Avatar: The Last Airbender

Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away heavily influenced ATLA's depiction of the Spirit World, environmentalism, and nuanced, non-traditional morality (where villains are given humanizing depth)

Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away heavily influenced ATLA's depiction of the Spirit World, environmentalism, and nuanced, non-traditional morality (where villains are given humanizing depth)

Appa's six-legged design from Avatar: The Last Airbender was a direct homage to the Catbus from Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro. The show's creators and artists noted that figuring out the anatomy of a multi-legged mammal was tough, so they looked directly to the iconic six-legged Catbus for inspiration when designing Appa's body and movement. While Appa is officially a hybrid of a bison and a manatee, his structure and multi-legged shuffle heavily echo the classic Studio Ghibli creation.

The four bending arts are based directly on four distinct styles of Chinese martial arts, supervised by Sifu Kisu to ensure technical authenticity:

• Waterbending: Based on Tai Chi, emphasizing fluid movement, redirection of energy, and control over force rather than brute aggression.

• Earthbending: Based on Hung Ga, focusing on strong, low stances, heavy grounding, and powerful strikes. (Toph's unique style uses Southern Praying Mantis, reflecting her reliance on ground vibrations).

• Firebending: Based on Northern Shaolin, characterized by explosive movements, dynamic kicks, and long-range linear attacks.

• Airbending: Based on Baguazhang, utilizing circular footwork, evasion, and constant motion to turn an opponent's energy back on them.

The Water Tribes are inspired by Inuit, Yupik, and indigenous Circumpolar cultures, seen in their clothing, architecture (igloos/ice carving), and reliance on sea hunting.

The Earth Kingdom draws heavily from Imperial China (Ming and Qing Dynasties), featuring landmark architecture like the Forbidden City (Ba Sing Se) and the Great Wall.

The Air Nomads are modelled on Tibetan Buddhist monks and Hindu monastic traditions, emphasizing detachment, spiritual enlightenment, and vegetarianism.

The Fire Nation is modelled on Meiji-era industrializing Japan, reflecting rapid technological advancement, naval supremacy, and imperial expansionism.