In the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the Avatar can often live much longer than ordinary characters, but Aang’s adult life was much shorter than might be expected. Avatar: The Last Airbender follows Aang and his friends as he races to master all four elements before the evil Firelord Ozai will attempt to take over the world during the summer solstice. Though Aang is only 12 during Avatar: The Last Airbender, his powers as the Avatar are incredible, and those powers will continue building throughout his adult life.
In The Legend of Korra, it is revealed that, despite his great power, Aang died a natural death when he was in his 60s, which seems incredibly young considering many of his ordinary non-Avatar peers are still alive during Korra’s story. Katara, Zuko and Toph all outlive Aang, and are all quite healthy in their old age. In fact, all three of them are still powerful benders who still pose quite the threat in a fight. Aang’s life seems strangely short in comparison, especially considering his Avatar status.
Avatar: The Last Airbender's Aang Spent A Century In The Iceberg
In all likelihood, Aang would have enjoyed a much longer life if he actually had a chance to live it the way most Avatars did. As it happens, during the 100 years that he and his Appa were frozen in the iceberg, Aang probably used more than just the power of the Avatar state to stay alive in the ice. Technically, Aang is 112 during Avatar: The Last Airbender, making him about 168 by the time Avatar Aang dies and passes the role onto Korra. Aang’s life force would have been strained by the end of his life, despite his physical youth.
This theory makes the most sense to explain Aang's short life, with the only hiccup being the ambiguity around how the time in the ice impacted Appa’s lifespan. However, with there being no other flying bison to compare his age to, it is impossible to guess whether Aang would have lived those 100 years outside of the iceberg. Appa does share a spiritual connection to Aang as his spirit guide, meanwhile, perhaps accounting for Appa’s preservation over that time.
What Is A Normal Lifespan For Avatars In The Last Airbender?
At the time of Aang’s adventures in Avatar: The Last Airbender, the only Avatars introduced in detail are Roku and Kyoshi as the Avatars before Aang in the cycle. While Roku died a comparatively early death at the hands of Firelord Sozin at the age of 70, Kyoshi lived to be over 200 years old. With only these to judge by, it becomes hard to predict what Aang’s true lifespan would be. Comics later reveal that without an outside force such as war acting against them, Avatars tend to live about 150 years.
Ultimately, Aang’s short life allowed some of the original characters to make appearances in The Legend of Korra, since her time as the Avatar could not start until after his death. It is likely that the reason for Aang’s curiously short adult life was a creative decision made so that Korra could appear alongside Avatar: The Last Airbender characters. Whatever the real reason, Aang's short life can be easily explained by looking at the effort his body went through during a century in an iceberg.