The Avatar franchise is groundbreaking for its excellent worldbuilding, well-developed characters, and its attention to storytelling. As a result, the characters are all three-dimensional. Very few are wholly evil or wholly good and they all have flaws and strengths that make dynamic narrative appearances.
There are obvious favorites and clear villains in Avatar. Iroh has enjoyed widespread support while Fire Lord Ozai has received unanimous hate. Characters drift from likable to unlikable as their character arcs ebb and flow and while many of the characters shift multiple times throughout the franchise, some lose their likability and do not regain it in a meaningful way.
10 Jet Was Cool For Two Seconds
When Aang, Katara, and Sokka first met Jet, he appeared every inch the cool rebel living in the forest and he attacked Fire Nation soldiers Robinhood style. Sokka, however, never trusted Jet and could see something suspicious about the Freedom Fighter.
Eventually, Katara and Aang were forced to face the reality of Jet, his plans, and what he was willing to do to get his revenge on the Fire Nation. When fans found out about Jet's crime, he lost their respect. Even later into his life in Ba Sing Se, they were not willing to allow him back into their good graces.
9 Aang Was Irresponsible Too Often
Aang was the Avatar, and as such, he was responsible for keeping balance and peace in the world. However, he was not always focused on that. While his childish irresponsibility was endearing for a while, after so many failures, it began to catch up with him.
He burned Katara because he did not take firebending seriously, he almost lost the Avatar State because of his selfish love for Katara, and he almost threw the world into renewed turmoil because he did not want to kill Fire Lord Ozai. While things worked out for Aang in the end, he lost likability relying on luck. On top of that, he turned out to be a problematic father after the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
8 On The Other Hand, Katara Was Too Responsible
Katara was such a heroine stereotype that Avatar: The Last Airbender even makes fun of her reliance on hope and "goodness" for a while, but as the show progresses, Katara starts to delve more and more into the dark side. She learned bloodbending, tried to get revenge on her mother's killer, and was willing to take Azula down.
However, Katara's persistent idealism made her feel more like a trope at times. She lost likability for that and for her hypocrisy when she didn't take the high road even though she would advise it for others.
7 Admiral Zhao's Rivalry With Zuko Was Fun At First, But Then He Went Way Too Far
Admiral Zhao was never particularly likable — he was an evil guy — but watching him give the main antagonist, Prince Zuko, a run for his money was funny and enjoyable, at least for a time. However, any of the likability afforded to him by antagonizing the frustrating Prince Zuko was lost when he captured Aang and later killed the Moon Spirit.
These actions backfired for Zhao. Capturing Aang only made Zuko look cool when he dressed up as the Blue Spirit to free Aang. Furthermore, killing the Moon Spirit led to the Ocean Spirit destroying Zhao's entire fleet.
6 Bolin's Comic Relief Role Became Too Much
Bolin was incredibly likable at the start of The Legend of Korra. He was humorous, kind, and supportive despite the fact his feelings for other characters were never reciprocated. He also had a lovable animal companion who added to his charm and made him seem even more sensitive and compassionate.
However, as The Legend of Korra progressed, Bolin's role as a comic relief character became grating and his character seemed more like a joke.
5 Mako Needs To Figure Out How To Do Relationships
Mako found himself in hot water when he courted two women at once. He had chemistry with Korra, and Korra liked him, but he was seeing Asami. Plus, the three of them (and Bolin) were friends. Mako could not make a decision or communicate his feelings and that was where Mako lost likability points.
Luckily, Korra and Asami were able to move past Mako's indecision and stay close friends and even become a canon relationship at some point off-screen.
4 Kuvira Tried To Be Nobel But Fell Flat
Kuvira initially seemed like a noble person. She was a military leader who wanted to reunify a broken and impoverished Earth Kingdom. However, she quickly lost respect and likability when she was revealed to be another power-hungry invader.
Kuvira mistreated the Earth Kingdom citizens, coldly and cruelly attacked her adoptive family in Zaofu, and tried to kill the Avatar. Kuvira lost many fans and by the end she was a true villain with no likability left. She was a well-written villain, but not a good person.
3 Toph Beifong Should Not Have Left Her Child
Like Aang, Toph was also subtly accused of being a bad parent. On top of that, she left the problems of the world she used to take responsibility for to be a hermit in the swamps. She was old, though, so no one could begrudge her that. However, her kids weren't raised with the best coping skills.
Toph was always rough around the edges. She was rude, blunt, and would relentlessly tease her comrades. She also had no time for other people's expectations. It worked for her, but her kids might have needed more from her.
2 Hama's Anger Was Valid, But Bloodbending Was Brutal
Hama was a great villain and one of the first times fans got to see the ire of a waterbender. For most of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the villains were spirits and Fire Nation loyalists, but when fans got to meet Hama, they got to see the far reaches of the trauma and terror that the Fire Nation caused.
Unfortunately, Hama was too dark to allow to continue. She had a reign of terror that took her from a likable waterbending mentor to a dark villain.
1 Azula Was A Cool Villain, But It Was Sad To See Her Devolve
Azula was another cool villain whose likability was mostly centered around being a great antagonist. She was evil and felt evil. On top of that, she was more powerful than other antagonists and was extremely capable in the realm of fighting, planning, and infiltrating.
It was upsetting for fans when Azula's final fight ended in her throwing an unbecoming tantrum. Azula had never been the most mentally stable, but it was sad to see a cool villain crumble into something wholly unlikable.
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