Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang

:This article is about the fourth and final episode of the Book Three finale. For the titular character, see Aang. For other uses referring to the character, see Aang (disambiguation). For other similar uses, see Sozin's Comet (disambiguation).
"Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang" is the 21st episode of Book Three: Fire of Avatar: The Last Airbender as well as the 61st and final episode of the overall series. It debuted on July 19, 2008, and is dedicated to the memory of Dante DiMartino, the father of series co-creator Michael Dante DiMartino.
== Overview ==
Ozai accidentally unlocks Aang's chakra, causing him to enter the Avatar State. The Order of the White Lotus successfully liberates Ba Sing Se, while Sokka and Toph manage to disable all of the airships. Katara defeats Azula and heals Zuko's injuries. Aang in the Avatar State easily overwhelms Ozai, yet still refuses to kill him. He uses an ancient form of bending, known as energybending, to strip Ozai of his firebending powers, keeping true to his beliefs and defeating the Phoenix King without taking his life. Newly appointed Fire Lord Zuko declares the War over, with Aang and his friends celebrating together. Aang and Katara share a romantic kiss on the balcony as the series draws to an end.
== Synopsis ==
Ozai continuously blasts away at Aang's earth shield and taunts him. Meanwhile, on an airship within the fleet, Toph metalbends the rudder to make the ship spiral into the others. A Fire Nation soldier on the ship spots them and tries to blast both Toph and Sokka off using firebending. They evade his attack only to fall off the side of the airship. Sokka tries to break the fall using his sword, but instead lands on a platform which breaks his leg. Toph is left dangling off the edge, holding Sokka's hand. Two firebenders approach to attack them on either side, so he uses his boomerang and sword to ward them off, losing them both in the process. Even so, more firebenders come, and Sokka and Toph are seemingly doomed. They are saved, however, by another incoming airship, piloted by Suki, on which they land.
Ozai overwhelms Aang's stone sphere with a charged fire bomb, nearly causing him to lose consciousness from the heat. Increasing his assault, Ozai charges up an attack powerful enough to destroy the sphere completely. The impact throws Aang backward with his back against a jagged stone wall, where his scar aligns with a protruding piece of rock. Upon collision, his thought chakra is finally unblocked, and Aang receives a vision of his Avatar predecessors, all in the Avatar State, lining up beside him. Unaware of this, Ozai approaches the pile of rocks underneath which Aang is buried. Taunting Aang to come out, Ozai is surprised to suddenly be grabbed by the beard as Aang emerges from the rubble, his tattoos glowing from the restored Avatar State light. The Phoenix King immediately strikes for the Avatar's head, though Aang effortlessly pushes Ozai's hand out of the way, directing his fire harmlessly into the sky, before countering with a powerful air blast to the chest, which sends Ozai tumbling backward. Ozai slams to a halt by roughly connecting with a stone pillar and sags onto his knees. Glancing up, he sees an enraged Avatar floating through the sky in a sphere of air.
As Aang roars, enhanced fire whips shoot out of his mouth and all his limbs. As he rises higher into the sky, he uses them to destroy several earth pillars and summon the loose rocks toward him, as well as simultaneously drawing water from the nearby ocean. He concentrates the bulk of his flames, condenses the rocks, and tightens the water to all form circles around him.
In Ba Sing Se, the Order of the White Lotus is successfully liberating the city; Pakku and Piandao work together to get past some Fire Nation soldiers, Bumi and Jeong Jeong each take down several Fire Nation tundra tanks, and Iroh burns down the Fire Nation flag hanging from the Earth Kingdom Royal Palace.
Aang, possessed by the Avatar State, charges at Ozai and knocks him into the sky, but Ozai recovers before Aang can get to him again. Ozai flees by using firebending to propel himself at great speeds as Aang chases after him. Aang earthbends small fragments of rock, which he fires at him like bullets, though Ozai barely manages to evade them all and continues fleeing.
Back at the Fire Nation capital, Azula relentlessly shoots fire and lightning at Katara, driving her away from any source of water. She proceeds to taunt Prince Zuko, who is collapsed on the ground. Though Katara finds water to bend, Azula is too quick for her attacks and the waterbender is forced to flee from her immense flames. Eventually, she discovers a grate with water underneath and some chains nearby. Luring Azula above the grate, she bends the water around them just before Azula is able to release her attack at point-blank range, freezing them both in place. As Azula looks on helplessly, Katara unfreezes the water around herself, swims around in the thawed water, and binds the firebender's hands together to the grate with the chains. She melts the remaining water and runs to Zuko to heal him. He weakly thanks Katara, but she responds tearfully that she should be thanking him. Azula sees her brother rise, still alive, and her brittle mind finally shatters completely; she firebends from her mouth wildly before rolling around on the ground, screaming and crying uncontrollably. Zuko and Katara silently look upon what has become of the once-mighty Azula with pity.
Aang, still controlled by the Avatar State, continues to pursue the evading Phoenix King and tries to crush him between two stone pillars with earthbending, but Ozai manages to avoid the collision in time. Ozai tries to counterattack, but his attempts continually fail against the unbelievable power of all the past Avatars. Aang catches him with waterbending and subdues him by earthbending shackles onto his arms and legs. Hovering over his foe, the Avatar speaks with the voices of his predecessors, saying that Ozai and his forefathers have devastated the balance of the world for which he must now pay the ultimate price. The possessed Aang proceeds to deliver the final blow, a combination of all four elements into one attack. Moments before the strike lands, however, Aang's peaceful nature breaks through the control of the Avatar State; he manages to exit the state, cancelling his attack at the last instant.
Aang releases Ozai from his bonds, saying that he is not going to end the fight that way. Ozai mocks Aang once more, that despite being the most powerful being in the world, he is still weak. As Aang's back is turned, he tries to strike him with firebending, but Aang senses his movement, via Toph's signature earthbending technique, and quickly disables him with earthen shackles. Aang remembers what the lion turtle taught him, and uses the technique to bend Ozai's inner energies, risking being totally destroyed himself. Indeed, Aang's blue energy is nearly consumed by Ozai's orange energy, but he manages to overcome it. A pillar of blue light shoots into the sky, similar to the beam of light that appeared when Aang was freed from the iceberg.
Exhausted from the ordeal, Ozai pathetically tries to attack Aang again, but finds he cannot firebend at all. Aang explains he removed Ozai's firebending powers so he cannot hurt anyone anymore. Demonstrating his new found control over the Avatar State, Aang waterbends the tide to rise and douse the burning land. Momo flies back to him and lands on his shoulder.
Sokka, Toph, and Suki meet up with Aang as Sozin's Comet departs Earth. They congratulate Aang and Suki wonders if Ozai, collapsed on the ground, is dead. Ozai snarls that he is still alive, prompting Aang to explain that he took away his firebending with an ability that he learned from a lion turtle. An amazed Toph comments on his strange adventures while Sokka seizes the opportunity to taunt Ozai and calls him "The Loser Lord." Ozai weakly tries to defend his title as the Phoenix King, but passes out again from exhaustion, prompting Toph to insult his title by calling him the "Phoenix King of Getting His Butt Whooped." Suki weakly tries, "King of the Guys Who Don't Win?" Toph advises that she leave the name-calling to them. The sky fades from bright red to the dark of night as the comet fades into space once again.
The next day at the Fire Nation palace, Zuko is trying to dress himself for his coronation as Fire Lord, but is having trouble due to his injuries. To his surprise, Mai arrives and helps him, and he is glad to see she was released from prison. She and Zuko kiss, but afterward Mai starkly warns him not to break up with her ever again.
Everyone is soon reunited in the Fire Nation capital city. Friends who were imprisoned have been set free. Katara and Sokka find their father Hakoda, who tells them he is the proudest father in the world, and that their mother would be proud of them, too. Sokka is distressed to see Ty Lee dressed in uniform among the Kyoshi Warriors. Paranoid, he assumes she is disguising herself again until Suki tells him Ty Lee officially joined. Ty Lee happily explains she bonded with the warriors in prison and after a few chi-blocking lessons, she was allowed to join and be "best friends forever".
Before his coronation, Zuko, now clad in the robes of the Fire Lord, approaches Aang, who dons the attire of an airbending master, and reminisces about how different his life was a year prior, noting that he went from being obsessed with capturing the Avatar to being his friend. Aang, on the other hand, cannot believe he was still frozen in a block of ice the year prior. Commenting on how different the world is, Zuko comforts him by saying the world will be even more different once they rebuild it together. They hug, and the coronation begins in the plaza. Zuko addresses the crowd that the War is now over and gives Aang the credit for saving the world as everyone cheers. Zuko is crowned Fire Lord and declares the start of a new era of love and peace.
Zuko later pays his imprisoned father a visit. Ozai, ragged and defeated, sarcastically remarks the new Fire Lord has graced him with his presence. Zuko remarks that he should be glad that Aang let him live. He tells Ozai that banishment was the best thing that ever happened to him, as it put him on the right path. He hopes perhaps being in prison will give Ozai the same chance for redemption. Ozai sees through Zuko's purpose and asks why he is really visiting him. Zuko gravely demands Ozai tell him where his mother Ursa is.
Sometime later in Ba Sing Se, life has improved in the world; the stack of Fire Nation tanks Bumi destroyed is being used by children for earthbending games. At the Jasmine Dragon, Zuko helps serve tea to the gang, including Mai and Iroh, as they all relax together. Sokka is painting a group portrait to remember the good times, but it is crudely drawn. Katara complains that her oversize hair loopies make her look like Momo, Zuko grumbles that his hair was not that spiky as portrayed in the drawing, Mai comments that she looks like a man and Suki that she is shown firebending. Momo also climbs on the table and makes noises to Sokka, which the latter interprets as a complaint. Iroh as well does not like the drawn, where he is depicted with a big stomach, since he claims he has really trimmed down his weight. Then Toph tells them she thinks they all look perfect, a joke on her blindness which causes everyone to laugh.
Aang smiles and steps outside the tea shop to pet Appa. Katara follows him out, and they both warmly embrace before sharing a passionate kiss.
== Credits ==
* Written by:
** Michael Dante DiMartino
** Bryan Konietzko
* Directed by:
** Joaquim Dos Santos
* Starring:
** Zach Tyler Eisen - Aang
** Mae Whitman - Katara
** Jack DeSena - Sokka
** Jessie Flower - Toph
** Dante Basco - Prince Zuko
** Dee Bradley Baker:
*** Appa
*** Momo
* Also starring:
** Mark Hamill - Phoenix King Ozai
** Greg Baldwin - Uncle
** Kevin Michael Richardson - Lion turtle
** Andre Sogliuzzo - Hakoda
** Cricket Leigh - Mai
** Olivia Hack - Ty Lee
** Jennie Kwan - Suki
** Grey DeLisle - Azula
** Keone Young - High Sage
* Additional voices:
** Dee Bradley Baker
== Production notes ==
=== Transcript ===
=== Translations ===
=== Avatar Extras ===
=== Series continuity ===
* The Earth Kingdom outfits Zuko and Iroh wear at the end are the same ones they wore in "The Crossroads of Destiny".
* The line of Avatars that appears in Aang's vision when the final chakra is opened, is the same line that disappeared, in the reverse order, when Roku warned Aang that should he be killed in the Avatar State, the Avatar Cycle would be broken, in the episode "The Avatar State". This also refers back to how Azula's lightning fire originally blocked the final chakra as well as nearly killed Aang and ended the cycle forever in "The Crossroads of Destiny".
* Aang becomes a fully realized Avatar with his control over the Avatar State.
* When Aang fought Ozai in the Avatar State, he created five enormous fire whips, a feat even Ozai could not perform. This links back to the episode, "Winter Solstice, Part 2: Avatar Roku", where the Crescent Island Fire Temple sanctuary door could only be opened single-handedly by the five simultaneous fire blasts of a fully-realized Avatar.
* When Aang raises the tide to put out the forest fire caused by Ozai, he uses an Avatar State-enhanced version of the first waterbending move he learned, taught to him by Katara in "The Waterbending Scroll".
* The remainder of Zuko's conversation with Ozai is shown in full in The Promise Part One, and the question of Ursa's whereabouts is answered in The Search trilogy.
* In Sokka's painting, Toph's face is the same as in her wanted poster in "The Runaway", and Zuko's hair is drawn similar to the last hair style his actor version had in "The Ember Island Players".
* In "Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King", Aang hoped to use glue to stick Ozai's arms and legs so he could not firebend. Aang ends up achieving that objective through energybending.
=== Goofs ===
* As Ozai is blasting Aang's earth shield with fire, his beard vanishes in a single frame before appearing again.
* When Sokka is holding Toph by the hand as they lean over the edge of the airship ledge, their hands begin to slip until they are holding on by the fingers. In the next shot, they are holding each other's wrists.
* After Azula injures Zuko with lightning, she moves to the roof and begins firing lightning at Katara. When the camera cuts to Zuko lying on the ground with Azula saying, "Zuzu, you don't look so good!", she is nowhere to be seen. The next shot shows her back on the roof.
* In the line of Avatars that appears, Air Nomad Avatars can be seen in the Avatar State, yet their airbender tattoos are not glowing.
* When Aang jumps out of the rocks in the Avatar State to face Ozai, his eyes are blank, not glowing like his tattoos.
* When Aang creates fire in the Avatar State, his body appears more muscular; when he is shown again, his body retains its normal build.
* When Katara turns Zuko on his back to heal him, his arms are outstretched. In the next frame, his arms are by his sides.
* As Aang prepares to take Ozai's life, he suddenly stops because he is unable to do so and exits the Avatar State. However, the arrow tattoo on his head remains glowing even when the arrow tattoos on his hands stop glowing.
* When Sokka and Katara find their father in the crowd, Haru changes places suddenly to appear in two shots.
* In the end, when Sokka accuses Ty Lee of pretending to be a Kyoshi Warrior, Ty Lee is shown with her golden fan on the wrist of her left arm. When Ty Lee hugs two of the Kyoshi Warriors, however, the golden fan on her wrist is gone.
** During the same scene, the white-painted parts of her hand changes.
* Ty Lee says that she and the Kyoshi Warriors "really bonded in prison." However, in "The Boiling Rock, Part 1", Suki had mentioned that the remaining Kyoshi Warriors had not been imprisoned at the Boiling Rock.
* During Zuko's coronation as Fire Lord, Toph is seen seated on The Hippo's shoulders. When the shot switches to a view of the entire crowd, she can be seen on the ground beside The Duke.
* When Zuko and Aang overlook the crowd after Zuko says, "The real hero is the Avatar," the crowd is heard cheering and clapping, but when the shot cuts to Zuko and Aang, no one can be seen clapping.
* When the scene changes to look at Aang as the crowd is applauding him, the part of Aang's sash that snakes around his waist is missing.
* During Zuko's coronation, part of his headpiece constantly changes colors between red and orange.
* When Zuko confronts Ozai in his cell, his eyes appear brown.
* Sokka's drawing of everyone at the end of the episode does not include Momo.
* In the Finnish dub, when Suki asks why Sokka painted her firebending, it is actually Toph's Finnish voice actor who asks the question. The dubbing error is even more apparent considering that Toph is blind and thus could not have seen Sokka's painting.
* When Aang opens his eyes while he and Katara are hugging at the end of the episode, the fabric around him is orange; this is incorrect because Katara had her arms around his neck, thus the fabric should be green.
* In the end credits, Zuko is still listed as "Prince Zuko" even though he has been crowned Fire Lord.
=== Trivia ===
* This episode was part of an event called "Countdown to the Comet". The new episodes of Avatar began airing on July 14, starting with "The Western Air Temple", followed by "The Firebending Masters", "The Boiling Rock" parts one and two, "The Southern Raiders", "The Ember Island Players", and finally "Sozin's Comet" parts one through four.
* In the episode commentary and during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2008, it was revealed that a mid-credits sequence where Zuko found his mother, Ursa, was sketched and made into a storyboard by Joaquim Dos Santos, Lauren Montgomery, and Oh Seung Hyun, but did not make it to production due to a request by Michael Dante DiMartino. DiMartino, Michael Dante & Konietzko, Bryan (July 29, 2008). "Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang" commentary. Book 3: Fire, Volume 4 DVD.
* The series' music editors and composers Jeremy Zuckerman and Benjamin Wynn were nominated for a Golden Reel award for "Best Sound Editing in a Television Animation" for their work in this episode.
* This is the third episode in which Aang speaks while in the Avatar State. The previous two episodes were "The Siege of the North, Part 2" and "The Desert".
** Unlike the first time, Aang's mouth does not glow while speaking.
* After Aang utilized energybending on Ozai, the resulting blue column of light produced mirrors the light that emerged when Aang was freed by Katara in "The Boy in the Iceberg".
* This is the only episode to use a different track in the credits.
* The order Aang summons the elements to himself in the Avatar State - air, fire, earth, and water - is the reverse order of the elements shown in the intro.
* When Aang is in his sphere of all four elements, the elements are in order from closest to farthest from Aang in the way that Aristotle said the element place themselves in nature - earth, water, air, fire.
* Several never-before-seen bending techniques were used in this episode, including remote waterbending, compressed rock bullets, long-range multiple fire whips, and strong winds capable of eroding a large rock pillar.Avatar Extras for "Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang" on Nicktoons Network.
* Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko's formal admission of their friendship, considering their past as enemies, contrasts the relationship between Fire Lord Sozin and Avatar Roku who started as friends and over time became enemies.
* Aside from Aang's nightmare, this is the only time he is seen firebending while in the Avatar State, and due to Sozin's Comet, this is his most powerful display of firebending in the series.
* While in the Avatar State, the slicing motion Aang makes to deal the final blow to Ozai is the same motion he made in his nightmares about being in the Avatar State.
* Both this and the first episode of the series have titles that refer to Aang, pointing to his evolution throughout the series. The first episode's title, "The Boy in the Iceberg", shows that Aang is young and much more vulnerable while this episode's title shows that Aang has grown to be a powerful, fully realized Avatar.
* This is the third time an Avatar has been in the Avatar State twice in one episode. The first time was in "The Storm" when Aang enters the state momentarily while talking about his past and again when he is rescuing everyone during the storm. The second time was in "The Avatar and the Fire Lord" when Avatar Roku went into the Avatar State to destroy the Royal Palace and entered the state once more when fighting a volcanic eruption.
* This is the only episode of the third season in which Aang enters the Avatar State.
* This episode and "Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno" were initially conceived as a singular episode as a conclusion for what would be a three-part series finale. The creators realized, however, that they could not fit the story they wanted into just one episode, and instead divided it into two. DiMartino, Michael Dante & Konietzko, Bryan (July 29, 2008). "Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King" commentary. Book 3: Fire, Volume 4 DVD.
* The last word spoken in the episode and thus the series is "perfect", which was also the last word spoken in the series finale of The Legend of Korra.
== References ==
de:Zosins Komet, Teil 4: Avatar Aang
es:El Cometa de Sozin, Cuarta Parte: El Avatar Aang
fi:Sozinin komeetta, osa 4: Avatar Aang
fr:La Comète de Sozin (Partie 4) : L'Avatar Aang
he:כוכב השביט של סוזין, חלק 4: אווטאר אנג
nl:Sozin's Komeet, Deel 4: Avatar Aang
pl:Kometa Sozina, część 4: Awatar Aang
pt-br:O Cometa de Sozin Parte 4 - O Avatar Aang
ru:Комета Созина, часть 4: Аватар Аанг
vi:Sozin's Comet, Phần 4: Avatar Aang
Category:A to Z
Category:Book Three: Fire
Category:Episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender
Category:Real world