The Final Avatar The Last Airbender Iceberg Explained
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- čas přidán 3. 06. 2024
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0:00 Above the Iceberg - Kyoshi made the Dai Li
9:30 tip of the iceberg - Sokka is White Lotus
21:10 below the water - Dragons are Spirits
32:10 into the iceberg - Zutara was better
44:00 deep in the iceberg - Koh Killed the Blue Spirit
59:30 bottom of the iceberg - darkest day in Fire Nation history
1:07:10 below the iceberg - hybrid animals = possessed by spirits
1:16:20 THE BOTTOM - Eldritch Horrors in the Deep
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What else would YOU put on the iceberg? Your own theories? Little known things about the show? Tell me down below! Stay nerdy!
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@@pyeitme508 ???
cabbage merchant is an unwitting important informant of the white lotus, and they fund his business a way to use him to infiltrate and trade via cabbage spy techniques, and he became a chain of busineses to fully become a front for the white lotus spy activities.
i disagree that gyatso sucks the air out of the firebender. that method is too slow. i think he did the opposite, rupturing their lungs with high pressure air.
There are 2 weird theories I remember hearing. One saying all composting benders are reincarnations of the same person who merged with a spirit and one who says that Avatars have the face of the loved ones for the Avatar right before them. By the way amazing video. My favorit of the ones you showed is the one who said that Sky Bisons have human intelligens. My least favorit is the one about the twin Avatars.
The idea that each Avatar is doomed to fix the mistakes of the previous simply makes sense from a simple cause and effect perspective. Whenever an Avatar dies, it's another 16ish years until a new Avatar takes the stage. Anything left undone or mistakes made by the previous Avatar are going to have all that time to fester and grow.
That is a very good point.
Even just a normal cause/effect, passing of power thing. I mean you see it with presidents (or other country leaders). Leader one messes up the economy -> Leader 2 tries to fix it but ends up ruining international relationships -> Leader 3 has to try and repair those relations but neglects another area; and so on and so on. It’s not destiny or purpose, it’s just normal progression
Yeah I agree. I heard this and just said, "ok....so avatars regularly fix shit that is wrong?"
I kind of see it as that the problems are too large and complex for the Avatar to actually fix all at once, so no matter what the Avatar accomplishes...
It's like that stage act with the spinning plates on poles, and there are too many poles, and the plates too heavy, for the Avatar to get everything spinning nicely at once, much less keep them going.
It is for this and other reasons that I expected the resolution of LoK to be that either Korra would end up Vessel to both Raava and Vaatu (thereby giving her a power boost and/or restoring balance), or that Asami would become a (non-evil) Dark Avatar, who would work together with the Light Avatar, allowing them to get a better handle on everything.
So that means....the next avatar will reconnect with the past lives :)
I don’t think Sokka would ever be an absentee father, not after his dad had to leave
There is always the possibility that tooth just never told him. Or that they agreed it’s best she didn’t know and silks stayed in her life. Who knows.
@@edwardmorris6634 Tooth, the food bender!
@@georgecataloni4720 lol my bad. Damn autocorrect
@@Benn1to First of all, there's no need to make it racial. Second, Sokka's dad was around. Sokka felt loved, respected his father while he was gone, and got to be with him in the end. Katara was the one that was hurt by his absence, but she got better.
@@riceball1093 Although Toph as a parent wanted her kids to have a free life meaning she wouldn't have to boss them around because Toph didn't wanna be like her parents like being very very strict, and because of that her kids wanted to have attention from their own mother because they felt her distancing from her own family (Correct me if I'm wrong but thats what I know or at least assume)
My favorite fun fact about ATLA is that Toph is the only earth bender who uses a style inspired by the southern prey mantis kung fu style. When the creators picked this style for her they didn't know that the legend was that a blind woman came up with the style.
thats so cool
Trophy is so badass she wrote herself.
Okay. I have to add something. On the "Sokka and Suki boned" theory, the joke here is that, when Zuko walked into the tent, Sokka accidentally ate a flower, symbolizing "deflowering," and then the next morning, the necklace he's wearing is called a Lei, which is pronounced as "lay," and so, he got "leied."
Haha omg that's hilarious
its just a coincidence bro
"lei" could just be some random pinyin syllable that means smth
even though it is pronounced the same as "lay" does not mean it got "layed"
@@telamont12mc It's Hawaiian, not Chinese.
@@telamont12mc Also, you seem to be struggling with the concept of a pun.
not a coincidence bro it is a pun@@telamont12mc
Personally, I just think Aang omitted from memory that Boomie was of royal blood, because monks don't really care about such things. That's the justification my head came up with when I watched the episode, and I've never really questioned it. It's not an unusual portrayal of young princes to treat their home turf as a playing grounds either, since what guard wants to get in the way of a royal? Aang remembers the important parts only: He met a goofy kid, and they had a blast.
This is always exactly what I thought
Agreed. That was my head-canon, too.
Bumi was Jasmin in Aladdin. Just checking out the city in disguise.
I never thought over much of who young Bumi was, but I assumed his character informed his rule. He was a good person in his heart of hearts, an unapologetic jokester but a nice guy.
I find it hard to believe he ruled by conquest. I feel if he was not already in line to rule, then probably he ruled because the people asked him to. If people need leadership and someone displays the talents and ideas that will help them, they will follow that someone traditions be damned.
That's what I always assumed too, but I like this idea of Bumi taking the throne much better. And thinking about it now, he wasn't exactly dressed as a royal was he? He looked very much like a scraggly commoner. And Aang never asks if the King knows/knew Bumi, which does suggest that Bumi wasn't connected or a royal. So there's definitely a lot of space for the idea that Bumi wasn't a royal. Imo Bumi as a revolutionary actually makes sense--it adds to how impactful his character is, how larger than life his impact was, etc.
And he did seem well acquainted with how to take a city...and with all his talk of patience, it makes you wonder what he'd waited for before, when was the last time he'd found the right moment to strike. I kinda love this theory now.
“Who was Zuko’s wife? … It could have been Sokka, who knows.” I laughed out loud.
Which was the sacrifice required to forge lightbringer more proof that Zuko is Azor Ahai
That's rough, buddy
Their weeding votes where "I hope u don't turn in to the moon." "I wont, buddy"
It was azula
@@Yuhharandom It's entirely possible that Ozai groomed Azula because of his obsession with breeding superior firebenders
The Azula's servant not being real makes so much sense... It would be interesting if there were more scenes with azula hallucinating in some way that we haven't found yet.
Agni kai for lu and lei was perfection 😂
The theory about momo being Gyatso is so cute cause the whimsical little song they play when momo is being silly is the same one from the time Aang tells us about the pies they'd make to toss on to the other monks. ❤❤❤
Also, with Tai Lee, the show is The Last AirBender. Not The Last Air Nomad Decendent, so that totally makes sense. She looks like a female version of Aang. Literally
I thought the same thing. I've always thought thay her and aang looked alike and this would be a cool way of explaining why
There’s a couple other characters that look a lot like Aang too. The girl with the braids on the fortuneteller episode and the dusty boy in the painted lady episode come to mind. Very round faces and bigger than average eyes. Also maybe The Duke from Jett’s crew?
@@DropIt56also that Tai Lee and Aang are the only people with gray eyes (if I remember correctly) while the majority of fire nation civilians have yellow eyes, it would be a cool detail for Tai Lee to have ancestry with Air Nomads
Iroh is actually not a war criminal. Can't break the Geneva conventions if they don't exist in your world! ;)
wow, yeah, that makes sense, I also see nothing wrong in stoning your daughter/sister for having fallen in love with someone you do not approve of. Law says she is your property after all and you can do with it as you like. How can something that is not explicitly forbidden by law be anything but rightful?
I meant even if the did we have no reason he believe he broke them
He was just doing a p by the books siege
Ahhh I love this absurd line of thinking, especially when applied to Star Wars characters lol.
Like they (not just the Empire, some Jedi actions actually count) sure as hell are breaking *something* even if it's not explicitly named. "Good taste" maybe?
"It ain't a warcrime if It ain't wartime"
-Sun Tzu
Pretty sure he is highly wanted in the earth kingdom thou till the end of the series.The earthbenders kidnapping him really hate him.
Fun fact: Air nomads can eat meat, they're taught not to raise much of a fuss when eating at another's table. So if meat cannot be separated out its no big deal. So it's entirely possible Aang just didn't wanna raise any issue in those circumstances.
That’s true but aang really doesn’t seem the type especially with how normally unwavering he is about it
aang said to avatar yangchen that he was a vegetarian
@@CluelessCarter yes, all aur nomads are vegetarian. Eating meat occasionally when it's inconvenient otherwise wouldn't change that for them. It's in Dawn of Yangchen, she says so to put others at ease.
Yangchen states that it is taught at the western air temple that eating meat is okay if it’s all that’s available for sharing, but aang is from the southern temple which may not have engaged in this teaching. I think it was a teaching specific to the western temple bc yangchen specifies it that way (otherwise she would’ve just said it’s something air nomads believe but she specifically says it’s something the western temple believes)
It would make a lot of sense in a world where food takes a lot more effort to produce. Also, wasting food would be a much bigger no-no in times like that.
It always gets me how people are so confused about Sozin's "weird firebending." Even as a kid, it was blatantly obvious to me that he was merely siphoning the heat to cool the lava down.
Theres a lot of people out there with basicly 0 comprehension of physics.
Same.
@@robertharris6092we've simply have been lucky to be born in a place where we could go to school.
I always thought he was bending the smoke, although thinking about it now, that would probably be airbending or earthbending.
Can we please talk about how he put a whole different series in this, that’s js like comparing Elmo in it and saying it’s js a shittier adaptation to the avatar the Airbender
I'd like to add a fantheory: the bending in original atla is smaller because of the war. People don't get the opportunity to practise their bending in the same way due to the brutal fire-nation suppression.
The bending in the original was so much more powerful than in korra. Korras bending was so weak
@@Jackson-qi4rwWhat is this clown talking about?
Uh… you’re saying during war time soldiers wouldn’t have time to… train?
@@tanner201x8 Soldiers would have time to train, but how many armies are active when looking at the show? Omashu, Ba Sing Se, that one army camp where the avatar state episode happened, and Kyoshi are the only ones I can think of outside of the fire nation. Plus, basic training for an army grunt wouldn't be the same as the type of development that would take place when bending is explored as an artform during peacetime.
@@xenasBS
I just don’t agree, sorry. Feel like Bryke made up this excuse to not seem as incompetent as they are when it comes to Korra
One thing I LOVE about Kyoshi living so long is the effect it has on the next nation in the cycle. The Fire Nation under Sozin probably felt a bit miffed that they hadn’t gotten to have THEIR Avatar. So when it finally passed to Ruku, that probably plays in to why Sozin expects Ruku to basically work for him. It’s their TURN, after that unnaturally long time with the Earth Kingdom having their turn. Even if Kyoshi never did anything to favor the Eatth Kingdom, Sozin probably heard from his father about how she DID and how it wasn’t fair that an Earth Bender got this office for so long.
Maybe not because before sozin the fire nation was self contained and flourishing (the avatar and the firelord) maybe Sozin wasn't taught that philosophy about the Avatar. Also that projects the idea that the fire nation was always evil which is subjectively false.
@@jonathangamboa8605 I don’t think it means that the Fire Nation was evil all along, just that some resentments built up over time. And they the Fire Lords may have felt this more, being the group that would see themselves as the possible beneficiaries of having an Avatar. It’s probably more a Fire Lord thing until Sozin starts the war, he probably stokes resentments on purpose.
I see your point that makes more sense.
In the Kyoshi’s novel, it is revealed that the previous Fire Avatar DID kind of work for the Fire Nation and the Fire Lord to bring the conflicting factions together. Sozin probably presumed it would be like this again.
"Mom says its *my* turn to have an Avatar"
Rather than twin avatars, I think it would be interesting to explore twins where one of them is the avatar. One of them had all of this expectation and attention put on them and the other one was basically left in the wayside, maybe even was a non-bender. I think that would be a really interesting dynamic to explore.
Kinda like Sokka and Katara?
this would fit so well in a comic
@@zie233 In a way, I'd see it more like Sozin and Roku. They grew up like brothers and even shared a birthday, just like twins.
it would be funny and interesting having then switch places specially for diplomatic stuff
Id rather it be the Avatar has a twin who is really good at their element but, in fact better than the Avatar at that particular one, however is always overshadowed.
44:20 hold on, I cannot believe that Koh the Facestealer only showed up for one episode. He's so memorable, I for sure thought he appeared in at least 3 episodes
He showed up in flash backs only and episode recaps... but his only speaking line was at the end of Chapter One. They did some pretty heavy-handed foreshadowing in that episode when flashing over the faces of those who would be lost to the water tribe... I was hoping for more of Koh myself because let's face it... he's creepy scary and his voice actor was spot on. (And I realized I did an unintentional pun there! lol)
On the Kyoshi being 230 years old I always believed it to be a reflection of the next life having something the last didn’t or making up for something in the previous life so as Kuruk died so young, in the next life as Kyoshi she lived so long. Its all about balance
Good catch! I like that one. Would you think then maybe that korra would live a long life? Not really the same as kuruk, but aang seemed to have died young, even though he "lived" for 100+ years. Now that I wrote it, maybe she'll pass away younger, since aang "lived" as long as kyoshi almost. Idk. Fun to think about
That's a nice thought, but it's confirmed in the book that she just decided to live longer. She discovered that through bending, she could essentially recreate the very fiber of her being, her D N A over and over to counter the natural cycle of our cells. If you think about it, Kyoshi is just as much to blame for the loss of the Air Nomads as Roku. Perhaps more so. If she hadn't lived so long, Roku wouldn't have been born during the same time as Sozin. Much less share a birthday or friendship. Kyoshi wouldn't have had such a deep connection to him, been able to do what needed to be done.
Too many people give Roku so much flack but forget that Kyoshi herself tried talking Yun down before and during their fight. I wonder then what kind of advice she'd give Roku regarding the situation.
@@TheRibottoStudiosI don’t think it’s reasonable to blame people for things that happen after they die and that they had no way of knowing would happen.
It's just a high-level earthbending technique. Bumi used it too, since he was the same age as Aang
@@TheRibottoStudiosYou can’t really blame someone for something that happened after they died…
It's actually somewhat canon that not following the airbender ways can weaken their bending; Kyoshi's mother was a bandit and because of her life style her airbending was weak to the point she had to use the iconic fans her daughter would go on to use just to use her bending. So it's likely the other forms of bending would have the same problem.
The same happened to Zuko after he joined Team Avatar. His firebending became severely weakened because he lost sight of his inner fire which orignally was hunting Aang
Nah, I think it’s made pretty clear that air bending is the only power directly tied to cultural/religious adherence
I don’t see how
@Bonnabell they said her mother struggled, not Kyoshi herself?
Wait, Kyoshi's mom was an Airbender?
The sky bison don’t just simply fly with airbending, they aren’t blasting air currents, bending an air ball or generating lift under winds like aang does. They float, just like we see Zahir do in LoK. I don’t think that’s a coincidence, rather a reflection of their worldly/spiritual connection as you say.
They're probably such empty-headed and carefree animals that they don't have any "worldly connections" to let go of in the first place
Playing devil’s advocate, as I mostly agree with this theory, but it does leave one snag:
The bison that live with the nomads absolutely have “earthly tethers” in the form of their partnered nomad. This bond very well recognized, as one of the nuns told Aang “Choose well, a sky bison is a companion for life!” and we see how distressed Appa is when separated from Aang (in brutal, heart-wrenching detail)
I’m willing to look past that and say bison just circumvent the rule of “no earthly tethers” somehow, but yeah. Not exactly a perfect fit.
I like that. If you go by that logic, couldn't dragons shoot lightning?
@@clintonjefferson6494 A dragon should be able to lightning bend in Avatar. The moon should also be able to blood bend. Badger moles should be able to metal and lava bend. Airbison flying with attachments is peak airbending.
@@starkid910 Air Bison Start unattached and adapt to having connections. Even then they namely partner with kindred spirits, so Airbenders are far less of an attachment than normal people.
One thing I like to think about Gyatso and the dead fire benders is since he's an air nomad and doesn't do violence is that he bended the air in a way where anybody in that room could not breathe including himself. Leaving a way for the fire benders to leave but they wanted to invade and kill every air bender so they wouldn't leave and suffocated there with him. I think this because of the way he's posed just sitting or even meditating there without any signs of being attacked
Not only that, but if he somehow created a vacuum inside that room, firebending would be impossible. Fire needs oxygen to fuel it so it would make sense why there's no singe marks on his body
My theory is Omashu has a trial by combat for every King every few years, and Bumi was just so good no one could challenge him
That has to be.
16:34 I take issue with "Gyatso is a Murderer". Gyatso may be a killer, but not a murderer. He killed in self-defense which makes his many kills not murder.
Aha fair I didn't really think that much about the term but fair
@@HelloFutureMe I'm at 1:12:27 and I have a similar issue with "Aang is a Murderer" too I guess... of course the Aang-OceanSpirit fusion killed a bunch of fire nation invaders, but those were invaders and it was self-defense (also Aang wasn't himself there but whatever). Same at the Northern Air Temple and other Fire Nation attacks, those were invaders and it was self-defense. (This might fall under suspension-of-disbelief but I do believe there were no people there at the factory when they destroyed it). The only time I can think of where Aang, as himself, killed anything and it wasn't self-defense, was when he probably killed a Buzzard-Wasp in the Desert that was just trying to fly away and escape. But... I don't think of that as murder because that Buzzard-Wasp wasn't a person. So similarly to Gyatso, I'd be willing to say Aang might have killed but it wasn't murder.
And it might killing himself in the process. As last stand.
@@AlexKnauth Aang has definitely delivered lethal blows unnecessarily before tho tbh. Most cases were self defense, some were just unnecessary
@@zeallust8542 The only one that seems wholly unnecessary to me (not defense) is the one on the Buzzard-Wasp which was just trying to fly away. What other ones do you think?
You didn't mention the cabbage spirit, the spirit who tries to thwart the Avatar but has been defeated at every turn
MY CABBAGES!
My Cabbages!!
So that's why the airship broke, because the cabbage spirit lives on inside the cabbage corp
@@antokarman2064 Yes, obviously.
I always headcanon'd Amon's ability to remove bending as him using blood bending to jam his victims' chakras. Like in the episode where Aang trains with Guru Patik to open his chakras, each one is related to a particular element. And this would explain why Amon didn't take Korra's airbending. He had never tried to remove someone's airbending before, so he didn't think to target that specific chakra. Just an idea :)
I always thought of it as because she had barely attempted airbending, that chakra wasn’t open yet for it to be closed
What I think helps the cherry pit servant not being real theory is that, when we see Azula in Book Three Fire, Chapter Nine where her hair is being combed, we see only two servants... and those two servants look exactly like the ones that looked concerned and shocked, and at first we might think it's shock because another servant is being banished, but it could also be shock because no one is there.
Timestamp please
I‘ve always know that Avatar is great, but this video opened my eyes to more subtext. Your observation is even another one.
I don‘t get this Easter egg thing in e.g. Marvel movies. But observations like this cherry pit scene make me feel so satisfied.
I have a slightly odd headcanon about the death of Iroh's son. My read is that Iroh's army surprised Ba Sing Se and had a good chance to take it, but the Earth Kingdom was able to shore up the defenses and close off the opportunity. The battle was lost, and a wise man would have ordered his army to retreat and tried again in a few years. But Iroh was not yet wise. Unwilling to return home in shame and convinced of his destiny to take the city, he ordered a risky assault that was guaranteed high casualties, but had a tiny sliver of a chance of success. The assault failed, his son was killed, and the grief-stricken Iroh called for the march home that he should have ordered at the start.
What I like about this interpretation is that the son's death is not a random consequence of battle, but a direct result of Iroh's choices. He knew that retreat was both the rational and the moral thing to do, but his pride and fear of dishonor caused him to throw away other people's lives and lose his son in the process. It fits very well with what he becomes and how he treats Zuko, because he knows that "honor" isn't worth sacrificing your loved ones.
It makes sense. I also think that as a reward for acknowledging the spirits, Iroh's spirit was allowed to rest in the spirit.
the only problem i see with this is that in the tales of ba sing se, iroh says "if only i could have helped you" right before the 3 am depression hits, which wouldn't add up if iroh could have actually prevented it, and chose not to for his country.
It seems a bit too short
You know that this fits well with sokka and aang's decision to not retreat during the day of the black sun, not retreating eventually lead to failure
Your headcanon is wrong lol
If Ty Lee has air nomad heritage, I think it actually adds narrative poignancy and tragedy to the story. It means that she's raised without knowledge of her heritage by the very people who tried to destroy it and who may admire it, but only a watered-down version. Being away from air nomad culture deprives her of the ability to manifest airbending powers. She then spends almost the entire series under the thumb of the Fire Nation's knife (Azula) and has to minimize any potential perception of being a threat by maintaining an image of being a harmless novelty. That she's able to non-violently and without use of bending change the course of the war and disable Azula, the active heir to the throne, is pretty powerful and her act of agency in defying Azula parallels Aang's decision to stay true to himself and not kill Ozai.
During Aangs time every air nomad was an airbender so no Ty Lee has no connection to air nomads at all, the only reason for this is literally the fact her face looks like Aangs.
I also think her having air nomad heritage would be interesting because she’s an incredible acrobat and spent most of her career ‘flying’ through the air
It reminds me of how cultures can become “novelties” (for lack of a better word) such as Japonisme in 19th century France that influenced art and culture immensely. The people of France at that time knew the origins of the art and clothing and materials, but follow the generations long enough and the cultural ancestry can be lost. Now think of this in the context of a colonial or imperial invasion, and the products, techniques, knowledge may survive to be integrated, but the spirituality that grew these cultural touchstones are forgotten or actively discarded.
Obviously, there are a lot of examples of both cultural evolutions throughout history, Japonisme is just one I happen to be familiar with and have experienced that spiritual disconnect. (I love the Impressionist & Post-Impressionist movements and am fascinated by Japanese art and culture, but didn’t know for years that they were inherently linked.)
Anyway, I find it fascinating that even if Ty Lee isn’t a descendant of the Air Nomads, she may have a cultural heritage that was heavily influenced by elements of them.
It Also means that the convergence gave her air BENDING abilities!!!🤯🤯🤯
@@chocomojo9552 She's probably dead by then
I think the reason why bending is faster in Korra is because it’s supposed to represent more modern bending styles than the traditional styles in The Last Air Bender that were based on real martial arts
The Energy Bending was the perfect ending to the conflict; throughout the entire series Aang was always himself. He walked through a war torn land and met so many enemies on the way and turned most of them into his allies, just by being him. Even in the final battle Aang was himself the entire time, he is allowing his enemy to start a new a see the world in a different way. It is a really beautiful ending, especially for a kids' show, Aang's character is a great representation of resilience and kindness even in the face of darkness. The Lion Turtle is one of my favorite beings in the show, Aang loves riding animals and it was awesome he got to end the show by riding the biggest animal in his world.
The Aang as Amon theory is silly, it makes sense if you ignore everything about ATLA and Aang's character. The point of Aang's energy bending was not because he saw it as an impurity but that one person had abused their bending to the point where they didn't deserve it anymore. To think he would attack and harm innocents is really wild. I get it, it was a different time, but to say it is still a solid theory is pretty insane.
I’m pretty sure the reason Aang died at 60 was more to do with him already having lived a century frozen in ice, not the Avatar State. I think the Nickelodeon website even had a Korra web game where she says “his time in the iceberg caught up with him”.
I remember seeing it explained as he used up a lot of his 'avatar time' in the iceberg
like the iceberg didn't like freeze time for Aang in more like just stopped him from aging so it would make sense for him to die at 160 years old.
The avatar state is incredibly powerful though, and probably did some damage being stuck in it for 100 years. The older he got, the less his body was able to compensate
Alright so the blue fire has been touched on by the creators themselves and here's the actual reason. They decided to make her fire blue for a number of reasons, one being to distinguish between the two main firebenders being Zuko and Azula. Second they used the blue fire because that shows it's hotter. They wanted to show how much pure rage and hate she had. Which paired well with her whole unraveling at the end of season 3. They also planned the big anime battle between her and her brother and they decided before it even was made that it would be cool to have a good distiguish of clashing colors. All of this information was revealed in the original Avatar disks with the creator commentary.
Blue flame signifies proper control as well. It means it's burning "pure" and no excess carbon etc is getting away, a more efficient burn.
Possible Red Oni and Blue Oni symbolism?
@@bruhincarnate5431 I don't know, I only know the directors wanted a main clash along with to show the strength of the fire. It also could be a reference to the dragons as there's a blue dragon that up until the sun masters episode was azula in zuko's dream. So that could have something to do with it. I just know they chose blue to show a contrast and to show how much pure hatred she had.
Soooo basically what he said in the video
“yea i think your friend just said that genius. and since u cant see i should tell you im rolling my eyes”. like he literally made a joke about ur first point and said all the rest with his other points
I always thought Zuko's mom offered herself to be killed as punishment instead of Zuko, to know to pain of losing a firstborn son
56:48 I can imagine a yo mamma roast in the avatar world, “YO MOMMA SINGS SO BAD THE BADGER MOLES LOVE HER!”
Damn, that moment in the comics when Ozai flatout told Zuko that he nearly just threw the infant Zuko into the ocean, that his sister didn't need that luck and then say "She was born lucky, you were lucky to be born".
No wonder he turned out like he did. Just imagine hearing your father that your sister was born lucky, but that you were lucky to have even been born without being immediately thrown off a cliff.
Ozai was on that Mishima shit, legit nearly went full Heihachi only with somehow *less* good intent
Tekken referenc?
why did he thought that exactly?
The short: Ursa thought Ozai was reading her letters to her hometown sweetheart, and so put something in the letter that would be so shocking Ozai would show his hand- that she was pregnant with her sweetheart's child, not Ozai's. Ozai was reading her letters, and was extremely pissed, and even after confronting Ursa for the truth, he takes it out on Zuko.
I see Aang resolving the situation with energybending (thematically rather than nominally) is a refusal for him to let Ozai take the last of his culture. Air benders were pacifists who valued all life, and the Fire Nation wiped them all out... Aang is not just an air nomad by blood but his culture.
Also re: blue fire - blue fire it hotter because it's complete combustion, so it absolutely is gonna be because Azula is perfect lol.
Wow interesting take I like this a lot
And then you have yangchen just killing anyone that questioned her or tryed to start shit.
@@robertharris6092yep and yet she's revered as one of the best avatars and Kuruk was shamed for doing nothing in the mortal realm (despite the fact he had to patch up things in the spirit world specifically because of Yangchen's neglect of it)
I like how bending turned out in the Avatar. Even if it was because of budgeting limitations, it makes sense that fighting would become more evolved and based on reacting fast as more nations had more access to weapons. Especially for a world that would value efficiency like Republic City. It created a natural timeline of the art of bending.
I love the idea of Gyatso just defeating so many firebenders letting go of his airnomad ways and eventually the firebenders notice Gyatso is the most powerful so they surrounded him thinking they’d win
At that point Gyatso really let go, he pushes all the airbenders helping him away and as the firebenders start attacking
The air begins to swirl so hard that even the most powerful lost their footing and than he removes it all and they all die
All airnomads notice this because this is basically the opposite of what they represent
However all of them were grateful
One that would be pretty high up on the iceberg is that Zaheer was supposed to be Korra's airbending teacher. Recall that the initial plan of the Red Lotus was to kidnap Korra as a child to raise her, indoctrinating her into being an avatar that follows their view of the world. Raising the avatar would require a teacher for each element, and the core red Lotus group fits that perfectly: one waterbender, one earthbender, one firebender and... Zaheer. Zaheer clearly having extensive knowledge about airbending culture and teachings, it suggests that he was meant to be Korra's airbending teacher. This also explains why he was able to pick up on airbending so much faster than the other new airbenders (the second best probably being Kai, far behind) since he would have already been exposed to the theory behind airbending, as a martial art.
This one is almost textual, but many people still miss it.
This is such a good theory and i wouldve loved to see it
He also eventually helps Korra get into the spirit world
I missed it...but yeah, now it's so obvious
How did he lose his airbending though?
@@2u29wjiowk2iswj He didn't
Also one of the best theories I don’t think you covered is the theory that zuko was trained to be an assassin.
He has a large number of unusual skills that many other people either don’t know about, or never comment on.
For example, his extraordinary stealth skills, and skill with his broadswords. Zuko is an incredibly skilled broadsword fighter, something that even in the fire nation must have been remarkable, and yet nobody knows this, admiral zhao for example does not.
Zuko and Azula both seem to have a significant amount of non-bending combat training, given how well Azula held up against Aang, Toph and Sokka during the Eclipse. Sure, she had Dai Li agents, but she still did pretty damn well. Also, when they were kids, we see Zuko play fighting with the knife Iroh gave him, and we see Azula humiliate Zuko multiple times by being the better firebender.
I think Zuko sought out more training because he was desperate to be better than Azula at *something,* but was too ashamed to admit it.
Although the assassin idea does have some interesting merit given that neither Ozai or Azula (or Zhao) had already used Combustion Man as a tool in the hunt for the Avatar or the war. You'd think they wouldn't want that weapon to go to waste. So how is it that Zuko was the only one who seemed to know about him?
@@wafflingmean4477 i feel like that gives additional merit to the theory as it suggests that zuko has some connections allowing him to find assassins/ bounty hunters like combustion man
Just saying though the skills line up remarkably well, I also do not think azula has really any non bending training, it’s just that bending being a martial art imparts a certain level of nonbending martial skill
Everyone in the capital city is well-trained...remember Azula, Ty and Mai attended the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. I assume Zuko attended the boys academy. In the Kyoshi novels they tell us that the curriculum includes everything from combat/weapons to politics and diplomacy, the customs of every nation.
@@wafflingmean4477
Yeah, a Combustion Bender doing his own thing is interesting and odd in the Fire Nation where the military would've showered him in honor for joining them.
So yeah, probably just a Bounty-Hunter or League of Assassins sort of thing, or he just keeps a low profile and so it takes a sneaky guy like Zuko and those who know how to keep quiet in order to pill him for a contract.
Maybe the Fire Nation DID have him help military options at some point but he was merely a Mercenary for tougher battles. Not sure why not keep him but... well actually, with his abilities, best not to anger him.
Iroh (?) gave Zuko a dagger as a gift. Was he in on his sister-in-law's plan to assassinate Azulon??
"Avatar: The Last Airbender" isn't just a show; it's a journey I've embraced repeatedly, discovering new magic in bending and the strength of friendship with every episode. Each rewatch unveils deeper layers in characters, relationships, and the intricate world they inhabit. From Aang's self-discovery to Zuko's redemption, I've laughed, cried, and cheered alongside them.
Sokka's wit and Appa reuniting with Aang are pure joys. The show's seamless blend of humor, action, and heartfelt moments is sheer brilliance. It's not just a series; it's woven into my story, reminding me of balance, resilience, and the power of change. This isn't just a three-time watch; it's an adventure I'll gladly revisit.
I was always under the impression that the reason combustion man was missing his arm and leg was because of perhaps disasters relating to his bending, especially if you consider that either way you lookm at it, it coule be a result from the newly unlocked or rare powerful form of bending. Either he was born and grew up with it, or he was tortured to unlock it, but regardless, because of its volitile nature, learning to harness and properly apply that power would be extremely dangerous and difficult.
In season 3 episode 4,Tenzin Says "luckily, your father, Lord Zuko, Chief Sokka and I were there to stop them": referring to Zaheer, pi'li Gazen, and Minua. Meaning Sokka was there when the red lotus tried to kidnap 3 year old Korra.
Okay ngl, I completely misread the quote and thought Tenzin was talking with Fire Lord Izumi for some reason because of "your father, Lord Zuko." Then I saw Korra mentioned and for a split second had the thought of a massive, completely nonsensical twist...that Korra is the daughter of Zuko 😅
@@Mrryn Probably doesn't help that I didn't set the scene. I just gave a quote and an episode.
Also, I always thought "CHIEF Sokka" meant he took over the Southern Water Tribe at some point...
@@Sephiroth144 It makes sense
I reckon Sokka died in that final showdown where the core group of the Red Lotus were captured.
Katara's mum's name is Kya. That's why she names her daughter Kya, after her mum. It wasn't just an unused name they finally got to use in lok. In The Southern Raiders, Katara runs to her dad for help and he yells "Kya!"
Yes it was used. but not for a main character. that would have been problematic.
For real! I was rolling my eyes hard at that part
I’m confused how an another IP can have rights over a name? Lmao
My headcanon about Bumi being king is that he was born into power and just didn’t tell Aang when they were young. He doesn’t seem like the bragging type and he probably just wanted to make a genuine friendship with someone who wasn’t in it for the status or put off by the fact that he’s royalty (like how Aang’s classmates were put off by him being the avatar). Bumi is a weird dude and likely wouldn’t get along with stuffy rich kids. It makes the most sense in my head and idk why people get so confused by this.
On the topic of Zuko (and Iroh’s) hair.
The top knot was a symbol of loyalty in imperial Japan, especially among the samurai.
While Zuko is a banished prince, he has his iconic ponytail (a half-done topknot), reflecting that he wants to pledge his loyalties to the Fire nation, but cannot fully.
When he becomes a fugitive of the Fire nation, he doesn’t wear a top knot at all.
When he first returns to the Fire nation, he wears his top knot even at times when others don’t (eg when he questions Azula about her lie to Ozai)
The longer he lives in the Fire nation and the more conflicted he feels, the less he wears the top knot.
When he leaves to join Team Avatar, he doesn’t wear it again until he becomes the new Firelord.
After cutting off his topknot, Iroh doesn’t wear one again until he regroups with the White Lotus, and it looks different than the one he wore when he considered himself loyal to the Fire nation, indicating that his loyalties have shifted.
I'd add that Aang's biggest mistake was disappearing for so long that colonization happened and war technology developed too much, and this post-war world that lost so much of its cultural heritage led to many people giving up their spiritual roots to rely on modern technology, and Korra's big "fix" was bringing back the spirits (and as a side-effect, the Airbenders). She literally blows a giant spirit hole in the middle of the world's major metropolis.
I agree.
It's funny you put fix in quotations, because in my opinion the spirits being plopped in the middle of human civilization or humans in the spirit world isn't the same as teaching them how to be respectful and understanding of them.
If I had an opportunity to write that kind of story, I would argue Aang or Korra could've taught them their heritages, histories, and old bending philosophies by starting academies or temples.
@@ThreadBareHope1234 While that's a nice idea, I don't see it being realistic. We see a loss of culture and heritage in the series, like when we see the Fire Nation children don't even know their cultural dances anymore, and while Aang knew some of those dances you can't expect a twelve year old to remember all the culture that was lost during the 100 year war just because he was a nomad. The sad truth is, it might be impossible to open an academy as you suggest because there may be no one alive who knows enough to teach these things. Some things, when lost, are lost forever.
@@vannalaws1692 I’d argue Aang tried to do that with the air nomads, and that was certainly his biggest achievement. Preventing his people from being totally forgotten was a bigger ask than even helping put together the United Republic. I would say that, to some degree, he succeeded. I can’t speak much on Korra, though, since her story isn’t entirely done yet nor have I seen it all.
@@GuiSmith Aang definitely tried to preserve his people's culture, but I think his success in doing so is not directly stated. I could be wrong because I haven't finished the comics yet, but I think he was only partly successful. I also think there's a difference between Aang preserving his own culture as best as he is able and Aang being able to preserve all the cultural heritage that was lost over the 100 year war. I think he was capable of restoring some cultural relics, like Fire Nation dances, but I think it's impossible to restore everything that was lost since the war began.
@@ThreadBareHope1234 The spirit portal was an accident she never meant for it to happen and after that, she was kinda more focused on making sure her Girlfriend and eventual Wife was happy and taken care of and you know caring about her Mentel State which is Kinda Important
One of my favorite theories that probably isn't true is that Azulon wasn't going to have Zuko murdered, but rather have him adopted by Iroh. Azulon has just lost his second in line heir to the throne, so why would he have the person who's now third in line murdered? Not only that, but surely he could probably pick up on the fact that Ozai obviously didn't care about Zuko. What better punishment for your second born demanding to be made the heir but to take him out of the line all together? Because even if with the new line up he would be third in line once Zuko had kids they'd be in front of him.
We also never actually hear what Azulon was going to do to Zuko. Azula says that he ordered Zuko's death, but Azula is also like nine and sometimes cruel (espically if she's hearing that Zuko is going to manage to somewhat escape their bad home life and leave her behind) and Ozai could have used that lie to manipulate Ursa or simply would plan to have Zuko assassinated, using Ursa to assassinate Azulon and banishing her.
This has been a pet theory of mine for ages! Neatly ties in "Azula always lies" with Ozai's ambition for the throne and faking a will to get Iroh out of the line of succession.
Plus, Azulon told Ozai off for not having sympathy with his brother's loss and the loss of his grandchild. Indicating that he actually valued his grandchildren so killing another one of them would be kind of a faulty conclusion wouldn't it?
I read a fanfic once where they actually played this out. Lots of Fire Nation court intrigue, with Zuko being Zuko and having basically no idea what's going on, it was pretty great.
@@aquiamorgan2416 What's the fic? Do you have a link? I neeeeed!
@@aquiamorgan2416 show da link
“It’s just behind this door”
“What is”
“MY HONOR”
MY SIDES IM SCREAMING
my theory for Boomy was he was always the first in line to the throne, but was not the royal and pompous type, so he pretended to be a streetrat to mingle with the kids, and Aang was not discovered to be the avatar by that time, and his nomad tribe was passing by when they meet
I am under the impression that the monks knew Aang was the avatar ever since he was able to play toys because of that one scene where he had chosen the same toys that the previous avatars played with. With that logic, my head cannon is the nomads wanted aang to meet the leaders and royalties (and their kids lol) wherever they traveled to because they thought that’s what the avatar should do even if they’re unaware. That’s how Aang meet Bumi.
i think understanding and accepting that iroh has done bad things is exactly the point of avatar, one of the grand lessons it tries to teach you. doing something bad is not inherently evil, but not learning from that mistake is. such as aang running away from the temple before the war started, but then fighting ozai in the end. iroh was a war criminal, he killed people and conquered nations. but by the time we see him in avatar, he has already taken his journey to become better. we wouldn’t have uncle iroh as such an important mentor to zuko without him having been a general.
"iroh was a war criminal, he killed people and conquered nations" - Being a general and fighting a war is not a war crime. There is no evidence of Iroh committing or condoning war crimes.
A war crime is something like pretending to be the enemy by wearing their colors/flag/insignia. (Geneva Convention, Article 39(2) 1997 Additional Protocol I) -- You know, like Sokka does in the Mechanist's war balloon.
Chemical warfare is also a crime. (1925 Geneva Protocol) -- You know, like when Sokaa and the Mechanist dump chemicals out of their war balloon onto the enemy.
@@Andlekin no way you’re defending fire nation rn 💀💀 okay, maybe i can give you that “war criminal” is incorrect by modern political application as per the geneva convention, but iroh was not in the right whatsoever.
yes, he was a hero to the fire nation. the dragon of the west, the only one to get close to penetrating ba sing se before Aang’s return as the avatar. all are exceptional merits if you’re thinking in terms of him being a fire nation general. but the simple fact is- the fire nation is the oppressor. they’re the aggressor, the ones who started the war over greed and a lust for power. the fundamentals of fire nation are inherently corrupt and immoral when compared to the ethics of the rest of the A:TLA world. though unconfirmed, it goes without saying that iroh probably commanded his armies to pillage and/or burn earth kingdom villages for supplies and information, he may have even had a hand in some of the first raids on the southern water tribe, as was usual with war before this modern era of the UN or NATO. the fire nation system at the time iroh was a war general would have been focused on oppressing uprisings and chipping away at major earth kingdom cities left after the first years of the war. (Omashu, Ba Sing Se, etc.) which means that anyone who had any information on these cities, or any villages that they found on the way, would have been taken under fire nation control as iroh pressed his armies further into the earth kingdom. quite literally- if not a war criminal by modern standards, iroh was most certainly responsible for an uncountable amount of deaths during his time as general, as well as colonizing an unknown amount of villages under the oppressive regime that the fire nation army had become.
what i was saying in the original post was that all of this is fuel for the man he becomes later. he knows he was wrong, he knows he shouldn’t have pride for his nation because of what he’s done. it’s why he chooses pacifism in every scenario unless Zuko is in direct trouble. him having this history of being the very thing he now despises is what makes him wise. it’s what makes him a good mentor to Zuko. if he had just been some guy- never in line for the throne, never a general, nothing- then his wisdom would feel unearned. unwarranted. but the fact that he had this life of a very successful general and threw it away when he realized he was wrong (only by losing his son, by the way), makes him one of the most well-rounded and empathetic characters in media (to me at least).
@@EMMCNEELY Bruh. Not you going on a whole ass rant over nothing. They were just saying there is no evidence Iroh was a war criminal. They never said he was a good person for participating in the war. They never said the Fire Nation was in the right. All they said was that Iroh was not a war criminal, which is true.
@@en4833 bro i’m just having fun let me cook 😭😭
fam
@@en4833
The twin idea would suck to have the avatar split in 2, but imagine twins and only one of them was the avatar and the other wasn’t a bender at all. Oh my god the drama, the scenes that could happen, the relationship and character developments, imagine an episode where they get along and they have the non-bender pretend to be the avatar for the lolz - I would be down for that
Or perhaps their parents wanted to pretend they’d had two avatars, so the children were forced to always be together, with the true avatar performing bending for the both of them. And the twins having a complicated relationship with their parents because of it, wanting to love them but also detesting them for putting so much pressure on them to keep up a rouse they hardly benefit from.
I think the "each one bends 2" thing could be amazing if it had a good writer
If, say, the twins were in a royal family it would be cool. The Avatar as Avatar and the non bending twin automatic heir to throne. It would equalise them but create an unholy dynamic for everyone else I'd like to see.
i thought by "twin avatars" it meant one was raava and the other vaatu, but they i remembered that that kinda already happend lol.
Thats basically Hercules story, he has a twin brother but he dosnt have godly blood in him, SO is a normal dude
For the Yue should have been the avatar theory. It’s implied in “The Storm” that Aang was meant to be frozen. Because Aang was unable to control the Avatar State it seems like it’s either the Avatar Spirit or a previous Avatar controlling him when he enters the Avatar State. Since Roku knew that Sozin wanted to start a war, and the previous avatars must have been aware of the comet, it seems like the avatars and the Avatar Spirit decided that Aang needed to disappear until a time that they could restore balance. We see later in the episode that the Avatar State was capable of getting Aang and Appa out of the water. So if anything, the level of predetermination that the Yue theory needs to be true would point towards the timeline we ended up with being the true path that needed to happen.
Interesting…
I think Energy Bending would have been great if we had more Aang scenes debating what would he do when fights Ozai BEFORE the Finale as well as him meditating on this while finding the common threads between all four types of bending, since Energy bending is supposed to be the original one. Instead of getting it from a Lion Turtle at the very end.
Cabbage man is a water bender.
He actually freezes the cabbages from the inside so it stays fresh for longer, so he sells it for an astonishing price but people are willing to pay
Oof. Soggy cabbage rotting away from the inside out.
Brillant
He's the most powerful water bender of all time who has lived for thousands of years but he only really cares about his cabbage business and that's why he didn't interfere with the 100 year war
This is canon now and I reject anybody else saying otherwise
I definitely think Mai was Zukos wife or at least the mother of Izumi. Izumi translates to spring or fountain in Japanese and one of the beginning moments in Zuko and Mai's childhood relationship was when Azula tricked them into falling into a fountain together
mai and izumi have such a stark resemblance it’s impossible they aren’t and besides at the end of smoke and shadow mai and zuko clearly still like each other
They broke up
that was the idea, but the creator of the comics confirmed later that they got back together 3 years after@@megastarwarsrocks99
"Miyouki is a war criminal" immediately followed by "Barbie is so more than that" probably the first time an ad made a better experience.
One personal favourite of mine is the idea of a combustion bending avatar. Like, just imagine a combustion bender as an avatar. Maybe they were kidnapped and tortured as a child, raised as an assassin, then they discover they are the avatar and have an identity crisis. Maybe they're ostracized, and people don't trust them even when they're the avatar. What if (this is my headcanon) their tattoo glows when they go into the avatar spirit, like airbenders do. Idk, I just think it's cool.
that is actually an extremely cool idea with a LOT of potential. i would love to see that be developed into something.
To add onto the "The Cherry Pip Servant Was Never Actually There" theory, I think what could make it dark is that it represents Azula's descent into madness being catalyzed by Mai and Ty Lee's betrayal back at the Boiling Rock. Azula is furious with herself for not seeing the betrayal coming and partly blames herself for not being "aware enough" or whatever to see it coming and prevent it.
This is especially impactful because of how much it escalated. Azula and Mai were literally both about to murder each other as Mai had her daggers ready, while Azula's stance and form she took right before Ty Lee chi-blocked her seemed to be the stance and form used for generating lightning. So when Azula is scolding the servant for leaving the cherry pip in the cherry, risking her choking to death, Azula is really scolding herself. She is scolding herself out loud for not being more aware of her surroundings or the dynamics between her and Mai and Ty Lee, allowing Ty Lee to sneak up on her to deliver the chi-block and thereby "choking" in a confrontation she otherwise could have and likely would have won. ( I think this also fits into how much of Azula's descent into madness towards the end of the series involves Azula becoming her own worst enemy.)
am i crazy or is it "pit" instead of pip? Im confused
@@yveltalsea
Maybe it is pit, but I just said "pip" because he said it. But then he and I could both be wrong, so idk.
I'd continue this theory by the thing I noticed that these girls servants actually look very similar to her but more, like, innocent or something
@@yveltalsea technically, it is pit, but linguistically, a pip is basically anything small and roundish. Orange seeds are commonly referred to as pips, as are the dots on dice, so referring to a cherry seed as a pip is not incorrect, just unusual.
Gyatso being White Lotus... Sounds rather logical. He was able to look out for the Avatar who they knew Aang was because of the whole toy thing and he was able to defeat what Ten(?) Fire Benders at their strongest. All of the White Lotus members we see in _Last Airbender_ are rather strong individuals. So Gyatso playing the White Lotus, being a powerful Bender, having a strong connection with the Avatar... I think it works rather well.
There was way more than ten skeletons in that room.
Also Gyatso could most likely started the white lotus by first initiating Bumi after Aangs disappearance
Another thing to point out is the high ranking officials in the White Lotus each represent not only the four nations, but also the bending spectrum. Pakku is a waterbender from the Northern half of the Water Nation, Bumi is a earthbender from the Earth Nation, Iroh and Jeong Jeong are firebenders from the Fire Nation, and Piandao is a nonbending master swordsman from the Fire Nation.
It’ll make sense that prior to the genocide there was a high ranking member of the WL that was an airbender, and that airbender was Gyatso. If three of the four types of bending were represented, why would air be excluded prior to the genocide?
@@Slender_Man_186 yeah, but not all Fire Nation Soldiers were Firebenders, so I doubt all of them were
We have so little iron in our blood, it's like you'd ask a sandbender to bend a grain of sand inside an ocean. It wouldn'd make a difference, would it?
The Swamp pretty much confirms that Appa can understand human speech. I didn't even know this was a theory.
Oh wow. The idea that Aang's greatest moment was the birth of Tenzin got me. I teared up.
that scene in Seinfeld "are you crying?" "the ["the moment he was no longer the last air bender"] really got to me"
But imagine how that would make his other two (older) kids feel? lol. I guess their births were a non-event. Thats why bumi and kya have that resentment towards Tenzin when they're older
Aang when Tenzin was born: 😭
his two older kids: 🗿🗿
I was actually thinking about Zuko stepping down. What if it links to the promise he made Aang make. After his passing nearly 20 years ago, Zuko still being Zuko wouldn't fully trust himself even after decades of ruling like a good Fire Lord. Suddenly his friend is gone that promised to remove him and not trusting he wouldn't start acting like his father or more closely as his great grandfather Sozin, he steps down and passes it peacefully to his daughter. The past constantly plagues Zuko so in this single act, he removes himself from power to potentially do harm and peacefully passes the title to his daughter, unlike how its passed down the last few generations. He keeps a promise to a dear and loved friend while in a single move ends a horrific cycle that almost is a second rebirth of the Fire Nation, with the first being Zuko ending a 100 year war. Think it would be a nice canon.
I really wouldn’t say zuko ended the war to be fair. Maybe the actual paperwork of ending a war but aang stopped the fire nation
I like to believe that. It also gives extra agency to why his daughter (or was it granddaughter?) chose to opt out of that signicant political decision in LOK on behalf of the Fire Nation. She seemed to have a deep understanding of her nation's history and past consequences, which I reckon was personally passed down to her from Zuko himself.
@@K11NNGG Counterpoint- Aang stopped the Fire LORD, but someone ordered the Fire Nation military to cease hostilities... and I'mma guess that was Zuko.
@@Sephiroth144 Correct. Most soldiers would comply due to loyalty to the Royal Family and the threat of the new Fire Lord + Avatar coming for you if you didn't.
It is also likely that regular grunts would feel pity/respect for Zuko, knowing he earned his scar thanks to intervening in a meeting that would have sent hundreds of soldiers to their deaths.
Finally, he kept up with, and even surpassed, the legendary Azula. Everyone would know that Zuko isn't a pushover and challenging him directly would lead to a perfect case of FAFO.
SO TRUE ACTUALLY I LOVE THAT
53:54 he definitely wouldn’t eat it given that he once said “I’ll go find some lettuce in the trash” over delicious Fire Nation meat kabobs.
I think Aang and Katara had a symbolic and meaningful relationship in the series, and that the way it ended with Aang and Katara was overall satisfying for me. something about having Aang with his troubles and Katara's troubles, really connected in a way that felt secure and meaningful. (not that I don't see zuko and katara having great potential, but I feel like there's more realism to it when it's not always a tall and dark handsome man. I love zuko tho he's fucking cool.)
Lightbringer isn't the twin broadswords, it's the dagger Iroh gave him that was the impetus for him accepting who he was in that pivotal episode.
Source?
@@katz9853 The source is that it's a fucking joke we made up, the prophesied prince is from Game of Thrones.
On the "The Fire nation royal family is inbred to keep its strength" you can add that we never see another royal or court firebender if i remember correctly! Like Mei's family aren't and they are given Omashu. Ty lee's aren't mentioned a lot but she isn't one and she hangs out with the princess. The twins old ladies with Azula aren't benders. Not even generals appear as a unique "minibosses" or something. You might say it's so it doesn't complicate the story but what if all other firebenders are stuck in low recognition military duties while non benders are elevated so that the loyal family aren't threaten by a schism in power!!!
Zhao is promoted to Admiral before his death at the North Pole, and Jeong Jeong was a leading General before he defected. We might not see that many examples of firebending nobles and military leaders, but they are there.
I mean think about the concept of the Agni Kai. This isn't just some way for commoners or rank and file soldiers to settle disputes. It's almost a sacred ritual, and it's revered enough by the Fire Nation to settle issues of royal succession. But it's not just practiced by the royal family. Zuko fights Zhao in an Agni Kai, and he thought he was going to Agni Kai the General he spoke out against in his father's war meeting, which means that General was also a firebender.
Plus if you think about it, Nobility in the Fire Nation probably means you're descended from some pretty prominent firebenders, even if you're not one yourself. Historically, nobility has correlated with the power and wealth you were able to bring to bear in your regent's name, in this case the Fire Lord. That means that at one point, the noble families of the Fire Nation had to be able to subjugate and bring order to their domains. In all likelihood, the people able to do this would have been powerful and skilled benders, or otherwise exceptional Warriors.
@@optimisticnihilist3417, Those examples are both within the military.
@@JakeConrad666 the examples I gave are high ranking military officers, who would be present at court, along with the nobility. Assuming they weren't themselves highborn. As for the nobility themselves, I explained why it's likely they would be largely descended from, if not comprised of powerful fire benders.
i need more hints that zuko might have anemia to support this theory
@@JakeConrad666 I mean the fire nation is a military state…
High ranking military officials will correlate with nobility
The only problem I have with legend of korras bending is that lightning isn't as special as it was in avatar,mako took a hit from lightning with no problem but ang and zuko got severely hurt from it,also in legend of korra you can see mako working in a factory full of lightning benders
This is hella late but it makes sense to me, since it's been so long it's been honed the same way that mental bending has been to where it's far more common place. I do wish they commented on it more in korra tho it makes it a lil jarring when it does happen
My favorite part about this video is the fact that I didn’t watch it I listened to it and every so often the audio would get weird. Then I realized it’s you spinning in the chair with your mic. I thought it was going crazy.
Lmfao
So with Zuko as the prince that was promised, I think it goes deeper. The Dragons we see when he regains his fire bending are very clearly the last Dragons in the world. But earlier in that very same episode Zuko is drawn to a golden egg, decades later we see Zuko riding his own dragon that's clearly very different from any dragon we've seen in the series before now. Waking Dragons from stone is zuko bringing back the first new dragon in generations.
Daenerys Game of Thrones vibes
How do you propagate one last dragon tho?
@@CyanideOwl Cloning, of course. At the rate the technology's going, I'm sure that'll happen by the next Avatar or two. The dragon will probably be alive by then.
Zuko is basically a Targaryen? Sweet
Not to go into crazy detail but I like the idea of Yue sending the meteor because Sokka was searching for purpose after she became the moon. If she loves him, of course she wants to encourage him on his new path. And knowing how he thinks, a meteorite was the perfect gift. It’s unique, strong and the coolest thing he couldve asked for. It would be a beautiful little note.
So what was her thought process? That the meteor would start a fire, and the Gaang would go to put it out, at which point Sokka would feel useless, which would lead to them going shopping to cheer him up, which would lead to him finding a sword he thought looked cool, which would lead to the shop keeper mention its Piandao's sword and mention where he lives and that he's a sword master, which would lead to Katara suggesting Sokka go learn from him, which would lead to Sokka creating his own sword, at which point he would go back to the meteor to get the material? I don't know, it seems highly unlikely she would be able to predict all of that. Not to mention the only thing connecting the meteor and Yue is that they're both from space. We don't even know if she has the power to influence meteors.
@@en4833 you sound like sheldon. I heard the laugh track play after I read every sentence
@@uncroppedsoop What an intelligent rebuttal. You're right. I can't believe I never thought of it like that. You must be such a genius.
P.S.: If you can't tell, this is sarcasm.
@@en4833okay i don’t think that’s the point of the theory
I think Yue just sent the meteorite to try and help the Gaang in some sort of way
@@dumflame Ok, help how. Because the meteor only helped to highlight Sokka's insecurities.
13:57 appa also is Aangs spirit animal, avatar pet thing. Which all avatars have, and it is shown that they have more intelligence than the average animale. As seen in appa rokus dragon and Korras polar Bear dog
Kyoshi didn't have any in the Kyoshi novels
@@hassanalkhalaf1115 avatars weren't born with their animal guides they found the animal guides during their avatarship or were granted them by way of culture. I.e. appa and fang for Aang and Roku. Or the animal guides were found through the avatar's deeds, like Avatar Wans Cat deer. Kyoshi's animal guide is believed to be the fox that assisted her at the end of the novels. Personally I don't believe that, rather I like to think that she simply hadn't found her guide yet.
I love the Azula redemption arc theory! She could definitely have gone through that path because of how Iroh had learned the ways of water benders to redirect lightening. Maybe after she accepted her past, she trained with Iroh. She might aswell have taught herself how to heal with fire because she's already a prodigy in firebending.
I have long theorized that the sand benders were actually air benders, pretending to be earth benders. Their movements are more like air bender forms, and using the air to pickup sand is apparently a good ruse; Aang basically used the same trick in the Imprisoned episode. When the convergence happens, we don't have any new air benders from them, because they already use air bending, and they don't join sooner because either hiding is part of of their culture, and/or they genuinely believe that they are not bending air. The second series is all about sub types of bending, but sand is conspicuously absent.
It could also be that they were originally a small isolated community of Earthbenders who were joined by Airbender when the war came, as refugies. And they learned to bend earth the way Airbenders bend their own element, this would add to the "There is so much to learn from the other elements" spiel.
You read Embers, huh?
@@optimisticnihilist3417 Actually, I haven't.
@@tsukiche5939 While there is still that connection to the airbenders, which is the core of the idea, the style and life style seems far more air, than earth.
@@RyuuKageDesu you should give it a look. Going by your comment above, I think you might enjoy it. It's ATLA fan fiction by an author called Vathara. The worldbuilding is just incredible. It builds on the established Avatar lore in ways that thematically fit the world perfectly. For instance there are a few air nomad offshoots in the other nations, who split off from the air nomads before they were technically the air nomads as we know them. They basically live secretly among the other people's of the world because after Sozin's genocide, nobody is admitting to being an airbender. One such people are a desert nomad tribe of both sandbenders and airbenders, hiding from the rest of the world. The spirit world and the way spirits interact with humans is also done amazingly.
That's actually only a minor plot point in the grand scheme of things but it's absolutely worth a read.
Katara didn't want zuko because she had already crushed on jet and saw what that problem was. Zuko grew *a lot* but she recognized the similarities and cordoned herself off explicitly after his betrayal in the catacombs of ba sing se. Zuko had to work the hardest with her to become even friends (literally zero motive for him, and being willing to back her up with *any* decision she chose). Any passion they could have had was quelled after all of that trauma and work together. And they were both OK with it, bc they had both grown.
Still a better ship than Kataang
this whole comment was stupid and makes 0 sense. and also its still a better ship than kataang.
@@automatic5 I’m genuinely curious, why do people think the Katara and Zuko ship is better? I’m not asking this as a Aang and Katara shipper, I don’t care for the romance in Avatar/Korra, I’m just genuinely curious. Is it narrative reasons, or is it just for fun?
@@thatoneguy5343 I don't ship people, but it's better bc Aang had ugly kids in Legend of Korra. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk
@@thatoneguy5343 for me it's mostly because katara does like 99% of the emotional work on the relationship with aang . She behave a lot like a mother with a lot of people, but she cover aang a lot . The few time she was angry, aang try to make the peacemaker by dissming what katara said or feel( like at the northern water tribe when she was rightfully angry at paku, aang said " she didn't mean that " when she 100% meant it or when he compare his lost of appa (even if really important, its a pet) to the loss of katara's mom. Or just when he compare the trauma of his people being genocided .
He had katara to help with his trauma.( She was there for sokka, taking their mother place ( he said so basically season 3 in the episode they joke about katara behaving like a mom, i don't have the name right now ).)
It's something that don't happen with zuko. She can be honest and direct with him . ( he even do a little co-parenting like the time sokka when in appa's mouth ). When she his mad at him, he can see the unresolved trauma , and know that it can help her to work throught it, whatever it means for her .
And also because i'm a big lover of enemies to lover trope with a little bit of angst in it .
And it's rare to have on that go with theme of a non romantic serie ( forgiveness, balance, or the idea here that the separation of the tribe are an illusion , wich mean that with the zutara, it would be a great step in that direction) that more of narratives reason . I won't go more into it here, but there is a great video about it that can explain it fully ( but it's a two hour video ). She also made a video explaining why would some people ship kataang, when other would ship more zutara . it's half an hour :
Zutara and Kataang - Exploring the A:TLA ships
i also found a tumblr thread that explain the zutara ship . it's quit similar, but there is a few more things in it - and some angry comment.
1:14:39 broke me. I was sitting there thinking “but Aang was *12* when he ended the war, why does he look like an adult in his spirit form?” And you took the air out of my chest with your theory. You are absolutely right. The return of his people, even if it’s just a couple of his own babies, would’ve been his most important accomplishment
There's a scene dedicated to Iroh explaining Azula's flame as the cold flame to Zuko.
If you pay attention to Iroh he foreshadows things the same way the show does: via floriography, the language of flowers. For instance, from the beginning, whenever Zuko blows his fuse, Iroh suggests Jasmine Tea. Jasmine being symbolic of humility, simplicity, and protection from negative influences.
Another example is the Moon Flower. Iron moves it out of the light, where it was getting burned, and it blooms in the shadows. Moon flower being symbolic of life's phases, blooming at ones own pace, and it marks the beginning of Zuko's character arch.
Iroh being a grand master of the white lotus, can just see spiritual phenomena. The white lotus is symbolic of purity, and enlightenment. The opening of the lotus is that awakening. Which Iroh has done. Transcending his humanity and becoming the spirit of humanity itself.
In the blood bender arch for Katara, red lillys are shown having the water(symbolic of emotions) ripped from them. Lillys being symbolic of innocence, and rebirth. Which later happens when she's forced to become a blood bender. Which the style displays hand gestures of a puppeteer. Something I appreciate.
You can see what's coming through the plants that aren't flowers as well. Zaheer's meeting spot where he favors meditation is at the base of a Socotra dragon tree. Where Dragon's blood comes from. Which is symbolic of Divine masculinity, and power.
Speaking of which, the symbol on the forehead of combustion man is a Talaka. Specifically, the one of Shiva: The god of destruction. Combustion Woman's has an extra red dot under Shiva's eye symbolic of the goddess Shakti.
The lore of the series is so heavy in eastern spiritual symbolism that you don't even need to speculate. If you want to know what context isn't being said verbally look at the symbolism of the animals that are used to move the story. Such as combustion man's messenger vulture-hawk, or the forest spirit being a panda. Panda's being symbolic of harmony between humans and nature. Ang comes across the carving of the panda when he's trying to figure out what's wrong.. It's right in front of him, but he overlooks it like most viewers would.. Iroh doesn't do that, but if the show followed Iroh most people just wouldn't be able to keep up without team Avatar breaking it down and learning with the audience. Which is why the Avatar CAN'T transcend humanity as Iroh does. There would be no more series.
I digress. I just wanted to point out a few things that I noticed that go largely unnoticed. Of course there's much more, but I've already stated enough.
i had to take a double take when tim said "zuko was the prince that was promised"
when that was followed by "there's this thing called azor ahai-" i burst out laughing
I never read or followed any GoT or Song of Fire and Ice stuff, so he had me going for a bit like “Did I miss a lore dump somewhere?” And then laughed at myself when he explained the meme
I was so ready for something crazy at the bottom of the iceberg, but I couldn't have predicted that, I was sure it's a joke building up to the actual thing, but damn he got us XD
I like the one where "avatars have to fix the mistakes of the previous ones" especially cause if you reword it to "avatars have to deal with the consequences of their previous lives" it's kind of incredibly obvious lol of course the one person who shapes world events so drastically would have to deal with the kickback from it when issues develop.
For Appa being able to understand, I think the sky bison are very intelligent but also Appa is spiritually linked to Aang so he has even higher comprehension of speech and emotion
i’ve always had the speculation that azulas flames being so intense comes from her rage plus precision all mixed with her strong fire bending lineage, but as we see, relying on rage is, unpredictable, and can fall under you at any given time, eventually she learned to deal with her issues tho, and was just as if not stronger than before, also kinda proving jeong jeongs ideology
Sokka possibly being everyone's father killed me 🤣🤣
The fact that people keep making videos about this show so many years after it ended really is a testament to how good it was 😊
It helps it's a serialized show with worldbending so you actually can formulate theories. What SpongeBob theories are there that fit in universe?
@@ChangedMyNameFinally69 have you heard about skin theory
@cmalol Yes but even the guy making it seemed aware it was silly
With the theory about the next Avatar being chosen based of the mistakes of the previous one, Aang's biggest mistake could be him running from his responisbilities as avatar. This is supported by the first word we hear Korra say. "I'm the avatar, you gotta deal with it."
Ooh I like that!
I think Aang’s biggest mistake was creating the United republic, it helped unite the nations but the entire series wouldn’t have happened without the United republic
I actually like the idea of Azulas redemption. She is at the end of the day just like Zuko from the start where the only motivation were the approval and affections of family. Zuko got that while Azula got the opposite. I dont think she have received actual affection even once in her life, she just need one family member that actually care.
I always thought this too, especially about Iroh. In Bitter Work, we get Iroh teaching Zuko about how the four nations and the four elements are one and everything is connected and all this "Avatar stuff", but then he says "[Azula's] crazy and she needs to go down." Ozai groomed and manipulated Azula into cruelty and hunger for power so it's no wonder she turned out the way she did, and Iroh only cares about Zuko. Real nice. Very compassion, much empathy.
There's another accidental goodie from Kyoshi living a very long life. Whereas the rulers of nations would take power, grow old, and die, Kyoshi was this immortal God-Queen, forever in her prime. This status would give her a lot more leeway to brutally enforce her ideal of justice unopposed (executing Qin the Conqueror, instating the Dai Li).
"Avatars appear as they do in their most important memory" makes it extra sad when Tenzin sees a vision of Aang, and Aang is all aged and raspy. This was likely how he looked in his last days, and Tenzin's strongest memory of his father was when he was dying and Tenzin was about to become the last airbender himself.
I can't believe Ursa's story didn't have anything to do with Koh... You can pretty much imagine the whole story right there. She'd just lose her face and memories at the same time.
I kind of always liked the idea that because of the way Bumi was unquestioned in his authority that was simply the way Omashu always worked and the previous monarch just really liked Bumi. Like he got brought before the previous monarch for causing trouble in the town and he said "Why don't we play a game? If I win, not only will you let me go free but you'll declare me your heir" monarch laughs and plays the game, Bumi through the game shows his bizarre brand of cunning and the monarch caves out of entertainment
i love that theory! i'm gonna make it may head-canon now
I think it's quite obvious that the Avatar has to fix the mistakes of the previous Avatar, their purpose is to bring balance after all. What's REALLY fascinating to me is how the Avatar's circumstances, character, weaknesses and how they die...are in direct contrast with the previous Avatar.
The reason Ang died at an earlier age ties into the reason the White Lotus was so easily defeated: and that's because the Legend of Kora writers simply didn't understand the source material that well, or just didn't care.
The creators had Aang die relatively young because everyone, including me and probably you, enjoyed seeing Katara, Toph and Zuko in Korra. If Aang lived to a ripe old age, the others would all be dead by the time the show started. Being the Avatar means being in mortal danger all the time---of course some of them die early-ish.
@@orlkorrect They killed off Sokka too. They sort of understood the characters from the original show but mostly they didn't know how to write the characters in or even understood the characters, they were just used as props.
the writers for the legend of korra are the same writers who wrote the original series
I'm so excited you pointed out that about White lotus and sokka! I've been trying to tell my friends this for forever 😂
I've never heard anyone say that they didn't like the bending in Korra because it was 'big and flashy'. It's always been because of the physical body movements of the characters performing the bending.
In ATLA, the four elements had their physical body movement based on real-world martial arts, but in Korra, everyone just does the same simple punches and kicks. THAT is the problem. Not the spectacle of what element pops out.
I mean, it depends on characters. A lot of the characters in Korra aren't martial artists, so the distinct style isn't visible. For Tenzin, it's visible because he's a martial artist. Mako and Bolin have a specific style that's not a martial art. Korra has parts of both.
Builds the world more, imo
Yeah that and they get rid of most of the philosophy and spirituality of bending that made it special and not just some superpower.
In ATLA, the bending is based on traditional martial arts, but in TLOK, the bending is more based on modern fighting techniques such as kickboxing. It’s not that they are just punching and kicking, it’s just that they are fighting in a simpler style. These techniques also lean into the pro bending found in LOK
thats not true at all its literally just mako and bolin and korra
@@Ruben-fn5li and the rest of the pro benders. Also, many of the other characters such as chief beifong have fighting styles based off of more modern fighting styles
Even if Korra’s bending is more what the creators had in mind, I personally still prefer the martial arts of the first series. I feel like the restriction made it more interesting.
1:16:37 - A little note on the combustion benders: There's a mention in The Shadow of Kyoshi between the fight between Rangi and Koulin, of extremely powerful firebenders being able to manipulate energy in a way through their heads, and since reading this I've always thought it was meant to be a sort of precursor to combustion bending. During the battle there is immense heat produced but no flames, then Kyoshi goes on to say "skilled firebenders could do extreme damage from the concussive force of their bending alone. Each time Rangi or Koulin rammed a knee into the other's ribs, or or aimed an elbow at their opponent's temple, they let out a shock wave that rattled Kyoshi's teeth." (209-210) But in doing this, they both become extremely, exhausted so perhaps the combustion benders have found a way to focus this "concussive force" in their bending.
It doesn't discount anything discussed with their treatment and torture, but I'm more bringing it up as a small glimpse perhaps of how this ability is gained. Just thought it was interesting :)
(I've literally just finished reading the book so that's why I have a quote on hand lol.)
Also I know I'm very late to the video, just wanted to add this why I remembered.
Its so fun just to watch you go through these - your humour is great and i feel like you say the things we're thinking in the best way, which is so fun
Regarding the way Avatars look being defined by their most important moment, this is actually adressed somewhat in Shadow of Kyoshi. In the conversation between Kuruk and Kyoshi, she notes that Avatars choose how to present themselves when they appear before another Avatar. There is a line that indicates that Kuruk would have looked a LOT worse for wear by the time he died, and that he chooses to present himself as he was before the spirit wounds consumed him completely.
I also prefer Zuko and Katara as friends. I don't know, it makes their relationship more... mature, I guess? The story between them to me was about how war hurts children from both sides in similar ways, and about having the strength to move past those hurts in spite of the differences that should divide them, not melodrama.
Yeah same. I love them as friends (and all the friendships in this show).
Azulon never threatened to murder Zuko. In the episode "Zuko Alone", we only see the flashback until Azulon tells Ozai that his punishment has just begun. Then, Zuko runs off, and the scene ends with Azula doing a little mischevious smirk. Then, later, she tells Zuko that Ozai was going to kill him on Azulon's orders so that he would suffer the same pain as Iroh did, BUT WE NEVER SEE IT. Ursa comes in, takes Azula away to get to the bottom of things, and then the next scene is her goodbye to Zuko. In later episodes, Ozai offers some confirmation that Azulon was going to have Zuko killed, but we never actually see it on scene.
My theory is that Azula just came up with that to spite Zuko, then when confronted by Ursa she eventually relented and told the same lie. Ursa then confronted Ozai, who is cunning and a fast thinker, so he took the opportunity to manipulate Ursa using Azula's "innocent" lie to get what he wanted in the first place and usurp the throne.
After all, despite rejecting Ozai's offer at first hand, why would he (who was supposedly very old, and probably somewhat close to death) murder his only legitimate heir (since there were only Fire Lords until Zuko crowned Izumi)? Furthermore, the only three people who witnessed the conversation when Azulon threatened Zuko's life are: the dead guy and the two biggest psychopaths the world has ever seen.
One of my favorite things about this story, is that Aang and Zuko's stories are reflections of each others.
At every moment, Zuko is doing the same thing Aang is or vice versa and they are almost always learning the same lesson.
Plus, Aang's lightning scar is on his back and Zuko's is on his chest.
Rewatching it and finding all of these reflections is amazing to be honest. ATLA is honestly the best show ever made