Summary

  • Aang, Katara, and Sokka start as young teens and quickly mature due to the pressures of the Hundred Year War.
  • Aang is physically 12, but technically 112 due to his frozen state, must master elements to defeat Fire Lord Ozai.
  • Sokka, placed in charge of the Southern Water Tribe at 16, matures rapidly, learning leadership and humility throughout the series.

While Aang (voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen), Katara (Mae Whitman), and Sokka (Jack De Sena) may have jointly defeated the Fire Nation by the end of Avatar: The Last Airbender, it’s easy to forget that the trio that started Team Avatar are actually quite young despite their impressive accomplishments. Avatar: The Last Airbender follows Katara and Sokka, two siblings from the Southern Water Tribe, who find Aang, the last Airbender and current Avatar, frozen in an iceberg. Missing for a century, Aang awakens to discover the Fire Nation has been waging a war against the three kingdoms in his absence.

Due to the Hundred Year War, a century-long war inspired by the Fire Nation’s desire to reign over the four elemental nations, Aang, Katara, and Sokka are forced to grow up rather quickly within their early teens. Aang must learn to master all four elements of air, earth, fire, and water in order to defeat Fire Lord Ozai (Mark Hamill) and restore balance. While such a task may seem like a challenge for any fulfilled hero, it’s even more daunting when considering the three main characters are still in their formative years.

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Aang: Airbender And Avatar

Aang is 12 years old when his story begins

Aang from Avatar the Last Airbender gliding in the sky

Unlike the rest of the core members of Team Avatar, Aang’s age is a little more complicated. While Aang was born and raised by monks from the Southern Air Temple in 12 BG, he didn’t surface from the iceberg until 100 AG, a whole century later, after Katara broke Aang free from the ice using her waterbending in the series premiere, “The Boy in the Iceberg.” Since his body was perfectly preserved within the ice, Aang may physically be a 12-year-old boy, but he's technically 112 years old.

Since the difference between Aang’s actual age and his emotional maturity is as stark as night and day, time becomes one of Aang’s greatest enemies, since he must learn to master all four elements before the arrival of Sozin’s Comet, a celestial object that amplifies firebending. In the end, Aang was still 12 years old (or, at most, just turned 13) since the group had just under a year from Aang emerging from the iceberg and the passing of Sozin's Comet.

Katara: Waterbender

Katara starts the series at 14 years old

Katara waves her hands in the air preparing to waterbend in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Along with her older brother Sokka, Katara was raised by her grandmother Kanna at the Southern Water Tribe, which was depleted greatly due to the effects of the Hundred Year War. While only 14 years old, Katara is forced to mature beyond her years after a Fire Nation soldier killed her mother Kya.

When her father Hakoda (André Sogliuzzo) left the village along with most of the men in the community to aid the Earth Kingdom in the war effort, Katara and Sokka's responsibilities increased once there were very few adults left within the community. Katara, despite her young age, took on a motherly role for her brother Sokka and the rest of the community, which may have played a part in her strong healing abilities through her waterbending.

The series ends at roughly a year after Katara discovers Aang, making her right around 15 years old at the end of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

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Sokka: Nonbender

Sokka is placed in charge of the Southern Water Tribe before he turns 16

Sokka looking skeptic in front of an iceberg in Avatar: The Last Airbender

Until Zuko (Dante Basco) joined their group in season 3, Sokka was the oldest character on Team Avatar. Due to the patriarchal structure of the Southern Water Tribe, Sokka was the eldest male left within the community. Sokka was under a lot of pressure to keep the tribe safe during his father’s absence, despite only being 16 years old in season 1. Sokka’s age and inexperience, however, definitely shows when Zuko invades their community in the episode “The Avatar Returns," since the snow fort Sokka built to protect the village collapses and Sokka himself is defeated by Zuko.

Throughout the show, Sokka matures dramatically. He learns that he's not always going to be the person in charge, and that there's no shame in deferring to his younger sister when necessary. Roughly a year after discovering Aang, Sokka has already had one girlfriend turn into the moon for eternity, fallen for a Kyoshi warrior, learned to use a variety of weapons to defend his friends, learned the effects of cactus juice in the desert, and helped save the world. He's likely just turning 17 at the end of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Both the animated and live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series are available to stream on Netflix.

When Avatar: The Last Airbender Takes Place

Possibly the reason Aang, Katara, and Sokka appear to be much older than they actually are is due to the fact that the entire series takes place just under a full year despite the characters’ extreme personal growth.

ATLA Book

Corresponding Season

Book 1: Water (Season 1)

Winter

Book 2: Earth (Season 2)

Spring

Book 3: Fire (Season 3)

Summer

Since Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1, episode 7, “Winter Solstice: Part 1” most likely takes place within the month of December and the four-part finale of season 3 when Sozin’s Comet arrives takes place at the end of summer, this means that all three seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender occur within approximately 10 months. Given how much Aang, Katara, and Sokka mature over the course of all three seasons, it’s easy to assume years have passed as all three characters grow from inexperienced teens to masters in their field.

Avatar The Last Airbender Show Poster
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Animation
Adventure
Action
Where to Watch

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Avatar: The Last Airbender is an Animated Fantasy and Adventure series that appeared on Nickelodeon and was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The series featured voices from Zach Tyler Eisen, Jack DeSena, Dante Basco, and Mae Whitman. The premise follows a young boy named Aang, an Air Bender who is set to be the next Avatar, master of all elements, in a bit to unite the nations together and bring peace.

Cast
Mako , Dee Bradley Baker , Jack De Sena , Michaela Jill Murphy , Zach Tyler , Dante Basco , Mae Whitman
Release Date
February 21, 2005
Seasons
3
Directors
Dave Filoni
Showrunner
michael dante dimartino