Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang


 * This article is about the fourth and final episode of the Book Three finale. For other similar uses, see Sozin's Comet (disambiguation). For the titular character, see Aang.

"fire"

- Today this war is finally over! I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation. And I will. The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But with the Avatar's help we can get it back on the right path and begin a new era of love and peace.

"Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang" is the 21st episode of Book Three: Fire of Avatar: The Last Airbender as well as the 61st and final episode of the overall series. It debuted on July 19, 2008, and is dedicated to the memory of Dante DiMartino, the father of series co-creator Michael Dante DiMartino.

Overview
''Ozai accidentally unlocks Aang's chakra, causing him to enter the Avatar State. The Order of the White Lotus successfully liberates Ba Sing Se, while Sokka and Toph manage to disable all of the airships. Katara defeats Azula and heals Zuko's injuries. Aang in the Avatar State easily overwhelms Ozai, yet still refuses to kill him. He uses an ancient form of bending, known as energybending, to strip Ozai of his firebending powers, keeping true to his beliefs and defeating the Phoenix King without taking his life. Newly appointed Fire Lord Zuko declares the War over, with Aang and his friends celebrating together. Aang and Katara share a romantic kiss on the balcony as the series draws to an end.''

Synopsis
Ozai continuously blasts away at Aang's earth shield and taunts him. Meanwhile, on an airship within the fleet, Toph metalbends the rudder to make the ship spiral into the others. A Fire Nation soldier on the ship spots them and tries to blast both Toph and Sokka off using firebending. They evade his attack only to fall off the side of the airship. Sokka tries to break the fall using his sword, but instead lands on a platform which breaks his leg. Toph is left dangling off the edge, holding Sokka's hand. Two firebenders approach to attack them on either side, so he uses his boomerang and sword to ward them off, losing them both. Even so, more firebenders come, and Sokka and Toph are seemingly doomed. They are saved, however, by another incoming airship, piloted by Suki, on which they land.



Ozai overwhelms Aang's stone sphere with a charged fire bomb, and causes the Avatar to nearly lose consciousness from the heat. Ozai charges up an attack and destroys the sphere, blasting Aang back and causing the scar on his back to collide against a jagged rock, which unlocks the chakra blocking Aang from entering the Avatar State. Ozai approaches Aang to finish him off, but Aang's glowing hand reaches out and grabs him by the beard. He emerges from the rubble in the Avatar State and easily shrugs off Ozai's counterattack, blasting him against a rock with a powerful gust of air. Ozai watches as Aang ascends into the sky and calls forth the elements, air, fire, earth, and finally water, which revolve in concentrated rings around Aang.

In Ba Sing Se, the Order of the White Lotus is successfully liberating the city. Bumi takes down several Fire Nation tundra tanks and Iroh burns down the Fire Nation flag hanging from the Earth Kingdom palace.

Aang, possessed by the Avatar State, charges at Ozai and knocks him into the sky, but Ozai recovers before Aang can get to him again. Ozai flees by using firebending to propel himself at great speeds as Aang chases after him. Aang earthbends small fragments of rock, which he fires at him like bullets, though Ozai barely manages to evade them all and continues fleeing.



Back at the Fire Nation capital, Azula relentlessly shoots fire and lightning at Katara, and drives her away from any source of water. She taunts Prince Zuko, who is collapsed on the ground in shock. Though Katara finds water to bend, Azula is too quick for her attacks and the waterbender is forced to flee from her immense flames. Eventually, she discovers chains and water underneath a grate in the plaza and lures Azula above the grate. She traps herself and Azula inside a large splash of frozen water barely a second before Azula was going to hit her with another attack. Katara unfreezes the water around herself, swims around in the splash, and binds Azula's hands together to the grate with the chains. She melts the remaining water and runs to Zuko to heal him. He weakly thanks Katara, and she says she should be thanking him for protecting her. Azula sees her brother rise, still alive, and finally goes completely insane, firebending from her mouth wildly before rolling around on the ground, screaming and crying uncontrollably. Zuko and Katara silently look upon what has become of the once-mighty Azula with pity and horror.



Aang, still controlled by the Avatar State, continues to pursue the evading Phoenix King and tries to crush him between two stone pillars with earthbending, but Ozai manages to avoid the collision in time. Ozai tries to counterattack, but his attempts continually fail against the unbelievable power of all the past Avatars. Aang catches him with waterbending and subdues him by earthbending shackles onto his arms and legs. Aang then states with the voices of all the previous Avatars that Ozai and his forefathers have devastated the balance of the world, and he must now pay the ultimate price: death. The possessed Aang proceeds to deliver the final blow, a combination of all four elements into one attack, but at the last instant Aang regains control over himself and leaves the Avatar State.

Aang releases Ozai from his bonds, saying that he is not going to let the fight end that way. Ozai mocks Aang once more, that despite being the most powerful being in the world, he is still weak. As Aang's back is turned, he tries to strike him with firebending, but Aang senses his movement, via Toph's signature earthbending technique, and quickly disables him with earthen shackles. Aang remembers what the lion turtle taught him, and uses the technique to bend Ozai's inner energies, risking being totally destroyed himself. Indeed, Aang's blue energy is nearly consumed by Ozai's orange energy, but he manages to overcome it. A pillar of blue light shoots into the sky, similar to the beam of light that appeared when Aang was freed from the iceberg.



Exhausted from the ordeal, Ozai pathetically tries to attack Aang again, but finds he cannot firebend at all. Aang explains he removed Ozai's firebending powers so he cannot hurt anyone anymore. Demonstrating his new found control over the Avatar State, Aang waterbends the tide to rise and douse the burning land. Momo flies back to him and lands on his shoulder.

Sokka, Toph, and Suki meet up with Aang as Sozin's Comet departs Earth. They congratulate Aang and wonder if Ozai, collapsed on the ground, is dead. Ozai snarls he is still alive, and Aang tells them he took away his firebending. Sokka seizes the opportunity to taunt Ozai and calls him "The Loser Lord." Ozai weakly tries to defend his title as the Phoenix King, but passes out again from exhaustion, prompting Toph to insult his title by calling him the "Phoenix King of Getting His Butt Whooped." Suki weakly tries, "King of the Guys Who Don't Win?" Toph advises that she leave the name-calling to them. The sky fades from bright red to the dark of night as the comet fades into space once again.

The next day at the Fire Nation palace, Zuko is trying to dress himself for his coronation as Fire Lord, but is having trouble due to his injuries. To his surprise, Mai arrives and helps him, and he is glad to see she was released from prison. She and Zuko kiss, but afterward Mai starkly warns him not to break up with her ever again.



Everyone is soon reunited in the Fire Nation capital city. Friends who were imprisoned have been set free. Katara and Sokka find their father Hakoda, who tells them he is the proudest father in the world, and that their mother would be proud of them, too. Sokka is distressed to see Ty Lee dressed in uniform among the Kyoshi Warriors. Paranoid, he assumes she is disguising herself again until Suki tells him Ty Lee officially joined. Ty Lee happily explains she bonded with the warriors in prison and after a few chi blocking lessons, she was allowed to join and be "best friends forever".

Zuko approaches Aang before his coronation, and the two of them reminisce about how different their lives were a year ago: Zuko obsessed with capturing the Avatar and Aang frozen in a block of ice, now they are friends. Aang cannot believe how different the world is, and Zuko comforts him saying the world will be even more different once they rebuild it together. They hug, and the coronation begins in the plaza. Zuko addresses the crowd that the War is now over and gives Aang the credit for saving the world as everyone cheers. Zuko is crowned Fire Lord and declares the start of a new era of love and peace.

Zuko later pays his imprisoned father a visit. Ozai, ragged and defeated, sarcastically remarks the new Fire Lord has graced him with his presence. Zuko remarks that he should be glad that Aang let him live. He tells Ozai that banishment was the best thing that ever happened to him, as it put him on the right path. He hopes perhaps being in prison will give Ozai the same chance for redemption. Ozai sees through Zuko's purpose and asks why he is really visiting him. Zuko gravely demands Ozai tell him where his mother Ursa is.



Sometime later in Ba Sing Se, life has improved in the world. The stack of Fire Nation tanks Bumi destroyed is being used by children for earthbending games. At the Jasmine Dragon, Zuko helps serve tea to the gang, including Mai and Iroh, as they all relax together. Sokka is painting a group portrait to remember the good times, but it is crudely drawn. Katara complains that her oversize hair loopies make her look like Momo, Zuko grumbles that his hair was not that spiky as portrayed in the drawing, Mai comments that she looks like a man, Suki is shown firebending, and Iroh has a big stomach. Iroh tells them he has really trimmed down his weight and Toph tells them she thinks they all look perfect, a joke on her blindness which causes everyone to laugh.

Aang smiles and steps outside the tea shop to pet Appa. Katara follows him out, they both warmly embrace in a hug, then kiss passionately. The words "The End" are etched into the sky.

Credits

 * Written by:
 * Michael Dante DiMartino
 * Bryan Konietzko


 * Directed by:
 * Joaquim Dos Santos


 * Starring:
 * Zach Tyler Eisen - Aang
 * Mae Whitman - Katara
 * Jack DeSena - Sokka
 * Jessie Flower - Toph
 * Dante Basco - Prince Zuko
 * Dee Bradley Baker:
 * Appa
 * Momo


 * Also starring:
 * Mark Hamill - Phoenix King Ozai
 * Greg Baldwin - Uncle
 * Kevin Michael Richardson - Lion turtle
 * Andre Sogliuzzo - Hakoda
 * Cricket Leigh - Mai
 * Olivia Hack - Ty Lee
 * Jennie Kwan - Suki
 * Grey DeLisle - Azula
 * Keone Young - High Sage


 * Additional voices:
 * Dee Bradley Baker


 * This episode, being the last one in Avatar: The Last Airbender, is the last appearance of many characters. A select few are seen in flashbacks featured in The Legend of Korra.

Air date

 * New episodes of Avatar began airing on July 14, in sequential order, starting with "The Western Air Temple", followed by "The Firebending Masters", The Boiling Rock parts one and two, "The Southern Raiders", "The Ember Island Players", and finally Sozin's Comet parts one through four. This event was called "Countdown to the Comet".

Series continuity

 * The Earth Kingdom outfits Zuko and Iroh wear at the end are the same ones they wore in "The Crossroads of Destiny".
 * The line of Avatars that appears in Aang's vision when the final chakra is opened, is the same line that disappeared, in the reverse order, when Roku warned Aang that should he be killed in the Avatar State, the Avatar Cycle would be broken, in the episode "The Avatar State". This also refers back to how Azula's lightning fire originally blocked the final chakra as well as nearly killed Aang and ended the cycle forever in "The Crossroads of Destiny".
 * Aang becomes a fully realized Avatar with his control over the Avatar State.
 * When Aang fought Ozai in the Avatar State, he created five enormous fire whips, a feat even Ozai could not perform. This links back to the episode, "Winter Solstice, Part 2: Avatar Roku", where the Fire Temple sanctuary door could only be opened single-handedly by the five simultaneous fire blasts of a fully-realized Avatar.
 * When Aang raises the tide to put out the forest fire caused by Ozai, he uses an Avatar State-enhanced version of the first waterbending move he learned, taught to him by Katara in "The Waterbending Scroll".
 * The remainder of Zuko's conversation with Ozai is shown in full in The Promise Part 1. The Search comics will answer the question about Ursa's whereabouts.
 * In Sokka's painting, Toph's face is the same as in her wanted poster in "The Runaway".

Goofs

 * When Aang creates his earth shield, he is in front of a grove of trees. Ozai is in front of the shield, with his back to the river and rock columns. In the next few frames, the trees change into rock columns, despite Aang and Ozai having never crossed the river to get there.
 * When Sokka is holding Toph by the hand as they lean over the edge of the airship ledge, their hands begin to slip until they are holding on by the fingers. In the next shot, they are holding each other's wrists.
 * After Azula injures Zuko with lightning, she moves to the roof and begins firing lightning at Katara. When the camera cuts to Zuko lying on the ground with Azula saying, "Zuzu, you don't look so good!", she is nowhere to be seen. The next shot shows her back on the roof.
 * In the line of Avatars that appears, Air Nomad Avatars can be seen in the Avatar State, yet their airbender tattoos are not glowing.
 * When Aang creates fire in the Avatar State, his body appears more muscular; when he is shown again, his body retains its normal build.
 * When Katara turns Zuko on his back to heal him, his arms are outstretched. In the next frame, his arms are by his sides.
 * As Aang prepares to take Ozai's life, he suddenly stops because he is unable to do so and exits the Avatar State. However, the arrow tattoo on his head remains glowing even when the arrow tattoos on his hands stop glowing.
 * When Sokka and Katara find their father in the crowd, Haru changes places suddenly to appear in two shots.
 * During Zuko's coronation as Fire Lord, Toph is seen seated on The Hippo's shoulders. When the shot switches to a view of the entire crowd, she can be seen on the ground beside Katara.
 * When Zuko and Aang overlook the crowd after Zuko says, "The real hero is the Avatar," the crowd is heard cheering and clapping, but when the shot cuts to Zuko and Aang, no one can be seen clapping.
 * During Zuko's coronation, part of his headpiece constantly changes colors, between red and orange.
 * In the end, when Sokka accuses Ty Lee of pretending to be a Kyoshi Warrior, Ty Lee is shown with her golden fan on the wrist of her left arm. When Ty Lee hugs two of the Kyoshi Warriors, however, the golden fan on her wrist is gone.
 * Ty Lee says that she and the Kyoshi Warriors "really bonded in prison." However, in "The Boiling Rock, Part 1", Suki had mentioned that the remaining Kyoshi Warriors had not been imprisoned at the Boiling Rock.
 * When Zuko confronts Ozai in his cell, his eyes appear brown.
 * Sokka's drawing of everyone at the end of the episode does not include Momo.
 * When Aang opens his eyes while he and Katara are hugging at the end of the episode, the fabric around him is orange; this is incorrect because Katara had her arms around his neck, thus the fabric should be green.
 * In the Finnish dub, when Suki asks why Sokka painted her firebending, it is actually Toph's Finnish voice actor who asks the question. The dubbing error is even more apparent considering that Toph is blind and thus could not have seen Sokka's painting.

Trivia



 * During San Diego Comic-Con 2008, it was revealed that a sequence where Zuko found his mother, Ursa, was sketched and made into a storyboard, but did not make it to production due to a request by Michael Dante DiMartino.
 * The series' music editors and composers Jeremy Zuckerman and Benjamin Wynn were nominated for a Golden Reel award for "Best Sound Editing in a Television Animation" for their work in this episode.
 * The scar on Aang's foot is reminiscent of the mystic fourteen-pointed star that the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak (1469–1539), bore on the sole of his foot.
 * This is the third episode in which Aang speaks while in the Avatar State. The previous two episodes were "The Siege of the North, Part 2" and "The Desert".
 * After Aang utilized energybending on Ozai, the resulting blue column of light produced mirrors the light that emerged when Aang was freed by Katara in "The Boy in the Iceberg".
 * This is the only episode with a different ending soundtrack.
 * The order Aang summons the elements to himself in the Avatar State (Air, Fire, Earth, then Water) is the reverse order of the elements shown in the intro.
 * When Aang is in his sphere of all four elements, the elements are in order from closest to farthest from Aang in the way that Aristotle said the element place themselves in nature (earth, water, air, fire).
 * Several never-before-seen bending techniques were used in this episode, including remote waterbending, compressed rock bullets, long-range multiple fire whips, and strong winds capable of eroding a large rock pillar.
 * Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko's formal admission of their friendship, considering their past as enemies, contrasts the relationship between Fire Lord Sozin and Avatar Roku who started as friends and over time became enemies.
 * Aside from Aang's nightmare, this is the only time he is seen firebending while in the Avatar State, and due to Sozin's Comet, this is his most powerful display of firebending in the series.
 * While in the Avatar State, the slicing motion Aang makes to deal the final blow to Ozai is the same motion he made in his nightmares about being in the Avatar State.
 * During the scene in which Sokka and Toph are at the mercy of the Imperial Firebenders, Toph is seen crying about her and Sokka's seemingly imminent death. This is the fourth time Toph is seen crying in the series, the others being in "The Blind Bandit", when Team Avatar departs from her house on her father's orders, "Tales of Ba Sing Se", when her appearance is mocked by Star and her friends, and "The Runaway", over her strained relationship with her parents.
 * Both this and the first episode of the series have titles that refer to Aang, pointing to his evolution throughout the series. The first episode's title, "The Boy in the Iceberg", shows that Aang is young and much more vulnerable while this episode's title shows that Aang has grown to be a powerful, fully realized Avatar.
 * This is the third time an Avatar has been in the Avatar State twice in one episode. The first time was in "The Storm" when Aang enters the state momentarily while talking about his past and again when he is rescuing everyone during the storm. The second time was in "The Avatar and the Fire Lord" when Avatar Roku went into the Avatar State to destroy the Royal Palace and entered the state once more when fighting a volcanic eruption.* This is the only episode of the third season in which Aang enters the Avatar State.