The Legend of Ban

The Legend of Ban  is an upcoming American animated television series that will aired on the Nickelodeon television network. It was created by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino as a sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. Animated in a style strongly influenced by anime, the series is set in a fictional universe in which some people can manipulate, or "bend", the elements of water, earth, fire, or air. Only one person, the "Avatar", can bend all four elements, and is responsible for maintaining balance in the world. The series follows Avatar Ban, the reincarnation of Korra from the previous series, as he learning how to control his gifts or access his spiritual abilities all the while, faces political and spiritual unrest in a more modernizing world.

Plot
In The Avatar world: humans, hybrid animals and Spirits, The world is separated into four nations: the northern and southern Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads. The distinguishing element of the series is "bending", the ability of some people to telekinetically manipulate the classical element associated with their nation (water, earth, fire, or air). Bending is carried out by spiritual and physical exercises, portrayed as similar to Chinese martial arts. In addition to these four types of bending, there are several minor subcategories of bending within them, including but not limited to: Metalbending, Sandbending (Earth); Lightning generation and redirection (Fire) and Bloodbending, Healing, Plantbending (Water).

At any given time, only one person in the world is capable of bending all four elements: the Avatar, who serves as an international arbiter. When the Avatar dies, the Avatar spirit is reincarnated into the next one of the four nations in the Avatar Cycle: the Fire Nation, Air Nomads, Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, in order. An Avatar incarnation is born male or female, and is required to master each bending art in seasonal order, starting with its native land's element. Additionally, the Avatar can enter a phase known as the Avatar State: normally a defense mechanism until placed under his/her control through mental discipline, wherein the current Avatar briefly gains the knowledge and abilities of all past Avatars. If an Avatar were to be killed while in the Avatar State, the reincarnation cycle would end and the Avatar would never again be reborn. Through the various incarnations, the Avatar maintains a relative equality among the nations while serving as mediator between humans and spirits.The origin of the Avatar cycle is revealed in the series The Legend of Korra, as the result of a young man named Wan combining his soul with the spirit Raava to imprison her opponent, Vaatu. it also revealed that bending was originally bestowed by the immense Lion Turtles, before these giant creatures renounced their roles as mankind's protectors upon the creation of the Avatar.

After Korra's death, the Avatar was reincarnated as an sixteen-year-old boy from the city of Zaofu named Ban who learned of his Avatar status after following an incident Ban, frightened of his new responsibilities.

Cast and characters

 * Vincent Tong as Avatar Ban Beifong: Only son of Briar and Amber Beifong, grandson of Bolin and direct descendant of Toph Beifong, the original earthbending badass.  Calm and sturdy as a mountain, yet always good to help out those in need, he is the Avatar of the newest generation, successor to Avatar Korra, and the hope of a world still seeking harmony.  Which’ll be easier said than done, because unlike his immediate predecessors, Ban has almost no talent with Earthbending, and has come to rely on chi-blocking as a means of self-defense.  He has a lot to learn, and not much time to do it in.
 * Tiffany Grant as Meiling Zheng: Childhood friend of Ban and a spunky firebender from a well-off family, Meiling never knew her father, who died serving the military when she was very young.  Quick and sharp of the tongue, her firebending still lacks control, but she’s working on it, and she’ll always have Ban’s back no matter where he goes.  She has a fun habit of naming and calling out her attacks to give them greater oomph, and she’s later going to discover she has a rare firebending mutation that’s going to be both very dangerous and very difficult to control.
 * Mae Whitman as Willow: Granddaughter of Rohan, Willow is a modern airbender, serene and a bit spacey at times, speaking of auras and chakras and being relaxed to the point of falling asleep.  Sometimes she even does just that, regardless of the danger she’s in.  She also loves animals and of course is a practicing vegetarian.  But make no mistake, she’s no flake, and she’s the great-great granddaughter of Avatar Aang himself.  Not someone to be taken lightly.
 * David Faustino as Ryuku Kuluk: A streetwise tough whose had a rough life, Ryu is dark and brooding, and does not hesitate to let his fists (or the multitude of waterskins hidden under his hoodie) do the talking for him.  He also provides a more grounded voice of reason when the more fantastical elements of Ban’s life start to interfere with theirs.  Even so, he has a good heart buried deep down, and he dares to hope of a better future, if not for the world, then at least for himself.  Thus, he’s thrown his lot in with the new Avatar to do so.


 * Jiao: The latest Avatar companion, following the proud legacy of Naga, Appa, Fang, and many others, Jiao is still young for an Eel-Hound, but he's going to grow up to be big and strong.  Nothing moves faster on land or swims quicker through the seas, getting the new Avatar where he needs to go when modern transportation might be compromised or unreliable.