Avatar: The Last Airbender (season 3)
Book Three: Fire is the third and final season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, an American animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The series stars Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, Jessie Flower, Dante Basco, Dee Bradley Baker, Greg Baldwin, Grey DeLisle and Mark Hamill as the main character voices.
| Avatar: The Last Airbender | |
|---|---|
| Season 3 | |
 Cover for "The Complete Book 3 Collection" DVD | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 21 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Nickelodeon |
| Original release | September 21, 2007 – July 19, 2008 |
| Season chronology | |
The final season focuses on Aang on his journey to master firebending in order to defeat the tyrannical Fire Lord Ozai and finally restore harmony and order to the world.
Book Three: Fire premiered on Nickelodeon on September 21, 2007. It consisted of 21 episodes and concluded with the four-part series finale "Sozin's Comet" on July 19, 2008. The third season received critical acclaim, with many praising the finale as a satisfying conclusion to the series. Between October 30, 2007 and September 16, 2008, Paramount Home Entertainment released four DVD volumes and a complete boxset.
The season was followed by the comic trilogy series The Promise which is set one year after the four-part series finale.
A sequel series, The Legend of Korra, aired on Nickelodeon from April 14, 2012 to December 19, 2014. Set seventy years after the finale, the series follows Avatar Korra, the successor of Avatar Aang.
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Animated by | Original air date | Prod. code | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 1 | "Chapter One: The Awakening" | Giancarlo Volpe | Aaron Ehasz | Moi Animation | September 21, 2007 | 301 | — |
| Aang awakens to find himself weakened, his head full of hair, and all of his friends dressed in Fire Nation clothing as they travel on a stolen Fire Navy ship. It's revealed that after Aang was injured, the group flew back to Chameleon Bay and met up with Hakoda. The Earth King set off alone to see the world, leaving the team without the Earth Kingdom military for the invasion, though a smaller one is being planned. Aang, however, is dismayed to discover that the world once again believes him to be dead, just like when he was frozen in the iceberg. Sokka believes that this is a positive development, since the Fire Nation will not pursue them anymore, and insists they should maintain the ruse as long as possible. Zuko and Azula are welcomed home as heroes, and Fire Lord Ozai makes his first full appearance in the series, as he congratulates Zuko for killing the Avatar and apprehending Uncle Iroh. Zuko believes that Azula credited him with killing the Avatar for her own ulterior purposes. Aang tries to run away by himself, determined to redeem his honor, but is pushed to the brink of exhaustion. He is contacted by Avatar Roku's spirit, who tells Aang that he inherited Roku's problems and mistakes, but is destined to redeem Roku. He accepts that with the fall of Ba Sing Se, secrecy is his greatest advantage until the invasion, and gives up his trademark glider to the lava flows of Avatar Roku's island after being found by his friends. | ||||||||
| 42 | 2 | "Chapter Two: The Headband" | Joaquim Dos Santos | John O'Bryan | JM Animation | September 28, 2007 | 302 | — |
| Team Avatar steal some clothes to hide in plain sight while traveling through the Fire Nation, but Aang unwittingly snags a Fire Nation school uniform and is found by a local truant officer and taken back to class. He hides his tattoos with a headband and long sleeves, adopts the alias Kuzon after one of his old friends, and begins to learn about history through the Fire Nation point of view. He decides to organize a school-wide dance party for the up-tight Fire Nation kids, which starts off awkwardly but gradually allows the kids to express themselves. When the principal arrives to shut it down, the kids help Aang escape. A form of movement similar to Capoeira is shown as a Fire Nation traditional dance. Meanwhile, Zuko becomes increasingly paranoid that Aang is still alive, and hires an assassin to kill him. | ||||||||
| 43 | 3 | "Chapter Three: The Painted Lady" | Ethan Spaulding | Joshua Hamilton | Moi Animation | October 5, 2007 | 303 | — |
| The gang arrives at a Fire Nation village populated by sick and starving people. They are sick because of a nearby Fire Nation munitions factory polluting their river. Katara convinces the group to stay by making Appa appear sick and assumes the role of "The Painted Lady," a local legend, in order to heal the sick and steal food from the factory. Eventually she is forced to give up the ruse to Aang, who helps her in destroying the factory to permanently help the village. In response to the destruction of the factory, Fire Nation soldiers attack the village, but are repelled collectively by Team Avatar impersonating The Painted Lady. Katara reveals herself to the villagers, who thank her for her selfless aid. Later that night, Katara is also thanked by the spirit of the real Painted Lady. | ||||||||
| 44 | 4 | "Chapter Four: Sokka's Master" | Giancarlo Volpe | Tim Hedrick | JM Animation | October 12, 2007 | 304 | — |
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Sokka has long felt isolated as the only person of the group unable to bend. Determined to increase his usefulness to the group and the war effort, he seeks out Fire Nation sword master Piandao, while maintaining his assumed Fire Nation identity. With persistence, he convinces the master to take him on as a student. Piandao teaches Sokka the philosophy of swordsmanship by giving him various seemingly boring tasks like painting and rock-gardening. The sword master also helps Sokka forge his own sword, with Sokka choosing to use a meteorite that landed near the group's campsite as the steel. When Sokka gains Piandao's respect, he becomes ashamed of misrepresenting himself and divulges he is not from the Fire Nation but the Southern Water Tribe. Piandao challenges Sokka to a duel, praising Sokka's fighting strategies along the way. Piandao finally reveals that Sokka's identity had been readily apparent from their first meeting and that the ways of the sword belong to all nations. He gives Sokka a white lotus Pai Sho tile as a farewell gift. Meanwhile, Iroh, devises a plan to escape his Fire Nation prison and, while feigning the part of a broken and humiliated wretch for his captors, secretly begins an intense training regimen to further build his strength. Note: At the end of the episode, Sokka gives Toph a piece of the meteorite. She bends it to create the Nickelodeon splatter shape. | ||||||||
| 45 | 5 | "Chapter Five: The Beach" | Joaquim Dos Santos | Katie Mattila | Moi Animation | October 19, 2007 | 305 | — |
| Azula, Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee go on a forced vacation to Ember Island while their father meets with his advisors alone. Zuko and the girls attend a party where Azula tries to flirt but scares guys away with her intimidating yet poor social skills. Zuko, who has resumed a romantic relationship with Mai, observes a boy flirting with her and destroys a vase in anger, prompting Mai to tell him off. Later, around a campfire, Ty Lee reveals she joined the circus because she grew up with six identical sisters and hated it, striving for independence. Mai reveals that her parents required that she always keep her emotions subdued and act properly, and that this created the cold persona that she feels she must always project to others. Zuko reveals that he is angry with himself because he is unsure of the difference between right and wrong anymore. Azula reveals that she knew her mother thought she was a monster. The group then bond and end the night by returning to the party and trashing the house. Meanwhile, Team Avatar are attacked by Zuko's assassin, who uses an unusual form of firebending by creating powerful localized explosions from a third eye in the center of his forehead. The group narrowly escapes on Appa, but Katara mentions her belief that the assassin knows who they are. | ||||||||
| 46 | 6 | "Chapter Six: The Avatar and the Fire Lord" | Ethan Spaulding | Elizabeth Welch Ehasz | JM Animation | October 26, 2007 | 306 | — |
| With guidance from Avatar Roku and Fire Lord Sozin's final testament, Aang and Zuko both learn about the former's childhood friendship. Sozin suggested to Roku that the Fire Nation should control the destiny of the entire world to ensure universal prosperity. As Roku was the Avatar, he knew the importance of balance between all people and vehemently disagreed. When Sozin later conquered an Earth Kingdom colony, Roku swiftly defeated him in battle and threatened to kill him if he stepped out of line again. 25 years passed until Roku's volcano island home erupted ferociously, causing Sozin to travel 100 miles to help his old friend. At the last moment, with Roku overcome by volcanic gases, Sozin realized that he could set his plans in motion if he let Roku die, and abandoned him. Roku passed on and was reincarnated as Aang. Sozin stated that he knew the next Avatar in the cycle would be an Air Nomad, leading to the destruction of the Air Temples, but noted that Aang had eluded him. Confronting Iroh in his prison cell, Zuko learns that Avatar Roku was his mother's grandfather, with his father's grandfather obviously being Fire Lord Sozin. Iroh states that this symbolizes the battle within Zuko himself to restore balance to the world. Aang meanwhile discusses with the group that Roku and Sozin's story shows that anyone is capable of great good and great evil, and that Fire Lord Ozai and the Fire Nation have to be treated like they're worth giving a chance, despite the war. | ||||||||
| 47 | 7 | "Chapter Seven: The Runaway" | Giancarlo Volpe | Joshua Hamilton | Moi Animation | November 2, 2007 | 307 | — |
| Katara expresses her disapproval when Toph and the boys begin scamming Fire Nation street gamblers for quick cash. Toph thinks Katara is acting too motherly, and a rift forms within the group when Sokka finds a wanted poster of Toph. After overhearing Sokka and Toph discuss Katara's motherly instincts after the death of their own mother, Katara decides to pull a scam with Toph to patch things up. Katara plans to turn Toph in and collect the reward money, with Toph metalbending her way out of jail. The plan fails when Toph is placed in a non-bendable wooden cell, soon followed by Katara at the hands of Zuko's assassin. He uses them as bait in an attempt to kill Aang, but Katara brilliantly uses her own sweat to waterbend herself and Toph out of the cell. The group subdue the assassin long enough to escape the town, with Sokka naming him "Combustion Man". | ||||||||
| 48 | 8 | "Chapter Eight: The Puppetmaster" | Joaquim Dos Santos | Tim Hedrick | JM Animation | November 9, 2007 | 308 | — |
| The gang discovers that there have been strange disappearances in a nearby Fire Nation town during the full moon. They befriend an elderly innkeeper named Hama, who reveals that she is a waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe who had been taken away sixty years ago alongside her fellow waterbenders. She becomes Katara's mentor and shares with her the tragic story of her life as a longtime prisoner of the Fire Nation, as well as new waterbending techniques, such as pulling water out of thin air or plants. Katara later discovers that Hama is enacting her revenge by kidnapping Fire Nation civilians with bloodbending, a dark and sinister waterbending technique which manipulates the water in someone's body to cause great pain and take over their actions. Katara battles Hama while Toph Aang and Sokka rescue the captives. Katara is eventually forced to use bloodbending on Hama to save Aang and Sokka. After being arrested by the villagers, Hama congratulates Katara on learning bloodbending, cackling as she's led away. A horrified and saddened Katara cries while Aang and Sokka comfort her. | ||||||||
| 49 | 9 | "Chapter Nine: Nightmares and Daydreams" | Ethan Spaulding | John O'Bryan | Moi Animation | November 16, 2007 | 309 | — |
| The group arrive at the rendezvous point for the invasion, with four days to spare. This realization causes Aang to feel increasingly nervous about confronting the Fire Lord. After having a nightmare about a failed invasion, Aang feels he isn't fully prepared and sacrifices his sleep and sanity in order to train. After three days of no sleep and continuing nightmares and hallucinations, it takes the collaboration of Sokka, Toph and Katara to get him to finally trust his preparation and feel confident about facing Fire Lord Ozai. Meanwhile, Zuko enjoys time spent with Mai and a pampered lifestyle in the palace, but becomes anxious upon learning that Azula has been invited to an upcoming war meeting while he has not. Not wanting to show up uninvited, Zuko decides to not go, but is ultimately requested to attend with a seat at his father's right hand. He confides in Mai afterwards that it was what he always wanted, but didn't feel like himself. | ||||||||
| 50 | 10 | "Chapter Ten: The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion" | Giancarlo Volpe | Michael Dante DiMartino | JM Animation | November 30, 2007 | 310 | 3.77[1] |
| On the day of the solar eclipse, many allies featured in previous episodes, such as Haru and his father, the swampbenders, Pipsqueak and The Duke, and The Mechanist and his son Teo, reunite with Team Avatar to launch the invasion of the Fire Nation. Aang finally kisses Katara as a sign of his strong feelings for her, worried that he may not return. Meanwhile, Zuko leaves a letter to Mai on her bed, and tells a portrait of his mother that he is finally going to set things right. He grabs his broad swords and a bag and heads out the door. Back with the invasion force, who are relying on several forms of bending and aquatic vehicles designed by Sokka, then engineered and constructed by the Mechanist, they successfully circumvent several layers of Fire Nation defenses and reach the capital shores, where they begin a grueling assault towards the palace under constant onslaught from Fire Nation forces. Sokka and Katara's father Hakoda is injured in battle, forcing Sokka to assume command of their forces. Aang reaches the Fire Lord's palace, only to find it as well as the entire capitol city abandoned. | ||||||||
| 51 | 11 | "Chapter Eleven: The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse" | Joaquim Dos Santos | Aaron Ehasz | Moi Animation | November 30, 2007 | 311 | 3.77[1] |
| Aang returns to his friends with the news that Ozai is nowhere to be found. Sokka believes that Ozai would be in a secret bunker nearby, though Katara adds that they could be walking into a trap and could use the imminent eclipse to withdraw their forces. Aang decides that he has to try and confront Ozai. Aang, Sokka and Toph begin their search underneath the volcano, while Katara stays behind to help Hakoda. The trio search for the Fire Lord inside the bunker, but find only Azula, failing to apprehend her while having to deal with her personal Dai Li agents. Elsewhere, Zuko confronts his father, finally denouncing Ozai's treatment of him as cruel and abusive. Zuko tells Ozai that he's realized what an amazing lie the Fire Nation's justification for the war is, and that he knows his own destiny does not involve killing Ozai, leaving that responsibility to Aang. Meanwhile, Sokka finally deduces that Azula is simply trying to outrun them until the eclipse concludes, telling Aang and Toph to walk away. But Azula triggers Sokka by mocking him about Suki's imprisonment, causing Sokka to attack her for information. Back in the throne room, as Zuko begins to leave with the eclipse still in effect, Ozai stalls him by revealing what happened to Zuko's mother: She found out that Zuko's grandfather, Fire Lord Azulon, had commanded Ozai to kill his only son, as punishment for Ozai trying to circumvent Iroh's birthright to the throne following Lu-ten's death. Zuko's mother proposed a plan in which Zuko would be spared, and Ozai would gain control of the throne. Ozai banished her as punishment for her treason. As Ozai finishes the tale, the eclipse ends and he attacks Zuko with lightning. Zuko redirects it back at him, using the technique taught to him by Iroh, and runs, intent on freeing his uncle. However, Iroh has already escaped from prison by the time he arrives. The Fire Nation counterattacks with an advanced fleet of airships and war balloons. The exhausted and diminished invasion force has no choice but to surrender and be captured. At the urging of Hakoda, Aang flees with his friends to the Western Air Temple, with Zuko following them in a stolen war balloon. | ||||||||
| 52 | 12 | "Chapter Twelve: The Western Air Temple" | Ethan Spaulding | Elizabeth Welch Ehasz and Tim Hedrick | JM Animation | July 14, 2008 | 312 | — |
| Zuko follows Aang and his friends to the Western Air Temple, seeking to join their group. There, Zuko desperately tries to prove to them that he has changed for the better and wishes only to atone for his past mistakes. He's initially met with complete resistance, though after Zuko leaves Toph challenges the rest of the group for dismissing him so quickly when Aang is in desperate need of a Firebending teacher. Toph eventually decides to go and speak to Zuko herself, but she startles him in his sleep causing Zuko to accidentally firebend at her and burn her feet. Toph crawls back to the temple for help, where Sokka decides they are going to have to go after Zuko in retaliation. Team Avatar is nearly blown up with the arrival of Combustion Man, but Zuko affects his aim just enough to spare them. Sokka eventually defeats Combustion Man by hitting him in the third eye with his boomerang, causing Combustion Man to blow himself up. Afterward, while the group does allow Zuko to join them, an embittered and skeptical Katara reminds Zuko of his past slip up in Ba Sing Se. She threatens that if Zuko gives her one reason to think he might hurt Aang, she will kill him. | ||||||||
| 53 | 13 | "Chapter Thirteen: The Firebending Masters" | Giancarlo Volpe | John O'Bryan | Moi Animation | July 15, 2008 | 313 | — |
| Zuko tries to teach Aang how to firebend, but has lost his own ability to bend as he is no longer reliant on rage, the previous source of his firebending. Toph suggests they learn from the original source of firebending, the mighty dragons. Zuko angrily notes that the dragons no longer exist, but that the dragons first imparted their knowledge to the Sun Warriors, a now-extinct civilization who were the genesis of the Fire Nation. Aang and Zuko travel to their ruins, where Zuko discloses that Fire Lord Sozin started the tradition of hunting dragons for glory, and that the last one was killed by Iroh. After falling victim to a booby trap, Zuko and Aang discover the tribe still exists. After denouncing the Fire Nation's actions and distorting of the art of firebending, the tribe chief agrees to teach them the ways of the Sun. The pair each carry a sacred flame up the mountain to meet the two masters, Ran and Shaw, who turn out to be a pair of surviving dragons. Aang and Zuko perform "The Dancing Dragon" with them after accidentally losing their flames, a series of firebending forms they found carved as statues in the ruins. The dragons deem them worthy, and engulf them in a column of fire showing every color imaginable. Aang and Zuko realize that fire is energy and life, not just destruction. The Sun Warriors reveal that Iroh lied about the extinction of the dragons after being the last outsider to face them, in order to protect the remaining members of the species from further hunts. Both Aang and Zuko begin to firebend again, stronger and more skillfully than ever before. | ||||||||
| 54 | 14 | "Chapter Fourteen: The Boiling Rock, Part 1" | Joaquim Dos Santos | May Chan | JM Animation | July 16, 2008 | 314 | 3.97[2] |
| Sokka and Zuko infiltrate the Fire Nation's top prison, the Boiling Rock, to find Sokka's father Hakoda. Located on an island surrounded by a boiling lake, Sokka and Zuko wind up crash-landing their war balloon on the shore. They disguise themselves as guards and begin asking around about Water Tribe prisoners, but find that there are none. However, the pair discovers Suki is at the prison. Zuko's cover is blown while Sokka and Suki reunite, and the warden, who turns out to be Mai's uncle, recognizes him. He informs Zuko that in due time he will be handed back over to Ozai. A fellow prisoner, Chit Sang, overhears Sokka, Suki and Zuko discussing their escape plan, and forces his way in. Sokka plans to use one of the insulated coolers, used to punish prisoners who firebend, as a boat to get across the lake. As they're getting ready to leave however, Sokka and Zuko overhear talk that a new batch of prisoners are arriving at dawn, potentially including Hakoda. Sokka, Suki and Zuko decide to stay behind and wait, while Chit Sang sets sail in the cooler. Chit Sang winds up getting caught as the new prisoners arrive. Hakoda is revealed to be the last one, with Sokka breathing a sigh of relief. | ||||||||
| 55 | 15 | "Chapter Fifteen: The Boiling Rock, Part 2" | Ethan Spaulding | Joshua Hamilton | Moi Animation | July 16, 2008 | 315 | 3.97[2] |
| Sokka reunites with his father and begins brainstorming a new escape plan: They come up with an idea to take the warden hostage during a prison riot and escape on the gondola to the other side of the lake. Mai arrives and confronts Zuko about breaking up with her through a letter, calling him a traitor to the Fire Nation. The warden interrogates Chit Sang for the identity of the escape plan's mastermind, but Chit Sang saves Sokka's cover by pinning the blame on a different guard who had previously thrown him in the cooler. Chit Sang subsequently asks to be included in the new escape plan. When the commotion of the riot breaks out, Zuko traps Mai in a cell and leaves to help his friends. The group successfully boards the gondola with the warden, but are pursued by Azula and Ty Lee. Sokka and Zuko deal with Azula while Suki gets her rematch with Ty Lee on the roof of the gondola. The warden breaks free and orders his guards to cut the gondola's cable line. Azula and Ty Lee escape to seemingly watch the groups's demise, but Mai intervenes at the last second to subdue the guards and allow their escape. When questioned why she did it by Azula, Mai calmly states that she loves Zuko more than she fears Azula. Enraged, Azula moves to strike Mai, but is chi-blocked by Ty Lee. A powerless Azula then furiously orders both of them to be thrown in prison. Sokka and Zuko return to the Western Air Temple by stealing Azula's airship with Hakoda Suki and Chit Sang, reuniting Katara and Hakoda once again. | ||||||||
| 56 | 16 | "Chapter Sixteen: The Southern Raiders" | Joaquim Dos Santos | Elizabeth Welch Ehasz | Moi Animation | July 17, 2008 | 316 | 4.23[2] |
| Azula ambushes the group at the Western Air Temple, forcing them to split up again: Hakoda and Chit Sang escape to the stolen Fire Nation airship with Teo, Haru and The Duke, while Suki, Zuko and Team Avatar blast their way past Azula and escape to safety. When Zuko saves Katara from being crushed by rocks, Katara angrily refuses to thank him. Later that night Katara refuses to toast to Zuko along with the group, who have seen enough to welcome Zuko into their family. Afterward, Zuko confronts Katara about her distrust of him and her unwillingness to accept him, to which Katara berates Zuko and furiously reminds him that she was the first one to trust him back in Ba Sing Se, only to be betrayed. Zuko decides to help Katara find the group of soldiers responsible for her mother's death, The Southern Raiders. Aang warns her to not give into revenge, but to let her anger go and forgive. Katara and Zuko scoff at the notion and depart. Along the way, Katara's behavior becomes increasingly aggressive, even resorting to mercilessly bloodbending a Fire Nation officer for information. They eventually find the retired soldier, Yon Rha, who reveals that Katara's mother Kya named herself as the last remaining Southern waterbender to protect Katara. Despite Katara's rage, pain, and desire for revenge, she is unable to take Yon Rha's life. Katara and Zuko leave, with Katara finally forgiving Zuko and accepting his friendship. Zuko acknowledges to Aang that violence wasn't the answer to Katara's problem, but asks what he will do when he finally faces Ozai, leaving Aang visibly shaken. | ||||||||
| 57 | 17 | "Chapter Seventeen: The Ember Island Players" | Giancarlo Volpe | Tim Hedrick, Josh Hamilton and John O'Bryan | JM Animation | July 18, 2008 | 317 | 4.53[2] |
| Sokka and Suki discover that the Ember Island Players, a Fire Nation theater group, is debuting a play based upon the group's adventures. The play turns out to be Fire Nation propaganda, and although the audience enjoys the play, Aang and his friends are embarrassed by the inaccurate and exaggerated portrayals of themselves (with the sole exception of Toph, who is amused by her depiction as a large muscled man who employs a primitive form of sonar by yelling at everything). In context, the play also serves as a concise summary of Aang's entire journey throughout the show. The play ends with the Fire Nation winning the war, Azula killing Zuko and the Fire Lord killing the Avatar, which triggers a standing ovation from the audience and clearly frightens Aang. Aang also confronts Katara about where they stand with each other, having kissed at the invasion. Katara expresses that she isn't sure, and is only further confused when Aang kisses her again. | ||||||||
| 58 | 18 | "Chapter Eighteen: Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King" | Ethan Spaulding | Michael Dante DiMartino | JM Animation | July 19, 2008 | 318 | 5.59[2] |
| Aang has decided to fight the Fire-lord after Sozin's Comet passes, needing more time to master firebending. With this information unbeknownst to Zuko, he derails this plan by revealing that Ozai intends to burn the entire Earth Kingdom continent to ashes with the comet's power, revealing his intentions during the war meeting the day before the eclipse. The gang begins a frantic training regimen while Aang struggles with his responsibilities: his friends instruct him to simply kill Ozai, but Aang clings to the pacifist beliefs of his Air-Nomad heritage. In his sleep, Aang is drawn towards a mysterious island that appears suddenly just off the shore, and is followed by Momo. The next day, Aang's friends search all of Ember Island for Aang with no success. Desperate, Zuko takes them to find June the bounty hunter to attempt to locate Aang. June's Shirshu is unable to track Aang's scent at all, leading June to say that Aang no longer exists, but is not dead. Ozai bequeaths the Fire Nation throne to Azula and declares himself "Phoenix King", supreme ruler of the world, while Aang awakens on the unknown island now in the middle of the sea. | ||||||||
| 59 | 19 | "Chapter Nineteen: Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters" | Giancarlo Volpe | Aaron Ehasz | Moi Animation | July 19, 2008 | 319 | 5.59[2] |
| On the island, Aang seeks guidance from his past lives, but they too insist he may have to take violent action against the Fire Lord. After June is unable to find Aang, Zuko decides to ask June to find his uncle Iroh instead. After June leads them to the outer wall of Ba Sing Se, they meet King Bumi (who escaped and liberated Omashu during the eclipse), Jeong Jeong, Master Pakku, and Master Piandao, who are revealed to be members of the Order of the White Lotus, a secret society presently led by Iroh, that "transcends the division of the four nations". Zuko finally reunites with Iroh, who expresses his joy that Zuko re-discovered his true path alone. The team decides to split up to stall the Fire Nation's plans, still unclear of Aang's location: Zuko and Katara will face Azula at the Royal Palace; Sokka, Suki and Toph will attempt to stop the airship fleet bound for the Earth Kingdom, and Iroh is to lead the White Lotus in the liberation of Ba Sing Se. The island Aang is on is revealed to be a giant lion turtle, who passes on his wisdom to Aang before leaving him on the shores of the Earth Kingdom to wait for Ozai. Sozin's Comet arrives and Phoenix King Ozai prepares to destroy both the Earth Kingdom and the Avatar. | ||||||||
| 60 | 20 | "Chapter Twenty: Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno" | Joaquim Dos Santos | Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko | JM Animation | July 19, 2008 | 320 | 5.59[2] |
| Azula's mental stability, undermined by the betrayal of Mai and Ty Lee at The Boiling Rock, begins to deteriorate as her coronation as Fire Lord approaches. She banishes her servants, Dai Li agents and advisors Lo and Li fearing everyone will betray her at some point, which leads to her hallucinating an interaction with her mother. Sokka, Toph, and Suki arrive just as Ozai's airship fleet is lifting off, successfully boarding a ship with the help of Toph. They overpower the ship's crew and begin to take down the fleet. Iroh and the White Lotus arrive at Ba Sing Se to wipe out the Fire Nation presence once and for all. Meanwhile, Aang finally confronts Fire Lord Ozai, but immediately is put on the defensive without being able to enter the Avatar State. Aang is presented with an opportunity to re-direct Ozai's lightning back at him, but chooses not to strike. Zuko and Katara confront Azula as she is about to be crowned, and Azula challenges him to an Agni Kai. Katara tries to convince Zuko it's a setup, but Zuko notices Azula's change in personality. The two engage in an epic duel that engulfs the palace, and when Zuko appears to gain the upper hand, Azula decides to target Katara with a lightning strike. Zuko jumps in to protect her and is gravely wounded. Ozai appears to corner Aang, taking cover inside a ball of Earth, as Ozai repeatedly attacks trying to force him out. | ||||||||
| 61 | 21 | "Chapter Twenty-One: Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang" | Joaquim Dos Santos | Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko | JM Animation | July 19, 2008 | 321 | 5.59[2] |
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Ozai accidentally causes Aang to enter the Avatar State when he is blown back into a rock that pierces his lightning wound, unlocking his chakras and restoring his connection. The Order of the White Lotus successfully liberates Ba Sing Se, while Sokka, Suki and Toph successfully disable the airships in the Fire Nation attack armada. The three are separated however when their airship breaks in two. Katara takes over fighting Azula, though she is quickly put on the defensive while also trying to tend to Zuko. She eventually comes up with a plan when Azula forces her near a grated storm drain: Katara lures Azula into position and pulls the water over them both before freezing it. Katara frees herself within the ice and chains Azula to the grate, before rushing to use her healing abilities on Zuko. Zuko and Katara watch with pity as Azula suffers a full mental breakdown. Sokka and Toph end up being cornered on another airship before Suki returns to save them. Aang chases and easily overwhelms Ozai, yet still refuses to kill him. When Ozai attempts one final strike, Aang uses knowledge he received from the lion turtle and employs the ancient form of "energybending" to permanently strip Ozai of his firebending abilities. In an epilogue sequence set some days later, newly-appointed Fire Lord Zuko declares the war over. He and Mai reconcile officially, and he confronts his father in prison, angrily asking where his mother is. Ty Lee is shown to have joined the Kyoshi Warriors while teaching them chi-blocking in prison. Some time later, "Team Avatar" celebrate together at Iroh's tea shop in Ba Sing Se. Slipping out to share a quiet moment together, Aang and Katara embrace and kiss under the sunset.
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Production
The season was produced by and aired on Nickelodeon, which is owned by Viacom.[3] The season's executive producers and co-creators were Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who worked alongside episode director and co-producer Aaron Ehasz.[4] Most of the individual episodes were directed by Ethan Spaulding, Lauren MacMullan and Giancarlo Volpe.[5] Episodes were written by a team of writers, which consisted of Aaron Ehasz, Elizabeth Welch Ehasz, Tim Hedrick, and John O'Bryan, along with creators DiMartino and Konietzko.[5]
The season's music was composed by "The Track Team", which consists of Jeremy Zuckerman and Benjamin Wynn, who were known to the show's creators because Zuckerman was Konietzko's roommate.[6]
Cast
All of the central characters generally remained the same: Zach Tyler Eisen voices Aang, Mae Whitman voices Katara, Jack DeSena voices Sokka, Jessie Flower voices Toph, Dante Basco voices Zuko, Dee Bradley Baker voices Appa and Momo,[5] and Grey DeLisle voices Azula.
Additionally, Mark Hamill joins the cast to voice Fire Lord Ozai after having minor appearances throughout the first and second seasons of the series,[5] while Greg Baldwin now voices Iroh due to Mako Iwamatsu's death.[7]
Reception
The season received critical acclaim, winning a 2008 Peabody Award. Jamie S. Rich from DVD Talk remarked, "In addition to the solid writing, Avatar the Last Airbender [sic] also has amazing animation. The character designs, with its roots in classic Asian folklore, are colorful and inventive, and the overall animation is smooth and consistently executed".[8] Jamie S. Rich wrote in another review:[9]
This final season in the trilogy is turning out to be the best... At this point in the story, major things are happening, with the characters going through changes and the various plot elements coming together. Thankfully, the show creators never rest, and the quality control is top-notch. The writing is smart, and the animation always impressive. (2008)
Henrik Batallones, a BuddyTV Staff Columnist, also noted the wide variety of positive reviews from the press for the series finale, noting that sources such as The New York Times and Toon Zone gave Avatar: The Last Airbender "glowing reviews".[10]
The season also received praise for its video, redemption of Zuko, and sound quality. Nick Lyons from DVD Talk felt that the video quality appeared better than previous seasons, which had also garnered additional awards. He also remarks that the sound is "spot on...as per usual."[11] At the 2008 Annie Awards, the season won "Best Animated Television Production for Children". At the same Annie Awards, Joaquim Dos Santos won the "Best Directing in an Animated Television Production" caption for his directing in "Into the Inferno".[12] Joaquim Dos Santos also gave Avatar: The Last Airbender a nomination at Annecy 2008 for his work with "The Day of Black Sun Part 2: The Eclipse".[13] Additionally, music editor and composer Jeremy Zuckerman and the sound editing team were nominated a Golden Reel award for "Best Sound Editing in a Television Animation" for their work in "Avatar Aang".[14]
DVD releases
The first three DVD volumes contain five episodes each, and the fourth volume contains six. A later boxed set contained all four volumes. The first DVD was released on October 30, 2007, and the complete boxed set was released on September 16, 2008.[15] They are released by Paramount Home Entertainment. Each of the individual Season Three DVDs also comes complete with an exclusive comic book.[16] The Complete Book 3 Collection DVD includes the following DVD extras: Inside Sozin's Comet: Exclusive Four-Part Commentary by Creators, The Women of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Book 3 Finale Pencil Test Animation and Into the Fire Nation at San Diego Comic-Con.[17] The boxed set was released on February 1, 2010 in the United Kingdom.[18]
| Volume | Discs | Episodes | Region 1 release | Region 2 release | Region 4 release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 6 | October 30, 2007 | Not released | June 1, 2010[19] |
| 2 | 1 | 5 | January 22, 2008 | Not released | September 23, 2010[20] |
| 3 | 1 | 5 | May 6, 2008 | Not released | October 7, 2010[21] |
| 4 | 1 | 5 | July 29, 2008 | Not released | November 4, 2010[22] |
| Box set | 5[23] | 21[23] | September 16, 2008 | February 1, 2010[18] | December 2, 2010 |
Footnotes
- 1.^ Production code format taken from the commentary for "Sozin's Comet Part 1: The Phoenix King"
References
- General
- "Season 3". Avatar: The Last Airbender. IGN. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
- "Season Three DVD Information - TVShowsOnDVD.com". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 9 October 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2008.
- Specific
- "Top Cable Nov 26-Dec 2, NFL & Tin Man". TVByTheNumbers. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
- "Nielsen Ratings Cable TV Top 20: Home Run Hit for ESPN 07/22/2008". TVByTheNumbers. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
- Luening, Erich (September 7, 1999). "CBS, Viacom in blockbuster merger — CNET News". CNET. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
- DiMartino, Michael Dante; Konietzko, Bryan (August 29, 2005). "Interview with "Avatar" Program Creators — Page 3". Animation Insider (Interview: Transcript). Interviewed by Aaron H. Bynum. Archived from the original on August 4, 2008. Retrieved May 29, 2008.
- "Avatar: The Last Airbender Cast and Details". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
- DiMartino, Michael Dante; Konietzko, Bryan (August 29, 2005). "Interview with "Avatar" Program Creators — Page 4". Animation Insider (Interview: Transcript). Interviewed by Aaron H. Bynum. Archived from the original on May 27, 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2008.
- Harris, Jeffery (February 4, 2008). "Avatar: The Last Airbender - Book 3: Fire / Volume 2 Review:". IGN. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
- Rich, Jamie S. (January 22, 2008). "Avatar The Last Airbender — Book 3: Fire, Vol. 2". DVDTalk.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
- Rich, Jamie S. (May 6, 2008). "Avatar the Last Airbender — Book 3: Fire, Vol. 3". DVDTalk.com. Archived from the original on December 25, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
- "'Avatar' Officially Over, but Perhaps Not Quite So". BuddyTV. July 22, 2008. Archived from the original on 7 December 2008. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
- "Avatar The Last Airbender Book 3 Fire, Vol. 1 : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". Dvdtalk.com. Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
- "2008 Annie Awards: For Your Consideration". Annie Awards. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
- "Annecy 2008 - Official Selection". Annecy 2008. 2008. Archived from the original on March 21, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2008.
- "56th Golden Reel Awards Television Nominees - Best Sound Editing in a TV Animation". Motion Picture Sound Editors. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 18, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
- "Avatar: The Last Airbender Search". Amazon.com, Inc. Retrieved June 5, 2008.
- Harris, Jeff. "IGN: Avatar: The Last Airbender — Book 3: Fire May 27, 2008". Archived from the original on October 3, 2008. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
- "DVD Empire — Item — Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Complete Book 3 DVD Box Set / DVD-Video". DvdEmpire. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
- "Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 3". Play.com. Archived from the original on November 18, 2009. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- "Avatar - The Legend of Aang: Book 3 - Fire: Volume 1". EzyDVD. Archived from the original on 10 April 2010. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
- "Avatar - The Legend of Aang: Book 3 - Fire: Volume 2". EzyDVD. Archived from the original on September 23, 2010. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
- "Avatar - The Legend of Aang: Book 3 - Fire: Volume 3". EzyDVD. Archived from the original on 6 August 2010. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-09-23. Retrieved 2010-09-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Avatar: The Last Airbender Season Three DVD Information". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 9 October 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2008.
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