I called it in the poll. Being an air bender meant he needed the stability of earth more than anything, no more running stand your ground and get the job done
@@clayongunzelle9555I think they meant the next avatar after Korra. Because that will be an earth bender. And as earthbenders/the earth kingdom is more stoic and unchangeable, the next earth avatar would need to learn to be flexible and go with the flow
@@clayongunzelle9555yes, is a Taoist thing, Jin and Yang kind of thing. Color scheme, gender, personality, spiritual vs physical strength are in a consistent pattern of change.
@@Chariza_rd My belief is that the next Avatar will be an earthbender in a future where the world has changed so much where even Earthbending (their natural element) isn't as easy as it once was as the old teachings of bending no longer apply to the future of the world.
People underestimate how hard that is to do too, once a dynamic has been established to add a new cog to the wheel and not have it be a real nuisance or annoyance is amazing, they put a new cog in and it felt like it was supposed to be there, then they did it again. This show will always deserve the effusive praise it gets.
@@LuisSierra42 but every one of those you've listed are renowned as titans of anime or manga. Even anime that people enjoy can do it wrong. Edit: for example, I've enjoyed what I've read of fairy tail, which is 60-75%, but it definitely fumbles multiple added characters
Losing Appa meant losing his strongest connection to his past: they were the only remaining survivors of the Air Nomad culture. Additionally, the Nomads learned air-bending by watching the Sky Bison. When Appa was gone, Aang became disconnected from everything familiar to him and was forced to lean on his new surroundings and knowledge.
A Sub-class of bending that gets me is Sand. It's a strange combination of Earth and Air. Despite ultimately being earth, the Sand-benders are nomadic like the air-benders once were. You can't push sand like you do a boulder, it will give and sway. Toph describes looking through it as fuzzy, unable to get a solid picture. She has to practice to improve her control of it by the end of Book 3, which one could see as her embracing a less rigid life. The Sand-benders themselves primarily use it to form miniature sand storms to propel their sand gliders, not unlike air-bending.
There's mixtures in elements in the lore, you can look at Lava bending the same way, it is technically moving the earth until it gets hot enough through friction, but There were literally 2 avatars who proved you can do that by just simultaneously using both fire and earth elements together (Kyoshi, and Roku). It's easily manipulating the matter by heating it up, which it exactly what Fire bending is based on. The main difference is they made fire bending tied to Chi, it has the most limitations of the other elements due to how destructive it is.
@@amanpreetgill7564It was never a mixture of the elements. It's simply changing the phase of earth. Just like waterbenders change the phase of water when they switch it to ice or vapor. ALL bending styles have potential temperature manipulation. It's just incredibly rare for earth. Which makes sense, since it's the element of substance. It's firm and stubborn. In real life, it is indeed much harder to melt rock than to melt ice. (Even the airbenders have a bit of temperature manipulation.. They have breathing exercises to help them stay warm in the high altitudes where they tend to live.)
Great analysis. Aang's pre-Earthbending mentality is why Azula regularly has the upper hand in their clashes: she is too cunning to be misdirected and too focused to be worn down. Aang must confront her directly, but even after his change in mentality, Azula is still too bloodthirsty an opponent for Aang to overcome without him completely mastering himself. If he falters, she will strike him down with all of her hatred... which she does. Fighting Azula is the show's method of training Aang for his fight with Ozai, who is Azula on steroids.
The invasion of the earth kingdom palace was just so cool. When that rock came flying at him he just moved his hand. He did not even flinch. That scene was him 100% being focused.
Book two was beautiful. Seeing Aang being more honest and expressive with his emotions was impactful. Toph and Aang are so good for each other. Toph and earthbending grounds Aang. Aang helps Toph be free and never underestimates her.
they very positively impact each other, and it makes me a bit sad i rarely see people talking about it. i adore them, they have such a good relationship ☺
This was something I never really thought about until it was mentioned in Korra. I forgot who said it and the exact wording but it was along the lines of “You (Korra) struggle with air just as Aang struggled with earth because it is an element unlike you”
Something so great about “Bitter Work” is how all 4 elements are engaged: at the same time that Aang is overcoming a barrier with Earth 🪨 (the opposite of Air 💨), Zuko is confronted with some challenges he faces in Fire 🔥. He cannot bend lightning, but he learns instead how to infuse Water-bending 🌊 techniques into his Fire-bending in order to redirect lightning. (Iroh had mentioned studying Water-benders to create the technique.) Interestingly, we later hear Roku say that he struggled the most with Water-bending, so seeing his great-grandson-who is destined to heal the wounds of the Fire Nation’s war-overcome an obstacle through Water creates some additional closure.
Yeah, Zuko had to learn how to use waterbending's philosophy: of feeling the flow and moving with it: in order to change. If he had two dragons within himself, they became Tui and La.
@@notateendemon yea korra struggling with air and not fire makes no narrative sense imo, but to their credit they do make her passionate and very... gunho so she can sort of suit firebending in that sense, but at the same time that works for airbending too, what it doesn't work for is water bending ironically. As they're ment to be the calmest of the 4 elements. (air is carefree, and goes where it pleases, where as water goes with the element and lets it almost control them. Something Korra does not do inheritently)
One of my favorite parts of Iroh as a character is how much he uses all the elements in his teachings and forms. He doesn't use air too often, but it wasn't around during his life, so I can't really fault him for that.
After watching the show for the first time in my high school years I remember hearing people call the finale either a deus ex machina or saying that Aang, as you put it, whimped out of killing Ozai, which made me rewatch the finale to see how much water that argument held to me. With that outlook it immediately caught my eye to see that while the avatar state gave him the edge the element that literaly put Ozai on his knees was earth and I still think that was an incredibly effective way of showing Aang growth as both a bender and a character. So yeah great video that dug way deeper in that direction
Truthfully I don't know how I feel about Aang not killing Ozai, as that was his personal conflict for so long, but I am glad that he finished the fight out of the avatar state. In my mind, if he had finished it in the avatar state, the personal victory would be tainted. It was his fight to win, and he finished it himself, without the extra power of a hundred past lives.
Aang didn't wimp out, though? He is the last Air Nomad, the last person preserving his people's cultural legacy. Their ideas and principles. Had Aang killed Ozai, the genocide perpetrated by the Fire Nation would have been complete. Aang showed everyone that his people's ideas are still relevant, and will always have a place in the world.
Air and earth seem to be primarily defensive bending. Those nations aren’t on the offensive, they defend. They have formidable skills for defense. However, fire and Earth are offensive skills. Learning the skill of Earth bending taught AAng the subtle nuance of how to move out of defense into offense when it’s necessary. Toph was an excellent and hard teacher. She needed to train some pacificity out of him to get him ready to master Earth and be able to use it offensively against the Fire Lord. Earth changed him and how he thinks!
Something I found interesting about Bitter Work is that there's a pretty big difference between how Toph teaches Aang earthbending and how Toph typically earthbends in combat, and I think it's a reflection of her level of mastery that's subtly delivered. She often uses a narrow stance, and she uses a lot of evasion and redirection compared to other earthbenders we see. She actually kind of moves like a waterbender a lot of the time. Obviously she's still stylistically an earthbender, but her mastery allows her to move a little differently and pull off some more creative and expected techniques that other earthbenders don't typically use. And I think that might also be a big part of why she ultimately was an effective teacher for him as he moved toward mastery. She had a style which already meshed with his own, so once he ironed out the basics, they were a stylistic match as a student and teacher.
Actually, the early-joined Toph is very earthbender typical. More creative sure, but she still very much relies on blocking for defense (like what an earthbender supposed to do) rather than evading (like an airbender) or redirecting (like a waterbender). Only when she fully joined the gang that she starts to incorporate more and more of evading and redirecting moves to her earthebending. Just like Katara in the fight against Hama, she stood her ground and block Hama's multiple waterbending strikes and left her speechless. In conclusion, the group is actually influencing each other. Katara learned to stood her ground from Toph, while Toph learned to be more agile from Aang and fluid from Katara.
@@SerGio-mw9pc Toph was definitely using evasion and misdirection (and terrain manipulation) to set up and take out the Earth Rumble benders in her introductory episode. Lots of sidestepping attacks, or catching and throwing them back, and even rotating the ground so one of her opponents would crash into two others. It was a really indirect approach to earthbending, more so than we see elsewhere. She favors direct blocking more than the rest of the Gaang, both from the start and moving forward, and she certainly learns and evolves alongside them, but you can already see that she has a more intuitive and nuanced approach to earthbending, because of how she learned and uses it, than any other earthbender in the show.
this is hands down the best analysis on aang's character arc and final destination i think i've ever seen. (partially cause everyone talks about zuko/iroh, and ignores the rest of the cast, but i digress) thank you for writing/filming/putting this out where i could see it
Yep; Jeong Jeong had basically told Aang: "NO! You're not ready. You have to learn the elements IN ORDER: water, earth, fire, and air." His reasoning being that he's a displaced airbender, so obvious AVATAR is obvious, but he hasn't learned earthbending, so he won't have the discipline he needs to properly use fire (a powerful, dangerous element that can BURN PEOPLE). The poor guy (after being strong-armed by Roku into training Aang out of order *anyway*) tries to teach Aang patience and discipline; this doesn't work, Katara gets burned, and Aang swears off firebending until S3.
To be fair, he communicated it very incompetently. Hes still a kid and this is an old man whos acting needlessly edgy over fire when Iroh can sleep just fine and be goofy and live life. The teacher has a responsibility to make sure they made the effort to learn the concept. Even Toph who has a brash difficult approach atleast recognized what works best. This old edgelord makes it all about himself when I dunno.... Aang knowing the elements will determine the fate of the freaking world????
@@acsound I’d say it was arguably still a wise decision for Roku to make since, even with him definitely knowing about Zuko’s conflicting loyalty in the solstice episode, Jeong Jeong is the only reliable option.
I really enjoyed this one. It brought a perspective of Aang's earth bending and growth from it that I haven't heard before and I've watched A LOT of Avatar analysis videos.
I’ve always loved how the elements related to both the characters strengths and flaws. Of course standing his ground and earth bending would be challenging for Aang - he’s just a kid who ran away from responsibility when told he was the avatar. By learning earth he truly becomes the avatar both because he’s now bended all 4 elements but also because he’s now truly accepting the responsibility of being the avatar which is what he ran away from in the beginning and caused the events of the whole show.
I always loved Aang's growth when it came to Earth bending, not just how he improved in his skills, but in his personality too. I see a lot of myself in Aang (as well as Zaheer from LOK). If I were the Avatar, air and fire would be the ones that come easiest for me while water and earth would be my weak points. I struggle with change (water) and standing strong under great pressure (earth), and seeing Aang have to work on his earth-side helped me identify something about myself I want to improve.
29:11 9 months. The Winter Solstice is the start of winter and the comet comes by the end of summer. So the whole show is possibly even a little more than 9 months but from the Winter Solstice to Sozin's comet is roughly 9 months, maybe a few days less since they don't say Sozin's comet comes on the last day of summer but at the end of summer. Each book has a reference to each season. Book 1 of course has the Winter Solstice, Book 2 Aang talks about how spring brings many things including Appa shedding, and Book 3 "The Avatar and the Firelord" is on the Summer Solstice or the start of Summer.
This whole video just reinforced why earth is my favorite element of the series. Aang's combination of air and earth mentality/ fighting style is epic to see and analyze. Great video!
"To bend another's energy, your own spirit must be unbendable" Which is exactly what tophs first lesson is. Aang didn't just have to stand his ground physically, but spiritually as well.
i don't often bother watching ATLA with essays cuz i the ones I've tried to watch in the past have felt slow and stretched for pretty simple points/comments, just in general they tend to be a bit difficult to engage with for what they offer/add to my interpretation of the story, but despite having the same half hour length of other vids in the same niche, I really loved this one! it explores bending, aangs relationship with bending and the influence of these dynamics on the wider story in a way that's super insightful and interesting and rich that actually kinda warrants the vid length. what I love about this show is the depth and nuance and cared, thoughtful storytelling at play throughout which makes the journey feel mythical and perfect, and this essay adds to those qualities. very cool vid!
Didn't catch it mentioned in the script, so I'll say: reconciling or mastering opposites is usually called dialectics or nondualism. Especially the latter in translations of Eastern philosophies. "Opposites" there are often asserted to be incomplete, flawed perspectives of one whole. That's what the yin-yang represents. Writers that understand this get depth for free lol
You know, this tracks pretty well actually, a lot of philosophy the world around speaks of "Unity of Opposites" and how a perfect being or a person that has reached Wholeness is one that has combined two direct opposites perfectly. It makes sense that in mastering Air and Earth he would become whole as a person as its combining two opposite outlooks.
Not sure if he would ever warrant his own story, but I have priced that Jeong Jeong has a similar accent to some of the sun warriors as well as skin tone. What if he was born as one of them, and then for reasons (either a rebellious youth leaving to seek glory, or is somehow arrested and conscripted by the fire nation where he’s so amazing he eventually rises up the ranks) and then eventually he gets high enough in the ranks where he has enough leeway to make his escape.
Man, I've watched hours and hours of avatat youtube videos and video essays. Of course most of them are also very focused on Zuko redemption arc, but this has made Aang's arc so much clearer en better for me. Great video
I was just thinking this the other day how benders attitudes and personalities shaped how people of each nations acted. Of course air nomads are obvious ones, going with the wind. Same with water tribes, water can heal or crush you so they are warriors and healers, also water is important for travel so of course Aang's companions are from water tribe. Even though emotion gives power to Fire nation, their leaders need to have discipline to control it, and this naturally leads to more militaristic culture, they need to control themselves, leads to controlling culture. With Earth kingdom it would be easy to fall to trap and say they are down to earth, but actually they have to be commanding. They need to command the earth itself, and we see this in many of the citizens. Toph of course is over the top but so is her bending. Many others there have this haughty and commanding personality. It makes the prison island episode even more tragic, it was not just their bending that was taken away because their will was broken, but more losing identity in deeper level.
I'd say water (minus blood bending because that is just broken op haha) is even more predictable. Fire is conjured out of nothing - water requires a source.
I remember watching Avatar as a kid as the episodes were coming out. I remember wondering who Aangs earthbending teacher would be, and after seeing the swamp episode and then the introduction of Toph, It was so perfect!!!
ATLA is my favorite show hands down. I just want to point out (as it was mentioned/shown in the video) the scene of taking on Ba Sing Se is one of my favorite scenes because it shows him in a new light of getting shit done. I love how each sequence of him and toph changing the battlefield to help each other, which is the way Earthbenders fight. Watching Aang go from evasive to holding his ground and making his path was beautiful.
23:30 that’s so funny lol, Korra’s main element besides water was fire and Aang’s is earth, which is of course the opposite of their natural element 🥹🥹 love these shows. Another great video Koroto!! So happy i found your channel :)) first video was the water 7 one (i watch anything about Robin)
I can definitely see how Earth was the hardest to learn in terms of compatability; fire was just difficult because of the trauma behind it for so many generations.
I think the line that perfectly encapsulates what Aang needed to learn about earth bending was "There's no trickity trick thats gonna move that rock!" The whole time he was trying to get around it or find a way that benefits him. But Earthbending requires him to believe he can headbutt a boulder and win or else it just won't work
Awww yeee. Was just about to have dinner and you drop another Avatar banger. I really love these in-depth analysis videos. I hope maybe you do one specifically for Azula, I’m really curious to hear your thoughts on her as a character.
It's really awesome how you put everything together to build the narrative of the analysis! Many thanks for sharing, I'll be looking foward for the next ones for sure!!!
If you marry this (brilliant btw) analysis with the popular opinion that not killing ozai is aang's way to preserve and protect the air nomad way of life as the last airbender, in the end it is ironic that the philosophies of earthbending is what helps aang stand firm in his airbending ideas of finding another way. His insistence on looking for another way somehow (probably? never confirmed) lead to the lion turtle showing up and taking him to the ozai fight
I love your analysis, I will not go into 10000 words paragraph to show you how much I do love your analysis, I just do, and it help me grow as a person, thank you for these well made video essays.
With your analysis of how the elements shape the Avatar, where even though there were hints from the 1st season that she was given the elements by Aang before hiding and taking on the guise of Amon, can you do an analysis on Korra and how she needed to learn the philosophy of Air to become a fully realised avatar.
BRO this video made me realize that aang didnt use a cone of air and fire to just look cool or something before he energy bends he was blocking ozais fire breath. i always wondered why he did that but not enough to really look lmao
I remember realizing how much Earthbending had changed Aang when they first encountered combustion man, most specifically when he used airbending to deflect the blast (in slow motion) and then had to bash through the stone pillar afterwards. I think that moment showed his change of style perfectly, because not only did he intentionally deflect the blow, but when he was sent hurdling and turned around to see a stone pillar in front of him, he didnt scream and crash into it, nor did he attempt to dodge it. He burst directly through it. We now saw Aang encountering an actual, physical barrier, and instead of finding a solution to avoid it, he faced it head on and won. Not only did he win, he destroyed it. Of course, its just a stone pillar, but looking at it as an obstacle, he didnt evade or take a peaceful path. He chose to "non-peaceful" path of completely demolishing it.
it's interesting that Earth is Aang's most used secondary style, much like Fire was Katara's. I wonder if having a strong preference for ones "opposing" element was common for Avatars?
Slightly unrelated; I really think the biggest mistake Guru made in explaining the last chakra is that you don't need to let go of things permanently to enter the Avatar State. The concept is like Super Saiyan, where you need to enter a state of pure rage to activate the form, and maintain a degree of rage/anger to maintain the form. Goku is generally unwilling to get truly angry, but when pushed, finally breaks past that barrier. Similarly, Aang only understood later on that letting go of your attachments for the Avatar State doesn't mean letting go of things permanently. Roku got married and it didn't diminish his ability to enter the Avatar State. It's the Avatar State in its essence requires the user to be willing to act in whatever way necessary with no concern for the consequences of its use. The price for access to the knowledge, talents, and consciousnesses of every Avatar before you is that you let them act freely without restraint, and that is what the final chakra was meant to teach Aang.
This video just makes me hope a third season of Avatar comes about because, if the cycle of the avatar is followed, it means we get to go on an adventure with an avatar whose native element is earth.
First time noticing the correlation between Appa (who is able to enter the city and find Aang but gets nabbed via the bison whistle) and all the domestic animals also following Aang out of the city when he blows it during the recreation of the zoo.
I really loved this video, one of the best Avatar videos I have ever seen! I didn't realised it, but you are right, earth was really difficult mentally for Aang and it makes him better bender in all styles by adapting the head on thinking and fighting style to his arsenal like ying and yang, he mastered at that point 2 battle extremes: avoidence and coming up with alternative solutions to a problem and opposite of that, facing and striking problem head on. Thus he becomes stronger in all elements, because he is capable to use them in every way possible and can choose best solution for every fight.
i enjoyed this video, and it helped me emotionally. i've always related to aang, and i've reached the point in my own life where i can no longer run away from my fears. so, i will stand in front of the boulder. whether it shatters, or i shatter, if i stand my ground, i've won.
I'm with most of you, but I have some issues with your fighting analysis of crossroads and the final battle. In Crossroads, sure did Aang tried to fight more head on, but that fired back on him. First time, when he smashed that bolder into the ground, he knocked himself down for a moment. Head through wall didn't work there. Same against Azula, he tried too hard to break the enemies attack, but this time he didn't overpower himself, he got overpowered by Azula. This whole fight he standed in his own way. What worked earlier against less skilled opponents, became his downfall against a serious thread. A more evasive style, switching to hard defense and offense in the right moment, would have suited him better. Then, there is the final fight. While Zuko fought on par with Azula, so his new, grounded style worked, Ozai was way more powerful than Aang. Actually, after the first clash, Aang switched to evasive fighting. He tried to not get roasted by Ozais supreme offense. Sometimes, he tried to counterattack, but it didn't work, because Ozai either effortlessly dodged while attacking himself or just broke through. While this fighting style is far better than the one in crossroads - I'm quite certain, he would have beaten Azula this way - it just wasn't enough. Even with the lightning, I wouldn't say he tried actively to catch and redirect it. He redirected it as a last measure, because he couldn't dodge anymore. After that, he was beaten. After regaining the Avatar State, the powerbalance switched completely in favor of Aang. He just could go head on, because he was far stronger. Ozais counterattacks just didn't work. The firelord had to switch from an aggressive style with jet-based evading, fluid (counter-)attacks and supreme offensive power to an evasive style with (useless) counterattacks. From my POV, the final fight between Aang and Ozai is more a duel of raw power. While switly wielded, not the skill of both opponents brought the decision, but Aangs supreme power in the AS. Only after leaving the AS, Aang displays supremacy in skill, by evading attacks the same time he counterattacks, just like Ozai did in the first half. Well yeah, acting more grounded way an important part in Aangs development, but being too rigid caused him his greatest defeat. It's more about the balance between evading and blocking, that he learns in book 3 and is - while quite useless against a better fighter - greatly displayed in the first half of the final fight, before he destroys his enemy with raw power.
Apon thinking about it sparing Ozi was actually the best play. Ozi did an oppsies by placing Azula as Firelord. Zuko in beating her became Firelord. Aang as the Avatar has the spiritual and political clout to defeat Ozi legitimately. If he killed him though the fire nation might have been radicalized and found Aang to be an Assasin or terrorist. We even know certain pockets of the fire nation still backed Ozi after the war. If he killed Ozi that group would likely become more powerful
Unlocking his final Chacra would break the Avatar cycle, as unlocking the final Chacra breaks the wheel of reincarnation, in Bhuudism (Don't know if that's how you spell it, or chacra)
Here is another thing to add to this train of discussion. Not only is earthbending what allowed Aang to get Ozai in a position to energy bend him but I believe the fundamentals of earthbending allowed him to energy bend successfully. ”your spirit must be unbendable" "physically and mentally immovable" Ultimately it was his rigid pacifism that allowed him to do this, the perfect mix of air and earth. The pacifism of air and the stubborness, like earth, to never stray from those ideals
I started rewatching ATLA this week, and as Omashu was coming up I had this Video in the back of my mind. Turn out Bumi was allready telling Aang the same lessons you described here and Toph would give him later. Evasion alone is not enough. Think different and feel the groud with your feet. This Series just keeps on surprising me :)
An idea came to me while watching this video but if Aang had killed Ozai many more members of the fire nation would've rebelled violently. Almost no nation with a ruler who was killed or after a war had a smooth transition of power. By sparing Ozai and removing his bending the fire nation could move forward in a less violent manner. While there was still a coup after the war it wasn't that large. Azula having lost her sanity/mental composure also meant she was no longer fit to rule. If u were seeing your presumably dead mother u know u r not in a good mental state. Iroh himself might've known this plus it would've been very difficult for Iroh: mentally, physically, & emotionally killing his brother
"In All Things, One Cannot Win With Defense Alone. To Win, You Must Attack." - Light I think this reflects the power of understanding the opposing philosophies of earth and air
you know something random i just thought about, why are there so many masters of bending or like how many people are like up there like a black belt but like a black belt with one stripe (like how some american martial arts dojos practice) vs a fully realized master. it makes sense for azula and zuko and the firelord's family in general but what about the others?
I have come to appreciate more the kioshi episode of book 2 as metaphore of what would happen if two solid earthlike benders confront. No one moves, the weaker falls.
You’ll make a great consultant for the philosophy needed to build a proper script for the LA ATLA. This analysis is deep and very accurate, and more importantly, it does make sense within the actual narrative of the original show.
I love that it becomes his easily second best element after having trouble to start. Dude becomes an absolute prodigy at earthbending by the end of the show. Seismic sense at the level he shows is so busted.
The opposite element of the natural one would probably be the single most important lesson to any avatar. Fire is wild and powerful, so you need to guide it like a water bender would without smothering it. Earth is calculated and slow to act, but air adds an impulsive mobility to it. Water is about guiding and flowing, but the passions of fire add a forcefulness to it. Mastering the opposite mindset and integrating them into one would lead to great power and iroh shows this. By using a water bending mindset in his fire bending, even facing something as advanced and lethal as lightning generation is little danger to him.
Earth bending is like second most used element from aang I swear. He made earth armor, made that giant rock fighting Ozai, destroyed the drill with earth and bending
I called it in the poll. Being an air bender meant he needed the stability of earth more than anything, no more running stand your ground and get the job done
I do wonder if the next Avatar's journey will parallel Aangs, and they'll have to give in to Flexible ways of thinking and let go of Stoic beliefs.
@@monochromesoul5873 the legend of Korra definitely built on that where Korra had the physical side of bending down but not the spiritual aspects
@@clayongunzelle9555I think they meant the next avatar after Korra. Because that will be an earth bender. And as earthbenders/the earth kingdom is more stoic and unchangeable, the next earth avatar would need to learn to be flexible and go with the flow
@@clayongunzelle9555yes, is a Taoist thing, Jin and Yang kind of thing. Color scheme, gender, personality, spiritual vs physical strength are in a consistent pattern of change.
@@Chariza_rd
My belief is that the next Avatar will be an earthbender in a future where the world has changed so much where even Earthbending (their natural element) isn't as easy as it once was as the old teachings of bending no longer apply to the future of the world.
They flawlessly added a strong character to a pretty strong and defined group
Twice.
People underestimate how hard that is to do too, once a dynamic has been established to add a new cog to the wheel and not have it be a real nuisance or annoyance is amazing, they put a new cog in and it felt like it was supposed to be there, then they did it again. This show will always deserve the effusive praise it gets.
@@dakodareid3807 Anime does that all the time tho. Think Dragon Ball, Naruto, Aot, One Piece, etc
@@LuisSierra42 but every one of those you've listed are renowned as titans of anime or manga. Even anime that people enjoy can do it wrong.
Edit: for example, I've enjoyed what I've read of fairy tail, which is 60-75%, but it definitely fumbles multiple added characters
Losing Appa meant losing his strongest connection to his past: they were the only remaining survivors of the Air Nomad culture. Additionally, the Nomads learned air-bending by watching the Sky Bison. When Appa was gone, Aang became disconnected from everything familiar to him and was forced to lean on his new surroundings and knowledge.
😨😨😨
A Sub-class of bending that gets me is Sand. It's a strange combination of Earth and Air. Despite ultimately being earth, the Sand-benders are nomadic like the air-benders once were. You can't push sand like you do a boulder, it will give and sway. Toph describes looking through it as fuzzy, unable to get a solid picture. She has to practice to improve her control of it by the end of Book 3, which one could see as her embracing a less rigid life. The Sand-benders themselves primarily use it to form miniature sand storms to propel their sand gliders, not unlike air-bending.
There's mixtures in elements in the lore, you can look at Lava bending the same way, it is technically moving the earth until it gets hot enough through friction, but There were literally 2 avatars who proved you can do that by just simultaneously using both fire and earth elements together (Kyoshi, and Roku). It's easily manipulating the matter by heating it up, which it exactly what Fire bending is based on. The main difference is they made fire bending tied to Chi, it has the most limitations of the other elements due to how destructive it is.
@@amanpreetgill7564It was never a mixture of the elements. It's simply changing the phase of earth. Just like waterbenders change the phase of water when they switch it to ice or vapor. ALL bending styles have potential temperature manipulation. It's just incredibly rare for earth. Which makes sense, since it's the element of substance. It's firm and stubborn. In real life, it is indeed much harder to melt rock than to melt ice.
(Even the airbenders have a bit of temperature manipulation.. They have breathing exercises to help them stay warm in the high altitudes where they tend to live.)
Great analysis. Aang's pre-Earthbending mentality is why Azula regularly has the upper hand in their clashes: she is too cunning to be misdirected and too focused to be worn down. Aang must confront her directly, but even after his change in mentality, Azula is still too bloodthirsty an opponent for Aang to overcome without him completely mastering himself. If he falters, she will strike him down with all of her hatred... which she does. Fighting Azula is the show's method of training Aang for his fight with Ozai, who is Azula on steroids.
The invasion of the earth kingdom palace was just so cool. When that rock came flying at him he just moved his hand. He did not even flinch. That scene was him 100% being focused.
17:58
That no-look block was savage
I wanted that aang to fight Ozai
@@AnandS-so7uh He was angry there. With Ozai he was stoic, level-headed, calm and determined.
Book two was beautiful. Seeing Aang being more honest and expressive with his emotions was impactful. Toph and Aang are so good for each other. Toph and earthbending grounds Aang. Aang helps Toph be free and never underestimates her.
they very positively impact each other, and it makes me a bit sad i rarely see people talking about it. i adore them, they have such a good relationship ☺
This was something I never really thought about until it was mentioned in Korra. I forgot who said it and the exact wording but it was along the lines of “You (Korra) struggle with air just as Aang struggled with earth because it is an element unlike you”
I THINK it was Tenzin,
@@MuhladsIt IS indeed Tenzin
Something so great about “Bitter Work” is how all 4 elements are engaged: at the same time that Aang is overcoming a barrier with Earth 🪨 (the opposite of Air 💨), Zuko is confronted with some challenges he faces in Fire 🔥. He cannot bend lightning, but he learns instead how to infuse Water-bending 🌊 techniques into his Fire-bending in order to redirect lightning. (Iroh had mentioned studying Water-benders to create the technique.) Interestingly, we later hear Roku say that he struggled the most with Water-bending, so seeing his great-grandson-who is destined to heal the wounds of the Fire Nation’s war-overcome an obstacle through Water creates some additional closure.
Bitter work is goated for that exact reason. Splicing in Iroh's teachings was a stroke of genius.
One of my favorite episodes in the whole series
Yeah, Zuko had to learn how to use waterbending's philosophy: of feeling the flow and moving with it: in order to change. If he had two dragons within himself, they became Tui and La.
Almost makes me wish that the first season of TLOK was spent on Kora struggling to learn fire bending rather than air bending.
But eh- ┐(￣ -￣)┌
@@notateendemon yea korra struggling with air and not fire makes no narrative sense imo, but to their credit they do make her passionate and very... gunho so she can sort of suit firebending in that sense, but at the same time that works for airbending too, what it doesn't work for is water bending ironically. As they're ment to be the calmest of the 4 elements.
(air is carefree, and goes where it pleases, where as water goes with the element and lets it almost control them. Something Korra does not do inheritently)
One of my favorite parts of Iroh as a character is how much he uses all the elements in his teachings and forms. He doesn't use air too often, but it wasn't around during his life, so I can't really fault him for that.
After watching the show for the first time in my high school years I remember hearing people call the finale either a deus ex machina or saying that Aang, as you put it, whimped out of killing Ozai, which made me rewatch the finale to see how much water that argument held to me. With that outlook it immediately caught my eye to see that while the avatar state gave him the edge the element that literaly put Ozai on his knees was earth and I still think that was an incredibly effective way of showing Aang growth as both a bender and a character.
So yeah great video that dug way deeper in that direction
Truthfully I don't know how I feel about Aang not killing Ozai, as that was his personal conflict for so long, but I am glad that he finished the fight out of the avatar state. In my mind, if he had finished it in the avatar state, the personal victory would be tainted. It was his fight to win, and he finished it himself, without the extra power of a hundred past lives.
Aang didn't wimp out, though? He is the last Air Nomad, the last person preserving his people's cultural legacy. Their ideas and principles. Had Aang killed Ozai, the genocide perpetrated by the Fire Nation would have been complete.
Aang showed everyone that his people's ideas are still relevant, and will always have a place in the world.
The show became great when Toph joined Team Avatar.
Correction: it became EVEN GREATER, it was always great 🗿
Even a blind person could see that!
Toph was always my LEAST favorite member in team Avatar (i have my reasons), but i respect your opinion.
That’s a hot take
@@dordonakeplease elaborate I live for hot takes like these
Air and earth seem to be primarily defensive bending. Those nations aren’t on the offensive, they defend. They have formidable skills for defense. However, fire and Earth are offensive skills. Learning the skill of Earth bending taught AAng the subtle nuance of how to move out of defense into offense when it’s necessary. Toph was an excellent and hard teacher. She needed to train some pacificity out of him to get him ready to master Earth and be able to use it offensively against the Fire Lord. Earth changed him and how he thinks!
Did you mean to say Air and Water at the start?
Air is more evasive than defensive
@@Supreme_King23 which can be considered a form of defense, as you're protecting yourself from harm by removing yourself from its path
@@Supreme_King23”dodge tank” is a thing in Fire Emblem
@justinokraski3796 What is a "dodge tank" in fire emblem?
Something I found interesting about Bitter Work is that there's a pretty big difference between how Toph teaches Aang earthbending and how Toph typically earthbends in combat, and I think it's a reflection of her level of mastery that's subtly delivered.
She often uses a narrow stance, and she uses a lot of evasion and redirection compared to other earthbenders we see. She actually kind of moves like a waterbender a lot of the time. Obviously she's still stylistically an earthbender, but her mastery allows her to move a little differently and pull off some more creative and expected techniques that other earthbenders don't typically use.
And I think that might also be a big part of why she ultimately was an effective teacher for him as he moved toward mastery. She had a style which already meshed with his own, so once he ironed out the basics, they were a stylistic match as a student and teacher.
Actually, the early-joined Toph is very earthbender typical. More creative sure, but she still very much relies on blocking for defense (like what an earthbender supposed to do) rather than evading (like an airbender) or redirecting (like a waterbender).
Only when she fully joined the gang that she starts to incorporate more and more of evading and redirecting moves to her earthebending. Just like Katara in the fight against Hama, she stood her ground and block Hama's multiple waterbending strikes and left her speechless.
In conclusion, the group is actually influencing each other. Katara learned to stood her ground from Toph, while Toph learned to be more agile from Aang and fluid from Katara.
@@SerGio-mw9pc Toph was definitely using evasion and misdirection (and terrain manipulation) to set up and take out the Earth Rumble benders in her introductory episode. Lots of sidestepping attacks, or catching and throwing them back, and even rotating the ground so one of her opponents would crash into two others. It was a really indirect approach to earthbending, more so than we see elsewhere.
She favors direct blocking more than the rest of the Gaang, both from the start and moving forward, and she certainly learns and evolves alongside them, but you can already see that she has a more intuitive and nuanced approach to earthbending, because of how she learned and uses it, than any other earthbender in the show.
this is hands down the best analysis on aang's character arc and final destination i think i've ever seen. (partially cause everyone talks about zuko/iroh, and ignores the rest of the cast, but i digress)
thank you for writing/filming/putting this out where i could see it
Also, Jeong jeong wanted to teach Aang to restraint and be patient while his firebending style looks a lot like earthbending
Yep; Jeong Jeong had basically told Aang: "NO! You're not ready. You have to learn the elements IN ORDER: water, earth, fire, and air." His reasoning being that he's a displaced airbender, so obvious AVATAR is obvious, but he hasn't learned earthbending, so he won't have the discipline he needs to properly use fire (a powerful, dangerous element that can BURN PEOPLE). The poor guy (after being strong-armed by Roku into training Aang out of order *anyway*) tries to teach Aang patience and discipline; this doesn't work, Katara gets burned, and Aang swears off firebending until S3.
Also, according to the cycle, he had to learn earth before fire.
“You’re gonna learn the elements in order whether you like it or NOT” - Jeong Jeong probably
To be fair, he communicated it very incompetently. Hes still a kid and this is an old man whos acting needlessly edgy over fire when Iroh can sleep just fine and be goofy and live life. The teacher has a responsibility to make sure they made the effort to learn the concept. Even Toph who has a brash difficult approach atleast recognized what works best. This old edgelord makes it all about himself when I dunno.... Aang knowing the elements will determine the fate of the freaking world????
@@acsound I’d say it was arguably still a wise decision for Roku to make since, even with him definitely knowing about Zuko’s conflicting loyalty in the solstice episode, Jeong Jeong is the only reliable option.
I also love how korra uses fire so much! Something about the balance of the avatar’s native element and its opposite 🌊🔥
I really enjoyed this one. It brought a perspective of Aang's earth bending and growth from it that I haven't heard before and I've watched A LOT of Avatar analysis videos.
I’ve always loved how the elements related to both the characters strengths and flaws. Of course standing his ground and earth bending would be challenging for Aang - he’s just a kid who ran away from responsibility when told he was the avatar. By learning earth he truly becomes the avatar both because he’s now bended all 4 elements but also because he’s now truly accepting the responsibility of being the avatar which is what he ran away from in the beginning and caused the events of the whole show.
I always loved Aang's growth when it came to Earth bending, not just how he improved in his skills, but in his personality too. I see a lot of myself in Aang (as well as Zaheer from LOK). If I were the Avatar, air and fire would be the ones that come easiest for me while water and earth would be my weak points. I struggle with change (water) and standing strong under great pressure (earth), and seeing Aang have to work on his earth-side helped me identify something about myself I want to improve.
29:11 9 months. The Winter Solstice is the start of winter and the comet comes by the end of summer. So the whole show is possibly even a little more than 9 months but from the Winter Solstice to Sozin's comet is roughly 9 months, maybe a few days less since they don't say Sozin's comet comes on the last day of summer but at the end of summer. Each book has a reference to each season. Book 1 of course has the Winter Solstice, Book 2 Aang talks about how spring brings many things including Appa shedding, and Book 3 "The Avatar and the Firelord" is on the Summer Solstice or the start of Summer.
This whole video just reinforced why earth is my favorite element of the series. Aang's combination of air and earth mentality/ fighting style is epic to see and analyze. Great video!
23:36 Zuko's scar switching was unexpected funny, well done
Why did I read the title as "What on earth is aang's most important element"
That would have been such a great pun… 😂
"To bend another's energy, your own spirit must be unbendable"
Which is exactly what tophs first lesson is. Aang didn't just have to stand his ground physically, but spiritually as well.
i don't often bother watching ATLA with essays cuz i the ones I've tried to watch in the past have felt slow and stretched for pretty simple points/comments, just in general they tend to be a bit difficult to engage with for what they offer/add to my interpretation of the story, but despite having the same half hour length of other vids in the same niche, I really loved this one! it explores bending, aangs relationship with bending and the influence of these dynamics on the wider story in a way that's super insightful and interesting and rich that actually kinda warrants the vid length. what I love about this show is the depth and nuance and cared, thoughtful storytelling at play throughout which makes the journey feel mythical and perfect, and this essay adds to those qualities. very cool vid!
It’s amazing how this show has so many layers
Didn't catch it mentioned in the script, so I'll say: reconciling or mastering opposites is usually called dialectics or nondualism. Especially the latter in translations of Eastern philosophies. "Opposites" there are often asserted to be incomplete, flawed perspectives of one whole. That's what the yin-yang represents. Writers that understand this get depth for free lol
You know, this tracks pretty well actually, a lot of philosophy the world around speaks of "Unity of Opposites" and how a perfect being or a person that has reached Wholeness is one that has combined two direct opposites perfectly. It makes sense that in mastering Air and Earth he would become whole as a person as its combining two opposite outlooks.
Not sure if he would ever warrant his own story, but I have priced that Jeong Jeong has a similar accent to some of the sun warriors as well as skin tone. What if he was born as one of them, and then for reasons (either a rebellious youth leaving to seek glory, or is somehow arrested and conscripted by the fire nation where he’s so amazing he eventually rises up the ranks) and then eventually he gets high enough in the ranks where he has enough leeway to make his escape.
Man, I've watched hours and hours of avatat youtube videos and video essays. Of course most of them are also very focused on Zuko redemption arc, but this has made Aang's arc so much clearer en better for me. Great video
I was just thinking this the other day how benders attitudes and personalities shaped how people of each nations acted. Of course air nomads are obvious ones, going with the wind. Same with water tribes, water can heal or crush you so they are warriors and healers, also water is important for travel so of course Aang's companions are from water tribe. Even though emotion gives power to Fire nation, their leaders need to have discipline to control it, and this naturally leads to more militaristic culture, they need to control themselves, leads to controlling culture. With Earth kingdom it would be easy to fall to trap and say they are down to earth, but actually they have to be commanding. They need to command the earth itself, and we see this in many of the citizens. Toph of course is over the top but so is her bending. Many others there have this haughty and commanding personality. It makes the prison island episode even more tragic, it was not just their bending that was taken away because their will was broken, but more losing identity in deeper level.
When you think about it fire is the most predictable/fair element as you can always see it coming
I'd say water (minus blood bending because that is just broken op haha) is even more predictable. Fire is conjured out of nothing - water requires a source.
Toph couldn’t
@@classiccuneyt 0-0
@@classiccuneytOuch. Too far.
@@quinnbernal1398 Too far is Katara couldn’t in The Deserter.
I remember watching Avatar as a kid as the episodes were coming out. I remember wondering who Aangs earthbending teacher would be, and after seeing the swamp episode and then the introduction of Toph,
It was so perfect!!!
ATLA is my favorite show hands down. I just want to point out (as it was mentioned/shown in the video) the scene of taking on Ba Sing Se is one of my favorite scenes because it shows him in a new light of getting shit done. I love how each sequence of him and toph changing the battlefield to help each other, which is the way Earthbenders fight. Watching Aang go from evasive to holding his ground and making his path was beautiful.
23:30 that’s so funny lol, Korra’s main element besides water was fire and Aang’s is earth, which is of course the opposite of their natural element 🥹🥹 love these shows. Another great video Koroto!! So happy i found your channel :)) first video was the water 7 one (i watch anything about Robin)
> i watch anything about Robin
unfathomably based
Glad you enjoyed it! More OP content is also on the way 👀
I can definitely see how Earth was the hardest to learn in terms of compatability; fire was just difficult because of the trauma behind it for so many generations.
I don't know how well it would work visually compared to these videos, but I would absolutely love to see this level of analysis of the Kyoshi novels.
The stoicism philosophy is so impactful in this story
I think the line that perfectly encapsulates what Aang needed to learn about earth bending was "There's no trickity trick thats gonna move that rock!" The whole time he was trying to get around it or find a way that benefits him. But Earthbending requires him to believe he can headbutt a boulder and win or else it just won't work
Awww yeee. Was just about to have dinner and you drop another Avatar banger. I really love these in-depth analysis videos. I hope maybe you do one specifically for Azula, I’m really curious to hear your thoughts on her as a character.
All in due time 👀
It's really awesome how you put everything together to build the narrative of the analysis! Many thanks for sharing, I'll be looking foward for the next ones for sure!!!
12 minutes after upload, love the videos dude keep it up 😀
If you marry this (brilliant btw) analysis with the popular opinion that not killing ozai is aang's way to preserve and protect the air nomad way of life as the last airbender, in the end it is ironic that the philosophies of earthbending is what helps aang stand firm in his airbending ideas of finding another way. His insistence on looking for another way somehow (probably? never confirmed) lead to the lion turtle showing up and taking him to the ozai fight
Oh men i tottaly agree with you in this video, you´ve explained very well and delivered an amazing speech! you have my +10
I love your analysis, I will not go into 10000 words paragraph to show you how much I do love your analysis, I just do, and it help me grow as a person, thank you for these well made video essays.
28:38 “Nah, I won.”
14:55 ROCK AND STONE MENTIONED!!!!!!!!! 🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣⚒⛏⛏⛏🪨🪨⛏⚒🪨🪨⚒⛏⛏🪨🪨🪨🪨🪨🪨🪨🪨🪨🪨 FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK AND STONE, WE SALUTE YOU !!!!!!!!!
ROCK AND STONE
🫡 R&S!
With your analysis of how the elements shape the Avatar, where even though there were hints from the 1st season that she was given the elements by Aang before hiding and taking on the guise of Amon, can you do an analysis on Korra and how she needed to learn the philosophy of Air to become a fully realised avatar.
BRO this video made me realize that aang didnt use a cone of air and fire to just look cool or something before he energy bends he was blocking ozais fire breath. i always wondered why he did that but not enough to really look lmao
Yup, that's not just Aang flexing haha, that's Ozai going dragon mode for a second. 😄
This healed something in me
I remember realizing how much Earthbending had changed Aang when they first encountered combustion man, most specifically when he used airbending to deflect the blast (in slow motion) and then had to bash through the stone pillar afterwards. I think that moment showed his change of style perfectly, because not only did he intentionally deflect the blow, but when he was sent hurdling and turned around to see a stone pillar in front of him, he didnt scream and crash into it, nor did he attempt to dodge it. He burst directly through it. We now saw Aang encountering an actual, physical barrier, and instead of finding a solution to avoid it, he faced it head on and won. Not only did he win, he destroyed it. Of course, its just a stone pillar, but looking at it as an obstacle, he didnt evade or take a peaceful path. He chose to "non-peaceful" path of completely demolishing it.
The training episode is actually maybe my favorite episode, I rewatch it constantly
Earth has been my favorite element for a long time.
My man, you are cooking with these videos. Keep it up!
5:16: “lay the groundwork”. Hehehe. Missed pun. Heheh 😈
This was incredibly thought out, both this vid and the show itself!
Aang's growth was what made him stand out amongst other Avatars
Agreed. His journey was extraordinary compared to the other Avatars due to the war.
I like how after Aang grasped earth bending most of their challenges they took head on instead of avoiding or being forced into a fight.
0:57 when Katara Went *DOTON*
it's interesting that Earth is Aang's most used secondary style, much like Fire was Katara's. I wonder if having a strong preference for ones "opposing" element was common for Avatars?
This video was genuinely masterful. Incredible work
People can write 2 hour long essay on ever single episode in this show it's just so great.
23:38 why Tf did zuko’s scar change sides?!
Seismic sense was what saved him in the final fight with Ozai.
27:50 this part is just perfectly written
Slightly unrelated; I really think the biggest mistake Guru made in explaining the last chakra is that you don't need to let go of things permanently to enter the Avatar State.
The concept is like Super Saiyan, where you need to enter a state of pure rage to activate the form, and maintain a degree of rage/anger to maintain the form. Goku is generally unwilling to get truly angry, but when pushed, finally breaks past that barrier. Similarly, Aang only understood later on that letting go of your attachments for the Avatar State doesn't mean letting go of things permanently. Roku got married and it didn't diminish his ability to enter the Avatar State.
It's the Avatar State in its essence requires the user to be willing to act in whatever way necessary with no concern for the consequences of its use. The price for access to the knowledge, talents, and consciousnesses of every Avatar before you is that you let them act freely without restraint, and that is what the final chakra was meant to teach Aang.
Yeah, and plus. Aang is duty-bound to the earth, he can't free his final chakra perminantly
This video just makes me hope a third season of Avatar comes about because, if the cycle of the avatar is followed, it means we get to go on an adventure with an avatar whose native element is earth.
Aang: "Nah, I'd bend."
Toph: "Flame-yo, Twinkle Toes."
Aang needs air bending to fly tf out of every s1 battle
First time noticing the correlation between Appa (who is able to enter the city and find Aang but gets nabbed via the bison whistle) and all the domestic animals also following Aang out of the city when he blows it during the recreation of the zoo.
this and aot is one of my favorite brake downs great vid
I really loved this video, one of the best Avatar videos I have ever seen!
I didn't realised it, but you are right, earth was really difficult mentally for Aang and it makes him better bender in all styles by adapting the head on thinking and fighting style to his arsenal like ying and yang, he mastered at that point 2 battle extremes: avoidence and coming up with alternative solutions to a problem and opposite of that, facing and striking problem head on.
Thus he becomes stronger in all elements, because he is capable to use them in every way possible and can choose best solution for every fight.
i enjoyed this video, and it helped me emotionally. i've always related to aang, and i've reached the point in my own life where i can no longer run away from my fears. so, i will stand in front of the boulder. whether it shatters, or i shatter, if i stand my ground, i've won.
17:59 Nothing outside of the Avatar state went harder than this one moment.
I'm with most of you, but I have some issues with your fighting analysis of crossroads and the final battle.
In Crossroads, sure did Aang tried to fight more head on, but that fired back on him. First time, when he smashed that bolder into the ground, he knocked himself down for a moment. Head through wall didn't work there. Same against Azula, he tried too hard to break the enemies attack, but this time he didn't overpower himself, he got overpowered by Azula. This whole fight he standed in his own way. What worked earlier against less skilled opponents, became his downfall against a serious thread. A more evasive style, switching to hard defense and offense in the right moment, would have suited him better.
Then, there is the final fight. While Zuko fought on par with Azula, so his new, grounded style worked, Ozai was way more powerful than Aang. Actually, after the first clash, Aang switched to evasive fighting. He tried to not get roasted by Ozais supreme offense. Sometimes, he tried to counterattack, but it didn't work, because Ozai either effortlessly dodged while attacking himself or just broke through. While this fighting style is far better than the one in crossroads - I'm quite certain, he would have beaten Azula this way - it just wasn't enough. Even with the lightning, I wouldn't say he tried actively to catch and redirect it. He redirected it as a last measure, because he couldn't dodge anymore. After that, he was beaten.
After regaining the Avatar State, the powerbalance switched completely in favor of Aang. He just could go head on, because he was far stronger. Ozais counterattacks just didn't work. The firelord had to switch from an aggressive style with jet-based evading, fluid (counter-)attacks and supreme offensive power to an evasive style with (useless) counterattacks.
From my POV, the final fight between Aang and Ozai is more a duel of raw power. While switly wielded, not the skill of both opponents brought the decision, but Aangs supreme power in the AS. Only after leaving the AS, Aang displays supremacy in skill, by evading attacks the same time he counterattacks, just like Ozai did in the first half.
Well yeah, acting more grounded way an important part in Aangs development, but being too rigid caused him his greatest defeat. It's more about the balance between evading and blocking, that he learns in book 3 and is - while quite useless against a better fighter - greatly displayed in the first half of the final fight, before he destroys his enemy with raw power.
i love hearing koroto talk about stoicism
These videos are incredible keep it up
Apon thinking about it sparing Ozi was actually the best play.
Ozi did an oppsies by placing Azula as Firelord. Zuko in beating her became Firelord.
Aang as the Avatar has the spiritual and political clout to defeat Ozi legitimately. If he killed him though the fire nation might have been radicalized and found Aang to be an Assasin or terrorist.
We even know certain pockets of the fire nation still backed Ozi after the war. If he killed Ozi that group would likely become more powerful
Nah that single afternoon gotta be longer with that montage
Unlocking his final Chacra would break the Avatar cycle, as unlocking the final Chacra breaks the wheel of reincarnation, in Bhuudism (Don't know if that's how you spell it, or chacra)
lets go! my prediction was right
Here is another thing to add to this train of discussion. Not only is earthbending what allowed Aang to get Ozai in a position to energy bend him but I believe the fundamentals of earthbending allowed him to energy bend successfully. ”your spirit must be unbendable" "physically and mentally immovable" Ultimately it was his rigid pacifism that allowed him to do this, the perfect mix of air and earth. The pacifism of air and the stubborness, like earth, to never stray from those ideals
I started rewatching ATLA this week, and as Omashu was coming up I had this Video in the back of my mind.
Turn out Bumi was allready telling Aang the same lessons you described here and Toph would give him later.
Evasion alone is not enough.
Think different and feel the groud with your feet.
This Series just keeps on surprising me :)
Great video but omg how did I never notice Zukos scar swap mid scene @23:38
Amazing video, loved IT! and makes me appreciate the story even more
An idea came to me while watching this video but if Aang had killed Ozai many more members of the fire nation would've rebelled violently. Almost no nation with a ruler who was killed or after a war had a smooth transition of power. By sparing Ozai and removing his bending the fire nation could move forward in a less violent manner. While there was still a coup after the war it wasn't that large. Azula having lost her sanity/mental composure also meant she was no longer fit to rule. If u were seeing your presumably dead mother u know u r not in a good mental state. Iroh himself might've known this plus it would've been very difficult for Iroh: mentally, physically, & emotionally killing his brother
"In All Things, One Cannot Win With Defense Alone. To Win, You Must Attack." - Light
I think this reflects the power of understanding the opposing philosophies of earth and air
you know something random i just thought about, why are there so many masters of bending or like how many people are like up there like a black belt but like a black belt with one stripe (like how some american martial arts dojos practice) vs a fully realized master. it makes sense for azula and zuko and the firelord's family in general but what about the others?
I have come to appreciate more the kioshi episode of book 2 as metaphore of what would happen if two solid earthlike benders confront. No one moves, the weaker falls.
You’ll make a great consultant for the philosophy needed to build a proper script for the LA ATLA.
This analysis is deep and very accurate, and more importantly, it does make sense within the actual narrative of the original show.
I love that it becomes his easily second best element after having trouble to start. Dude becomes an absolute prodigy at earthbending by the end of the show. Seismic sense at the level he shows is so busted.
Everytime I watch one of your excellent videos about Avatar/Korra, I am urged to binge again ^^;;
this is a very well thought-out video. nice job!
That Zuko flip.
The scar IS NOT ON THE WRONG SIDE.
The opposite element of the natural one would probably be the single most important lesson to any avatar. Fire is wild and powerful, so you need to guide it like a water bender would without smothering it. Earth is calculated and slow to act, but air adds an impulsive mobility to it. Water is about guiding and flowing, but the passions of fire add a forcefulness to it. Mastering the opposite mindset and integrating them into one would lead to great power and iroh shows this. By using a water bending mindset in his fire bending, even facing something as advanced and lethal as lightning generation is little danger to him.
Water is free flowing, it makes sense why a master air bender would pick it up easily
Aang needed the discipline from earth to fully master fire
Earth bending is like second most used element from aang I swear. He made earth armor, made that giant rock fighting Ozai, destroyed the drill with earth and bending