These shows did THE BEST job of humanizing their antagonists and giving them their own personalities and arcs, so I wanted to make a softer compilation to remind people that these villains are not one-sided. #atla #lok
This why i love red lotus so much. None of them feel like stereotypical villains more like just enemies not only because of their not-that-bad ideology but also because they are so chill and down to earth (except for maybe zaheer lol, get it? cuz he...never mind)
"I could complain about our mom liking zuko more than me, but i didnt really care." "...my own mother...thought i was a monster." This hinting at the fact that she wound up like this because she was jealous of zuko, so she embraced what she thought her mother thought of her, which is why she broke down in tears when she hallucinated her mother saying "i love you azula.. i do.."
That and she never knew anything but fear and manipulation from her dad. Ozai literally made an example out of her big brother. Telling her that if she ever crossed her..even in the slightest..she would be thrown away just like that. She was made into a weapon. It is honestly tragic.
@@bibbobella and that made her refuse anyone who actually cared about her except her friends but since they wound up betraying her she went insane because she actually cared about them especially ty lee
Also for anyone interested Kuvira is done really well in the Ruins of the Empire comic which takes place after the series. Probabaly my favorite Avatar comic so far
"No one really cares about who you are." Oh dang, I just realized, Azula attacked Ty Lee's biggest fear there. As one of seven identical sisters, Ty Lee values her individuality greatly.
@@redeye4516 She meant with the tent blocking the view, but Katara didn't think her words through and get earth-bended as a result. Also, you don't just make those types of comments to someone whether you mean to or not.
@@alexmoore3732 At the comics, she kinda revealed that she didn’t really wanted to be a Kyoshi warrior anymore (since it’s her biggest insecurity being a part of a matched set). But when she reunited with her siblings (and found out that they actually cared about her), she changed her mind.
“Wish we got more soft Zaheer” that’s why I’ve always said we should’ve got an episode that showed the relationship between the red lotus similar to the beach episode
I think Azula’s seeming psycopathy comes from (lack of) nurture, rather than nature. She was more gifted than her brother, and therefore her father favorized her, and raised her to be who she is. She HAS to be perfect. “A single hair out of place” was enough for her to repeat her vigorous lightning bending training. She’s always LEARNED to manipulate and thinks that fear is better than respect, because, well... that’s what the REAL psycopath, her father, taught her. In the end she craks and goes insane from loneliness and pressure. She FEELS, but has learned that it’s a sign of weakness. If she really was a psycopath, I don’t think she would’ve been driven to insanity.
She was able to geniunly smile at the sight of her brother getting his face burned maybe she wasn't born 100% evil but nature has certainly something to do with that
Mai and Ty Lee are her moral supports since those two aren't actually bad too but got trapped in Fire Nation Propaganda for always thinking, "Fire Nation is the best" You can see Azula is very happy when she saw Mai again and when Ty Lee consulted her and she felt bad to make her cry. However, The Boiling Rock episode is the moment when their friendship is ruined because of Mai was helping her traitor brother and Azula was feeling happy to see her brother die in the volcano when their gondola's tie almost broken. Meanwhile, you can see Ty Lee looked bad at them while Azula was smirking. Don't forget how she tried to strike Mai with lightning and tried to murder her! Until Ty Lee Chi-blocked her. Those two are probably noticed of how Azula is getting more aggrresive every day after she killed Aang.
Lucas Just because she was smiling on the outside doesn’t mean she was smiling on the inside, personally I think she was scared but trying (and succeeding) to hide it
Someone on tiktok said she was smiling not necessarily bc it was Zuko getting hurt but just because it wasn’t HER getting hurt. She likely internalized the idea that if Ozai wasn’t hurting Zuko, he’d be hurting her. I doubt anyone can watch Avatar and really think that Ozai never laid a hand on Azula as a child. That guy was a whack job.
The only "human" moments we got of Ozai were the flashback when he was walking with Azula and Zuko and he put his hand on Zuko's shoulder as they were enjoying the view. And the other is the picture of baby Ozai.
@@HTFFanOfFlaky Psychopaths are still humans in the long run no matter what they have done they still breath, they eat they do normal things..well only sometimes but they were born, they had a mother and a father and I am no psychiatrist I am just a random kid on the internet so take my argument with a grain of salt.
@@malcolmong5488 what they mean is that psychopaths lack empathy and empathy is what makes us human.. They're obviously humans in literal sense but they lack basic sense of morality and humanity, so to speak.
Why is this true? Azula with her enemies Zuko & Ty Lee Amon with his enemie Tarrlok Zaheer with his enemie Kya (even same scene) Kuvira with her enemie Tonraq
It would have been nice if there was an episode with the Air Nomads bonding with Zaheer during his time in the air temple. I can imagine Meelo and Ikki getting quite emotionally hurt about his betrayal.
something i really appreciated about zaheer that doesnt seem to get much attention is, he does think of korra as her own person outside of her being the avatar. he understands she is someone who just happens to also be the avatar, she has feelings and a family etc, smth most people in the avatar universe do not understand outside of those close to the avatar. he empathizes with her about the loss of her father and says, "but your pain will be over soon", and back in the 'the stakeout' he willingly gives up information since he believes she deserves that much. zaheer was a nice man with good intentions, as stated over and over again. amon is my personal fav of the villains, but in an alternate universe where lok was able to have an overarching story like atla did, the red lotus wouldve made the perfect main antags.
@@aditivv That’s a misconception. Ozai wasn’t planing on burning the entire world down, he was just gonna burn the earth kingdom down because rebellions were giving them trouble.
I swear LOK deserves better execution and ending, it has so much potential that went to shit because of deadlines and hurried execution. If only Nickelodeon didn't interfere with the creators and didn't order a show on single season basis... Watching more of these complex antagonists and proper character arcs would've been so great.
@@incanusolorin2607 Most of the villains in the avatar franchise have grand, but somewhat implausible plans. Like Amon saying that he and his boys are gonna equalize the entire world somehow. Or how about Zaheer planing to rid the world of any and all rulers?
Sadly, Nickelodeon doomed TLoK from day one. They first wanted one season of the show and then at the end of each one they requested another season which made for some rushed parts and messy Book 2. Differently from ATLa who was always made to be three seasons Nickelodeon requested piece by piece from TLoK which didn't allowed for some proper flashing out and character archs. IMO, due to Nickelodeon being, well, Nickelodeon TLoK has more antagonists then they have villains which is also okay. However, despite being put in that uncomfortable position and having to work season by season independently creators still did fantastic job at keeping TLoK's continuity and story while still tackling important and serious lessons for the viewers. Despite the rocky path creators were forced to take in while making TLoK i still enjoyed it greatly. As well to reply to @Austin Johnsen Even if Ozai wanted to burn Earth Kingdom to crisp doesn't make him less of a stereotypical villain or any less evil. In fact it makes him even more evil. Ozai is basically General Tojo+Hitler combined.
God I would've loved to see more of Azula being kind, or at least understanding, she could've been much more than a villain Edit. Yall saying she wanted to murder the avatar and jail zuko but remember she's 14. at that age you should be doing kid stuff, making awkward memories, going out. Her parents failed her and she's a product of a war and her father's abuse. She deserved better.
Iroh loved tea more than he loved the world as he thought that even his own family of sadistic bullying maniacs couldn't "say something so horrible" about tea. The "wisest airbender who ever lived," let go of all his earthly attatchment.
Her apologizing isn't actually an attempting to manipulate though. She most certainly isn't kind but at that point she was genuinly apologezing for hurting her "friend's" feelings out of envy. There were no attempt at manipulation nor was she trying to gain anything from that she just realised she had gone too far and had her guards down a bit more while on that island. She was a 14 year old girl raised by an selfabsorved, selfish tyrant that saw her as nothing more than a tool to be used and discarted when time came for that. She never got the love that she desperately craved and sees herself as a monster. She knows she is wrong but is so badly damaged that even when her "friends" betray her she can't accept that it was her own fault and simply try to use more fear despite having seen it doesnt work..because she never knew anything else. It doesn't make up for her being a terrible person and taking the wrong decisions constantly but she wasn't born evil but rather raised to it.
Azula is undoubtedly messed up but she’s a broken child she apologizes to ty lee because Azula desperately needs “love” in her life or she becomes even more broken ty lee and Mai are the final 2 people that can barely and I definitely mean barely maintain her psychological sense
@@Sn_da_1st her problem is she isn’t good at accepting love or empathy due to her mom distancing herself from her and that she always was manipulated by Ozzie and never saw anyone else care for her unlike zulo who had his mom and iroh she never had anyone to teach her empathy or anything except Ozai
Except for season 2, where they wasted a great opportunity of exploring the conflict between North vs South, progress vs tradition etc, to focus on that nonsense light vs darkness thing.
Book 2 was messy because it was never supposed to exist. Nickelodeon wanted only one season but seeing that views of the first season are good they requested another, just second season which made creators to rush the project and made it messy. On top of that they were given smaller episode count then ATLA so they had to do so much as they didn't knew will there be season 3 or not, eventually deep into season 2 Nickelodeon decided to let the creators make season 3 and 4. This is the reason why TLoK isn't so accepted among the fandom and why Book 2 was such a mess and wasted potential of greater expansion into further seasons. TLoK did amazing job with giving more villains, antagonists, side characters ad the Avatar itself more depth, personalities and backstories to tell. However I do agree that some characters were robbed of their advances, arch and further depth due to Nickelodeon being shitty with their corporative greed that at the end they even severed their budget for TLoK. Nickelodeon's meddling in the production of TLoK is why it felt rushed and incomplete to many. However, I have to admit that i prefer TLoK villains compared to ATLA ones. Even if creators had so many obstacles they still made TLoK the best they could and in my eyes they did all they could under the pressure they had to work.
@@Trans_SovietBee I also think it makes a difference that Korra is more or less a young adult rather than a child. And by facing several different obstacles, she can't just focus on one goal. Aang had one goal. Ending the war. Korra had to navigate a world that didn't want her.
And, what I really like is that Kuvira actually gets a redemption in the comics, it’s not perfect, but she definitely takes a step in the right direction while still paying for her past crimes. Chefs’s kiss
@@sakuraogami6885 the comment says they liked a comic in which Kuvira has a redemption arc, never mentioned forgiveness or thinking she's hot. So your reply is outta pocket
This is why I say the villains in Korra are so much better, all of them had the right intentions, Amon wanted everyone to be equal, Unalaq wanted to restore the spiritual balance, Zaheer and co wanted to get rid of oppressive monarchies and Kuvira wanted to restore and rebuild the earth nation. Let’s not forget Kuvira was a captain in the Zafou security team and save Korra’s dad’s life. Amon hated benders because his dad (Yakone) was so filled hate towards the master of all elements, Aang. And Zaheers ideas were right but he went about them wrong
Yeah, but Kuvira created communist in Avatar world so easily could be worse than Ozai (but we will not know, because this time Avatar worked before world was conquered)
ladrok97 The fact that you put Kuvira and Ozai in the same line is insulting. Kuvira stabilized and modernized the entire earth kingdom in 3 years. While she might’ve ruled with an iron fist, she got the job done. Her mistakes were taking things too far such as meddling with the spirit vines to cause destruction and threatening to kill her people. With that being said, she wasn’t for communism and she definitely wasn’t a communist herself. Her character can be paralleled to Chin the Conqueror because they both set out to unify a continent. However she wasn’t a communist because communism is when total equality is enforced by the government. Kuvira wasn’t for that. She was for unity and modernisation While Ozai wanted to set the whole on fire like a crazy idiot and cause global warming. They’re not comparable
@@Teemo6544 they both are similar it’s not a Insult, you are clearly biased with your answer because you put more thought into kuvira than ozai. They both wanted to conquer nations, they wanted to spread what they thought was the right, kurvira was tech stuff and ozai can’t remember. Kurvira wouldn’t have stoped with earth nation, she will see what she accomplished and think the whole world needs this. This is getting too long I’ll just say it simple, both wanted to conquer the world and make it towards their own vision. They both think they are right and they will make sacrifices. Ozai was more mad with wanting to kill everyone and then rebuild it. Kurvira is just skipping the whole killing part
I love this video. Thank you for making it! Azula’s NOT a psychopath. She is a fourteen-year-old reared in a ruthless, homicidal world by a tyrannical father who forged her into his personal weapon and used her to fight his battles for him. He rewarded her worst behavior and played her against her brother to control both. She’s a child who is capable of healing, balance, change, and growth. If she were a psychopath, she would not have felt sympathy for Ty Lee after hurting her feelings, her best friends’ betrayal would not have triggered her mental breakdown, and she would never have expressed remorse for her behavior in the famous “mirror scene.” Make no mistake: that’s not Ursa talking. Ursa isn’t there. It’s Azula’s conscience speaking through a hallucination, giving voice to her own better instincts and her own internal conflict. A traumatic childhood doesn’t have to decide your fate. A breakdown is not a life sentence. Who you are at fourteen is not who you’ll be in ten years, much less the rest of your life. I always thought a healing arc for Azula would be a wonderful example, especially for the show’s younger fans. Also, Ming-Hua and Ghazan are a mood and a half and I love them.
A psychpath would have won, or at least made the victory for Avatar pretty bitter. I mean, she was under order to solve the 'zuko problem' for Ozai and by the wanted posted she shows it was 'dead or alive' situation. She could have killed him and Ozai would probably have preferred that over him in chains. Instead she reinstalled him in the line of succession before her and moved away from her father´s throne by that.
@@SirMarshalHaig These are great points, many of which I hadn’t noticed or really put together. Thank you for sharing them! While rewatching the series, I noticed that she left Mai and Ty Lee alone to _guard Bosco the bear_ while she dealt with Zuko, Iroh, Katara, and Aang alone. Bosco is hardly an asset, as Mai makes clear when she and Ty Lee surrender him to Toph and Sokka. Mai and Ty Lee are formidable warriors. With their help, Azula would likely have neutralized Aang and Katara. Yet the girl who’s just successfully pulled off not one but two coups has left them behind. In the process, I think she engineered a situation in which Zuko had the opportunity to redeem himself in their father’s eyes and return to the Fire Nation. As you point out, it would have been far easier for her to dispose of the one person standing between her and the succession. Of course, Azula also provides herself with a “Plan B,” by giving Zuko the credit for what might be the Avatar’s death or survival-but as you point out, her relationship with her brother isn’t purely one of callous rivalry. It’s ambiguous and complicated. She makes more overtures to him than he does to her. I know I don’t have to tell you this, but I think other people forget the term “psychopath” has an actual definition. Psychopaths don’t possess rich inner lives. They don’t feel genuine love for other people. A psychopath doesn’t long for closeness with a parent or mourn the fact that her mother thought her a “monster.” A psychopath doesn’t feel remorse-and she certainly doesn’t suffer a colossal, Shakespeare-worthy breakdown because she can no longer trust anyone and the only methods she’s been taught to control others have failed her. Anyways, sorry for blabbering on! I just enjoyed thinking about your insights. 8)
Kuvira is... She’s like the Brotherhood of Steel. Her reasons and her goals are actually noble. But the ways she goes about doing it, and the people she steps on to do so turns her into a villain.
Imo, the brotherhood of steel may seem 'noble' but their claim of gathering tech because humanity can't handle it is more of a justification than a noble goal. They are rigid isolationists who won't hesitate to attack if you have tech nor will they lend a hand to the average person.
@@OneEyedCloud01 I mean their goals in 4 specifically. Defeating the Institute is a noble goal, but Maxson is too obsessed with that goal to care about the people of the Commonwealth
1:53 I remember when the camera transitioned and zoomed up slowly to Kuvira's face, I knew something was up about her and something is going to go down.
In the comic, Azula's mum wanted to take both Azula and Zuko with her but Ozai didn't let her and threatened if she did, that he will hurt both the children so their mother had no choice but to leave them. In the comic, there is a scene where she kisses both Azula and Zuko before leaving them. After many years, there is a scene where their mother cries for Azula because she is so worried about her and feel bad about the fact she left her and felt like she didn't love Azula enough as a child. I think Azula's mother did love her but because Azula would show certain cruel behaviours like Ozai which reminded her of his abusive nature (there are scenes in the comic where he was emotionally, mentally abusive to their mother) so she felt really uncomfortable and would relate to Zuko better. Zuko on the other hand was more gentle, kinder naturally when he was younger so their mother easily related and connected more with their son Zuko. I know it's not fair and the mother should have been kinder equally but in the comic it shows she does regret not loving Azula enough and blames herself for why Azula turns out that way.
@@seaocean6826 You have a point but still played favorites. Would you only care for your child if they have the personality you desire? She could've tried to change her, but instead spent more time with Zuko. Good intentions but bad expressing that intention. Ursa tried to fill in that void of Ozai not caring for Zuko by spending extra time with him, but while doing so, she neglected Azula.
@@liliyasbae2306 im not denying she played favourite. I know she wasn't the best parent for azula because she didn't spend enough time with her. I was just trying to explain why she may have favoured Zuko and how in the comic she regrets it. She loved Azula but she didn't show it enough. I was explaining the trauma she expereinced at the hands of Ozai that may have made her connect and relate with Zuko better because Azula would tend be cruel sometimes so Ursa would feel uncomfortable and avoid Azula. I'm not justifying bad parenting.
@@seaocean6826 Ohhh, I thought you were denying it- She could've said "I love you" to her, the only "I love you" she got was from HER HALLUCINATION. Poor child...
@@liliyasbae2306 Yea I feel bad for Azula as well. She never experienced true warmth or care. Even if Ozai treated her better, he never expressed true care or love for Azula. It was always about what Azula can do for him.
Azula by definition can’t be a psychopath it really is just a product of how she was brought up. Azula took after her father while Zuko took after his mother.
Kuvira isn't a such VILLAIN she is more an antagonist She believe in the things she did and she think she made the best for the earth kingdom She made bad things and evil things but she is not an evil person
Technically all the villains in korra were antagonist, all of them had their own ideals that they forced upon people. An antagonist has nothing to do with being evil or good, it’s their beliefs being clashed with the main characters beliefs. Kurvira says conquer is good while korra says conquer is bad, in short terms.
The clip cut just before, but I really like the part where Ming-Hua laments never getting to experience rain. Perhaps you guys were quicker, but for me, it took me a moment before it clicked: she's a water-bender. The guards denied her even that simple pleasure for fear that she'd try to use it to escape.
I loved it when Bolin were guessing at Ming-Hua and Ghazan's relationship and Ghazan was like "two out of three, not bad" and Mako was like "would you stop making friends with our kidnappers" 😂
Azula was one character who I'd love to see a redemption arc for. In these scenes we see what might have been if she had a good father - snarky and sarcastic, but basically decent.
0:18 yes I am, I dont just go to my date and say yo let's rule over the world and make them all suffer what ya think and when they run away wonder what did I do wrong...
He also taught her how to spiritbend and to "find the light in the dark" which was a metaphor for the whole season (and could easily be applied to all the villains in LOK)
You should’ve added the scene where after he kills the earth queen Ming Wa grabs a guy demanding control of the speakers and Zaheer stops her saying they’re trying to help people like him
0:28 tbh... even tho shes offering a more positive setting, she's still ignoring zuko's feelings and basically saying she doesnt care how he feels. at least thats how i interpret it. and I feel like Azula is only nice when it benefits her
When really young, they are influential. She might've just not really understood Iroh's pain. All she cared about was for someone to love her, but she didn't have anyone. She didn't know what it was like to be loved or to love. So when Iroh's son died, she felt no empathy, no sympathy, nothing at all. Just disappointment in Iroh, she was taught that the only way to be happy is if your parents are happy.
Zaheer is actually a very, very kind guy. The only thing that makes him a villain is his adamant belief that the avatar shouldn't live. After he is defeated he actually guides Korra trying to help her overcome her PTSD.
Zaheer is amazing villain. Yes, he did a lot of bad things but, like Kuvira, I think he can change for the better and might even train a new avatar (if he lives long enough to train new Avatar that is) as I think Zaheer was supposed to Korra's airbending teacher (despite not having bending ability) due to his deep and rich knowledge of the history, philosophy and disipline of Air Nomads and airbending.
I love how you recognize the value in this kind of thing, and outright explain it. The writers of these shows know their shit, and they know how they want to construct a story and why and what, it’s excellent
0:07 I always thought she wasn't sincere and just said that to keep her on her side. You know, being the manipulative and really good liar that she is.
Me: Kuvira is a great villain with complex issues and while she may have united the earth territories, she did it in a very bad way Also me: hnnng Kuvira hot
And this proves why these villains are some of the best while ones like Zhao "The Conqueror" and Unalaq suck because of how generic and lackluster they are
I think Zhao tends to get underrated a bit. He’s a pretty smart and pragmatic guy that nearly wiped out the water tribe and almost caused the end of the world. He also serves as a good foil to Iroh. Both were war mongers that studied the different cultures of the world. Iroh did it to become a better person while Zhao did it to wipe out those he considered his enemies. I don’t think enough people seem to notice this.
Unalaq is pretty cool actually, but unfortunately not much more than pretty cool. Something I wish Book 2 showed a bit more of was him when Tonraq still lived in the Northern Tribe. I feel like he felt overshadowed by Tonraq, and wanted to get revenge on his big brother by reuiniting the spirits and Water Tribes he split apart to show he was better, something kinda like Loki.
@@austinjohnsen4430 I think I lowkey respect Zhao, he was a prick yeah but he was pretty effective. He is actually a pretty good foil for Iroh too. Maybe I should look into him more.
@@RacingSnails64 villains don’t always need to be super deep characters as long as their inclusion benefits the story in some way. Ozai isn’t super three dimensional for example, but he plays a major part in setting characters like Aang, Zuko, and Azula on their respective paths. Aang needs to defeat him to fulfill his destiny, while Zuko needs to break free of him in order to realize what his true destiny is. And of course he played a significant part in Azula’s eventual mental breakdown. In fact, both Ozai’s children wear certain parts of their father on their sleeves. Zuko had Ozai’s twisted sense of what his honor was suppose to be for a while, and Azula inherited his cruel and ruthless traits. So yeah, Ozai serves as more of a plot device than a fully realized character, but he’s a damn good one though.
@@austinjohnsen4430 I think Zhao is more a foil to Zuko. Yes it is more a fonction character, but season 1 needed it fior its character establishment : Zhao helped us to identify Zuko as reedemable in comparaison of the "Moon-Killer". Also the admiral with tons of mooks and ressources, cold-hearted adult contrasts starkly with the forsaken impulsive teenager.
Zaheer helping Korra overcome her PTSD or Kuvira sharing her emotions after what all happened: Are we a joke to you? Ozai, Vaatu, Unalaq: Are we a joke? Everyone else: Yes, you are especially you Unalaq. (To me, it is more on Vaatu)
Well, I'd say the biggest joke of the three is Vaatu actually. Had Unalaq been for the whole seasons like he was at the beginning he would have been a fine villain, such a waste.
@@miosignore7137 actually, I only said that to avoid any flame wars, but I agree, to me Vaatu is the worst villain in both shows. For one reason, he is annoying and gets on his nerves. Half his lines are just "I will destroy you Raava." or about Harmonic Convergence and nothing else. And the voice tries to be satanic but contributes to how annoying he is and makes the generic, repeated lines be even worse.
@@josejimtharayil1511 I agree, plus for how Vaatu was written, its alliance with Unalaq is quite contradictory with the latter character: if Unalaq wanted that humans and spirits lived together as one why should he help a being that makes them permanently raging and hostile, and even if he cared more about the spirits than about the humans why would he want them to be in such a savage state forever. At the end Vaatu is so bad that he is able to ruin more characters other than himself.
One thing I love about the Red Lotus, aside from the 4 members have one element from each nation, is that they feel like actual friends who care for each other and have great chemistry with one another
LoK's antagonists have some right in them, just accidentally poured some wrong in them by thier environment. But they took things in an extreme extent to make it think its wrong.
Doesn't stop amazing me how i never get tired of watching this show or youtube videos about it. Every year there's always a period where I just gush over it like it's brand spankin new.
I wish you included that scene where azula actually told him to be careful when visiting iroh. She never told her dad or made fun of him. Just why it's a bad idea and why he should be careful
This is what I love most about LoK, it shows that the villains are just as much of a human as the others. They have strong morals they are willing to die for, they have emotions and loved ones, just like anyone going through life. LoK villains were more real, they all started with a nobel cause and took it too far.
Azula really was a tormented individual, seeing her break down at the end of the show hit different as an adult when you recognize the sobbing of a thoroughly broken person.
