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 and Belgium 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, Toph asks Aang about the Avatar State, he says he cannot use it because his seventh chakra was locked when Azula struck him with lightning. When Water Tribe boats emerge from a mist, Aang, together with Toph, creates some makeshift docks in the cove.

Sokka asks about the people he requested and Hakoda says he brought them. Teo and the Mechanist give Aang a new glider that can double as a staff, just like his old glider, which Aang intentionally destroyed in The Awakening. As Iroh's warden continues to berate and insult him; Ming, a young female guard, appears with his breakfast. After the other guard leaves, Iroh expresses his gratitude for Ming's kindness.

Hakoda 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.

As the invasion force heads to the Great Gates of Azulon, 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 discover that they are empty. The invasion force uses underwater crafts, which use water bending to move, in order to avoid the flaming gates and soldiers.

Ming once again visits Iroh, this time 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 parting ways. As Aang and Katara say goodbye in private, she says she is proud of how much he 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, shown sitting in front of a painting of his mother, promises 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. Caterpillar-like tanks emerge from the subs and face off against Fire Nation tanks.

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, and suffers an injury in the process. After Katara and Sokka have taken their father a short distance from the battle, Katara attempts to heal Hakoda. 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 organizes into a 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, he finds it empty.

Part 2: The Eclipse

Aang reveals that the entire city is abandoned, but they agree to continue with the invasion anyway. As the invasion force heads towards the palace; Aang, Toph, and Sokka search for the Fire Lord.

When the group locates a secret bunker inside a nearby volcano, they come face-to-face with Azula. She reveals that she has known about the invasion for months. Meanwhile, Zuko confronts his father. As Zuko approaches Ozai, he 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 Azula was the one who supposedly killed the Avatar in Ba Sing Se, and that he is probably leading the invasion. Outraged, Ozai orders his son to leave; Zuko refuses and says that he will no longer take orders from his father. Ozai threatens to kill Zuko for his disobedience, but he forces Ozai to listen to him.

As Azula refuses to tell Aang, Sokka, and Toph her father's location, 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 fire benders are surrendering at the loss of their power.

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. He further explains that the Fire Nation has a responsibility to restore peace if the world is to survive. Ozai says that Iroh has apparently influenced Zuko, to which he proudly agrees.

Aang, Sokka, and Toph continue to fight Azula and her Dai Li agents, both of whom they eventually incapacitate. Sokka stops them from pursuing Azula any further, as she is just baiting them into wasting all their time; but as they attempt to leave, Azula taunts Sokka by hinting that she has captured, and possibly tortured Suki, which enrages him into rushing at her. As Azula prepares to attack with a concealed weapon, Toph promptly disarms her. Sokka seizes Azula by her shoulder and orders her to tell him Suki's location.

Zuko states that Iroh was more of a father to him than Ozai had ever been. After Ozai continues to mock him, Zuko states that he is going to fulfill his destiny and join the Avatar, helping him to defeat Ozai. As Zuko heads for the exit, Ozai baits him back again with the knowledge of what happened to his mother.

He reveals the circumstances regarding the disappearance of Zuko's mother. When Ozai mocked the death of Iroh's son, Fire Lord Azulon ordered him to kill Zuko as punishment so that he would understand the loss of a child. He hints that Ursa arranged Azulon's death so Zuko would live and Ozai would become Fire Lord. As a result, the Fire Nation banished her for her treason.

He states that banishment is a far too merciful punishment for treason and that Zuko's punishment will be far worse. Sensing the eclipse is over, Ozai strikes with a powerful lightning bolt; Zuko redirects the lightning back at him, blasting him into the back wall. Zuko escapes the chamber before Ozai can recover. Meanwhile, Azula escapes from Sokka and the others; but instead of pursuing her, they withdraw to help their friends.

As they return to the battle site, fleets of airships emerge from behind the palace and attempt to attack the invasion force. Zuko discovers that Iroh has already escaped from his cell. After the airships destroy the submarines, Hakoda tells the children to flee while the adults remain behind to be prisoners. As the children rise into the air, Aang states that they will head to the Western Air Temple; Zuko plans to follow them.

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."

The Invasion Force

The invasion force consists of Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph; Hakoda and the other Southern Water Tribe warriors; Huu , Due and Tho; 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.

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