How Toph Grew Up
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- Опубликовано: 18 сен 2024
- Ah, Avatar the Last Airbender. It's been too long since I've revisited you.
Every time I re-watch this show, I discover something new. The depth of its characters is truly spectacular, and that absolutely applies to Toph. On the surface, she's just the Gaang's heavy hitter, a badass earthbender brought on to kick butt and teach Aang how to move boulders. But she's so much more than that. She's a kid, searching for freedom and independence, but what she finds is new responsibility and new expectations placed upon her. As it turns out, though, those aren't so bad...
Love how even the arguably strongest character in avatar has an arc about relying on others. We all need one another.
Yep, definitely a strong character done right
*aragorn therapist meme*
@@_emory So true
And that's how you write a disabled character. With agency and as much independence as possible, but acknowledging they are limited in certain areas, just like everyone else, and with human flaws, just like everyone else. Perfect writing.
Like when she swallows her pride, learns some grace and femininity from Katara, and asks for help in writing a letter. I love the arc in the earth kingdom.
Toph: raised by an elite class, she was isolated from her peers, and forced to hide her true self. She dismisses authority because of its overall silliness and prejudices (it’s surprisingly anarchistic in some regard), but she is also upset that her own parents didn’t understand her and she even acts against parental figures to defy her parents (love that moment where katara correctly guesses why toph takes risks against her orders). Toph is the def of never judging a book by its cover and to treat everyone with respect and dignity.
Bryke; that”s true and she became a cop as an adult of a police force that kept benders and nonbenders segregated and was prone to corruption,, becoming an authority figure, having a naive view of crime, never punishing her daughter who committed not one but two crimes, never answering lin’s questions about her dad and then dismissing her concerns. Hey, it kinda sounds a lot like her parents! Everything rhymes as George Lucas said! We smart!
Toph's metal suit at the end is so incredible. I just realized it doesn't have holes for her eyes. Cool detail
Sokka:Its so dark down here!
Toph: Oh no! What a nightmare!
Maturing is realizing “the power of friendship” is peak storytelling
Until it's "I survived an exploding mech because of the power of friendship." or something just as outlandish. I wouldn't be surprised if an anime series decided to do that at some point. Oh, wait, I think Gundam SEED did such a thing, only it was the power of love.
It takes strength to show you are capable, but it takes as much strength to admit to need help.
This is the best way to develope a disabled character. Toph is my favorite aminated character
FR!
I think a better term is limited
No, no. Disabled is alright.
The Boulder is feeling Conflicted!
The Pebble!
Nice
@ivanhunter6492 the boulder is no longer conflicted.
Hey I like your profile picture!
Do you by chance recognize mine too?
Toph has got the best maturity arc of any animated character, and don’t you dunderheads ever forget it!
I love how the show uses tea as a vehicle to show how much Iroh cares. If any other character tried to do that, it would still come off as condescending to Toph. But when Iroh does it, he just loves tea that much that you can tell it gives him the warm fuzzies inside to be able to share his love for tea with somebody else that he'll gladly pour it for them.
Currently I rewatch Avatar to learn humility from Zuko, and it's nice to see you also return to appreciate the tales that matter
One of my favorite characters from the show. In a lot of ways her arc is more subtle than some of the others, but it's still there, she still grows and matures a lot as a character.
The point that Toph's motives "get purified" deserved to make it into the audio, not just a quick flashcard. That is such an important point for all of us to consider. Sometimes we just need to do what is right because it is right. Our motives may at first just be a sense of obligation, but our motives can be purified in the doing.
I think the key component here is that hate isn't the opposite of love - apathy is. Lets say someone has no interest in sports, but everyone else in society seems to care deeply about watching sports. They pretend to like them for a time to go along with everyone else, but eventually get tired of it. That's fine. But if instead of giving up the ruse, they then outwardly, openly express their *dislike* of sports and build part of their identity about *hating* sports, they're still defining themselves relative to it. They're not free from it, they're just tying themselves further to it by being resentful and contrary.
Toph rebels against getting help from people, and from authority in general, because it goes against what her parents were to her and she was sick of going along with it for so long. Accepting help doesn't mean she's weak, and rules can be important. But she can't help but actively push back against these things, because despite 'running away' her parents are still with her, living rent-free in her head. She's rebelling against them specifically, but away from them where they'll never see it, so it accomplishes nothing. It isn't until she gets closer with the gang, and eventually accepts them as a new family; even Katara as part-sister-part-maternal figure, that she's able to be helped without protest and literally, blindly jump off of cliffs without question. Because she's replaced the rebellion towards those that control her without understanding her, with trust towards those who respect her.
Toph doesn't become fully capable and the best form of herself until she lets go of the ill-fitted family she left behind. It's an arc about letting go of resentment, choosing your family, and not deciding that you're beyond judgement, but deciding who is worthy of judging you.
Your videos have honestly made me rewatch this show with a more critical eye, then you come out with another one, let's GOOOO!
Dang man that ending made me emotional and I've never even seen the entire show. What a great video!
Just sayin, the *best* way to watch the show if youve nvr watched it is to watch OverAnalyzing Avatars series on it; truly the best way to get into the series if not gonna actually watch it the proper way - my ADHD self can actually pay attention thru his vids quite easily heh, whereas even tho ive watched Avatar before... Its not smth i can easily get myself to just watch all the way thru again; as opposed to like just watchin an ep here or there bcuz its a rly good ep i feel like rewatchin
@@SylviaRustyFae thank you!
We already know that the earth bending isnt a true lie detector is much closer to a polygraph
This is true.
@@master_samwise Hey there✌I'm new to your content and love your analysis videos like this recent one and was wrong if maybe you'd like to make one about the masculinity of Jin Sakai from Ghost of Tsushima, I don't know how much you may or may not know about it but it is a beautiful game with a great story with great characters and Jin Sakai is probably one of the best tragic heroes of time in my opinion ❤
I love how he works the God of War music into every video!
I love how Avatar’s character development comes in form of learning the knowledge and wisdom of the opposite elements.
This is what I love when writing (gosh I miss it, too ill at present), how we influence each other. It's so nice to see it in great stories. Currently rewatching an ancient series V, not perfect but there are various characters with experience with the situation of losing ones freedoms that show beautiful examples of what should be done. It hits hard when they don't make it (spoilers,
especially the grandfather)
Also like that yes, hard experience is often how we learn but it is beautiful when the example itself is enough. I once wrote of a broken friendship due to the downfall of one over childhood trauma. They are brought back together by necessity and other circumstances that made sense to the story. She hit s crossroads and it was this old friend that confronted her, before it was too late to save a healthy relationship she was throwing away for the same reason she had previously thrown her friend away, that it was time to face it, she was old enough to face it (gets a bit rocky in the process but good and multiple relationships have effects on each other I won't go into). Thank you for the video once again.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson needs to play Toph in the main crew. It just makes sense since they have similar builds
He could play her on ember island (apologies if that’s what you were implying already)
Nah, they definitely shouldve had him play his counterpart “The Boulder”
@@ava4689 Well, probably will run into the problem of "he can never loose" clause in his deals. But we can stick him in the Ember Islands play, lol
I think Toph is the answer to the “girl-boss.” Arrogant and sympathetic at the same time with room for character growth.
Yes exactly!
"Freedom exists for the purpose of Love."
Amazingly true! Well said!
Idk why but this video essay made me so emotional (in the best way). Your deep dive into characters is always spot on and it’s easy to see this is something you’re passionate about. Thank you for another great one!
Thank YOU!
Dawg how do you pump out this great, thought provoking videos on the weekly? It’s very inspiring, keep it up.
I sleep less than I should.
@@master_samwise Yo, your audience wants you to take care of yourself, if yavent yet, you shud rly plan brks to catch up on that rest you need, ideally around a time when viewership is likely to be lower than usual; we want you to be able to do this for as long as youre able and willin - and the best way for that to happen is for you to take care of yourself and prioritise yourself, for the sake of yourself and for the sake of what your audience clearly wants... more grt content, for longer
Aang and Toph have more parallels than I thought when first watching the show. I think they would have made a fun couple tbh 😅
Yeah, you always discover something new to your favourite show every time you revisit it. 😁
As a person with a disability, developmental rather than physical, I love how Toph doesn't let her blindness stop her from achieving her goals!
Pre-video comment: I've been dying to learn more about Avatar: The Last Airbender for quite a while, so naturally, I will now, but under my favorite YTber!
Just saw your "Why Iroh is the Pinnacle of Masculinity" last night for the first time, and this morning this is in my feed.
Guess I have to sub now.
It’s great that a girl character can be a gender nonconforming tomboy who stays true to her personality, but doesn’t get reduced to a toxic girlboss. Her being an absolute badass is not reduced by having vulnerabilities and a character arc where she has to learn how to be flexible and a better team player. She’s a sheltered little kid, she has a lot of maturing to do, and it was portrayed wonderfully.
I dig the music choices throughout.
One of the best written disabled characters that grows to be strong
Its been a while since I saw the episode, but i remember appreciating the niance in the relationship between toph and katara that was demonstrated on the bridge- toph waited for those girls to insult katara as well- hiding behind her tough toph facade without having to admit they hurt her feelings. That being said, katara both notices this and managesbto sooth that sore spot without directly calling attention to it. Good friendship moment.
the eye slit came from an animator forgetting that toph is blind lol
(is a joke, but come on, how many times have team avatar, much less us the audience forgotten she's well...blind?)
It could also help with visual storytelling. Toph is blind yeah, but seeing her eyes narrow while fighting in the suit helps the audience know what she’s expressing more.
And you see how her parents restricting her made Toph parent differently from them, and not in a good way either. As much as Su rightly gets bashed for being a young delinquent and scarring Lin physically and figuratively, Lin also should not have been the parent for Su. Toph should have stepped in to make sure Su would understand certain boundaries.
It's like the point he made in the video about Toph rebelling against he strict parents. She took the opposite extreme approach and never really learned a healthy balance in the way she raised her own kids.
@00:10 OMG, I never thought about this! XD Jokes aside, I love Toph
I love how the God of War theme song played in the beginning of the video.
With regards to Toph falling, I think Avatar Extras says she can sense all earth around her, down to dust or sand.
See this is why I bring up stuff like that, so people intimately familiar with lore can set me straight.
She'd still probably hit a tree or seven on her way down, though. Or get roasted once she hit the ground. Either way, understandable she doesn't want to fall, lol
@@master_samwise oh indeed! Her saying "that's A LOT of fire, isn't it?" is so powerful. Like yes, child. And you should be melting from the heat as well but, you know, kid cartoon.
I love it when a strong character admits that they’re strong and cool but also admits that they’re weak and need a shoulder to cry on.
Heck yeah, I was waiting for this episode. I love the ATLA gals, especially Toph. I would argue though that Azula has the most growing up to do, rather than Toph. She literally cannot mentally handle the concept of her mothers love.
I have a whole Azula video (not sure if you've seen it). I would say she's the most immature in that maturity and virtue are related, but Azula is intimately familiar with very "adult" things like responsibility.
I'm here to recommend you Frieren, which is a show really distinct from ATLA, but at the same time can be the next successor of ATLA by the same reasons it's praised
Started watching it this week!
Hot leaf juice! And from my own nephew!
I said what I said.
I love Bitter Work
and this video really made me realize a sort of unseen C plot (D plot? does Sokka's predicament count?):
Toph is a new teacher using drill sergeant esque teaching techniques. Lots of "stop sucking (insert insult here)", "are you a man or a mouse-worm?", and general yelling. Katara gives her some advice and she does seem to somewhat take it on board (in the form of that encouraging nod after he does something right) although clearly not truly taking it to heart. again she is to prideful to truly change her teaching style, until, after he squanders the culmination of her teachings, she screams at him again, how he should have let the rock squish him, asking him if he has what it takes. and Aang replies that he doesn't think he does. once Katara takes Aang away to take a break. I imagine Toph thinks it all over (as she cools off from how frustrating it must be for her to fail at teaching Aang, as much as he's failing to learn from her), and realizes that she's acting a bit like her parents. doing things in a single, rigid way that she (as the authority figure) chose. and of course Aang is not her. just as she wishes her parents would accommodate her, she needs to accommodate Aang. so she needs to (as you said) think like an airbender in order to reach him and teach him most effectively. so she tries something different. she starts trying to provoke him into standing his ground against her. this is a step in the right direction. She's altering her teaching plan, looking for a trick-ity trick that'll make him move that rock, rather than stubbornly clinging to something that clearly isn't working. unfortunately, it's flawed because she's his teacher, and his friend (sure, they've only really just met, but still). he was raised to be kind and turn the other cheek. forgiveness and all that. so of course he isn't going to stand up to her when she's being a dick to him (especially after he was just torn down so hard).
luckily for her, their search for Sokka provides the perfect opportunity for Aang to show his spine. that same love for his friends that is making him less open to confronting Toph instead drives him to stand his ground against a wild animal threatening Sokka. Then, after it all, she starts poking him again. first by revealing that she was watching the whole time and decided not to help. and Aang, faced with her disregard for Sokka's (and his own) life being in danger, (as well as the adrenaline rush from the fight) pushes back a bit. of course, he's not standing up to her outright, so she keeps going, preparing to eat more of Aang's nuts and to misuse his glider again. and she finally gets the response she's been looking for. and afterwards she fully embraces Katara's advice, building Aang up, which allows him to finally Earthbend. of course, she still does it in her own way, looking more like a positive teaching environment plus a kind of gym bro type "Push it!" mentality, with lots of yelling (which, now that I think of it, is probably really cathartic for the girl who was forced to be demure for so long)
sorry for the wall of text, I just thought it was interesting.
Love it. Great insights. I think you are spot on here.
Excellent video as always!
Great video brother 👌🔥 love the ALTA content
The thumbnail looks like she's punching herself in the face 😂
5:44 This pt also needed an ExceptAppa mention; bcuz im prty sure Appa is indeed a master of airbending - bein the species that taught airbenders after all
Another amazing video! Best channel! Thank you so much ◡̈
Toph + GoW mash-up wasn’t on my bingo sheet today-but this goes so hard 💪🏻
GoW music goes with anything fantasy. It's so dang good.
Bear McCreary definitely cooked with those scores!
I love the video and all, but my entire day was made when I picked up parts of "The Planets" by Gustav Holst as your background music. One of my favorite orchestral suites ever. :)
fun fact - the eye slit in her earth armour is to make sure that stones or minerals don't get in there. even if she is blind, having tiny rocks in her pupils would HURT
I really need to wacth Lord of the Rings. been missing your videos.
His boromir video got me going right back to it again.
Another fantastic video. Thanks!!
Halo 3 soundtrack really going hard 11:10
the ragnarok music fits TOO well here.
Gotten a lot of use out 'Jupiter' lately, haven't we?
I would love to see how Toph would react to:
“HELLO… ARE… YOU… BLIND…??!!!!.?”
If Disney had written Toph, her pride, skill and strength and lack of need for anyone else would have been her greatest character strength and it would have been played up like crazy. "Look how she doesn't take any crap from Katara! Look how she shows Aang his place! Look how she mastered sandbending in a flash, totally defeated those sandbenders AND pulled the library right out of the ground! And look how she beat up Iroh for insulting her! She's so awesome!" She would have been the ultimate girl-boss, and it would have sucked horribly, and no one would remember her. But this Toph we all remember and love, because she's real and human, and grows like a real person.
God this show is awesome. ATLA for the win always.
Can you do a character analysis with Aang pls?
The old stories are still good, no matter what the imitations may be.
I love your content bro.
I having a hard time with feeling like im being bullied.
They call it banter.
I don't want to hurt anyone but I don't know how to deal with it.
I need some wisdom to deal with this the right way.
good job
I notice a lot of your videos include "O God beyond all praising" (to the point I was reminded of your channel when hearing it at church) but dang if it doesn't fit every instance you use it
And people keep saying audiences don't like tough female leads. The problem is movies keep playing this character arc in reverse.
The only note I'd make is that, while it's impossible to get inside their heads, I personally think it's unfair to say that Toph's parents don't genuinely love her, even if Toph says as much. I think they are merely misguided in the need they feel to protect her, and as you said, influenced by the sense of shame they fear Toph bringing on their family. They by no means earn any best parent awards, but I think they cared for her and thought they were doing what was best for her. I wish Toph reunited with them at the end of the series and they got to reconcile, but maybe that would take a lot more time.
I agree, and I too wish we could have resolved that plotline.
The song at the end! Please! You did this last video, please, let the last note play. I beg you (or am I being stupid and that IS the last note of the song? But I don't think so)
You're probably used to hearing the song as Oh God Beyond All Praising or I Vow to Thee, My Country, which both add another note at the end. Played in its original form (part of the Jupiter movement of Gust Holst's Planets Suite), this part of the song ends as you hear it in the videos.
@@master_samwise ohhh, gotcha! Thanks for the explanation
Did Korra ever have any kind of arc that was even remotely this rewarding? I admittedly couldn’t stick with the show, but I just remember Korra being a headstrong stubborn person that never learned any lessons. Things just eventually worked out. For anyone that finished the show, did the character development eventually improve?
She has a wonderful arc. She starts out much more mature than the rest of them, but she absolutely goes through a lot of growth.
@@master_samwiseKorra, not katara.
Korra does have a decent arc. Best in tgat series by far. She learns not to be so stubborn and rely on her own strength. It’s a little similar to Toph. Though, like the whole of Lok, not quite as well done as ATLA.
I wonder how you feel about Old Toph in Korra.
If the live action show is going to have any success they have to nail Toph. If they get her wrong the show is ruined for good
So excited
You ...I'm subbing. 😊
And then she became a neglectful parent and a
COP…. Did the writers forget who she is?
We don't talk about the sequel
@@ianchristian2844 well we should it is canon Afterall.
@@bradhorowitz2765 It shouldn't be
@@ianchristian2844 I think not a good way to analyze the story. At the end the creators have final say in the story, we can simply ignore it. We can criticize it, say it conflicts with the previous story threads, but it’s worth noting.
Sounds like you can't get much better of writing, unless it's more of fine tuning of the writing style. Wish I could say more, but I've never watched this series before.
Day 1 of asking for videos about Six of Crows, please. (:
And then lok butchered all the good work done to her character in this show
0:00 (Silent th)is
demure 1:59
This is why I don't think Toph is a *static character* like ppl say she is.