History Recap / AvatarTheLastAirbenderAvatarDay

* {{Filler}}: The Zuko plot is not filler, nor is finding out what's going on with Suki, and the backstory to Kyoshi is nice, but the main story with the Gaang is pure AdventureTowns.

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: In-universe, the people of the village idolize Chin as [[ShapedLikeItself Chin the Great because he was so great]]. They offer no other explanation as to why he should be revered. Avatar Kyoshi reveals the truth as to why the villagers omit the details of Chin's "great" reputation: He was actually a horrible tyrant that nearly destabilized the entire Earth Kingdom through his conquest and was actually elsewhere as Chin the ''Conqueror''.

* RedBaron: Chin was actually known as ''Chin the Conqueror'' outside of Chin Village due to him nearly conquering the entire Earth Kingdom. And he wasn't a nice person to begin with.

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade[=/=]HistoricalVillainUpgrade: In-universe, what the people of the village have done to Chin and Avatar Kyoshi, respectively. The villagers claim that "Chin the Great" was mercilessly killed by Kyoshi, when in reality, Chin ''The Conqueror'' was inflicting a reign of terror upon the Earth Kingdom and attempting to conquer Kyoshi's native island, her attack on him was in self-defense, and she was only accidentally responsible for his death.

* HyperspaceHolmesHat: During the investigation, Sokka pulls out a ''Futao'' (Chinese winged bureaucrat's hat), monocle, and bubble pipe from out of nowhere, making him look like a cross between ''Series/JusticeBao'' and ''Franchise/SherlockHolmes''.

Aang manages to resolve the court issue by channeling the spirit of Avatar Kyoshi. To everyone's surprise, she pleads guilty to the charge of slaying Chin the Great... a megalomaniac conqueror bent on subjugating her people. When it became clear that diplomacy would not solve anything, Avatar Kyoshi separated her people's peninsula from the mainland, creating the "Kyoshi Island" territory seen in the first season, and sending Chin the Conqueror [[DisneyVillainDeath plummeting to his doom]]. Deliberations are interrupted by a band of Fire Nation raiders, the "Rough Rhinos," who arrive and start busting up the town; Aang is sentenced to the "community service" of seeing them off. The final scene is of Aang, Katara and Sokka in the center of a no-longer-sarcastic Avatar Day. Though they still don't enjoy it, due to the pastries no longer being properly cooked.

** Eventually, Avatar Kyoshi reveals the truth: She was responsible for Chin's death but Chin was actually a horrible tyrant who tried to conquer the Earth Kingdom; Kyoshi Island was a peninsula that she separated from the mainland to protect her people from Chin the Conqueror; the tiny footprint was actually made by [[TheNapoleon Chin himself]]; and Chin wasn't directly killed by Kyoshi but rather fell to his own doom because he was too stubborn to move from the unstable cliff created by Kyoshi splitting the land in two.

* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Chin. He's revered as a hero by the villagers despite being a conquering megalomaniac. Subverted, when the villagers hear Kyoshi's confession and are later saved from the Rough Rhinos by Team Avatar.

* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Katara interrupts Sokka's conclusions several times, then once they get to Kyoshi's shrine she looks like she's about to do it again...only for Sokka to shove her across the room, causing a startled yelp and crash.

** Chin's village was not willing to accept Aang's payment for the fine with Water Tribe money, despite that a merchant from earlier was flexible enough to accept it. This is a red flag of how arbitrary and intolerant the village is.

''[[caption-width-right:333:The villagers show their fury towards the iterations of the Avatar.]]''

Aang, Katara, and Sokka come across an isolated Earth Kingdom village which celebrates something called "Avatar Day". However, upon visiting the village, the team finds that the villagers are of an anti-Avatar sentiment, claiming that Avatar Kyoshi had killed their leader, Chin the Great. Shocked and dismayed by this, Aang resolves to stand trial in Kyoshi's stead, and Sokka and Katara are left to find evidence of the previous Avatar's innocence.

* BaitAndSwitch: The Gaang are initially excited by Avatar Day, expecting a celebration in his honor. It’s not.

* JerkassHasAPoint: In the beginning when the Gaang get attacked and Aang and Katara take the time to get his staff and her scrolls, but tell Sokka there’s no time to get his boomerang. Sokka points out there was time for their stuff and not for his to which Katara says “That’s correct!” But Aang and Katara noticed their stuff was left behind right away, and they immediately got it and got back to Appa. Sokka hadn’t noticed his boomerang until after they had taken flight and were on their way out.

* RevengeBeforeReason: The Chin Village couldn't care less that Aang (and his previous two incarnations) have done the world good. They're rather see him imprisoned and executed for something Avatar Kyoshi did centuries ago, regardless it could spell doom for their world in wake of the Fire Nation's invasion. They don't even change their minds when Kyoshi herself reveals that Chin "the Great" was a conqueror who was trying to take over the world.

* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Katara interrupts Sokka's conclusions several times, then once they get to Kyoshi's shrine she looks like she's about to do it again...only for Sokka to shove her acoss the room, causing a startled yelp and crash.

** The town ''was'' previously known for their yearly festival, which (aside from celebrating their hatred of the Avatar) was famous for their delicious fried pastries. Now that they ''don't'' fry their festival pastries (to [[MakesSenseInContext honor that the Avatar was not boiled in oil]]), they don't even have that going for them anymore.

* NiceHat: In a nice touch, Sokka wears as part of his "Sherlock Holmes" get-up, not a Holmes (Western) deerstalker, but the traditional winged cap worn by Chinese magistrates who featured in old-time ''Chinese'' detective novels (see van Gulik's ''Literature/JudgeDee'' works).

* KangarooCourt: Chin Village's legal system turns out to be this way. Evidence is not allowed, nor is anything resembling a defense. It is, quite literally, the mayor and the guilty party giving their sides of the story, then the mayor decides who's right. Yes, the same mayor ''vouching against the defense.''

* EasilyForgiven: Aang only needed Tong to pardon him with Community Service before he readily forgave the villagers and went to work saving their home from the Rough Rhinos.

* FalseConfession: Kyoshi readily admits to killing Chin. Though as Aang later points out, Kyoshi did not actually kill him. Chin died because he refused to step back from the cliff as it was about to crumble out of pride. However Kyoshi does not see the difference between killing him directly or indirectly, and ''would'' have struck him down directly if she had to.

* JustEatGilligan: Lampshaded, Aang could have escaped from Chin at any point he wished, and when the Fire Nation shows up, he shows that he could have escaped from his restraints at any time he wanted.

* ClearMyName: Aang decides he has to clear the Avatar's name when the citizens of a town accuse Avatar Kyoshi, one of Aang's past lives, of murdering their leader 370 years earlier. Of course, it was subverted when Kyoshi herself confessed to the murder (though under the circumstances, it would be considered more either an accident or self-defense).

* NotSoAboveItAll: An almost wordless example. When Iroh questions where Zuko's been getting all these goods and treasures, Zuko rebels that it doesn't matter where they came from. Iroh gives him a look as though thinking "I know too well what that means..." But then he takes a bite out of a pastry Zuko most likely got from stealing, prompting him to get a satisfied expression as though deciding he'll let it slide.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Chin's village was not willing to accept Aang's payment for the fine with Water Tribe money, despite that a merchant from earlier was flexible enough to accept it. This is a red flag of how arbitrary and intolerant the village is.

* JerkassHasAPoint: In the beginning when the Gaang get attacked and Aang and Katara take the time to get his staff and her scrolls, but tell Sokka there’s no time to get his boomerang. Sokka points out there was time for their stuff and not for his to which Katara says “That’s right!” But Aang and Katara noticed their stuff was left behind right away, and they immediately got it and got back to Appa. Sokka hadn’t noticed his boomerang until after they had taken flight and were on their way out.

* NostalgiaFilter: Chin's village adores Chin "the Great", to the point that they forget he was originally (and in reality) known as Chin ''the Conqueror''.