Why Zuko and Azula’s Agni Kai is SO INCREDIBLE

two siblings duel for the throne the brother Brash and hot-headed the sister cold-blooded and calculating despite sharing a bloodline they could hardly be more different and they have finally reached the end of the road along which they have traveled all their lives seemingly from birth Zuko and Azula were destined to challenge each other to see who would succeed their father and all that time the outcome of that duel was predetermined Azula second child though she may have been was always Zuko's Superior in their shared fiery martial art but now the result of this agnikai is not so certain Zuko ever the impulsive and Reckless pugilist is now centered calm and controlled by contrast azula's usual composed and disciplined demeanor has evaporated leaving her on the brink of Hysteria it's a setup for a spectacular Showdown that has been a long time coming but to truly appreciate the imminent breathtaking display of firebending we need to take a trip down memory lane and revisit Zuko's previous Agony Kai's and confrontations with Azula in order to set the stage we begin with Zuko's agnikai against his own father a duel caused by Zuko's lack of decorum and rash if good-hearted words in this instance Zuko is initially willing to fight until his opponent is revealed not to be the elderly Fire Nation General but rather ozai in all his kingly power the Young Prince refuses to duel his father at least in part because he knows it can only end in his defeat in humiliation at the hands of an adversary with far superior skill and strength this match is echoed in Zuko's agnikai against Commander Zhao another far more experienced Firebender whose ferocity initially overwhelms Zuko who has refused his uncle's advice to stick to the basics and instead Unleashed everything he had on Zhao but here we begin to see the hints of how Zuko will be able to match Azula so many chapters later the very thing that makes Firebender so effective is also their greatest exploitable weakness their aggression the overly confident Zhao acts as Zuko had earlier in the match attacking relentlessly even recklessly and Zuko takes advantage shifting his attacks to break zhao's stance and root to unsettle him and put him off balance rather than trying to overpower him Zuko demonstrates that he can exercise restraint and even put it to his Advantage however just because one can do something does not mean that one does in fact always do that thing we see this in zuku's first conflict with Azula in fact we see that Azula has mastered the very concept that Zuko is still struggling to internalize when the two siblings duel in the Avatar State Zuko true to form attacks first even though he really has nothing to gain by going after Azula and should instead be helping his uncle clear a path for them to escape and then Zuko receives a lesson from his sister on unbalancing one's opponent as she masterfully Maneuvers around him not fighting back but instead focusing on destabilizing Zuko physically and psychologically as she taunts him why would father want you back home except to lock you up so you can no longer embarrass him when Azula finally does strike it is only after she has broken Zuko down and thus ensured the effectiveness of her attack this precise calculated style is Azula at her finest and well worth noting because of the devolvement present in the finale Azula at this time only fights when necessary she does not waste a single movement or an ounce of energy in sharp contrast to her aggressive brother and his tendency to attack in a wild and undisciplined fashion this point of her character is emphasized when the two square off in the earth King's Palace while almost Square Off Zuko's impetuous challenge of agnikai is rejected by Azul who lacks his obsession with honor brazula everything is going according to plan in this moment the earth king is set up to fall just as she expected for Zuko this scene represents the collapse of everything that he and Ira have built over the past weeks in an instant the happy peaceful life that he had begun to embrace was shattered into a thousand pieces and so Zuko lashes out at his sister and attempts to cling to the one Vestige of his life that has always mattered to him his honor in the guru Azula had a purpose driving her while Zuko was suddenly thrust into a situation in which he had none causing him to grasp at straws and act rashly the next time the two siblings face each other in combat they are on more equal footing as both have their opposing Missions at Boiling rock as a result the fight is more or less a draw with Saka helping to even the odds Zuko is nearing the peak of his character Arc here and Azula has yet to begin her descent which will commence immediately after this encounter with the betrayals of May and Ty Lee azula's fraying mental state is then made evident in their next brief showdown in The Following episode as the Fire Nation princess attacks with uncharacteristic aggression and recklessness buried nearly costing her her life and her failure to eliminate Zuko continues to deepen the self-doubt blooming in her mind where before had existed only total self-confidence this brings us back to the agnikai itself The long-awaited Duel that will determine the fate and future of the Fire Nation the history between Zuko and Azula gives this agnikai more meaning and weight than one could reasonably expect from most any show let alone one written to be digestible by seven-year-olds as their stories have progressed Zuko has become more centered grounded and purposeful he has learned that fire is not merely an expression of his rage used to destroy but instead is a source of life where once he was lost frantically holding on to his pride Zuko is now assured of his mission and his place in the world which he has accepted with humility and Grace Azula by contrast has fallen from Grace her failure to cultivate meaningful relationships and her domination of her friends through fear has backfired leaving her alone paranoid and desperately grasping at the power which she can feel slipping away from her when the two siblings square off one last time it is a poetic reversal of their first duel in the series and a payoff for the build-up of their Encounters in book three Zuko is focused and almost relaxed while Azula fights with frenzy passion to be a great Firebender you ironically have to have a cool head and until recently Azula had always been the last hot-headed one not so now Clash of character arcs depicted in this agnikai is not just wonderful and epic due to the incredible storytelling of the show however it is also an absolutely stunning work of visual and audio art the enormous blasts of fire enhanced by the arrival of sozen's comet sound every bit as devastating as they look and all of this is backed up by a solemn ponderous score the long slow notes of the violins emphasizing the importance and tragedy of the moment one of the greatest misfortunes of war is that it tears families apart and here that tragedy is exemplified in dramatic fashion I cannot overstate how hauntingly beautiful these moments are unfortunately I can't play any of the original audio as this show gets copyright claimed on YouTube with shocking regularity so seriously pause this video and go watch the opening of their agnikai you'll see what I mean as the duel continues we see an overhead shot of the fire nation capital and begin to realize the destructive power of what is happening in the palace's courtyard as colossal spurts of flame fly in both directions this point then hits home in a literal sense when one of Zuko's fire blasts connects with the palace behind Azula setting it Ablaze that Palace represents the only remnant of hope for Azula for her quest for power seeing its imminent destruction she attacks with increased ferocity and when that attack fails we see something new Azula exhausted in prior engagements Azula was far more controlled and measured even if outnumbered now despite facing only one opponent of lesser skill she has overextended and allowed her emotions to dictate her actions and she does not regroup or re-center herself but continues to attack frenziedly heedlessly wasting energy until Zuko finally breaks her base with his signature move because of course at this point the agnikai is all but over Azula cannot possibly win she knows it Zuko knows it he recognizes that everything that Azula once strove for has crumbled to pieces around her and that all she has left is her Pride it's a state of mind he knows all too well and when Once Pride one's honor is one's only remaining purpose it is especially vulnerable to attack and Zuko does just that taunting Azula for the lack of lightning goading her into using the technique that is demonstrative of her exceptional prowess as a Firebender because he knows her hubris cannot resist such barbs anymore sadly when Pride the chief of all vices is on the line rules and proper procedure tend to go out the window Zuko underestimates just how desperate Azula is and although this moment does Rob Zuko of his rightfully won Victory it is also necessary for two reasons first for Zuko's character Arc Zuko had to learn to live for a greater purpose than his own honor to sacrifice himself instead of asking others to sacrifice for him his crowning achievement at the Pinnacle of his ark comes as he saves katara's life by absorbing azula's lightning bolt second iro tells us that if he were to Dethrone ozai as fire lord history would see it as a brother killing a brother to gain power and the cycle of violence would continue if Zuko were to defeat Azula and supplant her as firelord the very same thing could possibly happen but Zuko subverts the expectations of everyone watching of the entire Fire Nation by instead of taking advantage of azula's focus on Qatar and stepping in to finish her off he acts as any King should by putting the good of those who follow him ahead of his own avatar The Last Airbender is timeless due to its incredible creativity and storytelling and its stunning visual design all of those elements are present in this acne Kai which it Bears repeating is simply a sight to behold I'm not sure if the creators had this duel in mind when they gave Azula blue fire but man did that choice ever work out the contrast between the red and blue spurts of flame is just awesome in a way I cannot adequately describe but more importantly Avatar lives on in the hearts and minds of its fans because it depicts characters with Timeless values and virtues characters with deep and meaningful arcs that interact and clash in satisfying fashion all of that is shown here too in this incredible epic showdown action is not just good because of the spectacle it provides it needs to be derived from the story and the characters and in turn have an impact on them Zuko and azula's agnikai checks every box possible wrapping up their respective character arcs perfectly and setting the stage for the show's beautifully hopeful final scenes it's so good that it overshadows in my mind anyway the duel between Aang and ozai and now you know why that is what do you think is this the best fight scene in Avatar in anything let me know in the comments and thank you for watching

Channel: Master Samwise

Views: 423,469

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Id: kX89OV6aJvY

Length: 11min 23sec (683 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 09 2023