Avatar The Last Airbender: How the Show’s Concept Art Compares to Its Final Designs

Avatar The Last Airbender is set to come back in a number of ways in the future, with Netflix currently working on a live-action adaptation of the series for its streaming service and Paramount currently working on new animated movies and series in the world of bending. Now, one fan has decided to venture back into the past of the beloved franchise by comparing the concept art of the series with the final designs of the major characters of the first series in Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph, with the latter being far different from the Earth bender we came to know.

While the new animated adventures from Avatar Studios are still years away according to Paramount, the creators behind the upcoming iterations made sure to note that the films will use computer-generated animation to bring back the universe that made the likes of Aang and Korra popular. With Netflix already announcing the actors that will help bring to life the classic characters from the beloved franchise, it will definitely be interesting to see which future project in the world of Avatar resonates more with fans as the franchise is set to make some big returns in the future.

Reddit User Captain Ricco1 shared a comparison between the concept art of Avatar The Last Airbender and the final designs, with most of the characters looking nearly identical but Toph clearly being a character that underwent a serious change as the Earth bender apparently was set to arrive in a far different from in the series:

Concept art vs final design
byu/captain_ricco1 inTheLastAirbender

Toph was a unique character in Avatar The Last Airbender in that she had no part to play in the first season of the animated series, appearing to assist Aang and the gang in their battle against the Fire Nation in season two and beyond. In the concept art, it’s clear that not only was Toph set to be a burly young man, but apparently also wasn’t originally envisioned to be blind when set to join the cast of young benders looking to stop the nefarious plans of the Fire Nation when it came to world domination.

What do you think of the original designs for the Aang Gang? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of bending.