Water.
Earth.
Fire.
Air.
Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony.
Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.
Only the Avatar,
master of all four elements, could stop them.
But when the world needed him most,
he vanished.
A hundred years passed,
and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar,
an Airbender named Aang.
Since we saved the Northern Water Tribe,
Aang has learned to be a pretty good Waterbender.
That leaves two more elements to master,
earth
and fire.
But as the Fire Nation conquers more and more of the world,
we're running out of time to stop them.
Even though he has more to learn,
we believe Aang can save the world.
Come on. We have to keep going.
There's no point.
Okay, I know you're hurting,
but we need to keep going.
That way, soldiers moving fast.
This way, Kyoshi Warriors coming to get us out of here.
No one is coming to save us.
Why did we run?
It would've been faster to burn.
No one is coming.
Then we save ourselves.
If they kill me, I will not die easy.
I will die on my feet, fighting, and so will you.
Yah!
Time to go. Okay. Okay.
Aah!
There he is!
Get him!
Hey, flame head!
Huh?
Lose something?
Yeah, I lost track of my many victories.
Do you wanna help me heal him?
You'll have to learn it eventually.
I don't believe it.
Get lots of rest, okay?
Not until this war is over.
It really has been a long time.
It sure has.
You shot up like a bamboo sprout.
- Are you… - Am I…
No.
- Hey. - Hmm?
Nice job out there.
I can't tell you what it means to see you.
All of you.
What are you doing back in the Earth Kingdom?
I'm gonna rescue my earthbending teacher.
- Do you know where they're holding Bumi? - Uh, yes.
He's locked in a metal tower. Back in Omashu.
He can't bend his way out of it.
I don't care. I need to learn earthbending.
And I'm gonna get my friend.
Hey!
Halt!
I bet one of you guys has a key for this, don't you?
Aang!
You shouldn't be here.
Bumi, there you are.
You usually wait a century between visits. This is… this is much too soon.
The years are catching up with you. Hmm.
Many things are catching up with you, I imagine. Stars, planets, and the like.
Okay. Let's go.
You'll teach me earthbending. Then we'll fight the Fire Lord.
No!
No! I'm far too busy.
Bumi, this is… It's no time for jokes.
That's right. This is the time that you leave.
Immediately.
You wanna stay… here?
That's why I surrendered.
You what?
When I left, you were in the fight.
Now Omashu is in ruins, and your people are refugees.
What did you do?
Nothing!
I did nothing.
And it was the hardest thing I have ever done.
I could've taken up arms,
and my people would have followed and died for it.
To save them, I did nothing.
Do you see?
I had to feel everything
so that I could feel nothing,
which is the key to feeling everything.
What do you know of jing, hmm?
The monks said it's the energy used to fight.
Positive jing when you attack. And negative jing when you retreat.
- Which we should be doing right now. - What about neutral jing?
There are three kinds of jing?
There are 85 different kinds of jing.
Momo knows all of them. Hello.
People use jing every day, and they aren't aware of it,
but you must become aware of it, Aang.
You must master neutral jing
to learn earthbending.
Master neutral jing?
Master doing nothing?
It may look that way,
but it is waiting and listening
for the right time
to strike.
But… but this… this is the moment.
You come with me, and we can defeat the Fire Lord together.
Please, Bumi.
You're my oldest friend. Just…
just…
just be my teacher.
Your teacher will be a master of neutral jing.
A teacher who waits and listens.
Maybe it will be a new friend.
You should go, Aang.
The guards will be changing their shifts soon.
If they find you, all the time in the world
will suddenly become no time at all.
I'll see you another time, my friend.
What happened?
Mmm.
Mmm. Huh.
Is it time for tea?
Thank you.
- Doesn't the rain feel glorious? - Mm-hmm.
You need to move faster, Uncle.
Ah, but if I rush, I'll miss the waft of rind on the breeze,
the silky mud settling into the grooves of my skin.
Every time you help someone else, your own bag gets emptier.
That's a terrible way to look at the world.
The world is terrible.
This… this place is terrible.
Melon yams are terrible.
You know, we started out picking melon yams.
Then it was kale and tomatoes.
Then mung beans and pepper plums and cabbages.
And now we're back to melon yams.
How long can we do this?
Hiding out like fugitives.
We are fugitives.
What are you gonna say?
The truth because he already knows.
The truth is open to interpretation.
General Li, what is the status of our holdings in the Earth Kingdom?
After Princess Azula's brilliant conquest
in the city of New Ozai,
certain skirmishes continue.
Skirmishes?
Losses, my exalted Fire Lord.
Pretty language.
Pretty enough for last words.
General, you are relieved of your command.
As are you, Admiral Kaga.
And that is not open to interpretation.
We stand relieved.
Make room underground for two new prison guards.
Princess Azula,
the family has always been blessed by the wisdom of its second children.
The floor is yours.
While the general has waged a slow and ponderous campaign
bogged down in the wilds of the Earth Kingdom…
Land war in Earth Kingdom.
Classic blunder.
…my forces have used the imprisoned Earthbenders
to make swift progress to the territory.
Soon, we will be in a position
to move heavy artillery directly from our ships at sea over land
to their very doorstep.
The decision to put you in charge of the Omashu campaign
continues to yield dividends.
Next… we take the Earth Kingdom by ripping out its heart.
The so-called impenetrable city.
The unwieldy metropolis.
The seat of earthbending power.
Ba Sing Se
will fall.
Even the Dragon of the West failed.
Does no one read history anymore?
Our last siege of Ba Sing Se was a colossal failure.
Doomed from its planning and abandoned in its execution
by the traitor General Iroh.
And how will you do what has never been done?
By using what I learned from you
and enhancing it.
We amass an overwhelming force outside the walls,
drawing attention through drill tanks and war balloons.
Then we strike from beneath.
My earthbending prisoners will tunnel under the walls,
and our troops will ravage the city from the inside out.
They will never see it coming.
There are but three people in the world
who have the power to determine its future.
You, my Fire Lord,
the Avatar,
and the Earth King.
This will neutralize the Earth King. And your power can only grow.
I await only your consent to begin.
It is as solid a strategy as I myself could've planned…
at your age.
It is approved.
Under the direction of a talented,
decorated prodigy
of the agile younger generation.
General Tran!
Thank you, Fire Lord Ozai.
I will do my utmost to repay the trust you have bestowed upon me tenfold.
To the Flame Eternal.
Dismissed!
Azula.
You have feelings about my decision
to put General Tran in charge of your mission.
Speak… freely.
Of course I trust your judgment.
You truly are blessed with the blood of your ancestors.
You wanna fight, to conquer.
But for you, I have a special mission.
Well, Father, you gave Ba Sing Se to Tran.
And I can't conquer Omashu twice, so what is it you desire?
Your brother, Zuko.
Zuko is dead.
He died in the North
after turning traitor and attacking Admiral Zhao.
Even if he were alive, you yourself declared him a war criminal.
And I have decided to pardon him.
Zuko is alive
and hiding out in a far-flung corner of the Earth Kingdom.
I want you to retrieve him.
Retrieve him.
And do what?
Bring him home.
It's time to get our family in order.
I serve at the pleasure of the Fire Lord.
Princess Azula.
What?
I know this must be strange, but it was a surprise to me as well.
- I am deeply unworthy-- - That's right.
You are unworthy.
Your plan is perfect. I will devote myself to it.
Flattery is the mud in which politicians wallow.
I thought you were a soldier.
Only in the foulest mud can the perfect crimson lotus grow.
Crimson?
Yes.
With the blood of your enemies.
Do you know what they are calling you?
I don't pay attention to court gossip.
The Bane of Omashu.
Well, it's no Dragon of the West.
Please understand me.
Whatever victories we achieve will be in your name.
Every conquest will serve to glorify you.
Don't you mean glorify the Fire Lord?
As I said,
every victory in your name.
Every win to glorify…
the Fire Lord.
We will consider any accolades you wish to bestow upon us.
You are dismissed.
I was supposed to get four coins.
Yesterday it was three. Today it's two?
Four for the day, minus one for rent, one for the broken handle.
That spade was broken when I picked it up this morning.
And as for rent, I don't sleep inside.
I sleep under the stars like an animal.
Don't matter where you sleep. It's all company land. Now move along.
What kind of a prince sweats all day for pennies?
A wise prince.
A prince who understands the value of hard work,
who respects the struggle of his people because he has shared in those struggles.
They're beneath me.
This whole place is beneath me.
Who's next?
Here you go.
Yes, sit right here.
I can't believe you're here.
I've seen this before.
Just show us the way.
We need your help.
What's wrong? Are you hurt?
Oh, hi.
No, I was just talking to the… flower.
Is that weird?
I've never seen anything like it.
It's, uh… it's a painted lady.
- Hmm. - I just had to say a little prayer.
Look at her.
When I was little, my mother told me that these flowers would grow
wherever the Painted Lady touched the earth.
Who's the Painted Lady?
Oh, she's, uh, the river spirit.
She appears in the rolling mists
and takes the form of a woman painted in red and gold.
Outside our village, these flowers grew like a perfumed blanket
until, um, one day, they all withered.
And my mom, she understood the sign.
She packed us up, and then we left and…
Then a week later,
the Fire Nation burned our village to the ground.
And the Painted Lady warned us.
And… paying attention saved our family.
This is the first one that I've seen since then.
When you see a painted lady,
it's a blessing.
A sign.
It means we're going the right way…
whichever way that is.
Somewhere safe.
Oh!
Still doing that, huh? Just… don't change what works.
Hi, stranger.
Hi.
Uh…
Uh, how… how are you?
Uh…
I'm fine.
Peach pear?
Oh, no, I couldn't.
There's a limited amount of food and a lot of people.
It's my peach pear from my rations.
Then you should eat it.
You're being very rude about my peach pear.
No, I love your peach pear. I… I'm just not hungry.
You're always hungry. How many times have you threatened to eat Momo?
Well, that's just a--
Really good idea. He looks delicious.
I…
Try it. It's lovely.
Mmm.
Well?
Really good.
I told you.
So I was thinking something.
About us being together.
Right. Like, while we're on the road?
Yeah.
I was thinking,
while we're together,
why not just be together?
Oh, Aang's back. I, uh… I should go.
I…
Where's Bumi?
Bumi's locked up, and he wants to stay locked up.
It doesn't matter what his people need or what I need.
- Slow down. - Aang!
Hey, I'm glad you're back.
Sai said he had something important to tell us when we have a sec.
Sorry, guys. Aang, we need to move now.
I scouted the southern shore, and it's overrun.
That was our only path to get everyone to safety.
- Fire Nation's trying to box us in. - The entire territory is covered.
If they're blocking the southern shore, then there's only one way left to go.
"Abandon all hope."
Well, that's not a good sign.
If only someone could fly up there and take it down.
Yeah.
Show-off.
It's good for morale.
Everyone, stay together. Fire Nation's on our heels.
Hey.
The path winds like a snake.
I bet that's why they call it Serpent's Pass.
Nothing gets by you.
Here's something else for the to-do list.
Everyone from Omashu has got 1,001 scary stories
about Zuko's sister, Azula.
She's the one who slashed and burned the city.
So she's actually worse than Zuko?
Is that even possible?
They say she throws blue fire.
Like, metaphorically?
No, it's literally, like, blue flames.
- Do you think blue fire's cold? - No.
It's… very hot.
So hot, it went all the way around the rainbow and started over again.
Got it. Scary sister. Add it to the list.
There's so much to do, and everyone's lagging. Come on.
- Oh! - Sokka!
- Keep moving. A little faster. - Be careful.
Hey, you guys okay?
We're going too fast.
And it's too high.
I'm just a kid.
So am I.
Sometimes, even Airbenders can be scared of heights. Okay?
Come on.
I won't let you fall.
I won't let any of you fall.
How are we supposed to get through?
Aang and I are both Waterbenders, Sokka.
Yeah, but we need an Earthbender to bring the path up out of the…
- Oh. - I knew he'd get there.
Well, this looks pretty deep. It's gonna take both of us.
- You ready? - If I'm not, we know who to blame.
Just kidding, I got this.
Stop hanging out with Sokka.
Momo.
Oh.
Fire Nation!
- Can you hold it on your own? - Yeah, go help at the back.
Let's go.
Everybody, move. Come on.
Like, wow, man. Look at the wonder.
- Less gaping, more running. - They're right behind us.
What are they firing at?
I think that's why they call it the Serpent's Pass.
It's fighting the Fire Nation. I think it's on our side.
I think it's on its own side.
- Go help the others. I got this. - Come on. Come on, everyone.
Better rush if you're going Avatar State and take that thing out.
Yes to the rush. No to the Avatar State.
Come on, everybody.
- Quickly. - And safely. And safely.
Oh, Aang looks so tiny up there next to that great big giant beast of the sea…
Oh no! He's gonna eat him!
Follow me!
Wha…
Sokka, come on. Let's keep moving, everybody.
Suki!
- You okay? - Yeah.
Ah!
Get to the shore.
Katara!
There's no way that's safe!
I… I didn't mean to…
I didn't mean to kill it.
It's still alive.
Your water. Use the water from the Spirit Oasis to heal it.
No.
No, we can heal it together.
I can't. I haven't--
No, trust me. This is how you learn.
Show me.
Here, hold this with me.
We bend it together in balance.
Now what?
Now we move it into the wound.
Now we work with the serpent.
Feel its energy.
The beat of its heart.
The flow of blood all through its body.
Let that energy flow through you.
Through the water.
Into its blood. Its skin.
Every broken piece of its body.
And now you know how to heal.
Katara,
I couldn't be doing any of this without you.
I'm so lucky you're the one who broke me out of that iceberg.
Yeah, you are pretty lucky, huh? Let's go.
When you and Sokka and Aang showed up on Kyoshi Island,
it opened up this whole world to me.
To all of us.
I didn't know it would include steam-spewing sea beasts.
Yeah, and neither did I.
At first.
But it's good. Even the monsters.
We've been able to help a lot of people.
And we may have to take this group all the way to Ba Sing Se.
If we make it, it really is thanks to you guys.
We might not even be here if it wasn't for you.
You know, before we met you, Sokka wanted to go home.
And the way you all fought to defend us,
it made me see that I wasn't dumb for believing the Avatar.
For having hope that any one person can make a difference.
All done.
You know, if you're finished teaching Aang,
we could use someone like you.
Join the Kyoshi Warriors?
Is that even possible? I… I'm a Waterbender.
So is Kyoshi.
Just a thought.
Nice display of bending back there.
Really gave the group a shot of confidence to see you deal with that
serpent-dragon-eel thing.
- It gave me a shot of confidence too. - Good.
Didn't know I could heal.
Hey, and I didn't mean to tell you what to do about the Avatar State.
It's just when you did it in the North, it was so powerful, and it was so…
I didn't though.
I surrendered to the Ocean Spirit,
and it used me to channel its power to defeat the Fire Nation.
Avatar Kuruk tried to warn me, but I let it happen anyway.
It's hard to explain.
Okay, well,
I'm here if you wanna try.
When I merged with the Ocean Spirit,
all I could feel was the spirit's need for revenge.
I could see the destruction that it was causing,
that I was causing, and… I couldn't stop it.
I don't want people to get hurt, and I don't want people to die.
Yeah, that must have been terrifying.
I don't… wanna feel that way ever again.
I know I can enter the Avatar State now, but I'm not even gonna try it
until I have full control over all four elements.
Well, we better find you an earthbending teacher, then.
Oh, and guess where we are?
The Earth Kingdom.
This place is probably lousy with earthbending masters.
Thank you, Sokka.
If you ever wanna talk about the North, like, what happened with Yue…
Yeah, I… Thanks.
I, um… I'm just busy with the list of, uh,
uh, how to save the world in ten easy steps.
Twenty or
a hundred, maybe.
Hey! This is my line. What do you think you're doing?
Take it easy, kid.
There's a bunch of unpicked lines in the east field. Go pick there.
And lose half an hour walking?
Walk faster.
There's an order to how we do things here that can't be broken.
Who do you think you are, huh?
Who do I think I am?
That's enough!
We get it. You're both very scary guys.
Hey, Mushi, get your son in line.
I'm glad that we got out of that alive. I mean, no one was hurt.
You did good.
Hey, nice moves before with the serpent.
Okay.
- Thanks. - What?
Just take the compliment and take a seat, sis.
Oh! Waterbend your way out of that!
Oh! I'm sorry. Sorry.
- Okay! - Oh.
Yes. Yes. Good. Good, good, good.
Thank you for coming.
I'm sorry it took me so long to prepare this.
It's okay, Sai. Can't wait to hear what you have to say.
This is not good news.
What I'm about to tell you is dangerous. And it could swing not just the war,
but the fate of our world in the Fire Nation's favor.
When Omashu fell, the Fire Nation generals made me track celestial movements
against their own historical records.
It was an imperfect picture since the smog blotted out the stars.
But now, out here, I can see more clearly, and I believe I've put it all together.
Here. Look.
A red dot with a tail. Do you see it?
Yeah, I see it. What is it?
That is the Great Comet.
Now, in the Fire Nation, they call that Sozin's Comet because--
Because last time, Fire Lord Sozin used it to kill every Airbender in the world.
Except for me.
Now, when the comet reaches its apsis to our world,
it will increase the power of every Firebender 100-fold.
This will be catastrophic.
How long until it gets here?
I'm not sure. A few months, a year, maybe.
I need the time and equipment to make more precise observations.
- We'll help. - We have to win before.
- We can use my father's inventions. - We need to figure out…
Fire Nation won't see this coming. We'll be ready…
Train Water and Earthbenders to work…
Yeah, and surprise him. That's good.
Change of plans. We're going to Ba Sing Se with all the refugees.
We're gonna bring Sai to the Earth King to tell him about the comet,
and the Earth King's armies will be able to help us.
Aang, what about earthbending?
The search for a teacher will have to wait.
Yeah, it's still on the list. Just lower, under catastrophic comet.
Everyone should get some rest.
And tomorrow, we'll put one foot in front of the other.
We got a long way to go before this is all over.
Thank you for all your work, Sai.
You know, I used to walk by your flower stand almost every day.
I know.
Oh.
Our time here is so
short.
Hmm.
I would like nothing better than to get more acquainted with you.
Hi.
Hey.
Did you tell the other Kyoshi Warriors yet?
Not yet.
Can I…
just stay here with you for a second?
Of course.
Katara?
Hey.
What's up?
Nothing.
Good night.
If your father wants him back, does that mean his banishment is lifted?
But he's not coming home in a good way, right?
It's more like, "Come home, the Fire Lord is mad at you."
Oh, or disappointed. That's worse.
Unknown.
As usual, my father's intentions are a mystery.
Well, New Ozai's fallen apart since he left my father in charge.
If I never see another crumbling boulder again,
I might almost be happy.
I heard she rescued you from the circus.
Me?
Oh, yeah. I'm so rescued.
There's only so far you can go into the forest
before you start to come out of the forest.
- Ooh, philosophy. - What?
Mai.
I know you used to have a crush on Zuko. Tell me.
How deep do your feelings run?
You mean if you were both drowning, who would I save?
Zuko, obviously.
I've known you long enough to know you don't need saving.
Interesting.
That sounds like logic and not feelings.
Ty Lee, I want you to kill Mei.
What?
- Mai, I want you to kill Ty Lee. - What?
I'm gonna count down from ten.
- Azula, what? - You're joking.
By the time I reach one, I expect one of you to be dead.
Or I'll turn you both into smoldering heaps of ash.
- Ten. - Azula, I will really kill her.
No, don't really kill me.
- Nine. - Azula, stop.
Eight.
Seven.
Why?
Six.
Five.
Four.
We don't have to do this.
- You know that we do. - Three.
Fine.
Two.
Enough.
Thank you. I knew I could trust you both.
But I needed to know you could go all the way for me.
Why would you need that?
Because I have a plan to find Zuko.
A way to bring Zuko to us, in fact.
We're going after the Avatar.
You haven't been eating.
Hmm.
We were forced to do this because we're in hiding.
Fugitives from our own country.
I know the work is hard,
but there is a simple joy to be had in the sweat, the creaking of bones,
the slow progress towards something that matters.
Living the austere life, hmm?
I've accepted our circumstances.
And I've saved most of my earnings to open a small tea stall in a small town.
I could teach you to brew the tea,
and you might even learn to enjoy the craft.
The right cup of tea at the right moment can change your entire life, hmm?
It's how I got Zarina to fall in love with me.
Maybe your life can change.
Out here
in a quiet part of the world, away from the troubles of the past.
We've been given a gift, Zuko.
A rare and precious one.
The chance to start over.
Don't squander it.
I'm not your son.
I know that.
You know what I can't stand?
Your smiles, the little jokes,
the affection you give to these sod-busting peons
who would despise you
if they had any inkling of who you really are.
Living is a choice.
I choose to be happy.
To try and spread joy.
You don't deserve joy.
All of this is your fault.
Everything that has happened to me.
My fault?
- I didn't banish you. - You broke!
You were meant to be Fire Lord, not my father.
If you hadn't failed in the siege and retreated…
If you hadn't stood by and done nothing when my father usurped you…
If you had stood up to him and fought for what was yours…
then I would've never been in that war council.
In that Agni Kai.
On that ship.
None of this would've happened.
It's your fault.
Because of your weakness.
Because your moment was there, and you didn't fight!
Lu Ten died.
And what would he think of you
if he could see you now?
I'm gonna go find the Avatar.
And then I'm gonna go home.
Goodbye, Uncle.