The Day of Black Sun

"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. When originally aired, both episodes were labelled as Book Three, Chapter 10, but subsequent episodes have continued numbering as if they were Chapters 10 and 11.

Both episodes were leaked to the internet weeks before they were supposed to be aired, through their own website. Viacom took swift action to remove these leaked videos, but was unsuccessful in reclaiming all the videos due to numerous copies having been distributed by that point.

The Netherlands aired these episodes first with part 1 on November 23, 2007 and part 2 on November 26, 2007 dubbed in Dutch.

Plot

Part 1: The Invasion

On the day of the invasion, Katara comments that Aang seems well rested and Aang says now he is ready to face the Fire Lord. When Toph asks Aang about the Avatar State, he says he cannot use it and explains that his seventh chakra was locked when Azula struck him with lightning.

Water Tribe boats emerge from a mist and, together with Toph, Aang creates some makeshift docks in the cove. Sokka asks about the people he requested and Hakoda says he brought them.

The invasion force consists of the Southern Water tribe warriors; The Swampbenders; Pipsqueak and The Duke; The Mechanist and Teo; and some earthbenders which include, Haru and his father Tyro, The Hippo and The Boulder, and some Earth kingdom soldiers. Teo and the Mechanist give Aang a gift, a new glider that contains a snack compartment that stores nuts, and can double as a staff.

Iroh's warden continues to berate and insult him. Ming, a young female guard who is kind to Iroh, appears with his breakfast. After the other guard leaves, Iroh expresses his gratitude for Ming's kindness.

Sokka attempts to brief the force about the invasion, but because he is nervous, is unable to. Hakoda takes over for him and confidently rallies the small army. He explains the plan to storm the beach and reach the palace before the eclipse. That way, when the eclipse begins, they can take on the firebenders that guard the palace, and Aang can confront the Fire Lord. Sokka, who is embarrassed of his behavior earlier, is reassured by Aang that he will have a chance to prove himself out on the battlefield.

The invasion force heads to the Great Gates of Azulon. Under the cover of mist, as they approach the gates, an alarm goes off and a large net rises from both sides of the gate, blocking the path. As the net catches fire, groups of firebenders infiltrate the ships and are shocked to discover that they are empty. The invasion force uses crafts that are submerged and propelled by waterbending to move underwater to attack. Unfortunately, the subs have a limited air supply so they have to resurface before they run out of air.

Ming once again visits Iroh with his supper. Iroh reveals to Ming that her moments of kindness have made his imprisonment bearable. He also comments that she looks ill and insists that she should go home. When she insists that she is fine, Iroh simply explains that it would be better if she were not present that afternoon, at which Ming appears to understand.

After resurfacing, the gang gets together one final time to wish each other good luck before departing ways. Aang and Katara say goodbye in private. Katara reveals she is proud of how much Aang has grown since they first met. Aang, realizing how big this day is and that there's a chance that he may not survive, kisses Katara, then confidently snaps out his glider and flies away to face the Fire Lord, leaving Katara blushing. She hops on Appa and creates a water bubble around his head so that he can breathe while they are underwater.

Zuko is shown sitting in front of a painting of his mother, promising aloud that he will do what is right. After mentally apologizing to Mai and leaving her a note in her bedroom, he gets ready to leave.

After the subs evade capture at a gate armed with harpoon gun type weapons, they finally arrive at the beach near the capital. New caterpillar-like tanks powered by Earthbenders are released from the subs and face off against Fire Nation tanks, as ground fighting ensues, followed by other warriors, Benders and eight supply trucks. The earthbender tanks are highly resilient and easily defeat the Fire Nation guards.

After noticing a threat from some towers shooting missiles, Katara, Sokka, and Hakoda attack them with Appa. While Katara and Sokka take out one tower, Hakoda destroys another one, and is injured in the process. Katara and Sokka take their father a short distance from the battle. Katara attempts to heal Hakoda, but he is still unable join the battle anytime soon. Sokka pledges to his father and sister that he will lead the battle in his father's place and flies off on Appa. He lands among the troops, which have been split up in mild disarray. He reorganizes them into wedge formation and orders them to charge up to the palace.

As the invasion breaches the wall of the capital city, things are looking well. However, when Aang enters the capital city, he finds it deserted; when he reaches the Fire Lord's throne room in the palace, Ozai is nowhere to be found. In anguish, Aang calls out for Ozai to reveal himself as the eclipse draws ever nearer.

Part 2: The Eclipse

Aang rejoins the invasion force and reveals that the whole city has been abandoned. Sokka concludes that the Fire Lord must have expected the invasion and is hiding somewhere nearby. After some deliberation, they agree to continue with the invasion: the invasion force will continue towards the palace while Aang, Toph, and Sokka search for the Firelord.

With the help of Toph's ability to see underground, the group locates a secret bunker inside a nearby volcano. However, instead of finding Ozai, they come face-to-face with Azula. Azula reveals she has known about the invasion for months and is not surprised to find Aang alive. Meanwhile, Zuko enters the chamber where his father is hiding.

Zuko approaches Ozai and explains he is there to "tell the truth." In amusement that Zuko chose the moment of an eclipse to face him, Ozai dismisses his guards. Zuko explains that it had been Azula who supposedly killed the Avatar in Ba Sing Se, and that the Avatar is probably leading the invasion. Outraged upon hearing this news, Ozai orders his son to leave. However, Zuko refuses and says that he will no longer take orders from his father. Ozai threatens to kill Zuko for his disobedience, but Zuko pulls out his swords and forces Ozai to listen to him.

Azula refuses to tell Aang, Sokka, and Toph her father's location; Toph's lie-detecting ability proves ineffective on Azula. Two Dai Li agents form a series of barricades to protect Azula as Aang and Toph attack. Meanwhile, the invasion force infiltrates the capital city as all the firebenders are surrendering at the loss of their power.

In the Firelord's chamber, Zuko berates his father for the cruel punishments he received just for speaking out of turn. He also reveals his belief that the Fire Nation's war is unjust: they deceive themselves into thinking they are sharing their prosperity with the world when, in actuality, the world hates the Fire Nation. Zuko further explains that the Fire Nation has a responsibility to restore peace if the world is to survive. Although Ozai mockingly says that Iroh has apparently influenced Zuko, Zuko proudly agrees.

Aang, Sokka, and Toph continue to fight Azula and her Dai Li agents, both of whom they eventually incapacitate. Though powerless, Azula proves far too agile for Aang to pin down. Sokka stops Aang and Toph from pursuing Azula any further, as she is just baiting them into wasting all their time. As they attempt to leave, Azula taunts Sokka by hinting that she has captured, imprisoned, and possibly tortured Suki who she claims has given up on Sokka, which enrages him into rushing at her. Azula prepares to harm him with a concealed weapon of Mai's, which Toph senses and promptly disarms her of. Sokka seizes Azula by her shoulder and orders her to tell him Suki's location; she simply smiles.

Zuko now realizes that his uncle Iroh was more of a father to him than Ozai had ever been, and he tells Ozai that he plans to free Iroh from his prison and beg for his forgiveness. After Ozai continues to mock him, Zuko openly states that he is going to fulfill his destiny and join the Avatar, helping him to defeat Ozai. Ozai calls Zuko a coward for telling the truth during the eclipse, challenging Zuko to strike him down now, while he is powerless. Zuko replies that defeating Ozai is Aang's destiny, and not his. As he heads for the exit, Ozai baits Zuko back again with the knowledge of what happened to his mother.

Ozai reveals the circumstances regarding the disappearance of Zuko's mother, Princess Ursa. When Ozai mocked the death of Iroh's son, Fire Lord Azulon ordered Ozai to kill Zuko as punishment so that Ozai would feel the loss of a child. However, Ursa swore to protect Zuko at any cost, and came up with a plan to which Ozai agreed. Ozai hints that Ursa arranged Azulon's death so Zuko would be spared and Ozai would become Fire Lord. As a result, Princess Ursa was banished for her treason.

Ozai then states that banishment is a far too merciful punishment for treason and that Zuko's punishment for betraying the Fire Nation will be far worse. Sensing the end of the eclipse, Ozai lashes out and shoots a powerful bolt of lightning at Zuko. Zuko then redirects the lightning back towards Ozai (a technique taught to him by Iroh) blasting him into the back wall. Zuko quickly escapes the chamber before Ozai can recover. Meanwhile, Azula also realizes she has regained her firebending and escapes from Sokka and the others. She reveals her father's location and claims that he is more than willing to confront them now that the eclipse is over. Sokka feels ashamed for wasting their time, but Aang insists he can still face the Fire Lord. However, Sokka and Toph disagree with Aang and convinced him to withdraw and help their friends instead.

Aang, Sokka, and Toph return to the battle site, as fleets of hot air balloons and zeppelins emerge from behind the palace and attempt to attack the invasion force. Zuko attempts to free Iroh from prison, but discovers that Iroh has already busted out from his cell and is long gone, leaving behind dazed and unconscious guards, who under interrogation from Zuko, call him "A One-Man Army."

The airships obliterate the submarines, thus making the invasion team's escape impossible. Hakoda tells Aang and the younger fighters to flee while the adults remain behind to be taken as prisoners. After saying their good-byes, the rest of the gang, along with Haru, Teo, and the Duke, get onto Appa; as they rise into the air, Aang states that the Western Air Temple will be a safe place for them to stay for a while and also it is closest to the fire nation. Azula watches from one of the airships as the group escapes, but she chooses not to pursue them, confident that they will return someday. At the episode's closing, Zuko is seen following Appa on a hot air balloon.

Episode production

Translations

• Sokka's maps read as follows:

第壼國皇家地圖 - Sequence of Maps Leading to the Royal Palace

世界地圖 - Map of the World

全國領土海圖 - Chart of the Entire Nation's Territory

首都島地圖 - Map of the Capital Island

皇家首都地圖 - Map of the Royal Capital City

Series continuity

• Toph is referred to as "The Blind Bandit" by Earthbenders The Hippo and The Boulder. This was a pseudonym she assumed while competing in an underground Earthbending tournament in the episode of the same name.
• The hot-air balloon that the Fire Nation utilizes was originally developed by the Mechanist in "The Northern Air Temple."

Cast

Character	Actor	Character	Actor
Aang	Zach Tyler Eisen	Katara	Mae Whitman
Sokka	Jack Desena	Toph	Jessie Flower
Zuko	Dante Basco	Appa/Momo	Dee Bradley Baker
Iroh	Greg Baldwin	Fire Lord Ozai	Mark Hamill
Azula	Grey Delisle	Tho, Due	Carlos Alazraqui
The Mechanist	Rene Auberjonois	Huu	William H. Bassett
Haru	Michael Dow	The Boulder	Mick Foley
Ming	Serena Williams	Tyro, The Hippo	Kevin Michael Richardson
Hakoda	André Sogliuzzo	The Duke	Mitch Holleman
Pipsqueak	Sterling Young	Bato	Richard McGonagle
Teo	Daniel Samonas	Warden Poon	Wayne Duvall

References

• TVGuide.com information on this episode