Appa was Aang’s loyal sky bison companion and oldest friend in Avatar: The Last Airbender. It was thanks to his help that Team Avatar was able to travel around the four nations. However, since the noble steed wasn’t seen in The Legend of Korra, many longtime Avatar fans wondered what happened to Appa. Once Aang defeated Fire Lord Ozai and the war was over, Appa was there at his side at the end of the show — but that wasn’t the last adventure they would have together.
While the sky bison wasn’t in The Last Airbender’s sequel series, The Legend of Korra, there are a few details known about happened to Appa after Avatar finished. While absent from the second Avatar show, Appa appears in the sequel comics, once again transporting Aang and his friends to wherever they need to go. Though Appa didn’t speak, he had a lot of personality, and was inarguably a fan-favorite character thanks to the close bond he and Aang shared, and it’s this bond that gives the greatest hints about the eventual fate of Aang’s loyal six-legged companion.
Appa Likely Died At The Same Time As Aang
As the animal guide of an Avatar, Appa shared a unique spiritual bond with Aang, similar to Avatar Roku and his dragon Fang.
Although Appa’s fate is not explained in Avatar: The Legend of Korra, it’s likely that he died at the same time as Aang. As the animal guide of an Avatar, Appa shared a unique spiritual bond with Aang, similar to Avatar Roku and his dragon Fang. This bond probably connected them physically as well.
Since both spent one hundred years frozen in an iceberg, the same condition that led to Aang’s death probably also affected Appa. Although it is sad to think they are both dead in The Legend of Korra, it’s comforting to know they are together in the Spirit World, much like Fang and Roku remain united.
What Happens To Appa In The Avatar: The Last Airbender Comics
Appa Continues To Be A Vital Asset For Team Avatar After The Show
Although Appa isn’t featured as much in The Last Airbender sequel comics, he’s still part of Team Avatar and their main means of transportation. He helps Aang and the others take a group of Fire Nation colonials back to their nation in “The Promise Part One.” In “The Search,” he transports the team as they search for Zuko’s mother, Ursula — although he wasn’t happy Azula was accompanying them.
Appa also helped the team fight off a wolf spirit and continued to travel with Aang after Avatar: The Last Airbender as of the latest graphic novel trilogy, Imbalance. It’s safe to say these two remained lifelong companions. Aang hasn’t been in another Avatar graphic novel set after the show yet, though if more continue to be produced, it’s entirely likely that he’ll continue to be a part of Aang’s story.
How Appa And Aang Met (And Why His Story Is So Tragic)
Appa Suffered Greatly Throughout The Last Airbender
It’s comforting to know that Aang remained with Appa after Avatar, as what happened to the sky-bison throughout the show was frequently among some of its darkest storylines. The fact that they remained close until Aang’s death is also incredibly likely due to how they originally met, and the close spiritual bond they shared. Appa and Aang met when they were very young, and the two quickly became inseparable.
When Aang ran away from home, he took Appa with him, and they were frozen together for a hundred years until Katara and Sokka found them.
When Aang ran away from home, he took Appa with him, and they were frozen together for a hundred years until Katara and Sokka found them. Upon awakening, both Aang and Appa discovered they were the last of their kind as the Fire Nation had wiped out not only the Air Nomads but the sky bison as well. This tragedy united them even more, but also meant Appa was seen as an exotic and valuable animal.
Appa’s exotic status made him a constant target. When Team Avatar went to the Si Wong Desert, a group of sandbenders kidnapped Appa and sold him to desert merchants. During that time, Appa was completely alone and isolated from his friends. The merchants sold him to a Fire Nation circus, where he suffered abuse from a cruel trainer before escaping. Once he realized Aang wasn’t back at the desert, Appa flew to the Earth Kingdom and met the Kyoshi Warriors. However, before they could help him reunite with the team, Azula attacked and Appa had to flee again.
Appa led a troubled life, with Aang perhaps the only human he could trust. Appa dying peacefully alongside Aang after Avatar: The Last Airbender is the best possible ending to the lovable giant beast.
Exhausted and traumatized, Appa sought refuge at the Eastern Air Temple, where he met Guru Pathik. Thanks to the Guru’s guidance, he learned Aang was in Ba Sing Se. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of his adversity: Once in the city, the Dai Li captured him. It was only after Zuko freed him that Appa rejoined Aang and the rest of his friends. Appa led a troubled life, with Aang perhaps the only human he could trust. Appa dying peacefully alongside Aang after Avatar: The Last Airbender is the best possible ending to the lovable giant beast.
