The beautiful string of Avatar: The Last Airbender intro recreations continues with a new rendition from animator @OhKayArt, which replaces the elemental benders with adorable Pokémon. The artist, who goes by Kay, has chronicled the creation of her gorgeous animation online, and recently debuted the finished product.
Combining two of the most universally beloved cartoons of the past 25 years is a perfect match, especially given the significance of elemental affinities to both fictional worlds. Water and ice-type Pokémon map directly onto waterbenders; rock, ground, and metal types onto earthbenders; fire and dragon types onto firebenders; and flying type Pokémon onto airbenders. And with adoration for Avatar: The Last Airbender at an all-time high after its return to Netflix this summer, there’s never been a better time to celebrate the impact both shows have had, as many other artists have recently done.
Kay debuted the finished animation Tuesday morning on her Twitter account, @OhKayArt. The video features the original Avatar opening music and Katara’s narration, while stunning animations of Squirtle, Sandshrew, Charmander, and Pidgey replace the water, earth, fire, and Airbender. According to the caption, Kay has had the idea for the crossover for over a decade, and it’s brilliantly realized in her final piece.
Each Pokémon performs a signature move from their respective element, with Squirtle using what looks like a “water gun” attack, Sandshrew using “rollout,” Charmander using “ember,” and Pidgey using what appears to be “whirlwind.” All four Pokémon are in their base, unevolved forms, and all four are from the first generation’s Kanto region – a nice retro homage for fans of the original anime.
While Pokémon and Avatar are structurally very different – the former having aired for over 20 years, and the latter consisting of a tight, three-season run – they’ve both been massively successful and influential in the realm of children’s animation. Avatar has been praised by both critics and fans for handling complex, challenging topics in a nuanced and accessible way for kids. In contrast, Pokémon has remained one of the world’s most popular franchises over multiple generations of children. Bringing the two together in such a beautiful way is undoubtedly fun for fans of either series.
Of course, Kay’s video is only the first part of the Avatar intro. Anyone interested in supporting her work and potentially seeing the rest of the opening sequence populated with adorable Pokémon can help show their support on Ko-fi. Maybe one day, she’ll be able to show us what happens in the Pokemon world when the Fire Nation attacks.
Source: @OhKayArt