Bro, if Aang wanted to kill Ozai, it would be the quickest fight. He just had to redirect the lightning at the start back at Ozai and that would be it.
Ngl tgat would be funny. Aang redirects the lightning straight back at the fatherloed, he is dead, aang leaves the avatar state and goes - so is that it?
What if Ozai just simply dodged the redirection and never shot lightning at Aang again? If Azula did it in the comics then Ozai is more than capable of doing it here.
They did bring up the lion turtle in the library in a throw away line Aang: "hey look at this weird lion turtle thing!" Sokka: "ehh I've seen weirder."
Yeah but by that sense, they could have just switched the lion turtle with the cabbage man and nothing would have changed, as the cabbage man has also appeared in the show before!
@@BWHERE This does fix some minor issues with ATLA, but only raises more things that need adjustment in LOK. Primarily if the lion turtles never energy bent: taking and giving the elements to humans, how would Wan have ever become the first Avatar? also please don't attack me for mentioning LOK, lol
@@BindingBenderI think it would be simple enough to leave it as the Lion Turtles bestowing the ability to bend in general to humans. (If Aang uses it to take away bending, logically it can be used to grant it as well.) But then, instead of going from Lion Turtle to Lion Turtle, the Avatar Wan story should go on to show Wan seeking out and learning from the Original Benders: the Sky Bison, Dragons, Badger Moles, and the Ocean and Moon (maybe even in Koi fish form since it's stated in ATLA that they transitioned to the human realm in ancient times). Only after encountering each of them should he then meet Raava, who he aids in battle against Vaatu using the elements as well as energy bending, fusing with Raava in the process.
@@BindingBenderim fine with things needing to be changed in LOK to make sense because lets be honest, LOK was far worse in worldbuilding then atla and ruined multyple concepts atla introduced
@@thomicrisler9855 Apologies for the delayed response, but I respect this adjustment, though if I'm being honest I'm fairly happy with ATLA and LOK, but I fear for upcoming show
I love seeing someone actually look at avatar in a constructive manner as the finale always gave me this empty feeling when I finished it that I couldn’t figure out why
I think they could have just slowly built on the lionturtle lore from the scroll from the Library episode. I think if Aang actively went on a quest to find it instead of being passive, it would feel more satisfying.
Agree, it's kinda unfortunate that the first mention of him is basically a joke. Piando also mentions them, but he makes it sound as if they're just another hybrid animal rather than something special, and it feels weird that Piando knows about them and have statues of them, while Roku and the other avatars don't.
Agreed. I think it would make more sense if Aang took the action himself to seek out the lion turtle after consulting with the past Avatars. Then his disappearance from the others would seem less like a mystery for them to solve and more like them assuming Aang is running away from his responsibilities again.
@@samasthtcI think he’s referring to how when Aang is on the lion turtle, Roku doesn’t know where he is. But I don’t actually think that means the other avatars don’t know about lion turtles, just that when you see a forest, you don’t assume it’s in the back of a giant creature
Ehhh still, it still completely bypasses the whole internal conflict aang has been experiencing for pretty much the entirety of season 3. Its not JUST the lion turtle, its throwing away potential character development
I've seen this show, from start to finish, at least 10 times by now. This is the first take I've heard of changes in its story that are in the spirit of the story. I really like it. I would like to add a few more instances of set-up to this. The first - Bloodbending should be another clue for Aang. There should be a line, when they're discussing how to defeat the fire lord, when Zuko mentions Bloodbending as a possible solution and Katara stops him and says that it she doesn't ever want to feel that way again. Aang asks what way? She says 'like she's holding their body hostage from their spirit which she can feel is trying to resist' or something like that. The second - Right from the point he starts getting anxious about the invasion and his fight with the firelord he should begin having strange dreams about the ocean, and often times just look towards the coast suddenly as if he felt like something is watching him. There's a lot of scenes in the fire nation where they are near a coast so there are a lot of opportunities to foreshadow. The third- During his training with the Guru, when they are discussing the Third Eye chakra and dispelling the illusion of separation, there should be a more obvious line but said in the joking mannerisms of the Guru. When they talk about how all the nations are actually one, he should say something along the lines of 'just the nations?' and Aang can say 'what do you mean' and he can be the first one to drop this idea into Aang's head that maybe the illusion of separation goes beyond just how we see people but also to how we see the elements that make up the world and you can leave the scene with Aang thoughtfully pondering that before going on to the next chakra.
TLDR at the end. I love that this revision wouldn’t be hard to implement, and that all the bending styles could still have originally been learned by observing and practicing techniques taught by specific creatures rather than gifted by the lion turtles. (Fire/Dragons, Earth/Badger Moles, Air/Sky Bison, Water/Moon & Ocean spirits.) It opens up the possibility of other creatures, beings or even concepts possibly teaching humanity new; bending styles, techniques, life lessons, ways to influence ourselves and the world around us. The Lion Turtles inclusion into the story then becomes an introduction in learning a brand new bending style, essentially spirit bending. All of the foreshadowing suggested if done with this goal in mind would have subtle taught Aang this bending style thru the entire series. It’s only fitting then for the Avatar to be the first to learn this style and make use of it. However all the records and mentions of the lion turtle prior to meeting one could have shown attempts of previous masters and scholars to learn from the creature. (Communicating with and influencing the decisions of others would be the basics of the bending styles and temporally controlling or permanently altering another would be the more advanced techniques. Keeping in mind the fact that spiritual beings literally inhabit and influence parts of the Avatar world it only makes sense that eventually a bending style specifically for interacting with them would develop eventually) In the Final scenes of the battle I’d make it Aangs internal struggle learning how to properly use the more advanced methods of this new bending style. I’d also add copt out a line that explains why no one else was able to learn this style before Aang. Something along the lines of “To bend another’s spirit mine must be as light and free as air, able to push and pull with the purity of water, my own resolve as direct and unyielding as earth, as full of life and permanently altering as fire.” Then in Kora the Rava backstory could be changed such that the first Avatar also learned spirit bending from the lion turtles. Unlike the other nations and bending styles he was alone and came across Rava and her battle before he could teach any other people the bending style. After bonding with Rava they decided to keep it secret so there wouldn’t ever be a dark avatar. Then in Koras day the birth of the new nation of republic city also has the plot of people wanting to come and learn this new bending style from Aang who was more concerned with first re-establishing the air nation but taught some spirit bending too but no-one really picked it up and as technology was being developed and revolutionized most people just turned to that as part of their cultural identity. These changes would give Koras villains more consistency with the in universe lore. (Much like lightning bending is a water bending technique incorporated into the fire bending style: Amon using water bending with a spirit bending technique to mimic blood bending or at least pretending it’s blood bending when he is doing some minor spirit bending, Unalaq using spirit bending to bond with Vaatu as the first Avatar feared someone would, Zaheer applying a spirit bending technique to his air bending to actually give himself flight, and Kuviras conflict also better incorporating the conflict between spirit and technology) TLDR: Basically I think if this proposed change was implemented as a new bending style into the AtlA universe it would solve the continuity problems in both series, and introduce another element for the writers to incorporate more life lessons into as this is meant as a story to help children understand and make good choices in our complex society.
@@toad6284 Yeah, I never liked the Rava backstory with Lion Turtles teaching bending when Toph clearly learned through the Badgers rather than a Lion Turtle. And proposing spirit bending would kind of still fit with the Greek philosophy of the elements, namely aether(?) I think. Or it had a different name, essentially what the stars and celestial bodies consisted of.
@@Captain_MelonLord The lion turtles didn't teach bending though, they simply bestowed the power to bend upon those who couldn't, humans. When talking about Avatar Juan, it's never stated that the Lion Turtles teach you how to use the power, only that they gave the power to wield it, and that Juan learned how to properly bend fire from the dragons before going to the different turtles to get their elements bestowed to him
@@pancakewaffles I admit I prolly misunderstood the backstory then. It's been a while since I watched it (most obviously because I referred to the first avatar as Rava in my first comment, oops) and that explanation makes more sense.
To me, it was as simple as briefly expand the discussion on The Library episode, and have them read on an inscription stating that these beings are said to be better bendings than the greatest avatars known. I believe that it didn't really needed to be stated too much, it feels mystical this way. I'd always seen a spirit like the Lion Turtle almost like a demigod. Also, some people say it appeared from nowhere, but Aang had been meditating a lot seeking for spiritual help. Your solution of having Aang figuring it out himself is great, though. Great video.
Honestly, I think the answer was right there. He should've just banished him to the spirit world, where he'd have no bending. There were already a bunch of instances where his spiritual attunement is shown, and how he travels between spaces. We also know spirits can, and constantly do, steal people away into the spirit realm. Body and all. We see it, at least, with the spirit of the forest and with the face stealer. There's literally nothing they needed to change anywhere else. Just fight, he goes avatar mode, has a few flashbacks of his interactions with spirits and what they've done, decides not to kill him, incapacitates him, and does his avatar spirit magic to phase him into the spirit world. They show how he can't bend anymore, and how he'll now have to deal with being powerless (literally same punishment, but it makes sense). I seriously can't fathom how such genius writers couldn't come up with that solution, cliché as it may be.
Katara did not owe that guy forgiveness nor did she need to try to forgive him for her sake. he took pleasure in her mothers death. Katara had every right to be angry.
Forgiveness is for yourself. If someone wrongs you, holding onto your hatred and anger only hurts *you* more. Forgiveness is letting go of a bad person’s influence on you. Its freeing.
That’s kinda weak. Forgiveness or not, having your loved one killed is grief that will stick with you for life. Forgiving a murderer wouldn’t bring you solace.
Ffs forgiveness is not something to be deserved or not, it also not requires to be buddies with her murderer. Yes she had every right to be angry, but what she did is essentialy repressed her emotions and let him live. She still was angry and hateful at him so forgiveness is about letting your hatred go. You don't forget, you don't reconciliate, you simply free yourself from your negative emotions inside you that destroy you ,not the killer. As hard as it might seem, maybe katara should have try to forgive him.
@@dawidfigas11 Is that forgiveness or simply moving on? To move on Katara needed closure and for that she needed to confront Yon Rha. For the record I'm glad that neither Aang nor Katara ended up a killer.
@meganmccarthy2974 well forgiveness is also moving on but the diffrence is that katara accepted. Forgiveness is elite form of acception because it requires you also to let all your hatred and resenment go, if katara forgave yon rha she wouldn't be still angry about her situation afterwards. She moved on but she still feels anger understandably so. Forgiveness is harder tho more efficient in healing process because you don't have to battle your negative thoughts anymore
One huge flaw with your argument...how do you think all those fire benders on the Air Temples died? Yes, the Air Nomads were pacifists, but not to the extreme that you're suggesting they were. Saying that anybody who thinks Aang should have killed Ozai is agreeing with Ozai is just a fundamental misunderstanding of the Air Nomads and what information the series presented us about them. They went down fighting Edit: clarity
We only have confirmation that Monk Gyatso killed any fire benders, and he was always shown to be more of a pragmatist. He was the one who wanted to break tradition and allow Aang to grow up as a normal boy instead of being raised as the avatar. The other air nomads were massacred without any resistance. Aang even confirms that they have no formal military. Besides, one single Airbender, refusing to uphold the morals of his people is far less consequential when he was still one of many. Aang is literally the entire nation of Air Nomads in one boy, he represents the people alone.
"Air nomad genocide" means litterly destroying not only their people, but also their culture and their places. So if the fire nation is forcing them to act against their culture, it isn't what air nomads believed. Actually from what air nomads believed we know only from aang that is the last one of their kind.
Yes! This is what I always say, killing Ozai would be the death of Aang’s culture. Aang peacefully defeating Ozai was him claiming a small shred of victory and survival for his people This is a great list of changes, Ill be referring back to this whenever I think about this issue with the finale, it’s got my full support
Great video. I generally like the idea of improving the introduction of energy bending. My original thought was to detach it from the lion turtle completely but keep it as a "surprise power up" that is unlocked by truely representing all 4 elements in harmony: steadfast conviction in your own beliefs (earth), evading ideas you recognise as harmful (air), embracing change where it's appropriate/important (water) and maybe most importantly: having an appreciation for the flame of life. I like your idea as well, tho.
Yeah I agree 100% Aang shouldn’t have killed Ozai but energy bending should have been his technique with only a little help of the lion turtle, great video keep it up ❤
Yall expect a 12 year old boy to kill someone, terrorist or not, and be mentally fine later on? Especially when killing goes against everything his people taught him? Y'all are crazy.
I found that, along with Buddhist mantra, there were some good parallels with Christianity when it came to what the Lion Turtle said. It was an indirect way of saying, “Be in the world, but not of it” along with other indirect lines in regards to being strong, and it wasn’t about being strong physically, “Be strong and of good courage”
@@natiprot69 the background music that plays when the lion turtle is on screen. also I do believe the fire nation soldiers actually use one when preparing to fight aang in the summer solstice episode. I think both are Chinese mantras which isn't my area of expertise since my study is more on Tibetan and Japanese buddhism so I couldn't tell you what mantras they actually are.
While this is good, there is one thing: wouldn’t Aang creating energy bending cause a plot hole for the legend of Korra, since it was shown how the first benders came to be?
You could keep that and just say that the lion turtle knew about energy bending and its appearance was to give Aang a nudge in the right direction instead of just explaining it outright
I agree, the Lion Turtle should be more present than one minor segment in the Library, something that important can't fly over the heads and come back at the final season as if it was "foreshadowed" it's not, they didn't even mentioned how especial it was, they treat it like a random animal and it was a mysthical creature at the end. This needed more time, more hints, one single scene it's not enough.
YES!!! 😮 Yes yes yes yes! I've always seen the finale like Aang choosing at the finish line to be Aang instead of the Avatar, stopping just short of truly accepting his calling and thus failing his growing arc. This solution resolves that wonderfully, by allowing Aang to defeat Ozai as only Aang the full-blown Avatar can. Honestly, I'm perfectly okay with the Lion Turtle only being foreshadowed that one time in the library episode. As long as, like you describe, the principles that make energy-bending work are presented and emphasized. This is a genius way to resolve it. Thank you so much! 🎉 Edit: Also, if the show overtly connected Tai Lee's chi-blocking to entering the Avatar state, then that (mostly) solves that one major contrivance. We just need Sokka to throw out "maybe let us hit you hard in the back" on down time to brainstorm solutions for Aang. The team could ignore the idea, dismiss the idea, or even say it's theoretically potentially possible but not worth trying, and boom. Now we know why the rock works.
The lion turtle didn’t give him the ability, it showed him. His connection to the spirit world and ability to quickly learn bending style allowed him to do it. It wasn’t just dropped in his lap
Aang killing Ozai would be a second death of his people, because he, willingly, would be abandoning their teachings and ways. In a certain way, it would be to bring to completion what Ozai and his forefathers intendend to.
the only thing i disagree with you on is energy bending needing to be new. I think its fine for energy bending to be a thing the lion turtles have always done, without it needing to explicitly be a gift from the lion turtle to aand. or in the other direction, just because aang intuits how to energy bend, doesn't mean it needs to be something that has never happened before. It could perhaps even be hinted that some people already can energy bend. but due to some deep spiritual devotion, they never explicitly tell someone how. They just do their best to spread their message of connectedness and all that, and occasionally people reach "enlightnment" and are able to learn to do it themselves. But that adds a whole extra layer of foreshadowing and such that would need to happen. might overcomplicate the ending. but at the very least there's no reason energy bending would need to be wholly new, at least IMO
Energy bending can only be done by the avatar. It’s been confirmed. It is only an avatar ability. Regular people cannot do it regular benders cannot do it.
If we go with the idea that there are other energy benders out there, it could be suggested/implied that Guru Pathik is one. People always critique the ending and the Great Divide, but the one thing from ATLA that's always bugged me a little personally is who tf is Guru Pathik and where did he come from, why does he know so much about the Avatar in a world where there hasn't been one for 112 years.
I like this, but there are two problems with it, imo: 1) This plot-point would cost 2-3 minutes of runtime (I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but it is!), meaning something else would have to be scrapped, and I REFUSE TO LOSE ANY OF SOKKA'S JOKES! 2) I actually think what we got in the show works well enough. These lion-turtles are SO mythological, the only way one would even learn of them is by going to an underground desert library overseen by an ancient owl spirit. At most, when seeing that book in the library, I would add Aang saying "why does it look familiar?", implying previous Avatars have met with such creatures.
You cannot creat a new bending type, you can only creat a new SUB bending. The 4 main bendings were given by the lion turtles, so this new one had to be given by a lion turtle as well.
I would cut out the lion turtles and have Aang learn Chi Blocking, and he does some advanced level chi blocking combined with avatar state maybe, to take away his bending. It's already been established it can temporally take away bending, so this makes perfect sense!
This is very similar to what they did with blood bending in Korra, permanent chi blocking. I think this could theoretically work for the finale but Aang would need to have trained in it for at least a season leading up to the fight.
I could go for that version; honestly, tho, the whole "blocked chakra, then unblocked by a random rock" thing bugged me WAY more than the lion turtle ever did.
saaaame, it throws all of Guru Pathik's teachings in the trash, together with the katara vs the world dilema. What was the point of season 2 finale if a rock solves everything in the end?
Your ideas could actually work in the Netflix’s Avatar. However, I disagree on the way you were wording Aang’s newfound bending as “cheats.” Yes, he has them but it’s not like he wanted to use it ASAP. He chose not to use it before and after getting his avatar state back despite almost losing. Aang was giving Ozai so many chances to surrender before taking his right to bend. That doesn’t feel like cheating to me. Anyone who watches ATLA as a kid would still be satisfied of the ending regardless if it was a deux machina moment. The only mistake in the writing I’ve notice in the show is that Katara and Sokka failing to warn the allies about Azula knowing the invasion. 1:46
19:20 one thing I would change about the flashbacks here is that they should pile up the negative memories first while Ozai's darkness encroaches and then at the last second with Aangs tiny light everything goes quiet and the camera is shaky. Then Aang remembers that the lion turtle told him that the lion turtle told him he sensed his anguish and to weather the lies (according to your change). This will make Aang remember all the bad memories he already remembered but he will also remember the gaang enduring them together and this will let Aang finally learn energy bending by being an unwavering light in a world of darkness.
Lion-turtle WERE mentioned in Season 2 episode 10 at the 10 minute 33 seconds mark. It is portrayed as a random trivia to put aside like that one of the avatar incarnation was left-handed. and lost among all the other animal mixes.
S2E10 at 10 minutes and 33 seconds...and we see Wan-Chi Tong turn his head and tell the group of them in the library to come out of hiding... Wth are you talking about? EDIT: it's at 13 minutes and 33 seconds. Not 10 minutes and 33 seconds.
ppl dont have to forgive their abusers, even the show says that katara not forgiving her mothers killer is HER choice. the point of the episode is that shes no longer weighed down by her past, she can move on. forgiveness is an option, not the only one.
the only people who say this fundamentally misunderstand what forgiveness is. it's not absolving the sins of the person who hurt you, or even accepting them back into your life. Forgiveness is letting go of your anger and hatred for them. That's it. There is no instance where doing so won't be good for your mental health.
I initially wasn't a fan of the changes, but when you got to the end you sold me. I do think more foreshadowing could be used, but I really like how you tied in the spirit water into energy bending. Maybe it could also tie in with lightning redirection, since it's manipulating the energy within you, and there should be more focus besides some comments in passing since we already had one that was barely noticeable until you look back from the end.
Saying they exist and the ability to permanently remove bending are not the same. Had it have been mentioned that Lion Turtles are masters of bending in ways that not even the greatest Avatars are then that would be different. Additionally had we seen the Lion Turtle explain this new method of bending and why this is the original source of bending this would be different.
"What's that?" "A white cat" "Meh" Later "I am the sacred white cat and I can give you the ultimate power to end this journey and defeat the final boss" Do you get why the Lion Turtle is a problem now?
The only thing I think I would add to make this a perfect fix would be if Aand had done some introspection on the fact that Ty Les could block people’s bending and practiced a bit with that concept before learning the whole truth. It would feel like he reqlly earned the ability. He was close, but he needed the extra guidance for sake of time.
What I love about this version, is that it also makes Amon's abilities in Legend of Korra more plausable and also sets up Avatar Wan having met the lion turtles in Beginnings without it feeling like a cheap retcon. With energy bending being something one can figure out, instead of being given by the lion turtles (similar to how the original benders figured bending out from the other original masters), it makes Amon's ability to remove bending more consistent with ATLA instead of having to basically retcon how blood bending works. Great video!
i understand the sentiment here, but i kind of disagree with youre interpretation of the dragon turtle. i see it as more of a plot device to separate the group than any deus ex machina. all bending is energy bending, and the dragon turtle just contextualizes this to aang after he spent the rest of the episode asking other figures, some of which we also were hearing about for the first time, were telling him the same thing he has been hearing from his friends, the exact thing he knew he didnt need to hear. I think the dragon turtles do represent something close to what "God" represents in the avatar universe, but not in a cheap way, in the sort of grounded, introspective, "where does life and energy come from to begin with" way.
3:58 Thank you for articulating what I’ve felt about the ending of ATLA. Aang was uniquely qualified to end the cycle of violence. He disproved the Fire Nation’s propaganda that those with power must use it to dominate and destroy. Very good analysis overall. I wonder if some of these ideas can be inferred into the existing ending, like Aang figuring out this new way of bending on his own (with a little help from the lion turtle) because of Toph’s example. But your changes make a lot of sense.
Thanks you so much. I am writting my story for an anime and I have been collecting loads of info to make it perfect and I can undoubtedly say that your video has been the most helpful for me. Thanks again.
Good luck on your story! If you haven't already checked them out, I highly recommend Hello Future Me's channel. Lots of good story writing/world building material there.
Just taking a slightly unpopular view, but it seems like in this version that energy bending in this form is a rediscovered ancient technique, rather than a brand new one like you’re describing, because if we tie in the Legend of Korra into this series, it all evens out, even with these changes.
That's good... I would still add some setup for the Avatar State - maybe connecting to the seeking of answers from previous Avatars and his spirit cracking under the pressure of losing the fight to establish the chakra. Maybe Ozai breaking the rock by lightning bending and having the energy of that triggering Aangs ability to enter the avatar state instead of the rock. This also would solidify the connection between lightning bending and energy bending - leading to a worldbuilding aspect like spiritual restoration as a fire-domain analog to healers from the water-domain, both being splinters of energy bending
How about connecting Ty Lee's aura-sensing and chi-blocking to it as well? Also, do you see yourself writing an Avatar fanfiction with the changes you mentioned here and others?
That would've been much better. It always vexed me how the lion turtle gets forced into the story at the last moments just to give Aang a last minute cheat code. This would've actually given us a more satisfying ending and would show his fight with Ozai's mind better. He's basically learning it on the fly, so of course it would not be perfect immediately and actually puts him at risk of being corrupted. Though he's always been able to pick up new bending styles rather quickly (except earth since it's his mental opposite thus requiring more work), holding on to his own morals and values while being the avatar throughout the story and despite his friends and past lives urging him to kill Ozai, would also foreshadow his own will being or becoming unbendable. Though why does that guy on the left 10:42 look like a pig... Edit: The memories flashing by in that last moment briefly reminding him of where he once was and everything he's learned now makes that scene perfect.
I have always thought that energy bending should have been a sub set of fire bonding. Bending the water inside someone is blood bending Bending the fire inside someone is energy bending. This would have been a great call back to the Dragons and to Iroh learning lightning redirection from the waterbenders. The irony that the greatest firebender of all time is defeated by a firebending technique, and that the strongest firebending technique is one of pacifism. Though I would have the reveal of exactly what energy bending was in Legend of Kora. this would have been the perfect reveal for Amon in Legend of Kora. The firebending son of a blood bender learns to energy bend. It just works
I disagree. Energy is meant to be the combination of all four elements as it's from energy itself that elements are drawn from. After all, it has been stated at least twice how everything is connected, even among elements and the seperation is an illusion in itself
6:05 *God from the machine. This is loaned from Ancient Greek theatrical plays, where the characters who played the roles of Gods (like Zeus, Ares, Aphrodite etc) would hover above the ground, attached to a machine above the ground
Deus Ex Machina?? Do you know what that means? It doesn't mean "hey, I learned a new power at a convenient time," it means "hey, I learned a new power at a convenient time THAT CAME OUT OF NOWHERE." The ability to take and give bending didn't come out of nowhere. It was foreshadowed much earlier in the season with the lion turtles. Actually it was more subtly foreshadowed most of the season, since so much of the time he had night terrors trying to figure out how to beat Ozai without killing him. And stop saying the power to defeat Ozai was "just handed to him" the ability was handed to him, sure. But I clearly remember Aang ALMOST LOSING the fight with that ability. I think your foreshadowing of the Turtles is great, but the speech the turtle gives him is crucial to understand how Aang takes Ozai's bending. We NEED him to say something along the lines of "powers were given and taken this way" while touching his head and heart. We NEED this to know why Aang is being overpowered and how he turns it around. Otherwise the clarity from the rest of the show just falls away here. I think showing Ozai's hands is a bad touch, because connecting them before the spirit bending convolutes the lore and de-stabilizes the power system which is very sensible in the original show. Having the lightning burst out of Ozai's opposite hand also de-establishes the credibility of our previous insights into the lore of bending, which is typically a VERY bad move, because you can then no longer give credit to any established lore people say, only what's seen (like goku saying 10x stronger it discredits what people verbally say in the show). Since Ozai himself was not aware of that happening, he would not have deliberately directed it away from his heart. He would have been injured in the same way Zuko was in his fight with Azula. The change I would make besides the foreshadowing would only be DURING THE SPIRIT BENDING BATTLE ITSELF. I'd show their convictions in the background instead of just the red taking over into the surge of blue. I'd show things like Monk Gyatso and Katara and the people he's saved right before the surge of blue. Things that represent why he's fighting and particularly things that strengthened his convictions. This puts more emphasis on the struggle with the power the Turtle gives him as opposed to only implying that it was a struggle. I thought it was obvious that it was still a point of tension, but clearly I was wrong. So I'd make it more obvious. Also, the reason it's not a cop out in my opinion is that as much as he's the Avatar, he's also THE LAST AIRBENDER and he needs to hold true to that fact for the sake of balance as well, because without all 4 nations, there's no balance. I don't have a problem with him being taught spirit bending. That to me is also just foreshadowing into LoK when we learn about Wan. How others can bend, but since they didn't LEARN, he's way better with any element, particularly fire. And he HAS to be given it, in one way or another. Spirit bending isn't derived from one of the 4 elements, so it doesn't come with being the Avatar. Overall, not bad ideas, I just think the phrase Deus Ex Machina is largely misunderstood. Look deeper at how it plays out. The lion turtle's reveal wasn't a Deus Ex Machina, he had been searching for an answer and having night terrors, and while unexpected, the Lion Turtle showed up to answer those doubts he had. Did he 100% know what those answers were at the time? Still no, and that's why I believe it wasn't a Deus Ex Machina.
I think you are mistaken when you say Aang defeated Ozai with Energy bending. Aang defeated and subdued Ozai with the 4 elements and only then did he neuter Ozai with energy bending.
Aang and Batman's situationarent really compareable. Aang took away Ozai's bending. That's like if Batman completely lobotomised Joker instead of just putting him in Arkham.
I disagree about aang taking ozais bending from what he learned being deus c machina. The lion turtles were foreshadowed way back in book too they didn’t just come outta nowhere. Even if only mentioned once by aang in a book I’m surpirrssed no one ever points that at. And the power wasn’t given to him either this is something that was always able to be done as seen later in legend of Korra it’s further expanded on from a concept already introduceds in the show which is chakras and chi which have real world ties to acupuncture. I think the episodes about chakras in itself was a big for shadowing to this very moment. I just think people need to look a little harder .
5:04 Love this video but hard disagree here. I think Katara not forgiving him is one of the most mature and overlooked parts of the show. It’s refreshing to see a piece of media for young audiences be nuanced about forgiveness vs. acceptance. Choosing to move on and not perpetuate the cycle of violence is a valuable lesson. Revenge is often hallow and isn’t the path to happiness and inner peace. Katara was right not to take the violent path. Forgiveness is an entirely different story. Forgiveness is earned, and not owed. What steps did Yon Rha take to earn Katara’s forgiveness? Do we even know he’s truly sorry? He only apologized under the threat of death and there’s no indication of remorse before that point. He even selfishly offered his mother’s life in place of his own. He destroyed her family and her childhood and he’s never shown regret for that. The show is not saying forgiveness is useless. Katara DOES forgive Zuko. That’s because he’s earned it. He’s shown remorse and earned her trust. There’s a difference between these two characters. I also love that the show doesn’t judge whether her decision not to forgive is right or wrong. It’s just the path she’s chosen.
I believe you are conflating forgiveness and absolution. Forgiveness is to let go of hatred and malice, to release the hold someone else has on your heart. You can forgive someone while also cutting them out of your life. Absolution is to say that they are no longer culpable, or don't deserve to be treated differently anymore. Katara should NOT absolve Yon Rha because of his foolishness and insincere apology - but she should forgive him, so the anger doesn't burn a hole in her heart. Forgiveness is for yourself, absolution is for the person who wronged you.
I don't know about OP, but I don't think Katara should have forgiven him even by your definition of foregiveness. Hate and anger are very useful emotions in small doses: they teach you to protect yourself and others from similar situations, and they spark righteousness. Lots of activists who ever fought for a better place did so because they hated how unfair things were, and they were angry at the people letting things be unfair. So yeah, Katara should definitely hate the soldier who burned her mom alive (headcanon) for the rest of her life if she so wishes, and I don't think this hate would decrease her life quality in any way, as long as it doesn't become an obsession. On the contrary, I think it will motivate her to continue fighting for justice. Not saying that she would no longer fight for justice the second she would hypothetically forgive him, just that she chose not to and that's perfectly valid. Just like Aang choosing to forgive is also valid.
Sup B- good vid! I know this is kinda late but man i was thinking like in your last video you talked about game sonic imagine if you did a video showing Archie sonic and testing how far could he go that would be fire
what helped me understood energy bending is OSP's "the last of their kind" video by red. the "how" aang defeated ozai, and i mean the PHYSICAL how, isn't what was important. rather, it was the PHILOSOPHICAL "how" he would defeat ozai with his no killing policy conflicting with his avatar duties, as pretty much everyone said he had to kill ozai. so, energy bending is just the physical how, but again it's not the important part. the important part is aang proving he can be both aang the last airbender *and* the avatar, i.e proving the philosophical issue was a false dilemma "in the ultimate moral victory of the show, aang proves he can be both" -red
Hear me out: The Lion Turtles shouldve been the divine creatures of legend that no one knows about, foreshadowed via backgrounds. the lion turtles gave chi to humans, who then learned from sky bison, badger moles, dragons, and the moon spirit how to bend the elements. the humans went to war with the lion turtles seeking power. before dying of injury, the last lion turtle taught the last of the pro-lion turtle monks how to chi bend (which is a better name then energy bending, imo) and gave him his spirit, which made him become the first avatar. after the death of the first avatar, chi bending became a lost art. when aang leaves, he finds the skeleton of the last lion turtle in the ocean, which has become a floating island. being there awakens an energy within him and opens up an inner spectral realm, and allows him to speak with the spirit of the lion turtle himself. In this realm, Aang is not the avatar. It is Aang and the spirit of the last lion turtle, the 2 parts of the one whole known as "The Avatar". this lion turtle teaches aang chi bending, just as he taught the first avatar. Chi bending allows Aang to bend the chi within someone. We see aang come up with an idea, but he doesnt say it and we dont know what it is. Then, in his fight with Ozai, Aang traps Ozai like he did before and gives his speech in his air ball. He lands, LEAVES THE AVATAR STATE, and puts his fingers to Ozais forehead with a confident look. Aang removes the chi from Ozai, removing the ability to bend in the process. So sure Aang doesn't invent chi bending here, but he does become the first human to ever take away someone's bending. and he does it as aang, not the avatar.
The confident look is the only thing I have a problem with. Even with the encounter of the original show, he was still unsure. I think it should be more subtle and unclear, sort of like the original speech. The lion turtle skeleton is such a cool idea tho, I have no idea why no one thought of it before
I love this version so much omg. If i had the time I'd edit/animate (I'm an animator) this new finale as best I could (although wouldn't be able to include new voice lines obviously)
I love this. Giving Aang a new bending technique that’s based on HIS character similar to Toph is magnificent. You could add one more set up scene when he and Zuko meets the dragons. They could reveal to him a deeper truth about energy beyond fire bending. That Aang learned something more from that experience than Zuko did.
I would add Aang inventing one new technique per element under training conditions and attempting to use them in combat. He could have modicums of success as his journey progressed. The new techniques would develop over time and culminate in the final battle. We know Aang invents the air scooter. This trend could continue and it would be very believable that he invented/ discovered energy bending.
I actually had a similar thought to this in the past. I might make a video about this at some point, but here's the rundown. I honestly would remove the Lion Turtle entirely from the story. Instead, maybe Aang is called out by the spirits of the past Avatars as they urge him to kill Ozai. Aang would handle that similarly to how it's done in the original, but this time there's no pep talk from the Lion Turtle at all. My version also has Aang creating the technique of energy bending himself, but I wanted it to come from meditation before the fight. Aang would entertain the teachings of the past Avatars and they would eat away at him as he begins to wonder whether they were right. He'll meditate on his journey thus far and we'd be shown flashes of many moments throughout his journey. Among those would be Toph explaining metalbending, Katara using bloodbending, Zuko redirecting lightning, the energy connection shown at the massive swamp tree, Ty Lee blocking chi, and Guru Pahtik unblocking the stream to let it flow. His eyes grow wide as something occurs to him. The fight would proceed as normal, but the only tweak I'd make to it is that Aang intentionally sets up the scenario in which his lightning scar gets pressured. In this case he's drawing from prior experience to "unblock the stream" by reverse-engineering chi blocking. While he's bending Ozai's energy to shut him down context would be presented to indicate that this came to him after analyzing bloodbending, chi blocking/chakra flow, and lightning redirection with the inspiration from Toph to try bending something no one's ever bent before. But as far as verbal explanation, all he'd really need to say is something like: "I figured if anyone can open and close chakras, maybe the Avatar could bend them." Another key difference here is that this isn't permanently disabling Ozai, but instead causing a similar situation to Aang's lightning scar with all of his chakras. He could theoretically bend again, but to do so would require devotion and spiritual growth to a degree that-assuming he is capable of it at all-would likely change Ozai for the better.
I like how Aang doesn’t lose himself to his duty or title. He is still able to be his authentic self and be Aang and doesn’t have to throw that important part of him away in order to meet a standard or certain expectation of him by outside forces and people. And he also still lives up to his duty at the end, by still being true to himself when everyone was telling him he couldn’t. He wasn’t corrupted into thinking he had to be different in order to fit a certain role or title thrusts upon him. It’s beautiful honestly.
That’s something I would leave open-ended for ATLA but definitely touch on in Korra. I think one of the weaknesses of Korra is how it demystified bending, so I wouldn’t want energy bending to become super commonplace.
Great video! I just want to say that, while I think the teaks you made would make for a far better ending than Aang killing Ozai based on the story's themes and the existing worldbuilding and setup, I don't think it's always wrong for this kind of dilemma to play out in a utilitarian way. Batman doesn't kill because if let go of the leash on his own demons, if he allowed himself to go down into that place, as he said to Jason Todd, he'd never come out. He's terrified of what he might become. However, in reality, tough choices are necessary, and making them doesn't make you a bad person, it actually makes you braver to be willing to make them. That's why I defend Batman's no kill rule while also defending Man of Steel's ending, which left Superman no choice but to end Zod's life or allow him to slaughter countless more innocents. In the case of Avatar, I wouldn't be opposed to Aang being forced to kill Ozai, and I'd actually like it because it wouldn't rely on magic to evade a tough decision, a luxury we don't have in reality. However, I agree with your points and like how you improved the ending as it is.
I really like the ideas for this change I'd like to think that spirirt bending is something only the avatar could do but thats done away with in Korra, so in the post series lore like the comics, it wouldve been nice to see him keep spirit bending a closely guarded secret as something too dangerous to be in the public knowledge because it could be used to throw off the balance of the world and nations again
i really like the changes here. and what you said at the end where the of giving and taking bending is a new technique instead of an ancient one. could you maybe maek a video about how that would affect the legend of korra? i think itd be really interesting, as they get added on in that show.
I personally think they spoke to the whole "Aangs character arch" thing in Korra. When his kids talk about him, you see he never really changed. He's set in his ways. And I think that's an amazing way to write a character that is all about freedom & individuality.
17:38 I like this, but the only reason I don’t think it wouldn’t work is because energy bending is how the lion turtles unlocked bending styles for humans which we learn in LOK. But I haven’t finished the video yet
I don’t really see the lion turtle as deus ex machina. If you think about it, at the moment right before aang took ozais bending: Sokka and co destroyed the airship fleet Zuko and Katara defeated Azula in the fire nation Aang had Ozai encased in rock inside of Earth Kingdom territory Really Aang had already won at that point, energy bending or not. He already demonstrated his principles by making the decision to spare Ozai’s life on two separate occasions. He really could have just walked away at that point and let earth kingdom soldiers apprehended him and nothing would have changed.
while the lion turtle was mentioned multiple times in the show, I do wish that it would have at least alluded to some sort of different bending that's not derived from the main elements, they wouldn't even need to specify energy bending just a different type of bending, at least for me
Yeah, this is much better. It's still not perfect, as there seems to be a lot for the audience to intuit, and not everyone can do that, but it does avoid the Deus Ex Machina.
Yes, i think this us a grwat setup for the finale, and it pays homage to the experiences in the earlier seasons. In this version, everything (good & bad) was a learning opportunity for the fibale moment. And it cements Aang's character, conviction & genius (somethibg easily overlooked because he is jovial).
What's really interesting about this idea is how they can even build up energy bending as the synthesis of all four elements. Tapping into the light and life of fire, with the strength and stoicism of earth, with the fluidity of water and creativity of air. It's something the Avatar is specially primed to learn from, more so Aang than anyone before.
The thing I never figured out about energy bending is if it's an Avatar exclusive. Theoretically, anybody could do it if they were spiritually inclined enough but, maybe it requires the vast energy of the Avatar to pull off. A guru could also do it, I assume, once they have their chakras unlocked and have the ability to access the infinite cosmic energy. I'm not even sure if you need to be a bender. Amon was able to replicate the effects with blood bending (they still haven't fully explained how that works) but other than that, we've only seen Avatars pull it off.
I think the best use of Deus Ex Machina is in Overlord with the Lizardmen. Overlord spoiler alert in effect past this point. I got really emotionally invested in seeing them attempt to prevail over the actual protagonists of the story-only to find death awaiting them. This was a baffling introduction to its second season, what with the inconsistency of the storytelling between seasons. It made me ask “is this still Overlord” for the first episodes in the season And once you realize who they’re up against, it becomes hard to watch these characters get slaughtered after another couple of episodes. Finally, the sacrifices they make are made meaningless with resurrection-a power that had just been revealed as possible at the end of the season before it, at great financial cost. You’d expect a powerful mage and necromancer to be able to raise the dead, but full resurrection, while possible, just seems like a 🤨 moment at times. It didn’t feel that way with Shalltear, but it certainly did with Zaryusu and friends.
Also the fight, thematically speaking needed to have a peaceful ending. I remember watching a video that explained it beautifully. In the first act, we see ozai having a massive advantage and is winning the battle. Then we see Aang redirect the lightning showing that hes not willing to kill ozai. But now how can he win at all? Then everything changes when he gets access to the avatar state. Now the tides have turned and ozai is now at a major disadvantage. But now how will aang defeat ozai without killing him. Especially in the Avatar state that can be violent as we have seen. The first act is ozai vs aang The second act is aang vs aang
On top of the energy bending Deus ex machina, my biggest problem with this finale is how Aang seemed ready to kill Ozai during the day of the Black Sun, and then suddenly in the finale he was adamant about not doing It, yeah It fits his philosophy not doing It but It is a weird turn when he previously seemed okay with.
Imagine if the Lion Turtle didnt say a single word, but instead it simply poured it's life force into Aang to show him how to do the thing, giving up it's life and killing the Turtle. Because it heard Aang's desire not to kill. But it wanted to show that life and death is a natural part of the cycle of life that should not be feared. It's prepared to die itself to teach the next generation an important lesson. Even after death it's life force still lingers inside Aang, still a part of the great universe. Now it's time to let Ozai join the cosmos, or at least enough of him that he's no longer a threat.
I agree that energybending comes out of nowhere and in my first watch I did not even understand what was going on. But, you know lion turtles gave people bending apparently. At some point in the show it was mentioned. These changes would also require the origins of bending to change, which would be good actually because the origins of bending is all over the place.
I like the idea, but I think it overlooks Aang's weakness in this moment and the greatest strength of being the Avatar. I think there should be a plot line of the past Avatar's helping him from the spirit world. The Avatar state is unusable, Aang isn't ready for the fight. Ozai has him on the run multiple times. He couldn't stand toe to toe with Ozai. He was a kid rushed through training to fight probably the strongest person in the world. His past lives start looking for an edge because they know they can't in the fight. Move his therapy session with them from on the lion turtle to before his injury with Azula. Cut him off from the guidance. His unwillingness to kill is the reason the lion turtle is willing to give him the new bending ability. The past lives secure him that option because they can't "do the right thing". In the fight, he is trying to get the opportunity to subdue Ozai and remove his bending, but can't get time because he is outmatched. The scar gets hit, and the Avatar state engages. His past lives come together with thousands of years of training and shift the tide of the fight. Immediately putting Ozai on the run because he can't throw a single blow and the past lives are actively trying to kill him as Aang resists them. When they go to deliver the killing blow, Aang exerts control over his body and realizes himself as the current Avatar and gains control over his past lives actions instead of them controlling him. He uses the new power to remove Ozai's bending the way the turtles can. He goes into the fight unprepared, as a student in training, and via a trial by fire emerges as the fully realized Avatar.
This was one of the best and coolest versions of the ending to the show I’ve ever heard. I love the ideas and how they all still fall in line with the spirit of the overall story and really fixes the way they ended the final battle between Aang and Firelord Ozai. Thank you for sharing this dope video with us 🔥🔥🔥
![fellow fellow - พรุ่งนี้ไม่มีใครรู้ feat. INK WARUNTORN [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QP6JyjYx_W0/mqdefault.jpg)
Bro, if Aang wanted to kill Ozai, it would be the quickest fight. He just had to redirect the lightning at the start back at Ozai and that would be it.
Ngl tgat would be funny.
Aang redirects the lightning straight back at the fatherloed, he is dead, aang leaves the avatar state and goes
- so is that it?
@PineappleDealer37 he redirected the lightning before he even entered the Avatar state.
@c.w.k.n.5117 ah right, that's even funnier lol.
Guess that's it. He dead. *Leaves*
wait, what if ozai ends up catching the lightning and they play lightning redirection ping pong?
What if Ozai just simply dodged the redirection and never shot lightning at Aang again? If Azula did it in the comics then Ozai is more than capable of doing it here.
They did bring up the lion turtle in the library in a throw away line
Aang: "hey look at this weird lion turtle thing!"
Sokka: "ehh I've seen weirder."
I would like to know where Sokka has seen weirder
Yeah but by that sense, they could have just switched the lion turtle with the cabbage man and nothing would have changed, as the cabbage man has also appeared in the show before!
@@NobleGuy-cf6ut Now I wish it was cabbage man who taught aang energy bending
I believe that's not the only time either. xD
Caught it on my second watch
This actually fixes the only mistake in an already perfect show, actually made me emotional. Great job
Thank you!
@@BWHERE This does fix some minor issues with ATLA, but only raises more things that need adjustment in LOK. Primarily if the lion turtles never energy bent: taking and giving the elements to humans, how would Wan have ever become the first Avatar? also please don't attack me for mentioning LOK, lol
@@BindingBenderI think it would be simple enough to leave it as the Lion Turtles bestowing the ability to bend in general to humans. (If Aang uses it to take away bending, logically it can be used to grant it as well.) But then, instead of going from Lion Turtle to Lion Turtle, the Avatar Wan story should go on to show Wan seeking out and learning from the Original Benders: the Sky Bison, Dragons, Badger Moles, and the Ocean and Moon (maybe even in Koi fish form since it's stated in ATLA that they transitioned to the human realm in ancient times). Only after encountering each of them should he then meet Raava, who he aids in battle against Vaatu using the elements as well as energy bending, fusing with Raava in the process.
@@BindingBenderim fine with things needing to be changed in LOK to make sense because lets be honest, LOK was far worse in worldbuilding then atla and ruined multyple concepts atla introduced
@@thomicrisler9855 Apologies for the delayed response, but I respect this adjustment, though if I'm being honest I'm fairly happy with ATLA and LOK, but I fear for upcoming show
I love seeing someone actually look at avatar in a constructive manner as the finale always gave me this empty feeling when I finished it that I couldn’t figure out why
I think they could have just slowly built on the lionturtle lore from the scroll from the Library episode. I think if Aang actively went on a quest to find it instead of being passive, it would feel more satisfying.
Agree, it's kinda unfortunate that the first mention of him is basically a joke.
Piando also mentions them, but he makes it sound as if they're just another hybrid animal rather than something special, and it feels weird that Piando knows about them and have statues of them, while Roku and the other avatars don't.
@@MegaspinosaurusrexHow do we know that the other avatars don’t?
Agreed. I think it would make more sense if Aang took the action himself to seek out the lion turtle after consulting with the past Avatars. Then his disappearance from the others would seem less like a mystery for them to solve and more like them assuming Aang is running away from his responsibilities again.
@@samasthtcI think he’s referring to how when Aang is on the lion turtle, Roku doesn’t know where he is. But I don’t actually think that means the other avatars don’t know about lion turtles, just that when you see a forest, you don’t assume it’s in the back of a giant creature
Ehhh still, it still completely bypasses the whole internal conflict aang has been experiencing for pretty much the entirety of season 3. Its not JUST the lion turtle, its throwing away potential character development
Someone has to animate this ending, this is insane! Or somehow share it with the ATLA team and see what they think of it cuz this is epic!
Thank you!
@@BWHERE Like bruh If Avatar Kyoshi was still alive and kicking I definitely think she would literally kill him Freeze his internal organs
this is my favorite re-write. The minimal changes are way better than trying to re-do everything
I've seen this show, from start to finish, at least 10 times by now. This is the first take I've heard of changes in its story that are in the spirit of the story. I really like it. I would like to add a few more instances of set-up to this.
The first - Bloodbending should be another clue for Aang. There should be a line, when they're discussing how to defeat the fire lord, when Zuko mentions Bloodbending as a possible solution and Katara stops him and says that it she doesn't ever want to feel that way again. Aang asks what way? She says 'like she's holding their body hostage from their spirit which she can feel is trying to resist' or something like that.
The second - Right from the point he starts getting anxious about the invasion and his fight with the firelord he should begin having strange dreams about the ocean, and often times just look towards the coast suddenly as if he felt like something is watching him. There's a lot of scenes in the fire nation where they are near a coast so there are a lot of opportunities to foreshadow.
The third- During his training with the Guru, when they are discussing the Third Eye chakra and dispelling the illusion of separation, there should be a more obvious line but said in the joking mannerisms of the Guru. When they talk about how all the nations are actually one, he should say something along the lines of 'just the nations?' and Aang can say 'what do you mean' and he can be the first one to drop this idea into Aang's head that maybe the illusion of separation goes beyond just how we see people but also to how we see the elements that make up the world and you can leave the scene with Aang thoughtfully pondering that before going on to the next chakra.
All very good ideas! I particularly like the foreboding shots of the ocean during book 3, it would really add to the spooky vibe of the season.
TLDR at the end.
I love that this revision wouldn’t be hard to implement, and that all the bending styles could still have originally been learned by observing and practicing techniques taught by specific creatures rather than gifted by the lion turtles. (Fire/Dragons, Earth/Badger Moles, Air/Sky Bison, Water/Moon & Ocean spirits.)
It opens up the possibility of other creatures, beings or even concepts possibly teaching humanity new; bending styles, techniques, life lessons, ways to influence ourselves and the world around us.
The Lion Turtles inclusion into the story then becomes an introduction in learning a brand new bending style, essentially spirit bending. All of the foreshadowing suggested if done with this goal in mind would have subtle taught Aang this bending style thru the entire series. It’s only fitting then for the Avatar to be the first to learn this style and make use of it. However all the records and mentions of the lion turtle prior to meeting one could have shown attempts of previous masters and scholars to learn from the creature.
(Communicating with and influencing the decisions of others would be the basics of the bending styles and temporally controlling or permanently altering another would be the more advanced techniques. Keeping in mind the fact that spiritual beings literally inhabit and influence parts of the Avatar world it only makes sense that eventually a bending style specifically for interacting with them would develop eventually)
In the Final scenes of the battle I’d make it Aangs internal struggle learning how to properly use the more advanced methods of this new bending style. I’d also add copt out a line that explains why no one else was able to learn this style before Aang. Something along the lines of “To bend another’s spirit mine must be as light and free as air, able to push and pull with the purity of water, my own resolve as direct and unyielding as earth, as full of life and permanently altering as fire.”
Then in Kora the Rava backstory could be changed such that the first Avatar also learned spirit bending from the lion turtles. Unlike the other nations and bending styles he was alone and came across Rava and her battle before he could teach any other people the bending style. After bonding with Rava they decided to keep it secret so there wouldn’t ever be a dark avatar.
Then in Koras day the birth of the new nation of republic city also has the plot of people wanting to come and learn this new bending style from Aang who was more concerned with first re-establishing the air nation but taught some spirit bending too but no-one really picked it up and as technology was being developed and revolutionized most people just turned to that as part of their cultural identity.
These changes would give Koras villains more consistency with the in universe lore. (Much like lightning bending is a water bending technique incorporated into the fire bending style: Amon using water bending with a spirit bending technique to mimic blood bending or at least pretending it’s blood bending when he is doing some minor spirit bending, Unalaq using spirit bending to bond with Vaatu as the first Avatar feared someone would, Zaheer applying a spirit bending technique to his air bending to actually give himself flight, and Kuviras conflict also better incorporating the conflict between spirit and technology)
TLDR: Basically I think if this proposed change was implemented as a new bending style into the AtlA universe it would solve the continuity problems in both series, and introduce another element for the writers to incorporate more life lessons into as this is meant as a story to help children understand and make good choices in our complex society.
@@toad6284 Yeah, I never liked the Rava backstory with Lion Turtles teaching bending when Toph clearly learned through the Badgers rather than a Lion Turtle. And proposing spirit bending would kind of still fit with the Greek philosophy of the elements, namely aether(?) I think. Or it had a different name, essentially what the stars and celestial bodies consisted of.
@@Captain_MelonLord The lion turtles didn't teach bending though, they simply bestowed the power to bend upon those who couldn't, humans. When talking about Avatar Juan, it's never stated that the Lion Turtles teach you how to use the power, only that they gave the power to wield it, and that Juan learned how to properly bend fire from the dragons before going to the different turtles to get their elements bestowed to him
@@pancakewaffles I admit I prolly misunderstood the backstory then. It's been a while since I watched it (most obviously because I referred to the first avatar as Rava in my first comment, oops) and that explanation makes more sense.
5:05 hell no
To me, it was as simple as briefly expand the discussion on The Library episode, and have them read on an inscription stating that these beings are said to be better bendings than the greatest avatars known. I believe that it didn't really needed to be stated too much, it feels mystical this way. I'd always seen a spirit like the Lion Turtle almost like a demigod. Also, some people say it appeared from nowhere, but Aang had been meditating a lot seeking for spiritual help. Your solution of having Aang figuring it out himself is great, though. Great video.
I like that, more mystical, like a demigod - that fits!
Honestly, I think the answer was right there. He should've just banished him to the spirit world, where he'd have no bending. There were already a bunch of instances where his spiritual attunement is shown, and how he travels between spaces. We also know spirits can, and constantly do, steal people away into the spirit realm. Body and all. We see it, at least, with the spirit of the forest and with the face stealer.
There's literally nothing they needed to change anywhere else. Just fight, he goes avatar mode, has a few flashbacks of his interactions with spirits and what they've done, decides not to kill him, incapacitates him, and does his avatar spirit magic to phase him into the spirit world. They show how he can't bend anymore, and how he'll now have to deal with being powerless (literally same punishment, but it makes sense).
I seriously can't fathom how such genius writers couldn't come up with that solution, cliché as it may be.
That would have been badass. Sending Ozai to the Shadow Realm, a place worse than death.
Katara did not owe that guy forgiveness nor did she need to try to forgive him for her sake. he took pleasure in her mothers death. Katara had every right to be angry.
Forgiveness is for yourself. If someone wrongs you, holding onto your hatred and anger only hurts *you* more. Forgiveness is letting go of a bad person’s influence on you. Its freeing.
That’s kinda weak. Forgiveness or not, having your loved one killed is grief that will stick with you for life. Forgiving a murderer wouldn’t bring you solace.
Ffs forgiveness is not something to be deserved or not, it also not requires to be buddies with her murderer. Yes she had every right to be angry, but what she did is essentialy repressed her emotions and let him live. She still was angry and hateful at him so forgiveness is about letting your hatred go. You don't forget, you don't reconciliate, you simply free yourself from your negative emotions inside you that destroy you ,not the killer. As hard as it might seem, maybe katara should have try to forgive him.
@@dawidfigas11 Is that forgiveness or simply moving on? To move on Katara needed closure and for that she needed to confront Yon Rha. For the record I'm glad that neither Aang nor Katara ended up a killer.
@meganmccarthy2974 well forgiveness is also moving on but the diffrence is that katara accepted. Forgiveness is elite form of acception because it requires you also to let all your hatred and resenment go, if katara forgave yon rha she wouldn't be still angry about her situation afterwards. She moved on but she still feels anger understandably so. Forgiveness is harder tho more efficient in healing process because you don't have to battle your negative thoughts anymore
One huge flaw with your argument...how do you think all those fire benders on the Air Temples died? Yes, the Air Nomads were pacifists, but not to the extreme that you're suggesting they were. Saying that anybody who thinks Aang should have killed Ozai is agreeing with Ozai is just a fundamental misunderstanding of the Air Nomads and what information the series presented us about them. They went down fighting
Edit: clarity
We only have confirmation that Monk Gyatso killed any fire benders, and he was always shown to be more of a pragmatist. He was the one who wanted to break tradition and allow Aang to grow up as a normal boy instead of being raised as the avatar. The other air nomads were massacred without any resistance. Aang even confirms that they have no formal military. Besides, one single Airbender, refusing to uphold the morals of his people is far less consequential when he was still one of many. Aang is literally the entire nation of Air Nomads in one boy, he represents the people alone.
@@BWHERE Only the monk that was closest to Aang and his direct mentor and father figure?
That one?
"Air nomad genocide" means litterly destroying not only their people, but also their culture and their places. So if the fire nation is forcing them to act against their culture, it isn't what air nomads believed. Actually from what air nomads believed we know only from aang that is the last one of their kind.
Even if they did go down fighting, it was because they were attacked. Aang is on the offensive here, which is a major difference.
@@MJ-98 he's being shot lighting at
Yes! This is what I always say, killing Ozai would be the death of Aang’s culture. Aang peacefully defeating Ozai was him claiming a small shred of victory and survival for his people
This is a great list of changes, Ill be referring back to this whenever I think about this issue with the finale, it’s got my full support
Thank you!
Great video. I generally like the idea of improving the introduction of energy bending.
My original thought was to detach it from the lion turtle completely but keep it as a "surprise power up" that is unlocked by truely representing all 4 elements in harmony: steadfast conviction in your own beliefs (earth), evading ideas you recognise as harmful (air), embracing change where it's appropriate/important (water) and maybe most importantly: having an appreciation for the flame of life.
I like your idea as well, tho.
Thanks! I tied it into air and earth there at the end but that’s an awesome point about the other two elements!
Yeah I agree 100% Aang shouldn’t have killed Ozai but energy bending should have been his technique with only a little help of the lion turtle, great video keep it up ❤
Thank you!
Yall expect a 12 year old boy to kill someone, terrorist or not, and be mentally fine later on? Especially when killing goes against everything his people taught him? Y'all are crazy.
I found that, along with Buddhist mantra, there were some good parallels with Christianity when it came to what the Lion Turtle said.
It was an indirect way of saying, “Be in the world, but not of it” along with other indirect lines in regards to being strong, and it wasn’t about being strong physically, “Be strong and of good courage”
is there a buddhist mantra in the show? Care to share which one?
@@natiprot69 the background music that plays when the lion turtle is on screen. also I do believe the fire nation soldiers actually use one when preparing to fight aang in the summer solstice episode. I think both are Chinese mantras which isn't my area of expertise since my study is more on Tibetan and Japanese buddhism so I couldn't tell you what mantras they actually are.
While this is good, there is one thing: wouldn’t Aang creating energy bending cause a plot hole for the legend of Korra, since it was shown how the first benders came to be?
You could keep that and just say that the lion turtle knew about energy bending and its appearance was to give Aang a nudge in the right direction instead of just explaining it outright
Damn, that section where the Lion Turtle speaks to Aang through the will of his energy!? Chef’s Kiss. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Genuinely interesting concepts of how to change the finale! I loved it!!
Thank you!
I agree, the Lion Turtle should be more present than one minor segment in the Library, something that important can't fly over the heads and come back at the final season as if it was "foreshadowed" it's not, they didn't even mentioned how especial it was, they treat it like a random animal and it was a mysthical creature at the end. This needed more time, more hints, one single scene it's not enough.
YES!!! 😮 Yes yes yes yes! I've always seen the finale like Aang choosing at the finish line to be Aang instead of the Avatar, stopping just short of truly accepting his calling and thus failing his growing arc. This solution resolves that wonderfully, by allowing Aang to defeat Ozai as only Aang the full-blown Avatar can.
Honestly, I'm perfectly okay with the Lion Turtle only being foreshadowed that one time in the library episode. As long as, like you describe, the principles that make energy-bending work are presented and emphasized.
This is a genius way to resolve it. Thank you so much! 🎉
Edit: Also, if the show overtly connected Tai Lee's chi-blocking to entering the Avatar state, then that (mostly) solves that one major contrivance. We just need Sokka to throw out "maybe let us hit you hard in the back" on down time to brainstorm solutions for Aang. The team could ignore the idea, dismiss the idea, or even say it's theoretically potentially possible but not worth trying, and boom. Now we know why the rock works.
Great idea about Sokka! It would be both funny AND exciting when it happens
The lion turtle didn’t give him the ability, it showed him. His connection to the spirit world and ability to quickly learn bending style allowed him to do it. It wasn’t just dropped in his lap
Aang killing Ozai would be a second death of his people, because he, willingly, would be abandoning their teachings and ways. In a certain way, it would be to bring to completion what Ozai and his forefathers intendend to.
the only thing i disagree with you on is energy bending needing to be new. I think its fine for energy bending to be a thing the lion turtles have always done, without it needing to explicitly be a gift from the lion turtle to aand. or in the other direction, just because aang intuits how to energy bend, doesn't mean it needs to be something that has never happened before.
It could perhaps even be hinted that some people already can energy bend. but due to some deep spiritual devotion, they never explicitly tell someone how. They just do their best to spread their message of connectedness and all that, and occasionally people reach "enlightnment" and are able to learn to do it themselves. But that adds a whole extra layer of foreshadowing and such that would need to happen. might overcomplicate the ending.
but at the very least there's no reason energy bending would need to be wholly new, at least IMO
Energy bending can only be done by the avatar. It’s been confirmed. It is only an avatar ability. Regular people cannot do it regular benders cannot do it.
@@sarickacampbell2642 we are also talking about a re-write here.
If we go with the idea that there are other energy benders out there, it could be suggested/implied that Guru Pathik is one. People always critique the ending and the Great Divide, but the one thing from ATLA that's always bugged me a little personally is who tf is Guru Pathik and where did he come from, why does he know so much about the Avatar in a world where there hasn't been one for 112 years.
I like this, but there are two problems with it, imo:
1) This plot-point would cost 2-3 minutes of runtime (I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but it is!), meaning something else would have to be scrapped, and I REFUSE TO LOSE ANY OF SOKKA'S JOKES!
2) I actually think what we got in the show works well enough. These lion-turtles are SO mythological, the only way one would even learn of them is by going to an underground desert library overseen by an ancient owl spirit. At most, when seeing that book in the library, I would add Aang saying "why does it look familiar?", implying previous Avatars have met with such creatures.
You cannot creat a new bending type, you can only creat a new SUB bending. The 4 main bendings were given by the lion turtles, so this new one had to be given by a lion turtle as well.
I would cut out the lion turtles and have Aang learn Chi Blocking, and he does some advanced level chi blocking combined with avatar state maybe, to take away his bending. It's already been established it can temporally take away bending, so this makes perfect sense!
This is very similar to what they did with blood bending in Korra, permanent chi blocking. I think this could theoretically work for the finale but Aang would need to have trained in it for at least a season leading up to the fight.
all he needs is basic chi blocking, then he can restrain him
I could go for that version; honestly, tho, the whole "blocked chakra, then unblocked by a random rock" thing bugged me WAY more than the lion turtle ever did.
saaaame, it throws all of Guru Pathik's teachings in the trash, together with the katara vs the world dilema. What was the point of season 2 finale if a rock solves everything in the end?
Your ideas could actually work in the Netflix’s Avatar. However, I disagree on the way you were wording Aang’s newfound bending as “cheats.” Yes, he has them but it’s not like he wanted to use it ASAP. He chose not to use it before and after getting his avatar state back despite almost losing. Aang was giving Ozai so many chances to surrender before taking his right to bend. That doesn’t feel like cheating to me.
Anyone who watches ATLA as a kid would still be satisfied of the ending regardless if it was a deux machina moment. The only mistake in the writing I’ve notice in the show is that Katara and Sokka failing to warn the allies about Azula knowing the invasion. 1:46
19:20 one thing I would change about the flashbacks here is that they should pile up the negative memories first while Ozai's darkness encroaches and then at the last second with Aangs tiny light everything goes quiet and the camera is shaky. Then Aang remembers that the lion turtle told him that the lion turtle told him he sensed his anguish and to weather the lies (according to your change). This will make Aang remember all the bad memories he already remembered but he will also remember the gaang enduring them together and this will let Aang finally learn energy bending by being an unwavering light in a world of darkness.
Lion-turtle WERE mentioned in Season 2 episode 10 at the 10 minute 33 seconds mark. It is portrayed as a random trivia to put aside like that one of the avatar incarnation was left-handed. and lost among all the other animal mixes.
S2E10 at 10 minutes and 33 seconds...and we see Wan-Chi Tong turn his head and tell the group of them in the library to come out of hiding...
Wth are you talking about?
EDIT: it's at 13 minutes and 33 seconds. Not 10 minutes and 33 seconds.
ppl dont have to forgive their abusers, even the show says that katara not forgiving her mothers killer is HER choice. the point of the episode is that shes no longer weighed down by her past, she can move on. forgiveness is an option, not the only one.
the only people who say this fundamentally misunderstand what forgiveness is. it's not absolving the sins of the person who hurt you, or even accepting them back into your life. Forgiveness is letting go of your anger and hatred for them. That's it. There is no instance where doing so won't be good for your mental health.
I initially wasn't a fan of the changes, but when you got to the end you sold me. I do think more foreshadowing could be used, but I really like how you tied in the spirit water into energy bending. Maybe it could also tie in with lightning redirection, since it's manipulating the energy within you, and there should be more focus besides some comments in passing since we already had one that was barely noticeable until you look back from the end.
Calling that a deus ex machina is just a bad call. We always knew Aang didnt have a blood thirst. Great ending.
What if they are trying to say that there's always another way. Killing can't be your last option.
Lion turtles' existence is mentioned in the Library episode, so it is not that much of a "deux ex machina." It is so brief but important.
Saying they exist and the ability to permanently remove bending are not the same. Had it have been mentioned that Lion Turtles are masters of bending in ways that not even the greatest Avatars are then that would be different. Additionally had we seen the Lion Turtle explain this new method of bending and why this is the original source of bending this would be different.
Lion turtle was about as important as the cabbage man 😂 I mean I love the show, but come on!
"What's that?"
"A white cat"
"Meh"
Later
"I am the sacred white cat and I can give you the ultimate power to end this journey and defeat the final boss"
Do you get why the Lion Turtle is a problem now?
The only thing I think I would add to make this a perfect fix would be if Aand had done some introspection on the fact that Ty Les could block people’s bending and practiced a bit with that concept before learning the whole truth. It would feel like he reqlly earned the ability. He was close, but he needed the extra guidance for sake of time.
What I love about this version, is that it also makes Amon's abilities in Legend of Korra more plausable and also sets up Avatar Wan having met the lion turtles in Beginnings without it feeling like a cheap retcon. With energy bending being something one can figure out, instead of being given by the lion turtles (similar to how the original benders figured bending out from the other original masters), it makes Amon's ability to remove bending more consistent with ATLA instead of having to basically retcon how blood bending works. Great video!
i understand the sentiment here, but i kind of disagree with youre interpretation of the dragon turtle. i see it as more of a plot device to separate the group than any deus ex machina. all bending is energy bending, and the dragon turtle just contextualizes this to aang after he spent the rest of the episode asking other figures, some of which we also were hearing about for the first time, were telling him the same thing he has been hearing from his friends, the exact thing he knew he didnt need to hear. I think the dragon turtles do represent something close to what "God" represents in the avatar universe, but not in a cheap way, in the sort of grounded, introspective, "where does life and energy come from to begin with" way.
If you kill your enemies, you lose ahh argument
If you betray yourself in the process, yes. I have no problem if somebody like Goku or Captain America kills a bad guy
“Stay frosty.”
Flameo, my good hotman
3:58 Thank you for articulating what I’ve felt about the ending of ATLA. Aang was uniquely qualified to end the cycle of violence. He disproved the Fire Nation’s propaganda that those with power must use it to dominate and destroy.
Very good analysis overall. I wonder if some of these ideas can be inferred into the existing ending, like Aang figuring out this new way of bending on his own (with a little help from the lion turtle) because of Toph’s example. But your changes make a lot of sense.
Thanks you so much. I am writting my story for an anime and I have been collecting loads of info to make it perfect and I can undoubtedly say that your video has been the most helpful for me.
Thanks again.
Thanks for watching!
Good luck on your story! If you haven't already checked them out, I highly recommend Hello Future Me's channel. Lots of good story writing/world building material there.
@@thomicrisler9855 thanks I will surely check them out.
i love aang. dude did not want to sacrifice his morals. we need more of this type of influence
Just taking a slightly unpopular view, but it seems like in this version that energy bending in this form is a rediscovered ancient technique, rather than a brand new one like you’re describing, because if we tie in the Legend of Korra into this series, it all evens out, even with these changes.
I hope the live action does something like this
New head canon acquired.
That's good... I would still add some setup for the Avatar State - maybe connecting to the seeking of answers from previous Avatars and his spirit cracking under the pressure of losing the fight to establish the chakra. Maybe Ozai breaking the rock by lightning bending and having the energy of that triggering Aangs ability to enter the avatar state instead of the rock. This also would solidify the connection between lightning bending and energy bending - leading to a worldbuilding aspect like spiritual restoration as a fire-domain analog to healers from the water-domain, both being splinters of energy bending
How about connecting Ty Lee's aura-sensing and chi-blocking to it as well?
Also, do you see yourself writing an Avatar fanfiction with the changes you mentioned here and others?
The third path is always the most difficult. Not choosing that third path, is actually the cop out. Killing is easy
That would've been much better. It always vexed me how the lion turtle gets forced into the story at the last moments just to give Aang a last minute cheat code. This would've actually given us a more satisfying ending and would show his fight with Ozai's mind better. He's basically learning it on the fly, so of course it would not be perfect immediately and actually puts him at risk of being corrupted. Though he's always been able to pick up new bending styles rather quickly (except earth since it's his mental opposite thus requiring more work), holding on to his own morals and values while being the avatar throughout the story and despite his friends and past lives urging him to kill Ozai, would also foreshadow his own will being or becoming unbendable.
Though why does that guy on the left 10:42 look like a pig...
Edit: The memories flashing by in that last moment briefly reminding him of where he once was and everything he's learned now makes that scene perfect.
What's wrong with the Great Divide? I love that episode.
I have always thought that energy bending should have been a sub set of fire bonding.
Bending the water inside someone is blood bending
Bending the fire inside someone is energy bending.
This would have been a great call back to the Dragons and to Iroh learning lightning redirection from the waterbenders.
The irony that the greatest firebender of all time is defeated by a firebending technique, and that the strongest firebending technique is one of pacifism.
Though I would have the reveal of exactly what energy bending was in Legend of Kora. this would have been the perfect reveal for Amon in Legend of Kora. The firebending son of a blood bender learns to energy bend.
It just works
I disagree. Energy is meant to be the combination of all four elements as it's from energy itself that elements are drawn from. After all, it has been stated at least twice how everything is connected, even among elements and the seperation is an illusion in itself
6:05 *God from the machine. This is loaned from Ancient Greek theatrical plays, where the characters who played the roles of Gods (like Zeus, Ares, Aphrodite etc) would hover above the ground, attached to a machine above the ground
Deus Ex Machina?? Do you know what that means? It doesn't mean "hey, I learned a new power at a convenient time," it means "hey, I learned a new power at a convenient time THAT CAME OUT OF NOWHERE." The ability to take and give bending didn't come out of nowhere. It was foreshadowed much earlier in the season with the lion turtles. Actually it was more subtly foreshadowed most of the season, since so much of the time he had night terrors trying to figure out how to beat Ozai without killing him.
And stop saying the power to defeat Ozai was "just handed to him" the ability was handed to him, sure. But I clearly remember Aang ALMOST LOSING the fight with that ability.
I think your foreshadowing of the Turtles is great, but the speech the turtle gives him is crucial to understand how Aang takes Ozai's bending. We NEED him to say something along the lines of "powers were given and taken this way" while touching his head and heart. We NEED this to know why Aang is being overpowered and how he turns it around. Otherwise the clarity from the rest of the show just falls away here.
I think showing Ozai's hands is a bad touch, because connecting them before the spirit bending convolutes the lore and de-stabilizes the power system which is very sensible in the original show.
Having the lightning burst out of Ozai's opposite hand also de-establishes the credibility of our previous insights into the lore of bending, which is typically a VERY bad move, because you can then no longer give credit to any established lore people say, only what's seen (like goku saying 10x stronger it discredits what people verbally say in the show). Since Ozai himself was not aware of that happening, he would not have deliberately directed it away from his heart. He would have been injured in the same way Zuko was in his fight with Azula.
The change I would make besides the foreshadowing would only be DURING THE SPIRIT BENDING BATTLE ITSELF. I'd show their convictions in the background instead of just the red taking over into the surge of blue. I'd show things like Monk Gyatso and Katara and the people he's saved right before the surge of blue. Things that represent why he's fighting and particularly things that strengthened his convictions. This puts more emphasis on the struggle with the power the Turtle gives him as opposed to only implying that it was a struggle. I thought it was obvious that it was still a point of tension, but clearly I was wrong. So I'd make it more obvious.
Also, the reason it's not a cop out in my opinion is that as much as he's the Avatar, he's also THE LAST AIRBENDER and he needs to hold true to that fact for the sake of balance as well, because without all 4 nations, there's no balance.
I don't have a problem with him being taught spirit bending. That to me is also just foreshadowing into LoK when we learn about Wan. How others can bend, but since they didn't LEARN, he's way better with any element, particularly fire. And he HAS to be given it, in one way or another. Spirit bending isn't derived from one of the 4 elements, so it doesn't come with being the Avatar.
Overall, not bad ideas, I just think the phrase Deus Ex Machina is largely misunderstood. Look deeper at how it plays out. The lion turtle's reveal wasn't a Deus Ex Machina, he had been searching for an answer and having night terrors, and while unexpected, the Lion Turtle showed up to answer those doubts he had. Did he 100% know what those answers were at the time? Still no, and that's why I believe it wasn't a Deus Ex Machina.
I think you are mistaken when you say Aang defeated Ozai with Energy bending. Aang defeated and subdued Ozai with the 4 elements and only then did he neuter Ozai with energy bending.
Aang and Batman's situationarent really compareable. Aang took away Ozai's bending. That's like if Batman completely lobotomised Joker instead of just putting him in Arkham.
I disagree about aang taking ozais bending from what he learned being deus c machina. The lion turtles were foreshadowed way back in book too they didn’t just come outta nowhere. Even if only mentioned once by aang in a book I’m surpirrssed no one ever points that at. And the power wasn’t given to him either this is something that was always able to be done as seen later in legend of Korra it’s further expanded on from a concept already introduceds in the show which is chakras and chi which have real world ties to acupuncture. I think the episodes about chakras in itself was a big for shadowing to this very moment. I just think people need to look a little harder .
5:04
Love this video but hard disagree here. I think Katara not forgiving him is one of the most mature and overlooked parts of the show. It’s refreshing to see a piece of media for young audiences be nuanced about forgiveness vs. acceptance.
Choosing to move on and not perpetuate the cycle of violence is a valuable lesson. Revenge is often hallow and isn’t the path to happiness and inner peace. Katara was right not to take the violent path.
Forgiveness is an entirely different story. Forgiveness is earned, and not owed. What steps did Yon Rha take to earn Katara’s forgiveness? Do we even know he’s truly sorry? He only apologized under the threat of death and there’s no indication of remorse before that point. He even selfishly offered his mother’s life in place of his own. He destroyed her family and her childhood and he’s never shown regret for that.
The show is not saying forgiveness is useless. Katara DOES forgive Zuko. That’s because he’s earned it. He’s shown remorse and earned her trust. There’s a difference between these two characters.
I also love that the show doesn’t judge whether her decision not to forgive is right or wrong. It’s just the path she’s chosen.
I believe you are conflating forgiveness and absolution. Forgiveness is to let go of hatred and malice, to release the hold someone else has on your heart. You can forgive someone while also cutting them out of your life. Absolution is to say that they are no longer culpable, or don't deserve to be treated differently anymore. Katara should NOT absolve Yon Rha because of his foolishness and insincere apology - but she should forgive him, so the anger doesn't burn a hole in her heart. Forgiveness is for yourself, absolution is for the person who wronged you.
I don't know about OP, but I don't think Katara should have forgiven him even by your definition of foregiveness. Hate and anger are very useful emotions in small doses: they teach you to protect yourself and others from similar situations, and they spark righteousness. Lots of activists who ever fought for a better place did so because they hated how unfair things were, and they were angry at the people letting things be unfair.
So yeah, Katara should definitely hate the soldier who burned her mom alive (headcanon) for the rest of her life if she so wishes, and I don't think this hate would decrease her life quality in any way, as long as it doesn't become an obsession. On the contrary, I think it will motivate her to continue fighting for justice. Not saying that she would no longer fight for justice the second she would hypothetically forgive him, just that she chose not to and that's perfectly valid. Just like Aang choosing to forgive is also valid.
Sup B- good vid! I know this is kinda late but man i was thinking like in your last video you talked about game sonic imagine if you did a video showing Archie sonic and testing how far could he go that would be fire
what helped me understood energy bending is OSP's "the last of their kind" video by red. the "how" aang defeated ozai, and i mean the PHYSICAL how, isn't what was important. rather, it was the PHILOSOPHICAL "how" he would defeat ozai with his no killing policy conflicting with his avatar duties, as pretty much everyone said he had to kill ozai. so, energy bending is just the physical how, but again it's not the important part. the important part is aang proving he can be both aang the last airbender *and* the avatar, i.e proving the philosophical issue was a false dilemma
"in the ultimate moral victory of the show, aang proves he can be both" -red
Avatar studios should definitely hire you as a writer
Dream job honestly
@@BWHERE Let's just hope that, somehow, they see this.
Hear me out: The Lion Turtles shouldve been the divine creatures of legend that no one knows about, foreshadowed via backgrounds. the lion turtles gave chi to humans, who then learned from sky bison, badger moles, dragons, and the moon spirit how to bend the elements. the humans went to war with the lion turtles seeking power. before dying of injury, the last lion turtle taught the last of the pro-lion turtle monks how to chi bend (which is a better name then energy bending, imo) and gave him his spirit, which made him become the first avatar. after the death of the first avatar, chi bending became a lost art. when aang leaves, he finds the skeleton of the last lion turtle in the ocean, which has become a floating island. being there awakens an energy within him and opens up an inner spectral realm, and allows him to speak with the spirit of the lion turtle himself. In this realm, Aang is not the avatar. It is Aang and the spirit of the last lion turtle, the 2 parts of the one whole known as "The Avatar". this lion turtle teaches aang chi bending, just as he taught the first avatar. Chi bending allows Aang to bend the chi within someone. We see aang come up with an idea, but he doesnt say it and we dont know what it is.
Then, in his fight with Ozai, Aang traps Ozai like he did before and gives his speech in his air ball. He lands, LEAVES THE AVATAR STATE, and puts his fingers to Ozais forehead with a confident look. Aang removes the chi from Ozai, removing the ability to bend in the process. So sure Aang doesn't invent chi bending here, but he does become the first human to ever take away someone's bending. and he does it as aang, not the avatar.
The confident look is the only thing I have a problem with. Even with the encounter of the original show, he was still unsure. I think it should be more subtle and unclear, sort of like the original speech. The lion turtle skeleton is such a cool idea tho, I have no idea why no one thought of it before
My lazy ahh solution? Get frozen again but bring Ozai along.
10000 IQ move
I love this version so much omg. If i had the time I'd edit/animate (I'm an animator) this new finale as best I could (although wouldn't be able to include new voice lines obviously)
I love this. Giving Aang a new bending technique that’s based on HIS character similar to Toph is magnificent.
You could add one more set up scene when he and Zuko meets the dragons. They could reveal to him a deeper truth about energy beyond fire bending. That Aang learned something more from that experience than Zuko did.
Surprised this doesn’t have more views. Phenomenal video essay
Thank you!
I would add Aang inventing one new technique per element under training conditions and attempting to use them in combat. He could have modicums of success as his journey progressed. The new techniques would develop over time and culminate in the final battle. We know Aang invents the air scooter. This trend could continue and it would be very believable that he invented/ discovered energy bending.
I actually had a similar thought to this in the past. I might make a video about this at some point, but here's the rundown.
I honestly would remove the Lion Turtle entirely from the story. Instead, maybe Aang is called out by the spirits of the past Avatars as they urge him to kill Ozai. Aang would handle that similarly to how it's done in the original, but this time there's no pep talk from the Lion Turtle at all. My version also has Aang creating the technique of energy bending himself, but I wanted it to come from meditation before the fight.
Aang would entertain the teachings of the past Avatars and they would eat away at him as he begins to wonder whether they were right. He'll meditate on his journey thus far and we'd be shown flashes of many moments throughout his journey. Among those would be Toph explaining metalbending, Katara using bloodbending, Zuko redirecting lightning, the energy connection shown at the massive swamp tree, Ty Lee blocking chi, and Guru Pahtik unblocking the stream to let it flow. His eyes grow wide as something occurs to him.
The fight would proceed as normal, but the only tweak I'd make to it is that Aang intentionally sets up the scenario in which his lightning scar gets pressured. In this case he's drawing from prior experience to "unblock the stream" by reverse-engineering chi blocking. While he's bending Ozai's energy to shut him down context would be presented to indicate that this came to him after analyzing bloodbending, chi blocking/chakra flow, and lightning redirection with the inspiration from Toph to try bending something no one's ever bent before. But as far as verbal explanation, all he'd really need to say is something like: "I figured if anyone can open and close chakras, maybe the Avatar could bend them."
Another key difference here is that this isn't permanently disabling Ozai, but instead causing a similar situation to Aang's lightning scar with all of his chakras. He could theoretically bend again, but to do so would require devotion and spiritual growth to a degree that-assuming he is capable of it at all-would likely change Ozai for the better.
bruh u just blew my mind with this, fits so good! my new fav fanon
🙏 thank you!
I will be annoyed that it didn’t actually end like this whenever I rewatch the show.
Sorry!
I like how Aang doesn’t lose himself to his duty or title. He is still able to be his authentic self and be Aang and doesn’t have to throw that important part of him away in order to meet a standard or certain expectation of him by outside forces and people. And he also still lives up to his duty at the end, by still being true to himself when everyone was telling him he couldn’t. He wasn’t corrupted into thinking he had to be different in order to fit a certain role or title thrusts upon him. It’s beautiful honestly.
Aang wasnt willing to let go of katara for cosmic energy? 8:43
Not at first. He did let go in the crystal catacombs right before Azula shot him with lightning.
@@BWHERE"I'm sorry, Katara" [spins up a protective crystal teepee]
Would such a discovery of energy bending allow Ang to grant bending like how the lion turtles used to?
That’s something I would leave open-ended for ATLA but definitely touch on in Korra. I think one of the weaknesses of Korra is how it demystified bending, so I wouldn’t want energy bending to become super commonplace.
Great video! I just want to say that, while I think the teaks you made would make for a far better ending than Aang killing Ozai based on the story's themes and the existing worldbuilding and setup, I don't think it's always wrong for this kind of dilemma to play out in a utilitarian way. Batman doesn't kill because if let go of the leash on his own demons, if he allowed himself to go down into that place, as he said to Jason Todd, he'd never come out. He's terrified of what he might become. However, in reality, tough choices are necessary, and making them doesn't make you a bad person, it actually makes you braver to be willing to make them. That's why I defend Batman's no kill rule while also defending Man of Steel's ending, which left Superman no choice but to end Zod's life or allow him to slaughter countless more innocents. In the case of Avatar, I wouldn't be opposed to Aang being forced to kill Ozai, and I'd actually like it because it wouldn't rely on magic to evade a tough decision, a luxury we don't have in reality. However, I agree with your points and like how you improved the ending as it is.
I really like the ideas for this change
I'd like to think that spirirt bending is something only the avatar could do but thats done away with in Korra, so in the post series lore like the comics, it wouldve been nice to see him keep spirit bending a closely guarded secret as something too dangerous to be in the public knowledge because it could be used to throw off the balance of the world and nations again
i really like the changes here. and what you said at the end where the of giving and taking bending is a new technique instead of an ancient one. could you maybe maek a video about how that would affect the legend of korra? i think itd be really interesting, as they get added on in that show.
I personally think they spoke to the whole "Aangs character arch" thing in Korra. When his kids talk about him, you see he never really changed. He's set in his ways. And I think that's an amazing way to write a character that is all about freedom & individuality.
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I like this, but the only reason I don’t think it wouldn’t work is because energy bending is how the lion turtles unlocked bending styles for humans which we learn in LOK.
But I haven’t finished the video yet
I don’t really see the lion turtle as deus ex machina. If you think about it, at the moment right before aang took ozais bending:
Sokka and co destroyed the airship fleet
Zuko and Katara defeated Azula in the fire nation
Aang had Ozai encased in rock inside of Earth Kingdom territory
Really Aang had already won at that point, energy bending or not. He already demonstrated his principles by making the decision to spare Ozai’s life on two separate occasions. He really could have just walked away at that point and let earth kingdom soldiers apprehended him and nothing would have changed.
while the lion turtle was mentioned multiple times in the show, I do wish that it would have at least alluded to some sort of different bending that's not derived from the main elements, they wouldn't even need to specify energy bending just a different type of bending, at least for me
this is actually really good! i think this version would not be entirely understood by the kids watching it but yeah it is definitely a better writing
Yeah, this is much better. It's still not perfect, as there seems to be a lot for the audience to intuit, and not everyone can do that, but it does avoid the Deus Ex Machina.
This is... so good I'm having difficulties saying anyjthing
Thanks!
Beautiful analysis ❤~
I’m glad you liked it!
Yes, i think this us a grwat setup for the finale, and it pays homage to the experiences in the earlier seasons. In this version, everything (good & bad) was a learning opportunity for the fibale moment. And it cements Aang's character, conviction & genius (somethibg easily overlooked because he is jovial).
What's really interesting about this idea is how they can even build up energy bending as the synthesis of all four elements. Tapping into the light and life of fire, with the strength and stoicism of earth, with the fluidity of water and creativity of air. It's something the Avatar is specially primed to learn from, more so Aang than anyone before.
The thing I never figured out about energy bending is if it's an Avatar exclusive. Theoretically, anybody could do it if they were spiritually inclined enough but, maybe it requires the vast energy of the Avatar to pull off. A guru could also do it, I assume, once they have their chakras unlocked and have the ability to access the infinite cosmic energy. I'm not even sure if you need to be a bender. Amon was able to replicate the effects with blood bending (they still haven't fully explained how that works) but other than that, we've only seen Avatars pull it off.
I think the best use of Deus Ex Machina is in Overlord with the Lizardmen.
Overlord spoiler alert in effect past this point.
I got really emotionally invested in seeing them attempt to prevail over the actual protagonists of the story-only to find death awaiting them. This was a baffling introduction to its second season, what with the inconsistency of the storytelling between seasons. It made me ask “is this still Overlord” for the first episodes in the season
And once you realize who they’re up against, it becomes hard to watch these characters get slaughtered after another couple of episodes. Finally, the sacrifices they make are made meaningless with resurrection-a power that had just been revealed as possible at the end of the season before it, at great financial cost. You’d expect a powerful mage and necromancer to be able to raise the dead, but full resurrection, while possible, just seems like a 🤨 moment at times. It didn’t feel that way with Shalltear, but it certainly did with Zaryusu and friends.
Also the fight, thematically speaking needed to have a peaceful ending. I remember watching a video that explained it beautifully.
In the first act, we see ozai having a massive advantage and is winning the battle. Then we see Aang redirect the lightning showing that hes not willing to kill ozai. But now how can he win at all? Then everything changes when he gets access to the avatar state. Now the tides have turned and ozai is now at a major disadvantage. But now how will aang defeat ozai without killing him. Especially in the Avatar state that can be violent as we have seen.
The first act is ozai vs aang
The second act is aang vs aang
I saw Ty Lee in the Avatar flash back
Uhh zukos scars on the wrong side
Copyright reasons. He can sort of avoid it by using mirror image
On top of the energy bending Deus ex machina, my biggest problem with this finale is how Aang seemed ready to kill Ozai during the day of the Black Sun, and then suddenly in the finale he was adamant about not doing It, yeah It fits his philosophy not doing It but It is a weird turn when he previously seemed okay with.
Imagine if the Lion Turtle didnt say a single word, but instead it simply poured it's life force into Aang to show him how to do the thing, giving up it's life and killing the Turtle.
Because it heard Aang's desire not to kill. But it wanted to show that life and death is a natural part of the cycle of life that should not be feared. It's prepared to die itself to teach the next generation an important lesson. Even after death it's life force still lingers inside Aang, still a part of the great universe. Now it's time to let Ozai join the cosmos, or at least enough of him that he's no longer a threat.
I agree that energybending comes out of nowhere and in my first watch I did not even understand what was going on. But, you know lion turtles gave people bending apparently. At some point in the show it was mentioned. These changes would also require the origins of bending to change, which would be good actually because the origins of bending is all over the place.
I like the idea, but I think it overlooks Aang's weakness in this moment and the greatest strength of being the Avatar. I think there should be a plot line of the past Avatar's helping him from the spirit world. The Avatar state is unusable, Aang isn't ready for the fight. Ozai has him on the run multiple times. He couldn't stand toe to toe with Ozai. He was a kid rushed through training to fight probably the strongest person in the world. His past lives start looking for an edge because they know they can't in the fight. Move his therapy session with them from on the lion turtle to before his injury with Azula. Cut him off from the guidance. His unwillingness to kill is the reason the lion turtle is willing to give him the new bending ability. The past lives secure him that option because they can't "do the right thing". In the fight, he is trying to get the opportunity to subdue Ozai and remove his bending, but can't get time because he is outmatched. The scar gets hit, and the Avatar state engages. His past lives come together with thousands of years of training and shift the tide of the fight. Immediately putting Ozai on the run because he can't throw a single blow and the past lives are actively trying to kill him as Aang resists them. When they go to deliver the killing blow, Aang exerts control over his body and realizes himself as the current Avatar and gains control over his past lives actions instead of them controlling him. He uses the new power to remove Ozai's bending the way the turtles can. He goes into the fight unprepared, as a student in training, and via a trial by fire emerges as the fully realized Avatar.
Take this and how "Hello Future Me" changed seasons 2 and 4 of TLOK would make an already great series even greater.
This was one of the best and coolest versions of the ending to the show I’ve ever heard. I love the ideas and how they all still fall in line with the spirit of the overall story and really fixes the way they ended the final battle between Aang and Firelord Ozai. Thank you for sharing this dope video with us 🔥🔥🔥
Thank you for watching!