Avatar: The Last Airbender - 6 Easter Eggs And References In The Netflix Show

Summary

• Iconic scenes and lines from the original Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon are cleverly hidden in Netflix's live-action adaptation.
• Musical leitmotifs, like the Fire Nation theme, are used to create continuity between the animated series and the new adaptation on Netflix.
• Nostalgic references, such as the appearance of the Cabbage Vendor and King Bumi's rock candy trick, can be spotted by keen-eyed fans.

The Netflix live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender is different from the cartoon in many ways, but there are plenty of references to the classic animated story for observant viewers who were also fans of the original show. Some of these references and Easter eggs are hidden, others are obvious, but all of them are fun to search for and find.

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The original The Last Airbender cartoon that was released in 2004 has had 20 years to make an impression on all kinds of media. A few of the iconic scenes recreated in the Netflix version have also appeared in video games, books, and television shows outside of the official IP as a tribute to the Master of all four elements, the Avatar.

6 Gran Gran And The Saga Of The Avatar

Another Character Voices Katara's Famous Introduction

In the first episode, it's Gran Gran of the Southern Water Tribe who confirms Aang's identity, and part of her explanation as to who he is and where he came from includes the same classic lines, "Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked."

The classic cartoon version of The Last Airbender started with an introduction from Katara that is now iconic, and although she reprises some of her roles as the narrator and exposition character, her script is different from the live-action show. Luckily, however, it's preserved elsewhere in the Netflix series and is spoken by Gran Gran.

5 Brave Soldier Boy

Uncle Iroh's Heartbreaking Memorial Song

One of the best episodes of the Nickelodeon series was called Tales of Ba Sing Sae and it was a series of short vignettes about each character's adventures in the big city. The last one featured Uncle Iroh and ended with this heartbreaking song, which is a memorial to his son.

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The song is used in the live-action version in a slightly different way, as more of a theme for Iroh's gentle side, especially when it comes to his attachment to his nephew, Zuko. It's also used in the scene that depicts Lu Ten's funeral, which happens off-screen in the animated version.

4 The Fire Nation Leitmotif

Four Simple But Foreboding Notes

Speaking of music, it's not just for individual characters. Four distinct notes would play on the animated show whenever there was a sign of the Fire Nation, and the composers of the soundtrack for the Netflix show use this same short theme, called a leitmotif, for the same purpose.

In the first episode, it's a series of notes that plays every time a Fire Nation ship appears, so you hear it every time Zuko appears with his ship. It's also used for Fire Lord Ozai's audience hall, so even those who didn't see the old cartoon will recognize who this song is intended to reference.

3 The Cabbage Vendor

Hard To Miss This One

The Cabbage Vendor isn't just a running joke in The Last Airbender IP, he also appears in the popular RPG Baldur's Gate 3 with an extra line of dialogue for Monks, and in the Netflix adaptation, he appears several times during Team Avatar's stay in Omashu. Like the cartoon, he also appeals to the King for justice after a group of careless ragamuffins damage his wares.

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In the cartoon, the Cabbage Vendor, whose real name is never revealed, is a running joke that started with the Omashu episode, which is the same way he enters the narrative in the Netflix version. His son, Lau Gan-La, appears again in The Legend of Korra spinoff series and runs a whole corporation dedicated to the growth, distribution, and sale of cabbages throughout the Four Nations.

2 King Bumi's Rock Candy

Part Of A Spirited Game In The Cartoon

One of the more controversial changes in the show is the differences between the lighthearted and hopeful Bumi of the cartoon and the bitter old man that appears in the live-action show. Either way, however, we still have some callbacks to the fun but dangerous game that he played with Team Avatar when they first appeared on his doorstep.

One of them is the rock candy trick, which he used to fool Katara and Sokka into thinking they were being consumed by expanding crystals. It turns out, however, that they were easily breakable rock candy and the intrepid adventurers were never in any danger. It's unclear that the rock candy Bumi uses to attack Aang is benign, but it's edible and is a clear reference to the old series.

1 The Waterbending Duel

Some Unique But Familiar Moves

The episode that tells the story of Team Avatar's arrival in the capital city of the Northern Water Tribe also includes a storyline that involves Katara learning about the rules that restrict female benders from the battlefield and confronting a Master about those beliefs. During her duel with Master Paku, Katara has some unique and deadly moves that surprise the seasoned waterbender as well as the other students.

A few of these more memorable water-bending movies, such as The Flying Ice Disk, are recreated in the live-action version of this famous fight. Even though Katara ultimately loses the battle, Paku is impressed by her strength and decides to let her train in offensive techniques.

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