| Book 3: Fire | |||
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Cover for "The Complete Book 3 Collection" DVD |
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| Country of origin | United States | ||
| No. of episodes | 21 | ||
| Broadcast | |||
| Original channel | Nickelodeon | ||
| Original run | September 21, 2007 – July 19, 2008 | ||
| Home video release | |||
| DVD release date | September 16, 2008 (NTSC) February 1, 2010 (PAL) |
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| Season chronology | |||
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Season Three (Book 3: Fire) of Avatar: The Last Airbender, an American animated television series on Nickelodeon, first aired its 21 episodes from September 21, 2007 to July 19, 2008. The season was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and starred Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, Jessie Flower, Dante Basco, and Grey DeLisle as character voices.[1]
This third and final season focuses on Aang's quest to defeat the tyrannical Fire Lord. In the season's beginning, protagonist Aang and his friends Sokka, Katara, and Toph are traveling through the Fire Nation, conjuring a plan for invading the Fire Nation and looking for a teacher to teach Aang Firebending. Midway through the season, Aang gathers friends he met in previous episodes and leads a failed invasion into the Fire Nation. Former antagonist and anti-hero Zuko changes sides and joins Aang, serving as his Firebending teacher until the season finale, when Aang finally defeats the Fire Lord and ends the war in a surprising way. He takes away his bending to keep what he has learned in the northern air temple.
The final season features twenty-one episodes, one more than the previous two seasons. The season finale consisted of the four episodes airing together as a two-hour television movie. Season Three received a similar positive critical reception to that of the previous seasons. The season, and especially the finale, received much critical acclaim, with praises from sources such as DVD Talk[2] and IGN.[3]
Between October 30, 2007 and September 16, 2008, Nickelodeon released four DVD volumes and a "Complete Box Set".[4] Each of the four volume DVDs consisted of one disc and five episodes, with the exception of volume four, which had six episodes, and the boxed set contained all twenty-one episodes on five discs.[4] The boxed set was released on February 1, 2010 in the UK.[5]
Contents |
The season was produced by and aired on Nickelodeon, which is owned by Viacom.[6] 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.[7] Most of the individual episodes were directed by Ethan Spaulding, Lauren MacMullan and Giancarlo Volpe.[1] Episodes were written by a team of writers, which consisted of Aaron Ehasz, Elizabeth Welch Ehasz, Tim Hedrick, John O'Bryan; along with creators DiMartino and Konietzko.[1]
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.[8]
All of the protagonists from season 2 remained the same, with Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, and Jessie Flower, respectively.[1] After the voice actor Mako died during the production of season two, Iroh was voiced by Greg Baldwin.[9] Zuko, who is voiced by Dante Basco, joins the Avatar during the episode "The Western Air Temple." This leaves Azula, who is voiced by Grey DeLisle, as the primary antagonist. Mark Hamill joins the cast to voice Fire Lord Ozai, who had previously only been shown playing minor roles in the series.[1]
As with previous seasons, the critical reception was generally positive. Jamie S. Rich from DVD Talk remarked, "In addition to the solid writing, Avatar the Last Airbender 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".[2] Jamie S. Rich wrote in another review:[10]
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.
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 "glowing reviews".[11]
The season also received praise for its video 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."[12] 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".[13] Joaquim Dos Santos also gave Avatar a nomination at Annecy 2008 for his work with "The Day of Black Sun Part 2: The Eclipse".[14] 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".[15]
| Series # |
Season # |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 1 | "The Awakening" | Giancarlo Volpe | Aaron Ehasz | September 21, 2007 | 301 |
| Aang awakens to find himself gravely wounded from the battle in Ba Sing Se at the end of Book 2 on board a stolen Fire Nation ship with his friends. He is shocked and dismayed to discover that the world believes him to be dead. Zuko and Azula are welcomed home as heroes, where Firelord Ozai congratulates his son. After a great deal of persuasion, Aang agrees to keep his existence a secret. In the end, he burns his glider in the lava of the volcanic crescent shaped island that he visited in Book 1 when he spoke to Avatar Roku. the Avatar before him. | ||||||
| 42 | 2 | "The Headband" | Joaquim dos Santos | John O'Bryan | September 28, 2007 | 302 |
| Aang and friends steal Fire Nation clothes as temporary disguises so they can live among its citizens. Aang is accidentally taken to a Fire Nation school, and must wear a headband to hide his tattoos. He later arranges a school-wide dance party for the up-tight Fire Nation kids. When the authorities learn about the party, the kids help Aang and his friends escape. Capoeira is shown as a Fire Nation traditional dance. Capoeira is one of the many non-East Asian elements given to the Fire Nation. Meanwhile, Zuko hires an assassin to find and kill Aang. | ||||||
| 43 | 3 | "The Painted Lady" | Ethan Spaulding | Joshua Hamilton | October 5, 2007 | 303 |
| The gang arrives at Fire Nation village populated by sick and starving people. Katara wishes to stay and help them. She becomes "The Painted Lady," the town's mythical patron-saint figure, healing their sick and providing food while they sleep. She also destroys the nearby factory which pollutes their river, sparking soldiers to attack the village. Katara reveals herself after Aang finds out that she is the Painted Lady and saves them with the help of her friends. In the end, Katara is thanked by the real Painted Lady. | ||||||
| 44 | 4 | "Sokka's Master" | Giancarlo Volpe | Tim Hedrick | October 12, 2007 | 304 |
| Sokka feels left out as he is the only person of the group unable to bend. He finds sword master Piandao to help further his skills as a warrior, forging his own sword out of a meteorite that the gang find in the beginning of the episode. He and his friends realize just how important he is to their group. Meanwhile, Iroh devises a plan to escape prison and starts exercising in secret. | ||||||
| 45 | 5 | "The Beach" | Joaquim dos Santos | Katie Mattila | October 19, 2007 | 305 |
| Zuko, Azula, Mai and Ty Lee go on vacation to Ember Island against their wishes. They try to act like normal Fire Nation teens but have little success. They reveal their inner problems and discover more about each other. Meanwhile, Aang and friends are attacked by Zuko's assassin, "Combustion Man" (nicknamed by Sokka for his ability to channel and cause explosions through his third eye). | ||||||
| 46 | 6 | "The Avatar and the Firelord" | Ethan Spaulding | Elizabeth Welch Ehasz | October 26, 2007 | 306 |
| Aang and Zuko learn about Avatar Roku and Firelord Sozin's shared past which resulted in the War. Their childhood friendship, their falling out, and Sozin's betrayal of Roku to his death. Zuko discovers that Roku is his maternal great-grandfather, giving him significant insight into his internal struggle. Iroh encourages him to do the right thing by giving him an artifact that Avatar Roku wore in his lifetime. | ||||||
| 47 | 7 | "The Runaway" | Giancarlo Volpe | Joshua Hamilton | November 2, 2007 | 307 |
| Katara expresses her disapproval when Toph begins scamming Fire Nation civilians for quick cash. Toph thinks Katara is acting too motherly, and a rift forms within the group. To patch things up, Katara decides to pull a scam with Toph, but they are caught by Combustion Man. He uses them as bait in an attempt to kill Aang, but Katara's quick thinking saves the day. | ||||||
| 48 | 8 | "The Puppetmaster" | Joaquim Dos Santos | Tim Hedrick | November 9, 2007 | 308 |
| The gang discovers that there have been strange disappearances in a Fire Nation town during a full moon. They befriend an old innkeeper named Hama, who reveals that she is a Waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe. She becomes Katara's mentor and shares with her the tragic story of her life as a prisoner of the Fire Nation. Katara discovers that Hama is enacting her revenge by kidnapping civilians with Bloodbending, a dark technique which can only be used during a full moon by a skilled Waterbender. The resulting battle forces Katara to use the technique against Hama to save Aang and Sokka. | ||||||
| 49 | 9 | "Nightmares and Daydreams" | Ethan Spaulding | John O'Bryan | November 16, 2007 | 309 |
| The invasion is four days away, and Aang begins to feel nervous about confronting the Firelord. Feeling that he is unprepared, he trains constantly and loses sleep, causing him to hallucinate and have nightmares. After three straight days, it takes the collaboration of Sokka, Toph, and Katara to get him to finally sleep and feel confident about facing the Firelord. | ||||||
| 50 | 10 | "The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion" | Giancarlo Volpe | Michael Dante DiMartino | November 30, 2007 | 310 |
| On the day of the solar eclipse, many of the characters from the previous episodes reunite with the gang to help them fight and the invasion begins. Hakoda returns with a ragtag team of several allies whom the group has met during their adventures. Aang finally kisses Katara, as he is worried that he may not return. They successfully infiltrate the Fire Nation capital as the invasion force breaks through many security barriers. Upon reaching the Firelord's palace, the eclipse begins, but Aang finds no one home. | ||||||
| 51 | 11 | "The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse" | Joaquim dos Santos | Aaron Ehasz | November 30, 2007 | 311 |
| Sokka and Toph attempt to help Aang find the Firelord in time for the eclipse, but Azula and two Dai Li agents stall them and the eclipse passes before they can find him. Meanwhile, Zuko confronts his father and vows to help Aang defeat him. Ozai attempts to kill his son with lightning, but Zuko redirects it and escapes. Iroh frees himself from jail and disappears. The invasion force is captured, Aang and his friends flee on Appa and retreat to the Western Air Temple for safety as Zuko follows on an air balloon. | ||||||
| 52 | 12 | "The Western Air Temple" | Ethan Spaulding | Elizabeth Welch Ehasz & Tim Hedrick | 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. It is only after Zuko helps save them from Combustion Man that he receives their acceptance as Aang's Firebending teacher. However, Katara refuses to trust Zuko and threatens to kill him at the sign of any treachery. | ||||||
| 53 | 13 | "The Firebending Masters" | Giancarlo Volpe | John O'Bryan | July 15, 2008 | 313 |
| Zuko prepares to teach Aang Firebending, but for unknown reasons can't Firebend. He and Aang travel to the temples of the extinct Sun Warriors to learn about the ancient origin of Firebending. Zuko reveals to Aang that his grandfather caused the extinction of the dragons, the original Firebenders. After discovering the Sun Warrior culture still exists, Zuko and Aang are sent to see the Firebending Masters, later revealed to be the two last surviving dragons in the world. After teaching them the true nature of fire, namely as the gift of life, Zuko's powers are restored and Aang no longer fears Firebending. The culture of the Sun Warriors is a mix of Aztec, Thai, and Polynesian as shown by their dress, the Dragon Dance, their music, their respect for dragons, and their architecture. | ||||||
| 54 | 14 | "The Boiling Rock, Part 1" | Joaquim Dos Santos | May Chan | July 16, 2008 | 314 |
| Sokka and Zuko infiltrate the Fire Nation's top security prison, the Boiling Rock, in hopes of saving Sokka's father Hakoda. After realizing Hakoda wasn't held there and instead discovering Suki, Sokka and Zuko hatch a plan for the three of them to escape. Chit Sang, another prisoner, overhears the plan and joins their escape efforts. As they are nearing escape, a new batch of prisoners arrive, including Hakoda. Sokka, Zuko, and Suki decide to postpone escaping to save him while Chit Sang and two of his friends go ahead with the plan. | ||||||
| 55 | 15 | "The Boiling Rock, Part 2" | Ethan Spaulding | Joshua Hamilton | July 16, 2008 | 315 |
| Sokka, Zuko, Suki, and Chit Sang create new plans for escaping the prison after the original plan was foiled, involving Hakoda in their plans. They escape by creating a prison riot and kidnapping the warden. However, problems arrive in the form of Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee, who are visiting the prison. As the escape plan teeters on the verge of failure, Mai helps Zuko and the others escape. Mai boldly tells Azula "I love Zuko more than I fear you." Infuriated, Azula attacks Mai for her betrayal, but Ty Lee intervenes, rendering Azula temporarily unable to use her arms. Azula has them both imprisoned. | ||||||
| 56 | 16 | "The Southern Raiders" | Joaquim Dos Santos | Elizabeth Welch Ehasz | July 17, 2008 | 316 |
| The Avatar and his friends are forced on the run again after Azula finds them in the Western Air Temple. Zuko confronts Katara about her distrust of him and tries to gain her friendship. He decides to help Katara find the Fire Nation soldier responsible for killing her mother, despite Aang's warnings that violence is never the answer. Together they find the soldier known as Yan Rha (now retired), where Katara discovers that her mother died protecting her, the last waterbender in the tribe. Despite Katara's uncontrollable anger, she is unable to take revenge on him. Katara and Zuko leave, while Yan Rha falls on his knees, lamenting his wrongful past actions against her. After returning, Katara finally forgives Zuko. | ||||||
| 57 | 17 | "The Ember Island Players" | Giancarlo Volpe | Tim Hedrick, Josh Hamilton & John O'Bryan | July 18, 2008 | 317 |
| Sokka discovers that the Ember Island Players, a Fire Nation theatre group, is debuting a play based upon their 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 and the Firelord killing the Avatar, which triggers a standing ovation from the audience and fright from Aang. | ||||||
| 58 | 18 | "Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King" | Ethan Spaulding | Michael Dante DiMartino | July 19, 2008 | 318 |
| Aang has decided to fight the Firelord after Sozin's Comet passes. Zuko derails this plan by revealing that Ozai intends to raze the entire Earth-Kingdom continent while under its influence. The gang begins a frantic training regimen while Aang struggles with his responsibilities: his friends exhort 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 in the sea; the next day, his friends find June the Bounty Hunter to attempt to locate him again. Ozai bequeaths his throne to Azula and declares himself "Phoenix King," ruler of the known world, while Aang awakens on the unknown island now in the middle of the sea. | ||||||
| 59 | 19 | "Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters" | Giancarlo Volpe | Aaron Ehasz | July 19, 2008 | 319 |
| On the island, Aang seeks guidance from his past lives, but they too insist he must take action against the Firelord. The island turns out to be a giant lion-turtle, which gives Aang the guidance he has been seeking. After June is unable to find Aang, Zuko decides to ask June to find his uncle instead. After June leads them to the outer wall of Ba Sing Se, they meet King Bumi, Jeong Jeong, Master Pakku, and Master Piandao, who are members of the Order of the White Lotus. The group soon finds out that Iroh is their leader. After reuniting with Iroh, the team decides to split up and go in different directions to help stop the Fire Nation: Zuko and Katara will handle Azula at the capitol of the Fire Nation; Sokka, Suki and Toph will attempt to deflect the Fire Nation airships encroaching on the Earth Kingdom, and Iroh is to lead the Order in the liberation of Ba Sing Se. Sozin's Comet arrives and Phoenix King Ozai prepares to destroy the Earth Kingdom. | ||||||
| 60 | 20 | "Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno" | Joaquim dos Santos | Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko | July 19, 2008 | 320 |
| Azula's mental stability, undermined by the betrayal of her friends at the Boiling Rock, begins to deteriorate as her coronation as Firelord approaches. Zuko and Katara confront her right when she is about to be crowned Firelord, but Azula challenges her brother to an Agni Kai. Zuko, although initially winning, is gravely injured when Azula throws lighting at Katara and he dives in the way. Aang duels Ozai without result, still unwilling to kill him. Sokka, Toph, and Suki attempt to halt the Airship fleet but are soon separated, while the Order of the White Lotus battles for Ba Sing Se's freedom. | ||||||
| 61 | 21 | "Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang" | Joaquim dos Santos | Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko | July 19, 2008 | 321 |
| Ozai accidentally causes Aang to enter the Avatar State. The Order of the White Lotus successfully liberates Ba Sing Se, while Sokka, Suki and Toph disable all of the Airships. Katara freezes and chains Azula down, triggering a psychotic breakdown in Azula, then uses her healing abilities to revive a severely wounded Zuko. Aang easily overwhelms Ozai, yet still refuses to kill him. Aang uses his knowledge from the lion-turtle—a new type of bending (described as "Energybending" on the Nickelodeon website)—to strip Ozai of his Firebending, defeating the Phoenix King without taking his life. Newly appointed Firelord Zuko declares the war over, and Aang and his friends celebrate together at Iroh's tea shop in Ba Sing Se. Zuko and Mai reconcile officially, and Zuko confronts his father, asking where his mother is being kept. Ozai's answer is not shown, which leaves the only cliffhanger. Aang and Katara kiss before a sunset, thus ending the series. | ||||||
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.[16] They are released by Paramount Home Entertainment. Each of the individual Season Three DVDs also comes complete with an exclusive comic book.[17] 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.[18] The boxed set was released on February 1, 2010 in the UK.[5]
| Volume | Discs | Episodes | Region 1 release | Region 2 release | Region 4 release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 5 | 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 | 6 | July 29, 2008 | Not released | November 04, 2010[22] |
| Box set | 5[23] | 21[23] | September 16, 2008 | February 1, 2010[5] | December 02, 2010 |
The final part of the planned The Last Airbender trilogy is expected to be based on Book Three with the main cast of the first and second films and M. Night Shyamalan to return as director, writer and producer.
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