7. Avatar: The Last Airbender
After dropping on Netflix, Nickelodeon’s animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, and it already had a devoted fanbase. With the recent announcement of Avatar Studios, not to mention Netflix’s live-action remake of the original show, and this world is only going to expand in the future.
If you’ve never watched Avatar — not to be confused with James Cameron’s movie — there’s a chance you might pass it off as just another kid’s show. But don’t be quick to judge. While the show is aimed at children, there’s so much about it that can appeal to any fantasy fan, including the inventive world.
The map of Avatar features the Four Nations, each representing one element: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Select people from each nation have the ability to “bend” that element. For example, Katara comes from a Water Tribe so she can control and manipulate water. Only the Avatar, Aang, can control all four elements.
The four nations in the world of Avatar are all inspired by different real-world cultures, including Inuit, Chinese, Japanese and Tibetan cultures. This is a pleasant change from the medieval-esque culture of most fantasy works.
The map makes it easy to instantly recognize which nation in which. The water tribes are at the poles, there are two air temples (Eastern and Western), and the Fire Nation occupied the volcanic area. The Earth Nation is the biggest by quite a lot… as expected.
I also like how this world evolves over time. For instance, the sequel series, The Legend of Korra, introduced Republic City, which is steampunk metropolis with people from all four nations.
The world of Avatar is one that can be enjoyed by anyone old and young. And there’s so much more to come!