Avatar: Seven Havens Review: Nisha is Ellora’s Real Hero (Season 1 Episodes 10-13)

Avatar: Seven Havens Season 1 Episode 13, “The Root of Chakra,” delivers an epic finale that tugs at the heartstrings, but it takes Pavi and Nisha falling apart to get there.

Pavi and Nisha could not be on more different journeys if they tried. Both girls endure incredible character development, but it comes at the price of losing each other. 

Before that happens, Chancellor Kayoko goes off the deep end, determined to find and destroy the Avatar once and for all.

Kayoko loses her mind, intoxicated by the prospect of absolute power. She hates the Avatar because she sees them as a way for her to lose control over Ellora. The Anomaly carries a fierce and dangerous energy, but Kayoko is only mesmerized by it.

It explains her tyrannical actions and her desperation for the people of Ellora to remain loyal to her, making her a complex villain.

Commander: Karthik: Look, I know we’re on opposing sides, but the Avatar isn’t just meant to protect Ellora. She’s here to save the whole world, and right now, she needs our help.

Kayoko being Season 1’s primary villain also absolves Karthik of any suspicion that he is more than what he seems. It ends up being a huge relief because Pavi and Nisha need a wholesome father figure to steer them in the right direction, even if the former does not realize it yet.

Karthik is also the ideal leader Ellora needs — someone who unites people, does not govern through fear and hate, and is genuinely passionate about Ellora’s future.

Karthik’s benevolence even inspires Uki and Agam to stay behind and help rebuild Ellora into a place worth living in.

Jae: Before I met you, all I wanted out of life was to be the best Brigade bender I could be, to do my duty to Ellora. I just wanted to keep my home strong. Keep it surviving. My whole life I was taught to hate the Avatar. Then everything got turned upside down. Now, an Avatar is one of my favorite people. I know the future looks pretty bleak right now, but I for one am glad you’re not invisible anymore. If there is a light at the end of this tunnel, it’s you, Pavi. Is it scary that I’m not on the path I started? Heck yeah. But that’s okay. This is the path I’m meant to be on. I’m not sure about much right now, except for one thing: you’re the key to fixing this world. And I’ll be by your side the whole way. That is… if you’ll let me.

Unlike Karthik, Jae does not stay; he leaves with Pavi at the end of the season.

It might seem out of character for someone so passionate about Ellora, but no one is better suited to accompany Pavi.

Jae has changed more than any other character on the show so far. He goes from a high-strung, responsible stickler who never breaks the rules to someone who has no concrete plan other than to support the Avatar in any way he can.

Of course, Jae could not endure this development without making several transformative decisions, including ending his relationship with Datu.

Datu and Jae have a lot to work out because their relationship is full of miscommunication, but they both have their own journeys to go on.

While Jae is traveling with Pavi, Datu must unlearn the authoritarianism and corruption he enables under Kayoko’s command. Datu is not a main character, but this is a great opportunity for the show to capitalize on an epic redemption arc.

So if Jae and Datu ever reunite, they can reconcile their issues and move on properly, whether it is together or apart.

Romantic relationships are not the only dynamics that fizzle out in the last few episodes of Avatar: Seven Havens Season 1.

Most heartbreakingly, Pavi and Nisha go their separate ways after brutally falling out.

No sisterhood is impenetrable, and when the past comes to light, things are bound to change between them. 

It is understandable why Pavi is more eager than Nisha to find out what happened to their parents. Even though both girls have forgotten the truth, Nisha knows somewhere, deep down, that she accidentally created the Anomaly after her parents abandoned her.

Nisha is always desperate to prove herself as the Avatar because she wants to feel like she belongs somewhere. It is also why she is reluctant to tell Pavi the devastating truth once she remembers it: Nisha killed her parents and disabled Pavi. 

Pavi is the most important part of Nisha’s life because, for the first time, Nisha feels like she has a home with Pavi. Regardless, the truth tears the girls apart, and Pavi cannot forgive Nisha, using this betrayal to channel her fear and unlock her Avatar’s root chakra.

Pavi saves Ellora and defeats the Anomaly once and for all, seemingly without Nisha. The narrative portrays her as a hero, the real Avatar, while Nisha might just be a volatile mistake.

However, Nisha is Ellora’s true hero because Pavi could not save the Haven without her.

Yes, Nisha created the Anomaly, but only because it manifests her fear of abandonment after her parents leave her behind. They force Pavi to abandon her twin sister all because they fear Nisha’s capabilities.

The Anomaly thrives on people’s fear because that is its origin. The Avatar can defeat it only if they unlock their root chakra, something Pavi does only because of what she learns about Nisha in the Memory Void.

Furthermore, Nisha is initially willing to sacrifice herself for Pavi and Ellora. She repeatedly puts herself in danger if it means saving her people.

While Pavi may have a different journey to endure as the Avatar, Nisha is the one who stays behind to help rebuild Ellora. Regardless of her terrifying powers, Nisha repeatedly chooses to be good every day. She is reckless and unstable, but it does not make her a bad person.

Nisha cannot be a dark Avatar because, no matter what might be inside her, she puts one foot in front of the other and upholds honorable and virtuous morals.

She is not in the same place as Pavi is, and that is okay. Nisha is a hero in her own right, and nothing in her past can take that away.

Pavi: My whole life I’ve lived in fear! Scared of what I really am! But I’m sick of being afraid! I know I can survive! I am the Avatar!

Avatar: Seven Havens will continue Pavi and Nisha’s story in Season 2, and the show must rectify something important.

The animation is still too choppy with little emotion. The colors are stunning, and the character designs are gorgeous, but it is still too simplistic to evoke any authentic feelings.

Whether a character blushes or rages, it is hardly noticeable, making it difficult to empathize with them. The animation needs enough detail to let the characters convey their emotions properly.

Hopefully, Avatar: Seven Havens will improve its animation style so that it finally matches the incredible story being told. 

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All episodes of Avatar: Seven Havens Season 1 are available to stream on Paramount+. 

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