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Avatar: the Last Airbender is one of the most cherished television series that just happened to air on Nickelodeon. It’s a sweeping epic animated tale of bringing peace to the world after the Fire Nation has waged war on the four nations. However, it was much more than that, tackling much heavier themes of the human condition, like forgiveness and redemption, the consequences of violence and war, living with your choices or with one’s destiny, familial bonds, the evils of prejudice, and above all, restoring balance. 

At this past San Diego Comic-Con, Popverse asked Avatar: The Last Airbender stars Zach Tyler Eisen (Aang) and Dante Basco (Zuko) to reflect on their time on the show, celebrating the series’ 20th Anniversary, when they realized it was something much bigger and some of their favorite moments.

When asked to recite their favorite lines, Basco keeps it short. “’Hello, Zuko here’ is a classic,” he rapidly fires off. For Eisen, there are a suite of lines he likes to rattle off from time to time from when Aang and the benders enter the Fire Nation. He was very confused getting the script and uttering the phrase, “Flameo Hotman,” for the first time, which Aang coins as a nervously amped-up greeting to strangers. The phrase has become iconic with fans, along with just “Hotman” or “Stay Flamin,” which Eisen uses in public whenever he gets the chance. 

It all sounds silly, but again, The Last Airbender was all about maintaining a balance. Some moments were dripping in fun, while others were gravely serious. There were tears shed sandwiched between belly-aching laughs. It’s wild to believe that it aired on Nickelodeon, the same network home of the Slimetime football and SpongeBob Squarepants.

The animation style was rooted in the works of Hayao Miyazaki, but has Western influences too, especially with expressive and comedic characters. Martial arts was beautifully showcased; the architecture and clothing were painstakingly researched and helped design an overarching tone that grounded the series. The serialized stories were rich and poignant life lessons made ATLA relatable, despite its fantastic elements. 

“When I found out how (Zuko) got a scar, that whole episode was like, whoa,” revealed Basco. “Like, that’s how he got this scar? I realized that there’s a lot more to this character than I initially understood. So that really changed the paradigm for me.”

Fans will recall that during a Fire Nation war meeting, Zuko spoke out of turn, thereby disrespecting not only the generals, but his father Lord Ozai. Zuko was punished, forced into a Agni Kai fire bending duel. However, what Zuko didn’t know was that he would be facing Ozai. Zuko begged for mercy and refused to fight, and that’s when Ozai permanently scarred his son and exiled him from the Fire Nation until he delivered the Avatar.

“It happened fairly quickly with Aang, because you know, within the first two or three episodes, they go back to the Southern Air Temple, and he finds the skeleton of Gyatso and it’s really heavy. Dealing with genocide and war, and these really huge dark themes.”

“I think that from a television perspective, like (Season 2, episode 15) “The Tales from Ba Sing Se  that goes right into (Season 2, episode 16) “Appa’s Lost Days.” That stretch of episodes where it gets really dark and it’s kind of like, oh this is something more than a kid’s show. That also came with time and perspective, but I think about those episodes is where things got real, you know?”

Over the course of 61 episodes, Basco hailed Mark Hamill, who played Zuko’s father, Fire Lord Ozai for 11 episodes as his favorite guest. “He’s a phenomenal guy and it’s a phenomenal moment in life being a Star Wars fan that I got to meet and work with him and actually have a Vader-Luke relationship with him.” 

Eisen prefers a much deeper cut. “Serena Williams,” Eisen revealed. “In season three, when Uncle Iron’s in jail and he’s getting ripped and doing push-ups. The prison guard, Ming, who’s in charge of Iroh has a brief conversation with; he’s voiced by super fan Serena Williams.”

Basco has been fortunate to attend conventions and interact with fans, but since 2021, he’s had the unique opportunity to talk to many of the creatives involved with both Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel, The Legend of Korra. “I still work for Avatar Studios and they produce a podcast I do with Janet Varney called Avatar: Braving the Elements,” he explained. “I got to go back and watch every episode and every season and talk to the creators, the actors, the animators and the music. I’ve never got to look at anything in my past like this and so it’s been wonderful.”

After ATLA’s original airing, Eisen pulled back from the public eye and social media. In 2020, Eisen re-emerged and has welcomed fan convention and podcast appearances, not unlike Aang.

“I had to stay true to my character, you know, disappear for a few years. I just needed to chill in an iceberg for a little while,” Eisen joked. “It’s good for the skin you know.”

“But no, seriously, it’s back as a huge part of my life. It’s so incredible to come to Comic-Con and see just everything [Nickelodeon] built here (the giant 20th Anniversary booth, activations at Petco Park) and see all of the fans who are excited 20 years later just as they would’ve been in 2005.”

“We have the hindsight of knowing how the show ends and just seeing how it’s aged well and that’s made it even more special.”

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