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Avatar: The Last Airbender is set in a world of four nations, but everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked 100 years ago and launched the Hundred-Year War. That was during Avatar Roku’s time, and he failed to stop his Fire Lord friend, Sozin, from wiping out the Air Nomad nation. The world’s balance was shattered for years to come.
Indeed, the entire world was turned upside-down when the war began, and even when it ended, the world needed years to heal its scars. Despite the chaos and carnage, though, some aspects to the world didn’t change much at all, from political alliances to cultural norms and wildlife and even spiritual affairs.
10 The White Lotus Is Still Loyal To The Avatar
The White Lotus organization had to go underground when the war began, especially since there was no visible Avatar for nearly a century. However, the organization persisted, and its mission statement to protect and guide the Avatar never changed.
During Aang’s time, the White Lotus had members such as Iroh, Pakku, and Piandao to its name, and they helped Aang save the world. Decades later, the White Lotus continued its work, openly serving and protecting Avatar Korra.
9 The Northern Water Tribe Still Forbade Girls From Bending
The Northern Water Tribe is much larger and better protected than its southern counterpart, and it is politically and culturally more conservative, too. In this remote northern city, girls and women are allowed to use water for healing, but they are forbidden to use combat-based bending arts.
This is a long-standing tradition of the North, and not even the war itself convinced Northern leaders to bend this rule and train female warriors. Katara was in for a shock when she learned about this, but she did convince the Waterbender master Pakku to bend the rules.
8 The Spirit Portals Remained Closed
Spirits roamed the Avatar world all throughout the Hundred-Year War, but compared to ancient times, their population in the mundane world was thin, and that’s because Avatar Wan made it so, long before Sozin’s time. 10,000 years ago, Wan closed the spirit portals, and no Avatar has tried to open them since.
Those portals stayed closed despite the carnage of the war, and once Roku died, there was no Avatar to open them up, even if the Avatar wanted to. In fact, even during the climactic final battle against Fire Lord Ozai and his fleet, Aang didn’t touch those portals.
7 The Sun Warriors Continued Their Traditions
The ancient Sun Warrior civilization understands the true nature of fire: that it is the element of life and energy, not rage and destruction. Long before the Hundred-Year War, everyone thought that the Sun Warriors had faded away, but they were wrong.
The Sun Warriors continued their unique traditions before and after the war began, and in Book Three: Fire, Aang and his new friend Zuko visited their lands without realizing that they were still inhabited. The Sun Warriors then allowed their guests to meet the dragons.
6 Ran & Shaw Remained In Hiding
The world used to be home to many dragons, but hunters from the Fire Nation thinned out their numbers until there were only two known survivors: Ran and Shaw, the blue and red dragon pair. These dragons live in Sun Warrior territory and will only teach the truth of firebending to the worthy.
A handful of people have visited them, including Iroh himself, then Aang and Zuko. No doubt many Fire Nation generals would want to meet or even slay these dragons, but, fortunately, Ran and Shaw were spared the wrath of the Hundred-Year War.
5 Ba Sing Se Is Still Heavily Stratified
The massive city of Ba Sing Se is a reflection of the Earth Kingdom itself: a stubborn, durable, and proud place that won’t easily bend its rules or traditions for any reason. Ba Sing Se is millennia old, and it will take more than a mere war to change its ways.
Even after it fell to princess Azula, Ba Sing Se retained its stratified nature, having three major districts separated by wealth. This is still the case in Korra’s time, despite recent advances in technology.
4 The Kyoshi Warriors Didn’t Change Their Ways
Eventually, the Hundred-Year War did affect the secluded Kyoshi Island, but not even this war changed the warrior’s way of life. This island, created by and inspired by Avatar Kyoshi, is home to the all-female Kyoshi Warrior band, and they always fight defensively.
This island’s warriors don’t typically raid other lands; instead, they keep the island safe, and they didn’t even try fighting the Fire Nation until they tangled with Zuko, then Azula. The Kyoshi way of life was tested but not changed by these events.
3 Vaatu Was Still Locked Away
Vaatu, the ultimate dark spirit, used to roam the world freely, clashing eternally with his light counterpart, Raava. That changed when Avatar Wan defeated Vaatu and sealed him inside the Tree of Time, then closed the twin spirit portals.
By Aang’s time, it’s likely that no one even knew who or what Vaatu was, and no one could reach him, as per Wan’s intentions. No aspect of Sozin’s war changed this, and Vaatu was powerless to take part in the conflict. He would have enjoyed the chaos and destruction, though.
2 Tui & La Still Controlled The Moon & Tides
Many affairs involving spirits remained unchanged as the war started. Though, late in the war, some spirits were indeed affected. When Sozin launched his war, the spirits Tui and La didn’t care at all; their business involves the moon and tides, not human politics and war.
Tui and La have been on the mortal plane for eons, keeping the moon and the tides running smoothly in their spirit oasis up north. They suffered when Admiral Zhao killed Tui, prompting princes Yue to give her life to revive him. Zhao later paid a steep price for what he had done.
1 The Fire Nation Maintained Its Technological Edge
During Sozin’s time, it was a golden age for the Fire Nation, and the country was the most advanced of the four, mostly in terms of technology. This is what prompted the twisted Sozin to invade the other nations, to “share” this bounty with them. That technology, combined with Sozin’s Comet, gave the Fire Nation an overwhelming advantage.
The Fire Nation had a much tougher time fighting the Water Tribe and the Earth Kingdom, but not even decades of war prompted those nations to close the technology gap and even the odds. The Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe kept to their ways while the Fire Nation kept innovating new machines such as the drill and various zeppelins.
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