When Aang Kills

[u/Western_Echo2522]

Not saying I don’t love Aang btw. I do, I’m just mentioning something I noticed on another rewatch. That Vulture-Wasp definitely fell in two different pieces. It kinda felt like Aang’s Mace Windu v. Jango Fett moment, and I think it makes him feel more human, because he was enraged for a justifiable reason, his oldest living friend having just been kidnapped and missing, and another friend was being taken too. It was the heat of the moment. I don’t think it takes away from his character at all, I actually think it adds to it a lot. I did, however, want to point it out, because I feel like it’s easy to miss

[u/Sudden-Dimension-645]

This moment was so impactful because it showed in this moment Aang's true motivation to finding Appa. It wasn't enough for him to get Appa back, he cared way more about getting revenge on the sandbenders. And yes, in this moment he was 100% intent on unaliving them without holding back.

[u/Black_Fury321 → u/Sudden-Dimension-645]

I strongly disagree with this take.... He wasn't more focused on getting revenge on the Sandbenders, it showcased the rage of a peaceful man when pushed too far.

It reminds us that whilst Aang is a peaceful person, brought up to believe in the best in people, he is still just a child thrust through time into a war, who is capable of losing his temper. Also, he definitely wasn't intent on ending the Sandbenders. If you watch the episode, he purposefully only destroys their vehicles in a show of force, before losing himself to the avatar state due to extreme emotions, at which point the Sandbenders are able to make a run for it, he never actually attacks them directly.

Also, you have to remember that when this happens, he does not have control over the Avatar state, and is subject to the whims of previous Avatars who have no issues with killing, as seen when he fights Ozai, although at this point he has control over the Avatar state so he pulls himself out of it before the other Avatars kill Ozai.

[u/that_1weed → u/Sudden-Dimension-645]

I don't believe Aang would kill no matter how angry. He wanted revenge, yes, or more like justice for what they did to Appa. Even when he was in the Avatar State all he did was scare them while scaring his own friends.