Avatar: The Last Airbender's Dante Basco Has A Bold Claim About Team Avatar
For some folks, it would be difficult to choose one Nickelodeon animated series to place above all others. However, for many others, finding the answer couldn't be any easier: "Avatar: The Last Airbender." Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko's Americanime program was a breath of fresh air on a channel full of goofy, serialized cartoons. It told a gripping narrative that viewers adored, created a fantastic world they couldn't wait to dive back into week after week, and perhaps most of all, centered on characters that they simply couldn't help but root for throughout.
The focal point of "The Last Airbender" became known as Team Avatar, which consisted of the Avatar himself, Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen), siblings Sokka (Jack De Sena) and Katara (Mae Whitman), and later additions Toph Beifong (Michaela Jill Murphy) and Prince Zuko (Dante Basco). Together they traveled the land helping Aang hone his control over the four elements (earth, water, fire, and air) so that he could bring balance to their war-torn world. As one could imagine, they grew close throughout their journey, and over time, young fans felt like they were a part of their group, too.
Years after "Avatar: The Last Airbender" concluded, the love from fans for Team Avatar is still ever-present. Thus, some might take issue with Dante Basco's recent comments about the group of friends.
Basco noticed that Team Avatar isn't quite full of underdogs
During the adventures of Team Avatar, the show portrays them to viewers as underdogs. After all, they're a group of kids determined to take down the massive and powerful Fire Nation, so in that regard, this makes sense. However, as noted by Dante Basco, they're not quite as bad off as they may seem. "If you think about it...the OGs, they're actually all rich kids," he said on Avatar: Braving the Elements, highlighting that Zuko and Toph both come from royalty, Sokka and Katara's family holds power within the Southern Water Tribe, and Aang is, well, the Avatar. That's quite the privileged crew, in a manner of speaking.
Despite the fact that the Team Avatar crew all come from lofty backgrounds, that fact does little to improve their predicament. At the end of the day, they're still in the middle of a power struggle against a formidable enemy in the Fire Nation. Besides, they don't let their good fortune get the best of them and they're aware of their shortcomings. As Michael Dante DiMartino told The Mary Sue in 2015, "In our stories, we tried to show the characters learning and growing from their mistakes in order to become more balanced human beings." He adds that the characters were imperfect, yet young audiences could still look up to and be inspired by them.
So, are the Team Avatar members in a good spot in terms of their places in society? Certainly, and it's a fascinating point to bring up. At the same time, for the most part, they don't evoke the stereotypical images of wealthy, spoiled youth. Deep down, they're good people who want to help each other, themselves, and those in need.