History Fridge / TheLastAirbender

* The Northern Water Tribe appear European while most of the Southern Water Tribe look Inuit- except for Sokka, Katara and Kanna (their grandmother). In the show, Kanna ran away from the Northern tribe, so perhaps their different ethnicities are meant to reflect that. They even made an effort to cast mostly Europeans as members of the Norther Water Tribe. It might even confirm a persisting fan theory that Kanna was pregnant with Pakku's son when she ran away, making Sokka and Katara his biological grandchildren. Still...you'd think that the two kids would look just a little more Inuit, considering that Hakoda, at least, married a Southern Water Tribe woman.

* If Aang is the last of the Airbenders and, as the Avatar, is not allowed to have a family, either he has to follow the rules and let Airbending die with him[[note]] Shyamalan knows that Airbending isn't something one can just learn, right?[[/note]] or he says ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight towards his people and marries to continue the Airbender line. Or did Shyamalan envision some Jedi-style AintNoRule loophole allowing for attachment-free procreation?

* FridgeLogic: Firebenders now have to rely on a source of fire, like a torch or brazier. These sources are usually exposed, and to put the fire out would cripple the firebenders. So ''why does nobody ever think to put them out''? Despite this glaring weakness, nobody ever puts out their fires when they see the Fire Nation coming, or targets the fires in combat. Master Pakku even ''tells'' the Northern Water Tribe to put out their torches so as not to give the Firebenders extra ammo, and ''no one does!'' Is there some sort of heroic version of MookChivalry going on here?
* FridgeLogic: So, Sozin's comet only allows firbenders to create their own fire. Now, Ozai, as the best firebender in the world, can presumably do this already, so Sozin's Comet will give him no benefit. We may have one anti-climactic boss fight on our hands if there ever is a third movie.
* Mild Adaptation-Induced FridgeHorror: If Aang is the last of the Airbenders and, as the Avatar, is not allowed to have a family, either he has to follow the rules and let Airbending die with him[[note]] Shyamalan knows that Airbending isn't something one can just learn, right?[[/note]] or he says ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight towards his people and marries to continue the Airbender line. Or did Shyamalan envision some Jedi-style AintNoRule loophole allowing for attachment-free procreation?

* Mild Adaptation-Induced FridgeHorror: If Aang is the last of the Airbenders and, as the Avatar, is not allowed to have a family, either he has to follow the rules and let Airbending die with him[[note]] Shyamalan knows that Airbending isn't something one can just learn, right?[[/note]] or he says ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight towards his people and marries to continue the Airbender line. Or did Shyamalan envision some Jedi-style AintNoRule loophole allowing for attachment-free procreation?

* The Northern Water Tribe appear European while most of the Southern Water Tribe look Inuit- except for Sokka, Katara and Kanna (their grandmother). In the show, Kanna ran away from the Northern tribe, so perhaps their different ethnicities are meant to reflect that.
** That ''is'' the official reasoning; they even made an effort to cast mostly Europeans as members of the Norther Water Tribe. It might even confirm a persisting fan theory that Kanna was pregnant with Pakku's son when she ran away, making Sokka and Katara his biological grandchildren. Still...you'd think that the two kids would look just a little more Inuit, considering that Hakoda, at least, married a Southern Water Tribe woman.
*** That's not even going into the UnfortunateImplications, which would still remain even if this theory were, in fact, true. Why, exactly, is it that the only man of apparent European descent in the Southern Water Tribe is also [[MightyWhitey the only one badass enough to be their leader]]?
* The Fire Nation appear to be Indian in this continuity. Considering M. Night Shyalaman's penchant for the CreatorCameo, perhaps he did this to facilitate his future appearance as Uhvatar Roku?
* So, Yue's parents died sometime off-screen, right? And now Yue's dead... Who's running the Northern Water Tribe now that the closest thing to a royal family they have is dead?

* Why would Shyamalan take away the canon Fire Nation's greatest strength (generating their own element to fight with), then replace that advantage with "their machines" THEN show very little of said war machines? He did realize that didn't make the Fire Nation look strong, it made the other nations look weak, right?

* So, Yue's parents died sometime off-screen, right? And now Yue's dead... Who's running the Northern Water Tribe now that the closest thing to a royal family they have is dead?

* The Fire Nation appear to be Indian in this continuity. Considering M. Night Shyalaman's penchant for the CreatorCameo, perhaps he did this to facilitate his future appearance as Uhvatar Roku?

*** That's not even going into the UnfortunateImplications of this theory. Why, exactly, is it that the only man of apparent European descent in the Southern Water Tribe is also [[MightyWhitey the only one badass enough to be their leader]]?

* The Northern Water Tribe appear European while most of the Southern Water Tribe look Inuit- except for Sokka, Katara and Kanna (their grandmother). In the show, Kanna ran away from the Northern tribe, so perhaps their different ethnicities are meant to reflect that.

* FridgeBrilliance: The Northern Water Tribe appear European while most of the Southern Water Tribe look Inuit- except for Sokka, Katara and Kanna (their grandmother). In the show, Kanna ran away from the Northern tribe, so perhaps their different ethnicities are meant to reflect that.

* FridgeBrilliance: The Northern Water Tribe appear European while most of the Southern Water Tribe look Inuit- except for Sokka, Katara and Kanna (their grandmother). In the show, Kanna ran away from the Northern tribe, so perhaps their different ethnicities are meant to reflect that.
** Doesn't work when they're only meant to be about 1/4 Northern Tribe, though - even if you gave them one white grandparent, the other three should mostly counteract that. Which means according to this film: White-Is-Dominant-Over-Other-Races, which equals UnfortunateImplications.

** Doesn't work when they're only meant to be about 1/4 Northern Tribe, though - even if you gave them one white grandparent, the other three should mostly counteract that. Which means according to this film: White-Is-Dominant-Over-Other-Races, which equals UnfortunateImplications.
* FridgeLogic: The Fire Nation soldiers imprison a bunch of Earthbenders. On a prison of Earth. You have to wonder who is dumber here: the Earthbenders for not escaping or the Fire Nation soldiers for giving their prisoners access to a ton of weapons in the first place.
** Worse is the fact that in the prison they had only ONE source of fire to bend off of. Again, not sure who is dumber here, the Fire Benders for making such an exploitable weakness, or the Earth benders who didn't exploit it.

** Worse is the fact that in the prison they had only ONE source of fire to bend off of. Again, not sure who is dumber here, the Fire Benders for making such an exploitable weakness, or the Earth benders who didn't exploit it.
* A bit of meta FridgeLogic: If the filmmakers defended [[{{RaceLift}} Racebending]] as looking for AbilityOverAppearance, ''why did they pick such bad actors?!'' Did they just [[{{TheyJustDidntCare}} not give a crap?]]

** Worse is the fact that in the prison they had only ONE source of fire to bend off of. Again, not sure who is dumber here, the Fire Benders for making such an exploitable weakness, or the Earth benders who didn't exploit it.

*** And that is another fridge brilliance on it's own.

* FridgeLogic: The Fire Nation soldiers imprison a bunch of Earthbenders. On a prison of Earth. You have to wonder who is dumber here: the Earthbenders for not escaping or the Fire Nation soldiers for giving their prisoners access to a ton of weapons in the first place.

* FridgeLogic: The Fire Nation soldiers imprison a bunch of Earthbenders. On a prison of Earth. You have to wonder who is dumber here: the Earthbenders for not escaping or the Fire Nation soldiers for giving their prisoners access to a ton of weapons in the first place.
** Or the [[MNightShyamalan the film-maker]] who [[IdiotBall thought that scenario was at all believable]].

*** Unfortunate or not, that is fridge brilliance on it's own.

* Fridge Brilliance: The movie was an attempt into making a realistic Avatar movie (Other than the Race Lift and the Earthbender prisoners). It may not save this horrible movie, but it provides a logical point of view while watching it.
** First, the people around the Avatar. In the series, Sokka was funny, Katara was motherly, etc. However, their movie counterparts didn't have those traits? Because they are supposed to portray real people!
** Next, the war on the Northern water tribe. Zhao wasn't killed by the Avatar; random people did. The avatar didn't have to kill him himself. The northern water tribesmen can do it themselves.
** Finally, the effects. It was murky and dark because Real is Brown, and the fire, earth and water effects try to emulate real water, earth and fire.

* Fridge Brilliance: The movie was an attempt into making a realistic Avatar movie (Other than the Race Lift and the Earthbender prisoners).
** First, the people around the Avatar. In the series, Sokka was funny, Katara was motherly, etc. However, their movie counterparts didn't have those traits? Because they are supposed to portray real people!

* FridgeLogic: The Fire Nation soldiers imprison a bunch of Earthbenders. On a prison of Earth. You have to wonder who is dumber here: the Earthbenders for not escaping or the Fire Nation soldiers for giving their prisoners access to a ton of weapons in the first place.

** Unless their other grandparents were also from the Northern Water Tribe, it's unlikely that they'd be so light-skinned. However, it is still possible, just very, very unlikely.

* FridgeBrilliance: The Northern Water Tribe appear European while most of the Southern Water Tribe look Inuit- except for Sokka, Katara and Kanna (their grandmother). In the show, Kanna ran away from the Northern tribe, so perhaps their different ethnicities are meant to reflect that.

* As many fans know, the Races of many characters are screwed with in ''Film/TheLastAirbender'', '''but!''' I noticed something while watching: The Northern Water Tribe are all European * waits for groans to pass* , ''however'', I noticed that most, if not all, of the Southern Water Tribe looked more Inuit. ...''Except'' for Sokka, Katara and Kanna, ''their Grandmother!!'' Now, remember how Kanna ran away from the North tribe in the show? Obviously that sub-plot had to be cut for time, so how else would the Director show that tid-bit visually, in such a manner that would not take multiple viewings? By making them be ethnically diverse! I'm not saying the choice was a good one, but it's certainly brillient if true. -Tropers/K9Thefirst1

* As many fans know, the Races of many characters are screwed with in ''Film/TheLastAirbender'', '''but!''' I noticed something while watching: The Northern Water Tribe are all European * waits for groans to pass* , ''however'', I noticed that most, if not all, of the Southern Water Tribe looked more Inuit. ...''Except'' for Sokka, Katara and Kanna, ''their Grandmother!!'' Now, remember how Kanna ran away from the North tribe in the show? Obviously that sub-plot had to be cut for time, so how else would the Director show that tid-bit visually, in such a manner that would not take multiple viewings? By making them be ethnically diverse! I'm not saying the choice was a good one, but it's certainly brillient if true. -Tropers/K9Thefirst1
** Except that the Fridge Logic leads to Unfortunate Implications - Katara and Sokka are only 1/4 Northern Water Tribe (Caucasian), to 3/4 Southern Water Tribe (Inuit). It would have been similarly, though not quite, as jarring if the ethnicities of the two tribes were reversed because Inuit blodd is not dominant. The whole thing makes Caucasian genres seem extremely dominant, which doesn't make sense - generationally, most genes actually ''blend'', with the blood that was only present in a much earlier generation becoming less obvious. The whole thing is a great big mess of {{Did Not Do the Research}} on Shymalan's part, since he'd admitted to excusing Sokka and Katara's Caucasian appearance with their grandmother being from the NWT, but doesn't seem to understand genetics in the least.
*** Unless other [=NWT=] people had traveled to the [=SWT=], which just leads to more {{Wild Mass Guess}}ing.
*** Not sure if this is the place for arguments, honestly, but I personally know someone whose appearance doesn't really reflect his genes, so this actually makes sense to me. What I mean to say is that he is 3/4 Polish, but looks convincingly Native American (which, I guess, would be sort of reverse of the NWT/SWT issue?).