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Avatar: The Last Airbender poster

Shows that feel likeAvatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008)

In a war-torn world of elemental magic, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and bring peace to the world.

If you loved Avatar: The Last Airbender, the closest series we have are Bleach (2004), The Legend of Korra (2012) and Dragon Ball Z (1989). All three share Avatar: The Last Airbender's kinetic and epic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Cardcaptor Sakura (1998).

★ 9.3 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗3 seasons · Nickelodeoncreated by Michael Dante DiMartinokineticepiccerebraldreamlikewarm
11 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · Amazon Prime Video · Hulu

If Avatar: The Last Airbender hit the spot, these will too

Bleach poster
Bleach
2004– · 2 seasons · TV Tokyo
★ 8.3action & adventure · animation · sci-fi & fantasyHulu

Spirit-world rules built into a fighting style, and a boy learning both

The difference: Shonen pacing with long fights and filler — much less humour and warmth

For as long as he can remember, Ichigo Kurosaki has been able to see ghosts. But when he meets Rukia, a Soul Reaper who battles evil spirits known as Hollows, he finds his life is changed forever. Now, with a newfound wealth of spiritual energy, Ichigo discovers his true calling: to protect the living and the dead from evil.

The Legend of Korra poster
The Legend of Korra
2012–2014 · 4 seasons · Nickelodeon
★ 8.3animation · action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasyParamount+

The same world one lifetime on, still asking what balance costs a person

The difference: Older, more urban and more political — less roaming, more city and industry

Avatar Korra, a headstrong, rebellious, feisty young woman who continually challenges and breaks with tradition, is on her quest to become a fully realized Avatar. In this story, the Avatar struggles to find balance within herself.

Dragon Ball Z poster
Dragon Ball Z
1989–1996 · 9 seasons · Fuji TV
★ 8.8animation · sci-fi & fantasy · action & adventure

Elemental power escalating toward battles the whole world hangs on

The difference: Fight after fight with thin characterisation — no travelogue, no politics

Now happily married and with a son, martial arts champion Goku must defend Earth from a series of extraterrestrial invaders bent on destruction.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters poster
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters
2000–2004 · 1 season · TV Tokyo
★ 8.2animation · action & adventurePrime VideoDisney+

A chosen kid, elemental rules and friends who fight beside him

The difference: Card duels and monster-of-the-week structure

Bullies often target someone frail and weak—someone exactly like Yûgi Muto. He treasures his Millennium Puzzle, an ancient Egyptian artifact that was brought into his grandfather's game shop. Believing that solving the puzzle will grant him his wish, he completes the puzzle, unleashing a new personality within him, the soul of the "King of Games." The new personality named Yami Yûgi is the exact opposite of Yûgi. Upon any injustice toward him, Yami Yûgi takes over Yûgi's body and forces the opponent into a "Shadow Game".

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End poster
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
2023– · 1 season · Nippon TV
★ 8.9animation · action & adventure · dramaNetflixHulu

A gentle wanderer's quest where the quiet moments carry the weight

The difference: Starts after the war is won — reflection outweighs adventure

After the party of heroes defeated the Demon King, they restored peace to the land and returned to lives of solitude. Generations pass, and the elven mage Frieren comes face to face with humanity's mortality. She takes on a new apprentice and promises to fulfill old friends' dying wishes. Can an elven mind make peace with the nature of life and death? Frieren embarks on her quest to find out.

Hunter x Hunter poster
Hunter x Hunter
2011–2014 · 3 seasons · Nippon TV
★ 9animation · action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasyNetflixPrime Video

A kid's adventure that quietly gets serious, with a found family alongside

The difference: Far longer and darker as it goes — combat systems and tournaments dominate

Gon, a young boy who lives on Whale Island, dreams of becoming a Hunter like his father, who left when Gon was still young.

Teen Titans poster
Teen Titans
2003–2006 · 5 seasons · The WB
★ 7.9animation · action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasyPrime Video

Young heroes whose goofball downtime makes the battles land harder

The difference: Villain-of-the-week structure — no single journey pulling it forward

Fighting for truth, justice and the last slice of pizza, these five superheroes are living proof you're never too young to save the planet. Protecting Earth and beyond, the Teen Titans use martial arts and gadgetry to battle villains.

Xena: Warrior Princess poster
Xena: Warrior Princess
1995–2001 · 6 seasons · Syndication
🍅 63%★ 6.8drama · action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasy

A warrior atoning for past harm, one roadside rescue at a time

The difference: Campy nineties syndication — the cheese is the point

Xena is an infamous warrior on a quest to seek redemption for her past sins against the innocent. Accompanied by her comrade-in-arms Gabrielle, the campy couple use their formidable fighting skills to help those who are unable to defend themselves.

Cardcaptor Sakura poster
Cardcaptor Sakura
1998–2018 · 4 seasons · NHK BS2
★ 8animation · sci-fi & fantasy · action & adventure

Magic learned step by step by a child who is still just a child

The difference: Gentle magical-girl episodes at low stakes — no war, no world to save

Sakura Kinomoto, an elementary school student who discovers that she possesses magical powers after accidentally freeing a set of magical cards from the book they had been sealed in for years. She is then tasked with retrieving those cards in order to avoid an unknown catastrophe from befalling the world.

Sword Art Online poster
Sword Art Online
2012–2020 · 4 seasons · Gunma TV
★ 7.5animation · sci-fi & fantasy · action & adventureHulu

A young hero in a world with hard rules, and friendships forged inside them

The difference: Virtual-reality plotting with romance at the centre — uneven, and far bleaker

In the near future, a Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG) called Sword Art Online has been released where players control their avatars with their bodies using a piece of technology called Nerve Gear. One day, players discover they cannot log out, as the game creator is holding them captive unless they reach the 100th floor of the game's tower and defeat the final boss. However, if they die in the game, they die in real life. Their struggle for survival starts now...

ONE PIECE poster
ONE PIECE
2023– · 3 seasons · Netflix
★ 8.3action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasyNetflix

Common ground: friendship

With his straw hat and ragtag crew, young pirate Monkey D. Luffy goes on an epic voyage for treasure.

Saint Seiya poster
Saint Seiya
1986–1989 · 1 season · tv asahi
★ 8.4animation · drama · action & adventure

Both keep coming back to the same thing: friendship

The difference: Leans further into drama

Ages ago, the goddess Athena was served by fighters called Saints who channeled the power of the Cosmos within them. Now a youth named Seiya has trained to become a Saint himself by earning the mystical Cloth of Pegasus. He is joined by other Saints with Cloths of their own to fight for Athena.

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The best-reviewed series that share Avatar: The Last Airbender’s defining feeling.