So Let's Talk About Aang... He Is Established From Episode One As A Gentle, Friendly Boy. A "sweet Little

So let's talk about Aang... He is established from episode one as a gentle, friendly boy. A "sweet little guy" as Katara later puts it. It is also established that Aang, though willing to fight if he has to, is not a confrontational person. Aang is also the Avatar, making him the single most powerful individual on the planet. On top of that, he was also able to completely master four distinct and complicated martial arts disciplines as a child, while on the run. Aang was raised to value life. "The monks always taught me that all life is sacred. Even the life of the tiniest spider - fly caught in it's own web." And he anguishes over having to possibly kill Fire Lord Ozai before he finds another way. However, Aang has killed before. In the episode 'The Library' Appa is kidnapped by sandbenders. Aang becomes the angriest we've ever seen him. In the following episode 'The Desert' the gaang are attacked by some sort of massive flying insects. Aang, angry and in pain over losing not only his friend, but also his last living tie to his people, lashes out. He chases down and kills one of the insects with a single and remorseless blow. When Toph identifies the sandbenders who took Appa, his anger boils over and triggers the Avatar State, putting everyone in danger until Katara is able to calm him down. If Aang had killed the bug while in the Avatar State, then you could argue that he had no control over his actions. But he didn't, he was completely aware and in control of all his choices. In his anger and grief he made a conscious choice to take a life. Now, taking the life of an insect might not seem like big deal to us, but it is to Aang. Remember, ALL LIFE IS SACRED. The very fact that something is alive, no matter what it is, should be considered holy. By taking the bug's life Aang is not only acting against his nature, he is committing an act of sacrilege according to the teachings of his people. I believe that this action had a huge impact on Aang when the time came for him to face the Fire Lord. He has more reason to hate Ozai than almost anyone. It was his ancestor who slaughtered his people, leaving Aang alone in the world. His actions led directly to personal injury or trauma for every single one of Aang's friends. And he is going to attempt to commit a second act of genocide. Everyone, even his own past lives, tell him to kill Ozai, that he would be in the right to do so. It would be much simpler, and much easier than trying to take him alive. Aang claims to a past incarnation that he's never taken a life, but I think that, like us, eventually he was able to forgive himself for killing the bug. Enough to pretend to forget about it, it seems. But he knows what it's like to take a life away now, and he knows that killing Ozai is a far bigger sin than killing a mindless insect. I think that's part of the reason why Aang is so desperate for an alternative course of action. He'd be completely justified, even praised for killing Ozai. It's what the world expects him to do. But he knows now that he's not a killer at heart. Taking a man's life is not something he can come back from. It goes against his nature, his beliefs, and his people's teachings. His entire world view is at risk if he does this. It's one of Aang's darkest points, but I believe that if he hadn't killed that insect in the desert he might have let himself be talked into killing Ozai. He would have been changed forever from the sweet and gentle character we love. Killing that insect, contrary though it may seem, probably saved him, and by extension, may have saved the world.

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avatar aang aang last airbender the desert the library ozai fire lord ozai character study oppinion