The Entire Life of Avatar Roku (Avatar TLAB Explained)

Avatar Roku was the Avatar before Aang he taught Aang a lot but actually had a very interesting story of his own his story goes beyond the original series expanding in videogames books the sequel series and so on all of that information can be overwhelming so in this video I'm going to take a look at his character and go through all mediums that he appeared in as I explained the entire life of Avatar Roku and break his character down [Music] Roku was born in the fire nation continuing the Avatar lifecycle as the Avatar before him avatar Kyoshi was an earthbender in his youth he was a cheerful young man who wore his heart on his sleeve he easily befriended people around him because of his welcoming personality at an early age he became friends with Susan who was the Prince of the Fire Nation the two were best friends and shared many things like toys advice and even a birthday every year they had a conjoined birthday party which was a very big deal as Susan was the prince Roku never saw souls in the way that others saw him all he saw was the friend that he had always known and grown up with Roku lived in Susan's shadow most of his early life Roku wasn't anything special growing up in fact he was a bit of a nobody he could not talk to girls he wasn't very good at fighting so wasn't taking him down almost every time and he tended to be clumsy and embarrass himself something that Susan tried to help him with by catching him when he fell throwing their 16th birthday celebration sozin once again caught Roku when he tripped looking at the girl he liked Tom in the events that took place at that party would change Roku's life forever when the fire sages came up to him and sozin at first the two thought that they were there for Susan but instead they were there to announce that Roku was the next avatar he was shocked and went from being a nobody to one of the most respected people in the world everyone bowed down to him and so's in his best friend who had always been a superior was the last about Roku was no longer in socin shadow for the first time Susan was in his Roku knew that he had to leave the Fire Nation and face his destiny as the avatar in order to learn the other three elements he had to travel the world Roku started to pack his things but was interrupted by the fire sages who had told him that there was no need as he would not have any worldly possessions anymore everything was changing and Roku was overwhelmed he felt as though everything was happening too fast before Roku laughed he had one last meeting with his best friend when Roku told him about not having any worldly possessions sozin took off his headpiece that indicated he was royalty while handing it to him sozin told him that he hoped that he could at least keep that Roku treasured that had peace for the rest of his life a token from his longtime friend and wore it every day that he lived Roku began his avatar journey by first going to the southern air temple airbending there he met gyatsu he would later go on to train Roku in his next life training Aang the two fooled around during lessons but when it came down to it Roku took his training very seriously he learned how to air glide and even made up some new moves like some resulting in the air to learn waterbending Roku went to the Northern Water Tribe every avatar struggles with the element that's the opposite of there's the opposite of firebending was waterbending so Roku struggled with this element the most well there Roku grew a beard that was common with water benders and immersed himself into the culture to help him better master and understand their element he eventually mastered it and was so good that he was able to send his teacher flying into the Northern Water Tribe Center City after mastering fire air and water Roku had to master his fourth and final element earthbending he went to the earth Kingdom and there he met his teacher master sud Roku described Sud as being uncompromising stubborn and blunt but he ultimately became a lifelong friend of Roku's by the end of Roku's training with sud he was able to beat him up a mountain while surfing on rocks Roku went through eleven years of training to realize his full potential when bending all four elements he said that it was better work but said that it was well worth it by the end of his training he was very powerful however he still needed to master the Avatar state and become one with the spirit world the fire sages helped the Roku master this specifically the fire sage causa Roku struggled to clear his mind and eventually got frustrated after five months of training he said that he had not gotten any closer to mastering the Avatar state he was impatient and because of this decided to use the winter solstice Sun to help him it worked and it helped him get into the Avatar state but he did not know how to control himself he blew the roof off of the temple and was stuck in the state Roku became frantic when he could see his body but could not control it luckily Casa whoo Roku admitted was wiser than him got him out of it afterwards cosmic old Roku that he had to rebuild the temple and then they would continue was avatar state training Roku did just that and actually called the temple as home for a while he built secret passageways using magma from the volcano below it there was also a statue built of Roku in the room where the winter solstice Sun hits when the Sun hit it during the Solstice his eyes would light up just like he was in the Avatar State Roku eventually mastered the Avatar state and was able to talk to his past lives for guidance who eventually became one with the spirit world as well and was able to fulfill his duty as the bridge between man and spirit Roku finally returned home to the Fire Nation after 11 years of bending training and one year of spirit world in Avatar state training he was at last reunited with his old friend for the first time in 12 years sozin was now the Fire Lord and when Roku approached him he told him his subjects usually bowed before him but that he was the exception the two hugged and even after all those years apart sozin was still broke whose best friend while Roku was back in the Fire Nation he was reunited with his childhood crush Tom in back in the day she barely knew that he was alive but when he got back Roku was persistent and he ended up winning her over when they got together Roku believed that the two found each other because his love for her was so real he also jokingly added that being the avatar did not hurt his chances either after dating for a while Roku asked her to marry him and she said yes Roku then asked his longtime friend Susan to be his best man and he too accepted after the ceremony sozin asked Tom man if he could borrow Roku here sozin commented on how much power they would have if they teamed up and said it was destined to happen he told Roku that the Fire Nation should take over and expand their prosperity to make the world an empire ruled by the Fire Nation Roku's job as the avatar was to keep peace between all four nations and he was forced to shut his friend down saying that the Four Nations were meant to stay equal and separate Roku left saying that that was the last he wanted to hear about it Roku believed that this was his first real test as the avatar and it was very difficult Susan had been his friend since the beginning and he wanted to keep it that way he still wore the headpiece that sozin had given him before he laughed and Roku cherished it even after all those years so shutting him down was very difficult especially when Susan wanted them to fight side by side as they had always dreamed of his kids Roku continued to travel the world now accompanied by his wife Tom men he fulfilled his avatar duties both in the spirit world and in the mortal world Tom men eventually stopped traveling with him when the two had a daughter that they named Rena the three lived on an island a hundred miles away from the Fire Nation capital and the island would later be named Roku's Island named after Roku himself Tommen and Rena stayed there full time while Roku continued to travel the world where he was needed but during his downtime he stayed on the island with his family one day Roku found a dragon egg but its parents were nowhere to be found Roku decided to raise the young dragon as his own and named it Fang the two were inseparable and Fang became his friendly and loyal steed one day many years after his conversation with his old friend Susan Roku discovered that despite his warning sozin had gone along with his plans of domination first taking over land in the earth Kingdom he formed Fire Nation colonies in the earth Kingdom such as you Dao a colony that comes out much later in the series while suka was Fire Lord Roku was furious about this and went to confront so sim sozin was immediately angry at how Roku addressed him as he was the Fire Lord and demanded respect Chozen called Roku a trader and Roku begged his old friend not to challenge him Roku told his friend that it was over and as he walked away sozin tried to hit Roku with a cheap shot giving him everything he had a blow that could have and should have killed Roku had he not been the Avatar Roku realizing that the friend Ian once known was gone and took him down and went into the Avatar State he destroyed the palace that they were in and had sozin dead to rights Susan was not the friend that Roku had wants known he was now a different malicious evil and selfish person Roku knew that he should have taken him down once and for all and had it been anyone else he would have he however spared him in the name of their past friendship he was blinded by his past and what he wanted to believe was still inside his old friend that he was still the young and friendly boy he had grown up with Roku knew that if he did not kill Susan he still had to ensure the safety and peace for the rest of the world he told sozin that if he had a single step out of line that he would end him for good the threat worked and sozin obeyed Roku the two did not see or speak to each other for 25 years after that Roku continued his life with Tom men and continued to fulfill his duties as the avatar in his old age he was spending much more time in his home but at this point his daughter Rena had gotten old enough to move out and start her own life in the Fire Nation one night while Roku and Tom men were staying in their home the volcano on their Island erupted as they rushed out of their house Roku dropped a headpiece that had been given to him by sozin Roku got saman and the other civilians that lived on the island to safety and tried to save their homes and the island the eruption was huge no one in the Fire Nation had ever seen anything like it Roku battled the volcano using all four elements and was winning but his success did not last long who knew that there was no way he could do it all while he thought he could barely breathe the poisonous volcanic gasses were overwhelming his dragon Fang tried to come to his rescue but Roku told him to leave as he went into the Avatar state he was able to stop the volcano from destroying everything on the island but seconds later another one right next to it erupted it as well Roku did not have much fight left in him and his face showed true exhaustion disappointment and fear just then Susan came to his rescue riding on his own dragon and Roku had hope again he could not believe that his friend whom he had not seen for 25 years was there to help him it was just like the good old days he no longer saw the sadistic Fire Lord but once again saw his friend that he had known all those years ago when they were young the two worked together to stop the eruption and Roku even saved Susan's life before he fell off the cliff as they were fleeing however Roku got hit full in the face with a toxic gas and it was more than his old body could handle he fell to the ground and reached out his hand to his old friend for help Roku was shocked and disappointed when Susan told him that without Roku around all his plans were finally possible Roku was left there to die as sozin flew away on his dragon Roku was knelt on the ground all alone until Fang came down to his master and the two were engulfed by the island's after everything on the island had settled Roku's daughter rena went to visit the site where her father had died there she found the headpiece that sozin a given to Roku which he wore all of his life Rena kept it safe at home where she raised her daughter and Roku's granddaughter Ursa when sozin's son fire lord azulon came to Riina's house with his own son prince Ozai they informed Serena and her husband jin-suk that OSA was going to propose to Ursa Rena took out her father's headpiece and cried waiting for her daughter to come home she knew what that family was capable of and knew that they could have saved her father from a horrid and painful death tears fell as she held the headpiece knowing that her daughter would be forced to become a part of that awful family grow goos headpiece would eventually find its way to Iroh and during the events of the last airbender series he gave it to Roku's great-grandson and Zuko even though Roku died this was not the end of his story or his legacy he continued to live on through the avatars after him Roku uses dragon Fang in the spirit world to contact Aang and was later able to warn Aang about sozin's comet who informed him how his old friend had used to comment 100 years prior to fill out the plan to get let Roku died for so that the Fire Nation could expand and conquer Susan's grandson Ozai now plan to use the same comet 100 years later to finish the war that sozin had started after Roku's death Roku then gave adding the mission that would define the last airbender series to master all four elements and defeat the Fire Lord before the comet arrived after that Roku took over ank's body to get him out of a fight with Zuko Chou and the fire sages and showed his true power by destroying the temple that he had once called his home he later appeared not to Aang but to Zhang Zhang the deserter to scare him into teaching eang firebending during egg's journey Roku became a mentor and spiritual guide giving him information or advice when he was lost or did not know what to do during the siege of the Northern Water Tribe he told Aang in the spirit world to find Co to learn about the ocean and Moon spirits to help them stop the fire nations attack he also taught him about the Avatar state how it worked and how he could use his past lives including Roku himself to help him on his journey when Aang gave up after he was almost killed in Ba Sing se Roku appeared to him saying that he did not fail Roku then admitted that if there was anyone to blame for the state of the world it was himself referring to his weakness when it came to sparing his old friend Susan he told Aang that he inherited his problems and his mistakes he then told Aang that he was destined to redeem him and save the world later on Roku showed Angus life and the mistakes he made with Susan to help Aang better understand how the war started and why he needed to end it even though Roku was a mentor for Aang the two had some disagreements about morals and what was right versus what was wrong when Aang needed advice on what to do about Fire Lord Ozai Roku said that he should kill him he explained it in his life he tried to be disciplined and show restraint but said that it all backfired starting the war that Aang was now fighting and however was set on not killing Ozai and ultimately did not listen to Roku finding another way by taking Ozai spending he and hanging butted heads again about a year after the war ended Aang was once again faced with taking another Fire Lord down but this time it was Sukho who as I said was actually Roku's great-grandson as his granddaughter Ursa had Zuko and Azula with Ozai had promised to go that if he started to become a threat that Aang needed to take his life and that they had come he called on Roku using his necklace and roku said that even though the war was over the world was still not at peace roku apologized to aang saying that he was still dealing with the consequences of his own indecisiveness Roku felt very strongly than anxious fulfill his promise saying that his great-grandson was in his clearest moment when he asked Aang to make that promise Roku pointed out that this was the exact same situation that he was in all those years ago but this time Aang was Roku and Zuko was so sim who was actually Zuko's other great-grandfather this time on his father's side Roku saw the parallels and it scared him he mentioned how so many died because he let his friend go and told Aang not to make the same mistake when Aengus Roku if he regretted not killing so sin Roku immediately said yes without hesitation Aang was a little shocked and said that sozin was his friend and Roku responded saying that he was more than just a friend but a brother but because of his brother the world burned and of course disagreed with all of this but Roku said to use his knowledge and remember that when you're in a position of power you must put the needs of the world before your own when Ann came face to face with Zuko he almost did what Roku had told him to do but restrained himself at the last minute when a war was about to start because of Zuko and called on Roku again using his necklace and Roku once again sad to fulfill the promise and kill Zuko when Aang said that it was not the air nation way roku said that the avatar has to put the world above his own nation his own friends and even his own family saying that it pained him to advocate for the death of his great grandson but said that it had to be done when Angus Roku how he could be so cruel as to kill his own family Roku said it was because it's the avatars duty and in order for Aang to succeed where he failed he must advocate to put the world above all else Roku left him with the words saying contemplate the world hang was once again able to stop the conflict without killing refusing to listen to Roku after everything had calmed down and Aang was in Ba Sing se he called on Roku again using his necklace and he told him that he wasn't like him but Roku responded saying that they were the same person and he was disgusted that Roku had said to kill his own great-grandson and said that when he told him to contemplate the world he saw all of his loved ones and allies including Zuko Roku shot back saying that by not killing Zuko he put the world at risk but Aang said it was a new world and thanks Roku for everything he had taught him and said that he would not be the avatar he was today without him but finished by saying that he had to figure the rest out on his own Aang said goodbye and Roku reached out desperately calling for him as he blew away into dust and cried as he snapped the necklace and burned it cutting off his connection with Roku by doing this and not only caught Roku off but all of his past lives as well later on however Aang made a new necklace and was reunited with Rocio while Aang tried to explain himself for cutting him off Roku just put his arms down and the two hugged as they hugged and told Roku that he missed him so much Roku then explained that Aang's past lives only advised based on their own triumphs and failures but it's the current avatars job to find balance not just between the spirits and humans but between the past and present avatars the two patching things up mended Aang's connection with the other past avatars as well after Aang passed away Roku was there to help the next avatar Korra he stood with and the other past avatars after she lost her bending gang helped her get into the Avatar State for the first time and Roku and all the other past avatars entered the Avatar state as well restoring korra's bending Roku's and finally came when raava the spirit that linked the past avatars was killed severing chorus and all future avatars connection with their past lives Avatar Roku was very powerful and he was very different from Aang he made a lot of mistakes that he regretted but becoming Aang's mentor was the best thing that ever happened to him because he had Angra deem his mistakes thank you so much for watching guys you can follow me on social media links for that will be down below if you like this video make sure you press that subscribe button to help grow the channel I want to give a huge shout out to all my patrons listed below if you want to be featured on the next video plus get a bunch of other rewards check out my patreon again thank you so much for watching and look out for more great videos on the way you

Channel: MovieFlame

Views: 828,353

Rating: 4.9153895 out of 5

Keywords: Movie Review, TV Show review, Harry Potter, Superhero, Marvel, DC, Star Wars, Disney, Hunger Games, the last airbender, aang, korra, iroh

Id: aelx1b2IFcU

Length: 17min 55sec (1075 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 18 2019