Avatar: The Last Airbender is renowned for, among many other things, its extensive world-building. An essential tool used by the show to accomplish this is its large cast of characters, each contributing their own small or large part to the depth of the universe.
While many are favorited by fans, production restraints on Netflix’s live-action reboot may lead to some characters getting left out. Many side characters prove pivotal to either the plot of the show, the arcs of certain characters, or both. Meanwhile, some have little long-term impact on the show and could be omitted with relatively little difficulty.
10 NEED: Gyatso
Monk Gyatso is the most formulate figure in Aang’s life. During the latter’s time at Southern Air Temple, Gyatso was a friend to him and a fairly carefree instructor compared to the other more stern council members. When it was decided that Aang would be sent away to begin his training as the Avatar, Gyatso was dismayed and that same night even planned to prevent this.
When Aang rediscovered the Air Temple a century later, he found Gyatso’s remains among those of several firebenders, leading Aang to realize that he truly was the last of the Air Nomads.
9 DON'T NEED: Bato
Bato’s first appearance in the series gave a further glimpse into the Southern Water Tribe’s culture and history. Through him, audiences learned of the Tribe’s role in the war, Hokoda’s status as leader of their fleet, and most importantly that Hokoda wanted Sokka to join him.
Aang is left feeling alienated by the sibling’s interactions with Bato and nearly destroys his relationship with Katara and Sokka when he hides a letter from their father. While Bato is a welcome addition to the show, his role is not prominent enough to be considered vital to the narrative.
8 NEED: Ursa
Although she mainly only appeared through flashbacks, Ursa was an essential character to the development of both of her children, Zuko and Azula. Ursa was the backbone of Zuko’s upbringing; she instilled in him empathy and kindness where Ozai only exuded loathing and disgust at his son’s weakness.
By contrast, her relationship with Azula was far more distant, and led Azula to feel neglected as she embraced her father’s view of the world. By the end of her story arc, Azula was plagued by hallucinations of an apologetic yet loving Ursa. This rapidly hastened her psychological imbalance and defeat by Zuko and Katara.
7 DON'T NEED: June
June was without a doubt an interesting character for the amount of screen time she was given. As a bounty hunter with a mole-like creature called a Shirshu that can track the most minute smells, she proved very effective in locating Aang when she was hired by Zuko.
However she left little impact outside of her debut episode and a second appearance near the end of the series where she was hired by Team Avatar. While her role could be expanded to be more prominent, the absence of her role as is would not be a huge loss to the reboot.
6 NEED: Bumi
When Team Avatar visits the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu, they are presented to the elderly and seemingly mad King Bumi. Bumi imprisons Sokka and Katara in crystals, insisting that Aang perform various tasks to secure their freedom.
Though insane on the surface, Bumi had done this with the goal of teaching Aang that his bending skills alone would not be enough in the future and that he needed to think critically as well. Additionally, Bumi was revealed to in fact be a childhood friend of Aang, giving the Avatar a living connection to his past other than Appa.
5 DON'T NEED: Aunt Wu
As a renowned fortuneteller, Aunt Wu held immense sway in Makapu Village. When Aang and Sokka discovered that a nearby volcano was about to erupt, their warnings were ignored by the villagers, who were confident in Wu’s contradictory prediction.
Aang and Katara used their waterbending to reshape the clouds (what Wu’s fortunes were based on) into a shape that indicates the impending disaster. Other than Katara’s fortune that she would fall in love with a “powerful bender,” Wu’s long-term effect on the show is negligible.
4 NEED: Jeong Jeong
While characters such as Iroh and Shyu were early introductions to more benevolent citizens of the Fire Nation, Jeong Jeong was first to turn his back on his homeland openly. Given his rejection of the Fire Nation’s war, the protagonists supported the idea that he teach Aang how to Firebend.
Though he does not receive a proper education in the art, Aang learns firsthand how dangerous it can be when he accidentally burned Katara. Jeong Jeong was later revealed to be a member of the White Lotus society and helped to defeat the Fire Nation during Sozin’s Comet.
3 DON'T NEED: Jet
Jet’s contribution to the series is compelling and serves to blur the lines between what is and isn’t justified in war. He was orphaned by the Fire Nation and wages a guerrilla campaign against them. However, the protagonists stop him when they learn he plans to flood and destroy a Fire Nation colony.
He appears later in the series, arrested after attempting to expose Zuko and Iroh as Firebenders and given an ambiguous fate afterward. His role in the series could be greatly reduced if necessary, with the themes presented by his character being fulfilled by other means.
2 NEED: Mai
Mai’s role in the series was initially to aid Azula and Ty Lee in capturing the Avatar. When this was supposedly accomplished at the end of Book 2, the trio and Zuko returned to the Fire Nation. She and Zuko rekindled their relationship, giving Zuko’s mind a brief respite from his years of banishment.
Later during the Boiling Rock escape, despite having felt betrayed by Zuko’s defection, Mai is swayed by his reasoning that he left the Fire Nation but not her. She helps Zuko, and is saved from Azula’s wrath by Ty Lee. The pair are put in prison, and the impact of their actions proved to help trigger Azula’s mental collapse.
1 DON'T NEED: Lion Turtle
In what many fans consider a “deus ex machina,” Aang sought the Lion Turtle in the hopes of finding an alternative to killing the Fire Lord. This came in the form of the massive creature granting him the ability to energybend, which enabled Aang to take away Ozai’s fire bending without killing him.
Its existence was hinted at in Book 2, but not to the extent of true foreshadowing. While an interesting character, without proper establishment, the Lion Turtle is little more than a last-minute plot device that could potentially be replaced by more established characters.
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