Iyanu feels like the happy medium between Avatar: The Last Airbender and Black Panther that could become a great new animated epic for Cartoon Network. Based on Roye Okupe and Godwin Akpan's graphic novel series, Iyanu: Child of Wonder, Iyanu focuses on the titular girl and her adopted guardian, Olori. Growing up in the forests of Yorubaland, away from the towers that designate the cities, Iyanu finds herself hunted after she uses her mysterious powers to rescue people in the city. Running from the royal guard, Iyanu discovers that her powers mark her for an important destiny.

Bolstered by strong animation and a rich world, Iyanu's mythology quickly sets the stage for a compelling animated epic to other Iyanu is already off to a great start — and if it reaches its full potential, it could become a must-watch show for animation fans of all ages.

Iyanu Has Everything You Want From A Cartoon Network Epic

Iyanu Introduces A Compelling New World, A Cool Mythology, And Fun Characters

Iyanu is a promising addition to the Cartoon Network library that could grow into their answer to Avatar: The Last Airbender. The show quickly establishes an engaging and colorful world that takes as many cues from fantasy action as it does real-life culture. The differing cultures between the upper society of Yorubaland, the poorer regions falling by the wayside, and the exiled forest communities introduce natural tensions for Iyanu to interact and work around. The show sets up several mysteries, ranging from Iyanu's origins to the motivations of the scheming royal adviser Nuro, while also steadily establishing a compelling lore.

An important detail other animated epics can forget is that The Last Airbender was very much a story about children. The series broached relatable subjects like first crushes and parental pressure amidst the spiritual conflict and supernatural wars. Iyanu does something similar, quickly establishing the titular hero as a charming and relatable lead. The cast quickly fills out with fun riffs on classic archetypes, setting up the bookish Toye and the rough-and-tumble Biyi as her friends (and teasing the latter as a love interest). It's a fun cast in a compelling world, the easy ingredients for a fun animated epic.

Iyanu Turns Culture & History Into Fantasy Action

Iyanu Boasts An Entirely African Voice Cast And Black Creative Team

Produced by the Black-owned animation studio Lion Forge Animation, Iyanu is proud of its influences and quick to showcase them. The series takes visual and cultural cues from Nigeria's Yoruba people and draws inspiration from Nigerian culture, music, and mythology. This is evident from the first moments of Iyanu, which gives a fantastical approach to Nigerian customs and heritage. It's similar to the way Black Panther took inspiration from African fashion and culture while creating their take on Wakanda, with Yorubaland feeling like a fleshed-out setting driven entirely by that aesthetic and history.

The show doesn't get bogged down in over-explanation, either. Iyanu is still an action-adventure series for younger audiences, so there are plenty of action beats and comedy moments to make the characters feel real. Iyanu's abilities eventually manifest and give her the ability to lift the corruption that is spreading through the animals in the forests, setting up a host of fun small conflicts that can take up time while the overarching plots develop. The animation becomes more kinetic and fluid with each episode, highlighting a growing sense of action as the show progresses.

Iyanu Could Become Cartoon Network's Avatar

Iyanu Is Off To A Great Start

Iyanu is off to a really solid start, especially once the mythology starts getting teased out further in the second and third episodes. The character dynamics are already in place, with the show already introducing a compelling shade of grey. While Olori and Sewa are quickly introduced as mentor figures for Iyanu, they're also driven by their own secret motivations and have connections that the young heroes couldn't hope to understand. Toye's father Kanfo is captain of the royal guard and caught between the cold chief of their tribe and his idealistic brother. These dynamics are all quickly compelling.

If Iyanu can maintain the momentum it achieves by the end of episode 3, then it could become the network's natural answer to the cultural behemoth that is the Avatar franchise.

Iyanu was designed to be a long-running epic, and has all the ingredients to remain a compelling and charming adventure story even while it develops and fleshes out that world. Iyanu has a great deal of promise for Cartoon Network and MAX, which could use some fresh blood. If Iyanu can maintain the momentum it achieves by the end of episode 3, then it could become the network's natural answer to the cultural behemoth that is the Avatar franchise.