A friend of mine didnât watch ATLA until he was an adult. I usually respect his opinions on media, but he said he didnât like the Azula/Zuko/Katara subplot of the finale because âZuko should have won the duel on his ownâ and âKatara didnât need to be thereâ which surprised me as a very chauvinist and unrefined take.
Zukoâs entire arc is about reclaiming his honor, and he succeeds. The Agni Kai demonstrates Azulaâs fall and Zukoâs resurrection. He fought fairly, and itâs heavily implied he would have won if Azula had done the same, but she didnât. Azula is a conniving, dishonorable person, knew she was on the ropes, and decided to fight dirty by attacking Katara in the middle of what was supposed to be a one-on-one fight. Zuko throwing himself at the lightning bolt to save the life of some Water Tribe peasant is a final act of selflessness and courage that demonstrates his characterâs salvation.
And then, when Katara has to get through Azula before she can heal Zuko, that battle is the realization of her arc. From a poor young woman confined by her cultureâs misogyny to a war hero; from a girl who was embarrassed by her lack of waterbending skills to a master capable of holding her own against a comet-enhanced firebender; from a person plagued by loss and desires for revenge to a person who was just trying to keep her friend alive.
Idk I feel like that subplot in particular was my favorite part of the finale. I thought it was very well done and was a poignant and well-crafted end to the arcs of all three of those characters.
izzy806
discoholicmusic
turnnoffyourmind
pixelskylines
romaincrisis
gamechangershow
