Influences on Avatar: The Last Airbender
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Avatar: The Last Airbender is conceptually influenced by the many different real-world cultures of the Pacific Rim. It is primarily influenced by East Asian cultures, as well as South Asian and Amerindian cultures, with contemporary American storytelling tropes interspersed throughout.
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[edit] Stylistic Influences
[edit] Anime
The artistic and animation styles used in Avatar are clearly influenced by various Japanese Anime.
Avatar creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino confirmed a particular anime influence in a magazine interview:
According to an interview with the artists of Avatar, Appa's design was based on the Catbus in My Neighbor Totoro, due to the peculiar task of creating a mammal with six legs.
Avatar draws inspiration from Shinichiro Watanabe's Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, as well as FLCL (Fooly Cooly) of Gainax. Other various studios from which inspiration was drawn include Studio 4°C, Production I.G, and Studio Ghibli. Bryan has commented that some of his most cherished Watanabe fight scenes were the fight between Bebop's Spike Spiegel and a drug smuggler in "Asteroid Blues," as well as the duel between Mugen and Sara in the Champloo episode "Elegy of Entrapment (Verse 2)." Avatar director Giancarlo Volpe also claims the staff "were all ordered to buy FLCL and watch every single episode of it."
[edit] Film
The choreographed martial art bending moves were profoundly affected by Asian cinema. Avatar creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino stated the particular influence in a magazine interview:
"Asian cinema is really good at action comedy. Shaolin Soccer is one of our favorite movies. It has tons of fantastic action and lots of funny moments. Some of the effects provided inspiration for how bending moves might look on the show."
In addition, the fight scenes in John Woo films have been alluded to as an influence, and there has been at least one tribute to him, in the episode "The Beach"
Star Wars is said to have been a reference, for its grand, epic feel. The basic plot-formula of the original Star Wars Trilogy seems to have been used for Avatar: in the first part, the world and concepts are introduced and it ends in a major battle where the protagonists succeed (A New Hope). In the second part, the concepts of the world are further explored, and it ends in a relative victory for the antagonists (The Empire Strikes Back). The third part involves a major moral conflict, and a major battle where the protagonists finally triumph over the enemy (Return of the Jedi)
[edit] Literature
Book series and novels such as Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings were a heavy influence in developing the story of Avatar. The creators wanted to tell their own epic "legend & love story." The creators have stated that they have relied on traditional archetypes and motifs for creating their characters. They have cited Joseph Campbell's ideas as an influence in creating the storyline and characters for the show.
In the commentary for Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters, the creators stated that the scenes where Aang speaks to his past lives are influenced by the Bhagavad Gita.
[edit] Cultural Influences
[edit] Cultures
[edit] General Influences
The Avatar World borrows significantly from Chinese culture, and East Asian culture.
- Tea is a popular drink in the Avatar World. The practice of drinking tea began in Tang Dynasty China. It spread throughout Asia and eventually the world. Tea remains one of the most popular drinks in China, along with the rest of the world. Various teas mentioned by Iroh are real teas, for example Jasmine tea.
- The Avatar World uses Traditional Chinese characters, which were created in China, and spread to Korea and Japan. Both seal script (which was only ever extensively used in China, the writing engraved on rock etc) and clerical script (written on paper) are used.
- Everyone regularly uses or can use chopsticks, which are the primary eating utensil throughout East Asia.
- Concepts like yin and yang as well as balance are influenced by Chinese beliefs.
[edit] The Elements
While the Greeks had what is known as the Five Classical Elements of Western philosophy: Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and Aether, they weren't the only ones interested in the idea of four elemental states of matter and a fifth, immaterial matter--these ideas have been found in several different ancient philosophical cultures--Hinduism (Tattva), Buddhism (Mahabhuta), Japanese (Godai), Tibetan (Bon).
- These elements are not to be confused with the Five Chinese movements, water, fire, wood, metal, and earth. Rather, these Five movements were derived from the four Great Buddhist elements (Mahābhūta): earth, water, fire and air.
- In "The Book of Five Rings," Japanese samurai warrior Miyamoto Musashi wrote five books of military strategy and martial arts: The Book of Earth, The Book of Water, The Book of Fire, The Book of Wind, and The Book of Nothing. These five books relate the elements to the idea of different styles of "battle." The 'bending' in Avatar is a literal representation of this concept.
- A common element throughout these different philosophies is the idea of an intangible Fifth element--Aether, the Void, Space, etc. represented in the Avatar: The Last Airbender series through the Spirit World, the Avatar State, and Energybending.
[edit] Water Tribes
Because the Water Tribes are located in polar regions, they are primarily based on the circumpolar Inuit, Yupik, and Sireneki Eskimo cultures. However, their culture also includes references to many other aboriginal, indigenous, and pacific islander cultures.
- The people of the Water Tribe live in igloos and yurts, wear anoraks and mukluks, and rely on fishing. They use animal skins and furs and wear warpaint into battle.
- Their fleet of ships distinctly resembles Polynesian Catamarans, and their culture also draws references to moon myths from Native American, Chinese, and Japanese cultures.
- Sokka, a Southern Water Tribe Warrior, uses a boomerang, a curved weapon used by Austrailian aborigines and other tribal people around the world, including Native Americans and South Asians.
- The architecture of the Northern Water Tribe appears to have been influenced by Venice's gondolas and canal systems.
[edit] Earth Kingdom
The architecture, clothing and culture of the Earth Kingdom seems to be primarily based on China.
- The Earth Kingdom is extremely large and diverse, and contains different cultures within itself, much like China, which has nearly sixty ethnic groups.
- Earth Kingdom architecture is obviously Chinese. (Earth Kingdom architecture is not Japanese. Japanese built castles, but did not build significant fortifications like those of Omashu or Ba Sing Se. The Chinese did not build true castles.)
- Earth Kingdom cuisine is almost entirely based on Chinese cuisine. Examples of dishes that the Earth Kingdom and the Chinese share are roast duck and jook.
- With the exception of Ba Sing Se, Earth Kingdom clothing is almost entirely based off pre-Manchu China. The Bei Fong family's clothing is largely inspired by Tang Dynasty clothing.
- Many Earth Kingdom citizens wear topknots. Topknots originated in China, and have been worn since antiquity. Topknots later spread to Japan as well.
- Earth Kingdom currecy is round with a square hole in the middle. This is almost exactly the same as ancient Chinese currency.
- Chin the Conqueror is a reference to King Zheng of Qin, who unified China and took up the title Qin Shihuangdi, literally, "First Emperor of Qin".
- Earth Kingdom Army uniform is related to that of ancient Chinese army uniforms.
- The "Bei Fong theme" leimotiff that the Track Theme uses throughout scenes where Toph invokes her family's influence is based on a Qing Dynasty folk song, Mo Li Hua.
[edit] Ba Sing Se
Ba Sing Se, the capital of the Earth Kingdom is based on ancient Chinese capitals such as Beijing (Peking), as the creators were inspired by the idea of an isolated city. It also has significant influences from Qing Dynasty China.
- Hair queues (pigtails) are worn by most citizens of Ba Sing Se. In the real world, the Manchu rulers of Qing China forced the native Han Chinese to wear them.
- All the Ba Sing Se costumes are inspired by Qing Dynasty dress. For example, the haiku girls wear headpieces reminiscent of headpieces worn by Qing Dynasty court ladies.
- The Earth King wears very similar clothing to the Qing Dynasty Emperors. The Earth King's costume is clearly an allusion to a famous painting of Xianfeng Emperor, down to the hat and jade beads. It is notable that he is the only Earth Kingdom person to wear a gown of primarily golden cloth, which was the practice in Imperial China, where wearing a robe of golden cloth was enough to have one executed.
- The Royal Palace is largely based on the Forbidden City. It has similar architecture, but the Earth Kingdom Royal Palace compound is circular, not square like the Forbidden City. The difficultly accessing the inner ring--is a call back to the once-Forbidden City.
- The Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se is visually based off of many towns and marketplaces in the Central Jiangxi Province.
- Dai Li uniform is similar to that worn by guards of the Inner Forbidden Palace. It is also similar to that worn by the scholar officials (mandarins) of Qing China. In parallel, Long Feng has a hat befitting of a high ranking Ancient Chinese official, while the lower ranking Dai Li have the hats of lower ranking Ancient Chinese officials.
- The size of Ba Sing Se can be a reference to the size and grandeur of many Chinese capitals. In the real world, capitals like Chang'an and Beijing have been the biggest cities in the world at some point in their history.
- The Outer Wall's design and scale is based on the Great Wall of China, except that the Outer Wall is a defense ring, unlike the Great Wall, which is a line of defense. The walls of Ba Sing Se are much taller than the actual Great Wall, as the creators wanted it to feel more massive.
- Palanquins, used by the Earth King, were also used in China by the upper classes. One particularly large and luxurious type of palanquin was reserved for the emperor.
- The Dai Li are the secret police of the Earth Kingdom. They are named after the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Secret Police--General Dai Li of the Kuomingtang.
[edit] Fire Nation
The culture of the Fire Nation is inspired by Imperialist China and more predominantly, Imperialist Japan, as well as other expansionist and warrior cultures.
- The Fire Nation is an archipelago of volcanic islands, similar to Japan.
- A parallel can be drawn between The War and the Second Sino-Japanese War (concurrent to World War II). The Fire Nation successfully invade large swathes of Earth Kingdom territory but victory always eludes them. Similarly, the Japanese capture most of Northern China, along with the Chinese capital at Nanjing, but still fail to win the war.
- The wording in the episode where the Fire Lord Sozin the invasion of other nations is not a coincidence. In World War II, the Japanese Empire used an ideological construct, "Dai Toa Kyoeikan" ("The Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere") to justify invading China and conquering the South Pacific, just as the Fire Nation has invaded the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes.
- The military uniforms of the Fire Nation are clearly based on military uniforms of ancient Chinese militaries, as are many weapons. Fire Nation attire often resembles Chinese Hanfu. Zuko is sometimes depicted wearing a shenyi.
- In one scene, Zuko and Iroh are shown cutting off their top-knots to symbolize their separation from their family and their Nation, a practice that occurred in ancient and feudal Japan, as well as in China before the Manchus invaded in AD 1644.
- The Fire Nation is located on the equator, and is a highly volcanic place. Therefore, it is geographically based on places like Hawaii, Iceland, and Japan. Photographs of many geographically interesting parts of Iceland were used directly in designing Fire Nation Geography.
- Food in the Fire Nation is less clearly defined as the Earth Kingdom. It is mostly likely a mix of Chinese and South-east Asian cuisines. Some of their food, such as Smoked Sea Slug, may have simply been invented by the creators.
- The Agni Kai is a form of "honor duel" commonly seen in warrior societies around the world.
- The Fire Nation has a strong military-industrial complex and a very nationalistic culture replete with propaganda and Emperor worship similar to State Shintoism. The schoolbooks of Fire Nation children are censored to teach them misleading information about the war, similar to schoolbooks in post World War II Japan.
- The creators of Avatar have stated that it is the practice of the Fire Nation for potential rulers to have to "prove their worth" through difficult challenges. This is a practice in many warrior cultures.
- Palanquins, used by Fire Nation royal family members, were also used in China by the upper classes. One particularly large and luxurious type of palanquin was reserved for the emperor.
- The Fire Nation is the most industrialized nation in the Avatar world and relies heavily on coal, just as Japan's use of coal during the Meiji Restoration accelerated military growth and industrialization.
[edit] Air Nomads
The Air Nomads are based primarily on Tibetan culture, and notably Tibetan Buddhism. Other influences include the Shaolin Monastery and Hinduism--notably, the seven chakras.
- Many Buddhist and Hindi religious groups preach vegetarianism, which the Air Nomads follow.
- The Air Nomads are monks. Their bald heads, clothing and meditation closely follow the practices of real world Buddhist monks.
- Tibetans use a set of toys to find the next Dalai Lama, which the Air Nomads do also, only they are looking for the new Avatar.
- Like the Dalai Lama, Aang is the reincarnated spiritual leader of his people.
- Aang's Air Temple mentor is named Monk Gyatso. The current Dalai Lama's real name is Tenzin Gyatso.
- Aang's clothing in season one and two closely resemble the saffron robes of Shaolin Monks--fitting, since Avatar draws inspiration from Chinese wuxia adventure stories, which often feature young Shaolin monks with shaven heads as the heroic protagonist.
- The architecture of the Air Temples resemble real-world brick pagodas similar to the famous Shaolin "Pagoda Forest "
- In Season 3, Aang's wears clothing similar to the Dalai Lama. In Buddhist tradition, the right arm of the Dalai Lama is always kept uncovered. In his late-season 3 clothing, which is similar in style, Aang's right arm is also uncovered.
- Monk Gyatso and Aang use airbending to lightheartedly make cakes, much to the chagrin of the other elders. In Tibetan Buddhism, gtor-ma cakes are sacrifcial cakes used in ceremonies and play an important role in Tibetan culture.
[edit] Martial Arts
[edit] Waterbending
The slow, flowing movements of Tai Chi are the basis of Waterbending. In the real world, Tai Chi, and the martial practice of Tai Chi Chuan, is classified as an "internal style", which means that it emphasizes refinement and relaxation before aggression. It emphasizes alignment, body structure, breath, and visualization.
Waterbenders have the ability to heal by using water as a catalyst for manipulating Chi paths in the body. Tai Chi is said to have many health benefits, particularly in the non-martial realm of Tai Chi Chih. This form focuses on developing and balancing one's Chi.
[edit] Earthbending
The firmly rooted stances and powerful strikes of Hung Gar are the basis for Earthbending. In the real world, Hung Gar is an "external style", which means that its art emphasises use of the art for defence purposes before refinement and relaxation.
[edit] Toph's Bending
Toph's bending is unique in that it is based on Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis instead of Hung Gar. This style, also "external", emphasises more close-range attacks from the upper body, keeping the feet firmly on the ground or very close to it.
[edit] Firebending
The fast, hard, aggressive strikes of Northern Shaolin style are used for Firebending. The style sacrifices defence for fierce attacks. In the Chinese martial art classification system, Northern Shaolin is an "external" art.
[edit] Airbending
The erratic, circular movements of Airbending are derived from Ba Gua.
[edit] Other Martial Arts
[edit] Weaponry
[edit] Boomerang
Sokka's boomerang is based on the 'returning boomerangs' a curved weapon used by Austrailian aborigines. Other tribal people around the world, including Native Americans and South Asians, have used boomerangs to hunt, but these boomerangs would not automatically return to the thrower. The name 'boomerang' comes the name given by the Indigenous Australian Turuwal of Aborigines who lived in South Sydney.
[edit] Zuko's Dual Swords
Zuko dual-wields Dao Sabres, often while in his Blue Spirit persona. One of the four major Chinese weapons, the Dao is known as "The General of All Weapons." Unlike Sokka's Space Sword, Zuko's swords are like traditional dao--single handed and single edged.
[edit] Jet's Hook Swords
Also known as tiger hook swords or qian kun ri yue dao (literally "Heaven and Sun Moon Sword"), these weapons have a blade similar to that of the jian, though possibly thicker or unsharpened, with a prong or hook (similar to a shepherd's crook) near the tip. Guards are substantial, in the style of butterfly swords. Often used in pairs, the hooks of the weapons may be used to trap or deflect other weapons.
[edit] Sokka's Space Sword
Sokka's "space sword" is a Jian, a Chinese straight sword. The Jian, a double-edged straight sword, has a 2,500 year old history and is considered one of the major Chinese weapons. Known as "The Gentleman of Weapons" the jian is a multi-purpose weapon used for cutting, thrusting, slashing, and stabbing. One of the trademarks of Chinese wuxia storytelling, special jian swords, like Sokka's "space sword" often feature prominently in the story.
[edit] Religious Influences
[edit] Hindu
- The term "Avatar" comes from the Sanskrit word Avatāra, (Sanskrit: अवतार), which means "descent". In Hindu mythology, gods manifest themselves into Avatars to restore balance on earth, usually after a period of great evil.
- In order to master the Avatar State, Aang studies the Chakras with a Guru.
[edit] Buddhist
- The Four Elements of the series--Water, Earth, Fire, and Air--are derived from the Buddhist concept of catudhātu. The primary Four Elements of Buddhism are a basis for understanding and for liberating oneself from suffering.
- Spiritbending may be an allusion to the less frequently mentioned fifth and six elements, Space and Consciousness.
- In "The Swamp", the character Hue states that he reached enlightenment under the Bayan Grove Tree. This is an allusion to Siddhārtha Gautama attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi tree to become the Buddha.
[edit] Taoist
- Concept of Yin and Yang
- The existence of a Spirit World
[edit] Shinto
- The state mandated worshiping of the Fire Lord is reminiscent of State Shintoism present during expansionist Japan.
- The diverse nature spirits that interact with the people of the Avatar world are reminiscent of Kami. They also (perhaps more closely) resemble nature spirits worshiped by many tribal cultures.
- Most of the "good guys" on Avatar are shown to have respect and reverence for nature. Respect of nature is one of the "four affirmations" of the Shinto spirit.
