Here’s our ranking of the top final battles in the Avatar World.
Number eight, Korra vs Unalaq.
As the battle that's so clearly represents light versus darkness
and good versus evil, there’s no question that the legend
of Korra Book Two Finale is one epic clash.
The outcome of this battle would decide if the Avatar would live on
to keep peace between the nations or if an Avatar of Darkness
would take power and usher in a horrifying new era.
Rava has been destroyed!
And soon you will be too!
So, yeah, the stakes were high.
But it remains low on our list for a few reasons.
Both Korra and Unalaq are in such super powered states,
that it becomes difficult for us
to quantify exactly what they’re capable of.
Since we don’t know their limits,
we don’t know when to feel worried
that Korra might lose or excited that she’s closing in on a win.
And we miss out on a lot of the iconic martial arts
inspired bending techniques that we know and love.
But don’t get us wrong. Even at the bottom of our list,
this fight is an epic battle worth a re-watch.
Number seven, Zuko vs Zhao.
An enemy of the Fire Nation.
You’ve freed the Avatar.
I had no choice.
you should have chosen to accept your failure.
You’re a disgrace.
Then at least you could've lived!
[grunting]
The Avatar, Book One Finale was pretty big in scope.
The Fire Nation was attempting to take out
the entire Northern Water tribe.
Admiral Zhao destroyed the moon.
And Aang teamed up with the Ocean Spirit
to fight off the Fire Nation troops.
But among all that, there was one battle that was deeply personal.
Zhao vs Zuko.
These two Fire Nation villains
have been clashing since the very beginning
over who would successfully capture the Avatar.
They have already had one Agni Kai.
Zuko actually helps the Avatar escape Zhao’s grasp.
And Zhao even tried to have Zuko killed.
Ahh!
So, this fiery battle had been a long time coming
and it revealed something deep within each character.
It showed us that deep down, Zuko had a good heart.
Take my hand!
And that Zhao’s spite and stubbornness knew no bounds.
Number six, Korra vs Kuvira.
By the series finale of The Legend of Korra,
everything had gotten bigger and more powerful.
There were spirit lasers,
giant mecs, and destruction on a devastating scale.
But among all this technology, there was once again,
a personal one on one battle at the center of it all.
This final battle between Korra and Kuvira
showed us the wisdom that Korra had gained
throughout the series as it played off of Kuvira’s desperation for power.
Please stop this madness!
It has to end now!
If you really want to end it, then come and get me!
[gasping]
Now it’s over.
Don't!
Number five, Korra vs Zaheer.
An airbending villain was something we never thought we'd get to see.
But when harmonic convergence gifted Zaheer with airbending,
that’s exactly what we got at the end of Book Three.
The poison has done its work.
The Avatar’s cycle will be over momentarily.
Seeing the usually peaceful techniques of the airbenders be turned against Korra,
made for an impactful moment in the show.
But luckily, we also got to see airbending as the thing that saved the day.
[grunting]
Ahh!
[grunting]
Giving us airbending action on a scale we've never seen before in the series.
The battle stands out is one that affects Korra deeply.
And gives her a major hurdle to overcome later,
leading to her ultimate character growth.
You’re just in my mind.
You’re not real.
Number four. Korra vs Amon.
There’s no question that Korra was a natural
at waterbending, earthbending, and firebending,
but as the polar opposite of Avatar Aang,
it was expected that Korra’s biggest blind spots
would be her ability to airbend
and her ability to connect with their spiritual self.
I think I'm doing it wrong.
So, when Amon came along, he was the perfect adversary
to Korra, when he took away her only three bending skills.
Forcing her to look deep within herself to unlock a new ability.
No!
[grunting]
It's like Aang would tell her later in the series.
When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change.
Her sudden discovery of her airbending abilities,
I, I can airbend?
I can airbend!
allowed her to defeat Amon and expose him for the fraud he was.
[grunting]
[groaning]
No… you… don’t!
[grunting]
Number three. Aang vs Ozai.
Aang’s battle against Fire Lord Ozai, was the battle
that the entire series had been leading up to.
Literally deciding the fate of the four nations and the entire world.
It showcased Aang’s physical growth,
as he used techniques learned from each of his bending teachers.
But more importantly, it gave him the agency
to make a brave choice, despite the advice of
the avatars that came before him.
No, I'm not going to end it like this.
In the era before the Avatar,
we’ve been of the elements but the energy within ourselves.
To bend another’s energy,
your own spirit must be unbendable.
Or you will be corrupted and destroyed.
[moaning]
[grunting]
What… What did you do to me?
I took away your firebending.
You can't use it to hurt or threaten anyone else ever again
Finding a way to spare Ozai's life
could be considered the moment in which Avatar Aang
became his own individual Avatar.
Still respecting the knowledge of the past,
while making his own world changing decisions
and leaving his own mark on the legacy of the Avatar.
Number two, Katara and Aang vs Azula and Zuko.
The Crossroads of Destiny is, without a doubt,
one of the best episodes in the Avatar series.
Thanks in part to its epic final battle.
Not only is it a great display with the Dai Li, lightning bending,
Katara as a fully fledged waterbending master,
and even an appearance from the Avatar state.
But this battle has a major impact on character development,
specifically of Prince Zuko.
Having spent most of Book Two
being humbled and learning important lessons from his uncle.
You’re not the man you used to be, Zuko.
You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been.
And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny.
It's time for you to choose.
It’s time for you to choose, good.
Zuko still hung in the balance between coming to an inner peace
with himself and abandoning his hunt for the Avatar
and fighting alongside his sister to capture the Avatar
and win back his father's approval.
It’s not too late for you, Zuko.
You can still redeem yourself.
The kind of redemption she offers is not for you.
Why don’t you let him decide, Uncle?
This moment has incredible stakes
because of how badly we, the audience, want to see Zuko make the right choice.
But of course, he doesn’t.
[grunting]
Driving him even further towards anger and away from redemption.
But it’s this choice that makes his regret,
internal struggle, and eventual turning point,
all the more powerful.
Which leads us to Number one,
Azula vs Zuko and Katara.
I’m sorry it has to end this way, Brother.
The last Agni Kai.
A battle between siblings, who in a way, are mirror images of each other,
who each started in the same place, but took vastly different paths.
Zuko, who had let go of his anger and finally understood
what it was to have true honor, making new friends because of it.
And Azula, who embraced her anger
and stubbornly refused to ever turn back.
Even when it drove away friends of her own.
We see the difference between the now calm Zuko
and the uncontrolled range of Azula.
And just like Aang’s battle with Ozai,
it allowed Zuko to showcase the techniques he learned along the way
from those who truly cared from him.
It even gives us a chance to see just how far his character arc had come.
When he was willing to sacrifice himself to protect Katara,
a former enemy he had once hunted across the Four Nations.
And it didn't end there because with Zuko down and out,
it was Katara’s turn to showcase her growth.
Demonstrating her own mastery of waterbending,
as well as a cleverness and resourcefulness
that only experience could bring, using her skill and cunning
to ultimately outwit and defeat Azula...
There you are, filthy pheasant!
[coughing]
[grunting]
and save her new friend.
It's the combination of the character arcs
of these two former rivals and their ability
to come together as true friends,
that puts this battle on the top of our list.
Thank you, Katara.
I think I'm the one who should be thanking you.