you really never stood a chance
I've been meaning to post about this, but am just now setting myself down to do so. If anyone's been following the continued fail of the Avatar movie, you'll know that they changed the abilities of firebenders significantly. Now, instead of using the sun to power their bending and being able to generate flame, they must have a fire source nearby to bend. They shoot those giant, flaming cannonballs to ensure that they have a source of fire with which to attack.
Now, this drastically changes the abilities of firebenders. First of all, allowing them to generate flame evened the playing field against the benders whose elements were naturally in almost every environment, with few exceptions. (In the case of an airbender, no exceptions) Allowing the firebenders the ability to generate flame by using the sun as a source of power made sense with the mythos of the series as well, adding a solar spirituality to the nation. So, wise choice on both a practical and storytelling level. Now that the firebenders have been weakened so much, I ask the question. How the fuck are they winning this war?
Now, I can almost see them winning against the Earth Kingdom. They have plenty of trees and bushes and flammable houses to burn and provide fire sources for. The Fire Nation would still have the superior technology to aid them with the battle. However, they would not have won their battles with the South Pole. If they need a fire source, and they have to rely on shooting balls of flame at their ice and snow-encrusted area and hope that somehow, it will stick? No. The Fire Nation's benders would be effectively neutralized. The waterbenders would immediately quench any flames that weren't already quenched by the nonflammable environment. Without bending, Water Tribe warriors against Fire Nation soldiers has been shown to be a fairly equal fight.
Add that to a full army of waterbenders. Southern Tribe included their female waterbenders into their fighting forces, effectively doubling their number of warriors. Their numbers would never have dwindled to such an extent if we take the weaknesses of the new Fire Nation into consideration. That, at least, would have stretched out the resistance of the South Pole to at most equal to that of the North Pole, and at least would have made it so we see a mostly-populated South Pole at wartime when Aang comes to.
Thoughts?
Now, this drastically changes the abilities of firebenders. First of all, allowing them to generate flame evened the playing field against the benders whose elements were naturally in almost every environment, with few exceptions. (In the case of an airbender, no exceptions) Allowing the firebenders the ability to generate flame by using the sun as a source of power made sense with the mythos of the series as well, adding a solar spirituality to the nation. So, wise choice on both a practical and storytelling level. Now that the firebenders have been weakened so much, I ask the question. How the fuck are they winning this war?
Now, I can almost see them winning against the Earth Kingdom. They have plenty of trees and bushes and flammable houses to burn and provide fire sources for. The Fire Nation would still have the superior technology to aid them with the battle. However, they would not have won their battles with the South Pole. If they need a fire source, and they have to rely on shooting balls of flame at their ice and snow-encrusted area and hope that somehow, it will stick? No. The Fire Nation's benders would be effectively neutralized. The waterbenders would immediately quench any flames that weren't already quenched by the nonflammable environment. Without bending, Water Tribe warriors against Fire Nation soldiers has been shown to be a fairly equal fight.
Add that to a full army of waterbenders. Southern Tribe included their female waterbenders into their fighting forces, effectively doubling their number of warriors. Their numbers would never have dwindled to such an extent if we take the weaknesses of the new Fire Nation into consideration. That, at least, would have stretched out the resistance of the South Pole to at most equal to that of the North Pole, and at least would have made it so we see a mostly-populated South Pole at wartime when Aang comes to.
Thoughts?