The Avatar: The Last Airbender Character You Likely Didn't Know Tinashe Voiced
When it comes to American animated television programs, few titles out there are as widely beloved and deserving of such praise as "Avatar: The Last Airbender." The brainchild of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the series didn't stick around long — three seasons and 61 episodes, to be exact — but in that brief run, it managed to not only entertain viewers, but teach them valuable lessons about family, redemption, and life as a whole. To do so, it enlisted a group of main characters fans came to adore to explore these concepts.
Leading the pack is the titular Avatar himself, Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen), who spends the series honing his skills bending air, water, earth, and fire to help bring peace to the world. Along the way, allies such as Sokka (Jack DeSena), Katara (Mae Whitman), Toph Beifong (Michaela Jill Murphy), and later disgraced prince of the Fire Nation Zuko (Dante Basco) join him on his journey, but they're just the tip of the iceberg. The world of "Avatar" is home to loads of unforgettable and forgettable side characters brought to life by numerous talented voice actors.
One such voice on "Avatar: The Last Airbender" actually came from famous singer Tinashe. Here's who she played on the critically-acclaimed Nickelodeon original way back when.
Tinashe voiced On Ji on Avatar: The Last Airbender
Before rising to fame in the music industry, Tinashe worked on a host of film and television productions in the early 2000s. She featured in movies like "Masked and Anonymous" and "The Polar Express," as well as shows such as "Rocket Power" and "Out of Jimmy's Head." During this time, she lent her voice acting talents to "Avatar: The Last Airbender," specifically the Season 3 (or Book 3) episode "The Headband." Tinashe voiced the character On Ji: a student at a Fire Nation school who befriends Aang while he goes undercover there as a supposed new student named Kuzon (via IMDb).
Sadly for Tinashe, On Ji didn't become a regular on "Avatar" outside of "The Headband," cutting her time on the program short. It's too bad considering how much Tinashe enjoys voice acting, which she explained in a 2020 interview with Vulture. "I loved being in cartoons and stuff, too, because you just walk into the room; you can be yourself and knock it out in literally a matter of hours. I have to get back into voice acting," she said after touching on her "Avatar" experience. She admitted that, at the time, it was just another gig to her, but looking back, she's happy to have taken part.
Tinashe didn't get much to do on "Avatar: The Last Airbender," though at least she found remarkable success elsewhere in the entertainment sphere in the years that followed.