After finding out about Avatar: The Last Airbender animated movie timeline, I decided to go back and watch some of the iconic fights. Yes, I have the entire series on DVD and Blu-ray. Plus, it’s available on Netflix. Still, I wasn’t in the mood to relieve the story. So, I went straight to YouTube to find Sozin’s Commit Final Fights and the series self titled YouTube account did not disappoint.

Zuko Vs Azula

Analysis

The fight music and animation is stunning. There’s something beautiful and dangerous about Zuko and Azula’s flames. Paired with Sozen’s comment, a battle with this much fire power can only happen once a century. We all know Aang was destined to defeat Fire Lord Ozai. It’s one of the only reasons Zuko didn’t end him by redirecting Ozai’s lightning. Azula was a different case.

Azula made many attempts to end Zuko. It’s likely Ozai told her that Zuko could redirect lightning. Sensing the fight would end with her loss, she aimed for Katara knowing that Zuko would shield her from the strike. As long as she could stop Katara from healing Zuko, she’d come out on top. That just shows how little honor Azula had at this point. The Agnikai is a one on one fight, attacking Katara violated the traditions of this battle. Thankfully, Katara is a battle tested Water Bender. She was able to use her wits to restrain Azula and save Zuko.

White Lotus Siege of Ba Sing Se

Analysis

Although Team Avatar was focused on taking control of the Fire Nation and defeating Fire Lord Ozai, a neutral party needed to save Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation. This is where the White Lotus came in. Like Uncle Iroh explained to Zuko, he was more than capable of taking the Fire Nation from his brother Ozai. However, the world needed this war ended by the Avatar and the rebirth of the Fire Nation. He and fellow White Lotus members put their faith in youth and used their skills to free the Earth Kingdom. Their siege was unique because it was a collection of masters working together to include a Swordmaster. It was like a preview of what Team Avatar could be. Considering a majority of the team were trained by or interacted with each White Lotus member, that’s not a far off assessment. Overall, I felt like the siege diserved a little more screen time. Ba Sing Se is a massive capital. Yes, Lord Ozai was the big bad of this series. Ending one threat doesn’t stop the emergence of another.

Sokka, Toph, and Suki vs. Fire Nation Air Fleet

Analysis

The trio deserves MVP status for taking out these airships. Yes, Toph medal bending was key for giving them the upper hand, but we can’t overlook Sokka and Suki’s contribution. Sokka’s inginuity brought about the airship slice. Initially, they were going to take out the Fire Lord’s airship, but he was leading the fleet from a considerable distance. Trusting that Aang would come at the eleventh hour, the shift their attention to the other airships. After all, the Fire Nation planned to destroy the Earth Kingdom from a safe distance with their heightened fire bending. Sokka used science along side Toph’s medal bending to change the course of an airship. They successfully begin taking out the fleet, but are heavily outnumbered. Sensing the end is near, both don’t expect to make it out of this fight. Although Suki got separated from Toph and Sokka. She managed to get a hold of another airships and save her team.

Fire Lord Ozai vs. Avatar Aang

Analysis

Before the fight begins, Aang has come to terms with what he needs to do to stop Ozai. Unfortunately he went into this fight with a handicap. Although, he decided to give up earthly love to unlock all of his Chakras, Azula dealt Aang a deadly blow while he was in the Avatar state. This near death experience cost him access to the Avatar state. Through meditation, he could speak to his former lives. He was still able to weild all four elements, but he couldn’t use them simultaneously.  Being able to use all four elements is not the same as mastering them. Facing off with an Experienced Fire Bender during Sozen’s commit was a tall order.

Aang puts up a good fight but gradually gets cornered. He defends himself with earth bending but Ozai’s fire bending is too strong. The sheer force of Ozai taking Aangs defense down triggers a similar pain Aang felt in his fight against Azula. Aang regains access to the Avatar state and swiftly turns the tables. If you didn’t watch the full battle, Ozai assumes that Aang can’t take his life abd tries to take advantage of the situation. Aang’s last minute quest to find a different way to stop Ozai bore fruit. He was able to take Ozai’s bending away. A skill that he’d use sparingly in the future.

Final Thoughts

These fight scenes live rent free in my mind, because of Avatar: The Last Airbender’s storyline. Each member of Team Avatar contributed to the end of the hundred year war in different significant ways. I was happy that Aang was able to stop Ozai on his terms. His friends and previous Avatar’s disregarded Aang’s pacifist nature. It was thrilling to watch Zuko regain his honor and rightful position as the next Fire Lord. A role that Ozai and Azula tried to take from him. Thanks to Toph, Soka, and Suki, Aang did not have to worry about taking out the fleet of airships that Fire Lord Ozai brought with him. The White Lotus ensured the Fire Nation lost it’s stronghold in the Earth Kingdom. I appreciated that the creators didn’t make their success easy. There were close calls, which made the battles well rounded. I look forward to seeing how these animated films turn out. I wonder how long their runtime will be?