It's amazing just how robust and malleable the medium of animation actually is. The fact of the matter is that pretty much anything and everything can be conveyed through animation, which is extremely taxing and expensive if one decides to portray the same through live-action. One of the best examples that will help us illustrate this point has to be Avatar: The Last Airbender, which featured a world and a story that simply wouldn't have translated well on the big screen. We say this because there already has been an attempt to bring this series to a more consumable format, and let's just say that things didn't really pan out for the best.

However, while the series is certainly brilliant, we absolutely must say that there are still a number of things fundamentally wrong with the show that we absolutely must address. Before we start off with this list, keep in mind that Avatar is a kids show (I know, shocker), which means that there are certain boundaries that the show needs to operate in. However, the number of times that this boundary has been crossed is simply staggering, and we feel that the fans of the series choose to ignore these oddities, rather than talk about this at length. Keeping this in mind, here are 25 times that Avatar: The Last Airbender was so inappropriate that you won't even be able to look at the series in the same way again.

25 Azula's Mental Situtation Is In Tatters By The End Of The Series

Azula is one of the most despicable characters in the entire series, without a shadow of a doubt. Her entitled and spoilt nature is just one of the many reasons why she's reviled by the majority of the fanbase, and while her proficiency with firebending might be impressive, it still doesn't give her the right to pretend that the world functions around her.

The Agni Kai with Zuko gave her the reality check she desperately needed.

It finally made her realize that she wasn't the special one that everyone had built her up to be. She was still lacking in certain areas that she chose to ignore, believing herself to be nothing short of perfect. This brutal reality dawned upon Azula so hard that she lost her sanity, and had to be admitted to a mental asylum to be cured.

24 Azula Has Some Serious Mommy Issues

Of course, one reason why Azula might've grown in such a messed-up manner was that her own mother realized just how much of a disturbed individual she was from birth. After all, her natural aptitude with firebending meant that she was her father's favorite, while Zuko ended up in Ursa's good books.

While she didn't show it, Azula wanted her mother's love as well.

This is completely normal — after all, what child wouldn't want to be close to her mother? Unfortunately, for Azula, she got the short end of the stick when it came to this particular familial aspect, and ended up developing a closer relationship with her tyrannical father instead.

It's not like Ursa deserves the Mother Of The Year award as well — there are certain aspects of her character that simply cannot be ignored, such as the fact that...

23 Ursa Wilfully Chose To Lose Her Memory And Forget Her Children

Due to certain circumstances that will be the point of focus in another entry, Ursa was forced into carrying out a despicable act that would undoubtedly haunt her memories. However, one way to get rid of this guilt was by forgetting that she even chose to perform such a heinous act, to begin with.

Unfortunately, the price for this was losing the memory of her children.

Initially, all Ursa wanted to do was attain a new face so that she wouldn't be the target of the Fire Nation's wrath, if she did get found out. In a bid to do so, she met up with the Mother of Faces and asked for a new face. The deity felt Ursa's mental pain, and provided her with the option of wiping her memories as well. After a slight bit of hesitation, Ursa agreed, abandoning her children in the process.

22 Ursa Was Forced To Break Off Her Engagement With Her One True Love

The question that you might be asking at this point is — just how did Ursa even find out about the existence of the Mother of Faces? The answer lies in a figure from Ursa's past known as Iken, who was an integral part of her life until certain circumstances snatched him away for what felt like forever.

Ursa's engagement with Ikem was broken off for political reasons.

Ursa had fallen head-over-heels for Ikem, and was positively jubilant when Ikem asked for her hand in marriage. However, in a cruel turn of event, Ursa ran back towards her home in excitement... only to find out that her fate had already been sealed with Ozai.

But perhaps Ursa never really cut off her relationship with Ikem at that point in time. We say this because of a prevalent fan theory that is the subject of the next entry.

21 Zuko Might Not Actually Be Ozai's Son After All

The sheer injustice and humiliation that Zuko faced under the thumb of his father is truly mortifying to witness. After all, what kind of a father places a permanent scar on his own son and banishes him from his own home? I mean, we've heard of the concept of tough love, but this is taking it one step too far. But there's one explanation that — while not justifies — explains Ozai's behavior.

Zuko might not even be his own son.

After all, even a cold-hearted individual like Ozai would harbor at least some twisted form of love for his own kin. However, what might've happened is that Zuko was born out of an illegitimate relationship between Ursa and Ikem. Deciding not to risk any humiliation, Ozai might've chosen to bury this fact and raise Zuko as his own.

20 Zuko Is Very Much His Father's Son (Whether He Likes It Or Not)

No matter who your biological father might be, the fact of the matter is that your upbringing still plays a vital role when it comes to shaping your personality. It's a truth that's hard to shake off, no matter how hard a person might try to deny. The same goes for Zuko, who wanted to mend his ways and be a just ruler.

Unfortunately for Zuko, tyranny apparently ran in his blood.

In The Promise (the comics that continued the story of Avatar), Zuko tried to rule with a fair hand. Unfortunately, the pressure of sitting on the throne was too much for him, and he ended up regressing back to his father's nature during certain moments of his tenure as the ruler of the Fire Nation. Thankfully, he was able to amend his mindset, but this still served as a rude wake-up call to him nevertheless.

19 Azulon Punished Ozai For His Ambition By Asking Him To Snuff Out His Own Son's Life

Azulon is the father of both Ozai and Iroh and was a despicable character in his own right. While we didn't see much of him in the series, the comics did a pretty good job portraying him as a power-hungry individual who would stop at nothing to fuel his massive ego. Perhaps the worst instance that showcased his disgusting personality occurred when Ozai asked for the throne over his elder brother, who was the natural successor to the throne.

Azulon decided to punish this insolence in the worst way possible.

To reprimand his younger son for this insubordination, Azulon instructed Ozai to take his own son's life as the ultimate price for sitting on the throne. One can't even imagine just how cold-hearted you actually have to be to nonchalantly order the end of your own grandson's life.

Perhaps the worst part about this is that...

18 Ozai Was Willing To End His Son's Life To Sit On The Throne

At this point, we feel that there should be a specific term to describe the ravenous nature of Ozai's ambition, because power-hungry's simply not going to cut it anymore. After all, the fact of the matter is that no matter how ambitions one might be, there are still certain limits that they just don't breach.

But for Ozai, these limits simply don't exist.

The previous entry talked about Azulon, and how he ordered Ozai to take his own son's life if he wished to usurp Iroh's position on the throne. While that is already bad enough, what's even worse is that Ozai was completely willing to go through with such a despicable act. Words can't explain just how revolting Ozai's character is, and his defeat at the hands of Aang was perhaps one of the most satisfying moments in television history.

17 Iroh Already Lost His Son, And Zuko Was Somewhat Like His Own Kid

The one person who certainly would've been completely against Ozai's decision would be Iroh himself. To think that these two are brothers truly boggles the mind, since Iroh is one of the most endearing and lovable characters of all time — a stark contrast to the ruthless nature of his young brother. However, even his happy-go-lucky personality hid a dark side that he rarely unveiled.

After all, Iroh had already lost his son to the trails of war.

This might've contributed to Iroh's peace-loving nature, since he had first-hand experience when it came to the wasteful nature of war. This might also be why he developed such a strong bond with Zuko, since he wanted to develop a fatherly relationship with his nephew. After all, the loss of a child would deeply scar anyone, and Iroh is no exception to human emotions and feelings.

16 Azula Showed Early Signs Of Being A Full-On Psychopath

We've already talked about Azula in detail before, and at this point discussing her character any more would be pointless. After all, aside from the strained relationship she had with her mother, Azula's character can be described as the typical psychopath who was born into royalty. However, what might really surprise you is that the signs of her disturbed nature were already on display when she was a mere kid.

Anyone who's been around kids can vouch for the fact that they find it extremely hard to control their feelings. However, in the case of Azula, she was able to completely master the portrayal of facial emotions from an early age, without facing any problem whatsoever. This is obviously not normal, and probably contributed to the intense feelings of dislike that Ursa experienced when it came to her daughter.

15 Korra Loses Her Connection With The Past Avatars

The Legend Of Korra is a fitting continuation of the Avatar series that carries the universe onward to the next generation. A number of new elements were added to the series as well, to which the reception has been somewhat divisive. However, they still managed to add an interesting dynamic to the series, such as the existence of Raava and Vaatu. However, during her battle with Tarrlok, Raava was extracted and destroyed.

This meant that Korra was unable to contact the past Avatars anymore.

The implications of this are pretty dire, to say the very least. After all, the fact of the matter is that accessing the knowledge of the past Avatars is crucial if they wish to attain guidance on how to approach a particular situation. Without these valuable insights, the current Avatar might not be able to make a wise judgment regarding a particular situation at hand.

14 Aang Willingly Cuts Off His Connection With The Past Avatars

While Korra's connection with the past Avatars was forcefully severed, what Aang did might end up being far more reproachable. After all, as we've already mentioned before, the past Avatars are extremely wise, and their knowledge will prove to be valuable at all times. However, when Aang wanted to take Roku's advice regarding a particular situation, the conversation took a turn for the worse — Aang was not happy with what Roku wanted him to do.

So, in retaliation, he permanently severed his connection with the past Avatars.

It's a foolhardy and impulsive decision that Aang would definitely regret over the coming years. This begs the question — just what was the topic of conversation that ended on such a bad note?

13 Aang Was Forced Into A Promise Which Involved Ending Zuko's Life

Zuko and Aang used to be mortal enemies, but ended up being stalwart friends that would stick with each other over the course of the series. However, in The Promise, Zuko decided to place a heavy burden on Aang by asking him to carry out a task if Zuko fell into the whirlpool of ambition and tyranny that his family was infamous for.

Aang was supposed to end Zuko's life if this was the case.

This is an extremely heavy burden, especially for someone who's still not even technically an adult. After Zuko started losing control of his emotions while on the throne, Aang decided to contact Roku, who told him to go through with the pact. Aang, not wanting to end his friend's life, decided to forgo the knowledge of the Avatars after this disagreement.

12 General Fong Convinced Aang That Katara Had Been ... Wow

General Fong is an annoying side character, who was tasked with being Aang's escort during his trip in the Earth Kingdom. Unfortunately for Team Avatar, this devious general had plans of his own. Fong thought that activating the Avatar State would be a sure-shot way to dispose of Ozai — a foolhardy plan, especially since the semantics of the Avatar State were way too complicated to be discussed. However, Fong wouldn't listen, and decided to coerce Aang to whip out his secret power. How, you ask?

By making Aang believe that Katara had been buried alive.

Talk about extreme. Thankfully, Fong was knocked out, and Team Avatar managed to set off on their own without the need for an escort.

However, this is not the first time that Aang went into the Avatar State out of rage.

11 Aang Came Back To His Home To Find Out That Everyone Had Perished

Imagine being told that what seemed like yesterday actually happened a 100 years, while you were encased in ice. Meanwhile, the world has slowly become annexed by an evil force that has wiped out all your friends and family. Won't that be incredibly hard to believe? This is exactly what went through Aang's as he went back to the Southern Air Temple, in a bid to meet his long-lost friends.

However, what greeted him were literally the skeletons of his past.

This shocking sight sent Aang into a rage and made him transform into the Avatar State. Without Katara and her affection, Aang would've laid waste to the entire temple, such was his anger upon witnessing the destruction of the Fire Nation.

And since we're already on the topic of the Avatar State...

10 The Avatar State Turns A Quiet, Happy-Go-Lucky Kid Into A Scary Destroyer

Aang is generally a pretty happy kid with a heart of gold. He genuinely wants to be a good person, and tries to stray away from any lethal measures while dealing with his enemies. The fact that he wanted to take care of a tyrant like Ozai without having to resort to any extreme means speaks volumes when it comes to his character.

However, his Avatar State transformation is a whole another story.

The fact of the matter is that the Avatar State basically transforms what is essentially a kid into a dealer of destruction, who will stop at nothing to make sure that any and all threats are eliminated without fail. It's a stark contrast from the innocent kid who just wants to make things right in his own non-lethal way.

It also doesn't help that...

9 Passing Away In The Avatar State Has Grievous Implications

The Avatar is basically the bridge that connects the physical and the spiritual world. Their existence is imperative to ensure harmony in the world at all times. Without the Avatar, it certainly wouldn't be a stretch to say that the universe would fall into chaos — something that could already be witnessed when the Fire Nation was able to go on a rampant conquest without anything stopping their lust for power. Thankfully, the Avatar will be reincarnated at all times, no matter what happens... right?

Nope. Meeting their demise in the Avatar State will signal the end of the Avatar Cycle.

This is a serious implication and is one of the biggest deterrents that would prevent the Avatar from abusing this power. As stated in the series, the Avatar State is a defense mechanism, and shouldn't be used on a regular basis.

8 The Day-And-Night Cycle Should Technically Be Absent From The Poles

The Water Tribe is situated at both the North and South poles, where they are able to practice their craft with ease. The Northern Water Tribe, in particular, plays a vital role at the end of the first book when they are assaulted by the Fire Nation. This assault is carried out in the morning and stopped during the night, when the moon augments the powers of the waterbenders.

However, this shouldn't even be possible.

After all, pretty much everyone knows that days and nights don't occur normally on the poles. The fact of the matter is that days last for a total of 6 months, followed by 6 months of nights. This literally makes the entire siege scenario impossible, since the Fire Nation wouldn't have had to stop their siege because the onset of the night would never happen for a long while.

7 Koh The Face Stealer Is Pretty Creepy, To Say The Least

The finale of Book One featured the appearance of one particular spirit that would stay in the nightmares of children for days after the episode had aired. We say this because the spirit in question, known as Koh the Face Stealer, is perhaps one of the creepiest characters ever, especially when one considers the fact that it exists in an animated show for kids!

After all, stealing faces is no joke.

Showing even the slightest bit of emotion will spell doom for the person who's asking Koh for information, since it will steal your face at that very exact moment. Maintaining a poker face is hard enough as is, and it's even harder when you're facing a terrifying creature who wants your face as a part of its collection.

6 Sozin Let His Best Friend Pass Away To Fuel His Own Ambition

In case you're wondering who Sozin is, he's the dictator who started the Fire Kingdom's war against the rest of the world. However, he wasn't this ambitious from the start. In fact, one of his earliest friends was none other than Avatar Roku himself. However, this friendship effectively ended when Sozin's plan for conquest was thwarted by Roku — with a fair bit of force as well.

Unfortunately, events unfolded in such a manner that Roku's life was at Sozin's hands.

When the volcano at Roku's island exploded, Roku and Sozin teamed up one last time to mitigate the damage. Unfortunately, the poisonous fumes overpowered Roku, who asked for Sozin's help... but received nothing more than a piercing glare in response.

To put even more salt on these wounds...