Yes, Aang Should've Killed Fire Lord Ozai | Avatar Analysis
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- Опубликовано: 16 окт 2024
- In the series finale, Aang sidestepped his dilemma of killing Ozai because the lion turtles magically appeared at his doorstep. But if they hadn't, what would he have done? In this video, I argue that killing the Fire Lord was the correct choice. Hope you enjoy this Avatar analysis!
I envision Aang going through with it by refusing to do it twice (one after lightning and one after he said “you shall pay the ultimate price”). He’ll slowly get out of the Avatar state and says he doesn’t wanna end it this way. And while his back is turned, Ozai would try to do a cheap shot and throw lightning (just like Azula did), then we’ll see Aang redirect it and hesitant to throw it back, but then eventually does it. They could’ve quickly cut away from Ozai being shot, and show Aang’s disappointed reaction. Then while everyone cheers him on for finishing the job, he and Zuko are both disappointed but knew it had to be done.
So, rule of 3? Aang gives Ozai two last chances to come quietly, but eventually accepts reality?
That would have been another good bonding moment between Aang and Zuko.
I think this is a really smart way it could've been done without it feeling like a betrayal of Aang's character. Pinning this comment if that's ok 🙂
@@dansattah yeah, and Aang’s disappointment could sorta parallel Zuko and Katara watching Azula’s mental break down. Because although the war being officially over can bring more peace/hope to the world, it doesn’t feel as triumphant as they’d expect
@@monkfruit thanks, I think the Aang and Ozai fight could’ve felt more like an ongoing internal battle of Aang unsure how much power he should unleash without going against his moral code (but ultimately knowing he has to choose the realistic yet morally gray approach). And it’s all good, being pinned actually makes me feel famous😌
That sounds kind of like how Goku dealt with Frieza on Namek.
One of the other big problems I have with Aang's "pacifist" rationale is that he's kinda acting like putting Ozai in prison for life is a fate much less terrible than killing him outright. There was no indication that Ozai was ever going to "reform" and by keeping him alive, it just creates more problems for Zuko who has to imprison him somewhere and also feel ongoing attachment while loyalists would inevitably try and break him out etc etc
@mr.supreme8803best to my knowledge no he can't find another way to do it
I mean from what I remember from the comics he wasn't really a problem for Zuko as he didn't do anything besides rant and stay silent in shame.
And best too my knowledge he had very few loyalists aside from his daughter and the one's who were loyal were just noblemen who disagrees with Zuko's political changes.
While Azula was loyal she didn't try to break him out as Zuko still had more people that sided with him so all she did was try to force Zuko to act more like his dad.
Aang: [runs away from being the Avatar, gets trapped for a hundred years in ice, his entire people are destroyed]
Aang: I feel really bad about running away from my responsibilities.
Yangchen, a fellow Avatar and Air Nomad: Yo, it's cool that you're carrying on the good word, but can you put that on hold for just once and ice this one particularly comically evil dude to save the entire world?
Aang: [forgetting all the Fire Nation soldiers he has at the very least severely injured] Le gasp, I couldn't possibly live with myself if I killed someone!
And he conveniently forgot all the corpses surrounding Gyatso at the Temple, clearly indicating that he killed them. Senseless violence and aimless killing is bad, we can all agree on that. However when someone is actively barbecuing an entire continent remorselessly, I would bet hard money there isn’t a monk alive that would consider letting him live in that moment.
The Southern Raiders having Katara choose not to end the life of the man that killed her mother made Aang not doing it to Ozai seem repetitive. One of those should’ve ended in ☠️, and I’m leaning more towards Aang since he seemed like he really had no other option.
Yeahhh Aang got really lucky fr, he was gonna lose if it wasn't for the Rock
@@monkfruit he really did, the times when Aang loses embarrasses me🙃like in Crossroads of Destiny and this finale fight, he shouldn’t have been losing THAT bad…Katara and the Avatar state were carrying the whole fights. Going back to his pacifist roots aren’t helpful in those kinda battles. The finale needed to show him stepping out of that comfort/safe zone, and implementing a more direct and defensive approach
The Southern Raiders did the sparing an enemy deal a lot better
the stake are different : Katara NOT killing the ex soldier is an evoltion ,becuase it would have BEEN pure revenge
Aang NEEDED to kill Ozai to SAVE the world
The guy who killed Katara and Sokka's mom was legit some worthless nobody who was willing to sell out his mom to save his sorry hide. If it weren't for bend stealing Deus Ex Machina, everyone would've been f%cked
I've always thought that Aang not killing Ozai was a nice way of showing Aang becoming his own person instead of being what others wanted him to be, thus staying true to himself.
Though I agree energy bending does come out of nowhere, they should've tried to build up more set up for it
that's fair! I'm not entirely opposed to Aang not killing Ozai, just think it would have at least been better than what we got
@@monkfruit Yeah, if Aang killed Ozai at least it could've made for an interesting character conflict
True. The story isn't about Ozai. The story is about Aang and Aang's story is about bringing peace to the world through peaceful means.
@@monkfruit if Ang killed ozai, then katara should have killed yonrah, And if she does that then Ang should have murder all the fire nation, both soldiers and citizens, yeah, making zuko the first to die, in a world of revenge killing zuko would have die first,
@@thedarklordofthejougan4990 yonrah isn't a threat to the world
It shouldn't be just about punishing Ozai but preventing him from doing more harm.
Airbenders got wiped out b/c the last avatar didn't kill firelord.If Ozai escaped and committed genocide it kinda will be Aang's fault.
how will ozai commit genocide??? he doesnt have power, figuratively and literally
as far as were aware he doesnt even know how to use a weapon like zuko and even if ehe did he still cant do shit
@@dooda9566 Political power. Fire nation didn't follow him because he was a powerful bender. They followed him because he was a monarch.
@@danzack900 he wasnt a powerful monarch anymore,he was broken and had given up
and also the fire nation monarchy is VERY tied with powerful bending, its the entire reason zuko was such an outcast in his family
@@dooda9566
Ty lee, Mai, azula's advisors, probably mai's dad ...many important people were nonbenders. We didn't see any non-bender discrimination in Atla. Ozai was just a jerk and hated/burnt Zuko for being sentimental, even when he became a master bender better than most.
The comics explain it better. Spoilers ahead but....Broken and given up? No he was enraged after the finale. Lots of people hated Zuko and wanted to free and bring Ozai back. Like he was the disgraced traitor prince that overthrew the Firelord feeding them propoganda since they were children. It make no sense for everyone to join Zuko after a coup. Ozai also tried to turn Zuko into a dictator by giving him messed up advice. When that failed he gave incorrect info about his mom to Azula so she can remove him from the throne. When that failed he tried to give Zuko's mom trauma but she shut him up. When that failed...well he wasn't mentioned again but....Azula still escaped and caused more damage to Zuko's rule kidnapping children and all that because of him.
I think a good solution for Aang would be burning every Ozai's limb he would survive and be usless
jeez that's brutal man
Breath of fire
@@hueyfreeman6262 Yea he could still do that maybe even jump using fire and then attack with head movements but any major bender could outperform him and he would be stored in a freezer like prisoners in boiling rock
During the original invasion, ang was literally ready to kill him while he was unarmed, and a few episodes later he changed his mind completely
I agree that Aang should have killed Ozai if we look at it realistically. But because it's a cartoon, it would be nicer to see some spirit world stuff too. In the Legend of Korra we learned about the valley of lost souls. I believe if the lion-turtle gave him knowledge about how to banish a soul to the ultimate spirit world prison instead, it would be way better, although I still favor developing the idea of energybending like they did with the Order of White Lotus. It would've been better storytelling to see the karma of Aang banished Ozai out of the world he lived in just like Ozai banished his son out of the country he grew up in.
ooh I really like this idea! a well foreshadowed valley of lost souls banishment thing would be really cool. although I wonder if Aang would view sending someone there as immoral
@@monkfruit well, he's definitely not killing him by banishing him to that valley and whatever he's doing is highly spiritual, and being half-spirit half-human and being the bridge between the two worlds he would have the right to do it both morally and physically.
He would end up just like Zhao, I don't see a problem with it, except the spirit world would have to be explored more deeply for that conclusion to make more sense than the one we have.
Do not mention that show
@@hueyfreeman6262 TLOK you mean? Yeah I don't like it either but it exists
@@davitharutyunyan8330 correct it exists but it's not canon
3:13, typical Airbender tactics avoid and evade. I had hoped the Avatar would be less predictable.
The universe actually dictates that killing him was necessary and the ending was gimped because of the necessity.
Foremost, the Avatar can not disconnect himself from the world, he is actually required to be part of the world because his spirit is actually the spirit of the world. Its trying to sympathize and understand those of the world, thus why the Avatar must live of the world. This is what makes the Avatar such a unique spirit even among the mortal ones, for aside from being more immortal then the mortal spirits (as the ruleset of truly killing the Avatar Spirit requires more extreme circumstances that the Avatar can control) its also the only spirit that lives as a human, no other spirits are shown to act even remotely human and none of them understand nor sympathize with natural life. Only the Avatar Spirit does. This is why it is also the mediator of the natural and supernatural realms. With all this is mind, the Avatar is living for the sake of both itself and others where other spirits follow whatever whim they wish, it is also the only spirit for which carries a responsibility beyond itself. That's what the Avatar was in the original series.
This is the reason the narrative punishes Aang when he tries to disconnect from the world. Opening his chakras to achieve the Avatar State was equal to trying to achieve it by force in book 1, he's not supposed to force the Avatar State especially without being a master of the four elements, and thus the narrative punishes Aang for that. This is also why Iroh is openly disagreeing with Guru Pathik, while it can also be in universe he doesn't agree with that form of enlightenment, Iroh doing that is part of the narrative criticizing Aang for trying to resolve the problems of the world by not taking responsibility himself. Iroh is framed as not being incorrect in the story because in a sense it is the advice of the narrative speaking through Iroh. This is why in the literal parts of the story he's never demonstrated to be wrong.
All this is to say that the Avatar has an objective responsibility in the story that requires him to do what is best for the world which will be the best for himself even if he doesn't realize it. This is why even Avatar Yangchen tells Aang that it is for the sake of the world that he must value his duty to the world over his own feelings. This is actually a demonstration of taking responsibility even when you don't like the responsibility, for which all adults must do. And for which Aang fails and the story suffers as a result. So instead of resolving the conflict, it sidesteps the conflict entirely with a deus ex machina and doesn't actually answer the question it poses, killing the climax of the story. Aang in essence violates the purpose of the Avatar.
As an aside, taking out self-defense, justice is enacting judgement upon the wicked, for which the Avatar has long been justified to perform. If we agree that, as justice is, blood for blood, then those who kill must have their life taken, in which if the crime has been demonstrated and there is no reasoning to absolve the accused of the crime, then the accused is a criminal and is to be executed. Given its been quite clearly demonstrated that Ozai has committed murderous acts which he doesn't care to justify even when defeated, its clear he is convicting himself of that crime and would be justly executed. Another point is that combatants in a war are justly killed regardless of justifications.
yeah I definitely agree that Aang needed to take more responsibility throughout the series, especially when so many other characters evolved to accept their own responsibilities. and that the deus ex machine entirely sidesteps the dilemma that was created, like why introduce the dilemma at all if that's what is going to happen?
You relly thougt it throug.
@@lassegrotkjr6326 Yeah, its a lot in line with the core foundation of the show being considered to their logical conclusion, many of these aspects were in the original and were retconned and stripped from Korra, (hence why I don't ever consider anything that leads into Korra as relevant to ATLA) especially make it less interesting and spiritual and realistic. It especially sucks because the main writers both didn't want to reach the conclusion and they were doubly hampered by Nick forcing them into a child-friend ending, so even if they were more openly saying "we want a mature realistic ending that everyone can learn from" which as far as I know they actually didn't but wrote themselves into a wall (hence deus ex machina) Nick would've shut them down if Aang killed Ozai because over killing especially for a climax is not "child-friendly" even though they did that for Korra later. (first season of Korra on Nick the climax kills both Noatak and Tarrlok on screen) Overall it kinda ruins the ending a lot.
@@Spartan322 I don't think killing Ozai is a bad thing we have to remember Aang is the last airbender he's not like Yanchen or monk Kiyatso he's literally the last of his race with that carries an immense amount of responsibility to uphold the beliefs and practices of his people and I do like the conflict the show presents as it's not really about killing Ozai its about Aang choosing his responsibility to his air nation culture or his responsibility as the Avatar and the world and energy bending was a good bandaid but not a great solution, which is why I feel like the show should have had a 4th season to explore this conflict even more..
A 4th season we could've explored the consequences this had on the world maybe Ozai escaped and causes a fire nation civil war and causes alot of chaos were Aang has to wonder if killing the Ozai is his only option
@@lonemotheo1964
"Aang is the last airbender he's not like Yanchen or monk Kiyatso he's literally the last of his race with that carries an immense amount of responsibility to uphold the beliefs and practices of his people"
No this is unimportant to the Avatar, in fact this is one of the things that's a hindrance, the point of the Avatar is to overcome devotion to one idea, one nation, one people, and devotion to the world as it is the Spirit of the Earth. He has no responsibility to pass on his people's legacy before protecting and preserving the world, whether he passes on their traditions does not matter to the Avatar before the Earth itself is safe.
I don't have a problem with Aang's decision. But the way they set up Oazi was so terribly evil you'd think he'd kill him without question. I've seen villains get killed for less.
Yeah but who kills them non pacifists
Zhao@@cyndybohrer2674
7:30, maybe if Aang had figured out how to duplicate Tai-Li’s chi blocking technique
Lionturtles are referenced a couple of times actually. We even see a picture of one in The Library episode.
I just wish that Aang had remembered reading about lionturtles in the library, and went to seek one out. It would have felt more earned if he had to go on a spirit world journey (similar to the book 1 finale) to find one.
Because in and of itself, energybending is simply a battle of wills, so I don’t really think it would require extensive training like the elements.
Being referenced isn't enough for me to believe that energy bending isn't a cop out move
Lion Turtles were foreshadowed 3 times in the show. Once in the library episode. There is a picture of them that is blatantly in our face, from a book. And they are brought up twice during the "Sokka's Master" episode. Master Piandau's garden has two Lion Turtle statues and he also tells Sokka to stand his ground and be strong like a Lion Turtle...
hm they definitely are shown but I think my problem with it is less so the lion turtles existing and moreso the energy bending being introduced and then used as a cop-out solution in the same episode. If Piandao had said that the Lion Turtles had the ability to give and take bending then maybe it would've been a little better but in my humble opinion a few statues is not enough foreshadowing for something that was so integral to the plot of Avatar. definitely important to note that they were shown tho :)
@@monkfruit not sure if you know this but within the Buddhist culture which is a sub tradition of the yogic culture they have a practice call pranayama, which is to control the life energy by using the breath and controlling the air flow, this is energy bending,
@@thedarklordofthejougan4990 I'm actually into meditation and have heard about pranayama! super cool that Avatar did their research into it :)
@@monkfruit if the energy bending seemed to come out of nowhere, cant we say that also about becoming a giant fish? Haha. We all pretend he didnt kill ppl there though. 🤷♀️ haha
@@thedarklordofthejougan4990 not the same thing
With the type of person he was, a life without the ability to bend is a penalty more than death
I think another issue is Aang takes this nonviolence non killing route very suddenly in the finale. Yeah Aang is a nice kid, but he is ready and willing to throw hands countless times throughout the show, and unless we go full cartoon logic where no one ever dies, Aang has absolutely killed people, whether it be blowing people off walls leaving them to fall to their deaths, blasting that fire nation balloon out of the air ,or blasting people out to drown at sea with the water spirit. Heck he murders the hell out of that random wasp-buzzard and is fully ready to murder some sand benders for messing with Appa. So in addition to the lion turtle energy bending thing feeling really shoehorned in, Aang's sudden burst of pacifism also feels very out of place.
Those were heat of the battle moments. He didn't go into those conflicts predetermined to kill and aside from the buzzard wasp I don't think his intention was to kill in any of those situations. I would call those "accidental" kills where the intention was simply to stop or thwart the attack and act of doing so happened to result in deaths rather than an intention to kill. In the case with the blasting people out to drown at sea with the water spirit and with the being ready to kill sand benders, that can be chalked up to the fact that Aang at those moments had still not learned to control the Avatar state. The Avatar state was in contol of him vs him being in contol of it so those intents to kill was the Avatar state's intent to kill and not Aang's.
His biggest issue with the battle with Ozai was that he would be going into that conflict with a predetermined intent to kill which is completely counter to Aang's mentality.
Are we sure the Wasp-Buzzard died? It wasn't really clear.
I think we have to go with cartoon logic and assume they all had hidden parachutes or something. There is no way to say Aang killed those people when the show very heavily emphasized Aang doesn’t kill
@@MrKingYuji writing flaws
@@hueyfreeman6262 yes but at the same time it’s a kids show. Aang has done PLENTY of attacks that would have killed hundreds of people in a show aimed at more audiences
Thank you for bringing up the political side of Ozai surviving the finale of the show! So many people seem to just ignore that part for some reason, and I don't know why. When Season 3 started, I honestly thought that the Gaang would have to start REALLY thinking about after the war. If Ozai is no longer Fire Lord, they need a new one that won't try to pick the war right back up again. Good, they've got both Iroh and Zuko! But my problem was that if Ozai lives, all his supporters and sycophants are going to do their best to kill whoever replaced their Master. That means that Zuko/Iroh has even less time to actually fix the Fire Nation and clean up the many, many issues the country has! Not to mention that Ozai still being alive gives him possible opportunities to influence his children. I think that actually happens in the comics, right? I haven't read them myself, but I heard that both Zuko and Azula visit Ozai in prison at least once, and that had to do some damage to their mental state. You don't need bending ability to be dangerous, after all. Long Feng, Piandao, Ty Lee, even Jet! So yeah, I honestly agree that Ozai being allowed to live at the finale was a massive mistake
ooh I highly recommend checking out the comics. those storylines that you're talking about really do play out, and it's easy to see how dangerous Ozai is even without his bending, and how his influence remains.
Problem is that heroes have too much morals that's stopping them from doing what needs to be done. Anti-Heroes and Anti-Villains have no such moral.
I agree that it would have been better if energy bending had been developed over more episodes (though without Aang ever "mastering" it as there had to be a real risk that that solution would not work for narrative reasons). I also agree that if you take the world seriously then, as a matter of realpolitik, Ozai should have died (although in the real world many justice systems do not have a death penalty, even for crimes as grave as genocide, because justice does not require a death penalty). *_BUT,_* *Aang should not have killed Ozai.* The story was presenting that as the obvious choice and one that Aang was struggling against, so _to have Aang give in and kill Ozai would be for Aang to _*_fail as a character._* Aang would have ignored his own instincts and given up his innocence in knowingly and intentionally becoming a killer, especially if he was doing so for merely "practical" reasons.
If killing Ozai were the creators' intended ending, then from a writing standpoint in order for that not to be the destruction of Aang as a character, they would have had to rewrite Aang. If Aang were shown as being resigned to killing Ozai from an early stage, so that there was no conflict in him over that, then it would not be a problem for him to follow through on killing Ozai (many noble characters are shown as being able to intentionally take a life)...but if Aang was to retain the trait of never wanting to intentionally kill anyone, then it would be a very dark ending for Aang to fail in that.
Nothing against dark endings, irl, we all have to make moral and ethical compromises, but in fiction like this the stories and the characters are often aspirational. This was a show with dark _moments,_ not a show that should have ended in darkness.
Oh, and, yes, Aang was losing that fight with Ozai...but that was a writing choice too and the writers could have satisfactorily found a way for Aang to turn the fight around without energy bending. (My personal prediction, watching the show the first time, was that Aang was going to enter the Avatar state and-in a display of cosmic-level power beyond Ozai's comprehension-simply destroy Sozen's Comet. Ozai, who fancied himself as more powerful than the Avatarm would have lost his advantage and seen thatall of his pretensions of being powerful were gravely mistaken. Also, imprisoning Ozai was only a problem while he was under the influence of Sozen's Comet, which would have passed one way or another. Firebenders can be imprisoned, Azula was imprisoned by Zuko rather than being killed, and she's a powerful, psychopathic firebender. Iroh was imprisoned and he was the Dragon of the West. And that is without invoking "Fog of Lost Souls" style prisons that could have been established in ATLA and then been a callback when it came up on Legend of Korra.
But, TLDR, ending this show with the optimistic and caring Aang we all came to love becoming a "killer" would be to end the show with Aang being a broken shell of himself. That is a valid way to end a story, but IMO too dark-and a stark tonal shift-for this particular tale, which was otherwise a hopeful and upbeat one.
were y'all satisfied with the lion turtles or nah?
definitely not but i still think it would have been weird and out of character for aang to kill ozai.
Lion turtles were very very lightly foreshadowed in Wan shi tong but yeah came out of nowhere
@@hershelwathore7587 HERSHEL ???? how did u find my channel LMAO
@@monkfruit Brandon shared it with me!
@@EternalFinity he'd have no other choice if it was for the exMachina bending
Ozai deserved death. But death would've been the easy way out for him and he didn't deserve that kind of mercy. Taking away his precious power though, that's a fate worse than death for a monster like Ozai. Because he had no love for anything or anyone, not even his own family. The only thing he loves more than the Fire Nation itself was Power. Aang taking away his precious power was a good way to kill him in a figurative way, a punishment worse than death. Ozai hates weakness of any kind, and he became what he hated and feared most: Weak. Sometimes, the slow death is more horrifying than the fast one.
They should have let ang beat up ozai pretty badly at least if not killed him all together
thematically speaking it makes sense for aang, an air nomad, to defeat ozai, the grandson the genocidal maniac, by using air nomad ways, because otherwise it wouldn't keep the air nomad tradition alive. i agree that aangs pacivity in the plot and having lack of choice and activeness in the hands of the writers is bad, but if aang came to these abilities himself then it would be better. what if monk gyatso was the person who gave him the idea to energy bend, talking to aang in the spirit world.
Gotta love it when you find a channel with reason, entertainment, and great presentation. Fucking subbed! Great video!
*warning: comic spoilers*
i also think aang killing ozai would've set up the whole arc where zuko asks aang to kill him if he ever goes too far in the Smoke and Shadows series. because as is, that moment seems so out of character for aang. i also think it would've driven home guru pathik/avatar yangchen's point abt how his duty is to the world and made aang getting with katara more 'earned' than the 'hero gets the girl' sort of way bc the sacrifice of his own moral value for the sake of the world would've been a perfect catalyst for katara to see aang in a different light (esp given that their last on screen interaction was aang freaking out and going all accusatory over a play lol).
Another great video. Can't we just chop ozais limbs off tho? XD
Can't wait for the next video. Loved it really
thank u fam. appreciate you and your continued support so much
@@monkfruit told you I'm gonna be here for every video xD.
@@jackyyk6371I seen someone else in this comment section say Aang should have burned Ozai’s limbs off lol.
I mostly dislike him taking his bending with no foreshadowing at all
I think it was supposed to be explored in the 4th season before it was cancelled
But as you said, Aang has no obligation towards anyone, much like batman he does what he does because he wants to
Definitely agree that there should've been more foreshadowing for energy bending
There was the lion turtle was shown multiple times who gave Aang energy bending well the lion turtle
Great video as always 🥇
In LOK it's introduced the idea that firebenders can sense energy... it's also reinforced on the novelization of the last battle, which makes me think:
That final solution would have been much, much better, if the idea of energy had been brought into the show. Jeong Jeong and Iroh could have mentioned it, as firebending is summoned from internal energy... Aang and Patik could have mentioned it as the answer as to people of all nations can bend. It could have been mentioned more in training, similar to how Iroh did in Bitter Work, even if just in passing. That for Earthbending, you have to move your energy to your arms and feet, etc.
It would have been a cool detail then,
but then on the last fight, when Aang takes Ozai's firebending, it makes sense that the Avatar, the pivot between all nations, master of all bending disciplines, the responsible to maintain balance across all of them, can interact with that energy to take away his firebending. Not just make sense, but tie a lovely blow on the magic system we all know and love.
Heck, we even have Tai Li that can temporarily disable bending by blocking the energy paths. D-did Tai Li meet a Lion Turtle?
Imagine, Aang is on the Avatar State, kicking Ozai's backside, gets him on that rock and when he has him... he gets out of the Avatar State and lowers down.
"You're a monster. You've used your power to destroy and kill, etc, etc"
But then, when Ozai attacks him, instead of Seismic Sense, the screen goes black-and-white and we can see Ozai's energy flowing through his lungs and arms.
Aang turns, and slams him into the ground. Lights shoot into the sky. Instead of a disembodied Lion Turtle's voice, we get in the blue part, Aang training with his friends, people they met along the way, him and Zuko seeing that fire vortex thingy... but then it all gets dominated by war thoughts... firebendings shooting fire, the genocide, etc... and when Aang is almost consumed by them... it clicks.
The blue light takes over, the music swells, then...!!! One second of silence... and then the biggest bolt of fire comes from Ozai's mouth, forming a tower that can be seen from miles afar. And then he falls.
Sokka, Suki & Toph lands.
Toph: "You... no way!"
Sokka: "No way what? Aang? What did you do?"
Aang: "I took away his power. His firebending."
Sokka: "What??? When did you learn to that?"
Aang: "Somewhere between now, and when you found me in that iceberg... yet if feels as if I always knew..."
And like that, you have a finale with a clearer message : "Be true to yourself, in your empathy and kindness, but still be strong and fierce on the fight against evil."
And there's a great character arc. The Aang of episode 1 ran away from the mere idea of being the Avatar. This Aang didn't run. He faced the reality, the evil head on... and took it into his hands to change it... without sacrificing who he is on the way. That's why it had to be the Avatar to defeat Ozai. That's why it had to be Aang.
And if that's not a very realistic ending. It's hopeful, and badass asf imo.
Where is that gif of the guy clapping when we need it?
Its hard to believe even Iroh knew energy bending but Roku didn’t
That more or less sounded like that was Raava doing all the work, but still good.
You see a Lion Turtle in the Library on a scroll that was being read by one of the Gaang’s members so yes they were foreshadowed. Oh, and you also see them them in Sokka’s Master. Pandao had Lion Turtles statues in his rock garden. He also compared Sokka’s spirit to the strength of a lion turtle and his heart being twice as big as one.
The video is not bad, but I can't agree with you.
Aang's arch is just about how to combine your desires and your responsibility, while remaining true to yourself. Literally everyone (his friends, previous Avatars) tell him what he should do, talk about his responsibility. But, his responsibility goes against his beliefs/desires. He doesn't want to kill Ozai, but he should (as he thinks). And the series shows us the perfect solution to this problem. Aang does not kill Ozai, remains true to his humanistic ideals and at the same time fulfills his duty, accepts responsibility. Aang shouldn't have killed Ozai. Everything was right.
(About the Turtle. Yes, it came out of nowhere, but it fits perfectly into the world. As we know, there is a connection between spirits, their world and nature. We remember Heibei. Also, animals were the first to possess magic - bison, dragons, moles and the Moon (also part of nature). So the Turtle fits into this scheme, even if it appears suddenly)
def agree it makes thematic sense for him not to kill Ozai. But I don't think the show presents any reasonable alternative except with the lion turtles which i found too abrupt to be acceptable. Like if they foreshadowed the lion turtles, or had Aang go on a solo side quest where he had to earn the power, or something, then I think it could've worked. But I don't think that it did as written
@@monkfruitI think the Lion Turtles were foreshadowed a few times though. What would’ve come out of nowhere was Raava talking to him after his talk with Yangchen. I don’t think even Raava agrees with him killing Ozai. Yes, the b-word deserves to die, but not by Aang’s hands. That would be quick and painless. That kind of death is too good for people like Ozai. His death should be slow and painful. Death by Avatar just looks like the easy way out. If Energybending was introduced in Book 1, it definitely would’ve been used on Zhao in the finale, because yes, the man deserved to die, but again…easy way out.
His beliefs and desires dont matter hes the avatar he HAS to put the world above all of that he needs to sacrifice if energy bending was not a factor in the equation aang would have no other choice
Aang is a fricking pasifist
And hes the avatar the avatar has to make sacrifices
I think they could have pulled off the no kill idea if instead of Aang finding out he can talk the bending already, instead he had to learn how to take bending
It would've also been better if there would have been a downside to killing him like how the rest of the fire nation may avenge ozai
Actually Lion turtles showed up in the library episode on paintings. So they didn't just come out of nowhere. Still you make some interesting points.
I never liked the finale I remember first time I watched and how I was disappointed it feels like a really weak ending for a such great show and this might be unpopular opinion because I see a lot of people liked it
Yeah I definitely agree that some parts of the finale were a little underwhelming, especially Aang vs ozai. I did think Zuko vs. Azula and the white lotus taking back ba sing se were awesome though
Same
no, only that iroh should be the firelord or regent of zuko, the generals and clan leaders should all be arrested and tried for war crimes in the earth kingdom, all colonies should be decolonized and the fire nation would have to pay compensation harmed civilians and provide amnesty for defectors like jeong jeong,remembering that I'm not against him not wanting to kill, but the simple fact that he didn't spend the third season trying to find guru pathik leads me to believe that
I agree only for personal “Dark side” reasons … I WANTED Aang to kill Oazi but he didn’t have to kill him .. if you think about it .. when they say there’s worse fates than death .. I think Oazi suffered the rest of his life much more greatly than he ever would if he simply just died from battle
If oazi is such a bad guy I’m betting it’s good to imprison them for the rest of there life
I just came up with an awesome way to end the series. What if Aang didn't kill Ozai but instead wrapped him up in a ball of ice and then tossed him into the sea? They could have made a joke about it and shown how powerful Aang had become with his abilities by slowly subduing him until he was able to turn him into a block of ice. That would have been an amazing ending. I
I've taken to calling ATLA Avatar: The Legend of Rock because that rock that hit Aang during the finale really saved the day, not Aang himself
Honestly their hands are tied because in order that these are kids show if avatar is like game of thrones than a series that can make any
Aang also fails to kill yakone who causes problems with his sons 😂
I loved the lion turtle solution and I feel that you always find a solution that aligns with your values sooner or later. Loved the video!
ty!
He didnt find the solution the solution was literally given to him
I also don't like that Ang beat Ozai in avatar state. At the beginning of book 2 we are told that Ang cannot rely on the avatar state. He must learn all the elements to defeat the fire lord. And even though it helped him control the elements during their fight, the avatar state was what made him win. If Ang managed to get to the Lord's fire in avatar state before the comet. He would probably win
Perhaps a better way was for Aang to badly wound Ozai and eternally imprison him. Instead of completely wasting his one trump card, Aang aims for Ozai's leg. Because Ozai was in a state of shock, he suffers massive but not fatal damage. His leg is rendered useless for the remainder of the battle. With the inability to use his leg, Aang uses his superior mobility to overwhelm Ozai. Instead of killing him, Aang brings him tot he Senlin Village. Aang reunites with Hei Bai. After big hug, Aang and Ozai ride on the back of Hei Bai into the Senlin Forest. Ozai asks Aang where is he taking him. Aang gives vague answers about going where his duty takes him. After some time, Ozai calls Aang a fool and attempts to attack him. To his shock, his bending does not work. Terrified he asks Aang what did he do. Aang tells him to look around. Aang reveals that they are in the Spirit World. In here, bending does not work. In here, you are not the Fire Lord. In here, is where you will spend eternity. Aang says that only spirits can go through the portal to and from the Spirit World. Aang turns and asks Hei Bai to watch Ozai for 100 years. Aang adds that Ozai is responsible for the destruction of his forest. Hei Bai nods and gleefully starts attacking the helpless Ozai. When they are out of sight, Rooku's dragon appears. Aang rides the dragon triumphantly out of the Spirit World.
Honestly, I think the other problem is Aang's weakness to kill people has not been shown
Iroh being a perv was not a flaw, so let's just replace that with air nomads being wiped out, especially after seeing how non air benders defended the western air temple or a bunch of children taking down full grown and highly trained adults.
Excellent analysis. I do think Aang should have killed Ozai. Also, I think it’s worth mentioning that few people would have cared about Aang killing Ozai or not if the show hadn’t made a big stink about in the first place. There aren’t any debates (to my knowledge) about if Zuko and Katara were wrong to kill Azula because the show didn’t set up whether or not to kill Azula as a major driving conflict the way they did with Ozai.
They're aren't any debates about Zuko and Katara killing Azula cause they didn't
2:13, as someone who doesn’t think Ozai is a great villain I’ll have to check that out
Much of ozai is to be inferred by his interactions or control over his children
Yes, I do love my cartoon aimed at children with deliberate murder
Animals of farthing wood is for kids and look at thier scenes
Im sorry but I absolutely disagree , Aang breaking a cycle of violence, creating his new destiny and finding balance between all nations , his morals and his duty as the avatar was by far the best written moment in the entire show
Aang wouldnt have been able to do that if cop out bending didnt exist
In my opinion this scene cheapened what we were told Roku, Yang chin and kioshi told use that the avatars duty is not to do what’s morally right it’s to do what the world requires you to do even if it is at the expense of your morals.
Kiyoshi and Roku would've done everything to remove Ozai from the census
You saw a picture of a lion turtle on the epsoide the library
I think a better way would have been Ozai somehow destroying himself somehow.
That could have been a good way for Ozai to go out. Destroyed by his own hubris. But how it would happen? I leave it to literary talented people to come up with a solution.
Hmm that could work. If Aang or while in the Avatar state deflected or redirected an attack that happened to strike Ozai in a lethal way but Aang did not intend for the deflection to strike Ozai or be lethal so it was like an errant deflection that struck Ozai. That may have been a resolution that does kill Ozai but does not leave a black mark on Aang's soul for having an actual intent to kill.
Aang launchs water
Ozai shoots lightning.(stupidly or battle crazed.)
Water covers Ozai and he gets electrocuted.The end.
That could work like Ozai gets overpowered from the comet and burns up
Aang and Ran saved people who where against them. Aang and Ran are great examples for strong inner will service and sacrafice.
who is Ran? haha
@@monkfruit Ran Mouri.
I’m going to have to disagree with you. Killing Ozai wouldn’t have saved the world. It would’ve made things 10 times worse. Do I need to remind you that an entire village tried to boil Aang because Kyoshi killed their “great” emperor?!?!?! Even after Kyoshi explained why she did it, the village still tried to boil Aang alive and the war would’ve still continued. Also, it would be forcing Aang to go against not just his teachings, but also who he is. It would’ve sent the Air Nomads into permanent extinction. Like [[Spoiler from Pretty Little Liars]] said, it sucks to kill someone, even when they deserve it. Does Ozai deserve to die? Yes. But, it shouldn’t have been at Aang’s hands. That would’ve been the easy way out. With the way they wrote the episode, Ozai is living with the consequences of his actions. Instead of a quick and painless death (death by Avatar), he gets a slow and painful death (dying in prison), but honestly, death is just too good for some people. Take Zhao for example. Did he deserve to die? Yes. But, honestly had they introduced the Lion Turtles earlier (and I mean Season 1 earlier!)… Aang would’ve stripped him of his bending. Especially since when he does kill someone, he’s usually not in his right mind (the Avatar State due to his past lives usually pushing him around). I’m pretty sure Raava led him to the Lion Turtle so he doesn’t take another life. So, Ozai still lost, but it was on Aang’s terms. That was a perfect ending to the war in my opinion. Ozai had abused what the Dragons have given him and now he’s paid the price. Plus, this does allow Zuko to be able to find his mother and reunite with her, so that they could finally have closure. Seeing that he’s lost any and all power over them is the biggest punishment Ozai could face. Plus, if he did kill Ozai, the war still would’ve continued with many trying to avenge Ozai, coming for both Zuko and Aang’s heads.
What would aang have done without energy bending
0:58 "What if Aang was forced to actually decide whether to kill or not Ozai?" He actually did decide to kill him, after the talk with Avatar Yang Cheng, at that moment he thought there was no other solution if another air nomad was telling him that.
1:36 "When is it justified for someone to die?" Yes, it is justified to kill Ozai, most people would congratulate Aang on doing that. But even if it is justified, that doesn´t mean is obligatory to do so.
3:48 "He doesn´t beat Ozai through his own strenght... If Aang could´ve beaten Ozai without rock etc..." Aang could´ve, and you mention it in this video, when he was redirecting the lightning, the thing is he didn´t want to kill him, and that (Aside from skill diference) is what made Aang play more on the defensive.
5:29 "Aang primary character flaw is that he runs away" Yes, it is. There´s a very important conversation in this show about this, Episode 2x9 Bitter work, when Iroh talks about the diferent nations, and how the Avatar is strong not only for the diferent bendings, but because he draws wisdom from diferent places. Fire is the element of power and will. Aang can´t confront Ozai up until book 3, because he needs firebending and this willpower to do what he must. He doesn´t run in the series finale, he goes and waits for the fire lord to fight him. The Avatar´s duty is to bring balance to the world, ending the war does that, even if the fire lord is not killed. As long as the world is in balance, it doesn´t matter how any problem is solved by the Avatar.
6:03 "I appreciate he feels very strongly about his culture". People tend to forget the show is called the LAST airbender. Aang´s problem with this final decision, is that, if he, the only one survivor of all the air nomads betrays his principles, then his culture is lost forever. He is the last of his people, the only way left for him to keep alive his culture is to honor their customs.
7:28 Foreshadowing of energy bending and lion turtles. Lion turtles are shown in a drawing in 2x10 The Library, Then in 3x04 Sokka´s master, Master Pian Dao tells Sokka "You have a heart as strong as a Lion turtle and twice as big", I also believe there were statues of lion turtles in some places in Ba Sing Se, but I´m not sure about that one.
I agree energy bending is not very foreshadowed, but if there´s one thing we know about bending, is that there´s always more to it. During the show we go from "water, earth, fire, air..." To ice, vines, metal, lightning, blood, and sparky sparky booms. And also we have Guru Pathik line about illusion of separation "All the elements are one" and how Aang found Appa and Momo in the swamp by reading their energys and how Guru Pathik showed Appa the way to Ba Sing Se to find Aang with the same principle.
I don´t think all of this paths a clear road to the finale energy bending, but we can´t say they pulled that one out of thin air, speacially when in the whole show everything related to spirits is always kind of foggy and misterious.
Aang´s development isn´t as clear as Zuko´s (And neither as well written, after all Zuko´s arc is what truly made the show special, even if everything else is amazing too) and his development isn´t as relatable, because we are talking about a monk here. In fact, I think for everyone who has read a little about budism, hinduism or something about that culture, feels Aang´s development a little more deep. And because of that, we begin comparing both characters and tend to underappreciate Aang´s story in the show.
I absolutely oppose the death penalty. Completely. However this is not just some criminal, this isn't a punishment. This isn't up to potentially faulty evidence. This isn't about revenge. This is about saving the fucking world. From a superpowered maniac. Turtle ex machina shouldn't have existed and aang should have to have faced the tough responsible choice.
No, staying true to himself was the whole thing
He needs to make sacrifices "staying true to himself" would have gotten him killed if energy bending never existed
@@hueyfreeman6262it wouldn’t have gotten him killed since avatar is a children’s show
Nah, mercy is incredibly based and was definitely best for the story. The lion turtle was definitely a deus ex machina though, but hey.
PS in the comics ozai was still a problem 😂
Year too late, but Aang is the LAST airbender.
To choose to kill is a violation of airbender principles. Him killing Ozai would make it so the Airbender’s culture could never be truly restored, since the last surviving member would be a hypocrite. Sure he’s the avatar but if he can’t even restore his culture can he really bring balance? No. Got to remember the Avatar’s purpose isn’t just some weapon but spiritual.
In fact, him killing Ozai would likely have had heavier political repercussions in the future. Iroh didn’t fight the firelord for a reason.
Aang definitely wouldn’t have got the chance to make Republic City so easily, just as a quick example.
Agree the lion turtles were sudden though. Really needed more foreshadowing that two images and one sentence.
There are other airbendee principles he can uphold but this isnt about his principles its about the world if your "principles" matter more than innocent lives then what does that say about you?
@@hueyfreeman6262
What like Batman? Joker is played as a continental threat now a days.
The hero trying to follow his principles despite the risk is a common trope, and makes them more human.
Is Batman a bad person for not killing the Joker?
Would Aang really be better if he threw away his morals and took the easy path?
Yes @@sevenclovers7
Aang is not Gyatso or avatar Yang Chin he is a pasifist
Completely (but respectfully) disagree. I think Aang’s solution was perfect because of who Aang is and his whole shtick.
Part of what makes ATLA so great was the characters coming to the conclusion of who **THEY** want to be. Not the world. Not their parents. Not their masters. Not their mentors. They have to find their own way. With guidance, for certain, but they can’t be given the answer and we see this epitomized with Aand and Zuko
Remember *why* the War started in the first place: the expansionist visions of Sozin and Roku’s stringent belief in strength through division. When the war started, Roku believe he failed because he made the “bad call” to spare Sozin. Roku led himself to believe that the “right call” was to kill his friend. No other solution. That was the “correct” way to handle the situation.
So what does Roku do? What does every past life tell Aang? They don’t explicitly tell him *what* to do (because that is not their place), but their wisdom leads Aang towards seeing the situation through their eyes: Kill Ozai, Aang. Do not repeat my mistake. Be decisive. Kill Ozai, Aang. Realize that only Justice will being Peace. Kill Ozai, Aang. You must take the reins and shape your destiny as the Avatar. Kill Ozai, Aang. You must sacrifice your personal beliefs for the greater good.
But what does Aang do instead with all of that in his face? He keeps looking. He doesn’t give up. He sticks to his Airbender roots and finds his own damn way. He takes the advice of his past lives not in the way they intended but rather with his own approach. He is decisive in that he will make his own decision and end the war on his terms. He brings justice by removing power in a very serious way without killing to bring peace. He actively shapes his destiny. He does whatever it takes to search for the answer that works to protect the world.
The answer wasn’t “handed” to him. He was searching for the answer. Agonizing over it. The world responded in turn and he decided to go to his last resort: ask a giant animal for advice and he gets his answer.
Ozai believed he had the divine right to rule because “he has all the power in the world” and Aang shows him this is not the case. Aang brought peace on his terms, his way and I think a lot of people miss that point in the ending. There’s (almost) always another way out. Another solution. Another angle. Another option. *That’s* an important lesson for kids to learn.
Is that always the case in real life? Of course not, and I think Avatar shows that too with the Day of Black Sun. Sometimes you’ve been cornered and you’ve been got and you have to cut your losses and back away.
The Southern Raiders isn’t just Katara showing mercy, but also the harsh reality of “Yeah, forgiveness is fucking hard and maybe you’ll never be able to forgive. Sometimes life be like that, ya know?”
But Aang vs Ozai is the *exact* kind of ending that is appropriate for the show and appropriate for the *character* in a very poetic way.
I know you love avatar so much that you dont wanna admit that it has flaws. But unfortunately avatar does things wrong, this isnt about aang and his principles this is about the world if energy bending never existed, aang "staying true to himself" would have doomed the world, thats the bitter reality of bieng the avatar and the avatar has to accept that reality whether they like it or not
Omashu is a lion turtle.
that's so cool, where was this mentioned?
@@monkfruit in between the lines. Omashu is one lonely city in the middle of no ware. it's been the same size forever despite clearly being powerful enough to expand; it has always remained exactly the size of a lion turtle shell. it was where earth bending originated, and we know bending became possible through the lion turtles. we have seen cities on turtle shells directly. they also sleep for a long time. everything fits exactly as it shood. that's how we know.
No it's not
And thats why superman and every superhero including spider man shoud kill :)
hm I don't think killing is the right solution in every situation but I do think if Superman didn't kill Zod in the DCEU he was gonna kill every human in existence, and Spider-Man was ready to kill Kingpin after Civil War. definitely don't think it it's a universal solution but in this case I think it was the right answer
All of you shouting kill Ozai didn’t not understand one bit of the story you were told no offense…
The name of the show is called Avatar the last Airbender not Legend of Aang…
So it’s between his role as the Avatar and the last hope of his culture why can’t he do both why most he compromised his spirituality and culture…Aang should save a world that he can’t be part of because if he killed Ozai Sozin win and the air nomads culture would be wipe away forever and how is that Aang winning the war..?
ATLA is the greatest story ever told with action,culture and spiritual if you can’t understand that and just love violence than maybe Zuko should have killed Ozai I mean he do have real motive to want to kill Ozai why isn’t anyone blame Zuko for putting Aang in that position considering he was 13 and Zuko 17 so he is in a better age than Aang to take a life
Aang hater
The reason I like the use of energy bending to deal with Ozai is it sets the tone for how Aang can deal with people moving forward in his role as the Avatar for wrongdoers. In legend of Korra in season one in one of the flashbacks Aang deals with a villain in this way of removing their bending. If he had killed Ozai then he would not have had a clear alternative to essentially dealing a death penalty to wrong doers moving forward plus making an exception to his core value of not killing with Ozai makes it easier and easier to justify doing so with wrong doers moving forward which means Aang eventually loses himself. Yes he has a duty as the Avatar but an Avatar who does not hold true to their values is more easily corrupted.
Monk Gyatso killed no one. there were 20 fire benders in one room blasting max power at a guy sitting in the lotus position on the day when fire bending is multiplied 100 times. that's the power of 20,000 fire blasts at once!!! they killed themselves!!!
20x100 =/= 20 000
I guess there's no real way to know. however i definitely find it suspicious that there were so many of them in one room trying to apprehend one guy- I think it's more likely that he just killed them as they came :)
@@monkfruit they have burn marks on them.
@@Brick2buddies that could also be that more firebenders came in after gyatso had killed the others and just happened to accidentally burn the others bodies
Proof
Tbh Aang is my most hated character in the entire show. Remember this one thing: Monk Gyatso killed. It never had anything to do with personal convictions. Aang was a coward full stop. change my mind
Your bieng very unfair aang is literally a child hes not gonna have the mind and maturity of a 50 year old sage
It was brilliant that he didnt. He beat him by outsmarting and outskilling everybody and it probably hurts him more to have to sit and rot away in prison. It also shows kids and adults that everything is not black and white, which is how we should try to think when solving our own probloms. Hes a 12 year old kid with his dead peoples ideology to uphold and he found a badass way to do it and show people another way. It was a great and intelligent twist. Fire lord probably wants to die.
Aang would no other choice if mystical being didn't pop out of no where
@@hueyfreeman6262 same with the moon spirit 🤣
@@hueyfreeman6262 fr
It was anything but brilliant
@@chrystianaw8256 naw thats you. Haha also the comment above, the real huey freeman would have loved aang for that. 🤷♀️ imposter!