Sozin: "Without you, all my plans are suddenly possible. I have a vision for the future, Roku."
9/10
Shoot. I just had the absolute WORST realization about this episode and the entire show. I'm a complete and total sucker for reformed villains. Preeeeeeetty sure that all started with Zuko although I don't remember for sure. But I just realized that the thesis of this entire show is that some bloodlines can be hardcore evil with 0 redemption in them. I mean Uncle Iroh's letter said that knowing about his great-grandfather would change his destiny, and then it turns out that the great-grandfather he meant was Roku, not Sozin. So does that mean that the only reason he had the opportunity to be redeemed was cause he had some non-evil blood in him? Cause that would majorly screw up my whole love of redemption thing.
Also am I sensing some love love between them or am I just biased after reading an article about how Sarah and Ava fulfilled the fantasies of Kirk and Spock?
I never fail to cry when Sozin shows up to Roku. But then he leaves them and I cry for a whole other reason.
Also what do you think it would be like if Aang got to train the way Roku did? I'd so love to see that.
[9.5/10] If there's one thing I really appreciate about Avatar, it's the way it manages to balance world-building and character. One the one hand, this is such an important episode about understanding the world of the Four Nations and the hundred-year war. We learn what the world was like before the war started, we see the motivations behind its beginning, and we learn why Ozai's grandfather was so intent on neutralizing the avatar to make his waging of that war possible.
But it's also a character story, about two friends and de facto brothers whose lives took them on different paths. The reveal that Avatar Roku and Fire Lord Sozin were best friends is a pretty shocking revalation, but one that has power in the way the whole series up to this point has been founded on the way that these things are all connected, that the people and personalities of these conflicts are as important as the world-shaking consequences of them.
It also creates a sense of tragedy and betrayal to that living history. Roku died at the hands of his best friend, in the same of aspiration and ambition. They cared for one another, grew up together, and built friendships that exceed lifetimes, but in the end, after a long life lived, that fell apart. That is heart-rending, and yet it also gives us so much more complicated insight into the lives of an avatar and a fire lord.
But it doesn't stop there -- with the lessons extending to our heroes in the modern day. I love that Aang takes it as a sign that there can be powerful friendships that matter to an Avatar, and that there is good and bad regardless of affiliation. It underscores the importance of Team Avatar and is another step in the evolution of the series to where not every person in red is bad and not every person in green is good.
By the same token, I love the revelation that Zuko is descended from both Fire Lord Sozin and Avatar Roku, and that this generational intertia helps explain the conflict between good and bad within him. It's nicely and subtly represented by Roku riding the red dragon and Sozin riding the blue dragon, the same ones that appeared to Zuko in his fever dream. The fact that he receives the head-piece that belonged to both of these great grandfathers signifies the way he may unify these impulses, and realizes who he is as an heir to the throne.
The episode just does so much in such a short time, it's hard not to be impressed both at the multitude and variety of its accomplishments.
My Top Ten Avatar Episodes: #8
In my opinion, this is a better version of The Storm. While that episode is a great exploration of Aang's flaws and Zuko's origins, this episode parallels that by having both characters explore the same story - why the war started.
In that sense, it is an amazing piece of worldbuilding, showing the relationship between two important figures, how it changed over time and how ideals tore them apart. Not only that, but it gives a very believable start to the war - Sozin believed he could fix the rest of the world by invading it and 'treating' it to the Fire Nation's wealth. The Avatar could have stopped this, but he cared too much about Sozin to "do the right thing" and stop/kill him when he went too far. Despite his mercy towards Sozin, due to their history, Sozin's ambitions were too important to him, and he watched his friend die, giving him the opportunity he needed to carry out his plans and start a 100-year tragedy.
Another amazing thing about this episode is, while Aang and Zuko are viewing the same story, it provides a different message to each of them. It emphasizes to Aang the point, explored in previous episodes, that there is good in everyone, in every nation, if only people would try to look for it. On the other hand, it shows Zuko that there is both good and bad in himself, and that he has the choice to become a good person and shape his own destiny.
This episode further paves the way to the conclusion of Zuko's arc and helps further build up the world of Avatar to feel like a real place.
9.5/10
This has to be one of the best episode in anime genre
although i love this episode a lot, i think the more i watch it the more i don't like it. like, there is no good way to explain why roku died there. why didn't he escape with everyone once he realized he couldn't deal with the volcano? there was nobody left in the village, all the people were safe. it's kind of pure hubris on his part to think he could battle a volcano... plus why did sozin come to help and then be like jk no i want you to die... he could've just... not come idk
Really interesting episode. Now I know why the fire nation is so powerful. I finally understand their backstory
The way the story was told by Roku and Sozin was fascinating and made us understand more the dept of those characters
Sozin and Roku were basically brothers. This is why "The Avatar and the Fire Lord" hurts so much and why it's so effective, particularly in how it finally, after three seasons, gives us all of the context we need for our conflict and why it happened the way it happened. As we saw earlier in the show with Kyoshi, Avatars inherit the decisions of their prior incarnations, and Roku's own failures are, in essence, the entire reason for the conflict itself. Even Sozin, as iredeemable he ends up being, makes very human decisions here and it feels less like a tale of good vs. evil and more of a tale of conflicting ideologies. Sozin simply wanted to expand the Nation and spread prosperity - but power corrupts, and that clearly turned him on the side of a conqueror. Meanwhile Roku failed to stop Sozin, but also was convinced the Nations had to be separate, something that was clearly a mistake on his part.
And just like "The Storm" from Book 1, the episode works not because of the info dump, but what it means for the cast at large. Aang realizes that the Fire Nation itself is a victim, and by stopping the Fire Lord he will also be saving the people of the Fire Nation and bringing them back from the brink. As for Zuko, this is his turning point - the moment he realizes that, no matter what he does, his destiny is not what his father wants. It's what he wants.
This entire season parallels the first in many ways. This episode is like episode 12 of season one because it is split between Aang and Zuko's perspective. This episode is even more interesting though, because they are both being involved directly to the same story by the perspective of the character they have a connection with(Sozin or Roku) Avatar Roku's Spirit seems to has his hands all over this episode- after all who knows how Iroh knows all of this, and furthermore how did he find the royal artifact- and furthermore have it in his jail cell? There is definately spirit activity helping him.
My guess is that he meditated into the spirit world and worked with Roku's spirit to bring Aang and Zuko together and restore balance. Roku did his part by showing Aang the story of the Avatar and the Firelord and helping him interpret the story in such a way that he said, "everyone, even the firelord and the fire nation need to be treated like they are worth giving a chance." which will be the principal that will lead Aang to accept Zuko and show mercy to the Firelord.
The Avatar and the Firelord is another backstory and lore centric episode for avatar. For me these are the kinda "eat your vegetables" of the show necessary good for you but not particularly. fun. Sozin and Roku's shared history was interesting. However `i think I was only really interested in the way his arc paralleled aang.
But circling back to this overwrought metaphor I'd say this episode was definetly more carlic roasted brussel sprouts than mushy peas.
zuko being avatar roku's great-grandson from his mother's side tore my skull open oh my god
Sozin: oh my best friend that I’m in love with is getting married
Sozin: gonna tell him my plan for world domination!!!!!!
(literally can’t believe Sozin started a whole fckn war because the man he was in love with married someone else I’m overwhelmed)
Shout by Reiko LJVIP 7BlockedParentSpoilers2019-03-31T13:11:31Z
Watching this again after having seen Legend of Korra brought a whole layer of emotion to Toph's line at the end there.
"Do you really think friendships can last more than one lifetime?"