The Day of Black Sun

Template:Infobox Avatar: The Last Airbender episode The Day of Black Sun is a two-part episode from the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, which airs on Nickelodeon. These are the tenth and eleventh episodes of the third season of the series.

Both episodes of were leaked to the internet weeks before they were supposed to be aired. Viacom took swift action to remove these leaked videos, but was unsuccessful in reclaiming all the videos due to numerous posts.

Part 1: The Invasion

On the day of the invasion, Sokka goes over some maps of the world. Katara gives him a drink and Aang arrives and greets everyone. Katara comments that he seems well rested and Aang says now he is ready to face the Fire Lord. Toph asks him if for his strategy he is planning to use the Avatar State. Aang says he can’t and explains that his last chakra was sealed when he was blasted by Azula in Ba Sing Se.

Katara sees a thick fog rolling in and asks Sokka if she thinks it will delay the invasion. Sokka smiles and says it is the invasion. Water Tribe boats emerge from the mist and, together with Toph, Aang creates some makeshift docks in the cove. Sokka and Katara greet their father Hakoda. Sokka asks about the people he requested and Hakoda says he brought them but he is not sure aknees shouting “Fire Lord Ozai, Where are you!”

Part 2: The Eclipse

Aang returns to Katara, Sokka, and the others, and reveals that Ozai must have known about the invasion, as the whole city has been evacuated. Sokka guesses that the Fire Lord must not be far away, and with Toph's help Sokka and Aang discover that there's a hidden a bunker inside the volcano, and that the firebenders are staying in it until the eclipse is over. They attempt to locate Ozai, only to come face-to-face with Azula.

Azula, who is powerless during the eclipse, has enlisted the help of two Dai-li agents, who use earthbending to protect her from Aang, Sokka, and Toph. The three of them continue to follow her, and she taunts Sokka by hinting that she has captured, imprisoned, and possibly hurt Suki. The eclipse soon ends, and after regaining her powers and briefly battling the three of them, Azula flees.

Meanwhile, Ozai is revealed to be staying in a separate hall during the eclipse. After mentally apologizing to Mai and leaving her a note, Zuko confronts his father and tells him that all he had wanted was for Ozai to love him, but that he now realizes that his Uncle Iroh had been more of a father to him than Ozai had ever been. He angrily berates Ozai for cruelly challenging Zuko to a duel when he was only thirteen years old, and then banishing him from the fire nation. Zuko says that he must do what is right, and openly states that he is going to fulfill his destiny and join the Avatar in defeating Ozai.

Ozai reveals that Zuko's mother, Princess Ursa, is still alive; when Iroh's son died and Ozai mocked him in his grief, their father ordered Ozai to kill Zuko as punishment. Ozai implies that Ursa arranged Ozai's father's death so that Zuko would be spared and Ozai would become Firelord, and that she was banished from the fire nation for this. As the eclipse ends, Zuko and his father duel briefly before Zuko disappears.

Aang, Sokka, and Toph return to the battle site, and Hakoda orders them to flee while the elders remain behind. After thanking everyone and saying their good-byes, they take all the youth with them, including Haru, [[Teo}} and the Duke, and get ready to leave.

Zuko attempts to free Iroh from prison, but discovers that Iroh has already escaped. As Aang and the others flee- via Appa- to the Western air temple shortly after the eclipse, Zuko is last seen following them on a hot air balloon, with a small smile on his face.

Production

Series continuity

• Toph is referred to as "The Blind Bandit" by Earthbenders Big Bad Hippo and The Boulder. This was a pseudonym she assumed while performing in an underground Earthbending tournament in the episode of the same name.
• Aang mentions that his ability to enter the Avatar State is blocked by his locked seventh chakra due to Azula's lightning attack in "The Crossroads of Destiny."
• The episode "Zuko Alone" revealed, through flashbacks to his childhood, the story of Zuko's relationship with his mother, and her sudden disappearance on the eve of Fire Lord Azulon's death. Her specific fate has remained unrevealed, and this episode reveals that she was banished and might still be alive.
• In this episode, Fire Lord Ozai displays the ability to generate lightning through Firebending; the third person in the series to do so, after Azula and Iroh.
• After Fire Lord Ozai's lightning attack, Zuko redirects the attack back at Ozai. Zuko learned this technique in "Bitter Work" from his uncle, Iroh, but was never previously able to perform it.
• Azula claims she "has know about the invasion for months." A reference to The Guru, where the Earth King accidentally revealed this to Azula, whom he thought was a Kyoshi Warrior.

Azula has know about the invasion for months. Zuko stands up to his father and tells him he's going to help the Avater.

References

• TVGuide.com information on this episode