* AlasPoorScrappy: The death of the revolting [[{{Jerkass}} Timmons]] is so brutal that it's hard not to feel sorry for him, even though [[SortingAlgorithmOfMortality it wasn't very surprising that he died]].
** He dies pleading with the Pawnee to [[spoiler: not hurt his mules]] even as he lay there suffering and bleeding out. He was a disgusting little troll [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold with a core of pure platinum]].
* {{Anvilicious}}
* ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontWatch:
** Because [[HateDumb Avatar haters]] criticize it as rip-off of Dances With Wolves--which it's '''''not'''''--people complain about Dunbar being a MightyWhitey, when he clearly isn't (He isn't better than the Lakotas at anything they do regularly, he puts them in danger rather than saving them, and he is rescued by them at the end)
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Most of the score, but especially the beautiful [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHvKviaeulg John Dunbar Theme]], which was apparently one of Pope John Paul II's favorite pieces of music.
* HoYay: Wind In His Hair calls Dunbar his ''kola'', which in Lakota includes sleeping in the same blanket when part of a hunting party and in some cases even sharing wives. This also qualifies as FoeYay since they didn't like each other at first.
* OneSceneWonder: Major Fambrough, the crazy (possibly from either Syphilis or Lead Poisoning) military officer that gives Dunbar his orders, and thinks that it's the time of KingArthur.
--> "Sir knight! [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments I have just pissed in my pants... And there is nothing anybody can do about it]]."
* TearJerker:
** [[spoiler:The death of Two-Socks.]]
** [[spoiler: The horse's death too.]]
* UnfortunateImplications: Good Sioux and evil Pawnee
* ValuesDissonance: How the film was received then and how some see it now.