Avatar: The Last Airbender Questions

[paladin]

Having watched much of the animated series during the last month on Nicktoons, there were several questions that came to mind. I was hoping other board members could answer.

1. Is Aang really the last airbender? Did any other airbenders/air nomads survive the attacks on the Air Temples?

2. Is it revealed exactly why Princess Ursa (Zuko and Azula's mother) was banished? Did she murder Firelord Azulon?

3. I can understand the connection between firebending and the sun, but how would a passing comet make firebending stronger?

[The Nomad]

1) Apparently he is. There was no other living airbender during the entire run of the show.

2) It is not revealed.

3) The movement of celestial bodies influence water- and firebending. A comet with a trail evocative of fire would seem to have more associations with firebending.

[The Vortex Empire]

1) There is no evidence that any human airbenders survived. It's possible, but the impression is that Aang is the last one, and Appa is the last Sky Bison.

2) It is never shown why whe was banished or what happened to her. The series ends with Zuko asking Ozai what happened, then it cuts to black.

3) Comets are associated with fire, so in a magical land like that of avatar, there's no reason why it shouldn't.

[Samuel]

For 1 since the card game is canon, you have Malu the Ghost Witch. She survived the genocide, but it isn't stated if she lived the whole century.

[Koolaidkirby]

1. Is Aang really the last airbender? Did any other airbenders/air nomads survive the attacks on the Air Temples?

Aang is the last airbender, but there are nomads around still (they run into some nomads in the earth kingdom at one point in the series), since the monks took air benders from the wandering nomads IIRC

2. Is it revealed exactly why Princess Ursa (Zuko and Azula's mother) was banished? Did she murder Firelord Azulon?

never revealed explicitly, but its heavily implied she did just that.

3. I can understand the connection between firebending and the sun, but how would a passing comet make firebending stronger?

same way blocking out the moon makes water bending powerless. Just cuz.

[JME2]

The creators discussed the issue of the comet in the finale DVD commentary. IIRC, the idea was that Sozin's Comet was passing through the world's atmosphere -- or rather grazing it. The Firebenders were tapping into the heat and friction generated by the Comet.

[Eldy]

Fire Lord Ozai stated that Ursa did "wicked, treasonous things" the night that Azulon died (paraphrase from The Day of Black Sun, Part Two). It's hard to imagine this as meaning anything other than her killing Azulon in order to protect Zuko.

[JME2]

Fire Lord Ozai stated that Ursa did "wicked, treasonous things" the night that Azulon died (paraphrase from The Day of Black Sun, Part Two). It's hard to imagine this as meaning anything other than her killing Azulon in order to protect Zuko.

I always think of Macbeth when I view that scene. And I always liked that they didn't come right out and tell you what Ursa did; you know the outcome, so the audience can formulate its own theories.