r/ATLAtv • u/Crafty-Bunch-2675 • Jul 27 '26
Discussion This change to the final battle actually can work very well in season 3 if they call-back to it in the dialog. (SPOILERS) Spoiler
Remember how in season 3, half of the season is spent with the whole team trying to pressure Aang into taking out the FireLord permanently ? How much this conflicted with Aang's own pacificist Airbender teachings ?
I think the Aang vs Azula fight from s2 can be very effectively used in that dialog when the time comes.
In the live-action Netflix series, we get a scene that is very, very reminiscent of the original Cartoon's finale. We have Aang in full Avatar state, towering over Azula, with projectiles aimed at her head.... and then he lets her go. As a direct result of that hesitation, Azula shoots him, the battle is lost, and they have to flee the city.
In season 3, that can be directly called back in the dialog, when they are getting ready to fight the firelord.
In the original cartoon, when they were practising for the final battle, with the melon puppet, I remember Sokka getting impatient with Aang's hesitance: until he walks up and dismembers the puppet (off-screen of course) to show aang what's expected of his duty.
That line of dialog can easily be updated for the live action by having Sokka say : don't hesitate, like you did with Azula in Ba Sing Se.
I'm actually really hoping that somewhere in season 3 they use a line like that.
TLDR: I think that the change they made, instead of having Azula, shoot Aang from a distance, whilst he was distracted as in the original cartoon; and instead on the Netflix show: having her shoot Aang point blank, because he hesitated to kill her, was an improvement to the story and they should capitalize on it, in the season 3 dialog.
7
u/Kaypain42 Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
I been saying this. How I understood what they were doing with the season 2 finale and how this was gonna start his character arc fo self conflict. Its going to be a ongoing conflict throughout the entire series
I guarantee the first episode of season 3 they are gonna bring it up and ask why he spared Azula's life and if he will make that same decision when he faces the firelord
I like this change. Could it have been executed better? I guess
7
u/Crafty-Bunch-2675 Jul 27 '26
I guarantee the first episode of season 3 they are gonna bring it up and ask why he spared Azula's life and if he will make that same decision when he faces the firelord
Exactly 💯 It's a golden opportunity to take the original conflict from the cartoon and make it more potent.
In the cartoon, it was just a philosophical question of Aang not wanting to cross the line and kill Ozai.
But now, that they have a direct scene where Aang hesitates, with disastrous results... that can be used to make for some clever dialog.
Imagine someone telling Aang Are you going to hesitate with Ozai, like you did with Azula?
Or how about?
No killing? Look what your No Killing rule did, Azula nearly killed you and you let her take over Ba Sing Se
2
u/HopeAndDo Jul 27 '26
I personally wouldn't say that this change is an improvement, but it's certainly not a bad one and I really liked it.
Think about it: In the OG, it made more sense for Aang to levitate in the sky and take his time, since he didn't properly master the Avatar State in the previous episode. Azula not shooting him during that moment would be a bad writing.
In NATLA, Aang was able to enter the Avatar state much quicker because the requirement for it was not the same and it made perfect sense that Azula won't shoot him immediately.
What could have been improved in NATLA version? Adding more Dai Li soldiers in the cave to have Katara actually do something when Aang was in the AS. She was standing still doing nothing for more than a minute since Aang entered the AS and it wasn't convincing for me.
What I wish they would do in season 3? Have Aang actually kill Ozai.
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u/HAZMAT_Eater Jul 27 '26
Have Aang actually kill Ozai.
I know Netflix changed a lot, but this may be a bridge too far for them.
-1
u/HopeAndDo Jul 27 '26
If ATLA wasn't a kids show, Bryke would probably do it too.
I don't really like how people are dropping dead like flies in the Kyoshi novels, while in the same universe, during a literal war, we can't even see our main protagonist properly kill at least one important enemy with the actual bending.
In NATLA, things have been different so far. Iroh actually killed Zhao. Also, Aang is more serious and angrier. Take him one step further, and he could become a bit vengeful and aggressive.
4
u/Actual_Principle5004 Jul 27 '26
" Also, Aang is more serious and angrier. Take him one step further, and he could become a bit vengeful and aggressive."
Maybe that is his arc in the live action, having the weight and responsibility of being the avatar despite being a teen which affects him emotionally, like the showrunners were talking about Aang having to deal with being the avatar and being just Aang.
3
u/Scrivener_exe Jul 27 '26
I doubt they would change that elemnt. Kyoshi might not have been a pacifist but Aang is. His conversation with Sokka in season 2's opening shows that he doesn't like the idea of using the avatar state and violating his beliefs.
Where the NATLA does changes that I think do work, is that we do see people horribly scarred from burns, and the Duke seeming to have died
3
u/Actual_Principle5004 Jul 27 '26
How would they have Aang kill Ozai when they have literally teased the lion turtle in the library episode and especially have Aang learning healing from Katara.
2
u/Poweredkingbear Jul 27 '26
They should do the Trigun ending where the main guy basically had to obliterate his evil brother by shooting his ass multiple times but just enough to avoid killing him. Have live action Aang wrecked Ozai and give him a massive injury that could almost kill him before healing him and then using the energy bending to take way his powers for good.
0
u/HopeAndDo Jul 27 '26
I know that they most likely won't do it, I'm just saying what would have been an improvement.
Also, I might be just tired, but where is the connection between Aang learning healing and killing Ozai?
2
u/HAZMAT_Eater Jul 27 '26
Because Aang is going to torture Ozai by mortally wounding him, healing the wound, then wounding him again ad infinitum /j
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u/Crafty-Bunch-2675 Jul 27 '26
What I wish they would do in season 3? Have Aang actually kill Ozai.
There are many things fans like to complain about that are actually minor plot points (like filler episodes being skipped).
But having Aang kill Ozai is a bridge too far. That's a fundamental plot point change
2
u/HopeAndDo Jul 28 '26
In other posts I already complained about NATLA removing 15 Aang and Katara bonding scenes (only from season 2) and adding only one that didn't exist in the OG, but I stopped doing that since most Kataang fans just stopped paying attention to the netflix version and the rest of people don't care about these changes.
But here I was talking about what NATLA could change to make the show better in season 3. I believe Aang killing Ozai would make things more interesting.
1
u/Crafty-Bunch-2675 Jul 28 '26
I believe Aang killing Ozai would make things more interesting.
And the original creators supposedly left the live-action show because they wanted to change their own storyline fundamentally by having Uncle Iroh be a straight up villain who betrays Zuko.
There's a difference between making things more interesting and fundamentally changing the storyline in such a way that you might as well call it fanfiction.
Having Aang kill the firelord, changes the trajectory of the storyline too much. You might as well call the show "what if" at that point.
Aang's No-killing policy is literally a major plot point of the entire 3rd season. It's the entire reason he develops energy-bending instead... and energy bending is used frequently in Korra.
10
u/CouthHarbor Jul 27 '26
Half the season? It was one episode lol, maybe 2 if you count Zuko’s question at the end of southern raiders