See cultures that inspired people from “Avatar: The Last Airbender”

The live action series “Avatar: The Last Airbender “, from the Netflix used inspirations from the real world to build the fictional people in its plot.

In the story told, there are four civilizations, linked to the four elements (fire, earth, water and air). In each of them, people are able to control these elements and use them for their benefits.

To convey more realism, the movements that are made by the characters to control the powers and appearances of civilizations were inspired by soft arts and people that actually exist.

Each of the four nations reflects a culture that actually exists:

• The Water Tribe mirrors the indigenous cultures of the Arctic;
• The Earth Kingdom is based on China, Japan, Korea and other areas of East Asia, as well as some of South Asia (Omashu, for example, was inspired by India and Pakistan);
• The Fire Nation has roots in Southeast Asian cultures such as the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia; It is
• Air Nomads are inspired by Himalayan societies such as Tibet, as well as the monastic cultures of Southeast Asia.

The bending style (control of an element) is based on a martial art that also exists:

• Waterbending is inspired by fighting styles that emphasize fluid, controlled movements, such as Tai Chi and Baguazhang;
• Earthbending is based on the firmly rooted martial arts style of the southern provinces of China known as Nan Quan in Chinese — specifically these two styles of Kung Fu: Hung Gar Kyun and Fut Gar;
• Firebending is based on northern Wushu styles such as Ba Ji Quan or Cha Quan (“Long Fist”);
• Airbending combines internal and external categories and is based on the Bagua style.

Click here to check out 13 other curiosities from the series, which, in just one week of release, has already reached the Top 10 most watched products in the world Netflix in 92 countries.