Avatar: The Last Airbender animation was a groundbreaking series that has stayed relevant for almost two decades. Netflix’s Avatar live-action series attempts to revamp the animation with cast members who portray the characters in every respect possible.
In fact, the series also contains several original scenes, created to bridge the gaps in the animation. One such scene between the Aang and Avatar Roku has drawn attention due to its grave sense of foreboding.
Why did Avatar Roku Warn Aang Against Painful Consequences?
In season 1, episode 5 of Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action, Aang enters the Spirit Realm and asks Roku for help. Aang, who was raised by the air nomads, has a completely non-violent outlook on life. In his journey, he is perplexed about how to defeat Ozai once he faces the Fire Lord because Aang is least interested in killing, unlike the past avatars.
When he meets Roku, he asks the former Avatar if achieving his goal without hurting anyone is possible. In response, Roku says:
“You can try, but there are consequences if you fail…painful consequences.”
You can relate to his response once you know his backstory. Avatar Roku was friends with Fire Lord Sozin, the ruler of the Fire Nation before Ozai and Azulon. Sozin was even the bestman at Roku’s wedding. However, a rift grew between them as Sozin began showing colonialist tendencies and wanted to expand the Fire Nation.
Roku was horrified by his friend’s suggestion and told him never to bring up the subject again. Their relationship soured after this encounter. However, 17 years after the wedding, Roku discovered Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom, meaning that Sozin had begun with his plan without paying heed to the Avatar’s warning.
Roku stormed the throne room of the Fire Lord and got attacked by Sozin. He not only defeated Sozin but also destroyed his throne room. Due to old friendship’s sake, he spared Sozin’s life but not without a strict warning that if he plans to move forward with the expansion again, Roku would end him permanently.
However, Roku sparing Sozin’s life later turned out to be a fatal mistake that brought about the death of the Avatar. Twenty five years later, two volcanoes on home island of Roku erupted. The Avatar rushed to save all civilians. He used all the bending techniques to divert the lava to the sea but to no avail.
Sozin, who witnessed the disaster, came to help Roku but abandoned him when he realized that without Roku, no one would be left to impede his plans. In his dying moments, Roku realized that he has been abandoned by his “friend” because he had failed to take the correct step before.
Why did Avatar Roku Call Friends a Liability?
Aang has some strong friends by his side namely Sokka and Katara. He will also be joined by more friends who will undertake the Avatar’s journey together. Aang loves them all and is afraid of losing them, be it in a battle or during his unhinged Avatar state. He wants to protect them, but Avatar Roku gives an additional piece of his mind to Aang by saying:
“I hope you are able to save your friends, but the truth is to the Avatar, friends can be…a liability.”
Roku was friends with Sozin, the person who left him to die to pursue his selfish interests. It is only natural that Roku does not believe in friendship anymore. Roku also had a wife and villagers that he was close to, and he saved all of them, thus failing to escape when he had time. If he was alive, Sozin would have never commenced the Hundred Year War.
Another meaning behind his words could be the fact that Avatars are extremely powerful people, especially when they enter the Avatar State. In order to bring peace, they often have to battle violent forces. However, with the presence of friends, the Avatar suddenly has something to lose, making them more vulnerable.
Aang’s friends could easily be captured and used to bait him. Hurting them would lead the Aang to lose his peace of mind. So, friends could be called a liability in this case. All of this comes from a man who has faced the most cruel death possible.
So, Aang needs to take this advice with a grain of salt because while Roku is right from his perspective, he will pave his own way into the world. If you have watched the animation, you already know how Aang achieves his purpose without betraying his morals.
You can watch Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action series on Netflix.
