Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the most fascinating fantasy worlds out there. Because of this, it is filled with equally captivating characters. While its leads are some of the best out there, it is the supporting cast of characters that adds the perfect bit of color that makes this world feel so believable.
There are beloved and interesting ones throughout, from Iroh to Azula, but there are just as many underrated ones. The series is full to the brim with characters that there were bound to be a few who never got their due. Here are the ten most underrated supporting characters to be found in Avatar.
Firelord Ozai
The big baddie himself comes in at number ten. Ozai was the fire lord during Aang’s tenure as Avatar and was the final foe he had to face. Father to both Azula and Zuko, Ozai produced two other villains for Aang to go up against (along with a future friend).
Ozai is frightening and brought perfectly to life by Mark Hamill. He embodies the perfect amount of rage and evil, but with enough human elements to ground him. Though he doesn’t appear fully until season three, Ozai’s presence can be felt throughout all previous seasons of Avatar.
Long Feng
While Ozai was the lead villain for season three, it was Long Feng who remained the thorn in the side of Team Avatar during season two. Leader of the secret police in Ba Sing Se, Long Feng was just as formidable a foe as any firebender. Much of his persona is due to his voice actor Clancy Brown, who brought a low toned timbre to his performance.
Feng’s dedication to secrecy and suppression is what makes him so terrifying as a villain. While he isn’t the most physically imposing, it is his insidious nature that makes him so fascinating to watch.
Monk Gyatso
Monk Gyatso was the mentor and father figure to Avatar Aang. One of the leading monks at the Southern Air Temple, Monk Gyatso was a wise and friendly figure. Sadly, after Aang’s disappearance, Gyatso fell at the hands of the Fire Nation’s genocide of the Air Nomads.
Though audiences never got much of him, Gyatso’s rare appearances through flashbacks made him a beloved figure of Aang’s past. Because we saw the best of him through Aang’s memories, it became easy to feel as if we spent as much time with him as Aang had.
Guru Pathik
A personal friend of Monk Gyatso was Guru Patik. A nomadic spiritual guide who resided at the Eastern Air Temple, Pathik refused to abide by the laws of nations. This independent figure helped individuals heal both physically and spiritually through their relationship to the Spirit World.
Guru Pathik was the one who taught Aang how to reach the Avatar State on his own. Through unlocking all of his Chakras, Aang could intentionally enter the state without harm. Pathik was an essential figure in Aang’s journey to becoming the Avatar. He also helped heal Appa when he had been lost.
Avatar Kyoshi
Since Aang was the current living Avatar, audiences didn’t get a lot of time to spend with previous Avatars. When they did though, it felt like a special glimpse into the deeper history of this world. One of the Avatars fans got to spend the most time with was Avatar Kyoshi, who was Avatar two generations before Aang.
Hailing from the Earth Kingdom, Kyoshi was a powerful bender. Her wisdom and fighting ability put her above anyone else who she came across. But, it was her humility and dedication to justice that made her so admirable. Though fans spent little time with her, she still made a lasting impact.
Jeong Jeong
Jeong Jeong is a fascinating side character to follow. Once a renowned general in the Fire Nation, Jeong deserted upon witnessing the cruelty of Fire Lord Ozai’s ruling philosophy. As a member of the order of the White Lotus, Jeong could never follow such an isolationist dictator.
Jeong lived then in the Earth Kingdom and helped first teach Aang about fire bending. He became a powerful ally to team avatar near the end of the war as well, assisting in the liberation of Ba Sing Se. Jeong is a great lone-wolf character and deserves way more praise.
Cabbage Man
Yell “My Cabbages” at a fan of The Last Airbender, and they will know immediately who and what you’re referencing. One of the smallest recurring roles in the series was that of the Cabbage Man, a seller who traversed around the world and somehow always ran into Aang and his friends. Since season one, he has appeared in every season.
Not only did they constantly find each other, but somehow or another their schemes would always destroy his cart of cabbages. It is one of the best recurring jokes in any show and cements Cabbage Man as a beloved side character of the series.
King Bumi
A childhood friend of Aangs was none other than King Bumi, leader and monarch of the Earth Kindom City of Omashu. Bumi was an eccentric individual who was defined by his unorthodox world view. Because of this, he would always offer solutions and schemes that, on the surface, would never work.
Don’t let that fool you though, as Bumi’s eccentricity is matched only by his power as a bender and his wisdom. Like Jeong Jeong, Bumi was also a member of the order of the White Lotus. It is the combination of his insanity and his wisdom that makes him such a great character.
Suki
Though she was a member of Team Avatar herself by the end of the series, Suki never seemed to get her due as a character. First appearing in season one, Suki was the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. This all-female fighting force of Kyoshi island donned ceremonial makeup and ropes in honor of Avatar Kyoshi, a native to their island.
Suki’s kindness and independence made her an easy character to admire. Strong-willed and a powerful fighter, she was one of the best, if not most underutilized, members of Team Avatar. She was essential in many of their most important missions.
Avatar Roku
Perhaps only second to Iroh, no figure embodies the wise mentor role better than Avatar Roku. The previous iteration of the Avatar, Roku assisted in many of the spiritual trials for Avatar Aang. This fire nation native saw the growing suprematist feelings of his peers and sought against them.
Roku follows in the footsteps of many wise figures in fiction, such as Gandalf or Dumbledore. What makes him so fascinating though is when he is most humanized. Every episode of Roku’s remains some of the most fascinating storytelling seen through the show. He is complicated and powerful and should be put on a pedestal as one of the show’s best characters.
