The live-action Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender Can Offer More Than Just Bending
The Last Airbender Needs To Focus More On Sokka’s Warrior Training
That character is none other than Sokka, a fan-favorite character from the Southern Water Tribe who accompanies Aang on his Avatar journey alongside his younger sister Katara. One of the major through lines of Sokka's character throughout the three seasons of the original Avatar: The Last Airbender is his warrior training. As the oldest male in his village at the start of Avatar, Sokka feels pressured to defend his home. This evolves into his training as a warrior over the course of the show until he becomes a true leader in the final season.
That being said, there are only a few episodes in which Sokka's training receives proper focus, namely The Warriors of Kyoshi and Sokka's Master. The former is the fourth episode of the whole show in which Sokka learns from the Kyoshi warriors - unfortunately cut from The Last Airbender in 2010 - and the latter is season 3, episode 4. This means there is a large gap between the two.
While Sokka's improvements as a warrior between the episodes come through the various battles and skirmishes in the series, these are the only two episodes that present a primary focus on Sokka's abilities. This means that Netflix's The Last Airbender could focus on Sokka's training more consistently over the course of the entire series to improve upon his arc, making his turn from rookie to leader feel much more rewarding.
How Netflix Could Add More To Sokka’s Arc
There are ways the Netflix adaptation could expand upon episodes of the original show. For example, the Avatar season 1, episode 5 sees the trio travel to Omashu and meet King Bumi, an old friend of Aang's. The longer form style of Netflix's show could mean Sokka gets more focus and learns from the guards of Omashu after Aang undergoes his trials with Bumi. Another episode that focuses on Sokka is season 1's "Jet." While the main arc for Sokka in this episode is his distrust of Jet's freedom fighters, the episode could show more of him learning from hardened fighters of a vigilante group.
Bato of the Water Tribe could also have Sokka learn from one of his dad's friends, the titular Bato. While the episode showcases Sokka's leadership skills, seeing Sokka learn some combat skills from an actual Water Tribe warrior would enrichen his storyline. The final three episodes of season 1 all take place in Avatar's Northern Water Tribe, with Sokka even ing a secret task force for the finale. This could allow Netflix to show Sokka's warrior training more than ever, improving his arc for Avatar: The Last Airbender going into the show's second season.