Avatar the Last Airbender 2x5 & 2x6 Reaction | Avatar Day | The Blind Bandit

[@ZackScroggins]

I love that Kyoshi just rolls up to the trial like "Yeah, I killed him, what of it?"

[@DaDunge]

Those people shoule be damn happy the avatar they tried to go after was Aang, cna you imagine them trying something like that with Kyoshi?

[@ZheToralf]

@@DaDunge or that hothead Watertribe Avatar (you know the one)

[@nickjames8726]

She had some actual intent. She gave a pretty defensible reason. No doubt, she wants Aang to live through this, since she is a part of them all and they all have one grand mission and need to at least garner SOME respect and understanding from the world. Kyoshi does what she does for her reasons, and it’s doubtful she wants it seen as wanton violence. So even in her there is a concern for how the world sees her.

[@kennethmorgan8795]

@@DaDunge honestly she'd probably just leave... hurting anyone who gets in her way but, yeah she'd just leave.

[@DaDunge]

@@ZheToralfI never understood how she firebended the way she did and no one ever got burned.

[@seansilence2697]

Kyoshi said "yeah, I did it, and I'd do it again." Lmao we love her

[@barroslucasc]

So, they actually wanted to get the Rock to play the Boulder, but weren't able to. They ended up casting Mick Foley, one of the Rock's biggest rivals and closest friends in wrestling.

[@funnylilgalreacts]

OMG!

[@raygremaux5146]

Yo how did I not realize that was mick playing the Boulder.

[@TheGrimmCommoner]

The Rock and Sock Connection.

[@Eduardo88Ramirez]

I've watched this series countless times and have never connected that dot to The Rock!!😅😅😅😅

[@Nyx_2142]

Glad they didn't get that performative, shallow cunt onto the show. Anyone that loves or worships that juiced up prick needs to do some fucking reading.

[@TheRealChristopherB]

And we now arrive at the debut of Toph; The Blind Bandit. An absolute fan favorite and one of the best parts of the show. The way she turns her disability into her best asset, combined with her great personality, makes her such an awesome addition to the team.

[@lordorion5776]

i can't wait until we get too THAT scene hint hint nudge nudge

[@adamcarlson2192]

The constant blindness gags are SOOOO good.

[@user-tt3ni4gb5i]

My favorite episode. I love seeing people react to this episode for the first time. Toph is an absolute unit.

[@wtimmins]

Toph is my favorite character of any in Avatarverse. And best bender bar none.

[@pabloc8808]

For some people, ATLA takes a while to really "get good", but I think everyone agrees that when Toph joins the Gaang the show gets a hundred times better

[@elfbreath]

Idk if anyone's pointed it out, but about Toph's fight with Aang in the ring: Aang being an airbender is probably the only reason he could beat her. If you notice, every time his feet touched the ground she knew exactly where he was, and sent a rock his way. But touching the ground is optional for Aang, so it was hard for her to keep track of where he was. And if he had earthbended at her like she was expecting (it WAS an earthbending competition) she would have felt or heard it coming. But she wasn't expecting a blast of air, and it caught her off guard. Actually, now that I've mentioned it, NO ONE knows what to do with Aang's airbending in this universe. You gotta remember, the airbenders have been dead for 100 years. Everyone who knows how to fight airbenders is long gone. Explains why 1 talented kid is so good at taking out legions of fire nation soldiers, lol.

[@borjankosarac3645]

Except Bumi; let’s be glad he’s on our side because if he turned traitor, the world would be screwed.

[@nope19568]

hell he even says in like the first few episodes after going with zuko "i bet youve never fought an Airbender before, i bet i could take you both with my hands behind my back" to the guards he was being escorted by so u are absolutely right lol

[@aleks_v1]

thats also why the boulder and the chief of the championship had no idea what even happened and made their bet that they were match fixing (aka she fell on purpose)

[@zandylovesrisk]

Except Bumi. He knew how to counter it during the fight in season 1 by putting up a rock to block it. if Toph could see, she probably would have been able to block it.

[@nope19568]

@@zandylovesrisk well bumi had probably sparred with aang before as friends so hes probably the only person still alive with any experience of fighting an Airbender, toph was expecting earth because as far as she was aware airbending didnt really exist so ofc she wouldnt know how to counter anything aang did but you see as they get closer she also adapts to aangs style of fighting

[@marcpedalino5748]

With all the wrestling references in this episode, "Fire Nation Guy demanding everyone stand while he sings the Fire Nation anthem" is my favorite one and possibly the most old school reference.😂

[@Koyotee25]

screams Rowdy Roddy Piper to me

[@stonecoldku4161]

@@Koyotee25 More Nikolai Volkoff than Pipper for me. And it's hilarious as just like in pro wrestling the "foreigner" isn't from the country they claim to be from.

[@rickyhilder1514]

Especially with the Russian/ussr accent

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

​@@rickyhilder1514Yet Russia doesn't exist in this world. Heck, there's no white people in this world.

[@andispensable]

Fire Loooorddd!!!!

[@Pooglian]

0:40 To be clear, Azula _can_ use lightning, but rarely does. We saw her practicing lightning in front of the elderly twin advisors, then trying to fire it at Zuko (which was deflected by Iron) in the episode where she nearly tricked them to turn themselves in. But for the most part she uses fire, and her fire is a blue flame.

[@Dilligff]

The Boulder was deliberately patterned on The Rock and the creators specifically tried to get Dwayne Johnson to voice the role, but due to scheduling conflicts with his growing movie career he wasn't able to do it. Mick 'Mankind' Foley, his friend and colleague in the WWE stepped in to fill the role and made it one of the most ironically meta cameos of the entire series. We end up having the wrestling legend Mankind doing his impressively good Randy 'Macho Man' Savage impression in the verbal styling of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. On another note, Toph was originally supposed to be a male, but kinda last minute was rewritten into the young blind girl. Jesse Flower, who impressed the creators when she voiced Meng in the prior season ended up being given the role of Toph turning what had initially been a short one-off role on the show into being one of its integral, and probably top fan favorite, main characters in the series.

[@gnaius]

I literally JUST noticed how The Boulder mimicking The Rock! 😆 thanks for the background on this 🎉

[@meganhutcheson5867]

I always knew that the boulder was supposed to be based off of the rock, but I always got Randy Savage vibes

[@jacfalle27]

Wait, Mick Foley voiced The Boulder? All these years later, and I never knew that. 🤷‍♂️😂

[@santosic]

I hope they rectify this in the live action remake and actually bring him in as The Boulder this time to pay homage to this haha. It'd be a full circle moment for him considering his beginnings 😅

[@theapocalex]

THE BOULDER HAS OVERCOME HIS CONFLICTED FEELINGS

[@Thelaretus]

As Azula shoots both blue fire and lightning, you eventually learn to tell them apart. Lightning is slow and crackling, fire is faster and flaming.

[@MusikCassette]

lightning is not slow. Just whenever someone bends lightning the show it in slow motion

[@Anurahm_Kycor]

​​@@MusikCassetteI think they mean the forms are slow. Few can punch straight lightning, they must do the gathering form first and then shoot it.

[@leafblade3T9]

They say blue fire is hotter burning fire

[@reqz16]

creators said they give azula blue ones bc she had to stand out, thats it@@leafblade3T9

[@zandylovesrisk]

Yes. Shooting lightning isn't instantaneous. They have to 'prepare' to cast lightning.

[@twoolf01]

42:48 That’s about the appropriate reaction to Toph. Something cool to note that the creators have brought up - all of the different element bending styles are based on a different martial art. What makes Toph so unique is that her earth bending is actually based off of a different real-world martial art than other earth benders. Well, that and the fact that she’s just a complete bad A that will mouth off to anyone. They never address her bending style directly in the show, but it’s part of some extra content released by the creators.

[@C.V.Q]

One of the many reasons this show is so timeless is because of how well written the girls are (especially for 2005-2008). Its not just empty ' girl power ', they're legitimately great characters.

[@kiaayo33]

Facts, if only they can do that with modern films!

[@Tomathias]

Great girl characters are just great characters who happen to be girls. Making a big deal out of a girl being an exceptional character implies it as an abnormality and is ironically like indirect sexism

[@phoenixdzk]

@@Tomathias exactly!

[@gnaius]

​@@Tomathiasyes, but your assessment ignores the historical context of how girls and women are written in action shows. That was the abnormal normal. To see a show like this should be celebrated right now, with the hope that in the future, it will be so normalized to have great girl characters that no one will even really notice the gender ✨

[@theapocalex]

i thought katarra being "one of the best students ive ever seen" from the guy at the northern water tribe a bit mary sue but yes its not as in your face as modern stuff

[@Thelaretus]

You're correct! The showrunners were so impressed by Michaela Jill "Jessie Flower" Murphy's performance as Meng that they brought her back as Toph. Toph/Meng and Aang are the only characters who were voiced by actual children at the time.

[@nathanielreik6617]

Well Katara and Sokka's voice actors were 17 at the start of the show (20 by the end)

[@cloudwatcher608]

I can’t remember if I ever knew that Meng was voiced by Jessie Flower! Either way, I’m impressed she made the connection

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

I thought Katara's voice actress was 16 while recording season 1?

[@nathanielreik6617]

@@TheMrPeteChannel looking at the exact dates and you are right. I was just going by the years but the show started airing in Feb. and her 17th birthday was June. So more than half the first season had been released before then. It's possible that she recorded some after her birthday but at least more than half was when she was 16.

[@comicathlete9361]

"I love this girl" is how the entire atla fandom feel about Toph. She is such a fan favorite and gets better as the show goes on just you wait. Now that you finally made it to Toph, get ready to go through the emotions that is the rest of this season. You will not be disappointed!

[@mojoshivers]

Yes, finally. Toph is the OP GOAT Earthbender. I love her attitude, skills, and just in general what she brings to the group. Needless to say, she’s my favorite of the group. I liked the series to this point, but once they introduced Toph, this became a beloved series to me.

[@AndrewKendall71]

Toph definitely fits in with these characters - like them, she's one of the best written, best developed, most unique characters in animated storytelling. So easy to cheer for each of them for their journeys. Some of the most beautiful stuff I've seen, the way these characters grow, and that certainly includes Toph.

[@andreas.4764]

I get so excited when I get to watch anyone meet Toph for the first time. She’s such an excellent character.

[@phoenixdzk]

Toph's one of those special characters that come along once per generation that are so amazing that other productions try and fail to launch imitation characters in other projects for years to come

[@TheJerbol]

True, I feel like that applies to most of the main characters tho in the masterpiece that is this show. Aang, Sokka, Zuko, Iroh, Azula are all iconic

[@phoenixdzk]

@TheJerbol I see a bit of Zuko in Ted Danson's Michael from The Good Place. Starts off aiming to please his boss with 0 regard for anyone's suffering, switches sides in self preservation mode but gradually accepts that he's gotta help the humans save everyone else because it's the right thing to do, and only then gets to live out his dreams

[@andispensable]

"In the darkest of times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength" I rewatched this show recently out of desperation to be taken away someplace else because I had the biggest trigger of panic attacks I've ever had in my life. I remember watching that scene and getting emotional because I really needed to hear that. I was at the lowest point of my life and just needed a little push to stand up again and fight. Uncle Iroh/Avatar did that for me. I will forever be thankful for this show.

[@sammylane21]

Fun fact, The Boulder is voiced by none other than The Rock's life long friend....THE HARDCORE LEGEND himself....Mick Foley.

[@Liesmith424]

Toph's dad: "You'll be guarded 24 hours a day!" Toph: "Oh, you going to get that guy who can stop me? What's his name...Michael McDoesn'tExist?"

[@Mnkeys]

The earthbending with Toph is done soo well! You feel the intertia and the power behind every movement and it just flows so well!

[@CarBENbased]

Every time you start talking about what your expecting and predicting for the show and characters there's like 5 episodes that come to mind that I get excited for you to see finally! And it's different ones every time! So glad you're enjoying this journey so much, we're loving coming along for the ride!

[@melkor3496]

I must say you are one of the reaction channels of very few who understand this show the most and need very little background info to help you understand things. I really love that and how good you are at analysing things. Also a perfect video for me to watch as I relax on my train home from university after having had a few too many beers lol.

[@SarahRabbit97]

One of my favorite things about Avatar is the variety of strong female characters. It shows all the different ways women can be strong, but it doesnt feel like pandering. Theyre all just really well written, well rounded characters, and I love it.

[@thewandering01]

Here's a fun fact that has no doubt been posted on your patreon (since I always forget to check in over there) not only is the Boulder meant to be a send-up of The Rock, but the guy who is voicing him is professional wrestler Mick Foley, who had numerous characters over the course of a long pro wrestling career, but also wrestled with The Rock in the WWE. One of his characters had a bit of a rivalry with The Rock for awhile, and later on they were tag team partners together.

[@danilopapais1464]

Yeah, give it up for the "Rock 'N' Sock Connection".

[@skyfly3555]

Yeah Mick Foley was one of my favorites, King of the Cage match, Mr.Hardcore himself. Cactus Jack, Mankind, Rock and Sock connection. Such a great character.

[@thecrimsonwrath1337]

Fun fact The fans where originally created by kyoshi’s mother who was an air bender but left to marry an earth bender and her airbending became tainted so she invented the fans to be able to use her bending once again

[@friendofdorothy995]

Not sure if this is considered spoilers or not but I think her mother's air bending got weak because she got involved with crimes with her bf and she liked crime so much she decided to abandon the air bending beliefs, which made her weak and use fans since airbending is basically about enlightenment

[@neonom1024]

Fun fact: Punctuation exists.

[@MrWhatdafuBOOM]

"What type of name is Toph?" It's both a pun on her being 'tough' and a reference to the old greek term 'tophylos' ('blind').

[@mackyronni]

τῠφλός (tuphlós)

[@juliasmith960]

Toph was originally going to be portrayed as a big, burly guy as a foil to Sokka's nerdiness. So glad they changed her to a tiny girl.

[@quwykxz]

@ 6:03 "I have a jungle downstairs"... 🤔🤨😏🤣 Phrasing; LOL!

[@sangorilla1]

It's so wonderful how the writers of this story kept bringing back to our (viewer) attention, that these are still children and inclined to grasp opportunities to play...even though they are dealing with tremendous responsibility and very tough ethical issues.

[@saiyasha848]

This episode already shows something: Every Element has it's opposite Element and Earth and Air are as far apart as possible. Toph waits and listenes to her opponents touch the ground, but with aang, she is having difficulty, because his feet touch the ground rarely and if they do, very lightly.

[@SnowyWolborg]

Exactly. Against other Earthbenders, Toph is arguably at her biggest advantage, due to all the stomping and seismic activity. It's basically like her opponent is announcing what the move is going to be before they actually do it.

[@serelryk5365]

In response to what you said near the end: For years I've found it to be such a huge personal challenge just to convince other adults to give this show a chance. At first, I had no interest in watching it either, but my girlfriend at the time was a fan and wanted me to watch it with her, so I did. Halfway through S1 I was intrigued, and by the end of S1 I was hooked. Then I had to twist my cousin's arm to get him to watch it with me, and the exact same thing happened with him. Then he had to keep annoying his wife about it before she finally caved in and watched it with him lol, and then she fell in love with it too. But there are still so many people who just never look past the cover. They see that it's "just an animated kid's show" and not only immediately dismiss it because of that but are also adamant against even considering giving it a chance, as if on principle. Their loss.

[@CliffSedge-nu5fv]

I saw Lil Gal's reactions to Vox Machina, and I trust her good taste; that's why I gave this a try. It is very good storytelling!

[@SinHurr]

We could have just quit making media after TLA ended and been fine. We peaked. We're good.

[@The5armdamput33]

0:37 "I was corrected that she has blue fire, not lightning." - She has both... it's just that she's not using lightning all the time.... She changes up, makes circles with her hands, she gets surrounded by electricity, you hear the crackling, then she fires! It takes time for her to use lightning... When she's fighting normally, she's using blue fire...

[@samfisher6606]

Book 2, Episode 5: If you guys get the chance, I highly recommend you read the two Kyoshi books. She is super interesting. Like the reason she uses fans is because she struggled with fine bending. She could bend a several ton pillar but struggled to lift a pebble. She learned bending in secret amongst a small group of thieves. Her face paint is the same kind of paint performers wear during an opera. That was the thieve groups cover, an opera company. Book 2, Episode 6: So the Boulder is inspired by Dwayne Johnson. They actually wanted him to be voiced by Dwayne Johnson (this was back in 2005/2006) but they couldn't work out the schedule. So instead they got Mick Foley. I really hope they get Dwayne Johnson to play the Boulder in the Live -Action if the Live-Action gets a second season.

[@dfuebermann1]

I just wanted to say thank you for the added thoughts and analyzations you do after each set of episodes instead of just ending the videos when the episodes end. Its nice to see someone actually "get it", and then just speak so well off the cuff without a script! I'm not sure if you ever had a job in the past where you were an orator but you're clearly very gifted in that regard. Cheers!

[@MihaZ]

Toph is just the best way to write a competent character with a disability. Such good writing!

[@Zukrad.Oudeteros]

one thing I love about this is that toph is not "the blind one" is just another teammate, even at the end of this episode soka just forgets she can't see and throws the belt on her head, they don't treat her as her father did, like a glass figurine that needs to be protected all the time and they do make some adjustments to thinks she can't do, but it feels more like an accommodation and not an imposition

[@aaronduenas1258]

Fun fact: The Boulder was based on The Rock and they asked him if he could voice him, but he turned it down and told them to give it to his friend and former WWE Superstar, Mick Foley

[@bluecoin3771]

My favorite joke in the Blind Bandit is Fire Nation Man, he plays the evil foreigner role that older WWE did during the Cold War. This episode did it's callbacks well.

[@Moesie]

@funnylilgalreact Fun Fact I read somewhere: the reason Zuko was bald : Losing an Agni Kai, the ancient duel between two Firebenders for their honor, meant that he had to shave his head bald, sparing only the sacred topknot.

[@brutalchicken]

Kyoshi: "Yeah, I killed him and he deserved it. Slide 1..." and just owns it

[@beefeebrillate3688]

the blind bandit is honestly one of my favorite episodes of the whole show

[@Koyotee25]

same

[@Daishi13]

You have officially met my top 3 favorite characters... Uncle Iroh, Ty Lee & Toph. Also Azula definitely uses lightning bending but it is also known as "cold blooded fire". I pulled this from the Avatar lore, 'Lightning generation is an advanced sub-skill within firebending that allows the user to produce electricity by separating the positive and negative energies internally, before directing it up through the arm and out the fingertips. The technique is extremely precise and deadly and is referred to by some as the "cold blooded fire".'

[@Pooglian]

50:02 Good catch! Michaela Jill Murphy (also known as Jessie Flower), who voiced Toph _was_ Meng in The Fortuneteller episode!

[@1angrykoala]

00:40 Double correction.... She DOES have lightning, in ADDITION to the fact that her fire is blue.

[@timothymanning477]

“The boulder takes issue with that comment” i can’t even explain why that’s my fav the boulder line

[@sean_mccadden]

Fun fact the Mayor in the Avatar Day was voiced by James Hong who also voiced Chi-fu (the Emporers advisor) in Mulan

[@danflashes7125]

And was in one of the funniest episodes of Seinfeld “The Chinese Restaurant.”

[@Lythea]

@@danflashes7125 aha! I knew he sounded familiar, but I had been thinking it was just from this. Thank you!

[@kateorgera5907]

Toph is played by the same voice actress who played Meng (the girl with the big ears) in The Fortuneteller episode. She kills it here! So glad they hired her back.

[@Koyotee25]

Floosy!

[@SnakesAndRoses108]

0:40 Azula's fire is blue but she can also shoot lightning.

[@Dracounguis]

Zuko justifications for stealing was probably... 1️⃣ He's a prince so his needs should take precedence. 2️⃣ Taking from Earth Nation citizens is fine because they're at war.

[@ChocolateChick1000]

3️⃣ Man's hangry

[@RodgerJoyboy]

I know everybody's focused on episode 6: But I just love Uncle iroh speech at the end of episode 5 ❤😢 in the darkest Hope it's something you give to yourself, never given to despair.... I try to live by that every day!!!

[@suke9502]

She gives such good reactions/intros. Way better than a bunch of other KZbinrs who just half ass their vids

[@tehdipstick]

You are indeed correct that The Boulder is analogous to The Rock. All the Earth Rumble characters are influenced to some degree by a WWE performer/persona. The Gecko = Rey Mysterio, Fire Nation Man = The Iron Sheik and other 'enemy nation' personas, The Big, Bad Hippo = a mix of André the Giant and King Kong Bundy, etc. The production team originally wanted The Boulder to be voiced by Dwayne Johnson himself, but he had other commitments so he recommended that they get his friend and former wrestling parther Mick Foley to voice The Boulder instead, which they did.

[@klemminguk]

Toph isn't blind, she's just incapable of seeing anything less awesome than she is.

[@crappleindusuries]

Aang goes to a school to find an earthbending teacher, doesn't fond one. Next logical step for his 12 year old mind: surely a wrestling tournament is the next best place to look.

[@hunacean]

Avatar Kyoshi. What an absolute beast. This event was 370 years ago, and if you think about it Aang is 112, Roku was like 80, meaning she lived for almost 300 years at least. She is also voiced by the amazing Jennifer Hale, an absolute titan among voice actors. If you've ever played a videogame, she was most likely in it.

[@borjankosarac3645]

I think she canonically lived about 240 years, give it take; that’s what was on the wiki around a decade ago at least, maybe the newer worldbuilding and lore has changed it but I haven’t checked. If you go back to episode three of the show, it’s pretty clear that Kyoshi wasn’t meant to be Roku’s immediate predecessor as the statue next to him in the SAT was a male. I think they confirmed that Roku originally was going to be the only past Avatar given focus.

[@zoharamitai8719]

​@@borjankosarac3645and I love that instead of retconing it, the creators leaned into it and in the novels detailing her origin gave a reason to how she could live that long.

[@Arcadian-Nova]

they honestly got the BEST voice actor to voice avatar kyoshi, Jennifer Hale, really the best voice to fit such a legendary lady. (another legendary badass she voiced being Commander shepard in mass effect ofcourse)

[@mirrorshade]

I was about to comment on this. Jennifer Hale is legendary. FemShep is my first choice for Commander Shepard. And Mass Effect is a great video game, one of my favorites.

[@ZheToralf]

Some fun facts about toph: 1. Her original design was much closer to the Boulder. Aaron Ehasz first floated the idea to have Aangs earthbending teacher be a little blind girl who talks smack and beats up men three times her size (and width). He was shot down at first but the idea grew on the showrunners and she became Bryan Konietzko's favorite character. 2. All bending styles are based on martial arts that fit their respective element (tai chi for waterbending). Tohps earth bending uses a different martial arts style then the rest of earthbending, it is called Southern Praying Mantis. Legends has it it was invented by a blind woman.

[@somecallmetim2112]

Correct! Directors liked Michaela Jill Murphy, aka Jessie Flower, so much as Meng, they asked her back to read for Toph! She was Toph's age, 11-12, while recording the show.

[@samblustein1918]

Part of me really hopes we might get a Kyoshi series one day even though it’s pretty unlikely. She’s so awesome, and honestly my favorite Avatar

[@Unti1tmrw]

There are Kyoshi novels, I’ve heard they’re great.

[@Kwstr42]

I whole heartedly agree and if i was a billionare, i would fund this myself

[@NameOptional-p9u]

This is a special group of benders...and you will see just how much they improve together and individually.

[@timgreenwald1043]

So originally they tried to get the Rock who the Boulder is based on, but he was unavailable. They instead got fellow wrestler and wonderful human being Mick Foley to voice him with his hilarious impression of the Rock.

[@gaijincoordinator2922]

0:40 no idea who "corrected" you, but she DOES have lightning. Both lightning and blue fire. It's not a spoiler, we saw that in the first episode of the season. 😊

[@evilwelshman]

19:23 I guess Sokka's reaction to hearing about Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors is that he's now worried because she is now fighting in the war, with all the danger that comes with doing so. Also, The Boulder was basically a parody of The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) and was voiced by Mick Foley, another famous wrestler. 😁😁

[@Koyotee25]

Toph is so amazing, we named our third rescue kitten after her. Blind bandit episode is one of my favs, if not my total favorite. I believe even the writers said, The Boulder is The Rock..... but I pre-date the Rock, I never seen him fight. However, The way I seen this group of Earth Benders; Boulder = Randy "Macho Man" Savage Hippo = Andre the Giant Face Paint guy = The Ultimate Warrior Green mask guy = Jimmy SuperFly Snuka (though Jimmy didnt wear a mask) Fire Nation Mel = Rowdy Roddy Piper Tunnel guy = not sure The Head guy/manager = Rick Flair

[@robertmckenna3994]

31:12”Did he just munch on a rock, with four teeth?” Why do you think he only has four teeth.

[@Mindstormer]

I love how we are introduced and showing how much of a master Toph actually is, she is not only one of the only earthbenders at this time to be able to use earthbending to help in combat but the fact that she is resourceful and extremely quick is something that still stuns me watching back later. Definitely the best earthbender at this time.

[@thirteeneighteenfive]

I'm so happy you got your first glimpse of what a boss Kyoshi was. If you read the comics and expanded lore, you get to find out how mind bogglingly powerful she was, plus the fact that she lives to the age of 230 years old.

[@Matuse]

Interesting thing to note, when the Gaang went to Omashu for the first time, Aang picked a last name for his old man character - the Bei Fong family are the first (and only) people we've ever seen (or ever will see) who actually has a last name. Everybody else is single name only.

[@adamyoung6797]

I wish the royal fire nation and earth kingdom did, it would make canon a bit tighter.

[@rogercruz1547]

​​@@adamyoung6797Imagine Zuko having two surnames, one from his mother's side, and the last from his father's side. Avatar Roku would also have a last name and all fire nobility. Trying hard to not spoil the fire book here.

[@adamyoung6797]

@@rogercruz1547 it wouldn’t spoil the reveal if he only took one name

[@BigDamnHero74]

As far as temperatures go for Fire, Red is the lowest at about 1000 degrees and Blue can go up to 10,000 degrees. So Azula, is beyond terrifying 😮

[@quwykxz]

Not so "terryfing", really; no matter how much power she has, at the end of the day, she's still noithing but a whiny, selfish, entitled brat (though another "b-word", and even a "c-word", is more fitting) who bullies everyone becuse she thinks no one will dare to fight back against her. A P.O.S., garbage creature - she doesn't even desrve the dignity of being called a person - if there has ever been one.

[@martinlarsen7354]

One thing that I like about Azula's fire - it seems to carry actual impact. Rather than just burn stuff it can cut!

[@parsa1372]

I shudder to think of a bender that can bend white flames. Edit: Frick apperantly blue is still hotter than white. But i can salvage this. White flame can mean Mg that means even underwater you're still fucked :) NAILED IT

[@demonic_myst4503]

The show runners have stated its nit heat its just styalisation

[@demonic_myst4503]

Her fire is only boue so her fights with zuko be more noticable

[@Theoneeyed_ghoul]

44:46 that’s completely on you when you know better then to read comments knowing you are GOING to get spoiled 🤷🏽‍♂️ I highly recommend having a mod or something to approve which comments are safe for you to look at 👍🏻

[@funnylilgalreacts]

My guidelines state to say spoiler above the spoilers. So people are not following the guidelines that actually isn’t my fault

[@Theoneeyed_ghoul]

You’re right that’s 100% facts. I guess my trust in people being respectful/not spoiling stuff on the internet nowadays has died a little. You are literally the best reaction channel for Avatar thank you for being yourself and doing what you do ❤️

[@TheHeroClass]

The Inclusion of Actor James Hong in The Avatar Day episode makes it really awesome and he eats up every scene he speaks in!

[@GreenT4]

Enter Toph! My favorite character! Been waiting for this reaction since you started the series! 🎉

[@henrysmith9725]

"I love Avatar Kyoshi" Everybody does. That's why they wrote two novels with her as the main character.

[@mels607]

the scene with katara & sokka going "I've got my eye on you"/"Water Tribe" has a fun little callback in the legend of korra series, if you plan on watching it after this series it's a lot of fun

[@PristinePerceptions]

49:45 I'd like to make a small but important nitpick here. The teacher calls her the "greatest earthbender he has seen", not the "most powerful" earthbender. The reason for this nitpick, is that the other exceptional earthbender we see - Bumi, fits the "most powerful" description much better. His raw power is insane. I'll not reveal anything about Toph here to avoid giving spoilers (and for anyone who's replying to me on this highly controversial topic, remember to not give spoilers!)

[@AShoutIntoTheVoid]

Love that you are already anticipating the conflict between the Air nomad detached nature and the grounded earth bender nature. Great insight!

[@Thelaretus]

Fun fact: The Boulder is an impression of The Rock, voiced by his rival Mick Fowley. Another fun fact: Fire Nation Man is inspired by a Russian impersonator who was a famous wrestler during the Cold War.

[@Spirit529]

I know it's not the most popular but Avatar day is so fun, love the bald guys in jail being genuine and encouraging.

[@santosic]

Unlike The Great Divide, Avatar Day at least establishes some lore that comes back, so while not the most exciting episode of the season, it's certainly not unimportant either 😊

[@ghostbeetle2950]

Capability is pretty much the definition of a hero, regardless of sex. Capable femal characters have been around for a long time, but what we seem to have forgotten today is that capability needs to be balanced by humanity - in both male and female characters - and the essence of humanity is being falible. Because it's only when failure is an option that victory becomes meaningful. It's amazing how we seem to have forgotten that in just the few years that have passed since ATLA came out. Love this show, never forget was is possible, and never settle for anything less!

[@dapeach06]

You were right though, Azula has blue fire, AND lightning!

[@crappiefisher1331]

yeah, i wonder who told her that azula aint using lightning when she already used lightning in S02E01

[@jasonhair2457]

I love Toph's fighting style. All of the bending styles are based on real martial arts. Most Earth benders use a style that resembles the Chinese Hung Ga style. Toph though, uses the Southern Praying Mantis style, which according to legends surrounding that style, was invented by a blind woman. The Boulder character was actually supposed to be voiced by The Rock. Scheduling conflicts caused it to be recast and was instead played by the wreslter Mick Foley.

[@bouwens3d905]

Fun fact, they were originaly planning to have the Rock voice the Boulder

[@tobiasrietveld3819]

Every single fan has likely been looking foward for Toph's introduction since the beginning of season 1. Her character and her arc really are something special.

[@sidicy]

32:36 - Mandatory Comment on this Episode - The Boulder was actually Voiced by the Legendary WWE hall of famer - Mick Foley (AKA Rock's best Friend)

[@spacechampi0n]

It was actually wrestler Mick Foley who voiced The Boulder.

[@Geoffery_of_Monmouth]

Fun fact from the Kyoshi novels: Kyoshi had to use fans to temper her bending because she was so strong that she couldn't do small amounts of bending without them. Like Superman hitting someone a bit too hard on the back.

[@meganhutcheson5867]

I always thought it was because for her air bending was the hardest for her to learn. Kind of like with Aang learning how to earth bend.

[@Geoffery_of_Monmouth]

@@meganhutcheson5867 Not sure where you got that idea? The fans are useful for every element, but the novels are pretty explicit that she had the hardest time mastering her own element, earth, because of the isolating and scrutiny she felt from her people. She picked up air much more quickly, once she had a teacher, than she did either fire or earth.

[@kaijingarou6526]

Correction of the correction: Azula has blue fire AND lightning 😅

[@kuningaskolassas4720]

They wanted to get The Rock to voice The Boulder, but it didn't work out so they went with Mick Foley (of the Rock 'n Sock Connection) instead.

[@MyBrainDontWork920]

1) **NOT A SPOILER** Avatar Kyoshi is canonically lesbian. Just thought you should know. 2) **ALSO, NOT A SPOILER** Toph Bei Fong is the greatest character ever created by any work of fiction. She is so powerful, but so flawed. She is EVERYTHING and we (the Avatar Fan Base) love her dearly! 3) at 50:01 you asked if Mang and Toph had the same voice actor. The answer is YES. **ONCE AGAIN, NOT A SPOILER** Toph was originally designed as a big buff himbo (not unlike The Boulder), but after meeting with 11/12 year old "Jessie Flowers" (She now goes by her birth name Michaela Jill Murphy), they were blown away by her spirit. They redesigned the character to fit Jessie's voice!

[@testytest69420]

Fairly certain Kyoshi's bi. She definitely had a thing for Yun as well.

[@leafblade3T9]

"On that day, we split from the mainland" is so raw to me. Thats also how ot was possible for her to be both in the town and on the island by sunset, as the evidence shows. What a gal, what a story.

[@DudeLongcouch]

Toph is for sure one of the greatest fictional characters ever created. Her entrance marks the point where the show goes from great, to legendary.

[@DrekeXorn13]

Town of Chin: Kyoshi killed our leader! Aang: What? I'd never do that! Kyoshi: I don't care, HIS NAME WAS CHIN

[@manzanasrojas6984]

32:37 Thats exactly what they were alluding to lol Named him after "The Rock", but made him act like "Randy Macho Man Savage"

[@nicholaswilkerson4394]

Fun fact! Kyoshi uses those fans for a very specific purpose. Apparently, she was INCREDIBLY powerful, even for an Avatar. She actually struggled wirh focusing her power and was prone to accidentally breaking and destroying stuff. She used those fans to help her focus her power.

[@minimi1]

Fun fact The Boulder IS based on The Rock, and they wanted him to voice it!! Unfortunately they couldn’t get him but they did get another wrestler, Mick Foley

[@mitsukitai2713]

Master Hu's Earthbending Academy is a parody of real-world "strip mall dojos", or "McDojos", which grant titles and belts without actual achievement or learning, as evidenced by Yu's offer to give Aang an unearned promotion to the next belt if he paid extra in advance. Sifu Kisu, the martial arts expert for the show, is known for his disdain of such dojos and of the belt system in general.

[@Ozai75]

What is really great/funny is how you continually referenced The Rock and wrestling, the original play WAS to have The Rock voice him, but he couldn't due to obligations, so they got the amazing Mick Foley to voice him instead.

[@joshlammaslehto6603]

The unmistakable voice of James Hong!

[@2o7o7dragon]

49:49 correction! Toph is the greatest earthbender he's ever seen. The show makes a point of calling out Toph for being the greatest and Bumi for being the most powerful... to much fan debate.