Should he have done it?

Should he have done it?

Yeah he might as well have. Korra would have done it.

Well I suppose it would have been a better story to have Aang compromise his morals in the end to save the world rather than the Giant-turtle-ex-machina. especialy since it would have made Iroh's lightning deflection technique more relevent. BUT this was a kids show at the end of the day.

Sure. I mean people who take the easy way out make for popular, unique, interesting, and powerful stories.

while his eventual solution was superior (as it allowed a defeated, broken firelord to be paraded instead of him becoming a martyr), at that time he lacked the avatar state and should have taken the chance to end it

Here's the thing, a large part of the point of not killing Ozai was that it was the only way to prove him wrong. Ozai said that the Air Nomads were too weak to 'live in his new world', it wasn't just a matter of beating Ozai, by beating him while staying within the ideas of his people Aang disproved Ozai's statement, maintaining every one of the beliefs which he claimed made them weak Aang still took a stand and said 'the air nomads culture will not be ended so easily'. If Aang had betrayed what the monks taught him, Ozai would have been vindicated, since Aang would have decided that the monks' ideals couldn't survive in Ozai's world and that he'd made breaking them necessary.

however at that point Ozai was such a major threat he needed to be stopped, even if doing so would prove him right.

his first duty was not to the memory of his people but the lives of all ozai's future victims

>it's not important to hold up your beliefs when you are the last one of your race or culture
>the only good development is being forced to go against what you believe

>it's not important to hold up your beliefs when you are the last one of your race or culture
Well yeah sure thats important but as his previous avatar incarnations said (including the last air bender avatar) perusing his spiritual purity to the determent of the entire world would be selfish and this was a sacrifice he needed to make as an avatar. And while it all worked out in the end Aang couldn't have known that at the time.

>the only good development is being forced to go against what you believe
Well not the only good development but it would have been BETTER development than what we got.

Yes

Death isn't the only way you stop a person like Ozai. Sometimes death can make a person like Ozai a martyr that people rally behind to cause more destruction. Killing the spirit of people like this is far more effective.

It didn't even have to be dues ex spiritbending, aang could have broken the man a thousand other ways and left him alive and made the same point of don't fuck with the avatar.

>Compromises his morals just once to save the world, putting his duty as the avatar ahead of his culture as an air bender and living the rest of his life not quite regretting it but feeling bad about it trying to make up for it.

versus

>A deus ex machina so we get a happy ever after ending where no one dies.

Yeah ok maybe I'm simplifying the latter a tad but I would have liked the former much more.

Considering how much people dislike Korra for this kind of thinking, I wonder.

Not to mention if Aang was already kinda a fuck up with his kids, Guilty Aang would be worse.

>Considering how much people dislike Korra for this kind of thinking, I wonder.

They have things like this happen to and for Korra and people hated it. The bad script didn't help in the first place, but yeah it's weird that you see people suggesting this for Aang.

The point of this was the fact that the past avatar lives, as wise as they were, still had prejudices and faults of their own, and if he just listened to them for every piece of advice, nothing would ever change.

I'd say this was obvious, but everytime a creator pulls this trope, people get really antsy about it.

>God steven, why can't you shatter a gem that's your enemy?
>Why should star have any mercy for monsters?
>The manataurs were right, the multi-bear needed to die.
>Why are dipper and mabel still fighting bill, isn't it pointless?
>Maybe Yonder should just team up with the Lords

When a character does follow through with 'older person must be wiser and totally not evil', we get shit like Korra season 2, where villains just get to walk free multiple times because 'maybe they have a point'.

Being honest, Aang being a fuckup with his kids, without any in depth explanation other than 'lol, can obviously only carry one kid on a bison to go on holiday', was pretty fucking poor writing.

There was literally no reason he couldn't also take his other kids travelling, while still training Tenzin. Hell, he could have trained Kya to be a waterbender too, and he could have introduced Sokka to Bumi.

I'm still conflicted on this, because thematically it works better to not kill him (following your own destiny, violence shouldn't beget violence etc.), but realistically he should've needed to in order to win. Maybe if it wasn't such an asspull with the lion turtle it might've worked.

whoops meant for

In any semi-realistic situation? Yes, he should have killed the fucker and pulling his punches in any way is morally unforgivable. Even spirit-bending was a moral atrocity on Aang's part. When there are millions of lives on the line, it's not the time for risky experiments. It only works because it's a cartoon for children.

Thing is there's ways to do both.

>Aang beats Ozai but shows mercy. When he brings him back to the city to stand trial some pissed of Earth Tribe member sends a rock through the defeated fire lords heart killing him on the spot.

Aang keeps his Morals an Ozai still dies.

I don't get why people hate on the Lion Turtle so much. It didn't solve Aang's moral dilemma for him. It introduced the fifth classical element, spirit.

Like you really need to take away their powers to lock a bender up. He still would have spared Ozai, turtle or no.

>Like you really need to take away their powers to lock a bender up.
Aside from season 1 of LoK, it's shown that everyone can be locked up with their powers so long as the jailers are aware that the person can bend an element. This applies to ATLA too.

I know.

That's an even worse cop out.

So just as stupid as Peridot killing Jaspar?

I didn't like it either. I know it was meant to show that Aang wasn't perfect but it still didn't feel right

The fact that Aang beats Ozai but he goes to attack him again (where Tophs earthbender-location comes in handy) right before Aang spirit bends him means that without the giant turtle Ozai would have probably kept coming at Aang until he one of them was dead. Thats why the turtle feels like a bit of an ass pull. The Guru could have introduced it in season 2 and aang could have spent season 3 trying to get it to work. THAT would have felt alot better.

I was thinking maybe Have Ozai keep shooting lightning at Aang and he keep deflecting it away. He does this a few times showing that he really doesnt want to kill him bt he's getting weaker and he knows he can maybe only deflect one more and boom Ozais dead, Aang killed him but there was no other choice so he can feel better about it. It's less murder-ee than the original plan they had which Aang had a problem with, weakening him while Aang comes in for the killing blow sort of deal.

Of course he shouldve

Remember when Fire Nation soldiers were committing genocide and massacaring women and children

Imagine if the Nuremburg trials never took place

Thats how retarded Aang is

>b-b-buh I was j-just following orders

>Guy kills Kataras mom
>Probably killed (executed) countless other defenseless people.
>You can live because revenge is bad!

I mean I guess revenge is bad but Zuko should have killed him or something. No revenge just an emotionless execution.

> it's shown that everyone can be locked up with their powers so long as the jailers are aware that the person can bend an element.

Eh, not really, I mean, how are you going to lock up a metal bender without taking away their bending? Shit, you can't even lock up a water bender with complete certainty unless you're willing to let them starve to death in jail or risk their muscles atrophying due to having to be strung up so they can't blood bend/sweat bend at any time.

Even when Aang had Ozai down on his knees with both hands neutralized, he was still an inch away from getting his fucking face burned off by fire breath.

Firebenders would probably be extremely harsh to deal with in terms of prison sentences, since as long as there's air, they can breath fire, even without moving, which could burn chains, locks, or even doors. In cases like the boiling rock, the firebenders were only subdued because there was basically no escaping the place.

As far as Firebenders are concerned, while it's not the average Firebender, Iroh busted out of his prison during the Black Sun WITHOUT his powers. So even taking away their powers is no guarantee of success, if they're good enough.

Aang should have crippled him. They could have had redirected lightning being somewhat weaker than straight from the source lightning.

>having to be strung up so they can't blood bend/sweat bend at any time
And pissbending.
Waterbender prisoners would have to be monitored 24/7.

That had literally nothing to do with him being a firebender.

Or have redirected lightning be even more powerful considering that Zuko's blast created an explosion.

Wood Prison for Metal Benders.

If its cold enough firebendeds cant bend

At least Aang stood for something. I'm not sure what Korra was all about other than tribadism.

The turtle WAS the easy way out. The moral dilemma was solved by an external force, not any personal charcater growth or decsison.

Aang and Korra were in the wrong series.

Korra was ageessive and destructive for selfish reasons, Aang didnt kill Ozai for selfish reasons. The whole point was putting your feelings ahead of the safety of all of earth is bad

God, all this moral debate makes me appreciate how these guys just kill guilt-free for the greater good.

>As far as Firebenders are concerned, while it's not the average Firebender, Iroh busted out of his prison during the Black Sun WITHOUT his powers. So even taking away their powers is no guarantee of success, if they're good enough.

Considering that no attempts were made to secure him, and he told that one guard to keep away later on that 'day,' I see it as him using his firebending to break out - then using his physical abilities (his training) to take down the jailers who are used to their bending powers. He's been conditioning to not use them for this day since he's aware of the celestial event and what it entails and planned for it.

No, that would have just made him into a martyr.

Sometimes the best way to defeat an egomaniac warlord is to break them, rather than kill them.

>At least Aang stood for something. I'm not sure what Korra was all about other than tribadism.
Korra was about upholding the harmony that was established. She heard about how great Aang was and the balance he tried to bring in.
But the world is a changing place and things and people started to push for a change which disrupted the harmony. Things were being pushed and pulled and this time the Avatar had to let something new come forth but not let it get out of control.

They failed to convey this of course. But the idea is still there under all the shit.