as being of East Asian (Aang) and Inuit (Katara, and Sokka) descent, but were played by actors of European descent in the film.
Zuko is the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation and a skilled firebender, meaning he has the ability to create and control fire. He is the eldest child of Fire Lord Ozai and the older brother of Princess Azula.
Zoe Saldaña was born in New Jersey and raised in Queens, New York. She first appeared in film with Center Stage in 2000, a role which drew on her background in dancing as a child. She received two breakthrough roles in 2009- that of Neytiri in Avatar, and Nyota Uhura in JJ Abrams' Star Trek reboot film.
One of the things we wanted to do was show how dangerous bending can be. Firebending should feel dangerous; it should feel something that could hurt you. Also, as fans know, the tone of the original series starts shifting in the later seasons. It gets to some pretty dark places, so we had the benefit of hindsight.
Apart from Aang, even the actors who portrayed Katara and Sokka from the original series were white in The Last Airbender, which made its whitewashing problem all the more evident.
But after doing some research and, you know, growing up, you know, getting older, you learn more, Katara is not black. She is actually native. Now, some people call her indigenous, a lot of people call her native.
“uhh, friendly reminder that katara is an inuit character, indigenous to northern canada, alaska, greenland etc. so casting an asian would be a form of erasure, and indigenous actors are underrepresented as it is,” one user tweeted. “The water tribes are inspired by Inuit culture and geography location.
The Fire nation is based on Imperial Japan, and they have been at war with the other nations for a century. The Air Nomads were a Tibetan like people eliminated save one, by the Fire Nation at the start of the war. None of these countries are based on western nations, and this gives the show its very Asiatic world.
Although director M. Night Shyamalan cast many Indian and Asian actors in the movie, the filmmaker cast Caucasians to portray the Southern Water Tribe. Shyamalan did this even though the Water Tribe was obviously inspired by Indigenous and Alaskan Native Cultures.
Saldana was born in Passaic, New Jersey. Her father was Dominican while her mother is Puerto Rican. Saldana also has Lebanese and Haitian roots. With regard to her racial identity, Saldana stated, “There's no one way to be black.
Avatar: The Last Airbender gave audiences Mai, and The Legend of Korra gave them Princess Eska. Both offer dry humor and entertaining character arcs, but there can only be one best emo girl.
Each of these four nations were inspired by cultures from the real world: the Water Tribe by Indigenous Arctic cultures like the Inuits and Yupiks; the Earth Kingdom by monarchical China; the Fire Nation by Imperial Japan; and the Air Nomads by Tibetan Buddhist monks.
The Avatar series has spin-off material that follows the main characters into adulthood, including graphic novels and The Legend of Korra. Zuko's love life is a mystery, with fan theories suggesting he may have married Mai or Suki, but the true answer is never confirmed.
At the end of Avatar the Last Airbender, Sokka does not have a wife. He is dating Suki but there is no indication that they ever get married. It certainly is not referenced in Legend of Korra, the sequel series to The Last Airbender.
Avatar is presented in a style that combines anime with American cartoons and relies on the imagery of primarily Chinese culture, with various other influences from different East Asian, Southeast Asian, South Asian, North Asian, and Native American cultures.
