Gaang
| Gen Relationship | |
|---|---|
| Relationship: | Gaang |
| Alternative name(s): | Team Avatar |
| Fandom: | Avatar |
| Type: | Friends and traveling companions |
| Canonical?: | Yes |
| Prevalence: | popular |
| Archives: | |
| See also: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Throughout Avatar: The Last Airbender, Aang travels with his friends. This traveling and friendship group is referred to as The Gaang by the fandom (a play on "gang" and "Aang"). The core members are Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki, Toph, and Zuko.
Background
Water Tribe siblings Katara and Sokka discover Aang frozen in ice near their South Pole home and agree to travel with him to learn waterbending and find a way to end the 100 Years War. Across the series, Toph, Zuko, and Suki join their traveling party. Many other characters join for brief periods of time, but these six form the main "Gaang" as understood by fans.
Within the text of the show itself, Sokka proposed the name "Team Avatar" for the group. Both terms are used within the fandom, however "the Gaang" seems to be more popular.
Fandom
The show itself focuses on the strong friendship between the Gaang, and this is reflected in fanworks about them. Tags like The Gaang as Family and Protective Gaang are popular on AO3.
Fanworks including the gaang can be any genre, but fanworks that focus on the Gaang-qua-the-Gaang tend to be fluffy or character studies. Tropes such as the Gaang comforting each other, sharing their backstories and fears, or playing pranks on each other are common.
In The Legend of Korra fandom, "the Krew" caught on as a name for the Team Avatar of that series by analogy to "the Gaang" (it's a similar play on words between "Korra" and "crew").
Fanon and tropes
Some of the most popular tags on AO3:
- The Gaang Learns How Zuko Got The Scar
- Zuko Joins the Gaang Early
- The Gaang as Family
- Azula Joins the Gaang
Fan works
Fan art
- BIG HERO GAANG, Archived version by notxela, 2015 -- "A Tribute to ATLA's 10th Anniversary!"
- “Air, Water, Earth, Fire….Fan and sword!”, Archived version by sharkbomb, 2016
- family, Archived version by enaica, 2019 -- two portraits of the Gaang in Book 2 (Katara, Aang, Sokka, Toph) and at the end of the series (those four plus Suki and Zuko)
- another go at my gaang redesigns, Archived version by psrj, 2019 -- the Gaang as adults.
- My piece for @pichikui and @ngoziu‘s Avatar charity zine., Archived version by TRISKETCHED, 2020 (see "Team Avatar: A Charity Zine" below)
- u cant tell me they wouldnt be overly loud in various public restaurants, you simply cant, Archived version, by iloe, 2020 -- modern AU, six person selfie
- funky little guys, Archived version, fancomic by silima, 2022
- seven mimir, Archived version by ash-and-starlight, 2022
Fan fiction
- definitely not suspicious at all in the least, Archived version by presumenothing -- post-canon caper fic
- Cheating at Pai Sho, Archived version by muffinlance -- in which the avatar accidentally joins Zuko on his quest for the avatar
- The Family You Choose, Archived version by TunaFishChris -- platonic soulmates AU
- How To Commit Identity Fraud: A Guide For Misplaced Time Travelers, Archived version by watery_melon_baller -- shortly post-ATLA canon Gaang time travels to LoK Season 1 era Republic City
Fan work rec lists and collections
Meta
Other
Fan communities and archives
Resources
- Team Avatar at the Avatar Wiki
- The Gaang works at AO3
- #the gaang tag on Tumblr
- the gaang on Deviantart