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Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Avatar State

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The Avatar State
Avatar 201.png
Season 2, Episode 1
Airdate March 17, 2006
Written by Aaron Ehasz
Elizabeth Welch Ehasz
Tim Hedrick
John O’Bryan
Directed by Giancarlo Vlope
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The Siege of the North (2)
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The Cave of Two Lovers
Avatar: The Last AirbenderSeason Two
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The Avatar State is the first episode of the second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the twenty-first episode overall.

Guest Stars: James Garrett (Avatar Roku), Daniel Dae Kim (General Fong)

Contents

Plot Overview

After the defeat of the Fire Nation Navy at the northern Water Tribe city, Aang, Katara and Sokka head East with a new goal in mind; reach the city of Omashu and begin Aangs Earthbending training with his old friend King Bumi. But the best-laid plans always go astray as the gang ends up at an Earth Kingdom base and encounters General Fong. After hearing stories of Aang’s role in the battle at the North Pole and his single handed destruction of the Fire Nation fleet, Fong becomes obsessed with using Aang and the mysterious Avatar State to end the war with one strategic blow against the Fire Nation. Ignoring the fact that Aang must master the remaining two elements, Fong pressures the young Avatar into trying to find a way to trigger the Avatar State and is willing to do whatever it takes, even putting Katara at risk. It’s not until Aang enters the Avatar State that his past self, Avatar Roku reveals the true purpose of the Avatar State and the risks it has.

Meanwhile, Zuko and Iroh recover from their escape from the North Pole at a Fire Nation controlled Earth Kingdom spa. Things are quickly interrupted as Zuko’s sister Azula shows up claiming to bring a message from Fire Lord Ozai. Although her treachery is initially successful, it is revealed that Ozai has declared Zuko and Iroh traitors and the two escapes. They cut off their top knots, severing all ties to the Fire Nation and being life anew as exiles.

Notes

  • Although it is the first time the character of Azula is given dialogue, it is not her first appearance. She is briefly shown is a flashback in the Book 1 Chapter The Storm at Zuko’s banishment and at the end of the final Chapter, Siege of the North, Part 2 where she is given instructions by Fire Lord Oazi to find Zuko and Iroh.
  • Azula is an extremely powerful Firebender and is capable of performing rare technique in which she can create and throw lightning. Iroh, being an equally powerful Firebender is capable of this move as well and created his own technique to capture and redirect lightning, as seen in this episode. He later reveals to Zuko how to perform this move in the Book 2 episode, Bitter Work.
  • Avatar Roku reveals to Aang that the Avatar State combines the knowledge and skills of all of his past lives. During this sequence we’re shown past Avatars entering the Avatar State and performing technique of extreme power. Avatar Kyoshi is show lifting gigantic statues; an unknown male Avatar in Water Tribe clothing is shown creating a tidal wave while on a raft; an unknown female Avatar in Air Nomad clothing is shown creating powerful winds and an unknown male Avatar in Fire Nation clothing is shown causing volcanoes to erupt. It is also revealed that if killed while in the Avatar State, the Avatar will cease to exist and the cycle of reincarnation will end. It should also be noted that as Roku gives Aang this information a line of all of Avatars, stretching into the distance and ending with Aang appears and vanishes, to illustrate his point. The Avatars in line after Roku are Kyoshi, the previously mentioned unknown Water Tribe, Air Nomad and Fire Nation Avatars.
  • Zuko and Iroh remove their topknots at the end of the episode using Zuko’s dagger. This is the same dagger that Zuko received as a gift from Iroh years earlier, a fact we learn later in Book 2 in the episode Zuko Alone.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

  • Aang, Katara and Sokka end up heading to Omashu without an escort from the Earth Kingdom troops as Zuko and Iroh head off to unknown parts as they try to avoid capture from the Fire Nation.

Characters

  • Aang learns the true meaning of the Avatar State although he does not learn to trigger it intentionally.
  • Azula is introduced and her true intention of capturing Zuko and Iroh as traitors is revealed.
  • Zuko and Iroh remove their topknots and flee the Fire Nation as exiles.

Referbacks

  • Throughout the episode, Aang is hounded by dreams of the Avatar State and the complete lack of control he has while in it. He seems himself at four different instances when he entered the State in Book 1; at the Southern Air Temple when he learned of Monk Gyatso’s death (Chapter 4, The Southern Air Temple), when he destroyed Avatar Roku’s Temple (Chapter 8, The Winter Solstice, Part 2: Avatar Roku), when he destroyed the Fire Nation fleet with the help of the Ocean Spirit (Chapter 20, The Siege of the North, Part 2) and when attacked Zuko’s ship after being knocked unconscious (Chapter 1, The Boy in the Iceberg)
  • King Bumi and the city of Omashu are mentioned numerious times. Aang, Katara and Sokka first encountered Bumi and Omashu in Book 1, Chapter 5, The King of Omashu

Trivia

The Show

Behind the Scenes

Allusions and References

Memorable Moments

Quotes

Iroh: Who knew floating on a piece of driftwood for three weeks with no food or water and sea vultures waiting to pluck out your liver could make one so tense?


Karata: There’s a right way to do this: practice, study and discipline.
Sokka: Or just glow it up and stomp that Fire Lord.
Karata: If you two meatheads want to throw away everything we’ve worked for, fine, glow it up!


Azula: “Almost” isn’t good enough.


General Fong: I don’t see glowing!


Zuko: You lied to me!
Azula: Like I’ve never done that before.

Reviews

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