The Team Aang Member That Avatar: The Last Airbender Fans Agree Is The MVP

Nickelodeon's 2005 animated adventure "Avatar: The Last Airbender" follows Aang (Zac Tyler Eisen), a young nomad with the ability to control all four of earth's natural elements, and his companions as they journey across the world to end a 100-year war and master their magical abilities. The series, which was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, ran for three stunning seasons and concluded in 2008, but the story lives on in fans' hearts. It also lives on in Nickelodeon's dedicated Avatar Studios and in novelized prequels and serialized sequels, but that's beside the point.

A popular trend in fandom is for fans to rank their favorite characters by a number of metrics. These metrics often include the moral standing of characters or else their strengths or cunning. "Avatar" has been at the epicenter of such discussion since its inaugural episode, and the fandom is still at it even now, over 15 years later. Here's the character that a surprising number of fans agreed upon as the true MVP of "Avatar: The Last Airbender."

Redditor u/SolitarySoul2021 brought fans together with their comment, saying, "They'd be dead without Appa." The comment received nearly 2,000 upvotes, and the sentiment was echoed by other users, like u/Avatar-Indy, who stated, "Appa carried the entire [G]aang on his back." While the responses were frequently framed as jokes – Appa (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) literally did carry the Gaang on his back – the truth of their words cannot be ignored. Appa's usefulness was so integral to Aang's success that there was an entire arc in Season 2 that established how handicapped he was without him.

Redditor u/morty__sanchez suggested that Appa's utility would have expanded even further if Aang weren't a pacifist. "A whole lotta people would be dead," they said. It's easy to imagine how dangerous Appa could be. The few battles that the flying bison took part in were brief because nothing could stand against his overpowering weight and muscle. Battling prowess aside, the Gaang could never have reached any of their destinations without their favorite six-legged cuddle buddy, nor could they have avoided the dangers of Azula (Grey Griffin). Plus, he's easily the cutest thing ever, which wasn't really one of the metrics considered here, but it still helps.