Avatar The Last Airbender 3x6 REACTION and REVIEW | FIRST TIME Watching| 'The Avatar & The Firelord'

[@SpartanandPudgey]

Want to watch ahead or get the uncut reaction? ATLA 3x7, 3x8, 3x9, 3x10, 3x11 AND 3x12 (EDITED) + 3x13 UNCUT are available on Patreon! Click the link to join! www.patreon.com/spartanandpudgey

[@mathewdean3334]

Love the video this episode is my favorite in the entire series

[@SpartanandPudgey]

@@mathewdean3334 thank you! glad to hear it, was a brilliant episode

[@KelappanKing]

17:24 Sozin simply changed his mind. He started off doing the right thing... then circumstances changed and self-interest took over. Also, re-watching at 7:07, you'll notice foreshadowing when they were sparring as teenagers under that tree. Sozin tripped and was about to fall; Sozin grabbed him... then let him fall anyway. The writing on this show is 🔥

[@Sinewmire]

Damn, yeah, that's a great observation. All those times Sozin caught him when he fell, and this time, Sozin chose not to save him.

[@KelappanKing]

@@Sinewmire As a wise man once said, it is our choices that show what we truly are far more than our abilities.

[@SpartanandPudgey]

that's great foreshadowing indeed! good pick up

[@DragonMoth34]

I learn more every single time I watch this show. Thank you friend.

[@uncleiroh7]

this show is a masterpiece. There are a few more foreshadowing examples. The one I really like is the scene in the "Zuko Alone" episode. It was a flashback where he was feeding the turtle ducks but then threw the bread at one of the babies and got bitten afterwards.The response of Zuko's Mom was : "That's what moms are like. If you mess with their babies, they're going to bite you back!" Everyone knows what happened in that episode...

[@lorrewyb4641]

Great reactions! One thing: Sozin is Zuko's great-grandfather, not his grandfather. The family tree goes: Sozin - Azulon - Ozai - Zuko

[@roerd]

One thing that adds to the confusion is that people usually have four great-grandfathers, not just two.

[@Pink.andahalf]

Nobody ever seems to understand that when reacting. You see every single generation in the show, so it really shouldn't be this hard.

[@stephaniehundley6792]

There are a lot of names in the show, and not everyone is good with names. It is a simple mistake, I think they do pretty damn good remembering most names and details.

[@jeremyrdlamaxima7052]

@@stephaniehundley6792yeah the definitely better than reactors like the normies or rt tv.

[@stephaniehundley6792]

Not to mention, we all already know their memory with names isn’t the best, but they make up for it in many ways by the long talks, catching details, them guessing what’s coming(mostly Pudgey I’d say) so I can forgive them for this, it’s an honest mistake.

[@Siouxnami]

I love how during roku’s training montage he says “it was bitter work.” Bitter Work was the name of episode 9 in book 2 during Aang and zukos trainings

[@ooiiooiiooii]

It’s also a translation of Kung Fu

[@scotthadden9816]

Roku's training montage not only shows how hard Avatar training really is, but just how understatedly awesome Aang truly is. It goes by so fast and it doesn't give you an exact frame of reference for time passed; but it took Roku 23 YEARS to master the all the elements, he was just about to hit 40 when he became a fully realized Avatar, and he was working at a pace he felt comfortable at AND started when he was more experienced than Aang. Aang, meanwhile, mastered two elements before turning thirteen and is an expert Earthbender, that's nothing short of savant-like.

[@Misternoite]

I don't think he mastered all the elements but he only knows much to use it well in combat.

[@thexslayer820]

Even still you gotta admit how impressively far Aang went in such a short time

[@androkguz]

Aang's accelerated learning is literally the fastest of any Avatar. Faster than even the impressive Kyoshi

[@portsidedyldo2661]

So a few theories I heard as to why Aang grows so fast is because he was in the avatar state for 100 years, so his bending was amplified by all the time spent in a heightened sense. Also he had to learn bending during a war, and the fate of the world depended on it so there was no smooth pace for him.

[@fived9424]

@@portsidedyldo2661 Yeah no shit.

[@kennethlane7645]

When you begin to realize that Iroh's only in that cell because he's still looking after his nephew.

[@elegrin5170]

at 17:16 .. Everybody misses the point.. Yes at the beginning Sozin went there to save Roku but, when Roku had a deadly damage, Sozin realize that is his oppurtunity and he decided to use it.. He didnt kill his old friend. I guess he couldn't even want to try this, but while he is in that situation, he just left Roku to die for his future plan.. That's it

[@Mrryn]

Essentially, Sozin had his Crossroads of Destiny moment and, like Zuko, chose the path he was convinced was the right path, his destiny, even when his initial instincts brought him there to do the opposite. And I like to believe, paralleling Zuko like so much of this episode does, he ended up miserable and trapped in the "destiny" of his own make, the end of his story ironically being exactly where Zuko's begins for us in episode 1.

[@RedyyChuu]

They’re actually one of the few reactors to get it, they literally discuss this after the reaction.

[@jmwilliamsart]

@@MrrynThe difference is that by the time Sozin came to his senses and realized that he only caused so much pain to the world it was too late for Sozin to atone and to undo the damage that he had caused. Whereas Zuko will eventually atone for his mistake and to stop the war and bring balance to the world. In a way Sozin did guide Zuko to put a stop to the war and to right the wrongs of the Fire Nation.

[@jackiehansen2421]

They normally announce the avatar when they’re 16. They told Aang early cause they feared that a war was coming and Ozai’s father specifically sought out Roku’s descendants to marry so they would produce powerful fire benders.

[@digitaladventurer2142]

ironically most of the Avatar's we know about learn before or after 16 though. Aang, Korra, Kiyoshi all learned before or after 16

[@angrybird1540]

it is a little confusing. Sozin started the war. His son azulon was the one you saw in the "zuko alone" episode. Azulons sons are iroh and ozai.

[@rakhatthenut3815]

How people get confused if IN THIS EPISODE it's said that sozin is zuko's GREAT GRANDFATHER, not grandfather. Even as a kid i understood all this shit. Sozin and azulon don't even look alike

[@angrybird1540]

@@rakhatthenut3815 spartan did get confused at 5:55.

[@rakhatthenut3815]

@@angrybird1540 i know, i just don't get how they don't get

[@KelappanKing]

I don't think it's confusing at all. "Great-grandfather" is *repeatedly* used in this episode to refer to Sozin. For Azulon: in Zuko Alone, Azula refers to him as "Grandfather" and Ozai calls him "Father". It's clear they're two separate people. I chalk it up to being too excited at the revelation. That or people can't conceptualise more than 2 generations back. 🤣

[@vindifference]

Anytime people say this stuff is confusing it makes me so proud of my past 13-year-old self, cause I had this information down to a T.

[@playboybrendo103]

“ I know he’s still out there . The Fire Nation’s greatest threat , The Last Airbender . “ gives me chills everytime lol

[@Mrryn]

It's always a bit sad hearing how Sozin delivered those lines. Compared to how full of passion he was in his youth and in his early years as Fire Lord, even when he greets Roku as "old friend" to try to save him, he just sounds so cold, empty, like a broken man. Fitting that he sounds like a man filled with regret but too much pride to admit it when that's basically what Zuko is also trying to reconcile within himself at the same time. And equally fitting: the last shot we hear from Sozin is him, broken and obsessed with finding the Avatar as a boat sails through the South Pole waters...his story ended exactly where and how Zuko's began for us.

[@justanotherartist5646]

That delivery was so fire

[@yasmina3999]

It's easy to forget that Azula is also Roku's descendant 😅

[@KelappanKing]

Yep! I often wonder at what stage Iroh wrote Azula off as not worth investing in. Even as early as the first Siege of Ba Sing Se (Zuko Alone flashback), he seemed pretty dismissive of her and not caring about her interests.

[@BhBc8f8]

@@KelappanKing because Azula already chosen her path, Zuko was still undecided so Iroh focused more on Zuko.

[@another_julia]

@@BhBc8f8 i mean in that flashback id place zuko at 10, making azulo only 8…..idk about you but in my mind you cannot be permanently set on a life’s journey and decided on your path and morals at 8

[@BhBc8f8]

@@another_julia Perhaps but these aren't your typical 8 year olds tho. Children tend to grow up pretty quickly during times of war. Just look at all the child soldiers in Syria. Even at such a young age it seems like Azula already prefers the teachings of her father and may even repeat what he says. IIRC she called Iroh a coward for leaving the battlefield when his son died. I think it's pretty clear what path she's focused on and who's example she intends to follow.

[@TukaihaHithlec]

@@KelappanKingI could see it happening when Azula disregards his son’s death, shames him over Ba Sing Se, supports his brother usurping him, and doesn’t care that her own mother disappeared. I didn’t get the impression he was unsupportive before that.

[@neddhu]

Azula being a fire bender beast kinda makes sense after seeing she is the descendent of one of the greatest Fire element Avatar.

[@laurenevers8644]

Not necessarily. Roku's daughter and granddaughter were both non-benders. It wasn't until Roku's 1st great-grandchild Zuko was born that he had a descendant who could even fire bend at all, and at first there was doubt Zuko was a bender so Ozai wanted to cast him off the palace walls (because he's just that straight up evil and more than likely narcissism/psycho and/or sociopathic/conduct disorder) until Ursa and the fire sages convinced him not to.

[@LuchoH838]

One of, if not the GREATEST epsiode to come from this show. Everything from the music to the "cinematography" and story writing is just brilliant.

[@ThumbsUpMike]

Even the visuals of when Zuko talks with Iroh, once Iroh reveals Roku is also his great grandfather, Zuko is the one who is seen behind the prison bars and Iroh isn't, which is a great piece of storytelling just with point of views.

[@rudygarcia8375]

Couldn't agree more. This is one of my favorite episodes of the series including Korra.

[@trentclingo7748]

One of my favorite things with this episode is during the scene with Zuko and Iroh is that even tho Iroh is the one in prison... Almost every time they flip back and forth you only see Zuko as the one behind the bars not Iroh

[@davelewis8270]

Watching people's faces when they see the twist at the end of this episode is one of the big highlights of watching all the avatar reactions.

[@dreamfyre3868]

A detail that people always miss: Roku is Azula’s great-grandfather too. Additional notes that will explain a few tings better (No spoilers): - Ursa is the granddaughter of Roku (Zuko and Azula's mother) - Azulon (father of Ozai and Iroh) arranged a marriage between Ozai and Ursa. - The goal of this marriage was to strengthen the bloodline and produce more capable firebenders. - Ursa herself is a non-bender but her bloodline was enough to convince Azulon that she was a suitable bride for Ozai. - We can be fairly sure that the marriage happened under a dubious consent. Very Game of Thrones-ish. Hardly suitable for a kids show but worth shedding light on nonetheless.

[@yasmina3999]

that's why she's so strong

[@kirklanyoshinaga8953]

Yeah but Azula succumbed to the blue dragon long ago, likely because she wanted and her father’s approval. Zuko though always had to struggle and thus the battle between his red and blue dragons (light and dark respectively) continued well into his teenage years as we’ve seen in the show itself.

[@fabzzrealm5725]

They could use this for the live-action... you know go more in depth with the story

[@withxoutxlife]

This one is another fan favorite. Learning more about the Fire Nation's past is always so interesting, and its wholesome to think that the Avatar's reincarnation cycle allows the possibility of friendships that transcend lifetimes. Its also totally badass watching a fully realized Avatar pop off.

[@DancingRayne]

Great grandfather... The generational trauma is real. Sozin and Roku, the red and blue dragon, the two sides of Zuko’s face, and then the parallels between Zuko and Aang. Master story telling for sure.

[@nathanielreik6617]

I think that when Sozin saw the volcano erupting he thought of his friend being in trouble, but when he saw Roku dying he saw his biggest obstacle in world domination being removed.

[@jlinkous05]

Watch again when Iroh tells Zuko - the camera zooms to where the jail bars disappear from Iroh and the bars appear in front of Zuko.

[@fived9424]

Yeah, everytime they show zuko and iroh, zuko is shown behind the bars.

[@Sinewmire]

I love how the war of conquest started with Sozin's desire to improve the world by sharing their culture. How many Empires have made that claim?

[@KelappanKing]

Several. But some don't bother and are honest about their goals.

[@rexibhazoboa7097]

Why is it important for the 4 nations to remain 4? Why is there need for a divide?

[@Sinewmire]

@@rexibhazoboa7097 Balance. The elements are more than fighting techniques.

[@MrMoleHole]

Fire Nation could be America

[@Sinewmire]

@MrMoleHole for sure. There's a real feeling of Imperialist Japan, obviously, but also Britain too.

[@daveraven1821]

I really hope you didn´t forget that last lines from Aang said; "Everyone has capability for to be great good or great evil" and Toph´s line about the trascending lifetimes friendship, to the future when you watch Legend of Korra because that will be amazing facts...

[@randybitah994]

Ron Perlman voicing Firelord Sozin was PERFECTION in this episode!

[@carriesmith742]

I completely agree. If my son hadn't told me the OG voice actor Mako had passed I wouldn't have noticed the difference. My son also thought the transition was seamless.

[@kodilivetv9011]

The new Iroh, showed the original voice actor a lot of respect to the point that he won't even sing "Leaves from the Vine" because it wasn't his place to imitate Mako, but to simply carry on the show with the character. To speak ill of the new voice is to disrespect the character we all love so much. Now you gotta buy an Uncle Iroh funko pop and display it next to your DBZ collection.

[@Captainsticks23]

I think Sozin actually had good intentions going to the island but had a sudden change of heart when he saw the opportunity

[@KelappanKing]

Another one! 🤩 Btw: 5:59 - you're confusing Sozin with Azulon. - Sozin and Roku weren't Zuko's grandfathers but his *great-grandfathers* (i.e. Ozai's grandfather and Ursa's grandfather respectively). This episode is the first where you saw Sozin in person. - Zuko's grandfather (i.e. Ozai's father) was *Azulon* who you saw in the Zuko Alone flashback (when Ozai tried to convince Azulon to make him heir instead of Iroh ... then Azulon died). By then, Sozin had been long dead. A lot of reactors get the two mixed up for some reason despite the clear and repeated mention of "great-grandfather" in the episode... maybe due to excitement 😅 *So, the throne has so far been passed down as follows: Sozin --> Azulon --> Ozai.*

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

It's easy to forget Azulon. We only saw him once.

[@oriyanbarnes]

10:17 fun fact: Roku's earthbending master is the earthbender in the intro

[@Jisungs.moving.castle]

I think Greg has an incredible voice for Iroh

[@crappiefisher1331]

i always wonder why many people seem to have problems clueing the story of zuko's mother together. even tho the show only gives little clues - in "Zuko Alone" - one can easily come to the following conclusion: azulon ordered ozai to kill zuko after ozai tried to convince him to ignore iroh's claim to the throne and name him the next firelord instead. azula did not lie when she told zuko about that. to protect her son zuko's mother helped ozai to kill azulon and claim the throne and then either left or got killed as well... everything besides the point of her being dead or simply gone away, and what part she actually played in azulon's death, can be clued together from that one single episode we have seen... no need for anything else to come to that conclusion. in said episode we see ozai trying to convince azulon to skip iroh, we see azulon getting angry because of it and telling ozai "his punishment had just begun"; after the talk of punishment we see azula telling zuko about azulon's order to kill him what ties in with azulon and ozai's talk which focused on iroh loosing his son as well, after that we see zuko's mother basically telling zuko goodbye and that everything she is about to do is for him, the next thing we see is azulon being dead and ozai claiming the throne and zuko's mom being gone...

[@vindifference]

You wonder about it because you forget that all those supposed conclusions are predicated on knowing exactly how every individual character works. There's a lot of wrenches that can make what happened actually *not* happen, from a completely normal perspective. Does Ursa have the means to do such a thing? We don't know. Would she let her husband in on it? Depends on the nature of their relationship, and Ozai's past with his dad, which we don't know yet. Would she even need to leave afterwards if it was successful? Again, based on their individual human characteristics and emotions; which we don't know yet. A more mundane but possible scenario is; Azulon did just pass away from natural causes and Ursa already made a deal to sacrifice herself before that happened. Or upon sacrificing his lover, filled with rage, Ozai then snapped and did the deed to his father himself, or had supporters do it. Was Azula even telling the whole truth? Was Azulon truly so hypocritical as to sympathize with Iroh for his son's death, and yet want to kill Iroh's nephew as well? We don't know. You can't assume everything about people's nature based on only previous interactions, because as shows like Game of Thrones teaches, people turn on a dime to do good or evil based on how they feel and what they care about. Sometimes humans just don't make logical sense. And sometimes they do. But even when they do, if you don't know everything they're capable of, then you don't know what they'll do. So there is no "obvious" answer. There's only assumptions.

[@crappiefisher1331]

@@vindifference none of your wall of text makes any sense.. fact remains the info we get in zuko alone is enough to - flawlessly btw - conclude what happened to azulon and to zuko's mom...to come up with your nonsense you have willfully ignore what we actually saw in "zuko alone" and be ignorant enough to come up with stuff like "maybe azulon just died" .. lol complete and utter nonsense, i don't know how naive someone has to be to actually believe azulon just conveniently died in that episode.. "zuko alone" always has been enough to figure it out without knowing anything more about the characters as we already did when "zuko alone" aired.. unless we come up with some mental gymnastics about how we can not know it, because red might be green and avatar might be GoT and clark kent might not be superman, you simply can't tell because of the glasses..

[@BobGnarley.]

Always love when you can tell a show has planned everything from the start. It all ties up so neatly and makes for some big moments

[@BoredOnlineBoardOffline]

Every time I watch this episode, the moment Zuko discovers his relation to Roku hits me in the feels. I don’t know exactly why but it just gets me. Such an amazing episode.

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

Very "The Empire Stikes Backish"

[@UncensoredScion]

Ah the Avatar and the Firelord, one of my favourites, seeing Monk Gyatsu as a young man was great

[@awesimo4684]

It also gives you additional context. Gyatso was mentoring his old friend reincarnated.

[@dafnid7294]

Gyatso

[@khedaingush2285]

Only thing i don’t understand why did gyatsu never mention to ang that he knew roku?😂

[@TheDriver458]

@@khedaingush2285 I guess Aang would see Gyatso in a different light if he knew. It's like you're saying "your dad and I were best friends" to his son.

[@TukaihaHithlec]

It’s a miracle Roku was so merciful when he had Kyoshi as his Avatar guide.

[@nathanielreik6617]

Roku was told when he turned 16 which is when Avatars are usually told, the nomads told Aang at a younger age because they feared war was coming.

[@driezzy]

Amazing episode. The duality again between Aang and Zuko. The conflict in Zuko. "Some friendships are so strong they can even transcend lifetimes." - Roku

[@mmxxiii9503]

Those words hit different now

[@zachphoenix4522]

Sozin and Roku are Zuko's great grandfathers. bigger generation gap than just grandfather

[@IamnotJohnFord]

So, originally the Firelord wanted to share the wealth of the Fire Nation with the rest of the world. Of course, that meant to conquer and rule. Obviously, they can't manage themselves very well, right? Sarcasm. Sozin was a decent guy until he wasn't. He left his best friend to die, he slaughtered the Air Nomads. Oh, don't forget Aang had numerous Airbender friends about his age. They were slaughtered. In fact, the soldiers were probably given orders to make sure to kill all the kids. And, as the generations past each Firelord became less "let's conquer to help". They just decided to conquer and wipe out.

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

Sozin, "I'm doing what's best for the world." Azulon, "I'm doing what's best for the Fire Nation." Ozai, " I'm doing what's best for me."

[@renegarza9]

When Iroh tells Zuko about his great grandfathers, the camera pans right to left behind the bars in a way that it was showing Zuko’s burned side of his face when iroh mentions Sozin and then showing Zuko’s unscarred side when iroh mentioned Roku. Also, this actually isn’t the first time you’re hearing the voice of Iroh’s replacement. In tales of Ba Sing Se, when the kids break the window and Iroh tells them to run, that was actually voiced after Mako had passed away by his replacement

[@ziva9266]

This episode is so good! One of the highlights of the entire series ❤

[@SpartanandPudgey]

Want to watch ahead or get the uncut reaction? ATLA 3x7, 3x8, 3x9, 3x10, 3x11 AND 3x12 (EDITED) AND 3x13 (UNCUT) are available on Patreon! Click the link to join! www.patreon.com/spartanandpudgey

[@TheRepublicOfUngeria]

"You have more than one great grandfather Prince Zuko, we're not THAT inbred."

[@nikilakestani2970]

I'm confused does he only have 2 great grandpas? Bc people usually have 4

[@mranima748]

@@nikilakestani2970 no

[@malcolmferguson4869]

I will say, while the blame for the war is obviously primarily on Sozin, I think Roku bears some responsibility as well for not trying hard enough to dissuade him. When your friend says "Hey, let's conquer the rest of the world!" that's not something you just say "No" to, and then refuse to talk about any further - It's something you try really hard to talk him out of.

[@KlooKloo]

IROH: "Like anyone, your father & mother each had 2 grandfathers. The others were Sozin's brother & a cabbage farmer, respectively." ZUKO: "Wait... wait what" IROH: "But they don't represent anything specific in this lesson, so I left them out." ZUKO: "Uhhhh"

[@indracatraarccipasa5770]

I don't understand why most reactors don't get that sozin and roku was zuko's great grandfather. Azulon was sozin's son, zuko's grandfather, iroh and ozai was sons of azulon

[@indracatraarccipasa5770]

Roku and Tamin had children (didn't mentioned in the show) and had a daughter named Ursa, Zuko and azula's mother. Sozin had a son azulon, azulon married to Ilah, and had two sons, Iroh and ozai. Iroh had a son named lu ten, died in the war. Ozai and ursa had two children, zuko and azula.

[@joaoggarinart]

I never really noticed the change in the voice of Iroh. Maybe something is wrong with me lol but that change never bothered me

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

Greg's voice is not as raspy as Mako's.

[@stuffyouotterlistento1461]

It sounds very off to me, like the difference between an Englishman and an American affecting a bad English accent. It's hugely distracting and always at the top of my mind every single second he speaks. It's just... wrong. I wish I could shrug it off, but it just doesn't work for me.

[@chroniccomplainer3792]

This show gets so many things right, one of my faves is the bond between a person and their pet. The same way appa froze with aang is the same way Roku and his dragon were fossilized 😢😢

[@n03xcape]

This is my favorite episode in the whole series

[@blackbolt224]

10:25 Kung Fu means Bitter work in chinese

[@linamayela]

I think they forgot to restrict this for paid viewers only. That's why we're seeing a later episode despite non-paying viewers only currently seeing 3x1.

[@AbrahamBernard]

Where can I pay for viewership?

[@linamayela]

@@AbrahamBernard Patreon

[@rickhunter7443]

This is actually my favorite episode of the whole series.

[@KelappanKing]

Nice! Mine's a bit later in the Book ;)

[@millieboon]

This is not the fire lord ozi dad it’s fire lord ozi grandpa

[@louishermann7676]

Seconded.

[@KelappanKing]

Yeah, I have no idea why reactors always mix them up. Sozin is continuously referenced in this episode alone as Zuko's great-grandfather.

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

​@@KelappanKing You do realize we only saw Azulon once & is somewhat forgettable.

[@TukaihaHithlec]

@@TheMrPeteChannelSure, but big takeaways are that Azula was named after him and he is not Sozin.

[@chewmacca4317]

been absolutely loving your journey watching this series going from seeing it as a bit of a kids show to getting totally invested in all plot twists and turns, seeing all the linkups to previous episodes and how the story all ties together into one fantastic example of great story telling. its not just a cartoon its a visual novel and looking forward your future reactions. you are in for a ride with this one. S3 is (in the words of Spartan) 'Beast'

[@mmxxiii9503]

9:30 do not forget those words, are valuable. 18:06 the air temples ands it's people 😭 I love this episode, is a whole different story and also add some background so we can understand the war.

[@eeezaack3854]

The writing on this show is top tier! Even as a kid seeing this for the first time; I knew I was watching something special ❤️

[@davidhansen9792]

Sokka knew there wasnt a bathroom cause he was in the spirit world for 24 hours in book 1

[@marblemouth6]

Roku ws 16 when they told him, as we saw in episode 12 the storm, the monks told aang they would've waited 2 tell him until he was 16 but troubling times approached so they told him early

[@eagleangel5568]

Again this is why zuko acted the way he was iroh said good and evil are inside you fighting its in your nature your legacy that's why zuko was going through it especially if you Remember the episode when he was super sick after he freed appa he was literally having a mental and mortality question turmoil fight of who he is

[@khafaniking1230]

Yes! The best episode in the entire series! Or at least my favorite.

[@robertmckenna3994]

I think Sozin had many reasons for why he went to Roku’s island. Firstly to see how bad it was there and if Roku really was dead. But seeing that he was not, and battling to save his home, Sozin decided to help him. Why did he do this? I think Sozin had never given up on his dream of an empire that he and Roku would build together. By helping him, maybe he thought that it would bring the Avatar to his way of thinking. Or just to turn a blind eye to his aggressive expansion. However when he saw his friend near to death, he also saw the possibility of his empire. So he chose to leave Roku to die, and pursue his ambition for conquest alone. That decision probably haunted him for the rest of his life, and was reason he became so brutal in his war. He had nothing else in his life but his ambitions.

[@k1988smith]

This is one of my top 10 episodes!! I watch this episode randomly when I'm feeling bad or if I just want to experience some amazing storytelling!!

[@aaronia8092]

Remember that in an earlier episode Zuko saw himself as the Avatar in a dream. It was foreshadowing the reveal of him being related to Roku.

[@jakeperalta3493]

21:00 is so important for certain fans of certain sequels

[@koko4620]

I am so excited for the rest of these reactions, Avatar season 3 is simply on another level

[@jakesmith5278]

The writing and story of this show are simply on another level. Everything was crafted so well together. This is what we called great writting, writers with thoughout vision. Sadly, we don't have them on any of today's shows anymore.

[@dannywang4543]

About why Sozen decided to go help Roku at the volcano: I think the only explanation is Sozen was really trying to help. And Roku wouldn’t have continued to fight the volcano if Sozen never came. He looked like he gave up until Sozen showed up. But when Roku was unexpectedly blasted with poisonous gas and put in a life or death situation, Sozen jumped at the opportunity and his ambitions were revived. It was Sozen’s intention but since it happened, Sozen was kinda like “why not? Byeeee”

[@mahugilumire5387]

Roku is Zuko's Great grandfather so Roku is the grandfather to zuko's mum not father

[@streamspoart2671]

What i seen, Sozin only care about the future of fire nation, he came to fight the volcano with Roku just to save fire nation, fire nation had a bad history with volcano, fire nation almost collapse, the reason why sozin didn't save Roku, because he will stop sozin's plan for the future of fire nation

[@sanalhewage9045]

A peron has four great grand fathers

[@TheRepublicOfUngeria]

Just remembering: If you notice, this Iroh sounds different than Iroh before, and that is because Mako, the guy who voiced Iroh before, died of throat cancer after getting all of the lines done for the second season. In Tales of Ba Sing Se, at the end of Iroh's segment, they show a screen card saying "In Memory of Mako", that's what that was all about. They basically had Iroh not speak for several episodes so that enough time would pass so that when his voice came back, the new actor wouldn't seem as jarring.

[@silverthehero1295]

I’d never considered it before now, but if Sozin and Roku shared a birthday, if Sozin was born a little earlier, he might have been the avatar instead of Roku.

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

That's interesting. In a certain show, in a certain scene one of the past Avatars is wearing...... Spoiler........ The 🔥 Nation crown.

[@captainslender12]

with enough time the avatar would inevitably be born the heir of a noble house or even a royal one.

[@orrinscott-stewart3641]

Roku and Sozin are Zuko's Great Grabdfather's Zuko's Grandfather who you see as Firelord in the beginning isn't Sozin its his son.

[@alexspringer7666]

I'll never tire of seeing people experience the reveal for the first time.

[@kingofbudokai]

The reveal that Zuko's ancestor is Roku is one of the best plot twists in all of media in my opinion. It is somehow both "out of nowhere" and yet, "completely reasonable." And they hint at it in very subtle ways early on, like when Zuko sees aang's face on his when dreaming, etc. It's so masterfully done.

[@azulablue6988]

Best episode in the whole series!

[@The5armdamput33]

People keep confusing Sozin for Azulon...

[@Gu3ssWhatsN3XT]

right? as if they didn't say "great grandfather" enough times in the episode

[@troyo3172]

Great grandfathers meaning the grandfather of Zukos mom. And Sozin in the end just saw an opportunity to realize his vision for the future .

[@acenull0]

One of my favorite episodes! 10/10 world building! And Zuko became even more of a fav!!!! And the story was just so heartbreaking 😭😂 you really go thru it if you're invested

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

" Luke, I am your father! " " Zuko, Roku is your great grandfather! "

[@liverpoolkelly7]

Every reaction ends up being a battle of intelligence between spartan and pudgey where one tries to outmatch the other 😜

[@isbammoi3358]

Love this episode for a myriad of reasons. Especially how complicated it shows people can be, and how it condenses that down into something both understandable and masterful. Most of all though I love that Roku is still wearing that artifact. That's a choice, because we clearly see it tumble to the floor, it's not like he died with it on. I don't see many people point that out, so I wanted to bring it up. And I believe Sozin was sincere when he came to save him. The temptation of his desires was simply to great, as it's always been. Both of these factors make their relationship all the more tragic.

[@mew2.025]

So, I don't know if it's ever explained, but I think that his reasoning for helping Roku wasn't necessarily a benevolent one. It was more because he believed it was the Fire Lord's duty to help. When his "friend" was dying, he then realized how he could sacrifice his friend to achieve his own goals. Another idea was that he wanted to betray Roku from the beginning, but knew that he may lose the respect of the fire nation if he left Roku to deal with the volcano on his own. If he helped, then he could use the guise of trying to save the avatar to hide his true intentions.

[@daniel_sannguyen]

19:09 this has been said before, but look at the camera work. Zuko is the one truly imprisoned, not Iroh.

[@MattII33]

One of my favorite episodes of the whole show, glad you two enjoyed it

[@CJ-yf5cr]

This is my favorite episode! Glad to see you 2 finally react to it! 👌👍😊

[@MusikCassette]

2:10 Actually at this point of the story suko should be angry with himself. I would go so far as to say, he needs to be.

[@slantedframes2334]

my favioute thing about the iroh/zuko scenes when he's in prison is how the direction makes it look like Zuko is the one behind bars, not Iroh. It really highlights the mental/emotional state of the characters

[@redridinghood313]

I always got the impression that Zuko's mother killed the Fire Lord. He commanded Ozai to kill Zuko as punishment for asking to take Iroh's place as Fire Lord after Iroh lost his son and the seige of Ba Sing Se.She escaped the fire nation to avoid possible prosecution.

[@louishermann7676]

Great grandfather's my dudes. Not grandfather's.

[@guywhoistooparanoidtousere3758]

This is my favorite episode in the entire series, I've been looking forward to you covering it! Just be careful about getting your generations mixed up. Sozin and Roku are Zuko's GREAT-grandfathers, it even says so in the subtitles.

[@Neurogenesis1251]

There is a comic, that explains how and why Avatar Roku is Zuko's great-grandfather

[@ryanoz3124]

my favourite episode of the whole series

[@Leon.27.06]

SPOILER WARNING, it's about something toph said that unfolds in the legend of korra. Toph asked Aang : "do you really think friendships can last more than one lifetime?" but little did she know, she's gonna be friends with the next avatar, korra as aang was with monk gyatso. what a subtle, but beautiful thing that some people didn't notice.

[@CatotheE]

5:30 I did not remember that part.

[@quwykxz]

So, this revelation tells us that Aang is technically Zuko's great-grandfather.... I have an uncle that is four years younger than me, and that's odd enough to me; could you imagine how weird it is for Zuko to have a "great-grampa" that is four years younger than him?😄

[@20Korna07]

the firelord you saw before was Azulon. Sozin was his father

[@williamredmon4457]

One my favorite non-finale episodes!

[@Andy-roid]

I'm kind of surprised you think Iroh's new VA (Greg Baldwin) is "so different". They're actually very lucky they got someone that sounds so similar, and worked on a Mako impression in his youth because he was a fan of a musical Mako was in. He also took over several other Mako characters. Obviously a difference is still apparent but it's as similar as anyone could ever hope. It probably would've been better had you learned the information after.

[@RogerH_CxP]

Fun fact: Roku's earthbending teacher is the earthbender you see in the opening scene. "Water, Earth, Fire, Air".

[@obiwancanobi]

Great grand father ! Not Grandfather! Come on. Sozin's grand sons are Ozay and Iroh

[@RogerH_CxP]

Sozin actually wanted to help Roku, but like you said (Pudgey), he saw the opportunity and took it.