I hope he became the greatest swordsman, martial artist, leader, strategist, nonbender. He deserves it. All the Gaang are elites, it's time for Sokka to get his glory.
From glimpses we pick up of Sokka in Legend of Korra, we know that Sokka became a judge and a representative of the Southern Water tribe to Republic City. He eventually died when Korra was a child some time in his 70s. I'm fairly sure that Sokka spent his life travelling the world as much, if not more, than Aang. After being the Avatar's master scheduler for the last year of the 100-year war, we know he's got the organizational chops to manage a demanding travel schedule. Also, given that we never see any characters who are explicitly Sokka's descendants in Legend of Korra, I've always imagined that Sokka never had any "legitimate heirs". That's apparently a common occurrence among men who frequently travel alone between different communities. I like to imagine that he's secretly the father of one of the Beifong sisters, for example. I can also see Sokka as somehow being responsible for Verrick in the grand scheme of things. Either as a genetic donor or as an early investor in some mad scheme. Perhaps both.
@@Grizabeebles I don't know about genetic donor, but judging by how he took a shine to Bolin (if you don't like 5he comparison don't crucify me, I'm just using the visual shorthand we're given), he definitely helped the budding Avatar universe Tony Stsrk in a mad scheme that paid off for sure. But yeah, the "who is Su's dad, maybe Sokka" aside (honestly I don't want to think about the comics so I'm going to assume Sokka and Suki got married), he probably does have a few heirs out there, probably old enough to be doing their own thing, or spreading the lessons Sokka learned on his journey with Aang and beyond.
I like to think he became an icon for nonbenders. Admittedly, I would have like to see him in season 1 of Korra. If he was, I’d imagine he’d have a supporting role like old Zuko in season 3. Plus, I’d imagine Christopher Lloyd would be a good vocal fit. Thoughts?
@@woomy8971 True, if there was a season of Korra to feature a member of the OGs it was season 1, but I still like that she has to figure out her place as an avatar between benders and non-benders since part of her arc in that season was to learn what it means to be an avatar by doing instead of being told like she had been all her life. It's still a huge missed opportunity though, Sokka's effect on the post-war world ended up shaping most of the equalist conflict + the way Aang and the others structured Republic city's government.
@@woomy8971 the equalists used the kyoshi warriors as their icon. They copied there fighting style and even their advanced techniques (ty lee's chiblocking)
I’ve only read a couple of the comics. It took me way too long to learn they even existed and I just never got around to reading it again. I’ll have to try seeking them out
The whole "bender uses magic/non-bender uses technology" thing is the main argument I use when encouraging people to consider advancing technology in fantasy settings. There's this idea that any fantasy setting that has a technology beyond the early medieval is somehow...corrupt. They say "I don't want no guns in my magic world". Except in a world with magic, particularly one where magic is exclusive to a specific class, there's a massive incentive to find ways to do the same things that magic can do but without magic. You think the arms race is frenetic in our mundane world? Try one in which there's a class of human that can make fire shoot from their hands.
Exactly there's more incentive both in regards to combative and non-combative applications for advancing technology in magical worlds not less. Also adds in cooler builds like magical sharpshooters and scenarios like tanks against mages. Warfare would be absolutely crazy!
If you’re looking for something in that flavor, I think the Powder Mage series is pretty good at that. It is very much a political thriller surrounding the idea of an advancing world trying to dispose a powerful magic class, granted it’s not purely technology, but a emerging form of magic that pairs with technological advancements.
Like in the "mistborn" - series, in which some people can magnetically push on metal objects, and if these are light enough shoot them at high speeds, making them living Guns. However in the second era of these books Guns have been invented, nerfing these "coinshots" a whole lot.
Oh yeah if anything they would have more incentive to innovatate and find ways to bridge the gap. Like medival stasis I thinnk its just a writing crutch people use so they don't have actually think of the implications of magic and science. I think LOK handled it quite well in that technology does advance at believalble pace given its setting alowing non-benders to compete more with benders. But bending also evolves to keep pace with technology (metal bending, wider-use lighting bending, newer bending techniques).
@Martin Toledo Sometimes magic people not using any technology gets explained with magic and technology being intrinsically opposites. Like, using magic makes nearby machines to break down or something. But yeah, most of the time it is not explained.
The Amon ark of Korra was the most disappointing one to me for exactly the reason of this video. The non-benders rise up because they felt like Benders threw them down and the Benders in charge were only proving them right. But then Korra doesn't fix anything. The government does not fix anything. They just all go back to pretty much the exact same it feels with nothing changed, just no more leader for the non-benders to rally behind.....yet.
The only non-bender leader that they get after that is the new elected president, which is mostly shown as incompetent and egocentric, caring more about image than actually doing something.
Well, one thing changes, which is that the Council of Benders who rule the United Republic disbands and gets replaced by the rule of an elected, non-bender President. So things are more equitable, and non-benders do end up ruling (given that there are more non-benders than benders and everybody's only got one vote).
Not only that, but I am not convinced that the show did enough to show us this bender/ non bender divide. When you have people like Mako and bolin that despite being benders grew up poor and had to work their whole lives and at the same time some of the richest people in the show are nonbenders, I find it hard to believe that the main conflict to spark would be one of bending, and not class, or even nationalism. Bending is mostly not a genetic characteristic, non benders would still have siblings, parents and children that are benders and vice versa would people discriminate that much against their own family members?
I’ve always loved City of Walls and Secrets. The reveal of Ba Sing Se as a dystopia, the subplot with Jet, the creepy ending with Ju-di, it all just builds and builds as hope that things will go right for anyone dwindles further and further until we realize this bastion of good we’ve been told is the greatest opposition to the fire nation is actually just as, if not more rotten.
"we tend to mythologize the past, our cultural heritage, our national identity don't we? We tell it as a story to our kids, to others, to ourselves and often it's a little bit too perfect, ignoring the imperfections of history, but that story is especially easy to believe if you fit into it" wow what an amazing quote and mic drop moment
Oh boy, the fact that this is even taking place in Germany shows how many imperfections people are willing to ignore. It seems to increase in older people, in my experience ("everything was better in the past!"). I guess it's only natural when there's a lot of changes and you have the feeling that you can't keep up with it anymore (like today with many old people living kind of like in an analog parallel reality, having never used the internet or not understanding parts of the language younger people use).
Considering we hear nothing of them, maybe they did die. But I wonder if that's also a comment on the fact that Benders live longer because they don't have as much hardships? Lol. More Sokka in the next avatar series the creators make please
This is making my mind explode with questions and theories. Was Sokks perhaps assassinated? In an attempt to be on both sides he also may have developed enemies on both sides. What of Suki? Did they have no children? It also makes me incredibly distressed that the two non benders who had such an influence were forgotten. If you count Satoru, then three. This always disturbed me when I watched Korra, which made me desperate to see Sokkas impact on the world. Thats why I've always harbored the theory that Su Yin is Sokkas daughter. The world she created speaks so much of what Sokka tried to create. A city where bending and machines come together to benefit everyone. Toph's metal bending was a perfect expression of what Sokka was fighting for, and they often collaborated together to create, so to me it's beautiful to think they collaborated to make Su Yin.
Consider, sokka was killed in the red lotus attack where they tried to kidnap Korra when she was young. It would certainly further explain why the red lotus is treated like such a big threat by the older people at the beginning of book 3.
I kinda have this story in my head about the White Lotus slowly but surely becoming a dark authoritarian entity, whose trying to manipulate the world political stage from the shadows. This manipulation could involve some discrete assassinations and end with the White Lotus totally controlling Korra when she is revealed as the avatar
Yeah, especially as Toph never elaborates on who knocked her up for her kids. I always imagined he died, as one fan video posited, fighting the Red Lotus
Personal opinion - Suki absolutely counts. She joins up in the back half of the third book, just like Zuko. Only difference is she was smooching Sokka instead of training Aang, but she was still a big part of the final events that Team Avatar dealt with directly.
Something to note about the samurai is many of them actually approved of the Meiji restoration. Before the restoration Japan was experiencing a long period of peace not good for a class that made a living by warfare. Even worse was the fact that their honor prevented them from taking other work. The salt on the wound to all of this was that merchants previously a peasant class during the warring states period now out earned the “honorable samurai”
Not to mention that agricultural workers/farmers had previously been looked upon as more honorable and valuable than the merchant class. Merchants were considered to be profiting off the work of others; at least farmers produced something. (Of course, there's some hypocrisy in this line of thought from the samurai class, but that's how it was.)
That's a good point. And weren't some samurai forced to be hired help merchants or farmers with small tasks? Best way would have been to allow samurai to take on other positions, and be called upon if required.
@@DaDunge but without merchants certain resources would be hard to get in certain regions. they're most likely a lot of shitty merchant in the past, but said merchants are necessary in order to preserve the integrity of certain regions. Like you can't expect good reliable clothing to be easily manufactured in ALL places.
Can we also talk about the fact that Sokka has the combat skills to fight and usually win against benders far more powerful then himself? When he was around 73 years old he fought alongside Tarlok, Tenzin and Zuko to beat back the Red Lotus, a group described as so strong they are near unstoppable. That’s an amazing amount of fighting skill.
the puppetmaster is and has been my favorite episode for years. i guess seeing waterbending, a bending style we had only seen in a positive light, become evil some way really stuck with me. it poses the question that avatar asks a lot throughout the show about what is good and what is evil and what blurs the lines. seeing that depth with the fire nation citizens in episodes like jet or the headband was expected, but realizing that the heroes i looked up to at a young age could so easily be twisted really interested me. also i love water tribe world building of course 😍😍
something ive loved to do for years now is try to take a situation or scenario, and put myself into as many shoes as possible. how can I be the bad guy to this person, how am I the bad guy? and for at least a few years I've tried my best to get people to look at things from a blurred morality when I can, to dispose of Black and White sentiments, and how sometimes grey isn't even a stance that should be taken.
I think that’s what they do best. They show that any nation or ideology can have good and bad mixed in. Like, who’d have thought an air bender monk would make such an awesome villain?
One thing neither of the stories touched on but, really should have is that Bending is a tool. It isn't good or evil and it's up to the person wielding it to decide how it's used. Take Blood bending for instance. It always shown as a pretty evil thing in both TLA and Korra. But, it could have some pretty significant medical uses if anyone cared to look. Things like forcibly keeping someone's heart beating or literally bending spilt blood back into a person's body.
@@devinnall2284 basically, bending is to the avatar universe as guns are to our reality. Guns aren't the problem, they're a tool, but the person behind it can misuse it or be unstable from some life event.
@Momo Fuku Doodoo Windu Yeah but, people aren't born with guns we make them and could easily regulate them and not just that it takes training and skill to use bending guns take neither also I'm pretty sure guns don't have any medical applications
Sokka has one of the BEST character journeys throughout the series and such a fan favorite... as someone who's been left out of a lot of important conversations about inclusivity and leadership, Sokka being a uniting figure gave me such great hope, that even though I am who I am, I still have a place in the table. It's a shame that it didn't last beyond him. (also, Supreme Leader Momo is soooo adorable!)
also also, my favorite episode(s) are the boiling rock eps bc they have all my favorite characters in one situation (suki, zuko and sokka) and they were so good!! the chaos!!!
Am i the only one who feels that a lot of elements from Toph's characterisation in The Legend of Korra should've been given to Sokka? Like, being the chief of police and a parent? It just doesn't make sense to me that Toph, who is very anti-authoritarian, would have a job in law enforcement, not to mention having two daughters while Sokka, a ladies man, died childless. I think he should've been the father of Lin and her sister, whom he had with Suki or another Earth Kingdom woman, and provided the former with the job in police, while Toph taught both how to use metal bending.
YEEEEES. I never understood hoe Toph, who is the most chaffed by authority and rules, would then turn around and be chief of police. It feels like a betrayal of her character. If anything, she would have been a traveller, teaching metal bending where she went. I don't mind that she had children, more so because she maintains the exact relationship with them that we can assume Toph would.
@@AllTheArtsy Toph started a metal bending academy in the comics. It would make sense for her to provide training for the Republic City police, but Sokka must be the chef, due to his own training and leadership.
I always saw Toph as someone who was anti-authoritarian in the sense of disliking being told what to do, and not the other way around. She seemed to enjoy telling people what to do in some sense. It definitely wasn't the most intuitive path for her, but I honestly think Sokka being chief of police doesn't make much sense either. He seemed more suited to roles that had to do with developing infrastructure, leadership, and interacting with communities in a more developmental way, none of which really tie in in law enforcement directly. I always saw Sokka as someone who was an incredibly skilled swordsman, but who's primary role was doing a lot of the hard, pragmatic, behind the scenes work that is less flashy and has to do with tackling a lot of the underlying issues that would bubble to the surface after the war that the rest of the Gaang might not have the wisdom and pragmatism to really properly address. Chief of police doesn't give me that. I know he seemed interested in military strategy and all, but that always felt circumstantial to me - like oh, its a war, so your skills have to focus in those efforts. Outside of that, inventing, engineering, planning, and representing and mediating between communities seem like his strengths. Also idk how Sokka is a womaniser in any way lmao, he had two girlfriends and was basically long distance with one for most of the shows run lol.
@@Lisa_Flowers Imho the best choice for chief of police would have been Suki. She already know how to lead a squad, and in the comics she was pretty good in training the non-benders how to chi-block the benders, in one of the citiess that later would have become Republic City. If this happened, the non-benders status would have definitely been different in the first book of ATLA
I myself was always curious of Sokka's fate and while I have not read many comics, did feel the sting of missing out on a really good story around him, excellent analysis of what we do know about him, it gave him so much life
Did you plan this to come out on international men’s day or is that just a huge coincidence. (I think Sokka is one of the most human characters in the show)
i just wish we heard something more about what happened when he grew up. did he and suki stay a thing? did he have any kids/grandkids? Korra's father is the chief of the south pole and sokka was allegedly the chief before he was. So changes are they knew eachother and he was certainly aware of Korra.
“Sometimes being in the middle is taking the side of the oppressor, tearing them as equal sides.” Wow you just blew my mind. I had never thought of it like that before.
I really hope the comic arcs get adapted into animated specials or something. They're just too good to be left unnoticed by most people. (Hopefully someday!) Edit: I agree, Sokka's Master is easily one of my favorite episodes, maybe my favorite. It's where his relatability really shines through for me. (And it's a nice, self-contained story, perfect for rewatches.)
Sokka was my comfort character as a kid and this show taught me a lot and made me who I am today. This video got me some feels and thoughts, thanks for that ^w^
Sokkas experience would have been very valuable. As a non-bender who traveled the world learning all kinds of cultures regardless of what element they bend.
The headband is my personal favorite episode It's just a fun episode Aang gets to be a kid for at least for a little while like he always wanted and he excels at it
This is exactly why I don’t for the most part mind the headband coming right after super dramatic episodes. Aang had been going through a pretty stressful time and kinda needs a little break. A core aspect of his character after all is to hold onto a semblance of his childhood which he feels being the avatar robs him of.
I think the most shocking thing is that no one tried to study bender anatomy...it's almost inevitable that someone should have tried to make artificial benders. Even if it hadn't happened yet, after the air bender revival surge, someone should have thought, "Wait...you don't have to be born a bender, and there's some sort of switch for bending?!"
On recognizing privilege - long but worth it. My favorite story on this topic was when I was working on a weekend in a tech company. We were there doing some overtime and I had gotten there only 5 minutes early but the guy that got there 10 minutes early had walked in and not turned off the alarm. I parked and heard the alarm going off. I talked to them though the glass to make sure they were okay but then they refused to let me in. They wanted me to wait for the cops to respond. I am a tall black guy in a custom van. This is a southern state in the USA. And I knew what would likely happen. I told them this was a very bad idea but the other guy was in charge. So to protect myself I put my hands on the van and waited. It was only as they saw me waiting that they realized I was waiting to be at best detained or arrested. They let me in and asked why I did that. I reminded them that the alarm had gone off and all the white guys on the computer filled office were looking at me outside - what would the police think? They got it. I could see the light appear over there head. They did not want to apologize but they did. They wanted to say I was crazy but in that one moment they had clarity. They did not ever consider how police and myself would see it. To them I was their friend and I would explain to the cops the best of all of us what had happened. They did not see me as a black guy. But they got it. The police were cool in the end. I explained it but from inside the building and offered one some coffee that he really liked. Life moved on. Nothing changed in my days there. But there was an understanding not to do that any more to anyone. Waiting for the cops by any employee would be done inside. That of course would not change other incidents like that in the greater world but it was what we could do.
It really makes you realise how integral sokka was to the story, how important his role and identity came to be and such. His solutions weren't perfect but he learnt and faced the future without putting down the past or putting it on a pedestal
My headcanon for long-term Sokka is that he goes into the Spirit world at some point to find Yue, meets Koh, and loses his face. I can not be convinced otherwise.
(aang, leaving the mortal plane) "At long last. Now, i leave the care of this world to the new generation. Protect the world i fought to save. And now, i return to the void, primal origin of all things, to be born ane-" (muffled screaming) "uh- ...who?" (more screaming) "wait, who's- YOU??????? ...oh, you moron. You're on your own, there's no way you didn't know about this. I'm busy." (muffled crying) (louder) "ohmmmmmmmmm" (aang gets hit with a rock) "OW! YOU- (inhale) Okay. Fine. Fine. Fine. I'm going. I'm going." "I SAID I'M FUCKING GOING DON'T THROW ANOTHER ONE"
@Niphyra "okay, fine, i got it back. Now shut up." (muffled gibberish) "Avatar state." (grunt of understanding) "Anyway, here. Now run off home. Shoo." (Moist slap sfx) "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhyeah okay, thanks man. I'll catch you later."
One of my favorite youtube creators commenting on another one of my favorite youtube creator's videos? Small world. That would be a sad fate for Sokka, but one that seems plausible.
Hey Tim, about your comparison of the Meiji restoration and the following period of modernization: That change was instigated and managed regionally and locally by samurai who saw the feudal societal terms that they held as backwards and self-destructive. It wasn’t a cut-and-dry issue that samurai opposed. Many samurai opposed it, but many samurai supported just as intensely. As you say: “History is complicated!” TL;DR the modernization of Japan and wasn’t just a class war against samurai.
You raised so many interesting and valid points, it's a shame almost none of them were allowed to take place in the actual shows. I strongly believe that the way the AtlA treats Sokka as a character and wastes his storytelling potential is the shows biggest failing and a lasting black mark on the entire franchise, all the way up to LoK and the comics.
I like this idea I would read a sokka comic where he battles his sister's more traditional beliefs and his more progressive beliefs and thus a sotta of two party mind set comes into the southern water tribe
sokka is one of my favourite characters, as being the most disadvantaged out of the gaang and yet still being able to grow and change more than anyone and prove himself to be as of equal if not more importance.
We get a few mentions of Sokka. Apparently he helped stop the Red Lotus alongside Zuko and Korra's dad. And for some reason I picture him charging at Zaheer, boomerang in one hand, sword in the other
I have to admit that I am a neophyte to the Avatar community, having only recently watched it, but this question has been Nagging me ever since I started Korra. Tim is really initiating me
@@Calebgoblin Yep. I know the feeling. I forgot to mention I am one of those salty viewers,but I've since rewritten it in my head and stopped givin' a ## How far have you gone into it?
The way you are able to explain, relate, and help us understand concepts that we “know” but don’t really know or understand, is absolutely impressive. Also: as someone who has been world-building for a story I can’t seem to fit to the built world, your other videos have been helpful (and I plan on looking into your books too).
my favorite episode is probably The Old Masters because all the talking and everything is just great but the title is so cool, it has a triple meaning. The old masters being the avatars, the white lotus and maybe even the lion turtle depending on how you look at it. Amazing episode overall
I always love your videos on The Last Airbender and The Legend Of Korra; if bring more stuff from the previous Avatars extended canon it would be awesome.
A darn good analysis on an almost forgotten but critical part of Team Avatar. With Toph as the key weapon with her steel bending Sokka teams with Suki taking out most of the Fire Nation Airships helping set up the final Agni Kai between Phoenix King Ozi and Aang The Avatar. Why there wasn't more interaction with Sokka and if he an Suki had a family is practically non-existent.
It is impossible for those at the top to relate to those at the bottom . None benders can't adapt to become benders , but benders can fit into a new structure .
Whoa, im out of words ... you are not only a huge fan of avatar full of knolodge about it , but you are also extremely smart and knows so much about socioeconomy, not to mention you have a great didactic and a profound yet easy to understand script, honeslty im very happy i found this Chanel, great video seriosly, also thanks for making this for sokka He is one of my favs
Love this video! Thank you for the discourse on progress vs tradition and identity in culture. As a child of migrant parents grown up in the West, I wasn’t expecting this video to speak to me like this
Still really sad that Sokka was just... dead in LoK. I know he's Katara's older brother, so he'd be *very* old by that point, but Zuko is around and the two of them are close in age! At the very least, if he had died protecting Korra from Zaheer or in some other way that would have been nice. Or hell, show him passing peacefully in his sleep from the perspective of Katara, maybe when she's helping Korra process grief Katara could talk about losing her brother. The fact that we don't have a death date for the one confirmed dead member of the gaang is insane to me and more than a little unsatisfying.
In a possible continuation of Aang's story through avatar studios, i'd love for it to be conflict within team avatar itself, one that breaks the gaang. And not just an argument, a legit clash of ideals between the members that would then be told as a story and take some considerable time to be resolved. Of course we know that by Korra's time we see no mention of that happening so the issue needs to be resolved, but it could involve those tensions you mention, between benders and nonbenders and technology. Katara is a traditional person, Aang is what we would call today an environmentalist and spiritual person. Toph clearly values her bending power to a degree of pride and praise... Sokka's ideals could clash with those of the rest of the gaang, and he would have Suki to back him up, maybe. The details are not mine to sort out, just an idea that would be cool to see imo
There's a comic on webtoon called "unordinary". It's about a boy with no powers living in a world where everyone has powers of differing levels. He's considered 'handicapped' and is looked down upon by everyone else. It kond of fits the ideas behind what non-benders would go through. Mind, I stopped reading it a while back, so I don't know what became of it, but it was interesting to me in the beginning and a good parallel for this conversation.
Okay, so I've watched most of these videos on Nebula. I've enjoyed it immensely and gotten a lot of writerly things to think about, but I saved this video for last because I was SO NERVOUS about what your takes would be. Sokka is my favorite character in ATLA and I really didn't want to see him be dismissed or sidelined more than he already has been. ANYWAY, turns out I loved this video so much I found it on youtube just to comment. Sorry for this rambling result of my passion, and let it be noted that I've not yet been able to read the comics. Also English is not my first language. Be warned. First: In my opinion, whether or not Suki counts as the second non-bender in the Gaang feels kind of irrelevant, because from the very first moment, she is presented as someone who is on entirely equal ground with benders in a way Sokka never is. Her competency and usefulness is never, questioned, which I feel puts her on level with Asami; yes, they are both non-benders, but they are so powerful in their own ways that most people seem to forget they can't actually bend - especially benders. They're put on this superior, Might-As-Well-Be-Benders level of appreciation, whereas the show never for a second allows Sokka to forget that he's a non-bender, or that his particular strengths aren't as valuable as others. Second: The way Sokka's brains, ingenuity and creativity is constantly just dismissed by the Gaang will forever have me bitter, but I will be eternally Furious about how it just...kept happening in Legend of Korra???!!! He is STILL swept under the rug. Every other member of the original Gaang play some part in Korra. Three make personal appearances and even Aang is still a a huge part of the story even though he's passed away. I love everything this video highlighted about Sokka, because it's a lot of the respect I wish he would have been granted in Legend of Korra - something all the other main characters of the original series got, except for him. Hmmm. Imagine that. (for the purposes of this rant I am ignoring how LOK basically re-set and erased all of Toph's character growth from ATLA) The only thing Legend of Korra tells us about Sokka is that he "helped found the council", when there are so so so many other places where he could have naturally been mentioned in even just throwaway lines, which would have been enough to prove the world didn't just forget about him while still hailing all his best friends as heroes and visionaries. For example, Aang and Katara's kids often talk about their parents, and when they fight about how differently they were treated, wouldn't it have been so validating and lovely for Bumi to mention that as the only other non-bender in the family, Uncle Sokka was the only one who really made him feel like he had just as much worth as his siblings, that he could still achieve anything he wanted in life? Tell me that wouldn't have made you tear up. It made me tear up when I yelled at my flatmate about that wasted opportunity. I could list more spots he could have naturally come up, but I'm trying to show restraint. Third: During the whole Amon story line, Sokka easily could have been held up by a lot of the adult characters as an example of a non-bender who worked hard for the rights and voices of non-benders, using his mind and heart instead of violence. I have no doubt that Sokka would have been concerned about the practicalities of the society that was shaping up around him. He's too much of a realist to minimize the problems he sees because of some vague hope for justice and equality for all if we just clap our hands and believe. Fourth: Would it have been too much to ask for Asami or her father or even Varrick to mention just ONCE how Sokka and his inventions (you cannot tell me the guy who invented submarines didn't keep inventing stuff in his adult life) inspired them to start inventing things in the first place?? IS THIS DREAM TOO BIG FOR THIS WORLD???? .... I'm calm. To sum up, I just want everyone to give Sokka the respect and love he deserves. Which is a very long way of saying this video was great, now excuse me while I go re-watch Avatar again.
It'd be cool if this led to him having a huge schism between him and team Avatar and for him to become maybe not the "bad guy" but for him to be the Uncle you don't talk politics with. So like, him being at the trial was him being cordial but realistically there was a huge gap formed between him and Suki and benders on the team.
this is an amazing video and so well done. bravo. i absolutely agree, the episode where sokka meets his master is one of THE best episodes in the entire series. seeing him fight his master and being told that knowledge of the arts belongs to all of us changed sokka in the best way, he finally felt confident in himself to be the warrior and man he wanted to be.
I feel like the conflict with Amon should have really touched on a lot of these points, it ended up being severely undermined by how extremist the Equalists were from the start. It could have been worth spending maybe an episode or two to focus more on the struggles that drove people to join them, and even perhaps flash back to comparisons with Sokka.
As for the point of the video - I brought up how disappointed I was that we know basically nothing about what happened with Sokka by the time of Korra on another video and someone mentioned, "Well, the fortune teller said he'd die old and alone," but that just.... that feels so wrong.
You should get into the Trails series. Starting with Trails in the Sky. Id love to see yoy do videos on that saga. Especially since seem to be into supplemental material.
The powerful are always, always the ones with enough leisure, wealth and influence to advocate for "traditions," no matter how exclusionary those traditions are. It's why I was always let down by the discussion of Aman in TLOK. Because the villain is right- benders control and dominate society. There is no question about it. The very idea of the Avatar is that they are the bendiest of the benders, I mean. The very institution of the Avatar and bending as a whole is exclusionary. It would have been interesting for the world of the story to actually grapple with what it would take to close the gap through modernity and progress. Instead, every industrialist is seen as a villain or an accomplice to destruction. It doesn't have to be like that. Worryingly, our main characters are the ones who are held up, comforted by, most benefit from, and work to maintain an unequal status quo.
Asami is, contrastingly, also an industrialist who is generally portrayed in a positive light and very close to the Avatar. Of course she's incredibly wealthy and powerful but so were most of the other industrialists who challenged the status quo (her dad, Amon being from a very powerful bending family and a bender himself). It's not canonical to my knowledge, but I'd like to think that she would challenge Korra to change her views on a lot of these matters. Their relationship kind of represents the bridging of two very different viewpoints (nonbender industrialist whose mother was murdered by a bender and was trained from a young age in self defense to equalise that gap at least in regards to safety and self defense, and the literal embodiment of bending tradition, the Avatar). It would be neat if that was actually explored, but I'd hope that Asami, as the head of a leading tech company and girlfriend of the Avatar, would address a lot of these concerns in a way that outlasted Sokka's attempts and hopefully outlast her and Korra. She's a nonbender, an industrialist, and closer to the Avatar than even Sokka was, she's certainly in a position position do so.
The real story of Korra should have been people bending less and her dealing with the world not needing bending and eventually either spreading the message of the necessary nature of bending because of machine malfunction/overreliance or making bending achievable by anyone or something lol
See that's one thing I found interesting. So Aang found a way to close off the powers. And so did the non Benders. But ... No one thought the other way around that... The possibility to awaken every person to bending?? That sounds much more fair... And fun to me lol
@@Kewlausgirl Bending is not an innate ability that everyone posses, but only some can wield ala the force in Star Wars and force users like the Jedis. Some people are benders, most are not. It's closer to having magic in the Harry Potter universe. There is clearly a genetic component, but that might be the least of it. Those people like Bumi and the other (mostly) kids who turned out to be airbenders probably had distant airbender relatives who went into hiding during the war, but maybe it was just the luck of the draw during the Harmonic Convergence which one's ability was "turned on" so to say.
I love your enthusiasm and genuine interest in everything you do (also your love of cats!). It was watching some of your vids and beginning to understand some of how you construct a story that helped me be brave and try to writ down all the tales in my head. I’ve now participated in two writathon on royal road and continue to write there regularly. I don’t think I would have done that without people like you. Thank you! 😊😊
"In each of these, the socioeconomic tensions are being put aside to fight the bigger enemy. But when that enemy is gone, those tensions come back, and often with a vengeance." Yes! So many stories have unlikely alliances coming together to defeat a common bad guy, and then just end with a happily ever after.
Manly tears of strong emotions. If you can't be emotionally moved by art then you are missing out on a whole another dimension of this whole living experience.
I would just like to say that it is ok to cry it is healthy and stress relieving however you seemed sad so I hope you're feeling happy now. You are amazing and deserve happiness
It is interesting how bending is kinda like the Avatar world's equivalent of race. Bending and race are both things that you don't choose, but have serious life implications
There are lots of things unchosen but that have huge implications that I think fit better. Given the status of benders in society and how it works I'd say it's more akin to disability in our world, right down to the existence of extremist existential threats to their life and wellbeing from anti-technology extremism that sometimes comes in an environmentalist packaging (think terrorists like the unabomber). It's very fascinating for sure though!
Similar but not a perfect 1-to-1. You can't choose if you're a water-bender, nor can you choose if you're born as part of the water tribe, and you'll be recognised as the latter before people can find out if you're the former generally. But it is an interesting addition to the identity of the characters, and I'm glad Korra explored that
@VoldiOldie Artichokie because it's an important subject in our society? If you don't like it the problem is yours, people won't stop talking about it because VoldiOldie think it ruins things
I guess it kinda makes sense, but putting the avatar universe into the industrial revolution destroyed any chance of a possible "good" third series unless it goes back in time
Yeah, that was one of the major issues so had with LoK. They had: airplanes, mech suits, warships with cannons, C-4 with radio detonators, and all these other modern day items but the only non bending range weapons they had were bolas? You telling me no one ever made a gun? Not one person thought of that? Jet in AtlA had a crossbow, there were bow users as well, but no ye olden muskets? Unless non benders are an extreme minority in the Avatar universe, there would be a scientist or four that would have had the concepts for one.
That setting was one of the reasons I couldn't really connect to LoK. It was a good series in itself, but it still felt disappointing to me. Why was a sport that ONLY benders could participate in considered a great uniting factor for benders and non-benders? Why were the issues of Amon's arc not addressed more? I think his was by far the most realistic arc and it was solved so badly. I like the Kyoshi books more, but it's sad that those are only prequels. Idk, I was never a fan of prequels in general. The creators can do what they want, but I don't like the direction in which they're going. Unpopular opinion: I also have issues with the comics, although like LoK, they are not bad. And I'm a bit salty that Avatar content will be limited to Paramount+ in the future which I'm definitely not planning to pay for. Maybe for a month or two to binge something, but it's neat to rewatch AtLA whenever I want. I do that too often :D
A thing to also consider, which i think you *might* have meant to include in the religious umbrella terms, is how industrialization often clash with spirituality. As automated processes overtake and outpace human production, not only do old ideas about certain roles become obsolete, the very notion of worth regarding certain tasks/traditions/roles may become so diluted by the mechanized pace, they're all but worthless. While this may have consequences in terms of physical and mental health in our world, it's worth noting that in Avatars world, no only does spirituality tie directly into some benders capabilities, spirits are real things! And as we could see as early as with the Panda forest spirit, is both affected by and greatly affect peoples lives in many ways. In this light, the cultural clash between the factions probably becomes even greater , as an equalization of roles directly contradicts certain power structures. If machinery can redistribute water with constant effectiveness, why rely on the Moon spirits? If a gas canister & a couple of rocks can create great fire spouts with little effort, why practice the Dragon dance or absorb the philosophies of the Sun worshippers. Why yes, that Korra barely touches on these themes, even in the season all about spirits (especially *that* season) is for my money One of the greatest missed opportunities about that show, why do you ask?
Day of black sun has gotta be my favourite I just loved the twist of azula tricking the gaang. And not to mention the battle itself between the armies man that was cool.
(2:08)Mai and Ty Lee were part of noble families, weren't they? I think the idea is that MOST Nobles there are indeed Benders. Also, Toph's parents weren't Benders either. But yes, Benders do have a natural upper hand, and it (typically) does give them an edge in Society, although many Benders do live modest lives as well.
@@viperford6840 Actually, yeah I was just thinking about it as I typed it. But she went to the same "Royal Academy for Girls" or whatever it was alongside with Mai and Azula. But you may still be right 🤔
Wow. I think that having Sokka as the bridge between nonbenders and the Gaang was very smart, because he knows the Gaang but he also knows the problems of the nonbenders.
0:30 me too, it’s called the Atla soundtrack (and adjacent emotional music) is beautiful and addictive and so emotionally charged and it’s okay to cry bc it means you’re processing those emotions and that you’re human. I’m the same and it’s so cool to see someone openly talking about it bc it’s normal and very therapeutic. Big love Tim!
In your Earth Kingdom worldbuilding video you mentioned that doing a video of Kuvira's Earth Empire would be fascinating. Do you intend on doing such a video in the future?
I'm glad you made this. Besides zuko soka is my favorite character and love his progression and I would say my favorite episode with him is sokkas master because it show how amazing he is and helps him understand his place
This is from a show viewer perspective only as I have not read comics. Around 6:30 when discussing water bending and it’s impact on Sokka and Katara from a cultural perspective, they both grew up without water bending in their cultures. I disagree that Sokka is an outside observer to his own culture. They were fisherman, hunters, gatherers, craftspeople. Katara is the cultural outlier until she meets the benders in the north.
@@blugaledoh2669 since the first scene of the first episode. He dismisses Katara and does not listen to her at all, so much so that he misses her waterbending. Sokka is written as a "typical" young boy- self-centered, overconfident, unconsciously sexist. That's his starting point. Otherwise, the growth wouldn't have been as effective as it ended up being
The being an outsider to one's culture is something I am all too familiar with. As a young boy, I was groomed to eventually be the head and representative of my family to our tribe. But because I did not want to adhere to their rules I was cast aside. The favourite child suddenly shunned by everyone. Even my grandmother who I loved most in the world. As retribution I did all I could to separate myself from being identified with them. Now I'm in my 30s I do regret that last part as I'm now a father and wish I could pass on my knowledge onto my girl.
The show has so much depth and lore it gives me goosebumps. Things you think have no significance actually have socioeconomic or some other kind of importance.
Sometimes, sadly, even if a couple try really hard to conceive they can't have children. The modern invention/development of IVF has helped many people with this but even that can't help some infertility problems. As Avatar is set on the cusp of an Industrial Revolution, I doubt IVF was an available treatment and even top Water Bender Healers had their limits.
Thank you so much for going through this for us. It's one thing I was super disappointed in with Korra. Sokka was a huge reason they won the war, he was a really beloved character. We got to see adult Aang, Katara, Zuko, and Toph. But no Sokka!? I would really like for them to go through his arc and everything he did...I was surprised there was no monument to him built in the city coz Sokka is the main reason technology, inclusion and change even happened!! Why no love for Sokka 😔😭
i dont agree with the outside his own culture part of it- although he didnt have many kids his own age his father and the males had a very traditional way of dressing and fighting which he learns thanks to his father and the other males influence. just cause it doesnt have 1 to 1 links with water bending doesnt mean its not apart of the culture from the southern water tribe.
Concerning the industrial revolution, it was more complex than that. People did not become more equal through the rise of technology, but it made the exploitation of workers worse. And more clear to see. This, combined with Enlightenment ideals such as liberalism and (in particular) socialism, the workers movements rose up and forced social change. Today this is called social democracy.
While progress is, for the most part, a good thing, I was never down with the idea of the Southern Water Tribe being a near clone of The North when it came to architectural design. The South needs to retain some cultural uniqueness to its Northern sisters and not forget what it used to be.
![What happened to Katara after The Last Airbender? [ Avatar Explained ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/JQ_LQ0C4zfY/mqdefault.jpg)
![What happened to Katara after The Last Airbender? [ Avatar Explained ]](/img/tr.png)
![What if the Avatar was evil? [ The Last Airbender l Legend of Korra ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wA4QvJISA54/mqdefault.jpg)
If you listened at the end of the video, you'll know why you should use HFM21 at checkout for 20% off lifetime purchases bit.ly/HFM4-21
Wow
all hail melon lord, fite me
If you listened at the start of the video you'll know he called sokka soccar
Favorite episode The Boiling Rock Pt 1&2.
Yo could you do a video about the dune movie?
I hope he became the greatest swordsman, martial artist, leader, strategist, nonbender. He deserves it. All the Gaang are elites, it's time for Sokka to get his glory.
how about a comic called sokka's teacher or something.....
From glimpses we pick up of Sokka in Legend of Korra, we know that Sokka became a judge and a representative of the Southern Water tribe to Republic City. He eventually died when Korra was a child some time in his 70s.
I'm fairly sure that Sokka spent his life travelling the world as much, if not more, than Aang. After being the Avatar's master scheduler for the last year of the 100-year war, we know he's got the organizational chops to manage a demanding travel schedule.
Also, given that we never see any characters who are explicitly Sokka's descendants in Legend of Korra, I've always imagined that Sokka never had any "legitimate heirs".
That's apparently a common occurrence among men who frequently travel alone between different communities.
I like to imagine that he's secretly the father of one of the Beifong sisters, for example. I can also see Sokka as somehow being responsible for Verrick in the grand scheme of things. Either as a genetic donor or as an early investor in some mad scheme. Perhaps both.
@@Grizabeebles I don't know about genetic donor, but judging by how he took a shine to Bolin (if you don't like 5he comparison don't crucify me, I'm just using the visual shorthand we're given), he definitely helped the budding Avatar universe Tony Stsrk in a mad scheme that paid off for sure.
But yeah, the "who is Su's dad, maybe Sokka" aside (honestly I don't want to think about the comics so I'm going to assume Sokka and Suki got married), he probably does have a few heirs out there, probably old enough to be doing their own thing, or spreading the lessons Sokka learned on his journey with Aang and beyond.
I'm sayin. Sokka helped take down the Red Lotus. We gotta see more of what he could do.
Also a great painter/sketcher
I like to think he became an icon for nonbenders. Admittedly, I would have like to see him in season 1 of Korra. If he was, I’d imagine he’d have a supporting role like old Zuko in season 3. Plus, I’d imagine Christopher Lloyd would be a good vocal fit. Thoughts?
This makes me think, it would have been really interesting to see the Equalists use Sokka as a somewhat legendary icon in their propaganda
Sokka after getting in a fight with Katara: I WAS FROZEN TODAY!!
@@woomy8971 If he was around, seeing Sokka be a pre militarized-Amon lead Equalizer would have been awesome
@@woomy8971 True, if there was a season of Korra to feature a member of the OGs it was season 1, but I still like that she has to figure out her place as an avatar between benders and non-benders since part of her arc in that season was to learn what it means to be an avatar by doing instead of being told like she had been all her life.
It's still a huge missed opportunity though, Sokka's effect on the post-war world ended up shaping most of the equalist conflict + the way Aang and the others structured Republic city's government.
@@woomy8971 the equalists used the kyoshi warriors as their icon. They copied there fighting style and even their advanced techniques (ty lee's chiblocking)
Genuinely, it's worth it for any fan of the show to seek out the comic books. They are incredibly good and surprisingly deep.
What a pleasure to see you here, Flando.
Flando the madman from critical role graces us with his presence
Pleasure to meet you Flando, I’ve seen your work on CR and it’s very impressive.
I’ve only read a couple of the comics. It took me way too long to learn they even existed and I just never got around to reading it again. I’ll have to try seeking them out
FLANDO!
The whole "bender uses magic/non-bender uses technology" thing is the main argument I use when encouraging people to consider advancing technology in fantasy settings. There's this idea that any fantasy setting that has a technology beyond the early medieval is somehow...corrupt. They say "I don't want no guns in my magic world". Except in a world with magic, particularly one where magic is exclusive to a specific class, there's a massive incentive to find ways to do the same things that magic can do but without magic. You think the arms race is frenetic in our mundane world? Try one in which there's a class of human that can make fire shoot from their hands.
Exactly there's more incentive both in regards to combative and non-combative applications for advancing technology in magical worlds not less.
Also adds in cooler builds like magical sharpshooters and scenarios like tanks against mages. Warfare would be absolutely crazy!
If you’re looking for something in that flavor, I think the Powder Mage series is pretty good at that. It is very much a political thriller surrounding the idea of an advancing world trying to dispose a powerful magic class, granted it’s not purely technology, but a emerging form of magic that pairs with technological advancements.
Like in the "mistborn" - series, in which some people can magnetically push on metal objects, and if these are light enough shoot them at high speeds, making them living Guns. However in the second era of these books Guns have been invented, nerfing these "coinshots" a whole lot.
Oh yeah if anything they would have more incentive to innovatate and find ways to bridge the gap. Like medival stasis I thinnk its just a writing crutch people use so they don't have actually think of the implications of magic and science. I think LOK handled it quite well in that technology does advance at believalble pace given its setting alowing non-benders to compete more with benders. But bending also evolves to keep pace with technology (metal bending, wider-use lighting bending, newer bending techniques).
@Martin Toledo Sometimes magic people not using any technology gets explained with magic and technology being intrinsically opposites. Like, using magic makes nearby machines to break down or something.
But yeah, most of the time it is not explained.
The Amon ark of Korra was the most disappointing one to me for exactly the reason of this video. The non-benders rise up because they felt like Benders threw them down and the Benders in charge were only proving them right. But then Korra doesn't fix anything. The government does not fix anything. They just all go back to pretty much the exact same it feels with nothing changed, just no more leader for the non-benders to rally behind.....yet.
Yeah all they did was elect a nonbender president, which was good, but we don’t know if there was any real systemic change for nonbender inequality
The only non-bender leader that they get after that is the new elected president, which is mostly shown as incompetent and egocentric, caring more about image than actually doing something.
Well, one thing changes, which is that the Council of Benders who rule the United Republic disbands and gets replaced by the rule of an elected, non-bender President. So things are more equitable, and non-benders do end up ruling (given that there are more non-benders than benders and everybody's only got one vote).
@@epicurius1 That doesn't equate to equity anymore than electing Obama meant less racism.
Not only that, but I am not convinced that the show did enough to show us this bender/ non bender divide. When you have people like Mako and bolin that despite being benders grew up poor and had to work their whole lives and at the same time some of the richest people in the show are nonbenders, I find it hard to believe that the main conflict to spark would be one of bending, and not class, or even nationalism. Bending is mostly not a genetic characteristic, non benders would still have siblings, parents and children that are benders and vice versa would people discriminate that much against their own family members?
I’ve always loved City of Walls and Secrets. The reveal of Ba Sing Se as a dystopia, the subplot with Jet, the creepy ending with Ju-di, it all just builds and builds as hope that things will go right for anyone dwindles further and further until we realize this bastion of good we’ve been told is the greatest opposition to the fire nation is actually just as, if not more rotten.
God I hate Ba Sing Se just as much as Toph 😂
Ju-Di is spelled Joo Dee
"we tend to mythologize the past, our cultural heritage, our national identity don't we? We tell it as a story to our kids, to others, to ourselves and often it's a little bit too perfect, ignoring the imperfections of history, but that story is especially easy to believe if you fit into it" wow what an amazing quote and mic drop moment
Oh boy, the fact that this is even taking place in Germany shows how many imperfections people are willing to ignore. It seems to increase in older people, in my experience ("everything was better in the past!"). I guess it's only natural when there's a lot of changes and you have the feeling that you can't keep up with it anymore (like today with many old people living kind of like in an analog parallel reality, having never used the internet or not understanding parts of the language younger people use).
"Did Suki and Sokka die?"
"You know, its really unclear..."
well make it clear! XD
Considering we hear nothing of them, maybe they did die. But I wonder if that's also a comment on the fact that Benders live longer because they don't have as much hardships? Lol.
More Sokka in the next avatar series the creators make please
@@Kewlausgirl In LOK didnt katara say she lost her brother and her friends?
@@kingsynix7685 yes. I'm pretty sure Sokka died when the Red Lotuc first tried to capture Korra.
They went to Kyoshi and lived happy ever after. I do not accept any other option.
This is making my mind explode with questions and theories. Was Sokks perhaps assassinated? In an attempt to be on both sides he also may have developed enemies on both sides. What of Suki? Did they have no children? It also makes me incredibly distressed that the two non benders who had such an influence were forgotten. If you count Satoru, then three. This always disturbed me when I watched Korra, which made me desperate to see Sokkas impact on the world. Thats why I've always harbored the theory that Su Yin is Sokkas daughter. The world she created speaks so much of what Sokka tried to create. A city where bending and machines come together to benefit everyone. Toph's metal bending was a perfect expression of what Sokka was fighting for, and they often collaborated together to create, so to me it's beautiful to think they collaborated to make Su Yin.
Ironically the non-bender from ATLA that had more effect in ALOK is cabbage merchant, having become an enormous industry
Consider, sokka was killed in the red lotus attack where they tried to kidnap Korra when she was young. It would certainly further explain why the red lotus is treated like such a big threat by the older people at the beginning of book 3.
I kinda have this story in my head about the White Lotus slowly but surely becoming a dark authoritarian entity, whose trying to manipulate the world political stage from the shadows. This manipulation could involve some discrete assassinations and end with the White Lotus totally controlling Korra when she is revealed as the avatar
@@elsafowl This is remarkably similar to a story my friend and I wrote about a post-Korra Avatar. Love it!
Yeah, especially as Toph never elaborates on who knocked her up for her kids. I always imagined he died, as one fan video posited, fighting the Red Lotus
Personal opinion - Suki absolutely counts. She joins up in the back half of the third book, just like Zuko. Only difference is she was smooching Sokka instead of training Aang, but she was still a big part of the final events that Team Avatar dealt with directly.
Your definitely right. Even though Sokka would’ve gotten her, at least she saved Toph from drowning. She also protected Appa from Azula.
She's also the one who destroyed nearly half the Fire Nation Airfleet and saved Toph and Sokka after Boomerang didn't come back
@@aglazeddoughnut5250 the boomerang never ever resurfaced?
Something to note about the samurai is many of them actually approved of the Meiji restoration. Before the restoration Japan was experiencing a long period of peace not good for a class that made a living by warfare. Even worse was the fact that their honor prevented them from taking other work. The salt on the wound to all of this was that merchants previously a peasant class during the warring states period now out earned the “honorable samurai”
Yeah the wars that followed were really about clashing personalities.
Not to mention that agricultural workers/farmers had previously been looked upon as more honorable and valuable than the merchant class. Merchants were considered to be profiting off the work of others; at least farmers produced something. (Of course, there's some hypocrisy in this line of thought from the samurai class, but that's how it was.)
That's a good point. And weren't some samurai forced to be hired help merchants or farmers with small tasks?
Best way would have been to allow samurai to take on other positions, and be called upon if required.
@@rachelaugsburger1471 that's an almost omnipresent thread in human history. No one likes merchants.
@@DaDunge but without merchants certain resources would be hard to get in certain regions. they're most likely a lot of shitty merchant in the past, but said merchants are necessary in order to preserve the integrity of certain regions. Like you can't expect good reliable clothing to be easily manufactured in ALL places.
Can we also talk about the fact that Sokka has the combat skills to fight and usually win against benders far more powerful then himself? When he was around 73 years old he fought alongside Tarlok, Tenzin and Zuko to beat back the Red Lotus, a group described as so strong they are near unstoppable. That’s an amazing amount of fighting skill.
I'll need to rewatch his stuff, but if this is the case I need to add him to my list of "Zeniths of Humanity".
the puppetmaster is and has been my favorite episode for years. i guess seeing waterbending, a bending style we had only seen in a positive light, become evil some way really stuck with me. it poses the question that avatar asks a lot throughout the show about what is good and what is evil and what blurs the lines. seeing that depth with the fire nation citizens in episodes like jet or the headband was expected, but realizing that the heroes i looked up to at a young age could so easily be twisted really interested me.
also i love water tribe world building of course 😍😍
something ive loved to do for years now is try to take a situation or scenario, and put myself into as many shoes as possible.
how can I be the bad guy to this person, how am I the bad guy?
and for at least a few years I've tried my best to get people to look at things from a blurred morality when I can, to dispose of Black and White sentiments, and how sometimes grey isn't even a stance that should be taken.
I think that’s what they do best. They show that any nation or ideology can have good and bad mixed in. Like, who’d have thought an air bender monk would make such an awesome villain?
One thing neither of the stories touched on but, really should have is that Bending is a tool. It isn't good or evil and it's up to the person wielding it to decide how it's used.
Take Blood bending for instance. It always shown as a pretty evil thing in both TLA and Korra. But, it could have some pretty significant medical uses if anyone cared to look. Things like forcibly keeping someone's heart beating or literally bending spilt blood back into a person's body.
@@devinnall2284 basically, bending is to the avatar universe as guns are to our reality. Guns aren't the problem, they're a tool, but the person behind it can misuse it or be unstable from some life event.
@Momo Fuku Doodoo Windu Yeah but, people aren't born with guns we make them and could easily regulate them and not just that it takes training and skill to use bending guns take neither also I'm pretty sure guns don't have any medical applications
Sokka has one of the BEST character journeys throughout the series and such a fan favorite... as someone who's been left out of a lot of important conversations about inclusivity and leadership, Sokka being a uniting figure gave me such great hope, that even though I am who I am, I still have a place in the table. It's a shame that it didn't last beyond him. (also, Supreme Leader Momo is soooo adorable!)
also also, my favorite episode(s) are the boiling rock eps bc they have all my favorite characters in one situation (suki, zuko and sokka) and they were so good!! the chaos!!!
Am i the only one who feels that a lot of elements from Toph's characterisation in The Legend of Korra should've been given to Sokka? Like, being the chief of police and a parent? It just doesn't make sense to me that Toph, who is very anti-authoritarian, would have a job in law enforcement, not to mention having two daughters while Sokka, a ladies man, died childless. I think he should've been the father of Lin and her sister, whom he had with Suki or another Earth Kingdom woman, and provided the former with the job in police, while Toph taught both how to use metal bending.
YEEEEES. I never understood hoe Toph, who is the most chaffed by authority and rules, would then turn around and be chief of police. It feels like a betrayal of her character. If anything, she would have been a traveller, teaching metal bending where she went.
I don't mind that she had children, more so because she maintains the exact relationship with them that we can assume Toph would.
@@AllTheArtsy Toph started a metal bending academy in the comics. It would make sense for her to provide training for the Republic City police, but Sokka must be the chef, due to his own training and leadership.
Making Toph a cop feels like the most half assed "LoOk hOw mUcH tHeY cHanGed" move I've seen in a sequel series tbh 🤣
I always saw Toph as someone who was anti-authoritarian in the sense of disliking being told what to do, and not the other way around. She seemed to enjoy telling people what to do in some sense. It definitely wasn't the most intuitive path for her, but I honestly think Sokka being chief of police doesn't make much sense either. He seemed more suited to roles that had to do with developing infrastructure, leadership, and interacting with communities in a more developmental way, none of which really tie in in law enforcement directly. I always saw Sokka as someone who was an incredibly skilled swordsman, but who's primary role was doing a lot of the hard, pragmatic, behind the scenes work that is less flashy and has to do with tackling a lot of the underlying issues that would bubble to the surface after the war that the rest of the Gaang might not have the wisdom and pragmatism to really properly address. Chief of police doesn't give me that. I know he seemed interested in military strategy and all, but that always felt circumstantial to me - like oh, its a war, so your skills have to focus in those efforts. Outside of that, inventing, engineering, planning, and representing and mediating between communities seem like his strengths.
Also idk how Sokka is a womaniser in any way lmao, he had two girlfriends and was basically long distance with one for most of the shows run lol.
@@Lisa_Flowers Imho the best choice for chief of police would have been Suki. She already know how to lead a squad, and in the comics she was pretty good in training the non-benders how to chi-block the benders, in one of the citiess that later would have become Republic City.
If this happened, the non-benders status would have definitely been different in the first book of ATLA
I myself was always curious of Sokka's fate and while I have not read many comics, did feel the sting of missing out on a really good story around him, excellent analysis of what we do know about him, it gave him so much life
Did you plan this to come out on international men’s day or is that just a huge coincidence. (I think Sokka is one of the most human characters in the show)
personally i think they are all humans
@@lotuscoma4127 they are, just my opinion though
Wait thats a thing? I didnt see anyone celebrating it like the do for fucking everyone ells
@@tod557
Actually, i just mentioned it on Discord to the homies, and all that. But yes, I don't see many mentioning it 😕
Yep, 100% Sokka's like a great idea of a "coming of age" as a man
i just wish we heard something more about what happened when he grew up. did he and suki stay a thing? did he have any kids/grandkids? Korra's father is the chief of the south pole and sokka was allegedly the chief before he was. So changes are they knew eachother and he was certainly aware of Korra.
I think Senna is Sokka's daughter, and that's how Tonraq became chief of the Southern Water Tribe.
I'm pretty sure Sokka helped rescue Korra when she got kidnapped by the Red Lotus as a child, so you'd be correct.
@@lilianmartinez4079 and most likely died during that
It doesn't work like that
“Sometimes being in the middle is taking the side of the oppressor, tearing them as equal sides.”
Wow you just blew my mind. I had never thought of it like that before.
I really hope the comic arcs get adapted into animated specials or something. They're just too good to be left unnoticed by most people. (Hopefully someday!)
Edit: I agree, Sokka's Master is easily one of my favorite episodes, maybe my favorite. It's where his relatability really shines through for me. (And it's a nice, self-contained story, perfect for rewatches.)
I hope the comics dont get adapted, because I hate what they did to Azula
The Beach episode: am I a joke to you?
@Voldemort
Not to get too spoilery, but she got more nuts and eventually disappeared
Well, the Avatar universe does have it's own studio now.
How does that make the comics bad though?
Sokka was my comfort character as a kid and this show taught me a lot and made me who I am today. This video got me some feels and thoughts, thanks for that ^w^
Sokkas experience would have been very valuable. As a non-bender who traveled the world learning all kinds of cultures regardless of what element they bend.
The headband is my personal favorite episode
It's just a fun episode Aang gets to be a kid for at least for a little while like he always wanted and he excels at it
It isn't my personal favourite, but one of the things I did love about this episode was Sokka, he's hilarious in it imo 😂
This is exactly why I don’t for the most part mind the headband coming right after super dramatic episodes. Aang had been going through a pretty stressful time and kinda needs a little break. A core aspect of his character after all is to hold onto a semblance of his childhood which he feels being the avatar robs him of.
I think the most shocking thing is that no one tried to study bender anatomy...it's almost inevitable that someone should have tried to make artificial benders. Even if it hadn't happened yet, after the air bender revival surge, someone should have thought, "Wait...you don't have to be born a bender, and there's some sort of switch for bending?!"
Social stratification is nearly inevitable and hard to undo when some people have what are essentially, super powers and others don't.
Thnk it's why the story ended up like that, even though it was unintended by the creators at first.
On recognizing privilege - long but worth it.
My favorite story on this topic was when I was working on a weekend in a tech company. We were there doing some overtime and I had gotten there only 5 minutes early but the guy that got there 10 minutes early had walked in and not turned off the alarm. I parked and heard the alarm going off. I talked to them though the glass to make sure they were okay but then they refused to let me in. They wanted me to wait for the cops to respond.
I am a tall black guy in a custom van. This is a southern state in the USA. And I knew what would likely happen. I told them this was a very bad idea but the other guy was in charge. So to protect myself I put my hands on the van and waited.
It was only as they saw me waiting that they realized I was waiting to be at best detained or arrested. They let me in and asked why I did that. I reminded them that the alarm had gone off and all the white guys on the computer filled office were looking at me outside - what would the police think?
They got it. I could see the light appear over there head. They did not want to apologize but they did. They wanted to say I was crazy but in that one moment they had clarity. They did not ever consider how police and myself would see it. To them I was their friend and I would explain to the cops the best of all of us what had happened. They did not see me as a black guy. But they got it. The police were cool in the end. I explained it but from inside the building and offered one some coffee that he really liked. Life moved on.
Nothing changed in my days there. But there was an understanding not to do that any more to anyone. Waiting for the cops by any employee would be done inside. That of course would not change other incidents like that in the greater world but it was what we could do.
It really makes you realise how integral sokka was to the story, how important his role and identity came to be and such. His solutions weren't perfect but he learnt and faced the future without putting down the past or putting it on a pedestal
My headcanon for long-term Sokka is that he goes into the Spirit world at some point to find Yue, meets Koh, and loses his face. I can not be convinced otherwise.
(aang, leaving the mortal plane)
"At long last. Now, i leave the care of this world to the new generation. Protect the world i fought to save.
And now, i return to the void, primal origin of all things, to be born ane-"
(muffled screaming)
"uh-
...who?"
(more screaming)
"wait, who's- YOU???????
...oh, you moron.
You're on your own, there's no way you didn't know about this. I'm busy."
(muffled crying)
(louder)
"ohmmmmmmmmm"
(aang gets hit with a rock)
"OW! YOU-
(inhale)
Okay. Fine. Fine. Fine. I'm going. I'm going."
"I SAID I'M FUCKING GOING DON'T THROW ANOTHER ONE"
@@enricobaschenis4257 bro wtf have you been smoking
@@DARTH-R3VAN it's called "creative expression", you should try it sometime.
@Niphyra
"okay, fine, i got it back. Now shut up."
(muffled gibberish)
"Avatar state."
(grunt of understanding)
"Anyway, here. Now run off home. Shoo."
(Moist slap sfx) "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhyeah okay, thanks man. I'll catch you later."
One of my favorite youtube creators commenting on another one of my favorite youtube creator's videos? Small world. That would be a sad fate for Sokka, but one that seems plausible.
FINALLY been waiting for someone to really talk about this
When I first read his conversation with aang about machines I was SO impressed with his maturity (or the writers great delivery)
Hey Tim, about your comparison of the Meiji restoration and the following period of modernization: That change was instigated and managed regionally and locally by samurai who saw the feudal societal terms that they held as backwards and self-destructive. It wasn’t a cut-and-dry issue that samurai opposed. Many samurai opposed it, but many samurai supported just as intensely. As you say: “History is complicated!”
TL;DR the modernization of Japan and wasn’t just a class war against samurai.
You raised so many interesting and valid points, it's a shame almost none of them were allowed to take place in the actual shows. I strongly believe that the way the AtlA treats Sokka as a character and wastes his storytelling potential is the shows biggest failing and a lasting black mark on the entire franchise, all the way up to LoK and the comics.
I like this idea I would read a sokka comic where he battles his sister's more traditional beliefs and his more progressive beliefs and thus a sotta of two party mind set comes into the southern water tribe
sokka is one of my favourite characters, as being the most disadvantaged out of the gaang and yet still being able to grow and change more than anyone and prove himself to be as of equal if not more importance.
"I just cry way too easily these days, it's just how it works for some reason."
Me too man. Me too.
Well you just made me fall in love with Sokka all over again
We at least know that Sokka outlived Aang up until Korra was at least 4 years old. Sokka is stated to have helped rescue Korra from the Red Lotus.
We get a few mentions of Sokka.
Apparently he helped stop the Red Lotus alongside Zuko and Korra's dad.
And for some reason I picture him charging at Zaheer, boomerang in one hand, sword in the other
I have to admit that I am a neophyte to the Avatar community, having only recently watched it, but this question has been Nagging me ever since I started Korra. Tim is really initiating me
Welp...
Good luck. If you're still in Korra,please know that the salt is enormous on both sides.
Be careful.
@@alyseleem2692 I don't love it tbh, mostly because of the massive change in setting and tone that I don't care for. I don't like the modernity
@@Calebgoblin Yep. I know the feeling. I forgot to mention I am one of those salty viewers,but I've since rewritten it in my head and stopped givin' a ##
How far have you gone into it?
@@alyseleem2692 haha gotcha. I watched like 2 episodes and quit a couple months back
@@Calebgoblin Perfect.
My advice. Keep it that way. There are good things in this show...
They just ain't worth all the rest.
The way you are able to explain, relate, and help us understand concepts that we “know” but don’t really know or understand, is absolutely impressive.
Also: as someone who has been world-building for a story I can’t seem to fit to the built world, your other videos have been helpful (and I plan on looking into your books too).
I really love Sokka. He doesn’t have to be special. I really enjoy his down-to-earth personality, and he makes me laugh.
my favorite episode is probably The Old Masters because all the talking and everything is just great but the title is so cool, it has a triple meaning. The old masters being the avatars, the white lotus and maybe even the lion turtle depending on how you look at it. Amazing episode overall
"I cry so easily recently for some reason"
*also holding the cat to comfort himself 😂
Honestly same. Nothing wrong with it.
I always love your videos on The Last Airbender and The Legend Of Korra; if bring more stuff from the previous Avatars extended canon it would be awesome.
Two uploads in a week? Tim, you're spoiling us.
All hail our Supreme Overlord Momo.
A darn good analysis on an almost forgotten but critical part of Team Avatar. With Toph as the key weapon with her steel bending Sokka teams with Suki taking out most of the Fire Nation Airships helping set up the final Agni Kai between Phoenix King Ozi and Aang The Avatar.
Why there wasn't more interaction with Sokka and if he an Suki had a family is practically non-existent.
Sokka is my favorite Character and the type of person i strive to become, i want to thank you for doing his character justice with this video.
every video you create has me up and screaming in support. your video essays are hands down the Best thing ever
It is impossible for those at the top to relate to those at the bottom . None benders can't adapt to become benders , but benders can fit into a new structure .
Whoa, im out of words ... you are not only a huge fan of avatar full of knolodge about it , but you are also extremely smart and knows so much about socioeconomy, not to mention you have a great didactic and a profound yet easy to understand script, honeslty im very happy i found this Chanel, great video seriosly, also thanks for making this for sokka He is one of my favs
Love this video! Thank you for the discourse on progress vs tradition and identity in culture. As a child of migrant parents grown up in the West, I wasn’t expecting this video to speak to me like this
Also someone with an immigrant parent, I really related to those aspects of the video as well :)
Still really sad that Sokka was just... dead in LoK. I know he's Katara's older brother, so he'd be *very* old by that point, but Zuko is around and the two of them are close in age! At the very least, if he had died protecting Korra from Zaheer or in some other way that would have been nice. Or hell, show him passing peacefully in his sleep from the perspective of Katara, maybe when she's helping Korra process grief Katara could talk about losing her brother. The fact that we don't have a death date for the one confirmed dead member of the gaang is insane to me and more than a little unsatisfying.
I don't know if you'll see this but I'd just like to say that I appreciate how rewatchable Hello Future Me videos are.
In a possible continuation of Aang's story through avatar studios, i'd love for it to be conflict within team avatar itself, one that breaks the gaang. And not just an argument, a legit clash of ideals between the members that would then be told as a story and take some considerable time to be resolved. Of course we know that by Korra's time we see no mention of that happening so the issue needs to be resolved, but it could involve those tensions you mention, between benders and nonbenders and technology. Katara is a traditional person, Aang is what we would call today an environmentalist and spiritual person. Toph clearly values her bending power to a degree of pride and praise... Sokka's ideals could clash with those of the rest of the gaang, and he would have Suki to back him up, maybe. The details are not mine to sort out, just an idea that would be cool to see imo
This is SUCH good social commentary! Compassionate and wise looking at fictional worlds really is a great way to assess our own.
My theory is that Sokka is having a cactus juice drinking contest with Momo for the entirety of Korra.
I hope sooo
There's a comic on webtoon called "unordinary". It's about a boy with no powers living in a world where everyone has powers of differing levels. He's considered 'handicapped' and is looked down upon by everyone else. It kond of fits the ideas behind what non-benders would go through. Mind, I stopped reading it a while back, so I don't know what became of it, but it was interesting to me in the beginning and a good parallel for this conversation.
Okay, so I've watched most of these videos on Nebula. I've enjoyed it immensely and gotten a lot of writerly things to think about, but I saved this video for last because I was SO NERVOUS about what your takes would be. Sokka is my favorite character in ATLA and I really didn't want to see him be dismissed or sidelined more than he already has been.
ANYWAY, turns out I loved this video so much I found it on youtube just to comment. Sorry for this rambling result of my passion, and let it be noted that I've not yet been able to read the comics. Also English is not my first language. Be warned.
First: In my opinion, whether or not Suki counts as the second non-bender in the Gaang feels kind of irrelevant, because from the very first moment, she is presented as someone who is on entirely equal ground with benders in a way Sokka never is.
Her competency and usefulness is never, questioned, which I feel puts her on level with Asami; yes, they are both non-benders, but they are so powerful in their own ways that most people seem to forget they can't actually bend - especially benders. They're put on this superior, Might-As-Well-Be-Benders level of appreciation, whereas the show never for a second allows Sokka to forget that he's a non-bender, or that his particular strengths aren't as valuable as others.
Second: The way Sokka's brains, ingenuity and creativity is constantly just dismissed by the Gaang will forever have me bitter, but I will be eternally Furious about how it just...kept happening in Legend of Korra???!!! He is STILL swept under the rug.
Every other member of the original Gaang play some part in Korra. Three make personal appearances and even Aang is still a a huge part of the story even though he's passed away. I love everything this video highlighted about Sokka, because it's a lot of the respect I wish he would have been granted in Legend of Korra - something all the other main characters of the original series got, except for him. Hmmm. Imagine that. (for the purposes of this rant I am ignoring how LOK basically re-set and erased all of Toph's character growth from ATLA)
The only thing Legend of Korra tells us about Sokka is that he "helped found the council", when there are so so so many other places where he could have naturally been mentioned in even just throwaway lines, which would have been enough to prove the world didn't just forget about him while still hailing all his best friends as heroes and visionaries.
For example, Aang and Katara's kids often talk about their parents, and when they fight about how differently they were treated, wouldn't it have been so validating and lovely for Bumi to mention that as the only other non-bender in the family, Uncle Sokka was the only one who really made him feel like he had just as much worth as his siblings, that he could still achieve anything he wanted in life? Tell me that wouldn't have made you tear up. It made me tear up when I yelled at my flatmate about that wasted opportunity. I could list more spots he could have naturally come up, but I'm trying to show restraint.
Third: During the whole Amon story line, Sokka easily could have been held up by a lot of the adult characters as an example of a non-bender who worked hard for the rights and voices of non-benders, using his mind and heart instead of violence.
I have no doubt that Sokka would have been concerned about the practicalities of the society that was shaping up around him. He's too much of a realist to minimize the problems he sees because of some vague hope for justice and equality for all if we just clap our hands and believe.
Fourth: Would it have been too much to ask for Asami or her father or even Varrick to mention just ONCE how Sokka and his inventions (you cannot tell me the guy who invented submarines didn't keep inventing stuff in his adult life) inspired them to start inventing things in the first place?? IS THIS DREAM TOO BIG FOR THIS WORLD????
.... I'm calm.
To sum up, I just want everyone to give Sokka the respect and love he deserves. Which is a very long way of saying this video was great, now excuse me while I go re-watch Avatar again.
My favorite 2-3 episodes are Sokka's Master and Boiling rock pt 1 & 2. Which is funny, because these episodes exclusively focus on Sokka and his arch
It'd be cool if this led to him having a huge schism between him and team Avatar and for him to become maybe not the "bad guy" but for him to be the Uncle you don't talk politics with. So like, him being at the trial was him being cordial but realistically there was a huge gap formed between him and Suki and benders on the team.
this is an amazing video and so well done. bravo. i absolutely agree, the episode where sokka meets his master is one of THE best episodes in the entire series. seeing him fight his master and being told that knowledge of the arts belongs to all of us changed sokka in the best way, he finally felt confident in himself to be the warrior and man he wanted to be.
I feel like the conflict with Amon should have really touched on a lot of these points, it ended up being severely undermined by how extremist the Equalists were from the start. It could have been worth spending maybe an episode or two to focus more on the struggles that drove people to join them, and even perhaps flash back to comparisons with Sokka.
I'm not gonna lie. Your sponsor might be the first UA-cam sponsor I've ever even considered trying. Sounds like a really good deal.
As for the point of the video - I brought up how disappointed I was that we know basically nothing about what happened with Sokka by the time of Korra on another video and someone mentioned, "Well, the fortune teller said he'd die old and alone," but that just.... that feels so wrong.
You should get into the Trails series. Starting with Trails in the Sky. Id love to see yoy do videos on that saga. Especially since seem to be into supplemental material.
The powerful are always, always the ones with enough leisure, wealth and influence to advocate for "traditions," no matter how exclusionary those traditions are.
It's why I was always let down by the discussion of Aman in TLOK. Because the villain is right- benders control and dominate society. There is no question about it. The very idea of the Avatar is that they are the bendiest of the benders, I mean.
The very institution of the Avatar and bending as a whole is exclusionary. It would have been interesting for the world of the story to actually grapple with what it would take to close the gap through modernity and progress.
Instead, every industrialist is seen as a villain or an accomplice to destruction. It doesn't have to be like that. Worryingly, our main characters are the ones who are held up, comforted by, most benefit from, and work to maintain an unequal status quo.
Asami is, contrastingly, also an industrialist who is generally portrayed in a positive light and very close to the Avatar. Of course she's incredibly wealthy and powerful but so were most of the other industrialists who challenged the status quo (her dad, Amon being from a very powerful bending family and a bender himself). It's not canonical to my knowledge, but I'd like to think that she would challenge Korra to change her views on a lot of these matters. Their relationship kind of represents the bridging of two very different viewpoints (nonbender industrialist whose mother was murdered by a bender and was trained from a young age in self defense to equalise that gap at least in regards to safety and self defense, and the literal embodiment of bending tradition, the Avatar). It would be neat if that was actually explored, but I'd hope that Asami, as the head of a leading tech company and girlfriend of the Avatar, would address a lot of these concerns in a way that outlasted Sokka's attempts and hopefully outlast her and Korra. She's a nonbender, an industrialist, and closer to the Avatar than even Sokka was, she's certainly in a position position do so.
The real story of Korra should have been people bending less and her dealing with the world not needing bending and eventually either spreading the message of the necessary nature of bending because of machine malfunction/overreliance or making bending achievable by anyone or something lol
See that's one thing I found interesting.
So Aang found a way to close off the powers. And so did the non Benders.
But ... No one thought the other way around that... The possibility to awaken every person to bending?? That sounds much more fair... And fun to me lol
@@Kewlausgirl Bending is not an innate ability that everyone posses, but only some can wield ala the force in Star Wars and force users like the Jedis. Some people are benders, most are not. It's closer to having magic in the Harry Potter universe.
There is clearly a genetic component, but that might be the least of it. Those people like Bumi and the other (mostly) kids who turned out to be airbenders probably had distant airbender relatives who went into hiding during the war, but maybe it was just the luck of the draw during the Harmonic Convergence which one's ability was "turned on" so to say.
I love your enthusiasm and genuine interest in everything you do (also your love of cats!). It was watching some of your vids and beginning to understand some of how you construct a story that helped me be brave and try to writ down all the tales in my head. I’ve now participated in two writathon on royal road and continue to write there regularly. I don’t think I would have done that without people like you. Thank you! 😊😊
"In each of these, the socioeconomic tensions are being put aside to fight the bigger enemy. But when that enemy is gone, those tensions come back, and often with a vengeance."
Yes! So many stories have unlikely alliances coming together to defeat a common bad guy, and then just end with a happily ever after.
Manly tears of strong emotions. If you can't be emotionally moved by art then you are missing out on a whole another dimension of this whole living experience.
Always thought Amon was gonna be revealed to be Sokka's son. Taking away bending with Tai Lee's (later kyoshi warriors') chi blocking techniques.
I would just like to say that it is ok to cry it is healthy and stress relieving however you seemed sad so I hope you're feeling happy now. You are amazing and deserve happiness
It is interesting how bending is kinda like the Avatar world's equivalent of race. Bending and race are both things that you don't choose, but have serious life implications
Definitely, there are a lot of race, class, and gender parallels with how the industrial revolution changed the world IRL
There are lots of things unchosen but that have huge implications that I think fit better. Given the status of benders in society and how it works I'd say it's more akin to disability in our world, right down to the existence of extremist existential threats to their life and wellbeing from anti-technology extremism that sometimes comes in an environmentalist packaging (think terrorists like the unabomber). It's very fascinating for sure though!
Similar but not a perfect 1-to-1. You can't choose if you're a water-bender, nor can you choose if you're born as part of the water tribe, and you'll be recognised as the latter before people can find out if you're the former generally.
But it is an interesting addition to the identity of the characters, and I'm glad Korra explored that
@VoldiOldie Artichokie because it's an important subject in our society? If you don't like it the problem is yours, people won't stop talking about it because VoldiOldie think it ruins things
I always thought it was more the gifted and the not gifted.
It all boils down to.. "Be the change you want to see in the world" starting with self.
I guess it kinda makes sense, but putting the avatar universe into the industrial revolution destroyed any chance of a possible "good" third series unless it goes back in time
Yeah, that was one of the major issues so had with LoK. They had: airplanes, mech suits, warships with cannons, C-4 with radio detonators, and all these other modern day items but the only non bending range weapons they had were bolas?
You telling me no one ever made a gun? Not one person thought of that? Jet in AtlA had a crossbow, there were bow users as well, but no ye olden muskets? Unless non benders are an extreme minority in the Avatar universe, there would be a scientist or four that would have had the concepts for one.
That setting was one of the reasons I couldn't really connect to LoK. It was a good series in itself, but it still felt disappointing to me. Why was a sport that ONLY benders could participate in considered a great uniting factor for benders and non-benders? Why were the issues of Amon's arc not addressed more? I think his was by far the most realistic arc and it was solved so badly. I like the Kyoshi books more, but it's sad that those are only prequels. Idk, I was never a fan of prequels in general. The creators can do what they want, but I don't like the direction in which they're going. Unpopular opinion: I also have issues with the comics, although like LoK, they are not bad. And I'm a bit salty that Avatar content will be limited to Paramount+ in the future which I'm definitely not planning to pay for. Maybe for a month or two to binge something, but it's neat to rewatch AtLA whenever I want. I do that too often :D
Love the recent new Avatar videos, you are the GOAT of Avatar content creators and always will be.
A thing to also consider, which i think you *might* have meant to include in the religious umbrella terms, is how industrialization often clash with spirituality. As automated processes overtake and outpace human production, not only do old ideas about certain roles become obsolete, the very notion of worth regarding certain tasks/traditions/roles may become so diluted by the mechanized pace, they're all but worthless.
While this may have consequences in terms of physical and mental health in our world, it's worth noting that in Avatars world, no only does spirituality tie directly into some benders capabilities, spirits are real things! And as we could see as early as with the Panda forest spirit, is both affected by and greatly affect peoples lives in many ways.
In this light, the cultural clash between the factions probably becomes even greater , as an equalization of roles directly contradicts certain power structures. If machinery can redistribute water with constant effectiveness, why rely on the Moon spirits? If a gas canister & a couple of rocks can create great fire spouts with little effort, why practice the Dragon dance or absorb the philosophies of the Sun worshippers.
Why yes, that Korra barely touches on these themes, even in the season all about spirits (especially *that* season) is for my money One of the greatest missed opportunities about that show, why do you ask?
Day of black sun has gotta be my favourite I just loved the twist of azula tricking the gaang. And not to mention the battle itself between the armies man that was cool.
(2:08)Mai and Ty Lee were part of noble families, weren't they? I think the idea is that MOST Nobles there are indeed Benders. Also, Toph's parents weren't Benders either.
But yes, Benders do have a natural upper hand, and it (typically) does give them an edge in Society, although many Benders do live modest lives as well.
Mai was, not ty lee
@@viperford6840
Actually, yeah I was just thinking about it as I typed it. But she went to the same "Royal Academy for Girls" or whatever it was alongside with Mai and Azula.
But you may still be right 🤔
@@thalmoragent9344 her father was a criminal that could afford to send here there
Wow. I think that having Sokka as the bridge between nonbenders and the Gaang was very smart, because he knows the Gaang but he also knows the problems of the nonbenders.
0:30 me too, it’s called the Atla soundtrack (and adjacent emotional music) is beautiful and addictive and so emotionally charged and it’s okay to cry bc it means you’re processing those emotions and that you’re human.
I’m the same and it’s so cool to see someone openly talking about it bc it’s normal and very therapeutic.
Big love Tim!
My favorite episode is "Lake Lougai." I still get chills from that lecture Uncle Iroh gave Zuko.
In your Earth Kingdom worldbuilding video you mentioned that doing a video of Kuvira's Earth Empire would be fascinating. Do you intend on doing such a video in the future?
I'm glad you made this. Besides zuko soka is my favorite character and love his progression and I would say my favorite episode with him is sokkas master because it show how amazing he is and helps him understand his place
This is from a show viewer perspective only as I have not read comics. Around 6:30 when discussing water bending and it’s impact on Sokka and Katara from a cultural perspective, they both grew up without water bending in their cultures. I disagree that Sokka is an outside observer to his own culture. They were fisherman, hunters, gatherers, craftspeople. Katara is the cultural outlier until she meets the benders in the north.
Very Good Video, very intreging topics, especially the culture vs future aspect, thanks for the content
I like how he became less subconsciously misogynistic to more empathetic and emotional.
When was he ever?
@@blugaledoh2669 since the first scene of the first episode. He dismisses Katara and does not listen to her at all, so much so that he misses her waterbending. Sokka is written as a "typical" young boy- self-centered, overconfident, unconsciously sexist. That's his starting point. Otherwise, the growth wouldn't have been as effective as it ended up being
Ironically it was Suki that humbled him.
@@IlIIlIIIIIlBrianSt0rm remember when he first met Suki on Kyoshi Island and he wouldn’t allow her to train him because she was a girl.
Glad to see you back on my feed again
Sokka's Master, Bitter Work, the 'confusing' Lion Turtle segment of Sozin's Comet; all my favorite episodes/moments in the show.
13:31 this reminds me of tito and how yugoslavia basically started cracking the moment he died.
The being an outsider to one's culture is something I am all too familiar with. As a young boy, I was groomed to eventually be the head and representative of my family to our tribe. But because I did not want to adhere to their rules I was cast aside. The favourite child suddenly shunned by everyone. Even my grandmother who I loved most in the world. As retribution I did all I could to separate myself from being identified with them. Now I'm in my 30s I do regret that last part as I'm now a father and wish I could pass on my knowledge onto my girl.
The show has so much depth and lore it gives me goosebumps. Things you think have no significance actually have socioeconomic or some other kind of importance.
I’m curious if he broke up with Suki some time after the war seeing how I assume he didn’t have children otherwise they would have been referenced
Or maybe he and Suki didn't have any children? (I cannot accept a world where they don't end up together)
I don't think of Suki as the motherly type.
@@maja2851 maybe they felt their responsibilities to the world was more important and would distract from having children
Sometimes, sadly, even if a couple try really hard to conceive they can't have children. The modern invention/development of IVF has helped many people with this but even that can't help some infertility problems. As Avatar is set on the cusp of an Industrial Revolution, I doubt IVF was an available treatment and even top Water Bender Healers had their limits.
They might not have been able to have kids.
Thank you so much for going through this for us. It's one thing I was super disappointed in with Korra. Sokka was a huge reason they won the war, he was a really beloved character.
We got to see adult Aang, Katara, Zuko, and Toph. But no Sokka!?
I would really like for them to go through his arc and everything he did...I was surprised there was no monument to him built in the city coz Sokka is the main reason technology, inclusion and change even happened!! Why no love for Sokka 😔😭
i dont agree with the outside his own culture part of it- although he didnt have many kids his own age his father and the males had a very traditional way of dressing and fighting which he learns thanks to his father and the other males influence. just cause it doesnt have 1 to 1 links with water bending doesnt mean its not apart of the culture from the southern water tribe.
Its just that sokka is such a good character and it feels like they just completely forgot about him
Concerning the industrial revolution, it was more complex than that. People did not become more equal through the rise of technology, but it made the exploitation of workers worse. And more clear to see. This, combined with Enlightenment ideals such as liberalism and (in particular) socialism, the workers movements rose up and forced social change. Today this is called social democracy.
I loved the graph az the beginning, it was totally aplicable to my life
While progress is, for the most part, a good thing, I was never down with the idea of the Southern Water Tribe being a near clone of The North when it came to architectural design. The South needs to retain some cultural uniqueness to its Northern sisters and not forget what it used to be.
No one can blame you for listening to "leaves on the vine" on repeat. It's a bop ... sad, but a bop none the less.