Avatar's setting is just a crappy orientalist version of WWII in Asia. Imagine if some Chinese cartoon was set in a thinly veiled version of WWII europe where one of the main characters is Hitler's Son, the thinly veiled Russia/Slav equivalents are constantly demeaned and mocked, and it ends with the Soviet Union giving up Kiev to be jointly ruled by Nazi Germany. They didn't even try to hide it. In the Avatar Lore Republic City used to be called "Crane City". Crane City is the nickname for an actual city in Northeastern China close to where Unit 731 was.
Avatar's setting is just a crappy orientalist version of WWII in Asia. Imagine if some Chinese cartoon was set in a thinly veiled version of WWII europe where one of the main characters is Hitler's Son, the thinly veiled Russia/Slav equivalents are constantly demeaned and mocked, and it ends with the Soviet Union giving up Kiev to be jointly ruled by Nazi Germany. They didn't even try to hide it. In the Avatar Lore Republic City used to be called "Crane City". Crane City is the nickname for an actual city in Northeastern China close to where Unit 731 was.