no fina pimp anywhere

Fantasy world not based on typical medieval Europe

Was a children’s show that openly discussed war, death and genocide

Had several handicapped characters, one of whom was the show’s most powerful person

Every single character was a person of color, drawn to represent Asian and Inuit peoples

Had a character story arc centered around both emotional and physical parental abuse, whose arc was about learning that they didn’t need the parent who abused them

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL ART STYLE AND DIRECTION

Three dimensional writing that rivals even most adult dramas

Characters dealt with sexism in society

Showed citizens on both sides of the war, including showing how the people in the enemy nation were merely influenced by propaganda and an oppressive regime

Had romances that developed overtime and actually talked about the issues of forming a relationship instead of just “and now they’re in love.”

Characters died. On a children’s show. Characters who you fucking knew! Who had story arcs and were their friends and were kids like them!

When those characters died, they left an impact. It wasn’t ignored after a few episodes, the feelings they had for these characters stayed through the entire show

Had environmental messages that weren’t cheesy, and they made you take the destruction of the environment seriously

SUPERB world building, fleshing out many cultures and histories that always felt real

Had a magic system that never felt like magic. It always felt natural and like a solid part of this world with rules that couldn’t be broken

The cute animal sidekicks weren’t just there to sell toys. They were characters who had so much emotion to them and were vital parts of the show’s dynamic. Also, the animals never talked yet somehow still portrayed an insane emotional level that some Disney films only dream of

Spawned a sequel series that dealt not only with sexism, but with sexuality, religion, and the benefits and dangers from the rapid progression of technology

Then we meet Hama, who due to years of torture and hatred has found a way to turn the classic gentler waterbending ways into a weapon of destruction and manipulation, and honestly I can’t think of a better way to introduce people to the fact that things are never as clear cut as they seem.  We’ve thought of waterbenders as the good guys up until this point, so it’s jarring to find out that no, despite stereotypes and traditions, there are always going to be good and bad people in every culture/group, but that’s the point of the entire show.