An adorable Avatar: The Last Airbender cosplay turns a dog into Appa. The hit Nickelodeon series initially ran from 2005 to 2008. After Netflix released all three seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender for streaming earlier this year, the show has undergone a veritable fan renaissance. Although there were many fan-favorite characters in the series, one of the best was Appa, the fluffy flying sky bison who was Avatar Aang’s loyal best friend from the very beginning.
Appa and Aang were both the last of their kind. They unintentionally escaped the outright slaughter of the air nomads and flying sky bison at the hands of the Fire Nation due to being trapped in an iceberg for one hundred years. After Katara freed them, Appa served as the primary method of transport for Aang and his friends. However, Appa was more than just a means to get around.
Instagram user chibisumichan posted an adorable picture of their Great Pyrenees dog Chamois cosplaying as Appa. The dog poses perfectly with Appa’s signature horns, forehead arrow, and a long tail that’s perfect for batting away any errant Fire Nation soldiers. Check out Chamois as Appa in the cute picture below.
The dog cosplay is the perfect tribute to the loyal Appa. Just like dogs are said to be man’s best friend, sky bison were the air nomad’s best friends. Aang was distraught when Appa was kidnapped by sand benders in the episode, “The Library.” Appa’s capture played a crucial role in Zuko’s eventual decision to change sides and join Team Avatar. Zuko’s choice to free Appa when he had the chance to capture the sky bison in “Lake Laogai” was a character-defining moment for the banished Fire Nation prince.
Appa was the first to display trust towards Zuko later on when he was attempting to gain Team Avatar’s confidence, thus demonstrating another way Appa was a valuable character in the series. While Aang did have Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Zuko, Appa was the only one there for him from the very beginning. According to Avatar: The Last Airbender lore, every Avatar had a spiritual bond to their animal guide that lasted beyond death. Appa was Aang’s animal guide, and while it was never canonically confirmed, Appa likely died around the same time as Aang.
While there are many great things about the Avatar: The Last Airbender series, Appa was arguably one of the very best. Team Avatar could’ve never triumphed and ended the one-hundred-year war without Appa guiding their path, both physically and spiritually. Appa may not have been able to speak, but the sky bison’s heroic actions as the most loyal member of Team Avatar spoke louder than words.
Source: Instagram