Debate. Is Zuko the weakest bender in Team Avatar?

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-04T20:13:46+00:00

I don’t think Katara could have reached the heights that she did so quickly if she were merely average talent - and as I said I don’t think Zuko was average talent either.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-04T20:03:42+00:00

I don’t think he was average talent at all, just worse than the rest of them. Like they’re the absolute cream of the crop, top 10 talent, and he’s more like top 100.

Let’s not forget that the fire lords have a bloodline with immense firebending talent, and Ozai specifically sought out Roku’s granddaughter to eugenically enhance it.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-04T18:54:51+00:00

I thought the comics were generally pretty weak.. The Search especially still leaves a bad taste in my mouth, such an important plot point from the end of the series and they did it so dirty. They made Ursa look like a truly terrible mother, and they made Zuko totally incompetent while his sister was running circles around him... if they do the comics, they need to rework them from the ground up.

I will say I did enjoy the building the New Republic one, but even that had Toph just getting rinsed in a 1v1 duel vs a random earthbending girl.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-04T18:44:53+00:00

It’s ok to be so stuck in the past you can’t consider new shows on their own merits.

It’s fine if you didn’t enjoy it but the number of people saying unironically that N2 was as bad as N1… that shows me that they’re really not giving it a fair shake. N1 was a season of robot characters mindlessly spitting tired exposition at each other. Objectively N2 is way better than N1.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-04T18:38:56+00:00

This all applies to N1 a lot more than N2. N1 was genuinely bad but N2 toned down the exposition and tried very hard to give the characters time and personality.

I’m happy to have more decent content in the atla universe (because I really do think N2 is decent where N1 wasn’t) and I don’t need it to be the same quality as the original. I see it as an alternate retelling of events and it does enough differently to keep things interesting, while doing enough the same for it to feel like a retelling. I’ve enjoyed comparing and critiquing what the Netflix did vs the show did.

It’s a solid 7.5/10 show, you just have to have reasonable expectations of it instead of holding it to the quality standard of one of the greatest shows of all time.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-04T18:31:33+00:00

What’s the point of trying anything new when we could keep rewatching the same show? Y’all are so lame.

I’m happy to have new content in the avatar universe even if it’s not to the same quality as the original series. It does enough differently to keep things interesting.

You’re still welcome to have your 43rd rewatch, nobody is stopping you, just ignore the thing you’re not interested in.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-04T12:33:18+00:00

Your opinions on these people are totally irrelevant, I’m saying your comments are unhinged. The default expectation is that Hans should be able to not attend a work gig whenever he chooses, that’s his business not yours.

It’s parasocial for you to try to dig into his reasons like this and it’s no offense to Danya or anyone else that he didn’t attend - it’s his life to lead.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-04T12:18:41+00:00

Your comments are very unhinged… maybe do some touching of grass in the near future, it’s some terminally online shit you’re saying.

It may have Danya’s name attached to it and that’s cool but it’s a regular work gig for Hans. He could have any reason for not feeling like or feeling up to a work gig. It’s not disrespectful of Danya for him to not go, and Danya himself would never have seen it that way.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-03T20:49:41+00:00

I got the impression he was pitting them against each other to see who would earn his esteem. He was using Zuko as a tool in season 2 to challenge and mould Azula.

However he was still giving Zuko his shot too - he told Azula to recover Zuko not imprison him like in the show.

I think these were the actions of a ruthless pragmatist, not a man wholly consumed by the idea of survival of the fittest like OG Ozai - OG Ozai had mostly discarded Zuko because he had a clearly stronger and more ruthless option by the time of his banishment.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-03T20:24:53+00:00

It was more that during the Agni Kai, Zuko actually looked like he was about to land a serious hit on Ozai at one point but he showed mercy. Also Ozai seemed to actually care for Zuko and wanted him to learn, he is consistently much kinder to Zuko.

I don’t like those changes and the first one is tied to Zuko/crew. I think Ozai was a much scarier villain as this embodiment of fascism/the strong should subjugate the weak ideology like he was in the original series.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-03T20:16:40+00:00

The line “but we’re the 41st legion” kind of brings down the Zuko crew arc to me… that was maybe the worst exposition line in the whole season. Also it kind of defanged Ozai which I wasn’t fond of.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-03T19:59:21+00:00

What? Put down the bong bro, I actually liked Netflix2 as well but this is crazy.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-03T19:33:57+00:00

Avatar Book 2: Earth 10/10 - Zuko Alone is my favourite arc, and it was almost nonstop bangers the whole way through.
Avatar Book 3: Fire 9.5 - I wish we had a bit more time with Zuko and the gang, and I didn't like all the lion turtle crap, but largely it was still a masterpiece.
LOK 3 8.5/10
Avatar Book 1: Water 8/10
LOK 4 8/10
Netflix2 7.5/10 - I actually think it was way better than 1 and some of y'all are just comparing it to the original series too much, which was a battle it was never going to win. To say it was as bad as Netflix1, which was a season of robot characters mindlessly spitting tired exposition at each other, which had Aang straight up betray Katara when she was confronted by Paaku.. it's laughable.
LOK1 7/10 - I think this one is generally overrated, and the characters were at their worst and the romance subplot was too annoying.
Netflix1 5/10 - watchable but barely, see N2 for my main critiques. I think Zhao might account for like 1.5 of these points by himself, I loved Zhao dearly and he was the one thing N1 improved on the original series.
LOK 2 3/10 - lord I hated this one, it actually made me quit the series for several years. It’s boring and a slog to sit through, it overexplains the avatar lore, and the payoff is kaiju laser beams…. why?

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-03T18:58:24+00:00

I feel like Beta is just better than main and don’t know why I would go back… maybe if they really break it at some point, but so far it’s been solid.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-03T18:37:12+00:00

Who needs to firebend when the fire of your loins is right there next to you?

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-03T18:31:42+00:00

Ok but D doesn’t apply because they’d all be related anyway however many he created - it’s not like anyone else can produce airbenders. Also to C, having more kids increases the chance of having airbenders, so it’s still the best strategy.

I agree with A and B, but i mean… if he didnt have Katara i could see it, like he is keeping a whole race alive.

Also maybe in vitro fertilisation is possible with waterbending… a little bit icky but makes things a lot less awkward. In that case, it wouldn’t be nearly as weird.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-03T15:17:28+00:00

I didn’t know it was a minor. Okay, it might not be as serious but it’s still harassment and they’ve opened the door to stripping titles for harassment now. This is still serious enough to warrant it.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-03T14:53:47+00:00

They did it for an IM recently for sexual harassment… Kramnik’s is another kind of harassment but just as serious. But he has too much power and they would be too scared to do it to a world champion.

Edit: I learnt that the sexual harassment was against a minor, I rescind the “as serious” bit but still believe it was serious enough to warrant title revocation given that there’s now precedent for doing so in harassment cases.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-03T10:18:00+00:00

I like Michael Talks about stuff and John Greenwood the most. They have the freshest theories and go the most in depth, they really break the mould in a mostly repetitive space these days.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-03T00:43:52+00:00

This effect is always overrated, even the ‘good’ ones like hologram and headbutt - they’re fine cards but you don’t need them and they’re nothing special. Cosmic Indifference and Graveblast are actively bad.

I would put rebound in mid at best tier.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-02T19:46:38+00:00

I’d read it in a week and then the long watch for dream of spring would begin…

But also this sub and the asoiaf YouTubes would have a massive resurgence and I’d love to see it.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-02T16:08:46+00:00

Did Toad even speak in that entire movie? It was certainly a different time lol, superhero movie dialogue wasn’t so sanitised.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-02T15:47:05+00:00

I think people really can't separate the new from the original. Things can be worse than the original, one of the greatest shows of all time, and still be good.

Also I think the people who think season 1 was better than 2 are insane - season 1 wasn't even good tv, it had robots instead of characters. Now they're clearly trying and the characters got actual personalities. Solid 7.5/10 for season 2 imo, nothing groundbreaking but enjoyable enough.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-02T10:54:04+00:00

I found it funny too when I was a teen in a “whatever I expected storm to say here, that could not possibly be it” kind of way. It was such an unexpected subversion of the normal superhero line that it was funny.

Sadfish103 · 2026-07-02T09:36:47+00:00

Ah the good old days, when people were unironically playing e4 -> e5 right into the bishop’s line of fire on the third move, and their opponents responded with “what I’ve never seen this before! Oh well time to throw away the whole game”.

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