The Legend of Korra 3x12 Reaction

Damn never thought of that

Eldritch God

Kuvira!!! That's it. That's the tweet.

David Scolare

I haven't seen anyone point out yet that Aang actually does fly once! During the Crossroads of Destiny, when he decides to let go of Katara and his Earthly attachments and go into the Avatar state, he then floats straight up, he doesn't make a wind ball or tornado or have his glider, he just floats into the air. This is definitely debatable, but I think it makes too much sense, him just deciding to let go of Katara, and then he flies for the first time.

Kolton Nay

this reminds me of discussions I had with one of my professors for my Zen Buddhist and East Asian philosophy class. More modern Zen Buddhism for example, it's a misnomer to say that getting rid of attachments is the goal. Attachments are a part of human nature and life, but it's about falsely believing that something is essential to your ontology that is the problem. Things like love and relationships aren't forbidden and enlightenment (which is a state of mind, not a destination) can be achieved when having these sorts of attachments. But it's about understanding how to let go when necessary (e.g. death of a loved one). however, yes, more ancient style Buddhism did condemn all form of attachments as bad. The original Buddha essentially took the approach of "life can't hurt you if you just stop caring".

Brandon

Interestingly enough, arguably Zaheer is limited by what he thinks is possible, despite his comment at the start of the season. Because the bison have all achieved flight, but they don't seem to have detached themselves from all earthly concerns. So Laghima's methods may not be the only way.

Jacob

I was thinking exactly this when they were talking about Aang flying, the show proved he wasn't able to let go of his earthly tethers.

Isaiah Trout

Aang would never have been able to fly. His sole duty is to the world, no way he could detach himself like Zaheer. Plus Aang was willing to give up mastering the avatar state for Katara. The final chakra was letting go of everything that ties him to the world, and Aang couldn’t do it.

Batty

then that must mean that in order to learn metalbending both your father and mother have to be earthbenders, bolin couldn't learn it, no other metalbender was able to learn lava bending so far}

GH

I do believe aang was thinking about reaching his full potential as an airbender at some point, that's why he wanted to follow the trail instead of deviating away from it, maybe he didn't knew anything bout an ability to fly or maybe the monks told him bout guru Laghima, I also do believe that if avatar Yangchen wouldn't have showed up, aang would have made a mistake by detatching himself from the world if he had really wanted to learn weightlessness without knowing the cost, I believe that when they were talking bout the "path of an airbender" everything was included, from "not killing" to "weightlessness" as I said before, aang was interested on following that path

GH

I am actually really curious if you read these comments. If you do I hope you read these before the finale. Because I feel as though your outrage at Zaheer’s ability to fly confuses the power of flight as something that can be taught or mastered as if its the ultimate Airbender technique. Power and skill are not the same thing. Flight is not a skill, it is a power that is unlocked at the sacrifice of everything else and there is no technique to it as it cannot really be “learned”. Sure Zaheer heard of the ability from Guru Laughima but he could only do it when he had no one left that he loved. Aang couldn’t fly nor should he have wanted to not because he wasn’t good enough at air bending but because he had a family and friends, not to mention the responsibility of the Avatar. Even if he wasn’t the Avatar, Aang would have sacrificed his love for Katara and by proxy Bumi, Kya, and Tenzin—kids that he would have never had— as well as his lifelong friendships with Zuko, Sokka, and Toph—just to fly. As someone who believes Korra took some creative liberties and some of the show requires suspension of disbelief, Zaheer’s ability to fly made sense...at least to me. It hit me as something that had to do more with Zaheer’s personal character and ideology more than his skills as an airbender.

Andrew Flaxman

Lol I feel bad for your mental health having to watch these episodes at the same time as the episodes you’re on in AOT. Quite the combo.

Not Amused

Aang would never have been able to learn to fly, because in order to UNTETHER yourself from earth, you have to "enter the void", in other words, lose all attachment to the world. Aang was the AVATAR. His whole purpose was to SERVE the world, as one of his past lives told him in ATLA. "You can never detach from the world, because your whole mission is TO the world."

ODIS

This is a take I haven’t seen before on an avatar reaction :o Given the context of that atla episode, I believe Yangchen and Aang’s conversation was more so about spiritual detachment and enlightenment, not the literal ability to fly (although the two are obviously related). Aang was asking for advise on whether to stay true to his own morals or to sacrifice them in order to save the world, and Yangchen told him to sacrifice them. Aang didn’t listen and found another way by bending Ozai’s energy. Still, this is a really interesting interpretation and I can see it your way too. I love that years after its release this show still prompts conversations about the lore and mechanics of this world.

Grace

I think you both forgot the fact that aang couldn't detatch himself from the world since he was the avatar, when he spoke with avatar yangchen(link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGw2_Namw1M) she told him this and he took it as an advice, he supposedly never attemped to do it because he was very disciplined and commited to defend the world and not detatch from it, another air bender can perfectly reach that level, any of those kids and adults that got air bending can reach it, it was something aang didn't need to learn, he worked for the world not for himself, such an act would have been against his philosophy....also keep in mind that Zaheer was a deep learner on the airbending culture, deeply into it, he felt ready to do it, at that moment, when he lost everything he loved he unlocked the ability to detach himself from anything bounded to this earth, there was never a better moment to do it, he commited himself so much at that moment that he was able to gain weightlessness

GH

he couldn't become weightless because he was the avatar and therefore cannot detatch himself from the world and the duty of being the avatar, zaheer could and did so, aang could have done it tho, it was not prohibited but he took avatar yangchen advise

GH

exactly that's more or less the reason why he couldn't have done it... also Aang was a pupil under the monks and his learnings were probably everything he was taught by them.. Zaheer on the other hand is older, experienced and has deeper knowledge of "history" of airbending. amazing character design.

PM

Top 5 god tier episode of any show

Legal Mexican

Keep in mind the problem Aang had at the end of book 2 when he was trying to open his chakras (he wasn’t willing to give up his connection to Katara). My guess is that Aang cared too much about Katara (and all his friends/ family) to ever truly become “weightless” like Zaheer. Aang couldn’t give up his ties to the physical world, but Zaheer did because his girlfriend was his last real tie keeping him “tethered” to the world. Once she died, he was able to achieve the flying ability because he had nothing else he loved.

Grace

There is a theory that lava bending is possible if an earth bender and a fire bender have a child with earth bending abilites. Bolins parents are fire and earth benders.

wade

Are we getting a double drop or are these separate?

Anthony Williams

Kuvira (the metalbender that saved Tonraq) was actually shown multiple times in the episodes that took place in Zaofu. In 3x05, she was one of the metalbenders practicing for Suyin's recital and at the end of the episode, she's on the front of the newspaper Lin was reading. In 3x08, she's one of the metalbenders fighting Zaheer and is one of the people being interrogated by Aiwei