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all this because they're more offended over zuko being called a colonizer, and the ship being colonizer x colonized, than the fact he took part in and benefited from colonization. tied an indigenous girl to a tree overnight, destroyed part of her village, threatened her people with fire, and spent most of his time trying to kill her and her friends, including hiring an assassin

his whole arc, and becoming the fire lord, is about him making sure that the future fire nation won't have the shameful term of colonizers. if he wasn't one it wouldn't be his job to fix things. and people, including zuko himself, wouldn't be scared of him ending up like his father

everyone defending and supporting that racist shit is disgusting. and if you have the nerve to try and use your own people's history of colonization say what 'real' colonization is, you're racist and disgusting. the need to try and erase the 'mean' words using the excuse he changed as if his past self was a different person. being forgiven doesn't magically erase the colonizer status, unless you think abuse victims forgiving their abusers means that we should never call the perpetrator abusive, or that people aren't allowed to dislike those with a past history of abuse or bigotry just because they changed.

The art in question was made in response to hate she received, not for her depictions of zutara, but just for shipping it in general.

The "colonizer" accusation gets thrown around not because people are denying his role in the war, but because it is ridiculous (and racist, because it also harms people who are affected by colonization to throw around these accusations over cartoon ships) to use that to attack zutara shippers for shipping it, especially since Zuko aided in ending colonization. That actually does change EVERYTHING about Zuko's colonizer status, whether you think it does or not. Everything. And if you seriously think it doesn't, then I'd question whether this is actually about being anti oppression and anti racist at all. You have a right to how you feel about the ship but you do not have a right to tell other people how to feel or that they're "disgusting" for liking or creating fanart, and the part about telling people not to "use their own history" to talk about how they feel about the ship is also something you have no right to do.

the themes of the show are based on real genocide and colonization. if zuko wasn't a colonizer it wouldn't be HIS responsibility to end it. and i do have a right to talk about their bullshit when they use their own countries history TO DENY CERTAIN KINDS OF COLONIZATION. some of you disgusting dingbats were saying the southern water tribe wasn't colonized, when they WERE. denying that alone is fucking racist. acknowledging zuko is a colonizer, and that's why he wanted to end colonization, hurts NO ONE. he was the prince of the fire nation.

No but at this point it's madness! Leave this artist alone! You are ridiculous! They really understand nothing to the concept of fandom and AU! I'm so done... Also... the fucking comments... They are so fucking stupid. I have no world.

"no, I guess I don't."

Insensitive comparison to nazism, check.

Also on "but Aang DID take responsibility!" In canon, Katara is actually the one who shields Aang from people who blame him for the war. The idea of what would happen if she were to no longer act as his mommy/cheerleader is actually quite interesting.

Finally gathered my thoughts on the new Avatar movie, and my only question is: why did this "legend of a fancy, empty fanservice shell" even exist?

The movie was doomed at the execution stage of its concept and script.

The creators had a bulletproof foundation: one of the most masterfully written shows in television history (Avatar: The Last Airbender), the canon comics, and The Legend of Korra, which already showed us the characters aged, with children and grandchildren.

And that is exactly why the idea of focusing on "Aang’s struggles and rebuilding the Air Nation" feels entirely redundant.

1. The Redundant Arc and Zero Stakes

We have already witnessed Aang’s grief, guilt, and pain over his people’s genocide throughout the original three seasons. That arc was closed and beautifully processed. The comics already showed the Air Acolytes, and TLOK put a definitive period on this storyline by bringing back actual airbenders.

Because we already know the future, the audience has absolutely nothing to worry about:

* We know Tenzin and his kids will remain the only airbenders for decades.

* We know exactly how long the main characters live.

* We know the fate of their families.

There are no stakes. Will they die? No. Will the future change? No. The answer is already known, making the entire narrative arc completely empty. We didn’t need a movie-length repetition of Aang’s trauma just for the sake of it.

Merely drawing pretty, adult versions of the characters is not enough to make a good movie. A film needs a core conflict, meaning, and a fresh idea.

2. Fanservice Wrapping, Empty Inside

If we look at this film as a standalone (even though almost the entire audience consists of old fans), it is hollow. The characters aren't explored; their screen time adds nothing substantial to their personalities.

So, why does this movie even exist?

* To force-feed us the Kataang canon?

* To show off Aang’s bizarre, unrealistic new design with a mountain of muscles that makes zero sense for a vegan monk with his lifestyle?

* To make him look like a self-insert of the creators who desperately need to force the audience into loving him?

The creators seem so attached to Aang as their self-insert that they still cannot accept that he never became the most beloved character in his own show.

So adult Aang is redesigned to be as conventionally attractive as possible. Broad shoulders. Huge muscles. Constant shirtless shots. A heavy emphasis on his romance with Katara.

The message feels almost painfully obvious:

“Look at him. This is the hero you’re supposed to love. This is the man you’re supposed to admire. This is the man Katara is supposed to be obsessed with.”

Seriously, it felt like watching a high-budget fan-animation for a mediocre Kataang fanfiction. It is so primitive and cheap how Katara throws herself at Aang’s neck in almost every scene, completely stripped of her independence. Worse entirely, Aang risks her life for the sake of his own elusive, idealistic hopes, making him the absolute worst partner imaginable. Then again, knowing what a terrible, neglectful father he turns out to be in TLOK, his toxic selfishness here isn't even surprising. What is surprising and deeply frustrating is how the creators force Katara to blindly love THIS and submissively accept whatever crumbs of attention or respect he throws her way. Once again, Katara is reduced to being a mere appendage to the Avatar—a disservice they already started in TLOK.

3. The Nerfing of the Gaang

The rest of the characters fared no better.

Everyone feels like an extended cameo rather than actual living characters.

* Sokka:The brave warrior who wasn't a bender yet stood tall against firebenders amplified by Sozin’s Comet is gone. Instead, we got a cowardly, quirky inventor making stupid jokes. He’s a parody of his former self.

* Toph: Completely useless to the plot. She is just there.

* Zuko: Just a pretty cardboard cutout who lost all of his signature charisma. He isn't even necessary to the plot. Not to mention the sheer stupidity of the writing: the literal Fire Lord, ruler of an entire global empire, is casually piloting a zeppelin completely alone—no crew, no royal guard, as if he has absolutely nothing to manage in his own country. And watching the Fire Lord personally repair a ship... God, it looked so incredibly braindead.

The creators literally removed his chest scar and gave him zero meaningful interaction with Katara.

The authors' eternal fear of the Zutara fandom is honestly getting hilarious at this point.

It is especially glaring how they tried to deflect attention: "Quick, let's throw in some hints for Zukka, and let's have a half-naked Zuko catch Toph!" It’s a desperate attempt to distract Zutara fans, as if stuffing the movie with "cute" Kataang scenes wasn't enough to stop people from even thinking about Zutara. They feel so deeply uncomfortable with Zutara's mere existence that they have to forcefully shove Kataang down our throats while aggressively trying to erase any trace of Zutara.

4. What We ACTUALLY Needed to See

Instead of retreading old ground, the movie could have explored the massive blank spaces in the lore that actually lead into the future we know:

* The Birth of Republic City: Show the first rise of social inequality. Show how Aang failed to solve this issue, leaving it as a heavy mistake of the past Avatar for Korra to fix.

* The Bloodbending Ban: Give us a real story about why Katara had to ban it. Show us why it couldn't even be adapted for medical use. The canon ban still feels unconvincing—sub-bending is potentially useful, and even lethal lightning-bending wasn't banned but redirected for the public good.

* Characters with Unknown Fates: Give us someone to actually worry about! Where is Azula (did she redeem herself or is she still a threat)? What about Ty Lee and chi-blocking leading into the Equalists? What about Mai?

* Suki's Tragedy: Address the theory that Suki died young. It would perfectly and tragically explain why Sokka ended up alone and never started a family—losing two girls he loved could be his personal curse, making him close his heart to risk.

* Kanto: We could have been introduced to the mysterious Kanto as Toph’s future love interest—someone serious, with a personality resembling Lin, so the audience could see something familiar in him.

* King Bumi: Even showing old King Bumi sacrificing his own life to protect the heroes would have been better, so that the name of Aang’s firstborn finally received a powerful emotional justification.

But no. Instead, we wasted time on things that had already been said.

The Bitter Truth About the Creators

It is glaringly obvious that the people who made ATLA deeply emotional and complex were missing here. It was Aaron Ehasz and the brilliant room of writers who gave the original show its soul, layers, and emotional maturity.

On the backbone of that collective work, Bryke built a sequel franchise that proves once again: on their own, they simply do not know how to create something truly great.

It’s a shame so much money and years of work were wasted on this hollow fanservice. People will not be analyzing the depth of this movie years from now like they still do with the original ATLA. Because there is simply nothing to analyze.

That zk-anti person saw this and was inspired #sarcasm.

Oh, you know, these stupid victims of colonialism who live in fantasies. Because if you don't agree with me it means you are stupid.

To jump on USA as a Russian is certainly a choice. Russia is an imperialistic country with a long story of colonialism and with all that entails. And at the same time it's not only slavs who participate in Russian war aggressions, so this argument about minorities of colour also works here. You really think you know american politics so well that you decide to use USA as an example? I'm not an american, btw.

Yes, are we sure it is appropriate to equate (equate, not compare) absolutely real events with fictional? Do you have at least a bit of respect for these people? This is not a fucking cartoon.

Remember, this person wants you to take them seriously. Anti-coloniser made-up slur.

Yeah, a canon story about slav/inuit or brit/inuit e-t-l and not a hypothetical love story between people of fictional (heavily inspired but still fictional) ethnicities when? Ah yes, such stories exist and unlike Zutara they are harmful in many ways, you just don't want to pay attention.

And I'm glad you're admitting now that it's necessary for Zuko to care, because the line is usually that he's "corrupting her" by doing things like helping her get justice for her mother's murder and kataangers usually say that he should just keep it to himself.

Except the part your quoting is about how the characters behave. We're pointing out what is written into the show and the attention the characters give to each other. Why wouldn't the show runners want Aang to give more attention to his Lady Love and her deepest pain than her "most hated enemy" does?

That's the point being made.

Your counter point has nothing to do with the show and everything to do with fandom, the fans and how we engage with the show. Yeah, I happen to care more about Zuko's history with his father than I do Sokka and his issues. Sokka is someone else's favorite. That's not my responsibility. Yes I care more about Katara and her struggle reconciling being a survivor at the cost of her mother than I do about Aang and his toxic positivity, barely bottled rage that he unexpectedly unleashes on those around him whether or not they deserve it. That's my prerogative as a fan of a fictional cartoon show. He can be someone else's favorite character. He doesn't have to be mine.

Do you have any argument that come from within the context of the show about how Aang cares more than the rest of the gaang about Katara and what the war has taken from her, especially since he was affected in much the same ways?

Zutara shippers are so weird towards Aang. One time he was too perfect/bland but now he’s all of a sudden a bad person because the writers showcased his flaws😭❓(yall want spice but can’t even handle a couple disagreeing)

The thing about showcasing flaws is that they actually have to be presented as flaws. The movie has Aang act irresponsibly and yell at Katara but then does not show him learning from that or apologizing. It's not acknowledged as a flaw. This is also not a new problem and not a new criticism, the same is said about Aang yelling at all his friends in the finale for trying to help him, and Aang is never given an opportunity to learn from it because the narrative gives him a magic fix. That is what zutara shippers mean when they say he is bland and too perfect, not that he actually is perfect but that the narrative does not acknowledge his flaws, and that pattern continues from the series into the post canon materials, including this new movie.

This is not spice or being unable to handle a couple disagreeing. It's a male hero yelling at his female love interest because she called him out and then never having to apologize even when he's proven wrong because the narrative validates that behavior and encourages it.

No, she didn't. What she said was this:

What she discouraged was trying to rush the process through reckless behavior. The episode makes a parallel between Aang allowing Fong to try and force the Avatar State with Zuko believing Azula when she lies about Ozai wanting him back home. Zuko, like Aang, is rushing into a dangerous situation because of the promise of getting what he wants.

Katara, like Iroh with Zuko, begs Aang to slow down and think things through.

Katara also tells Aang that seeing him in the Avatar State was scary, but not because she is against the Avatar State itself. Seeing Aang unable to control that power was scary for her. What the Guru tried to get Aang to do, master that power through careful control and study, was exactly what Katara wanted.

Atla is a martial arts show that borrows from a lot of eastern philosophy. Strength through study and discipline rather than raw power is therefore a major theme.

Katara voices that Aang's inability to control his power makes her scared, and then because Aang doesn't listen to her, she is put in danger. Physically trapped and in need of rescue. Not because Aang chose the Avatar State over her, but because he made a choice based on raw emotion rather than temperance.

As much as Katara cares for Aang, I do not think that being put in danger because of his recklessness and needing him to save her is what she would want, nor is it a real display of love. It puts her in a position she should never have to be in.

And, upon writing this analysis, I actually realized that when Aang apologizes to Katara in the Crossroads of Destiny, it isn't because he gave up his attachment to her (because he didn't and if he couldn't do it with the Guru, no way could he do it in .5 seconds while she's being threatened by Azula and the Dai Li.)

It's actually meant to be the book-end to this, from the end of the first episode of book 2, after the gaang leave General Fong:

Aang apologizes to Katara and hopes she never has to see him in the uncontrolled Avatar State again.

Then, at the end of book 2, Aang goes into the Avatar State in a desperate moment in the catacombs, knowing that he never mastered the Avatar State, knowing he would break his promise to Katara.

That. Is heartbreaking.

I've never seen anyone take this interpretation, but I'm absolutely sure it was intentional, because it parallels Zuko's narrative so nicely. Zuko who makes a decision to trust Azula over Iroh in the first episode of book 2, putting both their lives in danger, and who makes the choice to side with Azula in the finale, betraying Iroh. Iroh who only ever wanted him to be safe, like Katara wanted Aang to be safe.

This interpretation makes a lot of sense, too, considering how angry Katara is with Aang in the Awakening, and why she felt so betrayed during the Crossroads of Destiny. Unfortunately, Katara focuses on how Zuko betrayed her and Aang's Avatar State arc is rewritten to be an external conflict instead of an internal one, and Katara's anger at Aang is redirected to have her be REALLY angry at her dad, so the show never acknowledges how Katara was actually betrayed by Aang.

That would've been a hell of a conflict if it had actually been addressed, though.

it is so funny that you guys are accusing op of caring “only about pixels and not real people”, when you yourself are not actually defending any iranians from harm but instead.. using them as rhetorical cudgel to feign moral superiority in a ship war… how odd. is that defintionally even more performative?

also not even to add what an absurd take this is? why are you equating a snarky "haha you you were wrong" quote tweet to somebody making fun of iranian bombardment. she didn't say "your country is being bombed your opinion doesn't matter". it's a tragic situation yes, but tragedy does not render somebody immune from disagreement especially in what is (and i qoute) a "cartoon ship". nor does it make said disagreement harassment. all you have done is snuck in an unsubstantiated claim that the tweet was even about the iranian zutara's suffering at all. a completely useless point of view that can't even be applied universally because it would be frankly insane! please, just use words correctly.

but let’s not talk about the war on iran without some aid:

That does seem a bit like they are prioritizing at the very least their entertainment at the expense of others. And that is harassment. Whether they wanted to bully someone experiencing wartime or simply doesn't care to think of those who ship different things as people we may never know. Because outside of insisting on their self-righteous vendetta against us for liking different characters they've been quite silent.

So.. do let me know if I've missed anything you brought up. Or if I resorted to ad-homs instead of addressing the actual subjects you intended.

"you yourself aren't defending any Iranians" uhhh wtf? You don't know anything about the people you are talking about and you have no right to use real genocides this way to defend blatant harassment. It's also ironic because OP was the one bringing up genocide to use as a gotcha. Incorrectly, because saying that Aang is a genocide survivor does not make him free from criticism and expecting him to care about the girl he supposedly loves is not requiring him to be a "perfect victim." Being a victim does not give you license to treat other people badly. As you say, tragedy does not excuse you from disagreement.

Also, OP has also posted about how zutara shippers, especially ones who talk about Katara as a genocide victim "sound white," so I think it can be assumed that they don't actually give a shit about poc who ship something they don't like.