Avatar Aang, the hero of Avatar: The Last Airbender, captivated audiences worldwide with his journey to master all four elements and bring balance to a war-torn world. His story didn’t end with the finale of the beloved animated series; his legacy continued to shape the world in the sequel series, The Legend of Korra. While The Legend of Korra focuses on the next Avatar, questions linger for fans: How Does Aang Die? The series doesn’t explicitly depict his death, but it provides enough information to understand the circumstances of the Avatar’s peaceful passing and the significant impact he left on the world.
While Avatar: The Last Airbender is still immensely popular after all these years, spawning a live-action Netflix adaptation and numerous other projects, many fans are curious about what happened to Aang after the original series concluded. The Legend of Korra reveals the fate of Aang and his friends, but the specifics of his death are often left to fan speculation. Let’s delve into the details of Aang’s lifespan and how the Avatar ultimately met his end.
Aang’s Age: The Century in Ice and its Consequences
The question of Aang’s age is a bit complex due to his unique circumstances. While he physically appeared and acted as a 12-year-old in Avatar: The Last Airbender, he was chronologically much older. Before the events of the series, Aang spent a century frozen in an iceberg. This occurred when, overwhelmed by the responsibility of being the Avatar and the impending separation from his mentor Monk Gyatso, he fled his home. A storm caught him and his loyal sky bison Appa, causing them to plunge into the ocean. This perilous situation triggered the Avatar State, encasing them in an air bubble that froze, preserving them in ice for a hundred years.
This century in suspended animation significantly impacted Aang’s lifespan. While the Avatar State protected him from immediate death, it also took a toll on his body. As he aged, Aang discovered that the time spent frozen had drained his life force, leading to a premature death from old age at the biological age of 66. Considering the extended lifespans of other characters in the Avatar universe, such as King Bumi and Fire Lord Sozin who lived well over 100, Aang’s lifespan was comparatively shorter. Although Avatars often face dangerous situations, Aang’s death was not due to a dramatic battle or assassination attempt, but rather the natural consequence of his unique history.
A Legacy of Peace and Progress: Aang’s Impact on the World
Despite his relatively shorter lifespan, Avatar Aang left an indelible mark on the world. After bringing an end to the Hundred Year War, Aang dedicated his life to rebuilding and reshaping the world into a more harmonious place. His most significant achievements include re-establishing the Air Nomads and founding Republic City.
The Air Nomads, tragically decimated by the Fire Nation genocide, were given a new beginning through Aang’s efforts. He established Air Acolytes, non-benders who embraced Air Nomad culture and traditions, ensuring the survival of their spiritual legacy. Furthermore, Aang’s own son, Tenzin, became an airbending master and continued the airbending lineage, eventually leading to Aang having airbending grandchildren.
Republic City, perhaps Aang’s most ambitious creation, was founded as a multicultural metropolis where benders and non-benders from all nations could live together in peace and harmony. This city became a symbol of unity and progress, embracing advancements in technology and democratic ideals. The existence of Republic City in The Legend of Korra, with its bustling urban landscape and diverse population, stands as a testament to Aang’s vision and leadership in the decades following the war.
However, Aang’s later years were not without challenges. The Legend of Korra reveals glimpses of Aang’s confrontation with the bloodbender Yakone, a dangerous criminal whose bending Aang was forced to remove. This act, while necessary for maintaining peace, created lasting repercussions that Korra would later have to face in Yakone’s vengeful sons. This illustrates that even in times of peace, the Avatar’s responsibilities and burdens continued.
Aang’s Enduring Spirit: Guiding Avatar Korra
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Even in death, Aang remained a vital presence in the world, particularly in the life of the next Avatar, Korra. Aang’s spirit, like all past Avatars, resides within Korra, acting as a source of guidance and wisdom. While Korra and Aang possessed contrasting personalities – Korra being fiery and confrontational, while Aang preferred diplomacy and compromise – their connection was crucial to Korra’s development as the Avatar.
Initially, Korra struggled with the spiritual aspects of being the Avatar and found it difficult to connect with her past lives. However, as her journey progressed, she learned to communicate with Aang. In a pivotal moment at the end of The Legend of Korra Season 1, Aang appeared to Korra, restoring her bending abilities that she had lost and triggering her Avatar State. He also imparted the knowledge of energybending to her, a powerful ability Aang himself had used to defeat Fire Lord Ozai.
Although Korra eventually lost her direct connection to past Avatars, including Aang, this did not diminish Aang’s lasting influence. His spirit remained a part of the Avatar spirit, continuing to shape and guide future Avatars in ways both seen and unseen. Aang’s peaceful death marked the end of an era, but his legacy as the Avatar who brought peace and ushered in an age of progress lived on through Korra and the transformed world he helped create.
You can explore more about Aang’s world and legacy by watching The Legend of Korra, currently streaming on Netflix.
