Subplots take various shapes in fiction, with romance usually being a top contender in most media forms. Without an additional layer adding flavour to a film or show, the art piece is denied an introspective exploration of this complex phenomenon we call “humanity”. One of our favourite supplements is the found family—a trope safely treading the fine line between romantic love and biological attachment.
When you think of Avatar: The Last Airbender, a tattooed 12-year-old monk isn’t all that comes to mind. Sure, having unique abilities and incomparable struggles makes Aang the heart of the show, but there’s much else that fills his heart and ours with light. If our war-stricken Avatar hadn’t built a family along the way, this nostalgic series would be far more depressing than you remember it to be.
Without Katara’s skills and guidance, or Sokka’s jokes and smarts, or Toph’s taunts and talents, or Zuko’s conflict and development, Aang wouldn’t be half the character that he becomes by the end of the series. The crew—or Gaang, as we affectionately know them—are Aang’s found family. It is the bearing that this unit has on our protagonist that helps him advance on his journey to become a fully realised Avatar.
For Aang, who has lost any semblance of a home to a massacre, his crew aren’t just companions tagging along. Rather, they become family that aid him for the rest of his physical and spiritual life. Despite being unrelated, the Gaang serve purposes greater than those of a biological family.
While three friends hone his elemental prowess, the others lend him tactical strength, such as weaponry and brawn, for war. They further help Aang overcome several obstacles, including fire-wielding enemies and psychological trauma. And along the way, they each learn something about themselves.
As Aang’s first mentor, Katara masters her element to an insuperable scale. While embarking on a journey with strangers to teach the Avatar, Toph finally discovers a break in her shell and explores the identity that flourishes as a result of it. In helping Aang defeat his fear of fire, Zuko finally understands where true honour lies for him. Even non-benders like Suki and Sokka play their respective parts in saving the world by getting involved in something much greater than themselves.
