An epic fan video reimagines Zuko and Azula’s final fight from Avatar: The Last Airbender in live-action form. One of the main highlights of Avatar is the concept of bending, or when a person can manipulate one of the four elements for either everyday purposes or fighting. Each bending style is unique and based on a real-life martial arts form, and they’ve led to some really remarkable fight scenes. This pivotal one between siblings Zuko and Azula takes place in Avatar’s final episode, “Sozin’s Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang”.
Zuko and Azula’s rivalry is well established by the time their climatic battle comes about. The two siblings were always in competition thanks to their power-hungry father Ozai, and the rift grew even wider when Zuko made the decision to align himself with the Avatar and his friends. In the final episode, while Aang confronts Ozai, Zuko must stop Azula from taking control of the Fire Nation. This leads to an Agni Kai, or a traditional duel for honor. The Zuko vs Azula Agni Kai is widely considered one of the highlights of Avatar, which is likely why it was selected for this fan video.
The video was created by RE:Anime, a team that turns anime sequences into live-action. The Zuko and Azula fight was shared a few months ago and is by far the biggest Avatar video they’ve made yet. Much of the scene matches what was shown in the animated series, but the ending takes a slightly different turn. You can see it for yourself in the space below.
There was previously an attempt to bring Avatar to the big screen in live-action form with 2010’s The Last Airbender. However, it was a notoriously bad effort, with fans walking away largely displeased with the decisions made. It actually says a lot that this fan made video is far better than The Last Airbender for several reasons. Not only are all the actors people of color, but the bending actually matches up with what was seen in the animated series. It’s safe to say the people of RE:Anime understand Avatar far better than those involved with The Last Airbender.
Avatar will get another shot at live-action glory with a Netflix series, which is currently in the works with original creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. There have been few updates on that project beyond the simple fact that it is happening, but the success of Avatar‘s presence on Netflix might help speed things up. Hopefully when it comes time to shoot, those working on Avatar: The Last Airbender hew closer to the fan video than the movie.
