Hey guys, do me a favour again and leave me a like and comment! It really helped me with getting new viewers last episode, so if you could do it again it would be a big help!
Good video! I wish, though, that you had commented on Toph not allowing Aang to get Sokka out of the hole because Aang is obviously still a novice and could crush Sokka. It makes total sense. Aang got over his initial mental block that was keeping him from doing any earthbending, he can earthbend now. But only really in the sense that a child learns 2+2=4. He still has a long road ahead of him.
Actually, Toph used positive reinforcement earlier-every time she nodded at him, and even when he jumped out of the way of the boulder, she said “You had a perfect stance, and perfect form.” She was letting him know he had the _technique_ right, and just needed the mindset. :)
I was wondering about that bolder and Ang, and if Ang is 1.4 meters tall and the bolder is a sphere of almost the same height (aka 1.4 meter in diameter) that means it has ~1.4 m3 in volume and if the density of the rock is the same of sandstone (2300 kg/m3).That means that Ang is carring 3200 kg or 7000 lbs. ("Quoting a bike-helmet study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics, it was wrote that 235 kg (520 pounds) or 2,300 newtons of force would be needed to crush a human skull, almost twice as much force as human hands could possibly muster. Now “collar bone” only takes 3.175 kilograms to break .")
It's actually a good thing Zuko wasn't hit with lightning in this episode. Redirecting lightning uses the same principles as creating it, so his inner turmoil would prevent him from being able to redirect the lightning effectively, and he might have died. It was his decision to turn against his father and the Fire Nation that resolved his inner turmoil and allowed him to use the technique successfully.
@@irohdw6055 not necessarily. Iroh taught him how to redirect the lightning because he couldn't create it. The redirection technique is one Iroh learned from water benders. You take the lightning in one hand, redirect it down and around your heart and then back up and out your other hand Iroh stressed that if zuko accidentally let the lightning pass through his heart it could be fatal (which you see in the last episode where zuko dives to take the lightning for katara but cannot perform the technique properly in midair)
@@CrumbsLamond Redirecting lightning requires manipulating the energy in your body. Creating lightning requires manipulating the energy around you. They are both manifestations of the same principle. This is the reason we only see firebenders perform the technique. If anyone could learn it, then Zuko would have taught it to everyone, and Katara would have easily redirected Azula's lightning back at her. The reason Zuko fails the technique against Azula is because he was surprised by the change in target and barely ran in front of the lightning in time. He didn't have the time or the concentration to perform the technique correctly. If you look closely, you will see that instead of performing the motions with his fingers, he clutches his hands around his heart.
I love that even then the universe doesn’t hold back on him. (Yes maybe the universe saved him from being killed by lightning) but in doing so it STILL denied him what he wanted. The universe still wouldn’t let up on him even an inch. I mean, half of him probably wanted to die there, but the universe wouldn’t even let him succeed at killing himself. Up until this point, fate just never gives Zuko anything but failure, pain, and suffering.
@@pIayingwithmahwiiMan i don't know why but "the universe won't even let him kill himself" is so hilariously cruel it has me cackling And I totally agree with what you said. It's almost like when Iroh told him improperly redirecting could've proved fatal, he became even more excited to test his odds. Are you capable enough to survive, or are you truly better off dead? Oy vey.
I love the part when Sokka bargains with the universe, promising to give up meat and sarcasm but when Aang shows up, he immediately asks for meat and then makes sarcastic comments. Gotta love Sokka
“Why did Toph feel the need to leave a whole for her eyes in the rock armour?” Blind or not I 100% guarantee having a rock pressed on your eyes is neither comfortable nor healthy
Love the added touch of Iroh explaining that you must have complete peace of mind when shooting lighting in retrospect. It adds some real weight to the fact that later in the series, Ozai shoots lightning at Zuko later in the series without a second thought. There was 0 emotional conflict... yikes.
Does make you wonder how Azula was able to fry Zuko later. If lightning generations requires no emotion, how did she do it when she was clearly unhinged?
@@artsman412 Perhaps even a mentally unhinged person could have calmness for a brief moment, like how a sane person could act crazy for a moment. I would imagine like a hurricane or storm that randomly gets calm in one random spot for brief moment.
@@artsman412 My take on it is that Azula just has the mentality. Despite being a fire-bender, she's cold, calculating, manipulating and unfeeling. That is just how her mind works, all the time. So despite being clearly unhinged, that doesn't change the way her mind fundamentally works. She's still cold, calculating, manipulating and unfeeling.. until the moment where she completely breaks down after Katara puts her on ice.
@@artsman412 I would add to it that "peace of mind" doesn't necessarily mean you're emotionless of empty of mind. Being without anger and such is a good start, but technically you could still be absolutely furious if your mind wasn't in conflict about it. Moreover, we seem to see throughout the series that you don't necessarily have to be fully in that mindset once you've learned it, in order to apply it in the moment. Otherwise, Aang would never be able to earthbend and airbend at the same time, as he does on multiple occasions. Sometimes he even uses them to complement each other in the same action, such as to cushion the fall of a rock with air as he takes hold of it to throw it in a new direction in The Drill.
The montage included the reunification, that moment always makes me tearbend. Even just thinking about it sometimes does the trick, which is weird because I don't think any other moment in any media has had that kind of effect on me.
If he is, it must not be shown. My best example is season 2 episode 17 the earth king. And i will admit he is clearly using it as a conduit for his earthbending, just like zuko and the dude with the hammers did in Zuko Alone with theirs. But he IS still smacking rocks with it
Its a delicate instrument -loses it in almost every fight -uses it in almost all fights -flys through explosions -hits the ground with it even if airbending assists the hitting of the enimies Yeah really delicate Like Sakka's pride A suit of invisabke armor coats that staff till seasion 3
12:22 Underappreciated tiny moment there: Toph avoids conflict here and goes along with what Katara is saying despite having the perfect chance to rub it in her face. This isn't just Toph maturing, it is also her avoiding conflict and going with the flow... You know, like Aang or an airbender in general. As she was teaching twinkle toes about his opposite she was also observing hers. In a much subtler way, Toph is also learning.
What do you mean? Which conflict is Toph avoiding here? I think Toph did go with the positive reinforcement, she told Aang it was impressive that he stood his ground even against her. And that really did work wonders.
@@MsRafanatic Not my reading really. I think she just tave him his proper dues after he faced the challenge head on her way. Toph just let Katara think that she used positive reinforcement because, and here comes my point, she also learned from Aang not to die on undeserving hills.
@@willnash7907 And Toph realized that she can't force an earthbending mindset to Aang. When she found out that how Katara teaches him, she realized that Aang took to waterbending much easier because their philosophies and mindset is easy for an airbender to understand. So Toph needed to think outside the box and think like an airbender to find what would make one stand up for themselves. Hence why she acted like a jerk.
But that does mean she learned and adapted. And she definitely does absorb the attributes of the other elements, because she learns to be less rigid and more fluid eventually, and along with that she picks up sandbending
Iroh's expression when he settles on the word bracing to compliment the awful tea is so funny to me. He smiles so contentedly with the decision to use that word, like ahhh yes I got it
9:31 plus it's interesting that Aang would probably be pretty good at lightning generation and Zuko would be pretty good at earthbending. Aang's whole deal has always been humility, while Zuko has always been stubborn and headstrong
That might hold water, except even before he gets the new one he uses this one (along with his bending) to break rocks. The attack on the castle in Ba Sing Se.
Zuko is hot headed and hard to get to at times but when iroh has him say down to teach him or preach to him, zuko keeps quiet and listens to him because he thinks highly of him and I think that’s really cool
Holy crap the Iroh "elements explanation" from 7:16 - 8:22. THIS is why I love this channel. The clips of Iroh acting out the values of the separate nations whilst explaining them is just perfect. And then capped off with NO further explanation/narration; just letting the weight of Iroh's character shine. Literally had me crying during the "water tribe" explanation. Absolutely beautiful editing to an already amazing scene.
I *loved* your visual storytelling when Iroh was explaining the differences between the four nations. Didn't even have to explain anything. Iroh's probably the closest thing to the avatar without actually being the avatar.
This reminds me of the theory that if Aang had died (which some people refer to as he was SUPPOSED to die), who would have been the next Avatar in the cycle? I know it can't be Iroh, because it'd have to be a water bender, and many theories suggest it would've been Katara. I'm not sure how much I like that theory personally, but it would be interesting to hear OA's thoughts on it.
@@kimwasalreadytaken it couldn't have been katara. If aang died when he ran away, then his spirit would've been sucked into the first waterbenders born at that exact moment. Which was 100 years ago. The only way tht theory makes any sense is if aang got trapped in an iceberg for 86 years and died, then his spirit would've been reborn into katara (I forget, but I assume katara was 14).
@@ferdinandvillafuerte468 I completely agree! It's why I'm not sure how much I like the theory - but nonetheless, I would like to hear his thoughts on it at some point
but now that i'm thinking about it, if aang died when he ran away, it's possible that the avatar spirit would have gotten into Hama or Pakku. Assuming they're the right age, considering they're the most powerful waterbenders that may have been born around the same time the war started, then they would've likely been the next avatar. 🤷♂️
@@kimwasalreadytaken I've seen a lil' neat theory once about how the next Avatar might've been Yue. She was supposed to inherit the Avatar spirit, but when it remained within Aang at the time of her birth, her physical body wasn't ready to function without it - hence the Moon Spirit shenanigans.
I like that OA doesn't say anything about Iroh's four elements and harmony speech. Simply showing us how Iroh demonstrates these traits throughout the series, and letting the final words hit home by themselves.
There's a saying I heard once "The Pessimist looks down and hits their head, The Optimist looks up and trips, The Realist looks forward and adjust their path accordingly"
Wow, not sure if they intended this, but at 9:00 the baby moose lion might be attempting to free sokka...it realizes hes stuck, and it pulling on his hair, and only stops when something happens and his hair tie flings off and it becomes more interested in that.
"The kid couldn't get it in practice but when it comes down to it in the moment of truth he pulls it off." I do like that he doesn't actually earthbend in that moment, that would be too easy. But he applies the correct mindset to the problem, and all Toph needs to do is point that out.
@@ember-brandt i never really got that though water bending and air bending have similar principles and mind set's which is why aang was naturally gifted at it while earth which is the antithesis to the teachings of air bending came difficult so why was it airbending that gave korra trouble of all elements it feels like they did that just for 'it was aangs best element how about she struggles with it"
Lol XD ^^^ Never seen Kora But yeah, why can a kid bend 3 elements Before mastering 1 Why not all 4 and she had difficulty with spirits. . . The point of the Avatar you know
@@justanothercommenterwithan9089 although she was a natural born water bender, her personality was much more similar to a fire bender, but as im typing this i realized that thats not the opposite of air bending so this theory doesn’t even make any sense
@@justanothercommenterwithan9089 Not only she had a more 'fiery' personality, I think one important thing even Iroh mention here is that the air nomads detached themselves from wordly concern, found peace and as we learn they are a very spiritual people, while Korra is very much grounded on the real world at the start and focused on how 'awesome' it is being the Avatar.
I'm glad you pointed out Togh's teaching technic, she isn't being mean to Aang for ill intent, but to train him in order to toughen him up, this portrays a perfect example of how being mean is actually helpful.
In the spirit of overanalysis, what Katara likely _meant_ was "positive encouragement", but Toph did use positive _reinforcement_ - when Aang finally did anything to reinforce. Positive reinforcement can only be applied when the subject has gotten something right. And when he did, she reinforced the heck out of it. And that reinforcement motivated him to bend the rock while his emotion was still high from facing the saber-toothed moose lion and Toph. It worked wonders. =D
I like how the voice actor for Zuko sounded all episode that he was holding back tears with his words. Then for him to finally cry at the end is just perfection
@@donovanulrich348 He didn't actually fight them, he learned from them and pretended he killed them to preserve them. Though, if anyone in the fire nation could solo a dragon, it would be Iroh (or Ozai, I guess).
It’s amazing to me that Iroh being so grounded and respected is directly because he practices what he preaches. He doesn’t just tell Zuko how to think about the four nations, he embodies everything he says, becoming the perfect example and becoming wise through every nations culture. Wanna be like Iroh? Then do what Iroh does.
The thing I really like about this episode is that Aang does not spontaneously earth bend in the heat of the moment. He acts true to its philosophical principles but he still airbends at the moose lion because that is what he knows. He has to be prompted to try bending the rock and when he does it he's told to let Toph save Sokka. Really good writing.
"Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source." Not just one of the best lines of the series, but genuinely one of the most deeply cutting lines in all of fiction that I'm aware of. Iroh is the GOAT.
Damn, that montage you did with Iroh's speech about the elements was just perfect. It really shows just how much effort the creators went to prove Iroh follows what he teaches. Amazing.
You know, here’s a detail I’m surprised you missed: Aang tried to save Sokka first like an air bender, by getting the moose lions attention and luring it away; running away and maneuvering. Then he tried saving Sokka like a waterbender, by redirecting the beast over Sokka’s head. Then he realized the only real solution here was to be like an earthbender. Strong, stable, like a wall defending Sokka. An immovable object that also pushes back. So, that’s exactly what Aang did. He solved it like an earthbender.
"Lightning Conductivity." Lightning is ultimately electricity, when something conducts electricity it doesn't control it, it simply acts as a path for the electricity. The key to mastering electricity, like mastering Lightning in Avatar is realizing you only control the conduit. By changing the property of the conduit, such as a bender's stance, you change how the electricity flows through the conduit. You never control the electricity, you only control what it moves through.
Finnally someone gets it You can apply these techniques to real life, not the stances But the logic You cant control the power, but you can control your interacting with it You might even summon it But you dont control it
5:27 hi, black belt here, and yes, that’s exactly why it’s called horse stance. In fact, in taekwondo, it’s specifically called “joochom soegi” or “horseback riding stance”
5:20 In Tae Kwon Do, we call it "horse-back riding stance", which "horse stance" is probably short for. It's generally more for stability and discipline rather than actual combat, since it is strains/exercises your legs (in a good way) and doesn't allow you much flexibility to use kicks. It's much more suited to practice your endurance and also punches like in the show Edit: Well at 11:40 his body is parallel to where he's facing, so it's a bit more practical
yeah, many of the stances you see in eastern martial arts forms are meant for conditioning your body's muscles, and making your reflex movements almost second nature to the ones in the form.
whenever i talk to somebody about world building, this show and this episode are what i refer to as an example. There is some real philosophy behind it, its vague yet contained. Perfectly balanced (as all things should be) And controversially, I think this is where LoK lacks a bit. It overexplains the lore which takes away some of the mystery (like the origins episodes and the spirit world).
I really liked the first half of LoK, because the industrialized world thing really had potential in world building. Like tech can do so much, who needs benders and the avatar. But then I was disappointed by straight and boring story design. LoK doesn't take the time it needs to describe feelings and situations, like atla does.
The entire LoK series is such a shame really. There was potential, but the writers tried to explain politics without understanding the ideologies they tried to critique, let me give one example of each book, because oh boi there is so much wrong with them, but here are my top contenders: Book 1: They tried critiqueing communists, yet failed to understand the entire ideology, and the - now - centuries-old movements happening all across the world. Like the analogy of bending being the problem doesn't make sense, because it's not redistributable, socialist movements in the avatar universe would call for people of all bending styles and non-benders alike equal socially, like they do IRL with different races. (Like if you actually think about it, the equalists are pretty much fascist, they differentiate based on this world's version of race.) Book 2: This is kinda of a weird one, but I would say it's about the third world's struggle with constant civil wars and globalism. And boy did they miss the mark... I really thought they had it for a second, when they were showing Varryck off as the war criminal villain, he is, but then nah, he is just a goofy dude bruh, and that's just one of the many problems. Book 3: Zaheer is supposed to be an anarchist, yet he doesn't know that a revolution needs people backing it to succeed. And like okay, maybe that's the point, he doesn't understand how societies work, but it's actually writers that don't understand jack: when the queen dies everybody starts rioting and setting fire to their homes, like, that just doesn't happen. (Movements can happen when leaders are changed, but it's not like they depict wtf) Book 4: At the end of the season it's literally fascist apologia, like "oh yeah I understand why you genocided people based on ethnicity and built nukes and shit, you were just sad". I would've been fine with the political tone, IF the writers understood anything about politics... or sociology. There's just so much wrong with how they depict different ideologies like damn... And to think this is why the self-adventures got a backseat is just sad really. The animations looked dope though, gotta give credit where credit's due.
@@gotoShiba01 Well, they are pretty much the communist boogiman: people who are sour and not reacting to a wide range of problems in society and just want to take and pillage, lead by people who are powerhungry and not people who actually believe in the change they fight for. And when we apply neoliberal capitalist democracy everything is perfect and nobody is rioting anymore.
I got so many feelings while watching the part where Iroh explains the different elements and their wisdom and it goes through all of those moments/clips of Iroh moments and literally, the man himself represents all of them and he is the perfect teacher and vessel of such knowledge. Such a good job in finding all of their moments and putting this video together... oh man... Too good.
I really like when you have the various scenes of Iroh while playing his explanation of the four elements. It really drives home the fact that Iroh has in a way, mastered the mental aspect of each element. Fire - Powerful, driven, focused Earth - Enduring, strong, persistent Air - This one was probably more due to the death of his son, but Iroh has in a way, moved on from the petty squabbles of life and found peace, and freedom. Water - Adaptable, a deep sense of love and care for his fellow human, while in a way, relying on Zuko through hard times.
I like thinking that Toph knew that Sokka was stuck in that hole and knew that the sabertooth moose would show up looking for it's cub. Because she can see the vibrations. You can't tell me that Sokka got too far from Toph that she couldn't feel him jump and get stuck into that hole. I bet she laughed her ass off when no one was looking. Actually, this brings up a good question: How far can Toph see with her earth bending?
One could try to calculate this based on the energy released by the vibrations she has sensed at what distance to get an idea of what she should be capable of seeing. I would volunteer Austin from game theory.
I'd personally imagine that air and earth just due to upbringing would be the hardest hurdles from someone raised in either kingdom as an avatar. Even harder than water and fire, just because nomad teachings and earthbender ideals are so unbelievably different
My guess would be the issue with water/fire is that water is all about guiding water and going with it's natural flow, while fire is more about DEAR GOD DON'T LET THAT SHIT GET OUT OF HAND
@@purebloodedgriffin Fire is more forceful yeah, firebenders can apply their will to their surroundings whether that’s good or not, while Water is about adapting
@@somerandomfurry2169 yes i always saw fire bending mentality of biuld it up inside yourself then let it go as its core principle and guide it with the same passion that created it
Honestly The Avatar should struggle with 2 elements Air and earth ar opposites sure Nothing vs somthing But air + fire = fuck you XD A air Avatar should struggle with fire like Jongjong stressed Not because your weak in bending it but you amplify it Roku wuld struggle with water and air fo the same reasions He was a fire Avatar Keoshi air and water Water wouldnt be amplified but mud would be a easy middle ground to learn on for a Earth bender Same but opposite true for a water bending avatar
5:29 did karate for 5 years. You're exactly right. It's called horse riding stance because yep, that's kinda how your body looks when riding a horse. Not everything in martial arts has some hidden special symbolism behind it, sometimes things are just called things cos they kinda look like things. Simple
In a way Aang and Toph are the inverse of Zuko and Iroh in this episode. Toph lobs a Boulder at Aang. Iroh refuses to throw lightning at Zuko. Toph teaches Aang to be more assertive (including anger at one point), Iroh teaches Zuko to be less emotional
Aang is so clear of mind he could learn to direct lightning Zuko already thinks hes the best and capable of the technique Its because you need to train your student accordingly Aang needs a spine, Zuko needs to learn to bow his head more often
@@donovanulrich348 I personally don't see it as Zuko being full of himself thinking that he's the best, I see it as him seeing a chance to finally do something that Azula can do, and failing once again. Zuko has always failed to measure up to Azula, his prodigy sister, which I think his self worth is most definitely tied to, and his failure in this episode to direct lightning is a culmination of that and resulted in his lowest point at the end.
The Iroh montage/lecture about how he used the wisdom from the other nations to make himself a better man after losing his son... I hope you're resting easy up there Mako, because you're dearly missed and you helped shape me into a better person and father through your role as Iroh.
I honestly think Iroh would have ended the war if he was elected fire lord with a Hair behind him He didnt believe in the war Azula wasent wrong, if he honestly though the people he was fighting were the problem why stop? But he disnt believe in the war effort Daddy said so And he lost his son, because he couldnt tell his own father no Iroh was already Dragon of the west And spared the 2 living dragons So he was a White lotas member And the white lotas dont see borders in wisdom/knowledge Why agree to a war weakining the 3 remaining nations
3:03 I can explain that actually, it’s in the Avatar art book. The artists had intended to have the hole over her nose and mouth as a breathing hole, but somewhere in the animating process it got moved up to her eyes. The creators didn’t notice until after it aired, so they couldn’t really fix it
I always loved this episode, still one of my favorites, and I can’t really pin down why. I think it has to do with the fact that this is the one time we see Aang work really hard to learn an element and finally have it pay off. Water he got right away and fire was kinda... deus ex machina-d into him. Iroh’s speech about the elements was also really amazing and probably one of the best examples of his well rounded philosophy
I love Katara's contribution to the episode, for as minor as it is. Iroh describes water as "the element of change", representing versatility and adaptability. Water can be rigid and sturdy like earth when it freezes, or free and formless like air when it evaporates. Mastering water demands an elementary understanding of the mindsets of both air and earth, so it makes a lot of sense that Katara identifies where the conflict between Aang and Toph is coming from, and acts as a bridge between them; giving them both advice on how to meet the other halfway.
Gave me chills with that Iroh montage. No commentary, no quips, just the best character speaking for himself with most elegant and badass speeches in the show. Beautiful
I know you mention that through the first half of the show, the gang mostly runs from conflict, whereas in the second half, they take more fight, and that the change happens at basically the direct halfway point in the show. It also happens after Aang learns the earthbender mentality of taking things head on, standing his ground and moving that rock. This show really is incredible.
To the horse stance part: The "Ma Bu" (Mandarin) or "Sei Ping Ma" (As it would be called in Cantonese and taught in Hung Gar) is not only looking like you are sitting on a horse, but also uses about the same weight distribution and muscle memory. I sat on a horse in a saddle for the first time one day after training that stance for two years and got a remark on how naturally I allready sat in the saddle without directions. This episode in general captures a lot of the basic philosophies taught in Hung Gar very well and is even useful to teach someone those in a more entertaining way.
Then a at the end of book 2 they double down And dont give Aang a eye hole in the gem armor Genius, he mastered seismic visualization from Toph But only in intense situations Like session finales XD -.-
@12:30 this scene is even better the second time you watch it. Knowing how Zuko will eventually use his new lightning redirecting ability. Zuko yelling at the storm could be the exact same speech he'd give to Ozai right now. Yes when he eventually does confront Ozai he has a much more controlled approach to his confrontation of Ozai but this isn't the same Zuko. Zuko definitely would've gone with the speech we see here had he not changed.
Damn, that montage you did for Iroh's explanation of drawing wisdom from all 4 elements was amazing. Very cool seeing how the show demonstrates that very lesson over the course of its runtime.
The fact that you played Irohs take on the elements and nations, but didnt comment a single word during it makes me like this channel even more. this is my favorite scene in the series and you knowing that nothing was needed to be said is great.
I always thought of the bending system as driven by creativity and understanding of the element and how you connect with it. Like Katara isn't able to bloodbend just because she's more powerful, but because she has a deep understanding of waterbending and how to be creative and make it personal, like the sweat thing. So she can learn it just through watching and experiencing it. Or Toph isn't innately more powerful, but she understands earthbending more through necessity and is creative and open enough to figure out metalbending. I don't know maybe I'm overthinking it. L ike obviously they get stronger and more powerful through practice, but when they discover something new or crazy powerful it's through connecting with the element more personally.
Nah man youre spot on. Theres no magic hidden bloodline power or super ninja scrolls that just give these characters a brand new ability. Its because theyre taking the time to perfect the craft, applying it in different ways. These kids are training whenever they can, training with the only person who can use an almost extinct element, and doing everything they can to hone him to his best. Theyre doing everything they can to make this 12 year old kid ready for a life or death fight, and in doing so are forced to apply their own skills in different and better ways in order to train him better. And in doing so, their understanding of their own element and abilities changes.
@@ac3ofangels897 This. Why hasn’t metal bending and blood bending been discovered already? Because no other benders traveling the world, learning, practicing, fighting, on a daily basis. Why is Iroh wiser than Ozai even though they’re brothers? Because Iroh grew from his experiences. Ozai might’ve changed too if he had a chance to travel.
3:39 doesn't it seem a little strange that Iroh refers to normal, non-lightning fire bending as "fueled by emotion and rage?" Is this just him aligning with Zuko's current views on fire bending at the moment?
I’m currently binge-watching this series and first of all I really have to compliment your humor and editing, I’m fucking IN LOVE. There real reason I’m commenting is about the “horse stance”. I practiced Kung-fu for about ten years and had to learn some words and one of the more common and basic stances is ma pu, “ma” meaning horse or rider and “pu” meaning stance so... yeah, you were right when talking about Kung fu and stances and I really appreciated the “bending is about mentality” highlights.
One of my favorite details about this episode is how the waterbending leit motiffe plays while Iroh teaches Zuko to redirect lightning, a technique based on waterbending... Jeremy Zuckerman, you've done it again! Great video man, love this series!
I've been binging your stuff and this is EASILY the best. From the DBZA reference, to censoring Toph (and on that thought ATLA Abridged would be a killer series), to 10 seconds later dissing Aang's staff control, this is hilarious and that doesn't even get to the montage of Iroh explaining the elements while different moments of him adapting were shown. Great work, through and through. However, I'm pretty sure horses wouldn't ascend past bears, and the canines/felines when it comes to their danger posed so they'd just be another highly dangerous animal you don't want to face in the wild, but you haven't seen bears singlehandedly wipe out all human life in America.
For lightning: I always thought Azula should have flubbed lightning generation in the finale. It would have been a good callback to Iroh's discussion of how emotion and internal conflict relates to it.
Since this is the breakdown of the episode where Aang starts learning Earth bending and Zuko learns "lightning bending", i think this would be a good time for me to talk about the way i break down the movements and, in a way, the mindsets between different bending styles. Air bending is quick and flowing, having fan like movements. Like a fan, you must move with the flow of the air, less you meet resistance, but you need to be quick, otherwise you cannot bend the flow of the wind to your will. Water bending is slow and flowing, moving like the ocean waves. Like a river, you need to flow with the water. You don't need to go fast to push water, as it's always flowing and moving, but if you push against the water's current, your going to have problems. So it's best to flow with the water instead of against it. Earth bending is slow, but powerful, you need to be the unstoppable force to move the immovable object, but you can't rush your movements. You need to strike precisely and with power, otherwise the boulder won't move. Fire bending is fast and powerful, like a wildfire out of control. You cannot create a spark if you strike the flint to slow, or to gently. You need to strike to bring life to the flames. And then there's bending techniques like lightning or sand bending. In order for a fire bender to master lightning bending, they must move like that of a water bender. The energy doesn't need the initial spark, it just needs its current directed. As for why I included sand bending in with lightning bending is because like how lightning bending is fire bending like a water bender, sand bending is like earth bending like an air bender. Sand bending requires controlling the sand, allowing it to flow freely almost like water, kind of like aerated sand, how, with the combination of sand and air, the sand acts almost like water. I think that Ice bending also kind of falls in with them, since it has a lot less flowing motions like normal water bending, and a lot more striking, fast movements like fire bending.
Fun fact- at 7:25 iroh speaks about the people of the earth kingdom, this is the same thing Zuko tells his dad and the other people in the fire nation war room in season 3, which Ozai is quick to spin and use that to plan his attack
Zuko screaming at the world is easily one of my favourite scenes. Always hit home for me. I think we see Zuko humbled a lot, but that's the only time he feels truly small.
I remember reading some trivia about A:TLA that the writers intended this episode to have a shit ton of innuendos Aang's "nuts", his "staff", Sokka almost buried in that hole and Toph "seeing" in the ground sis sure had a view down there lmao
He uses emotion He dosent let it rule him But check that shit at the north pole All fire bending weaker, Zuko's blasts noticeably smaller And Iroh jumps in with the biggest fire blasts of the seasion At night, during the full moon Chill Iroh, your gonna explode dog XD
One of only 2 videos ive seen that truly unnerved me was a horse grazing on grass. Without missing a beat it ate a baby chick & continued on like nothing happened. Horrifying.
@@matthewlang737 Meat is the easiest, most digestible, least energy intensive source of nutrition and protein in nature. Any animal that can access meat can and will eat it. Plus bones are rich in minerals, even plants and mushrooms will absorb bones.
You're right about where horse stance gets its name. It, like pretty much all the martial arts in this show, is a real stance. A foundational one at that. It makes sense that it would be one of the very first things Toph teaches.
7:17 I loved what you did there, showing all the ways Iroh has come to internalayze and really is living the core principles of every element, the very thing he is teaching here - that was beatiful
I like how Sokka hits a low in this episode and Katara is basically just like "this isn't your story" without a word and Sokka just goes back to normal It's like breaking the 4th wall without actually breaking it Also it was a nice comical contrast to Aang and Zuko hitting lows
the edit on Iroh's speech is bar none, and really like that there was no added commentary on it. It was perfect just the way it was, adding anything would absolutely taken away from the perfection of that scene. Genius on everyone's part
going through these videos again and that editing with Iroh's speech about the four nations was really good, very clever selection of scenes to put together. that's talent right there.
Hey guys, do me a favour again and leave me a like and comment! It really helped me with getting new viewers last episode, so if you could do it again it would be a big help!
Good video! I wish, though, that you had commented on Toph not allowing Aang to get Sokka out of the hole because Aang is obviously still a novice and could crush Sokka. It makes total sense. Aang got over his initial mental block that was keeping him from doing any earthbending, he can earthbend now. But only really in the sense that a child learns 2+2=4. He still has a long road ahead of him.
Actually, Toph used positive reinforcement earlier-every time she nodded at him, and even when he jumped out of the way of the boulder, she said “You had a perfect stance, and perfect form.” She was letting him know he had the _technique_ right, and just needed the mindset. :)
That little homage you did with Iroh as he's explaining the 4 nations is one of the finest contributions to the Avatar community I've seen. Well done.
I was wondering about that bolder and Ang, and if Ang is 1.4 meters tall and the bolder is a sphere of almost the same height (aka 1.4 meter in diameter) that means it has ~1.4 m3 in volume and if the density of the rock is the same of sandstone (2300 kg/m3).That means that Ang is carring 3200 kg or 7000 lbs.
("Quoting a bike-helmet study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics, it was wrote that 235 kg (520 pounds) or 2,300 newtons of force would be needed to crush a human skull, almost twice as much force as human hands could possibly muster. Now “collar bone” only takes 3.175 kilograms to break .")
You’re right about “horse stance” naming
Iroh: “Are you crazy, I’m not going to shoot lightning at you!”
Toph: “I’m gonna crush you with that boulder unless you stop it”
Oh my, never realized that duality before
@@str8a lol me neither actually
It's actually a good thing Zuko wasn't hit with lightning in this episode. Redirecting lightning uses the same principles as creating it, so his inner turmoil would prevent him from being able to redirect the lightning effectively, and he might have died. It was his decision to turn against his father and the Fire Nation that resolved his inner turmoil and allowed him to use the technique successfully.
@@irohdw6055 not necessarily. Iroh taught him how to redirect the lightning because he couldn't create it.
The redirection technique is one Iroh learned from water benders. You take the lightning in one hand, redirect it down and around your heart and then back up and out your other hand
Iroh stressed that if zuko accidentally let the lightning pass through his heart it could be fatal (which you see in the last episode where zuko dives to take the lightning for katara but cannot perform the technique properly in midair)
@@CrumbsLamond Redirecting lightning requires manipulating the energy in your body. Creating lightning requires manipulating the energy around you. They are both manifestations of the same principle.
This is the reason we only see firebenders perform the technique. If anyone could learn it, then Zuko would have taught it to everyone, and Katara would have easily redirected Azula's lightning back at her.
The reason Zuko fails the technique against Azula is because he was surprised by the change in target and barely ran in front of the lightning in time. He didn't have the time or the concentration to perform the technique correctly. If you look closely, you will see that instead of performing the motions with his fingers, he clutches his hands around his heart.
When zuko is shouting at the sky and says "you've never held back before"
It hits hard
zuko is my spirit animal
everyone loves zuko and im like
i see too much of myself in him
I love that even then the universe doesn’t hold back on him. (Yes maybe the universe saved him from being killed by lightning) but in doing so it STILL denied him what he wanted.
The universe still wouldn’t let up on him even an inch. I mean, half of him probably wanted to die there, but the universe wouldn’t even let him succeed at killing himself. Up until this point, fate just never gives Zuko anything but failure, pain, and suffering.
@@pIayingwithmahwiiMan i don't know why but "the universe won't even let him kill himself" is so hilariously cruel it has me cackling
And I totally agree with what you said. It's almost like when Iroh told him improperly redirecting could've proved fatal, he became even more excited to test his odds. Are you capable enough to survive, or are you truly better off dead?
Oy vey.
@@catsinwonderland7473@playingwithmahwii wow loved both of your takes here, got me even more emotionally than I already was lol
Can we admire for a second how Iroh can draw perfect straight lines and circles?
And don't forget that, from his perspective, the symbols were upside down.
And using just a stick. Have you ever tried to draw with a stick? Really effing hard
my man's got some serious inner peace
dude, this guy could draw Kirby just like in Kirby's Adventure!
i mean he was a general, drawing out plans is probably something he's had alot of practice in, in which case that is an amasing detail.
I love the part when Sokka bargains with the universe, promising to give up meat and sarcasm but when Aang shows up, he immediately asks for meat and then makes sarcastic comments. Gotta love Sokka
Honestly Sokka has the absolute best lines in this series and no one can convince me otherwise.
even funnier that he asked the vegetarian pf the group for meat lmao
YO THAT IROH MONTAGE THOOO
Got me teary-eyed 😭
Perfectly shows how Iroh learned and embodies each of the four elements.
VAAAAANCE
@@kung-borean30 Pain time
*YYYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*
* inhales *
*OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO* -
Iroh speech at 7:16 mixed with the clips of Iroh following through with his philosophies is one of the greatest edits I've ever seen in my life.
The way he fits in all four people makes him seem like an unofficial Avatar.
agreed.
@@BlueTerror7446 this ❤
Bro dropped the hardest Uncle Iroh edit and thought we wouldn't notice
I was gonna say the same thing, so instead I’ll just boost the engagement of this comment
“Why did Toph feel the need to leave a whole for her eyes in the rock armour?”
Blind or not I 100% guarantee having a rock pressed on your eyes is neither comfortable nor healthy
I think i've heard it was an animator's mistake when recreating the concept sketch. There was a hole over her mouth originally.
I always thought it was her just being cheeky
Yeah, because we all know how pampered Toph is. Can’t be uncomfortable ever. It’s not like she sleeps on the ground or anything.
@@SnailHatan her idea of comfort is.....interesting. I get the feeling she'd react to the Bright Moon beds the same way Adora did
Also probably acts as a breathing hole
Iroh's hidden talent: Drawing a perfect circle with a single motion.
Love the added touch of Iroh explaining that you must have complete peace of mind when shooting lighting in retrospect. It adds some real weight to the fact that later in the series, Ozai shoots lightning at Zuko later in the series without a second thought. There was 0 emotional conflict... yikes.
Does make you wonder how Azula was able to fry Zuko later. If lightning generations requires no emotion, how did she do it when she was clearly unhinged?
@@artsman412
Perhaps even a mentally unhinged person could have calmness for a brief moment, like how a sane person could act crazy for a moment.
I would imagine like a hurricane or storm that randomly gets calm in one random spot for brief moment.
@@artsman412 My take on it is that Azula just has the mentality. Despite being a fire-bender, she's cold, calculating, manipulating and unfeeling. That is just how her mind works, all the time. So despite being clearly unhinged, that doesn't change the way her mind fundamentally works. She's still cold, calculating, manipulating and unfeeling.. until the moment where she completely breaks down after Katara puts her on ice.
@@Dahxelb That does make a bit of sense, though I still question it a bit.
@@artsman412 I would add to it that "peace of mind" doesn't necessarily mean you're emotionless of empty of mind. Being without anger and such is a good start, but technically you could still be absolutely furious if your mind wasn't in conflict about it.
Moreover, we seem to see throughout the series that you don't necessarily have to be fully in that mindset once you've learned it, in order to apply it in the moment. Otherwise, Aang would never be able to earthbend and airbend at the same time, as he does on multiple occasions. Sometimes he even uses them to complement each other in the same action, such as to cushion the fall of a rock with air as he takes hold of it to throw it in a new direction in The Drill.
That editing to Iroh's speech unlocked my tearbending
I figured you’d have already unlocked it thanks to “leaves from the vine”
@@Fantaghoul Leaves from the Vine was one of the most advanced Tearbending moves ever performed. this show is so good.
The montage included the reunification, that moment always makes me tearbend. Even just thinking about it sometimes does the trick, which is weird because I don't think any other moment in any media has had that kind of effect on me.
"Its a delicate instrument!"
Fuckin uses it to smash rocks thrown at him constantly
Isn't he usually using it to direct "air slices" that smash the rocks, rather than actually making contact with the staff, though?
If he is, it must not be shown. My best example is season 2 episode 17 the earth king. And i will admit he is clearly using it as a conduit for his earthbending, just like zuko and the dude with the hammers did in Zuko Alone with theirs. But he IS still smacking rocks with it
He's bending it
Its a delicate instrument
-loses it in almost every fight
-uses it in almost all fights
-flys through explosions
-hits the ground with it even if airbending assists the hitting of the enimies
Yeah really delicate
Like Sakka's pride
A suit of invisabke armor coats that staff till seasion 3
@@ac3ofangels897 hes not, it's airbending
12:22 Underappreciated tiny moment there:
Toph avoids conflict here and goes along with what Katara is saying despite having the perfect chance to rub it in her face. This isn't just Toph maturing, it is also her avoiding conflict and going with the flow... You know, like Aang or an airbender in general. As she was teaching twinkle toes about his opposite she was also observing hers. In a much subtler way, Toph is also learning.
What do you mean? Which conflict is Toph avoiding here? I think Toph did go with the positive reinforcement, she told Aang it was impressive that he stood his ground even against her. And that really did work wonders.
@@MsRafanatic
Not my reading really. I think she just tave him his proper dues after he faced the challenge head on her way. Toph just let Katara think that she used positive reinforcement because, and here comes my point, she also learned from Aang not to die on undeserving hills.
@@willnash7907 And Toph realized that she can't force an earthbending mindset to Aang. When she found out that how Katara teaches him, she realized that Aang took to waterbending much easier because their philosophies and mindset is easy for an airbender to understand. So Toph needed to think outside the box and think like an airbender to find what would make one stand up for themselves. Hence why she acted like a jerk.
But that does mean she learned and adapted. And she definitely does absorb the attributes of the other elements, because she learns to be less rigid and more fluid eventually, and along with that she picks up sandbending
Iroh's expression when he settles on the word bracing to compliment the awful tea is so funny to me. He smiles so contentedly with the decision to use that word, like ahhh yes I got it
You're right, that is oddly funny.
"Nailed it."
@@cr0w342Unlike Zulo with the tea
9:31 plus it's interesting that Aang would probably be pretty good at lightning generation and Zuko would be pretty good at earthbending. Aang's whole deal has always been humility, while Zuko has always been stubborn and headstrong
Good comparison
Good comparison
Good comparison
Good comparison
G R E A T comparison
Maybe Aang keeps dropping his staff because it's a delicate instrument and he's worried about breaking it in a fight.
Interesting how everyone else realizes it too and doesn’t want to break it either.
Dosent want it to break
Pulls it out when dudes have swords
*seems legit* -.- XD
nah I remember one fight scene where he kinda throws it at Zuko, Zuko diverts it and the stick goes offscreen, all in a matter of seconds.
That might hold water, except even before he gets the new one he uses this one (along with his bending) to break rocks. The attack on the castle in Ba Sing Se.
@@VanillastumpAang is a complete clutz pass it on
Zuko is hot headed and hard to get to at times but when iroh has him say down to teach him or preach to him, zuko keeps quiet and listens to him because he thinks highly of him and I think that’s really cool
their relationship and how they clearly care so much about each other destroys me.
Ioh's speach about each of the nations and their characteristics is just, goosebumps
Who is Ioh?
@@Thisisthegreatestatofalltime Misspelling of Iroh
It's so good T_T. I felt like it applicable even to adults as much as to kids
Ioh
I used part of his speech in my graduation speech... :)
Holy crap the Iroh "elements explanation" from 7:16 - 8:22. THIS is why I love this channel. The clips of Iroh acting out the values of the separate nations whilst explaining them is just perfect. And then capped off with NO further explanation/narration; just letting the weight of Iroh's character shine. Literally had me crying during the "water tribe" explanation. Absolutely beautiful editing to an already amazing scene.
I also cried at water tribe part. Iroh's forgiving scene never fails me to cry.
I *loved* your visual storytelling when Iroh was explaining the differences between the four nations. Didn't even have to explain anything. Iroh's probably the closest thing to the avatar without actually being the avatar.
This reminds me of the theory that if Aang had died (which some people refer to as he was SUPPOSED to die), who would have been the next Avatar in the cycle? I know it can't be Iroh, because it'd have to be a water bender, and many theories suggest it would've been Katara. I'm not sure how much I like that theory personally, but it would be interesting to hear OA's thoughts on it.
@@kimwasalreadytaken it couldn't have been katara. If aang died when he ran away, then his spirit would've been sucked into the first waterbenders born at that exact moment. Which was 100 years ago. The only way tht theory makes any sense is if aang got trapped in an iceberg for 86 years and died, then his spirit would've been reborn into katara (I forget, but I assume katara was 14).
@@ferdinandvillafuerte468 I completely agree! It's why I'm not sure how much I like the theory - but nonetheless, I would like to hear his thoughts on it at some point
but now that i'm thinking about it, if aang died when he ran away, it's possible that the avatar spirit would have gotten into Hama or Pakku. Assuming they're the right age, considering they're the most powerful waterbenders that may have been born around the same time the war started, then they would've likely been the next avatar. 🤷♂️
@@kimwasalreadytaken I've seen a lil' neat theory once about how the next Avatar might've been Yue. She was supposed to inherit the Avatar spirit, but when it remained within Aang at the time of her birth, her physical body wasn't ready to function without it - hence the Moon Spirit shenanigans.
I like that OA doesn't say anything about Iroh's four elements and harmony speech. Simply showing us how Iroh demonstrates these traits throughout the series, and letting the final words hit home by themselves.
Meanwhile Azula: "So you tell me this drill is gonna take 5 episodes to get to Ba Sing Se? While we just wait and do nothing?"
Mai dies inside
There's a saying I heard once "The Pessimist looks down and hits their head, The Optimist looks up and trips, The Realist looks forward and adjust their path accordingly"
Meanwhile the opportunist laughs at both morons before tripping and hitting himself on the head
Neat.
Pessimist: Zuko
Optimist: Aang
Realist: Iroh
Don't know if anyone else did it but I estimated the boulder to be about 7,000 pounds if it is made of "average boulder material"
"average boulder material"
Jesus Christ, Marie, they're minerals!
@@Merlincat007 No, they're Dwayne.
not to be a d*ck here, but i literally curious, what is 7k lbs in kg?
@@dianputra7336 3175 kg
Wow, not sure if they intended this, but at 9:00 the baby moose lion might be attempting to free sokka...it realizes hes stuck, and it pulling on his hair, and only stops when something happens and his hair tie flings off and it becomes more interested in that.
Well that’s the cutest thing I’ve ever fucking read
"The kid couldn't get it in practice but when it comes down to it in the moment of truth he pulls it off."
I do like that he doesn't actually earthbend in that moment, that would be too easy. But he applies the correct mindset to the problem, and all Toph needs to do is point that out.
I love how this personality trait carries over to Korra when she struggles with/finally learns airbending, too.
@@ember-brandt i never really got that though water bending and air bending have similar principles and mind set's which is why aang was naturally gifted at it while earth which is the antithesis to the teachings of air bending came difficult so why was it airbending that gave korra trouble of all elements it feels like they did that just for 'it was aangs best element how about she struggles with it"
Lol XD ^^^
Never seen Kora
But yeah, why can a kid bend 3 elements Before mastering 1
Why not all 4 and she had difficulty with spirits. . . The point of the Avatar you know
@@justanothercommenterwithan9089 although she was a natural born water bender, her personality was much more similar to a fire bender, but as im typing this i realized that thats not the opposite of air bending so this theory doesn’t even make any sense
@@justanothercommenterwithan9089 Not only she had a more 'fiery' personality, I think one important thing even Iroh mention here is that the air nomads detached themselves from wordly concern, found peace and as we learn they are a very spiritual people, while Korra is very much grounded on the real world at the start and focused on how 'awesome' it is being the Avatar.
I'm glad you pointed out Togh's teaching technic, she isn't being mean to Aang for ill intent, but to train him in order to toughen him up, this portrays a perfect example of how being mean is actually helpful.
In the spirit of overanalysis, what Katara likely _meant_ was "positive encouragement", but Toph did use positive _reinforcement_ - when Aang finally did anything to reinforce. Positive reinforcement can only be applied when the subject has gotten something right. And when he did, she reinforced the heck out of it. And that reinforcement motivated him to bend the rock while his emotion was still high from facing the saber-toothed moose lion and Toph. It worked wonders. =D
I like how the voice actor for Zuko sounded all episode that he was holding back tears with his words. Then for him to finally cry at the end is just perfection
10:45 I know it's played off as a joke, but considering how powerful Iroh is he really does have a vast ocean of Chi.
He wasent called the dragon of the west for show
He litterally could have fought the 2 dragons we see in seasion 3
And might have won
@@donovanulrich348 didn't he actually learn from those dragons and keep their existence a secret though?
He lied about killing the dragon so others wouldn't go after them (and for the sweet title)
@@donovanulrich348 He didn't actually fight them, he learned from them and pretended he killed them to preserve them.
Though, if anyone in the fire nation could solo a dragon, it would be Iroh (or Ozai, I guess).
Both physically and mentally
It’s amazing to me that Iroh being so grounded and respected is directly because he practices what he preaches. He doesn’t just tell Zuko how to think about the four nations, he embodies everything he says, becoming the perfect example and becoming wise through every nations culture. Wanna be like Iroh? Then do what Iroh does.
The thing I really like about this episode is that Aang does not spontaneously earth bend in the heat of the moment. He acts true to its philosophical principles but he still airbends at the moose lion because that is what he knows. He has to be prompted to try bending the rock and when he does it he's told to let Toph save Sokka.
Really good writing.
Basically, he doesn't pull a Korra and airbend randomly by throwing punches
@@xiNerdLordix aah, a fellow enjoyer of pretending korra doesnt exist
delicious writing 👨🍳💋👌
"Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source."
Not just one of the best lines of the series, but genuinely one of the most deeply cutting lines in all of fiction that I'm aware of. Iroh is the GOAT.
Damn, that montage you did with Iroh's speech about the elements was just perfect. It really shows just how much effort the creators went to prove Iroh follows what he teaches. Amazing.
You know, here’s a detail I’m surprised you missed:
Aang tried to save Sokka first like an air bender, by getting the moose lions attention and luring it away; running away and maneuvering.
Then he tried saving Sokka like a waterbender, by redirecting the beast over Sokka’s head.
Then he realized the only real solution here was to be like an earthbender. Strong, stable, like a wall defending Sokka. An immovable object that also pushes back. So, that’s exactly what Aang did. He solved it like an earthbender.
"Lightning Conductivity."
Lightning is ultimately electricity, when something conducts electricity it doesn't control it, it simply acts as a path for the electricity.
The key to mastering electricity, like mastering Lightning in Avatar is realizing you only control the conduit. By changing the property of the conduit, such as a bender's stance, you change how the electricity flows through the conduit.
You never control the electricity, you only control what it moves through.
Finnally someone gets it
You can apply these techniques to real life, not the stances But the logic
You cant control the power, but you can control your interacting with it
You might even summon it
But you dont control it
@@donovanulrich348 @techfreak1182
Very wise comments from both of you.
“Stop you’re going to pull my fingers off and I don’t think the rest of me is coming”
Me: silent, uncontrollable laughter
That Iroh montage was really cool. It’s nice to see him exhibiting what he preaches in several largely unconnected moments. Also, loved the editing.
5:27 hi, black belt here, and yes, that’s exactly why it’s called horse stance. In fact, in taekwondo, it’s specifically called “joochom soegi” or “horseback riding stance”
5:20 In Tae Kwon Do, we call it "horse-back riding stance", which "horse stance" is probably short for.
It's generally more for stability and discipline rather than actual combat, since it is strains/exercises your legs (in a good way) and doesn't allow you much flexibility to use kicks. It's much more suited to practice your endurance and also punches like in the show
Edit: Well at 11:40 his body is parallel to where he's facing, so it's a bit more practical
THANK YOU! This is some quality info, thanks for sharing
I was about to comment this, we’ve always called it “horse riding stance”
In karate we just called it "horse stance" so maybe the show got it from a similar source?
The full name could also just be specific to the place that I go to
yeah, many of the stances you see in eastern martial arts forms are meant for conditioning your body's muscles, and making your reflex movements almost second nature to the ones in the form.
I definitely heard that "If horses were carnivorous" bit the first time, but for some reason it hit me so much harder the second time!
whenever i talk to somebody about world building, this show and this episode are what i refer to as an example. There is some real philosophy behind it, its vague yet contained. Perfectly balanced (as all things should be)
And controversially, I think this is where LoK lacks a bit. It overexplains the lore which takes away some of the mystery (like the origins episodes and the spirit world).
I don’t mind the Wan stuff. It feels like a folk tale
I really liked the first half of LoK, because the industrialized world thing really had potential in world building. Like tech can do so much, who needs benders and the avatar. But then I was disappointed by straight and boring story design.
LoK doesn't take the time it needs to describe feelings and situations, like atla does.
The entire LoK series is such a shame really. There was potential, but the writers tried to explain politics without understanding the ideologies they tried to critique, let me give one example of each book, because oh boi there is so much wrong with them, but here are my top contenders:
Book 1: They tried critiqueing communists, yet failed to understand the entire ideology, and the - now - centuries-old movements happening all across the world. Like the analogy of bending being the problem doesn't make sense, because it's not redistributable, socialist movements in the avatar universe would call for people of all bending styles and non-benders alike equal socially, like they do IRL with different races. (Like if you actually think about it, the equalists are pretty much fascist, they differentiate based on this world's version of race.)
Book 2: This is kinda of a weird one, but I would say it's about the third world's struggle with constant civil wars and globalism. And boy did they miss the mark... I really thought they had it for a second, when they were showing Varryck off as the war criminal villain, he is, but then nah, he is just a goofy dude bruh, and that's just one of the many problems.
Book 3: Zaheer is supposed to be an anarchist, yet he doesn't know that a revolution needs people backing it to succeed. And like okay, maybe that's the point, he doesn't understand how societies work, but it's actually writers that don't understand jack: when the queen dies everybody starts rioting and setting fire to their homes, like, that just doesn't happen. (Movements can happen when leaders are changed, but it's not like they depict wtf)
Book 4: At the end of the season it's literally fascist apologia, like "oh yeah I understand why you genocided people based on ethnicity and built nukes and shit, you were just sad".
I would've been fine with the political tone, IF the writers understood anything about politics... or sociology. There's just so much wrong with how they depict different ideologies like damn... And to think this is why the self-adventures got a backseat is just sad really.
The animations looked dope though, gotta give credit where credit's due.
@@mcduckington i always thought you were supposed to find the equalists akin to racists
@@gotoShiba01 Well, they are pretty much the communist boogiman: people who are sour and not reacting to a wide range of problems in society and just want to take and pillage, lead by people who are powerhungry and not people who actually believe in the change they fight for. And when we apply neoliberal capitalist democracy everything is perfect and nobody is rioting anymore.
I got so many feelings while watching the part where Iroh explains the different elements and their wisdom and it goes through all of those moments/clips of Iroh moments and literally, the man himself represents all of them and he is the perfect teacher and vessel of such knowledge. Such a good job in finding all of their moments and putting this video together... oh man... Too good.
I love that visual editing of Irohs speech about the elements, showing him being the Avatar in mentality.
I really like when you have the various scenes of Iroh while playing his explanation of the four elements. It really drives home the fact that Iroh has in a way, mastered the mental aspect of each element.
Fire - Powerful, driven, focused
Earth - Enduring, strong, persistent
Air - This one was probably more due to the death of his son, but Iroh has in a way, moved on from the petty squabbles of life and found peace, and freedom.
Water - Adaptable, a deep sense of love and care for his fellow human, while in a way, relying on Zuko through hard times.
I like thinking that Toph knew that Sokka was stuck in that hole and knew that the sabertooth moose would show up looking for it's cub. Because she can see the vibrations. You can't tell me that Sokka got too far from Toph that she couldn't feel him jump and get stuck into that hole. I bet she laughed her ass off when no one was looking.
Actually, this brings up a good question: How far can Toph see with her earth bending?
Far enough that in LoK she can use the Great Swamp Tree to look upon the world like some sort of blind viking god.
Let's put like it's 2000 meter raduis
One could try to calculate this based on the energy released by the vibrations she has sensed at what distance to get an idea of what she should be capable of seeing. I would volunteer Austin from game theory.
Yeah in Legend of Korra her seismic sense was global so... I'd think it's pretty far at this point in the story.
@Isaiah Stovall we do kinda know actually . She didn’t spot the drill for a very long time and it creates a lot vibration
11:16
The transition to Sokka's dialogue almost made it sound like Sokka was about to beg Aang to return Song's horse 😂
I'd personally imagine that air and earth just due to upbringing would be the hardest hurdles from someone raised in either kingdom as an avatar. Even harder than water and fire, just because nomad teachings and earthbender ideals are so unbelievably different
My guess would be the issue with water/fire is that water is all about guiding water and going with it's natural flow, while fire is more about DEAR GOD DON'T LET THAT SHIT GET OUT OF HAND
@@purebloodedgriffin Fire is more forceful yeah, firebenders can apply their will to their surroundings whether that’s good or not, while Water is about adapting
@@somerandomfurry2169 yes i always saw fire bending mentality of biuld it up inside yourself then let it go as its core principle and guide it with the same passion that created it
Honestly
The Avatar should struggle with 2 elements
Air and earth ar opposites sure
Nothing vs somthing
But air + fire = fuck you XD
A air Avatar should struggle with fire like Jongjong stressed
Not because your weak in bending it but you amplify it
Roku wuld struggle with water and air fo the same reasions He was a fire Avatar
Keoshi air and water
Water wouldnt be amplified but mud would be a easy middle ground to learn on for a Earth bender
Same but opposite true for a water bending avatar
earth people are earthly, and air people are spiritual. people have always conflated spirit and air in ye olde classical elements manuscripts
5:29 did karate for 5 years. You're exactly right. It's called horse riding stance because yep, that's kinda how your body looks when riding a horse.
Not everything in martial arts has some hidden special symbolism behind it, sometimes things are just called things cos they kinda look like things. Simple
In a way Aang and Toph are the inverse of Zuko and Iroh in this episode. Toph lobs a Boulder at Aang. Iroh refuses to throw lightning at Zuko. Toph teaches Aang to be more assertive (including anger at one point), Iroh teaches Zuko to be less emotional
Aang is so clear of mind he could learn to direct lightning
Zuko already thinks hes the best and capable of the technique
Its because you need to train your student accordingly
Aang needs a spine, Zuko needs to learn to bow his head more often
Exactly
Aang gets it in the end of the episode, Zuko doesn't
@MPROX, precisely
@@donovanulrich348 I personally don't see it as Zuko being full of himself thinking that he's the best, I see it as him seeing a chance to finally do something that Azula can do, and failing once again. Zuko has always failed to measure up to Azula, his prodigy sister, which I think his self worth is most definitely tied to, and his failure in this episode to direct lightning is a culmination of that and resulted in his lowest point at the end.
8:48 “Okay karma-person or thing, whoever’s in charge of this stuff”
Me whenever I ask the universe for nice things.
The universe doesn't care, the universe gives nothing but cold indifference.
The Iroh montage/lecture about how he used the wisdom from the other nations to make himself a better man after losing his son... I hope you're resting easy up there Mako, because you're dearly missed and you helped shape me into a better person and father through your role as Iroh.
I honestly think Iroh would have ended the war if he was elected fire lord with a Hair behind him
He didnt believe in the war
Azula wasent wrong, if he honestly though the people he was fighting were the problem why stop?
But he disnt believe in the war effort
Daddy said so
And he lost his son, because he couldnt tell his own father no
Iroh was already Dragon of the west
And spared the 2 living dragons
So he was a White lotas member
And the white lotas dont see borders in wisdom/knowledge
Why agree to a war weakining the 3 remaining nations
Tbh I think that Iroh explaining the mindset that people of the nations have is the best minute or so of overanalyzing
I loves how you showed clips of Iroh practicing aspects of the other elements while he's explaining their philosophies
Iroh learned a lot from the spirit world
You have to imagine it made him stronger with not just bending
But the midset behind the understanding
3:03 I can explain that actually, it’s in the Avatar art book. The artists had intended to have the hole over her nose and mouth as a breathing hole, but somewhere in the animating process it got moved up to her eyes. The creators didn’t notice until after it aired, so they couldn’t really fix it
I always loved this episode, still one of my favorites, and I can’t really pin down why. I think it has to do with the fact that this is the one time we see Aang work really hard to learn an element and finally have it pay off. Water he got right away and fire was kinda... deus ex machina-d into him.
Iroh’s speech about the elements was also really amazing and probably one of the best examples of his well rounded philosophy
Iroh's speech about the four elements and their respective nations is one of the best moments in the entire series imo, easily top 10.
I love Katara's contribution to the episode, for as minor as it is. Iroh describes water as "the element of change", representing versatility and adaptability. Water can be rigid and sturdy like earth when it freezes, or free and formless like air when it evaporates. Mastering water demands an elementary understanding of the mindsets of both air and earth, so it makes a lot of sense that Katara identifies where the conflict between Aang and Toph is coming from, and acts as a bridge between them; giving them both advice on how to meet the other halfway.
Gave me chills with that Iroh montage. No commentary, no quips, just the best character speaking for himself with most elegant and badass speeches in the show. Beautiful
I know you mention that through the first half of the show, the gang mostly runs from conflict, whereas in the second half, they take more fight, and that the change happens at basically the direct halfway point in the show. It also happens after Aang learns the earthbender mentality of taking things head on, standing his ground and moving that rock. This show really is incredible.
If nothing else, this channel just keeps confirming that Iroh is in fact an awesome character and we're lucky to have him.
"I know, she's my sister, I should try to get along with her..."
"Nah i'm on your side, that bitch is crazy" such a good moment
To the horse stance part: The "Ma Bu" (Mandarin) or "Sei Ping Ma" (As it would be called in Cantonese and taught in Hung Gar) is not only looking like you are sitting on a horse, but also uses about the same weight distribution and muscle memory. I sat on a horse in a saddle for the first time one day after training that stance for two years and got a remark on how naturally I allready sat in the saddle without directions.
This episode in general captures a lot of the basic philosophies taught in Hung Gar very well and is even useful to teach someone those in a more entertaining way.
you fool. the moose-lion's cuteness is imperative to understanding the whole show
Actually at 3:00 the original storyboard didn’t leave a gap for her eyes but the animators drew it anyway and it was too late to be fixed by then
Then a at the end of book 2 they double down
And dont give Aang a eye hole in the gem armor
Genius, he mastered seismic visualization from Toph
But only in intense situations
Like session finales XD -.-
@@donovanulrich348I'm pretty sure he has eye holes in his gem suit
The part where sokka was giving up sarcasm and meat i was with that Line about rockbotton and you delivered so perfectly lmao
“Oooh he’s gonna have to use that technique at all isn’t he”.
Exact line that got me, FUNNIEST THING EVER.
That was such a beautiful edit of Iroh explaining all of the elements and nations. Well done, man. Well done!
@12:30 this scene is even better the second time you watch it. Knowing how Zuko will eventually use his new lightning redirecting ability. Zuko yelling at the storm could be the exact same speech he'd give to Ozai right now. Yes when he eventually does confront Ozai he has a much more controlled approach to his confrontation of Ozai but this isn't the same Zuko. Zuko definitely would've gone with the speech we see here had he not changed.
Gotta love the little montage you made of Iroh and how he has all the qualities he describes of the other nations
Damn, that montage you did for Iroh's explanation of drawing wisdom from all 4 elements was amazing. Very cool seeing how the show demonstrates that very lesson over the course of its runtime.
The fact that you played Irohs take on the elements and nations, but didnt comment a single word during it makes me like this channel even more. this is my favorite scene in the series and you knowing that nothing was needed to be said is great.
I always thought of the bending system as driven by creativity and understanding of the element and how you connect with it. Like Katara isn't able to bloodbend just because she's more powerful, but because she has a deep understanding of waterbending and how to be creative and make it personal, like the sweat thing. So she can learn it just through watching and experiencing it. Or Toph isn't innately more powerful, but she understands earthbending more through necessity and is creative and open enough to figure out metalbending. I don't know maybe I'm overthinking it. L ike obviously they get stronger and more powerful through practice, but when they discover something new or crazy powerful it's through connecting with the element more personally.
Nah man youre spot on. Theres no magic hidden bloodline power or super ninja scrolls that just give these characters a brand new ability. Its because theyre taking the time to perfect the craft, applying it in different ways. These kids are training whenever they can, training with the only person who can use an almost extinct element, and doing everything they can to hone him to his best. Theyre doing everything they can to make this 12 year old kid ready for a life or death fight, and in doing so are forced to apply their own skills in different and better ways in order to train him better. And in doing so, their understanding of their own element and abilities changes.
@@ac3ofangels897 This. Why hasn’t metal bending and blood bending been discovered already? Because no other benders traveling the world, learning, practicing, fighting, on a daily basis.
Why is Iroh wiser than Ozai even though they’re brothers? Because Iroh grew from his experiences.
Ozai might’ve changed too if he had a chance to travel.
3:39 doesn't it seem a little strange that Iroh refers to normal, non-lightning fire bending as "fueled by emotion and rage?" Is this just him aligning with Zuko's current views on fire bending at the moment?
I’m currently binge-watching this series and first of all I really have to compliment your humor and editing, I’m fucking IN LOVE.
There real reason I’m commenting is about the “horse stance”. I practiced Kung-fu for about ten years and had to learn some words and one of the more common and basic stances is ma pu, “ma” meaning horse or rider and “pu” meaning stance so... yeah, you were right when talking about Kung fu and stances and I really appreciated the “bending is about mentality” highlights.
Yo 8:20 with the censor noise sent me. I’m not gonna lie
3:00 The answer is literally an animation error. Early sketches showed that it was supposed to be the mouth, but someone messed up!
Holy shit that Iroh edit regarding the four elements drove me to tears dude
RIP to Zuko's loyal crew who followed him to the ends of the world just to regain his honor. They also deserve the credit.
One of my favorite details about this episode is how the waterbending leit motiffe plays while Iroh teaches Zuko to redirect lightning, a technique based on waterbending... Jeremy Zuckerman, you've done it again!
Great video man, love this series!
I've been binging your stuff and this is EASILY the best. From the DBZA reference, to censoring Toph (and on that thought ATLA Abridged would be a killer series), to 10 seconds later dissing Aang's staff control, this is hilarious and that doesn't even get to the montage of Iroh explaining the elements while different moments of him adapting were shown. Great work, through and through. However, I'm pretty sure horses wouldn't ascend past bears, and the canines/felines when it comes to their danger posed so they'd just be another highly dangerous animal you don't want to face in the wild, but you haven't seen bears singlehandedly wipe out all human life in America.
Much like the full moon in ATLA, the quality keeps coming back in these videos.
For lightning: I always thought Azula should have flubbed lightning generation in the finale. It would have been a good callback to Iroh's discussion of how emotion and internal conflict relates to it.
When I watched the finale for the first time I fully expected that to happen. when she was still able to do it it did feel inconsistent to me
I guess her peace of mind comes from the determination to murder her brother
Since this is the breakdown of the episode where Aang starts learning Earth bending and Zuko learns "lightning bending", i think this would be a good time for me to talk about the way i break down the movements and, in a way, the mindsets between different bending styles.
Air bending is quick and flowing, having fan like movements. Like a fan, you must move with the flow of the air, less you meet resistance, but you need to be quick, otherwise you cannot bend the flow of the wind to your will.
Water bending is slow and flowing, moving like the ocean waves. Like a river, you need to flow with the water. You don't need to go fast to push water, as it's always flowing and moving, but if you push against the water's current, your going to have problems. So it's best to flow with the water instead of against it.
Earth bending is slow, but powerful, you need to be the unstoppable force to move the immovable object, but you can't rush your movements. You need to strike precisely and with power, otherwise the boulder won't move.
Fire bending is fast and powerful, like a wildfire out of control. You cannot create a spark if you strike the flint to slow, or to gently. You need to strike to bring life to the flames.
And then there's bending techniques like lightning or sand bending. In order for a fire bender to master lightning bending, they must move like that of a water bender. The energy doesn't need the initial spark, it just needs its current directed.
As for why I included sand bending in with lightning bending is because like how lightning bending is fire bending like a water bender, sand bending is like earth bending like an air bender. Sand bending requires controlling the sand, allowing it to flow freely almost like water, kind of like aerated sand, how, with the combination of sand and air, the sand acts almost like water.
I think that Ice bending also kind of falls in with them, since it has a lot less flowing motions like normal water bending, and a lot more striking, fast movements like fire bending.
5:24 You got it exactly! It's also called the riding horse stance.
That Iroh montage was awesome! He really is one of the best characters ever created
Fun fact- at 7:25 iroh speaks about the people of the earth kingdom, this is the same thing Zuko tells his dad and the other people in the fire nation war room in season 3, which Ozai is quick to spin and use that to plan his attack
11:22 “HU, HU, HU, HU, HU, AHHHHHHH”
Aang just needed four other benders to do a synchronized dance.
Zuko screaming at the world is easily one of my favourite scenes. Always hit home for me. I think we see Zuko humbled a lot, but that's the only time he feels truly small.
I remember reading some trivia about A:TLA that the writers intended this episode to have a shit ton of innuendos
Aang's "nuts", his "staff", Sokka almost buried in that hole and Toph "seeing" in the ground sis sure had a view down there lmao
7:17 i love that you showed this, it makes the moment so much cooler for me
Gotta love that Iroh says that "many firebenders' bending" comes from anger, not his.
He uses emotion
He dosent let it rule him
But check that shit at the north pole
All fire bending weaker, Zuko's blasts noticeably smaller
And Iroh jumps in with the biggest fire blasts of the seasion
At night, during the full moon
Chill Iroh, your gonna explode dog XD
10:33 horses are opportunistic carnivores! if they are presented with meat, theyll eat it. good thing they do not hunt
One of only 2 videos ive seen that truly unnerved me was a horse grazing on grass. Without missing a beat it ate a baby chick & continued on like nothing happened. Horrifying.
@@matthewlang737 Meat is the easiest, most digestible, least energy intensive source of nutrition and protein in nature. Any animal that can access meat can and will eat it. Plus bones are rich in minerals, even plants and mushrooms will absorb bones.
You're right about where horse stance gets its name. It, like pretty much all the martial arts in this show, is a real stance. A foundational one at that. It makes sense that it would be one of the very first things Toph teaches.
7:17 I loved what you did there, showing all the ways Iroh has come to internalayze and really is living the core principles of every element, the very thing he is teaching here - that was beatiful
I like how Sokka hits a low in this episode and Katara is basically just like "this isn't your story" without a word and Sokka just goes back to normal
It's like breaking the 4th wall without actually breaking it
Also it was a nice comical contrast to Aang and Zuko hitting lows
the edit on Iroh's speech is bar none, and really like that there was no added commentary on it. It was perfect just the way it was, adding anything would absolutely taken away from the perfection of that scene. Genius on everyone's part
Banger. Zuko's eye is definitely shaped differently this episode, yeah.
the juxtaposition between the iroh montage immediately followed by toph saying pussy. this is the best youtube channel ever
for the algorithm!!!!! loved the iroh montage over his description of the elements
going through these videos again and that editing with Iroh's speech about the four nations was really good, very clever selection of scenes to put together. that's talent right there.