Why does appa have 6 legs

Later designs for Appa included spiral horns, but the showrunners realized that the shape would be too difficult to animate. Appa has the nose and horns of a buffalo plus the rounded body and oblong tail of a manatee - an animal loved by Avatar: The Last Airbender co-creator, Bryan Konietzko. Manatees are large marine mammals, also known as sea cows.

These herbivores are gentle giants and the way Appa moves through the air resembles the way a manatee moves through the water. But in all fairness, the live-action version trashed just about every character from the beloved series. And this goes for his buddy Momo too. His teeth are flat, ideal for eating plants and fruits. Sky Bison are known to graze on the top of trees, much like other animals who graze in the fields. Appa however, preferred hay over plants.

He was also shown eating an egg once although he was desperately hungry at the time. Most likely this was done to show how Appa was willing to adapt towards his new life with Aang. Before Avatar: The Last Airbender hit the airwaves and became a celebrated hit in , there were original concept art designs that needed some tweaking. Initially, Appa resembled a sea manatee, rather than a bison.

During the process, it was also suggested that Appa be a giant dog. Early sketches of Appa had him with manatee-like facial features. He directed 9 episodes, including the pilot. Making it likely that Filoni helped create the Appa we all know and love. Appa is unique from head to toe, including the make-up of his anatomy. He has six legs, unlike the whistle which only showed bison as having four, and his tail which could bend to reach the middle of his back.

Appa could also carry up to five individuals comfortably. Appa first appears as a part of a large herd flying toward the Air Temple. The first interaction between Aang and Appa was him presenting Appa with an apple as a sign of friendship. Appa graciously accepts the gift, sealing the bond between them. Aang then names Appa, which he chose as a variation of the word apple.

Destiny was in control as the two quickly became best friends. When Aang ran away, all he left with was his robes and staff — and of course, Appa too. The Sky Bison within the Avatar franchise are gentle creatures even though they are known to be fierce warriors when angered or called into battle. In conjunction with their overall personality, they also enjoy curling up and diving into a deep sleep. Appa was no exception as he is shown sleeping on his side with his legs wrapped around his tail.

But did you know that Sky Bison Appa included are the loudest snorers in the world? Poor Katara, she really must have loved Aang to put up with both of their snoring. Being a species who enjoys the open freedom of the skies, it only makes sense that Appa would want to avoid tight and small spaces. This was due to the trainer of the circus who was put in charge of getting Appa under control and ready for performances.

Even with Appa having a fear of fire, he still stood by Team Avatar through every battle with the Fire Nation. Showing that fears are fine if one can overcome them when necessary. Appa and all the other Sky Bison were also airbenders. According to Avatar: The Last Airbender lore, the first airbenders learned how to bend from the Sky Bison who were a considered a sacred creature in the Air Nomad culture.

A Sky Bison typically uses its massive beaver-like tail to create gusts of wind, allowing them to fly without any a form of propulsion. They also use their mouths to bend too. The airbenders borrowed the arrow mark shown as tattoos on airbenders from the Sky Bison to pay homage towards the creatures who taught them how to master the skies.

Unlike other nations, all Air Nomads are born airbenders, due to the high amount of spirituality infused into the culture. Appa, like all Sky Bison, is docile a majority of the time. He enjoys napping and even cuddling up with others like Aang when napping too. Appa also had the ability to determine who to trust based on how they treated him, like Zukko. He is fiercely loyal towards protecting Aang and Team Avatar, but he has also shown ferocity when defending himself.

Appa was attacked by a boar-q-pine while seeking shelter in the Earth Kingdom. Despite starting off the battle on the losing end, Appa turned things around and was victorious. Stuffed neatly away within the background of Avatar: The Last Airbender are the shenanigans that take place between Appa, Momo, and eventually Hawky. Appa was Avatar Aang 's loyal sky bison , who shared a strong bond with him and Momo as they were all some of the few remaining traces of the Air Nomad civilization.

Appa and Aang met when the bison was a mere calf. When Appa was still a young calf who lived around the Eastern Air Temple , young airbenders were allowed to meet their future companions, who would bond with them for life. The herd's mother willingly directed her calves to meet the young monks.

Aang came forward and offered an apple to Appa, and the two became best friends almost immediately afterward. Just before the Air Nomad Genocide , Aang heard that the monks were going to separate him from Monk Gyatso and subsequently decided to run away, using Appa as his mode of departure.

Appa did not know where he was going, only that he was leaving the air temples. Aang flew Appa over the ocean, at which point they were caught in a vicious storm which pushed the two underwater by stirring up the wind and the waves until Aang lost consciousness. Faced with a life-or-death situation, the young Avatar entered the Avatar State and froze himself with Appa in an iceberg, [4] the latter was stuck in hibernation along with Aang for one hundred years.

The pair were discovered by Katara and Sokka. Appa was captured by sandbenders in the Si Wong Desert. Appa became lost for a short while when the group was traveling through the Earth Kingdom , having been kidnapped by a group of sandbenders in the middle of the vast Si Wong Desert , while Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Momo were trapped in an underground Spirit library.

It was later revealed that Appa was eventually sold to beetle-headed merchants , who in turn sold him to a Fire Nation circus where a sadistic trainer attempted to make him part of the show. Encouraged by a sympathetic boy , he later escaped and hurried back to the Si Wong Desert where he last saw Aang. Understanding that his friends weren't there anymore, Appa journeyed throughout the Earth Kingdom until he encountered the Kyoshi Warriors , who healed his various wounds, physical as well as emotional, that he had sustained on his travels.

They wanted to escort him back to Aang, but they were soon thwarted in their attempt when Azula and her allies attacked. He was forced to flee, ushered away by Suki while the warriors tried to delay the three Fire Nation girls.

Consequently, he flew to Ba Sing Se , where he was captured by Long Feng [1] and kept in a secret location under Lake Laogai until his rescue at the hands of Zuko , who was initially planning on utilizing him to capture the Avatar until he talked with his uncle Iroh, deciding to do the right thing and set the bison free. Appa found the group cornered by Long Feng and the Dai Li and was instrumental in their defeat, biting Long Feng on the leg when confronted by him.

Once safe, Aang welcomed him in a tearful display of affection. When the Dai Li's cover-up efforts left the Earth King skeptical of Team Avatar's claims, Sokka made a last-ditch effort to show the king the ruined Fire Nation drill by enticing him with a ride on Appa. Since his saddle was lost during his capture, the group was forced to ride bareback on him. Appa stayed with the group as they found their way aboard Hakoda 's commandeered Fire Navy vessel and had a new saddle constructed for him.

Appa was equipped with armor for the invasion of the Fire Nation. After the invasion of the Fire Nation failed on the Day of Black Sun , Appa took Aang's friends and all of the younger members of the invasion force to the Western Air Temple in search of refuge.

When he arrived, Appa immediately welcomed and licked him, a direct result of him remaining grateful to the prince for freeing him from his imprisonment in Ba Sing Se. Despite Appa's obvious welcoming of Zuko, the group did not accept the latter's proposal of teaching Aang firebending until he saved the group from an attack conducted by Combustion Man. Unsuccessful, they instead tracked down Iroh , using his sandal , who was residing outside Ba Sing Se with the rest of the Order of the White Lotus.

After the Hundred Year War 's end, Appa was seen in Ba Sing Se with the gang as they celebrated their victory at the Jasmine Dragon , seemingly enjoying Iroh's tsungi horn music from the doorway of the tea shop. A year later, when the movement was being carried out, Appa helped Team Avatar transport Fire Nation colonials back to their nation. One year following the failure of the Harmony Restoration Movement, Appa once again embarked on a mission and transported Team Avatar to Hira'a in search of Zuko's mother, Ursa.

However, he was visibly upset that Azula would be accompanying the team on the trip. On their way there, the party was attacked by a wolf spirit , so Appa aided in the battle against the beast. Though Appa was believed to be the last of the flying bison following the Air Nomad Genocide, Aang discovered a new herd during his adventures after the Hundred Year War, with colonies of healthy bison coming to reside at the air temples.