Top 15 Avatar: the Last Airbender Episodes!

Alright! So, it's been nearly.... nine weeks since I last discussed Avatar: the Last Airbender. Avatar: the Last Airbender may very well be the best television show ever made and certainly one of the best pieces of media ever created. So narrowing down the 15 best episodes?

Actually pretty fun.

Avatar only ran for three seasons, keeping the pacing tight and making sure not to drag anything out, even if I would've died for a season four. It cannot be understated how good the show is. It's one of the best ever created. I feel like it was a fundamental change in how I view television shows; Inferior to movies.

With television, the plot is dragged out for 6-7 seasons, if it's popular. In television, the animations/effects are worse because the budgets are lower. In television, unexpected twists are jammed into episodes just to keep viewers interested.

And yet Avatar never falls victim to any of these. Avatar's one of the best pieces of media ever made. Every twist and turn feels earned and necessary. Characters see huge development. It's hilarious. The choreography is on point. The animation is beautiful. The innovative and creative world is incredible. Every season is better than the last. It's definitely my favorite TV show. Ever. I mean, I'm still thinking about it and I've already re watched it just a couple of weeks after my first viewing. Absolutely insane show. The best.

But anyway, here are my Top 15 Avatar episodes. Four from season one, five from season two, and six from season three. Let's begin.

And spoilers. Let's begin spoilers.

15. The Deserter - S1E18

Season one's the Deserter follows the adventures of Aang as he struggles to find a fire bending teacher, who he eventually does find, of course. Master Jeong Jeong, a Fire Nation soldier who deserted and is now an outlaw. Not only does this episode establish the faults of the secondary season one antagonist, Commander Zhao, it also has some of the most impressive firebending we see in the show via Jeong Jeong's fire wall.


The episode plausibly sets up a scenario for why Aang doesn't want to learn firebending (Which eventually he just kind of... gets over), but it also establishes a very cool detail about the Fire Bending I had been wondering. Why exactly is the Fire Nation the dominant one? Water douses fire. Air can put out fire. Earth smothers fire. So why is Fire the most feared nation? I liked the answer; Because fire is the only one that continues to survive after it's been bended.

Or in other words, you splash some water and it settles. Throw a rock and it falls. Blow some air and it eventually dissipates. But the destructive and very alive nature of Fire make it chaotic. You fire bend next to dry leaves and you have massive problem. For the ending fight, which was hilarious while also setting up character faults excellently, if Katara had doused the ships with water they would be fine. If an earth bender rocked the ships they would be fine. But if you use fire to burn the ship, it burns, even after you stop. Maybe I'm making way too much of a deal about it, but it blew my mind.

14. The Awakening - S3E1

The Awakening is the starter to season three. After a traumatizing season two finale where the heroes actually lose the battle, a beaten Aang wakes up on a Fire Nation ship, with hair. Eventually he finds out that the Fire Nation ship is actually a hijacked ship taken over by the Gaang and friends. Aang then goes on a hell-bent quest to take down the Fire Lord. 

Aang trying to fly to the Fire Nation to amend his mistake, to try and rectify his 100 year disappearance, is heartbreaking to watch. Season three marks the biggest growth of Aang - While in the first two seasons, he was very childish in lighthearted, he has now tasted defeat. He has become wizened and older. 

So, the climax of the episode features Aang's glider - a staple of the series since season one - battered and destroyed, a sign that this season is different. And knowing what follows it? Absolutely true.

 13. Bitter Work - S2E9

Aang needed to learn Earthbending. They needed to flesh out the new character Toph. The result? Bitter Work. Bitter Work's main plot deals with Aang learning the ways of Earthbending. I apparently really enjoy the Master episodes. Maybe it's the well done world building that does it for me. It's so cool. Learning is never really... fun. But learning about how to move giant rocks? Yeah. That's some fun learning.

And the dichotomy between Airbending and Earthbending? Oh, so cool. And it makes sense. Maybe not scientifically, I'm not a scientist, but as far as I get it, it makes a lot of sense. Air goes with the flow. Earth is steadfast and proud.


And the C-Plot of the episode, Sokka getting stuck in a hole and making friends with a baby saber-tooth moose. It's so cute. What a cute baby. And it sits on his head, just so adorable.

But where the episode especially shines is in the B-Plot of Zuko learning from Iroh about lightning bending. In the previous episode, Zuko and Iroh had just lost big to Azula, with Iroh nearly dying to her lightning hands. I loved all of the lore of how Iroh learned from the other tribes to improve his own Firebending. It was very deep stuff. And that scene where Zuko starts screaming at the sky to strike him down? Powerful.

If other TV shows episodes were half as good as this one, those would probably be the best episodes of their entire shows. But Avatar? Man, when it's good, it's the best of all the good.

12. The Storm - S1E12

At this point in the series, every episode was somewhat standalone. Just different episodes with the same type of structure going on, like visiting Kyoshi Island or the Great Divide. It just wasn't important for the series going forward. The Storm marked the change of that formula. This is when Avatar cemented itself as a great show.

The overall plot of the episode is pretty expository, honestly. It's a flashback episode, fleshing out the characters of Aang and Zuko. All of the deeper characters that everyone loves? That starts here. Suddenly, Aang is more than a standard hero, giving us more of the "I never wanted to be the Avatar" aspect of his character.

The other thing that the episode does really well is the idea that not all Fire Nation soldiers are heartless monsters. Up until that point, a lot of them were, and continued to be after the episode. But here we get a glimpse of what it's like to be under the command of the disgraced Prince. And showing how Zuko got his scar gives his character some much needed sympathy.

And the episode features he first example of lightning reflection, which is awesome.

11. The Seige of the North: Part 2 - S1E20

After a season of waiting, it was all building up to this. The Seige of the North: Part 2. After some truly shocking cliffhangers from the last episode, we get 20 minutes of payoff after payoff.

We see the evil Commander Zhao finally get what he deserves, we get the all inspiring Avatar fish (Or something), and we get some truly dramatic lighting in the form of killing a moon fish. 

Yeah, it all sounds weird, but after watching a season, it's a truly dramatic episode. It has some of the best action in the series, as well as some of the most powerful visuals.

And, one of the best character moments in the episode for me was seeing Uncle Iroh actually getting angry. Most of the series he's just a casual, loving uncle. One of the most wholesome characters in television. But when Zhao kills that fish? Man, I would not want to be Zhao.

10. Tales of Ba Sing Se - S2E14

The Tales of Ba Sing Se is a strange little episode; Split into six individual parts - The Tale of Katara and Toph, Iroh, Aang, Sokka, Zuko, and Momo. However, the episode's not as good as everyone acts like it is. Granted, the Tale of Iroh is a masterpiece, and the Leaves from the Vine has everyone in tears, and that alone makes the episode great. 

Other sequences are pretty good as well; I really like the Tale of Katara and Toph, as well as the Tale of Zuko, and the Tale of Momo. I always like the moments when you see the main characters just hanging out. That feels more real than world ending stakes, and you get better characters when they're not acting under life-threatening pressure.

But where the episode falls flat is the Tale of Sokka and the Tale of Aang. Personally, I think the Tale of Sokka is fine. It's just so inconsequential and offers so little to the overall episode. And I really don't like the Tale of Aang. It's the longest of all of the tales and the most boring. I would've rather had Aang trying to find Appa, like Momo, instead of trying to make a new zoo for random animals. Maybe the Last Jedi ruined saving animals for me. I dunno.

It's a mixed bag of tales, some of them being absolute masterpieces and others being standard kid's fare.

9. The Blind Bandit - S2E6

The Blind Bandit is not the best episode of the series by a long shot. But it is one of the funniest, and is noticeable for introducing one of the most important Earth benders in the series: the Boulder. And also Toph, I guess.

The episode establishes Toph as the Toph. It's not like most other television shows where the first few episodes are trying to figure out who the characters are. The Toph in this episode is basically the same one in the series finale; a wise cracking blind kid who's the most powerful Earthbender alive. 

It's not like Aang, who in the first episode is just a tiny child trying to go penguin sledding, and in the series finale, is a more mature Avatar. Or Katara, suppressed waterbender. Or Sokka, the sexist put-upon jerk. But Toph? Nah, she's good. She didn't need better development because she's already a perfect character.

But aside from doing us the favor of simply introducing Toph, the show also sets her apart by 1. Making her blind, but not in a way that feels forcefully progressive, and 2. Introducing her with a last name. No one else in the show has a last name except for Toph Beifong.

But for the episode itself, besides the great character introductions, the episode is also bolstered by the impressive and inventive action sequences involving Earthbending, And also the Boulder, who the showrunner wanted the Rock to voice, but sadly, he was unavailable. Hopefully the live action Netflix series can amend this mistake.

8. The Blue Spirit - S1E13

I think that the Blue Spirit is where the series first clicked with me personally. I had found the last couple of episodes entertaining, and the Storm was pretty good, but I think that the Blue Spirit was where I first realized the scope of the show, most notable the action sequences.

In the Blue Spirit, Sokka and Katara are both sick, leading to a gut bustingly funny sequence involving Momo, as well as some strange frogs. On his quest to get his friends medine, Aang is capture by the Fire Nation and taken to Commander Zhao.

However, Aang is soon freed from Admiral Zhao by the eponymous Blue Spirit. The next six minutes are left to awesome fighting. Here, the fighting, animation, and musical score all combine to make awesome television. It's honestly one of the best fights in the show. Very inventive. 

And, it foreshadows the White Lotus. That's one of the fun things about rewatching shows.

7. Sokka's Master - S3E4

Next up is the season three episode Sokka's Master. The episode starts out with a rousing action scene where the Gaang has to fight a meteor to keep it from destroying a town, which leads Sokka to ask himself, "In a group of powerful benders, what is his worth compared to them?"

It leads to a great and hilarious adventure where Sokka learns his worth from Master Piandao, who out of all of the Masters in the show, is definitely my favorite (Excluding the Gaang members).

But the episode eventually resolves itself with a very nice surprise about Master Piandao being smart enough to see through the Fire Nation propaganda and just wanting to be a real stand-up sword teacher.

6. The Boiling Rock - S3E13

The Boiling Rock is a forty minute episode in season three, where Sokka and Zuko team up to potentially free Sokka's imprisoned father Hakoda from the worst prison in the fire nation, which sits atop a boiling volcano. 

While there, they meet up with Suki, who, although only having three other appearances, is already a fan favorite character. The Boiling Rock also features what is possibly the show's most iconic and beloved line: "That's rough, buddy." It's such a great moment. 

But the Boiling Rock also features some very dramatic moments; The scenes where Sokka meets up with Hakoda and Suki are both great, and the fleshing out of the fire nation soldiers is always a good thing. 

5. Appa's Lost Days - S2E15

One of the saddest episodes in the series: Appa's Lost Days, follows one of the best characters in the show, a giant flying Sky Bison named Appa, on his quest to find his friend Aang.

You see, Appa had been taken from the Gaang by Sand Benders in an earlier episode, the Library. We follow Appa as he journeys through set locations to set locations, until finally, beaten, abused, and broken, Appa collapses in a cave, where he is found by Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors. 

Seeing the purely good force that had done nothing wrong, tested like that, was absolutely heartbreaking to watch. And, after getting cared for and loved properly, Appa is on his way. He finds his way into Ba Sing Se, where the Gaang is. But then, at the very last second, he is taken from them, yet again, by Lex Luthor from the DCAU Long Feng.

It's extremely sad and moving, and considering how Appa can't talk, it's also very impressive that he can head an episode while never being boring. Shows you what the right people can do with the right material.

4. Sozin's Comet - S3E16

I have decreed that the series finale, Sozin's Comet, is the fourth best episode of Avatar. Running at an hour and a half long, the finale is basically two parts: The buildup and the fight.

The buildup section of this is incredibly fun to watch. It features something I, once again, absolutely love in television: The characters hanging out. It's what a lot of these Marvel movies are missing, and part of what makes those two MCU Spider-Man movies so fun. Just characters interacting. It's lovely to watch. But yeah, seeing the Gaang hang is an absolute blast. Especially funny in this episode is Sokka; between his insistence that Appa ate Momo or his sand sculpture of Suki, Sokka is delivering non stop laughs. 

The second part of the episode is some extremely impressive action. It's honestly what Man of Steel should've been. It's thirty minutes of two OP characters punching each other through tall sculptures. But because we know the stakes, the characters, and the weight that this carries, it feels important.

And, even though I'm not a huge fan of the Lion Turtle deus ex machina, while rewatching the series, I see that it wasn't just something pulled out of a hat. It's foreshadowed several times leading up to the finale. 

The one complaint about the finale was Energybending, which I'm not a huge fan of, but whatever. It was epic and it was cool. And the Agni Kai between Azula and Zuko? Totally dope. 

3. The Ember Island Players - S3E15

You know, recap episodes are the worst. The one from the Office? Skip it. But you know what? Avatar once again succeeds at things that most television shows fail at. A recap episode. 

Okay, you know those annoying little episodes with like, five new minutes of actual footage but otherwise just old footage from episodes? I hate those. They are the most skippable episodes. So when I started this episode, I was ready to be kinda bored. But it does the recap way better than you would think: 

A play. Now play recaps are not a new thing. They happen all the time. But what I love about this play is, that since the Gaang is in the Fire Nation, they get to see their story through propagandized eyes. So funny, and so true. It's a strange mixture.

And, just as a side note, this is, by far, one of the most funny episodes of television I have ever seen. The entire scene with the Toph actor? Rolling on the floor, guys. Too funny.

2. Zuko Alone - S2E7

Next up is a standalone episode called Zuko Alone. Detailing Zuko's character after his disgraceful exit from the Fire Nation, Prince Zuko in Zuko Alone is... alone. The episode follows Zuko as he goes to a small town, earning the friendship of the locals and the hatred of locally posted Fire Nations soldiers.

The episode is in an extremely Western-Shoot-Em-Up style, which I'm not a huge fan of, but works stylistically for this episode. The episode features some good back and forth dialogue between Zuko and scornful Fire Nation soldiers, a stereotypical underdog kid who the protagonist likes, and a fun climax.

The climax, of course, being not actually all that fun and more sad than anything else; instead of the typical kid's show fair, the episode settles for a more realistic approach: Even though Zuko had made friends with the villagers, and the underdog kid, even though he saves them from Fire Nation soldiers, they still hate him because he is Fire Nation. It's a surprisingly deep and impactful episode. 

1. The Southern Raiders - S3E14

You know those moments where you're not exactly crying, but you're getting such strong goosebumps you feel like you should? I've only felt that a couple of times. Once was watching the "What's Up Danger?" scene in Spider-Verse. The other is this episode.

Katara had always been the "Mom" of the group. She wasn't angry all that much, and when she was, it was more of an annoyed sister type than anything else. So to see Katara go on a revenge quest to kill the man who killed her mom was especially impactful. 

The episode, running at typical twenty minute length, does not feel like that. It feels way shorter because of how fast paced it is; How easy it is to get invested in the episode. It makes everything more important.

And, we couldn't talk about this episode if we don't talk about the finale of the episode, the creme of the ball: Katara stopping the rain. After finally finding the man who killed her mother, Katara stops the pouring rain, freezing it in place. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it. The visuals, the emotion, the music... it all feels right. 

There you have it. That is my definitive guide to the 15 best Avatar: the Last Airbender episodes. This will be the first post out of four posts dealing with the best episodes of other television shows: the Office, Parks and Rec, and Community.