r/ATLA • u/JustAPerson_YesOrNo "Hello, it's Zuko here" • May 25 '25

Question What ATLA take make you like this?

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Posting here bc mods are (not) mean

588 Upvotes

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115

u/Sharo_colson May 26 '25

Metal bending is a duex machina. People actually thought/think this. They do this by Ignoring 2 key things. 1)the basics for what metalbending is bending your element inside a physical medium. Waterbending established early in the season with plant bending what is the most similar form of bending. 2)the explain how it works in vivid detail.Toph literally had to be blind and master seismic sense, to even learn it was possible.

34

u/Den_Nissen May 26 '25

Roku and Sozin also do smoke bending as well. A bit later in the series, but reinforces that there are other variant and subtype bending styles that aren't just the rigid 4 nations.

18

u/WEEEE12345 May 26 '25

AFAICT what Sozin's doing in that scene is redirecting the heat (similar to lighting redirection), not directly bending the smoke. In the animation it looks a bit like he's bending the smoke.

6

u/Sryeetsalot May 26 '25

Well roku is the avatar. Very possible it was just air bending

1

u/Sharo_colson May 27 '25

The point I was trying to make that no one seems to be focusing on though is that metal bending can’t be a duex Machina because the fundamentals for it and plant bending are virtually the same and we’re established

18

u/[deleted] May 26 '25

The deus ex machina is that spirit bending bullshit lmao

0

u/Octavius-the-eighth May 27 '25

The spirit bending thing is a symbolic thing tho had anag killed ozai the extinction of the Airbender would be complete atleast there culture would be so he found a way to defang the servant without killing him

1

u/LevelOutlandishness1 May 27 '25

I actually don’t mind it, I just wish they set it up from the beginning—I mean, how much exposition do we get about bending and all of its origins prior? How many cool little sequences do we get showing the spiritual nature of it all?

They don’t even have to go on about it since it’s so ancient and unknown, Guru Pahtik could’ve set it up a bit, and the series should’ve had some flashes of lion turtles looking wise, ominous, and powerful when dramatic moments with Aang’s vision happen.

Then when the turtle shows up, I’d be like “Oh, I’ve seen that! That’s what that was”, and when they gave Aang energy bending, I’d be like “Oh shit!”

Idk it didn’t have to be exactly that, but I feel like energy bending is the one little tear in something that is perfect in every other way.

1

u/spiritsavage May 27 '25

Definitely agree. Although Kora tried to make it look like it was the easiest thing ever. I'm not a big fan of LoK honestly

1

u/TheLeftPewixBar May 31 '25 edited May 31 '25

Even if it was, that’s a fking awesome Duex Machina. I mean, with the Guru narration playing over it, it’s so damn peak