Despite the fact that Avatar: The Last Airbender was practically a show for kids, the depth of the stories and the characters quickly made it popular amongst adults as well. The animated series features a multitude of tragic stories that are enough to make a grown man cry. From Aang to Zuko to Azula, Avatar: The Last Airbender is filled to the brim with characters that have seen it all at a very young age.
As the characters have each gone through their very own personal hells, comparing tragedies seems unfair. However, in a poll conducted on social media, the fans of the Nickelodeon series have given their verdict and declared this character to be the one with the most tragic story. He is none other than the most powerful bender of his time, Aang.
Why Was Aang the Most Tragic Character in Avatar: The Last Airbender?
First of all, fans of the animated series are entitled to their own opinions. For some, Zuko might be the one with the saddest story in the show, and for others, it may be someone else like Katara or Azula. However, when fans on X were asked, “Which character here went through the most pain in ATLA?” the unanimous answer was Aang.
Since Aang is the main character in the series, it goes without saying that there’s a ton of weight on his shoulders, even though he’s just twelve years old. For starters, he lost almost all of his loved ones after the Fire Nation attacked his people and wiped out the Air Nomads. What’s worse is that the young boy was left with immense survivor’s guilt as he tried to process the loss of his culture, nation, and those he loved.
Waking up after being frozen in time was not easy for Aang whose world had turned upside down. When he realized what had happened to his nation, he blamed himself for it all. For a 12-year-old to have such overwhelming and self-blaming thoughts just ripped the fans’ hearts into a million pieces.
Losing his dear friend Appa, almost being killed after being struck by Azula’s lighting, his relationship with Katara, and more, are just a few of the examples of what Aang had to go through in the series that made him the strongest Avatar he is. Let’s not forget that he was just a young kid forced to have the responsibility of saving the world resting on his shoulders.
Take a look at what fans who voted for Aang have to say about this:
Aang and it’s not even close https://t.co/mMW26h1HKI
— daily aang (@aangdaily) March 29, 2024
they all went through different amounts of pain, it's hard to say but I'm going with Aang. He lost family, friends, and an entire culture that was true to him. To top it off, the whole world sorta hated him for "abandoning" them when they need him the most.
— Noel (@Bigdawgnoel) March 30, 2024
Aang was living peacefully with his people in a Eutopia one day and the next he was 100 years in the future where everything and everyone he's ever known(except Bumi) was gone. For a 12 year old kid tasked with ending a war.. that's a lot to handle.
— John.Wicked (@your_boy_miggy) March 29, 2024
Anyone who isn’t saying Aang…. I am begging you to be fr
— cuboneclub (@cuboneclub1) March 30, 2024
It has to be Aang, almost everyone he ever knew was gone, along with his people and his culture 😭
— Mando D. Luffy (@Bsmith517) March 29, 2024
Aang had to live after the genocide of his entire culture. There is no comparison. Plus they muzzled Appa!
— Nejiinfinite (@nejiinfinite) March 29, 2024
Aang’s story was one filled with loss, tragedy, guilt, and the burden of responsibility on his shoulders. No character comes close to what he had to go through in the animated series.
Aang Actor Would Agree with the Verdict
Since the animated series was aimed at children, it was easy for the kids to not dive deep into Aang’s character and his story. But for the adults who took a liking to the show, it was quite difficult to ignore.
Actor Gordon Cormier, who plays Aang in the Netflix live-action adaptation of the series had something to say about his character’s tragedies. Speaking with Teen Vogue, Cormier stated that the live-action series allowed the actors to “look into the darker sides” of their characters.
He added,
“[Aang is] naturally a really fun-loving, goofy 12-year-old, so to be hit with something so serious like a genocide [affecting] all of his people, it really affects him badly. We see in the first episode where I blow Katara and Sokka off the mountain how badly it’s affected me. It hurt me so much [that] I blasted into the Avatar state and started destroying my home. I think it just shows how serious and traumatic it is for Aang, but slowly, he’ll get through it and become the Avatar.”
Cormier witnessed Aang’s storyline firsthand. For him to agree just how traumatic it has been for the character further proves why Aang takes the trophy of the character with the most tragic storyline.
You can stream Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix.
