deathtocapslock | If J.K. Rowling wrote Avatar: The Last Airbender

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literary comparisons

If J.K. Rowling wrote Avatar: The Last Airbender

Everyone loves AtLA, and I was curious about how obvious the problematic nature of our favourite books would be when compared to the consistently best series I've ever seen.

Firebending would be reviled and the Avatar wouldn’t reincarnate into the Fire Nation. However, it would be very unclear as to what counts as firebending, Toph would on occasion bend lava, and Aang would firebend and quip about it. This would never be addressed.

Furthermore, bending itself would go entirely unexplained, and as the series continued there would be several inconsistencies: some to clumsily further the plot, others just demonstrating that it hadn’t been thought through. Both types would create major plot holes.

Needless to say, Energybending would be self-contradictory, and screw with everything already shown.

The Air Nomads would be presented by the authorial voice as the best culture. The Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes would function as cheerleaders for them. No matter how many people talk about achieving balance (Aang would not be one of these, he would instead CAPSLOCK about how the Fire Nation killed his people and hate them all indiscriminately. Until the end, where he would feel a small amount of pity for some of them. Needless to say, he would not have been friends with Kuzon), the overall implication would be that “balance” means “Air Nomads on top, Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes supporting them, Fire Nation kicked out off to the side somewhere and watched carefully for potential Phoenix Kings.” (No one would be scared of potential Badgermole Kings, Moon Kings, or Sky Bison Kings).

Aang would have no trouble with the prospect of killing Ozai. No one would. Instead, his angst would revolve around Roku’s utter inability to simply explain anything, and would go on for far too long.

Aang would be reluctant to learn any other bending styles.

Aang would constantly enter the Avatar State to win his fights, and never learn (or even want) to control it. Nonetheless, he would be constantly praised as a great fighter and bender. His victory over Ozai would be achieved by passively giving in to the Avatar State, rather than through any merit of his own.

Anyone who criticised Aang for running away and freezing himself for a century (I’m thinking mainly of the fisherman in The Storm and can’t remember if there were others) would suffer explicit condemnation from the authorial voice and would prove themselves to be at best unpleasant and cruel, at worst evil.

Iroh would be cowardly and generally not as good as the other old masters. He’s fat, you see. And a Firebender.

Zuko... oh, Zuko. He would be pretty much as he is, except the Gaang would never trust or befriend him, he’d be hopelessly in love with Katara who would never forgive him for insulting her while being beaten up by Aang as she watched on amused, energybending would come with some nonsensical technicality that would, through needlessly convoluted means, cause Zuko’s death (and Ozai’s - no mercy from this twelve-year-old), and in post-series interviews JKR would insult and belittle him on a regular basis.

Roku would have been an Air Nomad and when Aang enters the Avatar State in his fight with Ozai, Roku would appear and claim that it was all planned out, and spend half the scene going on about how much better than him Aang is. Since Aang’s ego would have received regular polishing from Katara and Roku by now, this would just make him even more insufferable.

Katara would be almost as awesome as she is in the actual show, but would cook and do the boys’ laundry without complaint. She would, however, carry the Gaang through pretty much all of their non-climactic fights, and would be the only one actually interested in learning any new skills. She would have been the only member of the Gaang to become besotted with Jet, and would not have turned away from taking revenge on her mother’s murderer.

Sokka would be utterly ineffectual and marginalised due to not being a bender. Suki wouldn’t even have any lines, and would be lucky to get away with a name.

Hakoda and Bato would be bloodbended out of the story. We will never know whether or not they consented.

Toph... would still be awesome.

Azula would be killed by someone totally unsuited to combat based on previous appearances (only trouble is, I’m not sure anyone in AtLA fits this description. The cabbage merchant?) and receive no authorial sympathy or deep examination of character and motives.

Ozai would be replaced by Ember Island Player!Ozai.

There would be no women in the Fire Nation military. The lack of any women in the Order of the White Lotus would not be especially disappointing.

No one besides the Gaang would do anything in particular to fight the Fire Nation. Not until Sozin’s Comet, anyway.

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No Suki would be introduced as a badass normal fighter, but is reduced to a sobbing mess constantly pining for Sokka.

Toph would be awesome and then quickly disappear into the background once she has fulfilled her plot functions.

Sokka would end up as a misogynistic bore whose character would entirely be defined by his love of meat. He would abandon his sister and his friends when they enter the Fire Nation.

Zuko would never be redeemed. He becomes a second rate villain who survives the defeat of the Fire Nation. We see him 20 years later as a balding Fire Lord.

Mai and Ty Lee would never appear.

Most of season 3 would be spent discussing the backstory of Ozai and Roku and would have little actual bearing on the resolution of the show

LOL! I have recently bought the Airbender series because several people whose taste I trust a great deal are very enthousiastic about it. I've just seen the first season and the excellent writing really stands out. This comparison is fun to read, because while watching the series I caught myself thinking that this was the sort of thing I had been hoping the Potter series would be.

Now on to seasons two and three... :)

I've only maybe seen a couple of the airbender cartoon's on TV so I don't really know enough about it to speak to the characters, etc.

But, I think I kind of remember what each Hogwarts house represents. And I think in Airbender the badguys are portrayed to be the fire nation right?

If I'm right on JKR's choice of the elements for each house that would mean that the Gryffindor are bad, because my recollection is:

Gryffindor = Fire
Hufflepuff = Earth
Ravenclaw = Air
Slytherin = Water

So in the airbender universe Harry would be in the most hated group.

I've only seen a couple of episodes too, but what I've seen I've liked.

However, it was never clear to me whether the Fire Nation was evil for itself (a la Slytherin House) or just corrupted by certain evil people. In the latter case, it wouldn't matter if Gryffindor were fire as long as the people were decent. But I don't know for sure....

I'd hate to see Zuko as a second-rate villain and not a major player, though, in part because he's the only western-animation character with a voice actor I recognize.

It's no spoiler to say that Iroh's living proof of the Fire Nation not being inherently evil. Season 3 goes into this in more depth.

Where did the House/element comparisons come from in the first place?

They've been around for yonks. Rowling finally confirmed that yeah, that's what she had in mind. Whether that's true, or whether she decided to pull an "I meant it like that" after the fact is inconclusive.

As somebody who's a fan of the show, I think your post is awesome! I'm not sure if somebody said it here or somewhere else, but I remember reading a comment that said that Zuko was like Draco, only with greater depth and complexity and with creators who invested more time in his characterization.

I think it's as simple a matter of the creators of Avatar just caring more. Zuko, Ozai, Azula, even that bastard Sozin all clearly exist as people in their minds (hell, based on his cameo in Tales of Ba Sing Se even the cabbage merchant gets more consideration than JKR gives any of her walk-on characters). I mentioned it in a comment somewhere else here, but there's a Doctor Who audio drama that's all about a creator's responsibilities to their creations, and its explicitly stereotypical characters carrying out cliched melodramatic intrigues in a generic medieval castle are far more real and sympathetic as they struggle with their nature and succumb to or transcend it. If the writers don't care, the audience won't (see also most of RTD's stories in the new series of Doctor Who).

I concur- Zuko's characterization makes him far more interesting than Draco ever was. I can tell that the writers cared as much about him as any of the other characters.

Aang would...well, basically he'd be a bit like Anakin in AOTC and ROTS. (Sorry, Anakin fans. :) He wouldn't really have fun, his friendships with people like Kuzon and Bumi would be eliminated, and his good-natured streak, his kindness towards others, would be replaced with a sort of sadistic glee at watching his enemies suffer. He'd actually firebend Azula in Ba Sing Se (in the "Crossroads of Destiny" episode). In fact, he'd have moments of using firebending against other people (including *nearly killing* Zuko) and then just go about it without any angst. (In fact, after nearly killing Zuko, the first worry on his mind would be "Dammit, I didn't get to go penguin sledding!") And yet Roku and Katara would consistently Shill The Wesley, while those in the audience would basically be wondering, "What the f-k is wrong with this kid?"

Sokka and Yue's bond would be eliminated. Yue would be treated like crap for having to get married to Chan, as well as for being "girly". Sacrifice at the end of "Siege of the North, pt. 2" would be treated like a typical Stuffed Into The Fridge moment, intended to make you hate the Fire Nation more.

Suki, meanwhile, would also be Chickified, going from a strong fighter capable of taking care of herself to pining for Sokka. She and Sokka would be ruthlessly killed off in the finale -- after she and Sokka got married and had a kid, of course.

Sokka would Take A Level In Dumbass *and* Jerkass every installment.

Pointless Take Thats at Taang and Zutara. Toph would be an unintentional One Scene Wonder/Ensemble Darkhorse, especially since she's the only one in canon that makes any sense. Would be married off to some guy we've never even heard of before.

Hakoda and Bato would either be turned into stereotypical sitcom parents, or be lucky to get any lines, or even a name.

Piandao would be cut. In fact, Jeong Jeong would probably be cut. Pakku would be turned into a Straw Misogynist, and pick on Aang and Katara for no reason. His past with Kanna wouldn't even be explained until Season Three, for Christ's sake! (And he probably would have been a Fire Nation deserter. Of course)

Kanna would be turned into a stereotypical sitcom parent that gets the honors of killing Azula in the end.

Long Feng...would still be awesome. Except for the "working with Zhao the whole time" thing, which blows.

The Earth King would be portrayed as a complete idiot, and condemned for not siding with Aang. He and Long Feng would be working together with Zhao and company, because if you're on Aang's side, you're a good guy. If not...you're a bad guy.

Zhao would be replaced by live action!Zhao. Well...minus the picking-on-Zuko thing, that is. :/ For some reason, though, he not only decides to help Ursa protect Zuko (along with Pakku and Azula), but gets to survive the series without even a punishment.

Azula...oh, Azula. The whole point of Azula in the show was that she was a highly competent Firebending prodigy whose breakdown at the end of Season Three was a surprise and a shame. Here...she'd be replaced by live action!Azula, and one would swear she was *already* batshit crazy. In addition, we wouldn't even be granted an examination of her motives; we'd mostly be told that she's evil because (a) she's ambitious, and (b) she's a Firebender. Her breakdown that ultimately allows Kanna to kill her would mostly be an Aesop about how Ambition is Evil. Oh, and add an Electra Complex into the mix, without any exploration of Ursa at all (well, except maybe in interviews belittling the Fire Nation Royal Family).

Ursa...would still be awesome. Hell, she'd probably come back to help Aang after he decides, for some reason, to help Zuko.

Ozai...yeah, what you said about Ember Island Players Ozai. He'd probably be taken down via a one hit KO from the Avatar State. In addition, he'd probably be portrayed as a sociopath from *infanthood* -- due to Fire Nation inbreeding.

Iroh would be portrayed as...well, kind of stupid. And possibly a villain. Granted, a Harmless Villain, but still a villain. Who'd pick on Aang for no reason other than the fact he's an Airbender.

Mai and Ty Lee would basically become a composite character, Mai-Lee, who'd be portrayed as The Libby. Because she's girly, you see. And a Firebender. The Boiling Rock incident would be cut, and in addition, Mai-Lee would try and hand Aang over to Ozai for no good reason. Emphasis would be placed on how ugly she looks, just to make Katara look better.

Katara would start out great, but slowly become a downright psychotic Author's Darling, kind of like Aang. Emphasis would be put on Katara's beauty, especially in contrast to how ugly Mai-Lee is, which she of course got from her mother. (Good genes, y'know. ;-)

Thoughts?

-Aang and Katara would get together...in the worst way possible. (You know what I'm talking about. :)

-Roku would be a Palpatine-esque manipulator, constantly putting Ozai down to make Aang look good.

-June wouldn't get any lines, and would be lucky to get away with a name.

-Plenty of angst on Iroh's part about "I should have seen Ozai's rise to power coming, blah blah blah", only instead of being portrayed poignantly, Iroh would be condemned by the Authorial Voice. Lu Ten would not appear.

-Katara wouldn't cry. Ever.

-The bit with Roku and Sozin wouldn't go anywhere. It would just be Continuity Porn. (*Insert "That's What She Said" joke*)

-Aang and Katara would get together...in the worst way possible. (You know what I'm talking about. :)

?

Like Harry and Ginny, of course. :/

(Sorry, Anakin fans. :)

Prequel!Anakin has fans?

Oh, and add an Electra Complex into the mix, without any exploration of Ursa at all (well, except maybe in interviews belittling the Fire Nation Royal Family).

... thank you. Just when I thought that family's dynamics couldn't get any worse.

"Prequel!Anakin has fans?"

Let's not discuss this now.

"... thank you. Just when I thought that family's dynamics couldn't get any worse."

I know. :/

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If J.K. Rowling wrote Avatar: The Last Airbender

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