The Perfect Musical Symmetry of Avatar the Last Airbender
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- čas přidán 16. 05. 2024
- Long ago, all the leitmotifs lived together in harmony
Then everything changed when the fire nation attacked
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Sources and other great links:
Theodore Morris's video
• Avatar The Last Airben...
A list of leitmotifs in AtLA
avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Soundt...
Diegetic music of AtLA
avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Music_...
An analysis of AtLA's music
avatar.fandom.com/wiki/User_b...
A reddit post listing off leitmotifs
/ atla_character_musical...
Another thread just talking about how great AtLA's ost is
/ avatar_had_such_memora...
Interview with the track team discussing some of their choices for the music
www.soundtrack.net/content/ar...
Another interview with the track team talking about the music
www.avatarspirit.net/interview...
www.avatarspirit.net/interview...
www.avatarspirit.net/interview...
Another blog post going over AtLA's music
gatorgala113animation.blogspot...
And honestly, tvtropes had a few things to look out for, worth looking at if you want an easy place to start
tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph... - Hudba
![Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Cycle of War [ video essay ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/PmG1NgFTUR8/mqdefault.jpg)
Zuko: “for the last time Uncle, I’m not playing the tsungi horn!”
Zuko’s theme: *is a tsungi horn*
i mean it's like a take on the blue spirit's theme, symbolising his independence from the fire nation.
@@Isaac-vd4vz But the blue spirit theme is also a path that he starts down that Iroh wouldn't encourage, but support.
I read somewhere that he's actually a good player?
@@God_535 Canon is that he's actually not just good, but actually a PRODIGY level Tsungi horn player, he just doesn't care for it since it doesn't help him fight.
Another reason it's such a GREAT representation of his freedom as the Blue Spirit.
@@zedx50 OMG 😭
"Zuko is everyone's favorite character" This is blatant Cabbage Merchant erasure
Zuko is my favorite character but at the same time YOU'RE NOT WRONG. Cabbage Merchant is the recurring legend we all need and love.
see, I never really got the whole cabbage man thing... like its funny, but the fact that he showed up in the ENTIRE SHOW only three or four times.... I don't get why he's SOO popular
@@lindseysquire8417 We all have our individual favorite characters, but we all collectively would kill for the Cabbage Merchant
Zuko is my favorite because he's a great redeemed villain. Peridot is my favorite in Steven Universe
The Cabbage Merchant will reign supreme
“Everything that gives Team Avatar a problem gets its own leitmotif”
*looks at momo*
LMTOOOO I DIED
I mean technically he was a problem xD Sokka wanted to eat him and Aang wanted to keep him as a pet, sounds like some group turmoil to me XDD
Oh and he also totally dragged Aang to Monk Gyatso's body which is a whole new and bigger problem
@@sicongli6594 HAHAHA I love that!! You’re a genius 😆😆😆
*Looks at Sokka*
Momo almost responsible for making Aang blow up like an atomic bomb buly taking him to see Gyatso with no prep time. I think he gave them a huge problem.
I love that some characters don't get their own leitmotif but Uncle Iroh gets several, including one for doing "relaxing and tea-related activities". Absolute legend
“Alexa, play ‘tea-related activities’ “
I think there’s a reason for that, the characters that get their own leitmotif are the ones that usually act as comedic relief the most, Aang, Sokka, Momo and uncle Iroh, they are either funny carefree or straight up comic by nature like Momo, and their leitmotifs come whenever this part of their personality is highlighted in a scene, in contrast Katara Toph and Appa are more serious even though Toph is more funnier most of her jokes are more directed to the audience that the other characters so they don’t get that since those leitmotifs only sound when something funny happens
The "tea-related" theme is played at times other when Iroh is involved. We just noticed it in the "Toph's parents' tea and dinner" scene. Some themes are tied to activities rather than people, it's just that Iroh does more tea than most.
banana
@@pabloaulestia6310
,,
"the fire nation gets a leitmotif, but the airbenders don't."
Me: um, what airbenders?
I feel like I got hit by a truck when I read that.
Is it leitmotif? Because it sounds exact like what we say in Germany to this kind of music pattern, but we write Leitmotiv with v
Too soon 😢😂
@@ms_it_is yeah, the German term is used internationally.
@@ms_it_is Yes, it's a loanword from German because the concept is heavily associated with the German composer Wagner
"Until she turns into a fish. This show is wild."
"That's rough buddy."
"My first girlfriend turned into the moon"
@@lexin8139 that's rough, buddy.
Both my exes are now dating
@@batatanna thats rough buddy
HE SAID THE FUNNY!!!!!!1!!!!!!
My favorite musical gesture?
Easy, it has to be:
SECRET TUNNEL!
SECRET TUNNEL!
SECRET SECRET SECRET TUNNEL!!!
Secret tunnel reminds me of country roads
@@failingeverything5793 LMTO
THROUGH THE MOUNTAAAIIIINNNNN
@@paigeh1644 SECRET SECRET SECRET SECRET TUNELLLLL!!!!!!!!!
YEAH
The fact that there's still no official soundtrack album available for ATLA is a travesty.
Yeah
I heard that the Track Team is working on a remastered album to release as of February this year 👀
@@phil8378 but we're already past february
@@emoshrek8902 Like February is when it was announced
@@phil8378 oh I see, that's pretty cool
It’s all fun and games until leaves of the vine starts playing
Yes T^T
(cries)
I hope you do a video on Legend of Korra’s music. Love your videos.
I first read the comment normally then because I've only seen like one Avatar episode, didn't know what the song was. I read it again and sang the words "Leaves of the vine" in my head to see if I could remember how it goes, since I think I've heard it. I read/sang it to the beat and melody of Feliz Navidad.😂
i mean, overused, but true.
broke: Yue turns into the moon
woke: Yue turns into a *fish*
That's rough, buddy
ASCENDED: Yue turns into a pickle. Funniest shit I've ever seen
Jeanette Cabrera you wot
TFW you realize that Yue needed the moon spirit because she was suppose to be the next Avatar after Aang, but he was frozen in the ice so she never got the avatar spirit and needed the moon spirit to survive
The Lady Laydralae Nice theory, but can I have a source? Is there any proof for or against this?
The 4 nations aren’t strictly modeled after one culture. It’s a mixture. That’s why you find Chinese references in fire nation culture for example.
this, oh my god, i waas wondering why no one else has mentioned this.
And Icelandic geography
Yeah there's are a lot of SEA influences in the architecture and outfits.
Yeah. The elements throughout the show (including music) are meant to serve the story, nothing more. They're inspired by real life cultures, not symbolic of them, as it's a work of fiction.
the creators of the show specifically avoided referencing japanese culture too much in building the fire nation. associating japanese culture with the culture of the titular antagonists in the avatar world would provoke criticism that the show is biased against japanese. especially given the context that japan did launch a war in the past and committed war crimes against other people.
Just an interesting observation: Aang dances with the blue dragon, probably representing his internal journey of freedom and love. Zuko dances with the red dragon, representing his external quest to attend to somebody else’s expectations. When they finish dancing on the top of that staircase, Zuko faces the blue dragon and Aang faces the red one. Pretty neat, huh?
dang... this show just gets deeper and deeper
It shows who they are in the beginning, when they’re dancing with dragons, then at the end they switch because it’s who they need to be.
Oh and also !!! When Zuko faces Azula, his fire is red and her's blue, and when Aang removes the fire Lord's bending, his energy is blue and the fire lord's red ! The symetry is everywhere dammit, so cool ! Sorry for the english I'm french XD
@@clemenceguichard4582 yeah that makes a lot of sense, the visuals of this show are certainly amazing
@@clemenceguichard4582 (I’m Brazilian so my English isn’t perfect either ☺️)
Iroh being connected to the Earth Kingdom through music is actually REALLY genius: he lost his child attacking the Earth Kingdom, he spent time hiding from the Fire Nation in the Earth Kingdom, and he helped liberate Ba Sing Se in the finale. Not to mention he is an INCREDIBLY GROUNDED character like most Earthbenders are.
@Greasel Snatches OMG I'm an OG fan and didn't even think of this but he DOES lol
@Greasel Snatches I didn't give much thought to this but considering everything especially his technique on lightening bending....yeah. Makes sense.
As the head of the white lotus Iroh is above borders and learns from the philosophies of all nations. But yes he does seem to have a greater connection to the Earth Kingdom - it was the place where he was destroyed (his military defeat and loss of his son) and the place where he was reborn (refugee from the fire nation and where he found peace). It's probably no coincidence that when we see him in the spirit world in legend of korra he is not in fire nation garb, but rather his clothes and hairstyle are that of the earth kingdom.
ALSO the same instrument for whenever Iroh does something peaceful (the Guzheng as mentioned around 10:46) is the same instrument used in Iroh's story in "Tales From Ba Sing Se" when he sings "Leaves From the Vine." It makes total sense storywise because the instrument is tied to both Iroh's character development prior to the show, as well as the city of Ba Sing Se.
He's taken the tragedy he experienced when he laid siege to Ba Sing Se and has transformed it into something peaceful!
EXACTLY!!
"You might even go so far to say that these two are like..Yin and... *Y-aang* "
Me: Did he just-
I also just realized their names are A ang and Z uko literally opposite ends of the alphabet.
I grinned so wide the entire outro because of that. SO GOOD.
🥰😂😂💀💀
Me: Y’ang slick
Me: AAAAAAY~
Also Me: Yo he talking shit about Zuko's puns when he made an even worse pun-
"Listen to what we get when Zuko cuts his hair."
Not even a second later I got a Geico ad with bagpipes playing
I damn near dropped my phone in frustration when it threw a Febreze ad at me about there. Whoever is choosing these ad breaks is sick.
@@InchonDM ikr?
I got head-and-shoulders and almost fell out of my chair
It definitely makes sense that Aang’s kalimba theme represents his love for his friends/family, because that piece is actually called ‘The Avatar’s Love’
Aww thats so sweet
I’m gonna CRY over that title
The Southern Water Tribe not having a leitmotif but the Northern Water Tribe having one actually makes sense-considering there WAS basically no Southern Water Tribe by the start of the series thanks to the Fire Nation having wiped out all of their culture and benders save for Katara. So it makes sense that once they get to the cultural hub of the tribes, then that would show through the music.
don't forget the blood bender she was southern water tribe too but your point stands.
Is there a leitmotif for the warriors of the southern water tribe? It might be worth it to go back to episodes like Bato of the Water Tribe and the Southern Raiders and see if there is one.
Exactly the same reason why there is no Air benders tribe leitmotif
Also they show up in like 2 episodes minus the war fleet.
I wonder if they have one in the legend of korra since the southern tribe was rebuilt. Ill have to watch out for it. Cant wait for a korra analysis, its totally different to avatar's but still enjoyable
I wouldn’t say Iroh’s theme being connected to the earth nation is odd. The siege of Ba Sing Se defined his military career, that’s where he lost his son, that’s what changed his outlook on life and his time in Ba Sing Se brought him closer to Zuko and was a turning point in Zuko’s character arc which was heavily influenced by Iroh. Plus, Iroh later re-liberate’s Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation and settles there, going on to wear Earth Nation garb in the Spirit Realm in LOK. Makes sense to me that, at heart, Iroh is more Earth than Fire at heart and his theme subtly reflects that throughout the show.
Ah that’s some good interpretation
He also says that he was shown in a dream that he would one day conquer Ba Sing Se, and it was his journey from military leader to spiritual leader that brought that to reality, so having main themes that are Earth Kingdom and Spirit World related are on point
That whole aspect of his character really plays into his philosophy: that all cultures have value and that we are not bound by where we are born. You can see that in the episode where he explains his lighting redirection technique, where he both explains that philosophy, as well as how he specifically has adopted a water bending technique - which is his signature move aside from his dragon breath technique
The Revolution + also why Iroh is so well-versed in folk song traditions from other nations, e.g. ‘ It’s a Long long way to Ba Sing Se’ 🎶 or Four Seasons, perhaps a folk song belonging from trans-nation alist tradition. I’ve yet to watch the four season exclusive analysis though..
@@BW-xe2zk Great point! The four seasons analysis video doesn't talk about that so your point is entirely original 😁
The thing I love about avatar is that even though I've *only* watched through it 3-4 times, I instantly know which episode I'm on due to the music at the start. I dont have to look at the title, dont have to remember what the last episode was. From the instant the music starts, I can sigh and say "damn it, not the great divide again"
It's always gotta be the Great Divide 😓😓
Eh, let’s keep flying
Gotta admit that’s impressive. I can get a few just by music but generally I need the title.
i’ve watched it 15-16 times
That damn banjo man…
Yin and yaang. That’s a pun worthy of Sokka’s approval.
I've always been super impressed by the fact that Azula's leitmotif can be reduced to a single note. *chord
*ding*
@@thesixaddict5174 why am I able to hear it-
I think it’s an interval - tritone - which is one of the more dissonant intervals in 12 tone equal temperament (western music’s widely adopted temperament). Adam Neely did a video about myths surrounding the tritone. It could be a good watch if you’re curious.
It’s because she is so focused and precise
Triangle Intensifies
I loved the moment when Zuko tried to firebend and almost nothing came out, and the music did a wimpy version of the firenation theme
True lol
with fart sound effect
Or the scene in the serpents pass where they show the fake aangs and there is a joke of the avatar theme
I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO HEARD IT
I love how Sideways is fairly aware that telling the internet ATLA is really good is akin to telling people at a car show that cars can go fast
"Let's talk about everyone's favourite character"
But you just spoke about Iroh...
"Zuko"
Oh yeah...
"Let's talk about everyone's favorite character's favorite character."
@@robertloop7847 that’s so unbelievably accurate
Yep, exact same thought.
"Everyone's favorite character, Zuko"
The Iroh fanbase: I'm sorry, what now
I mean you can kinda automatically assume everyone loves Uncle Iroh
Uncle Iroh doesn't count, he's more than a character xD
You know the Fandom has problems when they wanna make it a competition between Iroh and Zuko.
*Laughs in Toph*
Uncle Iroh is kind of like Obama, he’s so likable that everybody forgets about the war crimes he committed.
I’m kinda surprised he didn’t go over the final Zuko vs. Azula theme. Best musical and choreographical part of the show imo
There's plenty of videos that discuss the final agni kai.
We don't need to hear about something we have already heard.
@@jbyker5851 we might want to tho
But didn't they hire a 3rd party to make the music for the final 4 episodes because the creators wanted it to feel like "a movie"? They said so in Avatar Spirits, the documentary about the show. The music was great, but it wasn't part of the show's long-term identity.
The agni kai brings me to tears
my little child brain years ago hearing that chant in the episode was blown away. like, all that time, the music we hear for firebending and the end credits was the music of the original firebending masters?? that moment felt magical
so we’re just not gonna talk about the fact that the first time we hear the entirety of Avatars love is at the end of the series finale when aang and katara kiss??
Damn
Didn't he mention something about how there are so many moments he's not going to talk about? Count the episodes in AtLA. There are quite a few musical moments in just one of these episodes and I don't think we're getting a 2-3 hour long CZcams video from Sideways any time soon. But thanks for mentioning this, I didn't notice and it's cool. (I also only just realized this 10 month old comment could have been a joke as I was typing this. Please don't yell at me like I almost(?) did to Suzan Elzawahry(?).)
That’s probably my favorite piece of music especially paired with that moment. It plays in my head a lot.
I'm sad that he did not talk about how amazing the song SECRET TUNNEL is
yes
that masterpiece deserves a whole video
Two lovers
Forbidden from one another
Audrey the cat nerd a war divides their people, and a mountain divides them apart. Built a path to be together
And uh I forget the next couple of line but then it goes
SECRET TUNNEL
SECRET TUNNEL
THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS
SECRET SECRET SECRET SECRET
TUNNNNEEEEELLLLLLLL YEAH
@@thedragonboy7914 hey, I just remembered the rest of that song
...and diiiiieeee
He better talk about the Final Agni Kai theme or imma throw some hands.
EDIT
Imma throw some hands.
Need some more hands to throw? I'll offer mine. That was so freaking powerful, made my heart drop.
@@singenstattatmen5096 Hell yeah brother
let the man to write his 10k essay on why zuko and aang are canonically soulmates (for legal reasons, this is a joke, I don't even ship them myself)
@@mel-burnes i genuinely thought he was gonna end the video with that instead of the yin-yang thing, i was thinking "i've been around since it aired but honestly you've convinced me on this one mate"
@@redwitch95 yes, exactly! like, it all was kinda leading up to that and he doesn't take the opportunity. how dare he.
I think its also really cool that iroh teaches that firebending comes from the breath, and musically firebending is represented with like the only "vocal" performances of the soundtrack expressed through quick exhales
Wow great observation 👏🔥
I think the "Four Seasons" song is redone for Sokka & Yue because the song is about love and how it passes on, like the seasons (if I am remembering correctly).
Not to mention, Yue becomes the Moon Spirit and is thus vital to the seasons as well.
"and they were narrative foils" "omg they were narrative foils"
THIS IS SERIOUSLY UNDERRATED
best comment, lol
The reason the Air Nation and the Southern Water Tribe do not have a leitmotif actually cinematically makes sense because the Fire Nation basically whipped both of these groups out, which is why they do not have a leitmotif, because it showcases just how completely the Fire Nation destroyed the cultures associated with these groups. This is why we do not hear the Water Nation leitmotif until we get to the Northern Water Tribe, because that is the only place left were the culture of the Water Nation is still thriving. For the Air Nation, you could actually consider Aang's leitmotif the leitmotif for the Air Nation, because he the only Air Nomad left, and thus the only representation of that culture left in this world. The leitmotifs for nations in the show are not for the nations themselves, but for the cultures that are associated with those nations, this is also why (imo) Iroh's music is so different from the rest of the Fire Nation, because it is to showcase the contrast between the openness of Uncle Iroh accepting and learning from other cultures around the world, compared to the Fire Nation that is steeped in tradition and is against outside influence.
that said, i still do think they missed a perfect opportunity to represent the airnation with monk gyatso, a part of Aangs story is overcoming his grief after he found out that his entire nation has been annihilated. but the character that stands out is monk gyatso, everytime aang looked back to his past with the air nation we could see monk gyatso. it could have played a part in aangs theme as he didn't always know how to be an air nomad and the avatar at the same time and an air nation theme could have reflected how the fire nation had its theme and characters often represented that theme as in azula and zuko, the air nation could have had a similar theme that sounds opposite to the fire nation one but behaves the same, plays in its rawest form when aang does something that is pure air nomad as zuko did when he was still serving the fire nation, and gyatso could have an altered version of that theme just like azula. but it would sound calming and relaxing as opposed to the fire nation intimidating theme.
edit : oh and this might be a stretch but it would have been amazing if the air nation had air instruments like the flute or something, it could have been the same as iroh's zungi horn and zuko with monk gyatso playing an air nomad instrument that was used in the air nation theme
true 5head
The Earth Kingdom doesn't have a single leitmotif of its own because the Earth Kingdom is a large and diverse place made of many peoples .
Damn, couldn't have said it better! lol
Seriously too true, also nice on the wording. ^-^
I agree, when he said that Iroh is often represented by Chinese instruments I thought to myself that that was perfect. Iroh is deeply entrenched within the Earth nation culturally. He was the one that nearly conquered Ba Sing Se, and he eventually freed the city from the Fire Nation practically single handedly. He also decided to live the rest of his days there with his tea shop. I think it makes complete sense that he would thereby be represented with Chinese instruments, I would say he theme is foreshadowing.
The fact that after this many years people still find new details in the show that show just how well it's made is insane
Right? It's amazing, this is exactly why atla will forever be my favorite show of all time and I can't wait to have kids literally just so that I can raise them on avatar XD
Yo that analysis of Aang and Zuko's opposite journeys being reflected in the music was MINDBENDING. I am straight up blown away.
SIDEWAYS AND AVATAR LETS GOOOOOOOO
Yay!!
I THOUGHT THE SAME
Same here!!!
Sameeeeeee
I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry! ... *tear of joy* one isn't crying. 😢🤣
"Zuko is, uhh...having trouble performing"
"...they're....yin and y-aang"
these puns be written with cactus juice wtf
ITS THE QUENCHIEST
One of the best songs in AtLA? Leaves From the Vine 🥺 it's not that it's technically perfect, or classical in any way; because it certainly isn't. It's raw emotion; an expression of loss, and boundless grief. It wouldn't win any awards; not even a hometown competition. But it serves its purpose in spades, and is so emotionally evoking. Definitely my personal favourite piece of music from AtLA. It still brings tears to my eyes when I hear it, all these years later. 🥺
sometimes when people are watching it around me i have to leave the room otherwise i WILL cry. when i need to cry on command that's what i go to to get those tears flowing.
It's such an emotional scene in the show but then coupled with the fact that it's the voice actors final goodbye as he died and in turn a final goodbye to the VA as he knew he would pass soon is just. It was one thing when I just knew the show context but gods when you add in the context that yer man is crying because he knows he's dying is just,,,, ow
Same 😢❤
The biggest misconception is “each of the four nations is perfectly analogous to a real culture”-that’s just not true. Yes, certain groups take more inspiration from certain cultures, but the entire world is created as a blend of inspirations and cultures. Trying to strictly associate certain real life cultural themes to the ATLA nations-like Japanese music = fire nation-will always be futile, because the fictional world isn’t structured that way. The music is written for the entire aesthetics of the show, not based on the real world connections of the instrument/musical style.
Xiran Jay Zhao has a fantastic series going over the cultural inspirations of ATLA
"Everything that gives Team Avatar a problem gets its own recurring leitmotif in the show."
Well that explains why Momo has one then.
Don't disrespect my boy Momo like that
“Okay, but listen to what we get when Zuko cuts his hair.” * USAA commercial plays * “I don’t remember that part”
Clearly you've been watching bootleg copies.
🤣🤣🤣
Instead i got a soap ad that says:
“tO bE bEauTifuL dOes nOt mEaN yOu nEeD tO bE tHe SaMe”
Just got a Joe Biden ad at the same spot lol
i got a toy ad for some sparkly troll things that come out of eggs
Azulas 'clang' is such a recognizable sound effect
Iroh singing 4 seasons just makes sense to me. It adds to the world building. It's a widely known love song in the Avatar universe, and then is used in another place at another time to show the love between two people. He happens to know it and sing it. Not really surprising.
Zuko is everyone's favorite character.
Uncle Iroh: am i a joke to you?
yeah but Z is still the fan favourite
@@wherermytacos5903 nah
@@coolfeet1 iroh may be popular but zuko comes out on top on all the polls
@@redherring984 I dont think the system works
katara is my favorite character. i HATE zuko lol
Zuko is everyone's favorite character?!?!? Nah fam, you need to take a step back and realize that iroh is the real best boy
he isnt though? he only became a decent person because he lost his son
Iroh is a mentor not a protagonists, but yes still a good character
@@tainasiman2107 Ahhhhh hello newbie what's up. Nah he was a good man before that-remember he didn't kill the last two dragons when he very well could've. He lied to save them and their species. He was always good at the SOUL just complex. Runs in the family.
@@tainasiman2107 see takes like this make me hate the revival of the fandom DID YOU EVEN WATCH THE SAME SHOW
Zuko, Iroh and Toph have been fighting for the top spot of popularity for over a decade.
Iroh: "This is just hot leaf juice!"
Zuko: "That's what tea is, Uncle."
Iroh: "How could my own nephew be so cruel?"
It goes like this:
*Iroh*: This tea is nothing more than Hot leaf juice!
*Zuko*: uncle, that’s what all tea is.
*Iroh*: how could a member of my own family say something so horrible.
@@buggymah Thank you.
No problem
Oh the "Iroh"ny
What I've learned from you: successful movies and tv shows use leitmotifs (and they have them in mind way ahead of time), because whether the audience realizes it or not, the subconscious definitely picks up on the added emotional emphasis.
cabbages
Originality
🥬
I somehow knew I'd find this comment down here.
Not my cabbages!!
so true
“ but listen to what we get when zoko cuts his hair “ a grub hub add
Queue the dancing party
Another great thing about the moment in "The Firebending Masters" is that the music is, or at least is partially, diegetic. The sun warriors, who see firebending as a source of light, warmth, and life, a philosophy Zuko will embrace and has been striving toward throughout the show, are performing the music at that moment. This is sun warrior music. The sun warriors are the progenitor culture of the fire nation, but the fire nation has become corrupted and lost their way. And Zuko has been working to understand his place in the world, as a person, and as the prince of the fire nation throughout the show. Now he has found it. And, like you said, this is hinted at with his firebending. He was banished because he wanted to protect his people, he was fighting for their lives. So not only is Zuko regaining the lost meaning of firebending, he is finally figuring out who he is and his place in the world; and connecting that back to his lost heritage and his people, by reconnecting with who he always was, which is associated with his firebending. By having the music be explicitly a sun warrior song it ties this piece of music that is so heavily associated with Zuko, specifically with his firebending and fighting, to this culture's ideals of firebending being life affirming and good. this music shows firebending is not a bad thing, but a good one, and indicates where Zuko and the fire nation fall in the world, what they should be, and what Zuko will help them to be again, by reaffirming his culture, heritage, and himself.
me, knows nothing about music, watching this: yes.. yes, exactly.
I learned more from him in that video than I did from a semester of college music class.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_France
@@jeanettecabrera9368 what?
@@jeanettecabrera9368 I agree Kingdom of France indeed
@@jeanettecabrera9368 Very insightful comment.
Sideways a few months ago: Avatar's scoring sucks.
Sideways now: But the REAL Avatar's scoring rocks.
Nice to see you here :P
I literally said “whoa” out loud and had goosebumps when he showed his final point. So awesome.
I know I’m really late here, but I think that the instrumentation for Uncle Iroh was spot-on. Iroh was always very impressed by and respectful of the Earth Nation’s culture after his failed siege of Ba Sing Se and the death of his son, Lu Ten. It’s why he gave Zuko a dagger from Ba Sing Se, and it’s why he was able to harness neutral king to escape from his prison in the Fire Nation. I think it makes perfect sense that he would have taken after their style of music, too.
"Both of these characters have traveled to equal and opposite jouneys to find each other." That's very romantic, not gonna lie.
If by "romantic" you meant pause at 17:02, then yeah...
@@yvrelna NO
@@maks7355 Y E S
@@lost7149 *M A Y B E*
@@stupidchannelwithstupidvid8750 _P_ _E_ _R_ _H_ _A_ _P_ _S_
It's such a sin that this TV show never got an official soundtrack release, let's hope that the new live action one keeps the best themes
The soundtrack is readily available, just not officially released. You just need to become a pirate. Yarrr.
@@SnoopySenpai I didn't find all the tracks(
wait... LIVE ACTION??
I thought it wasn't live action :(
It's live action. And by Netflix. Their cartoons are awesomes but live actions? Remembering Death Note... imma scared(
2:30 - probably because Fire Nation, aesthetically speaking, is heavily Chinese-inspired, from their clothing, architecture, weapons, etc ... so it's not out of the norm for their musical instruments to be Chinese-inspired too. To go further into this, all four nations are a mix of variety of cultures. So no single real-life culture would accurately reflect each of the four nations.
I love how he gives us recaps, like most of haven't already memorized all the episodes
"He becomes the thematic equal and opposite to Aang on a meta-narrative musical level" I had to listen to that twice lol
Tbh it looks far worse than it sounds.
It’s wack they just played the 4d chess of story this whole time
"I don't know half of you as much as I would like and some I like only half as much as they deserve."
@@HexenkoeniginVonAngmar im going into a coma trying to read this
edit: but now I read it out loud it makes perfect sense.. and that was probably your point
@@gracebrown3074 Precisely 😁
When Zuko was crowned fire lord, a redeemed fire nation theme played it was so great. It only happened once in the show, which was fascinating to me
I don't really remembered how it sounded but there's also a new (?) theme when we see Aang in his monk robes right before that. Always gives me the chills.
If we got another season we might have gotten more of it thoo
I just went to check that and omg now I appreciate that scene so much more
Avatar’s Love is one of the best songs ever. Depending what mood I’m in, it can make me really emotional.
Actually fire Nation is not "Japan", well, conceptually it is: a small bunch of islands and imperialism, but culturally they have sooo many influences that just can't be summarized in Japan, the clothing has nothing Japanese in it (especially the shoes that actually seem turkic or Persian), the architecture looks like SE Asian way more than it does Japan, and of course the music.
And the hair and hair accessories as well.
Yes! The attitudes are largely based off of Japan (good and bad), but there are a lot of south east Asian influences in fire nation culture. For example, the fire nation headdresses/crowns are very similar to Indonesian headdresses
Was looking for this comment! Xiran Jay Zhao has a series of videos analyzing the cultural inspirations in ATLA that I highly recommend!
Ember Island beach episode solidified my belief that they definitely incorporated SEA architecture and culture into Fire Nation. The beach mansions looked more Thailand/Vietnam/Cambodian/Myanmar influenced, due to the bamboo straw floors and linings. Not to mention the style of the party dresses looked more like sarongs too
Apparently the fire nation is also partially inspired by iceland; or at least the geography is partially.
2:40 "So maybe Uncle Iroh is a secret earthbender" - Remember that Uncle Iroh spent years on campaign as a military general in the Earth Kingdom and laying siege to Ba Sing Se, and afterward his spiritual journey took him through all four nations' cultures. Plus he seems most in his element while he and Zuko are hiding in Ba Sing Se, so it makes total sense that his musical themes would reflect their instrumentation
Also I think that in The Legend of Korra he is wearing Earth nation clothes in the spiritual world
@@JoseLuisGarcia9540 he was basically reformed in ba sing se, it makes sense that he would don the garments of a humble tea shop owner rather than a fire nation general ♡
This is exactly what I was thinking! Iroh wasn’t a secret earthbender but he did have a deep connection to the earth kingdom and felt most at home there
This is just what i was going to write
It wouldn't really make sense for Iroh to have a theme that "comes from" the fire nation bc he is arguably the most in touch character with every nation. He learned techniques from the other nations and his life changed when he was in Ba Sing Se so maybe his theme being a part of the Earth Kingdom makes more sense because though he was born in the Fire Nation, he was reborn in the Earth Kingdom. Ik it's cheesy but that's what this show is about is finding yourself
“Master Pakku the Jerku” Lol I like this guy
„Yin and Y-Aang“ LOL I line this guy too
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_of_Brazil
@@jeanettecabrera9368 what
Iroh's just someone who loves travel and learning from other cultures, and couldn't fully indulge this until his old age because of the direction his nation was going in. (And all the nations pulled elements from a variety of nations: Sokka has a Maori war club in some of the earlier episodes...not to mention the signature boomerang...; the Fire Nation has a fair bit of Thai sartorial drape and style; the Earth Kingdom has Mongolian and Korean touches in certain episodes, and is canonically outright stated to be multicultural; and there's a bodhisattva that shows up later to teach Aang, et cetera. The creators state often that the Four Nations are based on "cutures of the Pacific Ring.")
I think they made a conscious effort to blend a lot of cultures within each nation. Gets confusing but it's still kinda cool
Inventing new cultures
me the entire video: yeah hes just reiterating stuff most people know
sideways: oh btw zuko's firebending theme is the same as the one for the shows conclusion *proceeds to flex on us with knowledge*
me: WAIT WHAT
that shit blew my mind
That was so shocking honestly
Re: instruments not "matching" nations, this doesn't strike me as all that inconsistent. Thing is, none of the ATLA nations are based on *only* one real-world culture. Air Nomad culture draws heavily from Tibetan Buddhist traditions - but also from Hindu traditions, and their architecture resembles Chinese Shaolin pagodas; the Water Tribes draw heavily from Inuit and Native American culture, but their facepaints and ships are based more on Polynesian traditions, and the architecture of the Northern Tribe capital draws heavily from the canal systems in Venice; the Earth Kingdom incorporates a lot of Korean influence into its predominantly Chinese aesthetic, with significant and variable contributions from many other cultures across the vast and diverse empire (including Japan, Egypt, and temporal variation within Chinese culture - elements are pulled from Tang, Song, Ming and Qing era Chinese empires); and the Fire Nation is a hodgepodge of Chinese, Japanese and Southeast Asian influences set on a geography based largely on Iceland - as well as in-universe remnants of Sun Warrior culture, which itself is a hybrid of Cambodian and Mesoamerican influences.
It seems to me that the creators of the show very consciously integrated elements from all over the real-life world into each of the four nations, avoiding any strict typing in favor of more vague and broad similarities. The lack of specific instrumental identification with each nation fits that pattern, IMO.
Yeah it seems like buddy fell in love with that idea before thinking it through.
I always loved it - reminds me of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles where instruments from all over the world are blended to create entirely new cultural sounds
See? This guy/gal gets it. It really isn't that hard.
Which is pretty much the point of the show, this is considered to be such a great show because it’s actually a metaphor for our world about not getting so caught up in our people or our nation at the expense of everyone else
So what's the swamp water tribe thing from
“these two are like Ying ang Y-aang” The Ying and Yang thing is talked about in the Water Tribe battle back in season 1. This is the first time where we see Zuko feeling confused about his destiny when he kidnaps Aang.
Am I the only one that for some reason started crying when he explained the start and end themes for anng and zuko?
They play that Avatar's Love kalimba theme and I just curl up into a ball and feel warm and fuzzy feelings and cry. It's like the opposite of cringing.
Lol I found out he uploaded this video from your tweet. CZcams didn’t notify me. Also that love theme kills me. It’s so perfect and the opposite of cringing is the perfect phrasing.
Serenity is the way I describe it.
Oh man the “I just bought this on blue ray and THEN Netflix released it” hit hard because I also had that happen 😂
Trust me one day, you're going to grateful for having physical copies.
physical blurays are good thing so when the show is taken outback old yeller style by streaming you will still have access to it
I've owned the box set dvd's since the show wrapped up
Honestly, I own it on DVD, and I have access to it on Netflix.....but I still want the Blu Ray SO BAD!
thats rough buddy
As someone who is a huge film production nerd and big on visual motif the whole fire bending and the end of the song and the yin yang thing blew my mind
I'm literally getting goosebumps every time he shows a clip of the music
Fun Fact: Nicktoons often cut off the actual credits of the show, and just showed a little box of credits in the corner while it played a preview. So, the reappearance of the credits theme may have been lost on a lot of people.
Oh, that is *terrible*. Learning this actually managed to remove the smile his Yin and Y'aang joke had. :(
Man, I always hated it when networks started doing that.
It ruined a lot of good post credit content of so many shows...
@@leirawhitehart1236 It really did.
Silly as it is, I stopped watching a lot of shows simply because it killed a lot of the fun.
@@Tacticslion and it was even worse when they started cutting off shows that weren't even finished yet, like, what was up with that!? Let the episode finish before you go onto the next one! Geez! Are you in that much of a rush to get to the next show!?
I really don't understand why they started doing that, but if I had to guess, it was probably something to do with corporate (as most sucky things in entertainment tend to be).
@@leirawhitehart1236 YUP
(and how they marketed commercials to which, and how many shows they could brag about pushing all of which gave them hypothetically increased commercial revenue)
when he ended with the Sun Warrior/end theme I just..... Everything clicked and I started crying.
Avatar the last Airbender is legit the best show I've ever seen
I love the end theme, I hated when the show would end as a kid but I loved the music, was so suspenseful.
The blue spirit mask theme contrasting with the fire nation theme is even more effective when you know that Zuko’s mom wore those masks when she was an actress before marrying the fire lord. This further emphasizes the Roku side (Zuko’s mom) and the fire nation side (Zuko’s dad) at war in his mind. Great analysis!
Not gonna lie, the hearing uncle Iroh's leitmotif during the Zuko handing out tea made me cry
The realization that Iroh's relaxing tea theme plays when Zuko's making tea for Team Avatar hit me wayyy harder than it should've.
DuskyDancing saaaammmmmeeee
I actually didn't consciously pay attention to much of the music in ATLA, but that is one I noticed... it's about the only thematic one I noticed
Aang's kalimba theme is called "The Avatar's Love." What makes the Avatar the Avatar is their connection to the world and it's people. Their deep and profound love for life itself. A love strong enough to unite and fuel external change but is first born from within one's basic humanity. It starts as something gentle and personal like a lullaby and grows into something so much greater that it can't be represented by just one individual. Yet that innocent spark of affection never really goes away no matter how the scope of surrounding events may change. I think it's such a remarkable little piece.
That's a beautiful way to phrase it.
wow your phrasing is perfect
I always cry when they play the whole piece at the end-credits of the show. So powerful.
gahh I was looking for this comment :) this theme reminds of some spectacular creatio ex nihili moments in music, like the start to Copland’s Appalachian Spring. I find them strikingly similar.
It gives me chills and makes me emotional EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
Fire nation theme :exists
Me: SIDDEWAYS IT’S DIIEES IIIIRRRAAAEEEE
Also, toph uses a special type of earthbending bc she's blind- so it's a different martial art if you look closely.
18:21
"..But eventually learns that what he needed to do was look within himself..."
to save himself from his other self? Only then would his true self reveal itself.
*ribbit*
Sad that even when he's talking for him, he can't figure out what he means.
haha nice
What would Azula say?
I'm still angry about that yin and yaang joke.
Don’t you mean AANG-ry?
You know what's gonna make you even more angry? I'm so dumb that I didn't even get the pun till I saw your comment. When I heard it in the video I was just like "Why is he pronouncing 'yang' so weird?" 😂😂😂 And I usually have such a high pun radar! I'm ashamed of myself. 😔
~:~
_spanish inn physician_
He's just channeling his inner Sokka.
juppppy sokka specializes in sarcasm, i would say aang is more of the pun guy
I would really like it if you did a video on the Coraline Soundtrack for Halloween. It's such a great piece of scoring and there are a few things that would be really fun for you to discuss:
-Coraline's "Exploration" leitmotif and how its instrumentality is affected by the story
-The Other Mother's theme and how it connects to the Ghost Children
-The residents of the Pink Palace and their Other World counterparts having different interpretations of the same theme
-The "Dreaming" leitmotif and how it's sung by the Other Mother diagetically, symbolizing her grip on the story
-Wybie's theme and its interesting use of instruments
No pressure tho, plus it would be way easier if I just analyzed it myself, but I really like your videos and I'd love to hear you talk about one of my favorite soundtracks and possibly help me discover something I never knew was there.
You do you, tho.^^
Dude I got goosebumps with the Sun Warriors' drums here. Every single time. Damn, you're right.
Dont you just hate it when your girlfriend TURNS INTO A FISH TURNING INTO THE MOON
Rens Burggraaf that’s rough buddy
Juancho Baclagon that is rough buddy
*ITS THE QUENCHIEST.*
“master pakku the jerku” IVE BEEN MAKING THIS JOKE FOR 10 YEARS THANK YOU
Other shows: "Thinks the music helps convey the plot."
ATLA: THE MUSIC IS THE PLOT.
I'm lowkey in tears because of his pronunciations for some of the instruments from certain languages I know, but A for effort
Sideways: "Everyone's favorite character,"
Me: "Oh cool he's gonna talk about Uncle I-"
Sideways: "Zuko"
Me:
Lol he could’ve said almost any character and I probably wouldn’t question it
UselessCamel Mai
This
“Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the only antidote to shame.”
Me: 👁👄👁
Avatar The Last Airbender deserve all the praise it gets
I mean, a lot of the first season was kinda not super super great. I love the show, though
IkeRite to be fair the gaang kind of had no clue what their plan was until the season 1 finale
No. It deserves MORE.
It would certainly be nice to see some other amazing American action-oriented animated series get more love akin to Avatar, though. Everything else feels niche by comparison online these days, which is a shame.
I just adore this show to death, ESPECIALLY the final 4 episodes are just *MWAH. MASTAPEECE.*
"You have to give the composers a grain of salt"
There's wisdom in these words
It really sucks that Katara didn't get any leitmotifs. It would have made her incredibly more iconic
That zuko percussion part at the end made me say “holy shit” out loud
It was so good I actually had a "holy shit" in my pants.
ya, mind BLOWN. I had not realized this and I've watched the whole show at least 5 solid times
It kinda showed us why they were worthy to the Masters
@@sumgirl720 same here, I've watched the show several times as well and just enjoyed it, never really putting thoughts in all the details and just experiencing the show as a whole.
But when I heard that I was like "Yeah that makes so much sense". Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino had a story to tell and build a show on it. Unlike some other tv shows that are like "they need to create a show so they make up a story for it". So of course both would know where the story was going to end and they just prove it with these kinds of detail.
Won't you analyze the masterpiece that is “Secret tunnel, trough the mountain: or a tale of two lovers.”
I can't remember how the next bit goes but... AND DIIIIIIEEEEE
@@allnaturalfigjam310 SECRET TUNNELLLL, SECRET TUNNELLL
@@wheeinsdimple926 It's a goddamn masterpiece
IN THE MOUNTAIN SECRET SECRET SECRET TUNNEL YEAH
THE ZUKO ROAST AT 11:27 I CAN'T
The video: Listen to what we get when Zuko cuts his hair
The ad that decided now was a good time: *helicopter blade noises*
musical symmetry:
Azula's iconic ding sound: ding~
Anytime Azula is on screen, I will say there it was!! The ding! Did you hear it?! And my brother will roll his eyes again
That “ding” motif is actually a tritone as well - the perfectly symmetrical music interval that divides the octave in half.
@@MattAsherMusic Huh. The more you know.
@@MattAsherMusic Perfect, just like Azula. Or at least how she believes herself to be.