Hello Avatar fans, Once again it is Airspeed Prime here with yet another Community Opinion. This time it is Community Opinion 6, this one is coming pretty late mainly because I had exams going on during when I would usually get these posts out, that and it seemed like pretty much every one was very busy around that time. But it is back now with probably the most interesting topic yet.
[caption id="attachment_3803" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="5 moments from one (if not The best) show ever, quite the task. But with so many types of moments to choose, from Funny all the way up to extremely emotional, this should make for a super interesting"][/caption]
I asked people for Their Top 5 Best Avatar Moments plus one honourable mention " , I made one thing clear that these moments could be anything: Funny, Random, Epic, Emotional, an awesome fight, whatever. This way we would capture what Avatar is about all of these things together as one, BALANCE.
An in honour of the recent Moderator upgrade this Community Opinion will be an all Moderator/Administrator special
With this incredibly difficult task in mind lets get started
Airspeed Prime (Super-Moderator/ Facebook Administrator/ Popular Post Writer)
The factors that I took into account when choosing my top 5 moments were just any moment that just held my attention fully, this could have been an hilarious line, very emotional moment or a great fight scene. Another huge factor to me is the music and sound of a scene, if the music got me then that is a great moment. With this in mind let me start my list, I found it very difficult to pick just 5 great moments given the over all amazing quality of the show. So in reverse order
Number 5
The scene in 305 The Beach around the Campfire on the beach, we see Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee and even Azula (a bit) completely open up about each others emotional problems. It is very honest and brutal in a way how they all just dissect each others character flaws, it is a really interesting way to do it gather 4 people who are all childhood friends together on a beach that can help smooth out their rough edges and have their friends point out their flaws to them. We see each character in a completely new way a complete juxtaposition from the first half of the episode where we see them with their flaws and how they affect their behaviour. Ty Lee to is the first to open up and it is very emotional, she just wants to be seen and treated as an individual and she joined the circus so she would no longer be part of a matched set with her identical sisters. Then Ty Lee having opened up demands to know why Mai is so Blah, she reveals that she was always told how to behave and could never express herself. Then they all turn on Zuko to ask why he is so angry and they eventually pressure him into revealing he is angry at himself, very deep for his character given his ancestry. With 3/4 done and Azula sarcastically applauding the emotional scenes they all turn on Azula, who lets out that it hurt that Ursa thought she was a monster and that she favoured Zuko.
I love how the other 3 gang up on the person to get them to open up.
Number 4
This one has to be Zuko finally confronting Ozai with the truth in 311 The Day Of Black Sun Part 2 The Eclipse. After his 3 years of banishment intent on capturing Aang to get his honour back from his father and all teh back and fourths he has made between good and bad, he finally makes up his mind and sides with good against Ozai, finally realising that what Iroh always told him was true, he had to find his own destiny not fulfil the one Ozai wanted of him. He strides in confidently and pulls his swords out on Ozai to keep him there, then opens up about the truth and everything that has happened since he was banished, questioning Ozai's challenge of an Agni Kai as punishment. He is about to leave and join Aang when Ozai who knows pretty much only one thing for sure about Zuko- Zuko and Ursa were close and gets him to stay with a mention of her. Zuko gets very emotional with the hint that she may be alive, then comes the main reason I choose this scene, " the eclipse ends and immediately Ozai moves to Kill Zuko with vicious lightning, Zuko using the technique though to him by his true father figure Iroh redirects it at Ozai, but doesn't actually hit him knowing that it is Aang's job to finish him.
Just a huge moment for his character, after what he did in the Book 2 Finale he got back into a lot of peoples good books here.
Number 3
The complete Aang and The Guru section of 219 The Guru, Never before in a show have I seen such an honest and deep look into every aspect of a character, and our main hero at that. Through the Chakras we see all of Aang's thoughts good and bad. The Guru warns Aang and the audience that it will be an intense experience how correct was he. As he opens each Chakra we see a different aspect of Aang and a problem he has in that aspect, The Guru asks him to let all his feeling out about these and gives him great advice on how to solve these problems. With Each Chakra we see Aang get more emotional, he has had to deal with his guilt, his tremendous loss, his role as the Avatar, his survival, his shame, his lies and illusions. Then he comes to the final Chakra Blocked by Earthly attachments, The Guru tells him to "Be able to let go" but Aang takes this as Let go right now and freaks out, his character flaw shown completely to us. He leaves to save Katara with a huge part of mastering being the Avatar unmastered.
Number 2
Would be in 211 The Desert, at the end when Aang goes into the Avatar state when he finds out what has happened with Appa. It is such a powerfully emotional scene we see his character flaw in full glory, he is completely attached to the things he loves, he is so mad and angry he goes into the Avatar State. The Avatar State voice serves to really make it clear how angry he is the booming ancient voice commanding "TELL ME WHERE APPA IS" .
Then he begins to start smashing things in his rage and begins to rise into the air, all the time watched by his three best friends whose faces tell you exactly how they feel, Toph despite being blind clearly knows just how mad and emotional Aang is, with a pang of guilt on her face for not being ablt to save appa. Sokka sees the pure power of the Avatar State and looks on in awe as that "Goofy Kid" annihilates everything. But it is Katara and her reactions that set this scene on a higher level than most others (what made me choose this scene over the similar scene in The Southern Air Temple), she completely knows Aang knows everything he has lost knows his pain, by this point she is starting to really like him romantically, he face as she watched his rage is stunning it is a look of disappointment/sadness/empathy all in one. She knows that only she can calm him down and just walks straight into the destruction and pulls him down looking straight into his eyes and embraces him, he goes out of the Avatar state Crying as the episode ends. Magnificent
Number 1
It has to be THE KISS from 321 Sozin's Comet Part 4 Avatar Aang, this relationship that was hinted at in the first episode and developed slowly throughout the 3 Books has finally happened and what a beautiful way to have it happen.
Before the cries of SHIPPER come flooding through I shall explain further. Yes I am a huge KATAANG fan, but this relationship just developed perfectly throughout the series. It wasn't there fully at the start but they both just grew into it, they went from friends slowly to a romantic relationship. Aang had a crush on Katara from the start but she never though about him that way until Aunt Wu's prediction then through experiences such as the Cave of Two Lovers , Katara began to really see this as a real relationship while Aang's crush developed into full blown Love. In 220 when Aang died and Katara has to bring him back the emotion on her face showed that she loved him too. Then with the invasion incoming Katara the older of the 2 realised that it wasn't the correct time to have a relationship and pulled away. Until this moment not long after Ozai's defeat Zuko presents Aang now a fully realised Avatar to the crowd, it is this moment that Katara realises that she truly loves Aang fully. Then the Moment I choose comes along they are all relaxing in The Jasmine Dragon and Aang walks out to the balcony followed by Katara. No words are even needed between the two as they finally both Kiss together for the first time, the music is simply breathtaking as the shot pans up into the Sun and that is the end of the series. I am not afraid to admit I cried when I saw this the first time (I nearly tear up every time). Perfect moment
My Honourable Mention
Goes to any scene with Bumi before they realise who he is in 105 The King Of Omashu, he is just such an amazingly eccentric character. If I had to pick one it would have to be the scene at the Table when they are eating that has some classic lines "Kangaroo Island I heard that place is pretty Hoppin' ......." and him saying Aang's fake name of Bonzu Pippinpaddle-Opposokopolis The Third was hilarious.
There you have it my list, I have probably missed a few amazing moments but right now these look very good.
Aangfan (Moderator)
My top 5 moments in Avatar: The Last Airbender are comprised of the moments of realization, change, and sometimes high emotion. They are the ones where a character - usually a major one - comes to a new understanding with how life will be changed in the future as a result of the present moment.
1 - Aang's finding of Monk Gyatso's skeleton at the Southern Air Temple. He enters the Avatar State due to his extreme emotional distress. To me, it seemed this was a major turning point when Aang went from happy go-lucky kid to a bit sad and somber knowing that he was the last airbender.
2 - Toph's joining of the gang. She was already a master earthbender, but was firmly under her parents' thumbs. Aang, Katara and Sokka were prepared to take-off on Appa and find another earthbending teacher. Then we see Toph in her Blind Bandit outfit running over the hill to join them. She had defied her parents and decided to join the gang on her own. This would ultimately change her path in life.
3 - Zuko's change of heart in Season 3. He felt that he no longer belonged in the Fire Nation of his father. He tried to fit in. Ultimately this realization came when he was with his father and sister at the war meeting. He confessed to Mai that he was the perfect prince, but he wasn't himself. That was the turning point in his life (and in the story) which allowed him to join and train the Avatar rather than remain on the side fo the Fire Nation.
4 - Aang's reclamation of the Avatar State at the end of the series. This isn't necessarily the actual -accidental" triggering of the state, but when he is able to turn it off and not kill Ozai at the end of the battle. This is the first instance of control Aang exhibits over his mighty Avatar powers.
5 - -The Kiss"the very last scene of the series. This shows how different both Aang and Katara's life will be from this point forward. They are most likely now a couple and the war is behind them. We know from what the creators have told us about the next series (Korra) that they do, in fact, marry and have kids. This kiss signifies their finally getting together romantically.
Honorable Mention - Very early in the series, I would say the scene where Katara and Sokka decided to go after Aang rather than stay comfortable and safe in the Southern Water tribe is also an important moment in Avatar. This is an important moment, but in my mind, isn't quite to the caliber of my official top 5.
There are so many moments to choose from, but these are my top 5. Avatar was an excellent series because almost every episode contains some small detail that will affect how the story continues in later episodes (with respect to character development). But it was these 5 that, in my opinion, were the most significant.
Arthan (Moderator)
It's a really hard task to choose my top five moments in the show, but I will try.
To make a selection I will consider those fragments that made me pay maximum attention to screen, the ones which I wouldn't mind watching again and again, and that aroused me some kind of feeling in a deeper way.
Honourable mention:
- Aang and Katara's dance in the cove (Ep. 302). Among all moments where we could see a wink to Katara and Aang's affair, this is the one where they are shown happier and closer.
My top 5 moments:
- Roku's embodiment on Aang (Ep. 108). It's very exciting to see how, faced with a very complex situation with all firebenders waiting for him, Roku takes control and unleashes all his terrible power destroying the temple.
- Aang's remorse because of burning Katara (Ep. 116). There are a lot of moments where Aang shows what could be called -human weakness", giving the character more closeness to audience in my opinion, and this is one of the most obvious.
- Season 2 final fight (Ep. 220). Among all seasons final fights I favor this one because I think it is the most gripping, all three are epic, but this is the one where we can see a more even combat.
- Aang's hallucinations because lack of sleep (Ep. 309). It is one of the most hilarious moments of the whole series, above all the Appa and Momo's samurai fight.
- The Kiss (Ep. 321). We find here a mix of emotions, on one hand the Aang and Katara's relationship definitive confirmation, on the other hand the pity caused for the show ending.
As you can see, Aang is in all my chosen moments, somebody could say I like seeing him suffering"
Joking apart, this is not only for Aang being my favourite protagonist, but also because I think is on him where we can see all the range of emotions: happiness, sadness, pity, remorse, fear, hope, angriness, etc. That makes his feelings to be reflected on us and to identify with him.
Probably, if any of you ask me my top 5 moments in two or three months, some of them will be different given the big number of remarkable moments; besides I think the answer will be partially conditioned by the mood I were at that moment.
Coyote01 (Moderator)
All right, one of the many great things about Avatar the Last Airbender is that it has a little bit of everything so that it can relate to a plethora of people and circumstances. Some of my most fav Avatar moments are moments that have depth..moments that make you think and can also have a comedic twist to them." I especially like moments that are unpredictable and that I didn't quite see coming.
My first fav Avatar moment is pretty much an obvious one: 1.) When Aang emerges from the Iceberg in episode 1 and sees his first face after 100 years..Katara's face and falls in love with her from day one.
My 2nd fav Avatar moment is in episode, King of Omashu: Where Aang is reunited with the only living person he knew 100 years ago, King Bumi & how King Bumi, instead of just flat out tellin him who he was, decided to test Aang and also made it fun lol.
My 3rd fav Avatar moment is in episode, The Winter Solstice (2): Avatar Roku: This is when Aang TRULY begins his journey as becoming a full Avatar as he learns what is coming.
My 4th choice is episode, The Blind Bandit: This is where the group is ever more stronger as they add some more girl power with the awesome & tough Toph to the group lol" . Aside from Sokka, Toph has a knack for sarcastic comedic relief lol.
My 5th choiceis I would have to say is episode The Firebending Masters: After Zuko finally joins the side of good, this is where Aang and Zuko truly become friends as they were destined to be & where Aang finally finishes his firebending learning. This is also another episode that sheds truth on Zukos past and strengthens his resolve even further.
After much reflection, It was very hard to choose one honorable mention that stood out to me the most:So, after much thoughtthe one moment that stood out to me the most is in the episode, The Guru: I chose this because as Aang meets the spiritual brother to the Air nomads, Guru Pathik, he shows Aang the final step in becoming a fully realized Avatar..mastering the Avatar state. This episode to me is the deepest as it goes over the limits of the nations and into the universe. It shows a philosophy that is actually relatable to our own reality. Aang learns tho that in order to harness the power of the Avatar state..he must learn to detach himself from worldy attachments..which he finds difficult to do with his friends. He then later finds out he can do this temporarily, to turn it on and off like a light switch and doesn't actually have to give his friends up entirely" . It's this episode that bridges the gap to the final episode where Aang finally becomes a fully realized Avatar and goes on to defeat Firelord Ozai. The only other moment that stood out to me nearly as much is that is Sozins Comet: Avatar Aang as that is the most epic moment where Aang becomes all-powerful and someone you do not wanna mess with lol.
It was very hard to choose only this many moments as there were many more I wanted to list lol" I mean just about every episode has something I liked. I am content tho with my choices" . Now, whatever you choose among your list, remember that Avatar the Last Airbender is more than just a show that we loveit's an experience that was shared by us all and that we can relate to in some way" As long as I'm alive I will always love Avatar the Last Airbender..that will never change.
Jordan (Administrator)
There are so many incredible moments in Avatar, here are my favorites.
Funniest Moment - Appa and Momo duking it out Samurai style in Nightmares and Daydreams, so unexpected, so hilarious.
Most Emotional - Zuko and Azula's final Battle, it was just plain such an amazing scene.
Most Inspirational - When Zuko was able to turn his back on the false barbaric traditions that he had been brought up with and become the hero he was destined to be, plus all of Iroh's sayings combined.
Best Action Scene - I had to say two here, Zuko's Agni Kai with Zhao was amazing, also Aang fighting Ozai was one for the books.
Overall Favorite - You may be surprised but I really loved the "Tales of Ba Sing Se" it just really fleshed out all of the characters personalities and ideas that it was way fun and exciting to watch.
The fact that you could pretty much choose any episode and have an amazing scene shows the level of Quality and amazing-ness that Avatar The Last Airbender has.
Our Communities Thoughts
There you have it our Communities thoughts, this topic has really brought up some amazing moments from Avatar, the spread of different scenes is a testament to the quality of the show as a whole in that everyone has not chosen the same moments.
Feel free to post your top 5 moments + an honourable mention in the comments below, I would love to see everyone's thoughts on this topic
See you next Month for Community Opinion 7, if you want your Opinion in the next post then just be active on the forum, I am always looking out for new members who are very active. I will PM those whose opinions I want at the start of June. Also if you are a fan of the sites Facebook page there is a chance to get your opinion in there a few days before the post is put up on the site.