The Ringer-Verse - Top 20 Episodes of 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' | The Ringer-Verse

Episode Date: February 21, 2025

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the premiere of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Jomi Adeniran ranks the top 20 episodes, shares his favorite moments from the beloved series, and more! Host: Jomi Adeniran Producer: Aleya Zenieris Additional Production: Arjuna Ramgopal, Cory McConnell, & Kellen Becoats Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, my name is Jummi Adineron and celebrate the 20th anniversary of the greatest animated show of all time. We're going to rank the top 20 episodes of Avatar the Last Airbender. Full of fantastic storytelling, compelling. For adults with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis symptoms, every choice matters. Tramphia offers self-injection or intravenous infusion from the start. Trimfaya is administered as injections under the skin or infusions through a vein every four weeks, followed by injections under the skin every four or eight weeks. If your doctor decides that you can self-inject Tramphia, proper training is required.

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Then you'd want a cargo liner or a road trip goes sideways, ketchup goes rogue, ice cream drips. Yeah, you'd be pretty happy about those weather tech. seat protectors. So just to be clear as the mud, you're inevitably going to step into the summer. You don't need weather tech unless you plan on doing summer. Visit weathertech.com today. Character arcs and breathtaking visuals and are woven into a world filled with serious themes, yet somehow at the same time brimming with wonder and amazement where the possibilities are endless. It is the pinnacle of animation achievement of our time. Oh, you disagree? You know how good had to be to dethrone prime SpongeBob?

SpongeBob in his absolute height of popularity? Exactly. As we always join the Ring of Verse, we put our best and brightest on this, but it was so hard to narrow it down to just 20 episodes. So in typical ringer fashion, there's a couple smuggles here and there. And you can be mad all you like, but you know how Netflix got a couple episodes put together and they didn't come out like that. You know, it's all, it's all made up.

It's all fake anyway, so we're just going to do what we like. Okay, if that upsets you, if you're mad, please feel free to comment down below. Or if you feel like you need to get to me directly, please hit me on Twitter at my personal account. Just at me at Van Lathan. That's where you can find me. Just send all your anger that way. Okay? You hanging on tight?

Yep, yep. Starting off with number 20, Saka's Master. Y'all don't think I was going to start this off without no love for Saka, did you? Saka's growth over the course. course of the show is one of the highlights and few episodes show this more than Saka's master. He's the only non-bender of the team, and even though he's the brains of the operation, he still often feels left out. So what does he do? He attempts to learn the art of the sword from peeing down, and we find out that Saka is dutiful, patient, and eager to learn.

If you compare to Saka we first met in the South Pole to the Saka from this episode, you'd find that they're two completely different people. This episode showcases a specialty of the show, which is the extensive character growth that these characters go through, and that's why this episode sneaks in at number 20. Number 19, Southern Air Temple. When we first meet Ang, he's really just happy, go lucky, doesn't really want to do all this avatar stuff and really just wants to go penguin sledding with Katara.

But all of that is thrown right out the window when we get to the Southern Air Temple. We find out that the Airbenders had all been killed by the Fire Nation, and Ang reasonably crashes all the way out. But he gets out of it with the help of his friends, Katara and Saka. We get that moment of them kind of becoming a real family. And that means something.

Southern Air Temple is a great foundation of the emotional weight that Avatar the Last Airbender holds and just lets you know right off the bat that this will not be your run-of-the-mill animated TV show. Number 18, Winter Solstom, Part 1 and 2. This series of episodes does three important things that I think make it one of the best in the series. One, it introduces us to the spirit world where a whole bunch of things go down.

You know, I know you know. Number two, we get our first look at Avatar Roku, the man, the guy. Come on. It's tough. And three, and most importantly, it lets us know the reason while we're all here. And that is, Ang has to defeat the fire lord before Selts is common. arrives, or it's toast. The magnitude in which these episodes shake up the entire series is really only safe

for season finale's. And the fact that this was episode seven and eight in the series, just something nuts to behold. Number 17, the Blind Bandit. Everyone's heard the phrase jumping the shark, which is the moment you can pinpoint a show losing its way. But not everybody knows the reverse phrase growing the beard, which is when a show finds its form. The Blind Bandit

is the growing the beard moment for Avatar The Last Airbender. Let me be very clear. The show is pretty darn good, but the addition of Tov takes it to all new heights. Her introduction is so raucous and fun, and her being the Go Earthbender at 12?

Come on! Tov joining the team changed the fundamental fabric of the show forever. Plus, you know, it gave us one of the best Avatar means of all time. I got my eye on you. Number 16, The Chase Remember how I said

Just like two seconds ago How adding Toff to the show Made the show a thousand times better? You could say the same for Azula. After being introduced at the end of season one, Azula makes an instant impact. She first faces the gang and return to Omaschoo But really starts showing her stuff in the chase.

The way she survives the 6'1 at the end? Come on, that's tight! A triumph of the show was how the motion informs the emotion. The chase has action-filled setpiece after action-filled setpiece that shows off the abilities of new characters while also serving as a backdrop to Toff and Iro's heartfelt conversation, Team Avatar working through their initial personality differences,

and Zuko's reaction to his uncle's injury after ditching up a couple episodes earlier, all wrapped up in a cool little Western motif. This intersection of climactic battles and affecting moments are what make this episode and this series so special. This episode is brought to you by Spectrum Business, fast, reliable, internet means everything for your business and even this podcast. That's why I trust Spectrum business to keep companies of all sizes connected with internet, advanced Wi-Fi, phone, TV, mobile services, plus 24-7 U.S.-based support. Millions of business owners already trust Spectrum business. So visit Spectrum.com slash business to learn more. Restrictions apply. Services not available

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and discover the versatility of Viori clothing. Exclusions apply. Visit the website for full terms and conditions. Number 15. The Library. What starts off as a fun episode of the gang taking many vacations quickly turns into one of the most consequential episodes of Avatar of all time. You got Wong-she-Tong, the team finds out about the eclipse, and they got tough outside trying to save APA from the sandbenders. Episodes like this remind us that it's not always sweet for our heroes, even though they've got way bigger stuff going on, the here and now being stuck in the desert with no APA?

Yikes. It's a remarkable piece of storytelling, and that's why this episode deserves to make the list. Number 14, the Southern Raiders. In part three of the live chain new triple Zucco tour, Katara is determined to find out what happened to her mother, and she puts up Wilt Tamplin numbers. I mean, come on, are you guys not seeing this? Are you not seeing one of the best to ever do it? The way she stopped the rain on a dive? Come on! Yeah, that's so tight, bro. That's not the goat. That's not the best we never say. Come on.

The real genius of the episode, I mean, aside from Katara being cold butted as hell, is how her story mirrors Ang's story and how he's got to figure out what he's going to do at the end of this season. Remember, Qatar and Zuko's initial plan is to Merko due to the middle of the street. But when push comes to shove, Ah, Katara couldn't make it happen. Does that sound familiar? The show's layering of its themes through multiple characters in order to get his lessons across is why to this day this show was still an absolute hit. Number 13.

The Blue Spirit. Can I just how much I love this show? Because I really, really love this show. Anne gets captured by the Fire Nation. Our guy is cooked. I mean, in the oven, 350 degrees with a side of potatoes and veggies, right? But he gets saved by a dude with broad swords and a blue mask. And we're like, who is this hero?

Who is this guy who has come to save our Ang? Lo and behold, the mask comes off and it's Zuko. What? After finally getting away from the Fire Nation, Ang and Zucco are alone under cover of tree. And Ang Runders are loud if maybe in another world they could have been friends. And that moment is so important because it sets up one of the greatest arcs in storytelling history. Trust me.

We will talk about it. But that moment, that just little moment, this little sentence and how much weight it carries in the overall series, I mean, it just, it's just incredible. That's why this episode had to make this list. By the way, if Addera Jiao has no haters, I am dead. However, I will give him some credit. The way he got that promotion, he was like, hey, I need these archers. And he was like, actually, you don't got to div him out.

And he was like, actually, I'm the admiral now. These are my arches. Let's slide. I got to give it to him. That was tough. It was cool, you know, but I still my op. Number 12, the secret of the fire nation. The Serpents Pass and the Drill.

The secret sauce of the show, the thing that elevates it higher than any show in its orbit, and that it packages serious themes like war, imperialism, struggle, and self-sacrifice in such a fun and entertaining world that sometimes you forget that these kids are actively fighting in a war, and secret of the fire nation reminds you of that and then some. The Serpents Pass is a powerful allegory that shows us just how the war affects the larger world around it, with refugees doing anything and everything to find a safe haven of boss and say, including risking their lives in order to provide their future with hope. The jury returns us to the front lines of the war,

reminding our viewers that there's an ever-present thread, and that our heroes are outgunned, outmatched, and out-maned. And even if they were to get some semblance of victory against the Fire Nation, it'll take everything they have and then some. Man, that last one was a bummer. Hopefully the next one's a little bit more fun. Number 11, the puppet master. Ah, I guess not. The puppet master is such a fantastic episode of Avatar, the Last Everator, because it asks a very important question that's really asked in the show.

What if the Fire Nation aren't the bad guys this time? by far the creepiest episode of the series, the gang has to defeat Hama, a southern water tribe waterbender that uses bloodbending to put Fire Nation folks into caves. But what she didn't count on was Katara having that dog in her, and they put her away for good. The last airbender doesn't do much is switching up the genre too much, but when it does, it's great. And this episode is no exception. Number 10, The Boiling Rock, Part 1 and 2.

Because I'm a people person. I love Zuko more than I fear you. That's rough, buddy. Listen, that's cold bars, man. You know nothing about that. On every level, the Boyne Rock delivers. The prison setting provides a rich canvas to explore new and exciting character dynamics. The fight scenes are sick.

The emotional stakes are heavy. And we just begin to see the cracks form in the foundations of characters we thought to be immutable. It's a fantastic pair of episodes that still have us to gas 20 years later. And that's why Bowling Rock has to be in the top 10 of this list. Number nine, the beach. You know, it could have been easy for Avatar just give us a crazy, one-note, evil villain. And Ozai kind of is that.

But the way it handles the rest of its Fire Nation citizens is something of no. Think about it. While Zuko Azula May and Tyler are having this wonderful heart-to-heart, Team Avatar is having their first confrontation with combustion man. The juxtaposition of the two groups of teens, one fighting with their emotions and the other fighting for their lives, but both still battling unseen enemies is a defining characteristic of this episode

and it's so deftly handled, it would almost make you forget that the kids at the beach are on the wrong side of the war. Sure, we all haven't had to fight a firebender with a third eye, but we've all been looked over, burdened by expectations, or wondered if the choice we're making right now is still the right one.

It's moments like these that reflect real life in our face and we don't even notice the mirror. It's a shame about Chan's Dad's house, but, eh, you know, things happen. Number eight, the firebending masters. This episode is spectacular, but I want to talk about the big moment in particular.

Zuko is the least talented firebender in his family by far, and without his anger, he doesn't have the juice to adequately firebend. Anger, on the other hand, refuses to firebend after hurting Katara all the way back in the deserterter. They are the two most important characters in the series, and if they're going to defeat the fire lord, they have to put everything on the table in order to get it done. Get rid of the fear, get rid of the egos, get rid of the past, it's time to lock in, to have them standing there together after everything

they've been through and watching their eyes truly open as the last remaining dragons dance and bestow the meaning of firebending to them is one of the seminal moments of the history of the show. It's breathtaking, it's imaginative. It's a moment every fan can close their eyes and picture in their head because it's just that phenomenal. Number seven, Siege of the North, Part 1 and 2. Okay, I had a whole thing written down on my script here, like I was going to go into death, about, you know, Zhao and UA, you know, who I love,

and the whole thing. But I don't really have to do all that when you got this moment right here. Sing and locked in with the ocean spirit getting the lick back for the moon spirit. Zuko was talking to guitar crazy.

You rise with the moon. I rise with the sun. And going to the spirit road and meeting Koi for the first time, Princess Yue sacrifice. Yo, Uncle Iro, what you do to that fish? Oh, dude, do you guys tenfold. I mean, yo, this episode has it all.

And we're not even talking about the Admiral Jean-Pack like, oh, this is awesome. It's why I think the only four spots on this list are occupied by episodes that came out in season one. But that just speaks to the quality of the show and how it got better season after season. You watch TV now, and that doesn't really happen. Let's respect the legend.

Number six, the Avatar and the Fire Lord. Who Among Us isn't a sucker for a good parallel? Who Among Us? Watching Ang and Zucco uncover the history of the 100-year war and finding out that Fire Lord Sozin and Avatar Roku used to be best friends who became enemies, and then knowing what we know about Zucco and Ang and how they were enemies that are going to become best friends, it just stirs something. your spirit, you know what I mean?

Because their destinies as Avatar and the Fire Lord were always intertwined, right? We saw it in the past, we're seeing it now. They just didn't know it yet. And watching them uncover that in real time is one of the specialties of the show. The threading of the show's past into its current narrative in order to show the avatar's future is a master's stroke of storytelling. And that's why this episode is so high up on the list. Number five, Day of Black Sun.

We used to make real TV, man. If you were outside back in the year of our Lord 2007, there was few things more hyped than the Day of Black Sun on Nickelodeon, man. We were locked in. We could not wait to see what happened in this episode, and boy, did it deliver. The storming of the beach,

Akota, Saka, and Katara taking those battlements, and the swap menters holding the line, gas. The magic of this episode, though, are the emotional bits that we did not see coming. Specifically, Zuko telling his dad to kick rocks. Zucco realizing that his true destiny isn't to capture the avatar, but that it's to defeat the fire lord. It's such an enormous moment in this show, and it's handled with care, complexity, and compassion. Add that with everything else the episode does, including Ang and Gattara's little kiss on the boat, Azula pulling up with the Di Lee, Suki's whereabouts,

and Team Avatar being left to fend for themselves again at the end, and you have an unforgettable episode of television. Plus, this episode has my favorite line reading of the entire series, so. Oh, it sounds like the firebending's back on. Number four, Tales of Boss Singsay. If I were to tell you that an episode made out of six vignettes would be one of the best episodes in the series of television, you wouldn't believe me.

But that's where we are with the Tales of Boss Singsay. Sok again deep in his poetry bag, Katara and Toph having it grows, Day and Zuko going on a first date are the highlights, but we all know why we're here. Watching Iro light those candles and pay tribute to his late son as he sings leaves from the vine with tears in his eyes, and the show stops to pay tribute to Iro's original voice actor Mako, who passed away two months before. Evoked emotions of me, I'd even know I had, and 18 years after that episode originally

aired, can still bring a mist to my eye to this day. just speaks to how incredible and impactful this episode is. My good friend and New York Times bestselling author Joanna Robinson once said, TV episodes that establish character dynamics are not filler episodes. And she's right on the money. This five-minute segment informs so much about Iro, who he is as a human being, and why, despite Zucco's numerous issues and outbursts,

he treats him with empathy and compassion, not like a nephew, but like a son. Hey, speaking of Zuko, number three, Zuko alone. When we're first introduced to Zuko, it's very clear. He's impulsive, he's stubborn, he's annoying, he overall sucks. He's the worst we've ever seen. In Zucco alone, however, we found out he's much, much more nuanced than that. In the only episode of the series that doesn't feature Anne Katara or Saka,

Zucco was pushed to the forefront, and it makes for one of the most compelling and thought-provoking episodes of the entire series. The flashbacks in present day storylines We've a tale that showcased just how much Zugo's life has changed and how much more growing he needs to do before he can rewrite his story. We know that he eventually gets to that point, but it's a long

arduous journey. And Zuko alone is the first moment the thought first came to our heads and we were like hmm, what if Zucco's not really all that bad of a guy? Zucco is one of, if not, the most complex, well-written and enthralling characters in the history of fiction. And this episode is a big piece of that puzzle into why I feel that way.

And that's why it's so high on the list. Number two, the guru and the crossroads of destiny. I know it's extremely cliche to say that this is the Empire Strikes Back of this, you know, like that little idiom. But we got to be honest. The season two finale is the Empire Strikes Back of Avatar, the Last Airbender. I mean, there's no other way to describe it. It's where we see the good guy so thoroughly defeated and beat.

But that's where we're left with Team Avatar at the end of season two. Let's just count the losses, shall we? The Earth King got deposed. Bossing say now belongs to the Fire Nation. I mean, A-freaking died. That's not nuts? What? That doesn't happen anywhere else.

So much happens here in the way of advancing the characters and storylines. Combined that with the incredible voice acting, stellar fight scenes, and thrilling visuals. And you're left with an episode that genuinely leaves you asking, how can our heroes come back from this? It's special. True cinema, and that's why it's made our top two. By the way, while I have you, you know that scene?

You know the shit I'm talking about. The one with Katara and Zuko in the cave together? Yeah, you let that scene trick you into thinking that they should be together, and that's just simply not the case. Look, I love enemies and lovers just as much as the next guy. Shout out Catcherora, shout out Lumidi. And yeah, Zooko and Guitar. work in theory, but in practice, it doesn't really add up.

Forget Eng's eyes lighting up after seeing Qatar official with the iceberg at the start of the series. The entire Fortune Teller episode and the Kava Two Lovers, just forget all that. Just dump that out of your mind. You don't want to listen to me? That's great. But listen to the serious creators who wrote,

and I quote, sorry to disappoint the Zutara fans out there, but we never intended for Zuko and Katara to get together. Maybe we're just sentimental, but we've always had a soft, in our hearts for Katang. So look, what are we doing? The creators themselves said they never intended for

Zuko and Katara to get together. Y'all keep letting this scene trick you. And I'm here to set the record straight. They weren't supposed to be together. Y'all keep laying that trick you. This ship doesn't mean anything. This scene doesn't mean anything in terms of them getting together. And the creator set the same thing.

So guess what? You can put that in your dragon pipe and smoke it. Where were we? I would ring in the top the top 20 Avatar episodes we should get back to that I don't know what just happened right there we should probably continue

Number one Sozen's comment Yeah yeah there's no debate This was obviously going to be In the number one spot This is the pinnacle of American animation storytelling as far as I'm concerned Zucco reuniting with Uncle Airo

Kiyoshi telling Ang he needs to stop playing Saka telling Toth Murang is not coming back and we haven't even talked about Ang turning into prime LeBron James against the Fire Lord and the absolute cinematic artistry

that is the Agni-Kai fight between Zuko and Azula. I could literally be here for the next 90 minutes describing what it was like to watch that episode for the first time or the sincere emotion that came over me watching Ang and Katara kiss

and the end come on our screens I mean I'm not going to cry I said I wasn't going to cry but this I can't even say it meant a lot to me man because it meant everything it meant everything

it's a coordination of everything the show's worked up to and it puts a beautiful cherry on the storyline, world, and characters Sunday that we've fallen in love with it's a perfect ending to a perfect series and that's what makes it the best best episode of Avatar the Last Airbender.

Hey, we did it. We ranked the top 20 episodes of Avatar The Last Airbender, and guess what? We didn't lose any cabbages. Are you happy? Are you upset? Did we leave off one of your favorite episodes, and you feel like you really got to get that takeoff?

Feel free to leave a comment below. And again, if you want to reach me personally, hit me on Twitter at Van Laithen. Make sure to like and subscribe to the Ringervverse, and we'll see you guys next time.