Avatar: The Last Airbender/Tropes Q-Z


Tropes for Avatar: The Last Airbender, Q-Z

  • Quirky Miniboss Squad: Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee.
    • The Rough Rhinos from Season 2 are a minor example. They feature in multiple episodes, but don't get any real characterisation. Each one specialises in a different kind of combat. They're also, apparently, a great singing group.
  • Race Against the Clock:
    • Aang has to master all four elements before Sozin's Comet arrives.
    • Also during "Day of the black Sun" The Resistance has to take over the citadel before the eclipse is over and the fire benders gain their power back.
  • Rage Against the Reflection: Azula.
  • Rage Breaking Point: Invoked by a general hoping Aang's Avatar state would be useful. Aang has good reason to fear what would happen, and the general's fortress gets devastated when Aang is finally set off.
  • Rage Helm: The Firebender Mooks wear spiky helmets with skull-like masks.
  • Ragnarok Proofing: Subverted. A city looks like it's in perfect shape despite being abandoned for centuries, but it turns out people are still living there.
  • Ramen Slurp: Master Pakku slurps noodles—and some kind of octopus or squid—while training Aang in "The Waterbending Master".
  • Randomly-Gifted: Bending can travel down family lines, but isn't purely genetic and develops among non-benders.
  • The Rashomon: "The Great Divide". The real story is actually just made up by Aang, in order to get the people to make peace.
  • Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Mai and Jun. Zuko is arguably the most pale-skinned character in the show. Which is odd since they live near the equator and the Fire Nation's season is summer
    • Fridge Brilliance: a lot of the Fire Nation peasants shown throughout Book 3 have tan skin, characters like Zuko and Mai are nobles, so they have paler skin as a sign that they don't need to work under the sunshine. This is true for people living in tropical countries: people with more money spend more time indoors and look paler.
  • Ready for Lovemaking: In "The Southern Raiders", Zuko wanders into Sokka's tent for a talk and finds Sokka half-undressed and posed seductively in a lovenest of candles and roses, obviously expecting someone else to wander in. Just before that, Zuko had bumped into Sokka's girlfriend trying to sneak into the tent. No-one seems to know how they pulled THAT off. Must have been a Censor Decoy.
    When we next see Sokka the following morning, he has a floral necklace for no particular reason except to indicate he got "lei'd." And, assuming that Suki gave it to him, that Suki got "deflowered."
  • Real Is Brown: The wardrobe color pallette of the Live Action Adaptation compared to the original.
  • Really Seven Hundred Years Old: Aang is in fact 112 years old, but spend one hundred of those years as a Human Popsicle.
    • Which makes Bumi an unfrozen 112.
    • According to "Avatar Extras", The Guru Pathik is even older. Specifically 150.
    • Apparently, Avatar Kyoshi lived to be a record breaking 230 years old.
      • Which is sort of ironic, since people who are large tend to live a lot shorter.
      • Nah, Kyoshi was just that Badass.
    • Living Relic: And the Lion Turtle, the largest animal of all, which is far older than the Avatar itself. That's old, considering the Avatar has been through a thousand lifetimes at least. It's definitely Older Than Dirt.
  • Rebel Leader: Jet ... and a rather extremist one at that.
  • Rebel Relaxation: Jet is fond of this, complete with a piece of straw in his mouth much like a cigarette, effectively wooing Katara (in the episode 'Jet') because All Girls Want Bad Boys.
  • Recap Episode: "The Legend So Far" mini-episode, shown right before the penultimate episode of the first season, and narrated by the voice of Spirit Advisor Avatar Roku.
    • And "The Boy in the Iceberg".
    • And then subverted by the second-to-last episodes of Seasons 2 and 3, "The Guru" and "The Ember Island Players".
  • Reckless Pacifist: Aang. Just Aang, mind you; despite the TV-Y7 rating, Aang is the only person who explicitly claims that he will never kill, even if it's the Fire Lord. Despite that, he causes his share of havoc, especially when in the Avatar State.
  • Redemption Demotion: Lampshaded by Zuko in "The Firebending Masters" when he notices his Firebending has weakened almost to nothing. "I bet it's because I changed sides."
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Multiple examples - Fire Nation and Water Tribe, Zuko and Azula, the red and blue dragon motif, and Ozai and Aang during the final Energybending scene.
    • A pair of red and blue dragons shows up at least three times. Within a vision of Prince Zuko, where his inner conflict is represented by a blue dragon (Azula) and a red dragon (Iroh); the mounts of the ideologically conflicted Firelord Sozin (blue) and Avatar Roku (red); and finally with the original Firebending Masters. Red/blue is initially used to signal division, but the Masters dance in unison and reveal fire's true dual nature, which plays into Avatar's larger theme that everything is one.
  • Redemption Equals Death: Jet.
  • Redemption Quest: Zuko, trying to earn his father's approval. Inverted, however, in that he's trying to prove himself evil.
    • And then flipped back the right way around in Season 3, when Zuko seeks to redeem himself to the Avatar and to Iroh and prove himself good.
  • Red Sky, Take Warning: When Zhao threatens the Moon Spirit. And very importantly - Sozin's comet.
  • Redundant Researcher: Professor Zei (from "The Library").
  • Reformed but Rejected: Jet in "Lake Laogai", Zuko in "The Western Air Temple".
  • Recurring Extra: The Cabbage Merchant.
    • Lampshaded in "The Ember Island Players" when the list of sources for the play mentions, "a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage."
  • Regent for Life: Long Feng
  • Renowned Selective Mentor: Master Piandao. Skilled swordman, former Fire Nation Elite Soldier (but not a FireBender), High Master of the White Lotus Order and famous for defeating 100 soldiers alone after he deserted the army, there were many people who wanted to be trained by him, but he rejected most of them, between the few pupils he accepted to train were Prince Zuko, and Sokka (who gained him a level in Badassery after his training).
  • Requisite Royal Regalia: The Fire Nation's crowns are extremely low key, but still elegant.
    • Although when Ozai declares himself Phoenix King in preparation for his plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom and ensure total world domination he gives himself a rather more ornate crown/helmet.
  • Retired Badass: Iroh used to be the highest General in the Fire Nation army, and personally led a siege against the Earth Kingdom capital city of Ba Sing Se that lasted six hundred days. He even managed to break through the outer wall, something that no one else had ever done before or since. But he's perfectly happy to spend his life enjoying tea and being a surrogate father to his nephew, after the death of his own son in the aforementioned siege had a profound effect on his worldview.
  • Refuge in Cool: Even after accepting the bending powers, it's still loads of using Rule of Cool.
  • Riddle for the Ages:
  • Ridiculously Cute Critter: Where to start?
  • Right-Hand Attack Dog: Flopsie.
  • Right Hand Versus Left Hand: Zhao had Aang before Zuko sabotaged him.
  • Rite of Passage: The Water Tribe has the "ice-dodging" ritual, were young members have to navigate a boat through an iceberg field. Sokka, Aang, and Katara perform this through a field of rocks, since they were too far from the nearest icebergs.
  • Road Trip Across the Street: In "Nightmares and Daydreams", Zuko takes a palanquin to Mai's house, which is just across the street from the palace.
  • Royal Brat: Zuko acts like one for much of the first season.
  • Royally Screwed-Up: The Fire Nation nobility.
    • And Zuko even lampshades it when talking about his father in Season 3.
  • Royals Who Actually Do Something: All the royals.
    • Except, of course, the Earth King.
  • Runaway Fiance: Part of Kanna's backstory.
  • Running Gag: Several.
    • Zuko's ship suffering major damage every few episodes—losing the miniboat over a waterfall, a Shirshu ripping a hole in the deck, being buried under an avalanche, being set on fire by a catapult, being struck by lightning, and finally being blown up entirely in a failed assassination attempt by Admiral Zhao.
    • Frequent sightings of an unfortunate cabbage merchant in the Earth Kingdom, whose cart and produce are inevitably destroyed during every appearance. "My CABBAGES!!!"
    • People forgetting that Toph is blind, and thus can't read or recognize people's faces. This reached the point where someone asked her what was on a piece of paper twice in one episode.

Toph: I don't know! I mean, seriously, what's with you people?! I'm blind!

      • Toph also gets to use that to tease her friends, especially Sokka's drawings. She comments on Sokka's drawing of Appa 'I think it looks just like him', prompting Sokka to say something like 'Why do you always have to do that', hinting that she does it a lot.
    • The episode where the Gaang is looking for Appa. At one point they're putting up posters, and suggest Toph tags along with Sokka.

Toph: You think I can't hang a poster up on my own?! *takes a poster, slathers the front of it in glue, and slams it on the wall* ...it's upside down, isn't it? ...I'll just go with Sokka.

    • Sokka's fake beard and his "skill" with art.
    • Foaming Mouth Guy!
    • Starting in Season 1 with King Bumi, every time a character (usually Sokka) tells a bad joke, there is a moment of silence, followed by an off-screen cough. See Chirping Crickets above.
      • Similarly, some scenes end with Momo intruding, often to grab a bite. These are sometimes called "Momoments".
    • The fact that nobody other than Aang and Zuko (possibly Zhao) know that the Blue Spirit is actually Zuko. Made especially hilarious in the short "School Time Shipping" when Katara turns down Haru, Jet, Zuko and Aang because she's already got a date to the dance: the Blue Spirit.
    • Whenever Zuko and Aang are involved in a fight scene, Zuko hits a wall.
      • Any real fight involving Zuko has him hitting either a wall or the floor.
  • Rule of Symbolism: Iroh burning the fire nation flag hanging over the Earth King's palace in Ba Sing Se during the finale counts; it symbolizes his Heel Face Turn in that he liberated the very city that he once attempted to conquer. More so, it's the fact that he accomplished the goal he'd set out for long ago. The the only difference is he's conquering it for the Earth Kingdom, and not the Fire Nation.
  • Sad Battle Music: The music that plays during the Agni Kai between Zuko and Azula during Sozin's Comet. Fittingly, the music is called "The Last Agni Kai".
  • Sadistic Choice: Toph has to choose between saving Appa from the sandbenders or stopping the library from sinking with the rest of the Gaang inside.
  • Sand Is Water: The sandbenders sail around on it.
  • Sanity Slippage: Azula, starting when her friends leave her, and accelerating after her promotion to Fire Lord. She rather quickly goes barking mad over the course of the penultimate episode.
  • Sarcasm Failure: When Toph and Sokka are dangling off an airship, with Sokka's space sword and boomerang gone and things looking bad, neither one of them has anything sarcastic to say. This may be one of the only times in the series that both of them are completely serious.
  • Scarecrow Solution: In the episode "The Painted Lady", Katara starts one of her own. As she helps some villagers, they mistake her for their local deities - and instead of trying to clear up the mistake or at least feel bad about it, she chooses to make the most of it. Of course, the villagers are outraged when they find out that she has deceived them, but they quickly forgive her since they realize that the help she gave them was genuine rather than a part of some manipulative plot. After the whole thing is over, it turns out that the real Painted Lady actually does exist - and she is pleased with Katara's deeds.
  • Scary Impractical Armor: Spoofed, with the creators admitting they just thought stuff like that was stupid.
  • Scenery Porn: Seriously, the background art is gorgeous.
  • Schizo-Tech: Done very originally with bending worked into daily life leading to interesting variations from the less technologically advanced Water Tribes to the Steampunk warships and crawlers of the Fire Nation.
  • Scooby Stack: Katara and Aang in "Sokka's Master".
  • Sealed Good in a Can: Aang, for 100 years.
  • Sealed with a Kiss: Aang and Katara's kiss is the last scene of the finale.
  • Second Episode Introduction: Admiral Zhao.
  • Seen It All: The fortune teller senses that Aang will be in a tremendous struggle for the fate of the world. Aang quickly asks her to skip that and check his love life.
  • Send in the Clones: "Joo Dee" is not so much a person as it is a job title and the Dai Li have dozens of similar-looking brainwashed women ready to step in and take over should the current Joo Dee ever slip up.
  • Sequel Hook: "Where. IS. My Mother." Subverted in that while both The Legend of Korra and The Promise acknowledge the hook, neither one answers anything.
    • Given that The Legend of Korra is still in its early days, it may still provide answers, as Zuko's voice actor is returning to play "a character with some relation to Zuko", according to the creators. Obviously not Ursa, but there may yet be something.
  • Serious Business: Azula's reaction to winning a game of, essentially, beach volleyball in "The Beach":

Azula: Yes, we defeated you for all time! You will never rise from the ashes of your shame and humiliation! (pause) Well that was fun.

  • Sexy Backless Outfit: The Painted Lady, according to the little statue Shu brings out. Katara noticeably averts this by wearing her Fire Nation dress under the robe. The REAL Painted Lady, who appears at the end of the episode, does not.
  • Shadow Archetype: Katara and Azula.
  • Shadow Discretion Shot: Inverted in the Flash Back that explains how Zuko got his scar. We got a bright light discretion shot showing Iroh's wince and Azula's Psychotic Smirk.
  • She Fu
  • Ship Sinking: In-story, during "The Ember Island Players": Aang is dismayed to see his and Katara's actors gleefully sink their ship by agreeing to be "just friends", as they were playing the moment that actually was his love confession.
  • Ship Tease: All over the place.
  • Shipped in Shackles: The bounty hunters who captured Toph stuck her in a metal box for transport so she couldn't use her earth bending to escape. Of course, Toph gets out by inventing metal bending. See the CMOA page.
  • Shipper on Deck: Played for Laughs by Toph in the first part of the series finale. "I knew it! You [Katara] did have a secret thing with Haru!"
  • Shirtless Scene: Every major male character eventually; one of Zuko's came complete with Disturbed Doves, with a following shot of a gaggle of instant Fangirls.
  • Shock and Awe: Experienced firebenders are able to bend lightning.
  • Shocking Defeat Legacy: Two examples. One was for the Fire Nation, when Iroh gave up on taking Ba Sing Se after breaching the wall. The other was for La Résistance when Azula's coup meant that said impenetrable city finally fell.
  • Shoo the Dog: when Suki is forced to get rid of Appa to save him from Azula in "Appa's Lost Days".
  • Shoot the Dog: Avatar Yangchen was a proponent of this, and advised Aang to kill Ozai, claiming that his own spiritual needs would have to be sacrificed for the greater good, because she believes his role as the Avatar supercedes his teachings as an airbender.
    • Kyoshi has shades of this as well, though not to the same extent as Yangchen. When Aang consults her about what to do about Ozai, she takes responsibility for the accidental death of Chen the Conqueror, claiming that although she didn't kill him, she was prepared to if necessary.
  • Shout-Out
    • Aang's armor in Sokka's Master calls up a lot of various anime and fighting games, the most notable of which is Nightmare's arm piece and helmet from Soul Calibur. Also worth mentioning from that sequence: Tenchi's "Wind Sword". It's also a Crowning Moment of Funny when all this extra equipment makes Aang fall over backwards.
    • Combustion man: Strange, stoic killer + guy with tattoos that make things explodenate + guy with mechanical limbs because his original ones were lost in an accident. Fullmetal Alchemist anyone?
    • Aang disrupts a band lesson by getting carried away. The episode in which that took place was a Whole-Plot Reference to Footloose.
    • In Ba Sing Se, Zuko disguises himself with a mask that's actually Pazuzu, as seen in The Exorcist. However, that film actually used a Japanese hannya Noh mask, which is in fact Asian. Thus, it's the Fantasy Counterpart Culture's equivalent foreign face.
    • The three-sided Mexican Standoff between Aang, Zuko and Azula in a ghost town in the next episode: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly! Bonus points for the fight itself, which starts with the three of them essentially shooting fire and air at each other with Finger Guns.
    • In "Nightmares and Daydreams" Aang has a dream in which Momo and Appa are dressed up as Samurais and fighting each other. Samurai!Momo duplicates the distinctive gestures made by the hero of Kurosawa's Yojimbo.
    • Jet bears a striking resemblance to Spike from Cowboy Bebop with his hairstyle, laid-back attitude and bent grass stem/cigarette in his mouth. Spike's partner is named Jet too.
      • Also, the scene in "The Blue Spirit" where Aang asks Zuko if they could have been friends if they met earlier in life is based off a similar scene in the episode "Waltz for Venus" of Bebop.
      • And that huge rock forest where Aang fights Ozai is called "Wulong Forest" after the currency from Cowboy Bebop... the creators are big fans.
    • The scene where Zuko, after being hit by Azula's lightning, lies on the ground twitching as lightning continues arcing across his body is highly reminiscent of Return of the Jedi.
      • Similarly, Guru Pathik and the episode where he appear could remind one of Yoda.
    • The scene in Season 3, The Firebending Masters, an idol pops up out of the ground and Aang says "I'm just very suspicious of gems sitting on giant gold pedestals" was a shout out to Indiana Jones.
      • In the same episode, Prince Zuko wall-runs over a pit of spikes.
    • The barfly that June beats up twice looks strangely similar to Ryu.
    • In an indirect Actor Allusion, during their Agni Ki in the Season 1 episode "The Storm", Zuko tells his father, voiced by Luke Skywalker himself, "I will not fight you" in the exact same intonation Luke did.
    • In the episode The Blind Bandit, a couple of rather familiar Earthbenders named "The Boulder" and "The Hippo". The Boulder's a bit of a wrestling twofer, seeing as his name is in reference to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, but he acts and speaks more like Hulk Hogan. And is, of course, voiced by Mick Foley.
      • Fire Nation Man is also a clear reference to The Ayatollah, partiularly with the use of his Fire Nation flag and his obnoxious national pride.
    • Ty Lee can, by hitting certain points on the body, paralyze you or turn off a bender's ability to bend, kind of like the Gentle Fist style of the Hyuga clan fron Naruto.
      • Actually, the Hyuuga style would be a bit more like Airbending, which is based on the Baguazhang martial arts style. And what does "Bagua" mean, you ask? Why Eight Trigrams, of course. Both of them incorporate plenty of spinning, too.
    • Play!Aang being female is both a homage to Mary Martin, and a spoof of adult women voicing boy characters.
    • "...And begin a new era of love and peace."
    • One does not simply pop in on the Earth King.
    • The two "Siege At The North Pole" episodes are chock full of shoutouts to another animated show about a plot to kill a spirit, Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece Princess Mononoke.
  • Showdown At High Noon
  • Shown Their Work: The creators went to painstaking detail to shape the entire series.
    • The way the airbenders recognize the Avatar's new incarnation is by Aang picking specific toys (which belonged to previous Avatars) out of thousands of possibilities - a practice that mirrors one of the actual ways Tibetan monks find the newly-reincarnated Dalai Lama.
    • Many of the styles of martial arts used by the benders are based on actual styles. The Book 1 Disc One extras have an interview with Sifu Kisu, describing them.
      • Waterbending is Tai Chi.
      • Earthbending is Hung Gar.
      • Firebending is Northern Shaolin Kung Fu.
      • Airbending is Ba Gua.
      • Toph's Earthbending style, which is unique to her, is Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis.
    • The Yu Yan Archers favor the Mongolian variation of drawing the bow string.
    • All of the Chinese script in the series says what the characters read. There was an expert in ancient Chinese calligraphy on the staff.
    • In the episode called "The Northern Air Temple", Sokka meets another Mad Scientist type. They are discussing how to prevent the natural gas from leaking and blowing everyone up, since they can't see or smell it. One of them arrives on a solution of putting rotten eggs in with the gas. Although not quite the modern solution, it's pretty close (they use something with a "rotten egg" smell, called Mercaptan). Some of the other inventions also seem to have sound research.
  • Show Within a Show: The Ember Island Players' production of "The Boy in the Iceberg".
  • Shut Up and Save Me: A restrained-by-pirates Sokka, to Aang and Katara, in "The Waterbending Scroll".
  • "Shut Up" Kiss: Sokka and Suki in "The Serpent's Pass"; Aang and Katara in "The Invasion".
  • Sibling Yin-Yang:
    • Sokka and Katara.
    • Zuko and Azula, for sure.
    • And very importantly, Iroh and Ozai. They are about as opposite you can stretch the idea.
  • Sickeningly Sweethearts: In The Promise, Aang and Katara are somewhat like this post-finale.

Toph: 'Sweetie?' Seriously?
Sokka: I know, right? Soooo oogie.

    • There's a preview page for Part 2, which makes you want to remove the "somewhat".
  • Silent Bob: Longshot.
  • Simple Score of Sadness:
    • The song that plays when Yue sacrifices herself to revive the Moon Spirit.
    • Also, the music playing during the final Agni Kai between Zuko and Azula.
  • Single Palette Town: In fact, single palette continents: Nearly all Earth Kingdom residents wear a green & brown motif, Fire Nationers wear red, Water Tribers wear blue. When there were still Air Nomads, they wore orange and yellow, though being part of a monastic order may have inclined them towards maintaining a similar form of dress.
    • Averted with the fishing village Gaang comes upon in season 3. Despite being Fire Nation, most of the town wear simple clothes you'd expect of fishermen, mostly tans and light blues.
  • Skirt Over Slacks: Katara, in both her Water Tribe and Fire Nation outfits, and (oddly enough) Azula and Ty Lee with their bikinis in "The Beach".
    • Isn't that called a sarong?
  • Slasher Smile: Azula's Psychotic Smirk becomes this after her Villainous Breakdown.
  • Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Compared to most kids' shows, quite cynical; by more normal standards, idealistic with a heavy dose of Earn Your Happy Ending.
  • Sliding Scale of Villain Effectiveness: High. The villains are extremely dangerous and quite often succeed in their plans.
  • Slipknot Ponytail: Happens several times to Katara and happens to Azula in "Sozin's Comet Part 3: Into The Inferno".
  • Slipped the Ropes: Aang does this as a quick gag in "The Earth King". In a rare turn for this trope, this is a comedic example of this trope.
  • Slobs Versus Snobs: "The Great Divide".
  • Small Town Rivalry: Also "The Great Divide".
  • Smash the Symbol
    • When the White Lotus members take Ba Sing Sae back from Fire Nation rule, they pull down a statue Ozai had had put up of himself.
      • In the same scene, Iroh burns a Fire Nation flag that had been hung over an Earth Kingdom symbol.
    • When King Bumi reclaims Omashu on the day of the Eclipse, he defaces an Ozai statue with smiley face bits of stone and then pulls it down.
  • Smite Me, O Mighty Smiter!: "Bitter Work" has Zuko doing this, in hopes that he could practice his new lightning-redirection technique. Unusually for the trope, it's played for drama.
  • Smug Snake: Admiral Zhao. Seriously, when your Establishing Character Moment is getting your ass handed to you by both a teenager and an old man in the same ten minute interval, you should start considering the possibility that maybe you're not as awesome as you think you are. As "The Deserter" shows, Zhao is a strong firebender, but not at all a skilled one.
    • Fire Lord Ozai himself is also a supremely arrogant douche who's not quite as brilliant as he thinks he is but unlike Zhao, he at least has the power to back it up.
    • Azula, unlike the other two, is every bit as dangerous as she is smug. She's shown to lose only one fight, during a major breakdown; notably her victories include the Day of Black Sun, when she's without her Firebending.
  • Sneaky Departure: In "The Awakening", Aang feels he needs to regain his honor by fighting the firelord alone, and so he sneaks off the ship that the gang is currently hiding out on.
  • Snipe Hunt: The terms of Zuko's banishment. Track down someone not seen for 100 years and you can come home again? Right. This is really brought home when Zhao, acting with the full authority of the Fire Nation, immediately moves to prevent Zuko from continuing to hunt him when it becomes apparent that the Avatar actually has returned.
  • Snow Means Death: Or more accurately, black snow.
  • So Unfunny It's Funny: Many of Sokka's weird nicknames and jokes are this. (And apparently so are his father's, according to a comment from Bato when Sokka makes one in Bato's presence.) Apparently the unfunny-is-funny effect holds true for the rest of the gAang as well as the audience, because by Season 3, they have gotten so used to Sokka as a source of humor that they actually miss his jokes when he's off training with his master… and the replacement jokes they try to make are even more unfunny-funny (but only to the audience, not them).
  • Soft Water:
    • Averted. In the finale, Sokka lowers the airship to a safe distance before dropping the crew out of the ship using the bomb bay. Later on, Aang uses waterbending to soften what would otherwise be a very hard crash into a lake from a very long drop.
    • But not averted in "The Swamp" when Sokka, Katara and Aang fall off Appa above the treetops and land in a foot of water, but are totally unharmed when they stand up. Aang cushions his fall with airbending, Katara might have done something subconsciously, but Sokka is magically fine without it.
      • Katara would instinctively protect her brother as well as herself, she's been looking out for him all her life.
  • Solar and Lunar: Waterbenders and Firebenders draw strength from the moon and sun, respectively; a Waterbender's strength is greater when the moon is up, and at its absolute greatest when the moon is full, while a Firebender's strength is greater while the sun is up. Additionally, Waterbenders and Firebenders lose their bending during their respective eclipses.
  • Sonar Sight: Due to her being born blind. Toph uses earthbending to "see."
  • Sorting Algorithm of Evil: Zuko is the first antagonist, possessing a single ship and the crew therein in his quest to capture the Avatar. He is quickly surpassed by Zhao, a non-disgraced Commander (later Admiral) who eventually gets command of an entire naval fleet and provides the first real test of the Gaang's skills. When Azula and her Quirky Miniboss Squad come in the second season, the threat level spiked well beyond the Gaang's ability to handle at that point. And then Fire Lord Ozai got involved.
  • Swamp Hillbillies: The Foggy Swamp branch of the Water Tribe.
  • Spartan Sibling: Zuko's whole family (minus his mother and uncle) are like this.
  • Spell My Name with a "The": The Duke. Also, The Boulder.
  • Spell My Name with an "S": No confusion among fans as to how to spell names, but the official spellings often differs significantly from what you might expect based on the pronunciation. For example, Mai is in fact named for the Chinese word for beauty, which is "mei"; Ty Lee sounds like Tai Li, Joo Dee probably ought to be Zhu Di, and Iroh is pronounced like Airou would be.
  • Sphere of Power: Whenever Aang enters the Avatar State, he bends the air around him to create a bubble of high-speed wind. In the finale, he combines this with rings of water, earth, and fire.
  • Spirit Advisor: All previous Avatars become this to the current one. Roku is the one to whom Aang speaks the most often.
  • Split Personality: Dock/Shu/Bushi in "The Painted Lady". He doesn't try to hide it either.
  • Spoiler Recap: Episodes will often open with a recap of anything from an earlier episode that is related to the current one in any way; if scenes from the episode "Jet" show up in the recap, don't be surprised about the character Jet suddenly showing up in the episode. The Order of the White Lotus was given obvious importance extremely early because of this, for one example.
  • Spontaneous Weapon Creation: Aang briefly discusses the idea of making a 'Wind Sword' this way.
  • Spoof Aesop: "The Waterbending Scroll". Katara steals and justifies it by saying that it isn't wrong as long as you steal it from pirates.
  • Squee: Appa has a different sleeping position in "Nightmares and Daydreams" you'll never see elsewhere - despie his size and mass, he can curl into a ball. Cutest thing EVER.
    • An in-universe example occurs during the Beach Episode, when Zuko takes off his shirt and the camera cuts straight to nearby bikini girls enjoying the view.
    • When "Squee" has rabies, you get the Foaming-mouth Guy.
  • Stand-In Parents: Sokka and Katara stand in as "Kuzon"'s parents Wang and Sapphire Fire, when he gets into trouble at school.
  • Star-Crossed Lovers: Who had to sneak through the SECRET TUNNEL! SECRET TUNNEL! Also Sokka and Yue.
  • Stating the Simple Solution: Ozai wonders why Zuko doesn't just kill him, seeing as Zuko has just cornered him during a solar eclipse (i.e. no firebending) and has a pair of swords pointed at him. Zuko states that that's the Avatar's destiny.
    • Zuko's right, in a sense, as reflected later during the finale, when the protagonists ask Iroh to defeat Ozai in Aang's place. His reasoning is that even if he could, history would only see it as a brother killing another brother for power. Similarly, if Zuko killed Ozai it might end the war but it wouldn't bring peace, especially given Ozai's vulnerable state. Only the Avatar, as the Spirit of the Planet, really has the right to pass justice in this scenario.
      • Ozai probably knew this and was just trying to goad him.
  • Stay in the Kitchen: The Northern Water Tribe only trains men in combative waterbending; women can only learn healing techniques. It's implied that this may change after Pakku accepts Katara as his student.
  • Stealth Pun: The morning after Sokka is shown to be waiting for Suki in his tent wearing only his underwear, he is wearing a necklace of flowers. He got "lei'd", and Suki got "deflowered."
    • In "The Ember Island Players", the Gaang goes incognito to watch a play that recaps the story so far, and Sokka wants to meet the actor-Sokka, so how does he introduce himself? As "a big Sokka fan." Say it out loud a couple of times.
    • In "The Puppetmaster" we meet Old Man Ding... who promptly dings himself with a hammer.
  • Stepford Smiler: Joo Dee has an extremely wide and fake-looking smile on her face at all times, even when she's warning the Gaang against stepping out of line. The smile only fades into tears once, and after Long Feng re-applies her brainwashing, it's back.
  • Stern Chase: Season 1.
  • Stockholm Syndrome: We know this is at least somewhat the case regarding Zuko's desire to please Ozai. The question is: how much more abuse did he actually go through? And how much of that is also the case for Azula? Both are much more fragile and battered than anyone realizes...
  • Stuff Blowing Up: A mountain full of methane pockets. And one of them is right underneath the Fire Nation invading force. Guess what happens.
    • Azula seems to think a volley ball-like game called Kuai Ball requires explosions.
  • Stunned Silence: Azula is trying to seduce a guy in "The Beach", but her megalomaniacal side kicked in, leaving the just, well, stunned into silence.
  • Stylistic Suck: In "The Ember Island Players".
  • Sundial Waypoint: Aang's first communication with Roku depended on sunlight shining on Roku's statue. And when Aang and Zuko needed to enter a Sun Warrior temple, it had a lock of this kind (sunlight striking a specific place) on the doors.
  • Super Mode: The Avatar State.
  • Supernatural Elite: The royal family of the Fire Nation, all of whom are firebenders.
  • Supernatural Martial Arts: Bending.
  • Superpowerful Genetics: Bending is partly genetic, though mostly random. See: Katara, the only bender in an otherwise non-bending family; Zuko and Azula, two powerful firebenders who come from a long and storied line of firebenders; and the twin brothers of "The Fortuneteller", one is an earthbender, the other isn't.
  • Supporting Leader: Uncle Iroh, when he leads the forces of the Order of the White Lotus to retake Ba Sing Se.
  • Surprise Witness: Subverted in the Trial episode. Avatar Kyoshi comes through Aang in a vain hope of proving the Avatar's innocence towards the murder of their king, although she ends up saying that she killed him for being a tyrant. However, after all was said and done...

Aang: What just happened?
Katara: You kinda just...confessed.

"How do I land this--Ackk! Bug! BUG! That was a BUG!"

  • Sweet and Sour Grapes: Guru Pathik's admonition was incorrect, at least as Aang took it. Aang mastered the Avatar State without giving up his love for Katara.
    • Actually what it took was him willing to give her up in order to save her.
  • Sword Fight: The dual dao sabers vs. twin tiger-head hook sword face-off; overlaps with Evasive Fight Thread Episode.
    • And several times in Season 3, when Sokka receives sword training.
    • And don't forget Momo vs. Appa in "Nightmares and Daydreams", where Appa quadruple wields katanas.
  • Sword Over Head: After Zuko defeats his arch rival, Commander Zhao, in an Agni Kai (one-on-one firebender duel), Zhao expects Zuko to kill him with a Finishing Move, but to his surprise, Zuko spares him, blasting the ground near his head.
  • Symbolic Blood: In "The Guru", Katara is incapacitated by Ty Lee as she tries to get water out of her flask for bending. She ends up unconsious on the floor, with an expanding puddle of her bending water flows about her stomach, looking for all the world like a pool of blood.
  • Take a Third Option: Aang energybends Ozai to rob him of his firebending rather than kill him or be killed by him.
    • Also: Ozai could either kill Zuko, or give up his claim to the throne. Instead Ursa took a third option for him, assassinating Azulon and setting Ozai up as heir, then fleeing into exile.
    • In an early episode, Aang is presented with two armed men to duel against. He, instead, chooses King Bumi, the doddering old guy who's been testing him. Much to the audience's delight, Bumi reveals himself to be a Badass Grandpa...
  • Take That: "The Ember Island Players" is a gentle, good-natured "take that" at what the creators perceived as the more extreme parts of the Avatar fandom, including Fanfic writers, Zuko-Katara shippers, and what happens to Jet. "Did ___ just die?" "I don't know, it was really ambiguous."
    • Word of God says the absurdly violent armor Aang tries on in "Sokka's Master" was a jab at the makers of the action figures, who kept demanding Aang have some sort of "battle" outfit; as well as at Scary Impractical Armor as a whole.
  • Taking the Bullet: Zuko to Katara, from Azula.
  • Tanks for Nothing: Though the Fire Nation's mechanized forces give them a big advantage in the overall war, this is mostly played straight in the series, especially in the finale.
  • Tasty Gold: Trope Namer.
    • Sokka also performs this trope in the episode where he undergoes his training as a swordsman. Faced with a selection of metals with which to forge a sword, he picks up a hunk of the stuff and gnaws on it.
  • Teach Him Anger: Part of Toph's training of Aang in "Bitter Work", due to Personality Powers.
  • Team Dad: Zuko. Especially towards Aang and in thecomics. He's also one of the only members of the team who doesn't get Katara's motherly treatment.
  • Team Mom: Katara. This is made blatant in "The Runaway", which explores how much the team depends on her, as well as the downsides of this trope. In the same episode, Sokka privately admits that Katara is almost more like a mother to him than a sister. And in turn, Toph admits that Katara cares about her more than Toph's real mom ever did.
  • Tell Me How You Fight: Not only is each kind of bending based on a visually distinct and appropriate martial arts style, but there are noticeable differences in how the various fighters execute those styles.
    • For example, while earthbending is mostly based off the Hung Gar style of Kung Fu, Toph's style utilizes several elements of Southern Praying Mantis style, particularly the precise steps which allow her feet to stay in contact with the ground so that she can "see". Coincidentally, this style was, according to legend, created by a blind woman.
  • Tempting Fate: Sokka is to blame for 70% of instances relating to this trope.

Sokka: The Universe just loves proving me wrong, doesn't it?
Toph: You make it too easy!

    • And then subverted right away, when the giant serpent (which had just appeared) attacks the Fire Nation instead of the heroes.

Sokka: Thank you, The Universe!

    • Virtually Once an Episode.
    • Near the end of book 2. The Gaang have convinced the Earth King there is a war outside Ba Sing Se, they have the entire Earth Kingdom on their side, they have info which would guarantee their victory against the Fire Nation, and Aang is going to be taught how to control the Avatar State. Sokka is far more positive and thinking along the lines of "Nothing can go wrong now." Then Azula, Ty Lee and Mai show up posing as the Kyoshi warriors and it's all blown to Hell.
    • In the second to last episode of Book 2, Yu and Xin Fu capture Toph, put her in a metal cage and declare that she may think herself strong but not even the greatest Earthbender in the world can bend metal. Guess what skill Toph created from scraps before and declaring herself the greatest Earthbender in the world...
  • Tentative Light
  • That Came Out Wrong:

Iroh: Why would [your father] banish you if he did not care?
(Zuko gets up and storms off)
Iroh: (groan) That came out wrong, didn't it? (two assistants exchange glances)

  • That's No Moon: The Lion-Turtle Island.
  • Theme Naming: The three sets of siblings in the cast all share a syllable of their name: Sokka and Katara, Ozai and Iroh, and Zuko and Azula.
    • Even the tentative "Legend of Korra" falls in line with another existing line of Theme Naming: Kanna, Kya, and Katara, all Water Tribe women. Speaking of which, the only named Water Tribe members whose name didn't contain a "K" or a "A" were Yue,[1] and Ummi (Kuruk's wife).[2]
  • The "The" Title: Nearly all the episode titles take the form "The [noun]". The noun generally refers to either the primary setting, a character of the week, or a MacGuffin.
  • This Is a Drill: And a Memetic Mutation one at that.
  • This Is No Time for Knitting: Aang, Sokka, and Katara are fighting pirates on a ship about to go over the Inevitable Waterfall. Aang suddenly stops fighting and blows the "broken" whistle he bought earlier in the episode. Sokka screams, "Have you lost your mind? This is no time for flute practice!" before learning (along with the viewers) that it's a bison whistle Aang can now use to summon Appa to save them.
  • This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself: The Final Battle.
  • Thoughtcrime: Ba Sing Se had no idea that an incredibly destructive war went on outside of their walls, with inhabitants that think differently and make a fuss about it being brainwashed.
  • Thou Shalt Not Kill: Aang, although it was really an issue of premeditated, deliberate killing. In battle and self-defense, his fighting style generally lends itself to non-lethal subduing of his foes, so deaths, if they do occur, can at least be said to be unintended or accidental.
    • After Appa is stolen, Aang is enraged when a vulture wasp tries to carry off Momo. Even after freeing Momo, Aang proceeds to obliterate the wasp with a powerful airbending strike (which, by the way, is a bending form confirmed to be completely lacking in lethal moves). It's Aang's only confirmed kill in the series.
  • Throat Light: Part of the Avatar State.
  • Throw Down the Bomblet: One of the Rough Rhino's Weapon of Choice.
  • Throw It In: Sokka's humor and mannerisms were derived from the improvisations of his comedian voice actor.
    • Additionally, in the episode "The Ember Island Players" the entire show was parodied hilariously by a play. The actor parodying Sokka wasn't funny enough and so Sokka tried to fix it by substituting his own jokes with even more hilarious results.
  • Thunderbolt Iron: Sokka's sword.
    • Also the left-over meteor metal he gives to Toph, which she wears as an armlet.
  • Tired of Running: Zuko chooses to fight Azula rather than run in the Season 2 Finale.
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Ladette-in-progress Toph and the Team Mom Katara.
  • Tongue on the Flagpole: Only with Aang's glider.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Sokka in the third season. Katara at the end of Season 1.
    • Iroh took yet another level in it to prepare for his prison break.
  • Total Eclipse of the Plot: Used by the group to attack the Fire Nation. Justified, since firebenders gain their power from the sun—an eclipse leaves them powerless. And realistically, it only lasts eight minutes.
  • Totally Radical: "The Headband". With in-universe slang, no less.

Sokka: Flame-eo?

Bumi: First of all, it's pretty fun messing with people.

Mai: Orange is such an awful color.
Zuko: You're so beautiful when you hate the world.
Mai: I don't hate you.
Zuko: I don't hate you, too.

  • TV Teen: Both played straight (everyone's skin is perfect, and some of the VAs are well past 30) and subverted.
  • Twist Ending: Prominent throughout Season 2, in contrast to the usual "ride off happily into the sunset" endings of most episodes in Season 1. One episode in which it was played with contained several plot twists at the end.
  • Two Lines, No Waiting: Quite a few episodes.
  • Two Roads Before You: Zuko must choose between Azula and Iroh.
  • Underside Ride: This is how Zuko gets inside Zhao's compound, during "The Blue Spirit" episode, by hiding beneath a layer of dirt in the road. Then grabbing the undercarriage of a supply wagon as it passes over him. It takes him straight inside the fortress.
  • Unfamiliar Ceiling: Aang waking up at the beginning of Season 3, six weeks after being struck by lightning.
  • The Unfavorite: Zuko to Ozai. Azula to Ursa, though probably with more pity than malice. And also Ozai to Azulon
  • The Unintelligible: all humans sound like this to Momo - but apparently not to Appa.
    • Momo hearing people and understanding them is situational by Rule of Funny. There's at least one occasion where Aang tells Appa and Momo to stay out of sight. Momo immediately finds a hiding place; Appa tries the same hiding place, but since it's a bush, it does not work so well.
  • Unpronounceable Alias: The page quote for this trope comes from the episode "The King of Omashu".
  • The Un-Reveal: "Where is my mother?" Not in the finale.
  • The Un-Smile: Unlaugh, technically, when Ty Lee tries to teach Azula how to flirt.
  • Unsportsmanlike Gloating: Azula turns it into an art.
  • Unstoppable Rage: The Avatar State.
  • Unwitting Pawn: If Zuko's word is to be considered, it would appear that this is the case with the majority of the Fire Nation in regards to the war, and that only the most cold-hearted and sadistic people are given the truth. It is worth noting that Firelord Ozai is careful to keep these people close to him, perhaps not wanting word to get out.

Zuko: Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest Nation in history; and that somehow, the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation! They don't see our greatness; they hate us! And we deserve it.

  • Useful Notes on China: "Laogai" is actually a phrase referring to reformative training, usually associated with Communist China.
    • The background music in Earth Kingdom dinner scenes ('The Blind Bandit' and 'City of Walls and Secrets') is an actual traditional Chinese tune called 'Mo Li Hua' or Jasmine Flower.
    • From the end of "Avatar Day": fried dough sticks to represent hated historical figures do exist.[3] Long story short, Evil Chancellor Qin Hui set up the Emperor's most loyal general Yue Fei as a traitor, leading to his execution before the truth was out. The fried dough sticks are always made in pairs to represent Qin and his wife.
    • Energybending in the Grand Finale becomes less of an Ass Pull if you're familiar with Chinese martial arts fiction, which commonly used "the removal of his martial arts" (via crippling nonfatal injury) as a Fate Worse Than Death for villains. Another common trope from this genre is having your villain driven insane with his own growing abilities... which might explain Azula (or Bumi, but he was always a little odd).
      • In a similar vein, Metalbending. Toph is shown using two different martial arts styles for standard (Hung Gar) and her self-developed (Mantis) Earthbending; Metalbending comes from a third style, Xing Yi Quan, developed in captivity just like Toph's metalbending was.[4]
      • And bloodbending is based on Qin Na Shou, an appropriately grapple-based technique.
  • Vapor Wear: The real Painted Lady's outfit.
    • The statue and idols that the villagers were fond of also appeared to have a bare back.
  • Variant Chess: Pai-sho. Has a black and white board like chess, a star shaped playing field like Chinese Checkers, and large checkers with symbols, indicating the type of piece is represents. It's rules are never seen.
  • Very Loosely Based on a True Story: Inverted. The Ember Island Players version of the Gaangs journey; in most respects they've Shown Their Work. They pretty much do the Abridged version of every episode up to that point (which, as it happens, was the last before the finale`); the only thing that really sticks out is cast and characterization, and even then the Gaang mostly just disagree, or dislike, on how they themselves are portrayed (like Aang being played by a woman, or Zuko being reminded of his treachery- Toph and Sokka love their portrayals, though). The only difference is how it ends (The Bad Guy Wins- its a Fire Nation play, after all), and even then its technically correct- Zuko does fight Azula and Ozai does take-on Aang, and in a sense both villains do beat the crap out of the heroes- the good guys just end up ultimately turning the tables.
  • Victimized Bystander: It's a Running Gag that the Gang will somehow cause his cabbage cart to get destroyed and he'll scream "MY CABBAGES!".
  • Victorious Childhood Friend: Aang, in a sense. He and Katara haven't known each other from childhood, but he was plagued with all the psychological baggage that comes with this trope for the entire series. Also, in a more traditional example, Mai.
  • Victory Is Boring: Although not a usual case, Mai's declaration after beating Katara and Sokka is the Trope Namer.
  • Vignette Episode: "Tales of Ba Sing Se".
  • Villain Episode: "Zuko Alone".
  • Villain Protagonist: In-universe example. The Gaang goes to see a play about themselves in "The Ember Island Players". The play was written by a Fire Nation playwright and written for a Fire Nation audience. The Gaang's exploits are played (somewhat) villainously, most notably Actor!Katara's reaction to Actor!Jet destroying the village. And the audience cheers when Actor!Azula "kills" Actor!Aang and when the Actor!Gaang is defeated.
  • Villainous Breakdown: Azula comes down hard at the end. Ozai also undergoes this.
  • Villainous Crush: Ty Lee on Sokka, much to his confusion.
  • Villainous Valour: The commandant of the Boiling Rock is a brutal authoritarian and a thug. He is also perfectly willing to command his own men to kill him rather than allow enemies of the Fire Nation to escape his prison.
  • Villains Out Shopping: The Beach.
  • Violently Protective Girlfriend: Let's just say that potential harm to Aang is a very bad idea. Zuko received a death threat over it and Hamma became the victim of Katara's first use of blood bending when she tried to kill him in "The Puppetmaster".
    • When Azula attempts to murder Zuko, Mei opts to betray her friend and attack her fellow countrymen rather than let her boyfriend fall to his death.
  • The Voiceless: Longshot.
  • Voice of the Legion: While in the Avatar State, Aang speaks with the voices of every Avatar that came before him. Whether this is terrifying or not depends on what all those voices are saying.
  • Walking the Earth: Season 1; overlaps with Stern Chase
  • Walk On the Wild Side Episode: Katara decides to pull a scam with Toph to prove she can be fun. It backfires, horribly.
  • War Is Hell: A kid-friendly version of this trope appears in most episodes, and the show seriously explores the prolonged effects of Imperialism, foreign occupation, and even genocide while still remaining viewable for the whole family.

"Little soldier boys, come marching home...."

  • Warrior Prince: Prince Zuko, even Iroh, technically, since he still holds the 'prince' title, although he tends to go by 'General' now.
  • Wasn't That Fun?: After Azula wins a volleyball game via explosive firebending:

Azula: Yes! We have defeated you for all time! YOU WILL NEVER RISE FROM THE ASHES OF YOUR SHAME AND HUMILIATION! (Beat) Well, that was fun.

  • Watch Out for That Tree: Aang does this in the opening credits, as well as Sokka's snow tower in the pilot and a pillar in the second season premire.
  • Watching the Sunset: Usually done at the end of certain episodes. It's also the last scene in the series.
  • We Can Rule Together: Azula's unsuccessful pickup line for boys. In a more serious example, Fire Lord Sozin's offer to Avatar Roku.
  • We Have Reserves: The basis of the plan that Zuko spoke out against.
  • We Will Meet Again: In Season 1, Zuko says it to Iroh to reassure his uncle that Zuko will survive his plan to take the Avatar at the North Pole.
    • Also said by Koh to Aang in the same two-parter. They don't in the shows, but Aang meets Koh again in a supplemental game on the Nickelodeon website.
  • "Well Done, Son" Guy: Zuko's been away from home for three years on a mission to "restore" his honor and prove to his father that he's worthy of the crown. At least, that's what he tells himself. He finds out later that he just wanted his father to accept him for who he was; it took him two and a half seasons to realize that it would never happen.
    This also applies to Sokka. Luckily, his dad explicitly tells him that he doesn't need to prove himself, because he's already proud of him.
  • Wham! Episode: The Season 2 Finale. Zuko had been so blatantly set up for a Heel Face Turn through most of the second season that when he didn't in "The Crossroads of Destiny" it was incredibly shocking (not so much the fact that he didn't turn, but the way in which he didn't). Just another way Avatar took a sledgehammer to the Animation Age Ghetto.
  • Wham! Line: Zuko is the recipient of one in "The Avatar and the Firelord"; after being told by Iroh to look at the story of how his great-grandfather died, he looks up Sozin's personal history, only to learn nothing he doesn't already know. When he hears it, he has the facial expression of someone who soiled themselves:

Iroh: (to Zuko) You have more than one great-grandfather, Prince Zuko. Sozin was your father's grandfather; your mother's grandfather was Avatar Roku."

    • Toward the end of the first season, it appears the Waterbenders will gain the advantage at night.

Zhao: (to Iroh) I assure you, I have everything under control. I intend to remove the moon as a factor.

  • What Could Have Been: See also Cliff Hanger above. The production staff even planned a storyboard for it and everything. In the Avatar Extras for part one of the Season 1 finale, it is mentioned that there was an idea kicked around for a special about Iroh's failed attack on Ba Sing Se, but it never took off.
  • What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?: Shows up a few times, usually played for comedy. For instance, the Ember Island Players' fight scenes consist mainly of actors jumping around and throwing streamers at each other, but the music is the same as or similar to what it was in the scenes they're based on.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: There're quite a few mice unaccounted for, especially when characters get Put on a Bus.
    • How did Suki manage to get back across the serpent's pass avoiding the sea serpent anyway?
      • She didn't. The Kyoshi Warriors were helping transporting refugees in boats, and the Gaang only took the Serpent Pass to help the young couple who had been robbed. She probably just took the boat back.
    • Master Yu and Xin Fu were stuck in the metal box and couldn't metalbend. They're never mentioned again, and we can only guess their fate...
    • What happened to Smellerbee and Longshot after the Season 2 finale?
    • Or Long Feng, for that matter? Just who ended up ruling Ba Sing Se after the war was over if the Earth King was still off exploring the world? And who did the Fire Nation choose to govern Ba Sing Se after Azula went back home? That must have been one huge bus.
      • Word of God says the Earth King went back to the city after the war, and according to the various comics, Azula put Joo Dee in charge of Ba Sing Se when she left. Apparently zombies make good regents. (No word on what happened to the rest of the gaggle of Joo Dees, though.)
    • What were the details of Iroh's legendary "journey to the spirit world"? Did Toph have a reunion with her parents and what was it like? And, of course, what did happen to Ursa?
    • Hopefully those buses should come back in the Promise trilogy of comics.
    • Also, Hawky. It can be assumed it found a new home with Toph's parents.
    • The flower necklace Aang made for Katara in The Fortuneteller is written off as an animation goof, but given that it disappears completely afterwards, that must have been one hell of a goof.
  • What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?: Lampshaded, when Sokka calls out the elemental powers of the Gaang, in the style of Captain Planet, and ends with "fan and sword" (Suki's and his respective skills).
    • Specially subverted when fan and sword with some help from earth take out the whole Fire Nation airship armada.
  • What the Fu Are You Doing?: Sokka just before he went badass.
  • What the Hell, Hero?:
    • When Aang starts literally and figuratively Playing with Fire, he seriously burns Katara, a testament to his immaturity at that point in the story. Sokka tackles and chews out Aang for it.
    • The same can be said for him hiding the map to their father from them.
    • Sokka calls out Jet twice over his extreme behavior, such as robbing an old man simply for being a Fire Nation citizen and later for trying to drown an entire town full of people to get at a few Fire Nation soldiers. This also earns reprimand from Aang and Katara, who were tricked into helping. Also done to Aang in regards to his 100-year absence early in the series - though in his case, he already felt guilty about it.
    • Wan Shi Tong, guardian of the spiritual library, is immensely fed up with people who come seeking knowledge of battle and warfare under the excuse that this war is perfectly justified and righteous, and he lets the heroes know it.
    • Jet gets another one when, instead of going straight, he decides to find evidence of Iroh and Zuko being Firebenders, so that he can turn them in.
      • To be fair, Ba Sing Se is at war with the Fire Nation. The most likely hypothesis on discovering a couple of Firebenders trying to sneak into Ba Sing Se under false identities would be that they're Fire Nation spies/saboteurs/assassins, and Jet is a loyal Earth Kingdom citizen. He is only doing his civic duty in trying to confirm whether or not his suspicions are true so that he can report them to the authorities if they are. Of course, the authorities in Ba Sing Se are monstrously corrupt and Iroh and Zuko are entirely innocent of malice, but Jet can't possibly know either of these things.
  • What Would X Do?: "What would Uncle do?" is a question Zuko frequently asks himself when trying to do the right thing in Season 3. Sometimes results in Ice Cream Koans.
    • Aang does this just before consulting the previous avatars for advice.
  • Wheel of Pain: Flopsy gets chained to one of these.
  • When She Smiles: Both Zuko and Mai. Together. [dead link]
  • Whip It Good: A frequently used waterbending technique. Firebending, as well: Zuko in the second finale against Katara's water ones, along with a stage magician and a circus animal trainer.
    • June.
  • White-Haired Pretty Girl: Princess Yue...and it turns out to be important.
  • White Man's Burden: This is the Fire Nation's official reason for conquering and colonizing the rest of the world: they want to "share their greatness" with the rest of the world. Certainly, Ozai doesn't care about that and just wants to be the supreme ruler of everything, but that was Firelord Sozin's reason for beginning the war in the first place.
  • White Mask of Doom: Koh, the face stealing spirit wears one.
  • Who Are You?: Zuko gets such a scene after he defeats a group of thugs in his Day in The Limelight:

Gao: Who... who are you?
Zuko: My name is Zuko! Son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai! Prince of the Fire Nation and heir to the throne!

Katara: Let us leave!
King: [Picking up bit of his salad] "Lettuce leaf...?"

    • The Gaang.
    • Actor Sokka, at the real Sokka's insistence.

Actor Sokka: Aang, would you say you and Toph have a "rocky" relationship?
Sokka: I told him to say that!

Toph: Worst. Fieldtrip. Ever.

    • Earlier in the episode "Avatar Day", Sokka summed up the whole experience, "This is by far the worst town we've ever been to."
  • Xanatos Gambit: Azula giving Zuko the credit for killing Aang in the Season 2 finale. If her victim survived then she's in the clear and in the meantime she has blackmail on Zuko.
  • You Can't Go Home Again: Zuko for the first two seasons. Aang... well, check the title.
  • You Don't Want to Catch This: Pentapox.
  • You Know I'm Blind Right?: Toph's friends (especially Sokka) have a tendency to forget that she's blind. Her best example of Lampshading was when Katara showed her a wanted poster, when Sokka had done the same thing earlier in the episode:

Toph: "I don't know! I mean seriously, what's with you people? I'm blind!"

  • You Need to Get Laid: Iroh to Zuko. "I just want our new place to look nice, in case someone brings home a lady friend..."
    • Also, Katara to Sokka. "I bet you wouldn't be so bossy if you kissed a girl."
  • You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry: The Avatar State.
  • Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: Katara, when she bloodbends for the first time.
  • Your Costume Needs Work: Aang tries to get his group free passage on the ferry to Ba Sing Se, and the woman taking tickets doesn't find his Avatar costume any more believable than those in the nearby group of Aang cosplayers/impersonators.
    • In "Ember Island Players", a kid tells Zuko that he got his scar on the wrong side.
  • Your Makeup Is Running
  • Zeppelins from Another World: The single biggest Oh Crap moment in the series after Azula ambushing Aang with her lightningbending. Granted, there had been foreshadowing at the end of the episode introducing the war balloon, with the Fire Nation officer finding it after the battle. So they showed a fleet of war balloons for the initial Oh Crap, and THEN came the zeppelin armada.
  1. ↑ She was named after the moon
  2. ↑ named after the ocean
  3. ↑ You can see the Landlord bumming some off of Donut early in Kung Fu Hustle.
  4. ↑ Jet Li uses this style in The One, when he bashes the prison walls just like Toph does, while his good counterpart uses a different style, Eight Trigrams Palm, same as Aang)
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