I love that Azula doesn’t actually start crying or writhing right after she’s chained. It’s when she sees Zuko and Katara standing there together, she realises she’s all alone.
Yeah, when Katara froze Azula with her, that was insane and i didn't see that coming when she were seeing the water below her, i thought she would make octopus-stand
@@BrianStorm742 so u call it a loss when azula was the one who called for a 1v1 and then atked the person she didnt challenge to the fight? also every move zuko had in check
Really? The level of detail that this show actually went, to have the cold and calculated sibling take advantage of something most wouldn't even consider, that's incredible
lewa3910 If you like video essays about Atla then you’ll love Hello Future Me’s videos about Avatar The Last Airbender. Also, try Sage’s Rain. Both their channels have such beautiful video essays on Atla
I gotta say also, what a perfect finesse of balancing Katara's power levels too. She's fighting a supercharged firebending master (who is psychologically slipping but still) the moon isn't even out. Katara has a ton of environmental disadvantages but the one advantage she has over Azula, Her Mental State and clear thinking, is the thing she utilizes and eventually beats her. And this doesn't, FOR A SECOND, give off the impression that Katara is an _OP Mary Sue_ or anything because her growth in ability and maturity have been shown and she EARNED her skills while also being gifted. IDK I just feel like Katara is a perfect example of how to write a compelling character dealing with Power Creep. She was the first bender we ever saw and has been having to deal with the Upped Ante of what is possible every episode and every season, but still in a believable way.
I love how Katara won completely by wits when she was at every disadvantage. She knew that if the fight went on long enough she'd likely lose, not to mention Zuko desperately needed healing attention that only she could give him. So she had to end the fight quickly and came up with a genius spur of the moment plan to do so. What made it even better is she had to knowingly walk a tightrope by letting Azula get close to her and hope that Azula was so drunk with power and mentally tossed that she wouldn't pay attention to her surroundings. BUT Katara also had to gamble on the hope that Azula wasn't SO unhinged that she wouldn't follow through with frying Katara (and herself) the moment she sprung her trap. Just a perfect moment.
An apprentice, thrown to the wolves and proves themself a survivor. My favorite kind of story. It probably mirrors a lot of (most?) people’s teens/20s.
Her victory is foreshadowed in The Crossroads of Destiny. In that episode, while Katara and Azula were fighting one on one, Katara had the edge, and kept it until Zuko joined Azula and they teamed up on her. Katara is simply better than Azula head to head, partly because she's enough of a prodigy herself that Azula's natural genius doesn't end up being that much of an edge and partly because her style of waterbending is a good stylistic counter to Azula's style of firebending. Water puts out fire. The cold of ice inhibits the energy of fire. And Azula's nimbleness just doesn't work as well against water that flows and turns and follows and submerges.
What I think also happened is that Azula lacks experience in fighting a waterbender. She mostly fought against fire and earthbenders, but never actually encountered a waterbender other than Katara. As someone mentioned the s2 finale, Zuko, who was supposed to be weaker than Azula, was actually doing better than her while fighting her. He was most likely taught by Iroh about how to fight with different benders
I found that Zuko's style was much less aggressive. Showing his retraining by the dragons, moving away from anger and aggression. Much like his character arc. Wow avatar is the perfect show
Not just less aggressive, but also borrowing from all of his companions. He counters Azula's first attack from a stance that looks a lot like Toph's earthbending. He later uses a spinning kick that we've seen Aang use since Book 1. And don't forget the lightening redirect.
Her entire character design is incredibly well thought out. Her face and hair is perfectly symmetrical compared to Zuko's and the only time it isn't is when she cuts her hair. Her cut hair reflects how she's slipped and just hammers home that now she's fallen from perfection and now is matched with Zuko
@@tsunami3963 when she breaks down at the end and is rolling around pulling at the chains and full out sobbing makes me cry every single time I watch it
All true. I recently rewatched ATLA and it hits you that Zuko getting banished and Iroh is in exile with him was probably the best thing for Zuko. Azula? She was already a troubled kid, and then left all alone with Ozai. She never had a chance.
CarnisianLady no, no she isn’t. It would be ignorant to say so. Ozai is evil. Azula has a lot of character traits from her father, more than Zuko has. But they both still have a good mother who by the way kind of neglected Azula because she just couldn’t understand her. Azula has only been influenced by Ozai which made her even worse than she originally was. She had no one who truly loved her and guided her. She knew deep down her father only loved her abilities. If she made just one tiny mistake, if she failed just one time, if she wasn’t all over perfect, Ozai would instantly drop her. That poor girl is 14 and already has that much pressure on her. Nowadays she would need therapy for all those mental health issues she has. She’s a great villain
@@CarnisianLady yes, at some point we have to take responsability for our actions, and Azula is well past this point in that scene. However, we can still pity that circumstances lead what could otherwise be a great leader or artist or any other thing she wanted into the psycopath that she became. It's through this udnerstanding of circumstances and pity of the results that we can avoid this happening in the future. But that doesn't mean she should walk free, she needs to take responsability, we are just sad that she came to this
CarnisianLady just because she’s a villain doesn’t mean people can’t pity her, she was abused just as Zuko was, maybe their abuse was different, but in the end she was still a victim of Ozai’s cruelty, I think that if her life and father were different then maybe she could have been too.
I interpreted Zuko's style as a mix of all four elements with his own breakdancing. The Dancing Dragon of Fire benders, taking root like an Earth bender and uses fluid motions like Air and Water benders. He's learned from his entire journey the same as Aang, Katara, and Toph. Iroh would be proud given he invented lightning bending by studying water bending.
It's also the thematic evolution of that idea Iroh impressed upon him when he taught him how to redirect lightning: you don't have to be the Avatar to learn from other benders. _How_ the elements are used is as important as _which_ element gets used. You can learn a great deal from other people and other cultures. In this way, Zuko is the ultimate contrast to imperial firebending and the royal family that practices it. Fire Lord Sozen started a world world because he could not conceive of other nations having anything of value to offer. Ozai would rather destroy entire civilizations in fire, so nothing remains of their cultures but ashes. Azula is willing to use other benders (such as the Dai Li), but learns nothing from them and discards them when they've outlived their usefulness. Zuko is the only one who traveled the world, got to know its people, lived as they lived, and learned their ways. A fire bender he would always remain, but one who approaches it in a holistic, balanced manner.
Well, Zuko learns from Iroh and he studied the other forms of bending to enhance his own fire ending so it’s not crazy to think that Iroh has been teaching him different styles and forms from all types of bending.
One other detail I'd like to add is the final move Katara uses. It's got aspects of all four bending styles rolled into one. Of course, it's waterbending, but the breathing through the nose resembles the Breath of Fire technique Iroh taught Zuko which Zuko used in his fight with Katara. That tecehnique was derived from Airbending (and the creative, non-aggressive nature of Katara's move also somewhat reflects Airbending philosophy). Katara also uses it to move through solid material by liquifying it around her - a technique common amongst master Earthbenders such as Bumi. It's used against Azula who, for all her capabilities as a firebender, never really appreciated the other cultures, and thus was rigid and stale.
ATLA did a fantastic job of articulating why diversity is a good thing, in a way that feels relevant and authentic. Hollywood please take note. This is the correct way to advocate for this stuff, not superficial ‘representation’.
This show is so good, primarily because it shows instead of telling. Katara first looked at Aang to learn Waterbending, she first saw him as a master, not an air master. She always was open to the other element. In her motherly threats, she looked at the other and observe their strength so she could learn herself
To add: Its really hard to bend without movement, especially on the scale and precision in this situation, Katara could just as good be frozen to death.
Northern water benders (aka Pakku) see fully icing the opponent as a 'finishing move' because bending needs movement. That shows that normal water benders don't ice themselves as a matter of fact. Katara icing herself along with Azula would have been considered a suicide move by any other benders.
Zuko's and every single one of us; I still remember watching for the first time and thinking "Is she gonna go full Darth Vader rn?!!". Katara as the mother figure of the group always gives the most gut punching moments on her focused episodes.
Anyone else think there are some parallels between Katara and Willow from Buffy? If Katara really went dark, who knows how much terrible power she could have wielded.
The music in this, especially when contrasted with Aang + Ozai and Sokka, Suki, and Toph’s battles really makes this fight. I love that the drums are super minimal, almost to make way for the sounds of Fire blasts to fill the space. The battle itself is almost part of the music. SO FREAKIN STUNNING.
Especially when you hear the fumes of fire brushing in the air while accompanying the rhythm of the music. Makes this fight scene so much more. Yes, the visual is a spectacle, but it shows how far these characters have come, how much energy they spent training to get to where they are in that very stifling moment. The music is most unforgettable, it tells of a tragic tale of a little girl who held too much power, and too much emotion, it would eventually cause her to snap. This fight, i never forgot, nor will i ever forget it. Sadly, this moment in time occurs very rarely. You can say 1,000 movies have captured a moment like this, but me and many others would come back with, but the 1,000,000,000 movies out there fail to capture an inkling of emotion and thought like this show has. Avatar: The Last Airbender is a lightning in a bottle.
One of my favorite observations is from Hello Future Me when he points out that "half a year ago he would have been furiously celebrating that he managed to defeat her. But now he's only sad at the loss of what could have been"
Zuko was set free when he was banished, even if he didn't see it that way at first. Azula, on the other hand, was chained down to her father, to a destiny that leads to her demise, much like how she was literally chained to the floor of the Fire Nation by Katara. (I don't think those parallels are a coincidence, btw) Azula never had a chance to do something else, to be something else. Zuko was banished, thinking that was his destiny (again, burdened on him by his father) was the only thing tieing him to the fire nation, to his throne. but with Iroh, he saw that wasn't how it should be. if only Azula had that chance. If only Azula was set free.
I disagree. She displayed signs of machvelianism and sadism from a very young age. Zuko has always been compassionate and empathetic forced to put those aside.
They could have set up a season or two with Azula's redemption arc after book 3. She could have escaped and led a rebellion against this new peace. In this new arc maybe the whole gang, especially Zuko, Iroh, Mai, and Ty Lee help her re-write her story. They probably could have gotten two more seasons out of that story arc. Maybe just 1. Anyways, I think it could have been awesome.
Swetha Berana well she was already shown to be a bit of a sociopath and a sadist as a kid, and anything you can reply to that would just be speculation at this point until we get more of there backstories as kids
He didn't like when he was invited back with his honour restored. He didn't like the prince his father expected. He knew then his uncle was right, he should choose his destiny not others.
One part that i love about this battle that i never see in these analysis videos is when Zuko shoots an especially big fireblast and Azula is forced to barely dodge it. We get a close up to Azula’s face and we see her surprised and a little scared by how powerful Zuko has become. We saw her leagues ahead of Zuko in terms of combat ability at the beginning of Book 2 but now the firebending prodigy is forced onto her backfoot.
I really like how in the final episodes, the main cast starts to really play off of each other and grow. Aang, gets seriousness from the group, Sokka becomes the leader he was growing to be the whole series, Zuko grows amazingly compassionate and parallels iroh in ways both directly obvious, and in ways that require analysis into the show to notice, (like the lightning deflection), and katara starts to develop more tactically, instead of operating based on emotion, (the water freeze thing definitely seems like a sokka style plan, imo)
A cool thing I found out was that the animators for atla hired a martial arts teacher so they could accurately animate the fights and also another reason why Zuko doesn’t run out of breath is because iroh teaches him to have controlled breathing and that’s where fire bending comes from
@@trequor I'd love to learn more about the individual advisors of each style. I've googled it a little before but didn't come across much information - mind sharing links?
OH MY GOD he uses fire daggers in their first fight because he's a better swordsman than Azula, while she's a better fire bender and he was doing everything he could to get an edge.
I love the fact that the highlighting of Azula's background makes you understand her, her breakdown makes you sympathetic to her, but in no way does it redeem her. So upon her defeat you feel kinda bad about the w at the same time, which lines up perfectly with what the main characters are experiencing at that point. Rarely done this way, rarely executed so perfectly.
Just noticed that Zuko - still Aang's foil in some ways at the end of the show even if they've become friends - is left with a scar on his front to mirror the one on Aang's back. And both are from Azula.
@@cynicalgold9992 the scar on his chest in the finale is from Azula, the scar I'm talking about that mirrors Aang's scar on his back. Zuko's eye does not mirror Aang's back.
An aspect of this fight that I don't often hear mentioned is how some of Zuko's strength is from his time with team avatar and his travels through the other nations. Throughout the fight we see him using very strong stances and just flat out stopping attacks like an earthbender, using the spin kick as a radial attack and knocking an opponent off balance seems to be drawn from airbenders, and we know lightning redirection is derived from waterbending. He learned from the other elements like Iroh told him to. One other detail I love is that in the first season Iroh reminds Zuko about the breath of fire and later he uses it to escape when frozen by Katara. Azula never had a chance to learn the technique from Iroh and was defeated because of it.
I love the detail that the people who make the show put into the fighting styles, even going down to the individual level. Firebending is based on Northern Shaolin Kung Fu, which relies on powerful strikes, sweeping gestures. However, you've shown that the martial art is only a baseline and doesn't define all firebenders. BTW, 2 things: 1) Love the new profile picture. 2) Do you think Azula should've gotten her bending taken away? Would it have helped her or made things worse for her personally?
2 is exactly what Amon started "I'm uncomfortable with what your powers might inflict, so you can't have them" (I know you didn't go that far, but then again I want to unleash your thinking over it 😉)
MrNicoJac well that uncomfortable feeling leads to the instinct of taking away their bending because of fear and as zahir says “instinct is a lie, told by a fearful body”
azula has as discussed almost no one. but in the very least she has herself. being blessed with blue flame and being a prodigy firebender is tied up with how she sees herself. being a princess and daughter of Ozai is also what forms some of her personality but her firebending is why she felt comfortable with those other roles. her tireless pursuit of perfection is in her belief that her exemplary ability is why she deserves her status. zuko was tossed away because he was weak he was unloved by ozai because he was weak. and therefore she was worthy for her strength. to take it away would strip her of literally everything, even her own identity. she is no longer heir to the fire nation being that zuko nor iroh would never allow her to reign. her father is a defeated powerless prisoner that idol has been shown to be false. the friends/allies she cultivated were shown that even with her incredible power and strength could not be even cowed into pretending to respect and honour her. to take it away shed have nothing. and unless azula became content with a noname ignored life one she worked so hard to never be banished too i very honestly believe she'd kill herself. as dark as that is.
I've seen this fight so many times and I still can't look away every time I watch it. I can't help but cry every time Azula breaks down at the end. Her character is so cleverly developed. I only recently watched it for the first time as a teen but I can see how a kid could view her as the typical moustache twisting villain but she's such a complex and tragic character that the more you think about it the more depressed you feel.
Zuko breaks the cycle of abuse from his father, but Azula stays trapped in it. Anyone familiar with the abusive parents and especially narcissistic parents can see the tragedy of it.
Thank you so much for this❤️ I’m a Karate teacher and we are having a “Avatar: The Last AIRBENDER” theme this week for both my children’s classes and in the Adult classes too. It has been so fun and fascinating. We were doing Katas and seeing which one is most like each “bending/element” and how all Katas have all bending/elements in them. I love your explanation about how civilian/military fire bending has lower stances yet Azula, who probably has a more enhanced training, has more fluidity in her movements. Her Martial Arts style and character has always intrigued me the most (and Zuko). For myself being both Japanese & Chinese descent & learning Martial Arts from both paternal and maternal sides, I see so many of what I learned in them (I still have so much to learn!) I tell all the Karate-ka how this battle scene is one of my favourites of all time and you explained perfectly why. I’m going to share your video with my students. Thank you 🙏
See I always thought that was Zukos foot It starts to slip but then it corrects itself and becomes sturdy and rooted Cuz Azula's style always tried to catch her opponents off balance either physically or mentally but she can't do that with Zuko now 🤷♀️ Different interpretations I guess
It is Zuko's foot. Azula was wearing shoes that point upwards at the tips (sidenote: which is typical Fire Nation, good Hotman). Zuko was wearing shoes with a line down the center of them.
The universe has apparently been pushing me to rewatch the show again. People have been talking about it more, a friend of mine binged the whole thing over the weekend, and now here you are brilliantly discussing what may be one of the greatest scenes in the history of animation....Well I guess it's a good thing I'm not planning on going anywhere for a while. :P
everyone is just getting back into the show again, and because of that youtube is probably recommending a few of the videos people are making because of its resurgence in popularity
Do it! I'm telling you, I've seen the show probably a dozen times by now and it still doesn't get old. Heck, I instantly rewatched it again when it became available on Netflix!
I wanted to watch it with my parents, but then they were like “it seems too childish” (they did say it a bit nicer) and now I am thoroughly disheartened.
I just love the amount of ATLA content that is popping up and particularly with this fight. I love that Zuko is being more evasive and reactionary, and Azula’s being more forthright and chaotic with her attacks. It’s a role reversal from their original fighting styles and the animation just brings it all together. It definitely never left my mind since I was five years old.
I know right, there is so many people in the comment saying a 500 word essay so that is WAY too annoying, i dont know why must people say such long comments so i bet you are angry lol
8:07 I honestly felt heartbroken when I saw this scene as a kid. I didn't understand everything about the depth behind it, but I could still see that Azula was crying for having nothing and no one rather than losing.
My favorite small detail is how zukos stances in the fight miror the different styles of the separate kingdoms do including mirroring some of Aangs moves
1:20 I'm pretty sure that's Zuko's foot. I think he's repositioning himself to more attack the palace than Azula to make her lose focus even more. Which works perfectly. She sees what happened and loses it. But perhaps it is Azula's foot. Who cares? This is the greatest animated fight I've seen.
yeah it is Zuko's foot, the pattern on the shoe matches his. Azula's shoes have a golden/yellow stripe around her ankle, and a yellow dot on the top of her feet. I may or may not have rewatched their Agni Kai frame by frame to see if it is clarified there or not (you can see her feet at the beggining of their fight, when she falls and when Katara freezes her). Would have been a cool addition though if it was her foot :D
I've always interpreted it as Zuko widening his stance to get better grip with his feet, because counterforce from his fire bending is so great, so powerful, it starts pushing him backwards. You can see it, that he starts sliding backward for a second, then he moves his feet in position for a more solid stance.
Out of everyone Zuko is my favorite to this day. Such a good character arch as well as he was really emotional and had a lot of internal struggle he needed to quell.
I remember watching this when I was 7 or 8 and the most striking thing about is that makes this a Bonafide classic are the colors and music. Both are pretty obvious but even as a little kid they became things that I always remembered.
The way Katara ends the fight is astounding, too. She realizes that she can't beat Azula in her overpowered state, so she pretends that she is being beaten to get Azula close enough, then Katara leaves herself open when she knows that Azula will take the chance to get at her. She hinged her own life on her ability to stop them both in their tracks.
you know, that’s a nice example of tactical use of emotional intelligence. i mean, she read Azula’s emotional state correctly to know the move has a decent chance to work. it’s a great way to show that you can win a fight when your elemental power is disadvantaged and your opponent is advantaged, by utilising other strengths of your element (in water’s case, emotional mastery and intelligence) to compensate.
I think what I love most about Zuko’s concurrent growth as a character AND as a bender, is that he never reaches his full potential until he STOPS trying to use ANGER as the thing that fuels his bending. It speaks a lot to his genuinely kind nature, deep down- he was never as skilled as he could be, because he was trying to draw from a well of fury and cruelty that he just… never had within him to begin with. It’s just one of a zillion layers that makes Azula an amazing character foil, which in turn is what makes the last agni kai so insanely captivating and cathartic.
FInal Agni Kai makes me cry ever single time, no matter how many times I watch it. The accompanying music is on my running playlist and I'll just randomly start crying while running when it come on. Awesome, informative video!
There are so many interesting things in the lead up to this fight, too. After Azula's friends leave her, if you watch her closely, her style changes then. She abandons the precise two finger point she's been using to precisely throw fireballs around. She's already starting to throw fire around all over the place. The fight with Zuko on the airship ends in a draw, but one which Zuko is holding his own in a way he hadn't before, and one where she wasn't fighting the same way - she was basically trying to overpower you with large amounts of fire rather than using her precision to keep you off balance. Also, another thing - Zuko challenges Azula to two Agni Kais. She refuses him both times, because she doesn't have to PROVE she's better than him, she clearly IS. So when she challenges Zuko to the Last Agni Kai, that in and of itself is a sign that she's slipping, and she KNOWS she's slipping. She no longer has the absolute confidence that she would beat Zuko. So SHE feels she has to challenge HIM. This idea never occurred to Zuko when he shows up at the capital - he was just going to figure out how to take her down with Katara's help. The very fact that she's challenging HIM probably spoke to him subconsciously, one of the things that contributes to his feeling that "she's slipping". Azula, who laughed off his challenges that he made because he was insecure and looking for any way to prove his worth, is now making similar challenges? A part of him clearly recognized that this was something he did when he felt insecure. He accepts not to prove his superiority, but because this is a quick official way to complete his mission. Not only does it ostensibly save Katara until Azula breaks the code, but the code prevents other Fire Nation people from feeling obliged to fight on one of their sides.
One of the best series and this fight is my all time favorite in the show. I love how you break it down and explane all the details of it. Keep it up! :)
I always preferred the Aang vs Ozai fight, and I didn't know why, beyond the more varied bending, until now, after you gave an idea of a fight's theme. The theme of that battle was "fear". Aang spent the entire series afraid. Afraid to fight at all, and then afraid to lose Katara, and then afraid to lose himself in the killing of an opponent. And even by Nightmares and Daydreams, or Sozin's Comet Part 1, he was still afraid, at leas to fight alone. And yet, he still came to fight anyway, powering on through his fear (we didn't know he found a solution for killing until after. Ozai, however, started fearless, and not because he had backup. We'd already established in his subconscious knowledge of when the eclipse ended (even without a window, which Iroh needed), and his ability to blast Zuko across a room even while Zuko was redirecting the lightning, that he really did earn his fearsome reputation. By the start, we saw him in awe of, and then instantly mastering, his own enhanced bending. We even see him turn lightning into fire, and surpass all of Aang's bending with just his one skill. There is a brief moment where Aang has an advantage, but in it we see the fear of both characters: Aang's fear to kill, and Ozai's fear that his own enhanced power is the only thing that could stop him. But that moment passes, and Aang, who had already been on the defensive, is in almost full retreat. Ozai presses his advantage, and all Aang can do is cower... Until everything changed when the Avatar State attacked. Suddenly, Ozai's opponent isn't Aang, who he knows he can beat, but the Avatar State, whose first action is to deal a crushing physical blow. Ozai fights back briefly, but he quickly realizes the Avatar State has zero qualms about killing, or even any reservations about collateral damage. Suddenly Ozai is the one in full retreat, and with good reason. Thousands of Avatars are going in for the kill. But despite retreating, Ozai still fights offensively to defend himself, which Aang didn't. Then, just before the Energybending sequence, we see Aang overcome a full loss of self. At first he's only able to stop the Avatar State's attacking arm, but eventually stops the state itself. It's his body, and he will end the fight his way. Which he does, but only after one last test of wills. Aang nearly loses it, but he does what he could not in the Crossroads of Destiny, or even with the Avatar State itself, accept and utilize all of himself. He knows his identity, and knows it includes fear, but he is unflappable, while Ozai is only almost unflappable, and that decides it.
Same. I would've loved it if Zuko had grown so much that he could beat her. Now, he held her off forever, but then he still lost. Taunting Azula never ended well for him, not even when she wasn't all there anymore.
@@nerve5946 I think its because that would kind of go against what is established. Yes, Zuko has an amazing character journey learns a looot of firebending, but Azula is (from the moment she was first mentioned basically) a fire bending progidy (can't spell sorry). She is the absolute best at firebending, she is so talented that her flames are blue which is something we don't see literally anyone else being able to do. Even from her childhood she just had way more talent naturally (even while being 2 years younger then Zuko). To simply let Azula the 'absolute firebending legend' be beaten by Zuko at her *absolute* best would kind of downgrade her character in a way I think.
@@nerve5946 because.in the show lore she is a prodigy that is supposed to be the best of the best. Zuko is a master but he's at his peak. There is no higher he can physcically go to become better. He is a master. Azula is a master of masters. Lightning bending itself is something that even master's cannot do but she is a master of it. If he beat her at her fullest than zuko would have been a Mary sue because in lore theres no physical way he could have. Odds are she could have beat her father if she wanted to.
One thing that needs to be pointed out about the musik is, that it´s actually not just sad. It´s actually a beutiful example of musical storytelling and subconcious delivery of information. It tells two "storys" at once. One is the tragic violines dueling for dominance. But the Drums are most of the time forgotten. If you watch the fight, one thing is noticable. Zuko is in rythm with the drums, while Azula is out of rythm. The drums also beat in a breathing rythm, basically a slow in and out. It wonderfully conects to what we learned in earlier episodes, that breath is important for control. And without most people really noticing it or conciously realizing it that fact and the slow mesured, controlled rythm Zuko is in tune with informes subcociously about one thing. Zuko is in controll in this fight. He has mastered his firebending, while Azula is slipping and loosing control.
I love that you mentioned the balance. This point in the show is the first time she's visually unbalanced, too, through her hair. It's such a huge rhetorical moment and the fact that you actually noted that in the fight too is just so amazing. I love this show so much.
When I was younger I was mad that Katara technically defeated Azula, but now I think it works since the irony of her being chained by a ‘peasant’ as opposed to a more worthy noble like her feels pretty satisfying.
Also the fire nation killed her mother, and she just defeated the fire lord. Its full circle for Katara too. (Ozai made azula fire lord before he left to destroy the earth kingdom.)
Good point, I also think that it adds a nice cap to Zukos arc. He started out opposing katara and the others for the purpose of regaining his honor and proving himself a noble figure of the fire nation. In the end, he sacrificed his honor and the chance to rightfully take the throne of his nation (by winning the Agni Kia) to save katara, who he now considers a close friend. Edit: and they made it pretty clear that he was gonna win that fight, had azula not played unfairly.
LOVE it. Thanks for breaking down the music and how heart-rending it is. Also calling out the parallel between the Zhao Agni Kai and Zuko's steadiness now. As always, your fight breakdowns are a delight and educational!
I love this series and this fight, but I can’t believe I missed how it’s Zuko that lets Azula tire herself out now. One more layer for how awesome this show is!
So glad you mentioned the music! It’s one of the things that always stood out to me in this fight. Instead of fast motions and intense drums and the grunts and growls and fire sounds we’ve come to associate with these kinds of intense fights, we’re met with near silence cut only by quietly weeping strings. It really adds to the sadness of this fight and the context surrounding it, but also serves to add more intense focus on the power of the bending and the exact moves used by both fighters. Just a lovely scene all around.
this was a fight between siblings where they both went in knowing one of them wasn’t going to walk away. i still get emotional over this fight 15 years later.
This was my favourite fight in animation, but then one of the fights in Star Wars: Rebels, that might have won me over. Well, it is a very different fight, and I am not beyond having multiple favourites 😀 To avoid spoilers, the episode in question is the Twin Suns.
It's a great fight and has cool symbolism but there are definitely better ones. Some examples: Kakashi vs Obito from Naruto Shippuden, all instances of Askeladd vs Thorfinn, including the finale from Vinland Saga, The whole sequence of Levi vs the beast titan including Erwin's charge in Attack on Titan is pretty incredible, this is just to name a few. I feel like alot of people are overhyping avatar. It's an amazing show but it pales in comparison to other animated shows, I feel like most people who praise avatar haven't seen other anime.
moises lopez Avatar isn’t really an anime, and in its fight scenes especially it isn’t trying to be. It’s not nearly as flashy or intense and impactful as anime, and yet it manages to capture just as much if not more emotion in its more grounded fight scenes because the character writing is nearly unparalleled.
@@a.morphous66 idk what you consider flashy but Kakashi vs Obito and Askeladd vs Thorfinn look better bc they're newer than avatar but they're incredibly plot based fights that have ridiculous emotion involved. Kakashi vs Obito is so simple yet it's presentation is filled with a ridiculous amount of symbolism, waaaaay more than any scene in Avatar. The same goes for Thorfinn vs Askeladd, it's like comparing Dr Suess to Ernest Hemingway, the writing, story, plot building, character development, the musical scores and cinematography is nowhere near the level of other animated shows. Again, Avatar is an amazing show and the writing is definitely deeper than any ither kid show, but some of these anime shows have writing that is up there with some of the great Hollywood movies. Avatar is good but it is objectively below other anime when you compare them all with the same criteria and critical lense.
A really lovely detail that I am appreciating about your videos is the subtle yet ever present audio from the fight scene you're talking about. It - like in the films themselves - provides an excellent backing to your narration.
I still haven't seen this show.... I know (shameful head bow). I'm also the one person on earth who still hasn't seen Frozen ("Inconceivable!!"). That being said, the animation in this is truly elegant and beautiful, the music is deeply emotive (I'm reminded of the music in RotJ during the Luke/Vader duel - not action, but heart wrenching). I'm always a sucker for the tragic villain story. Excellent review, Steele Vera 😝. Even knowing nothing of this, your commentary keeps it engaging and interesting.
You are awesome at what you do, seriously. You're really good at fully explaining the separate "phrases," and even better, in my opinion, at giving character analysis/description of the importance of inter-character relationships, and most importantly of all have a passion to the topic at hand that is so well grounded that you include very intuitive humor in a few different forms. Watching your videos is truly informative and entertaining. Keep up the good work. It's awesome.
This was so well done! Avatar has been my favorite show since it aired way back when, and this finale was the perfect way to finish it. I think you put into words why that is perfectly, thanks :)
DONT I REPEAT DON'T WATCH THE PIECE OF TRASH CALLED LEGEND OF KORRA IT TOTALLY DESTROYED EVERYTHING ATLA BUILD. IT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE THE KUNG FU STYLES IT IS JUST PUNCHES AND KICK FOR LITERALLY ALL THE BENDING STYLES IT STUPID
The Deity the bending styles aren’t just Kung fu Water: tai chi Fire: northern shaolin Air: ba gua Earth: hung gar About the punching, even the shaolin warrior monk are adapting modern punches into their Kung fu style to stay up to date. It’s perfectly reasonable benders would too.
The Deity Why do you feel the need to do this? You’ve already shown a great amount of bias to the show that influences others to watch it. That’s why half of the people debating haven’t even watched the show to form their own opinions. Sometimes I think the ATLA fanbase is just so toxic, it’s impossible to enjoy Korra anymore, even if you tried with people shoving “hurr korra bad” down your throat.
Jill, this video of yours is my favorite and I frequently rewatch it. Your writing is at his best :-) Thank you for putting words on this beautiful moment.
I appreciate your compassion for Azula. It's so easy to do a bit of a Danaerys thing and simply cast her as a "mad queen" character, but her and Zuko's story has so much to say about cycles of violence and how difficult it can be to break them.
I knew nothing of the world you're describing, but what an absolute joy to listen to your analysis of this fight! You've opened my eyes to something extraordinary. Thank you.
I love how you expand blame beyond Ozai as an abusive father to the entire line of fire nation royalty. Right before you said that I was thinking how its Sozin who is really guilty here since he made the choice to shape his entire family and nation around dominating others
I absolutely LOVE your take on this, Jill. Thank you for doing this!🙆♂️ Avatar the Last Airbender is easily one of my top 10 shows of all time, not just top animated shows and how they wrapped up the finale is easily one of the reasons why especially given how difficult it is to wrap up multiple storylines well. I remember kind of stumbling upon this show by accident on Nickelodeon like in 2007 or so and falling in love with it and how well balanced and character-immersive it is. As epic and awesome the final fight scene is with Ozai and Aang, the Agni Kai fight between Azula and Zuko always makes me tear up because as you put it, it is very tragic and bittersweet because Zuko still loves Azula but knows that she is overly dangerous and destructive and would cause so much more pain and suffering as Fire Lord if she wasn't stopped. So yeah, the way the fight was shot and especially the soundtrack music just perfectly brought it home and gets me every time 😭😭🥰
I just finished Avatar {yep, I am THAT late to the party....} and honestly... I think this isn't one fight, it's *two*. The first, the Agni Kai, with the visuals and the music and the emotional resonance, is the culmination of Zuko and Azula's character arcs and conflict [and it should never, ever have been this way and it's heartbreaking in so many ways]. Zuko wins [morally, emotionally, psycologically and for all narrative purposes] when Azula attacks Kataara out of desperation, because she realises that she can't win. This ends the Agni Kai and Zuko's sacrifice leads [most delightfully seamlessly] into the second fight of Kataara VS Azula. And this reinforces all the themes of friendship and forgiveness and symmetry and how our choices define our destinies etc. It culminates Kataara's arc of mastering waterbending, echos the ending of Season 2, and...ultimately Azula is not just defeated, but destroyed. And there is no joy in the victory, for anyone involved.
I just found this channel yesterday and I'm already so obsessed... you are on my list of people I need to support on patreon once I get out of grad school
I'd like to comment on how concise and pleasant your videos (at the very least the ones I've watched) are. You speak with such property, yet, in such a light-hearted way, that makes watching feel not tiring at all. My point is your videos feel energising, to me. Refreshing. Listening to your opinion feels both comforting and enlightening. At least to me. Thanks for taking the time to do these.
@@ryandeanboy yes. It's a more modern setting to start off with. Just understand this Avatar; Korra, has to grow in a different way than most in the past. You'll find out the further you watch(don't want to spoil to much). It'll be available Aug. 14th on Netflix
It helps that you're talking about some of the greatest material ever created, but you're a really beautiful storyteller, and I found this video legitimately moving. Thanks for sharing your passion!
oh my god I got very emotional watching this video. I guess I do love zuko. Man, your breakdown of the fight highlights why I love this series; every scene is built with so much care and insight of each character's journey. Thank you!!
amazing breakdown, thank you so much for going so in-depth on the emotional side of the fight, azulas backstory and her relationship with her family is so tragic. also really cool that you mentioned the sad and tragic tone of the music and the musical differences towards other more triumphant fights.
@@Julian-pw5mv But is an opinion really valid if all options haven't been explored? Is saying Vanilla is the best ice cream flavor valid if you've only ever eaten vanilla icecream?
@@moiseslopez981 yes, if you can't have an opinion without exploring all options nobody can have any opinion at all. And also that is not at all what I was saying, op said that if you have watched anime finding this fight the best is impossible. Aka he finds any opinion that isn't an anime fight is the best invalid.
@@Julian-pw5mv Nice strawman. You completely changed the words of the dude who commented originally and put words in his mouth 😂. But I think you missed my point, I didn't mean literally exploring every option, I just meant that people should broaden their horizon before making an opinion public, or else they just slund uninformed and dumb. Also to the majority of people here, Avatar is their only "anime" experience, which explains why so many people are going nuts over its resurgence and calling it the best. I agree with what the original comment said, Avatar pales in comparison to other animations. It's a great show and it's pretty deep for being a kid show but when you compare it to other works it's really hard to even justify calling it the best, even as an "opinion".
@@moiseslopez981 that avatar pales in comparison to anime is an opinion which is fine. But op literally said that if someone likes this they have not seen an anime. Which means he thinks this is bad compared to anime fights, which again is fine, if he were talking about himself. But he is talking about everyone here, assuming they haven't seen anime because they don't have the same opinion as him.
Amazing video! One thing that I usually don’t see about “breakdowns,” of this fight is the way that they use both blue and orange fire to symbolize attack and defense. People will be quick to point out good (B) and evil (O), but nobody seems to point out that blue usually is symbolic of defense and red, or at least in this case orange, is symbolic of attack.
I really like and appreciate your understanding of Azula’s character I find some people miss. I also love and appreciate this review of not only the fight but story and context. It made me emotional all over again and perhaps to a different extent, adding another level of understanding and perspective. If that makes sense. Thank you for covering this so well! ATLA is nearly a masterpiece in many ways especially for a supposed kids show. It doesn’t shy away from some complexity, nuance, and detail. And you put Azula and my feelings around her into great explanation and words. People forget how young these characters really are. It really is tragic. I think they do many of the characters well
I've watched the series too many times to count at this point, but this video really brought back the level of emotion I felt when I watched it the first couple times. It's SUCH an intense scene. I actually started tearing up a bit in how well you were describing all the nuances. Cheers.
Their last fight together was beautifully done. I loved how through most it, you could only hear the backround music. No words, no sounds of frustration or pain, just no sound from them at all. It somehow really solidified how sad this fight really was. You have Zuko, who went from being the bad guy to, a guy who realize what he was doing was wrong and started to work towards redemption, to a guy who changes his ways and is surrounded by genuine friends who care about him. Then you have Azula, who went from a ruthless, tyrant who wanted to control others to, a girl who you see glimpses of humanity in and think maybe there might be a redemption for her, to a girl who is all alone and broken down, to the point where she lost all trust in others and power becomes her ultimate goal/comfort. The same coin, just on different sides, battling eachother to the bitter end. It makes it all the more sadder and satisfying that Azula lost at her worst. Futher showing how weak and broken she has become throughout the series. One last thing, nobody really talks about how Mai and Ty Lee were terrible friends. Not because they betrayed her but, because they never tried to make her see what she was doing was wrong. For example, you have Katara who became dead set on murdering her mother's killer. Sokka and Aang tried their best to stop her before she left to do it, then when the time came to decide, Katara realized that they were right and she wasn't going to become a murderer because some else stooped so low to kill someone else. Ty Lee and Mai never even asked Azula that "Maybe what you are doing is wrong?" when Azula actually had time to think (I think Ty Lee tried like twice maybe? To ask Azula to maybe rethink her actions but, stopped immediately when Azula dismissed her right away). A small sentence but, one that might've helped her turn around. When they betrayed her, that sentence probably would've been floating around in her head all day, irritated that they might be right during her breakdown. Then, near the end of her fight with Zuko and/or Katara, she stops. Realizing that there's no point in fighting because she realized how wrong she really was all along, her friend(s) were right about her and understands why they betrayed her. Sure, it would take a long time for someone like Azula to be fully redeemed but, it would be the first step. I'm just an little salty that her friends just encouraged her actions, not even bothering to tell her that maybe she could still turn around. I expected nothing from Mai but, I hoped Ty Lee would say something at the prison when they betrayed her.
I love that Azula doesn’t actually start crying or writhing right after she’s chained. It’s when she sees Zuko and Katara standing there together, she realises she’s all alone.
Omg(
Something people tend to miss!
I’ve never thought of it like that
I don't think that's what happening
Why oh why is it always that I miss 100 things in scenes/fights like these!
Also, I love having red represent the good character and blue the bad in this scene, completely subverting the typical colour coding.
A la Star Wars
I don’t think that was the point. I think it was just to separate her as character design. Showing she is unique, not she is evil.
@@christopherjackson3455 actually, blue fire is 1000degrees hotter
@@mariamkuchava3811 That is why he used the words percieved and registered.
@@christopherjackson3455 idk about other people but I always perceived cold as good and hot as bad so I think it did break the coding
I love how Zuko actually 'lost' in order to protect a friend. The ending showed both Zuko's emotional growth and Katara's insane bending power.
He didn’t lose
@@ndukajohn1242 in the most literal sense of the word, he did. I think it's obvious what I meant.
Yeah, when Katara froze Azula with her, that was insane and i didn't see that coming when she were seeing the water below her, i thought she would make octopus-stand
@@BrianStorm742 so u call it a loss when azula was the one who called for a 1v1 and then atked the person she didnt challenge to the fight?
also every move zuko had in check
@@TheKidblazer1 again, what I meant is obvious.
I just noticed that she always dodges to Zuko's right because she knows he's probably at least partially blind in that eye.
Really? The level of detail that this show actually went, to have the cold and calculated sibling take advantage of something most wouldn't even consider, that's incredible
This made me remember the scene where azula playing volleyball and told everyone to focusing attack on right side
Wait, wouldn’t it be his left? His left eye is injured.
His left is Azula’s right.
@@dieselexkore2063 it was a girl, she was using one of her legs a little off, Azula pointed it out and won because of it
Its the beachball episode
Thank god for this resurgence of Atla in the mainstream, so we can all gush again and see great video essays like this about it
lewa3910 If you like video essays about Atla then you’ll love Hello Future Me’s videos about Avatar The Last Airbender. Also, try Sage’s Rain. Both their channels have such beautiful video essays on Atla
@@kayhaych05 there was also a guy called slice of otaku but his channel dont exist no more for some reason
ARK 912 i used to watch his videos as well :) I think he renamed his channel the Amagi. Might need to double check tho
Some of the best long form story telling ever; no trace of hyperbole.
@@ark9122 he still exists he just changed his name
I gotta say also, what a perfect finesse of balancing Katara's power levels too. She's fighting a supercharged firebending master (who is psychologically slipping but still) the moon isn't even out. Katara has a ton of environmental disadvantages but the one advantage she has over Azula, Her Mental State and clear thinking, is the thing she utilizes and eventually beats her. And this doesn't, FOR A SECOND, give off the impression that Katara is an _OP Mary Sue_ or anything because her growth in ability and maturity have been shown and she EARNED her skills while also being gifted. IDK I just feel like Katara is a perfect example of how to write a compelling character dealing with Power Creep. She was the first bender we ever saw and has been having to deal with the Upped Ante of what is possible every episode and every season, but still in a believable way.
I love how Katara won completely by wits when she was at every disadvantage. She knew that if the fight went on long enough she'd likely lose, not to mention Zuko desperately needed healing attention that only she could give him. So she had to end the fight quickly and came up with a genius spur of the moment plan to do so. What made it even better is she had to knowingly walk a tightrope by letting Azula get close to her and hope that Azula was so drunk with power and mentally tossed that she wouldn't pay attention to her surroundings. BUT Katara also had to gamble on the hope that Azula wasn't SO unhinged that she wouldn't follow through with frying Katara (and herself) the moment she sprung her trap. Just a perfect moment.
An apprentice, thrown to the wolves and proves themself a survivor. My favorite kind of story. It probably mirrors a lot of (most?) people’s teens/20s.
Her victory is foreshadowed in The Crossroads of Destiny. In that episode, while Katara and Azula were fighting one on one, Katara had the edge, and kept it until Zuko joined Azula and they teamed up on her. Katara is simply better than Azula head to head, partly because she's enough of a prodigy herself that Azula's natural genius doesn't end up being that much of an edge and partly because her style of waterbending is a good stylistic counter to Azula's style of firebending. Water puts out fire. The cold of ice inhibits the energy of fire. And Azula's nimbleness just doesn't work as well against water that flows and turns and follows and submerges.
What I think also happened is that Azula lacks experience in fighting a waterbender. She mostly fought against fire and earthbenders, but never actually encountered a waterbender other than Katara. As someone mentioned the s2 finale, Zuko, who was supposed to be weaker than Azula, was actually doing better than her while fighting her. He was most likely taught by Iroh about how to fight with different benders
@@repzgaming5 Azula would still have killed Zuko and Katara if she didn't have her mental break down she is op
I found that Zuko's style was much less aggressive. Showing his retraining by the dragons, moving away from anger and aggression. Much like his character arc. Wow avatar is the perfect show
it really is
is is. it really is the perfect show. really giving me the feels
Not just less aggressive, but also borrowing from all of his companions. He counters Azula's first attack from a stance that looks a lot like Toph's earthbending. He later uses a spinning kick that we've seen Aang use since Book 1. And don't forget the lightening redirect.
Azula's facial expressions are so well animated though
Her entire character design is incredibly well thought out. Her face and hair is perfectly symmetrical compared to Zuko's and the only time it isn't is when she cuts her hair. Her cut hair reflects how she's slipped and just hammers home that now she's fallen from perfection and now is matched with Zuko
Plus her voice actor is incredible
@@caitlyn2910 It's amazing how they manage to convey a sense of empathy for her through the animation and voice acting, despite the things she's done.
@@caitlyn2910 her voice acting during the breakdown was amazing, it sounds almost as if the voice actress herself was crying
@@tsunami3963 when she breaks down at the end and is rolling around pulling at the chains and full out sobbing makes me cry every single time I watch it
All true. I recently rewatched ATLA and it hits you that Zuko getting banished and Iroh is in exile with him was probably the best thing for Zuko. Azula? She was already a troubled kid, and then left all alone with Ozai. She never had a chance.
I'm so sick of this! I don't pity her, she is evil.
CarnisianLady no, no she isn’t. It would be ignorant to say so. Ozai is evil. Azula has a lot of character traits from her father, more than Zuko has. But they both still have a good mother who by the way kind of neglected Azula because she just couldn’t understand her. Azula has only been influenced by Ozai which made her even worse than she originally was. She had no one who truly loved her and guided her. She knew deep down her father only loved her abilities. If she made just one tiny mistake, if she failed just one time, if she wasn’t all over perfect, Ozai would instantly drop her. That poor girl is 14 and already has that much pressure on her. Nowadays she would need therapy for all those mental health issues she has. She’s a great villain
@@CarnisianLady yes, at some point we have to take responsability for our actions, and Azula is well past this point in that scene. However, we can still pity that circumstances lead what could otherwise be a great leader or artist or any other thing she wanted into the psycopath that she became. It's through this udnerstanding of circumstances and pity of the results that we can avoid this happening in the future. But that doesn't mean she should walk free, she needs to take responsability, we are just sad that she came to this
CarnisianLady just because she’s a villain doesn’t mean people can’t pity her, she was abused just as Zuko was, maybe their abuse was different, but in the end she was still a victim of Ozai’s cruelty, I think that if her life and father were different then maybe she could have been too.
@@CarnisianLady She is a child. Children should not be held to the same standards as adults. She could still change.
I interpreted Zuko's style as a mix of all four elements with his own breakdancing. The Dancing Dragon of Fire benders, taking root like an Earth bender and uses fluid motions like Air and Water benders. He's learned from his entire journey the same as Aang, Katara, and Toph.
Iroh would be proud given he invented lightning bending by studying water bending.
I love how Zuko's fighting style has just been broken down to breakdancing 😃
It's also the thematic evolution of that idea Iroh impressed upon him when he taught him how to redirect lightning: you don't have to be the Avatar to learn from other benders. _How_ the elements are used is as important as _which_ element gets used. You can learn a great deal from other people and other cultures.
In this way, Zuko is the ultimate contrast to imperial firebending and the royal family that practices it. Fire Lord Sozen started a world world because he could not conceive of other nations having anything of value to offer. Ozai would rather destroy entire civilizations in fire, so nothing remains of their cultures but ashes. Azula is willing to use other benders (such as the Dai Li), but learns nothing from them and discards them when they've outlived their usefulness.
Zuko is the only one who traveled the world, got to know its people, lived as they lived, and learned their ways. A fire bender he would always remain, but one who approaches it in a holistic, balanced manner.
@@Bluecho4 He also understood Fire better and found peace in it. He was comfortable using his inner fire without rage like most fire bender.
Well, Zuko learns from Iroh and he studied the other forms of bending to enhance his own fire ending so it’s not crazy to think that Iroh has been teaching him different styles and forms from all types of bending.
@Bon Jovi Zuko's been breakdancing since his Agni Kai with Zhao. th-cam.com/video/TNI1OQ7S44Y/w-d-xo.html
One other detail I'd like to add is the final move Katara uses. It's got aspects of all four bending styles rolled into one. Of course, it's waterbending, but the breathing through the nose resembles the Breath of Fire technique Iroh taught Zuko which Zuko used in his fight with Katara. That tecehnique was derived from Airbending (and the creative, non-aggressive nature of Katara's move also somewhat reflects Airbending philosophy). Katara also uses it to move through solid material by liquifying it around her - a technique common amongst master Earthbenders such as Bumi. It's used against Azula who, for all her capabilities as a firebender, never really appreciated the other cultures, and thus was rigid and stale.
ATLA did a fantastic job of articulating why diversity is a good thing, in a way that feels relevant and authentic. Hollywood please take note. This is the correct way to advocate for this stuff, not superficial ‘representation’.
This show is so good, primarily because it shows instead of telling. Katara first looked at Aang to learn Waterbending, she first saw him as a master, not an air master. She always was open to the other element. In her motherly threats, she looked at the other and observe their strength so she could learn herself
To add: Its really hard to bend without movement, especially on the scale and precision in this situation, Katara could just as good be frozen to death.
Northern water benders (aka Pakku) see fully icing the opponent as a 'finishing move' because bending needs movement. That shows that normal water benders don't ice themselves as a matter of fact. Katara icing herself along with Azula would have been considered a suicide move by any other benders.
Do not forget, Katara had her dark night as well. I shall never forget Zuko's reaction to her blood bending.
Zuko's and every single one of us; I still remember watching for the first time and thinking "Is she gonna go full Darth Vader rn?!!". Katara as the mother figure of the group always gives the most gut punching moments on her focused episodes.
Anyone else think there are some parallels between Katara and Willow from Buffy?
If Katara really went dark, who knows how much terrible power she could have wielded.
He’s just like “oh... oh fuck me thank the sun I stopped fighting these guys could she do that all along? This is horrifying”
i always kind of disliked katara for that. She had that spark of evil in her and I could always feel it
@Victoria Anderson yeah, that could be. And anger can be a powerful motivator too.
The Appa and Momo fight would like a word with you
Chakras! Get your chakras!
Appa ate momo
Funniest part ever
@@supermario-N64 after Momo defeated, yeah sure Appa did that 😂
Chakras are good! Yum!
The music in this, especially when contrasted with Aang + Ozai and Sokka, Suki, and Toph’s battles really makes this fight. I love that the drums are super minimal, almost to make way for the sounds of Fire blasts to fill the space. The battle itself is almost part of the music. SO FREAKIN STUNNING.
Especially when you hear the fumes of fire brushing in the air while accompanying the rhythm of the music. Makes this fight scene so much more. Yes, the visual is a spectacle, but it shows how far these characters have come, how much energy they spent training to get to where they are in that very stifling moment. The music is most unforgettable, it tells of a tragic tale of a little girl who held too much power, and too much emotion, it would eventually cause her to snap. This fight, i never forgot, nor will i ever forget it.
Sadly, this moment in time occurs very rarely. You can say 1,000 movies have captured a moment like this, but me and many others would come back with, but the 1,000,000,000 movies out there fail to capture an inkling of emotion and thought like this show has.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is a lightning in a bottle.
One of my favorite observations is from Hello Future Me when he points out that "half a year ago he would have been furiously celebrating that he managed to defeat her. But now he's only sad at the loss of what could have been"
Zuko was set free when he was banished, even if he didn't see it that way at first. Azula, on the other hand, was chained down to her father, to a destiny that leads to her demise, much like how she was literally chained to the floor of the Fire Nation by Katara. (I don't think those parallels are a coincidence, btw) Azula never had a chance to do something else, to be something else. Zuko was banished, thinking that was his destiny (again, burdened on him by his father) was the only thing tieing him to the fire nation, to his throne. but with Iroh, he saw that wasn't how it should be. if only Azula had that chance. If only Azula was set free.
yes
I disagree. She displayed signs of machvelianism and sadism from a very young age. Zuko has always been compassionate and empathetic forced to put those aside.
They could have set up a season or two with Azula's redemption arc after book 3. She could have escaped and led a rebellion against this new peace. In this new arc maybe the whole gang, especially Zuko, Iroh, Mai, and Ty Lee help her re-write her story. They probably could have gotten two more seasons out of that story arc. Maybe just 1. Anyways, I think it could have been awesome.
Swetha Berana well she was already shown to be a bit of a sociopath and a sadist as a kid, and anything you can reply to that would just be speculation at this point until we get more of there backstories as kids
He didn't like when he was invited back with his honour restored. He didn't like the prince his father expected. He knew then his uncle was right, he should choose his destiny not others.
One part that i love about this battle that i never see in these analysis videos is when Zuko shoots an especially big fireblast and Azula is forced to barely dodge it. We get a close up to Azula’s face and we see her surprised and a little scared by how powerful Zuko has become. We saw her leagues ahead of Zuko in terms of combat ability at the beginning of Book 2 but now the firebending prodigy is forced onto her backfoot.
Imagine how hot it must've been during that
It's fine! It's a *dry* heat. 😉
I can't even handle sitting close to a campfire for a while lmao
Welp. It burned down most of the palace district of the city so yup
I was just thinking the same thing.
If you can't stand the heat, don't start an Agni Kai.
I really like how in the final episodes, the main cast starts to really play off of each other and grow. Aang, gets seriousness from the group, Sokka becomes the leader he was growing to be the whole series, Zuko grows amazingly compassionate and parallels iroh in ways both directly obvious, and in ways that require analysis into the show to notice, (like the lightning deflection), and katara starts to develop more tactically, instead of operating based on emotion, (the water freeze thing definitely seems like a sokka style plan, imo)
“Except for Zuko. Because he does love her even though he knows she needs to be beaten”
that sentence is so right
A cool thing I found out was that the animators for atla hired a martial arts teacher so they could accurately animate the fights and also another reason why Zuko doesn’t run out of breath is because iroh teaches him to have controlled breathing and that’s where fire bending comes from
@@trequor I'd love to learn more about the individual advisors of each style. I've googled it a little before but didn't come across much information - mind sharing links?
OH MY GOD he uses fire daggers in their first fight because he's a better swordsman than Azula, while she's a better fire bender and he was doing everything he could to get an edge.
I love the fact that the highlighting of Azula's background makes you understand her, her breakdown makes you sympathetic to her, but in no way does it redeem her. So upon her defeat you feel kinda bad about the w at the same time, which lines up perfectly with what the main characters are experiencing at that point. Rarely done this way, rarely executed so perfectly.
Just noticed that Zuko - still Aang's foil in some ways at the end of the show even if they've become friends - is left with a scar on his front to mirror the one on Aang's back. And both are from Azula.
zuko's scar is not from azula
@@cynicalgold9992 the scar on his chest in the finale is from Azula, the scar I'm talking about that mirrors Aang's scar on his back. Zuko's eye does not mirror Aang's back.
An aspect of this fight that I don't often hear mentioned is how some of Zuko's strength is from his time with team avatar and his travels through the other nations. Throughout the fight we see him using very strong stances and just flat out stopping attacks like an earthbender, using the spin kick as a radial attack and knocking an opponent off balance seems to be drawn from airbenders, and we know lightning redirection is derived from waterbending. He learned from the other elements like Iroh told him to.
One other detail I love is that in the first season Iroh reminds Zuko about the breath of fire and later he uses it to escape when frozen by Katara. Azula never had a chance to learn the technique from Iroh and was defeated because of it.
I cry every time I watch this fight and this was no exception.
Me too!
And “Tales of Uncle Iroh” ruins me every time I watch that episode. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
I love the detail that the people who make the show put into the fighting styles, even going down to the individual level. Firebending is based on Northern Shaolin Kung Fu, which relies on powerful strikes, sweeping gestures. However, you've shown that the martial art is only a baseline and doesn't define all firebenders.
BTW, 2 things: 1) Love the new profile picture. 2) Do you think Azula should've gotten her bending taken away? Would it have helped her or made things worse for her personally?
Made things worse for her but that doesn't mean her bending should have not been taken away
Narratively, no and I'm glad that didn't happen. It both sets a bad precedent in universe and also cheapens Aang's fight with Ozai.
2 is exactly what Amon started
"I'm uncomfortable with what your powers might inflict, so you can't have them"
(I know you didn't go that far, but then again I want to unleash your thinking over it 😉)
MrNicoJac well that uncomfortable feeling leads to the instinct of taking away their bending because of fear and as zahir says “instinct is a lie, told by a fearful body”
azula has as discussed almost no one. but in the very least she has herself. being blessed with blue flame and being a prodigy firebender is tied up with how she sees herself. being a princess and daughter of Ozai is also what forms some of her personality but her firebending is why she felt comfortable with those other roles. her tireless pursuit of perfection is in her belief that her exemplary ability is why she deserves her status. zuko was tossed away because he was weak he was unloved by ozai because he was weak. and therefore she was worthy for her strength.
to take it away would strip her of literally everything, even her own identity. she is no longer heir to the fire nation being that zuko nor iroh would never allow her to reign. her father is a defeated powerless prisoner that idol has been shown to be false. the friends/allies she cultivated were shown that even with her incredible power and strength could not be even cowed into pretending to respect and honour her.
to take it away shed have nothing. and unless azula became content with a noname ignored life one she worked so hard to never be banished too i very honestly believe she'd kill herself.
as dark as that is.
I've seen this fight so many times and I still can't look away every time I watch it. I can't help but cry every time Azula breaks down at the end. Her character is so cleverly developed. I only recently watched it for the first time as a teen but I can see how a kid could view her as the typical moustache twisting villain but she's such a complex and tragic character that the more you think about it the more depressed you feel.
Zuko breaks the cycle of abuse from his father, but Azula stays trapped in it.
Anyone familiar with the abusive parents and especially narcissistic parents can see the tragedy of it.
Thank you so much for this❤️
I’m a Karate teacher and we are having a “Avatar: The Last AIRBENDER” theme this week for both my children’s classes and in the Adult classes too. It has been so fun and fascinating. We were doing Katas and seeing which one is most like each “bending/element” and how all Katas have all bending/elements in them.
I love your explanation about how civilian/military fire bending has lower stances yet Azula, who probably has a more enhanced training, has more fluidity in her movements. Her Martial Arts style and character has always intrigued me the most (and Zuko). For myself being both Japanese & Chinese descent & learning Martial Arts from both paternal and maternal sides, I see so many of what I learned in them (I still have so much to learn!)
I tell all the Karate-ka how this battle scene is one of my favourites of all time and you explained perfectly why.
I’m going to share your video with my students. Thank you 🙏
See I always thought that was Zukos foot
It starts to slip but then it corrects itself and becomes sturdy and rooted
Cuz Azula's style always tried to catch her opponents off balance either physically or mentally but she can't do that with Zuko now
🤷♀️ Different interpretations I guess
It's definitely Zuko's foot, you can tell from the camera angle. Not to mention the shot right before and after it are focused on Zuko.
It is Zuko's foot. Azula was wearing shoes that point upwards at the tips (sidenote: which is typical Fire Nation, good Hotman). Zuko was wearing shoes with a line down the center of them.
The universe has apparently been pushing me to rewatch the show again. People have been talking about it more, a friend of mine binged the whole thing over the weekend, and now here you are brilliantly discussing what may be one of the greatest scenes in the history of animation....Well I guess it's a good thing I'm not planning on going anywhere for a while. :P
everyone is just getting back into the show again, and because of that youtube is probably recommending a few of the videos people are making because of its resurgence in popularity
I just finished the show and it's one of the best ones I've seen
Do it! I'm telling you, I've seen the show probably a dozen times by now and it still doesn't get old. Heck, I instantly rewatched it again when it became available on Netflix!
I wanted to watch it with my parents, but then they were like “it seems too childish” (they did say it a bit nicer) and now I am thoroughly disheartened.
@@薇vern Avatar is literally the only animated series my mom ever liked; and even for movies the list is super short.
I just love the amount of ATLA content that is popping up and particularly with this fight. I love that Zuko is being more evasive and reactionary, and Azula’s being more forthright and chaotic with her attacks. It’s a role reversal from their original fighting styles and the animation just brings it all together. It definitely never left my mind since I was five years old.
I swear everyone is writing a school essay in these comments
I know right, there is so many people in the comment saying a 500 word essay so that is WAY too annoying, i dont know why must people say such long comments so i bet you are angry lol
YEETBOI69 420YT bro...
There’s also people that are whining and crying how anime fights are better
I don’t blame them. The show is a masterpiece
Waffles you right 😂
8:07
I honestly felt heartbroken when I saw this scene as a kid. I didn't understand everything about the depth behind it, but I could still see that Azula was crying for having nothing and no one rather than losing.
yes, in that moment, Azula, the child who was never loved, the child who could never be good enough, is crying and that makes it so, so sad.
My favorite small detail is how zukos stances in the fight miror the different styles of the separate kingdoms do including mirroring some of Aangs moves
The Agni Kai was better than Aang's fight with Ozai
I agree
I do not agree
agree
Zuko's arc is better than Aang's and the main story
Fab PR Zuko’s ark is mirror to Aangs ark. They even have matching Azula lightning scars, Anng on his back and Zuko on his stomach.
1:20 I'm pretty sure that's Zuko's foot. I think he's repositioning himself to more attack the palace than Azula to make her lose focus even more. Which works perfectly. She sees what happened and loses it. But perhaps it is Azula's foot. Who cares? This is the greatest animated fight I've seen.
It's zuko's foot of course. It wouldn't make sense if it was azula' foot.
yeah it is Zuko's foot, the pattern on the shoe matches his. Azula's shoes have a golden/yellow stripe around her ankle, and a yellow dot on the top of her feet. I may or may not have rewatched their Agni Kai frame by frame to see if it is clarified there or not (you can see her feet at the beggining of their fight, when she falls and when Katara freezes her). Would have been a cool addition though if it was her foot :D
Honestly, it would be just as cool either way
I've always interpreted it as Zuko widening his stance to get better grip with his feet, because counterforce from his fire bending is so great, so powerful, it starts pushing him backwards. You can see it, that he starts sliding backward for a second, then he moves his feet in position for a more solid stance.
yeah that scene works really well for either interpretation
Out of everyone Zuko is my favorite to this day. Such a good character arch as well as he was really emotional and had a lot of internal struggle he needed to quell.
I remember watching this when I was 7 or 8 and the most striking thing about is that makes this a Bonafide classic are the colors and music. Both are pretty obvious but even as a little kid they became things that I always remembered.
yeah, the imagery is so true that we just understand it subconsciously
This is genuinely one of the best breakdowns of a scene in ATLA. I never say this, but this video needs way more views.
Thank you! 😁 (Any suggestions for places that would appreciate it gratefully received)
Agree!
@@JillBearup TIK TOK 🙌
I love how zuko doesn't even move from his position, he knows what he is doing.
except the one bit when he jumps like 20 feet in the air lol
Those violins, the chills every time. The fight itself is just art.
The way Katara ends the fight is astounding, too. She realizes that she can't beat Azula in her overpowered state, so she pretends that she is being beaten to get Azula close enough, then Katara leaves herself open when she knows that Azula will take the chance to get at her. She hinged her own life on her ability to stop them both in their tracks.
you know, that’s a nice example of tactical use of emotional intelligence. i mean, she read Azula’s emotional state correctly to know the move has a decent chance to work. it’s a great way to show that you can win a fight when your elemental power is disadvantaged and your opponent is advantaged, by utilising other strengths of your element (in water’s case, emotional mastery and intelligence) to compensate.
@@nurainiarsad7395Beautiful comment.
I think what I love most about Zuko’s concurrent growth as a character AND as a bender, is that he never reaches his full potential until he STOPS trying to use ANGER as the thing that fuels his bending. It speaks a lot to his genuinely kind nature, deep down- he was never as skilled as he could be, because he was trying to draw from a well of fury and cruelty that he just… never had within him to begin with. It’s just one of a zillion layers that makes Azula an amazing character foil, which in turn is what makes the last agni kai so insanely captivating and cathartic.
FInal Agni Kai makes me cry ever single time, no matter how many times I watch it.
The accompanying music is on my running playlist and I'll just randomly start crying while running when it come on.
Awesome, informative video!
There are so many interesting things in the lead up to this fight, too. After Azula's friends leave her, if you watch her closely, her style changes then. She abandons the precise two finger point she's been using to precisely throw fireballs around. She's already starting to throw fire around all over the place. The fight with Zuko on the airship ends in a draw, but one which Zuko is holding his own in a way he hadn't before, and one where she wasn't fighting the same way - she was basically trying to overpower you with large amounts of fire rather than using her precision to keep you off balance.
Also, another thing - Zuko challenges Azula to two Agni Kais. She refuses him both times, because she doesn't have to PROVE she's better than him, she clearly IS. So when she challenges Zuko to the Last Agni Kai, that in and of itself is a sign that she's slipping, and she KNOWS she's slipping. She no longer has the absolute confidence that she would beat Zuko. So SHE feels she has to challenge HIM. This idea never occurred to Zuko when he shows up at the capital - he was just going to figure out how to take her down with Katara's help. The very fact that she's challenging HIM probably spoke to him subconsciously, one of the things that contributes to his feeling that "she's slipping". Azula, who laughed off his challenges that he made because he was insecure and looking for any way to prove his worth, is now making similar challenges? A part of him clearly recognized that this was something he did when he felt insecure. He accepts not to prove his superiority, but because this is a quick official way to complete his mission. Not only does it ostensibly save Katara until Azula breaks the code, but the code prevents other Fire Nation people from feeling obliged to fight on one of their sides.
Why we don't study avatar in literature classes? This is a masterpiece.
One of the best series and this fight is my all time favorite in the show. I love how you break it down and explane all the details of it. Keep it up! :)
I always preferred the Aang vs Ozai fight, and I didn't know why, beyond the more varied bending, until now, after you gave an idea of a fight's theme. The theme of that battle was "fear".
Aang spent the entire series afraid. Afraid to fight at all, and then afraid to lose Katara, and then afraid to lose himself in the killing of an opponent. And even by Nightmares and Daydreams, or Sozin's Comet Part 1, he was still afraid, at leas to fight alone. And yet, he still came to fight anyway, powering on through his fear (we didn't know he found a solution for killing until after.
Ozai, however, started fearless, and not because he had backup. We'd already established in his subconscious knowledge of when the eclipse ended (even without a window, which Iroh needed), and his ability to blast Zuko across a room even while Zuko was redirecting the lightning, that he really did earn his fearsome reputation. By the start, we saw him in awe of, and then instantly mastering, his own enhanced bending. We even see him turn lightning into fire, and surpass all of Aang's bending with just his one skill.
There is a brief moment where Aang has an advantage, but in it we see the fear of both characters: Aang's fear to kill, and Ozai's fear that his own enhanced power is the only thing that could stop him.
But that moment passes, and Aang, who had already been on the defensive, is in almost full retreat. Ozai presses his advantage, and all Aang can do is cower...
Until everything changed when the Avatar State attacked.
Suddenly, Ozai's opponent isn't Aang, who he knows he can beat, but the Avatar State, whose first action is to deal a crushing physical blow. Ozai fights back briefly, but he quickly realizes the Avatar State has zero qualms about killing, or even any reservations about collateral damage. Suddenly Ozai is the one in full retreat, and with good reason. Thousands of Avatars are going in for the kill. But despite retreating, Ozai still fights offensively to defend himself, which Aang didn't.
Then, just before the Energybending sequence, we see Aang overcome a full loss of self. At first he's only able to stop the Avatar State's attacking arm, but eventually stops the state itself. It's his body, and he will end the fight his way. Which he does, but only after one last test of wills. Aang nearly loses it, but he does what he could not in the Crossroads of Destiny, or even with the Avatar State itself, accept and utilize all of himself. He knows his identity, and knows it includes fear, but he is unflappable, while Ozai is only almost unflappable, and that decides it.
@@ocelotlesbian I hope that's a good thing!
I’m really happy they made azula go crazy and be at her worse when she fought zuko, I would’ve hated it if they just made zuko beat her at her best
Why? Genuine question I would like to hear what makes you think that
Same.
I would've loved it if Zuko had grown so much that he could beat her.
Now, he held her off forever, but then he still lost. Taunting Azula never ended well for him, not even when she wasn't all there anymore.
@@nerve5946 I think its because that would kind of go against what is established. Yes, Zuko has an amazing character journey learns a looot of firebending, but Azula is (from the moment she was first mentioned basically) a fire bending progidy (can't spell sorry). She is the absolute best at firebending, she is so talented that her flames are blue which is something we don't see literally anyone else being able to do. Even from her childhood she just had way more talent naturally (even while being 2 years younger then Zuko). To simply let Azula the 'absolute firebending legend' be beaten by Zuko at her *absolute* best would kind of downgrade her character in a way I think.
@@nerve5946 because.in the show lore she is a prodigy that is supposed to be the best of the best. Zuko is a master but he's at his peak. There is no higher he can physcically go to become better. He is a master. Azula is a master of masters. Lightning bending itself is something that even master's cannot do but she is a master of it. If he beat her at her fullest than zuko would have been a Mary sue because in lore theres no physical way he could have. Odds are she could have beat her father if she wanted to.
Totally agree, ATLA don't have cheap plot like the most anime
6:04 How can you just say those words not sound emotional? I was fighting tears from just hearing you break down Zuko's journey like that. Wonderful
One thing that needs to be pointed out about the musik is, that it´s actually not just sad. It´s actually a beutiful example of musical storytelling and subconcious delivery of information. It tells two "storys" at once. One is the tragic violines dueling for dominance. But the Drums are most of the time forgotten. If you watch the fight, one thing is noticable. Zuko is in rythm with the drums, while Azula is out of rythm. The drums also beat in a breathing rythm, basically a slow in and out. It wonderfully conects to what we learned in earlier episodes, that breath is important for control. And without most people really noticing it or conciously realizing it that fact and the slow mesured, controlled rythm Zuko is in tune with informes subcociously about one thing. Zuko is in controll in this fight. He has mastered his firebending, while Azula is slipping and loosing control.
just seeing this image made me cry
I love that you mentioned the balance. This point in the show is the first time she's visually unbalanced, too, through her hair. It's such a huge rhetorical moment and the fact that you actually noted that in the fight too is just so amazing. I love this show so much.
When I was younger I was mad that Katara technically defeated Azula, but now I think it works since the irony of her being chained by a ‘peasant’ as opposed to a more worthy noble like her feels pretty satisfying.
Also the fire nation killed her mother, and she just defeated the fire lord. Its full circle for Katara too. (Ozai made azula fire lord before he left to destroy the earth kingdom.)
Good point, I also think that it adds a nice cap to Zukos arc. He started out opposing katara and the others for the purpose of regaining his honor and proving himself a noble figure of the fire nation. In the end, he sacrificed his honor and the chance to rightfully take the throne of his nation (by winning the Agni Kia) to save katara, who he now considers a close friend.
Edit: and they made it pretty clear that he was gonna win that fight, had azula not played unfairly.
Azula was exhausted.
@@dr_lubaba She wasnt exhausted in the crossroad of destiny yet we still her struggling against Katara until Zuko showed up to help.
This analysis has just made me realise again what a great show this is. Well done!
LOVE it. Thanks for breaking down the music and how heart-rending it is. Also calling out the parallel between the Zhao Agni Kai and Zuko's steadiness now.
As always, your fight breakdowns are a delight and educational!
I have never heard a better, more empathetic breakdown of this scene. I found your channel yesterday and I'm already hooked, you're amazing!
I love this series and this fight, but I can’t believe I missed how it’s Zuko that lets Azula tire herself out now. One more layer for how awesome this show is!
So glad you mentioned the music! It’s one of the things that always stood out to me in this fight. Instead of fast motions and intense drums and the grunts and growls and fire sounds we’ve come to associate with these kinds of intense fights, we’re met with near silence cut only by quietly weeping strings. It really adds to the sadness of this fight and the context surrounding it, but also serves to add more intense focus on the power of the bending and the exact moves used by both fighters. Just a lovely scene all around.
this was a fight between siblings where they both went in knowing one of them wasn’t going to walk away.
i still get emotional over this fight 15 years later.
it's been half a year since i finished my latest rewatch of the show and this video had me in tears again
This was my favourite fight in animation, but then one of the fights in Star Wars: Rebels, that might have won me over. Well, it is a very different fight, and I am not beyond having multiple favourites 😀 To avoid spoilers, the episode in question is the Twin Suns.
Yeeesssss, finally someone who likes that fight as much as me, so underrated!
It's a great fight and has cool symbolism but there are definitely better ones. Some examples: Kakashi vs Obito from Naruto Shippuden, all instances of Askeladd vs Thorfinn, including the finale from Vinland Saga, The whole sequence of Levi vs the beast titan including Erwin's charge in Attack on Titan is pretty incredible, this is just to name a few. I feel like alot of people are overhyping avatar. It's an amazing show but it pales in comparison to other animated shows, I feel like most people who praise avatar haven't seen other anime.
moises lopez Avatar isn’t really an anime, and in its fight scenes especially it isn’t trying to be. It’s not nearly as flashy or intense and impactful as anime, and yet it manages to capture just as much if not more emotion in its more grounded fight scenes because the character writing is nearly unparalleled.
@@a.morphous66 idk what you consider flashy but Kakashi vs Obito and Askeladd vs Thorfinn look better bc they're newer than avatar but they're incredibly plot based fights that have ridiculous emotion involved. Kakashi vs Obito is so simple yet it's presentation is filled with a ridiculous amount of symbolism, waaaaay more than any scene in Avatar. The same goes for Thorfinn vs Askeladd, it's like comparing Dr Suess to Ernest Hemingway, the writing, story, plot building, character development, the musical scores and cinematography is nowhere near the level of other animated shows. Again, Avatar is an amazing show and the writing is definitely deeper than any ither kid show, but some of these anime shows have writing that is up there with some of the great Hollywood movies. Avatar is good but it is objectively below other anime when you compare them all with the same criteria and critical lense.
I love that fight scene and to see one of the best rivaly in animation comes to an end in such a heartfelt moment
A really lovely detail that I am appreciating about your videos is the subtle yet ever present audio from the fight scene you're talking about.
It - like in the films themselves - provides an excellent backing to your narration.
I still haven't seen this show.... I know (shameful head bow). I'm also the one person on earth who still hasn't seen Frozen ("Inconceivable!!"). That being said, the animation in this is truly elegant and beautiful, the music is deeply emotive (I'm reminded of the music in RotJ during the Luke/Vader duel - not action, but heart wrenching). I'm always a sucker for the tragic villain story.
Excellent review, Steele Vera 😝. Even knowing nothing of this, your commentary keeps it engaging and interesting.
You have to watch Avatar, it is so amazing! ☺
Hey I’ve never seen frozen either
Lots of people haven’t seen frozen you’re fine lol
The only Frozen I've seen is from KH III.
Your words are so beautiful. Seeing the scenes and your words together has actually made me cry. It might be just the best fight ever
Glad I'm not the only person who appreciates the tragedy that is Azula
Your love for this beautiful story (and scene within the story) really comes thorough in this. It's glorious, and thank you.
“Common or Garden Firebenders” I love this channel
You are awesome at what you do, seriously. You're really good at fully explaining the separate "phrases," and even better, in my opinion, at giving character analysis/description of the importance of inter-character relationships, and most importantly of all have a passion to the topic at hand that is so well grounded that you include very intuitive humor in a few different forms. Watching your videos is truly informative and entertaining. Keep up the good work. It's awesome.
I love how the first time we really see *fear* in azula’s face is when she sees the orbiting dragon fire blast thingy
This was so well done! Avatar has been my favorite show since it aired way back when, and this finale was the perfect way to finish it. I think you put into words why that is perfectly, thanks :)
I’m still upset that the show is only 3 season... i want more, much more
DONT I REPEAT DON'T WATCH THE PIECE OF TRASH CALLED LEGEND OF KORRA IT TOTALLY DESTROYED EVERYTHING ATLA BUILD. IT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE THE KUNG FU STYLES IT IS JUST PUNCHES AND KICK FOR LITERALLY ALL THE BENDING STYLES IT STUPID
The Deity the bending styles aren’t just Kung fu
Water: tai chi
Fire: northern shaolin
Air: ba gua
Earth: hung gar
About the punching, even the shaolin warrior monk are adapting modern punches into their Kung fu style to stay up to date. It’s perfectly reasonable benders would too.
The Deity I watched it and it was ok at best, the Asian Authenticity wasn’t there like ATLA, also I didn’t like the 40s era at all
Wives Collector it’s 20-30’s big band music but yeah I agree it’s not as good as ATLA but it’s not a bad show
The Deity
Why do you feel the need to do this? You’ve already shown a great amount of bias to the show that influences others to watch it. That’s why half of the people debating haven’t even watched the show to form their own opinions. Sometimes I think the ATLA fanbase is just so toxic, it’s impossible to enjoy Korra anymore, even if you tried with people shoving “hurr korra bad” down your throat.
Jill, this video of yours is my favorite and I frequently rewatch it. Your writing is at his best :-) Thank you for putting words on this beautiful moment.
I appreciate your compassion for Azula. It's so easy to do a bit of a Danaerys thing and simply cast her as a "mad queen" character, but her and Zuko's story has so much to say about cycles of violence and how difficult it can be to break them.
So much packed into a relatively short amount of time. Masterful. And masterfully analyzed. Thank you!
Going to the Code Duello to better understand Agni Kai: this video deserves my like.
Almost got emotional when you reminded of the music used in the fight. That was powerful. Maybe the best choice in the series.
3:40 Ty Lee. Don’t diss our favorite acrobat.
I knew nothing of the world you're describing, but what an absolute joy to listen to your analysis of this fight! You've opened my eyes to something extraordinary. Thank you.
I love how you expand blame beyond Ozai as an abusive father to the entire line of fire nation royalty. Right before you said that I was thinking how its Sozin who is really guilty here since he made the choice to shape his entire family and nation around dominating others
I absolutely LOVE your take on this, Jill. Thank you for doing this!🙆♂️ Avatar the Last Airbender is easily one of my top 10 shows of all time, not just top animated shows and how they wrapped up the finale is easily one of the reasons why especially given how difficult it is to wrap up multiple storylines well. I remember kind of stumbling upon this show by accident on Nickelodeon like in 2007 or so and falling in love with it and how well balanced and character-immersive it is. As epic and awesome the final fight scene is with Ozai and Aang, the Agni Kai fight between Azula and Zuko always makes me tear up because as you put it, it is very tragic and bittersweet because Zuko still loves Azula but knows that she is overly dangerous and destructive and would cause so much more pain and suffering as Fire Lord if she wasn't stopped. So yeah, the way the fight was shot and especially the soundtrack music just perfectly brought it home and gets me every time 😭😭🥰
I just finished Avatar {yep, I am THAT late to the party....} and honestly... I think this isn't one fight, it's *two*.
The first, the Agni Kai, with the visuals and the music and the emotional resonance, is the culmination of Zuko and Azula's character arcs and conflict [and it should never, ever have been this way and it's heartbreaking in so many ways]. Zuko wins [morally, emotionally, psycologically and for all narrative purposes] when Azula attacks Kataara out of desperation, because she realises that she can't win.
This ends the Agni Kai and Zuko's sacrifice leads [most delightfully seamlessly] into the second fight of Kataara VS Azula. And this reinforces all the themes of friendship and forgiveness and symmetry and how our choices define our destinies etc. It culminates Kataara's arc of mastering waterbending, echos the ending of Season 2, and...ultimately Azula is not just defeated, but destroyed. And there is no joy in the victory, for anyone involved.
I just found this channel yesterday and I'm already so obsessed... you are on my list of people I need to support on patreon once I get out of grad school
Green Columns remind me of those vine compilations on TH-cam.
I'd like to comment on how concise and pleasant your videos (at the very least the ones I've watched) are. You speak with such property, yet, in such a light-hearted way, that makes watching feel not tiring at all.
My point is your videos feel energising, to me. Refreshing. Listening to your opinion feels both comforting and enlightening. At least to me.
Thanks for taking the time to do these.
Azula lost the fight from the start look at her stance directly before the fight starts
This fight! It gives you an emotional journey and they way you analized it played so perfectly with it; I got welled up.
I’m so ready to watch alok
It's an interesting ride.
Jonathan Johnson is it really?
@@ryandeanboy yes. It's a more modern setting to start off with. Just understand this Avatar; Korra, has to grow in a different way than most in the past. You'll find out the further you watch(don't want to spoil to much). It'll be available Aug. 14th on Netflix
It helps that you're talking about some of the greatest material ever created, but you're a really beautiful storyteller, and I found this video legitimately moving. Thanks for sharing your passion!
No. It’s the best fight ever.
oh my god I got very emotional watching this video. I guess I do love zuko. Man, your breakdown of the fight highlights why I love this series; every scene is built with so much care and insight of each character's journey. Thank you!!
i'd say this fight is on the level of Lee vs. Gaara in Naruto, which is basically as high as you could get.
amazing breakdown, thank you so much for going so in-depth on the emotional side of the fight, azulas backstory and her relationship with her family is so tragic. also really cool that you mentioned the sad and tragic tone of the music and the musical differences towards other more triumphant fights.
Everyone here never watched a good anime because this is not the best animated fight🤣
Opinions are a thing...
@@Julian-pw5mv But is an opinion really valid if all options haven't been explored? Is saying Vanilla is the best ice cream flavor valid if you've only ever eaten vanilla icecream?
@@moiseslopez981 yes, if you can't have an opinion without exploring all options nobody can have any opinion at all. And also that is not at all what I was saying, op said that if you have watched anime finding this fight the best is impossible. Aka he finds any opinion that isn't an anime fight is the best invalid.
@@Julian-pw5mv Nice strawman. You completely changed the words of the dude who commented originally and put words in his mouth 😂. But I think you missed my point, I didn't mean literally exploring every option, I just meant that people should broaden their horizon before making an opinion public, or else they just slund uninformed and dumb. Also to the majority of people here, Avatar is their only "anime" experience, which explains why so many people are going nuts over its resurgence and calling it the best. I agree with what the original comment said, Avatar pales in comparison to other animations. It's a great show and it's pretty deep for being a kid show but when you compare it to other works it's really hard to even justify calling it the best, even as an "opinion".
@@moiseslopez981 that avatar pales in comparison to anime is an opinion which is fine. But op literally said that if someone likes this they have not seen an anime. Which means he thinks this is bad compared to anime fights, which again is fine, if he were talking about himself. But he is talking about everyone here, assuming they haven't seen anime because they don't have the same opinion as him.
Amazing video! One thing that I usually don’t see about “breakdowns,” of this fight is the way that they use both blue and orange fire to symbolize attack and defense. People will be quick to point out good (B) and evil (O), but nobody seems to point out that blue usually is symbolic of defense and red, or at least in this case orange, is symbolic of attack.
I really like and appreciate your understanding of Azula’s character I find some people miss. I also love and appreciate this review of not only the fight but story and context. It made me emotional all over again and perhaps to a different extent, adding another level of understanding and perspective. If that makes sense.
Thank you for covering this so well! ATLA is nearly a masterpiece in many ways especially for a supposed kids show. It doesn’t shy away from some complexity, nuance, and detail. And you put Azula and my feelings around her into great explanation and words. People forget how young these characters really are. It really is tragic. I think they do many of the characters well
I love The Last Airbender too! Thank you for this awesome insight into the happenings and background of this fight. Great video, two thumbs up!! :)
I've watched the series too many times to count at this point, but this video really brought back the level of emotion I felt when I watched it the first couple times. It's SUCH an intense scene. I actually started tearing up a bit in how well you were describing all the nuances. Cheers.
Their last fight together was beautifully done. I loved how through most it, you could only hear the backround music. No words, no sounds of frustration or pain, just no sound from them at all. It somehow really solidified how sad this fight really was.
You have Zuko, who went from being the bad guy to, a guy who realize what he was doing was wrong and started to work towards redemption, to a guy who changes his ways and is surrounded by genuine friends who care about him.
Then you have Azula, who went from a ruthless, tyrant who wanted to control others to, a girl who you see glimpses of humanity in and think maybe there might be a redemption for her, to a girl who is all alone and broken down, to the point where she lost all trust in others and power becomes her ultimate goal/comfort.
The same coin, just on different sides, battling eachother to the bitter end. It makes it all the more sadder and satisfying that Azula lost at her worst. Futher showing how weak and broken she has become throughout the series.
One last thing, nobody really talks about how Mai and Ty Lee were terrible friends. Not because they betrayed her but, because they never tried to make her see what she was doing was wrong. For example, you have Katara who became dead set on murdering her mother's killer. Sokka and Aang tried their best to stop her before she left to do it, then when the time came to decide, Katara realized that they were right and she wasn't going to become a murderer because some else stooped so low to kill someone else. Ty Lee and Mai never even asked Azula that "Maybe what you are doing is wrong?" when Azula actually had time to think (I think Ty Lee tried like twice maybe? To ask Azula to maybe rethink her actions but, stopped immediately when Azula dismissed her right away). A small sentence but, one that might've helped her turn around. When they betrayed her, that sentence probably would've been floating around in her head all day, irritated that they might be right during her breakdown. Then, near the end of her fight with Zuko and/or Katara, she stops. Realizing that there's no point in fighting because she realized how wrong she really was all along, her friend(s) were right about her and understands why they betrayed her. Sure, it would take a long time for someone like Azula to be fully redeemed but, it would be the first step.
I'm just an little salty that her friends just encouraged her actions, not even bothering to tell her that maybe she could still turn around. I expected nothing from Mai but, I hoped Ty Lee would say something at the prison when they betrayed her.