Avatar: The Last Airbender Gives Me Hope

after releasing two massive videos back to back I haven't been able to write anything for this channel I've been blocked if you write especially for a living you've probably been there at some point I'd pick up and drop scripts one after another until finally deciding to just stop working and take a break this is an unforgiving course of action to take here on YouTube but I felt it was necessary I've been making videos on this site for a long time now nearly all of them about video games what they've taught me the things they remind me of and just generally discussing the impact they've had on the world while it is liberating to be able to write about the things I love and articulate all of these things I'm feeling through them I've always dreamed of delivering some of those feelings I convey in my videos through a story of my own a story inspired by those things I love but not beholden to them Original Stories settings and characters used as a vehicle to drive the things I'm passionate about that has always been my ultimate goal over the past few months I've shown avatar The Last Airbender to two of my closest friends who'd never seen it before I've been with the show since Book 2 was released on DVD I was there when book three premiered I was there for the day of black sun and I was there when Susan's Comet arrived since then the show has been a constant source of inspiration for a lot of my own creative Endeavors as I aim to create something even a quarter as good as it in between episodes I tell my friends about the Airing history of the show talking about the eight month Hiatus after the day of black Sun aired the trailers that premiered at New York Comic-Con all of the work that went into each episode I would not shut up eventually one of them asks why don't you make a video about Avatar and I just sat there and thought to myself yeah why don't I among many other things that I'll discuss in this video avatar The Last Airbender is an empathetic deconstruction of the impact of War on various people as well as a profound exploration of the destiny we are assigned and the destiny we can shape fate and free will all while featuring excellent Fantasy World building that leans into the show's major themes and serve as the basis for both fantastic visual fare and clever thought-provoking writing and above all else it gives me hope all the while it aired on Nickelodeon targeting children you know seeing as I re-watch it almost every year and I'm in my 20s now and how most of the videos about it skew discussion and viewership pretty far outside of its original demographic I'd say there is value in watching it even as an adult good storytelling has the power to reach everyone my goal for this video is to not dilute a traditional viewing of this show but instead to dissect it in an effort to understand why I myself am a writer after my friends suggested I make this video I went through my documents and was reminded that I had started and stopped scripts on Avatar multiple times in the past each script getting a little further than the last but I guess I was never satisfied with what I'd written only now do I feel sufficiently equipped to talk about this show and I feel I need to do it now more than ever before for so long I've imbued a lot of my creativity into discussion of other people's work and lately I felt chained down for that reason I want to revisit the show that inspired me most dissect why it resonated with me and so many others and hopefully figure out what the hell I'm doing and why I'm doing it I'm Liam Triforce and this is a video about Avatar The Last Airbender as I'm sure most of you know Avatar was created by Mike dimartino and Brian koniesko the two of them met at the Rhode Island School of Design and became close friends after graduating they went their separate ways to work on various animated series Mike worked on Family Guy and King of the Hill while Brian worked on Invader Zim when Zim was suddenly and very tragically canceled in 2002 Mike and Brian met to develop their own series for Nickelodeon both of them had similar goals in that regard and although Mike would be out of a job while developing this series his parents gave him their full support Brian happened to get to know the vice president of Animation development at Nickelodeon at the time while working on Zim Eric Coleman Eric told them that the network was looking for fantasy shows with Rich lore and though they had no ideas for it at the time Mike promised they'd be back within a month with something to pitch Brian had this sketch of a bald kid with a staff standing next to a giant polar bear dog and a robotic monkey the monkey had an arrow on its head and eventually he gave the arrow to the kid creating what we now know to be the first drawing of Aang meanwhile Mike had been watching a documentary on the survival of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew during an Antarctic expedition in the early 20th century in which Shackleton ensured the survival of his entire crew against odds that seemed insurmountable two completely disparate things that seemingly have no relation to each other eventually came together and gave birth to the world philosophies and themes present in Avatar one night Brian is at yoga drenched in sweat when he suddenly has the idea to combine his drawing with the Shackleton documentary Mike was watching he rushes over to Mike's place and they immediately get to work on fleshing out the concept the ship stuck in the ice served as inspiration for one of the strongest symbols in the first episode of the show and also inspired the southern water tribe's plight with the Fire Nation pressing down on them this led to the concept of the four nations and in turn bending Eric Coleman was looking for a non-violent form of action I'm guessing because if kids were to imitate it on the playground they wouldn't be trying to kill each other bending not only accomplishes this but each element has its own intricacies that make it fun to watch and learn about and each form of bending serve as symbolic representations of the nature of each of the four nations and their people to begin with the style of martial arts for each element were informed by sifu kisu the show's martial arts consultant Mike and Brian agreed that emulating Kung Fu they'd seen in movies would seem derivative and repetitive before long and sifukisu's Direction resulted in each element having a strong visual identity to match their thematic presence in the show Earth bending for example is based on hungar its firm immovable stances keep earthbenders rooted and allow them to quite literally draw power from the planet itself the Earth Kingdom has one of the strongest military forces in the world serving as a thorn in the fire nation's side throughout the show attempts at taking the Kingdom's Capital bossings say failed with omashu only being taken after angry awakens and learns water bending the people of the earth kingdom are strong and the Fire Nation just can't seem to break their Roots well until they do but one step at a time here water bending uses Tai Chi as a base for its movements as the form is characterized by control alignment body structure breath and visualization Tai Chi itself is Artful and meditative as a form of martial arts and water bending is usually depicted through these calm and smooth movements that flow like water itself the water tribe has fostered a deep respect for nature both through their primary element and their survival in the harsh Arctic climates air bending is based on bhagwa Zhang a form chosen for its circular movements or Circle walking Fighters typically change direction on a dime and the style is known for evasive footwork this is a style that perfectly fits the way Aang airbend swirling powerful currents of arid opponents the way he conjures up the iconic air scooter and even informing his pacifism in certain fight scenes this not only gives Aang a fun identifiable fighting style a style that grants him the affectionate nicknamed Twinkle Toes by Toff but it also is symbolic of his nature and in turn the nature of the monks that raised him as the nomads detach themselves from worldly concerns and found peace they had the power but they chose not to use it for violence instead for recreation and altruism fire is a complex element and perhaps my favorite to watch the show dissect firebending called for Northern Shaolin according to sifukisu thanks to its crisp Swift and Powerful hand and leg movements its violent and dangerous but also gorgeous to witness throughout the show Aang learns the hard way that fire bending is dangerous when one loses control of it and the show often portrays fire as an element that spreads and destroys contrasting the other elements water Earth and air that Foster and sustain growth I mean the entire war was predicated on sozen's desire to share the glory of their Nation with the World by force through imperialism firebenders often draw their power from anger as evident in Zuko and Admiral Zhao that being said fire bending is often some of the most fun to watch in the show the fight scenes involving fire bending have some of my favorite choreography and the element is capable of producing some really beautiful moments iro for example is one of the greatest firebenders in the show and he isn't exactly what you'd call an angry guy he even learns to redirect lightning shot at him by studying waterbenders and their sense of control and flow for an element constantly portrayed as evil where does he draw his firebending from in the episode the fire bending Masters Aang and Zuko seek to discover that very thing and they find it in the original Masters the dragons to the viewer it appears just as though they've deemed them worthy in a spectacular harmonious tornado of multicolored fire bending but we soon realize that fire inherently is not necessarily destruction but in fact energy and life itself like the sun Ira once told his nephew that he faced The Last Dragon and killed it but as evident by their re-emergence he lied to protect them and the true meaning of fire bending from those that seek to destroy them fire is indeed a source of life just as the other elements are the perception of fire bending and its Nation outside the mainland has been informed by A Century Of War this Ark was compelling not just for angenzuko learning that firebending can be beautiful but also in Transforming Our Own perceptions of fire bending showing us that the fire nation's violence and hatred is taught and that it can be changed let the complexity of this element and its Nation foreshadow the layered character writing and thematic beauty of Avatar we will soon be diving into the four nations in their philosophies are not only rich in their presentation through Real World Martial Arts but also in how those forms are symbolic of their nature and their cultures are all significantly fleshed out not to mention they're all just really fun to watch and think about Avatar has some of the most vividly realized settings I've ever seen in an animated television series the settings that belong to each element are represented both in color and in appearance the water tribes both have structures made from ice and snow the Earth Kingdom has these massive cities with green roofed houses and temples all around omashu in particular has this vertical design with male shoots that run from the top of the city all the way to the bottom and naturally this leads to a spectacular action sequence with characters sliding down as they Bend at one another the Fire Nation primarily uses red and dark foreboding colors with these immaculately designed temples and vehicles with an overall militarized aesthetic that said certain places in the Fire Nation particularly natural settings and quaint little Villages are genuinely breathtaking showing that the brutal look is merely representative of what the Fire Nation had become Under Fire Lord sozen azulon and ozai and not necessarily what they always had to be if balance were to be restored the air temples however have by far my favorite concept and Designs they sit high up in the mountains being difficult to access by attackers unless they had a Flying Bison or you know a tank that could climb up the side of a mountain that works too inspired by Tibetan palaces the concept of air temples being embedded into mountaintops always stuck with me it not only is symbolic of the nomads detaching themselves but also meant that only Airbenders could feasibly reach them before the War Began Airbenders used to fly around the temples on bison and with their gliders representative of their true Freedom it just seems like so much fun my favorite is the Western Air Temple unquestionably probably my favorite location in the entire show upside down temples underneath a cliff that allow them to hide from attackers all the while being perfect for Airbenders to Traverse and explore of course I could go further into the intricacies of bending the customs of each nation and all that but I just wanted to elaborate on why bending as a concept is friggin genius it didn't just fulfill the Network's request for non-violent action it transcended that request creating a brilliant and unique form of magic for a fantasy story one that is interlinked with the designs and backstories for the regions they hail from and it is something that I shamelessly imitated as a kid we all did whenever I was swimming in a pool or a lake we'd have water bending battles swinging my arms in these wide motions to create giant waves and shoving them at people that was the best feeling ever bro I still do it I don't care even now I still wish I could heat a cup of hot cocoa that's gone cold with fire bending or get around on an air scooter it's as inherent of a reaction to me now as wanting to use the force to bring things to you after seeing Star Wars and that should tell you just how effective bending was as a concept right so where were we over the course of a couple of weeks Mike and Brian fleshed out the four nations the main characters as well as the three-act structure and story arc leading to Anne confronting the fire lord after two weeks they pitched it to Eric Coleman the Avatar pitch according to the parties involved broke pretty much every rule a pitch is supposed to follow rather than compressing the plot summary and character descriptions into a short time frame Mike and Brian just went on and on about their idea passionately detailing every aspect that they had hashed out it was described as an onslaught of ideas by Brian and after so much talking eventually Eric just had to say stop Mike and Brian then had to create an 11-minute pilot for a test audience a process that left Brian alone in Korea for months as he directed the animators reflecting on that time in the Avatar Spirits documentary Brian recalls there being some lonely Times living on his own in Korea there was a time when they were the only ones on the planet that cared about Avatar and they just wanted to show the world what it could be this is a sentiment that I've held on to ever since I watched this documentary and it's something that I consider every time I work on a new project there are times when I doubt if anyone will care and times when I feel like I've failed in delivering what I wanted to say with it the story of Avatar's production as well as the plot of the show itself both serve as constant Inspirations in that regard and hey I guess the rest of the show's history speaks for itself Avatar tapped into both what I loved about Great Western fantasy stories and Japanese animation but also fostered my love and respect for Asiatic inspired settings and Eastern philosophies Avatar honored all of its Inspirations and became an astounding achievement in American animation that continues to inspire countless people the pitch for Avatar came about at the best possible time the Network's desire for a lore driven fantasy work coupled with the rise in popularity of anime meant that it was going to see some level of success but the artists behind the show ensured its enduring Legacy and it serves as an inspirational story of collaborative effort bringing people's dreams to life there are many reasons I continue to love Avatar to this day I've touched upon bending the superb animation and the respect it pays to its Inspirations but for me the show lives so strongly in my mind for the maturity and how it demonstrates its three Central themes War Destiny and Redemption its characters grapple with these themes in their own ways and it makes them compelling not just for a show on Nickelodeon but for any story in any medium from the beginning of the show and as recounted by Katara at the beginning of each episode the world has faced a war instigated by the Fire Nation for over a hundred years war in its effects are depicted not through soldiers fighting on a battlefield but through the ordinary people trying to live their lives its immediate effects are made evident after Aang is found in the iceberg upon meeting the entire Village we see that there aren't a whole lot of people living at the South Pole seeing as the northern water tribe have this beautiful stronghold the Fire Nation saw fit to cut off communication with their sister tribe overpowering imprisoning and sometimes killing any waterbenders that dare oppose them unfortunately Saka and katara's mother Kaya wasn't so lucky to be taken as prisoner instead being killed in a raid in order to fight back the physically capable men of the water tribe were sent off to fight the Fire Nation leaving the two of them without their father as well as hakota fought in the War away from his kids when Aang and Katara go penguin sledding Katara mentions that she hasn't since she was a kid to which Aang replies that she still is a kid a small example but reveals how the oldest kids of the Southern tribe were forced to grow up without their parents and being constant witness to conflict and imprisonment of the other villagers the episode imprisoned also demonstrates that this kind of treatment extends to earthbenders when their true nature is discovered as they are kept on a giant metal ship preventing them from bending the elements around them that said the Earth Kingdom did indeed have a strong military with the capital city bossing say being impenetrable to the Fire Nation for several years hence the meaning of its name as stated in the show impenetrable City bossing say is one of the coolest settings in the entire show with the look being inspired by the real-life Forbidden City in Beijing it became a popular destination for refugees from the war even though it divides its inner rings by social standing in class but the details and conspiracy surrounding the city gradually reveal themselves to be making a victim of everyone even if they themselves don't know it bossing says corrupt police force the dilee have enforced strict control over citizens including the earth king himself creating an atmosphere of peace through absence of information on the war and even brainwashing those that step out of line according to the earth king himself no Monarch has ever been outside of the upper ring the earth king is essentially a puppet with the die Lee pulling the strings there is no war in bossing say here you are safe speaking of victims the Fire Nation took no Chances with the air Nomads after Avatar roku's death Fire Lord sozen knew that the next Avatar would be born an airbender so he killed them all in a genocidal Ambush taking full advantage of their peaceful lifestyle after Aang awakens and heads to the southern air Temple to hopefully reunite with his people he finds that the place is completely deserted save for a single lemur he does attempt to have his fun in spite of it all but Katara keeps trying to brace Aang for what he might see upon arriving Aang eventually stumbles upon multiple dead Fire Nation soldiers as well as the skeleton of his mentor and closest friend Monk yatso this is actually a pretty harrowing sight for a cartoon on Nickelodeon I can't believe the way this is rendered in the show itself you obviously don't see any gory details but the design of the Fire Nation armor the realistic painting of monkey otso skeleton the Grim Lighting in the way the bodies are all piled on top of one another in front of gyotso and confronts this site with a mixture of sadness and anger letting loose the Avatar State before Katara eventually reaches him by telling him that she and Saka are his family now Aang finally accepts that he is The Last Airbender and vows to stick with oppa and Momo to keep his people alive the episode ends with Aang flying away on Oppa with him and Momo looking back on the temple as it disappears into the clouds one of my favorite moments in the entire show it is accompanied by this beautiful Kalimba Melody establishing one of the most powerful late motifs in Avatar soundtrack as well as encompassing Aang closing the book on past events and setting off for adventure as the Avatar and the last of his people this all happens in conjunction with the subplot involving the agnikai between Zuko and Admiral Zhao we'll expand on their rivalry later but this all makes the southern air temple one of my favorite episodes of the show and that's the other thing though the show does have an overarching narrative there are things that happen along the journey that feel like self-contained stories this allows for specific facets of the consequences of War to be highlighted in detail in addition to the show's other themes and it can even do this while still progressing the overall narrative as showcased in the episode city of walls and secrets where we learn about the dailies control over bossing say the other thing that's important to note is that it explores these things on Nickelodeon this means that the writers often had to write for the restrictions of a children's Network leading to the concepts being explored through creative and often fun methods while still paying respect to the serious issues at hand take the episode the headband for example in which Aang attends a fire nation school by mistake after um borrowing a school uniform there he learns that the students have been indoctrinated in false beliefs of their nation's Glory with their authoritarian regime suppressing such freedoms of expression as dancing now I talk about this episode as if it portrays these things with a stone cold serious tone but it absolutely does not at least not all the time but that's what makes the show so smart and so fun to watch it delivers these messages without sacrificing the optimism of the show Aang answers a question in a pop quiz about how the Fire Nation supposedly defeated the air Nation Army to which he responds that they had no Army and it was an ambush the students are shocked by this bold response to say the least in response to the Fire Nation kids not being able to express themselves Aang decides to throw everyone a dance party naturally not only does this have some really fun moments like this kid just going ham seriously look at him go we also get to see Aang and Katara share a dance a moment where Aang is actually pretty smooth for once flame yo sir all in all the episode has the gang teach these kids to be free and have fun something that their school's indoctrination didn't really allow for that's really what lies at the heart of Avatar in all of its messaging it's really fun to watch for all of the bending humor and visual spectacles it features it also manages to weave teachings of the consequences of warfare into the stories it tells that said it knows when the show's tone needs to shift as demonstrated through the air Nomad genocide and the concept of Revenge like Aang many characters have lost people they love to the war and all of them grieve and respond in their own ways Vengeance however is portrayed as the unhealthiest response as it merely perpetuates the cycle of violence jet for example takes his desire for vengeance to the extreme as it eventually consumes his State of Mind when introduced he and his freedom fighters seem like a cool group jet effortlessly deals with the Fire Nation troops non-lethally using his hook swords which I love by the way and they live high up in the trees it seems as though they've found complete freedom from the Fire Nation but his methods are not always ethical after watching him rob a defenseless old man that just happens to be a mere citizen of the Fire Nation Saka grows suspicious of him and finds out that he plans to wipe out an entire Earth Kingdom town that happens to have a fire nation Garrison within it this leads to a really cool fight in the Treetops between Aang and Jet as well as Saka convincing the town to evacuate before they die after the incident jet reappears on a boat to bossing say with most of his freedom fighters having defected Zuko and iro are on the run as refugees at this point in the show and yet helps Zuko steal some proper food from the captain of the ship the dude is so focused on Vengeance against the Fire Nation however that when he notices iro's previously lukewarm cup of tea has miraculously been reheated he deduces that they must be firebenders he doesn't actually see iro firebend mind you he just assumes that there was no other way iro could have reheated his tea he was right of course but jet has clearly lost some of his sanity in the pursuit of Revenge in attempting to expose Zuko and iro as firebenders inside of the city the dilee carry him off and brainwash him into believing the war never happened even after team Avatar managed to break jet free of his brainwashing and he is given a second chance to do what is right he pays the ultimate price against long Fang as an aside this scene went through several revisions in accordance with the Network's policies against the character being killed on screen this is part of the reason why Xiao was pulled into the water by the ocean Spirit and the only visual confirmation of combustion man's death was his prosthetic arm falling into the abyss after the explosion this resulted in the writers having to figure out a solution to conveying Jet's death the solution came in the form of a clever plot device established earlier in book two because Toff is blind and she learned to see an earth Bend by sensing vibrations in the surrounding area with her feet she also became Adept in sensing the heartbeats of the people nearby allowing her to know when someone is lying this comes up a couple of times before Lake Lau guy especially when she senses that both smellerby and Jet are telling the truth during an argument and leading them to believe he'd been brainwashed it's when jet is injured by long Fang where Toph is able to provide the last bit of confirmation that jet was going to die there on top of Long Feng saying jet had chosen his own demise Katara saying things don't look good and other characters getting emotional over the state he's in the final nail in his coffin comes when jet says he'll be fine and Toff says he's lying to me this scene worked on all fronts I know it would have been easier to just show jet getting beat down but it serves as a really creative example of how they were able to write around the restrictions of the network and hey if you were one of the people that ever found yet's fate unclear the show even pokes fun at it later in the Ember Island players Jet's death came as a Bittersweet conclusion to his little Redemption Arc he set aside his pursuit of Revenge and delivered Justice without seeing things in black and white and putting innocent people's lives at stake it also serves as an example of one of the most important things iro says to him before they part ways that people are capable of change he says this not just in reference to Jet but also to his nephew who was in clear conflict with who he was but we'll talk about him in due time one of my favorite episodes of how this show portrays Revenge comes in one of the show's most chilling episodes The Puppet Master it's a poignant episode that Taps into the creativity of this Show's core concept to create moments of genuine fear with the backdrop of civilians going missing in a nearby Fire Nation Village the kids befriend an old woman named Hama who happened to be a water bender hailing from the southern water tribe Saka and katara's home she teaches Katara how to draw water from all sorts of places including the plants and flowers beneath her one of the first visual representations of her hatred of the Fire Nation occurs when she drains all of the fire lilies in this field of their water leaving them withered in Black like the scorched Earth at the beginning of the winter solstice episode a chilling symbol of her hatred and one of the more obvious hints that she might not be such a sweet old lady with the full moon in the sky Hama tells Katara the full story of her escape from captivity this episode demonstrates the fascinating intricacies of water bending and the episode that came before this The Runaway features a scene where Katara uses her own sweat as a source of water to cut her way out of a jail cell upon seeing this on our recent viewing of the show my friend turns to me and says something along the lines of so because humans are made up of mostly water can we Bend other people I turned back to the TV and said just hang in there when Hama was left alone with nothing but the rats that would crawl through her cell she learned that she could bend them too as she put it she realized they were nothing more than skins filled with liquid she calls it blood bending and the animation and especially the sound design accompanying this technique are unsettling she controls people like puppets on invisible strings making the scene in which the gang discovers her puppet collection all the more disturbing in hindsight this is a freaky episode as a whole and it culminates in Katara understandably refusing to reach inside of people and control them like puppets even if Hama attempts to justify her technique by reminding her of what the Fire Nation did to her mother naturally Hama does not appreciate this response and blood bends Katara into submission I think what sells this scene for me is not only the beautiful lighting and shot composition in this Dark Forest under the Moonlight as well as this creepy close-up of Hama as she basks in that Moonlight but also Tres McNeil's bone chilling performance you can feel the evil in her voice in a manner that is hard to put into words as if she relishes the opportunity to take control something that she lacked as she was left to rot in a prison cell for years this is a different kind of evil stemming from what the Fire Nation has done and that doesn't make it right after the kids were rescue Hamas kidnapping victims and Katara is able to resist hama's control Hammer uses Aang and Saka as her weapons against Katara this scene is immaculately crafted it demonstrates some really powerful water bending but I also love how Saka is forced to swing his sword against his will and the animation really sells that feeling that Saka is being manipulated like a doll eventually Hama forces Saka and his sword toward Aang and Katara has no choice but to blood Bend Hama Hama congratulates Katara as she is carried away to prison horrifying both Jet and Hama serve as examples of the kind of person Katara could have become had she let the feelings of her mother's death consume her the thing is I feel that hama's pioneering of blood bending at her Escape may have caused the Fire Nation to stop taking waterbenders prisoner meaning that they would kill every waterbender they captured inadvertently causing the death of Saka and katara's mother as Kaya confessed that she was the last waterbender at the South Pole a lie meant to protect Katara the episode The Southern Raiders has Zuko presenting Katara with an opportunity to confront the man that killed her mother Katara is intent on avenging her even with Aang pleading for her to forgive that man he even goes as far to liken her to jet ARA even says something pretty shocking to her own brother about this when Saka sides with Aang over whether or not to kill this man Katara says then you didn't love her the way I did revenge is something that can Cloud your judgment when your hatred is strong enough but regardless she felt that she had to face him even when you know there's absolutely no way they're gonna let Katara kill this man on Nickelodeon you're dying to see how she reacts when she finally comes face to face with the person that killed her mother Katara and Zuko eventually confront the leader aboard the Raiders ship and her hate is so powerful that she blood bends him without a second thought forcing him to the ground I remember this being an incredibly shocking moment when I first saw it as Katara used this ability she wants to test it solely for Revenge making her know better than Hama before her or jet though the leader isn't the man she's looking for they are pointed toward the correct man who retired a while back and lives with his mother she has him right where she wants him but she ultimately chooses not to kill him I mean of course she doesn't but it's the circumstances that really Elevate this scene and the episodes ending the man is pathetic offering up his own mother's life in exchange and Katara feels it best to just leave him be there was no need to succumb to the cycle of violence the biggest thing of note here is that she doesn't forgive him and I side with her completely Aang does of course have a point when he says it's hard to forgive but that it can be the first step to Healing in this circumstance however forgiveness really was impossible her forgiveness ends up going towards Zuko letting that bitterness finally wash away as thanks for allowing her to seek the closure she needed revenge is a complex thing to experience but living well really is the best revenge for all of these reasons the southern Raiders is one of my favorite episodes of the show as it deconstructs complicated feelings like Vengeance and forgiveness through the lens of someone who lost her whole world to the war and it's an episode I identify with to this day it's really hard to forgive and it's not something that can always come easily when you've been hurt so badly but if and when you feel the other person has earned it granting them forgiveness can allow you to leave behind those negative emotions and heal when it comes to Revenge there's one more thing I wanted to talk about Aang's Search for Oppa is perhaps one of the hardest arcs to get through in the entire show not because it's bad but because it's painful to watch the character that is the heart of the show lose his optimism and sense of self after Opera is carried away by sand Benders as the kids escape from the sinking Library Aang lashes out at everyone before searching for Oppa himself unfortunately the trail is cold instead turning his attention toward enacting revenge on the sandbenders that took Opera this is extremely unlike Aang but he is not about to lose the Bison he grew up with after facing such tragedy spawned from the war the devastation of nature the genocide of his people and towns struck with fear he is not about to fail or lose anyone else at one point Momo is carried away by a buzzard wasp and Aang chases after it with this Stone Cold look in his eyes even after he frees Momo he straight up kills the damn thing and walks away when confronting the people that stole oppa he loses it even when the sandbenders offered to escort the gang out of the desert Aang is unresponsive and everyone just flees the only person that remains in Aang's vicinity as he ascends into the air is Katara who brings him back down to earth with a single hug a hug that says so much with so little Beyond this Aang is closed off about oppa he doesn't want to ever feel how he did out in the desert it was as if he didn't want to feel anything at all as if the thought of it was too painful upon escorting a group of refugees through the Serpent's Pass however something happens that gives him the spark he needed to persist one of the refugees was a pregnant woman that was due to deliver her baby any second and that time comes just as they finish Crossing seeing them alive and well with a newborn baby having been successfully delivered Aang feels A Renewed sense of hope and that hope carries him into bossing say I don't want to sound like Katara in the Ember Island player's production when talking about Hope but hope is not exactly easy to maintain in circumstances as insurmountable as Aang's I mean he has to master all of the elements in less than a year otherwise there really won't be a world left to save there's so much weight on his shoulders for a goofy kid when someone as crucial to him as oppa goes missing I can understand why it'd feel like his world is crumbling around him that being said and again not to sound like a parody hope really is all you have in a situation like that it might be easier to avoid feeling hurt and it might seem foolish to maintain optimism but it really is the one thing that will keep you moving forward even if you have to search for that sense of hope the Search for Oppa does resolve but again I'm gonna hold off on talking about that for a bit as a final example of how the war has made everyone a victim let's look at firelord ozai's own brother iro the man is consistently the voice of wisdom and reason for Zuko throughout the show and he is always greeting people outside of the Fire Nation Army with a smile the war left him a changed man once the great General iro he failed to keep bossing say under siege and shortly after he found out that his son lieuten had died in the war after this Ira chose to travel with Zuko on his quest for the Avatar but chooses not to directly help Zuko obtain him instead when he acts he does so on behalf of the greater good at one point after Zhao has laid bare his plans for the fire nation's Siege of the North Pole iro makes it a point to tell him that history is not always kind to its subjects no doubt drawing that wisdom from his experience with the war and warning Zhao of what would happen if the Moon Spirit were to be killed and the moon removed from the sky I'll delve into some more of the wisdom he offers the show's main characters eventually but I wanted to highlight specifically how iro has made it a point to greet those in need with help and kindness something that victims of the war rarely see and how he was able to recognize that he was on the wrong side of History the episode titled the tales of bossing say features a compilation of miniature Adventures focusing on specific characters with one of them centering on iro greeting others with kindness as mentioned cheering up a crying baby with a little song of his or even helping someone that's trying to rob him believe in himself the segment ends at Sunset with iro climbing a hill to honor his deceased son's birthday and singing that same song from earlier I really don't think I need to say more [Music] this episode is emblematic of Avatar's ability to create wonderful bottle episodes that still provide some emotional fulfillment but specifically with iro's tale it sheds light on the fact that those with the biggest hearts often have been hurt the most iro inspires me to be that light in other people's lives there are many more little ways the show portrays War throughout its run time so much so that I originally wanted to Center this video solely around the consequences of War but I found so much of that intersects with the idea that the trajectory of the war is not predestined so many characters in this show are proof that people can change and that Destiny is something that you can decide for yourself so when I say that this show is about war I'm not just referring to the consequences of a battle between nations I'm also referring to the war within oneself throughout the show several characters grapple with the concept of Destiny with them eventually figuring out who they most want to be one of my favorite characters Toph bayfong is a great example she was born blind to the wealthiest family in the earth Kingdom being protected and supervised her whole life she discovered Earth bending from a badger mole in a cave when she was young and Badger moles are blind just like her this led to her developing her own style of Earth bending by feeling the vibrations in the Earth with her feet without sight her other senses are heightened contributing to this surprisingly precise style of Earth bending that is really fun to watch when Toff discovers Earth bending she does whatever she can to enjoy her passion her parents don't agree with her passion but she doesn't conform to their demands instead traveling the world and teaching Aang Earth bending from there she doesn't let anyone stand in her way with only shifting Sans and other non-earthy ground being obstacles for her but even those don't stop her for long at one point you and shin Fu capture Toff in a metal box but she eventually realizes that metal is just purified Earth a concept that happens to link with Aang's conversation with Guru patik Toff senses these small impurities in the metal and bends her way out of that box becoming the world's first metal bender she locks them in the box declaring herself to be the greatest earthbender in the world and stylishly darting off I love how this was built up throughout the show witnessing metal as this Unstoppable Force for earthbenders before Toff just figures it out thanks to her heightened senses and even continues to get better at it throughout book three not to mention Toff is just a really funny character that pokes fun at pretty much everyone in the show including herself she's proud of who she is able to be around Aang and the others we've discussed katara's struggles with Revenge but she also faces systemic sexism when meeting Aang's water bending Master as their Customs prohibit women from learning water bending for fighting this leads to a pretty awesome Clash of water bending Styles Katara picked up most of her water bending from practical experience a street style in a sense while paku had mastered traditional water bending over the course of his entire life it also serves as the first true Showcase of just how much katara's water bending has improved something that was gradually built up with each episode one of the show's finest and most creative fight scenes for how it demonstrates different applications for water bending as well as growth in Katara eventually paku finds katara's necklace on the ground a necklace he once gave to her grandmother in an arranged marriage she ran off on him and Katara mentions that her grandmother wasn't about to allow the tribe's Customs run her life leading to paku having a change of heart about teaching Katara this also happens to connect with the subplot involving Saka and princess yuei Saka despite being the so-called comic relief of the show most of his personality being crafted by Jack desena's voice acting and improvisation but he also grows quite a bit over the course of the show as he finds his place in the world becoming a strong lovable character in his own right initially he is the sexist cynical and immature loser but he soon learns to respect the kiyoshi Warriors after he completely embarrasses himself in their presence asking for forgiveness and apologizing and in particular winning Suki over with his genuine display of humility inspired by his dad Saka stepped up to defend his tribe when all the men went to war and he often proves himself to be a crafty Warrior like when the Fire Nation attacked the Northern Air Temple or when he goes ice dodging with Bato eventually he develops feelings for princess Yue who happens to be in an arranged marriage with someone she doesn't love just like Kana and paku ultimately she turns into the moon and fulfills her obligation to the Moon spirit Saka learns to move forward but when he reunites with Suki he can't bear the thought of losing her too being extraordinarily protective over her until Suki reminds him that she is completely capable the dude has experienced a lot of loss in his life and I can't really blame him for behaving this way that said any scenes with Suki in front of the Moon have a pretty hilarious Vibe about them in hindsight especially this one I wonder how UA feels about all this even after learning about The Darkest Day in Fire Nation history and preparing for battle Saka felt that he wasn't nearly as special as the rest of the gang bending is seen as a gift something that those lucky enough to be born with should cherish Saka pretty much just sees himself as the meat and sarcasm guy but in training with piendao he is recognized for his unorthodox manner of thinking and his ability to see what others cannot even if he isn't necessarily skilled he still demonstrates the talent that other Warriors do not have creativity and that is something that should truly be cherished in Toff Katara and Saka as well as various other characters the show often conveys that being true to yourself in spite of societal Norms is most important and it empathetically portrays issues that come with self-discovery and growing up most importantly of all it demonstrates that everyone has the capacity to change in the episode The Avatar and the fire lord Aang and Zuko separately learn about the connection between Avatar Roku and the man that started the war fire lord sozen as it turns out Roku and sozin were close friends but that friendship fell apart once sozin informed Roku of his plan to imperialize the rest of the world it was a nice glimpse into the world before the war as well as roku's life and journey as the avatar the point of this episode however as Ang puts it at the end is to demonstrate that anyone is capable of great good or great evil and that everyone should be treated as if they're worth giving a chance the heart of avatar The Last airbender's narrative is the duality in how it portrays Destiny through Ang and Zuko Aang's Ark is a coming-of-age story about a Carefree boy reluctantly accepting that Destiny assigned to him while still trying to maintain his own sense of self while Zuko's Arc stems from him figuring out how to deny a destiny someone else has forced him to pursue in both cases they have a responsibility to own up to but Zuko's decision to Veer away from that path and to follow the path of balance serves as the basis for one of the greatest Redemption stories ever told Aang and him are like yin and yang opposites but eternally connected let's go back to the iceberg Ang and Katara have some fun but a stumble into a grounded Fire Nation ship leads to them signaling their nearby location to the banished Prince Zuko after fighting him off Aang finally owns up to the fact that he is indeed the Avatar but he never wanted to be there is a moment of silence between characters here and that Melody I mentioned in the southern air Temple is first featured here as Katara aims to ease him into his responsibilities as the avatar over the next several episodes Aang faces the consequences of his decision to run away he observes the impact the war has had on the world this guilt and pressure keeps building until eventually he starts to have nightmares about his duty to the world meanwhile Zuko intends to capture the Avatar to clear his name and get himself unbanished but for reasons we do not fully understand although presented as a typical bad guy at first his uncle iro in the introduction of Zhao give us reason to root for him despite Zuko actively trying to capture our protagonist at first Zuko's purpose for this Quest isn't clear Beyond you know honor but in the episode The Storm the clouds begin to part so to speak against the backdrop of a terrible storm brewing Aang has nightmares about the pressure to live up to his Destiny as the avatar things come to a head when an old man blames him for the last century of war and suffering at the hands of the Fire Nation and Aang runs away once more at the same time Zuko casts aside the safety of his own crew in the face of the storm instead choosing to pursue Aang iro tells the crew the story of why Zuko is dead set on capturing the Avatar while Aang tells Katara the story of why he ran away from being the avatar the stories have strong parallels in how they have established Destinies they feel they must see through but while one must own up to their Destiny for the sake of the world and the greater good the other's Destiny was decided by his father when he spoke out against a heartless War plan marked by a scar on his face delivered to him by his father and he feels things will somehow improve once he brings Aang to him Aang feels tremendous guilt for turning his back on his people but also anger at the idea of having no control over being the Avatar and being torn away from his closest friend and guardian monkey otso it's hard not to empathize with every emotion Aang is feeling here Katara eventually reminds him that had he not run away he would have been killed along with the rest of his people with katara's mention of things being meant to be this way the episode touches on the notion of dwelling on how things could have gone differently there's no sense in trying to alter the past as the only thing that remains undecided is the future Aang eventually resolves to make the most of things while he is still alive and owns up to his role as the Avatar as the Avatar gives people hope at one point we witnessed flashbacks to Zuko's childhood and his longing for things to return to the way they once were Zuko continues to seek the Avatar as the Avatar gives him hope before the end of the episode Aang is able to save everyone from drowning amidst the storm while Zuko chooses to respect and save the lives of his crew members Ang and Zuko exchange a single look symbolizing their connection through their concurrent struggles with Destiny I love this moment and I love this episode The Following episode the blue Spirit has us really detesting zhao's selfish quest for political gain in capturing the Avatar which serves as the Catalyst for us to really start rooting for Zuko Aang is captured by the Yu Yen archers after Saka and Katara fall ill but a mysterious vigilante with a blue mask sets him free the point of this episode is to demonstrate the lengths that Zuko goes to in order to keep his hope alive literally once Aang realizes that Zuko is the blue Spirit he carries him off to safety and once he reawakens Aang has a brief heart to heart with him he contemplates whether or not they could have been friends had circumstances been different Zuko fire bends at him in response but it's clear that this did have some impact on him at one point he stares at the Fire Nation banner in his room before rolling over and going to sleep it's left ambiguous but I feel it gives us our first hint of reconsideration on Zuko's part it's not enough to Kindle the flame but it's the first Spark Zuko's journey to capture the Avatar reaches its climax in book 1 as he sneaks into the North Pole while it is under siege at zhao's command Zhao at this point has gone mad at the prospect of power he is a man consumed by pride and a representation of what Zuko could become if he lets his Chase for the Avatar consume him at this rate is the honor he seeks from his father worth restoring could that happiness ever actually return to him on top of that his uncle fully intended to confront Zhao in his decision to kill the moon spirit and Rob all waterbenders of their power which despite iro being right in doing so would lead to him becoming a fugitive and an enemy of the Fire Nation Zuko would no longer be beside the man that was more of a father to him than ozai with iro even telling Zuko that he sees him as his own son after losing lieuten iro has always been the voice of guidance and reason in Zuko's life and his constant race to capture the Avatar is making him lose sight of who he is Zuko successfully captures Aang while he is in the spirit world and his physical body is meditating but with no way out of the snowstorm he has nowhere to turn and he is swiftly defeated once the gang arrives to rescue Aang chooses to bring him along though feeling that he couldn't just leave him to die you'd think after this Zuko would respect what Aang has done for him and start listening to his uncle right he even receives a firm reminder of the man he could become when Zhao refuses to swallow his pride and lets the ocean swallow him whole Zuko has a lot to think about and he chooses not to gun it for Aang right away for now a man needs his rest this moment leaves book one on a hopeful note for Zuko's character until they introduce Zuko's sister Azula what can I really say about her that hasn't already been said as yet another foil to both Aang and Zuko Azula is a cold ruthless war machine that chases Perfection and stops at nothing to get it her friends are essentially scared into submission to work with her especially poor Ty Lee her Flames are blue not just to contrast Zuko's orange fire but also because the blue part of a flame Burns hottest she has some of my favorite lines in the entire show those lines demonstrating just how evil she is she is incapable of empathy with her own mother thinking she is a monster and that's what makes her such a tragic character but we'll talk more about that soon throughout Book 2 Zuko and iro are forced to live as refugees after Azula attempts to trick them into being welcomed home this time on the run from the Fire Nation allows Zuko to witness firsthand how the fire nation's imperialistic War has scarred people but it is still in such conflict with his objective of restoring his honor that he doesn't truly appreciate what he has seen iro still refrains from interfering with Zuko's journey of self-discovery at this point only continuing to give Zuko words of wisdom in the faint hope that he may absorb them iro knows that Zuko's source of Hope is the Avatar and seeing as they live out of caves and are surviving in the wild he attempts to inform him that there is no shame in poverty and that in these darkest times hope is something you give yourself Zuko sets off on his own after thinking about what iro said to him which is definitely not the response Ira wanted to hear but he still chooses not to interfere with his path as Zuko is still clearly not listening and in the attempt to sway him would be futile this leads us to one of the show's best episodes Zuko alone the episode is written and directed like a classic Kurosawa film as Zuko finds himself a lone warrior in a small town caught up in the midst of conflict in the beginning we see hints of Zuko's strong moral compass something that his sister lacks and that which has made him compelling thus far he makes crucial choices throughout this episode in spite of his hunger he elects not to rob the couple of their food he chooses not to rat out the kid that threw an egg at an earth Kingdom bully a group of which have been taking advantage of this small town for a while the story of his time with the kid and his family intersect with Tales of Zuko's past in which we see just how much Zuko is like his mother Ursa and how Azula has always had those Psychopathic Tendencies being more in line with her father Azula has no tact whatsoever in these flashbacks man even after it is announced that iro lost his son in the war she presents no sympathy and it's not like she's too young to understand what it means she finds it amusing she seemed to always be incapable of processing anyone's feelings other than hers on the other hand Zuko fails to impress both ozai and his grandfather azulon feeling as though he is a failure in comparison to his sister after iro lost his son and withdrew from the war ozai suggests revoking iro's Birthright as heir to the throne to which azulon punishes him with the sacrifice of ozai's firstborn Zuko naturally Azula tons zuka with this information before Ursa pulls her away just remember Azula always lies catching wind of this Ursa seemingly takes Zuko's place in this exchange although it is left intentionally ambiguous when she leaves only being revealed toward the end of the show azulon dies and ozai takes the throne without the only person in his life that ever showed him any lover affection from then on zuka was alone the kid whose name is Lee takes a liking to Zuko and looks up to him as he trains with the dual swords I always really liked how Zuko makes a point to mention that the swords are not separate but rather two halves of a whole weapon yin and yang one cannot exist without the other which reminds me of his and AG's parallel Journeys Lee fears for the fate of his brother after those Earth Kingdom soldiers inform the family of his battalion's capture drawing parallels to Zuko's reaction when he finds out that Luke 10 was killed and he entrusts Lee with the dagger Ira once gave him Lee stands up to those soldiers with that same dagger and Zuko feels obligated to help him I love the fight scene that follows in which Zuko makes an effort to conceal his fire bending fighting off these Soldiers with his swords and traditional martial arts unfortunately he can't keep up without his fire bending for long and we have one last flashback to the last words his mother said to him no matter how things may seem to change never forget who you are Zuko lets loose he fire bends at the last guy and announces who he truly is unfortunately that name carries with it a heavy weight a weight that will only be lifted once Zuko finds Redemption the family in the entire Village turned their backs on him and Zuko once again finds himself alone but this time we get the faint sense that he might have a firmer grasp on who he is and what he truly cares about following this is the episode The Chase in which the gang are relentlessly pursued by Azula May and Ty Lee to the point of sleep deprivation first of all Toff and iro of all people share an unexpectedly beautiful moment at this point iro is traveling without Zuko while Toph has run away from the group for reasons not terribly dissimilar to how Zuko is feeling throughout this episode Toff is adamant about not wanting anyone to worry about her and wanting to carry her own weight but iro from experience relays that there is nothing wrong with letting people who love you help you and that if his nephew ever needs him he'll be there after chatting about his nephew who he does not Name by the way Toff says that maybe he should tell him that he needs him too after this comes one of the best climaxes of any Avatar episode Aang successfully lures Azula out to this abandoned town before Ang and Azula fight Zuko steps in to fight Azula and of course capture the Avatar it's a wild three-way duel between each of them and this makes for some incredibly Dynamic and imaginative action involving all three characters but they don't just rely on these three people because Saka and Katara eventually catch up followed by Toff and then iro everyone is back together again and they all have Azula cornered and then Azula Burns iro Zuko is extremely distraught and even though Katara offers to help he doesn't trust anyone else he just wants to make it up to his uncle the parallels between Aang and Zuko continue in the episode bitter work while Aang is faced with his natural opposite as an airbender and needs to stand his ground in order to learn Earth bending Zuko's rage and lack of focus on who he truly is prevents him from learning how to bend lightning lightning bending is something that Azula and ozai both excel in whereas iro has invented a method of not shooting lightning at people but redirecting it with this technique Zuko is not only taught to draw wisdom from multiple places like the Avatar but he also is able to become a hard counter to his sister by not wielding lightning but allowing that Fierce energy to flow through and out of him I love the idea that Zuko learns not to use lightning as a weapon but as a metaphor for his own internal struggle and not letting that destructive energy destroy him instead letting it pass straight through iro naturally doesn't want to have Zuko practice with real lightning but Zuko instead searches for lightning himself screaming at the clouds to strike him as they always have before the clouds do not respond and Zuko breaks down Zuko continues to struggle with who he is as their adventures in bossings say carry on though iro and Zuko find stability in a tea shop in the lower ring Jet's reappearance serves as a grim reflection of who Zuko could become if he lets his hunt for the Avatar consume him much like how he reflects Katara in her desire for Revenge that is something he and Katara have in common along with the loss of both of their mothers at the hands of the Fire Nation in the tale of Zuko he actually rejects the idea of pursuing a relationship with this sweet girl named jyn part of it probably had to do with his previous relationship with may but I also think it had more to do with the fact that he didn't want to sweep her into everything still I love that Zuko tells his uncle that his date was nice in the end I can't help but wonder what things would be like if he actually did pursue a relationship with jyn see that's how much of an impact this episode left on me it has all of these short stories about each character that don't progress The Narrative at all but it still stands as one of the best episodes of the entire show for what the stories stand for in the context of each character including oppa right so APA is missing when Aang and friends arrive in bossing say and this does eventually link back to Zuko in a major way before everyone makes it to Lake Lau guy the episode up as lost days aired the episode is an emotional look at the trauma up experienced wall lost being swept up in an abusive circus trying to survive in the wild but even then small glimmers of Hope exist when the kiyoshi Warriors clean him up and set him free and he meets with Guru patik who attaches a letter for Aang to oppa's horn but just when you think things are looking up long Fang of the dilee intercepts oppa and keeps him locked away underneath Lake Lau guy while Aang is scattering Flyers around in the hopes that someone has seen oppa Zuko catches one and feels that he must find that bison at this point it is utterly painful to see Zuko Stray From the Path in front of him in iro his uncle is finally getting a tea shop and they're living a peaceful life in bossing say but Zuko still wants to stir up trouble he says he wants his Destiny but what he doesn't understand is that it doesn't have to mean what he thinks it means once again he dons the mask of the blue spirit and weasels his way underneath Lake Lau guy face to face with oppa but this time iro follows him leading to not just Mako iwamatsu's best vocal performance as the character but also one of the most crucial moments in the entire show not once has iro ever forced Zuko to do anything but this time he is the most persuasive he's ever been he confronts Zuko about his lack of thought when pursuing the Avatar and begs him to reconsider is it your own destiny Zuko or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you after being cornered by his uncle Zuko finally decides to let Opera Go free and he tosses his mask into the lake The diley's Conspiracy to control the government has been Unearthed and the Gang Now find themselves in combat with them just as they are quite literally boxed in Momo flies off into the sun with you know who emerging from its light oppa decimates them skipping longfang across the lake like a stone and spitting out his shoe so gratifying to witness after everything everyone has been through I miss you buddy that line always gets to me from here Zuko's actions are in such conflict with his image of himself that he falls ill having dreams that symbolize this conflict does he pursue what he's always wanted his honor his throne the love of his father or does he enjoy the quaint peaceful lifestyle that he and his uncle have built when you've fought for so long for one thing thinking that it's what you were meant to do it can be hard to deny it at one point he dreams he is going to wash his face and look in the mirror but it turns out he looks like Aang as his nature is so much like aangs but this so-called Destiny he keeps pursuing is so unlike who he truly is on the inside ultimately he awakens happy to help his uncle with his tea shop even smiling as he does so it seems like Zuko has finally come out the other side of his internal conflict meanwhile everyone goes their separate ways after proving The diley's Conspiracy to the earth king and goes to train with Guru patik Saka goes to see his father Toff gets a letter from her parents everything seems to be hunky-dory right before we get into what is quite possibly one of the greatest season finales of all time I want to talk about the episode The Guru the penultimate episode of book two Guru patique helps Aang to open his chakras so that he may gain full control over the Avatar State and enter it at will because up until now he can only enter the Avatar State when he was extremely angry or in terrible danger Guru patik's guidance allows Aang to accept all that has happened to him although it takes Liberties on the chakras to present Aang's Journey the episode is not only an authentic exploration of the chakras and how they can become blocked but also a very meditative and cleansing episode that allows Aang to properly heal from everything that he has dealt with I find myself emotionally invested in angst training as it lays everything out in front of him he surrenders his fears of defeat and losing those closest to him he accepts his guilt and forgives himself for leaving his people behind he allows his grief to flow through him accepting the loss of his people and letting go of the past this episode really puts in perspective just how far Aang has come in accepting his Destiny and letting go a journey with details that that run parallel to how we so desperately wish for Zuko to break free of his past as well and determine his own destiny the stakes rise throughout this episode all leading into the season finale Azula May and Tyler are undercover as the kiyoshi Warriors and they learn about the invasion plan from the earth king Azula overthrows the government and the dilee in one Fell Swoop Zuko and iro are met by Azula and Zuko once again feels he must confront her iro joins team Avatar in order to find his nephew who pretty much immediately gets destroyed by Azula Aang and iro discuss Ang's decision to leave his training and lock the Avatar state in order to save Katara to which iro says that he thinks Aang is wise for choosing happiness over power there's no guarantee of what might happen as a result of his decision but iro Likens life to the dark tunnel they find themselves in if you just keep going you will find yourself in a better place iro's words set the tone for this final sequence Zuko and Katara share a moment together in which they realize both of them have been scarred by the Fire Nation but they are interrupted by Ang and Azula while we were watching the show recently I could hear my friends saying don't do it Zuko though we might think he has finally realized what is important Azula tempts him with an immediate path to his honor his father's love and everything he thought he'd always wanted if he were to team up with her and fight the avatar he is at the most important Crossroad and he needs to choose his Destiny there's a moment where Zuko looks at Azula and then turns his attention to Aang and he makes his choice it hurts every time not only is the setting of The Crystal catacombs one of the most beautiful in the entire show but watching Zuko use these fire whips to attack Aang meanwhile Katara clashes with Zuko over his decision while countering his whips with her octopus form everything about this finale is perfectly executed just when you think Zuko is about to turn over a new Leaf he is tempted by Honor and his so-called Destiny he does feel remorse for his choice to betray his uncle at the end of the episode dangling hope over our heads once more and consoling us after what happens to Aang Aang realizes he is outmatched and chooses to let go of Katara in order to go into the Avatar State it's worth mentioning that in the season premiere Roku informed Aang that if he were to die in the Avatar State the Avatar cycle would cease leaving the world without navitar to save it so he enters the Avatar State everything seems fine and then Azula electrocutes him and kills him thankfully that Spirit water from the beginning of the Season came in handy but with this the Earth Kingdom has fallen and the whole world thinks the Avatar is no more man what a great finale a painful one to be sure but a great one nonetheless but what was even more painful was the wait for book 3's Premiere The Crossroads of Destiny aired in December of 2006. while book 3 wouldn't air until September 2007. book 3 deals primarily with Redemption and healing after failure and loss Aang feels he needs to redeem himself after failing the Earth Kingdom and the people of the world that hoped he would save them he feels anger at the prospect of people putting their lives on the line as a result of his failures eventually he accepts that he must remain hidden so that everyone can live to fight when they need to most the day of black Sun this is the day that everyone has been preparing for The Darkest Day in Fire Nation history is back again and without fire bending it seems like a Surefire Victory Saka has been preparing for this day pretty much his whole life everyone across the entire series comes to assist in The Invasion Aang experienced severe anxiety before The Invasion being unable to sleep properly having nightmares in some wild Daydreams love that episode just for the absurdity of it eventually Aang is ready to set off to confront the fire lord in the event that he doesn't make it back he says goodbye to Katara in a pretty major way and flies off but they knew Azula heard about it from the earth king and the fire lord is taking refuge in a secret bunker this is the episode where I think I hated Azula the most not just because she orchestrated a contingency plan for the invasion but also because she has the audacity to taunt Saka with Suki's imprisonment after the kiyoshi warriors were defeated just to buy the fire lord time the episode though wonderful and exciting also hurts as Aang feels he has failed once again Aang announces to the adults that are staying behind to surrender as War prisoners that he will make it up to them no matter how many times he fails he keeps going through that dark tunnel in the hope of finding the light and as with every major failure our main characters face in the series comes a spark of hope even though the Avatar is still alive after Zuko is welcomed back into the Fire Nation whether or not the Avatar was captured has no bearing on Zuko's realization that everything he thought he'd wanted wasn't what he wanted after all he attempts to seek guidance from his uncle but iro is cold and unresponsive after Zuko's betrayal once again letting Zuko figure things out himself the episode the beach is not your average Beach episode as its objective is to have Zuko revisit a destination from his childhood and sort out his remorse he looks over the portraits in memorabilia from back then and we have this single shot of Zuko putting his hand over his baby handprint a shot that I perceived as Zuko finally learning to let go of the past that would never return he lays everything out for everyone over the fire and determines that even after his father resumes speaking with him and he has everything a prince could want he is angry at himself for not knowing between right and wrong when he attends his dad's War meeting before the day of black sun he describes himself as the perfect Prince but he wasn't himself during the solar eclipse Zuko finally confronts his father he deconstructs the cruelty of what his father did to him and how the path he sent him on was never Zuko's own he relays his true feelings on the fire nation's imperialistic War calling their teachings of their desire to share their power with the world an amazing lie Avatar has a lot of real world parallels in its fictitious depiction of war and I particularly identify with Zuko's acknowledgment of the world's hatred of the Fire Nation iro's words come to mind history is not always kind to its subjects many developed countries with formal militaries have done some pretty awful things and War colonization and imperialism have made the entire world a victim but it's not like Zuko hates his nation and wants to abandon it he wants to replace the fear the nation created with peace and kindness he strives for change clearly his uncle has been getting to him he sets off to join the Avatar and when ozai encourages Zuko to kill him Zuko says that defeating him is the Avatar's Destiny and that he knows his own only this time when Zuko says that you can feel the truth and certainty in his words even though ozai buys time for the eclipse to end by informing Zuko that his mother is indeed still alive he uses the subsiding of the eclipse to shoot lightning at Zuko who redirects it and runs off ozai's own brother passed the technique on dezuko who would then pass it on to the avatar he let that anger flow through him and then he let it go this speech marks the completion of Zuko's transformation deconstructing The Core themes of the show in front of the main antagonist all the while instilling hope in an otherwise Bleak and failed invasion with zuku on board Aang has a fire bending teacher and the world is one step closer to balance Aang and Zuko are going to seek Redemption together this wouldn't be an easy process Zuko still had loose ends to tie up he needed to apologize and demonstrate remorse as well as get rid of that assassin he sent after Aang yeah combustion man was Zuko's doing when he was confused enough to think he wanted the Avatar's demise insured as an aside combustion man's mute personality and whole gimmick are both awesome making him one of the most intimidating villains with his ambiguity being his greatest aspect how did he become what he is an accident did it happen at Birth personally I love the fact that we never find out Zuko acknowledges the hurt that he's caused the gang and apologizes to Toff for accidentally burning her feet he is learning to control his fire bending and intern his anger so that he doesn't hurt the people he cares about in the episode The deserter Aang learned the exact same thing from zhangjong when he accidentally burned Katara and remembering this he accepted Zuko as his firebending teacher finally yin and yang have come together the flame of Hope has been ignited and balance is on the way to being restored following this Zuko recalls something his uncle once told him about Destiny if he keeps an open mind and heart then he'd find his own destiny someday it seems those words have sunk in as he now knows who he wants to be [Music] from here Zuko pays for his past transgressions through assisting everyone in completing their own personal Journeys he helps Aang discover the true source of fire bending he helps Saka redeem himself by rescuing Suki and his father from The Boiling Rock and he even helps Katara work through her feelings of hatred and desire for Revenge Zuko lets down his walls on multiple occasions and allows himself to be a normal teenager like the rest of the gang in helping everyone in bonding with them he has an opportunity to help himself and find Redemption sometimes helping others is the best way to help yourself I don't think I need to say this everyone knows it everyone has said it already but I'll say it anyway Zuko is one of the greatest characters ever conceived for television his journey directly parallels and complements Aang's Journey while Aang owns up to his Destiny after initially being reluctant Zuko denies a destiny decided for him all the while they both eventually figure out how to stay true to who they are just as Ang's people and Zuko's mother and Uncle always hoped and they atoned for both of their past failings and heal the two of them create balance and serve as a vehicle for the show's three primary themes they deliver the impact and consequences of war the notion of being able to choose your own path and the possibility of redemption but most of all they give people hope each of them follow the hero's journey archetype but the presentation of their Journey's Duality is what makes avatar The Last Airbender such a brilliant and fulfilling experience it's worth mentioning that after the day of black Sun Avatar went off the air for another seven months this means that immediately after Zuko confronted his father the show went on another break the episodes the Western Air Temple and the firebending Masters did air over the following weeks here in Canada but it was still brutal having to wait that's because the team were cooking up an explosive series finale one that took much longer than anticipated eventually Mike and Brian premiered a trailer for the second half of the show at New York Comic-Con and Nickelodeon scheduled a new episode every day in an event they called the countdown to the comet even though I am Canadian I was visiting family in America during one of our annual summer trips and I was actually able to watch this finale along with everyone else in the country as it aired I remember watching that finale in awe of what I was witnessing it was legendary not only did everyone on the team want the finale to have the best animation and visuals in the show feeling almost as though it were a theatrical film and scope and quality the show's composers Jeremy Zuckerman and Benjamin Nguyen felt that they needed live strings in order to respectfully score the episode in the manner it deserved they apparently sent an email which was received by the president of Nickelodeon at the time and he gave them his Blessing immediately sozen's comment premiered for the cast and crew of the show first at the Paramount Theater in Los Angeles in which everyone was moved by its quality the thing that I remember most was that my wife just kept squeezing my hand tighter tighter tighter Tighter and she looked over me and said this is the best thing that you've ever been a part of [Music] sozen's comment is the culmination of all of the series crucial themes and lingering stories set against the backdrop of Ang's dilemma over whether or not he can follow through and kill the fire lord Saka and Toff attempt to take down the fire Lord's Airship Fleet iro and the White Lotus take back bossing say and Zuko and Katara confront Azula as her mental stability Slips Away first of all azula's reign of terror over her closest friends ends during saka's mission of the boiling Rock May's love for Zuko overpowers that fear of Azula and despite everything Zuko's done she is proud of the person he's become following this Azula begins to lose her grip she attacks team Avatar at the Western Air Temple and you can hear in Gray delisle's performance that Azula is slipping she starts banishing her servants for minor often comical Grievances and she begins hallucinating about her mother at this point you begin to feel pity for Azula ever since she was young her mother thought she was a monster if Zuko turned out alright maybe Azula could have been saved too and that's just the line of thinking that this finale wants you to continue on azula's deterioration and that sense of pity you're meant to feel directly parallels Aang's feelings over whether or not he can really take ozai's life his past lives offer him wisdom that all Point towards acting on behalf of the world sacrificing his own values and character in the process this Duality makes for an excellent setup while you do not pity ozai you do want Aang to bring a peaceful end to the war somehow it just feels right to end that cycle of violence meanwhile you once didn't pity Azula but it now pains you to see her mental state deteriorate one of the show's most profound messages is that everyone should be treated as if they are worth giving a chance and we can see that on full display here Zuko even displays some of iro's wisdom when Aang storms off to figure things out Katara tries to run after him but Zuko tells her that he needs some time to sort it out by himself drawing from personal experience with his uncle a nice way to come full circle speaking of his uncle it's been a while hasn't it iro broke out of prison on the day of black Sun reuniting with the White Lotus though he and Zuko weren't on speaking terms Zuko so desperately wants his uncle to forgive him for what he's done we've seen Zuko both redeem himself and find his way and his apology to his uncle is one of the most heartfelt emotionally resonant moments in the entire series iro is so proud to see Zuko has found his way providing us with a conclusion befitting of Zuko's incredible growth as the comet arrives tsuki mentions that it looks beautiful and that it does for it being the symbol of such violence and being the source of power to the scourge of the world it does make for some of my favorite lighting and color palettes in the entire show from a technical perspective sozen's comet is without a doubt one of the greatest achievements in Western television animation Zuko and azula's final agnikai have these dazzling fire effects that are heightened thanks to the power of the Comet above them the scale of the Flames dancing with one another is Illustrated in a brief shot where they pull away from the sight of their battle and you can see just how tall they really are Zuko not only casts aside his sister's fire but he daringly confronts it he stands his ground and doesn't falter standing to the side of that blazing Inferno and sending it right back at her Zuko's fire bending has this elegant sense of control for once whereas azulas is violent chaotic and unhinged Ang and ozai's battle contains gorgeously directed action with these wide panning shots to emphasize the scale of their bending as they track one another amidst the spiers and close brutal choreography so that viewers can feel the weight of every blow no matter how big or small they might be there are so many angles edited together in a steady display of stunning animation the fire effects here are once again massive and hypnotizing pretty much engulfing and swallowing Aang as he desperately tries to defend himself at one point he is forced to catch ozai's lightning and he redirects it he almost fires it back at ozai which would kill him and ozai looks on with this expression of shock not just because Aang is about to kill him but also because I think he realized that the technique his brother developed has been passed down to the Avatar and casting aside the nature of those people in his family has finally caught up with him and the scale of saka's Mission to take down the Airship Fleet is incredible to witness Toff metal bends herself a suit of armor and absolutely demolishes a crew at one point and at another Point she metal bends the Rudders of a ship to Swerve into another ship they hop from one ship to another until there's nowhere left to go with Saka having an injured leg and Toff hanging onto his fingertips I love watching Saka fight to his very last breath Saka demonstrates such courage here Toph demonstrates once again that she is the greatest earthbender in the world and tsuki swoops in at the last second after being separated from them to save the day I would be sorely remiss not to talk about the score for this finale the decision to incorporate live strings paired with the traditional instrumentation evocative of the setting really heightens the drama and emotional intensity of this finale especially when Zuko and Azula are facing off making you feel just how sad their duel truly is Azula is beyond saving and Zuko is about to finally put her down after everything she's done to him unfortunately Azula plays dirty and betrays the rules of the agnikai to attack Katara Zuko runs in to catch the blow being severely electrocuted in the process it's fitting that Azula would do this but it's also equally fitting that Katara would be able to honor and repay Zuko by outsmarting Azula and restraining her leading to this tragic performance by gray DeLisle as Azula completely loses it a detail that also links Zuko's flight to aangs are Azula and Zuko's complementary colored fire bending a direct parallel to Aang and ozai after Aang attempts to energy Bend him Angus struck in the exact spot that Azula shot him unlocking his final chakra and allowing him to go into the Avatar State and Rush ozai down the power of His bending is unprecedented here with some of the most elaborate choreography violent Concepts and mesmerizing animation the series has ever seen so many great shots that emphasize the speed at which Aang is moving and the aggression in his attacks at one point he airbends so hard that he blows the center of a massive Spire to pieces and then just as he is about to deliver the final blow he hesitates ozai tries to take advantage of this but Aang just does this awesome back turned kick to deflect ozai's blow and then we have this rotational shot to convey all of the action and Aang subduing ozai before Aang finally begins to bend the energy within himself and ozai that parallel I mentioned the complementary colors blue and orange completely fill the screen as a visual representation of the battle between Redemption and Corruption light and dark yin and yang both Aang and Zuko once struggled with this and to watch this unfold with very few words and the most powerful rendition of the lead Avatar Melody we've ever heard it evokes this instinctual reaction according to Brian konyetsko the scene was difficult to realize but it is a very simple visual of two colors clashing against one another with one eventually overpowering the other despite feeling like he's failed Aang has finally overcome everything he grappled with throughout the show and finally he has returned light to a devastated world balance has been restored I don't think I can ever make it through the end of this show without uh tear bending it's not just the pretty colors in the sky and the atmosphere of peace in these final moments between our main characters or the beginning of Aang and katara's relationship accompanied by that familiar Kalimba Melody launching into a sweeping Orchestra it's the feeling that in spite of everything this team led by two guys with a passion for storytelling managed to tell such a gripping narrative full of powerful themes and create such a vivid world to complement those themes if you think about it this shell was born from the minds of people who are just huge fans of Animation like you and me their journey in creating this show is a living symbol that anyone has the capacity to leave an impact on the world a tale portrayed in The Duality of Ang and Zuko's Journeys and I think that's why I find myself revisiting it so often do I love avatar The Last Airbender because I grew up with it and therefore I find it to be a formative show for me yeah I think that's a huge part of it I won't deny that but I think when I first watched it especially considering how young I was at the time about eight or nine years old it was the first time I realized that a show like this could be born from the mind of an ordinary person a concept that I could not comprehend before then and as I've grown up I've only learned to appreciate that fact more every time I watch Avatar I appreciate its themes and characters more and more I appreciate its animation and execution more and more it almost seems unreal sometimes that a show like this exists but it truly was born from just a bunch of creative people that wanted to tell a great story that resonates and if anyone can do that then maybe I can too this show gives me hope both in the story it tells and the fact that it happened to begin with for so long I felt like I didn't have a voice in making videos over these past several years I've found my voice and people have started to hear what I have to say it may be in a completely different form that stems from the work of other people but I like to think that there is some value in what I'm saying if I've made it this far I've made my own path and ever since I've started work on this video I've gained the confidence to dive into creating something that I can call my own because I know I can have an impact on people now if you're having a hard time finding your place in an increasingly creatively stifling world please fight to have your voice be heard fight to see your vision through to the end and carve your own path believe in it because even though Avatar gives me hope in your darkest times hope is something that you give yourself in the end I know that Destiny will be your friend just as it was to team Avatar and it was to me I've been Liam Triforce thanks for watching [Music] foreign foreign

Channel: Liam Triforce

Views: 241,131

Keywords: avatar, avatar the last airbender, atla, avatar the legend of aang, nickelodeon, retrospective, video essay, review, analysis, critique, zuko, aang, sokka, katara, toph, iroh, liam triforce

Id: HdK0wqIF0ls

Length: 90min 15sec (5415 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 18 2023