When it comes to creating engaging animated stories, Japan had us beat for years! Some of the best animations come out of this country, and we sit down every Saturday night to enjoy them on Adult Swim. However, something weird happened in the mid-2000s. We were rewarded with a compelling and thoughtful animated story that could be called our own. First, it was set to be on Nickelodeon of all places. Then, it was so good that adults and kids could enjoy it together. This seems like the unicorn of animated stories, but the writers of Avatar: The Last Airbender pulled it off. Even though the live-action film proved to be more than abysmal, the cartoon was almost flawless. The character development, thoughtful stories, and emotional attachments made this cartoon genuinely shine.
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It has been ten years since this show completed, and people are still talking about it. How many times have you been to a comic convention and seen someone dress up as Aang? Fans are still theorizing about plot holes and loose ends while wishing for its return. No one can deny that Avatar was a masterpiece of television. However, even with an IMDb rating of 9.2 out of 10, there are still some mysteries surrounding a lot of characters and plot points that were never answered (at least on the show). This show’s universe was so extensive; you were bound to miss something. Therefore, here are 25 hidden plot lines you likely missed in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
25 Who Can Wield Lightning
So, water, earth, fire, and air bending are absolutely cool powers. Being able to bend elements at will for any purpose is not only insane but amazing to watch. However, we would have to say the coolest ability would have to be the bending of lightning. Even though there are common elements that individuals in this universe can bend, royal members of the Fire Nation can bend lightning.
Talk about a royal birthright.
It is not something that everyone in the nation can do, only the members of the royal family can do this. What happened to where just this group of people can do this? Knowing how this group got this ability and how they can keep it from the people of the Fire Nation would be an excellent plot point.
24 What Was The True Purpose Of The White Lotus Society?
For some reason, any type of clandestine society sparks interest and mystery. Be it the CIA, FBI, or Freemasons; there is always some shroud of secrecy surrounding these organizations. Avatar: The Last Airbender has its own in the White Lotus Society. The White Lotus society was meant to liberate Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation.
Basically, who are these guys?
However, while they did serve the Avatar more openly, later on, many of their operations and purpose for why they did what they did is still a mystery. There are a lot of questions as to who they really were. This is something many fans thought was going to be further explored in the finale, but many were still left hanging. So, while there are still some unanswered questions, sometimes it is more fun to speculate and theorize.
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23 Did Toph’s Family Know Of Her Work?
Toph joined the crew in the second season and abandoned her wealthy parents to join the cause of Aang. This act is incredibly noble, but one must wonder about how her family must have felt with her departure. Fans get a little bit of an answer to the question as she does reach out to her folks later in the show. In one episode, she sends a message to her mother, but this is never acknowledged again, and we have no idea if her mother ever returned the message. How did her parents feel, or did they even know? Honestly, this plotline could have been explored for a whole episode. While Avatar was a children’s show, its subject matter dealt with a lot of sensitive issues. They never shied away from showing the impact saving the world had on families.
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22 Ursa’s Status
This might be one of the most asked about mysteries of Avatar. After the show ended, fans were left stumped as to what happened to Zuko and Azula’s mother, Ursa. She had both children with Fire Lord Ozai. Everything normal until she uncovered a plot for her husband to murder their own son. She ensured the safety of her son’s life but was then banished from the Fire Nation.
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Talk about major family issues!
She was presumed to be dead, but various pieces of evidence revealed that she was likely still alive. Fortunately, the Avatar comics shed some light on her whereabouts and explained that she left the Fire Nation, lost her memory, and started a new family. One her elder children found her she was accepted back into the nation. Still, what was she up to during the Avatar timeline?
21 The Peaceful Water Tribe
While the Fire and Earth nations are a bit more zealous, the water nation is a lot more peaceful. Their family structure represents a normal one that viewers could relate to. This seems like a positive thing, but the world of Avatar looks dog-eat-dog. Everyone is attacking everyone else, and with the insane powers of the Fire Nation, how is a nation like this even able to exist? They seem as if they are way out of their league in this world, but somehow they can survive and thrive. However, why is this the case? Also, in their peaceful state, they were able to take down the Fire Nation, and protect their land. Something many other areas couldn’t even do. How were they able to do this?
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20 The Fire Nation’s Air Voyage
Again, don’t be fooled by the fact that Avatar was shown on Nickelodeon. The writers of this show were experts at blending mature elements with plotlines that children and teenagers could understand. One of these is the sensitive issue of mass attacks, and how this impacts those involved.
Nothing like a cartoon break filled with war and massacres.
During the Air Nomad genocide, where the remaining airbenders were destroyed by the Fire Nation, the nation's armies were able to reach the elevated areas where the Air Nomads were to eliminate them. However, the widespread belief is that individuals could only enter this area via flying bison. Mystery surrounds the plot behind their ascent to where these individuals were. How did they get up there? How were they able to use their firebending powers in this environment?
19 Saving The Bison
There has never been a creature in this universe that looks as cool and slightly creepy as the flying bison. These guys look like a cross between the Falkor from The Neverending Story and a real bison. It has six legs and is covered in fur. However, they were a favorite of fans and for a good reason. Many thought the endearing flying bison were all destroyed in the Hundred Years War, yet some were found in another location by Aang. The Bhanti Tribe were shown to have raised another herd of these animals in secret. How they acquired the animals is not explicitly known. This is like a colossal mammal going extinct in real life, and it shows up in some obscure mountain land in Nepal or Peru. This animal’s voyage with the Bhanti Tribe would have been fascinating to see.
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18 The Fall Of Dai Li
Again, we have another secret society that was likely up to no good. The Dai Li were the secret and elite police force of Ba Sing Se. This guy could not catch a break, as the society he trusted to watch out for him and ensure his safety did not live up to the expectation. Eventually, the police force fell into corruption and diminished the role of the Earth King into that of a figurehead.
We can't help but wonder why this sounds so familiar?
We know that Princess Azula came through to manipulate this group, but how in the world could a national police force decide to turn on their king for someone from another nation? How did the corruption first begin? Watching the collapse of a nation’s governmental body is advanced for Nickelodeon, but it would have been interesting to see in the context of the show.
17 The Only Boy In The Room
Sokka seemed to have a romantic streak, and this helped him to make history with one of the series’ most pressing and skilled warrior clans. The Kyoshi Warriors were incredibly on it in the combat department, and Sokka was welcomed to train with this group. The only thing is that the Kyoshi Warriors are historically known for being an all-female squad. Sokka was the single male to be trained and have the honoring of wearing the uniforms of the all-female Kyoshi warriors. We know he had a fling with Suki who was also a warrior, but what was it about him that made them want to make him the first male to be trained by their squad? There are some interesting tidbits to look into with this plot.
16 Iroh’s Spirit World Adventure
Every story involving a child trying to save the world while coming of age and figuring out who they are, it typically requires an older and more mature person to guide them through the process. In Avatar, that position belongs to Iroh. He is mysterious and has a lot of wisdom to share, but there is more than meets the eye to this favorite character in the Avatar universe.
He is totally the "Yoda" of this universe.
Iroh is found to have a significant skill: he can travel to the spirit world and even see inhabitants of it. This usually is only reserved for the Avatar, but for some reason, he can do it. He also knows things that he should not because he wasn't present when various events occurred. How in the world did he venture to the spirit realm, and why?
15 The Sad Story Of The Airbenders
So, we have these kingdoms of water, earth, fire, and wait…where is air? While each domain has a territory and army, the airbenders are nowhere to be found. Some of this is due to the Fire Nation’s attack on them during the Hundred Years War, but many would still like to know why these individuals are considered nomads. Why have they not resettled? Again, this would be an excellent tidbit to look into. Do the other nations have something against the airbenders? Are they subject to more scrutiny than others? It really is a sad story, but again proves why this show was beloved by children and adults alike. It was not afraid to address sensitive issues that may be hard for children to understand outside of the show.
14 Lion Turtles…What?
Okay, so this one totally takes the cake. Imagine just walking through a forest or desert and all of a sudden you stumble upon a creature you have never seen before. You are face-to-face with a hybrid of a turtle or lion. We wouldn’t know whether to pull out our phones and take a photo or run in terror. The series is known for its creativity, and one of the characters that put this on full display is the Lion Turtles.
Okay, so how did this idea go down in writer's meetings?
These creatures are protectors of humankind and harvest the power of specific element bending qualities. At some point, these turtles were hunted to near extinction until only one was left. Aang eventually meets this turtle and receives the art of energy bending. However, what was this creature doing all this time until Aang showed up? How did it protect itself? Did it use energy bending for another purpose?
13 The Lost Boys
The story of how the Freedom Fighters came to be is a sad one. As fans know, they are a group of children who have been orphaned due to the Fire Nation destroying their homes and families. Many have noticed the similarity of their story to the real-life Freedom Fighters who existed during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. In true Avatar style, Aang helps these guys fight the Fire Nation again. However, after Aang meets up with Longshot and Smellerbee during the protest of the Fire Nation, these guys are never heard from again. What have they been up to since this event? Could they still be undercover leading the Freedom Fighters? What a significant loose end and plot to keep open.
12 Azula’s Whereabouts
Azula was an unstable and evil person. She is the princess of the Fire Nation, and she uses her power to commit horrible acts. Her jealousy of her brother’s stature and her father’s favor for him drove her to be one of the sociopathic villains in the series. Ultimately, she resorted to kidnapping children with her female followers to stick it to her brother, Zuko.
There seems to be a pattern of villains getting away here.
However, after this occurs, she disappears and is never brought to justice. Where did she go? Has she decided to start her own kingdom somewhere else? Did she end up in a similar situation as her mother? It is dangerous to think that someone like this is still out and about, but it would be interesting to know where she has settled.
11 The Tale Of Two Brothers
This one is specifically related to The Legend of Korra but does have relevance to Avatar: The Last Airbender. The Avatar universe has so many side characters with exciting backstories that it’s crazy. In The Legend of Korra, there are two brothers, Mako and Bolin. Even though they are brothers, they each bent different elements. Even though their parents were from different nations, how did this come to be? Is this a common thing in certain families? This has relevance to The Last Airbender, as Aang and Katara have children and the same thing occurs. Each child can bend different elements. Is this happening to other parents in the Avatar universe? A battle between two siblings with different bending abilities would be a sight to watch.
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10 The Lost Boomerang
You know how some people always lose their keys, phone, or glasses? Well, what if they were a warrior that always happened to drop their weapons? Yeah, you know who we are talking about at this point. Sokka has a boomerang weapon that he always loses in battle. Even though this happens, it always comes back at some point. However, the final time he used this object it did not. Did someone grab it and now uses it for themselves? Okay, hear us out. There could have been a whole episode on the journey of this boomerang. They could have followed who picked it up and somehow connected it back to Team Avatar. It’s still not too late; we would watch an “Avatar Boomerang” movie. Okay, maybe not.
9 How Did The Swampbenders Come To Be?
There are so many schisms in the Avatar universe it is hard to keep up with them all. We know this show is about Aang, and his journey to fight evil, but many times, the stories about other groups are just as engaging. This is what makes the show so beloved by many as all the pieces fit together to push the story along. One of these groups who have a separate engaging storyline is the Swampbenders.
We think we would prefer lightning bending.
The Swampbenders are an eccentric group of benders who live in swamps. However, they are not mentioned as an original kingdom. Who are these people? They did break off from the Waterbenders, but why? The Northern and Southern Waterbender tribes do not know of them. We have so many questions!
8 Everything About Combustion Man
So, Combustion Man would be cool if he was not on a mission to eliminate children. Even so, you cannot deny this guy’s insane power, and the peculiar way he can bend fire. This guy was a unique type of firebender who was sent to assassinate Aang. However, what was his real name? Also, how was he able to firebend with his mind using the eye tattoo on his head? There are so many secrets surrounding why this character came out the way he did and was okay with chasing down a kid. What happened to him to make him like this? He is almost like the Boba Fett of this series, but not in a good way. His story seems more tragic as we think about it.
7 Sokka And Suki’s Love Connection
What really has us questioning the outcome of this relationship is the fact that Sokka ever seemed to have any offspring. When the family tree of prominent characters in the series is revealed, Sokka’s family line stops with him. Now, these two characters were known to be in a relationship.
Soccer seemed to have no luck in keeping the ladies.
However, we never find out if they got together and had children. If they didn’t, what led to their relationship’s demise? Did they try to have children and could not? Thankfully, we find out about most of the character’s dealings after the Avatar timeline, but Sokka’s story is absent. This makes us all the more curious. We think a comic or show to explain why things didn’t work out with him and Suki is in order.
6 Zuko’s Inner Turmoil
No one is more conflicted than the offspring of a villain. Especially one who went to school with the protagonist at some point. Well, Zuko, son of Fire Lord Ozai, was one of the only members of the royal family who could not bend lightning. Iroh told him that he first had to handle inner turmoil to be able to accomplish this feat. It would make sense that Zuko would have a lot of emotional turmoil. His mother was banished from the kingdom, and his father is basically an attacker. So, his confusion and angst make total sense. Was he able to overcome his inner demons and if so, which situation rendered him unable to wield the power of lightning? It sounds like we need a Zuko offshoot story!