It appears that Netflix is intent on trying to make their live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender a success story. You know, in spite of the original creators of the animated series leaving production? Why else would they announce such a massive number of new cast members for the show all at once like this?

All the New Avatar: The Last Airbender Cast!

A selection of the new cast for Netflix's "Avatar: The Last Airbender".
It’s nice to see an almost entirely Asian cast for this show, at least.

Netflix has officially announced a full list of 20 new cast members for their live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The list of cast members includes the actors set to play the slightly mad King Bumi, Azula’s “friends” Ty Lee and Mai, and even the creepy face-stealing centipede spirit, Koh. We even get to find out who will play Cabbage Merchant guy as he presumably screams over more mass destruction of Brassica. You can check out the entire list, sorted by origin and including Netflix‘s official description of their characters, below:

Water Tribe

  • Amber Midthunder (she/her; Prey, Roswell) as Princess Yue: the compassionate spiritual leader of the Northern Water Tribe.
  • A Martinez (he/him; Cowboy Bebop, Ambulance) as Pakku: the veteran waterbending master of the Northern Water Tribe and a fierce defender of their traditions.
  • Irene Bedard (she/her; Pocahontas, The Stand) as Yagoda: an empathetic healer who serves as a role model for her tribe’s female waterbenders.
  • Joel Oulette (he/him; Trickster, Ruby and the Well) as Hahn: a strong and skilled warrior with unwavering loyalty to his tribe.
  • Nathaniel Arcand (he/him; Heartland, FBI: Most Wanted) as Chief Arnook: father to Princess Yue and the respected leader of their tribe.
  • Meegwun Fairbrother (he/him; Burden of Truth, Mohawk Girls) as Avatar Kuruk: a previous Avatar with a haunted past.

Earth Kingdom

  • Arden Cho (she/her; Partner Track) as June: a tough and persistent bounty hunter known for her ruthless efficiency.
  • Utkarsh Ambudkar (he/him; Ghosts, World’s Best) as King Bumi: the ancient and mercurial ruler of the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu.
  • Danny Pudi (he/him; Mythic Quest, Corner Office) as the Mechanist: an eccentric inventor and engineer who’s doing his best to raise his son in a war-torn world.
  • Lucian-River Chauhan (he/him, Encounter, Heartland) as Teo: The idealistic and high-flying son of the Mechanist.
  • James Sie (he/him; Stillwater) as the Cabbage Merchant: a long-suffering vegetable vendor in Omashu.

Fire Nation

  • Momona Tamada (she/her; Secret Headquarters, One: Thunder God’s Tale) as Ty Lee: an energetic and upbeat teen and one of Princess Azula’s best friends.
  • Thalia Tran (she/her; Raya and the Last Dragon, Little) as Mai: an unflappable and deadpan teen who, along with Ty Lee, is one of Princess Azula’s closest allies.
  • Ruy Iskandar (he/him; Yes Day, Benders) as Lt. Jee: the first officer of Prince Zuko’s ship.
  • Hiro Kanagawa (he/him; Altered Carbon, The Man in the High Castle) as Fire Lord Sozin: the ruthless and ambitious previous ruler of the Fire Nation and grandfather of Fire Lord Ozai.
  • C.S. Lee (he/him; Dexter, Warrior) as Avatar Roku: a wise and benevolent past Avatar from the Fire Nation.
  • François Chau (he/him; The Expanse, American Gigolo) as The Great Sage: the venerated spiritual leader of the Fire Nation and guardian of Avatar Roku’s shrine. 
  • Ryan Mah (he/him; The Good Doctor, Snowpiercer) as Lt. Dang: Commander Zhao’s second-in-command. 

Spirit World

  • George Takei (he/him; Star Trek, Resident Alien) as the voice of Koh: an ancient, predatory spirit.
  • Randall Duk Kim (he/him; Kung Fu Panda, John Wick) as the voice of Wan Shi Tong: appears in the form of a giant owl and is also known as the Spirit of Knowledge.

Source: Netflix Tudum