Published Oct 26, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Aang wasn’t the only one with the power to save the world

19 years ago, Avatar: The Last Airbender reframed its central conflict

Image: Nickelodeon

One of the things that makes the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender so rich is how much thought series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko put into its history. The introduction to every episode explains the beginnings of the Hundred Year War, where the Fire Nation disrupted the harmony between the Four Nations, and the Avatar wasn’t there to stop them. The show’s plot is primarily focused on the new Avatar, Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen), as he attempts to fulfill the destiny he once fled from and restore balance to the world. But, 19 years ago, one of the show’s best episodes redefined that core conflict.

The season 3 episode “The Avatar and the Fire Lord” tells the same story from two perspectives.…