The cast of Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender, compared to their animated predecessors

Prince Zuko

• Original voice actor: Dante Basco

• Live-action actor: Dallas Liu

The Fire Nation are the villains of Avatar: The Last Airbender, although they come in many different flavors. Prince Zuko is the member of the Fire Nation with whom we spend the most time. At the beginning of the show he's on a hunt to capture the Avatar, and is willing to do just about anything to accomplish this goal. But we sense that behind the fanaticism and bluster, Zuko is a vulnerable person who wants acceptance. Hopefully the live-action show will last long enough for actor Dallas Liu to play out Zuko's full arc.

Once again, we're sticking pretty close to the source material with Zuko. Liu has the same burn scar around his left eye as Zuko did on the animated show, plus the top knot hairstyle he wore in the first season. If you can't tell by now, the show is serious about adapting the source material as closely as possible.

We'll meet several members of the royal Fire Nation family on the show, including Zuko's sister...

Princess Azula

• Original voice actor: Grey DeLisle

• Live-action actor: Elizabeth Yu

Both Zuko and Azula want to do the Fire Nation proud. But where Zuko is angry and broody about his mission, Azula is all business. Her near-sociopathic calm makes her a memorable, often terrifying villain.

It's clear to see how the live-action look took inspiration from the animated version of Azula -- the hair is similar, she's dressed in shades of red -- but the armor looks less sleek than it did on the original show. Since this is a live-action series, the armor has to be constructed such that actor Elizabeth Yu can actually move and fight in it, which might necessitate some alterations.

Zuko has a pretty big family. Let's meet another important member:

Uncle Iroh

• Original voice actor: Mako/Greg Baldwin

• Live-action actor: Paul Sun-Hyung Lee

Iroh is Zuko and Azula's uncle, and goes with Zuko on his quest to hunt down the Avatar. Iroh is a moderating presence in Zuko's life. Unlike Zuko, Azula or her brother Ozai, Iroh doesn't think that the Fire Nation subjugating the rest of the world is the most important part of life, and encourages his nephew to enjoy life's simpler pleasures. He also provides a lot of comic relief, which is needed around the angst-ridden Zuko.

Iroh dresses pretty simply, generally preferring robes to armor. The important thing to get right is his sunny, wise demeanor.

That said, it's appreciated that the new show has taken pains to recreate his hairstyle; the live-action version of Iroh's beard may not be quite as exaggerated as the animated one, but it maintains the original shape.

Firelord Ozai

• Original voice actor: Mark Hamill

• Live-action actor: Daniel Dae Kim

Finally, we have Firelord Ozai, the ruler of the Fire Nation. A tyrant, Ozai rules over his children just as brutally as he rules over his country.

Ozai's costume on the live-action show isn't exactly like the one from the animated series, but it's every bit as dramatic and glamorous. I may even like the live-action version better. As usual, the attention to detail in the hair is impeccable, as evidenced by the long goatee in both versions, not to mention the golden clasp holding up his hair in back.

On both series, the actor for Ozai is among the more famous people in the cast. In the new series, it's Daniel Dae Kim, known for his work on TV shows like Lost, Hawaii Five-O and Angel. In the animated show, Ozai was played by Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker himself. Whatever the medium, the producers want Ozai to have presence.

So now we've met Team Avatar and the members of the Fire Nation royal family. Next let's take a look at some of the supporting players: