Avatar: The Last Airbender

[Mr. Taxi]

Just found that a cool little detail. I'm sure plenty of you had noticed it, but prior to Aang and Zuko's meeting with the dragons Ran and Shaw in "The Firebending Masters" Zuko would always grunt while bending. After learning the true meaning of firebending, however, Zuko stopped grunting.

Grunting helps exert more energy while doing a physical activity which is why Zuko did it. By having him not grunt once he learned from the dragons it showed that Zuko no longer needed that "extra" boost when bending and displayed how much more powerful he was along with his more powerful and larger fire blasts.

I think I read about this somewhere. It has something to do with what used to drive Zuko's bending was rage and, after the meeting with the dragons, it became adoration for fire. Also notice how his movement became less militaristic and more dance-like.

[Rinzler]

So I was just watching 'Bitter Work'(great episode of course) and apparently amongst other things bending lightning requires a calm and collected mind. If that's the case how could Ozai and Azula bend it, because neither of them look the type.

[VO.SUPER]

So I was just watching 'Bitter Work'(great episode of course) and apparently amongst other things bending lightning requires a calm and collected mind. If that's the case how could Ozai and Azula bend it, because neither of them look the type.

They are calm and collected, just in a sick and twisted way. Ozai is cold and malicious and is stern in his goal to conquer. Azula just repressed herself in such a way that she managed it as well. Zuko can't do it because he is emotionally conflicted and thus unstable.

[Rinzler]

Well when you put it that way it makes sense, but how could Azula do it when she was mentally insane then?

[VO.SUPER]

Well when you put it that way it makes sense, but how could Azula do it when she was mentally insane then?

She was just too used to it at that point. She had mastered the craft, and it wasn't going to leave her at that point I guess.

[LunarEdge]

She was just too used to it at that point. She had mastered the craft, and it wasn't going to leave her at that point I guess.

Not to mention she really didn't go Full "Bat-shit" crazy until her last fight with Zuko.

Then again, if Zuko's initial bending of fire came from his rage (which he lost temporarily when he offered to teach Aang) shouldn't that have been the case with Azula?

[Dr. Homem]

I'm not sure if I remember correctly, but as far as I know, it's redirecting lightning that takes a calm mind, not bending it.

[SenEDDtor Missile]

I'm not sure if I remember correctly, but as far as I know, it's redirecting lightning that takes a calm mind, not bending it.

Nope. Redirecting lightning's primary requirement is that you don't channel the lightning through your heart, since that is fatal. Generating actual lightning requires you to be calm and collected, which Zuko wasn't, due to his emotional turmoil.

Not to mention she really didn't go Full "Bat-shit" crazy until her last fight with Zuko.

Then again, if Zuko's initial bending of fire came from his rage (which he lost temporarily when he offered to teach Aang) shouldn't that have been the case with Azula?

The type of firebending that the Fire Nation employed was based more on rage, but the other aspect of firebending is a person's drive, or the determination to obtain a certain goal. In Zuko's case, his drive for roughly the majority of the show was to capture the Avatar and obtain his father's love and respect. Once he realized that he could never obtain that respect without perverting himself into his father's puppet, like Azula, he no longer had the drive to obtain his father's respect, and by extension, no longer needed to go after the Avatar. The end result is that, without his drive, his firebending suffered until he found a new one, and relearned firebending based on the teachings of the dragons.

As for Azula... I dunno. I had always presumed that her anger was a type of tranquil fury; You can show anger and hatred, but not necessarily in the explosive manner Zuko displayed.

Edited November 24, 2012 by Malpercio

[Dr. Homem]

Nope. Redirecting lightning's primary requirement is that you don't channel the lightning through your heart, since that is fatal. Generating actual lightning requires you to be calm and collected, which Zuko wasn't, due to his emotional turmoil.

Yes, that was it.

[Dr. Homem]

Speaking of lightning, about why we only see the Fire Nation Royal Family use it...

We all know that during the period that Roku and Sozin were fighting the two volcanoes on Roku's island, Sozin was able to drag away the heat energy from the second volcano and push it outward in a stream. While re-watching the episode, I noticed two things:

1) At the scene where Roku's dragon, Fang, was trying to get to him when he was fighting the first volcano, the lightning that was flashing overhead was yellow - not blue.

2) Sozin's use of pulling the energy from the volcano seems to be a cruder version of the style that Iroh showed Zuko for redirecting lightning.

From this, I think there are two conclusions that can be pulled.

1) They were purposefully using the yellow lightning to show a distinct difference between lightning generated by nature and lightning generated by firebenders. This can be confirmed in Book 1 Chapter 12, where the natural lightning that Iroh redirects is yellow as well,

2) Considering Sozin's ability to redirect the energy of the volcano as he did, it's entirely possible that lightning generation was still in its early stages at that point in time. I say this mainly because for the benders to fully understand their techniques, they would look at both the strengths and the weaknesses. For example Iroh stated that he figured out how to redirect lightning by studying the waterbenders.

If lightning was developed under Fire Lord Sozin, and it probably was given his skill as a bender, it would've been in its primitive stages at the start of the 100-year war and its use restricted to the few. Sozin's choice to keep the technique in the family easily restricted its spread (especially since it did not have a long history to begin with) and would explain why no firebenders except those of the royal family had any knowledge of how to generate lightning.

[LATER BUDDY]

Finished it all last night. It was really damn good and just like any good long series I watch, really wish it wouldn't end. Kinda tempted to even restart again and watch them all front to back over again. Though I tried booting up the live action movie and, well, let's just say that I watched 10 minutes and then just looked through the stills when you fast foward on Netflix to understand the rest. I doubt it will happen, but I wish there'd be a reboot of the live action thing with a better crew working on it. The show really deserves it I think.

But yeah, in the end I think General Iro, Aang, and Soka are my favorites for various reasons.

[Dr. Homem]

Though I tried booting up the live action movie and, well, let's just say that I watched 10 minutes and then just looked through the stills when you fast foward on Netflix to understand the rest. I doubt it will happen, but I wish there'd be a reboot of the live action thing with a better crew working on it. The show really deserves it I think.

There is no movie in Ba Sing Se. Here, we are safe. Here, we are free.

[Tigger]

Absolutely LOVE Avatar! The characters, the art, the music, the story lines, the humor, it just had all the elements of a fantastic show. I think I could have done without some of the 'filler' episodes that were included but all in all, I loved each season. Season 3 was my favorite though because seeing most of the story lines come to a close and seeing everyone fight at the end was just amazing. My favorite character is Azula by far. Love her manipulative ways and how much of a bitch she is! The last few episodes where she goes insane are my favorite of the whole series. Sad the see the series end when it did however Legend of Korra is keeping my interest now days even though it feels like, and is, a completely different show with a different feel.

[Dr. Homem]

Hmm, I wonder why everybody complains that the show has too many "filler" episodes.

First of all, lay down this notion about calling them filler. I don't like how liberally we use the word filler now a days. Goku getting a driver's license was filler. Avatar doesn't really have filler (outside of maybe The Great Divide). If it's important to the development of the character, then it is important, and shouldn't be considered filler. They worked to humanize the whole cast and make characters what we love; one thing I love about TLA is how all characters are just as three dimensional as the others. But that succeeds only because of those episodes.

Want to prove that? Look at Legend of Korra - it has a better main story than TLA doesn't it? The key difference for me is the plot and social commentary was better. I mean the imperialism stance of A:TLA was interesting and very well presented; but that approach is a bit overdone. However, the political commentary of the equalists is so much more invigorating and original. So Korra really should've had everything: a better plot, a better theme, a better antagonist, a more mature feel overall - even the animation was a little better.

What was it missing? The characters. Yes, the characters were relatable to an extent, but the Gaang and the sheer perfection and dynamism of the characters in A:TLA is what made that show so spectacular. There were dynamic characters in LoK, like Lyn, Amon, Tenzin and Tarrlok. However, the key characters (Mako, Bolin, Asami and even Korra to some extent) were less dynamic and relatable.

So why is it that the characters were the one pitfall of Korra? Perhaps its that the first book had only twelve episodes as it was originally designed to be a miniseries; but in the first twelve episodes of A:TLA you were a bit more attached to the characters than Korra. Most 90 minute movies you go to end up with fairly relatable characters. The problem isn't the lack of episodes, it's the focus of the episodes. It's missing these so-called filler episodes.

Now back to our first point, a lot of people complain about non-main-plot episodes are bad in The Last Airbender. But, without them, you really realize how much you miss them and what a huge purpose they served: character development. "Zuko Alone' made you connect to Zuko; "The Water Bending Scroll" made you connect to Katara; "The Warriors of Kyoshi" made you connect to Sokka. "Nightmares and Daydreams" enforced the Gaang's dynamism, "The Beach" did a great job of showing how the antagonists were people too. And some of these episodes are fan favorites.

So in my view, "too many filler episodes" is not a good cricticism for A:TLA.

[Shawshank Redemption]

Early Avatar episodes feel pretty generic and in retrospect the show doesn't get good until the end of book 1. Then the story really takes off and the writers find their groove.

Korra has great characters too, just more flawed ones that aren't as immediately likeable.

I personally sided with the Equalists in dismantling bender rule because of how flawed they were, and disliked how easily Amon was disposed for the lame happy ending.

So other than that, Korra is just as good to me.

Edited November 28, 2012 by Ball Hog Badnik

[Dr. Homem]

Early Avatar episodes feel pretty generic and in retrospect the show doesn't get good until the end of book 1. Then the story really takes off and the writers find their groove.

I firmly believe the first two or three episodes were just the writers trying to fool Nickelodeon into thinking Avatar was a kid's show Edited November 28, 2012 by Homem

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Now back to our first point, a lot of people complain about non-main-plot episodes are bad in The Last Airbender. But, without them, you really realize how much you miss them and what a huge purpose they served: character development. "Zuko Alone' made you connect to Zuko; "The Water Bending Scroll" made you connect to Katara; "The Warriors of Kyoshi" made you connect to Sokka. "Nightmares and Daydreams" enforced the Gaang's dynamism, "The Beach" did a great job of showing how the antagonists were people too. And some of these episodes are fan favorites.

Not to mention that without those things, the characters wouldn't be able to grow and become allies to the Gaang like Zuko, Katara might have had even more difficulty in mastering waterbending before reaching the North Pole without the scroll helping her, and without "The Warriors of Kyoshi" Sokka would still be rather sexist before realize that women can be just as capable as men, Suki would have been terribly shoehorned later in the show, and a lot of the groups would be used as catalysts and important plot elements as effectively; Azula and her crew probably wouldn't be able to infiltrate Ba Sing Se very easily despite all their skills, and said infilitration wouldn't lead to the downfall of the Earth Kingdom and likely ended the series in Book 2.

I believe those episodes have more to them than just being around to humanize the characters, and people who call them filler only wind up missing the point.

[Autosaver]

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/17ybeo/i_am_rufio_prince_zuko_ama/

The voice actor of Zuko did a "Ask me Anything" on Reddit. Some interesting comments.

believe
it or not... i've never saw it! i had lunch with mike and bryan, the
creators of avatar... they told me to never see it! hahaha... i don't
know, i'm still curious. i think i should get together with some fans,
either in real life or online and watch it together...

 

Regarding the Live Action movie.

 

 

I am on record being zutara... now i know people get crazy about their
ships... but i honestly thought they would have been good if they ended
up together... also, i loved working with mae whitman... we did both
avatar and american dragon together... in both shows, our characters
just didn't make it together in the end...

Katara x Aang shipping...

 

i like the episode when zuko goes on a date... different color for him...

 

Favorite episode was when Zuko went out on a date.

 

 

mike and bryan said they'll reveal it in some cool way... they didn't even tell me!
probably cause they know i have a big mouth.

 

Zuko's Mother mystery to be revealed in a cool way? Apparently the comics may spill it.

 

yo,
i just peeked over to the emmy rossum ama and there was a question
about me having a crush on her at the top of the list!!!!
i'm a little embarrassed now!!! what the hell you guys, you're blowing
up my sh*t... you're going to wreck my rep...

 

 

..lol

[Eternal EX]

Going back to the filler episode talk. I call some of them filler episodes. But at the same time, I grew a major connection with certain characters. Say Appa and his "Appa's lost days" episode. While Gaang were in Ba Sing Se, I always wondered what happened to Appa and how he met back up with the group. And how he got captured (at the time I missed the episode do to personal life crap). But when i finally saw the episode, It was probably one of the most emotional and well needed ones of the series. A main support character like Appa deserved it.

 

And another one I loved and cried on when watching was the one when they showed what the main characters were doing in Ba Sing Se. The mini episode(s) like one. That was a filler....up until I saw Iroh's part. The feels I got from him, the level of respect I gained for him, the writers and original voice actor were untouchable. I seriously cried for a good 5 minutes because of how sad they made that part. It was top notch for a kids cartoon. And to this day one of my favorite episodes of any cartoon created.

 

"Nightmares and Daydreams" was not one I considered a filler. We all know the group was getting ready for the invasion, since it was like a day away. We all know that they were in on an hidden island. To me it was an episode that showed how fucking stressed and scared Aang was. A kid, with the responsibly of taking down (killing or not) the Fire lord. And to top that, he can not enter the Avatar state nor has he mastered fire bending....even though Sokka thought it would not be needed since the Eclipse would null and void it. If Aang were the fail (which he did even though it wasn't his fault) there would have been a chance that he would die, the Fire Lord would have won the war and taken over the rest of the world during his term. Also it was nice to see the crazy stuff that goes on in his mind when he's dreaming. Appa and Momo fighting. That was priceless.

 

The other and maybe last filler I can think of that I believe is important to mention.... "The Fire Lord and Avatar" Please correct me if that is not the name of the episode. But it's the one where Aang and Zuko learned about their past. Where both characters learn that the Avatar or great grandfather before them were best friends. Nearly brothers from another mother. By the end of the episode, we the viewers also learn a very important thing about Zuko. His mom is the granddaughter of Avatar Roku. So in reality Zuko and Aang are connected. Sadly Aang does not learn this. I believe after learning that, it helped Zuko make his final decision on which side he will take. That and the "Nightmares and Daydreams" episode where he joins a war meeting. Some viewers may consider both a filler. But those are fairly important episodes to both Zuko and Aang. As "Appa's lost days" is important to Appa. 

 

One that I strongly believe is a filler episode is when the main group including Zuko attends a play. In all honesty, that was not needed and I dreaded watching every second of it. By far my least favorite episode of the season.

Edited February 6, 2013 by Eternal Xtreme

[-Robin-]

The next part in the interquel comic series - The Search: Part 1 - has been released today, and hooolyyy hell.

 

Key points/summary: 

 

- Ursa hails from the Fire Nation town of Hira'A, and is the daughter of Magistrate Jinzux and Lady Rina. She had a boyfriend, and just agreed to marry him

 

- As Ursa returns home to tell her family the news, she is shocked to see Fire Lord Azulon there. 

 

- Fire Lord Azulon was told by the Fire Sages that his bloodline mixing with Avatar Roku's descendants would create a powerful, long-lasting bloodline, one that would ensure the Azulon family to remain as the reigning Fire Lord family for generations to come. For this reason, he arranges Ursa to marry his son, Fire Prince Ozai.

 

- Ursa's fiance confronts the Royal Family carriage as it depart Hira'A, but Ursa, in order to spare his life, tells him that she has accepted Fire Prince Ozai's marriage proposal and asks him to stand down.

 

- Meanwhile, in the present, Aang, Zuko, and co. are trying to figure out how to get Yu Dao organized. Zuko overhears from one of the lecturers that having stable ties with the family is a nice starting point to getting a civilization under your rule organized. He's been wanting to get ties between him and Azula and Ozai restored, and also find Ursa. 

 

- Zuko has been arranging visits between Azula and Ozai for some time. They have not been making any headway. Ty Lee chi-blocks Azula after a slight altercation with Zuko (brashly done, as Azula was bound in a strait-jacket at the time), but everything goes back to normal. 

 

- Zuko opts to take Azula back to the royal palace instead of the institution. He decides to escort her there alone. Azula's gets control of her body once more after the chi-blocks wear off, breaks away from Zuko and the jacket, and flees for the palace.

 

- Zuko follows her to a section of the palace that has a secret alcove inside that can be accessed by firebending. The alcove leads to a secret room filled with materials, including a chest filled with letters. Azula finds what she is looking for (she was hinted at what it was by Ozai) and bribes Zuko with it, claiming that she wants to find her mother too.

 

- Back in the past, Ozai's and Ursa's wedding goes off without a hitch. Ozai tells Ursa that she is no longer allowed any contacts with her old life - her parents, her town, nothing. 

 

- Meanwhile, Ursa's old fiance leaves Hira'A and goes wandering, making himself a home in a deep part of a forest. He was confronted by a shining wolf creature.

 

- Present-time, Zuko asks Aang and co. (minus Toph) to go with him to find his mother. On one condition - Azula is coming too. They agree, and also agree to keep constant watch on her. Iroh is instated as the interim Fire Lord in Zuko's absence, and his first decree is to make a National Tea Appreciation Day.

 

- During the trip to Hira'A, Azula makes offhand remarks that "she" has enlisted the GAang's help in ruining her life.

 

- As they approach the town, Aang makes a remarkably sinister face. He claims that this face is a side-effect of sensing a powerful spirit nearby. Azula decides that this is the appropriate time to bail, and freefalls off Appa. As Aang looks down, he sees a large wolf spirit - the same one that Ursa's fiance saw. No one else notices.

 

- Aang falls after Azula and catches her, but Azula burns Aang's glider, and breaks free once more.

 

- Sokka and Katara check up on Aang, while Zuko chases after Azula, who just crossed a river. As she crossed it, she hallucinates and imagines her mother is speaking to her from the water. Azula berates her, saying that Ursa feared her because of her power, and that she conspired with Katara to help Katara defeat her in the Fire Nation capital. 

 

- Azula then reveals a document that she had been hiding, a document lent to her by Ozai, and claims that the information inside will allow her to strip the throne from Zuko. She then blasts the water, and believes that Ursa has the ability to make her own mind rebel against her.

 

- Zuko catches up, but does not want to fight Azula. Suddenly, Katara catches up, and encases Azula in a cocoon of ice around her torso. As they figure out what to do with Azula, the wolf spirit appears once again.

 

- Flashing back to the past, Ursa has just finished a letter, and looks up at the wall to see a picture of her and Ozai. She unhinges the picture to reveal an arrangement of masks hung underneath - a few of the masks are identical to those from Hera'A, and one of them is the Blue Spirit mask.

 

- A toddler Zuko wakes up from a nightmare and goes to Ursa for comfort. He dreamt that all of his toys and room was on fire, and Azula was laughing throughout it all. Ursa reassures him that it was a just a dream and puts him back into bed.

 

- Ursa heads to a room next to the palace's kitchen, where she finds one of the attendants, Elua, who Ursa claims is like family to her. She entrusts Elua to deliver a letter to Hira'A in confidence, but once Ursa leaves and Elua is about to place the letter in a chest to send later, she reads it, and is shocked by the information.

 

- Elua takes the letter to Fire Prince Ozai, who says that they need to be filed away just like the rest of the letters Ursa has written, but Elua insists that it's urgent. Ozai reads the letter, and is completely livid.

 

- Present-time Aang tries to talk to the spirit, who bears the same eye markings that Aang has been making on it's belly, but it attacks. None of the benders'e elements harms the spirit, but Appa charges in, and is able to fight with it. The wolf then summons a hoard of spirit moth-wasps to attack.

 

- Azula asks to be freed so that she can help get rid of the spirits, and plays the "if you can't trust family, who can you trust" line. Zuko relents and frees her, and Azula promptly creates a lightning ball, which attracts the moths, and sends it flying in the opposite direction. The wolf chases after the moths, letting the Gaang go. 

 

- Later that night, Sokka and Zuko are talking around a campfire. The others, including Azula, have gone to sleep. Sokka talks about how despite his and Katara's arguments, they still look out for one another, because they're siblings. 

 

- Zuko asks for a blanket, which Sokka gives. Zuko then puts the blanket over Azula, and notices that there is a letter in her boot...

 

 

 

Yeah. Wow. THAT'S why Azula is such a fire-bending prodigy, and why Zuko was "lucky to be born." THAT'S why Ozai treats Zuko with utmost disrespect and contempt. Just...wow. Part 2 can't get here sooner.

 

Also, incredible sadness at the realization that Iroh is not Zuko's biological uncle.

Edited March 21, 2013 by Joshua

[SenEDDtor Missile]

The next part in the interquel comic series - The Search: Part 1 - has been released today, and hooolyyy hell.

My brain doth exploded from the shock. I enlist you to help me retrieve it.

Edited March 21, 2013 by 743-E.D. Missile

[Soniman]

WHAT THE FUCK!?!??!?!!

 

Edited March 21, 2013 by Soniman

[SenEDDtor Missile]

But doesn't this also screw up the whole "Sozin and Roku are part of you, thus you have internal conflict between good and evil" shtick that went on in Season 3?

[Kuzu]

Well....this.....changes things.

[-Robin-]

But doesn't this also screw up the whole "Sozin and Roku are part of you, thus you have internal conflict between good and evil" shtick that went on in Season 3?

 

Pretty much. But, in an artificial sense, Zuko was still raised as a son of the Fire Nation Royal Family, and thus serves a scion of that family.

 

Regardless, guess now it can be replaced by the "Power corrupts" theme, since Azula is, according to the Fire Sages, the one and only perfect firebender, and the perfect bender overall, after the Avatar. And, well, look at how she turned out.

Edited March 21, 2013 by Joshua