Top 10 Most Shocking Avatar: The Last Airbender Moments

“The Southern Air Temple”

In spite of Aang’s optimism, his status as the Last Airbender doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence. After all, it’s pretty rare that whole societies just vanish peacefully. Even knowing that though, we were as unprepared as Aang to confront the fate of the Air Nomads. The episode, “The Southern Air Temple” introduced us to Aang’s world through flashbacks. And having gotten to know his wise and loving guardian, Monk Gyatso made us feel Aang’s loss acutely when his remains were discovered. The unvarnished truth of what had happened to Aang’s people hits like an avalanche, bringing echoes of real world tragedy into what we assumed was just a fun animated adventure. Did we mention this was only episode three?

“Lake Laogai”

A lakeside getaway conjures up many images, but a state-sponsored brainwashing operation? Not so much. From the moment the Gaang arrives in Ba Sing Se, it’s clear that something is off. However, it’s when Jet turns up that alarm bells really begin to ring. It takes a little work, but eventually Jet is able to recover his memories from the literal sunken place that is Long Feng’s underwater base of operations. The secret facility is home to a sinister mind control program, allowing the Grand Secretariat and his Dai Li agents to exercise untold control over the city. And with those methods they were able to turn Jet into the pawn that would lead Team Avatar right into Long Feng’s trap.

“The Avatar and the Fire Lord”

We knew Sozin as the Fire Lord who tipped the world into a century of war. So learning about his history with Avatar Roku, it was clear the story couldn’t end happily. We watch their brotherly relationship crumble away as The Fire Lord’s imperialistic ambitions put him on a collision course with the Avatar. But when Roku finds himself trapped by a volcanic eruption, Sozin still comes through for him. For a moment it seems like maybe there’s hope for Sozin after all. Until he has a moment of chilling clarity. Given what he did to the Air Nomads it shouldn’t really be surprising that Sozin would condemn his oldest friend to a horrible death. And yet the cruelty of this still caught us off guard.

“Lake Laogai”

Despite limited screen time, Jet certainly made an impact on the show. In season one he blew up a dam, and only skipped out on becoming a mass murderer because of Sokka’s intervention. His desire to make amends in Ba Sing Se saw him assisting the Gaang in finding Appa, which was, unfortunately, just what Long Feng had counted on. Though he is forced to fight against Aang, Jet is able to fight his way out of the mind control and turn on his captor. But Long Feng is quicker, taking Jet down with an Earthbending attack. This all happened so suddenly that we were in denial about the implications. Yet it’s got the weight of realism to it, and that just makes it more brutal.

“The Storm”

With a chip on his shoulder, and a single-minded mission to capture the Avatar, Prince Zuko didn't come off as especially sympathetic in the beginning. Until, a season 1 flashback introduced us to a very different version of the character. Fire Lord Ozai did not see Zuko’s outburst as compassion but as disrespect. Not only did he demand Zuko fight an Agni Kai as punishment, but he took it upon himself to duel his teenage son. For Zuko’s refusal, Ozai scarred and banished him, saying he could only return with the Avatar in hand. In one swoop Zuko went from a basic antagonist to a layered and tragic anti-hero. It was a masterstroke of character development as unexpected as it was devastating.

“Zuko Alone” & “The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse”

Ozai is repeatedly shown to be cold and cutthroat, willing to step over anyone to get what he wants. Yet even his own father is outraged when he proposes to jump Iroh in the line of succession. In Azulon, though, we see where Ozai gets his nasty streak. Rather than punish Ozai directly, Azulon demands that he kill Zuko instead. Ozai would have gone through with it too. If not for Ursa striking a bargain to save her son and put her husband on the throne. While it’s never directly stated what she did, Azulon died shortly thereafter. As these family dynamics revealed themselves we felt less like we were watching a kids’ show and more like we’d stumbled into a rewrite of Macbeth.

“The Puppetmaster”

When Katara meets Hama, another Southern waterbender in hiding, she is excited. But as she learns from the older woman, things take a very dark turn. Caught in the Fire Nation’s campaign to eradicate waterbenders, Hama survived by inventing bloodbending, allowing her to manipulate a living body in frankly terrifying ways. Over the years her rage and grief festered inside her until she started to take sadistic pleasure in using her power for revenge. Katara is justifiably horrified, especially when Hamma expects her to continue her legacy. When Hama targets Aang and Sokka, she is forced to employ the technique to save their lives. This whole episode was a doozy, but seeing Hama’s glee in forcing Katara to follow her footsteps truly leaves us speechless.

“The Crossroads of Destiny”

Zuko went on a journey in more than one sense across the series, but at the end of season 2 it looked like he was ready to accept a fresh start. And then Azula showed up. It was obvious why Zuko would be tempted. Everything that had ever motivated him was there on a silver platter. But with all his growth, plus his scenes with Katara seemed to indicate that he was about to join Team Avatar. Then everything changed when the Fire Nation…oh, you know. Watching him throw all his progress out the window left us with our jaws on the ground originally. It turned out to be a part of an even better redemption arc, but at the time we were not alright.

“The Siege of the North, Part 2”

Admiral Zhao isn’t the most securely hinged character on the show, so it would be easy to dismiss his, well, moonshot, as deluded. Except Zhao has learned that the Moon and Ocean Spirit previously crossed over to the mortal world. When the inevitable confrontation comes, Iroh tries to convince him that his idea would be catastrophic for everyone, not just the Water Tribe. It’s no good though. Zhao recklessly slays the Moon Spirit, sending the natural order into chaos. It was impossible to imagine how balance could be restored, even if Zhao was defeated. Sadly, it was Princess Yue who would give her life to restore the Moon Spirit, linking one of the show’s most shocking moments into one of its most heartbreaking.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions

The Avatar’s Loss of Control Left Its Mark on Aang as Well as Katara

Not Every Shock Has to Be Negative! This Surprise Was a Series Gamechanger From One of Its Ultimate Goats

It Was a New & Disturbing Side to the Usually Compassionate Katara

Spine-Tinglingly Creepy, We’ll Admit That Koh Still Makes Us Jump in Our Seats a Little

This Face Off Between Zuko & Azula Is Ferociously Personal, With a Climax We Didn’t See Coming

“The Crossroads of Destiny”

Avatar proved from day one that it was willing to subvert expectations and explore the shadows. It did death. It did trauma. And when Aang decided to relinquish his earthly attachments and unlock the Avatar State, it fit with themes about sacrifice. But not in the way we expected. Struck square on by Azula’s lighting, Aang plummeted to the ground, and our hearts dropped with him. You didn’t have to be Katara to know this was a potentially lethal wound. In fact, if it hadn’t been for her spirit water, it would have been. Ba Sing Se fell, and Azula prevailed, but it was Aang’s brush with death that had us gasping in dismay. All these years later it still knocks us back in our seats.