Avatar: The Last Airbender is widely touted to be one of the greatest animated shows of all time, and for good reason. Heavily influenced by Eastern cultures and animation techniques, the show was nothing short of a phenomenon when it was released, garnering tons of critical and commercial acclaim all over the world for its stellar art direction, brilliantly well-realized world, and a unique charm that made it equally endearing for both kids, teenagers, and young adults. Ask any person about the facets of this show that appealed to them the most, and you're bound to receive more than a single element of praise — such was the appeal of this show.

However, not everything about this show is as tightly woven as you might assume to be the case. The fact of the matter is that there are several downright ridiculous aspects of the show that deserve a second glance due to the absolutely inane nature of these instances. Obviously, it's not like these elements are dealbreakers — if anything, some might argue that the show is made all the more endearing due to the inclusion of these elements. However, this still doesn't give the show a free pass in any way — these 25 ridiculous things in Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend Of Korra need to be discussed in detail so that people can look at the show with an unbiased lens and realize that not everything can be perfect.

25 A 100-Year Old Bumi Is Incredibly Tough

Old age can honestly be quite crippling at times. The fact of the matter is that everybody's body weakens over time, and someone who's close to a hundred years old might find it beyond impossible to even move a muscle.

However, that's not the case for Bumi.

Even at a hundred years old, the rickety codger was still able to flex his impressive muscles as he gave Aang a run for his money in his own twisted trial.

What's your excuse?

24 Aang Somehow Managed To Survive A Hundred Years In Ice

Speaking of Aang, the one thing everyone seems to conveniently forget is the fact that he was as old as Bumi. It was only because his body was preserved in ice that he didn't face any of the aging problems that the former ruler of the Earth Kingdom had to endure.

However, there's a logical fallacy at play here.

Humans aren't exactly food... well, technically speaking. To assume that Aang's body stayed "fresh" in a state of suspended animation is a wrong assumption to make in every sense of the word.

23 The New Avatar Had Way Too Much Pressure Put On Him

Let's take a look back at the events that led to Aang being sealed in a ball of ice, to begin with. After facing a ton of pressure and bearing the weight of being the next Avatar, the last straw broke when he found out that he would be taken away from his mentor, Monk Gyatso.

In a bid to escape, he flew away on his trusted mount, Appa.

During his escape, an unforeseen storm caused him to lose his balance and his Avatar state kicked in to preserve his body.

The monks at the Southern Air Temple should've realized well beforehand that putting so much pressure on a child was not a wise idea.

22 It's Quite Convenient That Zuko Was At The Southern Pole Just When The Missing Avatar Was Uncovered

Speaking of the South, it must be said that this region was quite eventful during the initial moments of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Not only was the Avatar uncovered after a century of absence, but the exiled Prince Zuko also happened to be exploring the region at the same time.

Isn't that too much of a coincidence that — out of all the places that Zuko could've explored — he just happened to be hanging out in the Southern Pole at the same time that the Avatar had been uncovered?

21 Days And Nights Should Last Several Months On The Poles

The Poles are the focus of another point that simply needs to be discussed. This is fairly common knowledge that anyone with a basic idea of geography would know by this point — days and nights last six months at the poles.

The idea of a normal day-night cycle that the Avatar series adopts should be impossible in every sense of the word. Thus, the Siege of the Northern Water Tribe was based on this fallacy since waterbending was more powerful during a full moon — a phenomenon that should've taken way longer than it actually did.

20 A Bunch Of Teenagers Are Tasked With A Quest To Save The World

It seems that almost every show with a focus on teenagers or kids has adults that are simply way too stupid for their own good. After all, there's no viable explanation for the fact that a bunch of people who haven't even reached adulthood are given the monumental task of saving the entire freakin' world from a tyrant who's incredibly powerful and dangerous to boot.

Isn't this an incredibly lackadaisical attitude for the adults of the world to have? Ideally, they should be the one taking the initiative to free the world from a totalitarian ruler with no regard for human life.

19 Entering A Warmer Climate Should've Been Harder For Sokka And Katara To Adjust To

Katara and Sokka have never experienced life outside the poles. For them, sub-zero temperatures and sheer expanses of ice are pretty common sights. So, when they were tasked with accompanying Aang in the aforementioned quest of saving the world, you'd think that they would be somewhat skeptical of traveling in an area that they're simply not accustomed to.

Instead, not only are they more than open, but the warmth that they experience never really gets to them. Wouldn't their body react negatively to an unwelcome change in the weather?

18 The Idea Of Having Everyone In His Life Simply Disappear Would Be Too Much For Anyone, Let Alone A 12-Year Old Kid

When the gang makes their first trek — on, in this case, flight — to the Southern Air Temple, then Aang witnesses a rather horrible sight when he witnesses that all of the people he was close to had been dealt with by the Fire Nation. This included his friend and mentor, Monk Gyatso.

The resultant grief would be enough to break anyone and send them spiraling into depression, but all Aang needed was to go into the Avatar State once and be calmed down by Katara. Apparently, that was enough to revert him back to his cheerful self.

17 Momo Was Supposed To Be Monk Gyatso's Reincarnation

After going to the Southern Air Temple, Aang also happened to meet a Monkey Lemur whom he named Momo. Momo accompanied Aang throughout his adventure and provided some much-needed comic relief during tense moments.

However, if things played out like they were originally planned out, then Momo would've actually been a reincarnation of Monk Gyatso who would've guided Aang during his travels. How this would've been pulled off is anyone's guess.

16 Any Firebender Should Have The Ability To Conjure Blue Flames

One of the major reasons why Azula is touted to be one of the most brilliant firebenders of her time is because of the fact that she could naturally emit blue flames. This color was unique to her character since she was naturally gifted at firebending.

However, the altered color of these flames is mainly because of the level of heat she could generate. Shouldn't any firebender be capable of forming these flames if that's the case? After all, their entire art relies on the fact that they could increase the temperature around them.

15 Combustionbending Is Poorly Implemented

The art of combustionbending is admittedly quite enticing, in every sense of the word. However, the fact of the matter is that this form of bending is only shown in bits and pieces. It's not really built upon, which is quite a shame.

All we know is that a firebender with this specialty can concentrate chi around a particular part of their body to emit a beam that can cause immense explosive damage. This brings a number of questions to light... but — sadly enough — they will have to remain unanswered for now.

14 Was Toph Really So Brilliant That She Could Learn Metalbending On Her Own?

The art of metalbending was assumed to be impossible — that is, until Toph managed to bend her metal prison in a moment of desperation. Through intense meditation, she realized that metal was nothing more than a processed form of earth and managed to bend it and escape.

However, wouldn't it be a huge discredit to other earthbenders if it's stated that they didn't have the mental fortitude to figure out metalbending on their own? After all, an entire group of earthbenders was encased in a metal prison at one point in the show. Wouldn't they have tried their level best to bend the bars that imprisoned them, if nothing else?

It's not like they didn't have the time.

13 Lavabending Will Burn The User Where They Stand

Lavabending is admittedly a cool sub-form of earthbending that cements the argument once and for all that firebending is the coolest form of bending out there. However, this also brings to light another observation — it's also a very impractical form of bending.

We say this because the temperature of lava is so high that even standing near it will cause the human body. This makes it technically impossible to bend lava since the bender would start burning where they stand the moment they try it.

12 How Can Aang Stay Perfectly Still And Airbend The Glider?

Airbending is one of the most graceful forms of bending around due to the movement and poise required to pull it off. The user needs to be in a constant yet fluid motion to pull off airbending in the most graceful way possible.

However, if graceful movements are a requirement for airbending, then the fact that Aang can use his retractable staff to glide makes no sense. After all, Aang is rigid while he's on the glider. How is it even possible for him in the first place to bend the air around him?

11 Why Don't Firearms Exist In The World Of The Legend Of Korra?

The world of The Legend Of Korra is highly advanced, with the innovations of the Fire Nation spreading to the rest of the world as they adopt new-age technology to augment their lifestyle. However, amidst all this innovation, there's one aspect that is sorely missing — firearms.

While it's understandable as to why a show geared towards kids wouldn't want to promote firearms, it's still quite stupid to think that rogue benders can use their powers to make the lives of non-benders a living nightmare, without the latter having anything to defend themselves.

10 Katara And Zuko Could've Been Together

The ideation of a show is a process that any person would like to witness firsthand. After all, there are several ideas that can steer the entire plot in a direction that is honestly quite entertaining to think about.

One such idea that was discarded early on was the fact that Katara and Zuko would end up together. It's a neat concept that would've seen two polarizing figures reconcile in the best way possible, but for better or for worse this idea was scrapped.

9 Toph And Sokka Might've Been A Couple

Speaking of possible romances, here's another tryst in the making that unfortunately didn't come to be — the coupling of Sokka and Toph. The seeds of this relationship had actually been planted early on, with Toph developing a crush of sorts on Sokka.

However, due to Toph's standoffish nature and Sokka's penchant for being a ladies man, this relationship never really came to be. It's quite a shame indeed since the idea of both these different personalities being together was a Yin-Yang relationship in the making.

8 The Lion Turtle Is Used For Just One Scene

The mythos of the Lion Turtle was built up time and time again in Avatar: The Last Airbender, placing them as legendary beings who enabled the art of bending to become prominent in the first place. So, you'd think that these creatures would play a major role in the events of the show, right? Wrong.

Instead, what we get is a solitary Lion Turtle who provides some incredibly boring backstory, before providing Aang with the ability to energybend that would admittedly serve him well during his encounter with Ozai. That's it.

What a waste.

7 Toph Was Slated To Be A Big, Burly Dude

Remember when we were talking about discarded ideas that could've drastically changed the manner in which Avatar's story could've been told? Well, one of the ideas that were bounced around was that Toph would be a buff dude who would look like your run-of-the-mill earthbender.

Thankfully, this idea was scrapped and the Toph we got is the one we all know and love. However, this design wasn't wasted — the concept of Bolin in The Legend Of Korra was heavily inspired by this design.

6 The Series Was Originally Going To Be In The Sci-Fi Genre

The idea of Avatar: The Last Airbender being set in anywhere but a fantasy landscape is impossible to even think about, let alone take seriously. However, the fact of the matter is that the show could've actually been set in a radically different sci-fi landscape.

Thankfully, this wasn't the case, and the show ended up being in the setting we are all pretty familiar with at this point. This was just one of the many ideas that were discarded during the development and finalization of the series.