Avatar: The Last Airbender came to a close on 19 July, 2008. Four episodes, airing back-to-back brought the story to an epic close.

Choices are thinning, and after an initial beach break, Zuko (Dante Basco) convinces Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen) and Team Avatar that they really need to up their game in time to confront the Fire Lord Ozai (Mark Hamill) during the arrival of Sozin’s Comet.

Part 1: The Phoenix King was written by one of the series creators Michael Dante DiMartino, and it forces Aang to confront whether or not he can take the Fire Lord’s life. It goes against his beliefs. When he wanders away from the group in the middle of the night to figure out what to do and hasn’t returned by morning, the group searches for and worries about him.

Zuko seeks out a familiar bounty hunter, June (Jennifer Hale) to help track Aang down, who it seems has found himself on a strange travelling island.

Ozai takes on a new title, The Phoenix King while granting Azula (grey Griffin) the title of Fire Lord. He orders her to stay behind to safeguard the Fire Nation while he goes forth on a brutal plan.

Part 2: The Old Masters was written by Aaron Ehasz, and sees Zuko and Team Avatar working with June to follow a trail that leads them to The Order of the White Lotus, populated by several familiar faces like Bumi (Andre Sogliuzzo), Pakku (Victor Brandt), and Piandao (Robert Patrick), who were summoned and gathered by Iroh (Greg Baldwin).

How will the reunification of Zuko and Iroh go? Very well, as Iroh reveals who he thinks should sit on the Fire Nation throne, and rule with honour.

On the strange island, Aang looks inward and confers with his former Avatars, Roku (James Garrett), Kyoshi (Jennifer Hale), Kuruk (Jim Meskimen) and Yangchen (Tress MacNeille). But will any of them be able to truly help him come to his decision?

The advice given to him is that he must think about the world, and put his own part in that aside. He may have to take a life to save the world, and that will have to be something he has to live with.

Plans are laid with Iroh’s help and the group sets out on their final missions, while Aang discovers the truth about the island, it’s a Lion-Turtle (Kevin Michael Richardson) who also offers Aang some advice. Is there a way for Aang to best Ozai without killing him?

The confrontation is nigh as Shozin’s Comet arrives.

Into the Inferno, Part 3 of the story, was written by DiMartino and the other series creator Bryan Konietzko.

Katara (Mae Whitman) and Zuko go to confront Azula, while Sokka (Jack de Sena), Toph (Michaela Jill Murphy) and Suki (Jennie Kwan) sneak aboard the Fire Nation airships to carry out their part of the plan.

While Azula prepares for her coronation, the Old Masters defend the cities that are under attack, and lots of action beats ensue as we race towards a final confrontation between Ozai and Aang.

As the hero and villain face off Aang makes a plea not to fight, as he doesn’t want to take a life, but it won’t be that easy for the Avatar. He’ll have to fight.

The story leaps from thread to thread giving us exciting moments with each of the characters, and showing us how much they’ve grown, how well they work together, and how far they, the story and the series have come.

Azula and Zuko fight, Aang and Ozai fight, Soka defends the skies with Suki and Toph, Katara stands ready to help Zuko. So much going on, and it’s an incredibly tense and well-crafted ride.

And Aang makes a choice, and Ozai prepares to kill him as Azula fires lightning at Katara which Zuko throws himself in front of it to stop it.

Part 4, Avatar Aang has to wrap up the battle and the series up in twenty minutes?

Written by Di Martino and Konietzko, the episode has a number of wonderfully triumphant and emotional beats. Aang’s chakra gets slammed back into place, finally, and he is able access the Avatar state just as Ozai is about to kill him.

Katara takes on the battle with Azula, and this is the real fight we’ve been wanting to see! She has come so far and is so powerful, Katara is amazing. And Azula, well Azula just seems broken and crazy.

Aang is able to control all of the elements, and runs Ozai down, besting him, but sparing his life, something Ozai sees as weakness. So Aang makes a final play, and brings the entire war to an end, and setting up a new balance between nature and those who live in it.

What a fantastic series, and I love that every one of the characters got to shine and that we get to say goodbye to them as we leave the world of Avatar behind. But you can always revisit it with Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Complete Series on Blu-ray from Paramount Canada.