The emperor and people’s garb appears to be of the Qing dynasty with various Korean influences as well.

The capital city, Ba Sing Se, resembles Beijing and the royal palace therein is based on the Forbidden City. In particular, the kingdom takes inspiration from the Chinese Ming and Qing dynasties, the last imperial dynasties before the Republic of China. Most generally, the setting may be considered “Eurasia.” The Earth Kingdom is probably the most complex and historically elaborate of any of the Avatar settings, containing cities inspired by everything from later Chinese dynastic periods to Shogun Japan to the Roman Empire. The events of the TV show are, therefore, the consequences of invasion and slaughter. The series begins in 99 AG (“after the genocide”) at at the tail end of a hundred years' war. The calendar itself is based on a genocide (!) of the Air Nomads, with 0 being the year of genocide-when the Fire Nation, believing the next Avatar incarnation (and so greatest threat to the empire) was to be born therein, invades and slaughters an entire people. Part of what gives the series that more adult tonality are its setting and history.

The pair also wanted the series and its characters, even if they were written for children, to feel consequential and perilous. So it might be baffling to learn that Avatar: the Last Airbender, created by Michale DeMartino and Bryan Konietzko and pitched to Nickelodeon, grew from a source material more historical than literary no, Avatar is not based on a book or graphic novel.ĭeMartino and Konietzko wanted to create a world that felt mythological and included diverse peoples and locations (though the sketch art was initially inspired by polar explorations of the Irish explorer, Shackleton). For escapist fictional settings, creators turn to source material and their strategy is adaptation. The challenges of world-building plague TV and film. The Four Nations are set in fictional lands, but are inspired by various moments in Chinese and Japanese history.The series follows a group of kids journeying across the Four Nations.Avatar: The Last Airbender is now on Netflix.

Avatar last airbender world map