The Firebending Masters

Writer: John O'Bryan

Director: Giancarlo Volpe

Guest Stars: Robert Ito (Sun Warrior Chief), Brian Tochi (Ham Ghao)

Overview
''Zuko prepares to teach Aang Firebending, but for unknown reasons can't Firebend. He and Aang travel to the temples of the extinct Sun Warriors to learn about the ancient origin of Firebending. Zuko reveals to Aang that his grandfather caused the extinction of the dragons, the original Firebenders. After discovering the Sun Warrior culture still exists, Zuko and Aang are sent to see the Firebending Masters, later revealed to be the two last surviving dragons in the world. After teaching them the true nature of fire, Zuko's powers are restored and Aang no longer fears Firebending.''

Synopsis
Zuko is beginning to teach Aang Firebending at the Western Air Temple. He asks Aang to show him however much fire he can produce, but it isn't very much, and thinks perhaps a demonstration from Zuko would help. However, Zuko finds that his own Firebending is very weak. He tries to Firebend at lower altitudes, thinking it may be hindering him, but to no avail.



Later that night, Zuko apologizes to everyone, saying he's lost his Firebending. Out of spite, Katara laughs and remarks how convenient it would have been for the group if Zuko's Firebending had failed him months ago. Aang hypothesizes that Zuko must not have enough rage to create fire like he used to in the past. Sokka figures then all they have to do is make Zuko angry and starts poking him wildly with his sword sheath. But Zuko no longer wants to rely on anger and hatred, so Toph encourages him to learn from the original source of Firebending, like how she learned Earthbending from the Badgermoles, who were the original Earthbenders. Zuko says that the Dragons were the original Firebenders, but that they have been extinct for some time. Searching for an alternate but equally viable source, Zuko then tells Aang about a civilization that died out thousands of years ago called the Sun Warriors. It turns out that the current Firebending country -- the Fire Nation -- inherited their skills from this ancient race and twisted them into a more aggressive style.

Zuko and Aang fly to the Sun Warrior ruins on Appa; they land and start exploring the ruins. Aang nearly falls into a trap and Zuko is surprised that the trap works even after centuries of being built and then bypasses the trap by running across the adjoining wall. Aang is hesitant to continue, but Zuko edges him on and they find a massive stone carving depicting Dragons and a Sun Warrior.



Two of the Dragons are breathing fire onto the Sun Warrior. Aang is surprised because he got the impression that the Dragons were friends with the Sun Warriors, while Zuko remarks that they had a funny way of showing it. Aang asks Zuko what happened to the Dragons, and Zuko reveals that the Dragons became extinct because Fire Lord Sozin started the tradition of hunting Dragons for glory, and the title of 'Dragon'. He tells Aang that the person who killed the last living dragon was his uncle, Iroh.

While exploring the ruins, Aang and Zuko come across a locked door with a sunstone on top. Zuko sees a celestial calendar is used to open the door specifically on the Summer Solstice. He uses his sword to reflect sunlight onto the jewel, causing it to open. Aang compliments Zuko's intelligence, telling him he doesn't care what anyone else thinks. Inside they find various statues which depict a Firebending form called the Dancing Dragon.

Aang imitates the first statue and discovers there are tile switches linked to the dance positions. He persuades Zuko to perform the dance with him and as they do, they activate an ancient key mechanism. Upon completion of the Dancing Dragon, a pedestal with a huge gold egg-shaped gem rises in the middle of the room. Zuko picks it up despite Aang's warnings, inadvertently triggering a trap. The chamber doors close, and a glue like substance fills the room. Zuko and Aang find themselves trapped by the liquid in a barred skylight where they have plenty of air but no way to get free. They are then captured by the still-flourishing Sun Warrior tribe, which accuses them of attempting to steal Sun Warrior treasures.



After explaining that Aang is the Avatar and they they desire to learn the true form of Firebending, Zuko and Aang are put through a ritual where they have to carry a portion of the First Fire, the very first fire given to man by the dragons, up a mountain and present it to the true "Firebending Masters," Ran and Shao. At first Aang is scared to try to hold the flame, but the Sun Warrior chief comforts him by saying fire not just destructive, it is life.

They reach the Lair of the Masters and are sent to the top of a stairway. At the top they see two caves. Aang and Zuko present their fires and face one of the two caves each. Aang however loses his portion of the fire due to being distracted and scared; he then tries to get a piece of Zuko's fire but accidentally knocks his hands down, extinguishing his flame as well. At that moment two dragons emerge from the two caves, to Zuko and Aang's great shock, and start flying in circles around them. Zuko and Aang earn the respect of the dragons by performing the Firebending technique that they learned from the statues, dancing with the dragons in the process. The dragons then breathe beautiful, multicolored flames around them, revealing the true and harmonious way of Firebending.



When the dragons return to their caves, Zuko understands the reason he couldn't Firebend was because he had lost his "inner fire." He used to draw his fire from rage, anger, and his burning desire to capture Aang. After he joined the group, he could no longer draw from this source. But after watching the dragons, he learns that he can draw from the true source, his desire to help bring balance to the world.



Aang realizes that fire is not destructive, but energy and life, and is able to Firebend as well. The chief explains that Iroh was the last outsider to visit the Masters and deemed worthy to learn the secret. He lied to keep the dragons alive so they could continue on. The chief explains he has no choice but to imprison the both of them forever to keep their existence a secret, which freaks them both out. He's joking, but is very serious that they don't tell anyone.

Back at the Western Air Temple, Zuko and Aang show everyone the Firebending moves they learned. Sokka pokes fun at them by saying "they'll just tap-dance their way to victory over the Fire Lord". Zuko tries to explain how serious and ancient the technique is, but they can't look past the unfortunate name of the form, the "Dancing Dragon".

Trivia

 * Iroh has the title "Dragon of the West". This was previously explained to be because of his fire breathing ability. However, this episode explains that Iroh earned this title through apparently slaying the last dragon. It seems that Iroh considers himself as a Dragon because of his fire breathing technique (possibly as a sense of personal justification) but the Fire Nation considers him a Dragon because of his apparent slaying of the last dragon, although this seems to be more of a cover-up on Iroh's part as the Sun Warriors depend on the secrecy of their existence to survive.
 * When Zuko and Aang were going there the booby-traps and golden egg treasure it could be a reference to the Indiana Jones series.
 * Many fans believe that the golden artifact is really a dragon egg, mainly because Zuko said that the artifact felt alive.
 * When Zuko is about to pick the golden artifact up, Aang states he is "very suspicious of giant glowing gems sitting on pedestals". This is most likely a reference to the booby-trapped Golden Idol from the popular movie Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.
 * Ran and Shao resemble the dragons from Zuko's dream in Ba Sing Se, a red and blue dragon.
 * The Sun Warriors look like Aztecs.

Series Continuity

 * This episode shows Toph learning Earthbending from Badgermoles. She had previously stated she learned it from them in "Sokka's Master".
 * As Iroh is known as "The Dragon of the West", it could be assumed that he learned his fire-breathing technique by being taught from Ran and Shao.
 * The song chanted by the Sun Warriors to call forth the Masters is the same as the Avatar series ending credits song.