Avatar: The Last Airbenderis officially reviving its big anime debate with an official “chibi” spinoff. Ever since the days of the original series, a major debate among fans and critics has been whetherAvatarcan be considered an anime, as while the writing, art style, and animation all take clear influence from anime, it wasn’t made in Japan, which most people would consider a dealbreaker.
Fans ofAvatar: The Last Airbenderwill always be arguing over whether it’s right to call it an anime, and that debate is about to get even bigger. Avatar Studios just made a wide assortment of announcements in celebration ofAvatar’s 20th anniversary, and in addition to major announcements about the newAvatarseries,Avatar: Seven Havens, it was announced thatAvatar: The Last Airbenderwill receive an anime-style spinoff series entitledAvatar: Chibi Minis. The series undoubtedly adds even more weight toAvatar’s anime debate, but it might not be in the way one would think.
Everything We Know About Avatar: Chibi Minis
What To Expect From The Next Avatar Spinoff
Avatar: Chibi Minis, has only just been announced, but there’s already plenty to know about it.Chibi Minisis set to be a short series of only 10 episodes, but rather than tell new stories,Avatar: Chibi Miniswill retell scenes fromthe originalAvatar: The Last Airbendercartoonand various spinoff comics, all of which will be rendered in the iconic anime chibi style. With comics being included, even older fans might see content they’re unfamiliar with, so overall, there’s plenty to be excited about.
This isn’t the first timeAvatarhas done something like this, of course. During the original series’ run, a trio of comedic shorts done in a chibi style, informally titled theSuper Deformed Shorts,was released with the Book Two boxset, making this the second timeAvatarhas ventured into chibi-style comedy. That being said,Avatar: Chibi Minis’ higher episode count, combined with its title, suggests that there will be a larger focus on the chibi element compared to theSuper Deformed Shorts, and it will be interesting to see what that might entail.
Does Avatar: Chibi Minis End Avatar’s Big Anime Debate (& Does It Matter)?
Is Avatar’s Anime Debate Finally Over?
While getting another chibi-style spinoff is something that’s clearly in the vein of anime, Western media, especially in recent years, has repeatedly co-opted chibi and other anime aesthetics in both serious and comedic ways, with Disney Channel even recently launching a chibi-style crossover of their cartoons calledDisney Chibiverse.Avatar: Chibi Minisdoesn’t settle the debate on whetherAvatar: The Last Airbendercan be considered anime because of how common it’s become for Western media to use chibi-based comedy, and that’s as true now as it was 20 years ago.
That being said, the debate, at its core, is largely meaningless. WhetherAvataris an anime or just a Western cartoon, it’s still a story with mature and thorough writing and visuals to match, soas long as someone recognizes everything that makesAvatar: The Last Airbenderspecial, it ultimately doesn’t matter if they call it an anime or a cartoon. That was always the case whenAvatar: The Last Airbenderfirst started, and 20 years later, it will remain the case withAvatar: Chibi Minisand whatever else might come out as the franchise gains more life than ever.
