#final Agni Kai
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Ugh I will always love the concept of Katara using blood bending to revive Zuko after the last agni kai, mostly because it makes no sense to me that Zuko was able to bounce back so easily after being struck by lightning, but also because the way the show treats bloodbending is just odd to me. It was a defense mechanism created by a traumatized victim of some of the most devastating parts of colonization, and although I understand that Hama was supposed to symbolize the "bad parts" of waterbending and was important for Katara's growth in realizing that the world isn't entirely black and white, its still disappointing to me that the show never explored the gray areas of blood bending, especially since that episode was, as I stated above, about understanding the gray areas of the war. Katara using blood bending to revive Zuko would add so much to the last agni kai in demonstrating that she has truly realized that "good" and "evil" are relative concepts, and Zuko being saved by both a defense mechanism of a survivor of colonialism and a type of bending used to terrorize his people would have even added to his arc, as the narrative required him to save and subsequently be saved by the physical embodiment of everything his family sought to annihilate.
#also just the angst potential#there are so many fics and better metas written about this but I had to throw my two cents in#Bryke's refusal to acknowledge bloodbending as anything but evil incarnate is so fucking annoying#anti bryke#bloodbending#zutara#zuko#katara#final agni kai#atla#avatar the last airbender#atla meta#zutara meta#technically
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“Do you know the day Azula lost?”
You mean the Final Agni Kai-
No,no
The day Mai and Ty Lee betrayed her
was the day she started slipping
#avatar#avatar the last airbender#princess azula#atla azula#atla#azula#mai and ty lee#mai#ty lee#final agni kai#betrayal of mai and ty lee#avatar aang#aang#katara#sokka#zuko#toph#suki
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I wonder about the final Agni Kai in this swap verse. (Take as much time as you need to post, I don't want you to hurt your wrist)
I felt the final Agni Kai deserved some fully rendered drawings, it’s my personal favourite scene in the entire show and it’s just so beautifully animated and composed. A sketch wouldn’t do it justice. (Also I really love drawing fire lol)
I will admit I did a lil bit of tracing for the first two pieces to get certain proportions right (I prefer this over my horrible attempt at foreshortening) and changed it up a bit since they have different body types n stuff. Other than that I’ve mostly just referenced it.
Also ty for being considerate with my wrist :) luckily it’s doing better now and not hurting anymore, so I managed to finish this relatively quick.
#atla#avatar the last airbender#azula#atla azula#princess azula#atla swap au#atla au#zuko#atla zuko#prince suko#katara#atla katara#the final agni kai#final agni kai
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For anyone who wanted a quick sneak peak at the art I’m working on based off this post 😉 ask and you shall receive. I think this is going to be 4-5 frames ♥️
#adult zukka#zukka au#zuko#zuko x sokka#zukka incorrect quotes#zukka nation#zuko art#zuko fanfic#Zukka art#Zukka fanart#zukka week 2023#Agni Kai#final Agni Kai#sokka#avatar sokka#sokka/zuko#sokka of the southern water tribe#sokka art#sozins comet
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On Changes to Canon and What Happens When Your Fix-It Needs to Break a Perfect Scene
I’ve just finished writing through the final Agni Kai in I Asked You First, a canon-divergent Zutara fic that covers the span forward from The Southern Raiders. If you’re reading that story (first of all, thank you!!) and are interested in some musings on canon-tweaking and character arcs, this is for you! If you’d like to read but haven’t, or aren’t caught up, then what follows is a bit spoilery.
[I’m not even sure if this sort of metacommentary is something fic authors do/should do or if anyone wants this, but here I am, and I’ve brought paragraphs!]
I will start by saying that I dreaded writing the final Agni Kai.
Because I’ve penned more than 100,000 words into a timespan that unfolds over three episodes in canon, I’ve mostly been writing into off screen moments. Why I chose to breathe so much into this corner of ATLA’s narrative is the subject of a different ramble, but the result is that so far there have only been a few instances where I’ve had to grapple with major canon plot points. Ember Island Players and Zuko’s reunion with Iroh jump to mind.
My strategy for these scenes has generally been to play them as straight as I can while tinkering with the emotional stakes (e.g., how would the EIP balcony scene with Aang feel for Katara if she’s just realizing her feelings lie elsewhere?) or expanding them only to account for new/different dynamics created by the canon divergence (e.g., how might Iroh and Zuko’s reunion grow from adding more experience with articulating emotions/more intimacy skills to Zuko’s character development?). Even still, I feared arriving at such essential story moments. Would these scenes be boring to relive for the reader? Would they feel shoehorned or inorganic in an evolving narrative?
But no single scene caused me as much agita as the final Agni Kai. Because, in my mind, the final Agni Kai is just about perfect. It is powerful, profound and character-defining for everyone involved.
Well if it’s so perfect and powerful, then why would you change it?
Because played straight in I Asked You First, the final Agni Kai would no longer be quite so perfect or powerful. Some of the reasons this scene works so astoundingly in canon no longer apply to the slightly altered character arcs in IAYF. There are a few reasons why, but they mostly stem from the fact that Zuko and Katara falling in love on Ember Island changes the stakes and implications of the canon Agni Kai for each of their character journeys.
So I had a challenge ahead of me:
How could I ensure that ATLA's narrative climax for Zuko and Katara remained impactful and true to their character arcs?
Let me set up this question for each character.
In the series, Zuko’s choice to take lightning for Katara is a character-defining moment. It is made more impactful by the tenuousness of their friendship (regardless of whether their dynamic is imbued with the possibility of more) and the way his choice contrasts his betrayal in Ba Sing Se.
The audience sees that Zuko has come to deserve his honorable destiny because he would cast it aside to save a friend—the very person he once betrayed to lay claim to what he once saw as his fate. To go one step further, he is completing a growth arc here from a boy with such a monomaniacal focus on his own personal destiny that he cannot see the way his actions harm others into a man with a broad and balanced perspective who would give up his life to keep another person—someone who already represents something essential and human, the potential to find hope amid the ravages of war—from coming to harm.
But Zuko in I Asked You First? Yeah, we know he’s going to take that hit for Katara. To make such a sacrifice for the woman he loves is beautiful in its own way, but not nearly as profound for his arc or demonstrative of his growth.
So how could this canon divergence maintain the power of the Agni Kai for Zuko's growth?
That was my challenge for Zuko.
In the series, the Agni Kai is character-defining for Katara for a few reasons. She overcomes her narrative foil, for one. Second, she experiences the gravity of Zuko’s sacrifice for her—bearing primary witness to the astounding scale of his character growth—enabling her to fully appreciate the human potential for change. And perhaps most importantly, after a life torn apart by the Fire Nation invading her home, Katara arrives in their capital, not as a vengeful conqueror but as the one who can help curb violence and save the world’s hope for peace, so that she may find peace elsewhere.
Fueled by her need to save her friend, Katara overcomes Azula not with an astounding display of force (though her power is certainly on display as well), but rather with resourcefulness and ingenuity—and I would argue—compassion. It’s a way for her to defeat Azula that really lines up with what we know about Katara’s character.
But—and I am not arguing that this is a fault of this scene—the canon narrative is not nearly as primarily concerned with setting up Katara’s future arc as it is with establishing Aang’s or Zuko’s. I think the final Agni Kai in canon actually does set Katara up to be a world changing-hero…and then kind of lets that be the end of it. She’s the only one who can take down Azula and then she’s Aang’s prize. There are many amazing fics set after ATLA that really wonderfully explore what this version of Katara could become if she casts aside the canon vision of her future. But I’ve already written her down a different path, one I believe can be equally rewarding for her character, but one that requires a slightly different Agni Kai.
In I Asked You First Katara already profoundly understands that people can change and that Zuko has. She already loves him for it. Katara still arrives in the Fire Nation capital—after their warmaking tore apart her life—to curb violence and create the hope for peace. But her relationship to the Fire Nation has already changed through loving Zuko and playing a key part in his examinations of his not-all-bad family legacy. She's already swimming in all that nuance and potential. She has also begun to determine that she will shape her destiny by what she and Zuko do together. How this will work in a way that affirms Katara’s identity remains one of the central concerns of the upcoming (final?) leg of this story, so I won’t get too far into the weeds of it here.
But it means that when it comes to Katara in the final Agni Kai, my challenge wasn’t just: how could this canon divergence maintain the power of the Agni Kai for Katara’s growth? It was:
How could this canon divergence maintain the power of the Agni Kai for Katara’s growth—while setting her up for the world-changing future I'm writing for her?
So, these were my quandaries. And for me, the answers came in the form of canon tweaks I made in both the set-up and unfolding of the Agni Kai, in conversations and actions, and most notably in a moment when Katara—with all her ingenuity and resourcefulness—calls upon a different tool from her arsenal. She defeats Azula with a move that Zuko showed her, one that reflects back one of the greatest feats firebenders can achieve with the power and forms of her people. The impact of waterbenders on Iroh—and Iroh on Zuko—comes full circle through Katara, and it's peace-brinigng.
And now? Now we get to see how this sets the stage for what Katara and Zuko will do in the future, and what they can do together.
Anyway, like I said, I'm not sure this sort of authorial insight is something people are interested in, but writing some of this analysis out has helped me work through what's coming next. And now that I have arrived here on tumblr dot com with my brain rot stinking fresh, I wanted to offer it up for anyone who may be interested. I remain so extremely grateful that people have read and engaged with IAYF through thousands of words and long hiatuses. So, again, THANK YOU! I love this community and am happy to be floating around here.
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My Zutara heart loves Zuko taking Katara to the Agni Kai, but imagine him taking Toph and Azula goes down in .2 seconds because Toph just metalbends her armor to the ground or something
#toph#zuko#agni kai#final agni kai#toph vs azula#azula#atla#headcanon#atla headcanon#avatar the last airbender#metalbending#metalbender#toph beifong
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Question About Sozin's Comet
How did Ozai, Azula and Zuko fight so well in the finale?
This question came to mind when I was watching the final agni kai again. Azula shot blasts at Zuko and his reaction was to use fire to launch himself into the air. But why?? From my understanding, fighting moves are based on muscle memory and instincts. I don't recall Zuko doing something similar in previous fights. He did not have the power to pull off a similar move.
Ozai's flying is not hard to imagine since we see Azula do a more basic form in the Boiling Rock episode.
But how were they able to control themselves so well (besides the plot of course)? It should be similar to wielding a sword. You are used to fighting with a weapon with a certain weight distribution. If the blade becomes lighter, it may be easier to swing but your balance is off. Given the magnitude of the comet boost, I am kind of surprised that they had so much control without any initial hiccups.
It's not a big deal because the power boost makes the fights epic but just wondering.
Although I imagine Ozai underestimating his power and zooming past Aang into a rock formation at the beginning of the fight lol. But that would be too comedic for the boss fight of the series.
#final agni kai#atla azula#atla zuko#atla sozin's comet#atla finale#zuko vs azula#atla ozai#atla#plot reasons#firebending#aang vs ozai
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Okay, on the subject of the Final Agni Kai, cheating and whatever else, I'm going to post my thoughts on it here, and yes, feel free to reblog or comment even if you disagree, I won't lose my shit if you do.
Here's why Katara didn't cheat in the Agni Kai.
The answer is very simple. By the time Katara interfered with the Agni Kai, Azula had already won the contest. Azula struck Zuko and he went down, it's over.
The Agni Kai has ended here. Katara can't cheat in the Agni Kai because by the time she interferes, the Agni Kai is OVER.
What happens after that is the result of Azula denying healing to an injured opponent. I don't give a SHIT about her rights to deny healing to Zuko at that point. I don't know the rules about that, nor do I care.
Katara's attempt to provide healing to Zuko and the ensuing fight with Azula is not a part of the Agni Kai or Katara fighting on Team Zuko. It's just that, Katara being desperate to help Zuko and in order to do so, she has to disable Azula, which she successfully does.
Now, because Zuko actually lost the Agni Kai, does that mean he should have released Azula and bowed down to her as the rightful Fire Lord? Fuck no, of course not. At this point, thanks to our girl Katara, it's a coup, baby!
Not unlike Azula herself carried out in Ba Sing Se actually. Which is another lovely Azutara parallel for me. Azula and Katara have now both successfully committed a coup each, which is hot and sexy of them. <3
And that's all I have to say about that.
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Everyone saying the Last Agni Kai soundtrack is the best but you’re all forgetting another soundtrack, the one where Zuko and Zhao had their Agni Kai. That one is underrated and fire as well. 😌
#everyone forgetting we had that gem in B1#atla#avatar the last airbender#zuko#zhao#atla music#final agni kai#agni kai
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Day 3: Hands
Katara can feel his heartbeat in her hands.
It’s so slow, and so weak, and she almost doesn’t recognize it as the boy she’s come to know in these last few weeks of summer.
#zutara week#zutara week 2022#zutara#thank you katara#im the one who should be thanking you#katara#zuko#sozins comet#not if my lightning can help it#blood bending#let katara bloodbend#agni kai#final agni kai#hands#day 3:hands
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#So mad that they never played the blue spirit music in the new adaption#avatar the last airbender#blue spirit#leaves from the vine#final Agni Kai#secret tunnel#atla live action
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7 mirmirs (based off a scene from one piece)
#luffy sleeping with his foot on usopps face reminded me too much of toph and sokka Not to steal. my bad#this was originally gonna be just zuko and iroh after the final agni kai#but then as i was drawing i was like waittt this is JUST LIKE ONE PIECE!#so i included the rest of the gaang ehehehehehe#zuko#iroh#sokka#toph#suki#katara#aang#atla#avatar the last airbender#alicias art
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ppl who don’t like azula bc “she’s mean >:(“ baffle me so much. my love for mean women developed at a very early age. as a child, azula would come onscreen, say something cunty, and i’d just black out. that imperious shakespeare villain of an eighth grade bully made me go “AWOOOGA” hearts in my eyes, steam coming outta my ears, drooling a lil, like some kind of misogynist wolf in an MGM cartoon. and don’t even get me started on whenever she fought katara, the OTHER bitch of my dreams!!! it was only a few years later that i was like “oh she’s actually quite tragic…. oh she’s just a scared kid who only wants love….” but there is truly no understating how crucial azula spewing her divine right of kings imperialist bullshit was to my developing sexuality as a child. oh, you don’t appreciate mean women? okay, that’s fine, it just means more for us, the connoisseurs of the world.
#azula#actually come to think of it. if KATARA hadn’t been as mean as she was would I have been obsessed w her as a child? probably not#like being mean + angry + extremely powerful was all it took for me#hence why katara & azula final agni kai genuinely awakened something in me the first time I watched it#also in general I will never understand disliking a character bc they’re ‘mean’ like u do know they’re not real right? they can’t hurt u?#disliking a character for being ANNOYING will always be valid tho. prince wu haters get behind me
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Stick Season by Noah Kahan is so Zuko coded don’t @ me just read this
Zuko just longing for Azula to be his little sister again instead of the “monster” that their father trained her to be- realizing at the end of their Agni Kai that that broken little girl is still there
His mom leaving and (spoilers!!!) starting a whole new family while he was left to deal with the brunt of his fathers abuse, constantly striving and falling short of his unachievable goals
I feel like this one is pretty self explanatory
I’m not saying he joined the gaang to make up for any inherent darkness inside him, but we’d be kidding ourselves if we didn’t acknowledge that Zuko (especially after becoming fire lord) probably has a deep seated fear of becoming his father in one way or another
Thank you for coming to my TED talk
#zuko#avatar the last airbender#fire lord zuko#fire lord azula#azula#azula avatar#team azula#zuko stan#atla#Atla fan theory#fire lord ozai#sozins comet#Agni Kai#final agni Kai#childhood trauma in media#stick season#noah Kahan#we’ll all be here forever#stick season we’ll all be here forever
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Blaming Ursa for Azula's downfall just misses so much of what is going on in the narrative, and another aspect of that is related to how the story comes to a climax in the final agni kai and what I have been referring to as the Zuko - Azula - Katara narrative triangle. Another reason why Katara defeating Azula to save Zuko is so meaningful is because of how Katara and Zuko bonded over the loss of their mothers. Azula, by contrast, says she doesn't care about her mother and calls Zuko pathetic for caring. Zuko and Katara saving each other from Azula is a reaffirmation that their mothers' sacrifice for them is important, and that they are not wrong for caring. Azula represents not only the destructive force of the Fire Nation but also the ways that force is cannibalistic, and Azula hating her mother and denying that she cares about her loss is another example of that, while upholding the imperial system that took mothers away from their children and destroyed cultures. Trying to blame Ursa for how Azula turned out completely ignores all of that subtext.
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