At its core, Avatar: The Last Airbender tells a story of change. The entire mission of Aang and the crew is to defeat the Fire Nation and restore balance to the world. Along the way, the show presents fans with the opportunity to witness something even more powerful: the change in a person’s heart. The growth one experiences through the struggle to become a better person. There are very few fans I know who didn’t start the show hating Zuko just to love him by Book Three. Nearly every main character experiences it, and it’s arguably the best part of the show.
So, concern arose online when news broke that the live-action show was tweaking Sokka and Katara’s storyline. According to Entertainment Weekly, the show is removing Sokka’s misogynistic attitude from the show and some of the gender constraints Katara faces. These changes — removing iffy moments from the series — miss the point of the show. It takes away from Sokka’s journey of practically becoming a feminist and Katara taking control of her destiny in the face of adversity.
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The Changes to the Live-Action Avatar: The Last Airbender
The story of Avatar: The Last Airbender starts with bickering between siblings. Katara and Sokka are mad at each other. After an off-the-cuff comment against Katara — in large part due to her gender — she slices into a giant bolder. That bolder, it turns out, holds the Avatar, frozen away for 100 years in a glacier. The entire storyline begins with Sokka being a stubborn, slightly sexist older brother in a society that has placed him in a position of power because he is one of the only men in the Southern Water Tribe. The rest are out to war, including his and Katara’s father.
However, it looks like this entire sequence of events may be removed from the live-action series.
As reported by Entertainment Weekly, Sokka’s sexism is being toned down significantly. “I feel like there were a lot of moments in the original show that were iffy,” Kiawentiio, who plays Katara, said in an interview.
Ian Ousley, who plays Sokka, agreed. “There are things that were redirected just because it might play a little differently [in live action],” he said.
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Katara’s character growth throughout the first season, or “Book,” is largely in part because of her fighting gender constraints. If it is removed from the live-action, it completely alters the plot. She won’t need to fight to earn her waterbending training when they arrive in the Northern Water Tribe. She won’t have to sneak away with Aang to practice fighting. In short, she won’t have to face as much adversity and overcome. It removes her entire storyline of changing the societal structure of the Northern Water Tribe by standing up to them.
The Live-Action Series Will Miss the Point With These Changes
When I first watched Avatar: The Last Airbender, my brother and I ran into my room after school to catch it on Nickelodeon. Some moments made me uneasy. There is no denying that Sokka’s sexism creates an uncomfortable feeling for fans at the start of the show. There is no denying it is unfair that Katara has to work so hard to get the same treatment as her counterparts. None of these points, however, change the fact that, even as a young girl, I was experiencing some of what Katara faced.
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Watching her overcome those hardships meant so much to me as a young girl. It made me feel as though I would one day be able to do the same in my own life. On the other side of it, watching Sokka change gave me hope. When exposed to strong women, he did not balk at their ability. He appreciated them, and I came to adore his character.
Removing sexism from Avatar: The Last Airbender does not remove it from the world. Instead, it takes away from the theme of the show. It takes away from the concept we can control our own destiny, overcome adversity, and become better people.
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/avatar-the-last-airbender-animated-show-nickelodeon-reasons-to-watch/
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