Avatar: The Last Airbender/Tear Jerker: Difference between revisions

{{work}}

* In the episode where Katara steals the Waterbending Scroll, she is trying to learn some moves. Aang performs the waterbending moves with ease, and politely tries to show a frustrated Katara how it's done. Katara totally blows up at the poor kid about bragging and being "so incredibly gifted." Aang's lower lip trembles, and he looks like he's going to cry. Katara immediately apologizes for the outburst, but it was sad to see young Aang so hurt, like a real kid his age.

* When the other airbender children wouldn't let Aang play with them, because he's the avatar, seeing him as an unfair advantage to either team.

*** And while he's there, Appa sees a boy who reminds him of Aang who helps inspire him to escape. It's either cute, extra heartbreaking, or both.

* The last scene in "The Desert", {{spoiler|when, after all the suffering he felt after Appa is kidnapped, Aang finds the kidnapper, freaks out and goes into the Avatar State. He seems ready to unleash hell on earth, until Katara calms him down by pulling him out of the air and putting him in a [[Cooldown Hug|tight embrace]]. They both start crying.}}

*** What makes this especially powerful is that this is the first time in the series Aang has any control over the Avatar State. "TELL ME WHERE APPA IS!" is him keeping control, and the only time he speaks in the Avatar State with his own voice before totally losing it.

*** And in combination of "Appa's Lost Days" and "The Desert," Appa is being captured by the Sandbenders, and over his shoulder he sees a giant mushroom cloud of sand. He knows that that's Aang flipping his shit trying to find him, but Appa can't get to him.

** The scene with the death of Zuko's cousin, Lu Ten. When Zuko has a flashback to when his mother got the news and we see the look on Ursa's face...that quiet sorrow for a soldier lost in battle is heart breaking.

* Zuko's [[Rage Against the Heavens]] at the end of "Bitter Work", flying right by what would be [[Narm]] and into something genuinely heartbreaking. Even the heavens deny him.

{{quote|'''Zuko:''' You've always thrown everything you could at me! Well I can take it! And now I can give it back! }}

** {{spoiler|Zuko betraying Iroh}} during that same episode. I almost gave up hope for the guy.

** The last few scenes of that episode are heartbreaking [http://media.photobucket.com/image/avatar%20the%20last%20airbender%20%2522season%202%20finale%2522/callmebakes/Avatar/698.jpg Katara holding Aang's limp body]. [http://media.photobucket.com/image/crossroads%20of%20destiny%20avatar/callmebakes/Avatar/765.jpg The look of utter hoplessness and sense of failure on Sokka, Toph, and the Earth King's faces].

** When Azula began talking about Suki - the guy looked like his heart had been torn out. And then, he goes up to ''AZULA'', slams her against the wall, and his [http://mattierial.deviantart.com/art/Avatar-quot-Where-is-Suki-quot-194802031 expression]. He looks like he'd duel Ozai himself for her.

* Princess Azula's {{spoiler|gradual [[Villainous Breakdown|mental breakdown]] throughout the [[Grand Finale]], starting with a bit of minor paranoia during the second half-hour, then going to a full sobbing breakdown in front of the mirror in the third half-hour following a hallucination in which Azula sees her mother Ursa telling her that she loves her, but she refuses to believe it. The last we see of Azula in the series is a scene of her lying chained on the ground in hysterical rage, tears streaming down her face. As hideously evil as she had been throughout the series, those final moments made a lot of viewers realize that beneath all the psychotic evil, Azula was still a sad, scared little girl who just wanted her mommy to love her, and attached herself to a bastard of a daddy who used this to raise her into a villain.}}

** Azula becomes an even more tragic character when one [[Fridge Brilliance|spends a moment considering]] her family. She's Zuko's sister. That means that, like Zuko, she is a direct descendant of both Sozin and Roku. Azula had the same potential to turn around her family and the Fire Nation that Zuko had, and instead became this twisted, evil, mentally unstable, manipulative monster. The fact that she ''could have been'' the one to redeem her nation and family like her brother just makes the person she developed into even more sad; the most tragic monsters are the ones who had the potential to be heroes.

* {{spoiler|The part where Toph is dangling from an airship with Sokka just barely holding onto her.}} When she starts crying because she realizes they're both at the end- they're both about to die. [http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b26/Kanthia-chan/Toph.gif Just watch the .gif].

** Also, you have to remember that, while Gyatso died a hundred years ago, to Aang, that was a few days ago. He was playing pai sho with Gyatso very recently. He must have already known that everyone he knew was likely dead, but this is the moment that he was really forced to grips with it.

* How the Last Agni Kai starts:

** They're siblings, who more or less actually ''do'' care for one another, but with this one sentence, Zuko accepts that his sister is a total psychopath who wants him dead and that the only way to stop her is to fight her, possibly to the death.

** [[Word of God]] even says on the DVD commentary was that [[Alas, Poor Villain|this was the exact intention]]: to show that this was ''not'' a happy victory, particularly not for Zuko, and that he was very unhappy about having to duel his own sister. It had to be done, but it's obvious Zuko wishes it hadn't.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{SUBPAGENAME}}]]

[[Category:Tear Jerker/Animation]]