<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> External links </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Official website </Td> </Tr> <P> Avatar: The Last Airbender (Avatar: The Legend of Aang in some regions) is an American animated television series that aired for three seasons on Nickelodeon . The series began in February 2005 and concluded with a two - hour episode titled Sozin's Comet in July 2008 . Avatar: The Last Airbender is set in an Asiatic - like world in which some people can manipulate the classical elements with psychokinetic variants of the Chinese martial arts known as "bending". The series is presented in a style that combines anime with American cartoons and relies on the imagery of East - and - South Asian, Inuit, and New World societies . It follows the protagonist, twelve - year - old Aang and his friends, who must bring peace and unity to the world by ending the Fire Lord's war with three nations . </P> <P> The series was commercially successful and was acclaimed by audiences and critics who praised its art direction, humor, cultural references, characters, and themes . It was nominated for--and won--Annie Awards, Genesis Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Peabody Award . The first season's success prompted Nickelodeon to order a second and third season and the series inspired a critically panned but financially successful live - action film, The Last Airbender, considered one of the worst movies ever made, which was directed by M. Night Shyamalan . Merchandising for the series consisted of action figures, a trading card game, three video games, stuffed animals distributed by Paramount Parks, and two Lego sets . An art book was published in June 2010 . A sequel series titled The Legend of Korra aired from 2012 to 2014 . The complete series was released on Blu - ray on June 5, 2018 for the 10th anniversary of season 3's finale . </P>

When did avatar the last air bender come out