Where to Watch the Original Avatar: The Last Airbender Animated Series

With the debut of Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender, this is the perfect time for fans old and new to revisit the classic Nickelodeon animated series that started it all. Debuting in 2005, the action fantasy series is one of the best shows for kids ever made, which understood and used television’s storytelling potential to achieve structural perfection.

Featuring a serialized story over its three seasons, Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA) demands viewers watch every episode to understand it as a whole. Thus the show thrives when it’s viewed in rapid succession on home media and streaming. Thankfully there are plenty of options when it comes to watching this animated classic and we’ve got the biggest ones so you can enjoy the original series and see how it stacks up against the new live-action Netflix show.

Streaming

Netflix

The live-action’s series is a Netflix original and thankfully the original animated series is streaming there as well. If you’re a new fan who comes to the series through the live-action version and are left wanting more when you finish it? Well, the original is right there for you. The Legend of Korra, the animated sequel series, is also available to stream on Netflix as well.

Watch Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix.

Paramount+

With Paramount being the owner of Nickelodeon it makes sense that its streaming service would include ATLA (as well as The Legend of Korra.) Netflix is home to the new live-action ATLA series but Paramount+ is set to be the home for, “new series, short-form content, spinoffs, and theatrical films” as part of the ATLA universe. If you want to invest in the world of ATLA for the long term, Paramount+ will be your go-to.

Watch Avatar: The Last Airbender on Paramount+.

Prime Video

Amazon’s Prime Video doesn’t have the full ATLA series included as part of its streaming package but you can watch the first episode for free, though you do need an account with Amazon to do so.

Watch the first episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender on Prime Video.

On-Demand Options

If subscribing to a streaming service or owning physical media isn’t your thing, there are plenty of places to purchase Avatar: The Last Airbender digitally. All of these include the complete series’ three seasons.

These include: Amazon, Vudu, Apple, Google Play, and YouTube.

Physical Releases

We all know the fickle stings of a streaming service suddenly not having your favorite show or just deleting whole shows outright. That’s where physical media comes in. Plus physical releases often come with bonus features, which is beautifully the case for all of Avatar: The Last Airbender on DVD and Blu-ray.

Avatar: The Last Airbender on DVD

From 2006 to 2008, ATLA released “volume” sets that would have around four or five episodes each. These are still available but the better choice are the season box sets. These include a healthy amount of bonus features, with featurettes and commentaries. You can either track down these original DVD box sets or grab a newer complete series DVD release. There was also a “Collector’s Edition” DVD for season released in 2010 that included a brand-new documentary and a preview copy of the then upcoming ATLA art book. This release is now out of print. Collector’s editions for the other two seasons were never released.

Avatar: The Last Airbender on Blu-ray

In 2018, ATLA was finally released on Blu-ray in a complete series set which included the bonus features on previous DVD sets. 2020 saw the release of a limited edition SteelBook set of the complete ATLA series that only featured new artwork on the case. The on-disc contents were identical to the original Blu-ray set. It is now out of print and commands much higher prices than when it was first released.

However you choose to watch the original animated Avatar: The Last Airbender, you’ll be in for a good time. See how it rates against the Netflix live-action show or just sit back and enjoy an all-time classic.