2026 was already set to be an exciting year for fans of the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise, with the animated sequel film The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender, second sequel series Avatar: Seven Havens, and season two of Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender adaptation all headed for our screens.
Now, Aussie ATLA Supa-Fans are in for a very special treat. Zach Tyler Eisen (Aang), Jack De Sena (Sokka), Michaela Jill Murphy a.k.a. Jessie Flower (Toph), Jennie Kwan (Suki), and Olivia Hack (Ty Lee) from the hit animated series are set to attend both Supanova on the Gold Coast (11-12 April 2026) and in Melbourne (18-19 April 2026).
While it’s a hard task, to celebrate the visit, we’ve narrowed down the list to pick out the single best moment from each of the above characters in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
AANG DEFEATS FIRE LORD OZAI, HIS OWN WAY
Throughout Avatar: The Last Airbender’s iconic three-season run, the young Avatar Aang’s main goal is to master bending all four elements (Air, Water, Earth, and Fire) within a year. Then, he will have the skills to defeat Fire Lord Ozai and finally end the war that had been raging for one hundred years prior to Aang’s return. Towards the end of the series’ final season, it becomes clear that the vast majority of the show’s main cast – including Ozai’s son, Prince Zuko – believe that ending the war will require killing the Fire Lord.
For Aang, who is not just the Avatar but the last living member of the peaceful, pacifist Air Nomads, the thought of taking a life is a bitter pill to swallow, and he briefly rebels against what his friends believe to be his responsibility. Ultimately, Aang is able to defeat Ozai and he unlocks his final chakra, and with it the ability to energy bend. He cuts off Ozai’s access to his Firebending powers, neutralising the threat he poses without having to take his life. It is in this moment that Aang truly becomes a fully realised Avatar.
SOKKA HELPS INVENT THE HOT AIR BALLOON
While Aang struggles with the discovery that Earth Kingdom residents have now colonised former Air Nomad territory in the season one episode The Northern Air Temple, Sokka believes he has found a kindred spirit in talented inventor The Machinist, gushing over his inventions, and even sharing some of his own ideas. He is briefly devastated by the discovery that The Machinist has been building weapons for the Fire Nation army in exchange for the safety of his colony and his wheelchair-bound son, Teo. By that point, however, The Machinist has realised that his deal with the Fire Nation is becoming unsustainable.
Based on some of his earlier work with The Machinist, Sokka is able to invent the ATLA universe’s first hot-air balloon, which is then fashioned into a War Balloon, and comes up with a strategy using said War Balloon to fend off a Fire Nation attack. Though it comes early, this is perhaps the defining moment for Sokka as a character, letting viewers know exactly who he is, and the role he plays in the group beyond quirky comic relief. Sokka has an inventive, strategic mind, one that plays a vital role in the adventures that follow.
TOPH INVENTS METALBENDING
Despite leaving behind a note explaining the reasons behind her very willing departure to go train the Avatar in Earthbending, and plenty of evidence to the contrary, Toph Beifong’s parents spend ATLA’s second season stubbornly believing that Toph’s blindness renders her helpless, and Aang has kidnapped her. The bounty hunters that the Beifongs send to retrieve Toph finally catch up with her when the Gaang briefly splits up at the end of season two, and trap her in a solid metal prison, confident that she cannot escape. After all, no-one can bend metal.
Not for the first time, Toph’s unique way of viewing the world through vibrations in the earth proves to be her superpower. She senses impurities, remaining pieces of earth, within her metal prison and bends those, both successfully escaping and inventing the art of Metalbending. This new skill eventually changes the Four Nations forever. In the years following ATLA, Toph trains others in Metalbending, and by the time of sequel series The Legend of Korra, Toph’s eldest daughter Lin leads a Metalbending Police Force, and Aang’s successor, Korra, becomes the first Avatar to Metalbend after training with Toph’s younger daughter, Suyin.
SUKI AND THE KYOSHI WARRIORS PROTECT APPA
One of the most heartbreaking subplots of ATLA’s second season is the theft of Aang’s beloved Sky Bison, Appa. The episode Appa’s Lost Days, which details the events following Appa’s theft, including his sale to and abuse at the hands of a cruel Circus Master, is a particularly difficult watch. A brief bright spot in the episode comes following Appa’s escape from the Circus, when he is discovered by Sokka’s love interest, Suki, and her band of Kyoshi Warriors.
Suki gently regains Appa’s trust, and nurses him back to full health, committing herself to the new mission of returning him to Aang. Unfortunately, in yet another tragic twist in an already tragic episode, the group are discovered by Fire Nation Princess Azula and her then-offsiders, Mai and Ty Lee. Suki leads the Kyoshi Warriors into a hopeless battle against Azula’s forces to give Appa a chance to escape. The fact we later learn Suki was captured rather than killed does nothing to lessen the bravery of this sacrifice, cementing her as one of the great heroic figures of the series.
TY LEE ATTACKS AZULA TO SAVE MAI
As Azula’s mental state worsens over the course of the series, it becomes clear that Mai and Ty Lee are no longer following Azula out of true friendship or loyalty, but fear of what she may do if they don’t. The situation becomes further complicated when Mai falls in love with Azula’s brother, Prince Zuko, who betrays the Fire Lord in favor of helping Aang end the War. Mai ultimately chooses Zuko, holding off Fire Nation soldiers so he can escape, despite knowing that Azula will likely want her dead for the betrayal.
As Azula confronts and is about to attack Mai, Ty Lee swoops in, performing an expert chi-block that paralyses Azula in order to protect her friend. It isn’t enough to stop them from being captured and imprisoned, but avoiding capture was never the point. Ty Lee’s actions are symbolic. Like Mai, Ty Lee chose love over fear, an act that proves her character is worthy of redemption.
You can share some of your own favourite moments when our Avatar Supa-Stars hit Supanova on the Gold Coast (11-12 April 2026) and in Melbourne (18-19 April 2026)!
