Summary

• The opening credits of Avatar: The Last Airbender introduce key characters and elements of the series in a short time.
• The credits set up the conflict between the Fire Nation and the rest of the world, hinting at Aang's journey.
• The identity of the benders in the sequence becomes clearer, with characters like Azula and Sud being revealed.

Avatar: The Last Airbender's opening credits introduce a lot of important elements about the series in a short period of time including four different benders. Nickelodeon's animated series focused on the titular Avatar, a young boy with the ability to bend all the elements who is responsible for keeping the entire world in balance. The series follows his journey from someone afraid of the responsibility of being the Avatar to becoming someone who can save the entire world.

Aang's story starts from the first word of the credits. Not only does Katara’s narration explain the backstory of the world, but the sequence showcases four characters using their bending abilities. However, their scenes appear in quick succession, and it’s not easy to identify all of them. Who are these mysterious benders? And do they play a part in the show?

What The Avatar: The Last Airbender Opening Credits Set Up

In less than a minute, the intro sequence of Avatar: The Last Airbender reveals plenty of information for the viewer. The credit sequence actually works as a way to introduce the audience to the world even if they're tuning into an episode after having missed the first few of the series. There's a lot of information to impart to the viewer in an incredibly short amount of time, and the credits make it work.

The credits set up the conflict between the Fire Nation and the rest of the world. The sequence also explains the Avatar’s goal and reveals that Aang still needs to learn the four elements. Roku appears to demonstrate the powers of a fully realized Avatar since Aang spends much of the series struggling to master all of his skills. Meanwhile, to introduce bending and the four elements, the credits also show four characters performing moves typical of their elements.

The Waterbender In The Last Airbender's Opening Sequence

As the show went on, the identity of these benders became clearer. The first bender in the sequence is the waterbender character, who is, in fact, Master Pakku. That's fitting since the first season is "Book One: Water." Pakku was first introduced in the last part of the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

For a time, he was Aang’s and Katara’s waterbending teacher, although his insistence in denying to teach Katara because of her gender complicated their relationship. Eventually, Pakku recognized Katara’s abilities and tasked her as Aang’s next master. Of course, that only happened because Katara essentially challenged Pakku to a duel with their bending skills. Though he pretended not to be impressed, when the Southern Water Tribe was attacked by Fire Nation soldiers, Pakku had to rely on Katara's skills to help his people.

The Firebender In The Last Airbender's Opening Sequence

Azula embodies the spirit of the Fire Nation...

Next, Azula was revealed as the character firebending in the credits. She's the third bender in the sequence, even if she is the second that can be easily identified, which makes sense with each bender appearing in sequence corresponding with the season that focuses on their element. Azula didn’t appear until the last episode of the first season, but she became one of the main villains of the show and quickly demonstrated her incredible talent as a firebender.

The live-action The Last Airbender series on Netflix makes a change to Azula's first appearance, bringing her into the show even earlier.

Far crueler than Zuko, Azula threatened not only Aang but also chased her own brother and uncle. It makes sense of her to represent the fire element in the opening credits, as not only is she talented with the element, but Azula embodies the spirit of the Fire Nation during the events of The Last Airbender.

The Earth And Airbenders In The Last Airbender's Opening Sequence

The other two characters, however, are not that easily identifiable. The earthbender was supposed to be Aang’s future earthbending teacher; however, the creators decided a girl should help Aang master the element instead. So they created Toph and introduced her in season 2. Later, the design of the credits was used for Roku’s earthbending teacher, Sud. In this case, the character in the introduction came first, because Sud only appeared in season 3 of the show.

The original identity of the character was likely scrapped during the creative process...

Finally, no one knows for sure the identity of the airbender shown in the opening sequence. Although, at first glance, it might look like it was Aang, upon closer inspection, a mustache is visible on the bender’s face. Even in the sequel comics, which have shown an older Aang, the character doesn't sport a mustache.

This also eliminates Yangchen, the female airbending Avatar, as a possibility. Some have speculated that the airbender is a younger Gyatso, Aang’s teacher, and surrogate father, but this is not confirmed. The original identity of the character was likely scrapped during the creative process, similar to how Sud and Toph transformed between Avatar: The Last Airbender seasons.