The animated Avatar: The Last Airbender series, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, has become a cult classic although the last season aired more than a decade ago. Its popularity among the viewers led to its adaptation into M. Night Shyamalan’s 2010 live-action film. It also spawned the sequel series The Legend of Korra, which aired from 2012 to 2014.
Fast forward to 2023, a Netflix live-action remake of the series was released. Just like the animated show, this live-action series also featured numerous characters such as Aang the Avatar, his companions Katara and Sokka, the exiled Fire Nation crown prince Zuko, and many others. Every fan has their own bias when it comes to all these characters. Similarly, the writers too have a personal favorite.
Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s Creator Revealed the Writers’ Favorite Character
Although the original creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko were initially hired as executive producers and showrunners, they exited the show due to creative differences. They took to their Instagram accounts to reveal they were no longer involved with the project in August 2020.
After Live Action Series, Avatar the Last Airbender to Also be Adapted into a Multiplayer Video Game
In 2021, Albert Kim was reported to be appointed as the showrunner. As a fan of the animated series, Kim was living the dream as he was already a part of the writers’ room when DiMartino and Konietzko decided to break ties with the show. In an interview with IndieWire, he claimed that he worked with them briefly and also got the answers to some of his questions as a fan.
In the same interview, he was asked which was his favorite character to write. His answer was quite surprising when it came to the writers’ favorite character as he said:
“Katara (Kiawentiio) is probably the most emotional of the characters, so that’s catnip for writers.”
Katara is Aang’s fourteen-year-old companion. She is the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe after her mother was murdered by the Fire Nation. Anne with an E actress Kiawentiio Tarbell portrays the character in the Netflix show.
The Avatar Character Albert Kim Loves to Watch
Albert Kim said that everyone likes Sokka (portrayed by Ian Ousley) for his sense of humor, and Aang (portrayed by Gordon Cormier) for his optimism and childlike hope. However, the character that he likes to watch might surprise some. He revealed it, saying:
“I would argue Zuko is probably the most popular character from the original series because of his incredible redemption arc; I think one of my favorite episodes of our series is all centered around Zuko; the sixth episode may be my favorite of the whole season.”
Zuko, with his short temper, is not the character most fans would admit to liking since he is Aang’s antagonist. So, Kim liking him might be surprising, but the reason behind it makes sense.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is available for streaming on Netflix.
