1/3 Unpopular opinion: from a purely thematic perspective, the Lion Turtle in the atla finale made perfect sense. Having Aang defeat the Fire Lord with a power given to him by an ancient creature who, just like Aang, is the last one of his species and who, also just like Aang, comes from a past that has been forgotten, is incredibly clever. After coming to terms with the fact that the Air Nomads are gone, after seeing the history of his culture either erased or altered to fit with
2/3 The Fire Nation's war propaganda, and after explicitly being told by the Fire Lord himself that his people and everything they stood for did not deserve to exist... Aang defeating Ozai without killing him and taking his powers away with a technique from days long forgotten is the biggest "fuck you" imaginable. It is, unto itself, an statement that needed to be made in a world that was already so scarred and hopeless due to the war. I'll always agree that the Lion Turtle
3/3 could've had a better build-up (things like the Lion Turtle statue in Piandao's manor were not foreshadowing, but mere easter eggs) but the parallels between it and Aang made everything tie in together perfectly, at least for me. Also, Lion Turtles are just pretty fucking cool in general and I want one as a pet. Thoughts?
You’re going to have to try harder to be unpopular with me, because I agree completely.
You’re on point with the part about it being thematically appropriate. I’m on record (via the Avatar Spirit forums) from before the airing of the finale as hoping that Aang’s defeat of Ozai comes about with some special Air Nomad move that embodies their philosophy. So I was already looking for something like we got, but as you say, bringing the Lionturtle with all its parallels is really clever.
I can understand if people would have liked Ozai to die as retribution for his crimes, as that’s a very human feeling and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t crave some cosmic retribution every so often, but the message of the way Aang actually defeats Ozai is so much better. I have more of a problem with people who try to nitpick the story. Like those who claim that no one will respect the Avatar if he doesn’t establish the possibility of a death penalty, to which I always ask which is scarier: dying, or having your soul ripped out and then being left to struggle through life without even the strength to sit up properly? And those who say that Aang selfishly placed his own spirituality above the safety of the world are completely missing what Aang’s ideals actually mean to him. He acted according to what he really saw as the best solution for everyone, not what would get him to a ‘heaven’ that doesn’t even exist in the setting.
Aang’s solution works both in-universe, and as part of the story.
What I do disagree with is that the Lionturtle needed better build-up or foreshadowing. I admit that the quick references to Lionturtles in The Desert and Sokka’s Master are functionally worthless, but I don’t think that Lionturtles need dedicated foreshadowing. Hei Bai, Koh, the Moon/Ocean Spirits, Wan Shi Tong, the weirdness in the Swamp, and Comet and Eclipse do all the foreshadowing we need, establishing that this world is full of weird, powerful, supernatural stuff that’s constantly surprising our main cast. The Lionturtle isn’t out of place amidst all of that, and it’s not like we’re given reason to wonder why the Lionturtle isn’t running around giving his power away to everyone. It’s established as a power that requires an ‘unbendable spirit,’ and that’s what Aang demonstrates when he meditates for an answer and the Lionturtle comes calling.
I’ve also never understood the criticism of the use of Deus Ex Machina, when ‘deus’ - literally ‘gods’ - are an established part of the setting who have reacted to story events before. So many people in our world pray, and they don’t even expect a response! But we get outraged when a god messes with stuff in a setting where gods get upset with mortals and sometimes rampage like Godzilla? XD
The only problem I have with Aang’s battle with Ozai is the rock that just so happens to hit Aang at the precise spot and Aangle (:P) to unlock the Avatar State. I’ll never be able to get over that one. Deux Ex Machina is great storytelling when done properly; Convenient Stuff is where my suspension of disbelief takes a hit.
Getting back to the Lionturtle itself, I too love the design, and also how little is really explained about it. The Mike and the Bryan have said that the reason Aang couldn’t be sniffed out is because the Lionturtle’s ancient scent covered up Aang’s, but that’s not said anywhere in any cartoon, so I’m sticking with my headcanon that the Lionturtle exists half in the Spirit World. I love how the Lionturtles are used in the tale of Avatar Wan, granting elemental powers and acting as shelters for humanity, still big and god-like and completely unexplained. They’re best left as a remnant of an age that has no surviving history, and showing their origins would risk destroying the impact for fan-service.
The only Lionturtle-specific criticism I have is that I could recognize Kevin Michael Richardson’s voice instantly. Something I couldn’t place so easily would have been better. And with the processing, he was a little hard to understand the first time I watched the finale.
