Is Avatar: The Last Airbender an Anime?

Avatar: The Last Airbender remains one of the leading animated show entries to grace United States television in the early 2000s. Much of its success comes from its captivating characters like airbending Aang or his fire-slinging counterpart, Zuko. Then there’s the sometimes playful yet masterful animation that pumps energy into each episode. 

For fans who grew up with the series or just now starting to watch it, you may be wondering if Avatar: The Last Airbender is actually an anime. If you’re one of half of the Netflix users watching anime often, it’s easy to see the similarities. Thankfully, we have the answer to the question: is Avatar: The Last Airbender an anime?

Is Avatar: The Last Airbender an Anime?

Avatar: The Last Airbender, produced by Nickelodeon Animated Studios, aired in February 2005 and continued for three seasons until July 2008. Through its production, it became headed by co-creators Micheal Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, soon receiving critical acclaim as an American animated television series.

Judging that the Avatar: The Last Airbender series came out of America, it can’t be classified as an anime. If production happened in the anime industry from studios like Madhouse in Japan, it would be a bonafide anime despite the similarities of the American cartoon show. But the cool thing about the series is that it pays homage to anime and remains faithful to United States cartoons. 

In fact, the co-creators explained that they became inspired by anime on Nickelodeon’s Avatar: Braving the Elements podcast, stating that “[they] wanted to do a love letter to anime. Not just copy it.” 

That’s everything you need to know to answer the million-dollar question: is Avatar: The Last Airbender an anime? If you’re looking for more anime or cartoon-related content, you can search through Twinfinite to find news, features, quizzes, and other answers to questions you may have.