Avatar: The Legend of Korra

Originally posted by King Joker
Has anyone ever seen a black guy in ATLA or TLoK?

Guru Pathik was the closest I think, but he was clearly Indian.

And then the Waterbenders are about as close to black as it gets after that.

Interesting... I wonder why there is none...?

There are none. Oddly enough, i never really notice or care about the presence of minorities in cartoons or anime. I notice it in live action tho.

I notice that minority fans of the show (my actual friends and random people on the internet) tend to love the water benders most due to them being the closest thing to black or brown people in the universe.

I don't really blame them to be honest. But what do y'all think of the rumor that Toph is still alive?

She was the youngest of Team Avatar. And considering she let Lin take over after she was ready, it would make sense if she was still alive. She always had a restless personality, so her traveling wouldn't surprise me.

i took them building a statue of Toph as a sign of her being dead, but it could simply be a testament to her revolutionizing bending and starting the police force. Toph being alive wouldn't surprise me.

Originally posted by KingD19
Guru Pathik was the closest I think, but he was clearly Indian.

And then the Waterbenders are about as close to black as it gets after that.

Originally posted by King Joker
Interesting... I wonder why there is none...?

All 4 nations in the original show are inspired by Asian cultures. Traditional Waterbenders seem to be closer to the Inuit peoples.

Makes sense there would be no African cultures represented. Or Caucasians, despite what some people seem to think.

Originally posted by marwash22
I notice that minority fans of the show (my actual friends and random people on the internet) tend to love the water benders most due to them being the closest thing to black or brown people in the universe.

They like the characters because of the colour of their skin?

Originally posted by marwash22
i took them building a statue of Toph as a sign of her being dead, but it could simply be a testament to her revolutionizing bending and starting the police force. Toph being alive wouldn't surprise me.

Zuko has a statue too though. So it's more of the latter than the former. 😛

Originally posted by Demonic Phoenix
They like the characters because of the colour of their skin?

My female friends who like the show both love themselves some Korra and Katara.

Originally posted by Demonic Phoenix

Makes sense there would be no African cultures represented. Or Caucasians, despite what some people seem to think.

No, they aren't. Nobody in Avatar is white. It's based on Eastern(Asian primarily) culture like Phoenix said. For example, The arctic Waterbenders are like Inuits, Guru Pathik was Indian, etc, etc...

Originally posted by King Joker
The majority of the people are Caucasian. 😬

...........

in his defense, the vast majority of characters outside of the water benders and Pathik lack any distinguishing ethnic features. If it weren't for the names, they'd all be pretty goddamn convincing white people.

The Boulder might be the closest thing to a black person tho. lol.

Originally posted by KingD19
No, they aren't. Nobody in Avatar is white. It's based on Eastern(Asian primarily) culture like Phoenix said. For example, The arctic Waterbenders are like Inuits, Guru Pathik was Indian, etc, etc...

It's just the anime style of being ethnically ambiguous, you find it in plenty of shows taking place in actual Japan. They aren't intended to be really white, but drawn in a way to not alienate their american target audience. Except for the less civilized water benders, they can be brown =p

it has a more to do with the idea that small or narrow eyes making a person look evil or untrustworthy. Osamu Tezuka (the guy who basically started anime) got his influences from Betty Boop and Mickey Mouse, who he saw as innocent and "good" characters; that's why he drew his characters with the bubble eyes... everyone after him followed his style and that's why Asian characters don't "look Asian".

Well I meant avatar specifically, we all know nick can't have a show about a bunch of Asians. That's the real reason for the anime style here, trick the white folks

Originally posted by marwash22
that, and that they're female. the people i was referring to tend to be girls.

My female friends who like the show both love themselves some Korra and Katara.

Korra x Katara. I approve that shipping. 👆

Originally posted by King Joker
The majority of the people are Caucasian. 😬

No they aren't. Why do you think there was such a shit storm when people found out that it was Caucasians who were playing the main protagonists in the movie?

Originally posted by marwash22
in his defense, the vast majority of characters outside of the water benders and Pathik lack any distinguishing ethnic features. If it weren't for the names, they'd all be pretty goddamn convincing white people.

Their faces have definitely been made to look Caucasian in certain ways. However, most Fire nation people look distinctly Asian. Both Zuko and Azula look more East Asian than they do Caucasian IMO. You should also see a picture of Azula's head from the side.

But their facial features and skin tone are just a small part of their design.

EDIT:

Originally posted by Demonic Phoenix
Korra x Katara. I approve that shipping. 👆

👆

Unf.

Unf.