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3 TV shows like Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender you should watch now

Blair Marnell
By
The cast of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Netflix

The first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender has arrived, and as predicted, it’s already No. 1 on the list of the most popular shows on Netflix. However, unlike the beloved animated series that inspired this live-action show, Avatar’s first season has only eight episodes. Knowing Netflix, a gap of two or more years between seasons is not uncommon, so it could be quite a while before a second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender arrives.

If you’re looking for something else to watch in the meantime, you won’t have to go far. Netflix is the streaming home for both the original Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series and its spinoff sequel show, The Legend of Korra. Netflix also has a few live-action options, which we picked for the three TV shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender that you should watch.

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One Piece (2023-Present)

Four characters from One Piece looking at something.
Casey Crafford / Netflix

A lot of anime and manga adaptations tend to tone down the insanity of the source material. One Piece isn’t quite as over-the-top as the animated series that came before it, but it’s not trying to tone down anything. That’s one of the reasons why it was embraced by fans and quickly renewed for a second season. Iñaki Godoy stars as Monkey D. Luffy, a bit of a loopy goof with big dreams about becoming the King of the Pirates. Luffy also has stretching abilities not unlike Marvel’s Mr. Fantastic, which almost makes him a superhero in this world.

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To pull off his ambitions and start his own crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy finds and befriends a group of misfits, including Nami (Emily Rudd), Roronoa Zoro (Mackenyu), Usopp (Jacob Romero Gibson), Sanji (Taz Skylar), and Koby (Morgan Davies). Together, they go on a quest for the legendary One Piece treasure that could help Luffy fulfill his dream.

Watch One Piece on Netflix.

YuYu Hakusho (2023-Present)

The cast of YuYu Hakusho .
Netflix

YuYu Hakusho is another live-action adaptation of an anime and manga series that premiered last year. Fans of the franchise may get whiplash by how quickly the story progresses compared to the original, but the core ideas remain. Yusuke Urameshi (Takumi Kitamura) is a high school delinquent who is going nowhere in life until he unexpectedly redeems himself by saving a young boy and dying shortly thereafter.

Because of his selfless act, Yusuke is allowed to live again as a spirit detective. Yusuke’s former rival, Kazuma Kuwabara (Shuhei Uesugi), also develops the ability to see supernatural beings, which leads to an unusual partnership between the two. Evil forces are brewing around them, and they will need all the help they can get.

Watch YuYu Hakusho on Netflix.

The New Legends of Monkey (2018-2020)

The cast of The New Legends of Monkey.
See-Saw Films

Unlike the other shows on this list, The New Legends of Monkey is not based on an anime or manga. But it is one of the latest adaptations of the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West. The story follows Tripitaka (Luciane Buchanan), an orphan girl who was raised by monks. When a demon kills the monks, Tripitaka takes up their quest to find the legendary Monkey King and free him from his stone prison.

However, freeing Monkey (Chai Hansen) is only the beginning. To vanquish the demons that are after them, Tripitaka and Monkey need to find the lost scrolls, which can give them the power they need to pull off the impossible. Fortunately, they will have help in the form of two gods walking the Earth, Pigsy (Josh Thomson) and Sandy (Emilie Cocquerel).

Watch The New Legends of Monkey on Netflix.

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Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek…
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