How 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Animated Its Realistic Fight Scenes | Movies Insider
When the creators of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" decided that they wanted to have accurate martial arts in their show, they needed to find a martial arts choreographer and stunt performer. They would film the stunt actor performing martial arts movements, which the animators could then use as reference footage. The person that they ended up picking was Sifu Kisu, an all-in-one master martial artist and fight choreographer. Kisu worked alongside the directors to create the intricate martial arts movements for each character. Director Giancarlo Volpe said that having a stunt performer working on the show ended up saving time overall because it reduced the time spent drawing character movements.
The stunt performances were often filmed at very precise camera angles to make it easier for storyboard artists and animators to draw the actors accurately. Having reference footage was especially helpful for the animation team in Korea that handled the final steps of the animation process and had to draw every frame of movement.
While having reference footage is ideal, sometimes it was impossible to capture accurate live-action reference footage - mostly because the characters possess magical powers. In these situations, reference footage was still used, but the action had to be split up into several chunks and then edited together.
This technique worked so well in "Avatar" that Kisu also worked on Nickelodeon's sequel to the show, "The Legend of Korra."
Thank you to Sifu Kisu and Giancarlo Volpe for speaking with us.
Check out more of their work here:
Sifu Kisu - / lokhopkuen
Giancarlo Volpe - / giancarlo_volpe
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How 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Animated Its Realistic Fight Scenes | Movies Insider
Almost twenty years later and we’re still talking about how amazing Avatar is.
Avatar is one of a kind. The worldbuilding and lore is unlike any other and that's what makes people crave for more.
Every time I think about Avatar I'm happy for a moment then I become sad.
20? It’s more like 14... but still yes 👏
30 years later too , going to let my children enjoy this amazing show
We demand a sequel after A:TLA ending or another series after Legend of Korra.
The level of detailing in the show, shows how much passion and dedication the creators had. NO WONDER ITS SUCH A MASTERPIECE.
I love how they compared it side by side with the most overrated Anime in existence too, dragon ball.
@@JsJdv lmao so true
and show how much budget they have
@@rahmalol3527 Probably lesser than DBZ but yes😤
@@geethakarthikeyan1601 passion only means so much. These writers were also very competent. It’s hard to write good stories
Everyone who worked on this show is honestly amazing for giving us the greatest show of all time
You're absolutely right, Andrew Garfield
Youre absolutlely right, Andrew Garfield
You are absolutely right, Andrew Garfield
You’re absolutely right, Andrew Garfield
You're absolutely right, Andrew Garfield
The Agni Kai between Zuko and Azula still gives me goosebumps. Most emotional fight scene ive ever seen.
YES and the music is perfect, because it doesn't make it feel like fight between good and evil, but fight between brother and sister to death which is sad : /
And they ended this vid with the Agni Kai. Damn.
Yup the feels
I don’t think any scene quite has the same ability to give me goosebumps while tearing up, still, after having watched it at least 10 times
@@jameswhatsit Saaaameee!
okay, got it gonna rewatch the last airbender again
*AVATAR* the last airbender! _The last airbender_ is a horrible movie that doesn't exist :D
Me halfway through this video
@@heisenberg970 yeah but it's not what he said
Only for the billionth time🙄
@@ProfessionalScallywag there is no movie in Ba Sing Se
In conclusion, Avatar: The Last Airbender is a masterpiece.
agree
buuut the opening for korra is better though.
@@Oz521 😭🤣🤣 you been drinking too much cactus juice
@@babiegat you definitely smokin bleach if you think the choreography in the opening of korra isnt better, but then again being bias is common when it comes to Airbender.
@@Oz521 🧢
No wonder their fight sequences were so beautiful. They're like a dance choreography. So enticing.
Every time I would randomly act them out for fun, my Grandma would say I’m dancing.
Yes yes yesssss
Avatar the last airbender is the best animation ever.
Yeah it's so satisfying to see them bend
By American standards for sure, but its just another masterpiece by Japanese standards, ie fullmetal alchemist, deathnote, attack on titan.
Other than anime
@@xXphrenzyXx Nah.
Not really. But avatar is really great!
Anything involving how the fight sequences in Avatar The Last Airbender were done always makes me curious and excites me.
They're beautiful, detailed, so thought through...
Their game was stepped up for Korra.
2021 I just realized Piandao who taught Zuko and Sokka is designed after Sifu Kisu.
Same, I was like “Hold on, Piandao exists?!”
Whaaaaaaaat 🤯
Yes he even got bunch of sword in the background
Piandao taught Zuko???!
@@superwebster9449 yep. Thats why zuko can use those blades so good
The martial art movements in Avatar is what made the elemental bending so much more alive. Like its an actual skill you practice not just something you just learn to do. It also makes each element impact more strongly because you can see the effort each bender makes and that translate to the power of the bending.
Everyone else: Tight Martial arts movements and fierce concentration Aang: BREAKDANCE
Katara: It takes precise movements to master bending. King Bumi: What's that? I bend with my face! *falls backwards and then swims through the ground*
Nah that's zuko
@@hanburgundy4317 *Disappointed Sparky boom boom man noises*
Ang is a B-boy confirmed
Actually that would be Zuko, as the voice actor that plays him was a break / street dancer.
5:22 Korra: Charismatic run Reference actor: *WEEEE~*
“Nickelodeon rightfully bragging about how their fight scenes are better than dragon ball z’s” Edit: guys this was a joke, of course TLA had more of a team working on it 👁👄👁
dragon Ball originally made by 1 person, yet avatar made by teams, with martial arts experts for movements, of course there will be a big difference in fight scene. it's not comparing apple to apple anymore, but apple to apple farm 😒
@@triririt7944 The original creator only had one comic to do while the ATLA team had a whole show to animate. If you are talking about Dragonball the anime that was made by a large team of animators and directors as well. The reason why ATLA fights look better is because they put more time and effort into details, as was explained in the video, while the studio that animated DBZ didn't.
@@markrobs2954 akira toriyama doesn't have any knowledge about martial art movements. that's why he only use simple punch, kick, beams, etc in dbz fight scenes. in anime they have to follow the manga, of course the animation team won't do many changes from the original. don't get me wrong, i love both of them. it's just this video doesnt make a nice comparation. i know how animation production works, because i worked in one. avatar made already with teams, not individual from the beginning, yet dbz started with only comic by akira toriyama himself
@@triririt7944 thats a damn lie, there is a gigantic team at toei, they have been running for more than 20 years. so dont lie like that to the people in these comments lmao
@@123newjersey3 read what i said. the animation team is huge, but they have to follow the original. dont call me a liar if youre illiterate in the first place
They need a series on the behind the scene because I'm falling in love all over again
I recommend checking out the book Avatar The Last Airbender - The Art of the Animated Series! It takes you behind the scenes and includes information such as the topics mentioned in this video.
i'm a simple person, i see aang, i C L I C K
I see, I 🅱lick
I was just about to comment this lol
Exactly.
SAME
I click i see aang im a simple person
I love hearing 0:36 “that would be dope” because it feels so chill and casual like they’re in their garage just goofing around while also making my favorite animated show
Oh man i really wish any kind of live action “remake” put as much thought into their scenes as the original did. They think so low of animation and yet they do so much more.
Shh don't mention live action...
What live action? I've NEVER heard of it :)
It's MEEE The Live Action is forbidden among these lands
There is no live-action atla in Ba Sing Se
There is no live-action atla in Ba Sing Se
Just imagine having a job like that and being the only one for awhile. That’s crazy. If he had quit, we wouldn’t have Avatar.
*He is the avatar then.*
I'd started taking Northern Shaolin Kungfu lessons about 1980, in Alhambra; our Sifu held beginning classes weekly (after 10 weeks, the starting group of 25, mostly kids, had dropped to 5). A number of Sifu's advanced students would drop in, observe, give the occasional suggestion and practice as well. Kisu was one of those advanced students even then, and would occasionally 'fine tune' my stances and technique. I'm happy to say I knew him from class, and am not at all surprised that he would be involved in a project like this; I think he might have been teaching his own students even then! His knowledge of forms shows on the screen - well done,my friend!
Fun Fact, 100% of fans have attempted to replicate the scenes in a moment of enthusiasm.
That is 100% True since I'm trying to learn Northern Shaolin Style Kung fu, I already got some basic steps down and I just finish learning the Dancing Dragon form.
don't want to pull any muscle and regret it so i'm only limited to hand movements.
I legitimately try to replicate water bending movements every day, just because I’m crazy for this show, and I don’t even know tai chi!
This so true LOL !! I just loved this show so much that I became the avatar
@@samuraioftheuchiha4339 so you are dancing?
Tbh one thing I really like in the medium of animation is how a well choreographed hand to hand combat is translated. It can bounce pass the impossibility while being so real
I'm sure Shyamalan didn't put in half the effort when he was making the movie
I still shudder at the sloooooooooooow moves and that idiot scene where a HUGE GROUP of Earthbenders manage to SLOOOOOWLY elevated a SMALL rock and SLOWLY throw it at a firebender (who, just didn’t get out of the way, even though had like 20 seconds to do so).
What movie? There was only 2 avatar cartoons made.
@@HolybasilYT There was a live action movie (Didn't watch it myself, but heard of it)
@@sharonefee1426 r/wooosh
@@sharonefee1426 You are mistaken. That live action movie you're referring to absolutely does not exist.
This is the content I live for!!! Avatar really changed the game!! As a kid who’s passionate about martial arts, I LOVED watching this show and felt represented as an Asian American. I’m really happy so many ppl no matter what background can bond together over this. I still love watching this show and recommend it to my friends even as an adult. 🥰
It's hard to believe that almost 20 years now, the animations still look so good
Good animation is timeless. It doesn't matter if someone watches it now or in 100 years, it will always look great.
When i was 12, i watched atla, "well that was fun" now I'm 23 and watched atla... getting excited for workout after seen general iroh shredded
Wait ! It's spelt Iroh ? I thought it was Eiro
@@KaizerKlash111 no it’s Eyero
He looked good ngl
atla is one of those cartoons that ages well along with you. the only one, arguably.
This is the coolest thing about Avatar. The fight scenes were real and the movements were taken from actual martial arts. I could watch Avatar fights whole day.
what impresses more is how logical each fighting style works for their type of bending. since earth/rocks are heavy, you gotta have a strong stance and firm movements to bend the element. and for water you gotta have a smooth and fluent movement to guide the flow of water.
This is why the live action doesn't live up. It's the martial arts choreography that set it apart from other shows, aside from the character plots.
yeah, I dunno how people are saying that the live action are masterpiece it's good for sure, but really not masterpiece
The fights in Avatar the Last Airbender were all so meaningful to the story. Using actual martial arts and the idea of 4 elements it made everything feel natural and elegant. Truly an amazing series.
my favorite moveset is definitely the earth-bending. the sturdiness and there's this "heaviness" that i feel in their movements that mesmerizes me everytime i saw them fight.
No wonder I always was hypnotosed through all Avatar fights! Not only the history was fluid, but now I truly understand why the fighting movements were as well. One of the best animes ever!
This is what the Netflix adaption was missing it was great but the fights seemed stiff at times
The choreograph fights in the animation are so much better than the live action.
I'm so grateful to know an inkling of how much detail went into producing this masterpiece. I grew up with this show and molded me in so many ways. Thank you to the Avatar's directors, producers, martial arts cast, musical team, animation team, EVERYONE! From the bottom of my 22yr old heart.
:)
Dude the final fight from azula and zuko give me chills every single fking time
YES and the music is perfect, because it doesn't make it feel like fight between good and evil, but fight between brother and sister to death which is sad : /
Fun fact: sifu kisu is then adapted to pian dao
And also, aang’s appearance was based on sifu kisu’s son arjuna
Oh wow that’s cool. Thanks for telling me.
@@Christian-wu3mp thank you
If only Netflix's Avatar The Last Airbender followed in the same footsteps of the animation's fight choreography.
Exactly, will never get those who say its great when all the fight scene looks straight out of power ranger
Should have hired Sifu for ATLA Netflix . . .
He's probably back working with Brike at Nick.
@@celestialnubianDid Sifu Kisu work with Bryke on the legend of korra?
Reference footage is so important for storyboards especially. It can be so hard to draw the perfect proportions on a human being for a complex pose when the scene you are trying to compose is in perspective. Having that very specific image is a godsend, especially because you can't find the references you need online
As a martial artist and animator, Avatar is just so incredible. Loved the sneaky shot of Glen Keane in there!
You just have to appreciate the art behind the the avatar;Last Airbender. It will always be a masterpiece ❤
That is so much hardwork goes into making a detailed work of art.
I'd absolutely kill for a video on Korra's fight scenes, particularly in season 1 against the equalists. The movement is just absolutely beautiful
I miss pro-bending scenes
I LOVE the scene where Korra bends metal like a liquid bc *water tribe*
I love every fight scenes on both shows but I love tlok better
Thank you!!!!💯 Someone finally said it!!!...those fight scenes were so dope...for a fact Korra series had many fight scenes that are very intriguing.
@@aptx-ew8gqexactly, both were excellent!. Korra series fight scenes was exceptionally excellent!.
YESSSSSSS MY CHILDHOOD SHOW STILL GETTINF RECOGNITION IT DESERVES BOOOIIII I'm 25 btw. Show makes me feel like a kid.
Every day I get more impressed at how much effort, thought and detail went into atla and it blows me away every time
The shade thrown towards dbz im laughing so hard 😂😂😂😂😂
just rewatched atla and lok, and it's amazing how much dedication the creators put into the series' fight scenes and choreography. atla's fighting was already top notch, but they really took it to another level with lok. my ultimate fav fight scene would have to be the fights with red lotus gang in lok. these 2 avatar series are the best shows ever, and for anyone who hasn't watched them, they really should.
ATLAB really was a lot of work to create, that's so amazing. Im grateful to all those who had a hand in such an amazing work of art
I love watching behind the scenes of ATLA. Especially like this one, it truly showed the quality production
Avatar the best animated series. Fight me
I don’t think anyone will ☺️
@@sukisupremacy Hey Suki. How you and Sokka doing?
@@zaoawz7421 great! recently moved to the suburbs 🙃
@@sukisupremacy There are suburbs on Kyoshi Island?🤔🤔
@@zaoawz7421 of course! on the outskirts of republic city!
Sifu kisu shouldve played bumi. Whoevers playing bumi in the netflix show moves like he learned martial arts from vhs tapes
I love how different styles are actually used to reflect the different bending types instead of just different geographical areas
Is this why they put "Sifu Hotman" in the show??
Sifu means master/teacher.
Sokka’s sword teacher is based on Sifu Kisu
It is crazy how much work and genuine deliberation went into that show, but at the end it really was all worth it and you can tell by how great it ended up being.
The attention to make the fight scenes as dynamic as they are also gives an incredibly intuitive sense of power scaling. The more composed and controlled the movements are, the more masterful the bender is. If you look at the gaang in the beginning vs the end, it’s immediately obvious how much more powerful they’ve gotten by just their strength in movements alone.
Sifu Kisu deserves more recognition for his work, the show itself inspires people to learn martial art in their own respective ways. This show is a masterpiece, only wish we could've have seen more of Aang's adulthood storyline along with the team :(
this is the best animated series ever, with 2004 technology they still managed to create a worldwide phenomenon.
The amount of detail that went into both shows is incredible. Avatar will always be iconic, not even korra can reach it (but it was still decent too). Aside from spongebob which is a childhood favorite, avatar is no doubt one of, if not the best show on nick.
Avatar is so amazing. I hate that netflixed made it so unbearable that the creators had to leave... I swear to god if they sexualise the whole series of 13 year olds i will be so upset
That one episode from the series however...
What bruh? Netflix is nothing avatarnators were the real ones to watch when it first got released back in 2000's
@@divyansh7497 I wish I was born in 1995
@@tgslayer4774 I remember when this bullshit hypocrite media at that time rejected avatar to be aired in just not my but all the countries because of dubbing and pricing issues and that it followed too much fictionality and children would dislike it , it was thrown away at book 2 starting and we all were left in agonising for something so precious , there were thousands of petitions same like zatchbell but no one listened and look at these so call pro social streaming apps now making money out of the same cartoon by not just airing it but interviewing and filming bts lmao
@@tgslayer4774 when we're you born tho?
I would never get tired of Avatar Aang and Korra Always in my heart💙💙❤
For some reason it's always seemed weird to me to address them as "avatar" and then their names.
So, exactly how many Avatars have there been? In Korra it's stated that it's been 10,000 years between Wan and Korra. We know of at least 9 named Avatars (Wan, Korra, Aang, and the 6 before him), but we're never given an exact number for the rest of them. Assuming that the humans in the world of Avatar live the same lifespan as humans in real life (around 80 years), there can't have been more then 125 Avatars. But, there are cases where some Avatars like Aang have lived a lot longer then that, so it could be even less the 100.
Kuruk died in his thirties.
@@yash-ww3je: True, but Kyoshi was over 200 and Aang was about 160, plus Roku and Wan were probably at least 75 when they died.
I think most avatars lived a normal lifespan. Kyoshi was an odd one I guess but her life was extraordinary. Aang was stuck in ice. If you read the Kyoshi novels it gives you some insight on Yangchen who lived a good life, reaching her 90s to 100 I think, they also mention Szeto who I think lived up until the average age probably.
I searched it up, theres about 625 avatars.
hmm do you remember the episode in season 1 when aang visits the southern air temple, hes in the chamber with hundreds of the previous avatar statues. Also theres few other times when we see him in spirit world or connecting with past lives, i think one episode around kyoshi island when you see all the previous avatars standing behind kyoshi
The last clip (Zuko vs Azula) started an I immediately got goosebumps... Now I have to rewatch it THANKS!😂
one of my favorite moves in avatar the last airbender is when Azula did a spinning move and fire bend out of her feet when she was fighting Aang on the drill of the wall from Ba Sing Se, its a simple move but very cool
One of the best videos I've ever seen. So detailed. Please make more behind the scenes Avatar videos like this.
No live-action will ever come close to this level of greatness
Avatar the last airbender is such a perfect masterpiece 👏
Consistent attention to detail and total interconnection of themes, events, characters, and world. That's what made it so perfect.
combine this attention to detail with wonderfully beautiful music on the background, oh man i wish i could erase my memories of this show and watch it again for the first time. this piece of art will be forever mention when we talked about peak animation
This show is the reason I got into martial arts
seriously ATLA was WAYYY ahead of its time, such a masterpiece
6:12 Agni Kai Azula vs Zuko is the best achievement in animation series ❤
I love all the effort and attention to detail the creators of this show put into making their world. All these years later and it still impresses me 😊
WE CAN BECOME BENDERS NOW USING THESE DIFFRENET MARTIAL ARTS and also this is amazing and so cool when you actually realise how much work was put into making the avatar it's so sick like woah!!!! 🥺😲😤SO PROUD
Hehe! Ye, just have to imagine fire coming out of our hands and feet 😉
@@waitingodsgrace EPIC imagine it starts to appear [the element] lol
Their work really paid off (and should even be more!) centuries later and people still talk&watch Avatar ^^
Interesting. When animator, Monty Oum (of Rooster Teeth) was developing RWBY, he used his own experience as a professional dancer and incorporated it into the fight scenes. That's why the first 2 seasons of RWBY had such highly stylized and choreographed combat scenes.
Every little thing that they put in the characters, story, animation, music and world building is what makes atla such an amazing show.
The way ATLA is so superior, I feel bad for other shows, but it is what it is 🔥
They are two very different show with very different styles.they arent meant to be compared.
What an amazing human he is! And working on such a phenomenal show, I love how accurate they tried to be
I think I remember seeing on their bonus features blu-ray how the animators also had to take some lessons so they could understand the movements as well. That attention to detail really made the show shine, as well as having one of the best, if not the best worldbuilding of any fantasy setting I've ever seen with a hard-magic system.
Have you seen fullmetal alchemist?
that very last scene shown in this video with the blue flames rushing past Zuko still gives me chills
I really wish avatar made a series between aang and legend of koras time. I wanna see older zuko and aang
They have comics
the comics were good. i am still praying that they make the next series with an earth avatar
Coming from the future here. They now have an avatars studio and will be releasing new animated content. Yaaay
Very Impressive but can they do Keyboard Warrior Fighting Style
They are all so amazing! Thanks so much Insider for such a great, informative, and engaging video :)
Wow this job was perfect for him 🥺it looks like the job he’s trained his whole life for and he looks so happy doing it and explaining
I love atla so much it's great to see more details in the making process. Thanks!
So glad they dedicated a whole studio for Avatar appropriately named "Avatar Studios" for this. Their process sounds so tedious no wonder it takes such a long time and with so much resources to develop this masterpiece.
I really appreciate the hardwork put into making these animation series
Damn this is so amazing! Never thought this much goes behind the animation. Fascinating.
Just beautiful amount of detail and choreography. It truly reflects in the success of Avatar and Korra!
"Some characters have magical power" Katara: its waterbending, not magic
The fact that the fight scene of the animation looks light-years better than the live action one says alot.
The effort really shows! The animated movements always felt so real! Avatar fueled my childhood and still fuels my adult life to this day!
One of the many aspects that make this series a masterpiece in American animation
Still one of the greatest kids show of ALL TIMMEE the research, the creativity, the plot, is all amazing
Simply precious footage...
Every time the zuko and azula fight comes on I get god damn goosebumps! It's such an epic piece of animation it's insane!
I saw sifu Kisu, I click. I mean, man, watching the mini clips of Avatar bts featuring him 10 years ago is nostalgic and now watching Insider covering about him? Man, I'm bawling ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ PS:right, just putting myself a time stamp here 5:56. That was dramatic and funny as hell at the same time 😂
I love Korra mixing both traditional and modern arts.She unconsciously channels Jeet Kune Do,Aikido ,Baguazhang,,Yin Style Baguazhang,Hung Ga,Southern Praying Mantis,Southern Dragon Kung Fu,Changquan,Xing Yi Quan.
For real. I also love all of the tricking they included for Legend of Korra - they got Steve Terada and Jake Huang to help with that. It made the fights so much more vibrant and alive.
I think whats actually most underrated is the sound design. The seem to find a perfect fitting sound for every kind of attack there is, that always amazed me.
I finished rewatching the series a few weeks ago, and now im tempted to do it again