Representation

 Media: Avatar the Last Airbender

Avatar the Last Airbender is an animated tv series that came out in 2005. Although it is an American cartoon, the show is heavily inspired by Japanese anime. Because of this, majority of the characters in the show are of Asian ethnicity. The show has a variety of different Asian cultures. Although the show takes place in a different world, the countries represent different cultures. 

For example, the Fire Nation is heavily inspired by Japanese culture. One thing that shows this is the presence of dragons within their culture. The Fire Nation is also clearly based off of Imperial Japan. However, even though the Fire Nation is the antagonist in the tv show, the show still humanizes the people of the country. There are a couple episodes where the main protagonists are under cover in the Fire Nation. During their time spent there, they learn about the nation's rich culture, and how most of the people there are not bad people. It teaches that the citizens of a country may not agree with their country's actions, and that they are separate from their leaders.

The show Avatar has a several disabled characters in the show. One of the main characters in the show, Toph, is blind. When the main protagonists first find her, they learn how her parents don't let her Earthbend because she is blind, and they believe that she isn't capable of taking care of herself. This shows something that most disabled people have to go through. Many disabled people have to deal with people thinking less of them because of their disabilities. There is another character in the show who is also disabled, Teo. Teo is wheelchair-bound, but that doesn't stop him from enjoying life. His father, an inventor, made him a special wheelchair that allowed him to move faster. His father also made him a wheelchair attachment with wings that allowed him to fly. Teo never really talks about himself needing to use a wheelchair, because he still is able to live a full life. 

The show also mentions the issue of sexism in society. In the very first scene of the pilot episode, Katara is angered at her brother for saying that men should be the ones that hunt, and women should stay at home taking care of families. The show has many of these moments in the show where they mention societal issues like this.

Avatar the Last Airbender manages to represent many different cultures and societal issues, despite being in an entirely fictional world. The ability to do this so well in a show targeted towards kids, in a show focused on saving the world and lots of action, makes it a truly great series, in both representation and just a great show in general.