History Recap / AvatarTheLastAirbenderSozinsCometPart1ThePhoenixKing

'''Zuko: ''After?!'' \\

** Another goes out to the Fire Nation who've learned that, in spite of Ba Sing Se's capture, the earthbenders remain a serious threat and have forced the Fire Nation troops on the defensive in the lands they occupied. General Shinu admits that the sheer enormity of the Earth Kingdom continent means their army simply is not large enough to maintain control of it, and so suggests sending the domestic army there before Ozai decides on the Comet instead.

** As stated under PoorCommunicationKills, Zuko and Aang both call one another out over not informing them of Zuko's plan or the Gaang's plan (or lack thereof in Team Avatar's case).

Aang has decided to fight the Fire Lord after Sozin's Comet passes. Zuko derails this plan by revealing that Ozai intends to raze the entire Earth Kingdom continent while under its influence. The gang begins a frantic training regimen while Aang struggles with his responsibilities: his friends exhort him to simply kill Ozai, but Aang clings to the pacifist beliefs of his Air Nomad heritage. In his sleep, Aang is drawn towards a mysterious island that appears suddenly in the sea; the next day, Aang and the island have both disappeared, and his friends seek out June the Bounty Hunter to attempt to locate him again. Ozai bequeaths his throne to Azula and declares himself "Phoenix King," ruler of the known world, while Aang awakens on the unknown island, now in the middle of the sea.

** Aang suggests they glue Ozai's limbs together to keep him from bending. [[spoiler: Though the method obviously differs, taking away Ozai's firebending without killing him ends up being how Aang does defeat the Fire Lord.]]

* FromBadToWorse: As far as Team Avatar is concerned, they've already lost, and plan to wait until the comet passes. How can it get any worse? Zuko's reveal of what his dad has in store answers this to their horror.

* UsedToBeASweetKid: Katara finds a picture of a toddler playing on the beach while hiding out in Zuko's old summer home, and she assumes the picture is of Zuko. When she shows it to the rest of the group, they tease him about it. Much to their dismay, Zuko corrects them, revealing that the kid in the picture is actually ''[[BigBad Ozai]]'', leaving them confused and horrified as to how this sweet and innocent-looking child would one day become the tyrannical monster and unhinged brute they're now up against.

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: A non-lethal version, but hardly any less cruel. After years of loyal service, with a level of competence that most would kill for, Ozai tosses his daughter aside the moment he has no more need for her, tossing her an immediately worthless position as a consolation prize.

* NotSoDifferent: As soon as Ozai denies Azula her right to take part in the attack on the Earth Kingdom that she had earlier suggested to begin with, she completely loses it and accuses him of treating her exactly like Zuko. The only difference is that he didn't lay a hand on her like he did with Zuko, given his favoritism to the princess.

* JerkassBall: When faced with the possibility of having to kill the Fire Lord, Aang becomes incredibly hostile towards everyone else.

* FinalSolution: Ozai's plan for the Earth Kingdom.

** When commanded to firebend, Aang bends from his hands and mouth. Ozai will do the same thing in Part 3.

* RealityEnsues:
** After an entire show's worth of building up the importance of training Aang before the Sozin's Comet deadline, the Gaang's initial plan of letting it pass is rather pragmatic. Aang simply isn't ready, and since the Fire Nation has pretty much already won the war by this point the deadline is meaningless. Too bad the Fire Nation's new genocide plan forces the Gaang back into action.
** Another goes out to the Fire Nation who've learned that, in spite of Ba Sing Se's capture, the earthbenders remain a serious threat and have forced the Fire Nation troops on the defensive in the lands they occupied. General Shinu admits that the sheer enormity of the Earth Kingdom continent means their army simply is not large enough to maintain control of it, and so suggests sending the domestic army there before Ozai decides on the Comet instead.
** Aang's internal conflict is this. He knew that he would have to face the Fire Lord; but it never really occurred to him that he might have to resort to taking the man's life; something that not only goes against everything he believed in as an Air Nomad; but as a young boy who shouldn't have to shoulder the burden of taking another man's life, despotic as Ozai is. The severity of the conflict has finally hit home for Aang and he really does not want to kill.
** Finally there is Azula's relationship with her father, who treats her no better than Zuko after having learned she had defied him by attempting to credit Zuko with the Avatar's death, despite knowing full well that he was still alive. He is quick to eject her from the imminent assault upon the Earth Kingdom, and Azula completely falls apart as she realizes that she is just another asset to his global conquest and seen as unworthy of his affection or trust. Devastated, she tries to object and is coldly silenced for it. Ozai tries to make her now-worthless promotion to Fire Lord sound like a reward to appease her, but the damage has already been done.

** Ozai's war council in Zuko's flashback include Bujing, the general who Zuko [[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheStorm originally spoke out against]], and Shinu, who's been promoted from Colonel since [[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheBlueSpirit his last appearance.]]

** Ozai's war council in Zuko's flashback include Bujing, the general who Zuko [[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheStorm originally spoke out against]], and Shinu, who's been promoted from Colonel since "[[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheBlueSpirit his last appearance.]]

** Colonel Shinu from "[[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheBlueSpirit The Blue Spirit]]" appears in Zuko's flashback to the war meeting, having been promoted to General since his last appearance.

Aang has decided to fight the Fire-lord after Sozin's Comet passes. Zuko derails this plan by revealing that Ozai intends to raze the entire Earth-Kingdom continent while under its influence. The gang begins a frantic training regimen while Aang struggles with his responsibilities: his friends exhort him to simply kill Ozai, but Aang clings to the pacifist beliefs of his Air-Nomad heritage. In his sleep, Aang is drawn towards a mysterious island that appears suddenly in the sea; the next day, his friends find June the Bounty Hunter to attempt to locate him again. Ozai bequeaths his throne to Azula and declares himself "Phoenix King", ruler of the known world while Aang awakens on the unknown island now in the middle of the sea.

!!Tropes:

* AvengersAssemble: After Aang is reminded he is not alone, Sokka announces "Team Avatar is back!". Cue a shot of each member and their respective element/weapon called out.

* FromBadToWorse: As far as Team Avatar is concerned, they've already lost, and planned to wait until the comet passes. How can it get any worse? Zuko's reveal of what his dad has in store answers this to their horror.
* BaitTheDog: Azula, who has been [[DaddysLittleVillain nothing but loyal to Ozai]] is finally rewarded for it by being appointed Fire Lord...just as Ozai proceeds to make that title useless and redundant by crowning himself ''"Phoenix King, Supreme ruler of the world!"''. Arguably, the title degradation had nothing to do with it; but rather the fact that despite all of her hard work and sacrifice, Azula was not loved by her father and just as easily thrown out as Zuko was the real slight.

* BothSidesHaveAPoint: Aang's discomfort at possibly having to kill someone is understandable both as a child and a monk, and he is ultimately correct that Ozai can be defeated non lethally. However, the rest of the team have a point in that Ozai has gone too far and he needs to be stopped by any means necessary.
* BreakTheHaughty: The first time we see Azula's authority overruled comes when Ozai coldly informs her that she will not take part in the assault on the Earth Kingdom, and will instead remain at the palace. Azula completely loses her composure and objects to his decision, to which he sharply shuts her down. Even though he promotes her to Fire Lord in his stead (A title that will be rendered meaningless anyway), Azula sounds absolutely ''hurt'' by his words, feeling like it's exactly how he's treated Zuko. It's this exchange that marks the end of her cold and calculated persona, [[FromBadToWorse and things quickly get worse for her from there]].

** Colonel Shinu from [[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheBlueSpirit "The Blue Spirit"]] appears in Zuko's flashback to the war meeting, having been promoted to General since his last appearance.
** As the Gaang enter the seedy bar to find June, the dance party music from "The Headband" can be heard playing.

-->"I AM NOT TOPH! I AM MELON LORD!! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

* HistoryRepeats: As we see in the flashback, Zuko found himself in the same scenario he was in about 3 years ago; at a war meeting with his father and generals, except this time he was needed first and foremost. Zuko hears of a horrible plan he wanted to speak out against, but remembered how badly that went last time.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Ozai clearly hadn't forgotten what Zuko told him about Azula's failure to kill Aang, or about the fact that she lied to him about this as evidenced by his refusal to let her take part in the assault on the Earth Kingdom that she suggested in the first place; Even more so by his intent to relegate her to a title in which she would no longer wield any true power.

-->"Everyone else went on a life-changing field trip with Zuko. Now it's my turn."

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Azula completely loses all of her cold composure when Ozai informs her that she is not to take part in the destruction of the Earth Kingdom, just days after her betrayal by both Ty Lee and Mai. Azula sounds absolutely hurt when protesting his decision, to the point where you can hear her voice ''breaking'' as she demands he reconsider. And that's only the beginning of what befalls her after all efforts to impress her father have apparently failed.

** The usually optimistic Aang often panics or feels doubtful in his duties as Avatar. With his destined battle with Ozai approaching, he becomes hostile to his friends as he wants to find a way to end the Fire Lord's reign of terror without killing him, an act that violates his peaceful nature.

-->"Get out of the bison's mouth, Sokka."
* {{Patricide}}: An indirect example - Zuko is the strongest advocate in the Gaang for employing lethal force to stop Ozai.

** Another goes out to the Fire Nation who've learned that, in spite of Ba Sing Se's capture, the Earthbenders remain a serious threat and have forced the Fire Nation troops on the defensive in the lands they occupied. General Shinu admits that the sheer enormity of the Earth Kingdom continent means their army simply is not large enough to maintain control of it, and so suggests sending the domestic army there before Ozai decides on the Comet instead.

* SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids: During the training against "Melon Lord", which ended in failure because Aang didn't deliver the final blow at the last second, he gets called out on this as his ThouShallNotKill mindset will get him killed in the real thing.

-->'''Katara''': What happened?\\
'''Sokka''': Zuko's gone crazy! I made a sand sculpture of Suki and he ''destroyed it!'' ''[beat]'' Oh, and he's attacking Aang.

* WorstWhateverEver: Toph calls her time with Zuko "the worst field trip ever". Zuko calls Ozai the worst father ever.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Azula may be cruel, cunning and even psychopathic. But when Ozai tells her he's not bringing her along to the Earth Kingdom genocide, she calls him out on treating ''her'' (his [[UndyingLoyalty loyal]] daughter) as unceremoniously as he would treat [[TheUnfavorite Zuko]].

** Colonel Shinu from [[''Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheBlueSpirit'' "The Blue Spirit"]] appears in Zuko's flashback to the war meeting, having been promoted to General since his last appearance.

** Colonel Shinu from ''Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheBlueSpirit'' appears in Zuko's flashback to the war meeting, having been promoted to General since his last appearance.

* OminousLatinChanting: When the mysterious island is present.

* NotSoDifferent: As soon as Ozai denies Azula her right to take part in the attack on the Earth Kingdom that she had earlier suggested to begin with, she completely loses it and accuses him of treating her exactly like Zuko.

* ThouShaltNotKill: The reason Aang has such trouble with the idea of killing Ozai.