The Last Airbender See Themselves In Two Of The Show's Main Characters

In June 2021, Nickelodeon launched a rewatch podcast for "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and "Avatar: The Legend of Korra," which was called "Braving the Elements." The podcast is hosted by Janet Varney and Dante Basco, the voice actors of Korra and Zuko respectively. On the podcast, the hosts rewatch the series and discuss the episodes' themes, animation, and characters. They are also often joined by other cast and crew members.

On one particular episode, Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino appeared on the podcast to discuss the show's development, offering insightful looks into how the series was made. In the middle of the episode, Basco shared his realization that DiMartino is similar to Aang while Konietzko is more like Zuko, which the pair thoughtfully confirmed. "Mike is like a peaceful, mellow [Airbender] — perfectly round head," Konietzko said. "I am definitely much more fiery and passionate and driven in a sort of self-destructive way sometimes, but we balance each other out."

Along with being relatable, what makes the characters of "Avatar: The Last Airbenders" stand out is how they are continuously growing. In 2015, Hypable asked the show's co-creators about the character creation process and when they're satisfied with a character's completion; however, Konietzko never saw their characters as complete. Instead, they're ever-changing. "In the type of storytelling we do, they are always evolving, growing, making mistakes, and learning," Konietzko said. "I think we know characters are ready to fit in a story when we know what it is they want and why." This approach to character work has paid off immensely, leading to characters anyone can relate to, even the show's co-creators.