Here’s Why Avatar: Rise of the Kyoshi Was Made

The adventures of Aang, the Last Airbender, ended years ago in both the original Avatar The Last Airbender series and its sequel, the Legend of Korra, which followed the future incarnation of Aang as she attempted to struggle with her powers and heritage in a much different, futuristic world. While these chapters may be closed in animated format, the world of the Last Airbender is being returned to through various mediums. With sequel series for both franchises being developed in comic book form, a new prose novel dives into a little known avatar, Kyoshi.

The Entertainment Weekly article that chats with the novel’s author, and dissects the character of Kyoshi, explores what the story will follow in terms of Kyoshi and the world around her:

The author of the upcoming prose novel, F.C. Yee, dissected the reasoning behind why he wanted to revisit the older incarnation of the “Avatar”:

“What was appealing to me was how with limited screen time, she was such an effective foil to Aang in the original series. They don’t spend that much time together, but it’s so interesting to watch them play off each other with their different approaches to problem-solving. That got me into thinking about what could be filled in. What kind of experiences would she have had to go through in order to arrive at the woman we see as an adult, who briefly appears and advises Aang, and owns up to slaying a conqueror, and doesn’t take any BS from anyone? She must have seen some pretty intense stuff to give her that edge.”

Kyoshi had several differences from both Aang and Korra, wherein she originated from the Earth Kingdom and even lived to be over 200 years old. She appeared a few times in the Last Airbender series, offering advice to Aang in spirit form along with the other Avatars that still reside within both him and with Korra later on. If this novel proves to be a success, we’re sure this won’t be the last we see of this powerful Avatar.

Will you be picking up The Rise of Kyoshi? What was your favorite incarnation of the Avatar? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime!

For those of you unfamiliar with The Last Airbender, the series screened on Nickelodeon between 2005 and 2008. Its complex story and diverse stars earned the series’ acclaim. The Last Airbender’s story coupled with its anime-inspired artwork has helped it grow a loyal fanbase, and the series has continued to expand with various comics over the years. A new live action series is in the works for Netflix from the original creators of the Nickelodeon series.