@devtheaquarian@TheCardinalArts Oh, I'm glad my words didn't come off insulting, last thing I'd want to do to a stranger on the internet.
And I'm sorry if I sounded disrespectful, for what it's worth
At this point this is just head canon tbh, it's hard to see Zuko post meeting the dragons being frustrated enough to fall for a bait, it'll just undo all of the character development he'd done up until that point. I see a level headed Zuko fighting well against azula and matching her blow for blow.
But that's my 2 cents, let's agree to disagree
@devtheaquarian@TheCardinalArts Brother, where the hell did you see an insult๐
I'm hoping you didn't see 'fgs' (for goodness sake) and thought that was some insult?
Good lord
Nobody is saying he's the best bender in the whole family bro.
All you say is true, your description of Zuko's characterisation on point for the most part, but two truths can exist.
Zuko also grew to be someone strong enough to face Azula without fear, and my point is that makes him at least relative to Azula.
No one here is saying he's stronger all of a sudden, but we are saying the Zuko we see in the final Season, especially after meeting the dragons, isn't someone that Azula "dwarfs" in strength.
I'd apologize for missing this, but you're undeserving of the apology.
I remember this scene now, and Iroh in his wisdom does suggest to go with help to face Azula after Zuko states he's ready.
And my take away from this advice, given how confidence Zuko was about handling her, and after watching the fight pan out, was to help him in case azula tries something underhanded, which she eventually did.
It's because I watched the show that I understand context fgs.
Iroh warned him not to fight her alone and that was in season 2, way before he'd gone to train with the dragons.
Zuko himself says she's a better bending prodigy than he is, notice the choice of words, but still knew it was his responsibility to take her down.
The show literally showed the character of Zuko grow to such a point that he had a fight with an unstable Azula at the end, and was basically unfazed by all her attacks, hardly flinching. To me, that means he is at the very least relative to her by the end of the show, and at best her match.
@TheCardinalArts I honestly don't see how you watch this show in its entirety and still thinks azula dwarfs Zuko by the end of it.
Also, the scene where Iroh warns Zuko not to fight azula alone, isn't that from the second Season? Zuko grew exponentially as a bender after that
Also, you're conflating "Azula is a better firebending prodigy than I am." With Zuko saying Azula is better than him overall.
The context was to acknowledge how she's more naturally gifted at fire bending, but that Zuko had grown, in training etc, to be able to match her.
You've got to admit that even though you say azula is better, it won't by much by the end of the series, they're at least relative. Making Zuko one of the most skilled benders by the end of the show.
@TheCardinalArts If you can't tell from the way Zuko slowly closed in on azula, before they both hit each other with attacks that blew both away, that this was visual storytelling implying Zuko could now match Azula, or at least relative to her in skill, then you're being willfully ignorant tbh
I keep seeing this "Tagah was from a time of war" thing. But weren't the Air Nomads still peacekeepers at that time? Weren't they still implied to be pacifists, led by Sonam, who sought to end conflicts through nonviolent means?
That's why Sonam's team of Airbenders was massacred when reality hit them at the hands of the Earthbenders of their time. Tagah only developed this aptitude for violence afterward, before going back to Sonam to get backup.
So the idea that this man was some kind of long-time, seasoned veteran from a time of war, as an explanation for why he had such violent airbending techniques, feels so off.
One of the issues I have with this angle of "this was a new devastating attack that noone was prepared to handle", is that since the AS gives the accumulative experience of prior avatars, none of them ever encountered this technique?
๐คฆ๐ฝโโ๏ธ Having the combined experience of a thousand lifetimes doesnโt make an attack any less damaging when youโre hit by it. And itโs not like the Avatar State makes you invincible, it amplifies your power, not your durability.
A devastating attack is still a devastating attack, regardless of how much experience you have.