Avatar: The Last Airbender/YMMV

"Katara: We were following instinct.
 * Alas, Poor Villain:
 * Azula is a terrible, terrible person, and while it's possible to feel sorry for her, usually she's such a Magnificent Bitch that you temporarily forget those feelings..
 * Sozin dies offscreen, but he gets a lot more sympathetic by then, realizing that he basically crossed the Moral Event Horizon by betraying and murdering his best friend and wiping out the Air Nation, and has nothing to show for it except an empty, hollow life.
 * Alternative Character Interpretation:
 * Azula: sociopathic Manipulative Bitch or is she just a product of parental neglect, much like Zuko, but without the benefit of having a loving figure in her life?
 * She's both. She's not a character who can be so simply defined.
 * Word of God seems to lean at least slightly towards the latter though. The creators have stated in interviews that Azula isn't inherently evil in nature despite her genetics and may eventually get better.
 * Ozai: Word of God says he got along very well with Ursa when they first married, which could mean he wasn't always this evil. Conversely, it could say some things about Ursa...
 * Then again, even Zuko mentions that there "was a time when they were happy" (and visited Ember Island together), so it's likely that he wasn't always evil.
 * Another possible (and controversial, of course) interpretation of Ozai's behavior: Is he a ruthless, merciless and heartless bastard, hungry of power or deeply he is a Jerkass Woobie and/or Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds with a large Inferiority Superiority Complex and his own unresolved daddy issues?
 * Combustion Man: All over the place, which is understandable. We still know very little about this guy as a person.
 * Azulon: Considering how little is known about him and how ambiguous the scenario involving him is, alternate interpretations have cropped up about the order to kill Zuko. Some see it as a sick display of affection and loyalty for his eldest son Iroh, others saw it as a Secret Test of Character that went out of hand, much like Abraham being ordered to sacrifice Isaac in The Bible. It has even been suggested that he never gave any such order--that Azula made it up in order to pick on Zuko, and Ozai went along with the lie in order to gain Ursa's cooperation. One Fanfic even suggested that when Azulon said that Ozai would feel the pain of losing his son, it was because Azulon wanted Zuko to become Iroh's heir.
 * Koh: Some people see him as a more neutral force, mostly because his one appearance in the series had him helping Aang. Alternatively, he could be seen as a Bigger Bad.
 * Katara: Good feminist icon in that she's an Action Girl who doesn't disavow her maternal instinct and still embraces her call to Team Mom or bad feminist icon in that she's hyper-emotional (to the point of allowing their entire overall mission to get sidetracked by her just-add-water instant sympathy for random townspeople who, really, will probably be helped out anyway by them rallying to finish overthrowing Ozai) and has that whole "Hell Hath No Fury" thing that leads her to betray her own ideals (in a very definitely bad way) and never really got called on it by any other character in the show?
 * Or reasonably flawed character who is otherwise a good feminist icon, despite having character flaws?
 * Kyoshi: She's pretty much the Lawful Good of the Avatars so far that we seen. However people of Tumblr seem to be under the impression that just because she doesn't regret putting down Chin the conquerer to save her people, apparently she is now labeled a full on Blood Knight, who apparently loves to battle and kill her enemies.
 * Zhao: What was his motive for rejecting Zuko's help when he was about to die? Zhao may have realized that, by accepting Zuko's hand, the both of them would have died simultaneously. Another idea is that, in his arrogance, Zhao refused to receive help from his teenaged rival, as he felt that being saved from (what he viewed as) an impatient, talentless, hot-headed and overconfident "child", on top of losing the battle at the Northern Water Tribe, would have disgraced his reputation to the public and his peers, damaged his authority over the Fire Nation military, and prompted a demotion. If this second possibility is true, then through death, as well as the Fire Lord holding the blame for the defeat on the Dragon of the West, Zhao managed to gain a slightly more 'merciful' final fate.
 * Another interpretation is that, through Zuko's rescue, Zhao felt that he would have owed his life to his rival out of obligation for being saved and may have perceived that as an act of submission. Finally, the last interpretation is that, once the Moon rose again, Zhao realized that his supposed "destiny" of being a legend was indeed false, and without this crutch to explain his own misdeeds, the purpose for his existence fell apart before his eyes. Zuko is basically a male version of Azula to them.
 * Zuko: In-universe. Aang, Sokka, and Katara treat him like a violent sociopath when he shows up at the Western Air Temple, because from their prospective he is. Zuko has only ever shown up around them to either assault them or, in the case of the Crystal Catacombs, stab them in the back after making peaceful overtures. They've never witnessed the same inner doubts and character growth that the viewers have. Only Toph has no history with Zuko, which is why she's the one willing to reach out to him first.
 * And the Fandom Rejoiced: Dark Horse has announced that they'll be publishing new canonical comics in early 2012 that bridge the gap between the end of the series and The Legend of Korra, as well as an anthology of all the Avatar comics featured in the now defunct Nickelodeon Magazine. Looks like the fans might get their "Book 4" after all.
 * Angel Devil Shipping: Aang and Azula, Zuko and Katara.
 * Anvilicious: "The Great Divide." The tribes hate each other, and this is a Bad Thing. We get it.
 * At least they realize this and skip it in the Ember Island play.
 * Base Breaker: Aang...and Katara...and Azula...and Suki...and Mai... and Ty Lee... and Zuko. Name a character, really.
 * Big Lipped Alligator Moment: Guru Pathik's "reappearance" in Nightmares and Daydreams.
 * All of Aang's nightmares in general are classified as this.
 * Brick Joke: In "Daydreams and Nightmares", Aang has a reoccurring "Not Wearing Pants" Dream about fighting the Fire Lord only to discover he's not wearing pants, until he eventually gets over it, saying: "No, Fire Lord, it is you who is not wearing pants!" "My royal parts are showing!" In the finale, Aang and Ozai are both shirtless for most of the fight, so they are both only and specifically wearing pants.
 * Broken Base: The debate over the movie casting is so intense that entire forums are divided over it, with those supporting the casting and those against it being banned for their opinions. Protesters see those that are okay with the casting as blind and shrugging off a big issue, while those that eagerly anticipate the movie see the protesters as not "true" fans.
 * Aang's conflict in the finale split fans between those who felt it came out of nowhere and those who felt it was perfectly justified given what we'd seen of Aang to that point. Then there's  was reasonably foreshadowed or a complete Ass Pull. But the less said the better.
 * Shipping, anyone? Let's see, we have Kataang versus Zutara versus Taang versus Maiko versus Jetara. Then we have Sukka/George versus Yuokka versus Tykka versus The Doph versus Taang versus Toko versus Tokka. And that's not even mentioning anyone outside of the Five-Man Band or any of the crack/ yaoi/ yuri pairings.
 * Cargo Ship: Sokka/Boomerang, on again off again.
 * Complete Monster: Fire Lord Ozai qualifies big time. When his son disrespected one of his generals (who deserved it), he responded by burning off a good portion of his face, then banishing him until he could capture the Avatar. Three years later, when Zuko mouths off again, he tries shooting him with lightning. The whole reason he got the throne in the first place was by . And then he spends half the finale burning the whole Earth Kingdom to the ground just to quell a few uprisings there, and the other half trying to kill a twelve year-old boy. He feels no remorse for any of this.
 * Azula is an interesting subversion: by the end of Season 2, she appeared to be filling the necessary Complete Monster qualities. Then Season 3 came, she gradually unravelled, had her Villainous Breakdown, and ended up with only one of the criteria left (that she has committed heinous crimes within the context of the story.) In the end, although she did a good job emulating her father for a while, she couldn't escape being a Tragic Villain.
 * Crazy Awesome: Bumi.
 * Creepy Awesome: Koh the Face Stealer and Azula.
 * Darker and Edgier: Apparently, The Promise seems to be heading in this direction. Not only is it showing that the ending for the series is not the definitive one nor as happy as it initially seems, but . A hundred years of warfare can't be unmade in just a few months, after all.
 * Die for Our Ship: Has its own page.
 * Draco in Leather Pants: Zuko, Zhao, Azula, Jet and yes, even Ozai.
 * Dry Docking: Generally, Zutara shippers have the reputation (whether or not it's deserved is an argument that can light a forum ablaze almost instantly) of projecting romance onto the character they identify with and the character they want to tap. However, it's also common for people to go one step beyond and declare that "ZUKO/ME IS THE ONLY THING I SHIP!!!"
 * Ear Worm: SECRET TUNNEL! SECRET TUNNEL...
 * Ensemble Darkhorse:
 * Jin and Ty Lee have this in common for two very big reasons.
 * Suki was originally meant to be a one-off character, but they brought her back by fan demand
 * Mai has won over quite a few fans, though not as many as Ty Lee.
 * Jet was meant to be a one-shot character, but fan popularity brought him back for four more appearances.
 * Foamy Mouth Guy.
 * Koh.
 * THE BOULDER.
 * The Cabbage Merchant, too.
 * "MY CABBAGES!"
 * Despite just being the Starter Villain, Zhao is still fondly remembered.
 * King Bumi is also well loved for being a badass mad genius.
 * Epileptic Trees:
 * Seriously, what happened to Ursa?
 * Combustion Man is a badass assassin with a mysterious past, a completely unique form of Firebending, and leaves more questions then answers. You do the math.
 * According to creator commentary, he has an extremely overdeveloped third eye, which makes sense as his tattoo looks like the symbol for an Ajna chakra.
 * What are the stories behind all of Koh's faces?
 * Evil Is Sexy: Azula and Ozai. Mai and Ty Lee also.
 * Zhao. Helps that he's voiced by Lucius Malfoy.
 * Don't forget Zuko!
 * Lian "the Maker" from the first video game.
 * Really, all of the bad guys. Except maybe Long Feng and Hama.
 * Fan Community Nicknames: Due primarily to one certain "megafan"'s infamous, longrunning satire comic of the Avatar fandom, fans have come to almost unanimously accept the term "Avatards". (Some people feel that, in referring to the term "retard", fans' use of this label is demeaning to the mentally-disabled.)
 * The term fell out of use after The Legend of Korra was announced, at least partially because of the Unfortunate Implications - it's now rarer to find someone in the fandom who calls themselves an Avatard than someone who doesn't.
 * Fan Dumb: Fans complain about the pronunciation in the movie (which appears to be for the most part more phonetically correct), to be fair the wrong pronunciation in the cartoon is constant so it can be considered as the right way to say the names in that world.
 * Actually, there's no evidence that the movie pronunciations are more "phonetically correct" at all. A better example of Fan Dumb would be how fans complained about the long hiatuses between seasons without considering how much time is needed for animation as quality as Avatar's was.
 * Meh that's more Nick's fault for not knowing how to properly space out the airing of new episodes.
 * Fandom Rivalry: "A couple more years, and you might be ready to fight a sea sponge." (For the record, we were. "Yes! We have defeated you for all time! You will never rise from the ashes of your shame and humiliation!" )
 * Fan-Preferred Couple: Zutara (Zuko/Katara) is the biggest example-- about 22% of the AtLA fanfics at Fanfiction.net alone list the two as main characters. Doesn't help that Zutara had an unusual amount of Ship Tease in the show, or that they had their own canon shippers, in the form of June and the Ember Island Players. Other couples like Aang/Toph, Sokka/Toph, Sokka/Azula and Ty Lee/Azula also attract large numbers of shippers.
 * And we have a new couple: YUE/ KORRA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 * Fashion Victim Villain: Ozai. Though he fixes that in time for the final battle.
 * Foe Yay: Responsible for a lot of the shipping between Zuko and Katara (not that shippers need any encouragement).
 * Tykka's actually had this in canon to point of almost reaching Dating Catwoman levels.
 * Azulaang, anyone?
 * Zuko and Azula is almost canon. No, seriously.
 * Also Ho Yay with Roku and Sozin if the episode "The Avatar and The Fire Lord" is anything to go by.
 * Fountain of Memes: Sokka.
 * Funny Aneurysm Moment: When Aunt Wu offers to tell Iroh's fortune in "Bato of the Water Tribe", Iroh says that for a man of his age, there was only one great surprise left and he preferred that to remain a mystery. A year later, Iroh's voice actor Mako had passed away and was unable to finish the series.
 * Also, in "Jet":
 * Also, in "Jet":

Jet:"

"Zuko: That... wasn't a good play.
 * Gainaxing: It's hard to tell unless you're really looking, but during the episode "The Beach" Ty Lee has a tendancy to... bounce quite often.
 * Generic Doomsday Villain: For some fans Fire Lord Ozai is this.
 * Genius Bonus: Dear lord, everything. Ozai's title in the finale is probably a reference to the Chinese "fenghuang" (the phoenix lord of demons, which is symbolic in and of itself).
 * The final Shonen Upgrade Aang gets becomes a lot less of an Ass Pull if you know your ancient Greek natural philosophy.
 * The sheer number of accurate details from different cultures is immensely rewarding for anyone familiar with Asian history.
 * Note that this is not just Ancient Asian history. Many of the best references and parallels are actually from 20th century China and Japan. Ba Sing Se especially will ring a lot of bells for anyone who's been to China lately.
 * Growing the Beard: In the trope sense, it seems most of the fans agree the show was great from the start but others like to point at various points in the first season (and even up to Season 2) as to where it "really" hit its stride, most citing the double whammy of "The Storm" and "The Blue Spirit" as the point where the growth completed. However, there are a number of literal cases of sudden beard growth, too.
 * Iroh's beard goes from its Season 1 Fire Nation style goatee-with-sideburns to a much longer Earth Kingdom style over the course of Season 2.
 * When shows up again in "Day of Black Sun" to help in the invasion of the Fire Nation capitol, he has grown facial hair (lampshaded by Sokka in his Disorganized Outline Speech).
 * Harsher in Hindsight: Iroh exasperatedly telling Zuko he'll never find the Avatar in the first episode. Once you know Zuko's whole backstory, it comes off pretty damn callous in a rewatch since he's basically offhandedly saying "Oh, just give up on ever returning to your homeland, family, and birthright and go to bed."
 * The quotes listed under Funny Aneurysm Moment above.
 * He's Just Hiding: and
 * Most fans still believe this of a number of Air Nomads.
 * In Universe example: When Aang is told that airbenders have not been seen in a century, he insists that they must be in hiding
 * Hilarious in Hindsight:
 * In "The Storm", Sokka describes a dream he had where Momo talked ("You said some very unkind things.") Two seasons later in "Nightmares and Daydreams", one of Aang's hallucinations starts with Momo talking.
 * The final scene of "The Ember Island Players" can also come off as this, as many fans came away from The Last Airbender with the same sentiments.

Aang: I'll say.

Katara: No kidding.

Suki: Horrible.

Toph: You said it.

Sokka: But the effects were decent."

"Azula: I could sit here and complain how our mom liked Zuko more than me, but I don't really care. My own mother thought I was a monster.
 * this youtube video puts it in cartoon form.
 * There's also Aang's "Wait, is that a woman playing me?" Aang's stunt double in the movie is female.
 * The first tie-in video game featured steampunk-heavy people who believed bending to be the source of the all of the world's problems as the antagonists. Now look what's happened in The Legend of Korra. Somewhere, "the Maker" is laughing her ass off.
 * In the 'Ember Island Players', the play's version of Aang is a girl posing as a boy. The next Avatar is a girl with boyish tenancies.
 * HSQ: The entirety of the last two episodes.
 * Hell, any of the season finales counts, the season 2 finale arguably even more than the series finale.
 * Internet Backdraft: "Who's the greatest Earthbender in the world: Toph or Bumi?"
 * Iron Woobie: Zuko.
 * Jerkass Woobie: Zuko during Season 1 and early Season 3. And in the end, becomes one as well.
 * Launcher of a Thousand Ships:
 * Everyone is paired with Katara. No Exceptions.
 * Also, Sokka. This is the price he pays for having the most onscreen romantic interest.
 * Zuko. And Azula.
 * It would just be easier to list who hasn't been paired off with Jin and Ty Lee considering the ships they've launched.
 * Les Yay: Toph with Katara. Which is pretty hilarious, considering there were plans for Katara to get a crush on Toph back when he was a boy. And with Suki, especially during that Accidental Kiss.
 * Not to mention Azula and Ty Lee.
 * Love to Hate/Evil Is Cool: Azula, for those that prefer her to not be a DILP. Long Feng too. Zhao is much less Evil Is Cool but defenitely Love to Hate.
 * Magnificent Bastard: Azula. Long Feng, an experienced Chessmaster himself, also tries his hand at this, but he can't quite measure up to her.


 * beat*

Azula: She was right, of course, but it still hurt."

"Sokka: I always knew the Fire Lord was a bad guy, but his plan is just pure evil."
 * Memetic Badass:
 * Parodied with Sokka's Wang Fire persona, who becomes a Fire Nation hero.
 * Toph. And Iroh.
 * Also Bumi.
 * Memetic Molester: Azula.
 * Memetic Mutation: Has its own page.
 * Memetic Sex Goddess: Pretty much every young female character on the show, but especially Katara, Toph, Azula, Mai, Jin and Ty Lee.
 * Mis Blamed: Some people claim
 * Moral Event Horizon: Zhao crosses it by
 * Long Feng when he
 * In-universe, Zuko feels his father crossed it . This breaks Zuko of his need to get his father's love at all costs.


 * For the viewers, Ozai crosses a new Moral Event Horizon almost every time he appears onscreen. The only time he didn't do or try to do something really horrible was his appearance in "The Awakening", when we finally got to see his face.
 * Sozin when he abandons Roku to die and then wipes out an entire race of people.
 * Sozin is an interesting example as he actually realizes that he crossed this and regrets it by the end of his life, ultimately realizing that all his success was meaningless because it wasn't worth the cost.
 * Azula crossed it when she thus proving she will do anything to serve her father. Unless of course, you find that disturbingly awesome.
 * If you do find that to be a Moment of Awesome, then her being the one to advocate (and partially inspire, though Ozai's the one who takes it to it's most horrific stage) the whole "raze the Earth Kingdom until it's all ash" plan of her father's might be an even better one.
 * Multiple Demographic Appeal: Sure, it's a kids' show. It also tackles very mature themes, has plenty of Fan Service for anyone who's interested, and isn't afraid to say die when it's warranted, all without becoming kid-unfriendly.
 * Narm: Zuko's reaction to Iroh being attacked by Azula in Book 2 chapter 8 to be this.
 * Narm Charm: Despite being somewhat narmtastic, Zuko's comment on Mai's beauty ("You're so beautiful when you hate the world.") comes across as being rather sweet and romantic, albeit in an awkward, emotionally repressed teen sort of way.
 * Considering who the little moment is between, the awkwardness of exchanging 'romantic' comments is arguably why it's adorable.
 * It helps that the "I don't hate you" "I don't hate you, too" followed by the kiss that comes afterwards is Played for Laughs.
 * Also Zuko's
 * Even Azula has her moments of this when she
 * Nightmare Fuel: Has its own page.
 * Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: Koh, Hama and Wan Shi Tong as well.
 * Ozai also counts.
 * If one is not, by nature, a fan of owls, one is advised to skip "The Library" (Season 2, episode 10)
 * No Yay: Bryke (jokingly) suggested "Bluezula" during the infamous shipping-slideshow. You can actually hear someone in the crowd screaming "What is WRONG with you?"
 * Periphery Demographic:
 * Despite being initially targeted at elementary school-age kids, the show become quite popular ( possibly likely even more popular) among preteens and teenagers.And young adults in their twenties. And not-so-young adults.
 * Toph being a girl rather than a boy was supposed to appeal to the female demographic... which it did, but the showrunners probably weren't expecting her to be equally popular with teen to college-aged men.
 * One of the Avatar video games on the XBOX 360 is popular among achievement hunters due to ease of getting 1000 points.
 * Relationship Writing Fumble: Azula permanently sounding like she's trying to seduce her brother.
 * Rooting for the Empire: Azula's ability to provoke this almost rivals Grand Admiral Thrawn. People want to see her win simply because they know it will be awesome to watch.
 * Ship-to-Ship Combat: Rivals Harry Potter for some of the fiercest battles (Zutara vs Kataang) of all time.
 * Some Anvils Need to Be Dropped: This series is anything but subtle with its messages, and it's that much better for it. See the example page for more details.
 * Spoiled by the Format: The invasion of the Fire Nation on the day of the solar eclipse is built up as the final confrontation, and the final blow to end the war. Too bad it happens in episodes ten and eleven out of twenty-one.
 * Tethercat Principle: The last we ever see of Azula is . While Word of God stated that it's not actually shown in the series proper.
 * They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: Toph's storyline concerning her parents never gets resolved. It gets a nod in "The Runaway", when she sends them a letter.
 * According to Word of God, it was at least confirmed that managed to deliver the letter.
 * Viewer Gender Confusion: Smellerbee, lampshaded by Iroh in "The Serpent's Pass".
 * Villain Decay: Zuko as Book 1 progressed. He hadn't even become all that conflicted about what he was doing yet, but he still kept on failing in his endeavors. No wonder Zhao wound up the final enemy of the season, despite Zuko being it's main villain.
 * This may or may not be tied with his Character Development, however.
 * It's also somewhat ironic since Zuko got noticeably and progressively more powerful throughout season 1, It just became more and more apparent as the season went on that he had inadequate resources facing effectively impossible odds. From the very first episode, the only reason he was a threat to Aang at all were his raw cunning, desperation, and absolute refusal to give up.
 * Azula underwent it for plot-related reasons for four appearances straight in Book 3: because it took a while to get to the eclipse, she had nothing villainous to actually do, so she spent her screen time trolling Zuko, getting into wacky beach antics with her friends and brother, giving Zuko a briefing on their grandfather's life and death, and getting groomed by her servants for a meeting in which she was ultimately a Yes Man for her father. Afterwards, she comes back in full force and then some.
 * What an Idiot!: Delectable tea or deadly poison, anyone?
 * This was somewhat justified due to the fact that Iroh and Zuko were out of food and supplies at the time, and Iroh was desperate for something to tide him over, even if it meant taking the huge risk with the flower being delectable tea or deadly poison.
 * A group try to force Aang into the Avatar State. It works, but Aang almost destroys the complex and everyone inside.
 * Of course, seeing as everyone in the complex is too young to have been alive when the last fully-realized Avatar was alive...
 * Iroh using firebending to heat his tea while him and Zuko are pretending to be Earth Kingdom refugees. Zuko even hangs a lampshade on it ("For a wise old man, that was a STUPID move!")
 * Zhao destroying the moon. Best. Idea. Ever.
 * It makes a little bit of sense in context (waterbenders are powered by the moon, so destroying it would render them useless), but yeah. Still a terrible idea.
 * It wasn't that (from a purely military, in-the-moment tactical point of view) the idea ITSELF was bad; it was doing it right in front of the rage-awakened Avatar. Seriously, he's the page image for a trope more famously paired with the freakin Hulk!
 * What Do You Mean It's for Kids?: While it seems to be primary a kids show, it does has its fair share of Nightmare Fuel and especially in the third seasons deals with a series of very tough issues. The main character is the lone survivor of a genocide during which an entire ethnicity was completely whiped out and the 100 year long war seems to have spared not a single family from having lost relatives in combat or war crimes. Some episodes in the 3rd season even deal with an assassin hired to kill the protagonists and one of the heroes.
 * About the only tell (aside from the squeaky-clean language) is when characters are strangely incapable of outright suggesting they will kill each other. Further, while some characters are shown dying in the series, their deaths are never depicted outright (poked fun at in "Ember Island Players"). However, sometimes even Never Say "Die" can get lifted - such as showing Gyatso's remains a whopping two episodes into the series.
 * The Woobie:
 * Most of the cast has had their moments of this.
 * This show has two diametrically opposed Woobies at the same time, in Aang and Zuko… especially after "The Storm" where we learn about
 * Katara in episodes such as "The Southern Raiders".
 * Sokka gets some of this from time to time, too, especially in "The Waterbending Master", "The Siege of the North", and "The Boiling Rock".
 * Then there's, who goes from one of the greatest Magnificent Bastards to The Woobie over the course of only four episodes. And it actually works.
 * Appa during Season 2 - the episode "Appa's Lost Days" has him go through a certain level of Hell.
 * Iroh, in an Iron Woobie kind of way, in that he doesn't let it show very often. For most of the series, he looks like a funny, yet awesome character who always has Zuko's best interests at heart... But then we find out that he lost his son in the siege against Ba Sing Se that he led, and it goes downhill from there.
 * Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds:
 * Aang in his Avatar State usually qualifies for this.
 * Hama. Kidnapped and imprisoned by the Fire Nation army as a teenager, prevented from bending her native element (water), it's no wonder she took her only chance of escape, by turning the guards into People Puppets by bending their body fluids. But then she snuck into the Fire Nation and started kidnapping innocent civilians with the same technique she used on the prison guards...