Top 10 Most BRUTAL Moments in Avatar The Last Airbender

“The Siege of the North, Part 2”
Admiral Zhao was a vile villain in the early days of “Avatar.” He was so sold on the glory of the Fire Nation that he believed it his destiny to destroy sacred spirits. Not only would this depower the Northern Water Tribe during a climactic siege, but leave long lasting consequences. Despite it obviously being a very bad idea, Zhao landed a killing blow on the innocent moon spirit Tui. Seeing him murder a being that never attacked him was shocking to say the least. While he always put his goals before everything else, this showed his lust for power knew no bounds. Zhao was willing to throw the world out of balance for a shot at glory.

“The Avatar and the Firelord”
In a Season 3 episode, Avatar Roku was given some much-appreciated backstory and characterization. It was revealed that he and Fire Lord Sozin had been childhood friends. But when the royal tried to expand his rule, the two had a major falling out. Years later, they reunited when Roku’s home was endangered by a volcanic eruption. After the Avatar is hit with poisonous gas, Sozin sees an opportunity. Upon realizing Roku’s death meant his plans could be secured, the FireLord left his friend to die. We already knew Sozin had ordered the deaths of Air Nomads he didn’t know. But we had no idea he could be the FireLord could be this cold to an old friend.

“The Southern Air Temple”
Aang was desperate to reconnect with someone from the Southern Air Temple after he spent 100 years in an iceberg. While Sokka and Katara saw confirmation that everyone there was executed, the Avatar was initially oblivious to the truth. Unfortunately, everything changed when Aang stumbled upon the remains of his mentor Monk Gyatso. The discovery of the elder airbender’s skeleton surrounded by deceased Fire Nation soldiers was shocking to him and the audience. While other kids’ shows might approach death with more subtlety, “Avatar” made it clear in no uncertain terms that Gyatso perished fighting. The revelation gave fans visual proof that this war cost the air nomads everything.

“Sozin’s Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno”
During Sozin’s Comet, Zuko and Azula’s abilities are significantly enhanced. The size and ferocity of their blue and red flames made us nervous about each of their exchanges. But in the end, a bolt of lightning gave us the most graphic moment. After Zuko manages to hold his own, Azula does what she does best: targeting a weak spot. She breaks the rules of the Agni Kai and aims her lightning at Katara. When an unprepared Zuko takes the blow, the blast ripples through his body and leaves him badly burned. The lightning hit was so severe that we thought he was a goner. It just goes to show that Azula doesn’t even hold back for family.

“The Western Air Temple”
Being a non-bender, Sokka doesn’t usually get to show off as much during combat. But his talent with a boomerang should never be in question. When the Gaang is attacked by an assassin known as the Combustion Man, the villain overwhelms the heroes with his explosive firebending. Even Zuko isn’t able to stop the villain as he decimates the temple around them. But with one well-aimed throw, Sokka was able to hit Combustion Man in the source of his power.. When Combustion Man tries attacking again, he finds his chi is blocked, causing the explosions to happen around him instead. The final explosion annihilates their pursuer and leaves nothing but the assassin’s metal arm behind.

“The Deserter”
After finding a prospective firebending teacher in Master Jeong Jeong, Aang grew too eager and impatient to learn how to be careful. While practicing his movements, he lost control of the fire and ended up burning Katara’s hands. Her cry of pain instantly made it clear that his reckless act severely hurt his friend. Seeing a child handle something they clearly shouldn’t, only to harm someone they deeply care for, can be hard to watch. What makes it harder is how heavy this accident weighs on Aang’s soul. Although Katara is able to heal her hands, he vows to never firebend again. It’s not until Aang accepts that firebending isn’t just about inflicting pain that he’s able to wield flames with ease.

“The Crossroads of Destiny”
The Season 2 finale is packed with incredible moments of heroism and tragedy. An exciting battle eventually comes to an end when Azula fights dirty. During the clash in Ba Sing Se, Aang goes into the Avatar state to give his side a helping hand. Unfortunately, Azula knows killing him in this state will end the Avatar cycle, and so she acts accordingly. She shoots a lightning bolt straight into his back. Seeing Aang’s body writhe in pain before he fell out of the sky was incredibly difficult to watch. While Katara was able to save him, we still haven’t recovered from the horrifying moment he was struck down.

“Appa’s Lost Days”
After Appa is kidnapped by Sandbenders, a flashback episode reveals what happened during his time away from the Gaang. None of it is particularly happy. But the lowest point comes early when he’s purchased by a Fire Nation circus. Shortly after Appa arrives, a vicious animal tamer keeps Appa in a small cage, mistreats him and threatens the animal with fire. The sky bison is then forced into a Fire Nation outfit and make-up to perform tricks under the threat of more violence. It’s always hard to see an animal in distress. And for all the fans who had gotten to know Appa, seeing him at the cruel mercy of an animal tamer was nigh unbearable.

“The Storm”
Once upon a time, Zuko was excited to serve the Fire Nation and got to sit in on his father Ozai’s war council meeting. But while inside, the prince spoke out against a general’s plan to sacrifice troops. The Fire Lord was so angry at the supposed disrespect that he demanded that Zuko participate in an Agni Kai. Although the prince accepted, he didn’t realize that he’d agreed to fight his own father. Although Zuko refused to fight, his father still set fire to his face. The moment is so brutal that they don’t even need to show it on screen. Zuko’s agonized scream and Iroh’s pained expression sell how graphic this moment truly is.

“The Puppetmaster”
There’s a good reason the bloodbending technique still creeps fans out all these years later. This terrifying skill was first showcased by Hama. After this waterbender learned she could manipulate the blood within people during full moons, she started kidnapping Fire Nation residents. When Katara tried to stop this from happening, Hama used her dark abilities on the young waterbender and her friends. The villain even made Sokka and Aang attack someone they loved! Since bloodbending causes the victim’s body to contort, it looks like something out of “The Exorcist.” This moment was so dark and disturbing, Katara vowed to never use the technique again after defeating Hama. But she broke that promise when she was on her own quest of vengeance.