The Tales of Ba Sing Se facts for kids

"The Tales of Ba Sing Se" is the 15th episode of the second season of the animated TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender. This episode shows six short stories about different characters. They go about their day in the big city of Ba Sing Se.

This episode is a "filler" episode. It means it does not focus on the main story. Instead, it helps us learn more about the characters. Only the story of Momo, the winged lemur, moves the main plot forward. This episode is a break from the darker, more serious episodes before it.

The first story is about Katara and Toph. They spend a fun day at a spa. Next, the wise and funny Iroh helps people in the city. He then remembers his son, who died fighting for Ba Sing Se. Aang tries to help a zookeeper, but causes some trouble. Sokka accidentally joins a Haiku poetry contest. The usually serious Zuko goes on a date. The last story is about Momo, who looks for Aang's lost sky bison, Appa.

Many people love this episode. It is seen as one of the best in the series. Iroh's story is especially popular with fans. The episode was dedicated to Mako Iwamatsu. He was the voice actor for Iroh and passed away before the episode came out.

Stories from Ba Sing Se

The Tale of Toph and Katara

The story starts at the group's house in Ba Sing Se. Everyone is getting ready for the day. Toph is still asleep. Katara wakes her up. Toph's hair is messy and she is covered in dust. She thinks she is ready to go. Katara suggests they have a "Girl's Day Out." She takes Toph to the Fancy Lady Day Spa. Toph agrees, but says they cannot touch her feet.

The spa attendant tries to give Toph a pedicure. Toph sends the attendant flying through a wall. Later, the girls take a mud bath. Toph uses her Earthbending to make scary faces with the mud. This scares away another attendant. Then, they relax in a sauna. They use their bending to make the fire hotter and create steam.

The girls leave the sauna with makeup on their faces. As they walk across a bridge, three older girls make fun of Toph's makeup. Toph is upset by their words. Katara tells her to ignore them. But Toph laughs back at the girls. She then uses Earthbending to drop them into the water below. Katara also uses her Waterbending to push the girls further downstream.

Katara tries to comfort Toph. Toph says that because she is blind, she does not worry about how she looks. But the girls' words still hurt her. She even sheds a few tears. Katara tells Toph that she is confident and pretty. Toph says she would return the compliment. But she laughs, saying she does not know what Katara looks like. The story ends with Toph giving Katara a friendly punch.

The Tale of Iroh

Iroh walks through a market. He buys a picnic basket. He tells the owner it is for a special occasion. He then helps a Moon Flower bloom. He moves it to a shady spot. He sees a small boy crying. His mother cannot calm him. Iroh borrows a musical instrument called a liuqin. He sings a song to the boy. The song is about a soldier boy returning home from war. The boy stops crying and laughs. He thanks Iroh by pulling his beard.

In an alley, Iroh watches boys play a game like soccer. They use Earthbending to play. The ball breaks a window. Iroh tells them it is good to admit mistakes. This helps restore honor. But then the angry owner appears. Iroh quickly tells the boys to run.

Later, a mugger threatens Iroh with a knife. Iroh is not scared. He tells the mugger his stance is weak. He proves it by knocking the knife away. Iroh shows him a better stance. The man copies him. Iroh says the man does not look like a criminal. The man admits he is confused and turned to crime. Iroh and the man share tea. Iroh suggests the man could be a good masseur. The man feels more hopeful. He says no one ever believed in him. Iroh replies that help from others is a great blessing.

Iroh sits on a hill under a large tree. He sets up rocks and takes things from his picnic basket. The special occasion is a memorial for his son, Lu Ten. It is Lu Ten's birthday. Iroh puts a cloth on the ground. He places a picture of Lu Ten on it. He lights two joss sticks with Firebending. He puts them in a holder. Iroh wishes Lu Ten a happy birthday. He says he wishes he could have helped his son, like he helped others. Iroh then sings the song he sang to the crying boy. This time, he cries as he sings. He misses Lu Ten very much.

This part of the episode ends with a special message. It is dedicated to Mako Iwamatsu. He was the voice of Iroh. He passed away on July 21, 2006.

The Tale of Aang

Aang flies over Ba Sing Se. He lands at a small zoo. He is looking for Appa. He sees many animals in small, sad cages. Many are hungry. The Zookeeper tells Aang the zoo has no money. The Earth Kingdom stopped funding it. No one comes to the zoo because it is dirty. Aang sees animal waste in the cages. The Zookeeper wants to let the animals run free. Aang suggests moving them to an open area outside the city.

The animals are harder to control than Aang thought. They run wild over the city. They scare the people. Hog-monkeys destroy a shop. Other animals attack citizens. The Cabbage Merchant has his cabbages eaten by a Rabaroo. Aang tries to calm them. He blows his Bison whistle. He uses Airbending to make a huge burst of air. He then rides an air scooter. The animals follow him.

The Zookeeper tries to get the guards to open the gate. They refuse at first. But then they see the stampede of animals. Once the gates open, Aang gets to the other side. He hops on his air scooter again. He uses Earthbending to build a wall around the animals. He keeps using Earthbending to make paths and habitats. Children and families come to the new zoo. The Zookeeper thanks Aang for his help. He tells Aang he should work with animals. But many cats, dogs, and half cat-half-dogs also followed the whistle. They are now in the animal pens. The Zookeeper then decides Aang should stick to saving people.

The Tale of Sokka

Sokka is usually busy with war and battles. But in the peaceful city, he feels out of place. His boomerang is just a toy now. He walks through the city. He finds a haiku class full of pretty girls. He peeks through the window. An ostrich horse shoves him from behind. He falls into the classroom. He tries to explain what happened. He accidentally speaks in haiku.

The teacher is upset. She does not like his simple haiku. She explains the rules of haiku very formally. Sokka soon gets into a contest with the teacher. It is like a rap battle, but with haikus. The girls in the class giggle after each of Sokka's haikus. Sokka comically wins several rounds. But then he makes a mistake. He adds an extra syllable to his last line. The class becomes silent. Sokka realizes his error. A very large guard throws him out into the street. Sokka decides he does not like poetry after all.

The Tale of Zuko

Zuko works at the teahouse. He worries a young girl knows he is from the Fire Nation. He tells Iroh about it. Iroh realizes the girl, Jin, likes Zuko. Jin comes to the counter and asks Zuko out. Iroh quickly says yes for Zuko. They agree to meet after sunset.

Zuko leaves the shop. He is wearing nice clothes. Iroh spent ten minutes styling his hair. But Jin messes up his hair before they leave. Zuko is not used to going on dates. He is very nervous. He makes a few mistakes. But Jin seems to understand. For example, a waiter asks if Zuko's "girlfriend" wants anything. Zuko shouts, "She is not my girlfriend!" Jin then quickly eats her food.

Jin asks Zuko about his life. Zuko makes up a story. He says he and Iroh were in a traveling circus. Jin asks what he did. She stops him, wanting to guess. Jin guesses "juggling." Zuko goes along with it. Jin encourages him to show her. Zuko tries to juggle. He gets covered in food. He says he is out of practice.

Jin takes Zuko to her favorite spot. It is the Firelight Fountain. At night, lanterns usually light the fountain. This makes the water sparkle. But when they arrive, the lanterns are dark. Zuko sees her disappointment. He tells Jin to close her eyes. He makes sure no one is watching. He quietly lights all the lanterns with his Firebending. Jin and Zuko look at the sparkling fountain. Jin reaches out and holds Zuko's hand. Jin tries to kiss Zuko. But Zuko holds up a coupon for free tea between them. He gives it to her. Jin is not bothered. She tells Zuko to close his eyes. She wants to give him a gift. She then kisses him lightly and briefly. Zuko kisses her back. But he quickly pulls away and leaves. Jin asks what is wrong. He just says it is complicated. He keeps walking away.

Zuko returns to his apartment. He ignores Iroh's questions about the date. He goes into his room. Iroh looks disappointed. Then Zuko opens his door. He says, "It was nice." Then he closes his door again.

The Tale of Momo

Momo dreams of eating a peach with Appa. He wakes up when he hears thunder. He jumps into Sokka's bag. He finds a tuft of white fur. He smells it. Momo realizes it is Appa's fur. He sees a shadow that looks like Appa. He ties the fur around his wrist. He flies after the shadow. But it is just a cloud. Another sighting turns out to be a cherry tree.

Momo is disappointed. He decides to keep looking for Appa in the city. Three Pygmy Pumas see him. They think he is a meal. Momo tries to escape. The cats work together to catch him. Momo runs into a crowd of people. But a man grabs him. He puts a hat on Momo. He makes Momo dance with two monkeys. Momo performs a strange dance. The cats chase him out of the crowd. They pin him to the ground. But then all four animals are captured.

They are taken to a butcher. The man who caught them argues with the butcher about the price. Momo frees himself using his thumbs. He starts to run away. But he sees the three pumas looking sad. He frees them from their cages. All four animals run away across the rooftops. They sit on a roof. One of the pumas takes the fur from Momo. They want him to follow them. The three cats run down an alley. They stop. They place the fur in a large footprint. It looks like Appa's footprint. Momo lands in the print. He notices the shape. He curls up on the fur as rain starts to fall.

Momo's story is the only one that helps the main plot. It shows his search for Appa.

Production

Guest stars

• The scene where Iroh talks to the Earthbending children was voiced by Greg Baldwin. He later became the new voice of Iroh in Book 3.

See also

In Spanish: The Tales of Ba Sing Se para niños