It never occurred to me that toph has a harder time sending an airship than the ground. That must’ve been pretty scary to reach above her comfort zone (earth) and then be on an enemy aircraft. Makes it so beautiful for sokka to guide her around the aircraft
Honestly, emotional impact does have a lot to do with memorable moments, but some logic comes into point too. You won't be able to feel for an otherwise emotional scene if you're confused, which is why great narration matters too. This might be obvious to a lot of you, but still.
Great analysis! Also initially Toph didn't see Sokka as an equal (at least when it came to fighting) because he's not a bender as seen in "the Chase", and in that airship scene she relies a lot on him to fight and survive, so that's also a big part of their relationship development. She sees him as necessary now.
If you watch the animation carefully there’s a lot of moments of her leaning on Sokka, such as when they’re on the wooden village in the painted lady where she can’t see/would struggle to so holds on to Sokka loads
@@hitchikerspie was just about to comment that. Sometimes when she's on Appa she's clinging onto Sokka's arms and in the painted lady episode they are on a boat and the fishing rod swings over there head and because Toph can't see it Sokka pushes her head down for her and she doesn't even question it. So not only does she trust in Sokka but he now understands how far she can "see"
omg i have seen atla several times, it's one of my favourite series and it means so much to me, but i NEVER even noticed those little protection moments between sokka and toph! wtf! thank you so much for making me love the series even more
the ducking-under-the-oar one was pointed out to me relatively recently and I was just like wow the attention to detail!!! and no problem thanks for watching 😄
It certainly explains why She expected Sokka to rescue her in the Serpents Pass. I know he said he was coming but still, she was so sure it was him, she didn't even question it. XD
Omg I never even noticed all those little moments of Sokka protecting Toph. That adds so much more depth to what I always viewed as a cute but somewhat silly schoolgirl crush on Toph's end, which I always felt was slightly out of character. But after watching this video, I feel like I understand their relationship so much better! Makes me want to rewatch the entire show of the 68th time to pick up on all those little moments!
yes, the characters. after all, we’ve been following the character of Boomerang for so long in the show, and his tragic loss in the finale really hits hard because of that you know
totally. I love how toph always acts tough, but sokka knows her heart, and he watches out for her. He’s like her big brother. So it would be very weird if suyin was sokka’s kid 😳
Flameo Hotman Better than aang and appa or aang and zuko or katara and toph? When you think of great relationships in this show toph and sokka is not one of the first ones that comes to mind is all I’m saying. They haven’t interacted as much as the others I mentioned.
I never realized how much development Toph and Sokka's relationship had. I always find something new no matter how many Avatar videos I watch. I think that is a good indication at how timeless this show really is and will be well into another decade. Also I never ever noticed Sokka lift Toph like that with her feet burned, or maybe just never gave it a thought. It made me tear up in the little montage of their growing friendship. Dammit Avatar...you've done it again.
Riley: Emotion sticks with people. Avatar evokes a lot of emotion for people. Me about to cry in the break room of work remembering really emotional scenes: ;^; shes right
The importance of the difference between character development and character change, is that character development includes the revealing of character that already exists.
I really love that it's a show about characters constantly saving each other. None of the characters in the show is helpless, in fact by the end they all are incredible fighters, but they still need each other. Avatar doesn't show us one character being heroic and saving the day over and over again, even though it is a "chosen one" narrative. His friends save Aang as often as he saves them. This is part of what makes the battle against Azula so tragic. Iroh managed to save Zuko, but Azula, who in many ways is a reflection of Zuko, couldn't be saved.
I have watched this show so many times. Never noticed all those little assist to Toph (my second favorite) I am ashamed of myself. Thank you for pointing out this error in me.
I thought I was the only one that was deeply impacted by the scene when Toph almost fell to her death. She's by far my favorite character in the entire series and the thought of she not making it, even if it was just for a second, was killing me inside. This show is just so amazing.
I just finished watching ATLA for the first time like a week ago, and now I can watch all your videos about it! I must say, I was consistently impressed by the show over and over. Many things I expected to go one way and then they did something totally different. Defying my expectations in the best way. I feel like I still haven't quite processed the ending, but overall I love it, and it definitely stands out as being among the best cartoons I've seen. Now onto Legend of Korra! Well, once it's on Netflix anyway, which is supposed to this month so fingers crossed it's sooner than later.
The dragon prince is a show that already has a few seasons on Netflix and is still in production. It's made by Aaran Ehasz, head writer of Avatar. It's great imo, but a lot of people dislike the animation style in the first (or first two) season(s), so they changed it afterwards. If you'd dislike that style as well that's noteworthy
I'm still sad we didn't get a Toph and Zuko trip... 🤣😂 Or Zuko and the Cabbage Merchant... Cabbage Merchant: No! My cabbages! Zuko: *That's rough buddy*
I'm kinda mad at how zuko downplayed Toph's feelings when they searched for Aang. That's probably my least liked scene, I don't think it fits his character growth
@@weltraumkotze It fits his character. Remember, Zuko attacked Aang because he was slacking at the beach house and didn't fill him in on their plan to procrastinate like a college student. He's very objectively minded. That aspect of him never changed.
i watched avatar as a child and one of the scenes that is BURNED into my head is when they are watching the ember island play. and another is when aang made the zoo in tales of ba sing se and over the years those were the two main moments that decided my love for this show as a VERY young child (i was born in 04)
I legit got emotional when you talked about Toph crying at the end. I honestly didn't watching the show but something about the way you summed up Toph and Sokka's relationship and that journey, then saying "and that's when she cried" it hit me.
Can we talk about how much trust she put into Sokka when she flung them up into the airship? SHE suggested leaving the ground, and he barely pointed at it before they were already flying. Maybe she sensed the ships when they were still on the ground, but she flew up to them knowing she probably wouldn't be able to see well and would need rely on Sokka/Suki.
I had totally not noticed/ forgotten all those little moments between soka and toph. Just goes to show that no matter how many times you watch something there's always more to find!
You mentioning that moment of Toph crying realizing that she and Sokka are likely about to die, unable to see anything but Sokka (and likely know he wasn't lying) made my evening. I found this single shot of her crying, that pained and frightened and overcome look on her face, to be one of the most devastating moments in the entire series. Thank you for giving it the attention that moment so well deserved but is so often lost amidst the other amazing moments from the finale and elsewhere.
This was great. I've loved Avatar for years and I still had not noticed all of the little times that Sokka helps Toph without Toph really reacting. Thanks for pointing them all out.
Oh, wow, I didn't even notice those little details like Sokka helping Toph duck under the oar or just how much he helped guide her around the airship. That just makes the relationship between those two all the sweeter. :)
A cool contrast to Toph’s trust in Sokka when running on the airship where she can’t see on the serpents pass and refuses to follow the sound of his voice (lol) and walk across the ice. But then when she is saved by Suki, she assumes it’s sokka. That’s early in season 2 too
I'm truly happy that you made this video, specially because you chose to include the Air Ship battle, not many Avatar video essays mention this. I sort of have a Big Brother complex with my friends, and when I saw Sokka protect Toph with his own body, it resonated to me.
One scene that also stuck with me throughout the years of obsessively binging ATLA since I was 12 was the scene where Zulu and Azula had their brawl on top of the airship and when they both were falling it was Katara that grabbed Zuko and when Zuko saw Azula free falling and uttered, “she’s not going to make it.” His voice shaking, scared and sad to see his little sister is going to die but Azula fire jets her way to a cliff and Zuko says, “offcourse she does.” Masking that he was happy she made it made this show my all time favorite and will never get tired of revisiting it even when I’m 80.
I've never noticed that Toph runs in the wrong direction when she's at the top of that airship, or those two other moments you showed when Sokka carried her when her feet had been burnt, it's amazing how many details I keep missing
i’m sure i’m not the only one to think the music choice is perfect as well like for every single moment they played the perfect song/sound that just gives you THAT feeling, y’know?
Honestly I always thought that Tophs kissing Sukis cheek and being embarrassed to learn it wasnt Sokka kinda came out of left field when I was younger. But like, now seeing all these smaller details in the show, it makes her crush on him much more fleshed out and believable. Maybe not quite so believable that Sue Yin is Sokkas daughter, but still.
It’s all about good character development, the series put in the work over the seasons, and those emotional scenes at the end are so earned. Like Sokka and his space sword. *sniff* RIP space sword.
3:57 I think that can also apply to why Zuko didn't want Azula to die when she found them in the air temple it's because she is his sister. There is another reason he was able to change and knows it's possible to change and I think he really wanted her to get change and be a better person
Honestly, yeah, she probably IS the strongest. In the first part of Sozen's Comet, both her and Kitara admit that Aang can use some more polish on his Waterbending and Earthbending, and he's not remotely a master when it comes to Firebending. Unless you have Aang go into the Avatar state, Toph could probably mop the floor with Aang in a straight up fight. Heck, the only reason she lost the match at Earth Rumble 6 was because she didn't know she was fighting an airbender and he caught her off guard.
@@CouchSpud91 well he could technically spend most of the time in a fight against toph in the air so if think that's up to debate, I think it wouldn't be easy for either of them
@@weltraumkotze Wind makes noise, so does fire, and even water. Aang can't use earth bending since she can "see" earth even if it's floating in the air, so his strength would be severely limited, plus in order to stay in the air, he would have to propel himself upwards, giving Toph a better clue where he is. Toph would definitely be exposed but Aang would be too. I agree it would be a tough fight, but I still got thoughts on it I'd like to share. :)
My nephews and I are from different generation but they love atla and are seeing it for the first time now it is on netflix, I rewatched it and we played avatar for hours at the beach.
Love love love this video!! I’m so happy that people who had never watched avatar before finally get a chance to feel the same way I did as a kid. I feel jealous they get to watch it for the first time!
the whole series of Avatar happens over about 3 months. 3 MONTHS. the fact that some characters (zuko) change so much in 3 months is another thing that is extremely underrated about this show.
I just finished watching the show for the first time yesterday. Wow is it beautiful, my heart was in my throat through most of it. It's the greatest show I've ever seen.
This show has gained a lot of following. Mainly because the characters, the action genre, and even the philosophy. Plus I love the show a lot, and it’s my favorite TV show.
never thought I'd need so many avatar videos from you but am absolutely loving these analysis', as much as I love your videos about social issues I love seeing you just talking about shows that you love especially with the attention to the little details showing me things I'd never noticed my hundreds of times watching the show, even though Sokka and Toph are two of my favorite characters I never noticed the development in their relationship honestly it shines a whole new light on them, so thank you so much and am hoping for more videos on Avatar or other shows or films you enjoy (also love your Brooklyn 99 videos) keep up the great work!
I just finally watched the whole series on Netflix so I know everything that happened because when it was airing I never got to see every episode its amazing I cant wait until the legend of kora comes to Netflix so I can binge watch it too
I agree with your points about Azula and Zuko having an abusive father, but never forget that Azula abused Zuko, too. As kids, she would be cruel to him, she lied to him just to scare him, she made him feel unloved and weak. Zuko's two abusers were Ozai and Azula, who used lightning and who gave him permanent scars. Iroh, the only positive influence he'd had in a long time, taught him how to redirect that lightning instead of creating his own.
Another thing that makes this show and the characters so memorable, is how every character has its own trauma and deals with it in its own human way. It makes the characters feel so real and so genuinely flawed. These aren't perfect people at all, these are a bunch of broken children trying to do their best to help change the world. So even when the entire plot is epic and has nothing to do with your life, the traumas that they have to endure can be very relatable and helpful to your own.
I use this show as a litmus for every show I watch. The diversity. The freedom of thought. Character development. The music. Everything is done so masterfully yet so effortless at the same time. Most anime I watch comes nowhere near this level of strong writing in my opinion. Otherwise, strong contenders are: literally all Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli films, Cowboy Bebop, Steven Universe, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Castlevania (Netflix), Demon Slayer, and Re:Zero.
