Now that Avatar Generations is poised to become an RPG that relives the adventures of Avatar Aang and his friends, Avatar fans wait to see how the title transforms some of the cartoon’s most exciting arcs into a game format. If the RPG lets fans revisit the story, players will be treated to a narrative transformation of the show’s multi-episode arcs.
However, with Avatar spanning three seasons and overarching storylines, some subplots and side stories were glossed over by the show, to be expanded in other media. Now that an RPG will plan on reliving the most pivotal moments of Aang’s adventures, just which other storylines from the show should the RPG highlight?
10 Aang's Childhood
With the story of Avatar starting with Aang’s journey to learn to control the Four Elements to defeat the Fire Nation, viewers only got to learn about Avatar’s world through his travels. Visits to certain locales had Aang reminisce about his childhood, which occurred during an era of peace between the Four Nations, just before the Hundred Year War began.
Aang’s childhood and his learning of Airbending interspersed with his travels could be great ways of introducing the RPG's mechanics. Moreover, his first encounters with his Airbending mentor Gyatso, the young Bumi from Earth Kingdom’s Omashu, and Fire Nation’s Kuzon can give glimpses into his life prior to the Air Nomad genocide and the Fire Nation attack.
9 The Death Of Avatar Roku
As the Avatar is the link between the Living World and the Spirit World, each Avatar can tap into their past lives through meditation. This allows them to recall their memories and seek advice. Throughout Aang’s journey, his closest mentor as an Avatar came in the form of Avatar Roku, his predecessor. Roku’s life was explored extensively in The Last Airbender, making his story a potential subplot in the RPG.
In life, Roku served as the best friend of Crown Prince Sozin. However, their relationship soured when Roku became a fully-realized Avatar who strove to maintain peace, while Fire Lord Sozin grew blinded by his ambition to “unite” the world under the helm of the Fire Nation. Prior to the first arrival of Sozin’s Comet, Sozin helped Roku save his island from a rampaging volcano, assisting Roku in his Lavabending. However, Sozin eventually left a helpless Roku for dead and began his journey to conquer the Four Nations, thus beginning the events of the series.
8 The Adventures Of The Blue Spirit
Throughout Prince Zuko’s journey to capture the Avatar, he experienced an ongoing transformation. This came in the form of the Blue Spirit, a masked alter-ego he first donned to help the Avatar escape Pohuai Stronghold in order to capture him himself. However, Zuko soon donned the mantle of the Blue Spirit to help the Avatar in multiple ways, as though a reflection of his inner turmoil. Outside helping the Avatar, Zuko also became the Blue Spirit to steal from others, while living as a fugitive away from Iroh’s care.
Although the Blue Spirit only appeared in the Avatar series in three episodes, it’s implied that Zuko acquired significant combat experience while in this persona. In an Avatar RPG, a Zuko-dedicated questline may have Blue Spirit-themed missions, where he fights foes solo without using Firebending to avoid giving away his identity. If interspersed with internal monologues, players may acquire useful insights into Zuko’s mental state while donning this persona — something that isn’t provided in the series.
7 The King Of Omashu
While training in the art of Waterbending, Aang and his companions stumble upon Omashu, the second-largest city in the Earth Kingdom. Unfortunately, Aang and his friends earned the ire of Bumi, King of Omashu, after ruining parts of the city. Aang and the gang have to solve three special puzzles in order to get out of the city. These events eventually culminate with a touching reunion between Aang and King Bumi, who turned out to be his childhood friend.
Despite being a short arc, “The King of Omashu” and its three-tiered “questline” makes perfect material for an RPG storyline. With the third trial serving as a boss fight, a questline revolving around this episode can allow players explore a game’s version of Omashu, with potential for puzzle-solving components.
6 Appa’s Lost Days
Accompanying Aang in his cryostasis is Appa, his Air Bison and possibly the last one to exist prior to the events of The Legend of Korra. Having befriended Aang since he was a child, the pair were practically inseparable. Such was their closeness that fans got to see a heartbroken Aang desperately searching for Appa during Season 2, wherein Guru Pathik told Appa that he and Aang shared an unseverable spiritual connection.
While Aang and Team Avatar had adventures of their own, Appa’s own exploits were revealed during “Appa’s Lost Days” (S2E16), depicting a seemingly hopeless and lonely search for Aang. However, this short episode revealed some snippets of culture in the world of Avatar. This journey with Appa serves as a great way to have players test new characters, such as combat-ready Suki, in short matches alongside an Airbending Appa while telling a compelling story.
5 The Tales Of Ba Sing Se
During Aang’s search for Appa, Team Avatar and their distant associates did spend some days contemplating on their journey. In “The Tales of Ba Sing Se” (S2E15), Earthbender Toph and Waterbender Katara have a girls’ day out, Sokka gets roped into poetry class, Aang helps create a zoo, Zuko goes on a date, Momo tries to search for Appa, and Iroh helps citizens while preparing for an emotional day. “The Tales” revolves around multiple short scenarios, making them perfect for a side story in an RPG.
A sub-quest exploring “The Tales” may have players control various characters from scratch. These can help players try new strategies as well as team-up combinations. Given how “The Tales” is a transition to the fierce confrontation that takes place in the following episode, a multi-battle, multi-setup subplot can become a great way to prepare to fight a powerful Azula.
4 The Blind Bandit
When Aang and his friends stumble upon the blind Earthbender Toph in his journey to find an Earthbending master, they suddenly get dragged into a tournament called the Earth Rumble. While Aang easily defeats Toph with Airbending, Toph eventually claims the title of Earthbending Champion. Although obviously a hilarious parody on professional wrestling such as that of WWE, “The Blind Bandit” (S2E6) has the makings of a multi-staged combat questline in an Avatar RPG.
Due to the entertainment-focused nature of the Earth Rumble, it makes sense for players to control Aang and Toph against combatants of increasingly difficulty. These could include easily-beaten Fire Nation Man to hype up the competition, the sturdy Big Bad Hippo, masked Headhunter, and more, culminating with a boss fight against the outlandish yet skilled Boulder. To make this RPG adaptation interesting, the fighters may even use different techniques against the players, showcasing the Earthbending skills characters could obtain in the game.
3 The Drill
Ingenuity remains one of the key strengths of the Fire Nation in the Avatar series, which is why they’re often associated with technological advancements. In “The Drill” (S2E13), this is highlighted with the Fire Nation Drill, a gigantic weapon with which Asto penetrate the walls of Ba Sing Se. It’s only thanks to the coordinated efforts of Team Avatar that the Drill was destroyed, but not until after it grazed the surface of the city walls.
While adapting “The Drill” into the Avatar Generations RPG is as simple as creating a multi-stage fight, the game can enhance the experience by using the time-based constraints of the episode. Aang and his friends had a limited time infiltrating the Drill, gathering schematics, destroying internal components, and fighting off Azula and her friends. Splitting this RPG segment into multiple fights with a timed element can add to the thrill.
2 The Boiling Rock
While Zuko trains Aang in Firebending, the Fire Nation Prince accompanies Sokka on a secret mission in the Boiling Rock to rescue the latter’s father, Hakoda, and other prisoners. However, the rescue attempt goes awry when Azula and her team confront them. Thankfully, not only do the pair eventually succeed, but this two-episode affair ends in a pivotal moment: Mai and Ty Lee, Azula’s confidants, betray the Princess to help Zuko.
An effective RPG retelling of this story should include the necessary constraints. Zuko and Sokka’s rescue attempts were made much harder due to the presence of Fire Nation soldiers, which can be translated into disguise and stealth options in the RPG. Likewise, the no-Bending policy in Boiling Rock can force players to rely on melee fighting against Firebending guards.
1 Sozin’s Comet
In this four-part finale of The Last Airbender, Avatar Aang finally defeats Fire Lord Ozai, but not without challenges. Aside from Team Avatar facing overwhelming odds while separated from each other, Aang is immediately overpowered by a skilled, battle-hardened Fire Lord. Instead of simply giving Ozai a multi-stage final boss fight, showcasing Team Avatar’s other fights may enhance the RPG experience as well.
Additionally, the player’s status in each preceding battle may be able to reward Aang with bonuses prior to his fight with Ozai. These fight-dependent buffs can give an interactive component to these split final segments. For instance, the Old Masters liberating Ba Sing Se could provide Aang with a confidence boost, improving his Bending stats. Likewise, Sokka and Toph fighting the Fire Nation fleet can eliminate interruptions in the Ozai fight, giving Aang increased Defense. Lastly, the Zuko and Katara fighting Azula could weaken Ozai’s pride, lessening his own Attack.
Avatar: Generations is slated to have a soft launch this August 2022 for Android and iOS.