Why There Will NEVER be Another Villain Like Fire Lord Ozai - Avatar the Last Airbender
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- čas přidán 25. 06. 2024
- Today at the Mystery Shack, we return to the world of Avatar The Last Airbender to look at its ultimate big bad, Fire Lord Ozai, and why I believe there will never be another villain like it.
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Timecodes
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00:00 - Introduction
00:55 - Keeping Ozai Hidden as a Looming Force
07:58 - Hiding Ozai was... kinda accidental?
08:59 - Motivations & "MORALLY GREY"
10:41 - Mike & Bryan's NEW Version of Ozai?
14:04 - 'Welcome Home' - Ozai Revealed
17:42 - Zuko & Ozai - The Day of Black Sun
22:44 - The Phoenix King
26:36 - Outro
#avatarthelastairbender - Zábava
A bad guy just being bad for no real reason is why Big Jack Horner was so fun to watch in Puss N Boots 2.
what do u mean his backstory was so sad, all he had was a loving family and a multi-million dollar company
@@dantemitsoyu977 Your right! However, you forgot the most tragic aspects of all: Stability AND a mansion. How could anyone end up good with all four of those things against him 😱
I felt really bad when they revealed his backstory and how he was living in squalor 😢 I was really rooting for him to get the wish
This comments section is _comedy gold._ 😂. _Keep it up, lads!!_ :3.
Nah, he's fun, because he is a big joke, making fun of a "trend", which isn't even a trend
I believe a common misconception of Zuko's scar is that it in fact wasn't inflicted on him for speaking out against a military plan (which wasn't even ozai's idea), but rather due to zuko's unwillingness to fight him and his immediate reaction of getting on his knees in fear
How could that be a misconception though? It was directly shown in the show wasn’t it
It's traditional for the loser on an Agni Kai to be burned by their opponent, as can be inferred by Zhao and Zuko's agni kai.
Honestly I always had the same idea. It wasn't because zuko spoke up it was because he surrendered and didn't fight which Ozai vewied as cowardice.
No, that’s why he was banished. It’s tradition to burn, as reference in the Zhao fight. Not fighting was why he was BANISHED. Iroh says “by refusing to fight, he had shown shameful weakness and was banished. Sent to recapture the avatar. Only then could he return” when he is recounting the story to Zuko's officers in "The Storm"
@@Cri_Jackal Correction, an Agni Kai is to the burn, not to the surrender or death.
It really is wild that Ozai went right for lightning, fully expecting to murder his son.
Dude sent his son to hunt what his father's didn't find😂
Zuko is just dumb
@@uchegbudivine6885 how is zuko dumb if the king of the freaking fire nation is basically banishing you .
@uchegbudivine6885
Naiive is more like it. A 13 year old, who lost his mother, his ideal parental figure from an even younger age, hoping to make his father happy, never realising what a tyrant he is.
@@micah.1009 its just a take from a narrow minded 17 year old ignore it
@@jugemujugemugokonosurikire4735Stockholm syndrome
What's interesting is that it's not because a villain isn't morally grey that the villain's motivations are uninteresting and not worth exploring. Ozai represents something that actually exists in the real world : the belief in a strength-based morality. To him, only strength and power are worthy of recognition - and people like that exist.
This also highlights how Zuko is in multiple ways a bridge between Aang and Ozai. Aang has a tendency to be passive in both the right and wrong circumstances, Ozai has a tendency to be aggressive in both the right and wrong circumstances, and Zuko is passive in the wrong circumstances (in the face of his father's tyranny) and aggressive in the wrong circumstances (such as his pursuit of the avatar and treatment of those around him). Zuko as well helps Aang understand and accept Ozai and his worldview.
I mean accept is maybe the wrong word but the rest true good point@futotesan
And it's always the morally Grey villains that are said to be so realistic.
But i think with the real world and real wars we see many more villains like the fanatics in the fire nations/ozai/azula with their belief of the right of the conquerer or how this nation is stronger therefor deserves this and this. As someone from a country that experienced and thankfully survived a Genocide I think it's underrated how meticulously the fire nation was portrayed as a nation that has been fed kool-aid from their rulers for so long that they believe in their own superiority and how the propaganda reaches even the youngest of society
And compared to the depiction of another strength/merit-tocricy believing villain like “The High Evolutionary” in Guardians of the Galaxy 3, I like Ozai more.
Ozai is so chillingly devoid of honor or humility it makes him the ultimate big bad with those beliefs . High evolutionary does torture Rocket kind of like Ozai tortured Zuko and both push them to their limit while imprisoning them.
I will say if it weren’t a kid’s show it could’ve had more emphasis on the power of the avatar and final fight; but I really like the idea that Aang takes away Ozai’s bending as the ultimate punishment. It is fitting of Aang’s character and constant dismissal of killing as an option for balance to him.
But, only strength and power ARE worthy of recognition. Nothing else really matters.
Ozai shows that not every villain needs to be insanely complex and sympathetic and make you think “hmm maybe they’re onto something!”. Big evil can be good!
Exactly most shows try to make their villain sympathetic or have a point but sometimes that backfires just look at thanos I hear the whole "oh he wanted to fix overpopulation by just erasing half of humans" that's doesn't make him cool that just makes him stupid for doing that cause that's the most childish solution to overpopulation
Ozai did nothing wrong, he was a victim of his own father
**Ozai was a victim of his father AND he did a Multitiude of terrible things!!**
Being a victim is not an excuse to be terrible and does not absolve anyone of their wrong doings. At most it explains it. But explaning and absolving guilt are not the same thing!
No, Ozai shows how NOT to write a villain. The shows don't show him to pose any threat, his power is average and he as a character is 2-dimensional and poorly written. And the fact a majority of the Avatar community thought Iroh is more powerful than him and the White Lotus could have ended the 100 years war all on their own already proved he was a failure as a villain. AtLA did a few things right in their show, but Ozai is not one of them.
We don't need oversized evil, we need real evil.
@@dragonslayer3552 buddy, Thanos came from Marvel's peak era, AtLA doesn't even compare. Thanos is cool, you are just stupid.
Ozai banishing his son because he refused to fight and it embarrassed him will just always be more interesting, tragic, and twisted than the 'he's testing potential heirs' angle of the Netflix series. When Zuko calls Ozai's agni kai cruel that only works if Ozai was in fact just being cruel for the sake of cruel
Yes, this is exactly what made the scene more powerful. Zuko refusing to fight along with Ozai's cruel punishment work in the original show but the Netflix show kind of took that away. Now that Zuko stood up to him in the Netflix show it will have a different impact when Zuko then goes through the character development he went through in the animated show.
The comics are canon. And they really go into Ozai mindset on Zuko and his family. I personally think he has some form of Sociopathy considering him and Iroh were raised in similar ways.
Like the video says, he values strength and usefulness. But he always thought Zuko was lacking.
The straight up animosity occured from a dispute between Ozai and Ursa. Which Ozai passes the punishment onto Zuko because he crazy and says "I'll treat Zuko like he is NOT my son from now on." to Ursa...🤨
Ozai being the epitome of a "Big Bad" is what made Avatar perfect. The confidence to have your Big Bad be shelved until he's truly needed in the story is something you rarely see. The other most notable being Madara's official reveal in Naruto. The reveal of the Big Bad signifies the curtains lifting to the final act.
He was so sure of his sucess that he knows he can sit and wait the commet. Is that arrogancy that make him lose, cause he gave time to aang catch up with him, but he just dont Hunt the avatar himself and end the series in the first book cause he really think that aang would never be able to stop him.
There is no such thing as a perfect piece of media. Even Avatar has its flaws, I could list at least 10.
@@Supasmartguy idk why you stopped there. you could've at least just list them in the same comment. just list them already.
@@pinknaccount2188
1: Sokka and Princess Yuae's romance was forced and rushed.
2: Toph's blindness was only used for insensitive jokes rather than accurately portraying the disability.
3: The ghost Avatars are a plot hole (you can't see your own face without a mirror because your eyes are on it. Seems like it would be the same concept here, but it isn't).
4: Ozai had no motives and was incredibly bland and dull.
5: Season 1 was too disconnected from the other two seasons.
6: Sokka got less funny as the show went on.
7: the show randomly tried to make you feel sympathy for Azula, who the audience absolutely loathed, out of nowhere at the end.
8: Aang's reluctance to kill Ozai eventually devolved into nothing more than a childish stubbornness.
9: The "missing Appa" arc dragged on for longer than it should have.
10: Sozin, who started a century-long war and committed a genocide, is treated by the script as essentially an nice old man who made a mistake, While Ozai, who did not start the war and has only one known murder, is treated as if he is basically Satan (And, once again, this comes almost out of nowhere at the end).
I bet I could also list a couple of other smaller ones if you want me to.
@@Supasmartguy I got better things to do so I'll attend to this later. You're saying that you could list a couple of smaller ones? Sure do that while I'm gone.
One detail that I don't think enough people acknowledge, is that _Ozai literally tried to kill Zuko_ right then and there. If Zuko had not redirected that lightning he would be dead. Ozai was not messing around anymore, he was going to _kill his own son._
(its not _surprising_ of course, its Ozai we're talking about... But it still hits harder than I think most people give it credit for).
Honestly I suspect it was Ozai´s final lesson to Zuko, he told him to leave the room beforehand Zuko refused and proceeded to further humiliating him, knowing Zuko would leave to train the avatar was a no-no to Ozai, so he immediately began plotting by bringing up Zuko´s mother to buy time, and then he premeditated using lightning on his own son and killing him just so the avatar wouldnt get a training power up before the day of the comet, it´s very tactical but the way it showcases Ozai´s ruthlessness is unparalled from that moment, Ozai saw Zuko as a Threat like the Avatar and didnt hold back in using lethal force to dispose of him on the spot, this really goes to show any of team avatar getting in Ozai´s way would´ve been killed right away and wouldnt be able to help aang directly in the fight without risking getting killed due to the comet amp.
Grear analysis. take care of him on the spot. Exactly. What a villain
Nah, i call cap, he is the fire lord, he is not afraid of no damn kid, zuko just dissed him, so he got angry
@@SamuelSmith2024 I don't recall anyone insinuating that the Fire Lord was afraid of Zuko, so I dunno how you came to that conclusion.
Of course he was mad that Zuko was disrespecting him.
It's cool that in the scene where Zuko redirects lightning back at his father, we see Ozai's hair fall out of place as the fire nation banner falls behind him. This show uses characters' hair to communicate a lot, and it's cool to see the triumphant resistance Zuko exhibits expressed undeniably on the antagonist's face. Zuko defies both Ozai the man and the nation he's built, and will herald a new era of peace among nations.
He humiliated Ozai thats huge!
“Iroh is a traitor, and your brother Zuko is a failure. I have a task for you.”
Then Azula betrays Ozai by lying about Zuko slaying the Avatar, and failed to kill the Avatar herself. Fitting character arc, I must say.
Ozai’s reaction to Azula because Zuko’s confession may not be stated directly, but the effects are in full display when he decides to leave her in the homeland.
Why wouldnt he? He knows Zuko´s coming, so he´s leaving her for him, I suspect Ozai scapegoated Azula because he believed he´d easily win against the avatar even in a 1 on 1, ironically enough thats how he ultimately lost, he brought Azula Along, she would´ve gladly Find a opening to use lightning on Aang killing him.
I would make the argument that Ozai's simplicity is actually crucial in Aang's story arc. Bear with me on this.
Aang's entire moral dilemma at the finale is his own beliefs conflicting with his responsibilities as the Avatar. This, "I cannot kill" because it goes against everything he believes in.
Now, a cheap story would give Ozai redeemable qualities so that Aang's refusal to kill is backed up "There's good in everyone." But he has no redeeming qualities. In other words, Ozai is the one person that the world and we as the audience would all forgive Aang for breaking his moral code to kill. But he doesn't. Aang doesn't say he can't kill Ozai because everyone has good in them. Aang says he can't kill Ozai because it goes against his principles. From Aang's point of view, it doesn't matter how evil someone is, it doesn't give Aang the justification to take their life
This goes to show just how good of a person Aang truly is. He's not forgiving Ozai, and he's not standing aside to let him slaughter millions (I have no doubt that Aang gladly would have died fighting Ozai to protect the civilians from him), but he isn't going to compromise his values for the worst of humanity, even if it means he has to risk his life to do so. There's not many people who that statement truly applies to.
And for a kid not wanting to be the Avatar, not wanting that responsibility, this is above all the most important moment for him, that he can balance his responsibilities with his spiritual needs
I honestly believe the reason why aang doesnt want to kill Ozai is because it early S3 he experienced the Fire Nation school system and realized the inhabitants are brainwashed with false historic events and classes, due to this he probably realized Ozai was the product of the Evil legacy of previous Firelords and not actually a directly evil person by choice himself, being born into the Fire nation´s royal family in that timeline could´ve easily corrupted anyone, because of this Aang is merciful towards Ozai, it also helps that Ozai never killed Sokka, Katara, Toph, Bumi or other of Aang´s friends Sozin in this regard was a much different thing, I have no doubt, Aang would´ve gladly used lethal force to kill Sozin if out of rage for how he genocided his culture by Choice and brainwashed an entire nation to war against 3 others.
Yes and Aangs moral conflict would have been even more compelling if "the universe" just didn't get him a joker card to circumvent it with the energy bending. It's still the biggest flaw of this show imho (the weak Kataang romance being close 2nd), every other character had to overcome something but Aang just got an external solution without him needing to make any sacrifice or come up with his own solution.
I wouldn't surprised if the Live Action show (which im not a big fan of) changes this.
Aang is also the last airbender and so he wants to keep up thier traditions hence the no killing, no eating meat and all that
Why the Ozai reveal works is because we expect someone who looks a certain way, third eye, crazy glowing eyes or sharpened teeth. What makes Ozai so freaking scary is how ordinary he looks. I remember when I was a child and watched that reveal and realised that you cannot always tell who the villain is or why they are the villain. That's what makes him so great as a villain! In my opinion at least... and why I hate the reveal being so early in the LA. Plus, we don't need his manipulation being explicit. It's very clear that he's a master manipulator. Less is always more!
Yes! Devils wear the mask of the ordinary face and we can't see whats on the inside from the outside. Still I think, they gave Ozai certain face structures or mimics that make him appear evil
Yeah just like the Onceler. Anyone can be just like him
yea when u realize that Ozai is just the Zuko of his his generation and he pretty much looks like an older version of the Anti Hero. It's pretty much saying this could be Zuko soon or anybody else for that matter.
He has a face that looks so ordinary, it suits a gentleman or a man of morals, but at the same time, when he smirks or smiles menacingly or laughs or is angry, his face oozes the features of a ruthless tyrant and heartless monster.
Just take the thumbnail picture for example. Even Aang's avatar state frown against Ozai doesn't look that menacing. It just looks like a kid who is super angry. But Ozai throughout the final fight, starting from the forest burn, looks so dang villainous.
@@rudrodeepchatterjee dude looks like a sadistic sociopath fully enjoying himself 😭
Ozai's simplistic characterization was made complex by complicating his relationships with the rest of the complex characters.
Exactly
The Fire Lord's entrance to his fight with Aang is just incredible. They convey his power, confidence, evil, and authority so well. It makes his fight with Aang have such high stakes.
It's the randomest thing ever, but that speech shook me so much that it permanently engraved the word "providence" in my brain (I was like 6ish at that point and was still picking up english). 😂
That whole monologue was SOO good.
The parallels between Hakota and Ozai and how they treat their children are also very interesting in the first episode of season 3 ep 1
The fight works not gonna lie, its important that Zuko surrendered and its important that we didn't see ozai's face, but when they twist it like that it works
One of the reasons why a villain like Ozai is so hard to pull, especially now, is because we aren't just accustomed to clear morally grey figures but a lot of people don't grasp subtlety and nuance in media as well as they should. Ozai is a pretty straightforward villain, a monster in the eyes of his opponents and in no way sympathetic through his actions, yet the story in a very subtle way also teaches us: this isn't evil incarnate. This isn't a man who was just a bad seed, born bad to the bone. Firelord Ozai is as much a product of his upbringing as his children, with the important difference he never had a desire to change and he in fact embraced the fire that burned him so many times. And the way the series tells us this, is brilliant because it really is in the smallest details.
So how did Ozai, the Phoenix King, became such a monster? First of all, let's be real, the man must have had a predisposition for it. Even from a young age, Ozai will have had a hunger for power but he was also born in a family that held power in the highest regard and despised weakness. But there is more to it.
He was born second in line to the crown, and with the birth of his cousin Lu Ten, any change to become Fire Lord was shot. He is decades younger than Iroh, hinting at the fact that he might have been an unwanted child, an idea only further enforced to how cold Azulon treated him. Sure, he arranged a marriage for Ozai with the granddaughter of Avatar Roku but this was clearly more for prestige than anything else. From the loveless relationship with his father, new methods of ruthlessness was taught. When he acted on an opportunity, his father didn't just blow him off, he was faced with a severe punishment in the form of killing his own son. Azulon was just as mean, if not meaner than Ozai, gladly having his grandchild killed by his father, just to teach his father a lesson in respect... This taught Ozai what happens if you speak out of turn against the Firelord, a lesson the opportunistic Ozai would never forget.
Ozai was taught ruthlessness and sacrifice as means to gain power and it emboldened him only further later in life. When Zuko spoke out in his office against one of the warchiefs Ozai might as well have appointed himself, he saw it as an insult to his rule. An insult that easily could be rectified. A "friendly" Agni Kai would put Zuko in his place but when his son showed weakness, something started burning in Ozai. Zuko didn't just insulted his rule, he was now also humiliating Ozai by refusing to fight, by showing cowardice in the face of an enemy. Had Zuko fought him there and then, with all his might and without holding back, Ozai would just have whooped his ass and marked it as a lesson in humiliation for Zuko. Teaching the young lad to know his place the next time he decides to speak out. But now? His son showed himself too weak to even try, as Ozai was taught such weakness wasn't to be tolerated. Not after everything he himself have had to sacrifice to get where he was. An example would be made. And so he did. He made an example AND rid himself of the son that always disappointed him.
He had to live up to a legacy and he wanted to burn his mark into history. With Sozin's comet, an opportunity presented itself like no other. After more than 150 years of colonizing efforts, after managing to take Ba Sing Se, the Earth Kingdom still resist the "progress" Sozin had brought them? Well, they might as well burn then.
Ozai is the perfect opportunist who was taught only to respect power, a perfect product of his environment and the epitome of the Imperial madness of the Fire Nation. And all of this is taught to us, not through character study of Ozai himself but through the interactions others had with him.
Mad respect to you for taking the time, effort and thought to type out that whole essay. I never even thought about how the Agni Kai might have gone if Zuko had fought back.
@@ceinwenchandler4716 Thank you! About the Agni Kai, it is something that came to me when they mentioned that in the Live-Action series, he did fight back (I'm not there yet, on my personal watch of the series) and it made me think: what did Ozai suspect to happen and did he always plan to do this? How would it affect his rule if he had been that cruel (as the scar looks particularly gruesome) when his son would have stood his ground. It wouldn't have gone well, I think in a society so obsessed with honor as the Fire Nation (as it is based on Imperial Japan after all). So I personally don't think Ozai would have gone that far. However, when Zuko showed this kind of cowardice, it was the final straw. Don't get me wrong, in an actual Agni Kai, with Zuko defending himself properly and perhaps even trying to harm his father, Ozai wouldn't have hold back much. He was definitely going to beat his son into submission, as he did look down upon him but when he saw his son beg for mercy, something might as well have snapped in Ozai, that made him decide: an example must be made.
I disagree with the meaning behind Azulon’s extreme course of action. It’s often cited as the moment where Ozai would have learned the ropes of being Fire Lord from, but he clearly already had his motivations in order well before then otherwise the situation couldn’t have started to begin with.
Azulon’s (leap of) logic is that, since Ozai acted so egregiously in dishonoring the grief of his brother by asking that their father remove his ‘birthright’ on top of that, he showed he had no understanding of grief, no acceptance for it, or both. So, in typical “eye for an eye” Fire Nation fashion, he reasoned that Ozai must be forced to feel that pain. It’s characteristically cold and ruthless while having an uncharacteristically empathetic motive.
If Azulon was more like Ozai, he wouldn’t have to be asked to strip Iroh of his birthright the exact second he was made aware of such “weakness”.
@@wildfire9280 I think you miss understood me: I'm not speaking about Azulon's logic or his motives. I'm speaking of what someone like Ozai would learn from it. Ozai wanted to be Firelord, his motivations were clear and he was well aware of how cruel his father could be at that point. But the punishment given to him by Azulon, regardless of motives on Azulons behalf will have instilled in Ozai the clear message: nobody disrespects the Firelord, not even a son of said Firelord.
Speaking out of turn in the presence of his majesty should have consequences. That's the lesson Ozai clearly learnt and this isn't something that was taught him so severely before. If he had, he would definitely have gone about usurping his brother in a completely different way. And regardless of Azulons intentions, Ozai didn't learn pain or dealing with grief and wouldn't have even if he pulled through. He would have happily sacrificed his son, if that meant getting back in Azulons good graces (until an even better opportunity presented itself thanks to Ursa). Even if Azulon had those intentions sincerely, it would have never been the lesson Ozai would learnt from it.
As for Azulon, he is more like Ozai than he was like either Sozin or Iroh. Both were strict authoritarians, cruel men with no patience for weakness and both exhibited clear favoritism for one child over another, while enjoyed sadistisc punishments. Because make no mistake, Azulons first goal was to punish Ozai, over actually teaching him something. He wanted his son to suffer for his insubordination towards him and his betrayal towards Iroh.
@@BjornV1994 The characterization of Azulon showing favoritism is based off of the single instance we have of him in the show, right? If that’s so, I don’t think there’s enough to definitely say this was an example of favoritism. I think it’s more likely intended to showcase a cultural or possibly just aristocratic preference for severity in dealing with any real or perceived transgression. And, rather than Ozai taking something away from this specific moment, it felt more like his character was already set in stone by that point and would only have taken away that he now needed to seize the throne by force. Which… yeah, even then would still have been at least some of Azulon’s doing, which just highlights a self-defeating philosophy.
It’s certainly possible Azulon was more like Ozai than Sozin, but it doesn’t seem like there’s enough to make it stick the landing given Iroh-even as the Dragon of the West-is never shown to have emulated the “ideal” image of a Fire Lord. The best example of the contrary is what admittedly little we’re given of his attitude towards the Earth Kingdom. He gave his nephew and niece Earth Kingdom toys as genuine gifts with no mockeey. While I can’t imagine they were obtained under fair circumstances, even ‘appreciation’ as little as this isn’t in line with the Fire Nation way. That also raises the question of why Azulon would favor Iroh (not just as “the firstborn son”) if he was more like Ozai.
Azulon orchestrated what was effectively a cultural extermination by systematically removing the southern waterbenders and depriving a whole half of a nation of the foundation of its culture, so cruel authoritarian does go without saying. But he doesn’t seem to have been the pinnacle of self-absorption as Ozai is, which is what makes Ozai effectively the ‘perfect’ Fire Lord, free of any ‘blemishes’ of constraint.
Honestly the world building and plot in it self already informs the viewer of why and how ozai could have become bad and as evil as he was. His lineage, the war, firenations culture and all the power growing up. It’s very believable in context
i’m glad the live-action writers took a different direction in the agni kai and i agree that it works. however, i think zuko’s surrender in the original does more for his character. it shows his loyalty to his father and how he’d never intentionally go against him with ozai punishing him anyway. this also does a better job of cementing ozai as ruthless in my opinion.
For a quick second, I was terrified that this video only had about 500 likes, then I saw it was posted two hours ago. I absolutly ADORED this amazing analysis of a great villain (that I personally don't think gets enough credit.)
I definitely think holding off showing us, the audience, was an excellent idea.
Wecdon't really need to see him in the first two seasons because we see the results through his children. Through Zuko's burnt face and desire to please Ozai. To how Ozai raised Azula into his attack dog.
Yep, it was a good idea.
Honestly the Avatar story is amazing. Its so lighthearted in the telling, but such dark overtones like spirits and the tyranny of the fire kingdom keep the message that Aang has to face his responsibilities and the consequences of his past actions. Even the finale was a compromise of all his new experiences and him not wanting to stain his hands showing growth but also conviction.
Ozai is really like the artist guy that we knew just that he had fire power
23:00 “that is why he names himself Phoenix Kink”
12:05 Thank you! I saw so many people complaining that Zuko "held his own" against Ozai before I had a chance to watch the scene. But you are the first person to mention what I feel is very obvious: Ozai was toying with Zuko. Zuko would never had landed that hit. Ozai wanted to see if he would even try. I think it was an effective reinterpretation of the Ozai/Zuko dynamic.
It arguably doesn't look like he was staging that opening. It looked like he was completely open, what would he do if Zuko would actually strike, block it with his shoulder? And it makes less sense Ozai burned Zuko in the end. In the original he hasn't even tried, that's what he got punished for. In live action he simply hesitated at what he was interpreting as "the end". Could easily be "he might burn me whole if i actually land this hit".
It makes no sense with the decision to banish Zuko anyway. For Zuko to get banished in the first place, he had to have refused to fight.
@@wildfire9280Zuko got banished in the animated show because he showed weakness in the Agni Kai.
Zuko in the live action was banished because he held on to his beliefs deemed a sign of weakness by Ozai.
It works both ways. Live action Zuko showed Ozai he could hold his own, but he showcased weakness when he had the advantage. That's the same as surrendering a fight you might've possibly won, without even trying.
One of the things i think that makes Ozai work is the thorough feeling of world building we're given around him. There was such deliberate care put into how the audience experienced the world and got to learn it, so we understood and were immersed in whay was happening. By the time he's revealed amd shows his power, we are in tune to why it's so frightening.
We've seen what it takes to bend this and that, the limits and nuances, the rules and the power scale. The audience was familiar with everything and then Ozai came and he's dual wielding lightening, feeling the sun return when he can't see it, compressing fire into bursts, fucking FLYING with those jets because of the comet. He's breaking down every rule and limit we've come to understand and accept about the world and it spoke VOLUMES about his ability after seeing avatars and other high power benders showing their stuff for three seasons.
It was PHENOMENAL and as much a success to world building as it was the story that we weren't explicitly told he was strong. We saw it. We knew. And we were afraid.
One thing I like about the live-action Ozai is his facial expression, while burning Zuko. He doesn't look on in glee, to mark him out as just a violent maniac. He does not stay impassive, marking him out as someone without any empathy... His face shows that he does not like doing this, but he does it anyway. It shows he isn't just doing this - and by extension likely everything - on a whim, but for a purpose. There is a calculating mind, that is willing to sacrifice even those the closest to him, for his goals. He is the most dangerous kind of opponent: a fanatic, but the kind with firm self-control.
Yess a fanatic with extreme discipline and self control that's why azula is so deadly until almost the end too.
You can't weaken them with anything cause they hold nothing dear but their goal. You have to bring them down fully or else they always find a way back
Yo Korotos, I just wanna say that your channel is really great. Your AOT series is fr one of my favorite things on this entire site and I also get hyped when you drop other vids for Avatar and BrBa. The second I saw this video on my home screen, i added it to a playlist so i can listen to it while working
Many thanks for the kind words, plenty more is on the way! 🙇♂️
I am so sad that there will be no video essays from now on just talking about ATLA without mentioning the live action. To me the live action does not add anything good to ATLA and just takes me out of inmersion whenever the conversation turns into 'okay listen, the live action wasnt THAT bad, heres some redeeming qualities'.
Well idk about others, but there will 100% be ATLA videos from me that have nothing to do with the live action. In this case, I thought it made sense talking about it since a lot of stuff seems to line up that hints at it being Bryke's vision. 😅
Ozai is not "just an evil dude" though. I like a lot of this break down, and I think some of what I wanna point out was touched on, but I just want to point out that Ozai is more than just an evil dude. Ozai is a reflection of his nation. He is the war and the indoctrination of the Fire Nation displayed as a person. Ozai truly believes what he was raised to believe, that the Fire Nation is the greatest nation.
What makes Ozai a great villain is how he reflects the themes of the show.
It's the classic RPG set up!!!!! Can't believe i didn't see that before. You get to meet the hero in a small peaceful village and then bad guys shows up grabs someone and now you're off on an adventure
The Fire lord and Kuvira are the two best villains in Avatar. Kuvira was a great final villain because every villain Korra had faced was some lunatic, Kuvira was a very real world type of threat, that even begged the question of if the avatar should involve themselves in governments and politics. Kuvira is what made me realize why The Fire Lord was hands down the best villain for the original series, because he was both a real world type of threat, and an unhinged lunatic.
I loved how Kuvira basically took the entire Earthbender´s approach to defeat Korra and she almost succeeded without needing a amp to her bending or anything, all she needed was a bendproof armor not even the Avatar in Avatar state could bend and she´d be Gusto, she definitely surpassed Ozai in how much farther Korra had to go to bring her down, heck even getting past the mech didnt do the job completely she still needed mako to redirect the lightning and still had to 1v1 Kuvira whose resourcefulness was competing with Korra hard.
Good to see a Korra villain being praised
What I Like about Ozai is that the series expresses who he is as Character, through everybody else, without ever seeing him for MOST of the Series
Watching this video made me realize just how often Zuko's scar jumps from left to right lol
In the original show, I think there's only 1 instance of an incorrect Zuko scar, that being the firebending masters fire tornado scene. Other than that, any scenes in this video with inaccurate scars are mirrored.
I always hated the whole villain needs to be sympathetic thing,if having a shitty childhood made you more likely to be an a-hole then i and anyone in a hellhole war-thorn and/or poor country would be
I think it can be done right if the villain goes down the wrong path, even with a tragic backstory, and the hero realizes that the villain CANT be saved. Like, they can be sympathetic, but that doesn't necessarily mean they should be redeemed.
For instance, Azula. She has a tragic backstory, but I personally don't believe she should be redeemed because at the end of the day, she still went along with Ozai's plan. She understood the implications but still went along with it.
Hama is also a perfect example of this being done right. Hama does have a tragic backstory, (in my opinion), but they refused to redeem her character.
Iroh also serves a role similar to the complex villain but is now good as he too was manipulated by his family & did horrible things. Also Mark Hamill did a great job voicing Ozai though Hamill has a lot of experience voicing villains
The situation with the royal family came off a lot more as learned self-delusion than manipulation.
9:43 Ozai being "simple" gives depth to his surrounding characters: Azula and Zuko
Exactly. Evil for the sake evil villains challenge the moralities and philosophies of more complex villains
People know forget that people like Ozai DO exist irl. Psychopaths who just like to hurt and kill people because they like doing so and feel no remorse are real
Ozai’s best move was sending Azula in s2
5:15 Ozai’s bad but he isn’t acting bad just to be cartoonishly evil. But because his morals and concept of honor are twisted.
Yes Zuko stood up for himself but he did so in defiance sending recruits to their deaths as a distraction. To Ozai Zuko is just being squeamish.
As for the agniki Zuko backed down far too late. He brought his whole family shame begging like that in public so he revived corporal punishment and exile.
Their horrible views of honor and morals. But they’re also believable views for someone like Ozai to have.
IT makes sense for Ozai to believe those honors and morals because he tasted firsthand how Azulon tried to kill his kid, for his disrespect in the succession line.
Nice! This is a particularly great video. For years now I have not been able to get ATLA (and AOT) out of my head - and although I watch a lot of stuff [too much] I keep coming back to those, and I'm constantly wondering why that is. That's partly why I watch every video you make - today especially you make a compelling case for at least one little piece of why "ATLA So Good"
Btw - first, I think this opinion started for me beginning with "The Storm" and I think you can make a compelling argument that the Zuko/Ozai conversation is the best scene in the whole show. Again thanks for giving context on why that might be.
Huge fan of the channel since i found it, love your content bro! Well thought out, amusing and interesting content every time. Good on ya!
great shit man, love your analysis and humor, makes those 30 minutes go in a breeze, keep it up
Ozai's motivations are understandable imo. He feels very human unlike some comically evil for evil sake villains like Junko Enoshima. No idea why she does what she does but I can tell that Ozai is extremely prideful.
Ozai: oh you are villains but not super one
Kora villains: whats the difference?
Ozai: PRESENTATION!!!
Kuvira has a great presentation.
The father lord truly is one of the villains of all time
Avatar is one few shows I look at and really have to think super hard on whether or not this show was a masterpiece
and the answer is yes
I think it'd be reeeeal tough to argue otherwise!
Wtf do you mean "or not"
@@maxwheatley4497 just a feeling man
Can I ask what holds you back/leaves you conflicted about whether or not it's a masterpiece?
I genuinely cannot guess (as long as you binged the show in order, instead of watching episodes randomly & out of order - then I could easily see not thinking it's a masterpiece).
I rewatched the whole show recently and it still holds up amazingly in my opinion, after having an incredible experience seeing it when I was 21 for the first time.
(Of course, I've enjoyed shows that weren't masterpieces, but its flaws are usually pretty obvious to me, even if they don't personally bother me.)
I do find it interesting that we are told that he must be stopped pre comet but then he just stops him during the comet
gotta say Ozai being played by Johnny Gat is lit!
12:42 the only problem i see in making Zuko actually fight against his father in the agni kai is that it undermines the importance of him finally standing against Ozai in the day of the black sun
Thanks. Great video! Gave me renewed enjoyment out of this amazing series.
Eh, I never got the impression that Ozai was more powerful than a fully realized Avatar.
Love these videos!
Ozai possibly invented lightning bending cold blooded fire as iroh puts it... He's other abilities and skills aren't replicated in the avatar verse
I have a theory that some of Ozai´s firebending feats during the day of the comet have more to do with the potential the Comet unlocks in every firebender, like ozai makes those comet shaped focused fireballs and throws them at aang to get him out of the earth shell that form is something no other firebender even in legend of korra can replicate, I suspect this is a form of "Cometbending" only Ozai or firebenders who breathe during the Solstice on the day of the comet can achieve, kinda like how bloodbending only works on full moon for the average waterbender.
Because the comet only comes once every 100 years, it´s impossible to get cases like Yakone´s family, as Firebenders would only have one chance every 100 years to test Cometbending they wouldnt be able to train well enough to replicate it without the comet without being able to train it with the comet more times, thats likely the secret, because the Fire nation royal family has access to a lot of intel on the comet and firebending, spirits, dragons, etc... it makes sense that Ozai would be able to perform it and even know all the powering up steps to make full use of the comet´s power.
While Ozai is an irredeemable bad guy, we do see the reason why he is that way. The vicious cycle of internal abuse within the royalty in the fire nation is well displayed with Azulon's ultimatum, which makes it very clear which conditions Ozai was raised under. It makes you think that he could've been a different person if he hadn't been part of such an oppressive regime, but without giving us the answer because it ultimately doesn't matter. He's too far gone now, and Zuko is the one who has the capacity to make that choice now.
That being said; the grey aspects of the conflict in ATLA are displayed constantly in the world with its commentary on imperialism through all the characters on each side of the conflict. I would say they did a better job at showing the nuances of colonialism and war in a children's cartoon than many adult films and series tackling the same themes.
Another good one. I like this channel. You're doing a great job making it even better with these retrospectives. Og Avatar was one of the best shows of all time.
I actually think that getting to know Azula in this series weirdly give us a backstory on Ozai as well. We all know that he was likely raised in a similar manner as Azula and Zuko. It’s also the same dynamic. Iroh here is the sympathetic of the two and Ozai the ruthless one. This gives us a glimpse into what Azula could’ve become if she would’ve succeeded all the way through and what Ozai could’ve been if he hadn’t succeeded. Through Azula we know darn well what kind of backstory he carries. And I actually think that makes him even more ruthless and less of a human, especially with the idea that we never directly see the story. But we all know of it
Amazing video man
A thought: live action just couldn't keep Ozai hidden as animation already revealed him and that wouldn't get the same result. They had to go around that
Also the fact that he is voiced by the Joker helps portray that menacing tone
Except he did have an explicit hatred for Zuko. He even went out of his way to “subtly” tell him from a young age.
Zuko finally coming to terms with his fathers horrific plans for sozins comet:
Zuko: “That was horrible! You’re wish is horrible! You’re horrible! You’re an irredeemable monster!”
Ozai: “Oh, oh, what took ya so long, idiot?!” *Tries to kill him with lightning*
another A+++ video from Korotos
I regards to the Netflix agni kai scene, I got major "crazy Asain parent" vibes (which I have experienced myself). Like Ozai was doing this out of a misguided form of love, trying to force Zuko to become "strong". Like he's trying to make Zuko exactly like himself. I think that would be more interesting to explore in the new adaption.
also, in asain culture (i guess old school asian culture), the first born son will always be in favor of inheritance over younger siblings (especially girls). I think leaning more into this would also be interesting.
Vader was shrouded in mystery before his reveal too.
I think the real counterpart to Ozai is Darth Sidious/Palpatine. He always wears a cloak and he is a big bad who is a looming force over all the other antagonists in the series. Just like Ozai he is a villain to villains too and just like him he does what he does with manipulation. He is also just as ruthless and cruel maybe even more. Ah, btw he shoots lightning too.
@@dr.osterman8158*meanwhile in an alternate universe LOK*
"Somehow Firelord Ozai is back."
Ozai embodies the evil ambition of the Fire Nation
Ozai being surprised that aang is alive is actually a plot hole, as in the deserter, puppet Ozai clearly states that he can never be surprised. 1/10 awful writing, ruins the show for me, would not recommend
It is meant to convey the level of propaganda that the Fire Nation is subjected to. That if street actors believe Ozai is omniscient, and we on the other side of the fourth wall can see he is not it helps build empathy for the Fire Nation people.
The second I saw that key I paused the video
(Minor spoilers ahead) I’m on episode 54 or so and it feels fairly close to the payoff so I’m cautiously watching on trusting you not to spoil anything while using it as an example
what makes it even better is that fire lord Ozai is voiced by Mark Hamill and that guy is just great at voicing villains
Pls do a vid on Azula!!!
All in due time. 👀
@@Koroto HELL YEAH ITS COMING
Thank you for bringing to pur attention how the differences in Ozai on the live action Netflix show is exploring more of Ozai's manipulate tendencies. I haven't watch the show yet but I like see people pointing out the positives in the live action vs. only looking at the negatives
Yeah
Seeing Ozai hurl a dual-wielded lightning bolt generated in less than a second at Zuko is the most badass and terrifying thing ever.
My only gripe with Ozai is that he looked like he was Zuko's older brother, not his father. He and Iroh look so far apart in age it's hard to remember they're brothers.
Ozai's image might have improved had he been designed with a fuller beard and some gray hairs. He would have resembled a more archetypal dread emperor kind of character then. Someone who's too late to change his ways, so the only option is to take them out.
yes please take us into the bryke leaving netflix but worked on the 2010 movie rabbit hole. I feel the same way about those "i'm never watching it" comments
Kinda reminds me of how the inheritance sorts starting with eragon by Christopher poalini. Same villain showed towards the end of the series and overlapping perspectives with the son of one of the "big bads" under the main villain and the main character mainly
Them not showing him reminds me of Claw from Inspector Gadget
Ozai is like if they made Ganondorf more defined and a bit more human
great analysis
"Some men just want to watch the world burn"- Alfred Pennyworth, The Dark Knight
Turned villains/morally ambiguous and born villains are both fun. But I enjoy different interpretations, making Ozai more and less morally gray and "sympathetic" in netflix.
More respect for villains like these
Was not expecting to hear some of arvo part’s fratres in here!
good video,
Giving Ozai a "sad backstory that makes bad guy bad (but maybe they're just misunderstood? 😉)" would've taken an intricate relationship of characters and character-types and made it instead just convoluted. I was a bit critical of Ozai's pure evil and narcissism the first time around, but upon my second viewing, I came to realize that making him pure evil gave breathing room for Zuko's, Iroh's, and Azula's stories and gave them (at least Zuko and Iroh, not to mention Ursa) something to contrast with. In truth, Ozai's evil is perfect for the story. And as far as realism goes, there are really people out there who are irredeemably evil but who have no "motivating backstory" that could justify said evil.
@9:46. Voldemort isn't evil just for the sake of it, he actually does have a tragic backstory that gives a specific reason as to why he's so evil in the books. However, I agree with the overall point you're taking
This was a great video. Thank you for all your work :)
Yo can anyone tell me the song that starts playing at 23:50 ?
I will argue that Iroh isn’t necessarily as far below Ozai as you imply. Iroh is a good teacher and is in teacher mode the one time we see him bend lightning. He knows showing off how well he can bend won’t benefit Zuko as his first demonstration. Zuko needs a methodical demonstration of what to do if he is going to be able to. The Ozai scene is absolutely to show how ridiculous he is, but turn around and we find out Iroh now gets the mysterious treatment of being a fabled one man army breaking out of jail at the same time but off camera.
at 22:50 you couldve said "his failure of a son rejected him, disrespected him, and lightning redirected him" and it wouldve been a barrrrr
What I liked about Ozai was that he had an accurate depiction of a war lord.
He isn't out on the frontlines, he isn't the face of his army, he is just a man, sitting far away giving orders from the information he gets.
What I disliked about Ozai was that he was just strong with little explanation to why.
In a series where the bending power of every character is explained, this seems like an oversight. Azula and Zuko (for most of the series) used rage, Toph being blind and using earthbending as compensation (meaning she uses bending all the time), Iroh studied other bendings and was on the frontlines for the siege of Ba Sing Se.
But for as far as I remember, Ozai didn't have any pent up anger from his past, he didn't go through major battles that required for him to master his bending to simply make it through.
His strength, just is. It wouldn't even need to be a "Walter White" explanation. Just let the explanation be pent up anger from a childhood of growing up with a firelord whom he didn't consider harsh enough, a traitorous brother, a weak son and a disappointing daughter.
We can interpret all of those as being legitimate reasons in the show, but the show itself doesn't actually confirm it.
Maybe a comic does but I haven't gotten into those.
So if anyone does have an explanation I'd love to know why.
Ozai in the comics was really something else. In the aninated series, we have a subtle belief that ozai was like this because of the Fire Nation propaganda, and somehow, he had an "affinity" to it. But that's not even close to the case. He's just down horrible. He was born to be a maniac. A psychopath. Pure manipulation of the truth with his wife he stole just becsuse of avatar roku's heritage. No redemption needed. He was just a power-hungry man facing what he needed to face in the end.
4:57 yeah.. about that
Personally him being voiced by Mark hammill who I love kinda distracted me a lil
Ozai may be a "simple" bad guy, but he is also very believable, something that actually exists in the real world. He is a sociopath: selfish, narcissistic, smart, manipulative, and with airs of grandious and the skills to back all that up. And to make things worse, he is in a position of power.
We've all read or met someone like that, a boss, teacher, a parent who uses its children.
Simply being bad without a sab bad story is also real. Even if we do not want to admit it, in the real world there are people who simply are bad with no reap explanation.
I love that Ozai is so pissed off that the second he can feel that firebending is back on, he immediately goes for the kill shot but not only does Zuko surprise him by being able to redirect lighting, but doubling down on not killing Ozai, and disappearing right under his nose that he has to go give himself a NEW, better King of Everything title😂😂😂
cactus juice
quenshy
Nothing's quenchier
Is everything
it’s the quenchiest
Who cant empathize with Ozai? He inherited his war from his father and his grandfather and a war that they are sure to win in time.
My boy evil evil Ozai getting his respect!!! Love it!!!
The way they show who ozai is is exactly how the devil comes off as. W/out their backgrounds they come off as cool, chill, friendly, but they are ruthless and don’t care about anything but themselves.
Ozai I don’t see as just “some evil unjustifiable dude” I see him more as an result to firelords born in such a way, becoming much more ruthless and warmongering over the course of the war, if you look at Sozen for example during rokus flashback, he was evil for starting the war and ending the air nomads but he did it for a more compassionate reason still, that being for the expansion of his own empire, and even held compassions for those close to him, Azulon for how little we see him, still cared for family, but punished ozai for suggesting to screw over Iroh who just lost his child, then go to ozai, who not only could care less about anyone,let alone close ones, he couldn’t care less about the existence of other culture and people. The moment the comet arrived he was prepared to fully dominate and destroy absolutely everyone in a blazing fire, not because of the avatar being there or being reincarnated there if aang died, but simply to destroy any hope of anyone wishing to stand against him
I laughed when at the gray is one of my favorite colors looked down and I’m wearing almsot exclusively gray