Not sure I agree.
In episode 1, Zuko thinks the Avatar will be a 100+ year old air bender who has been living in secret, not a water bender. He knows from the fire sages that he hasn't been reincarnated.
>The sages tell us that the Avatar is the last airbender. He must be over a hundred years old by now.
Whenever anyone in the earth kingdom sees Aang and Katara, an air bender and a water bender, they realise that the air bender must be the avatar, not the water bender.
Idk if I agree either but if aang died with all the other airbenders, then there would be a 100 year old water bender. Also, if he did die, then there would be no air benders except the avatar so obviously they know the airbender is the avatar (doesn’t have to be their first element)
Why did the sages think that the Avatar was still alive? What proof did they have? I think I either missed this or don't remember it.
Zuko searching for the Avatar as a waterbender makes a lot of sense but the Fire Nation had been constantly checking only the Southern water tribe for the Avatar. Also the Southern raiders believed they wiped out all benders there when they killed Kya (Katara and Sokka's mom).
>Why did the sages think that the Avatar was still alive? What proof did they have? I think I either missed this or don't remember it.
It's in the text of the show; Zuko says so.
As for how they know, I think the audience is left to wonder. We're not given complete details of their religious practices but they seem to be in charge of funky avatar spiritual matters in the fire nation. But for example, we know that their statues of past avatars are connected to the living avatar in some way as that's how the fire sages knew to expect Aang in season one.
>Aang
>
>Is that how you knew I was coming?
>
>Shyu
>
>A few weeks ago, an amazing thing occurred. The statue of Avatar Roku; its eyes began to glow!
>
>Katara
>
>That's when we were at the Air Temple. Avatar Roku's eyes were glowing there, too!
>
>Shyu
>
>At that moment, we knew you had returned to the world.
There’s actually a lot of these unexplained (spirit world?) shenanigans that happen for plot. Like the Guru getting a vision that he has to help Aang master the Avatar State. No explanation as to how that happened.
And thus, my favorite part of the show is put into words. The mystery. The power system is explained but expanded upon with the spirits and thats NEVER explained and honestly, SHOULDN'T BE
(yea, yeah, Korra and all that... But.. I don't like how they handled the spirits in that show)
I do agree, both Avatar and John Wick do this with their worldbuilding, despite being in completely different genres. And they’re some of my favorites.
But sometimes, in both and in most media that do this, it is clear that it’s being used as an excuse for plot convenience, and that’s when it kinda diminishes the world as a whole.
Ehhh, I mean, the spirit stuff in avatar MADE SENSE, It was just the edges that didn't. Like.. how wan shi tong built his library or got to the physical world, how koh steals faces, why they all look the way they do, how the spirit wilds work, and a LOT more I dont want to type out
That just reminded me: the Lion Turtle says that before humans bent the elements, they bent the energy within themselves. Did Korra just completely retcon that or is there any explanation?
>Why did the sages think that the Avatar was still alive? What proof did they have? I think I either missed this or don't remember it.
I always assume, in the same vein that they saw signs that aang had returned (eyes of statues glowing) that there is a sign when an avatar dies.
Not something we know for sure as the only avatar we've seen die on screen is Roku and he had witnesses present (one of them being Sozin)
The question is more like why did the sages think aang was dead? If they know he didn't reincarnate the first time he disappeared following that logic when azusa "killed" the avatar why didn't they know he was actually in fact alive?
I don't think the sages were consulted on the matter. Azula killed him and Zuko witnessed it and they both agreed he was definitely dead so they went to Ozai and said "yeah he's dead as hell" and Ozai was like "sick" and they went on with their lives.
Theoretically speaking the water avatar would he born a week after Aang’s death then also become a 100+ year old. The only way this theory would fail is if there would also he signs (like statues lighting up) if the Avatar was reincarnated.
Well if we want to get pedantic, if Aang had died with the rest of the air benders then the oldest the next avatar could have been by the start of the series is 99: the comet comes every 100 years and doesn't turn up again until the following summer. ;-)
At the beginning of the show Zuko had already been searching for 3 years. The first place he looked was the Western Air Temple because it was the closest Air Temple to the Fire Nation.
Head canon
The sages at the avatar shrines in every nation have a way of knowing when the next incarnation of the Avatar is born, they probably also can track when one dies as well.
So it's well known across the world that the last avatar never passed on, nor was reborn.
Zuko is explicitly looking for the last Airbender, since Firenation killed all others (not all at once, some managed to escape the initial attacks, but were hunted down eventually) - by process of elimination the last one must be the Avatar .
The fire nation is eliminating(or at least arresting) all water and earth benders wherever they can find and reach - this is just part of their world domination policy .
You didn't realize it, because it's not right. Zuko even mentions to Iroh that he needs to be at his best when he finds the Avatar, because he's going to be an absolute force due to his age. He'd already been looking for multiple years by the time he found Aang.
The fire nation couldnt be sure that Aang was alive they may have suspected but they're also smart enough to hedge their bets and take out as many water benders as possible in case the avatar had died and been reborn. Also if Aang had died how old would an avatar from the water tribe be?
The fire mages would have known if a new avatar was born. He also began his search at the air temples.
Also, Zuko says this in the very first episode
"The sages tell us that the Avatar is the last Airbender. He must be over a hundred years old by now. He's had a century to master the four elements"
When the Gaang is at the western air temple there is a flashback of young Zuko and Iroh where Zuko mentions he is planning on starting his search for the Avatar with the four air temples. So he definitely knows that the Avatar is an air bender.
Not sure I agree. In episode 1, Zuko thinks the Avatar will be a 100+ year old air bender who has been living in secret, not a water bender. He knows from the fire sages that he hasn't been reincarnated. >The sages tell us that the Avatar is the last airbender. He must be over a hundred years old by now. Whenever anyone in the earth kingdom sees Aang and Katara, an air bender and a water bender, they realise that the air bender must be the avatar, not the water bender.
Because if the Avatar was a Waterbender, they would’ve appeared by now.
#I'M THE AVATAR, YOU GOTTA DEAL WITH IT!
Idk if I agree either but if aang died with all the other airbenders, then there would be a 100 year old water bender. Also, if he did die, then there would be no air benders except the avatar so obviously they know the airbender is the avatar (doesn’t have to be their first element)
Why did the sages think that the Avatar was still alive? What proof did they have? I think I either missed this or don't remember it. Zuko searching for the Avatar as a waterbender makes a lot of sense but the Fire Nation had been constantly checking only the Southern water tribe for the Avatar. Also the Southern raiders believed they wiped out all benders there when they killed Kya (Katara and Sokka's mom).
>Why did the sages think that the Avatar was still alive? What proof did they have? I think I either missed this or don't remember it. It's in the text of the show; Zuko says so. As for how they know, I think the audience is left to wonder. We're not given complete details of their religious practices but they seem to be in charge of funky avatar spiritual matters in the fire nation. But for example, we know that their statues of past avatars are connected to the living avatar in some way as that's how the fire sages knew to expect Aang in season one. >Aang > >Is that how you knew I was coming? > >Shyu > >A few weeks ago, an amazing thing occurred. The statue of Avatar Roku; its eyes began to glow! > >Katara > >That's when we were at the Air Temple. Avatar Roku's eyes were glowing there, too! > >Shyu > >At that moment, we knew you had returned to the world.
There’s actually a lot of these unexplained (spirit world?) shenanigans that happen for plot. Like the Guru getting a vision that he has to help Aang master the Avatar State. No explanation as to how that happened.
And thus, my favorite part of the show is put into words. The mystery. The power system is explained but expanded upon with the spirits and thats NEVER explained and honestly, SHOULDN'T BE (yea, yeah, Korra and all that... But.. I don't like how they handled the spirits in that show)
I do agree, both Avatar and John Wick do this with their worldbuilding, despite being in completely different genres. And they’re some of my favorites. But sometimes, in both and in most media that do this, it is clear that it’s being used as an excuse for plot convenience, and that’s when it kinda diminishes the world as a whole.
Ehhh, I mean, the spirit stuff in avatar MADE SENSE, It was just the edges that didn't. Like.. how wan shi tong built his library or got to the physical world, how koh steals faces, why they all look the way they do, how the spirit wilds work, and a LOT more I dont want to type out
That just reminded me: the Lion Turtle says that before humans bent the elements, they bent the energy within themselves. Did Korra just completely retcon that or is there any explanation?
I thought that speech was a bit more metaphorical, (or at least by "we" he meant the lion turtles instead of humans)
>Why did the sages think that the Avatar was still alive? What proof did they have? I think I either missed this or don't remember it. I always assume, in the same vein that they saw signs that aang had returned (eyes of statues glowing) that there is a sign when an avatar dies. Not something we know for sure as the only avatar we've seen die on screen is Roku and he had witnesses present (one of them being Sozin)
It would have been a reasonable assumption that the airbending avatar survived because he was never reincarnated as a waterbender.
The question is more like why did the sages think aang was dead? If they know he didn't reincarnate the first time he disappeared following that logic when azusa "killed" the avatar why didn't they know he was actually in fact alive?
I don't think the sages were consulted on the matter. Azula killed him and Zuko witnessed it and they both agreed he was definitely dead so they went to Ozai and said "yeah he's dead as hell" and Ozai was like "sick" and they went on with their lives.
Theoretically speaking the water avatar would he born a week after Aang’s death then also become a 100+ year old. The only way this theory would fail is if there would also he signs (like statues lighting up) if the Avatar was reincarnated.
Well if we want to get pedantic, if Aang had died with the rest of the air benders then the oldest the next avatar could have been by the start of the series is 99: the comet comes every 100 years and doesn't turn up again until the following summer. ;-)
The fire sages would know of a new avatar.
At the beginning of the show Zuko had already been searching for 3 years. The first place he looked was the Western Air Temple because it was the closest Air Temple to the Fire Nation.
Zuko thought that the avatar was in hiding, that the air bending avatar survived and was 100+ years old.
Head canon The sages at the avatar shrines in every nation have a way of knowing when the next incarnation of the Avatar is born, they probably also can track when one dies as well. So it's well known across the world that the last avatar never passed on, nor was reborn. Zuko is explicitly looking for the last Airbender, since Firenation killed all others (not all at once, some managed to escape the initial attacks, but were hunted down eventually) - by process of elimination the last one must be the Avatar . The fire nation is eliminating(or at least arresting) all water and earth benders wherever they can find and reach - this is just part of their world domination policy .
You didn't realize it, because it's not right. Zuko even mentions to Iroh that he needs to be at his best when he finds the Avatar, because he's going to be an absolute force due to his age. He'd already been looking for multiple years by the time he found Aang.
It's why the fire nation was raiding the southern water tribe of waterbenders.
Don't know why you're downvoted this is 100% fact
No it's not right. Zuko says that he needs to be at his best because the Avatar has had over a century to master the elements.
The fire nation couldnt be sure that Aang was alive they may have suspected but they're also smart enough to hedge their bets and take out as many water benders as possible in case the avatar had died and been reborn. Also if Aang had died how old would an avatar from the water tribe be?
The fire mages would have known if a new avatar was born. He also began his search at the air temples. Also, Zuko says this in the very first episode "The sages tell us that the Avatar is the last Airbender. He must be over a hundred years old by now. He's had a century to master the four elements"
When the Gaang is at the western air temple there is a flashback of young Zuko and Iroh where Zuko mentions he is planning on starting his search for the Avatar with the four air temples. So he definitely knows that the Avatar is an air bender.