There are so many interesting characters in Avatar: The Last Airbender that grew very dear to the hearts of many fans of the show. A lot of the characters displayed many different views on the main conflict in the show between the Fire Nation and the other nations of the world.
Some characters changed drastically throughout the show such as Zuko who got one of the best redemption arcs ever seen in a television show. Throughout the three seasons that the show ran, some characters didn't receive as much screentime as they deserved. Here are 10 characters that deserved much more screentime in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Azula
Azula became one of the primary antagonists in Avatar: The Last Airbender in Book 2 and was teased at the end of Book 1. She does get quite a lot of screentime throughout Book 2 and 3 but one thing fans didn't get to see a lot of was more on her backstory.
It's quite clear by the final episodes that she's been holding a lot of emotions in and had a very complicated relationship with her mother. The comic books dive deeper into this but it would have been great to see it in the show. Like Zuko, characters never have their relationships with their mother resolved.
June
June first appears when Zuko hires her to track down the Avatar. While she is really just a minor June is a bounty hunter that has a very useful beast named Nyla that can track just about anyone.
The character trait that makes her interesting is that she's not loyal to anyone and doesn't take sides unless for a certain amount of coin. It would be great to learn of her whereabouts after the war.
Jet
Jet was the former leader of the Freedom Fighters before being manipulated by the Dai Lee and turned into a sleeper agent. He first encounters Team Avatar early in Book 1 as a vigilante fighting to take down the Fire Nation. Jet gets pretty close to Katara and teaches her that she can't trust everyone that is against the Fire Nation.
His methods are revealed to be extremely cruel and extreme as he's willing to sacrifice innocent lives just for revenge. Jet later appears in Ba Sing Se and runs into Team Avatar once again where they discover that he's been brainwashed. He eventually fights it off but it critically wounded. Jet never makes a return but it would have been great to see more of him had he survived.
Suki
Suki is an incredible Kyoshi Warrior that helps Team Avatar on their journey and is also the love interest of Sokka.
She's a very likable character but unfortunately didn't get a ton of screentime throughout the three seasons of the show. She mostly just appears when she's really needed but her backstory isn't explored much. It would have been great to see more of her and Sokka and an explanation of her past with the Kyoshi Warriors.
King Bumi
King Bumi is one of the first characters that's introduced with a deep connection to Aang's past. In his first episode, King Bumi forces Aang to go through a series of challenges in order to save his friends. The final challenge has him guessing King Bumi's identity in which he's revealed to be Aang's friend from before he was frozen in ice.
King Bumi definitely deserved more screentime as he's a hilarious character that stood out and proved to be a great fighter.
Smellerbee
Smellerbee is a leader of the Freedom Fighters that once was led by Jet. She took over as leader after his fall in Ba Sing Se. Smellerbee is a really interesting character because she's extremely relatable and isn't a hothead like Jet.
She does follow some very extreme ideas and holds a serious grudge against the Fire Nation but it's to be expected given what they did to her family. It would have been great to see more of Smellerbee in the final season of the show but thankfully her story is being continued in the comics.
Ty Lee
Ty Lee is another extremely unique character with a very energetic and wholesome personality. She truly cares for her friends and is willing to stand up for what she thinks is right.
Her bravery was truly displayed when she defied Azula at the Boiling Rock to protect Mai. Her ability to stand up against benders as a nonbender using her chi blocking technique was amazing to see in the show and it would have been awesome for her to get more screentime.
Hakoda
The father of Katara and Sokka is a formidable fighter and a loving father. While he may not have been able to be there for his children due to the raging war against the Fire Nation, he was still an amazing memorable character.
More screentime with him could have explored how his involvement in the fight against the Fire Nation began and perhaps more about his past. The conflict between the Water Tribes and the Fire Nation was a very cool part of the show and Hakoda had a very big part in it.
Iroh
Some of the best moments in the show are when General Iroh gave his amazing wisdom to the main protagonists and showed that not all of the Fire Nation is bad.
Iroh has such a big heart and it would have been great to see more of his transition into becoming a kind-hearted man from the ruthless military leader he once was. He's clearly been through a lot and has some of the most interesting past experiences in the entire show.
Zuko
This one might sound weird as redeemed version of Zuko is the one that really deserves more screentime as his relationship with Team Avatar was just so much fun but went by way too fast.
It would have been great to see him spend more time getting closer with Aang and going on a couple more adventures before the final fight against Firelord Ozai. Zuko's redemption arc was a huge moment in the show and it would have been great to see more of him.