Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of Nickelodeon’s best cartoons thanks to its winning mix of great animation, deceptively deep themes, stylish action, and of course, a fantastic plot. Nearly every Avatar: The Last Airbender episode showcase these elements, aside from a few admittedly weak ones like “The Divide.” On the opposite end of the spectrum, fans are treated to some of the best fantasy cartoon episodes ever made, with a few being can’t-miss icons.
Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s best episodes have the most important plot twists and character moments, but they also feature cool action or immersive worldbuilding to keep viewers entertained for every minute of runtime. Longtime fans might call these the core episodes of the entire Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon, the essentials that prove to new viewers why this cartoon has such a stellar reputation.
“The Storm” Exposed Aang’s Guilt and Zuko’s Past Trauma
Season 1, Episode 12
“The Storm” made excellent use of flashback sequences to expand the personal arcs of characters like Prince Zuko and Avatar Aang himself. This is actually a common trend in the best Avatar: The Last Airbender episodes, with the cartoon making smart use of flashback screen time to establish a lot of facts without taking too much time. These flashbacks, pound for pound, are even better than what pop culture fans see in anime.
“The Storm” featured some astonishing visuals with the namesake ocean storm, not to mention the intense physical stakes of that man vs nature sequence. But the real meat of the matter was how Iroh’s speech humanized Zuko a great deal as a wounded prince who is carrying heavier burdens than anyone aboard that small ship realized. One step at a time, the Avatar cartoon nudged Zuko closer to redemption, and that started with depicting him as someone worth that redemption. Aang’s flashback was strong too, making the weight of his century of absence really hit home.
“The Siege of the North, Part 2” Was a Turning Point For Aang and Zuko Alike
Season 1, Episode 20
The Northern Water Tribe was the icy venue for the last three episodes in Book One: Water, and the best episode set there was “The Siege of the North, Part 2.” Of course, the bombastic action pulled its weight as invading Firebenders clashed with the desperate Waterbender defenders, and Aang’s rampage with the Ocean Spirit helped reinforce the spiritual side of the Avatar Cycle. Zuko also did his part to make this an essential Avatar: The Last Airbender episode.
Avatar: The Last Airbender: Energybending, Explained
Energybending is one of the most important concepts in Avatar: The Last Airbender, playing a major part in latter episodes of the popular series.
This episode also impressed viewers by making it clear the spirits were something much larger than humanity or its wars. It was humbling and terrifying to see how the world nearly fell apart when Admiral Zhao unwisely killed the Moon Spirit, a concept echoed in The Legend of Korra when fans saw Wan navigate a spirit-dominated world. On top of all that, Zuko was made even more sympathetic when he told the unconscious Aang about how his father mocked him as “lucky to be born.”
“Zuko Alone” Made it Clear Ozai’s Son Was No Ordinary Villain
Season 2, Episode 7
This episode showcased the single best flashback sequence in the entire cartoon, and it helped inspire “Korra Alone” in Book Four of The Legend of Korra. “Zuko Alone” is also the only Avatar episode without Aang, allowing the story to explore Zuko in great detail as the antihero in question. Zuko’s backstory was shown in raw detail, everything from Ozai’s and Azula’s bullying to how Ursa was Zuko’s sole source of comfort — one who had to leave after she helped Ozai assassinate Fire Lord Azulon.
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Another point in this episode’s favor was how Zuko’s character was handled carefully and with nuance, with him being almost sympathetic as a protagonist, but not quite. This was another calculated step toward Zuko’s eventual return to goodness, including him showing remarkable restraint until he was forced to use firebending near the end. When that Earth Kingdom child shouted his hatred of Zuko as Ozai’s son, audiences were challenged to decide whether Zuko or the young boy was more sympathetic.
“The Crossroads of Destiny” Saw Azula Rise and Aang Fall From Grace
Season 2, Episode 20
The great walled city of Ba Sing Se was home to some of Book Two: Earth’s most remarkable sequences, from Appa’s rescue mission and Zuko’s date with Jin to the conspiracy of minister Long Feng. Eventually, Zuko was pushed to embrace his redemption, while Princess Azula made it clear she deserved none. Rather than softening her position, Azula dived deeper into her schemes and cunning, using Long Feng to overthrow the Earth King, then betray Long Feng himself.
The political turmoil alone made “The Crossroads of Destiny” a fantastic watch, and it marked a historic moment in the Hundred-Year War, the likes neither Fire Lord Sozin nor Azulon could have pulled off. All this came together when all the major parties of the time collided in the crystal-lit caves underground, where Zuko made his fateful decision and Azula nearly killed Aang. It was an “Empire Strikes Back” moment when the villains won to double the story’s stakes, while a scrap of hope still lived nonetheless.
“The Avatar and the Fire Lord” Helped Lay the Foundation For Aang’s and Zuko’s Friendship
Season 3, Episode 6
Flashbacks continued to wow Avatar: The Last Airbender fans in Book Three: Fire, but this time, the flashbacks featured the predecessors of Aang and Zuko, those being Fire Lord Sozin and Avatar Roku. Both characters were overdue to be shown in all their glory and all their mistakes, and “The Avatar and the Fire Lord” delivered 100%. Watching Roku and Sozin having a falling out as friends was heartbreaking, even if it was also inevitable as a historic moment.
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Most importantly, this exciting flashback episode made it clear that friendship is even stronger then war or duty, because Roku still trusted Sozin as a friend, and the future Avatar and Fire Lord would fix all those mistakes one day. Aang noted how friendships can extend beyond one lifetime, with the Avatar befriending a new Fire Lord while Toph Beifong would someday befriend Aang’s reincarnation, Avatar Korra.
“The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse” Saw Fire Nation History Being Made
Season 3, Episode 11
War episodes are always fun in cartoons like Avatar: The Last Airbender, and “The Day of Black Sun, Part 2” just might be the finest war episode in the series. It was too soon for the heroes to score their final victory, yet it was so thrilling to watch Sokka and the rest get so far in their brilliant invasion all the same. The heroes came this close, but not quite, so it felt like another “Empire Strikes Back” moment to ratchet up the stakes yet again.
Fire Lord Ozai’s brutal rulership kept pushing the Fire Nation deeper into villainy as he schemed to become the Phoenix King, but his son had other ideas. At last, fans got to see Zuko confront his twisted father as a truly redeemed prince, and he even sent Ozai’s wrathful lightning back at him to prove it. What’s more, the episode ended on a terrific cliffhanger as Zuko pursued Aang with good intentions for once, making viewers wonder not why Zuko was going to join Aang, but how, given all they had both been through.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Release Date
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2005 – 2008
- Network
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Nickelodeon
- Showrunner
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Michael Dante DiMartino
- Directors
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Giancarlo Volpe, Ethan Spaulding, Lauren MacMullan, Dave Filoni, Joaquim Dos Santos, Anthony Lioi
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Zach Tyler Eisen
Aang (voice)
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