Avatar: The Last Airbender

Our Review

The greatest animated series ever made, and I’ll fight anyone who says otherwise. On its face a Nickelodeon kids’ show about a 12-year-old monk who must master four elements to stop an imperial war — in practice, a 61-episode epic about genocide, imperialism, disability, and the radical choice not to commit violence. Aang’s refusal to kill Ozai in the finale is one of the boldest moral choices in American kids’ TV, and the show builds it for three seasons without ever blinking.

Zuko’s redemption arc is the best-written character arc in television, full stop. His season 2 Zuko Alone episode and the season 3 beach episode and the final Agni Kai with Azula — a villain who breaks because her family broke her — are masterclasses. Iroh’s Tales of Ba Sing Se segment (“Leaves from the vine”) is the most devastating four minutes in animation. And it’s funny! Sokka carries the comedy without ever undercutting the stakes.

Verdict: Non-negotiable. Watch it, then watch Korra, then watch it again.