Avatar: The Last Airbender is often hailed as one of the best animated series of all time. It is chock-full of great stories and incredible characters. But that does not mean it is without its flaws. This is especially true when it comes to certain fights in the show. As great as a lot of the combat is, some of the fights simply do not make any sense.

These pointless anime battles do not add much to the overall story or have a meaningful outcome. Others have already decided before they even begin. They seem more like filler combat, rather than serving a story-relevant purpose. Avatar: The Last Airbender is still one of the greatest animated series, but these fights did not need to happen for the story to progress.

10

Azula, Mai, & Ty Lee Should Not Have Beaten All The Kiyoshi Warriors

Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee are known for being ruthless in combat. Their fighting styles complement each other to make a deadly effective team. However, it is both illogical and pointless for the series to tease a fight between the three of them and the entirety of the Kiyoshi Warriors.

The Kiyoshi Warriors are also supposed to be some of the fiercest fighters. Yet, they are somehow beaten by three individuals. Not only that, but most of the fight occurred offscreen. There were other ways to show Azula taking over without trying to convince audiences that this match-up would end with the Kiyoshi Warriors losing so handily.

9

Zuko Faced Katara In One Of The Strongest Waterbending Spots

During the Lunar Eclipse in Book One, the Waterbenders are in a significant bind. They cannot bend while the moon is hidden, and the Fire Nation soldiers take full advantage of this fact. However, while that is going on, Katara goes to the Spirit Oasis with Aang, which still has water and her bending is still intact.

Therefore, when a visibly struggling Zuko enters the oasis for a fight, he has little chance of success. He is not only surrounded by water — Katara’s specialty — but he is also injured. Zuko is eventually saved because Zhao steals the Moon Spirit from the Oasis, giving Zuko an advantage. But he still decides to take an unconscious Aang into the tundra, which is an area notorious for not having any heat. Zuko lucked into his victory, but squandered it again by giving himself no choice but to return with Aang in tow.

8

Zuko Is Forced To Reveal His Flames

After Zuko goes off on his own, he runs into a town that is being terrorized by its security presence. Zuko does his best to lie low and pretends to be a victim of Fire Nation soldiers. But his better nature gets the best of him, and he engages the oppressive Earthbending soldiers in a fight.

He tries to fight with just his swords, but eventually has to use his flames. This alerts the entire town to his true identity, and they all turn their back on him. In hindsight, Zuko should have kept to himself and left the townsfolk well enough alone with their problem.

7

Toph Beifong’s Fight With The Boulder Was One-Sided In Her Favor

The underground fighting circuit in the Earth Kingdom is known for being overly dramatic. Fighters like The Boulder are particularly theatrical. However, all that bolstering means nothing when it comes to an opponent like Toph Beifong. Their first match-up begins with The Boulder blustering about how he is conflicted about fighting a little girl, but he is quickly silenced due to Toph’s superior fighting technique.

Despite her age, Toph easily took The Boulder out in only a few minutes. It did not even last long enough for any suspense whatsoever. The entire tournament was essentially made pointless because of how quickly Toph knocked out The Boulder — one of the strongest combatants.

6

Azula Did Not Need To Be At The Boiling Rock

When Azula comes to the Boiling Rock to get her brother, Zuko, she is met with another problem entirely. Instead of staying loyal to Azula, Mai turns on her in favor of Zuko. Suddenly, a fight breaks out between Mai, Azula, and Ty Lee that allows the escaped “prisoners” to get away.

This fight was important to show how Mai and Ty Lee’s loyalties were changing and how Azula was losing power, but it did not need to be at the Boiling Rock. It was almost as if the escape was more of a side quest in this instance, rather than being the main plot. If Zuko was already in the Boiling Rock, Azula would not have a reason to find him. If the creators truly wanted to show this moment between the three girls, there were better ways they could have done it in a separate episode.

5

Admiral Zhao Loses His Cool When He Faces Aang

Commander Zhao (later turned Admiral) is a military man through and through. He is seen as a cunning and ruthless leader. Therefore, it is rather foolish of him to let his emotions get the better of him in combat. But that is exactly what happens when he faces Aang in the wild.

Zhao is so hellbent on harming Aang that he does not take notice of the fact that he is lighting his own ships on fire. This fight did not result in any new information or character development. It only showed audiences that Zhao is not necessarily as cunning as he would like others to think he is.

4

The Day Of Black Sun Yielded Nothing For The Rebellion

The Day of Black Sun was supposed to be a serious victory for the Fire Nation resistance. They planned for weeks and weeks and gathered allies from all over the world. In the end, it was all for nothing.

The Fire Nation Soldiers and the royal family were already prepared for their powers weakening. They not only hid in a cave, but they also lured the rebels in and distracted them from their ultimate target, Fire Lord Ozai. While there was some fighting, it only occurred after the Firebenders got their powers back. It was an ultimately pointless fight that did not result in much new ground being covered.

3

King Bumi Wasted Time By Playing A Practical Joke

When the Gaang first comes to Omashu, they are taken in and treated as guests. However, that hospitality quickly loses its luster as Katara and Sokka start to crystallize and Aang is subjected to several riddle-like challenges. However, there were no real stakes for them after all, because the challenger was Aang’s old friend, Bumi.

Bumi recognized Aang immediately and only put him through the challenges to be antagonistic. Bumi did not have to put Aang, Katara, or Sokka through any of that turmoil. He could have just told Aang who he was and had a little reunion of sorts. Instead, Bumi had to waste everyone’s time just for a practical joke.

2

Jet Did Not Have Enough Evidence To Face Iroh & Zuko

Jet is known for being a hotheaded individual. However, even he should have known not to attack Zuko and Iroh with accusations that no one could verify. Yet, as soon as he knew that they were Fire Benders, he took it upon himself to expose them in the worst way possible.

Jet barges into Iroh’s tea shop and simply starts attacking seemingly innocent people. This does nothing but cause destruction and lands Jet in the hands of the Dai Li, who take him to Lake Laogai. Had Jet kept to himself or gathered more tangible evidence, his life might have been spared.

1

Ozai’s Agni Kai Against Zuko Was Unconscionably Brutal

The most unnecessary, pointless fight in the entire series is the Agni Kai between young Zuko and his father, Ozai. Ozai may have been mad that his son spoke out of turn during a war council meeting, but actively seeking to permanently maim one’s own child is too much. What is even sadder is that Zuko refused to fight back.

There are so many other ways that Ozai could have dealt with Zuko if he thought he was out of line. He could have taken something away or banished Zuko from council meetings. Instead, he permanently scars his son and sends him on (what he thinks) is a wild goose chase. Such a minor infraction did not necessitate such a harsh response.