Is Avatar an anime?

an·i·me

ˈanəˌmā/

noun

1. a style of Japanese film and television animation, typically aimed at adults as well as children.

There is a popular controversy amongst fans of Avatar the Last Airbender over whether the show is an anime. Going by the above defintion, it falls right on the line between Western animation and anime. The show was produced in the United States, not Japan, but the style and certain elements of the show are distinctivly anime qualities.

According to the definition, a show has to be made in Japan or by a Japanese company in order to be considered anime. However, many shows use anime influences, or certain anime use Western influences. For example, Teen Titans is a very anime-esque show, and Cowboy Bebop feels American-made. Some anime even have their biggest following and have entered mainstream culture in America, such as Naruto, Pokemon, and Dragon Ball Z. Still, to be an anime, the show has to have originated from Japan in some way. Therefore, Avatar, which didn't even get released in Japan or have a Japanese dub, can't be anime.

But, Avatar includes more anime sterotypes and influences then some anime do themselves (like Cowboy Bebop). Many anime were used as references or directly influenced the creation and production of Avatar the Last Airbender. Some of these used were the Miyzaki films, and Cowboy Bebop itself. The characters are drawn and animated like anime characters, and have the same kind of development and complexity (not to say cartoon characters can't be complex, just that the way the characters are handled is more similar to anime). Many of the formal nouns (locations, names, etc) are Japanese (almost all are Chinese, but that's besides the point) and the entirity of the show is based on Asian culture (which again, mainly includes China, but there are Japanese influences). There are even a very small number of fully European or white characters. The rest are either Native American or Asian in ethnicity. The story, art style, and characterization is almost exactly as you would find it in an anime. 

Also to take into consideration is that anime isn't a genre: it's a style or medium. We don't say cartoons are a genre: we say fantasy or adventure is a genre. Therefore, there can be overlap as styles draw on each other and as shows aren't confined to a singular medium.

Still, thanks to it originating in America from an American studio, Avatar the Last Airbender has to be a cartoon, but it serves as a bridge to anime for American audiences and has a memorable 'feel' to it- the same feel that exists for all cartoons that draw from anime. 

As Iroh once said "It is important to draw wisdom from many different places."