Highlights
- Admiral Zhao's death in the sea led to his eternal obsession with capturing Aang, even in the afterlife.
- Aang's death, though temporary, severed his spiritual ties and left him burdened with guilt.
- Monk Gyatso's tragic death haunted Aang, as he lost not only a father figure but also a friend of the previous Avatar.
With Netflix's take on Avatar: The Last Airbender gracing the streaming service in 2024, fans of the Gaang might be thrilled to see the cast finally take their adventure to save the world in a much-awaited live-action series. In turn, both fans and newcomers to the Avatar franchise may be interested in starting their journey anew with the cartoon that started it all. Unfortunately, while Avatar: The Last Airbender began as a children's cartoon, it didn't hesitate to tackle deep topics such as death.
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Throughout Aang's journey with his friends to stop the Fire Nation from invading the world, they will meet new companions and even enemies who will make a difference in their adventures. However, among the people they meet are individuals who would risk their lives or have already passed, marking a profound effect not just on Team Avatar but even on audiences. In Avatar: The Last Airbender, which deaths could be considered the saddest?
1 Admiral Zhao
Pride Driven To Insanity In The Quest To Capture The Avatar
As Seen In | "The Siege of the North, Part 2" (Book 1, Episode 20) |
|---|---|
Cause | Ocean Spirit La dragged the Admiral to its waters, sending him to the Fog of Lost Souls |
In a bid to become a legend in the Fire Nation, Admiral Zhao plotted to assassinate Prince Zuko and engineer a full-blown assault on the North Pole to capture the Avatar and destroy the Southern Water Tribe. Iroh told him he had a limited window during the day, as Waterbending is strong at night and especially stronger in the upcoming full moon. This led to Admiral Zhao killing the Moon Spirit's mortal form, disabling Waterbending for a short while. However, this angered the Ocean Spirit, dragging Admiral Zhao to the sea while Aang was in an enraged Avatar State.
This should've been a satisfying end to one of the more treacherous side villains in Avatar: The Last Airbender. However, the tragedy of his death can be seen in The Legend of Korra's "Darkness Falls," where he's seen wandering the Fog of Lost Souls since his loss at the North Pole. Here, it's revealed that Zhao had become a wandering spirit still obsessed with capturing Aang, with his pride still driving him in the afterlife to the point of eternal insanity.
2 Avatar Aang
The End Of The Avatar State
As Seen In | "The Crossroads of Destiny" (Book 2, Episode 20) |
|---|---|
Cause | Azula struck Aang with lightning while he entered the Avatar State |
When the Gaang seemed overwhelmed by Azula and the Dai Li in the Crystal Catacombs, Aang attempted to enter the Avatar State. This became an opportune moment for Azula, who swiftly struck Aang with lightning. The wound was implied to have been fatal, as Aang simply fell lifeless on the ground. Contrary to Azula's previous displays of lightning control where she had a strand of hair out of place, this attack was swift and perfectly executed.
Azula attacked Aang while he was training the Seventh Chakra, the energy gate in charge of entering the Avatar State. Killing Aang in this process sealed the Chakra completely, cutting Aang's spiritual ties to his reincarnations. While Katara managed to revive Aang, the Avatar felt immense guilt for his inability to protect the people of Ba Sing Se - something he would carry even as he escaped to the Fire Nation. Moreover, the Avatar's lack of access to the Avatar State meant there was no assurance that Aang could defeat Ozai while he was supercharged by Sozin's Comet.
3 Monk Gyatso
A Tragic Death Of A Father Figure
As Seen In | "The Southern Air Temple" (Season 1, Episode 3) |
|---|---|
Cause | Fell to the Fire Nation alongside other Air Nomads during their assault |
The massacre of the Air Temples became one of the most tragic events in Avatar: The Last Airbender's backstory, especially when this was done to kill Aang before he even tapped into his legacy as the Avatar. Aang had run away before the attack, so the youngster was traumatized when he realized he may have left his family to their doom.
Upon his visit to the Southern Air Temple, Aang would find the remains of Monk Gyatso. This was a shattering discovery for the young Airbender, as Monk Gyatso had not only been his father figure and mentor but also one who helped Aang enjoy his youth. Perhaps more crushing was the fact that Gyatso had been close friends with Roku in their teens, perhaps explaining why Gyatso felt a kinship with his friend's reincarnation. Aang would struggle to let go of his guilt, requiring the aid of Guru Pathik a few seasons later.
4 Avatar Roku
Betrayed In The End
As Seen In | "The Avatar and the Fire Lord" (Season 3, Episode 6) |
|---|---|
Cause | Defending his home island after being consumed by volcanic eruptions. While Fire Lord Sozin arrived to aid him, he left Avatar Roku for dead |
Roku became the Avatar in a time of technological and ideological revolution, where tense diplomatic relations had slowly convinced his best friend Fire Lord Sozin that expansion would be the only way to peace. While Sozin's pursuit of Earth Kingdom colonies forced Roku to end their friendship, Sozin still comes to the Avatar's aid when volcanoes in Roku's home island start to erupt.
Despite being a talented Avatar, the might of two active volcanoes was still more than he could handle. To make matters worse, Sozin left Roku for dead when he realized that the Avatar's absence would leave the world ripe for his conquest. Devastated at his best friend's betrayal, Roku accepts his inevitable death. This guilt over hesitating to stop Sozin would weigh on him even in the afterlife, leading to his belief that his successor Aang could do better.
5 Yue
Duty For Waterbenders Prevails Over Love
As Seen In | "The Siege of the North, Part 2" (Book 1, Episode 20) |
|---|---|
Cause | The death of Tui the Moon prompted Yue, who shared its lifeforce, to sacrifice her life to replace it to become the new Moon Spirit |
The kind-hearted princess of the Northern Water Tribe wasn't a difficult person to love, especially for Sokka. Although smitten at first sight, neither could act on their feelings towards the other as Yue was obliged to help unite the tribes with her engagement to the warrior Hahn. During the Siege of Agna Qel'a, Admiral Zhao's killing of the Moon Spirit Tui's mortal form removed all Waterbending from the world. When Yue remembers how Tui shared part of its life force to save her as a child, Yue felt the obligation to return the life she was given to save her tribe. This, however, would cost her life.
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Upon dying in Sokka's arms, Yue in her Moon Spirit form also gave the young warrior one final kiss before departing for her duties. Yue's death was one of the first major deaths in the series, and one to affect Sokka the most in later seasons and even as they become adults. Sokka would take time to open up his heart to another person, which would turn out to be the Kyoshi Warrior Suki, and even then Sokka still appeared to care for his departed love.
6 Lu Ten
Iroh's Beloved Son Whose Death Transformed Him
As Seen In | "The Tales of Ba Sing Se" (Book 2, Episode 35) |
|---|---|
Cause | Mortally wounded during the Siege of Ba Sing Se |
Zuko’s Uncle Iroh remains a pinnacle of wisdom for his sage advice regardless of the situation. Amid the threat of Azula in Season 2, it’s become refreshing to see Iroh tour Ba Sing Se as a regular tea shop owner instead of a Fire Nation official. In "The Tales of Ba Sing Se," Iroh is revealed to be quite the sociable figure capable of helping even those who try to harm him. As such, it becomes quite a surprise for viewers when, in the last minutes of the episode, Iroh is singing in front of a tree in honor of his departed son.
It's revealed that Lu Ten died during the 600-day Siege of Ba Sing Se led by Iroh himself in his days as general. The event deeply traumatized Iroh, prompting him to cast aside his aggressive ways in pursuit of a more peaceful life. While his younger brother Ozai used this opportunity to become the heir, Iroh dedicated himself to guiding his nephew, Zuko.
7 Kya
Proving A Mother's Love For Her Daughter
As Seen In | "The Southern Raiders" (Book 3, Episode 16) |
|---|---|
Cause | Killed by Yon Rha of the Southern Raiders in their search for the South Water Tribe's last Waterbender |
Among Waterbenders in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Katara would surprise fans with her growth to become one of the most prodigious Waterbenders the world has ever known. Unfortunately, Katara's efforts at saving the world would come at an early cost, as she and Sokka wouldn't have been able to help Aang had it not been for their mother, Kya.
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Back when Katara was a child, Southern Raiders from the Fire Nation attacked the Southern Water Tribe and interrogated them about the identity of the last Waterbender in the region. Desperate to protect Katara, Kya tells the Raiders she was the Waterbender he was looking for. This resulted in Raider leader Yon Rha killing her. This event traumatized Katara and Sokka, making them extremely distrustful of the Fire Nation until years later. When Katara married Aang, they had a daughter she named after her.
8 Jet
An Implied Death Is Much More Devastating Than To Witness One
As Seen In | "Lake Laogai" (Book 2, Episode 17) |
|---|---|
Cause | A mortal blow from Long Feng of the Dai Li |
Introduced as one of the Freedom Fighters during the Gaang’s stay in Ba Sing Se, Jet and his crew became pivotal in Team Avatar’s efforts to stop the political maneuvering of Azula in the Earth Kingdom. However, when Jet suffers a harsh wound from the Dai Li in their search for Appa, he urges Katara to continue their journey as he’ll recover with his crew. As their friend instructed, Katara and the Gaang continue their pursuit of Appa's captors, but not without Toph weakly commenting that Jet is lying.
As a blind but barefoot Earthbending master, Toph can use the vibrations of the earth as echolocation. This ability allows her to “feel” heartbeats and sense lies, which is what helped them initially realize that Jet was brainwashed by the Dai Li. What makes Jet’s death heartbreaking isn’t necessarily his nature as Team Avatar’s friend, but how it’s implied so subtly throughout the series.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Release Date
- February 21, 2005
- Creator
- Michael Dante DiMartino
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
