The latest Netflix live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender received mixed reactions from fans, and it’s understandable why. The original animated show shaped the childhood of many viewers, and any other iterations would find it hard to match level with.
Taking a trip down memory lane, the original voice actor of Aang reminisced his days working on the famed Nickelodeon series. He even picked out his favorite episodes among the bunch.
Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Zach Tyler Eisen Shares His Top Favorite Episodes
Zach Tyler Eisen spoke with Dante Basco and Janet Varney, who voiced Zuko and Korra in the animated series, via Avatar: Braving the Elements podcast and revealed his ultimate favorite episode from the show was The King of Omashu.
“I think that the most memorable to me, and I’ve said this before, is the King Bumi episode. I feel that’s kind of where I started to feel like I was hitting my stride as an actor, like I started to understand the character. It was just a really fun episode.”
King Bumi is the wild-eyed elderly King of Omashu who first appeared in the fifth episode of Book One: Water. He is a fan-favorite character because of his eccentric personality.
“That being said, there are a few that also, throughout the rest of the series, that stuck with me. One is ‘Zuko Alone,’ which I believe is the only episode that I’m not in, but Dante, you were incredible. Zuko’s character arc is amazing, and you were just so phenomenal in voicing him.”
It’s interesting to know that Eisen enjoyed Basco’s portrayal of Zuko in that specific episode despite him not being a part of it. The character is a Fire Nation royal serving as a supporting character and initially perceived as a villain.
“Tales of Ba Sing Se, honestly. I also like the Guru Pathik stuff. I think it took the show in an interesting direction, added a lot of spirituality and other things that typically you don’t see in cartoons that are made for kids.”
Eisen rarely talks about his time working in the Avatar show, and after retiring from voice acting, fans have not heard of his involvement with any of the recent Avatar projects. With the resurgence of the Avatar hype, Eisen has become a popular name again.
Zach Tyler Eisen Started His Career Very Early
Having worked on several animated shows, such as The Ant Bully, Little Bill, and The Backyardigans, Zach Tyler Eisen had a pretty strong portfolio and a prolific career. Surprisingly, he revealed in the same Braving the Elements podcast interview that he has been doing professional work since he was four.
“I had no formal training, so that might honestly have been a good thing.”
For someone so young and with no educational background in voice acting, it’s impressive that he could portray Aang with such emotional range. Even though Eisen chose to abandon his career to pursue another profession, his version of the Avatar will always be the classic and original one.
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005) is streaming on Netflix.
