Warning! This article contains spoilers for Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1 features an early mention of a Lion Turtle, a type of creature vital to the lore of the overall series. By the time of The Last Airbender season 1’s ending, Netflix’s live-action adaptation proves one of its biggest strengths is the inclusion of Avatar‘s wondrous creatures. From the weird and wonderful beasts that populate The Last Airbender‘s Spirit World to the ostrich-horses of the Earth Kingdom, Netflix’s Avatar features many designs familiar to fans of the original series.
Interestingly, one of the teases for future seasons of Netflix’s The Last Airbender comes in the form of one of the series’ creatures. While this creature is not seen, it is mentioned in a scene in The Last Airbender season 1, episode 8. The creature in question is a Lion Turtle, a race of beasts that hold crucial importance to the story and characters of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
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Netflix’s Last Airbender Season 1 Finale Sets Up Lion Turtles
In The Last Airbender‘s season 1 finale, Admiral Zhao is shown searching for a way to defeat the Waterbenders of the Northern Water Tribe. Consulting a Fire Sage in spiritual matters, Zhao states that nothing can help him and that the records only make mention of Lion Turtles. In The Last Airbender, Lion Turtles are the oldest and largest race of animals on the planet. Similarly, The Last Airbender’s various stories have established Lion Turtles as inherently spiritual beings that are integral to the state of the universe, meaning their early setup in Netflix’s Avatar makes a lot of sense.
Lion Turtles Become Majorly Important To The Last Airbender’s Lore
The first reason why Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender setting up Lion Turtles so early is important is due to Aang’s story in the original show. In the finale of Book Three: Fire, Aang grows closer to confronting the Fire Lord once and for all. However, Aang’s Airbending nature and nomadic teachings from the monks make him hesitant to kill Ozai in cold blood. Torn between this seemingly impossible decision, Aang goes on a spiritual journey.
Aang awakens on the back of a floating island, which he soon discovers to be a Lion Turtle. The Lion Turtle explains that in ancient times, Spiritbending was once possible. The Lion Turtle teaches Aang this ability, which the young Avatar uses to remove Ozai’s bending and the need to kill the Fire Lord, ending the war peacefully.
Furthermore, Lion Turtles become even more vital to The Last Airbender‘s history in the show’s sequel, The Legend of Korra. Korra discovers that the very first Avatar, Wan, earned his bending abilities from the Lion Turtles, who once protected humanity from what was known as the Spirit Wilds. These incredibly crucial points of The Last Airbender‘s history all involve Lion Turtles, proving how logical it is for Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender to set up the creatures as early as possible.
All episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1 are now streaming on Netflix.
Avatar: The Last Airbender (Live-Action)
Based on the acclaimed animated Nickelodeon television series, Avatar: The Last Airbender is an action-adventure fantasy series developed by Albert Kim. The series follows Aang, a young man training to harness the four elements to live up to the title of Avatar – the one who will restore balance to the world.
- Cast
- Gordon Cormier , Dallas Liu , Kiawentiio , Ian Ousley , Daniel Dae Kim , Paul Sun-Hyung Lee
- Release Date
- February 22, 2024
- Where To Watch
- Netflix
