YMMV / Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Rift

• Alternative Character Interpretation: Nutha. A hardworking girl who has every right to be mad at Katara because the latter didn't come back to help to rebuild the tribe? Or a whiny, passive aggressive and jealous bitch? Nutha herself views her behavior as being the latter category by the end, saying she was being an idiot and doesn't blame Katara anymore.
• Harsher in Hindsight: Yangchen's battle with General Old Iron, her first mission as a fully realized Avatar, is brought up in The Shadow of Kyoshi as an example of her tendency to side with humans over spirits, which caused them to become angry Dark Spirits that Kuruk had to fight, which damaged his own spirit and shortened his life.
• Surprisingly Improved Sequel: To The Search. Probably helps that Gene Luen Yang had more leeway with the writing, and much of the subject matter here play to the strengths present in his own work.
• Tear Jerker: The scene in Part 2 where Toph speaks to her father in his office is pretty heart-wrenching, not the least of which because it is one of the few moments of emotional vulnerability the character has in the entire franchise. Throughout the conversation, Toph is desperate for her father's acknowledgement and approval, while he continuously denies her any pleasantries and remains firm in his decision to disown her. The conversation ends with her leaving the room while hiding her tears, pained by the realization that he may never accept her.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: General Old Iron. His retreat from the human world and declaration that spirits have no place there anymore is treated as a saddening event that leaves Aang shaken, but Old Iron really had it coming. He initially wanted to wipe out the humans simply for being there, and his only interactions with them following that amount to him using his superior strength to get his way. When he tries that again in the present, the humans have advanced enough to be able to defeat him, which is his 'proof' that spirits no longer belong in the human world. It's hard to feel bad that humanity couldn't get along with a murderous thug who's leaving forever because he can no longer push them around without consequence.
• The Woobie:
  • Satoru. He doesn't have any family but his uncle, who doesn't treat him well, to say the least. And when he tries to defend him, out of loyalty to his family, it sours his relationship with Toph, whom he has a crush on. Can this poor guy get a break?
  • Toph herself is emotionally vulnerable and off-center for a good amount of the story, due to being forced to deal with her troubled relationship with her parents. We see a flashback her as a lonely child, crying because her parents restrictive rules have kept her isolated from others. When she meets up with her father again here, despite everything she's accomplished, he denies that she is his daughter and accuses her of being ungrateful. This reaches its zenith when she tries Calling the Old Man Out, pleading for his acknowledgement, only to still get rebuffed, clearly hurt by the realization that her old man father may never respect her. Which makes him finally doing so later on all the more heartwarming.