Avatar: The Last Airbender - Real World Culture & Mythology Explained!
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
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Avatar: The Last Airbender is an amazing series with a lot of influences. Aside from their own original mythology, the show creators also drew from real-world sources. In this video, I will attempt to decipher those sources by breaking down the real-world Mythology, Philosophy, Theology, and History referenced in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Let me know what references you noticed and what the show means to you in the comments below.
Instrumentals in this video in order of appearance:
1. "dimo - ｌａｓｔ ａｉｒｂｅｎｄｅｒ (avatar lo-fi)"
Prod. Dimo / @rugs222.
2. "Torn"
3. "The Path"
4. "Broke"
5. "Era"
Prod. Chuki / chukimusic
6. "J.Cole Type Beat - Leaves From The Vines"
Prod. PD35 Beats / @pd35beats99
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#AvatarTheLastAirbender #Avatar #avatarthelegendofkorra
Check out my breakdown of the real-world mythology behind One Piece! ruclips.net/video/UAoCC2pXWmU/видео.html Naruto ruclips.net/video/lVUxytLlJx4/видео.html and Coraline! ruclips.net/video/fLpqKk0zu8A/видео.html
Please read my comment😁
you for got about the fire nations belivs on the sun which is based of the japan belivs . and japan is based of the sun like the fire nation and the thai building of the fire nation and fire fustivles of the fire nation witch is based of the japan fire fustivle its thrown room is thai and japan thrown room
Just recently rewatched I’m super eager n would love for you to do the Korra version of this vid & I love your American Gods content I tune in weekly for those
And the swamp people who resemble Florida men
Nobody in my Florida dresses like that. Also the state is made up of a lot of flat agricultiral land, not swampland hahaha.
Lmao.
@remmi I'm not offended, but Americans are so gullible, they may read the comment and actually belief it's true. Today, I saw an online advertisement saying *don't actually inject yourself with bleach*
GOTZ DEAOMA as someone who lives in Florida it’s all true we wear limited to no clothing and make friends with gators any chance we can. Shout out to Gainesville
Lol
Energy bending, or chi bending is the core of all bending. Something that wasn't really explored much in the 1st series. Though it was utilized more in The Legend of Korra. Amon in season 1 was the best example of this. Energy bending literally has an incongruous effect on the person that's being manipulated making them extremely weak afterwards. This can be seen in Fire Lord Ozai after he loses his bending, and Amon putting a cap on the benders he's effected. All bending is energy bending with a connection to the corresponding elements.
No show can really compete with this show. Seriously.
Jason Isaacs also portrayed Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter.
Great video man I subscribed !
the swamp dudes are definitely Floridians
Dope video! very detailed very accurate.
Do another avatar last airbender and the legend of KORRA to.
there is no war in ba-sing-se.
DVHV@ i was just thinking about that XD
Cuz im from BeiJing
Everybody's gangsta until a titans giant hand is sitting on top of ba sing se walls
The first war was in ba sing se when iroh was general he tried to take it over snd failed
giving me very much America vibes
I just love the fact
that people are still talking about Avatar: The Last Airbender. Such a timeless work of Art.
Hopefully the next generation will also be introduced to the show to have a chance to appreciate how much we Love this Masterpiece
More people will be introduced to it bc of the live action that is at work. But no one can beat the original ATLA honestly my Favorite
I hope the live adaptation on Netflix will draw others to the OG series. I have a little faith because Mike and Bryan are involved.
@@lknod627 Don't really know if it's even possible. Avatar does some things so good - for example the world buildung (I think it's even better than LotR, Harry Potter or other fantasy movies) and so believable characters. My expectations are very low. I hope they learned from all the mistakes they did with Legend of Korra.
@@lknod627 Yo, can you not? Like, seriously, no need to boast about it, lol.
i can't wait to show my future children and grand children
The inner child in me wants to learn Kung fu just so I can look like I’m bending while whooping someone’s ass
Kung fu is sadly not as effective of a martial art as the Chinese propaganda makes it seem. Though if you want to learn it, you should go for it, any training is always positive, and there is much more to it than just whooping ass
@@Aldoz Nah don't tell him nothin let this simple ass Westerner learn the hard way.
Aldozzy Would u like me to show you how it is.
ass w̶h̶o̶o̶p̶i̶n̶g̶ bending
also, it's never too late to learn a martial art 😊 I know people who started at 35+ years old, and they do very well in class
I actually started practicing traditional Kung fu because of influences I had as a child from avatar as well and I got way more than I expected .. I practiced for 5 years until I did a break now and will start with sword fighting ... you truly awake your inner potential and discover your power more than you could ever imagine ... it s never about whooping someone’s ass in truth but bending in another form ... your own energy I would say .. I would recommend if your inner child wants you to do it ! Hehe ... best experience ever !
I am a Tibetan American, and Avatar was the first show I felt I could relate to when I was young.
Best comment. I loved how ir made me feel
Ikr! ? Im also a Tibetan American and i really felt like this is a beautiful and meaningful show.
I love your comment! I grew up in a traditional mexican household and new little of other cultures and this show really opened up my world view and introduced me to so much. This show is amazing
Yay for Avatar!!!
Moonesday D Tashi Delek !!!
As a Mexican I was so excited when the Sun Warriors were introduced as you explained in your video, they definitively reminded me of Mexicas/Aztecs and the archeology of the temple definitively resembles Teotihuacán. And as you mentioned, Huitzilopochtli was the first image I pictured, the main deity of Mexicas/Aztecs, god of the Sun and war. I loved to see my culture in my favorite animated series, it only made Avatar closer to my heart. Btw, Quetzalcoatl it’s a hard one lol. Awesome video I really appreciated all the analysis and how in depth you investigated every culture. ❤️
Liliana Guerrero Yep. I had the opportunity to live in Mexico for some months a while ago and definitely this reminded me of Teotihuacan.
Also now in Korea I noticed the si militaries between the dresses in some scenes in the earth kingdom and the Korean Hanbok .
Aww 😍
Peter Peralta A long time ago, Asians from the East migrated to the West. If you actually examine Native Americans blood like the Aztec, you will find that they share many similarities to the Mongol race.
Thanks! I really wanted to cover the Mesoamerican influence on the show!
@@LM-ix7pk Wow. You know actually a few days ago i was thinking the same. I was looking at some pictures and exactly those words came to my mind. Native Americans and Mongols have some similar features.
I feel like the sandbenders with the way they dress, live in the desert, and the way those desert towns look definitely resembles middle eastern / arabic culture
Khareem Saad
Not really
zen s
Actually, he’s right. The Middle East is still connected to Asia, so just like India, it’s fair game in that regards.
Only the Water Tribes are non Asian in their inspiration, since they’re basically Inuits and Native Americans.
Sand benders are definitely Arabic/Middle Eastern inspired. What did you think they related too?
Fire Nation Soldier
India is definitely in Asia. The sand benders don’t seem inspired by Arabs. The sand benders are unique
Fire Nation Soldier
I hope you know that Indians and Arabs aren’t the same people. I really hope you know this
@@thalmoragent9344
It's not really "fair game" though is it? India is still culturally connected to east Asia which is where the bulk of the shows setting inspiration comes from. Ancient Indian mythology, Hinduism, and Buddhism played a pretty heavy role in outlining East Asian culture too. Concepts like the avatar, rebirth, and the four elements originate from India and spread out towards East Asia. Culturally the middle East is much more different than India or east Asia because of the influence of Islam as well. Plus the sand benders outfits resemble those of the desert dwelling Chinese people in the western deserts of China.
Best cartoon. Let's hope it won't be butchered by Netflix.
No way Netflix's shows can create something close the TLAB movie by night shyamalan. That movie was the epitome of art of the 21st century.
@@duyle-ej6ty the movie was horrible
@@justchillingafterwork9580 clearly, you didn't see the deep sarcasm in my comment.
@@duyle-ej6ty my bad 😅
θανάσης καψάλης lol let’s not lie though the movie wouldn’t have been as ass if they spaced it out more. They rushed through the story so much and just ended at the northern water tribe
this show actually helped me develop my spirituality growing up, and learning to be in tune with my mind/body. lot of great fundamentals from a show on a kids network. i hope more shows have thought like this one did.
Lemme guess uncle iroh
@@OkOk-vx2gg Not only - look at the importance of honor in the series (Zuko and his father and the nation, Katara and her mothers death and (blood)bending potential, Sokka and being the last man to protect his homeland, Toph and her honor as a person - not wanting to be a helpless girl) plus the characters' fight against cruelty, inequality, bigotry, sexism and racism within the world. Iroh ofc is badass but each character has its own purpose in the show - if someone is introduced it's to make the main characters or us think outside of the box and to introduce us to a new way of thinking, doubting our own moral compass, to push us further intelectually.
@@blm0726 I guess you are right
Blm0 uncle Iroh was everyone’s uncle 😭
@@ajayche7842 mine too 😄😭
"There is no M.Night Shyamalan in Ba-Sing-Se. Here we are free"
Glnn /\ Why isn’t this comment more popular? It’s hilarious!
M.Night Shyamalan made the wrost movie off all tine
Legend of Eagle Shooting Hero has better effects in showing live action bending in 2003 than in that godforsaken disappointment in 2010
*long feng imitation* : "the use of that name is forbidden in these walls. If people were to learn of that person, it might invite curiosity into what that person has created. On learning what he created, riots and rebellions, civil war, would ensue. Ba sing se cannot afford such a war interior to these great walls, so the name and all related content are to be strictly censored at all costs, even the extinguishment of lives."
*No, Koh the face stealer is based off of James Charles.*
I am dead 😂
Atla predicted James Charles
btw its Koh
Sitnick oh thx
Oh jesus🤣🤣🤣
The fact that people re still talking about his made me happy.
because next year, there will be a show coming out :)
@@ULTRA_MAGNUS a series with real people like Journey to the west
I just watched the entire show this week, I don't know how I lived this long without knowing about it... I totally love it
Very true , avatar series is vast , people still figuring out the reasons behind all scene .
but evarything changed when the American industrial culture attacked
LITERALLLY. I’m in America and I just don’t like how the world is rn I can’t explain it.. I wish we had a reset w bending that’d be so fun. No technology!!
@@jacksonc8348!!!!!! YES!!!!!
@@jacksonc8348 Yes i agee we do need a reset and do believe a shift is coming if you look at the insanity the world has come to.
@@jacksonc8348 One more thing to tell you. Yes We can bend the elements we have those powers we are born with them at birth. A lot of the ancients possessed them. If they were to walk the earth today they would freak a lot of people out because they had what western world calls Supernatural Abilities. But the point im trying to make to you is yes we have the power to bend the Elements always have. We are just disconnected from nature which is why we can't access them. Everything we see on tv that is dealing with Mythology IS VERY REAL TELEKINESIS , TIME TRAVEL TELEPORTATION AND INVISIBILITY AND BIOLOCATION, SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH IS ALL REAL. MAJORITY OF HUMANITY HAVE JUST FORGOTTEN DUE TO CONQUER AND GREED. WE. ALL POSSESS SUPERNATURAL ABILITIES. FANTASY IS OUR REALITY ITS NOT FAKE LIKE THEY TELL US.
Outlaw Makaveli OMG I know I never say anything because I know it sounds crazy. If everybody open all seven of the chakras there’s so much that you can do. The government makes people like a sound crazy so that we keep quiet
I would say that the Air Nomad genocide was definitely a reference to the Tibetan Genocide in the late 40s with the rise of Mao’s Communist China.
yes.
Totally agreed. This show may seem fun for young children, but its political references are so deep and conected to real events in Asia... A masterpiece
@@yasnaynavarrete7411
Yep, stuff like that allows for us older audiences to also enjoy and appreciate the show and all its aspects while still being enjoyable to younger children who are drawn in by the more kid friendly aspects.
Show that transcends all ages
That's disturbingly sad
Well monks have been killed by multiple governments and rulers throughout history . Even in China they burnt down plenty of temples
A lot have said the Air nation culture is reminiscent of the culture of Tibet much more so than the culture of China.
HindsightPOV
10:05
Yes it is, I am Tibetan and when I was watching avatar it felt very familiar.
Personally, I always felt that the Airbenders culture reminded me more of Thailand or Vietnam.
@@johnkrappweis7367 Their appearance and culture is really similar to Tibetans; a lot of Tibetans live in monasteries too and the whole reincarnation thing really makes sense. Not to mention the environment they live in which is elevated and high much like the Tibetan plateau.
john krappweis actually it is inspired from the Tibetans, the writers have said that in a interview. And also most Tibetans are named Tenzin. The Dalai Lama’s name is Tenzin Gyatso . So you see there is too many similarities there.
I love the avatar series and just finished watching the whole series again not long ago. I’ve lived in China and learned some Chinese since the last time I’ve watched show and was really shocked at how much more I got out of it this time around.
The water spirits are called tui and la which actually mean push and pull which was talked about when describing them. And Yue is actually the name for moon...just pronounced differently.
Thank you for posting such an awesome video! I look forward to a legend of Korra one!
Great catch! Tui and La Push and Pull like Yin and Yang and anyone who speaks Chinese probably knew what would happen to Yue.
Frog in China is Aang stronger then Azula
More little Chinese clues are the 2 clans in the great divide called Gan Jin and Zhang, literally clean and dirty, Sokka's master piandao's name is knife or blade, the dragons who taught Aang and zuko are called Ran and Shao, ranshao put together means burn or combustion. I didn't know about Dai Li being a real person, but if you pronounce dai li slightly differently it can mean ''to bring logic/reason' or 'proxy'. Also, Bumi literally means earth in Malay :)
K S it is still the moon, ancient Chinese poems would only have one character, to make the poems 5 or 7 characters ( Chinese poem forms) an example, is a song... Ming Yue Ji Shi You, meaning when will the moon appear tomorrow.
Another one: Lake Laogai, in Ba Sing Se. Laogai translates to reform camp. And after watching some videos I now know Zuko’s name is of Japanese influence but I always thought it was of Chinese influence: zhu kou, meaning shut up 😂.
Yooooo I'm not gonna lie, I had goosebumps and a huge smile on my face the whole time I was watching this. Gwaaad I love this show.
More Firebender mythology: The Agni kai is named after Agni, a Hindu fire god (whose name means 'fire'), and Kai (会) meaning 'meeting' or 'gathering' in Japanese.
The fans of the Kyoshi warriors is also probably a reference to Japanese war fans (called Gunsen or Tessen), with a corresponding martial art of tessenjutsu. They might also reference Onna-bugeisha, japanese warrior women, of which Tomoe Gozen is the most famous.
Kai actually means fire in most Easter languages especially Hindi and Chinese
Yeah this should be included in the video.
Yes Earth ie.... Boomi is from Tamil word is also represents the earth King Boomi
@@Sri_Krish1555 Bhoomi is sanskrit word for Earth, Not necessarily Tamil
@napoli In my native language (Bengali or Bangla) fire is called "aagun", also it's called 'agni', but in everyday spoken Bengali it's called aagun.
The whole concept of avatar came from Hinduism even the word "avatar" itself is Sanskrit and hindu. When God comes on earth in physical form because there's unbalance on earth caused by humans.
More Chinese culture tho tbr
@@theherionfather8274 chinese comes from hindu
@@dantewordlaw8677 yup but they are not the same race or ppl.
@@dantewordlaw8677 also different skin color and different language
@@dantewordlaw8677 and different beliefs bc Hindus have different gods they worship
You’re so wrong for showing the “leaves from the vine” scene😭😭😭 I am almost certain Iroh is the reason I tear up when someone mentions ATLA
Leemu Hall I sobbed, Iroh was a G and he didn’t deserve all that. I’m glad Zuko eventually found himself and made Iroh proud
I thought the same thing when the song played.
You randomly start sobbing when someone mentions ATLA?
The storyline where Princess Yue becomes the moon spirit reminds me of the Japanese myth of Princess Kaguya. Kaguya originally came from the moon, but she was born and raised on Earth. She's very pretty, has multiple potential suitors (she rejects all of them), and befriends an emperor. When it's time, she has to return to the moon. The emperor tries to stop her but fails. Kaguya's love for humanity is erased, and the emperor mourns the loss of his friend.
This myth also inspired Sailor Moon, apparently. I don't actually watch that show, so I don't know exactly how it influenced Sailor Moon.
Sailor Moon is the reincarnation of the Moon princess who's family ruled over the celestial court of the solar system, she's destined to defeat the force of darkness that destroyed the golden age known as the silver millennium.
Actually the story of princess yue is based on the Chinese moon goddess story.The way she replaced or became the moon spirit is more like the Chinese story because there is no servants to take her to the moon like the japenese story. Like her name litterally means moon if your read it a certain way.
This also sounds like what happened in naruto
@@NightPhoenix.Y The story of Chang'er and Houyi, kinda parallels Yue as the moon goddess and Sokka as Houyi
Actually the myth inspired naruto
Avatar is ORIGINAL in every sense and a classic. An exemplary and unparalleled story. I love it so much.
I love the show, and think it’s great. But I also think there are some parallels to be made between avatar and the Harry Potter series.
@@rome8432 I dont quite understand what you meant, but I am interested in what you said, could you elaborate please.
Luz Santana, firstly, I’d like to say that you sound very respectful and I appreciate that. Now, I would like to again say that avatar is an incredible show and probably my favorite show of all time. However, I believe that there are some parallels to be drawn between ATLA and The Harry Potter series. My first point is the characters, there is one “chosen” one who is destined to defeat the evil leader who is bent on destruction. There is the smart and skilled girl who comes from meager beginnings and has a bit of a backstory. There is also the goofy friend of the chosen one who is close with the girl. Now these characters have been used throughout all time, they are the perfect character archetypes for a trio that has a mission; so just because they have similar characters that definitely does not mean that ATLA ( Avatar the Last Airbender) copied Harry Potter. However it does get a little more interesting when you remember that both series are about magic (in a way). The only difference, magically speaking, is the elemental factor. The elements do have their on parallel in Harry Potter, however, the four groups. Some other honorable mentions are that: they are both about teens, the chosen ones both are highly skilled in their trade, and both main characters ( at least for a while in Harry potter’s case) were romantically involved with the girl in the trio. There was another parallel between the two series but I forgot it, so this is it. I don’t in any way mean that either series copied the other but I am just saying that all stories are drawn from something else, mainly, life. And life experiences are in no way confined to be unique, plenty of people share similar experiences because we are all living the same way.
Also, sorry if my comment seemed unclear. I was writing it around midnight, so I was practically falling asleep between sentences.
@@rome8432 ohh, I understand what you are saying, thanks for explaining it. I was genuinely instered because you mentioned the Harry Potter saga (which are my favorite books) and ATLA (one of my favorites series). And I see what you're saying, it can be seeing in many shows, books, and animes (such as Naruto, in a way). I totally agree with you, it doesnt mean that they're just copying, they're simply using something that works and give amazing results (sometimes). And yes, I get the magic (in a way) thing, it can also be seen in Naruto, the different jutsus, kekkei genkais, chakra natures, etc... and even a love triangle-ish (which is also seen in many stories).
Again, thank you for taking the time to explain it and dont worry, you explained it perfectly even if you were half asleep 😅 it was really interesting.
One thing you forgot to mention in the bending section was that while normal Earthbending was based off of Southern Style Hung Gar Kung Fu (which prioritized powerful, hard punches and kicks, and a strong base), Toph’s Earthbending was based off of Northern Praying Mantis style Kung Fu (which was strictly about using the arms for powerful close range attacks and keeping the amount of leg movement to a minimum).
Omg. It makes so much sense since Toph only can see with her feet so she always needs her feet on the ground
I think you meant Southern Praying Mantis. That’s why Toph’s hands looks like an upside down praying mantis
Apparently that form of the praying mantas style was create by a blind woman, which make perfect sence for Toph.
In many years to come, "the last airbender" will still remain my most favourite cartoon series ever......
With each viewing I learn something new.
It truly is a masterpiece
❤️
That was brilliant! Thank you for shedding some light on this. I've recognised the Chinese, Japanese, and Indian influences in the show, but I was so unsure of how they all fit together. The overview of the martial arts styles were especially helpful. Thanks so much!
Man this series is one of my best childhood experiences. Even after 15 years, Can't stop obsessing it, old but gold ~
growing up as an asian kid when this show first came out, I was so happy to see asian culture being represented in a popular kid's show.
"spoilers" bruh everyone's watched Avatar
Nooooo, I'm afraid there is most definitely still a good number of those kinda folk out there...😒
Currently "seeing" someone like that..🙄😂
Andrew J. S. Yeah, I’m one of those people. Avatar came out a few months before I was born and it ended when I was really little (I wasn’t even 3 when it ended), so I never got to watch it.
But I’m watching it right now omg Netflix for the first time, I absolutely LOVE ❤️ it!
The hand movements they do are known as " mudras" in Hinduism
Yup you will see a lot of those in classical Indian dances like kuchipudi , odissi and Bharatnatyam
@@Sticklemako yuuuuuup
One weird thing I noticed, is that the palace of the northern water tribe is modeled after South Indian temples. It's strange cause it's one of the only indian buildings in the show, and the rest of the northern water tribe is inuit.
I think the northern tribe architecture is based on south indian while southern tribe is straight from inuit
thats super interesting
The creators of the show used different cultures in order to build the physical and geographical aspects of each nation. For example, many think the Fire Nation is built off of Japanese culture (which it is) because of all the volcanoes. But the creators of the show have actually said that they got inspiration from Greenland and they started Greenland’s geography in order to create the geography of the Fire Nation. So even tho the Fire Nation is culturally Japanese/East Asian, it is also Greenland in terms of physicality. Just how the Northern Water Tribe is culturally Inuit, but physically South Indian.
Hell I just checked it on internet and damn they do resemble south India Hindu temples
@@LM-ix7pk The Fire nation has more Chinese, Thai and South East Asia in its culture actually. The place where Suki came from is Japanese and the only one in the Avatar universe predominantly so
I wonder how popular The Last Airbender us in Asia. Its probably has some of the best storytelling in recent times.
Hello speaking as a Malaysian here :) it was pretty well-known when it aired, anyone who had a tv in 2005-2010 must have seen it and I dont think I've met anyone who doesn't know about it, so I'd say it's really popular here, maybe even more than it was in the west.
@@riverelsie997 fellow Malaysian here agrees
Add Indonesia. The legend of aang avatar the last airbender has been popular among indonesian. Especially the words.. "negara api menyerang" which means "fire nations attack" that always showed in the beginning of the series... 🇮🇩😚👍
Stephanie Raihana yeah lmao it’s always been used as a meme ever since i was in junior high HAHAH
I'm from PH and it's really popular here. People on my age and close to it (I'm a 2003 liner) know this show
My god, I'm Chinese, I literally understand and able to relate with it. Feels happy that somebody understand my culture background, it also gives me a goosebumps at a same time.
The Avatar universe had a lot of similarities with Hinduism.
To start off, something obvious is the word Avatar itself. It was derived from a Sanskrit (Language of the Hindu Scriptures and such) word meaning ‘descent’, avatāraḥ, (Sanskrit: अवतारः). In Hinduism, Avatar’s were the embodiments of God’s. An example here would be Vishnu, The god of preservation and protection. He has many Avatar’s, an example being Rama, and Krishna. This has a lot of resemblances to the Avatar universe due to all of the Avatar’s being embodiments of the first (Avatar Wan & Raava).
Another similarity is Hinduism and past lives. Hindu’s believe that their past lives influence their current one. The memories and experiences of past lives dictate the world around the individual (Maya). In Avatar, the past lives of the Avatar were able to be called upon for wisdom, etc…
Another point is, balance. Hindu’s believe in balance in everything. There must be balance in all things in the universe. Avatar has many concepts of balance throughout it’s airing. The Avatar acts as the counter weight against the evil things that happen. When something bad happens (example, Amon and the equalists) a counter measure takes place that balances the chaos (Korra being there when she was needed).
Another small point is rituals. A lot of religions have rituals but Hinduism seems to be the one that has many with the use of paint involved. The similarities to the Avatar, is the Airbender tattoos. At a coming of time (airbending mastery) a lot of people gather to celebrate a new (in this case) airbending master.
There seem to be a lot of similarities between Hinduism and the Avatar universe. Of course, the examples I gave, were minor examples and there are plenty more that I could write but I’d like to hear your thoughts on the idea.
If you think a little bit the Avatar and the spirit world are 100% based to Hinduism
A lot of Hindu/Buddhism influences.
The way Uncle Iroh treat others/strangers is based on the philosophy of Moism
There could be a Moism influence there as well.
The Inuit and Meso-American (including plant benders, think Seminole) have genetic roots in Asia.
Bering strait theory
They do
The bison that sang rode on us know in the Lakota, Dakota, Nakota sioux people as an ancient Creature /deity that kept the native people in peace and balance in the world as long as a lot of other spiritual beings.
And it was also their main source of food
I talked a bit about the Bison in my American God's video, but they weren't known to fly that I can find.
Leaves from the vine
Falling so slow
Like fragile tiny shells
Drifting in the foam
Little soldier boy
Come marching home
Brave soldier boy
Comes marching home
~ The Dragon of the West.
General Iroh 🐉
I've heard stories from missionaries where they visited a hidden temple somewhere in the Tibet, and the monks there were actually able to call on the wind to try intimidate intruders.
Are you being serious?
Well...they practice shamanism(called Bon)...they invoke the power of entities that have control of the elements ...so supernatural powers are a reality just that we borrow them from other entities.
@@encapsulatio i could imagine. Those people have powerful connections
Im not unconvinced
Then Legend Of Korra took the mysticism out of it.
yayy republic cityyy...
Really? What about the spirit world and the episodes dedicated to Avatar Wan and the origin of bending and the Avatar? It explained it but didn't explain it away in my opinion.
@@rubixqoob8601 The Wan episodes specifically ruined a lot of the world building established in TLA. "In the era before the Avatar, we bent not the four elements, but the energy within ourselves" is what the Lionturtle told Aang, but in LoK we see the Lionturtles freely giving elemental bending powers to anyone who asked, and nobody else energy bends. It also ruined a lot of the "first bending" origins stories of each culture, like every time in TLA someone says "The first water/earth/fire/air benders were the moon/badger moles/dragons/sky bison." All of that delicate world building was reduced to a simple process of Lionturtles giving bending to people.
The martial arts aspect was also cheapened significantly, as each element went from a carefully animated analog of a specific martial art to a generic "power magic" animation or often just a "fire punch" or "air punch". In TLA only the most elite firebenders could bend lightning, but in LoK it was a thing any firebender could do casually. And pretty much the entirety of religious undertones in the show (Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism) were eliminated, which ended up creating characters who were morally one-dimensional like Korra and Wan, both of which were total assholes to people and never really seemed to partake in introspection.
Ironically, LoK felt more like a cartoon than TLA did precisely because it was missing that depth that made TLA stand out from all other cartoons, and TLA did it without trying to be edgy.
LoK is, in part, about the world becoming more modernized and thus polarized, moving away from its connections to nature and the spiritual. Korra's tenure as the avatar is all about finding the best way to bring man and spirits back together, striking a balance between progress and nature.
RUBIX QOOB LoK switches the Eastern inspirations for ATLA for the Western “Good Vs Evil” idea. In ATLA the spirits had motivations of their own and were as much their own thing as humans. They didn’t exist for the sake of helping or hurting human beings they just existed and usually when humans violated their space only then would they act.
But in LoK the Avatar is basically Jesus and the big bad demon is the devil that the spirits get corrupted by and need humans to come save them.
In ancient time all chineys Japanese was come to bharat(india) to learn technics of Santana dharma(Hinduism )budhism and tantravidya(black magic ) but unfortunately western people label them as stupidity or superstitious etc now because of there influence people forget it😣😣
Wow
Love it how he said Mesoamerican cultures and not saying Aztec or Mayan specifically. This man is epico
Also, Lake Laogai. The name LaoGai is an abbreviation of the phrase Laodong Gaizao, meaning reform through labor. It was a term that refered to China's prison camps where prisoners were used as slave labor.
Also, wasn't the Earth King modeled after the last emperor of China, Puyi?
The Cave of Two Lovers was essentially Romeo and Juliet, though forbidden love is such a common story plot that I'm guessing it could have come from anywhere.
I'd be shocked if the giant rock in the middle of the Si Wong desert wasn't inspired by Uluru (Ayers Rock in the Australian outback for those who don't know the Aboriginal name).
I believe Princess Yue's design once she becomes the moon spirit was a based off of Korean fairies (I can't find the article that told me this and I'm not 100% sure they are fairies, but some kind of divine being.)
Bloodbending was referred to by the writers as the "stop hitting yourself technique". I know it's not a real world inspiration. I just think its funny
Very good points, thanks!
Princess Yue is based off Chinese mythology.
Very nice
Let me try and explain from an Indian philosophical perspective...
The word "Avatar" means "descent" of energy on earth. It can also mean empty conciousness .
Avatar also represents that species of animal that moves onto the next Yuga ( time) after natural catastrophe which occurs at the end of every Yuga.
Natural catestrophe : the great flood ...
1st avatar: mathsya (masthya =
fish)
2nd natural catestrophe : oceans too warm .
2nd avatar : kurma (kurma = tortoise) and so on...
Notice how the avatars slowly move from water to ground. At the current era , already 8 avatars have passed and the ninth avatar (current avatar ) is Krishna , who represents a meditative person. The 10th avatar is the last avatar on earth and then all life in earth would end because the moon would escape earth's gravity.
Avatar is someone who has mastered the four elements ( water earth etc ) and only because he has mastered them, he or she can enter the fifth state , called "akasha" ( literally means void or nothingness) .
It means, at will, the mind of an avatar can reach a state of nothingness , traditionally called "Shunya"... In this state of mind, infinite energy is available and there will be no "Kala" ( Kala = space and/or time).
In my personal opinion, based on what little I have studied , avatar represents the evolution of life on earth ( fish then tortoise etc ) .
Since every avatar was a survivor from previous natural catastrophe, therefore, it was thought that a new avatar would mean that the earth now is in balance . So, avatar became synonymous with "balance".
Currently , now we are in Dwapara Yuga , within 50 years, Dwapara will end and Kali Yuga will start, Dwapara Yuga was characterised by peace, technology and mindfulness ( hence represented by Krishna , meditative as well as practical man) ,
Kali Yuga ( the final Yuga) is characterised by wars, diseases ....
The chakras represents potentially the avatar energy but not yet realised....so, when one moves from the ground chankra ( ground symbolises attachment ) to Agna chakra ( Agna means insight ) and beyond , avatar state ( or a state of emptiness ) is reached....
On reaching the empty state, one does not reincarnate again unless he chooses to at the end of his life. This last stage, where reincarnation stops is referred to as moksha ( Hinduism, Jainism) , Nirvana ( Buddhism ) , Mahasamadhi ( yoga ) etc.
Thanks for the knowledge🙏
What do you study? I mean where did you take that information? It's super interesting i wanna know more!!!
@@valentinastrazzullo6930 every common Hindu person has atleast that much knowledge here.
@@valentinastrazzullo6930 I am studying PhD in physics . When I came across eastern philosophies, especially advaita Vedanta and yoga , I found similarities with physics.
.if you want to know more , start with advaita vedanta and Yoga.
@@anixes nah i don't remember learning about this at all
*Admiral Zhao. Don't confuse the military branches, especially army and navy. They don't like that.
Whoops. Yes, I should have said Admiral.
Right like any millitant people lol
actually its call "Panca Maha Butha" its mean "Five Element" 1.Pertiwi (Water), 2.Bayu (Wind), 3.Apah (Earth), 4.Teja (Fire). and the series miss one element its call "Akasa (Ether/Space)". the Avatar itself is a legend/a myth called Avatar or Awatara, its a legend/a myth about someone or you could say a god who born to the world everytime the world need to be save. theres an old testament said Avatar have 10 reincarnation. 9 of them have done and the last one will return when the judgement day is come.
*Why i know about this? its part of my religion*
Hello Zulvan. Who are those 9 avatars?
@@ekindemirkaya465 U just need to google this its from hindu religion and lord vishnu reincarnates ...... most famous reincarnations one's r rama and krishna , if u r interested there is a movie ramayana anime style and read mahabharata small versions or watch explanations in youtube .
@@Uzumaki-tj4tl oh i've found the information but I thought these were human beings. Just like they are in the ATLA.
@@Uzumaki-tj4tl Wikipedia says Buddha is the ninth avatar. He is the only real one i guess. Am i correct?
@@ekindemirkaya465 Some believe buddha was an avatar of lord vishnu but some don't . A vast knowledge about hindu religion was lost in translations , invasions etc. Balarama who was krishna's brother was considered to be avatar in place of buddha but krishna was also an avatar . so some believe the snake on which lord vishnu resides is considered to be reincarnated as balarama which is also a part of vishnu .its somewhat confusing but if balarama is considered as an avatar then buddha is not and vice versa .
I found out that earth kingdom is more like a mixture of chinese and korean culture, in some earth kingdom village the characters seems to have a korean clothes. Also the story of avatar Kyoshi and the dictator kinda reminded me the seperation between North Korea and South Korea. But at this point it’s just speculated observations I loved your video it was very instructive and confirm some other origins that I guessed on my own.
Yeah the separation of North and South seems resembles on the Avatar Day episode.
@VHVD can you elaborate on Isayama AoT wall, church of the wall, and sina rose and maria please
There're also mongolic,tibetian and turcic nomads
The Korean clothes is called Hambok 함복 I know cause I’m korean
@@ricybaby you spelled it wrong dude. Its 한복 although it is pronounced as 함복. Yeah korean is difficult, man
King Boomi! "Boomi" is a Tamil(south Indian) word which means Earth.
Interestingly Bumi also means earth in Malay, Bumi is most likely adapted from Tamil.
Bhumi is also earth in Sanskrit
Well bhumi means Earth or Ground in most South Asian languages.
Krishmon Dangol also south east asia
DVHV what does attack on titan have to do with atla?
I love how you pronounced everything correctly, especially since there were so many cultures involved!
But he didn't though.
And how would you know anyway?
he wasn't pronouncing stuff accurately
He didn’t, but it was a good attempted.
Stop talking nonsense
Airbenders are mainly based on tibetans. You can google the following facts up.
1) Aang was selected as the next avatar based on items of the previous avatar he picked as a kid, which is how the Dalai lama reincarnations are picked.
2) Aang's teacher's name is Gyatso, which also happens to be the Dalai Lama's name and it means ocean of wisdom
3) The past Airbending avatar's name is Avatar Yangchen, and Yangchen is a Tibetan name
4)Ang's pet name is Momo, which means dumplings in Tibetan.
5) Ang's son's name is Tenzin which is a Tibetan name. Tenzin's wife's name is Pema which is the Tibetan word for Lotus.
6) Tenzin and next generation airbender's wear RED robes and Tibetan Buddhist monks wear red robes whereas other forms of buddhist monks usually wear light orange robes (it seems like they've used both here)
7) Air temples= high altitudes= Tibet (roof of the world).
8) Annihilation of Air nomads (Tibetans) by Fire nation (Red Chinese)
Nice pronunciation of Quetzalcoatl's name. Most people erroneously and annoyingly say the "L" at the end. Respect
Check out my video on the mythology behind Princess Mononoke. ruclips.net/video/f53ZCld72FI/видео.html
fire nation=han chinese
water tribe=mongolian, inner mongolian and taiwanese aboriginals
air nomads=tibetans
earth kingdom=uyghurs
republic city=colonial hong kong and colonial macau
The colour is Saffron, its the colour of those who follow Dharmic principles, it was adopted by the Buddhists from Hindus and Jains.
@@chinmaymenon887 Ok, thank you!
You seemed to leave out a lot of the Native American influences, you even brought up that you seemed to wish that the bison had a specific reference... the tribes of the great plains had whole clans that were dedicated to being nomadic bison herders out of a deep spiritual relationship with the bison. The image of the bison is a deeply sacred image to countless central plains tribes. The lion-turtle I'm pretty sure references turtle island as well, there are countless Native references throughout, disappointed that you just left them out.
Part 2
very great breakdown! the avatar state is indirectly the 5th element due to hang having to connect to the cosmic energy to attain it
Can we acknowledge that Aang isn't the Last Airbender, Appa is an Airbender because Flying Bison are Airbenders.
The point is carrying on the airbending tradition. Even if Appa is an Airbender, if there’s no Aang present, the next Avatar will not have anyone to teach him/her airbending.
Yes Earth ie.... Boomi is from Tamil word Puvi is also represents the earth King Boomi..
This opened my third eye
Husain Aziz how
Spiritual Williamas Psychedelics.
I dont think its possible for anything to make justice for Avatar, there is SO MUCH in this show......
The third eye of the Combustion man is probably inspired from the Hindu god Shiva/Shankar who has a third eye on his forehead.
In Hindu mythology , it is said that opening of the third eye will destroy the world, just like Combustion man blasts what he sees.
Why do I feel like he aced every single PowerPoint research assignments in high school & college?...
I remember being a kid and this came on and I sit down and watch it cause it peaked my interest *at my grandma house* good ass times man🤧I didn’t think it’d be this big one day tho. I’m just happy I was on the wave back then and now.
Earth King Kuei is based on the Xuantong Emperor(a.k.a. Puyi) the last Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and Earth Queen Hou-Ting is based on Empress Dowager Cixi.
I'm guessing these monarchs were incompetent
@@theawesomeman9821 Cixi ruled the Qing Dynasty for 47 years as a fairly competent despot, but a despot was not needed to save the Dynasty from its fall. And the Xuantong Emperor never truly ruled, having been forced to abdicated the throne twice in 1912 and 1917(at the age of 6 and 11 respectively) and kicked out from the Forbidden City in 1924(the whole story why he was allowed to stay until then is complicated)only to later become a Japanese puppet leader between 1932-1945. Can't be incompetent at something if you've never done it before.
Cool fact: the name Zuko is not Asian it's African, Xhoso to be specifically.
Actually, "zuko" means "angry" in Filipino.
@@vetarlittorf1807 some words are common in Asia and Africa for some random reason when translated into English. Chi = Tea I know what that means in Africa and Asia most likely Asian influence.I have mixed English and French words up up. Every culture has influenced each other to where no pure culture seems to exist unless someone is completely isolated from the world.
Isnt it Angry "Galit"? Suko similar to Zuko means "to surrender".
@@vetarlittorf1807
Makes sense.
Also a bit funny considering Dante Basco (Zuko's VA) is Filipino.
Once A Once Zuko sounds like “suko ”, a Cebuano word-another language in the Philippines-which means “anger/to be angry” but yes, “suko” in Tagalog means “to surrender”
This is my favorite show and
I'm obsessed with this show
I'll be honest, I didn't watch it when it came out and only started watching it in 2019 but wow! I was missing a lot! What a great series.
@@StoryDive @StoryDive can you please link me the source from where you are watching the series...
@@debdasjha9849 itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/avatar-the-last-airbender-the-complete-series/id1310930993 Also some streaming service have it like Netflix, I think.
Some you did not mention :
1. Dai Li clothing and hair is based on Qing Dynasty
2. Roku's temple is the Yellow Crane temple in Wuhan
3. Not just lightning & metal bending, you forgot lava bending
4. Some weapons are samurai based, the Kyoshi war fans are real
5. Ty Lee's Chi Blocking is something Chinese martial arts mentioned of our body's pressure points
The Sun Warriors is such a sad case because in real life too people think meso Americans are gone
I watch the last air bender every time I come home from school. It helps remind me to be the best most highest version of myself.
Flying bison like many of the avatar’s animals are random (yet epic) combinations of animals such as my favorites the ostrich horse, armadillo lion, and possum chicken the flying bison are (I think) a combination of bison and manatee but I still am puzzled who got the idea to make this creature have flight/air bending abilities especially the fact that neither bison or manatees can fly
They also kinda resembled microscopic tardigrades or water bears that have six legs and long body
Not the turtle duck lol
Would not be surprised if the ostrich horse was inspired by Final Fantasy's chocobos.
Uncle iroh is actually my favorite character of the whole series, such a humble and peaceful person even though he's a fire bender from the Fire Nation brother to fire lord ozai crazy, which leads me to say that the Fire Nation used anger to regress their fire uncle iroh was taught by the dragon of the West to use his fire for peace so that's why uncle iroh was more powerful than all the other firebenders because he is a peaceful version of the firebending
I’m interested in the stories of him trying to conquer ba sing se. Did he intentionally fail or what?
I just remembered that bounty hunter Zuko hired is based on a character in "The Journey to the West" a guy the Jade Emperor hired to take down Sun Wu Kong the Monkey King, even having a magical third eye. Aang kinda reminds me of the Monkey King, goofy, mischievious, flies... Team Avatar remind me of the main group in "Journey to the West".
Jessica Jayes also explains goku and Tien being enemies in dragonball
Er lang shen, yah that guy, nephew of the Jade emperor.
You mean the sparky boom boom man?
@@wanyusofzakaria1253 That's him
Love the video! It’s fun to connect so much cultural references to my favorite series. You might want to check a creature called Qi Lin (麒麟) in ancient Chinese mythology, a creature that can fly by tapping in the clouds, a symbol of peace and prosperity but also strength and protection. This Qi Lin is most peaceful and never eats meat and they have a head that resembles a bull. All these characters just remind me of the flying bisons a lot.
The pronounciation some asian words in the avatar is comic relief
Idk what’s more impressive... ATLA adding all of these philosophies, cultures, region, etc. or this guy knowing all of it... cheers man 😂👍🏻
Well while it was unintentional I know they didn't know about this tidbit of information.
White Bison Woman is an actual deity in native american lore, she visited the people found that the people were accepting of her without prejudice and became the villager's friend especially to the children. She stayed for a time and would come whenever a child asked her to. She blessed the people with bison in the winter, there to be sacraficed for food and all of the uses bison can be used for! There's also a rumor that genetically asian peoples and the native americans come from the same line that left Africa.
I'm glad someone remembered her! My younger sister was obsessed with White Buffalo Woman for a long time. I always assumed that Appa was a nod to a white bison being lucky or a sign of good fortune and protection. The idea has been part of popular culture in the US, especially my parents generation, for a while now, so maybe it was subconsciously there?
Yes everything you say is true also the native Americans were two kinds Mongolian decendants that migrated sometime in the 800-900 and what we call today African American who were the majority of indigenous people in the north and some of the south until Spaniards and Europeans came and infected and slaughtered millions while enslaving and such until the 1600 when it was finally conquered
StoryDive
Im from Mongolia and I personally think that fire nation is more like Mongolia. Because their clothing and musical instrument ( there is a horsehead fiddle in school in the book of fire) are close to ours. Well you should see that. And our national prideful element is fire. Well Chingis khaan started the war and conquered the Asia. But lot of nations saw him as a barbarian dictator.
The fire nation could be based on imperial Japan or the Mongols
Historically speaking, the fire nation is based of WW2 Japan
The people who build the pyramids were earthbenders :P
Maybe the air bisons are inspired by the yaks found in high Himalayas , like India, Tibet and others. Yaks are commonly used by villages to go around and as beasts of labour.
Avatar is timeless. It transcends cultural barriers & opens up a whole new world of imagination & creativity. 👍🙏❤ The fact that everyone is still talking about it gives me so much joy.
Holy heaven, you did a vast research in this video. Is interesting how this cultures are related to the Avatar's animated series pure essense. Good work man.
Sun warriors: * resembles mesoamerican culture *
Everyone: * butchers Mesoamerican words trying to explain that * (See below)
To be fair, he does do a really good job of saying things like Quetzalcohuātl and Huītzilōpōchtli in Nahuātl and Qʼuqʼumatz (or Kukulkan) in K’iche/Yucatec Maya. Also side note the feathered serpents were also said to be protectors of the wind and rain.
They put so much thought into this series. A serious gold nugget of this century.
I think about the 4 elements (fire, water, air, earth) as the 4 elements of the zodiac horoscope. My zodiac sign, for example, is under the element of fire. And i wonder, what if we could actually bend this element? It's a crazy idea, but what if
Yes we can bend the elements. It's real. It's possible. It exist. They are natural. It's part of a powers when are born from our mother womb. Telekinesis , Teleportation , Bio-Location , telepathy , Invisibility , the power to fly. All of these things Exist and is possible. They didn't just come out of nowhere. We ourselves me and you as well as all of humanity possess these POWERS. Our Ancestors Had these Abilities because they understood the true nature of reality and one we truly were and were capable of. They were in balance with mother nature and earth was more clean and food and water was more clean. The Vibration, Frequency and Energy of the Earth was WAY WAY higher than it is today this is why they possessed such powers and abilities. We modern humans have really really messed up and are completed disconnected from mother nature because of all the technology and HUMAN EGO. MOST Modern humans today have the slightest CLUE what our true nature is or WHAT THE TRUE NATURE OF REALITY IS. Like i said these power are natural. THERE IS NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN. WE HAVE JUST FORGOTTEN DUE TO GREED, POWER , AND CONTROL AND HUMAN EGO. YES EVERYTHING WE KNOW OF EXIST IT IS JUST OUR PERCEPTION OF REALITY HAS BEEN COMPLETELY ALTERED. Paying bills , getting taxed, This bad EDUCATION. WORK. HAVE A FAMILY AND DIE. THAT IS NOT WHAT LIFE AND REALITY Should BE.
These abilities EXISt they are NATURAL AND WE POSSESS THEM WE JUST HAVE LOST THEM DUE TO US BEING DISCONNECTED FROM NATURE AND THE Condition the world is in.
@@outlawmakaveli3969 please friend how do I maintain this power/energy i had an occurrence once where I tapped into something that felt like my avatar state aka higher mind but soon gave into anger an ended up losing this power, how do I gain control of my power again and reconnect with my ancestors? I have so many enemies an just people out too get me for no reason I need to know how to keep this power an show my people so one day we don't have to take orders from this sick government we can be in charge.
@@outlawmakaveli3969 and is our perception of age wrong too is there a way to expand our life spans to hundreds even thousands of years?what's killing our bodies is it the food the air?what's making us age so rapidly.is immortality possible? an if so could I pass it on to my loved ones as well?if you know
This video is an absolute masterpiece. Thank you for posting. 💛🙏
When it comes to Avatar: the last Airbender, the plot,world, characters, and comedy is awesome,I like how they have a serious episode and then the next is comedy and overall great, I love how they created a comeplete map for avatars world, the overall creativity of Avatar is awesome as heck and if I could, I would probably buy all of them on DvD
Kho the Facestealer is also kind of a thing in Inuyasha, he appears already in one of the first episodes and looks nearly similar, if I dont mess things up
I would take a class you’re teaching in stuff like this. Nicely explained and well done!
loving all the anime you've been covering recently you're really fleshing out all these series I watched when I was younger but didn't fully understand
I think it would be awesome to see the next Avatar as like twins or two people. Maybe after the events of Korra, Rava decided that the duty of the Avatar would best be shared between two people...to ya know help bring balance? Just spit balling here, what do you guys think?
Nah
One more element they kinda forgot to implement: the element of
surprise
they arnt fire, water, earth, air benders they are liquid, gas, solid, plasma meaning lighning, metal arnt subcategories but another version of what they mainly bend
It’s so cool that they incorporated these concepts and life lessons into a kids show. I rewatched the entire series since it came on Netflix and its one of those shows you don’t grow out of enjoying
Water Tribe culture could also be from Chukchi and Koryak people which are Native Siberian people and their culture and motif is crazy similar to Inuits almost identical to unfamiliar people. So technically Water Tribe inspiration isn't a culture outside of Asia as well.
ATLA is my favorite animated series and The Tale of Princess Kaguya is the Japanese myth I'm most familiar with (and it's one of my favorite Ghibli movies), but not once did I ever think that the two were connected through Princess Yue