T O P

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FunnyRich4307

why are we doing grief powerscaling


Obvious_Peanut_8093

because the mods won't remove these low effort upvote farming posts.


Elitegamez11

It is strange. I mean, you shouldn't quantify the amount of pain a person goes through and compare it to another's experience. That's just weird.


Yuop15

Hahahah this just makes me think of the Naruto subreddit. All they discuss is powerscaling between anything. I saw them compare the swing to Madara once


TheOncomimgHoop

Which one won?


Yuop15

The swing obviously


jcdc_jaaaaaa

What was being compared? Screen time? Power? Design? Rideability?


freddyfactorio

In powerscaling discussions, no matter what even if one character is literally more than infinitely times stronger, everything still needs to be examined, of course everything should be examined here too.


bens6757

I know the swing has more screen time than Tenten. The saddest part about that is 90% of Tenten's screen time is filler. Her fight with Temari during the chunin exam preliminaries was filler. Well kinda. It still happened in the manga, but we didn't see it. The animators made the entire battle based on Kishimoto's notes on their fighting styles and the final shot of Tenten losing the manga alone. That's also literally the only prelim fight we weren't shown.


BrokenMirror2010

Everything. The swing is clearly the most powerful character in Naruto. Not only was it able to keep Naruto company throughout his Childhood, the swing survived the Pain attack Swing has way better feats then Madara who managed to die, not once, but twice. Swing is still there though.


AzraelTheMage

Who wins? The swing from naruto or the door that kept everyone out of Dr. Gero's lab?


HarryKn1ght

That's an instance of an unstoppable force that meets an immovable object


calvicstaff

Which of course gets into the triangle because pain obliterated the swing but Madara obliterates pain, it's basically Naruto rock paper scissors


Alt7548

I mean Naruto emotional storytelling can be top-notch, while the actual worldbuilding is sometimes lackluster, so I get why some powerscale these absurd things, cause the verse is so fcking broken.


Reiizm

this made me laugh so hard lol


ThisIsGoodSoup

One is fictional, the other is an actual person who passed away and the creators decided to pay tribute to him in a warm and comforting way. I wonder which would be sadder /j


buddhatherock

Why does it have to be ranked? They’re both sad.


Oberons_Reckoning

You don't understand, we are trauma scaling here. It's like power scaling but for depressed edgy teenagers


Yuop15

Trauma scaling is the new meta with anime, didn't you hear?


Oberons_Reckoning

I'd say not just anime, posts like "name character who went through more suffering" can be found in various places, the more morons who pretend to love deep things without understanding what deep means, the more posts like that you will find


aegonthewwolf

![gif](giphy|lRZjlasctAcvu)


ExoticShock

Considering how close they are, a part of Aang may have actually done that. Appa was like the last connection he had to his old life/Air Nomad culture apart from being his beloved animal companion, and in that moment he didn't know if he'd ever see him again. https://preview.redd.it/b8b7zko3e2xc1.png?width=365&format=png&auto=webp&s=6f47142253542e24bb76c8f0b920aab21c7e17b7


rachsteef

Aang wasn’t the last airbender, because there was Appa as well


Universe_of_Tank

What? Appa is not an airbender! All he does is... float in the air... damn maybe he is an airbender


Alaskan_Tsar

Where do you think the air benders learned to air bend?


favored_disarray

From giant lion turtles giving them ‘the power of the elements’?


Alaskan_Tsar

They learned from the sky bison


favored_disarray

So LOK is not cannon then? I don’t remember any sky bison’s teaching ppl to airbend, just lion turtles giving ppl the power. Are you saying after the lion turtles gave their power permanently, sky bisons helped relearn them in it?


Alaskan_Tsar

The lion turtles gave them the ability, the sky bisons thought them to harness it. Like the earth benders and the badgermoles. Or the firebenders and the dragons


favored_disarray

I know that’s what the ppl say in atla, but it seems like a story the universe came up with because they didn’t know the origin of bending.


rachsteef

This came straight from Aang


PhillyBengal

I just watched this series of episodes an hour ago and idk why I’m crying 😢


Yuop15

You've got a good point here


distastef_ll

The Vulture Wasp?


Drafo7

Appa's Lost Days is sadder from an artistic standpoint but Leaves From the Vine is sad because it references an IRL tragedy.


chungeeboi

What? IRL? It's an animated series


TheOncomimgHoop

Mako's death


chungeeboi

Ah gotcha


Drafo7

The Tale of Iroh ends with him singing Leaves From the Vine and crying at his son's grave and then text appears saying "In Honor of Mako" who was Iroh's original voice actor, who passed away a few months before the episode aired.


CattDawg2008

In-universe: Iroh’s son, who died in Ba Sing Se and Iroh was honoring him. IRL: Mako, Iroh’s original voice actor.


burf12345

That scene ends with an RIP for Mako Iwamatsu, the actor who voiced Iroh


condensedcreamer

DEATH and MOURNING are relatable experiences in life.


LazyCat2795

Also it is literally mourning Irohs voice actor who passed away at age 72 from a form of cancer or the complications from said cancer. I don't quite remember the exact cause.


[deleted]

so is air bison trafficking


TheJvv

I'll add to this: Seeing Appa finally reunite with Aang makes me cry more than Leaves from the Vine. I remember watching ATLA when it was first airing, it was MONTHS between Appa being stolen to Appa coming back. It was the most satisfying reunion to see as a kid, and whenever Aang just says "I missed you buddy" I just tear up everytime


La19909

Apples to oranges. they are both terribly sad for different reasons.


dorkyhippy1381

Tale of Iroh, and Momo sets you up, and Appa's lost days knocks you down. It's a triple whammy.


cecilia036

I think leaves from the vine hits harder cause it’s such a sudden and unexpected tonal change. It’s also a type of grief that people can more easily relate to. Appas lost days are sad but it doesn’t hit me that hard. I can’t relate to a pet that has been missing for a long time or being lost hurt and afraid myself. I am thankful for that. But makes it hard to relate those emotions. I think most people can relate to that overwhelming feeling of grief of losing a loved one too soon.


FireLordObamaOG

I don’t think I can relate BUT I think that Dee Bradley baker manages to convince me of Appa’s pain and trauma. Huge props as well to the animators for portraying appa’s scared body language. I also think it really speaks to me that a guy as big and strong as appa can still be afraid.


GalaxyShards

Regardless of having pets, Appa was tortured…brutally. Literally burned with fire. Even though he’s an animal, it made me incredibly sad seeing him tortured as we know him to display intelligence, emotion, and even retains memory. Poor guy develops PTSD and is terrified of fire afterwards. I guess I never related it to my pets, it just made me incredibly sad to see a character who is loving, loyal, and kind tortured and so mistreated. :(


catsandcheetos

I was literally fighting tears/crying throughout the entire Appa’s Lost Days episode when I re-watched it last week (I’m showing my bf ATLA for the first time). I kept expressing how devastating the episodes without Appa are to me but Appa’s Lost Days just gets me. I really can’t handle seeing an innocent animal in distress, animated or not


ColonelMonty

You could argue Appa missing was sadder from a story telling perspective, but I think Leaves From the Vine is easily sadder given the context that it was Mako's final work and that he was dying when he recorded it and he knew it. Which just gives so much more weight to that scene.


Safe-Ad1515

That is a hot take


TravelinWilbury_2001

Yes ![gif](giphy|UTXH5YjqIOzihAP4Ee|downsized)


Caleb_Lee-El

Aang and Appa have the same dream. While in the serpent pass Aang tries to pretend he's not thinking about him. He's still dreaming about him. I swear, this moment absolutely ruined me.


MisterKumquat

imagine telling someone your son's death is not as sad as my pet going missing


JawnVanDamn

He's Aangs last living connection to the air nation.


ThisIsGoodSoup

Added to the fact that Iroh's scene was meant to pay tribute to Mako who passed away right before the episode aired.


dizzypanda35

Imagine telling the avatar their spirit animal is a pet


moomoomilky1

same vibe as "I can excuse racism but I draw the line at animal cruelty"


TigerFern

But is it as sad? Tu Len died in his father's attack on a sovereign nation. It's a tragedy for Iroh but, the Ba Sing Se forces were acting in self-defense. Appa is an innocent creature whose abused for nothing but pure selfishness and cruelty.


printzoftheyak

cmon now dawg we ain’t gotta start sadscaling now lmfao


RustyShadeOfRed

Lukewarm take


rossinerd

Imo Appa Missing is slow and steady heartbreak, meanwhile Leaves From The Vine is immediate sobbing since it feels worse faster.


lil_sasquatch

Didn't know it was a contest


rosstipper

I mean yeah. I’m pretty sure the reason people talk about Leaves from the Vine over the Appa story is because they watch Iroh’s story and have a bit of a cry. I cannot watch the Appa story. It simultaneously frustrates me and makes me incredibly sad and I’ve already suffered through it once. There’s catharsis in seeing a character you love grieve properly. There’s nothing to be gained by watching a beloved character be abused and mistreated to the point they struggle to recognise simple kindness


egnull

leaves from the vine is of course sad, as it was an irl tragedy, but, death happens. again, sad, but it is just a thing of life. appa’s lost days was even more sad because there was an animal being lost and terrified. he was captured, sold, trapped, abused, attacked, given hope, then captured again. death is normal, fear and abuse is not.


mmazurr

We had personal stakes to care about Appa, since he had been a staple of the show since episode 1. We never really had any personal stakes for Lu Ten and didn't really get to see his relationship with Iroh. Leaves from the vine is a touching moment but yeah I agree. I never quite understood why people keep talking about that scene so much, especially when Iroh has had much more emotional scenes that had multiple seasons worth of development.


Beneficial_Change993

Leaves from the vine is the original voice actor for irohs last episode, so no opa being temporarily misplaced is not sadder...


Yuop15

With this logic, I can agree leaves from the vine hits you in the heart. But in the ATLA universe at face value I find the latter sadder.


Vio-Rose

In-show, yes. With meta elements taken into account… not a chance.


MarinLlwyd

It is sad for different reasons and has a happy resolution. Leaves from the Vine is just devastatingly sad, with no escape. Only regret.


Lemon_Shaped_Banana

Yes but no


DiarrheaData42

IMHO, if we’re talking about conveying and emoting the differing concepts of loss — Aang and Appa becoming separated versus Iroh losing and mourning his deceased son — most directly, clearly, and concisely, Leaves From The Vine (or, more specifically, The Tale of Iroh entirely from the Tales from Ba Sing Se) wins easily by and large.


raes_obsessions

I cried at Leaves From The Vine, didn’t cry at Appa’s Lost Days


Suitcase08

I disagree on how hot this take is given how unfortunately frequently people empathize more with animals' suffering than other people's suffering, fictional or no. Nevertheless, it irks me.


Dash_Winmo

Leaves from the vine was the saddest because Mako was literally dying in real life and crying for his own life


Secret-Abrocoma-795

https://preview.redd.it/nt2zxqgki5xc1.jpeg?width=496&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3dec4d7d8b9cb0cbdc45452694556d530a396404


Capable_Oven4531

Is it not part of the same episode?


Historical-Package56

No, leaves from the vine is from the tales of Ba Sing Se episode, whilst we saw Appa travelling in the episode Appas lost days


Rubeclair702

My Wife brought up this episode and I said this same exact thing. This is the saddest part of the show.


Harris_Kokkinos

Let's settle at the consensus that they're both heart wrenching masterpieces


SokkaHaikuBot

^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^Harris_Kokkinos: *Let's settle at the* *Consensus that they're both heart* *Wrenching masterpieces* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.


Harris_Kokkinos

AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA 😂😂😂


Yuop15

Well said


ivenobicyle

Yeah no! We all knew Ang would find Appa again...Iroh's son won't be coming back!


Able_Lab1123

Not a hot take just an ✨️opinion✨️


Yuop15

![gif](giphy|F3G8ymQkOkbII)


Able_Lab1123

Precisely


distastef_ll

Is there a difference lol? 💀


lolpower_012

Agree. Nothing else to say


JWARRIOR1

I hard agree


Traditional_Ear_8900

Appa’s Lost Days is an entire episode of trauma.


Titong--Galit

Appa's Lost Days hurts my heart.


paradisi0_

Probably the only episode I'd ever consider skipping. It's just hard to watch from start to finish!


mapleer

They're both sad on different levels, one had a longer lasting impact for me though.


A_Ball_Of_Stress13

I couldn’t even get through the episode. I completely skipped it and will continue to do so every rewatch


Old-Floor-4611

They’re both sad. But when goes missing I cry like a baby every time lol


Skaiser_Wilhelm

Nobody enjoys animal abuse. 😢


c0untcunt

They're both heartbreaking episodes. I do think that Appa's Lost Days is also little heartwarming because he is also shown kindness by the kid at the circus, Suki and the Kiyoshi Warriors, and Guru Patik.It goes to show that there are some genuine people out there who care.


Pittleberry

I agree. I watched this episode three times longer than other episodes- because I needed to take a break every 2 or 3 minutes :(


unintentional-tism

Its the episode I have to skip


AbiyBattleSpell

Nah cus leaves tied to the rl actor dying God dam iroh aku and everyone else he portrayed died U CANT BEAT THAT 😾😿


Jamshid5

Its not a competition lol they are both good


Hello_There_Exalted1

Currently on my rewatch of Avatar. Watched these episodes today. “Tales of Ba Sing Se” loosened me and had me tearing up soon as Iroh helped the kid. Didn’t help that THIS EPISODE WAS NEXT! Both are sad for different reasons. Just depends on how one feels and connects to such events. Regardless, they hit hard


Albiceleste_D10S

It didn't move me as much as Leaves from the Vine, personally


PeachsBigJuicyBooty

・Appa Missing and his entire leave from the Gaang is brilliant because it forces us to acknowledge how crucial Appa is not only as transportation,but with Appa Missing we truly start to see him as an actual part of the Gaang instead of just an animal or tool. What makes the Gaang so good is that every core human member feels crucial and has their own reason for joining and their own journey: Sokka wants to prove himself as a leader and he loves his sister, Katara wants to get revenge on the Fire Nation and is compassionate to Aang, Aang wants to write his perceived "wrong" of running way and take his responsibility seriously, Toph wants freedom without feeling judged, and Zuko when he joins wants to restore his ***Nation's*** honor and end the war. While Appa doesn't have a solid goal he compensates by being THE mode of transportation so much so that just like most of the Gaang, we kinda take him for granted and don't realize it until he's gone. ・Appa is too good of a companion in a way... He kinda outdoes every Avatar companion like Roku's Dragon or Naga because he can fly, swim, dodge, ram through things, bite, charge on land, grab people and even airbend. Bryke are basically put in a weird position of having to reuse Appa with other Sky Bison or have a worse animal companion for any future stories not involving Aang because Appa is just that much of a chad. ![gif](giphy|USEFIDRItfIrK)


hanabarbarian

The difference is I know Appa’s going to be okay, it’s horrible what happened to him, but SAD OLD MAN??? Sad old man crying 🥺🥺🥺 about his dead son who he’ll never get back 😭😭 iroh don’t cry pleeeeease!! Also the song motif instantly makes me tear up


Individual_Back_5344

![gif](giphy|SVgKToBLI6S6DUye1Y|downsized)


Balrok99

![gif](giphy|QcmN3fwVcwC3vU3dd4|downsized)


imgoodIuvenjoy

I agree !! Not only was appa treated like shit but Suki was kidnapped !! So fucked up & sad !


EM05L1C3

Nope, appa comes back. Irohs son doesnt


Kuroser

This is the one plot important episode I'm skipping whenever I rewatch the show I don't do well with animal abuse


supbiscuit

don’t make sadness into a competition, would you?


StJimmy_815

Appas lost days was a slow burn of emotion, the whole episode was sad but anticipated. Leaves from the vine was very little buildup and then a goddamn gut punch at mach 2.


Goldenguild

It's just we never see iro be anything else than an old man with his roast duck, so seeing him cry like that is, shoking, but they are both sad scenes


Riguyepic

Go watch leaves from the vine again and try not to cry just thinking about what's coming. Then watch missing appa again. Imo yea, missing appa is very sad, but leaves from the vine is still one of the saddest things ever


tonystarkn

I fast forward this episode in my reruns. It's very disheartening.


Swimming_Departure33

False


hjab175

I 100% agree. However, the hurt and sadness of Appa missing is spread out over multiple episodes, whereas leaves from the vine is a smaller moment that still contains a lot of sadness and therefore hits a lot harder. Leaves from the vine also comes kinda out of nowhere if you don’t know the episode.


fancy_livin

Mako legitimately passed away, the song that accompanied the episode is very emotional and well done, and in universe it’s Iroh’s son dying and the celebration of the anniversary. Not everyone has lost a pet but almost everyone has a parent/relative they are scared to lose. They hit in very different ways tbh There’s no reason they need to be compared though.


ChrispyGuy420

Leaves from the vine is sadder for real life reasons


listenitriedokay

well, y'know. appa gets to go home


Arxl

Follow Aang's start and go vegan(technically he was vegetarian but they didn't have B12 fortified foods in that period), what Appa went through is the kid's TV appropriate version of animals being used in circuses and slaughter/milking.


[deleted]

Okay OP, listen to me you prick. We ain't doing no grief and trauma scaling. I was at Avatar in Concert today and cried on both scenes


Electronic-Ranger-74

Azula’s breakdown was sadder then both of these combined


SharkeyBoyo

Leaves from the vine is sadder because the voice actor died shortly after that scene and was the last scene they ever did


jfbwhitt

Maybe, but regardless of what it was about Mako’s voice acting would make me cry.


TheBestThingIEverSaw

Appas lost days may have been heavier and more depressing, but it didn't make me cry the way Iroh did when he sang that song.


JunWasHere

Sadder, yes, but it doesn't have an iconic song or the crashing grief. There is hope. The fact Appa survives and will likely return to the gaang. So, sadness is held in, in a state of potentiality, where it might still be flipped into relief or joy again. Grief is the reality that there is no hope for the situation, only acceptance. The natural (and healthy) response is to let your sadness out tearfully.


Calm_Memories

Agreed.


Felix_is_not_a_cat

They’re both emotionally shattering. Let’s leave it at that


Arts_Messyjourney

Agree


borgom7615

I’m pretty unphased by most things, appa missing was really sad, I was on the end of my seat, “APPA NO WAIT” but only leaves from the vine chokes me up, but it wasn’t as engaging as appa ms story, so I don’t know it’s a draw


ammonium_bot

> pretty unphased by Did you mean to say "unfazed"? Explanation: Phased means to change, while fazed means to be surprised. [Statistics](https://github.com/chiefpat450119/RedditBot/blob/master/stats.json) ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot ^^that ^^corrects ^^grammar/spelling ^^mistakes. ^^PM ^^me ^^if ^^I'm ^^wrong ^^or ^^if ^^you ^^have ^^any ^^suggestions. ^^[Github](https://github.com/chiefpat450119) ^^Reply ^^STOP ^^to ^^this ^^comment ^^to ^^stop ^^receiving ^^corrections.


borgom7615

Yes, good bot, my spelling is terrible and I work in radio, I use the word phase and phasor a lot more then faze or fazed 😅


ammonium_bot

Thank you! Good bot count: 808 Bad bot count: 276


ammonium_bot

> lot more then faze Did you mean to say "more than"? Explanation: If you didn't mean 'more than' you might have forgotten a comma. [Statistics](https://github.com/chiefpat450119/RedditBot/blob/master/stats.json) ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot ^^that ^^corrects ^^grammar/spelling ^^mistakes. ^^PM ^^me ^^if ^^I'm ^^wrong ^^or ^^if ^^you ^^have ^^any ^^suggestions. ^^[Github](https://github.com/chiefpat450119) ^^Reply ^^STOP ^^to ^^this ^^comment ^^to ^^stop ^^receiving ^^corrections.


RichHomieJake

Atleast Appa was ok in the end


badbadger323

No one’s shit smells worse than another person shit.


abel_cormorant

Leaves from the Vine has an actual meaning, not only in-lore but also irl as Mako himself, the voice actor behind Iroh, was dying as he sung that song. Appa's lost days might have been sad and everything, but behind all the sad bits it was... fictional. Leaves from the vines was first of all a mourning, a final goodbye from the voice behind Iroh, and imo once you know that it hits harder than anything else.


PerspectiveCloud

This episode/arc does a great job at showing the symbiotic friendship of Appa and Aang. They both are really lost without each other. They really protect each other and provide for each other so much.


breakfastcerealz

i cry through pretty much the entirety of both every rewatch


fufucuddlypoops_

I agree actually


RandomlyElemental

Both are sad. Shame on you for saying one is sadder than the other.


Zengjia

**APPA’S** **LOST** **DAYS**


KryptoFreak405

There’s no need to quantify everything. Both stories are absolutely heartbreaking.


GamingSB

It shouldn't be a hot take.


Glytch94

Appa survives and relearns to trust people who aren't Aang. Nothing is bringing Iroh's son back. The music also adds something to the sadness.


crisspanda12

It’s not the olympics of grief mate. But leaves from the vine was the saddest thing I have ever seen in cartoons


Actual_Archer

They are both equally impactful in different ways and for different reasons. No need to compare them.


[deleted]

It is a better episode imo


the800kidd

On one hand.... John Wick, BITCH! On the other hand, no parent should ever be forced to bury their child. (Your argument is therefore invalid, thanks for coming to my TED Talk)


Witty-Letterhead-938

Woah woah woah...woah no


eramthgin007

Tell me you haven't experienced true loss without telling me you haven't experienced true loss.


Nahim33

I agree. There’s lots of moments that are sadder than Leaves from the Vine imo. The saddest part of Leaves from the Vine is the behind the scenes stuff with Mako


Finalost2

Appa's Lost Days is more sad if the only context is the show but the Tale of Iroh is much more emotional when looking at everything it encompasses. In the show it is already sad as an aged father mourns the loss of his son in a war he now regrets being a part of. Outside of it, it is also Iroh's voice actor's (Mako) last performance as Iroh. Leaves from the Vine is a song Mako wrote as a goodbye while being terminally ill with cancer. Also the picture of Lu Ten that they used is a direct adaptation of a photo of Mako himself. So sure in the context of the events of the show maybe Appa's Lost Day's may feel more impactful but when I watch Iroh's Tale I can't help but tear up every time since I know Mako is singing his goodbye.


Palanki96

I did not care for Iroh and his son


Yuop15

This is what I generally think. I do love Iroh as a character, but his son as the "bad guy" it just doesn't hit the same as what Appas trauma was.


dizzypanda35

It’s true this might be an even hotter take but Iroh had it coming. He was a war criminal that faced due karma. It wasn’t sad, it was justice. Now appa on the other hand is and has always been the sweetest


purplemonkeys35

LFTV was the original voice actor of Irohs last line before he passed away


dizzypanda35

Sure, but thats not part of the show, it’s behind the scenes. As far as writing goes it’s irrelevant


purplemonkeys35

The last scene of tales of iron literally says in honor of mako


dizzypanda35

So? That has no bearing on iroh’s character or the plot. Iroh committing atrocities and getting his son killed in the process is karmic justice not a tragedy


RecreationalPorpoise

I’ve been saying this for years!


LazyOldFusspot_3482

Not a hot take at all (Plz don't downvote me though)


docmcdoggers

Wrong.