Selasa, 08 Januari 2008

Avatar: The Legend of Aang

Avatar: The Last Airbender takes place in a fantasy world, home to humans,
fantastic animals, and supernatural spirits. Human civilization is divided
into four nations—the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Air Nomads,
and the Fire Nation. Within each nation, an order of men and women called
"Benders" have the ability to manipulate their native element.
These Bending arts combine a certain style of martial arts and
elemental mysticism. The Bending types are Waterbending, Earthbending,
Firebending, and Airbending.[12]

In each generation, one person is capable of Bending all four elements;
this is the Avatar, the spirit of the planet manifested in human form.
When the Avatar dies, he or she is reincarnated into a baby native in
the next of the four nations in the Avatar Cycle, which parallels the
seasons: winter for water, spring for earth, summer for fire,
and autumn for air.[13] While legend holds that the Avatar must
master the elements in order, starting with their native element,
this can sometimes be compromised when the situation requires it.
Learning to bend the element opposite one's native element is extremely
difficult because opposing Bending arts are based on opposing
fighting styles and doctrines. Firebending and Waterbending are opposites,
as are Earthbending and Airbending. [14].

The Avatar possesses a unique power that resides within him or her,
called the Avatar State. It is a defense mechanism that empowers the
Avatar with the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars.
When the state is reached, the current Avatar will be able to wield
the combined power of all past lives. When the Avatar enters this state,
his or her eyes and mouth, and tattoos in the case of an Airbender,
begin to glow. The glow is the representation of all the Avatar's
previous incarnations focusing their energy through his or her body.
However, if the Avatar is killed in the Avatar State, then the reincarnation
cycle will be broken, and the Avatar will cease to exist.[15]


Through the ages, countless incarnations of the Avatar have
served to keep the four nations in harmony and maintain world order.
[12] The Avatar also serves as the bridge between the physical world
and the Spirit World, home of the world's disembodied spirits.[16]

Main Characters

Aang (Mitchel Musso in the unaired pilot, Zach Tyler Eisen onwards)
is the fun-loving, 12-year-old (chronologically 112-years-old)
protagonist of the series. He is the current incarnation of the Avatar,
the avatar of the planet manifested in human form. As the Avatar,
Aang must master all four elements to bring peace to the world and balance
between the four Nations.[20] Every way the relunctant hero, Aang openly
expresses that he rather be searching for fun adventure and making new friends
than being charged with saving the world. Compounded with his energetic nature
and childish naïvete, at times Aang can be somewhat oblivious of the world around
him and others' true feelings, as he is often too preoccupied with the events
immediately surrounding him to notice what occurs on a more in-depth level.
However, over the course of the series, Aang matures drastically as his
experiences cause him to fully realize the state of the world and gradually
shape him into being physically and mentally suited for the task set before him.

Katara (Mae Whitman) is 14 years old, and one of the remaining
Waterbenders of the Southern Water Tribe. Katara, along with her brother,
Sokka, discovers Aang at the beginning of the series. She and Sokka accompany
him on his quest to defeat the Fire Lord and bring peace to the war-torn nations.
Katara is mature, loving, and responsible. Always looking out for the well-being of
others, after the passing of their mother at the hands of the Fire Nation,
Katara took on a motherly role over Sokka, a nature that she expressed in
relation to Aang and Toph. She is an apt leader when the situation calls for one.
[21] However, she can be overbearing at times, and believes without exception that
her way is the right way, never relenting on her views even when they are disproved.
[22] Despite Katara's kind nature, she has a temper which, when combined with her
impressive waterbending skills and idealistic views, can be quite destructive.

Sokka (Jack DeSena) is a 15-year-old warrior of the Southern Water Tribe who,
with his sister Katara, accompanies Aang on his quest to defeat the Fire Lord.
Sokka describes himself as "meat-loving" and "sarcastic."[14] Unlike his companions,
Sokka cannot bend an element. However, the series frequently grants him opportunities
to demonstrate his true gift: ingenuity. He takes great pride in his mental and physical
strength, though it is often overshadowed by others' ability to bend. He is extremely clever,
relying on science where the mystical and martial arts elude him,
though his silly and immature manner often causes others to underestimate
his intellect.

Toph Bei Fong (Jessie Flower) is a 12-year-old, blind Earthbender who
leaves her wealthy lifestyle and home to join Aang on his quest in order
to teach him earthbending. Though blind, Toph "sees" with Earthbending,
feeling vibrations in the ground that objects make when they are moving,
which also allows for certain other abilities unique to her. Toph has largely
lived in seclusion all her life due to overprotective parents, which makes her
somewhat selfish, sarcastic, and, at times, bitter and arrogant.
She does not hesitate to speak her mind and is bluntly truthful.
With the presence of friends, Toph gradually becomes less overly
abrasive towards others and learns what it means to be part of a team.

Zuko (Dante Basco) is the exiled 16-year-old prince of
the Fire Nation and original primary antagonist of the series.
Zuko was obsessed with capturing the Avatar in his quest to restore
his honor and redeem himself in the eyes of his father, Fire Lord Ozai,
who deems him a complete failure. The most defining aspect of his appearance
is the scar over his left eye, which he received during a forced Agni Kai with Ozai.
[23] As a result of his conflicted life, including the loss of his beloved mother Ursa,
Zuko often acts temperamental, bitter, and cold to anyone he comes in contact with.
However, his character is subjected to the most significant amount of development
throughout the series, influenced by both the presence of his Uncle Iroh and his
time as an exile. Overtime, Zuko becomes less of an overbearing, pompous prince
and more of an emotional outcast. He is shown to be a very caring and contemplative
individual, at times struggling with his feelings of pity and bonding
with the same people his nation has terrorized. Later on in the third
series of Avatar, Zuko finally decides to abandon his family and the
firebenders world conquest and joins the Avatar to help him master Fire
Bending.


Azula (Grey DeLisle) is the 14 year-old-princess of
the Fire Nation, Zuko's younger sister, and Fire Lord Ozai's
pampered favorite child. Azula has been cruel and self-centered
her entire life. Her mind is set on war and power; she manipulates
and even tortures others to advance her own desires, ignoring family
and emotional bonds whenever necessary. As a firebending prodigy with
a sadistic personality, Azula is a dangerous opponent. Azula is one of
the few Firebenders shown to possess the ability to generate lightning,
but is also the only one shown who can produce blue fire, which is much
hotter than an orange flame.[15] Azula sees others as expendable,
and intimidates her lackeys and all those under her command.

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