Ozai attacking Zuko is even more messed up when you realize that he didn't know Zuko could redirect lightning. He fully intended to kill his son right then and there.
I mean, he just said banishment was too merciful and Zuko's punishment was going to be steeper... what'd you think Ozai was gonna do, take his gameboy away?
He didn't even know lightning redirection was possible. He fully expected Zuko to die right then and there. And when Zuko caught that shit, he was shook af, fully expecting Zuko to take revenge and kill him.
Azula was written to be hated, but you can't deny how interesting of an antagonist she is. We need to be nicer to Sokka, he's literally a mastermind. Toph bends through their metal obstacles but Sokka bends through the mental obstacles. It was his idea to make armor for Appa, organizing the invasion team from all the people they ran into throughout the show (which also meant remembering the towns/coordinates of their locations), they wouldn't have known about the Day of the Black Sun had he not solved the mystery in the library and found out the exact date of the next eclipse. Like I know he's goofy comic relief sometimes, but he holds his own in a group of tween prodigies.
Zuko confronting Ozai is easily one of my top five moments in Avatar. A conflict that had been building for fifty-one episodes finally comes to a head. In general this episode has an insane number of plot points coming to a head.
Aang has been running faster than the wind multiple times, but he couldn't even catch up to Azula a few meters ahead of him... so sad, stupid writing, oh well, it is a kids show after all... Also not trying to defeat Ozai, Aang and Toph together, and if they couldn't, Aang could easily put up some cover for their retreat.
@@ncard00Dude, I don't think Aang and Toph would have a chance against Ozai. We see what he's capable of in the finale (even if he's still buffed by the comet). Also, did you see how fast he pulled out the lightning? He's probably the fastest lightning user out there, one shot of those and one of them is dead.
Let's stop for a moment to consider how brutal of a loss this was for the gaang. The idea for this invasion came back from Chapter 10 of Book 2, the library. They lost Appa while trying to get this information. They then suffered the pains of Ba Sing Sei and the Dai Li, trying to get this information to the Earth King and friends. A very large portion of this series was dedicated to and built up to this invasion. To then have it fail was a pretty ballsy and ultimately great writing decision. The gaang fails a lot. But they just keep going.
There's a reason why Zuko's redemption arc is considered one of the best of all time. It wasn't offered to him and he accepted; rather, he rejected it at first and then slowly and painfully realized what he and his nation was doing was wrong. Zuko didn't join the Avatar's side when Aang and the others were winning; he's joining after they suffered a pretty devastating loss, which makes it much more genuine.
We all hated Zuko's betrayal in the season 2 finale, but that's exactly what makes his character so good. He had a shot at redemption and fumbled it, because at the time he had just begun to see the wrong of his ways. He had to realize on a deeper level that he was a better, happier person when he was away from Ozai, embracing the person he wanted to be, and that's why Zuko's arc in the Fire Nation needed to happen. It all comes together in one of the greatest confrontations in all of television, Zuko vs Ozai, where Zuko doesn't fight his abusive father, he breaks away from him
I think Azula learned some acrobatics from Ty Lee, to aid her during the eclipse, but she doesn’t have Ty Lee’s calm and positive nature to be patient enough to learn chi blocking, which I also think Ty Lee keeps to herself, just to be safe against Azula. But a very popular fan theory, is that Ty Lee is of airbender descent, that’s why she can jump at inhuman heights, which Azula will never be able to match.
Tbh the only reason the gang managed to weaken the fire nation is because of the eclipse, and they still struggled. Aang doesn’t have the Avatar state either or mastered firebending (which would be very useful), and while Toph and Sokka could “help” him fight the FireLord, who’s to say that Azula won’t jump in last minute and help he dad. They stand zero chance honestly given their numbers and overall skill, and I understand the frustration since the Fire Nation knows what to expect now. At least we have another season, I’m sure you guys will love it!
Even if it was Aang, Toph, Sokka and Katara against Ozai, he would have still blown them to bits. Both Iroh and Azula said that they couldn't defeat Ozai and he is propably the greatest firebender in History. At least from what we have seen in ATLA and TLOK. With the Avatarstate, maybe, but due to him not being able to summon it by the time, he would have never been able to defeat Ozai in a direct duel.
43:03 If you honestly think that, you missed literally everything in the episode that says the exact opposite. The entire point of the invasion was to storm the capital and take it by surprise specifically on a day where firebenders lose their bending for a short time. The reason for this is because of Aang and where he is in his development: he hasn't learned firebending and is expected to fight a guy way above Azula in skill and power, when Aang has struggled vs Azula on his own. The plan is to defeat the Fire Lord as quickly as possible and force a surrender in a playing field where Aang has every advantage in a fight. The plan was already scuffed when it was delayed trying to find the bunker and again dealing with Azula and the Dai Li, not to mention them never learning where Ozai was until the eclipse was over and Azula told them willingly. Because in a fight with realistically just Toph and Aang vs Ozai...Ozai will wash them. And that's not counting Ozai's royal guards, the Dai Li, and Azula herself joining in the fight too. Aang is strong but not being able to firebend vs the strongest firebender in the world at the moment who can also shoot lightning even faster than Azula (which Aang also doesn't know how to defend against and was already "killed" by it once by Azula), plus having no access to the Avatar State at all even as a defense mechanism...Aang has no chance. tl;dr Ruff would be out here having to look in the water tribes for the next Avatar if he followed through with his idea. The Fire Nation were simply prepared and any ground the invaders gained or prisoners they captured are moot when they end up surrounded by the actual forces held on standby. Not to mention *severely* underestimating any fight in the bunker between the Gaang and the Fire Lord (plus Azula plus the guards plus the Dai Li).
Wholeheartedly agree, and thanks for taking the time to type all that up. Adding on to that, there's a chance Aang would've lost even if he could go into the avatar state.
Exactly, they couldn’t even subdue Azula. She was running the entirety of the 8 minutes and pretty much let herself get caught because yes. There was no way Aang was beating Ozai
Very well said. As much as I enjoy their reactions, it kinda bugs me how they don't seem to always pay attention to important details. Like you said, had they stayed, they would've 100% perished. Taking on Azula was hard enough but to take on the fire lord would be a death sentence since Aang was not fully prepared. Like it would be extremely foolish of them to stay and just take their chances. It's better to leave and continue preparing and training and think of a new plan.
Exactly, they laid out the entire plan and the entire reason for the attack, and it went south in several ways. They were deep in Fire Nation territory surrounded by an enemy that had regained all their power and had several technological advancements the Gaang were unaware of, while they had nobody capable of usurping the leader. Azula had all the intel on them, and she tore their plan asunder. If they had stayed they would've fought to the last man. Getting the most powerful beings and best tactician in the world out of there, including one with a god like power boost, to form a new plan was the only play there. They were also the most capable of fending for themselves. As far as they knew at this point, there were no great Earth Bending capitals in the world left either, the entire war would have been lost if their entire force got captured or killed. A tactical retreat is their best chance, buys them time and gives them options. Even if the only option would have been to just get Aang to learn firebending and open the Avatar state again, it would be worth it.
Staying would've definitely done more harm than good. From their point of view there could've beena nother army between them and the Fire Lord after they encountered Azula, and the eclipse was over so it was Firebenders all the way. And once they got out and the blimps came out, those blimps are the size of *buildings*, armed to the teeth with Firebenders, bombs and who knows what else There's no way a group of, like, 100 people could take that kind of power head on.
Yeah, they haven't weakened the Fire Nation army, they've tussled with the bait left behind in the Capitol to make them think it was fully defended. Also you don't win wars by capturing the enemies capitol, you win by destroying the enemies ability fight. The Fire Nation is occupying a kingdom the size of China, the overwhelming bulk of their army is not defending one city back home.
Some fun facts: *Ming is voiced by ATLA fan and pro tennis player Serena Williams. *The guy who "gave up" Ozai's location is War Minister Chang, first seen in The Northern Air Temple and later The Drill. *If you remember Earth King Kuei told Azula about the invasion plan when she was disguised as a Kyoshi Warrior. This is why the Fire Nation was so prepared for the invasion as they already knew about it thanks to her. *Appa's armor was foreshadowed in The Runaway, which Sokka is seen working on in Nightmares and Daydreams and is fully complete in The Day of Black Sun. *The noodle Ozai picture Aang is seen practicing on is the same one he made at school in The Headband, the same episode Sokka's Wang Fire beard debuted in. *The voices Dee Bradly Baker uses for Appa and Momo in Nightmares and Daydreams are similar to the ones he uses for Spidermonkey and Cannonbolt in Ben 10: Alien Force. *The animal that appears in Nightmares and Daydreams and Day of Black Sun (their only 2 appearances) is indeed called a koala sheep so Erik's guess was spot on there. Their primary habitat is the Black Cliffs (i.e. the invasion rendezvous point). Also appearing in N&D is a baby boar-q-pine, a species which are a natural predator of koala sheep.
Was waiting for this episode. The reason Ozai chose to wait for the eclipse to end before attacking Zuko was because Zuko was also a student of Piandao (Sokka’s sword master), who taught him the dual dao swords. Between knowing that and the reports of the blue spirit, Ozai knows that without fire bending, Zuko is easily the best fighter in the room.
I honestly can’t tolerate sokka slander. 😭 Homeboy literally invented the hot air balloon and submarines at 14. He may have clown tendencies but that boy is a genius fr. I like how Sokka came up with this whole plan and still thought that pretending a blind girl wrote a letter was a good idea.
I mean did he though? He drew people in a whale. He came up with the concept but really he had no idea how machines work, so it's not slander, it's practical. The technician created that massive drill so it's far more likely he designed and put it together. Possible Spoiler: Sokka even admitted the technician mafe the air balloons when Sokka was in the one of the balloon in a few episodes
Personally I do think they're giving him slightly more credit than necessary, which Sokka himself points out. He thought up the idea and the general design, but let's be real, dozens of people think up groundbreaking ideas throughout history but rarely have the resources and expertise to pull it off. The mechanist's ability to make the subs as they are, airtight and maneuverable, with facilities for extras like torpedoes, that's the real feat. Sokka invented the subs the same way movie makers invent flying cars and teleporters.
Sokka is a man ahead of his time. He helped complete the hot air balloon prototype, quickly understood the inner workings of the drill to destroy it, accurate used the solar calendar in the library to calculate the solar eclipse, and invented the submarine. If he had the resources in peacetime, dude could legit be a Renaissance man.
Mai wasn’t willing to let her brother die, the gaang clearly had no intentions of hurting the baby and she would be directly disobeying the princess on the verge of battle - which would bring upon more trouble upon her and her family and could actually hurt her brother.
The reason why Zuko didn’t take down his father when he had the full advantage wasn’t just because he believed it was solely Aang’s destiny to defeat him. From a political in universe standpoint, Zuko forcefully taking the throne from Ozai by killing him would not put him in good favor from either side. We know because of audience omniscience that Zuko is killing a tyrant to bring peace, but to the rest of the world, it would just be a son killing his father for power, kind of like what Ozai did to Azulon only more overt. The fire nation would see him as a traitor for killing a “beloved” monarch and the rest of the world would just see a new evil Firelord rising to power. And let’s not pretend Azula would let him get away with it if he did go through with killing him. Nobody would be on Zuko’s side in the end. (Except for Iroh of course, but at this point he’s an escaped prisoner) So him allowing the Avatar to do his job in the end was the smarter move on his part. *Spoilers* This is also the reason Iroh gives as to why he doesn’t challenge Ozai’s position of power despite being on near equal level when the comet comes. Even if the fight between them would have been great to see and he would have definitely been a better leader, Iroh was always fully aware of the optics.
38:56 It's so eerie to see exactly where Azula got it from. She and Ozai are literally doing the exact same thing in these scenes. Running out the clock. And they're doing it by exploiting any and all of their opponents' weaknesses they know about. The Gaang is about to do the smart thing and leave her to go look for the Firelord (thanks to Sokka for realising what she was doing), so she goes after the things she thinks will make them angry enough to stay and fight: Toph's blindness, Suki, any other taunt she can think of. Zuko is about to do the right thing and leave (him killing Ozai would just be seen as patricide/regicide and a grab for power). And at first, Ozai tries shaming him into staying, by essentially calling him a coward for leaving. But it doesn't work, because Zuko has learned humility. He knows, he's not leaving out of cowardice and he doesn't need to prove that (or anything else for that matter) to his father. So next, Ozai tries holding Zuko's mother's fate (or at least the information about it) over him and that does work, because that is still something he hasn't resolved.
“Nightmares and Daydreams” may be one of my most rewatched episodes of S3. I just cannot help the enjoyment I get from seeing Aang getting sleep deprived over his silly dreams (except the more serious one he has). And the Appa and Momo fight has always been funny to me.😄
About Zuko's Betrayel: I think he really needed to spend time away from Iroh. I have been a stubborn Teenager too and i remember believing that i was in the right. The World view that i had was correct and nothing anybody said would change that. Until i left Home and saw for myself that my Parents were right. A Person can be told a thousand times what is right, but they will only learn once they experience it for themself.
They left because they just straight up lost, staying would only get them killed. Also Azula flat out told them that the Fire Nation had a plan, that was the entire reason the Capital was evacuated and why they kept the airships in reserve until it would be too late for the majority of the invasion force to escape. Azula learned about this invasion at the end of season 2, it was doomed from the very beginning.
I always loved how the Eclipse was hyped up by every as their best chance to win the war but it was ultimately kind of a failure. It's very ballsy and confident writing. Also Zuko using lightning deflection, a move Iroh invented and thought him, on Ozai's sneak attack is so epic, it's like him finally embracing his true self after trying to suppress it the whole season.
18:50 so on the note of Sokka inventing submarines, it's really funny to think about what it would be like for later generations in the world of avatar being in school and just constantly seeing Sokka, who is literally just some guy, some nonbender being influencial in so many different places. Like, he's a master swordsman and strategist who was the first man to ever be taught by the kyoshi warriors; he dated the moon; he invented the submarine AND the hot air balloon; he is one of the only non-avatar people to ever go into the spiritworld; he has traveled all over the world and been of great assistance to multiple world leaders. He's a literal living legend.
Have you guys ever noticed how we see Zuko letting out his hair RIGHT AFTER Aang shaves his hair? Aang gets back to his Air Nomad non-hairstyle, and Zuko gets rid of his Fire Nation hairstyle, persumably at the same time. Also, Aang’s back in (what’s left of) his Air Nomad clothes, and immideately after that scene, Zuko takes of his Fire Nation armor. The parallells between those two are just wonderful.
I don't think aang, toph and sokka had any chance of beating ozai after they had a whole fight scene where they could barely land a hit to azula without her bending. Imagine them attacking her dad, who is stronger, with the possibility of azula coming in at any point to help plus any additional guards, yeah they were cooked
Hey just so you guys know when Azula told Mai to sacrifice her brother, Azula was testing her to see how far she would bend to her. But Mai is also smart and called her bluff and acted like it didn't faze her.
It’s okay to like a character even if they’re a bad person. Like I know mai, azula and others aren’t necessarily good people but I can appreciate their characters cause they’re pretty interesting
Also forgot to add, the retreat needed to happen. with the eclipse over all the fire nation soldiers were popping out of their hiding places. Not to mention the war ships that took out their only escape for all the people who cant fit on Appa. The older fighters like the father's and such knew the battle was lost. And their only chance was to help the young ones escape, to fight another day. Like a parent sacrificing themselves to save their kids life sort of feel. Any more fighting would of lead to more bloodshed and loss on their side, plus possible loss of the Aang gang. It was the best decision for our small group to leave, though painful.
You guys will learn to Love Mae, she deserves so much she was born into the fire nation and forced upon a life like that and though shes got no bending shes had to make up for it in other ways as a fire nation noble. Its why shes so emotionless shes just doing her best. She didnt ask to be there let alone manipulated by her nation and friend.
imagine facing your abuser like that. Ozai is an abusive parent and mentally scarred his kids for life. the amount of mental strength required for zuko, regardless of his moral compass, to face the man who raised him to be a war machine like his sister but also saw him as the "inferior version" is just... ugh i love zuko's story so much it's so strong and crazy well written. they were writing zuko's story the same time they wrote aang's and it shows. so proud of him! also to state a small story point: the only reason they attacked during the eclipse was to give aang an advantage for being one element short, it makes sense they would run because the REAL forces would have surrounded them in an instant. battle strategy, this is a lure technique where you draw the enemy into your lines in order to surround and capture them... the fire nation would have won either way.
We had a hint in Season 2 that the eclipse plan was doomed when the Earth King unwittingly blabbed to a disguised Azula about it. The only one who can talk about Iroh's escape is that bully guard, but he's traumatized from the awesome.
43:10 No, this is the best plan. They only let them destroy what they wanted them to this allows them to regroup, get more manpower, create a plan, and Aang can learn firebending, the best way to fight a firebender
15:56 “You look at the moon.” You absolutely cannot make out the moon when it’s anywhere near the sun in the sky, not without specialized equipment. You need a watch that’s accurate to the minute to know when it’s coming. I can only assume the waterbenders can somehow feel the moon in the sky and can time the eclipse that way.
This is an insane episode. A sliver of sun appears and Ozai instantly felt the power return and generated lightning at the blink of an eye. He says he was willing to kill zuko in the past to become fire lord, turns out he was not bluffing. Based on western culture Ozai sat down, 1 because he wanted to manipulate zuko, 2. the power dynamic changed and he knew he had no shot.
No, they did right to retreat. It was a trap from the beginning. They were being expected. The solar eclipse was over. Who knows what else Azula and Ozai could have planned to trap them? They thought about the safety of their friends. Live to fight another day.
I find it funny how often people forget the fire nation know about the invasion plan, we saw the earth king reveal it to Azula but so much stuff happens in between that we forget
Book 3, Episode 10: Fun fact: Ming is voiced by Serena Williams. She loved the show and wanted to voice a character. Book 3, Episode 11: I chose to believe that Azula's surprise at hearing about the eclipse in season 2 is really surprise that the other side knows about the eclipse. You think an industrial nation with various temples, who have been at war for 100 years didn’t know about the eclipse years in advance and have contingency plans. It’s actually sort of ridiculous how Team Avatar ever thought the plan was going to work. I'm sure even without Azula being in Ba Sing Se, the fire nation would’ve figured out that there was an invasion. The biggest attack on their capital in the entire war? They definitely knew there was an invasion coming. Hell, they might’ve just hunkered in the bunker during the eclipse because that’s what they always do during the eclipse. Book 3, Episode 11: Also, I don’t know if you remember Iroh’s looks of shock during Book 3 episode 4 right before he starts doing sit-ups and training. Well, there is a fan theory that Iroh figured out there was going to be an eclipse by watching the movement of the sun and moon from his prison window. Because how did he know there was going to be an eclipse? No one told him.
While I do think they probably know about the eclipse themselves, there was no reason to think the others would (or even that it would take away their bending) It seems to only happen on a total eclipse and those are not as common, and depending on where in the world you are if it even is a total one or not.
I used to find it so weird that stress dreams always have something to do with school. Like forgetting to wear pants I thought was stupid until I had those same dreams. I'm 19 and still have stress dreams related to school and I'm not even In school. I was told that school is very stressful for kids growing up so it makes sense why my stress shapes itself into school related things
Y’all’s enthusiasm toward the end of the video was so infectious, I was on the edge of my seat despite knowing how it all ends lol I adore the creativity of the entire battle scene, but especially the subs and trains. Waterbenders to make the subs go, covering the explosives in ice so that the waterbenders can shoot them, making the train tracks grippable so the earth Enders can manipulate the earth beneath it more easily. Not to mention so many things set up from throughout the series-the Fire nation finding the Fire balloon, Azula being told about the eclipse from Katara, a bunch of returning characters whose lives were changed thanks to the Gaang… Also that even if Aang’s a pacifist, Appa has no qualms lmaooo
Abacuses are actually really simple to operate. They’re based on 10s in descending order. You would slide the beans from one side to the other on the top row, then every time you reach 10, you slide one on the next level down to denote 10+however many you have in the first level. When you reach 100 you would slide one over on the third level down, and then the 4th level when you reach 1000. For an example from the top down, if you had 3, 4, 7, and 2 beans moved, you would have counted up to 2,743.
Fun fact! The nice guard that Iroh told to go home is voiced by the tennis legend herself, Serena Williams!! Serena is a huge ATLA fan, her agent got in contact with the ATLA team and asked if there were any parts that she could play.
30:10 If ya’ll remember when Azula and her squad pretended to be the Kyoshi group. The king told them about the eclipse and invasion they are planning. That is why when they invade they couldn’t find the fire lord because they already knew and hide underground. The fire militaries, Azula and the Fire Lord buy some time until eclipse finally end.
The reason the fire lord was hidden away and the temple evacuated is because the Earth King told Azula about the eclipse and the invasion when Azula was impersonating the Kyoshi warriors to get into the city.
Fighting the Fire Lord after the elipse, or staying there to keep fighting, would have been the absolute worst decisions for them. They only managed to break through into the city because of the eclipse and the Fire Nation intentionally holding back their forces. With the eclipse passed and the Fire Nation using all they've got, a smol resistance like that wouldn't stand a chance, even with main character energy. I mean if it were that easy, the war would've been won ages ago.
Ok so, based on her actions at this point in the show (the comics that directly continue the story also essentially confirm it) it's commonly believed that Mai did care about her brother's wellbeing but was scared of what might happen to her and her family if she openly opposed Azula. She's shown to be very good at hiding her true feelings. Compare that to Ty Lee's less subtle submission to Azula's will. They both know Azula could ruin or end their lives if they step out of line. They have issues, for sure, but they're not evil.
I just realized on the day of the eclipse The mighty Fire Lord Ozai cowered in a bunker forced to listen to his failure of a son lecture him because he was afraid Zuko could kill him without bending While Iroh without bending broke the bars of his cage with his bare hands. Smash the doors of the dungeon Took out all the guards and walked away in 10 minutes
Retreating isn't a weakness. It's a sign of great leadership, to know when to take a fight and when not to. There is no cowardice in avoiding a fight, there is a lot of stupidity though in taking a fight you can't win. They know they are currently outmatched. So the only thing they can do, is retreat and figure out another attack plan.
I gotta give huge props to Sokka here, while yes the invasion did fail it was mostly due to the fact that they weren't expecting some sort of Secret Bunker, without that Sokka literally prepared and lead the invasion which, until that point, was being a complete success and all that was mainly thanks to Sokka. The development the guy has is so damn impressive that it's crazy how often it gets overlooked, easily one of my favorite characters from the show
43:33 Cuz they literally cannot win in this scenario. A rush type situation was the only reason this battle strategy could have ever worked, and it was discovered beforehand, making it null and void. The thing is, talented benders or not, the forces they brought to this invasion are tiddily winks to what the Fire Nation has access to, particularly in a drawn out fight. The Fire Nation has millions of soldiers, airships, and a navy that can all now cut off Team Avatar's small force of retreat by encircling the palace area. Team Avatar has no backup on the way, and the Eclipse is over due to Azula's stratagem of running out the clock. As well as the fact that Aang still doesn't know firebending, nor how to redirect lightning, meaning that fighting Ozai means relying on trying to nullify Ozai's capabilities with the other three elements now that the eclipse is over and Ozai can actually fight back. While still a really shitty outcome, Team Avatar NEEDED to back out when they did. They had no other method of escape, and the one they currently did have could be shot down by the navy and airships if allowed to fully muster to pursue them. And like I said, the Fire Nation has limitless backup coming to protect Ozai, whilst Team Avatar has nothing. Meaning if they don't escape right now, the damage to their forces they already inflicted will be made null and void by the forces coming in to bolster the present army. It sucks, but it was the only way
Anyone remember when Sokka first met Appa and he called him a flying snot monster? And now he’s riding him into battle, their relationship has come so far.
Buddy. You just found out that your enemy not only knew your plan, set up traps and scapegoats. Reversed your element of surprise…. And you think it’s a good idea to stay?! 🤔
Day of the Black Sun Part 1 is such a great episode seeing zuko and ozai interact and seeing gaang go up against azula. Plus “I'm a 400 Foot Tall Purple Platypus Bear with Pink Horns & Silver Wings”
There's actually a comic that tells the story of what happened to Zukos' mother. I highly recommend it! It's an unbelievably great story. I was sad they didn't include it in the series, but some of the content in the story made it obvious it wasn't exactly kid friendly. Nothing outright extreme mind you, but enough that Nickelodeon would not have been okay with. 😅
@@3emeraldangel ugh yup spoilers and also trigger warning: Considering the relationship between his parents wasn’t exactly consensual from the beginning it makes a lot of implications about pretty much every kind of spousal abuse including SA since she obviously wouldn’t want to be sleeping with him. Avatar covered a lot of serious elements but I’m not sure the show could’ve gotten away with that implication, too bad I really wish more fans knew about her story as I feel like she’s a relatable character of a mother whose been through hell that’s rarely represented. A mother in a marriage she never wanted to be with, loving and caring for children whose father she likely never wanted to have children with, making sacrifices for her kids that will still hurt them and take her away from them but keep them alive. I feel like her entire backstory was just her enduring abuse or sacrificing herself to save others like when she married Ozai to save her fiancé and left her children to save Zuko.
Fun Fact: The guard Iroh was talking to and was the only nice one was played by Serena Williams because it's one of her favorite shows of all time! Very nice!
I just realized, Toph is bending what looks like logs, but we know she can't bend wood. Of course it could be rock/earth shapped like logs, but it still seems like a strange choice to add the age lines that tree logs have too.
Despite not being a bender Sokka invented both the first underwater powered vehicle (using water bending) and the first aerial powered vehicle (using fire bending)
There 3 of them, yeah, but there were also 3 of them trying to pin down Azula, and they couldn't even touch her until she *let* them. And Ozai is even stronger than her.... so yeah. Plus, Aang doesn't know firebending yet, so he wouldn't be able to easily counter Ozai's flames, or worse, his lightning!
When Ozai said if you had any kind of courage you would stay till the sun came out I wish Zuko would have retorted “If you were a real man you would come at me man to man”
A solar eclipse in real life last about 7.5 minutes. Which in Avatar it makes sense, 8 minute is all they get. They gonna have to endure and get the main beach, then press forward to the capital and once they there the eclipse should begin and so Aang has 8 min to defeat the Fire lord before its too late.
I really doubt they weakened their forces by a lot. The best option was to leave for the Avatar and new generation. Ozai has his firebending and can conjure spontaneous lightning immediately unlike Azula. He has at least 6 guards that are his elite guarding his room outside as well. An airbender, Non-bender, and a metalbender would be a losing bet with those odds. And they need to exit the volcano as well, if things got sticky. The Fire Nation doesnt shy away from sending fresh meat and weak soldiers on front lines. The commander specifically looked at the eclipse progression and called a "retreat to secondary positions". Which I think is an oversight by our invasion team. If they were truly surprised, why is the enemy tactfully retreating into a position? It should be a scramble. There are no radios or such communication for it to an on-the-spot command. By fresh meat and incompetent, I mean the Water Warriors encountered a squad leader that really went through firebending motions during the eclipse. Not a very bright leader at all. And was placed in a central location to be intercepted by invasion. Those metal airships bombing from above? They had no air power unless Aang could go into the Avatar State. Appa can only dodge for so long with at least 30 firebenders firing directly at him.
"What if Iroh and Zuko together had this all planned out all along?" I would consider that a horrible plan considering Aang died...in the Avatar state (for a moment) in the Book 2 finale. Speaking of the end of Book 2, did you guys actually forget the Fire Nation knew about the invasion all this time? Remember when the Earth King told Azula under the impression she was a Kyoshi warrior?
Staying would NOT have been their best bet. If they already struggled this hard against Azula, what chance does this group have against the heart of the Firenation? AND armored airships AND Azula AND Ozai?
Ben 10 reactions: Sorta Stupid: I want Kevin to be redeemed *later* Sorta Stupid: Fuck Kevin Kevin: *eventually does redeem himself* Avatar reactions: Sorta Stupid: I want Zuko to be redeemed *later* Sorta Stupid: Fuck Zuko Zuko: *eventually does redeem himself*
I can't help but feel the need to cry a little hearing zuko give the speech on showing peace. The voice actor made me feel like Uncle Iroh was guiding him through the whole thing.
Someone mentioned that while Aang is having nightmares Zuko is living a daydream and it changed the way i see that whole episode. I love how this show leaves a lot for you to figure out later.
I love the title of this episode. You think daydreams referrers to Aang but those are hallucinations. Zuko is the one in a day dream but wakening up to the fact that it's a nightmare.
Remember they are about 50-100 people against a Nation that likely has 1,000+ in the Capital and that doesn’t include Azula, her friends and Ozai. Azula alone proves they can barely handle her even when she doesn’t have her bending. They were not winning that battle.
I'd be surprised if Ozai was not also a better hand-to-hand fighter than Azula. So to me sitting down was just a part of the manipulation and he wasn't scared in the least. Ozai knows that even though Zuko's got the swords, he's the one in control here. He opted to humor Zuko and bide his time until he could immediately kill Zuko for his treason.
Episode 10 remains my favorite out of all the other episodes. Invasion strategy was super dope. Especially the earth caterpillar tanks those things are like a different level of awesomeness I got super hype because of them😊
Regarding lava and magma since its still rock its still just as dense as rock. IRL if you fell into lava it would be very solid and and you would kinda spontaneously combust\splatter like a droplet of water on a skillet. So yeah kind of floating in a way. You definitely don't sink like gollum
How's the heat from the lava gonna help keep them afloat, though? Wouldn't it only rise if there's cooler, denser air above it to displace it? That shit'd probably all be in near thermal equilibrium. No bonus lift for you. Come to think of it, you'd also think flying over it would be like getting cooked in a convection oven, but remember that in cartoons lava can't hurt you if it doesn't touch you.
They had to leave. How is Aang supposed to fight Ozai without knowing any fire bending when eclipse is over? It'd be suicide. Plus there's Azula, Dai Lee etc. to back him up.
Ozai attacking Zuko is even more messed up when you realize that he didn't know Zuko could redirect lightning. He fully intended to kill his son right then and there.
I mean, he just said banishment was too merciful and Zuko's punishment was going to be steeper... what'd you think Ozai was gonna do, take his gameboy away?
@@CasualVideoGamerflameboy
@@kw695lh omg that's brilliant lmao
He didn't even know lightning redirection was possible. He fully expected Zuko to die right then and there. And when Zuko caught that shit, he was shook af, fully expecting Zuko to take revenge and kill him.
Yeah he's an actual baddie for sure. Avatar likes characters to be morally realistic most of the time, but Ozai is 110% d-d-d-doucheeee.
Azula was written to be hated, but you can't deny how interesting of an antagonist she is. We need to be nicer to Sokka, he's literally a mastermind. Toph bends through their metal obstacles but Sokka bends through the mental obstacles. It was his idea to make armor for Appa, organizing the invasion team from all the people they ran into throughout the show (which also meant remembering the towns/coordinates of their locations), they wouldn't have known about the Day of the Black Sun had he not solved the mystery in the library and found out the exact date of the next eclipse. Like I know he's goofy comic relief sometimes, but he holds his own in a group of tween prodigies.
Well Azula Is loved to be hated you love her character or Your one of the people who literally want her to destroy you lol
Sokka really is the man.
I find it really interesting that he instinctively knew that the new blimps would drop bombs
@@eagleangel5568they made Azula attractive, smart and one of the best fighters. Its easy why she has alot of fans
@@Kickinthescience We know This lol 🤣🤣
Zuko confronting Ozai is easily one of my top five moments in Avatar. A conflict that had been building for fifty-one episodes finally comes to a head. In general this episode has an insane number of plot points coming to a head.
Aang has been running faster than the wind multiple times, but he couldn't even catch up to Azula a few meters ahead of him... so sad, stupid writing, oh well, it is a kids show after all... Also not trying to defeat Ozai, Aang and Toph together, and if they couldn't, Aang could easily put up some cover for their retreat.
@@ncard00Dude, I don't think Aang and Toph would have a chance against Ozai. We see what he's capable of in the finale (even if he's still buffed by the comet). Also, did you see how fast he pulled out the lightning? He's probably the fastest lightning user out there, one shot of those and one of them is dead.
Let's stop for a moment to consider how brutal of a loss this was for the gaang.
The idea for this invasion came back from Chapter 10 of Book 2, the library. They lost Appa while trying to get this information. They then suffered the pains of Ba Sing Sei and the Dai Li, trying to get this information to the Earth King and friends.
A very large portion of this series was dedicated to and built up to this invasion. To then have it fail was a pretty ballsy and ultimately great writing decision.
The gaang fails a lot. But they just keep going.
The thing that's most heartbreaking is...that they get to watch the next chapter immediately while the rest of us had to wait for months lololz.
@@flyingchongisnt this show like 15yo? When did u watch it
@@StarJes1 when it was coming out?....some of us were alive 15 years ago
@StarSnipeJessie probably when they were a kid or maybe they’re older and were an adult already
@@bluegirl278 yea
Getting the legendary Mark Hamill to record the line “my royal parts are showing!” puts this show in God tier 😂
There's a reason why Zuko's redemption arc is considered one of the best of all time. It wasn't offered to him and he accepted; rather, he rejected it at first and then slowly and painfully realized what he and his nation was doing was wrong. Zuko didn't join the Avatar's side when Aang and the others were winning; he's joining after they suffered a pretty devastating loss, which makes it much more genuine.
We all hated Zuko's betrayal in the season 2 finale, but that's exactly what makes his character so good. He had a shot at redemption and fumbled it, because at the time he had just begun to see the wrong of his ways. He had to realize on a deeper level that he was a better, happier person when he was away from Ozai, embracing the person he wanted to be, and that's why Zuko's arc in the Fire Nation needed to happen. It all comes together in one of the greatest confrontations in all of television, Zuko vs Ozai, where Zuko doesn't fight his abusive father, he breaks away from him
I think Azula learned some acrobatics from Ty Lee, to aid her during the eclipse, but she doesn’t have Ty Lee’s calm and positive nature to be patient enough to learn chi blocking, which I also think Ty Lee keeps to herself, just to be safe against Azula. But a very popular fan theory, is that Ty Lee is of airbender descent, that’s why she can jump at inhuman heights, which Azula will never be able to match.
Tbh the only reason the gang managed to weaken the fire nation is because of the eclipse, and they still struggled. Aang doesn’t have the Avatar state either or mastered firebending (which would be very useful), and while Toph and Sokka could “help” him fight the FireLord, who’s to say that Azula won’t jump in last minute and help he dad. They stand zero chance honestly given their numbers and overall skill, and I understand the frustration since the Fire Nation knows what to expect now. At least we have another season, I’m sure you guys will love it!
There was also the large platoon of body guards close by
Another season??
Not another season, just the rest of season 3
@@sherylannd6813 omg I’m dumb, I completely forgot we’re still in S3 lol
Even if it was Aang, Toph, Sokka and Katara against Ozai, he would have still blown them to bits. Both Iroh and Azula said that they couldn't defeat Ozai and he is propably the greatest firebender in History. At least from what we have seen in ATLA and TLOK. With the Avatarstate, maybe, but due to him not being able to summon it by the time, he would have never been able to defeat Ozai in a direct duel.
43:03 If you honestly think that, you missed literally everything in the episode that says the exact opposite.
The entire point of the invasion was to storm the capital and take it by surprise specifically on a day where firebenders lose their bending for a short time. The reason for this is because of Aang and where he is in his development: he hasn't learned firebending and is expected to fight a guy way above Azula in skill and power, when Aang has struggled vs Azula on his own. The plan is to defeat the Fire Lord as quickly as possible and force a surrender in a playing field where Aang has every advantage in a fight.
The plan was already scuffed when it was delayed trying to find the bunker and again dealing with Azula and the Dai Li, not to mention them never learning where Ozai was until the eclipse was over and Azula told them willingly. Because in a fight with realistically just Toph and Aang vs Ozai...Ozai will wash them. And that's not counting Ozai's royal guards, the Dai Li, and Azula herself joining in the fight too. Aang is strong but not being able to firebend vs the strongest firebender in the world at the moment who can also shoot lightning even faster than Azula (which Aang also doesn't know how to defend against and was already "killed" by it once by Azula), plus having no access to the Avatar State at all even as a defense mechanism...Aang has no chance.
tl;dr Ruff would be out here having to look in the water tribes for the next Avatar if he followed through with his idea. The Fire Nation were simply prepared and any ground the invaders gained or prisoners they captured are moot when they end up surrounded by the actual forces held on standby. Not to mention *severely* underestimating any fight in the bunker between the Gaang and the Fire Lord (plus Azula plus the guards plus the Dai Li).
Wholeheartedly agree, and thanks for taking the time to type all that up. Adding on to that, there's a chance Aang would've lost even if he could go into the avatar state.
Exactly, they couldn’t even subdue Azula. She was running the entirety of the 8 minutes and pretty much let herself get caught because yes. There was no way Aang was beating Ozai
This mf do be spittin facts
Very well said. As much as I enjoy their reactions, it kinda bugs me how they don't seem to always pay attention to important details. Like you said, had they stayed, they would've 100% perished. Taking on Azula was hard enough but to take on the fire lord would be a death sentence since Aang was not fully prepared. Like it would be extremely foolish of them to stay and just take their chances. It's better to leave and continue preparing and training and think of a new plan.
Exactly, they laid out the entire plan and the entire reason for the attack, and it went south in several ways. They were deep in Fire Nation territory surrounded by an enemy that had regained all their power and had several technological advancements the Gaang were unaware of, while they had nobody capable of usurping the leader.
Azula had all the intel on them, and she tore their plan asunder. If they had stayed they would've fought to the last man. Getting the most powerful beings and best tactician in the world out of there, including one with a god like power boost, to form a new plan was the only play there. They were also the most capable of fending for themselves. As far as they knew at this point, there were no great Earth Bending capitals in the world left either, the entire war would have been lost if their entire force got captured or killed.
A tactical retreat is their best chance, buys them time and gives them options. Even if the only option would have been to just get Aang to learn firebending and open the Avatar state again, it would be worth it.
Staying would've definitely done more harm than good. From their point of view there could've beena nother army between them and the Fire Lord after they encountered Azula, and the eclipse was over so it was Firebenders all the way. And once they got out and the blimps came out, those blimps are the size of *buildings*, armed to the teeth with Firebenders, bombs and who knows what else There's no way a group of, like, 100 people could take that kind of power head on.
Yeah, they haven't weakened the Fire Nation army, they've tussled with the bait left behind in the Capitol to make them think it was fully defended. Also you don't win wars by capturing the enemies capitol, you win by destroying the enemies ability fight. The Fire Nation is occupying a kingdom the size of China, the overwhelming bulk of their army is not defending one city back home.
Some fun facts:
*Ming is voiced by ATLA fan and pro tennis player Serena Williams.
*The guy who "gave up" Ozai's location is War Minister Chang, first seen in The Northern Air Temple and later The Drill.
*If you remember Earth King Kuei told Azula about the invasion plan when she was disguised as a Kyoshi Warrior. This is why the Fire Nation was so prepared for the invasion as they already knew about it thanks to her.
*Appa's armor was foreshadowed in The Runaway, which Sokka is seen working on in Nightmares and Daydreams and is fully complete in The Day of Black Sun.
*The noodle Ozai picture Aang is seen practicing on is the same one he made at school in The Headband, the same episode Sokka's Wang Fire beard debuted in.
*The voices Dee Bradly Baker uses for Appa and Momo in Nightmares and Daydreams are similar to the ones he uses for Spidermonkey and Cannonbolt in Ben 10: Alien Force.
*The animal that appears in Nightmares and Daydreams and Day of Black Sun (their only 2 appearances) is indeed called a koala sheep so Erik's guess was spot on there. Their primary habitat is the Black Cliffs (i.e. the invasion rendezvous point). Also appearing in N&D is a baby boar-q-pine, a species which are a natural predator of koala sheep.
There was also a bigger boar-q-pine that attacked Appa in Appa's Lost Days
Yap
Was waiting for this episode. The reason Ozai chose to wait for the eclipse to end before attacking Zuko was because Zuko was also a student of Piandao (Sokka’s sword master), who taught him the dual dao swords. Between knowing that and the reports of the blue spirit, Ozai knows that without fire bending, Zuko is easily the best fighter in the room.
I honestly can’t tolerate sokka slander. 😭 Homeboy literally invented the hot air balloon and submarines at 14. He may have clown tendencies but that boy is a genius fr. I like how Sokka came up with this whole plan and still thought that pretending a blind girl wrote a letter was a good idea.
The classic example of good IQ and strategic mind than actual daily use of brain cells
pretty sure that sokka is 15 or 16
@@spazzout1k350 yep 15 first season 16 final
I mean did he though? He drew people in a whale. He came up with the concept but really he had no idea how machines work, so it's not slander, it's practical. The technician created that massive drill so it's far more likely he designed and put it together.
Possible Spoiler:
Sokka even admitted the technician mafe the air balloons when Sokka was in the one of the balloon in a few episodes
Personally I do think they're giving him slightly more credit than necessary, which Sokka himself points out. He thought up the idea and the general design, but let's be real, dozens of people think up groundbreaking ideas throughout history but rarely have the resources and expertise to pull it off. The mechanist's ability to make the subs as they are, airtight and maneuverable, with facilities for extras like torpedoes, that's the real feat. Sokka invented the subs the same way movie makers invent flying cars and teleporters.
Sokka is a man ahead of his time. He helped complete the hot air balloon prototype, quickly understood the inner workings of the drill to destroy it, accurate used the solar calendar in the library to calculate the solar eclipse, and invented the submarine. If he had the resources in peacetime, dude could legit be a Renaissance man.
Mai wasn’t willing to let her brother die, the gaang clearly had no intentions of hurting the baby and she would be directly disobeying the princess on the verge of battle - which would bring upon more trouble upon her and her family and could actually hurt her brother.
The reason why Zuko didn’t take down his father when he had the full advantage wasn’t just because he believed it was solely Aang’s destiny to defeat him. From a political in universe standpoint, Zuko forcefully taking the throne from Ozai by killing him would not put him in good favor from either side. We know because of audience omniscience that Zuko is killing a tyrant to bring peace, but to the rest of the world, it would just be a son killing his father for power, kind of like what Ozai did to Azulon only more overt. The fire nation would see him as a traitor for killing a “beloved” monarch and the rest of the world would just see a new evil Firelord rising to power. And let’s not pretend Azula would let him get away with it if he did go through with killing him. Nobody would be on Zuko’s side in the end. (Except for Iroh of course, but at this point he’s an escaped prisoner) So him allowing the Avatar to do his job in the end was the smarter move on his part.
*Spoilers*
This is also the reason Iroh gives as to why he doesn’t challenge Ozai’s position of power despite being on near equal level when the comet comes. Even if the fight between them would have been great to see and he would have definitely been a better leader, Iroh was always fully aware of the optics.
Mai’s calmness balances Zuko’s anger. Especially that night
38:56 It's so eerie to see exactly where Azula got it from. She and Ozai are literally doing the exact same thing in these scenes. Running out the clock. And they're doing it by exploiting any and all of their opponents' weaknesses they know about.
The Gaang is about to do the smart thing and leave her to go look for the Firelord (thanks to Sokka for realising what she was doing), so she goes after the things she thinks will make them angry enough to stay and fight: Toph's blindness, Suki, any other taunt she can think of.
Zuko is about to do the right thing and leave (him killing Ozai would just be seen as patricide/regicide and a grab for power). And at first, Ozai tries shaming him into staying, by essentially calling him a coward for leaving. But it doesn't work, because Zuko has learned humility. He knows, he's not leaving out of cowardice and he doesn't need to prove that (or anything else for that matter) to his father.
So next, Ozai tries holding Zuko's mother's fate (or at least the information about it) over him and that does work, because that is still something he hasn't resolved.
“Nightmares and Daydreams” may be one of my most rewatched episodes of S3. I just cannot help the enjoyment I get from seeing Aang getting sleep deprived over his silly dreams (except the more serious one he has). And the Appa and Momo fight has always been funny to me.😄
About Zuko's Betrayel: I think he really needed to spend time away from Iroh.
I have been a stubborn Teenager too and i remember believing that i was in the right. The World view that i had was correct and nothing anybody said would change that.
Until i left Home and saw for myself that my Parents were right.
A Person can be told a thousand times what is right, but they will only learn once they experience it for themself.
They left because they just straight up lost, staying would only get them killed.
Also Azula flat out told them that the Fire Nation had a plan, that was the entire reason the Capital was evacuated and why they kept the airships in reserve until it would be too late for the majority of the invasion force to escape.
Azula learned about this invasion at the end of season 2, it was doomed from the very beginning.
I always loved how the Eclipse was hyped up by every as their best chance to win the war but it was ultimately kind of a failure.
It's very ballsy and confident writing.
Also Zuko using lightning deflection, a move Iroh invented and thought him, on Ozai's sneak attack is so epic, it's like him finally embracing his true self after trying to suppress it the whole season.
18:50 so on the note of Sokka inventing submarines, it's really funny to think about what it would be like for later generations in the world of avatar being in school and just constantly seeing Sokka, who is literally just some guy, some nonbender being influencial in so many different places. Like, he's a master swordsman and strategist who was the first man to ever be taught by the kyoshi warriors; he dated the moon; he invented the submarine AND the hot air balloon; he is one of the only non-avatar people to ever go into the spiritworld; he has traveled all over the world and been of great assistance to multiple world leaders. He's a literal living legend.
Have you guys ever noticed how we see Zuko letting out his hair RIGHT AFTER Aang shaves his hair? Aang gets back to his Air Nomad non-hairstyle, and Zuko gets rid of his Fire Nation hairstyle, persumably at the same time. Also, Aang’s back in (what’s left of) his Air Nomad clothes, and immideately after that scene, Zuko takes of his Fire Nation armor. The parallells between those two are just wonderful.
I don't think aang, toph and sokka had any chance of beating ozai after they had a whole fight scene where they could barely land a hit to azula without her bending. Imagine them attacking her dad, who is stronger, with the possibility of azula coming in at any point to help plus any additional guards, yeah they were cooked
Hey just so you guys know when Azula told Mai to sacrifice her brother, Azula was testing her to see how far she would bend to her. But Mai is also smart and called her bluff and acted like it didn't faze her.
It’s okay to like a character even if they’re a bad person. Like I know mai, azula and others aren’t necessarily good people but I can appreciate their characters cause they’re pretty interesting
Also forgot to add, the retreat needed to happen. with the eclipse over all the fire nation soldiers were popping out of their hiding places. Not to mention the war ships that took out their only escape for all the people who cant fit on Appa. The older fighters like the father's and such knew the battle was lost. And their only chance was to help the young ones escape, to fight another day. Like a parent sacrificing themselves to save their kids life sort of feel. Any more fighting would of lead to more bloodshed and loss on their side, plus possible loss of the Aang gang. It was the best decision for our small group to leave, though painful.
Ozai sensed the sun, and 2 hand lightning bended in 1 second, faster than anyone else, fully intending to kill his son. Wild stuff.
The invasion episode is such a good one especially zuko and ozai's confrontation
@@jaylenharris343 I find most of the battle a bit eh, honestly. The highlight of the episode really was Zuko's arc, to me.
You guys will learn to Love Mae, she deserves so much she was born into the fire nation and forced upon a life like that and though shes got no bending shes had to make up for it in other ways as a fire nation noble. Its why shes so emotionless shes just doing her best. She didnt ask to be there let alone manipulated by her nation and friend.
imagine facing your abuser like that. Ozai is an abusive parent and mentally scarred his kids for life. the amount of mental strength required for zuko, regardless of his moral compass, to face the man who raised him to be a war machine like his sister but also saw him as the "inferior version" is just... ugh i love zuko's story so much it's so strong and crazy well written. they were writing zuko's story the same time they wrote aang's and it shows. so proud of him! also to state a small story point: the only reason they attacked during the eclipse was to give aang an advantage for being one element short, it makes sense they would run because the REAL forces would have surrounded them in an instant. battle strategy, this is a lure technique where you draw the enemy into your lines in order to surround and capture them... the fire nation would have won either way.
We had a hint in Season 2 that the eclipse plan was doomed when the Earth King unwittingly blabbed to a disguised Azula about it.
The only one who can talk about Iroh's escape is that bully guard, but he's traumatized from the awesome.
43:10 No, this is the best plan. They only let them destroy what they wanted them to this allows them to regroup, get more manpower, create a plan, and Aang can learn firebending, the best way to fight a firebender
15:56 “You look at the moon.” You absolutely cannot make out the moon when it’s anywhere near the sun in the sky, not without specialized equipment. You need a watch that’s accurate to the minute to know when it’s coming. I can only assume the waterbenders can somehow feel the moon in the sky and can time the eclipse that way.
This is an insane episode. A sliver of sun appears and Ozai instantly felt the power return and generated lightning at the blink of an eye. He says he was willing to kill zuko in the past to become fire lord, turns out he was not bluffing. Based on western culture Ozai sat down, 1 because he wanted to manipulate zuko, 2. the power dynamic changed and he knew he had no shot.
No, they did right to retreat. It was a trap from the beginning. They were being expected. The solar eclipse was over. Who knows what else Azula and Ozai could have planned to trap them? They thought about the safety of their friends. Live to fight another day.
how could you forget that azula pretended to be a kyoshi warrior back in ba sing se and heard the entire plan of the invasion of the earth king????
I find it funny how often people forget the fire nation know about the invasion plan, we saw the earth king reveal it to Azula but so much stuff happens in between that we forget
By the time “The Day of Black Sun” first aired on tv, that’s when I started tuning in this series more often. It was pretty hype to be honest.
31:00 General Aang’s March to the Volcano was the first example of modern warfare or total war.
Book 3, Episode 10: Fun fact: Ming is voiced by Serena Williams. She loved the show and wanted to voice a character.
Book 3, Episode 11: I chose to believe that Azula's surprise at hearing about the eclipse in season 2 is really surprise that the other side knows about the eclipse. You think an industrial nation with various temples, who have been at war for 100 years didn’t know about the eclipse years in advance and have contingency plans. It’s actually sort of ridiculous how Team Avatar ever thought the plan was going to work. I'm sure even without Azula being in Ba Sing Se, the fire nation would’ve figured out that there was an invasion. The biggest attack on their capital in the entire war? They definitely knew there was an invasion coming. Hell, they might’ve just hunkered in the bunker during the eclipse because that’s what they always do during the eclipse.
Book 3, Episode 11: Also, I don’t know if you remember Iroh’s looks of shock during Book 3 episode 4 right before he starts doing sit-ups and training. Well, there is a fan theory that Iroh figured out there was going to be an eclipse by watching the movement of the sun and moon from his prison window. Because how did he know there was going to be an eclipse? No one told him.
always a great easter egg
While I do think they probably know about the eclipse themselves, there was no reason to think the others would (or even that it would take away their bending) It seems to only happen on a total eclipse and those are not as common, and depending on where in the world you are if it even is a total one or not.
0:06 "I dont think there's any chance this episode is as disturbing as the last one" are you sure about that?
We were cutting back and forth between the action-packed invasion, and the calmer Zuko scenes... and I was fully invested in the Zuko scenes way more
Gotta love the fact that Firelord Ozai is voiced by the same guy who played Luke Skywalker & Joker.
I used to find it so weird that stress dreams always have something to do with school. Like forgetting to wear pants I thought was stupid until I had those same dreams. I'm 19 and still have stress dreams related to school and I'm not even In school. I was told that school is very stressful for kids growing up so it makes sense why my stress shapes itself into school related things
Y’all’s enthusiasm toward the end of the video was so infectious, I was on the edge of my seat despite knowing how it all ends lol
I adore the creativity of the entire battle scene, but especially the subs and trains. Waterbenders to make the subs go, covering the explosives in ice so that the waterbenders can shoot them, making the train tracks grippable so the earth Enders can manipulate the earth beneath it more easily. Not to mention so many things set up from throughout the series-the Fire nation finding the Fire balloon, Azula being told about the eclipse from Katara, a bunch of returning characters whose lives were changed thanks to the Gaang…
Also that even if Aang’s a pacifist, Appa has no qualms lmaooo
"Do hippos even have tails?"
_What else would they use to spray their shit everywhere as it's coming out?_
Abacuses are actually really simple to operate. They’re based on 10s in descending order. You would slide the beans from one side to the other on the top row, then every time you reach 10, you slide one on the next level down to denote 10+however many you have in the first level. When you reach 100 you would slide one over on the third level down, and then the 4th level when you reach 1000. For an example from the top down, if you had 3, 4, 7, and 2 beans moved, you would have counted up to 2,743.
Fun fact! The nice guard that Iroh told to go home is voiced by the tennis legend herself, Serena Williams!! Serena is a huge ATLA fan, her agent got in contact with the ATLA team and asked if there were any parts that she could play.
19:24 Iroh just pulled a "Quiet Kid" move lol
*PUMPED UP KICKS INTENSIFIES*
Ozai, in a german accent: "We have something that they sorely lack... *ZEPPELINS!!!!"*
Alucard Abridged, timeless even years before it existed.😂
30:10 If ya’ll remember when Azula and her squad pretended to be the Kyoshi group. The king told them about the eclipse and invasion they are planning. That is why when they invade they couldn’t find the fire lord because they already knew and hide underground. The fire militaries, Azula and the Fire Lord buy some time until eclipse finally end.
The reason the fire lord was hidden away and the temple evacuated is because the Earth King told Azula about the eclipse and the invasion when Azula was impersonating the Kyoshi warriors to get into the city.
Fighting the Fire Lord after the elipse, or staying there to keep fighting, would have been the absolute worst decisions for them. They only managed to break through into the city because of the eclipse and the Fire Nation intentionally holding back their forces. With the eclipse passed and the Fire Nation using all they've got, a smol resistance like that wouldn't stand a chance, even with main character energy. I mean if it were that easy, the war would've been won ages ago.
Ok so, based on her actions at this point in the show (the comics that directly continue the story also essentially confirm it) it's commonly believed that Mai did care about her brother's wellbeing but was scared of what might happen to her and her family if she openly opposed Azula. She's shown to be very good at hiding her true feelings. Compare that to Ty Lee's less subtle submission to Azula's will. They both know Azula could ruin or end their lives if they step out of line. They have issues, for sure, but they're not evil.
I just realized on the day of the eclipse
The mighty Fire Lord Ozai cowered in a bunker forced to listen to his failure of a son lecture him because he was afraid Zuko could kill him without bending
While Iroh without bending broke the bars of his cage with his bare hands.
Smash the doors of the dungeon
Took out all the guards and walked away in 10 minutes
Retreating isn't a weakness. It's a sign of great leadership, to know when to take a fight and when not to. There is no cowardice in avoiding a fight, there is a lot of stupidity though in taking a fight you can't win.
They know they are currently outmatched. So the only thing they can do, is retreat and figure out another attack plan.
I gotta give huge props to Sokka here, while yes the invasion did fail it was mostly due to the fact that they weren't expecting some sort of Secret Bunker, without that Sokka literally prepared and lead the invasion which, until that point, was being a complete success and all that was mainly thanks to Sokka. The development the guy has is so damn impressive that it's crazy how often it gets overlooked, easily one of my favorite characters from the show
I love that Appa sleeps with his tail and legs curled in like a rollie-pollie, its so adorable
43:33
Cuz they literally cannot win in this scenario. A rush type situation was the only reason this battle strategy could have ever worked, and it was discovered beforehand, making it null and void. The thing is, talented benders or not, the forces they brought to this invasion are tiddily winks to what the Fire Nation has access to, particularly in a drawn out fight. The Fire Nation has millions of soldiers, airships, and a navy that can all now cut off Team Avatar's small force of retreat by encircling the palace area. Team Avatar has no backup on the way, and the Eclipse is over due to Azula's stratagem of running out the clock. As well as the fact that Aang still doesn't know firebending, nor how to redirect lightning, meaning that fighting Ozai means relying on trying to nullify Ozai's capabilities with the other three elements now that the eclipse is over and Ozai can actually fight back. While still a really shitty outcome, Team Avatar NEEDED to back out when they did. They had no other method of escape, and the one they currently did have could be shot down by the navy and airships if allowed to fully muster to pursue them. And like I said, the Fire Nation has limitless backup coming to protect Ozai, whilst Team Avatar has nothing. Meaning if they don't escape right now, the damage to their forces they already inflicted will be made null and void by the forces coming in to bolster the present army.
It sucks, but it was the only way
Anyone remember when Sokka first met Appa and he called him a flying snot monster? And now he’s riding him into battle, their relationship has come so far.
Honestly, The Day of Black Sun was really great with the war action and surprise returns.
Buddy. You just found out that your enemy not only knew your plan, set up traps and scapegoats. Reversed your element of surprise…. And you think it’s a good idea to stay?! 🤔
Day of the Black Sun Part 1 is such a great episode seeing zuko and ozai interact and seeing gaang go up against azula. Plus “I'm a 400 Foot Tall Purple Platypus Bear with Pink Horns & Silver Wings”
There's actually a comic that tells the story of what happened to Zukos' mother. I highly recommend it! It's an unbelievably great story. I was sad they didn't include it in the series, but some of the content in the story made it obvious it wasn't exactly kid friendly. Nothing outright extreme mind you, but enough that Nickelodeon would not have been okay with. 😅
@@3emeraldangel ugh yup spoilers and also trigger warning:
Considering the relationship between his parents wasn’t exactly consensual from the beginning it makes a lot of implications about pretty much every kind of spousal abuse including SA since she obviously wouldn’t want to be sleeping with him. Avatar covered a lot of serious elements but I’m not sure the show could’ve gotten away with that implication, too bad I really wish more fans knew about her story as I feel like she’s a relatable character of a mother whose been through hell that’s rarely represented. A mother in a marriage she never wanted to be with, loving and caring for children whose father she likely never wanted to have children with, making sacrifices for her kids that will still hurt them and take her away from them but keep them alive. I feel like her entire backstory was just her enduring abuse or sacrificing herself to save others like when she married Ozai to save her fiancé and left her children to save Zuko.
Fun Fact: The guard Iroh was talking to and was the only nice one was played by Serena Williams because it's one of her favorite shows of all time! Very nice!
I feel like this group underestimates how much an abusive father can control the mind of their child, and how vulnerable a 16 year old still is
Likely cuz they never experienced it for themselves. It’s hard to fully grasp a concept like that when you likely have experienced it
Fun fact: the female guard that Iroh told to leave, was voiced by Serena Williams, she’s a fan
8:29 I swear, this is like the fight between Count Dooku and Yoda. We had no idea we needed it until we saw it! 😂
I just realized, Toph is bending what looks like logs, but we know she can't bend wood. Of course it could be rock/earth shapped like logs, but it still seems like a strange choice to add the age lines that tree logs have too.
Imagine being in the middle of a battle and hearing someone yell out "Dad!".
3:24 You should probably be expecting just about ANYTHING to be capable of flying with some method or another at this point.
Despite not being a bender Sokka invented both the first underwater powered vehicle (using water bending) and the first aerial powered vehicle (using fire bending)
15:41 Remember the King telling Azula the plan?
There 3 of them, yeah, but there were also 3 of them trying to pin down Azula, and they couldn't even touch her until she *let* them. And Ozai is even stronger than her.... so yeah. Plus, Aang doesn't know firebending yet, so he wouldn't be able to easily counter Ozai's flames, or worse, his lightning!
When Ozai said if you had any kind of courage you would stay till the sun came out
I wish Zuko would have retorted
“If you were a real man you would come at me man to man”
👍 I love Avatar. You guys are my favourite reactors
A solar eclipse in real life last about 7.5 minutes. Which in Avatar it makes sense, 8 minute is all they get. They gonna have to endure and get the main beach, then press forward to the capital and once they there the eclipse should begin and so Aang has 8 min to defeat the Fire lord before its too late.
I hope they can figure out who does the voice of the Fire Lord.
I really doubt they weakened their forces by a lot. The best option was to leave for the Avatar and new generation.
Ozai has his firebending and can conjure spontaneous lightning immediately unlike Azula. He has at least 6 guards that are his elite guarding his room outside as well. An airbender, Non-bender, and a metalbender would be a losing bet with those odds.
And they need to exit the volcano as well, if things got sticky.
The Fire Nation doesnt shy away from sending fresh meat and weak soldiers on front lines. The commander specifically looked at the eclipse progression and called a "retreat to secondary positions". Which I think is an oversight by our invasion team.
If they were truly surprised, why is the enemy tactfully retreating into a position? It should be a scramble. There are no radios or such communication for it to an on-the-spot command.
By fresh meat and incompetent, I mean the Water Warriors encountered a squad leader that really went through firebending motions during the eclipse. Not a very bright leader at all. And was placed in a central location to be intercepted by invasion.
Those metal airships bombing from above? They had no air power unless Aang could go into the Avatar State. Appa can only dodge for so long with at least 30 firebenders firing directly at him.
"What if Iroh and Zuko together had this all planned out all along?" I would consider that a horrible plan considering Aang died...in the Avatar state (for a moment) in the Book 2 finale. Speaking of the end of Book 2, did you guys actually forget the Fire Nation knew about the invasion all this time? Remember when the Earth King told Azula under the impression she was a Kyoshi warrior?
Staying would NOT have been their best bet. If they already struggled this hard against Azula, what chance does this group have against the heart of the Firenation? AND armored airships AND Azula AND Ozai?
Ben 10 reactions:
Sorta Stupid: I want Kevin to be redeemed
*later*
Sorta Stupid: Fuck Kevin
Kevin: *eventually does redeem himself*
Avatar reactions:
Sorta Stupid: I want Zuko to be redeemed
*later*
Sorta Stupid: Fuck Zuko
Zuko: *eventually does redeem himself*
I can't help but feel the need to cry a little hearing zuko give the speech on showing peace. The voice actor made me feel like Uncle Iroh was guiding him through the whole thing.
Someone mentioned that while Aang is having nightmares Zuko is living a daydream and it changed the way i see that whole episode. I love how this show leaves a lot for you to figure out later.
I love the title of this episode. You think daydreams referrers to Aang but those are hallucinations. Zuko is the one in a day dream but wakening up to the fact that it's a nightmare.
Remember they are about 50-100 people against a Nation that likely has 1,000+ in the Capital and that doesn’t include Azula, her friends and Ozai. Azula alone proves they can barely handle her even when she doesn’t have her bending. They were not winning that battle.
That guard that Iroh was talking to was voiced by Serena Williams.
I'd be surprised if Ozai was not also a better hand-to-hand fighter than Azula. So to me sitting down was just a part of the manipulation and he wasn't scared in the least. Ozai knows that even though Zuko's got the swords, he's the one in control here. He opted to humor Zuko and bide his time until he could immediately kill Zuko for his treason.
People forget this too
Episode 10 remains my favorite out of all the other episodes. Invasion strategy was super dope. Especially the earth caterpillar tanks those things are like a different level of awesomeness I got super hype because of them😊
Regarding lava and magma since its still rock its still just as dense as rock. IRL if you fell into lava it would be very solid and and you would kinda spontaneously combust\splatter like a droplet of water on a skillet. So yeah kind of floating in a way. You definitely don't sink like gollum
19:56 Still one of the most touching moments between them 😊
Loved this episode & a fun fact I found out recently: the person who’s nice to Iroh in the prison (Ming) is actually voiced by Serena Williams!
I think they predicted blood bending too. They were wondering what other liqiuds can be controled with water beding.
How's the heat from the lava gonna help keep them afloat, though? Wouldn't it only rise if there's cooler, denser air above it to displace it? That shit'd probably all be in near thermal equilibrium. No bonus lift for you. Come to think of it, you'd also think flying over it would be like getting cooked in a convection oven, but remember that in cartoons lava can't hurt you if it doesn't touch you.
They had to leave. How is Aang supposed to fight Ozai without knowing any fire bending when eclipse is over? It'd be suicide. Plus there's Azula, Dai Lee etc. to back him up.
The time it takes for light from the sun to reach the earth is 8 minutes. So yes, the effect of black sun is only when the moon full covered the sun.
"I don't think there's any chance this can be as disturbing as the last episode."
All the fans watching: XD XD XD
39:37 Good thing Iroh taught him