11 Differences Between The Original "Avatar: The Last Airbender" Pilot And The One That Was Aired

    Katara has a different name?!

    Natasha Jokic
    by Natasha Jokic

    BuzzFeed Staff

    If you're anything like me, you've basically got the iconic first episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender committed to memory.

    Netflix / Nickelodeon

    Previously, Avatar's unaired pilot was only on Avatar DVDs — until Nickelodeon recently put it on its Twitch channel for free. As it turns out, there's a ton of differences between this pilot and the one that eventually hit our screens — so here's just a few things that were totally changed:

    1. First, Katara isn't called Katara — she's called Kya.

    Twitch: Nickelodeon

    In the actual series, Kya is the name of her mom — and, later, the name of one of Katara's children.

    2. Aang is voiced by Mitchel Musso — aka Oliver in Hannah Montana.

    Kevin Winter / Getty Images

    In the main series, Aang is voiced by Zach Tyler.

    3. The opening montage has a totally different look.

    Twitch: Nickelodeon / Netflix

    The original shadowy masters that show the different bending styles are replaced with well-lit animated characters. However, Katara's monologue over the top is pretty much the same.

    4. The whole boy in the iceberg plot is exposition in the opening montage, rather than the focus of the episode.

    Twitch: Nickelodeon

    Aang already seems to know he's the last airbender, and has Momo as a pet from the get-go.

    5. Instead, this pilot drops us straight into the action — with the gang being chased by Zuko and the firebenders.

    Twitch: Nickelodeon

    6. Sokka gets captured when looking for food, which is the episode's core dilemma.

    Twitch: Nickelodeon

    7. Oh, and Zuko straight-up decapitates the unagi.

    Twitch: Nickelodeon

    8. Katara — or Kya — is a lot less willing to let Aang fight, as he's the Avatar and he should be protected.

    Twitch: Nickelodeon

    You know, despite being the most powerful of them all.

    9. The firebenders look a tad less intimidating.

    A brightly colored firebender with strange animal teeth coming out of his helmet, next to the ones in the aired show — dark with a helmet that resembles a skeleton.
    Twitch: Nickelodeon / Netflix

    10. Aang can go into the Avatar state more easily.

    Twitch: Nickelodeon

    Or, at least, it doesn't require the extreme emotional duress we see at the beginning of the aired series.

    11. Finally, although we see lots of Zuko, there's no Uncle Iroh!

    Nickelodeon

    You can watch the original pilot here at around the 43-minute mark.