Warning! This article contains spoilers for Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Summary

• Kyoshi was the last Earthbender Avatar before Aang, ushering in centuries of peace and establishing Kyoshi Island and the Kyoshi Warriors.
• Kyoshi warned Aang about an imminent attack on the Northern Water Tribe, a plot point not present in the original animated series.
• Netflix's The Last Airbender combines elements from two Kyoshi-centric episodes from the original show, showcasing Kyoshi's power early on.

One of the past Avatars who receives a heavy focus in Netflix's past Avatar in The Last Airbender episode 1's intro. Kyoshi is then left somewhat absent from The Last Airbender's live-action premiere before returning in a huge way in Netflix's The Last Airbender episode 2, "Warriors."

By the time of Avatar State in Netflix's The Last Airbender to warning him about events, Kyoshi is a crucial figure in the overall story of the show. This brings some differences to Netflix's The Last Airbender compared to the original show, both in how Kyoshi is utilized and how she is depicted as a mentor to Aang.

Kyoshi Was The Last Earthbender Avatar Before Aang

Kyoshi was born an Earth Kingdom citizen two lifetimes before Aang's reign.

Firstly, it is worth exploring exactly who Kyoshi is in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender. As is explained in the opening moments of The Last Airbender episode 1, the Avatar is endlessly reborn in a loop known as the Avatar Cycle. Every time one Avatar dies, the next is reincarnated in a cycle resembling the Four Elements: Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. Aang is known as the Last Airbender, an Avatar born into the Air Nomads. Based on the Avatar Cycle, Kyoshi was the most recent Avatar born into the Earth Kingdom, two lifetimes removed from Aang.

Kyoshi lived to the age of 230, ushering in almost three centuries of unbroken peace in her time.

Kyoshi's life is not explained completely in Netflix's Avatar, though tie-in Last Airbender offer some insight into her history. Kyoshi was born to two criminal parents who eventually abandoned her, leaving her orphaned. Eventually, Kyoshi herself became involved in a life of crime before being accepted as the Avatar when she turned 16. In her lifetime, Kyoshi used her ruthlessness to establish balance in the world, even forming a constitutional monarchy in the Earth Kingdom. Kyoshi lived to the age of 230, ushering in almost three centuries of unbroken peace in her time.

Avatar Kyoshi Inspired Her Own Band Of Elite Female Warriors

The Last Airbender episode 2's titular warriors are heavily connected to the former Avatar.

Aside from the Earth Kingdom's monarchy, the other long-lasting element of Kyoshi's legacy is the Kyoshi Warriors. This band of warriors is shown in detail in Avatar: The Last Airbender episode 2, an all-female group dedicated to keeping peace in Kyoshi's name. When combined with elements from the original animated show, Netflix's The Last Airbender hints at how these warriors and their home came to be. In the live-action The Last Airbender episode 2, Aang spots a painting of Kyoshi defeating a man with the tagline "Only justice can bring peace" etched into the image.

A flashback to Kyoshi defeating Chin is shown in the original The Last Airbender season 2, teasing the same for Netflix's potential continuation.

This references Kyoshi's defeat of Chin the Conqueror, an Earth Kingdom soldier who sought to establish an empire and overthrow the Earth King. Kyoshi defeated Chin and broke off a chunk of the Earth Kingdom mainland before moving it out to sea using the Avatar State. This island became Kyoshi Island, explaining the origin of such a village and the Kyoshi Warriors. In Netflix's The Last Airbender season 1, the Kyoshi Warriors have a great impact on Sokka, as does Aang on the group by channeling Kyoshi's immeasurable power.

Kyoshi Warned Aang Of An Imminent Attack On The Northern Water Tribe

Aang's season 1 goal was provided to him by his past life.

In Netflix's The Last Airbender episode 2, Kyoshi has several moments of importance regarding Aang's overall journey. For one, Kyoshi explains more about the Avatar State to the young Airbender, stating that it is the channeling of all past Avatar's through Aang's body to provide him with incredible power. Kyoshi then explains that Aang cannot run from his responsibilities as the Avatar lest more people are killed in the war with the Fire Nation. Kyoshi then gives Aang a vision that becomes vitally important by the time of The Last Airbender's season 1 finale.

This vision warns Aang of an imminent attack on the Northern Water Tribe. This spurs Team Avatar to begin traveling to the North Pole so that Aang can help defend the Waterbenders from the Fire Nation's siege. Without Kyoshi's aid, Aang may not have accepted the responsibility to help the Northern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation could have conquered yet another nation after the genocide of the Air Nomads.

Netflix’s Last Airbender Combines Two Kyoshi Episodes From The Original Show

Kyoshi's earlier live-action debut includes later elements from the animated Avatar.

One of the best moments of The Last Airbender episode 2 involved Kyoshi assuming control of Aang's body and unleashing her power on invading Fire Nation soldiers. Interestingly, this element was taken from season 2 of the original show. As such, Netflix's The Last Airbender episode 2 combines two Kyoshi-centric episodes of the animation. The first episode is The Last Airbender season 1, episode 4, "The Warriors of Kyoshi," and the second is The Last Airbender season 2, episode 5, "Avatar Day."

The elements from Netflix's The Last Airbender episode 2 involving Kyoshi Island, the invading Fire Nation, Suki and Sokka's relationship, and Aang accepting more responsibility are taken from "The Warriors of Kyoshi." However, the moment in which Kyoshi assumes Aang's body is taken from "Avatar Day," as this does not happen in the original show's first season. This marks one of the few differences between Kyoshi's animated and live-action iterations, caused by the combination of two Kyoshi episodes from the former.

Kyoshi’s Differences In Netflix’s The Last Airbender

Live-action Kyoshi has more of a connection to Aang earlier than in the original show.

As alluded to, Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender includes some changes to Kyoshi from the source material. The concept of Kyoshi possessing Aang's body is not found in season 1 of the original show, with the live-action story including it as a means to showcase both the Avatar's power and tie Kyoshi more closely to the Kyoshi Warriors storyline. Another difference included with Kyoshi's character in the Netflix show is the vision of the Northern Water Tribe being attacked.

Team Avatar is originally driven to the Northern Water Tribe by Roku who tells Aang he needs to master Waterbending in order to defeat the Fire Lord.

In the original show, Aang does not speak to Kyoshi at all in season 1 and is never made aware of an imminent siege on the North Pole. Team Avatar is originally driven to the Northern Water Tribe by Roku who tells Aang he needs to master Waterbending in order to defeat the Fire Lord. Therefore, the addition of Kyoshi's warning is completely new for Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Stemming from this, the conversation between Aang and Kyoshi in the live-action show makes her more of a mentor to Aang much earlier than in the original animation. Throughout seasons 1 and 2 of the original Last Airbender, Roku took the main role as Aang's mentor and Kyoshi did not directly give Aang advice until the end of the third season. This marks a major difference to not only Kyoshi's character but Avatar Kuruk's as well in Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender, as both provide Aang with advice much earlier in the live-action adaptation.

All episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1 are now streaming on Netflix.