the hold that the panda lily song has on me is incredible. shoutout to Jeremy Zuckerman and Benjamin Wynn real quick if you want to support/follow you can here: patreon.com/sagesrain twitter.com/sagesrain instagram.com/sagesrain
I just realized. You have't done a video about Kabuto yet. The reason I know this is because someone else has already done it. I haven't watched that one yet, but I don't WANT to watch that one I want to watch yours. so do a kabuto video please. Then maybe one about the konoha 11 as a whole. or something.
Then back to Kyoshi Island. Aangie riding on a sea serpent to impress katara. Its sucked Aangie couldn't be a kid there due to the fire nation burning the town.
I get what u mean but I don’t think it’s tru. It was kinda set on immediately in the first 3 episodes that tragedy happened (Air Genocide). Episode 5 Bumi let’s him know what he will eventually have to do. Then 6 with imprisonment, 7-8 with Roku telling aang an impossible task
ATLA is not just a story. It's an art piece. A masterpiece! Watching it as a kid I thought it was fun. Watching it as an adult there are many thought provoking moments. I aspire to be like uncle iroh. I aspire to be like rengoku. Likeable, but correct and ironclad in their resolve
@@anthonylopez5 I don’t think the ending was cheap, but that’s just personal preference. The season felt rushed bc they first few episodes were just kinda filler because they wanted to have a riveting and continually escalating finale with those last five episodes. But I agree another season to further develop plot and characters points would have been nice
Its also a retelling of the Mongol Invasion of China and the response in rebellion, forming the Ming Dynasty I think it was the Ming that came out of it, idk Anyways fun fact hehe
@@littlebitfix4511 everything about the Mongol empire is shakey at best. Nobody even knows if they existed. Here's why, the Mongolians didn't have a culture that can be studied. I know. I played tomb raider too. Stop it. The Mongolians didn't have a culture bc that waring culture was made up. China has ginger mummies that they refuse to put out into the world. China is a great dragon eating everything they want to hide. But they don't know that we will slay any dragon on God's green earth
A nice detail someone pointed out was that the scar is the perfect character design. He has two sides, one distortes his perception of the world, makes him see things different, narrows his focus...
true. One side, his scarred side, is the one still controlled by his father (not literally, just aesthetically), while the other is open to iroh's teachings. When Zuko lets his 'loss of honor' overcome him, we see his scarred side take over wheras when he listens to iroh, and ESPECIALLY when they were in ba sing se and he didn't care too much about his scar, iroh's teachings flowed from him (well, this was after he awoke from his sickness, but whatever).
Not only that but if you look at zukos scar it’s so much worse right around his eyeball meaning ozai was straight up trying to f*cking blind zukos left eye to “teach him a lesson”
i would disagree with OP, i would say his burned side is his humanity. it was because he cared about the soldiers as more than Canon fodder, and he got burned for it. it is the unburned side that holds him back
the aang-zuko parallels and relationship arc has it's well earned finale in the firebending masters when aang and zuko dance with the two dragons. it's both visually stunning and full of deep meaning. that episode is one of my favourites for a reason.
Zuku lost his firebending the day he became Avatars teacher. Thats like your first day of work as a Spanish teacher and saying bonjour class. Je m'apelle Le Trios.
Aang and Zuko being shown as kindred spirits. Good indivuals who are in trouble. There is also some good subtle details like with that soldier on Zuko's ship who almost fought him. He can't stand Zuko and sees him as a selfish spoiled prince but after Iroh hears his complaints and explains Zuko's backstory, he later for the first time refers to Zuko as SIR when asking if they should pursue the Avatar
9:20 The fact that he feels this way still amazes me. I actually liked this kind of thinking being introduced, as it made a lot of sense to me. he's a child, so when it involves something personal to him, he doesn't think things through rationally. If the airbending masters couldn't take down the fire nation soldiers, what makes him think he could? They were powered by Sozin's comet and they likely attacked all 4 temples simultaneously. Since Sozin was afraid of the avatar, he probably set up a blockade around the temples, to prevent his escape(and the escape of any other airbenders). There's no reason to believe that Aang would have made the slightest bit of difference. Even with the avatar state, he still would have been cut down. It would have been like at the Earth Kingdom Capital...the difference though is that he'd have no one to help him escape. All the airbenders would be fighting for their survival, and even if they did try to help Aang escape, they'd still be victim to Sozin's tactics. It's also something that seemed to be strategically unsound. Sozin clearly let his emotions get in the way of reason. He was so paralyzed of the avatar, that he felt like his only chance to destroy him was during the comet. According to Aang, the air nomads didn't have a formal military and were pacifistic. Wiping out the air temples may have knocked out one of the three nations, but air nomads weren't the ones who had the potential to give the fire nation the most trouble. If Sozin was thinking logically and not letting the fear of the avatar rule his actions, he would have attacked the earth kingdom first. The water tribes were on opposite sides of the world, and had far less inhabitants. Given the fact that the war lasted at least 100 years, it's clear that most of the heavy lifting was done by the earth kingdom during the war. The northern water tribe was hardly a factor for well over 50 years, as the fire nation spent most of its time ignoring them. The southern water tribe was on the opposite side of the world and just as isolated from the other two kingdoms. The only serious threat was the earth kingdom right from the beginning. Had Sozin focused the bulk of his forces on destroying the earth kingdom, he would have ended the conflict a whole lot faster. At this point, his only threats would be two secluded areas of people and a pacifistic group of monks that are mostly detached from worldly affairs. Thank goodness Sozin let his fears cloud his judgment lol.
Kinda true but the fire nation DID attack the water tribes. The southern water tribe were constantly bombarded to the point where they would strategically capture ANY water benders. Im not sure if Kataras mom was actually a water bender or just was Katara's scapegoat. (Id like to believe that the southern water tribe was as great as the northern tribe before gram gram days. In short. The fire nation gendicided the air nation, and crippled the water nation to non benders. They did this same campaign in Haru's town in the earth kingdom. Remember haru's dad on the prison ship and Momo earth bending. Given enough time. The fire nation would have eradicated all benders. New moons would be a great time for water benders. (Basically a 2 week or 3 day sting operation depending on if you wanted to last until a full moon or just the short time of the true dark moon phase) Iroh and LuTen were after BaSingSe, and Azula properly conquered it. So given another 10 or 20 years. It would be easy enough to finally eradicate the northern water tribe.
No it would still take too long to conquer the earth kingdom, it would give time for the water trove and air nomads come to their aid. The reason you massacre the air nomads is so that they are the easiest and remove a possible threat.
I understand Aang's pain on a personal level. When my very sick father died at home at night because of a heart attack, I had just left home in the morning to go back to my university town to be able to breathe a little because the thought of the upcoming responsibilities were suffocating me, I just wanted to run away, even for a short while. After that, I kept blaming myself thinking I could have saved him if I had been there, if I hadn't left, if I hadn't been selfish and so on. A special word should be coined for that kind of pain because I don't know how to describe it. Just like Aang, it took me a long time to even try to forgive myself. If I'm not wrong, canonically we don't know whether Aang still kept that regret deep down till he died, I hope he didn't. :)
Zuko and Lt. Jee have some of the best character chemistry for just having a few short moments on screen together. It’s sad that Jee supposedly died at the northern tribe. Would have loved to see that ragtag crew one more time after the war.
@@theserpent8667 he’s the guy that Zuko always butts heads with when he still had his own ship. He’s the one who said he’s sick of chasing the Avatar before Iroh walked into the room and explained why Zuko was so fixated.
Now i'm crying. I've watched this show 4 or 5 times and every time i watch it, I am moved by a different aspect of the show. It never hit me before this most recent rewatch what a heavy burden was placed on these children. Teenagers arent equipped to deal with these feelings of loss, shame, guilt, betrayal...let alone being tasked with saving the world. A scene that was played for a laugh but was actually really telling was the scene where Aang went to the fortune teller and she goes on about "ive never seen something like this! You will be in a battle that will decide the fate of the world!" (paraphrased) and he says "yeah i know that, but is there anything about a girl?" He's just a kid dealing with a first crush and the fact that the fate of the world is on his shoulders is something he has compartmentalized
I love that when the ship soldier argues with zuko he regards iroh as an "esteemed general". I like his character because i find myself having to check someone talking crazy to everyone at work once every few years.
Both of them were innocent kids who were forced to be their part because of society expected them to be without realizing the damage they did to these poor kids. This episode is still fantastic.
The episode that got me emotional watching it as an 12 year old was The Southern Raiders. My father left the family and the anger I felt was endless. So seeing how Zuko (who’s own presence embodies the Fire Nation) help Katara find a quantum of solace by tracking down her mother’s killer. The moment I saw her calm and forgiving nature get buried in an instant and Bloodbend the Southern Raiders for information. It scared me how far any of us could fall from grace. Her hatred poisoned her to the core and it wasn’t until the last moment after summoning all her power to kill the man. Only to pull out the last second because she refused to take a life. But how many of us would’ve followed with the kill? Would’ve fallen to our emotions and lose our convictions? That imo is the best Avatar episode
I love ATLA so much I can’t begin to describe it. Zuko was/is so self made. Azula made fun of him for “playing with knives” as a kid…later in life he became a master of dual swords training under Piando at only 16. Ozai and Azulon mocked his firebending, always steps behind Azula…later he became well skilled with it, being able to fight Azula in the final Agni Kai 1 on 1 using everything he had learned and practiced. Aang is a great story of embracing who you were truly meant to be. Monk Gyatso treated him as he was - a kid. But the other elders treated him as the Avatar. While he is the avatar, that’s not all he is. Just like Po, he wasn’t solely just the dragon warrior. Aang is the avatar, but he’s also just 13. (At the end of TLA.)
Come to think of it, "this may be who you are... but it's not *all* you are" could be a core message for every character in the show. Aang isn't just the Avatar. Zuko isn't just the Fire Lord's son. Katara isn't just a mother figure. Sokka isn't just a buffoon. Toph isn't just an unfeeling badass. Hell, Suki put it brilliantly with "I *am* a warrior... but I'm a girl too". Finding ways to step outside the boxes they're placed in, whether someone else put them there or whether they did it themselves, is pretty much the entire show.
Amazing how you gave the "eye of the storm" a metaphor, as if that was an actual eye on Aang and Zuko. I think that may be the world's eye, ever watchful, yet only seen in the briefest moments. And I also think that every person struggles with the parts of their life where they don't have a choice, or they did and they chose the wrong one.
Zuko's story is that of the abused child. It is magnificently told. The damaged, angry child who lashes out because that is what he has been taught, through the abuse, to do. Zuko has a strong character and a sense of right, so he changes, in what has taken many of we children of abuse often years to do. Instead of becoming another abuser, he betters himself, seeks his own path, and becomes whole. He forgives, but he does not forget. His scar is a physical reminder of those we children of abuse all carry within us, not so obvious but nonetheless very real. Zuko's story is also that of the survivor and it is told very well.
im rewatching atla with my mom (her first but ive seen it at least 20 times total) i took a year break from watching it. its like living on rice for a year and then having gourmet. i forgot how much this show genuinely shaped me as a person. i grew up on avatar, im rewatching it after a year and i find myself gently mouthing the qoutes. in bojack horseman (a show i also highly recommend) one of the main characters says " for 20 minutes, once a week, i had a family. and that show helped me survive." thats exactly how i feel about this show. i had a hectic life, with little adults, uncle iroh was one of my masculine figures. it seems stupid to think that when im upset i ask myself 'what would uncle iroh say?' but thats what i do because, well, he gives good advice🤷♂️🤷♂️ i just finished rewatching the storm and it was incredible. i always love these videos from you. "He is cut from the cloth that is Iroh, Ursa, Roku" is exactly how i view zuko too.
Take out Ozai's love...He never loved. His goal was power. I don't think he really cared for his children. As far as Aang and Zuko is concerned, they're brothers to the core...It's like there was always a connection that couldn't be explained. But, something was there. When they did the Dragon Dance, it was official.
Man I never thought about how much time may have passed between Aang and the temples being destroyed by the fire nation. The idea that he could’ve had enough time to learn the elements to the same degree and save his people but chose to flee is absolutely heart wrenching.
Man... this is one of those shows where you're really like "oh don't even get me started on...." because there are so many amazing concepts that are executed so well in so many episodes.. you can start talking about one episode and immediately praise another.
Im almost certain if Aang hadnt run from the air nomad temple... It wudve spelled the end for all airbenders and quite likely wudve caused the end of the avatar cycle which wud likely have kicked in defensively but in an untrained avatar who cant begin to kno how to fully use it.
This is random but just wanted to share: The second Zuko appeared on screen, I knew he was going to be my favorite character, even though I knew he was the antagonist. I was so happy when he got a whole story arc and a backstory, and eventually joined the gAang/ Team Avatar :D
This is genuinely my favourite episode from the first season. It really did elevate it from a good show to a great one and I think that applies to a lot of people
It’s so good to see more Avatar content from you. It’s like coming back home ❤️ Sending much love to you my friend. Thank you for another wonderful video.
"Yesterday was History, Tomorrow is a Mystery but Today is a gift, that is why it is called the present, and there is no better than the present " :- Master Oogway
Zuko is a character I didn’t understand until I started getting older. In my 20s I started to get his anger and sadness. And as I enter my 30s, I am understanding his redemption as well.
And to add on to what makes Zuko and this episode such a power episode is the fact they showed how Zuko wasn't a true antagonist, and that he was a character to learn from, and to grow from. He was never evil to begin with, just a misled person that never got the chance to show his true, kind, and caring colors, because they were all burnt out by the flames of his father, of the whole fire nation. And this episode hammers it in so early in the series, foreshadowing what was to come from his character. It's episodes like these that makes this show still stand out from all other shows years after it's release, and I personally don't feel like there'll ever be a show I feel this closely connect to.
I like how even I when I was watching this in real time it grew up with me and bruh the music this was perfect for kids back then. Even when I was little I understood all the changes and responsibilities and sacrifices they all made it truly made my childhood a good lesson :)
Wow, great video 🙏🏼♥️ You should really make a video with The Meaning of NERD He also just made a video on the episode. I also think your guys' voices would fit very well together🙏🏼
Some of your other videos hit me in the gut harder, but I think this is your best Avatar:TLA analysis/discussion yet. Fantastic job all around, but particularly on the nuances of human interaction with grief and trauma and then how the two characters really truly became bound together for the greater plot.
Sage, I've been going through a rough patch mentally, idk what to do with my life and stuff with me and the girl I'm talking to has me all types of confused, but your videos help me calm my mind, help me get through the day, and help me get decent sleep, I hope you're doing okay, and know how much you mean to us and how thankful we are for you being here. From the bottom of my heart, thank you
As and adult, i understand the reality of Aangs situation. Episode after episode you will see how hard is for aang to save the world, he doesnt have time for fun,play,cry or anything, a 12 year old who is just a child is trying to save the world in less than a year. In the episode when Aang snaps at the sandbenders for taking appa i felt his pain, hes entire culture and people was wiped out of existence, you are 100 years too late, some people are glad that you're back but others will hate you for disapearing in the first place. You have the burden for that and you need to master the rest of the elements in less than a year. The entire world is againts you! when Appa was taken away (the only thing that connects you to your culture ) his entire world was crashing down and you just cant help to feel his pain.
This is my favorite episode in the show. It gets overshadowed a lot by the later seasons, and I get that bc all the episodes are great. But this one is sooooo good too
The parallels between Zuko and Aang. Knowing the connection between the two of them (when you think of Aang's past lifetime as Roku) makes this episode even more brilliant.
SpongeBob: Zuko’s father never hugged him, isn’t that sad? 😢 Mr. Krabs: yes I suppose that is rather sad, but Zuko can hug himself during his break. Now get back to work.
I also like the foil between aang and zuko. Zuki ran towards his goal, didnt want to be a kid but instead got burned because he was to strong in his conviction to become the next firelord. Wereas Aang wanted that child hood and ran from his responsibility and instead of getting burned for it he was frozen. Ice and fire, two sides of the same coin.
i agree with everything you said in this… except the idea that Azula has Ozai’s love… i mean she and more importantly for this episode Zuko might believe that… but i don’t think anyone (except Maybe, Ozai) has Ozai’s love
That was a brilliant analysis the Storm is a beloved and legendary episode for good reason it gives the perfect stories for Aang and Zuko and parallels them in many ways both went through a horrible tragedy in their past and are still controlled by it to some extent but at their core they’re good people and will do anything they can to make the most of their current lives it enriches the characters and the world perfectly something Avatar excels at. It’s especially poetic as Aang overcomes his inner struggles the storm lifts representing his turmoil subsiding. Thank you so much for the wonderful video as always.
The storm is a great episode however I think the Avatar and the Fire Lord is the most important episode in Avatar in order to understand the story The storm is amazing and comes a lot sooner in the series so it is definitely a great hook
I feel like Avatar and The Fire Lord is more important when it comes to history of the war(including how it can end) and the relationship between Roku and Sozen, while The Storm is more important in telling the backstories of Aang and Zuko, the two characters who need to embody the change that's needed
I absolutely love your vids bro. I just realized since Monk Gyatso was friends with Avatar Roku he knew his friend was reincarnated with Aang explaining why they were so close since his birth. Mind blown!
10:56 I just noticed - Aang's trauma centered around water, while Zuko's trauma centered around fire. But it was the same tempest that took them both. It makes me think of the Jewish prayer _Umetaneh Tokef._ Recited during the High Holidays, it speaks of the way in which God seals the fates of every person on earth for the coming year. It's used to emphasize how we have to take pleasure and solidarity in our mortal lives, because every human being is equally at the mercy of fate. And do you know the most memorable line from the prayer? _"Who shall perish by fire, and who by water?"_ For an episode that emphasizes the common thread between seemingly opposed characters, I think this prayer's message fits in perfectly. One suffers by fire, and one suffers by water - but at the end of the day, these two children are linked by their similar fates.
This is where terms like "redemption arcs" and "character development" start getting thrown around like they had no real meaning at all. Most anime fans try justifying their love for a certain character who used to be a baddie by talking about how much "character development" they have, which is basically just an episode-long flashback which goes "my childhood was so sad, that's why I murdered and harassed people, because childhood sucked" and the hero forgives them because they "grew" as a person. Let's see Atla does it, they write Zuko as an antagonist during the first season but they never really depict him as a bad guy, rather as an obstacle. This episode implies that Zuko isn't a bad person but rather a misunderstood one, this phrase is very often use to justify and/or excuse a character's abusive behavior but here they don't only talk about it, they show it. They show how Zuko got banished, not because he spoke out of turn but by *refusing to fight his own father* and the reason he spoke out of turn in first place is because *he truly cares about the people around him* This show doesn't talk about how Zuko is sad, and the gaang should forgive him because he sad. They SHOW Zuko struggling to get his father's respect back, and failing to do so. They show him struggling to survive as a refugee, growing a more understanding and caring nature, calling his father out for his abuse and *owning* the respect of those he hurt. THAT'S character development! Most other shows just "I committed genocide because people used to make fun of me..." and BOOM! *forgiveness* This is why Bakugou, Catra, Kylo Ren and many other's "redemption arcs" just don't work for me. They have no arc, they have bad written characters who received forgiveness in order to satisfy the fandom's demand of a toxic "enemies to loves" trope. That's disgusting, sexist and just straight up lazy writing. Good night tri-state area...
Living without a childhood destroys a person, it’s horrible to have to watch friends and loved ones living life and making memories when you’re weighted down by duty & responsibility. It’s soul destroying, knowing that you have no other choice.
Bro you just don’t miss, and I really never considered how Aang would’ve changed the fate of the Air Nomads, I always just thought he would’ve died, but when I think about it him and the other Air Benders really had a good chance of winning. During the main series Aang is like a super hero based just off of his Airbending alone.
I feel it wud be more likely that one of two results wud happen, if not both. 1: The end of the Avatar cycle. Im certain Aang wudve been killed in the avatar state, even if he managed to successfully ward off the invaders and protect the air nomads. The fire nation was spec tryin to kill the Avatar and wudve done everything to target Aang and even with the power of the avatar state i still suspect Aang wud get hit by some attack esp as he doesnt yet have mastery of anything other than air. 2: Every last airbender wudve been killed. The fire nation army vastly outnumbered the air nomad citizenry. The air nomads were the least numerous of the four nations and thats by a huge margin when compared to the size of the fire and earth nations respectively. Thats part of why Sozin considered it the perfect time to strike as unlike if the avatar were an earthbender; there wasnt any army at all to defend him (whereas the earth nation no doubt had a sizeable standing army to fight banditry if nothing else; and cud conscript in large numbers and had so much land as to make it impossible to strike it all at once).
Aang is like a super hero when he comes out of the ice because everyone's forgotten how to fight airbenders after they've been gone for 100 years. Aang would most likely have been killed off with his people had he stayed
1:03 I laughed at this part- because it’s true. His hairstyle got a glow up after he got rid of it XD abut overall- besides the joke, this video was really well done!
That lightning that calls both of them them to action was the craziest revelation for me. Watched the his Ep multiple times and I never saw that it happened to both!
Also, a storm is the chaotic version of fire and air bending: cruel winds and vicious lightning. But proper breathing is also the essence of fire and air bending: one to control it and one to become it. Love your videos, as always. Stay blessed. 🌻
An important thing to remember with Zuko and Ozai's Agni Kai, while a agni kai was a display of fighting ability it is also a display of honor. However Ozai was the dishonorable one in the fight, not Zuko, he had already submitted himself to defeat and Ozai ignored his submission.
One of the greatest episodes of Avatar the Last Airbender. Aang feeling guilty for leaving the Air Nomads to be read by Fire Lord Sozin and the Fire Nations 100 years ago and Zuko bitter about his father Ozai scarred him for refusing to fight him and banishing him from the Fire Nations to find Aang. The subtle details of Avatar the Last Airbender is still a masterpiece today. The only show to rival most anime series like Dragon Ball Z, Naruto and Bleach.
Imagine if the story made zuko actually turn to the dark side and become part of the assault on ba sing se while the white lotus defended. Iroh had to face Zuko, the emotion that would've had
the hold that the panda lily song has on me is incredible. shoutout to Jeremy Zuckerman and Benjamin Wynn real quick
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I just realized. You have't done a video about Kabuto yet. The reason I know this is because someone else has already done it. I haven't watched that one yet, but I don't WANT to watch that one I want to watch yours. so do a kabuto video please. Then maybe one about the konoha 11 as a whole. or something.
What a amazing video on a amazing show
PLEASE Do Ghost of Tsushima Next!🙇♀️
Great analysis as usual, your avatar videos always bring out the best of this amazing show!
1:57 - Slight correction: It's not just "in the Fire Lord's eyes". This scene proves just how weak and cowardly Zuko really *is*.
The episode where everybody went from “man, this show’s fun” to “damn, that’s kinda deep.”
Then back to Kyoshi Island.
Aangie riding on a sea serpent to impress katara. Its sucked Aangie couldn't be a kid there due to the fire nation burning the town.
I get what u mean but I don’t think it’s tru. It was kinda set on immediately in the first 3 episodes that tragedy happened (Air Genocide). Episode 5 Bumi let’s him know what he will eventually have to do. Then 6 with imprisonment, 7-8 with Roku telling aang an impossible task
ATLA is not just a story. It's an art piece. A masterpiece! Watching it as a kid I thought it was fun. Watching it as an adult there are many thought provoking moments. I aspire to be like uncle iroh. I aspire to be like rengoku. Likeable, but correct and ironclad in their resolve
@@anthonylopez5 I agree there, I think it ended really nicely, but there was much to be desired with the final episode.
Really? Because after seeing the show, I aspire to be like the Fire Lord and Azula. :P
@@anthonylopez5 I don’t think the ending was cheap, but that’s just personal preference. The season felt rushed bc they first few episodes were just kinda filler because they wanted to have a riveting and continually escalating finale with those last five episodes. But I agree another season to further develop plot and characters points would have been nice
Its also a retelling of the Mongol Invasion of China and the response in rebellion, forming the Ming Dynasty
I think it was the Ming that came out of it, idk
Anyways fun fact hehe
@@littlebitfix4511 everything about the Mongol empire is shakey at best. Nobody even knows if they existed. Here's why, the Mongolians didn't have a culture that can be studied. I know. I played tomb raider too. Stop it. The Mongolians didn't have a culture bc that waring culture was made up. China has ginger mummies that they refuse to put out into the world. China is a great dragon eating everything they want to hide. But they don't know that we will slay any dragon on God's green earth
A nice detail someone pointed out was that the scar is the perfect character design. He has two sides, one distortes his perception of the world, makes him see things different, narrows his focus...
true. One side, his scarred side, is the one still controlled by his father (not literally, just aesthetically), while the other is open to iroh's teachings. When Zuko lets his 'loss of honor' overcome him, we see his scarred side take over wheras when he listens to iroh, and ESPECIALLY when they were in ba sing se and he didn't care too much about his scar, iroh's teachings flowed from him (well, this was after he awoke from his sickness, but whatever).
Not only that but if you look at zukos scar it’s so much worse right around his eyeball meaning ozai was straight up trying to f*cking blind zukos left eye to “teach him a lesson”
@@matthewlanoue9492 Ohh... might be. Never thought about it.
i would disagree with OP, i would say his burned side is his humanity. it was because he cared about the soldiers as more than Canon fodder, and he got burned for it. it is the unburned side that holds him back
@@jordank6961 Interesting thought
the aang-zuko parallels and relationship arc has it's well earned finale in the firebending masters when aang and zuko dance with the two dragons. it's both visually stunning and full of deep meaning. that episode is one of my favourites for a reason.
Zuku lost his firebending the day he became Avatars teacher.
Thats like your first day of work as a Spanish teacher and saying bonjour class. Je m'apelle Le Trios.
@@ericolens3 yep. It was so embarrassing for him. He had to get the courage to go up to the group and announce it.
Also Katara with sparing the man who killed her mother and healing Zuko.
Aang and Zuko being shown as kindred spirits. Good indivuals who are in trouble.
There is also some good subtle details like with that soldier on Zuko's ship who almost fought him. He can't stand Zuko and sees him as a selfish spoiled prince but after Iroh hears his complaints and explains Zuko's backstory, he later for the first time refers to Zuko as SIR when asking if they should pursue the Avatar
9:20 The fact that he feels this way still amazes me. I actually liked this kind of thinking being introduced, as it made a lot of sense to me. he's a child, so when it involves something personal to him, he doesn't think things through rationally. If the airbending masters couldn't take down the fire nation soldiers, what makes him think he could? They were powered by Sozin's comet and they likely attacked all 4 temples simultaneously. Since Sozin was afraid of the avatar, he probably set up a blockade around the temples, to prevent his escape(and the escape of any other airbenders). There's no reason to believe that Aang would have made the slightest bit of difference. Even with the avatar state, he still would have been cut down. It would have been like at the Earth Kingdom Capital...the difference though is that he'd have no one to help him escape. All the airbenders would be fighting for their survival, and even if they did try to help Aang escape, they'd still be victim to Sozin's tactics.
It's also something that seemed to be strategically unsound. Sozin clearly let his emotions get in the way of reason. He was so paralyzed of the avatar, that he felt like his only chance to destroy him was during the comet. According to Aang, the air nomads didn't have a formal military and were pacifistic. Wiping out the air temples may have knocked out one of the three nations, but air nomads weren't the ones who had the potential to give the fire nation the most trouble.
If Sozin was thinking logically and not letting the fear of the avatar rule his actions, he would have attacked the earth kingdom first. The water tribes were on opposite sides of the world, and had far less inhabitants. Given the fact that the war lasted at least 100 years, it's clear that most of the heavy lifting was done by the earth kingdom during the war.
The northern water tribe was hardly a factor for well over 50 years, as the fire nation spent most of its time ignoring them. The southern water tribe was on the opposite side of the world and just as isolated from the other two kingdoms. The only serious threat was the earth kingdom right from the beginning. Had Sozin focused the bulk of his forces on destroying the earth kingdom, he would have ended the conflict a whole lot faster. At this point, his only threats would be two secluded areas of people and a pacifistic group of monks that are mostly detached from worldly affairs.
Thank goodness Sozin let his fears cloud his judgment lol.
Kinda true but the fire nation DID attack the water tribes.
The southern water tribe were constantly bombarded to the point where they would strategically capture ANY water benders. Im not sure if Kataras mom was actually a water bender or just was Katara's scapegoat.
(Id like to believe that the southern water tribe was as great as the northern tribe before gram gram days.
In short. The fire nation gendicided the air nation, and crippled the water nation to non benders. They did this same campaign in Haru's town in the earth kingdom. Remember haru's dad on the prison ship and Momo earth bending.
Given enough time. The fire nation would have eradicated all benders.
New moons would be a great time for water benders. (Basically a 2 week or 3 day sting operation depending on if you wanted to last until a full moon or just the short time of the true dark moon phase)
Iroh and LuTen were after BaSingSe, and Azula properly conquered it.
So given another 10 or 20 years. It would be easy enough to finally eradicate the northern water tribe.
No it would still take too long to conquer the earth kingdom, it would give time for the water trove and air nomads come to their aid. The reason you massacre the air nomads is so that they are the easiest and remove a possible threat.
@@dantu5377 the air nomads detached themselves from the world sozin had no reason to think they'd be a threat
@@hueyfreeman6262 That doesn't mean they doesn't care about the world
Air Nomads doesn't have a formal military, sure. But ALL Air Nomads are benders, and more then able to defend themselves if needed
I understand Aang's pain on a personal level. When my very sick father died at home at night because of a heart attack, I had just left home in the morning to go back to my university town to be able to breathe a little because the thought of the upcoming responsibilities were suffocating me, I just wanted to run away, even for a short while. After that, I kept blaming myself thinking I could have saved him if I had been there, if I hadn't left, if I hadn't been selfish and so on. A special word should be coined for that kind of pain because I don't know how to describe it. Just like Aang, it took me a long time to even try to forgive myself. If I'm not wrong, canonically we don't know whether Aang still kept that regret deep down till he died, I hope he didn't. :)
Oh wow, my condolences to you and your family.
Sorry for your loss I truly am responsibilities Is never easy when you're an adult
Cringe. 😬
@@Whocares158 darling, whatever you are going through will not go away by hurting others, try your luck somewhere else.
@@Whocares158 wow that’s unfortunate and sad for you I mean to comment something so vain and crude just wow
Zuko and Lt. Jee have some of the best character chemistry for just having a few short moments on screen together. It’s sad that Jee supposedly died at the northern tribe. Would have loved to see that ragtag crew one more time after the war.
Is auto correct doing u dirty?
Who is Lt. Jee?
@@theserpent8667 he’s the guy that Zuko always butts heads with when he still had his own ship. He’s the one who said he’s sick of chasing the Avatar before Iroh walked into the room and explained why Zuko was so fixated.
@@davidpotts7116 Oh, that's his name. Thanks!
Wait he died :(
Now i'm crying. I've watched this show 4 or 5 times and every time i watch it, I am moved by a different aspect of the show. It never hit me before this most recent rewatch what a heavy burden was placed on these children. Teenagers arent equipped to deal with these feelings of loss, shame, guilt, betrayal...let alone being tasked with saving the world. A scene that was played for a laugh but was actually really telling was the scene where Aang went to the fortune teller and she goes on about "ive never seen something like this! You will be in a battle that will decide the fate of the world!" (paraphrased) and he says "yeah i know that, but is there anything about a girl?" He's just a kid dealing with a first crush and the fact that the fate of the world is on his shoulders is something he has compartmentalized
I love that when the ship soldier argues with zuko he regards iroh as an "esteemed general". I like his character because i find myself having to check someone talking crazy to everyone at work once every few years.
Both of them were innocent kids who were forced to be their part because of society expected them to be without realizing the damage they did to these poor kids.
This episode is still fantastic.
The episode that got me emotional watching it as an 12 year old was The Southern Raiders.
My father left the family and the anger I felt was endless. So seeing how Zuko (who’s own presence embodies the Fire Nation) help Katara find a quantum of solace by tracking down her mother’s killer.
The moment I saw her calm and forgiving nature get buried in an instant and Bloodbend the Southern Raiders for information. It scared me how far any of us could fall from grace. Her hatred poisoned her to the core and it wasn’t until the last moment after summoning all her power to kill the man. Only to pull out the last second because she refused to take a life.
But how many of us would’ve followed with the kill? Would’ve fallen to our emotions and lose our convictions?
That imo is the best Avatar episode
I love ATLA so much I can’t begin to describe it.
Zuko was/is so self made.
Azula made fun of him for “playing with knives” as a kid…later in life he became a master of dual swords training under Piando at only 16.
Ozai and Azulon mocked his firebending, always steps behind Azula…later he became well skilled with it, being able to fight Azula in the final Agni Kai 1 on 1 using everything he had learned and practiced.
Aang is a great story of embracing who you were truly meant to be.
Monk Gyatso treated him as he was - a kid. But the other elders treated him as the Avatar.
While he is the avatar, that’s not all he is. Just like Po, he wasn’t solely just the dragon warrior. Aang is the avatar, but he’s also just 13. (At the end of TLA.)
Come to think of it, "this may be who you are... but it's not *all* you are" could be a core message for every character in the show. Aang isn't just the Avatar. Zuko isn't just the Fire Lord's son. Katara isn't just a mother figure. Sokka isn't just a buffoon. Toph isn't just an unfeeling badass. Hell, Suki put it brilliantly with "I *am* a warrior... but I'm a girl too". Finding ways to step outside the boxes they're placed in, whether someone else put them there or whether they did it themselves, is pretty much the entire show.
Amazing how you gave the "eye of the storm" a metaphor, as if that was an actual eye on Aang and Zuko. I think that may be the world's eye, ever watchful, yet only seen in the briefest moments. And I also think that every person struggles with the parts of their life where they don't have a choice, or they did and they chose the wrong one.
Zuko's story is that of the abused child. It is magnificently told. The damaged, angry child who lashes out because that is what he has been taught, through the abuse, to do. Zuko has a strong character and a sense of right, so he changes, in what has taken many of we children of abuse often years to do. Instead of becoming another abuser, he betters himself, seeks his own path, and becomes whole. He forgives, but he does not forget. His scar is a physical reminder of those we children of abuse all carry within us, not so obvious but nonetheless very real. Zuko's story is also that of the survivor and it is told very well.
im rewatching atla with my mom (her first but ive seen it at least 20 times total) i took a year break from watching it. its like living on rice for a year and then having gourmet.
i forgot how much this show genuinely shaped me as a person. i grew up on avatar, im rewatching it after a year and i find myself gently mouthing the qoutes.
in bojack horseman (a show i also highly recommend) one of the main characters says
" for 20 minutes, once a week, i had a family. and that show helped me survive."
thats exactly how i feel about this show. i had a hectic life, with little adults, uncle iroh was one of my masculine figures. it seems stupid to think that when im upset i ask myself 'what would uncle iroh say?' but thats what i do because, well, he gives good advice🤷♂️🤷♂️
i just finished rewatching the storm and it was incredible. i always love these videos from you. "He is cut from the cloth that is Iroh, Ursa, Roku" is exactly how i view zuko too.
Atla had a huge impact on me too! what does your mom think so far?
@@erachiiii obviously she loves it. we finished season 1 this morning and her favorite character is sokka so far :)
@@masonjar6910 Sounds about right XD
@@masonjar6910 gotta love Sokka
Aang needed to be adult too early
Zuko wanted to be adult too early
Take out Ozai's love...He never loved. His goal was power. I don't think he really cared for his children.
As far as Aang and Zuko is concerned, they're brothers to the core...It's like there was always a connection that couldn't be explained. But, something was there. When they did the Dragon Dance, it was official.
He was very abusive towards his children.
Not even Azula and she was his best tool
Man I never thought about how much time may have passed between Aang and the temples being destroyed by the fire nation. The idea that he could’ve had enough time to learn the elements to the same degree and save his people but chose to flee is absolutely heart wrenching.
Man... this is one of those shows where you're really like "oh don't even get me started on...." because there are so many amazing concepts that are executed so well in so many episodes.. you can start talking about one episode and immediately praise another.
Iroh explaining Zuko's scar and action made us sympathize with him and understand his struggle his two heritage. Another video well done sage.
I love how you used Ori and The Will of the Wisps and Journey soundtrack here. Adds depth!
Im almost certain if Aang hadnt run from the air nomad temple... It wudve spelled the end for all airbenders and quite likely wudve caused the end of the avatar cycle which wud likely have kicked in defensively but in an untrained avatar who cant begin to kno how to fully use it.
This is random but just wanted to share:
The second Zuko appeared on screen, I knew he was going to be my favorite character, even though I knew he was the antagonist. I was so happy when he got a whole story arc and a backstory, and eventually joined the gAang/ Team Avatar :D
After watching the Storm, every time I look at Zuko's scar, the distinct shape of a headprint is haunting.
This is genuinely my favourite episode from the first season. It really did elevate it from a good show to a great one and I think that applies to a lot of people
It’s so good to see more Avatar content from you. It’s like coming back home ❤️
Sending much love to you my friend. Thank you for another wonderful video.
“When greatness calls, for our honor we must rise to it.” -Duke Leeto Atreidies Dune
And the 2nd live action just decides to fuck it all up and be done with it the first 10 minutes.
As luck would have it, _The Storm_ happened to be the first episode I saw from _ATLA,_ and *MAN,* did it leave an impression!!!
I actually love how almost everyone has a unique look on honor and what it means for that individuals
"Yesterday was History, Tomorrow is a Mystery but Today is a gift, that is why it is called the present, and there is no better than the present "
:- Master Oogway
This channel is criminally underrated
These videos hit different on late night/early morning.
Zuko is a character I didn’t understand until I started getting older. In my 20s I started to get his anger and sadness. And as I enter my 30s, I am understanding his redemption as well.
Sages' rain and Analyzing evil are two sides of the same coin.
Another beautifully written and well-narrated analysis. I also found the Storm to be among my favorite episodes of the show.
And to add on to what makes Zuko and this episode such a power episode is the fact they showed how Zuko wasn't a true antagonist, and that he was a character to learn from, and to grow from. He was never evil to begin with, just a misled person that never got the chance to show his true, kind, and caring colors, because they were all burnt out by the flames of his father, of the whole fire nation. And this episode hammers it in so early in the series, foreshadowing what was to come from his character. It's episodes like these that makes this show still stand out from all other shows years after it's release, and I personally don't feel like there'll ever be a show I feel this closely connect to.
"The Storm" is Avatar's watershed moment, and one of its best episodes, period.
I like how even I when I was watching this in real time it grew up with me and bruh the music this was perfect for kids back then. Even when I was little I understood all the changes and responsibilities and sacrifices they all made it truly made my childhood a good lesson :)
Wow, great video 🙏🏼♥️
You should really make a video with
The Meaning of NERD
He also just made a video on the episode. I also think your guys' voices would fit very well together🙏🏼
This episode is a perfect example of how to show not tell in stories
Always here for your quiet calm introspection. Can't wait for your next masterpiece.
Those few moments of Zuko and Aang looking directly at each other at the end is satisfying in a certain way. I always liked that detail.
I wanna rewatch it. But I dont wanna get sick of it
Some of your other videos hit me in the gut harder, but I think this is your best Avatar:TLA analysis/discussion yet. Fantastic job all around, but particularly on the nuances of human interaction with grief and trauma and then how the two characters really truly became bound together for the greater plot.
This episode is so good. It is crazy to think there was a time I actually grew tired of rewatching this episode while waiting for season 2.
Azula didn't just watched with joy, she also raised her left hand; as if she was burning him. She wanted to burn him.
Sage, I've been going through a rough patch mentally, idk what to do with my life and stuff with me and the girl I'm talking to has me all types of confused, but your videos help me calm my mind, help me get through the day, and help me get decent sleep, I hope you're doing okay, and know how much you mean to us and how thankful we are for you being here. From the bottom of my heart, thank you
As and adult, i understand the reality of Aangs situation. Episode after episode you will see how hard is for aang to save the world, he doesnt have time for fun,play,cry or anything, a 12 year old who is just a child is trying to save the world in less than a year. In the episode when Aang snaps at the sandbenders for taking appa i felt his pain, hes entire culture and people was wiped out of existence, you are 100 years too late, some people are glad that you're back but others will hate you for disapearing in the first place. You have the burden for that and you need to master the rest of the elements in less than a year. The entire world is againts you! when Appa was taken away (the only thing that connects you to your culture ) his entire world was crashing down and you just cant help to feel his pain.
Same here. The Storm was the point of no return, it changes the way I viewed the show, and it is even know my favorite episode of book1
I was literally thinking about how good this episode was specifically when this came up in my recommended.
This video made me think of Gyatso's perspective, I have been uneasy since.
This was a great video. Loved the way you used Oath to Order.
Keep up the good work!
All of these characters should come see you for psychotherapy bro keep up the high quality content
This is my favorite episode in the show. It gets overshadowed a lot by the later seasons, and I get that bc all the episodes are great. But this one is sooooo good too
The parallels between Zuko and Aang. Knowing the connection between the two of them (when you think of Aang's past lifetime as Roku) makes this episode even more brilliant.
definitely a huge impression on this show that was for kids but impactful to see why it's a great show.
My dude came through! Thanks Sage's Rain!
SpongeBob: Zuko’s father never hugged him, isn’t that sad? 😢
Mr. Krabs: yes I suppose that is rather sad, but Zuko can hug himself during his break. Now get back to work.
This show is utterly perfect
I also like the foil between aang and zuko. Zuki ran towards his goal, didnt want to be a kid but instead got burned because he was to strong in his conviction to become the next firelord. Wereas Aang wanted that child hood and ran from his responsibility and instead of getting burned for it he was frozen. Ice and fire, two sides of the same coin.
The humanizing of heroes and villains is one of the best parts of this show
i agree with everything you said in this… except the idea that Azula has Ozai’s love… i mean she and more importantly for this episode Zuko might believe that… but i don’t think anyone (except Maybe, Ozai) has Ozai’s love
This was one of my favorite episodes.
You do some phenomenal work.
Amazing video Sage you helped me realize why I love avatar so much
That was a brilliant analysis the Storm is a beloved and legendary episode for good reason it gives the perfect stories for Aang and Zuko and parallels them in many ways both went through a horrible tragedy in their past and are still controlled by it to some extent but at their core they’re good people and will do anything they can to make the most of their current lives it enriches the characters and the world perfectly something Avatar excels at. It’s especially poetic as Aang overcomes his inner struggles the storm lifts representing his turmoil subsiding. Thank you so much for the wonderful video as always.
Agreed, it is a great video
thank you marcy!
@@SagesRain No problem!
The storm is a great episode however I think the Avatar and the Fire Lord is the most important episode in Avatar in order to understand the story
The storm is amazing and comes a lot sooner in the series so it is definitely a great hook
I feel like Avatar and The Fire Lord is more important when it comes to history of the war(including how it can end) and the relationship between Roku and Sozen, while The Storm is more important in telling the backstories of Aang and Zuko, the two characters who need to embody the change that's needed
I absolutely love your vids bro. I just realized since Monk Gyatso was friends with Avatar Roku he knew his friend was reincarnated with Aang explaining why they were so close since his birth. Mind blown!
10:56 I just noticed - Aang's trauma centered around water, while Zuko's trauma centered around fire. But it was the same tempest that took them both. It makes me think of the Jewish prayer _Umetaneh Tokef._ Recited during the High Holidays, it speaks of the way in which God seals the fates of every person on earth for the coming year. It's used to emphasize how we have to take pleasure and solidarity in our mortal lives, because every human being is equally at the mercy of fate. And do you know the most memorable line from the prayer?
_"Who shall perish by fire, and who by water?"_
For an episode that emphasizes the common thread between seemingly opposed characters, I think this prayer's message fits in perfectly. One suffers by fire, and one suffers by water - but at the end of the day, these two children are linked by their similar fates.
Yay u uploaded
This is where terms like "redemption arcs" and "character development" start getting thrown around like they had no real meaning at all. Most anime fans try justifying their love for a certain character who used to be a baddie by talking about how much "character development" they have, which is basically just an episode-long flashback which goes "my childhood was so sad, that's why I murdered and harassed people, because childhood sucked" and the hero forgives them because they "grew" as a person.
Let's see Atla does it, they write Zuko as an antagonist during the first season but they never really depict him as a bad guy, rather as an obstacle. This episode implies that Zuko isn't a bad person but rather a misunderstood one, this phrase is very often use to justify and/or excuse a character's abusive behavior but here they don't only talk about it, they show it. They show how Zuko got banished, not because he spoke out of turn but by *refusing to fight his own father* and the reason he spoke out of turn in first place is because *he truly cares about the people around him*
This show doesn't talk about how Zuko is sad, and the gaang should forgive him because he sad. They SHOW Zuko struggling to get his father's respect back, and failing to do so. They show him struggling to survive as a refugee, growing a more understanding and caring nature, calling his father out for his abuse and *owning* the respect of those he hurt. THAT'S character development!
Most other shows just "I committed genocide because people used to make fun of me..." and BOOM! *forgiveness*
This is why Bakugou, Catra, Kylo Ren and many other's "redemption arcs" just don't work for me. They have no arc, they have bad written characters who received forgiveness in order to satisfy the fandom's demand of a toxic "enemies to loves" trope. That's disgusting, sexist and just straight up lazy writing. Good night tri-state area...
When I rewatched Book 1, this instantly became my favorite single episode in the season.
no wonder this is my favorite show. i relate so much to it
Living without a childhood destroys a person, it’s horrible to have to watch friends and loved ones living life and making memories when you’re weighted down by duty & responsibility.
It’s soul destroying, knowing that you have no other choice.
Bro you just don’t miss, and I really never considered how Aang would’ve changed the fate of the Air Nomads, I always just thought he would’ve died, but when I think about it him and the other Air Benders really had a good chance of winning. During the main series Aang is like a super hero based just off of his Airbending alone.
I feel it wud be more likely that one of two results wud happen, if not both.
1: The end of the Avatar cycle. Im certain Aang wudve been killed in the avatar state, even if he managed to successfully ward off the invaders and protect the air nomads. The fire nation was spec tryin to kill the Avatar and wudve done everything to target Aang and even with the power of the avatar state i still suspect Aang wud get hit by some attack esp as he doesnt yet have mastery of anything other than air.
2: Every last airbender wudve been killed. The fire nation army vastly outnumbered the air nomad citizenry. The air nomads were the least numerous of the four nations and thats by a huge margin when compared to the size of the fire and earth nations respectively. Thats part of why Sozin considered it the perfect time to strike as unlike if the avatar were an earthbender; there wasnt any army at all to defend him (whereas the earth nation no doubt had a sizeable standing army to fight banditry if nothing else; and cud conscript in large numbers and had so much land as to make it impossible to strike it all at once).
Aang is like a super hero when he comes out of the ice because everyone's forgotten how to fight airbenders after they've been gone for 100 years. Aang would most likely have been killed off with his people had he stayed
I Love your Videos Bro!
Damn i was just thinking of this episode earlier today!
I’ve been watching your videos for a long time . You sound more charismatic now
God I love this show
1:03 I laughed at this part- because it’s true. His hairstyle got a glow up after he got rid of it XD abut overall- besides the joke, this video was really well done!
I love this episode.
That lightning that calls both of them them to action was the craziest revelation for me. Watched the his Ep multiple times and I never saw that it happened to both!
BEST VIDEO EVER
I always come to your videos to get my head right. Thank you so much! Please keep up the great work!
Also, a storm is the chaotic version of fire and air bending: cruel winds and vicious lightning.
But proper breathing is also the essence of fire and air bending: one to control it and one to become it.
Love your videos, as always. Stay blessed. 🌻
An important thing to remember with Zuko and Ozai's Agni Kai, while a agni kai was a display of fighting ability it is also a display of honor. However Ozai was the dishonorable one in the fight, not Zuko, he had already submitted himself to defeat and Ozai ignored his submission.
Not only that but ozai is a grown man and he tried to fight a 13 year old boy that's dishonorable
I didn't really like the Episode when i was young, but it really growed on me when i got older.
When I was young, I thought it was "Monkeyatso"... now I realize it's "Monk Kiyatso"
Beautifully Explained Bro ❤️ Love Your Content 💕
One of the greatest episodes of Avatar the Last Airbender. Aang feeling guilty for leaving the Air Nomads to be read by Fire Lord Sozin and the Fire Nations 100 years ago and Zuko bitter about his father Ozai scarred him for refusing to fight him and banishing him from the Fire Nations to find Aang. The subtle details of Avatar the Last Airbender is still a masterpiece today. The only show to rival most anime series like Dragon Ball Z, Naruto and Bleach.
Bro
How can you always analyze avatar in the most beautiful ways
Imagine if the story made zuko actually turn to the dark side and become part of the assault on ba sing se while the white lotus defended. Iroh had to face Zuko, the emotion that would've had
This was good. I agree with what you said. Zuko reminds me quite a bit of myself.
My favorite TH-cam channel by far🔥🔥
I love this channel man! Keep making more videos big fans
Yo your videos are amazing, please keep making content!
The cloth of Zuko's life is a tapestry that tells a timeless and honorable story...
...And Ozai's cloth is the outhouse toilet paper.