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Avatar the Last Airbender

[Disclaimer: will content spoiler]

Azula

Azula is one of the greatest antagonists for the series and she managed to show how incredible and capable of a villain she is. A little bit of her backstory, she is the perfect daughter of Fire Lord Ozai, an instant favourite from the two siblings due to her talented bending skills comparing to her brother, Zuko. She grew up elite and royalty with perfection of every skill such as master manipulation, mastered fire bending and lighting bending, qualified to be a general with an iron fist and capable of ruling fire nation. She got everything, from her father’s attention to the heir on the throne, comparing to her brother, she was the fire bending prodigy. Throughout the series, she is an incredible villain and her role played perfectly, she managed to make the viewers feel hatred every time she appeared in an episode.

“She’s a fire bending prodigy. My father said she’s born lucky. He says I’m lucky to be born”

-          Zuko, Avatar the Last Airbender.

Indeed, she is the greatest threat and antagonist in the Avatar series but when we get to analyze her behaviour, she is just a broken misguided child growing up without love and an identity. She was perfect in the eyes of her father and was praised that she was born the perfect, to use for her father’s master plans. She was honoured to become her father’s favourite and will do anything to please him. Why is she doing this for the father that doesn’t show love to her?

Perhaps its because she sees him as powerful and admirable or because she is scared of him due to the punishment, he did to Zuko. It is easy to be blinded and manipulated by a parental figure, in Azula’s case, she was devoted to him. All she wanted was his attention so she become the person whom her father expects her to be which is nobody. Ozai’s parental dehumanized Azula that she became the monster that she believed she is without the support of her mother, Ursa and her uncle, Iroh, she is a nobody but a fire bending prodigy and her father’s perfect puppet.

As the series unfolded, we could see her development, - it was heart-breaking to watch – after her father told her that he does not need her anymore. I feel like at that moment, she felt like she lost something meaningful to her but she felt unfamiliar feeling, the empathy by the heart. She was lost. She got so used to following her father’s orders that she doesn’t know what else to do besides that. She lost her friends, her family and she got no one but herself. She was mentally unstable to the point where she hallucinating her mother talking to her. She was supposed to be perfect, she was supposed to be the prodigy, its frustrating for her to feel the way she felt at that moment. Human.

She hasn’t felt like a human in a long time. Now when she needed someone, no one was there to tell her it is okay to feel defeated, it’s okay to be the way she is but now it is too late for that. She pushes everyone away.

What breaks my heart more is when she falls crying and screaming as she roars out her beautiful blue fire after the defeated by Zuko in the Agni Kai. It was her breaking point. Do you think that Azula have the chance for a redemption like her brother?

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DiMartino, M. & Konietzko, B. (2005). Avatar the Last Airbender [Animated television series]. Nickkelodeon Animation Studio.

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsLI7dmvZlE

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Naturo

[Disclaimer: will content spoiler]

Uchiha Itachi

 Naruto is an anime series that I grew up watching and love to watch again but I couldn’t bare the cringe that the series give me. But overall, the series does give me good kind of nostalgic feelings as it helped me developed more of my imaginations and creativity such as drawing and writing.

Uchiha Itachi, my first thought of him was that he is one of the bad guys in the series when he got first introduced. As the series goes on, there was an explanation why he is seen as a bad person in the point of view of a viewer or reader, - if you preferred to read the manga – as a first impression context, ‘He executed his whole clan as well as his own parents but leaving his brother alive’. That sounded like a pretty intense and edgy character typically in the early 2000s anime.

Itachi is more than what he is shown in the series. In my point of view, he did everything he could in the name of peace and left his brother alive because he planned him to become a hero when his little brother defeats him one day.

At the young age, he is a genius and managed to be the top rank in school and after witnessing a war, he thinks like a Hokage, devoted himself towards Konoha. But due to his clan, he is unable to be part of the council or be a candidate of becoming a Hokage so he works as a middle person for the village and his clan. Thus, Shimura Danzo took interest in this young talented shinobu and uses Itachi for his own selfish desire. Being loyal to the Konoha, Itachi does as he ask without a question. That is a major decision made by him, I bet there’s some complicated feelings when he thought through of this decision making; either Konoha or his own blood. His father did say that he was only there to be the third person for the clan and the village and only noticed then Itachi did something to benefit his clan.

After he fulfilled the order, he was instructed to do, he was called a traitor to both his clan and his village. The same village that he was devoted and loyal to, he ran away ashamed of his own actions. For years, he’s been carrying the guilt of his action but what he did not noticed is that he saved a lot of great shinobu’s lifes, he created a great oppourtunities for future shinobu.

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Kishimoto, M. (1999) Naruto [Japanese Manga Series]. Kishimoto Masashi.

Video URL: https://youtu.be/4D6as7R0OGM

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Kung Fu Panda

[Disclaimer: will contain spoiler and trigger warning: will make you feel like you’re being called out. Apologies in advance]

TAI LUNG

After, I watched Kung Fu Panda again in my 20s hits differently and a particular character caught my attention throughout the movie. Tai Lung, the pressured prodigy who have been fed with expectations from Master Shifu. After watching the video, I found in Youtube, it opened my perspective towards why he behaves the way he behaved throughout the movie.

As a person who also experiences expectations from a parental figure, it could change us as a person without an identity to portray ourselves as. Our identity is solely based on what our parental figures is proud of and us as a student or a child want to have their approval that they are proud of us for what we are. This mentality that has been planted into us as it shaped us to have high expectations in achievements, with the sole reason to have approval from the mentor.

“Shifu believed in him. He said he was destined for greatness”

-          Tigress narrating to Po, Kung Fu Panda.

Everyone grew up differently in different conditions and unique perspectives, not every person who has experience this will turn bad or ‘antagonist’ in real life but if you were to be told by your parents that you are supposed to be someone who they wanted you to be. Then you failed to achieve their expectations and see their disappointing face instead of them trying to comfort you, - it’s heart breaking. But in Tai Lung’s case, he lost it.

He rages a village on fire unable to accept the fact that he is not great enough to be the Dragon Warrior like Shifu believed. He found his way back to the Jade Palace to get the scroll by force but he was sealed away in prison for 20 years before returning. The scene where he broke out of prison is incredible, Tai Lung is Shifu’s greatest student but – sad that it’s too late to save him from the darkness that had consumed him.

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Stevenson, J. (Director). (2008). Kung Fu Panda [Movie Film]. DreamWorks Animation.

Video URL: https://youtu.be/OIlFLrUZQtQ

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MASS EFFECT

[Disclaimer: will content spoiler]

 Saren Arterius

 As the main antagonist for Mass Effect, he did a good job on presenting his motive throughout the game. He is an arrogant spectre who takes his pride of his every move under the administration of the Council. His ruthless drive is caused by his hatred towards the human race since the Turian army lost the First Contact War. Unable to comprehend his race defeat, he grew salty and feel the need for improvement to establish dominance again. This behavior can be seen in the comic, Mass Effect: Revelation, where he is high ambition on gathering information made him do questionable decisions, for the pride of this own species.

In the comic, he can be seen to torturing his enemies to gather information and this violent action continues throughout his mission. Around this time, his idea on introducing Captain Anderson of the Human Alliance to the Council as a Spectre is contradicting his hate towards humans. Saren could have not exposed Anderson’s capable abilities to the Council and let the history of the Council Spectre clean record of human. But this position did not fulfill by Anderson until Commander Shepard (the player) came around.

Now, what makes Saren a misunderstood character? Its clearly seem that it is his choice to become the bad guy. Well, he is a Turian who is trained to follow orders and execute them however he pleases.

Well during the event of Mass Effect: Revelation, He stole a research that have been conducted by scientists called ‘The Reaper, Sovereign’ and begin a research on his own. Over time, he began to be obsessed with this mystery artifact and find his way to try and build this synthetic organism. He believed that by building this unknown artifact will gain him the power to be the dominant species again in the universe. Soon he realized what’s wrong but it is too late for him. The Reaper has taken control of him.

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Hudson, C. (2007). Mass Effect [Video Game]. Bioware.

Karpyshyn, D. (2007) Mass Effect: Revelation [Comic]. Bioware.

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Telltale’s The Wolf Among Us

[Disclaimer: will content spoiler]

BIGBY WOLF

Bigby Wolf is a feared antagonist throughout the fairy tales from Little Red Riding Hood to The Three Little Pigs and several cameo in other stories. But in this universe, this big bad wolf escaped from the fairy tale realm called ‘Homeland’ into reality where they live as a ‘normal’ being.

In this world, he was employed by King Cole as a Fabletown’s Sheriff due to his expertise in fighting detective field. But – because of his shady past – a lot of Fables often misunderstood his intention and were hesitant to trust his intuitions. Throughout the game it was frustrating that knowing his dark past, He is assigned to do a lot of detective work and people aren’t willing cooperate with the protagonist. Bigby (the player) have the ability to choose actions as pleased, different action has different consequences. What I have noticed that no matter that the actions was it did impact how the society sees Bigby (the player) but it is not enough to justify his youth actions.

In some situations, there is a necessity to be aggressively pacifist when an individual does not want to cooperate. For me, it is frustrating to ask a question to someone who is aggressive in response and Bigby is known for his anger issues which reflects to the choices that is given to the player. I, personally, can feel his frustration building up as it is for me. Not gonna lie, I did choose an anger response in the game on my first run. The results were interesting, I would say.

And yeah, the society have been unkind towards Bigby and his dark past and actions that his younger self has made. No matter what pacifist Bigby tried to be towards the Fable who knew him and the society itself. It is like the society will keep reminding him for his mistake. Bigby has to live with the guilt until the society find a way to forgive his mistake, when you might ask?. Karma will tell.

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Telltale Games. (2013). The Wolf Among Us [Video Game]. Telltale Games.

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DC Comics

[Disclaimer: will content spoiler]

 JASON TODD

Judging by his picture, he does look like a character who have been misunderstood for just angry attitude. The society often misunderstood a person based on their traits.

Jason Todd also used to know by the second Robin after Dick Grayson, Batman’s sidekick who died by the hands of Joker. Though there are a lot of universes in the DC comics, I will be focusing more on to the DC Universe Animated Movies. He was resurrected and upon returning he adapted the name Red Hood named after his own killer previous identity AKA Joker’s old identity but that’s another story.

He found out that Batman did not avenge his death and let his killer roaming around free. He felt betrayed by his own beloved mentor and a father figure, Batman, at least that’s how I see it. Their relationship is complicated throughout the comic series but deep down, Jason truly cares about Batman thus the decision that Batman had made by not putting an end to Joker’s criminal career, hurt Jason emotionally. Perhaps, he felt angry and confused, “why Batman doesn’t avenge my death? He seriously let a killer on the loose after killing the person whom he love”. Betrayal.

After discovering the truth, Jason began to act on his own as he built his own beliefs which is based on his anger. Though his beliefs contradict Batman’s stubborn ideology, Jason’s perspective of actually get the work done is by assassinating the criminals overall which is in a way, effective. But as Batman see this action as breaking the law but if Jason have not done any of those actions, does the criminals ever stop? Although most of them are imprisoned in the Arkham Asylum, they will come out eventually.

In the movie, I can see or rather feel his pain of betrayal and the need of justice and understanding. He tried to reason with Batman but he wouldn’t listen. Jason feels hopeless and frustrated trying to get Batman to understand his pain and anger but no matter what he says or do, it doesn’t get through him. Then, he gave up and decided to be apart from Batman as he sees it fit and ‘healthy’ for the sake of their family relationship.

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Judd, W. (Writer), & Brandon, V. (Director). (2010). Batman Under the Red Hood [Movie Film]. Warner Bros.

Judd, W. (Writer). (2004). Batman Under the Red Hood [Comic]. DC Comics.