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Avatar: The Last Airbender made a huge impression during its initial animated run in 2005, placing Japanese anime style and Chinese cultural references into an American framework that made the series an instant classic—and one that lead to a best-forgotten M. Night Shyamalan movie. The current Netflix series does quite a bit better by airbender Aang, Prince Zuko, and the other characters who populate the show’s impressively realized world. If Avatar and these other shows teach us anything, it’s that only the kids can save us.
American Born Chinese (2023)
Based on the seminal, semi-autobiographical 2006 graphic novel from Gene Luen Yang, this adaptation introduces Jin Wang (Ben Wang), a nerdy and rather ordinary son of Taiwanese immigrants. He befriends confident, loud-and-proud exchange student Wei-Chen (Jimmy Liu), who’s embarrassing and inspiring in equal measure. It’s soon revealed that Wei-Chen is no ordinary kid, but rather the son of the legendary Monkey King, and he’s on Earth looking for the ordinary teenager he believes can help him stop an uprising against Heaven. Ke Huy Quan co-stars as the former child star of a deeply stereotypical ’80s sitcom, and Michelle Yeoh appears as goddess of compassion Guanyin. It’s disappointing that this only lasted one season, but it tells a fairly complete story nonetheless. Though set in the modern world, the authentically Chinese cultural and mythological backdrop mirrors Avatar‘s Asian-inspired world. Stream American Born Chinese on Disney+.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023 – )
Following a couple of just-OK movies, Rick Riordan’s beloved middle-grade+ fantasy series got a fun and faithful adaptation with Walker Scobell as the young demigod. Following some shenanigans at a museum, our hero learns that he’s been living a lie: His dad is Poseidon, and his mom has been trying to keep the family safe from godly machinations for years. With the cat now out of the bag, he’s off to Camp Half-Blood, a training ground for other demigods, where he makes new friends (and new enemies) as he reluctantly pursues his destiny. The third season, adapting the third of five original Percy books, is coming soon, so hopefully the series will manage to stick around long enough to cover the whole thing. Stream Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+.
YuYu Hakusho (2023)
A live-action adaptation of an anime series that was, itself, based on a classic ’90s manga, YuYu Hakusho crammed a lot of story into its five episodes, which is really the only complaint. Otherwise it’s a solid blend of action and mysticism, starring Takumi Kitamura as Yusuke Urameshi, a juvenile delinquent in junior high who dies in a demon-instigated car accident, but not before he performs the selfless act of saving another kid from bullies.He’s given the opportunity to come back as a kind of ghost detective, seeking out incursions from the demon plane, and joined by his former rival, Kazuma, who can see supernatural beings invisible to everyone else. It’s brisk and colorful, with some very cool demon-fighting action. Stream YuYu Hakusho on Netflix.
His Dark Materials (2019 – 2022)
This rather dark fantasy, adapted from the classic novel series by Philip Pullman, is set in an alternate world (much like our own) in which human souls exist outside the body in the form of animal companions called daemons. Lyra Belacqua (Dafne Keen) is an orphaned girl living at Jordan College, Oxford who finds herself involved in a murder plot that brings her into the orbit of the powerful Magisterium, the world’s overarching and oppressive religious authority. She’s caught between her mother (Ruth Wilson), a powerful figure in the Magisterium, and her extremist heretic father (James McAvoy), neither of whom is a particularly good guide on the heroic journey that Lyra will have to undertake. From her steampunk-ish world, Lyra and her daemon Pan travel across a multiverse that includes our very own Earth. Stream His Dark Materials on HBO Max.
Shadow and Bone (2021 – 2023)
Based on the fantasy books of Leigh Bardugo from her series of the same name, the series follows Alina Starkov, an orphan and cartographer who discovers and grows into her vaguely magical Grisha abilities, which involve the ability to summon light in a dark and war-torn land. It’s a beautiful and dense fantasy world—one that might be a little hard to grasp at first, but only because the series is content to drop you into its world without a lot of exposition. It’s worth the investment, even if a fan campaign to bring the show back for a third season didn’t succeed. Stream Shadow and Bone on Netflix.
Merlin (2008 – 2012)
Colin Morgan plays the title warlock, who arrives in Camelot to find that magic has been outlawed—which doesn’t stop a dragon with the voice of John Hurt from explaining to him that he needs to protect the king’s only son (Bradley James), a boy who will grow up to unite the land. (The obnoxious kid’s name is Arthur, in case that weren’t obvious.) Along the way, Merlin has to face down beasts, sorcerers, and court intrigue centered around Arthur’s dad, Uther Pendragon (the late, great Anthony Head). Stream Merlin on Prime Video.
Lockwood & Co. (2023)
In an alternate modern Britain, ghosts are an everyday occurrence, which is not to say they aren’t a nuisance—their touch is deadly. Technological progress has largely ground to a halt, while ghost-hunting agencies abound and, since adults lose the ability to sense ghosts directly, kids and teens are on the front lines. Ruby Stokes (Bridgerton) plays Lucy Carlyle, an extremely sensitive listener who was cast aside when she was unfairly blamed for several deaths at her first job. With nowhere else to go, she joins up with Lockwood & Co., a two-orphan operation working outside the law. It’s a solidly spooky teen drama with a fair bit of action and a beating heart in and among all of the dead people. The setting here is worlds away from that of Avatar, but they both conjure fun fantasy worlds on a streaming budget—even if Lockwood didn’t make it past one season. Stream Lockwood & Co. on Netflix.
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The Dragon Prince (2018 – 2024)
Many of the creatives behind the original Avatar animated series came over to this spiritual follow-up involving two human princes, an elf, and a toad who attempt to forge a peace between warring kingdoms—while protecting the the infant Storm Dragon, Azymondias. The setting here is the continent of Xadia, a place full of magic derived from the Moon, Sky, Sun, Earth, Ocean, and the Stars (rather than Avatar’s more elemental magic). A sequel series is in development. Stream The Dragon Prince on Netflix.
Alchemy of Souls (2022 – 2023)
This popular two-season South Korean import trades in juicy drama and medieval-style action, while also introducing a clever magical system involving the migration of souls. It’s set in the fictional Daeho, a country reminiscent of Korea during the Joseon era. Lee Jae-wook stars as Jang Uk, a noble of questionable parentage who had his natural mage powers taken at birth. Nak-su (Jung So-min), meanwhile, is an assassin who is killed by a rival family. Fortunately, she’s able to survive (via alchemy) by transferring her soul into the body of a weak, blind woman. When Uk and Nak-su (in her new body) meet up and he discovers her real identity, they strike a deal: She’ll publicly act as his squire while also teaching him everything she knows about fighting and magic, provided he helps her get revenge. Stream Alchemy of Souls on Netflix.
One Piece (2023 – )
One Piece, the manga, has been running nearly 30 years, with the anime series just a couple of years shy of that. Rather shocking, truly, that a saga with that much baggage landed as a rather brisk and fun live-action series—even if the stretchiness of lead Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) lands better in animation than in this show’s occasionally janky CGI. Luffy is the boyish leader of the Straw Hat Pirates, pillaging the seven seas but mostly hunting for the legendary “One Piece” of the title that will make him the pirate king. He’s not exactly Aang out to save the world, but the live action adaptations of both shows lean into the colorful and offbeat world building of their source materials. Stream One Piece on Netflix.
