Avatar Excels In Near Everything... But Especially Here 

I'm a simple person, I see an Avatar video from Merphy, I click.

One of my favorite things on Avatar is that even when Azula doesnt get any redemption, we can still connect with her and understand her and even feel pain with her fire scream at the end.

To this day, Zuko is still the best redemption story I have ever experienced in media. Its only flaw is that we don't get to spend more time with post-faceturn Zuko because he's only with the group for the last half of the last season. That and no Zuko-Toph episode

Katara is my favorite character. Probably ever. She is a survivor of genocide and has disenfranchised since the very beginning. She is bitter and angry at the world for what it’s taken from her, but yet she chooses defiance and compassion in the face of cruelty and oppression. There’s so much poignance and heart in Katara’s story and I’ve learned so much from her growing up. She gets a lot of hate because she’s so human and makes mistakes, but I’m a Katara stan through and through. Zuko and Azula are definitely tied for 2nd place.

I didn’t pick up before that Toph will default to hanging on Sokka’s arm when off solid Earth, what a sweet detail. So great that any two of the team make an interesting dynamic.

One thing that’s not talked about enough is how without his dad around, sokka develops a toxic idea of masculinity

The lion turtle scene was always cool, but I never used to get emotional over it while I was a kid. I do now. The way I understand it, the lion turtle was telling Aang that he doesn't need to harden his heart in order to survive this harsh world. That just means so much to me.

Sokka's "helper"-complex is so interesting. Before he meets Aang, he's surrounded by children and old people - people who need protection. So his protector-ego is massively inflated and rightfully so. Then he meets Aang and EVERYTHING CHANGES. Now he's the weakest. The non-bender. And his ego takes hit after hit after hit. So when he starts a relationshop with Suki, the only other non-bender to join Team Avatar (and a girl on top of that) of course his protector-complex kicks back in - and with full force too. AND THEN in the last episode he literally has to save and protect TOPH of all people - motherf***ing Toph is the one person actually in need of his protection. AND MY MAN does he protect her. No wonder she falls for him.

What I love about Iroh is that like Zuko, he has a sort of redemption tale but it happens off screen, it happened in the past and we get to see the man that went through it all and came out wise and loving. Also he is just funny and loves tea, a man after my own heart. Second favourte it Toph because despite being disabled, she is not weak, she is in fact the opposite. She is very strong and dependent on herself. She is so small and young and people see her as weak but she proves she is just the best. But also she does have weaknesses, like all of us. When I watched Book 1 I enjoyed it. But in Book 2 we get introduced to Toph, have Zuko alone and Iroh's Tale and it made me go from liking the show to adoring it.

My personal favorite exchange in the whole show is the one where Azula says “I’m sorry it has to end this way, brother” and Zuko says “No you’re not”, and the actor reads it perfectly with just a touch of regret but total resolve. And the reason I love that simple exchange is because if Azula really was the least bit sorry or sad, it wouldn’t be happening. If she was actually capable of that emotion, or of caring about her family, there wouldn’t be a fight. The music during the fight is perfect to underscore it: this is not some noble epic duel for rulership of a nation, it is the death knell of a relationship that should be about love and support, but instead is about anger and selfishness.

Avatar has Iroh, thats all it needs to be an incredible serie, because he is awesome, best uncle, best human.

Toph maybe put walls literally and figuratively around herself, but put her in a box and she'll literally invent a new form of bending to escape.

I love that you mentioned how Sokka learns to trust people and fight alongside them. One thing I really loved was the gradual evolution of his and Aang's relationship in this respect. At first, Sokka did not trust Aang whatsoever. Didn't trust him, saw him as a threat, thought he was childish and goofy, everything Sokka tried NOT to be... But over time they not only become friends, but also Sokka gains a lot of trust and respect for Aang. He sees that this "goofy kid" is an incredibly powerful bender and, what's more, a very good, genuine and surprisingly responsible person. He begins to trust him, deeply and completely. A great scene to illustrate just how much is when Zuko tries to join the group. When Aang asks the team what they think, Sokka doesn't trust Zuko - but he fully trusts Aang, and he basically says "hey, I trust you, if you think this is a good idea, then I'm with you." Just going from ep. 1 Sokka & Aang to this... melts my fricking heart ;-;

8:43 To be honest, Sokka always reminded me of Usopp. They are both talented strategists but they're also the least powerful people in their group, with no amazing super power. Because of that they tend to have an inferiority complex. But their devotion towards their friends and standing up to their enemies even if they're scared and outmatched is what makes them such complex and endearing characters.

My favorite thing is how the show subtly reinforces the theme of “friendship is better than power.” Iroh first points this out to Aang in Crossroads of Destiny, but you also see it when Aang tries to give up attachments ti master the Avatar State and nearly dies, and ends up surviving only because of his primary attachment to Katara. Friendship consistently proves to be more powerful in securing victory and love and life than actual power.

ATLA is my favorite show of all time precisely because it’s an absolute masterclass in writing a series. A large chunk of that is owed to the characters (almost all of whom are impeccably written) and the world building, but the other aspect that stands out to me is how well the various plot threads tie into each other. Pretty much every twist you see over the back half of Book 3 is foreshadowed somewhere in a previous episode. It’s absolutely brilliant writing

00:00:00 ⟾ *Overview* - Story, Worldbuilding, bending 00:00:17 ⟾ Overview - Themes, Emotions 00:00:27 ⟾ *Intro* - *Characters* 00:00:52 ⟾ *Schedule* - other videos 00:01:25 ⟾ *Katara* - character traits 00:01:52 ⟾ Katara - Backstory: motherly role, Sokka 00:03:07 ⟾ Katara - burdens, responsibilities 00:03:25 ⟾ Katara - bending, determination 00:04:00 ⟾ Katara - loyalty, devotion 00:04:17 ⟾ Katara - grief, anger, healing, revenge 00:05:54 ⟾ Katara - Summation 00:06:16 ⟾ *Sokka* - Backstory, growing up too fast 00:06:54 ⟾ Sokka - character traits 00:07:35 ⟾ Sokka - ‘warrior’, protector, humility 00:08:32 ⟾ Sokka - character arc, fighting with vs. for 00:08:50 ⟾ Sokka - weakness, insecurity 00:09:22 ⟾ Sokka - finding his place 00:09:38 ⟾ Sokka - compassion, Toph 00:10:13 ⟾ Sokka - Summation 00:10:29 ⟾ *Aang* - Backstory: running from duty, Appa 00:11:41 ⟾ Aang - character traits 00:12:06 ⟾ Aang - losing control, Katara 00:12:41 ⟾ Aang - air nomad, advice vs. principle 00:14:03 ⟾ *Toph* - Backstory: fragile vs. prodigy 00:14:18 ⟾ Toph - accepting help, self sufficiency 00:14:48 ⟾ Toph - *past-Merphy Relatability*: gruffness, rudeness, misunderstandings, limitations/deficiencies, projection 00:16:24 ⟾ Toph - Summation: growth 00:16:43 ⟾ *Zuko* - Backstory: family, thirst for approval 00:17:34 ⟾ Zuko - small changes: Iroh, Redemption failings: unfulfilling 00:19:28 ⟾ Zuko - taking responsibility: confronting Ozai scene 00:19:52 ⟾ Zuko - taking responsibility: team avatar rejection 00:20:12 ⟾ Zuko - Redemption, Forgiveness, Love, Healing 00:21:21 ⟾ Zuko - vs. Azula scene, sibling dynamics 00:22:58 ⟾ *Character Work* - complex individual arcs 00:23:23 ⟾ Character Work - interwoven arcs 00:23:59 ⟾ Character Work - complex mirroring 00:24:14 ⟾ *Other Characters* - Azula, Ty Lee, Mai, Iroh {no Iroh this video!!? *slams keyboard} 00:24:42 ⟾ *Schedule* - Future Videos: favourite scenes/episodes 00:24:52 ⟾ *Outro* 00:25:07 ⟾ [Promo] [Credits]

I would really like a deep dive into the relationship between Zuko and Iroh its something that resonates deeply with me on a personal level as someone who has struggled with anger and acceptance (especially of themselves) their entire life and having an uncle who was my greatest father figure it is a story that personally means a lot and a deep dive of the intricacies of that story would be amazing

All the years (and tears) later, Avatar is still at a high point of any discussion. What a phenomenal show

Iroh is such a great character. The classic goofy, yet wise mentor but has immense strength he will bring to bare when he deems it necessary. Calm and confidant because he is powerful, and powerful because he is calm and confidant.

i think one of the things that helps this series is it gets progressively better. Season 2 is much better than season 1, and season 3 somehow leaves season 2 in the dust. This show even somehow does a good recap episode.

So glad Merphy is doing Avatar! I especially love Aang's final dilemma - the conflict between (1) his personal values and what's good for his spiritual growth and (2) his duty as the avatar and what's good for the world. Wonder if she'll touch in this..

Zuko’s redemption is the single most satisfying redemption arc I have ever experienced. His whole life was struggle ESPECIALLY his change. to see him fail and fail and fail and then ultimately be rewarded when he chooses the right side… man still brings tears. Avatar is an amazing series and one of the core reasons I decided to start writing/drawing

ATLA is so fascinating that even to this day we can still pinpoint which things in this series that's incredible

I didn’t even realize that Toph holds on to Sokka’s arm in multiple scenes. That’s so heartwarming!

To really hammer home the severity of Katara's trauma: while maybe not entirely obvious in the show, Katara saw her mom her mom burn to death. It's a wonder she's as well adjusted as she is.

I dunno what it is about merphy talking about my fave shows and putting into words the stuff I love, but I find myself time and time again tear up listening to those analyses. Well done! Personally for me, toph was also the most relatable character for me, for very similar reasons.

I would LOVE if you can do an analysis of Azula. She, in my opinion, is one of the best villians ever written. Desite being a truly evil person, her fall to madness at the end genuinely breaks my heart, every time. The fight between her and Zuko is one of the best scenes ever in the history if cinema/tv. Period.

I would love an entire video focusing on iroh and his impact on his surroundings/ places & people I love how he is a constant reminder throughout the series not all fire benders are toxic/evil Also the fact Sokka can’t remember his mother’s face it’s heartbreaking since he looks a lot like his mother

You can tell Merphy loves something when she can list off more than like 5 names at once.

As a fellow person in the Avatar Fandom, I love her talking about this amazing franchise.

I think it’s worth mentioning the moment Zuko found out he’s also related to avatar Roku helped push for his redemption arc. It gave Zuko a clear view that he doesn’t have to choose the path set before his father. In fact, it was his father’s paradigm that burned his face just for speaking out of turn. It was the Avatar’s version of “I am your father” from Star Wars. And like Luke from Star Wars, Zuko is faced with a decision of which path he wants to follow, except this time he’s rejecting the ideals he thought he originally wanted and pursue the “light” instead.

After 18 years i finally watched this show and it was amazing, its awesome that the show is great for adults watching without nastalgia it's just that good

With the news that the creators have their own studio and are working on more avatar content, I’d love to see you do a video on where you would want them to take the story next. I feel like every fan has ideas on how they would love for the universe to be expanded and I’d want to hear your perspective!!

Avatar used to be my peak "everything" until Arcane attacks.

Man, for some reason this video made me teary eyed. I love this show so much, thanks for the video Merphy. 😊

I understand your reflection of Toph. I had/have the same issues as someone with disabilities myself. Especially looking at acts of kindness as being looked down upon. It’s great to be reminded that this isn’t always the case. Love AtlA thank you for the videos!

I also really love the fact that you said aang is more of a natural bc he’s already mastered an element (that and I’d say water and air are close in relation) I’ve never thought about that before but it makes so much sense thank you

One of my favorite things that doesn't get a lot of attention in discussion is Aang giving up a guaranteed victory against Ozai and risking his life to stop him without killing. Whether or not you wanna debate how stupid the introduction was for energybending, it's so compelling to see a kid risk death to hold true to his nonviolent beliefs, especially when literally every single person around him is telling him to go for the throat.

Seeing someone pick this show up so long after it has been released, talking about it as their favorite show ever, is so satisfying. ATLA is definitely and objectively the best (completed) show that has ever been made. Seeing that it still lands with new audiences the same way it did all those years ago when it came out just re-affirms this point. The first show I have ever watched that I thought might take the crown from ALTA is Arcane. It is only one season in, so it is hard to say whether or not the series will remain a contender throughout, much less end with taking the crown, but it has the potential so far. It has many of the same things that made ALTA stand above the rest; Complex characters and interpersonal relationships. The ability to weave every minute detail into the bigger picture. Masterful music and visuals to perfectly capture and enhance every story beat. Arcane season 1 is a cut above the rest and I really hope the complete story holds up to this incredibly high standard the way ALTA arguably not only held, but surpassed as the story progressed. I am definitely looking forward to what is in store.

Also I just think it’s incredible how nearly 20 years later we’re still talking about this fantastic show

Damn, the way you presented this stuff made me tear up a couple of times. You did a really great job of finding the core of each character and it made it really difficult for me not to completely empathize with each character.

This is one of my favorite shows of all time, and I am 100% here for all of these videos! I know the Last Agni kai has been talked to death, but it's just such an awesome scene. I hope to see a deep dive of Iroh, too!

I can not possibly describe how this show makes me feel. After my friend passed away I felt so lost and sad, with the announcement of Avatar studios I cried for joy for something for the first time in months.

On a second run now, first was during lockdown. Perfect, beautiful, soul-fullfilling work. I loved it.

Avatar was one of my favorite series when I was a kid. It aired on Nickelodeon late at night and I would beg my mom to let me stay up and watch it 😅 It didn't help that I'm Ukrainian and my parents blindly dislike all American media. I finally watched it from start to finish when I was 14 and got my own smart phone. Now it's almost 10 years later and watching this makes me want to watch this series again

"I'm not Toph, I AM MELON LORD!! MWAA HA HA HA HA"

The last season is for sure my favorite cause although I've always loved team Avatar I've never had any preference for anyone on the team, but when Zuko finally gets his redemption he immediately became my favorite and I don't really know exactly why, but his humility and persistence to change were captivating, the only thing that made me upset was not having more time to see this "new" Zuko❤️ (ps: of course that outside the main avatar team, Iroh is my favorite hahaha)

Such a great piece of storytelling! Great world building and character development.

I just finished rewatching this. Perfect timing!!

Brb started sobbing over the characters

I’ll never get tired of Avatar content. Love this show. 😊

Avatar is also my favorite show ever! And characters are what really make it shine!! I love whenever you do a deep dive on this incredible story because it's like we're freaking out over its awesomeness together!

So there at the end, when you said you COULD do breakdowns on Azula, and Ty Lee, etc... You meant WOULD, right?

Its been a while since an Avatar vid from Mephy!! what a treat, your first dive into the series were the videos that dragged me to your channel!! Amazing stuff!!!

Sanji and Zuko have the same backstory, of being a banished prince, despised by their father for having humanity and not accepting their inhumane ways, who finds solace in their mother who both loses tragically leaving them feeling alone, and it isn’t until they find a true father figure who teaches them everything they know, that they can finally be who they were meant to be. - as well both have “evil emotionless sisters” who are actually deeply affected by their upbringing. And consider themselves monsters.

Avatar is a perfectly imperfect gem, and I love it. If you have not seen the show Buffy, I would HIGHLY recommend for excellent characters and arcs. It hits home in so many different ways, and the emotions are yanked out of you. I realize it's not the same genre at all, but I can't help but think of the fantastic ensemble cast comparisons

Sooo good! My favorite show & possibly story of all time. Love your vids on it, ty!

*Avatar Excels In **-Near-** Everything*

Great overview and insights! Looking forward to hearing more 😊

That was a really good Avatar character appreciation video!

I just watched Avatar TLA for the first time in my life and it just made me feel so wholesome ♥️ Now that I finished it I'm also feeling kinda sad and nostalgic :( It was a beautiful experience.

Loved this review so much!

Your definitely my favourite RU-vidr at the moment merphy always enjoy your uploads.

Wonderful account of the characters at the heart of a great series. Thank you!

We could never have enough Avatar breakdown videos, keep ‘em coming!

I love how these characters are great characters and great people to their core but are still just human and are not flawless. They have their flaws, they're real, and it's beautiful. Their growths as individuals and a group. From beginning to end. This show is so powerful and so beautiful in so many ways. (Suki is part of Team Avatar, and I love her and her relationship with Sokka.) Katara and Sokka are my all-time favorite characters, and they have my favorite relationship in the show! The fact that Katara and Sokka have to grow up fast to be there for their tribe, and have to take different responsibilities, with Kata being the caretaker and Sokka being the protector, is sad. Katara: "I will never turn my back on people who need!" Sokka: "You're my sister, and I will never turn my back on you." Zuko's character development is amazing and everything, (I love Zuko and Iroh's relationship) but I LOVE Sokka's development. That sexist guy from season one was NOT the Sokka who let his girlfriend take control from season three. You also see his confident and ego slowly decade, because he's around these powerful benders and begins to feel like he's useless, when he's not. He's their leader, good with a sword and a boomerang, and intelligent. I love Sokka and Toph's friendship. I also love how the group see Toph as this strong and sufficient person so much that they forgot that she's blind so often, which made for so many hilarious and amazing scenes. I also think Toph needed that, because people treated who has if she's weak or broken because she's blind. But they didn't, and it was beautiful. I only like Katara and Aang as friends. Aang tried to push himself on Katara, which was not okay. Plus, she never saw him as anything but a little brother, until the last five minutes. I'm sorry, but no 14-year-old girl is going to have a crush on a 12-year-old boy. Their romantic scenes make me cringe SO bad. I'm a hardcore Katara and Zuko shipper. The scene where Katara and Zuko talked and confided in Ba Sing Se. When Zuko tried to get Katara to forgive him and cared SO MUCH about what she thought of him. The scene when Katara forgave Zuko. The scene when Zuko jumps in front of lightening, sacrificing himself, to save Katara. In my mind, they are cannon and endgame.

You should check out the Kyoshi novels. There's 2 of them. I think how they decided to do her origin story is pretty interesting. There's a Yangchen novel coming out on July 19th as well.

My gosh yes please. We need more of this content 😍

Zuko's character development literally gave ME character development as a viewer.

Everytime I open youtube Murph is talking about another series that's so near and dear to me and I couldn't ask for more. Really looking forward to hearing more of your thoughts on this series.

Zuko needed to fail in his redemption arc in ba sing se to really understand what it is he truly wants. Finally having everything he worked so hard to get back after being banished made him realize how much he really didn’t want it & all those years away with Iroh showed him the good side of him that was there all along. His redemption arc is perfection. My favorite character aside from iroh ♥️

"It's perfect" pretty much, yeah

I cried real tears. Thank you so much for the nostalgy!

Not me crying everytime anyone speaks about this show and these characters cause I love it so much and it touches me so deeply even though its just a show and I should be an adult about this but this show is sooooo good ughh

Love Avatar Videos! You should really watch Arcane. It’s another show with amazing Characters and story! 🤗

Stop I actually got emotional from this video ahhhhh I love Avatar so much and you PUT IT IN WORDS

Wow, i’m over here thinking about my own struggles and personality flaws. What a great breakdown of these amazing characters. I’m excited for the next one

Your passion for the characters is wonderful to listen to!

So I have been watching you on and off for a few years now, but one thing that I absolutely loved seeing is your gradual realization in how amazing this world and series is. I was so excited when you first announced you were watching season 1 for the first time and its been so cool watching a new fan blossom. I know I am a bit late to this video but Its great that this show still grasps people almost 20 years later.

Great video. Just randomly in my recommended like idk who you are but I watched the whole thing

I think Avatar would win perfection status is they did a better foreshadowing on power-bending, because yes, we learn that the world in avatar is very mystical, but there is none info about the lion turtle at the end. The idea of an arc for Aang to reach sort of nirvana is great but it was way too quick in my opinion.

I loved watching your Avatar journey. From wondering if you would like it to absolutely loving it. And your insight has given me, a fans since it aired, some differs prospective. Thanks for what you do.

I need to keep watching avatar. Seems like everyone is watching it for the first time right now. I’ve seen most of series in clips (no really. I really have seen more than half of it from clips lol) but only sat and watched most of the first season in order. Toph is my favorite. She’s sarcastic and hilarious.

I would love to see an examination from you about how the character development of one character depends on and reflects the traits and character development of the others. You touched on it here, but I think that that would be a really rich area of focus.

Ok... Now I have to rewatch it cause your videos was awesome and I missed it ...

Love avatar. It's still my favorite show to this day. Is it crazy to say that zuko goes from a leading antagonist to the protagonist by the end of the show. By s3 I'm rooting for him more than I am even rooting for aang. In the day of black sun the most important and iconic part is his standoff with his father and him redirecting lightning. In the series fanale the last agni kai between him and azula is a scene and fight I'm more exciting and emotionally attached to then aang vs ozai. The last episode is titled: Sozens comit part 4: Avatar Aang. I personally think it should be titled Firelord Zuko As the episode really culminates in zukos coronation, and they say "All hail fire Lord Zuko" Love the video, sorry for such a long comment. Don't have many people who I know who watched the show so nice to talk about it. Thx

something incredible and unique is that the agni kai between azula and zuko doesnt feel triumphant. it feels tragic and sad. these two abused kids, so traumatized and hurt and influenced by their father that they ended up in this place where they never should have been. its the tragedy of azula, the climax of her unravelling. her mask breaks and all her scars are finally showing and its painful, your heart aches for the little girl that never got the chance to be happy. all she knows, all she was taught is anger and pain and it left her broken. its not a victory, its sad. zuko doesnt gloat over his victory, azula too in a way echoed the abuse his father gave him. instead of finally coming out on top and feeling satisfied, he pities her. he only fights to protect, not to perpetuate the cycle of abuse. i cant think of another show that would portray it like that and its so brilliant, i love it so much

YEEEESSSS. Loved this video!

I felt those chats about Toph. I found growing up I resonated with (probably) Saka the most, but I found comfort in a lot of all of the characters struggles and growth. I'm so curious about what your favourite episodes and even which book is your favourite 🍃 More episodes please 🥳

Looking forward to more ATLA content! I'm obsessed with the show (and LOK too!)!

How come I’ve only found this channel now? I’ve got a lot of videos to binge.

Thanks for the feels, Merph

One of the reasons I always connected with Zuko is because I have an older brother who was troubled and kept relapsing into bad behavior and it always felt like such a real construct of that patricular type of angry young man. Your help might go unheeded, its easy to get your hopes up when they are on the right road and devestating when they relapse, but they can be different and its a combination of outside love and support as well as interior reckoning that makes it happen.

I loved hearing your thoughts on this

I would absolutely love to hear you talk about Azula, Mai and Ty Lee!! I think they all need more attention, especially Mai and Ty Lee because they are mostly supporting characters, but they are still SOOO complex especially when you try to pick apart every scene they're in in detail. They need more love And Azula of course should be getting talked about too because in my opinion she's one of the best written villains of all time

I cannot wait for merphy watching attack on titan and then overanalysing every character, breaking down so many great scenes and basically just going crazy over everything that show is!

I loved this video! Please do talk about Iroh and Azula!

Even though you just showed a small clip of it, when iroh hugs zuko at the end it always makes me cry. Even if it's just a 2 second clip!

Hi Merphy, great video! Question: could you make a video about your bookshelves [your actual shelves]? They are gorgeous, and look incredibly sturdy-- where do you get your bookshelves?