After the scintillating success of the One Piece live-action series (review), Netflix’s next live-action adaptation is the Emmy-award-winning animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. This all-new live-action series is right around the corner, and it is time to take a look at the cast of Avatar: The Last Airbender and the characters they will be playing. Long-time fans may easily recognize these characters, but if you don’t remember them or are completely new to the Avatar-verse, let me take you on a tour of the cast and characters of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Note: This article is spoiler-free and only contains hints at the plot and characters of Avatar: The Last Airbender, as revealed by the official team behind the live-action series.
We have curated this guide comparing the live-action characters from Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender against those in the original animated series.
1. Gordon Cormier as “Aang”
The role Aang has seen through several cast choices over time, and it looks like Netflix has hit the gold mine with Gordon Cormier. The talented young actor will be taking the shape of Avatar in the brand-new live-action series. As the title of the show suggests, our protagonist is the last airbender who will embark on an adventure to save the world. Will he become the savior of this universe as prophesized? Find that out for yourself soon.
Gordon Cormier is a prodigious actor who began his acting journey at the age of six. He was born in Canada and landed Aang’s role by working on some of Netflix’s projects such as Lost in Space, The Stand, and more. We highly anticipate that his performance as Aang could be a turning point in his flourishing acting life.
2. Kiawentiio Tarbell as “Katara”
The last water bender of her tribe, Katara, is also the deuteragonist of the story. She will be played by none other than Kiawentiio Tarbell. Katara is the younger sister of Sokka and hails from the Southern Water Tribe.
Along with her brother, she will be the one to awaken Aang, the last airbender who was frozen in an iceberg, and continue to travel with him in his adventures to save the world.
Kiawentiio Tarbell is a promising Canadian actress who has worked in a modest amount of movies and TV shows. She has already worked in the popular Anne with an E series from Netflix and also lent her voice to characters in Marvel’s What If? TV series.
3. Ian Ousley as “Sokka”
The playful and fun elder brother of Katara will be played by Ian Ousley. Sokka is a main part of the protagonist trio as he and his sister will be going along on the adventures of the Avatar. He is a warrior of the Water Tribe and aims to become a great warrior like his father.
Ian Ousley is also an upcoming actor who has already worked in Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why TV series. Other than that, he has worked in Physical, Big Shot, Young Sheldon, and more. He will be bringing some much-needed comic relief to the show, and we can’t wait to witness it.
4. Dallas Liu as “Prince Zuko”
Everyone was wondering about the perfect cast for the fire-bending prince Zuko and Dallas Liu eventually landed the role of the prince. Zuko is the eldest kid of Fire Lord Ozai and is the ferocious Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. He’s one of the major characters who will be hunting down the Avatar, and he will be seen along with his uncle, Iroh.
Dallas Liu is a budding actor who has worked in a handful of movies and series as of now. These include Tekken, Mortal Kombat Legacy, Bones, Shang-Chi, the Legend of the Ten Rings, etc.
5. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as “Uncle Iroh”
If you have been a fan of the OG animated series, you would know “Uncle Iroh” and how significant he is to the story and its characters. Uncle Iroh is a profound and spiritual character who is known for his humane traits and ideals. He not only offers them to Zuko but also to us. That is why he has been a fan-favorite for many generations, and hopefully continues to do in the live-action as well.
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee has been cast in the role of Iroh. He is a veteran South Korean actor who has worked in numerous films but he got his breakthrough as Appa in Kim’s Convenience. He has then worked in massive Star Wars shows such as The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, etc.
6. Daniel Dae Kim as “Ozai”
Daniel Dae Kim will play the leader of the mighty fire nation. When this announcement was made earlier, everyone unanimously agreed that he was the perfect choice for the Fire Lord Ozai. Ozai is considered the legendary firebender of this century and is the younger brother of Uncle Iroh.
Daniel Dae Kim is a multi-talented star who has worked as an actor, director, producer, etc. He is well-known among fans as Jin-Soo Kwon from the famous “Lost” series. He has also worked on several renowned projects like Spider-Man 2, Hell Boy, etc. Just look at the image above he looks picture-perfect as Fire Lord Ozai and can’t wait to see him in action soon.
7. Elizabeth Yu as “Princess Azula”
The fire prince’s younger sister, Princess Azula will be played by Elizabeth Yu. She is the daughter of the Fire Lord Ozai and was considered a Fire Bending Prodigy right from an early age. Azula is a cunning and powerful character who is tasked with finding the Avatar, and you will see her most of the time on a search mission along with her friends.
Elizabeth Yu hails from New Jersey and is in the beginning phases of her acting career. Previously, she appeared in May December and Somewhere in Queens.
8. Ken Leung as “Zhao”
Kenneth Leung is all set to send fireballs on his mission to capture Avatar as Zhao. He is one of the strongest fighters from the Fire Nation and has achieved various feats by soaring high up the ranks. Along with many other master firebenders, he will clash his way to take captive Avatar first.
Ken is a veteran American actor hailing from New York and has acted in many stellar works such as Lost, The Sopranos, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, etc. Hence, you can expect him to do the utmost justice to the character of Zhao.
9. Danny Pudi as “Mechanist”
You must have already recognized this man as “Abed” if you are a huge fan of the Community like me. Yes! This well-known Community star Danny Pudi has joined the Avatar: The Last Airbender cast.
When the rumors first surfaced, everyone wondered who he would be playing in the series. Now it has been confirmed to be “The Mechanist” who lives with his son Teo on the Northern Air Temple. He is an accomplished inventor and engineer who made an enormous impact on the advancement of technology in this world.
Danny Pudi is an American actor of Indian origin and is more famously known for his role as Abed in the Community sitcom. He has also worked on many other projects such as Duck Tales, Star Trek Beyond, Mythic Quest, etc.
10. Arden Cho as “June”
The Teen Wolf fame, Arden Cho will be playing the bounty hunter “June” in the live-action series. June is recognized as a top hunter among the nations, and well, she doesn’t serve any one nation.
As a mercenary and bounty hunter, she swore her allegiance to whoever bid the highest money for hiring her. Cho became popular after her role as Kira Yukimura in the Teen Wolf TV series. She has also worked on many other famous shows and movies like Chicago Med and The Honor List. Arden Cho appears to be a carbon copy of June in the show’s TV attire, doesn’t she?
We have included all the well-known characters and cast members who are set to appear in the TV series later this month. For those unaware, Avatar: The Last Airbender’s live-action adaptation will be available to stream on Netflix from February 22.
