My Top 10 Favourite Episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender

I’ve never actually sat down and made a list of my top 10 favourite episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I started watching it in 2006, and I rewatched the series 50+ times and I can quote so much of it. I started collecting Avatar: The Last Airbender stuff as an adult, and I even made two videos talking about it. So, it’s safe to say I’m a “hardcore” Avatar: The Last Airbender fan with a lot to say about the show.

I was inspired by the Braving the Elements podcast to think about why I love the show so much and what I think of specific episodes. I’m highlighting my favourite episodes from the 61 episodes in the first series here. They’re in order. This list will hopefully, give you some excitement for future episodes to watch or episodes to rewatch with fresh eyes. 

In the comments, let me know what your favourite episodes are of Avatar: The Last Airbender. 

1. The Beach – Season 3, Episode 5

The Beach is a fan favorite in Season 3. It’s the first time you’re ever seeing the villains in the series be teenagers. Mai and Ty Lee are pretty two-dimensional until season 3. We know a little bit about their backstory. Like Ty Lee used to be an acrobat in the circus before she joined Azula, or Mai was from an affluent family of power in the Fire Nation. Not much else is known. Apart from the Zuko Alone episode, we don’t understand how deep their relationship with Azula and Zuko is.

In this episode, Azula even shows more of her vulnerable side and her soft side, in contrast to her militaristic exterior. She still doesn’t seem like a 14 year old to me, but she feels like one in this episode. She flirts (terribly) with one of the teenage boys from the Fire Nation, and admits that her mother called her a monster.

On the exterior, we see Zuko, Azula, Ty Lee and Mai all wearing swimsuits and casual Fire Nation attire. It’s to disguise the fact that they’re royalty. Azula says, “I guess I was intrigued. I’m so used to people worshiping us.”

My Favourite Scene in the Episode

When we get to the infamous scene in the episode where everyone is confessing all their teenage angst and telling each other what they dislike about each other, we feel a lot more connected to the “villains” of the show. Zuko is doing handstands, impersonating Ty Lee and calling her a circus freak. Mai and Zuko are fighting, it looks like they broke up. Ty Lee tells them to calm down and stop yelling because all this stress will make their skin look terrible. And bad skin seems to be the final trigger for Zuko. This is because he never got a chance to be concerned about bad skin since his Father burned half his face off at 13.

My Favourite Quote in the Episode

I’m angry at myself! Because I’m confused. Because I’m not sure I know the difference between right and wrong anymore.

Prince Zuko

Zuko seems to be having a mental breakdown in this scene, and I loved it. I could relate to it so much! The frustration and self-hatred Zuko has for himself because deep down, he KNOWS he betrayed his uncle. Even though he got everything he wanted, he betrayed himself to get it. And it doesn’t feel right. Here is the scene where Zuko slips up and admits to himself, and mainly Azula, that he doesn’t really want to be the son of the Fire Lord anymore if it means the end of the world.

Obviously, he doesn’t explicitly say that. However, we know he’s looking for answers and reasons to justify why he feels the way he does. This is what comes to a head in the episode, The Avatar and the Fire Lord. In the episode Nightmares and Daydreams, he finally gets an answer after attending a war meeting again. It doesn’t take him long to join the Gaang after he learns the difference between right and wrong.

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2. The Waterbending Master – Season 1, Episode 18

As a kid, I loved watching The Waterbending Master. I liked Katara a lot, especially when she stood up against the antiquated ideals of what a woman can be in her tribe’s culture. Katara’s mom was a waterbender, so she can bend. It’s understandable why Katara would want to honour her late mother, killed by the Fire Nation, and learn waterbending to avenge her mother and prevent others from losing their loved ones. 

I loved seeing the gorgeous architecture and landscape designs of the Northern Watertribe. It’s one of the most picturesque places in Avatar, and the culture of the tribe comes through in the music choice, outfits, and ice infrastructure. 

Princess Yue is a character we’re introduced to in this episode, and while she isn’t recurring in the show, her design makes her hard to forget. 

My Favourite Scene in the Episode

This episode shows Katara becoming a master waterbender quickly, and causing so many fundamental changes that future Northern Watertribe women can do more than heal, they can also fight. During this particular scene, Katara challenges Master Pakku to a fight, which he immediately declines. Katara doesn’t take no for an answer, and water whips him into a 1:1 battle.

Katara was brave to do what she did. She’s not a master yet. She only knows basic waterbending, but she’s got the ability, she just doesn’t know how to use it. She’s creative and innovative, so she’s taught herself a lot. I can relate to her because you don’t always have access to teachers who can show you the ropes, but you can’t let that hold you back.

Katara kept up with Pakku during this fight, and demonstrated a wide range of waterbending tricks, from frozen discs to dispersing snow. Despite there being a lot of fight scenes in this show, this is one of the most entertaining. It’s so well choreographed. I love the rhythm. It was so clear to see the Tai Chi stances and the influence. Water, snow, and ice were bent in every creative way possible to showcase in this fight.

My Favourite Quote in the Episode

You can’t knock me down.

Katara

In the fight, after Pakku wipes her off her feet, Katara gets up and says, “You can’t knock me down.” She’s disheveled, but so determined and angry that you can’t help but root for her to somehow succeed despite her inexperience. It reminds me of an old martial arts movie where the student begs a retired master to train them, trying to prove why they deserve to be one of the master’s students.

However, this is more than Katara begging to be taught by Master Pakku. She’s telling Pakku that not only as a waterbender, but also as a female, he can’t take her down in this fight. Her message is that he can’t hold her back. She wants to be a waterbender who fights. Not even Master Pakku can stop her from reaching that goal. And she’s pretty good already.

This reminds me of The Warriors of Kyoshi episode, where Suki tells Sokka, who also has antiquated ideas about women, that she’s a warrior, but she’s a girl too. Katara wants to heal, but also fight. It really inspired me as a kid to see Katara so multi-faceted, so ying and yang like the koi fish that we meet in the next episode. I sometimes want to be gentle, like a figure skater, and at other times I want to be combative, like a martial artist. I can do both.

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3. Zuko Alone – Season 2, Episode 7

When I tell you, I LOVE Zuko Alone. I really like this episode! Zuko’s backstory is excellent, as is any headcannon. Zuko is probably the most fascinating character in TV history. It’s the perfect example of a redemption character, of a villain who becomes a hero. Evil, but also good. He was raised believing war was the only way to save the world. Because his parents and school system told him so, he thought he was on the right side. His Father burned him, kicked him out of the palace, banished him from his nation, and sent him on an impossible quest to find an Avatar who had been missing for 100 years. 

We see Zuko before he got scarred in this episode. An adorable, young, 9 year old Zuko who doesn’t like girls but is obsessed with his mom. Other than his cousin Lu Ten and Uncle Iroh, I think his mother Ursa was his only best friend. I really do. Maybe he grew closer to Mai over time, but when his mother was still around, he was always with her. Zuko’s a mama’s boy and I totally get it. I love this episode because previously you only knew how Zuko got his scar, not what his life was like in the palace. Or what his mother was like before. Zuko looks just like his mom, and I love that one of the first flashbacks is when he attacks the turtle ducks and the turtle duck’s mom bites him. Ursa tells him that a mother always stands up for her kids.

This foreshadows what happens later on when we find out Ursa is missing after killing Azulon to protect Zuko. Before the comics and season 3, fans thought that meant Zuko’s mom was dead. In reality, what happened is she made Ozai the next Fire Lord by trading Firelord Azulon’s life for Zuko’s. And she ended up being banished from the nation.

It’s a mess because we see how messed up their palace politics are. Ozai never was supposed to be Fire Lord, so Zuko and Azula aren’t supposed to be the heirs to the throne either. As a Fire Lord, Iroh was always next in line. However, because Ozai stole his birthright by using his wife, Ursa, to do the dirty work to save Zuko’s life, he became next in line. Crazy. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I think Zuko Alone is one of those episodes you could dissect forever. 

My Favourite Scene in the Episode

While I love the flashbacks in this episode, I really love the scene where Zuko, foolishly, reveals that he is a firebender to a town of earthbenders. Considering everyone is scared of firebenders at this point in the war, it’s not the smartest idea. Zuko tells them he’s the prince of the Fire Nation, even though he looks homeless as heck. He looks like he’s dying of malnourishment, so no one believes him. It’s sad, but it also reinforces Ursa’s quote before she disappears “forever”. 

My Favourite Quote in the Episode

No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are.

Princess Ursa to her son, Zuko

As an adult, I understand this quote more than I did when I was younger. Zuko’s life really changed after his mom left. She was on his team. Luckily, Iroh came back and took over the parental role for Zuko, but after Ursa left, he got a scar and got banished soon after. 

It’s a deep quote, too, because not only is she reminding Zuko not to forget his title, but the wise things she taught him. Zuko has always been a virtuous person. In a way, she was warning him not to forget what he wants and who he should be. In this show, Zuko loses his way so many times trying to please a father who wants him dead at 9 for his own selfish reasons. Zuko doesn’t realize his worth and who he is until season 3 and then when he steps into his power and calling, he wins. I love Zuko’s character to infinity and infinity. Hands down, my favourite character ever written.

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4. Crossroads of Destiny – Season 2, Episode 20

The Crossroads of Destiny is one of the most pivotal episodes in the series, and definitely worth being on my top 10 favourite episodes of Avatar. The end of Book 2, it’s the mid-point of the story. In this episode, everyone goes through a lot of changes. The chance to join his sister and finally return home to the Fire Nation presents itself to Zuko. Katara faces the choice of forgiving Zuko, who she saw as a symbol of evil. It’s up to Iroh to pick a side, and further aide the Avatar, or betray the Fire Nation (leading to his imprisonment).

My Favourite Scene in the Episode

Zutara fans love this scene, obviously. It’s the first time our OTP (one true pairing) has made physical contact and shared their deepest emotional wounds. Zuko is a Firebender, and Katara is a Waterbender. They are elemental opposites, and their sides are at odds in the war. It reminds me of The Cave of Two Lovers. It contrasts with the moment between Aang and Katara in the dark cave. Katara and Zuko have their Cave of Two Lovers moment in this episode, but the cave is already lit and not in the dark. I just love this moment, since these two never really talked before. It’s the first time we’ve seen Zuko so humble and soft-spoken towards his enemy. 

My Favourite Quote in the Episode

Don’t flatter yourself. You were never even a player.

Azula

One of my favourite lines in the whole show is when Azula beats Longfeng “at his own game” and takes full control of Ba Sing Se. 

It is incredibly savage of her to sit on the Earth King’s throne, cross her legs, and look at the Dai Li agents who will only now take orders from her. Longfeng bows to her right away. On another note, what do you think happened to Longfeng? We never really know how his story ends.

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5. The Headband – Season 3, Episode 2

The Headband episode really sets the tone for Book 3. Avatar: The Last Airbender’s third season just feels like summer to me. Every episode of season 3 feels passionate, warm, upbeat, and beachy. The whole Gaang gets a Fire Nation makeover in The Headband. Katara’s Fire Nation disguise is awesome, and it’s the first time we see Aang with hair. 

In this episode, Aang is sent to a Fire Nation school for the first time and acts like a “normal” kid who’s not destined to save the world from war. There’s something refreshing, light-hearted, and fun about it, making it super rewatchable. 

My Favourite Scene in the Episode

Aang’s first day at the Fire Nation school, where we see everyone recite the Fire Nation anthem, which is full of propaganda, is my favorite scene. Even just listening to the anthem shows how the Fire Nation grooms kids to think their nation is superior, resulting in people like Zuko who don’t know the Fire Nation for what it really is.

My Favourite Quote in the Episode

And this was the “camelephant strut”!

Aang

Later, the Gaang throw a dance party for the Fire Nation students, teaching them 100-year-old dance moves that Aang learned from his old friend Kuzon. 

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My Favourite Quote in the Episode

But the effects were decent.

Sokka

  This is the last line of the episode, and it’s such a great response to the terrible play, because it’s like A:TLA was foreshadowing how fans would react to The Last Airbender movie. It was trash, but let’s be honest, the effects were decent.

9. Sozin’s Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang – Season 3, Episode 21

This show’s finale is a feature film. It was poetic. It was beautiful. Apart from Kataang and Zuko’s mom still being gone, the ending was satisfying. However, my favourite part of this episode was the Agni Kai fight between Azula and Zuko. For a lot of reasons, but especially seeing Azula fall apart. Her movements, laughter, and entire persona in this scene seemed heavily influenced by the Joker. Azula’s maniacal laughter after she tried to kill Katara and severely injured her brother gave me unhinged The Dark Knight vibes.   

My Favourite Scene in the Episode

My favourite moment in this scene is when Zuko takes a “bullet” for Katara and saves her from Azula’s lighting. Aside from that, the animation, choreography, and lighting effects showcasing the blue and red fire are incredible. It’s one of the most beautifully animated fight sequences I’ve ever seen.  

My Favourite Quote in the Episode

 Where is my mother?

Zuko

One of the last lines in this episode is Firelord Zuko asking his disgraced father, Ozai, where his mother is. You get chills because, for all this time, you thought Ursa was dead. It’s not until The Black Sun Part Two that we find out Ursa’s still alive. Zuko revisiting the topic at the end of the show is powerful, and it seriously suggests the story isn’t over yet. Fans and I were like, wait, don’t drop this question and don’t answer it when this aired in 2008. We didn’t know, however, that years later we’d get the answer in the comic book series, The Search. The fact that A:TLA is now a franchise is awesome. It’s a world you can explore for decades and keep adding to. To create a series like that for others is my dream.   

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10. Lake Laogai – Season 2, Episode 17

Lake Laogai is an amazing episode. It’s more about Jet, finding Appa and unlocking the secrets of the Dai Li than anything else. Seeing Zuko’s redemption journey begin is probably the most memorable moment of this episode. As soon as the show starts, we know Zuko might join the good side. At the end of the episode, we see Zuko’s desire to capture Aang waning.  

My Favourite Scene in the Episode

As soon as Iroh sees Zuko, he knows he’s the Blue Spirit. I think it’s really telling that Zuko has to wear the Blue Spirit to do anything good, like free Appa. Zuko has wrestled with two identities for so long. He’s never been able to merge two identities into one and become who he is instead of what others expect. I relate to that so deeply in my soul, it’s not even funny.   

My Favourite Quote in the Episode

It’s time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions: Who are you, and what do you want?

Iroh

Who are you? Who am I? We define ourselves by what other people think of us and what we do. We define ourselves by our status and our interests, but who are we really? Is Zuko even thinking about what he wants? He hasn’t because he’s been told that if he thinks for himself and his thoughts conflict with his father’s, he can’t have a father. It also circles back to Ursa telling Zuko, “No matter how things change, never forget who you are.” And Zuko DID forget his identity. In spite of Ozai dismissing Zuko, Ursa and Iroh knew Zuko could actually be the hope and saviour of the Fire Nation, because while he wasn’t born lucky, he was born to see the world for what it really is, and to save his nation from further self-destruction.  

So, those are my top 10 favourite episodes of Avatar. What are your favourite episodes in the series? Let me know in the comments below!