The artistic and animation styles used in Avatar are clearly influenced by various forms of Japanese anime.

Avatar creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino confirmed a particular anime influence in a magazine interview:

"The best anime balances great action sequences with humor and emotion, something we try to do on Avatar. We love all the films of Hayao Miyazaki, especially Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. Both movies deal with spirituality and the environment in an entertaining way. Also, there's a lot of great animation."

According to an interview with the artists of Avatar, Appa's design was based on the Catbus in My Neighbor Totoro, due to the peculiar task of creating a mammal with six legs.

The choreographed martial art bending moves were profoundly inspired by Asian cinema. Avatar creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino stated the particular influence in a magazine interview:

"Asian cinema is really good at action comedy. Shaolin Soccer is one of our favorite movies. It has tons of fantastic action and lots of funny moments. Some of the effects provided inspiration for how bending moves might look on the show."

Numerous moments in the series also draws parallels with the highly acclaimed film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, one of the highest grossing foreign films to date. In particular, the score for the film and the types of weapons can be seen within the series, more commonly toward the end of Book Two: Earth and the entirety of Book Three: Fire. Notably, the fighting style used by the Kyoshi Warriors closely resembles the Jade Fox's acupressure technique, and Azula's own fighting style mimics several scenes in this film. This style can be seen throughout numerous other wuxia films.

Book series and novels such as Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings were a heavy influence in developing the story of Avatar. The creators wanted to tell their own epic "legend & love story". The creators have stated that they have relied on traditional archetypes and motifs for creating their characters. They have cited Joseph Campbell as an influence in creating the storyline and characters for the show.

The culture of the Water Tribes, as well as their location in the polar regions of the world, is primarily based on the real-life Inuit and Sireniki cultures. However, their society also includes references to many other indigenous cultures, including Aboriginal Australians, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders.

• The people of the Water Tribe live in igloos and yurts, their clothing includes anoraks and mukluks, and they rely heavily on fishing as a means of survival.
• They make heavy use of furs and animal skins and wear warpaint into battle.
• Water Tribe ships distinctly resemble Polynesian catamarans, and their spirituality draws references to moon myths from Native American, Chinese, and Japanese cultures.
• Sokka, a Southern Water Tribe warrior, uses a boomerang, a curved weapon used by Australian Aborigines and other tribal people around the world, including Native Americans and South Asians.
• The architecture of the Northern Water Tribe appears to have been influenced by Venice's gondolas and canal systems. It also resembles the layout of the ancient capital of the Aztecs, Tenochtitlan.

The architecture, clothing and culture of the Earth Kingdom seems to be based primarily on China and its neighboring states. The many tribes and towns throughout the Earth Kingdom can also resemble other cultures.

• The Earth Kingdom is extremely large and diverse, and contains different cultures within itself.
• Earth Kingdom architecture has distinctive Chinese influences.
• Earth Kingdom cuisine is almost entirely based on Chinese cuisine. Examples of dishes that the Earth Kingdom and the Chinese share are roast duck and jook.
• With the exception of Ba Sing Se, Earth Kingdom clothing is almost entirely based on pre-Manchu China. The clothing of the Beifong family is largely inspired by Tang Dynasty clothing.
• Song and her mother wear the hanbok, a type of traditional Korean clothing. The farming village they live in also has Korean influences in its architecture.

Ba Sing Se, the capital of the Earth Kingdom is based on ancient Chinese capitals such as Beijing, as the creators were inspired by the idea of an isolated city. It also has significant influences from Qing Dynasty China.

• More often found in Ba Sing Se is the queue hairstyle. It can be worn by all men, with no social distinction. Such practice parallels the manchu queue, forced upon the Han population of China after 1644.
• All the Ba Sing Se costumes are inspired by Qing Dynasty dress. For example, the haiku girls wear headpieces reminiscent of headpieces worn by Qing Dynasty court ladies. Also, the Earth King wears very similar clothing to the Qing Dynasty Emperors. The Earth King's costume is clearly an allusion to a famous painting of Xianfeng Emperor.
• The Royal Palace is largely based on the Forbidden City. It has similar architecture, but the Earth Kingdom Royal Palace compound is circular, not square unlike the Forbidden City.
• The Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se is visually based on many towns and marketplaces in the Central Jiangxi Province.
• Palanquins, used by the Earth King, were also used in China by the upper classes. One particularly large and luxurious type of palanquin was reserved for the emperor.

Also known as tiger hook swords or 'Heaven and Sun Moon Sword' (乾坤日月刀), these weapons have a blade similar to that of the jian, though possibly thicker or unsharpened, with a prong or hook similar to a shepherd's crook near the tip. Guards are substantial, in the style of butterfly swords. Often used in pairs, the hooks of the weapons may be used to trap or deflect other weapons.

• The air monks lifestyles, features, practice, and more are based upon Buddhist monks.
• The Four Elements of the series — water, earth, fire, and air — are derived from the Buddhist concept of catudhātu. The primary Four Elements of Buddhism are a basis for understanding and for liberating oneself from suffering.
• Energybending may be an allusion to the less frequently mentioned fifth and six elements, Space and Consciousness.
• In "The Swamp", the character Huu states that he reached enlightenment under the banyan-grove tree. This is an allusion to Siddhārtha Gautama attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi tree to become the Buddha.
• Also stated in "Avatar Extras", Zuko's transformation in Book Two reflects as well the story of Siddhārtha Gautama.

Book series and novels such as Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings were a heavy influence in developing the story of Avatar. The creators wanted to tell their own epic "legend & love story". The creators have stated that they have relied on traditional archetypes and motifs for creating their characters. They have cited Joseph Campbell as an influence in creating the storyline and characters for the show.

The artistic and animation styles used in Avatar are clearly influenced by various forms of Japanese anime.

Avatar creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino confirmed a particular anime influence in a magazine interview:

"The best anime balances great action sequences with humor and emotion, something we try to do on Avatar. We love all the films of Hayao Miyazaki, especially Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. Both movies deal with spirituality and the environment in an entertaining way. Also, there's a lot of great animation."

According to an interview with the artists of Avatar, Appa's design was based on the Catbus in My Neighbor Totoro, due to the peculiar task of creating a mammal with six legs.

The culture of the Water Tribes, as well as their location in the polar regions of the world, is primarily based on the real-life Inuit and Sireniki cultures. However, their society also includes references to many other indigenous cultures, including Aboriginal Australians, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders.

• The people of the Water Tribe live in igloos and yurts, their clothing includes anoraks and mukluks, and they rely heavily on fishing as a means of survival.
• They make heavy use of furs and animal skins and wear warpaint into battle.
• Water Tribe ships distinctly resemble Polynesian catamarans, and their spirituality draws references to moon myths from Native American, Chinese, and Japanese cultures.
• Sokka, a Southern Water Tribe warrior, uses a boomerang, a curved weapon used by Australian Aborigines and other tribal people around the world, including Native Americans and South Asians.
• The architecture of the Northern Water Tribe appears to have been influenced by Venice's gondolas and canal systems. It also resembles the layout of the ancient capital of the Aztecs, Tenochtitlan.

The choreographed martial art bending moves were profoundly inspired by Asian cinema. Avatar creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino stated the particular influence in a magazine interview:

"Asian cinema is really good at action comedy. Shaolin Soccer is one of our favorite movies. It has tons of fantastic action and lots of funny moments. Some of the effects provided inspiration for how bending moves might look on the show."

Numerous moments in the series also draws parallels with the highly acclaimed film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, one of the highest grossing foreign films to date. In particular, the score for the film and the types of weapons can be seen within the series, more commonly toward the end of Book Two: Earth and the entirety of Book Three: Fire. Notably, the fighting style used by the Kyoshi Warriors closely resembles the Jade Fox's acupressure technique, and Azula's own fighting style mimics several scenes in this film. This style can be seen throughout numerous other wuxia films.

Also known as tiger hook swords or 'Heaven and Sun Moon Sword' (乾坤日月刀), these weapons have a blade similar to that of the jian, though possibly thicker or unsharpened, with a prong or hook similar to a shepherd's crook near the tip. Guards are substantial, in the style of butterfly swords. Often used in pairs, the hooks of the weapons may be used to trap or deflect other weapons.

Book series and novels such as Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings were a heavy influence in developing the story of Avatar. The creators wanted to tell their own epic "legend & love story". The creators have stated that they have relied on traditional archetypes and motifs for creating their characters. They have cited Joseph Campbell as an influence in creating the storyline and characters for the show.

The choreographed martial art bending moves were profoundly inspired by Asian cinema. Avatar creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino stated the particular influence in a magazine interview:

"Asian cinema is really good at action comedy. Shaolin Soccer is one of our favorite movies. It has tons of fantastic action and lots of funny moments. Some of the effects provided inspiration for how bending moves might look on the show."

Numerous moments in the series also draws parallels with the highly acclaimed film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, one of the highest grossing foreign films to date. In particular, the score for the film and the types of weapons can be seen within the series, more commonly toward the end of Book Two: Earth and the entirety of Book Three: Fire. Notably, the fighting style used by the Kyoshi Warriors closely resembles the Jade Fox's acupressure technique, and Azula's own fighting style mimics several scenes in this film. This style can be seen throughout numerous other wuxia films.

Ba Sing Se, the capital of the Earth Kingdom is based on ancient Chinese capitals such as Beijing, as the creators were inspired by the idea of an isolated city. It also has significant influences from Qing Dynasty China.

• More often found in Ba Sing Se is the queue hairstyle. It can be worn by all men, with no social distinction. Such practice parallels the manchu queue, forced upon the Han population of China after 1644.
• All the Ba Sing Se costumes are inspired by Qing Dynasty dress. For example, the haiku girls wear headpieces reminiscent of headpieces worn by Qing Dynasty court ladies. Also, the Earth King wears very similar clothing to the Qing Dynasty Emperors. The Earth King's costume is clearly an allusion to a famous painting of Xianfeng Emperor.
• The Royal Palace is largely based on the Forbidden City. It has similar architecture, but the Earth Kingdom Royal Palace compound is circular, not square unlike the Forbidden City.
• The Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se is visually based on many towns and marketplaces in the Central Jiangxi Province.
• Palanquins, used by the Earth King, were also used in China by the upper classes. One particularly large and luxurious type of palanquin was reserved for the emperor.