Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the most iconic series to have ever existed in the history of animated television. Having soaring reviews, complex characters, interesting power structures, and a captivating story, it is no surprise the series has been give such high a status.
While the recent live action series seems to have tainted the memory of the original for a few, a fact that is undeniable is that the 2005 show was perfect. Well, near-perfect.
While it is rare to find a fan who has something negative to say about the original show, the one criticisms that it did get, had to do with its finale. More specifically, the way the series handled the final fight between Aang and Fire Lord Ozai.
The Most Controversial Moment in Avatar: The Last Airbender
There have been many extremely interesting side-stories through the journey that was Avatar: The Last Airbender. However, there was one plot that stayed at the forefront through all of the trials and tribulations, the conflict between Aang, and Fire Lord Ozai.
The firebender took everything that the Avatar had; the friends that he grew up with, the family he always wanted, his happiness and so much of his time.
For so long, Aang trained and trained to be somewhat of a worthy opponent to him. To get him back for all of the pain that he had cause him and end the cycle of violence that had been following Ozai and his family long before he was born. Over three seasons, audiences looked foreword to Aang doing something about this threat.
They were, however, deeply unsure about what exactly he would do when their final battle commenced. Ever since he was young, Aang was taught that taking a life is the worst thing anyone can do. While this always made him pull his attacks, he also understood that Ozai needed to be stop, and the only way for this was to kill him.
So, Aang goes into his final battle with Ozai, with the audiences expecting him to kill the Fire Lord. However, he comes up with an alternative path. Managing to reach Ozai’s very soul, Aang, takes away the thing that makes him so threatening and powerful; his firebending. Left powerless and with no empire to rule now that Zuko had taken over, Ozai was no longer a threat.
Bryan Konietzko Stands By How He Ended The Series
While the ending is not dissatisfying in the very least, many did not like that fact that Ozai got to live and Aang did not get his hands dirty by the end of the series. Having become deeply attached to the Avatar, they wanted the Fire Lord to pay for all that he had done. Taking his powers away simply didn’t feel like a good enough revenge to many.
On the other hand, the creator of the series, Bryan Konietzko, disagrees with the sentiment. Speaking on this during the commentary track for the final four episodes, Sozin’s Comet, he revealed that Aang killing Ozai would not have fit well within the world that the protagonists were trying to create.
“Aang could just wipe Ozai off the face of the Earth, but is that really what the world needs at this point? […] Everyone’s been oppressed and fearful for a hundred years, do they really need some all-powerful being just wiping people out? You know, it’s not really the remedy for the world’s situation.” said Konietzko.
At the end of the series, Zuko famously says that he wants the new era to be of love and peace. Starting an empire over the blood of his father would have tainted his entire reign as the Fire Lord, as well as the legacy that Aang was going to leave.
