r/TheLastAirbender • u/Nob96 • 2d ago
Discussion Do you think Aang, being a kid made his character design (while in the Avatar state) more intimidating?
532
u/RecommendsMalazan 2d ago edited 2d ago
Yes.
Not that I think the avatar state would be any less intimidating in an adult, but the disparity is greater with Aang.
398
u/Deep90 2d ago
I think it's especially because Aang was a very mild mannered avatar as well.
It's like in school when that really nice teacher snaps and screams at the class.
100
u/RecommendsMalazan 2d ago edited 2d ago
Yeah, pretty much. If an avatar state avatar is at a 10 in intimidation, and a normal adult avatar is at like a 4, Aang is at a 1.
Not any more intimidating, but it's a much greater difference than there would be for anyone else.
35
u/MorganL420 2d ago
I'd say he's a 3, if only because he's an Airbender and everyone alive except Bumi hasn't met one and thinks they're extinct. People naturally fear the unknown. So even though Aang as a person is sweet and thoughtful, you won't know that until you take the time to get to know him.
20
u/triple4leafclover 2d ago
Yeah, but also, wouldn't they assume the airbenders are dead because they were all pacifists who didn't put up much of a fight? Especially with how the rest of the world would've remembered them (friendly monks skipping about eating tofu and helping people), I assume people would think he's harmless because of it
32
u/Accomplished_Mix7827 2d ago
Oh, definitely. The fact that Aang is usually so chill and carefree makes him terrifying when he snaps.
"YOU MUZZLED APPA?!" sends a shot of dread that a generally more ill-tempered character like Zuko could never manage
11
u/AvgPakistani 2d ago
Only if he’d stop focusing on using air or water bending when he was in the avatar state. A nice big very pointy earth shard directed straight at his enemies hearts would really sell it
63
u/FailedProspects 2d ago
I think the glowing Arrow tattoos give him too much aura, now everyone else looks mid in avatar state lmao
43
7
2
236
u/PixelJock17 2d ago
It's the airbender tattoos too. It adds such a cool element of design and yeah ad a character we know he's sweet and innocent so it's really shocking to see.
Also, the AS is the embodiment of all his past lives so it's almost like how his voice obscures, so does his appearance to some degree, like his face almost looks a bit different.
32
u/Bit_of-Distress 2d ago
I think the tatoos are imbued in some ways with spiritual energy or more accurately a symbol of his spirituality. As such they are responding to the Avatar state, and glow like his eyes.
46
u/Lukecubes 2d ago
Airbender tattoos go over their Chakra lines, so yes.
21
u/BubblyBaker5718 2d ago
Yup. Iirc the sub once had a mini discussion about wether or not a combustion bender avatar’s tattoo would glow and the consensus seemed to be that yeah it almost certainly would for the same reason.
7
u/FoolishThinker 1d ago
Facial expressions are definitely different. It’s very much Bruce banner and Hulk which is why I think we find it so terrifying.
If Aang was not so peaceful and kind regularly the transition wouldn’t be so jarring but definitely when Kyoshi and the others jump in, you get this “no mercy” aspect that is almost entirely antithetical to Aang’s world philosophy and makes you go “oh shit!”
2
u/PixelJock17 23h ago
Yeah and I think it's interesting because when he's talking to his past lives, he speak to the airbender Avatar who's like "yeah you gotta put aside you as a human for the will of the Avatar" so it's like multiple personalities
82
u/RedbreadofSteak 2d ago
Maybe not the design. knowing you’re basically being attacked by a really angry orphan, who’s tapped in to his full power and lost all control, might scare you.
90
61
u/LegnderyNut 2d ago
My wife pointed out on our last watch of the series that esp in S1 they have Aang act the most childish every moment the narrative “asks for Gandalf”. When they should have a wise and perplexed spiritual leader like Gandalf they get Aang spinning marbles. The Avatar State is made terrifying by being the only time Aang acts like an Avatar is expected to. But by doing this it never ever feels like a victory. At least to me every use of the avatar state felt like a failure or a breaking point that could’ve been avoided if Aang was properly trained in politics and diplomacy. All that rage and hatred of so many lives flowing through a child. The hubris and desperation of the Air Nomad elders was their undoing and it left Aang feeling cornered and as a result he rejected the avatar duties and teachings by running away to regain much needed control. In Aang’s case much of the Avatar experience is tragically involuntary. There’s a small touch of cosmic horror there. In S3 it is the past lives that want Ozai dead while Aangs mind reels for a solution ultimately only he was open to finding.
23
u/Nob96 2d ago
Yea, Aang was literally the last air nomad, so if he killed Ozai, he would've killed the entire hope of reviving the air nomads too.
6
u/Lonely-Ambition6910 2d ago
I don’t get it, why would killing Ozai stop sang from reviving the air nomads
11
u/Nob96 2d ago edited 1d ago
Because it's the air nomads tradition that all life is sacred, that's why Aang can't eat meat.
We saw it when Aang argued with the past avatars. They all told him that he should kill Ozai, even an airbender avatar did.
They basically told him to sacrifice everything for the world, because that's the avatar's job, if he killed Ozai he would defy everything the monks taught him, even monk Gyatso, when he killed the firebenders, killed himself in the process.
10
u/TheDJYosh 1d ago
Korra spoilers;
That makes the revelation in Korra of the Air Nation coming back bittersweet in a way. Tenzin and his family can keep some aspects of the culture alive, but it is not and could never be the same culture Aang grew up in. The new globalized world just doesn't allow for it anymore since the world has changed and new Air benders don't have the same upbringing.
6
67
u/Dangerous-Way-3827 2d ago
Idk, this felt pretty intimidating to me
13
u/TheDJYosh 1d ago
At this stage of Aang's life he already he demands respect; he's more intimidating but it doesn't have the same jumpscare factor of his younger self. Old Aang goes from a 7 -> 11 whereas young Aang goes from a 1 -> 10.
2
13
u/NoPaleontologist6583 2d ago
Not more intimidating. More disconcerting, perhaps. More eerie.
6
u/StrikingCase9819 2d ago
This is the only right answer lol. Him being in a child's body doesn't make the power of the avatar state more or less intimidating than it would be if it was coming from the body of an adult. I don't care what size or age you are, when your eyes start to glow and you have the ability to move mountains and oceans, the same level of fear would be in my heart... Coming from a child though, it's just creepier and more unsettling
20
u/nitinismaldingXD 2d ago
I think what made the avatar state intimidating was the voice. Just hearing the voice of others assimilated into Aangs voice gave it such an urgency of danger that really stood out above the other characteristics. It’s even sick asf in Korra, when she says “you cannot win”.
7
u/seeing_true 2d ago
Dunno about intimidating, it kind of makes me sad? Maybe that's why it works. The juxtaposition behind the body and the forces driving it (including all the voices) is so intense and otherworldly, it really really gets you good.
14
8
u/TheDawnOfNewDays 2d ago
I think it made it more tragic.
As he said, he didn't want to be the avatar. He wants to use his air scooter and go penguin sledding. Be a kid.
The avatar state especially wasn't something he wanted to do. He hated being in it and didn't want to be wrapped up in saving the world or fighting Ozai or anyone.
11
u/The_Almighty_Duck 2d ago
Absolutely. The combination of rage and power behind Aang at this stage was unreal.
Rage in that he finally has the chance to end the war and the suffering the Fire Nation has brought upon the world for th past 100 years, and power because it's the Avatar State and he literally has the power and experience of every past Avatar flowing through him. And let's face it, if you see someone - anyone, regardless of age - with glowing blue eyes and body tattoos staring you in the face with an expression that goes beyond pure anger, you would rightfully so be sh***ing yourself haha
4
u/Academic-Bug-9654 2d ago
Him being a kid is able to take down the most powerful firebender in fire nation history who was powered by Sozin’s comet only speaks volumes of the power of the Avatar so I do think it makes him more intimidating.
4
u/kendricklemak 2d ago
the visual itself isnt too intimidating. its when people understand the context is where the fear creeps it. we all see how when his eyes glow, aang displays terrifying scale of bending so viewers tend to see the glowing eyes as a sign of danger
5
3
u/Ok_Coffee_9970 2d ago
Well even though it was cool as an adult, seeing a kid become a machine focused solely on one goal, with the eyes and the tattoos.
Super.
3
u/The_Maedre 2d ago
I think what made his avatar state so intimidating was the fact that it was nothing like him. He's goofy, calm and his fighting is all getting away from the enemy. But when he's in avatar state, he burns with rage and power, and it's the others who run away from him. But him being a child with rhis much rage and power os definitely an unsettling factor.
3
9
u/VanityTheVantropist 2d ago
Oh yeah absolutely! Imo it’s because of the subversion He’s a round design, meant to look friendly, so when he looses those big expressive eyes to glowing husks, it’s intimidating
2
u/ammonium_bot 2d ago
he looses those
Hi, did you mean to say "loses"?
Explanation: Loose is an adjective meaning the opposite of tight, while lose is a verb.
Sorry if I made a mistake! Please let me know if I did. Have a great day!
Statistics
I'm a bot that corrects grammar/spelling mistakes. PM me if I'm wrong or if you have any suggestions.
Github
Reply STOP to this comment to stop receiving corrections.2
4
u/Firefangdf 2d ago
Yes, a bit. In my opinion it's more how such a sweet and kind looking person just snaps and you will feel the wrath of a thousand lifetimes. Also the tats help with intimidation factor.
2
u/Easy_Clock_9541 2d ago
All I know is if I was a sandbender who took Appa and Aang's eyes started glowing after he found out we muzzled Appa I would shit my pants
2
2
u/enchiladasundae 2d ago
Definitely helps. Personally feel like all avatars are fully aware of whats going on even when it isn’t active. They took a soft approach when Roku was in control but after seeing the world completely screwed up due to his inaction, Aang being trapped and a desire to get this shit over with post haste gave them negative chill
Additionally Aang’s connection was tenuous so at any time he could be theoretically taken back out so they didn’t waste any time. They beat the brakes off Ozai and were about to end him in as little time as possible
2
u/hypo-osmotic 2d ago
I think it would be fair to say that it was more surprising. All these older teens and adults kind of pushing him around because he's "just a kid" and then the glowing eyes come out and they're like oh shit. Whether that's a form of intimidation I guess is a matter of semantics
2
2
u/Aangvento 2d ago
Definitely, seeing that much power in a kid made it way more intense and unsettling.
2
2
u/KingJames6th 2d ago
Definitely not more intimidating than if he was an adult but for sure very intimidating.👌🏼
2
u/IllustriousTalk4524 2d ago
Well it definitely took Zuko by surprise. You're just a kid! and Aaang saying "You're just a teenager." Lol.
3
u/ColdFire-Blitz 2d ago
Only once he started completely beating Ozais ass, thus shattering the confidence he had from their disparity. Ozai is 6 2, ripped as hell, and has killed at least dozens of people, while Aang is 5 5, scrawny, and has never intentionally killed anyone, who also lost to Ozais youngest child on several occasions, so Ozai would/did go into the fight with supreme confidence which made his fear even greater once the confidence was shattered
2
3
u/PerceptionWild1204 2d ago
no, by all means. It shows how talented the writers and animators were to make him not look silly or goofy
2
u/Superlhama 2d ago
The expression and the shadows in the light.
Besides, most of the time, his avatar state was expressionless and just destroyed everything or protected him.
This anger and these shadows with this red sky show what kind of power Aang wields.
2
u/UniversityThat1681 2d ago
I don’t think it makes it more intimidating per se but more awe inspiring. Here’s a child, a pacifistic one at that, who’s actually the greatest power in the universe.
1
u/Necessary_Screen_673 2d ago
not really. i think it was intimidating for other reasons but not because he was a child.
1
1
2
u/KingMiracle16 1d ago
Off topic but I always loved that they made Aang’s tattoos glow when he’s in the Avatar state also that they gave an explanation to why it happens instead of them just appearing and no Explanation whatsoever
1
u/-Leo10finity- 2d ago
Yes. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned from fictional characters, it’s that you don’t have to be an adult to be ABSOLUTELY FUCKING TERRIFYING
1
u/TortieFather 2d ago
Imo yeah, especially with how many cute/silly moments we see of aang
So watching this vegetarian, penguin sleddin, pacifist 12 year old go absolutely berserk and have arguably the strongest bender in the world aside himself fleeing in terror and panic really had me shook when i watched it as a kid
1
932
u/beerhaws 2d ago
All I know is that when the tattoos started glowing, Ozai knew he was in trouble