Avatar: The Last Airbender... 15 Years Later

DISCLAIMER: this video is a compilation of parts 1,2,&3. Part 3 is completely new while parts 1&2 have been repackaged into this video.

22 years old and watched it for the first time this year. It’s not just nostalgia making you think it’s good. It’s fucking amazing even without the nostalgia.

Avatar The Last Airbender is one of the greatest TV shows of all time

So just to clarify, that's not a sewer that Katara uses to defeat Azula. It's actually the "secret river that flows right under the firelord's palace" that aang learns about at firebending school in the Headband episode of season 3 ❤ little callbacks and details hidden in this series are just another thing that makes it so great

My favourite reason I've heard for Aang sparing Ozai is that, well, he is the last Airbender. The last one who remembers Air Nomad culture (aside from Guru Pathik, problably) and pacicism is a core belief held by his people. If Aang were to kill Ozai, he would be turning his back on not only his own beliefs, but those held by his entire culture; he is the only one left who can hold them, and to not do so would mean that the Air Nomads and their way of life dies along with Ozai. It's not like with Yangchen, who didn't have to carry on the traditions of her people all by herself, and could afford to let go of some of the teachings of the Air Nation in order to be the Avatar. This is still very speculative and not stated outright in the show, but I feel it makes sense for Aang's character, especially with what we see of him in the comics and in Korra, with Tenzin's family and the acolytes carrying on the traditions of the Air Nomads.

Imagine being Zuko and seeing a pissed off Katara whip out blood bending. Like he was probably thinking she was so angery she just created a new way to bend water.

I was 13 yo and my mom just died, there was nothing in the world that made me feel better but there was the last Airbender on tv. and i watched it like my live depends on it. It was such a beautiful aventure. It made me forget the pain for a moment. It made me feel hope in the world and i will be grateful for that all my life.

wow the point about all the agni kais being battles where zuko has always had honor while his opponent doesn’t, is so poignant, loved that

I feel like Toph was largely inspired by more eastern media as well. Western media disabled or blind people are generally displayed as frail, but in eastern media it's very common for blind characters in particular to be either extremely powerful mystics and clairvoyant, or great masters of a specific form, the trope of blinding yourself so you can better focus is a more common thing in that media.

Uncle Iroh explained why Aang doesn't have to kill Ozai when he explains why he can't become the next Fire lord. The Fire Nation structure is based on might is right. Whoever defeats the Fire lord and importantly How will set the example for the nation. If killing is the answer then the Fire Nation was never wrong. They simply didn't fight hard enough. Actual peace advocates understand this thinking. Good people should kill. By saying there are exceptions you open up opportunities for bad people. Aang is a good person. A monk who understands peace is fragile.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is number seven on IMDb‘s highest rated TV shows list. it’s up there with Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, the Wire, and the good seasons of Game of Thrones.

The development of Toph and Katara's friendship is one of my absolute favourite parts of this amazing series. Glad you discussed it!

I think Aang not killing Ozai being his own choice is actually really important. Everyone says either he should do it or at best they don’t know. Aang has been told the entire show what his destiny is, what he will have to do. “Defeating” the fire lord like a cartoon villain was always a little naive, same way a bad guy “Destroys” a character. He was always gonna have to fight and probably kill him. So when he is once again put in a position where the world tells him what to do, he finally takes hold, stands firm and says no. I’ve lost enough, the worlds lost enough. I won’t sacrifice my own beliefs because they tell me too and no matter how bad ozai is he doesn’t deserve what he deals out. Maybe nothing would have changed for the world if he killed him but Aang would be irreversibly damaged if he knew saving the world cost him taking a life directly if his own free will. Just my thoughts though

I remember seeing "southern raiders" and rolling my eyes thinking it was going to be a filler episode. Holy crap was i wrong. Its one of my top favorite episodes. I never thought Katara would get such a powerful and important episode.

This is a great example at elaborating why great shows have no filler, even the "filler" is essential to the story

I am very happy about the fact that this show has basically become a universally loved classic. If any kids show deserves it, it's this.

I feel there is a little more to Aang's arc in season three. In the beginning, he seems to almost be ignoring the problems he knows are coming, the invasion and how everyone is counting on him to perform. Instead, he does many things that show he still isn't quite ready to accept his role as the Avatar. He goes to school, hosts a dance party, things a normal kid would do, because that is what his wants were, for a return of normalcy. But as the Day of Black Sun approached, it dawned on him that that reality was far behind him, and soon he would have to take on that huge responsibility again, hence the anxiety building. Then he comes to the conclusion that he won't run away or fail again, like he did with his people, and at Ba Sing Se. He was at that point, unwilling to accept defeat. So when it inevitably happened, he finally, for the first time in his arc, accepted a loss with grace, which I personally felt was an important step for one in such a powerful position, particularly one who has had trouble standing up for his failures in the past. And to put his decision not to kill the firelord into perspective, I think that boils down to the fact that up until that point, they had been pointing at this unknown man as a target and that's that. Firebenders are bad, blah blah blah. But then, Aang had learned the truth; that firebenders, including Ozai, are people too, not just faceless foes. (insert Ozai macaroni art here.) it was also a key lesson in his 'field trip' with Zuko, learning that firebending isn't inherently evil or wrong. As for the lion turtle thing; I feel that has more of a connection to Aang's story then just randomly showing up, although it was never really fully explained. Aang could not have sought one out; we know they are untrackable because of the shirshu. Yet it is of my opinion that what happened with Aang was a moment where his unwavering spirituality, and unwillingness to give it up even for the sake of his duty, had acted as a call for the lion turtle, the very source of spirit. At the end of it all, we learn that to bend the spirit, your own spirit must be unbendable. This seems to correlate towards the notion Aang's spirituality beckoned the lion turtle to teach him, and not the other way around. I agree it wasn't well explained, but I think it could have been easy to fix without even changing much. All the way back in the Library, when Aang read about lion turtles, he could have just said 'they sometimes show up to spiritual people in their hour of greatest need.'

Aang refusing on killing the fire lord is a closed chapter of his inner conflict. He was scared to do things that goes against his believes just as you just did like earth bending, fire bending again, letting go of his love and peace to go fully on avatar state. Now “life” is everything that he believes on, what makes him who he is. The ending of him not killing ozai was him retaining who he is, after all the sacrifices he doesn’t have to actually kill who he is to become the avatar that the world needs. He can be both, an air nomad and the avatar.

I still remember when the show was originally released, watching week by week… Good nostalgic memories

I'm 43. I watched the entire series as it played out originally with my at the time, young son. I still come back to videos about Avatar, search for favorite scenes, and rewatch episodes here and there as I have time. It is not just an amazing series for kids, it is one of the best, most well told stories that has ever graced the screen.