Aang, the main character in Avatar: The Last Airbender, is part of a long line of Avatars, but not all of them are well-known. In the world of Avatar, “bending” is the power to control water, earth, fire, or air, and the Avatar is unique in being able to master all four. The Avatar also has the important job of maintaining balance between the four nations and between those who can bend the elements and those who can’t. Because the Avatar is reborn again and again through the Avatar Cycle, many Avatars lived before Aang.
Originally airing on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008, Avatar remains incredibly popular even twelve years after it ended. Its recent addition to Netflix, where it quickly became the most-watched show, proves this. The show’s success also led to a sequel series, The Legend of Korra, featuring a new Avatar named Korra seventy years later. The world of Avatar has continued to grow with comics, novels, and now a live-action Netflix series that further explores its rich story.
Roku
Firebender
Roku, the Avatar before Aang, was born in the Fire Nation. As part of his Avatar training, he learned Airbending at the Southern Air Temple and befriended the monk Gyatso, who would later teach Aang. Roku’s friend, Sozin, eventually became Fire Lord and started the Fire Nation’s efforts to take over the other nations, but Roku intervened to stop him. Tragically, Sozin later allowed Roku to die in a volcanic eruption, paving the way for the Fire Nation’s global conquest.
Kyoshi
Earthbender
Kyoshi, the Avatar before Roku, was born in the Earth Kingdom and stood out for her height. She had a difficult childhood and even ran away from the test to determine the next Avatar, which led to a young boy named Yun being mistakenly believed to be the chosen one. Eventually, Kyoshi’s true identity as the Avatar was confirmed.
Kyoshi was also the inspiration for the Kyoshi Warriors, a group dedicated to protecting her adopted home, Kyoshi Island. Suki, their leader, played a significant role in the Avatar story as Sokka’s girlfriend and a valued member of Team Avatar. Her life as the Avatar is further explored in the novel The Rise of Kyoshi, with another book, The Shadow of Kyoshi, scheduled for release soon.
I’m so excited to see Kyoshi get even more screen time in the new live-action Last Airbender series on Netflix! Yvonne Chapman is fantastic as her, and it’s really cool that she’s the first Avatar we see Aang connect with. It’s awesome they’re diving deeper into her story – she’s definitely one of the past Avatars whose life has been fleshed out the most in the Avatar universe, which is a huge treat for long-time fans like me.
Kuruk
Waterbender
Kuruk, an Avatar born in the Northern Water Tribe, appeared to Aang in a vision of past Avatars during the episode “The Avatar State.” He was known for being relaxed and somewhat boastful about his bending skills. This attitude ultimately led to a tragic event on his wedding night: his fiancée, Ummi, was taken into the Spirit World by Koh the Face-Stealer as a consequence of Kuruk’s actions while serving as the Avatar.
Similar to Kyoshi, the live-action series delves deeper into Kuruk’s past. It reveals he spent much of his time as the Avatar partially in the Spirit World, working to contain powerful and dangerous spirits. This even impacts Aang’s journey, as he must return something Kuruk stole from Koh to protect his friends from the Face-Stealer.
Yangchen
Airbender
Similar to Aang, Yangchen was an Air Nomad raised by the air nuns at the Western Air Temple. She’s remembered by other Avatars for making peace with the powerful spirit General Old Iron. He agreed to stop attacking a city and never fight humans again, if people left a certain land completely undisturbed.
Yangchen planned to build a statue dedicated to his beloved Lady Tienhai, and the Air Nomads would visit it each year in a ceremony called Yangchen’s Festival to honor her memory. Following her passing, Yangchen’s deeds led to him being revered by both the Air Nomads and the people of the Earth Kingdom.
Yangchen has seen her story expanded thanks to the Avatar comics and novels.
Szeto
Firebender
Before the release of the Avatar comics and novels, very little was known about the Avatar who lived before Yangchen and was born in the Fire Nation – he didn’t even have a name in the original animated series! He briefly appeared during Aang’s vision of past Avatars and demonstrated the ability to manipulate lava. The Dark Horse Avatar comics and the novels featuring Yangchen and Kyoshi later added details about his life and story, giving fans a better understanding of the Avatar cycle.
Salai
Unknown Origin
Salai was a past Avatar whose homeland remains a mystery. He appears briefly in F.C. Yee’s novel, The Rise of Kyoshi, mentioned by the character Yun – who is described as an expert on Avatars. Because of this limited information, we don’t fully understand Salai’s place in the Avatar cycle. While some believe he was the Earthbender before Szeto, this hasn’t been proven. We simply know that Salai lived between the first Avatar and Szeto, leaving room for many other Avatars to have existed during that time.
Xian
Earthbender
Avatar Xian is a recently introduced figure in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, appearing in Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender. What sets him apart from many past Avatars, who were known for fighting or leadership, is his incredible intelligence and constant thirst for knowledge. Born during an earth cycle as the Avatar, Xian lived over 14 generations before Szeto’s time and is depicted as both brilliant and a little forgetful.
Sonam
Airbender
Sonam is a significant new Avatar introduced in Avatar: The Last Airbender. She was an Air Nomad Avatar who lived thousands of years before Aang, during the Air Nomads’ most prosperous period. While many Avatars are known for overcoming great threats, Sonam is remembered as someone who brought people together and fostered peace.
Sonam lived long before the unified nations we know today existed. She often acted as a peacemaker between different groups of people who controlled the elements. She was skilled at using spiritual energy through her staff, and uniquely, she could even teach people to airbend, even if they weren’t naturally gifted with bending abilities – a power never seen before in this world.
Wan
The First Avatar
Wan, who first appeared in The Legend of Korra, was the very first Avatar. He grew up poor in a city built on an ancient fire lion turtle. After getting into trouble, Wan was exiled to the Spirit Wilds by the turtle – but he was allowed to keep the ability to Firebend that the turtle had given him.
When Wan accidentally released the dark spirit Vaatu from its prison held by the light spirit Raava, unaware of Vaatu’s evil nature, he offered to help Raava recapture it. During their journey, Wan learned to bend air, water, and earth from ancient lion turtles. Finally, in a climactic battle with Vaatu, Wan merged with Raava, becoming the first Avatar – a bridge between the human and spirit worlds – and starting the cycle of Avatars.
As a huge fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender, I’m really excited about how much potential there is in the world James Cameron created. It’s amazing to think about all the Avatars who came before Aang, and there are so many stories waiting to be told! We’re already getting a taste of that with the Kyoshi novels, and The Legend of Korra proved there’s plenty of room to explore Avatars beyond Aang as well. I really hope we get to see even more of the past Avatars and their adventures in the future – it would be incredible!
2026-07-27 19:25