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One of the amazing qualities of Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender is how profound the show can be. The series was packed with life wisdoms, studies on cultures and civilizations, philosophies, and the explorations of the complex human condition. Life lessons are one of the many things the cast members continue to reflect on in the 20 years the the show’s been a part of their lives. For Zach Tyler Eisen and Dante Basco, the actors who played Aang and Zuko, continue to embody those roles in life.

It’s unique to voice actor grow and age with them. Eisen was 12 years old when he first started voicing Aang, who was 12 in the show too. Given the weighty themes of The Last Airbender, both stars found themselves developing into young adults the longer they spent time with the characters. Thus, the journey of playing Aang and Zuko continues on in life.

“When I think back and watch the episodes, I got to really relive and have memories of what I was going through at the time.” Basco reflected. “There are a lot of things I was going through that was very much like Zuko as far as dealing with trauma and abuse with an authority figure in my life and a breakup of a relationship.” 

From day one as the firstborn child of Prince Ozai and Princess Ursa, Zuko was groomed to take on the expectations of being the royal heir in the Fire Nation. His younger sister Azula grew into a deceptive, jealous and manipulative woman, creating a toxic environment. It wasn’t until deep into the series, midway through Season 3 during the Day of Black Sun when Zuko realized he had been living his life wrong. His family and the Fire Nation only brought pain and suffering to the world. His thirst for power was just his father’s desires and he would eventually confront Aang and his friends and apologize.

“I was going through so much that–I understand things now, 20 years later, like, oh, wow, the DNA of, is it the right actor and the right character at the right time? That became part of the DNA of what Zuko was in that thing.”

“It really stands a testament to me of a certain time in my life through all that growth. So I can appreciate it now, even though when I was going through it, it was almost a blur. It was almost a weird memory the whole show. Whereas you were growing up just like, you were the same age as Aang.”

“Absolutely,” replied Eisen. “For that reason, I think Aang has become a big part of me as much as I am a part of him. I think I've learned a lot of lessons from him and from the show as a whole. But there are a lot of parallels, like Aang's feeling the pressure of saving the world, but also trying to be a kid at the same time and have fun and enjoy himself.”

“Part of me felt that way being an actor as a kid, but also wanting to enjoy my childhood. Luckily I had parents and a support system around me that were super amenable to that. We had some parallels as well, and I've learned so much from him, and he remains a part of me all these years.”

It’s hard not to walk away from A:TLA and not undergo some kind of metamorphosis, some kind of evolution. These two characters underwent so much in their full series arcs from underdogs to epic heroes but they managed to stay humble and not take for granted carry what they learned through their characters.

For Basco, it’s change. “I think the courage to change. yourself personally. That's the magical thing about Zuko is that we don't really ever see people really change. So it's really giving yourself grace for you to change and also give the grace to those around you and giving space for that possible change. I don't think we afford that to a lot of people and ourselves. That's the magic of Zuko is the courage to change.”

As for Eisen, Aang’s positive nature and the resolve he maintained throughout the series is what inspires him daily. 

“Aang sees the good in everybody, and I think that's part of my ethos and way I live my life, is try to give people the benefit of the doubt,” Eisen replied confidently. “I think that certainly came from Aang, you know, also from my parents and the people who raised me, but I gotta give some credit to Aang.”

“Also, like, the decisions that Aang has to make, you know, especially at the end of the series, there's a lot of noise and people urging him to do things that he may or may not want to do, but at the end of the day, he stays true to himself, and knows what the right thing is and I think that's super important.”

Avatar: The Last Airbender is unquestioned an epic adventure, an elevated animated series full of action and wonder. At the center, Aang and Zuko were once bitter rivals and their characters experienced life and through life's trials, eventually grew to become friends. So if there's one reason above all to watch the series, it's gaining life lessons to becoming a better person.

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