Zuko
| Zuko | |
|---|---|
| Voiced by | Dante Basco Elijah Runcorn (Young Zuko) |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Position | Prince of the Fire Nation (exiled, wanted) |
| Nationality | Fire Nation |
Prince Zuko is a fictional character voiced by Dante Basco on the 2005-2006 animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Zuko is a skilled Firebender and exiled prince of the Fire Nation, bent on capturing Aang, the long-lost Avatar, in his quest to restore his honor and right to the throne in the eyes of his father, Fire Lord Ozai, to earn his return home from exile. He is accompanied and advised in his search by Iroh.
Zuko's distinguishing marks include an enormous facial burn scar radiating from his left eye over his ear. Formerly, his head was shaven but for a small queue of black hair at the back. After slicing off his top-knot as a show of his severance from his family in the episode "The Avatar State," Zuko begins to let his hair grow out.
History
Zuko is the eldest child and only son of Ozai, the second son of Fire Lord Azulon, and Ursa, Ozai's wife. In “Zuko Alone,” it is revealed that from an early age, Zuko is disdained by his father and is also the object of his sister Azula’s manipulation, ridicule, and deception. Zuko’s mother, however, favors him.
When Zuko is about ten-years-old, his cousin, Lu Ten, dies while away at war. Soon after, General Iroh, devastated by the loss of his only child, abandons his two-year siege of the Earth Kingdom capital, Ba Sing Se. Ozai takes this opportunity to appeal to his father, Fire Lord Azulon, in the interest of having himself named heir apparent in place of his older brother. During his audience with Azulon, Ozai shows off Azula's prodigious Firebending skill and her knowledge of military strategy, both of which outstrip Zuko's. Azulon is unimpressed by all of these exercises and demands that Ursa and her children leave and Ozai be frank about his reasons for wanting to address Azulon. Azula and Zuko eavesdrop on Ozai and Azulon’s conversation as Ozai voices his desire to be made heir in place of Iroh, justifying this course of action by pointing out that not only has Iroh’s overwhelming grief and subsequent erratic behavior made the date of his return from war uncertain, but that Iroh no longer has any heirs to carry on his line. Azulon, however, is outraged that Ozai would suggest that Azulon betray Iroh, his firstborn, in such a way; he declares angrily that Iroh has suffered enough, but Ozai’s suffering has only just begun. This frightens Zuko, who runs away, but Azula stays and watches. Later, while Zuko is in his room trying to sleep, Azula comes in and mockingly tells him that Azulon's punishment for Ozai is that Ozai must kill Zuko. Ursa, hearing the commotion comes in and drags Azula away, declaring that it is time that they talked, and Zuko, left behind, chants quietly to himself, "Azula always lies." Much later that night, Zuko is awakened once again, but this time by his mother. She tells a sleepy Zuko that everything that she has done, she did for him, and instructs him not to forget who he is no matter how much things may change. Zuko wakes up the next morning and immediately remembers what transpired the night before and runs frantically through the halls searching for his mother. He finds Azula, who blithely tells him that Azulon died last night and, as she plays with Zuko's pearl dagger (a gift from Iroh), mocks Zuko about the fact that their mother is not there to make her give it back. Eventually, Zuko finds Ozai in the gardens of the palace, and upon doing so demands to know where Ursa is. Ozai does not answer and Zuko hangs his head, defeated. At Azulon’s funeral, the sage conducting the ceremony names Ozai the new Fire Lord, stating that Azulon's dying request was that he be succeeded by his second son.
Years later, Iroh allows a persistent, teenaged Zuko into a war counsel with Ozai and a group of his generals. However, Zuko ignores Iroh's instructions not to speak during the meeting when one general outlines a plan to sacrifice an entire division of new recruits in a diversionary maneuver. Zuko vocally disagrees with this, seeing it as a betrayal of the recruits' patriotism. This insubordination is a grave insult and Ozai demands that Zuko participate in an Agni Kai (fire duel). Zuko agrees, unaware that he will face his father and not the general whom he insulted. Upon turning to face his opponent, Zuko is immediately penitent and kneels, refusing to fight, and tearfully begs his father’s forgiveness. Ozai declares Zuko’s refusal to fight him a sign of cowardice and yet another display of disrespect, and tells him that "[he] will learn respect, and suffering will be [his] teacher." Ozai then burns Zuko (permanently scarring him), strips him of his birthright, and exiles him from his beloved homeland, declaring that he can only return if he is able to find and capture the Avatar, who disappeared one hundred years before and was searched for, but never located by Ozai, Azulon, and Sozin himself. A fool's errand by all accounts, but one to which Zuko clings desperately as his only hope of regaining everything that he has lost.
Story
Book I: Water
Iroh accompanies Zuko during his exile, and the pair spends more than two years at sea with a small ship and crew searching for the Avatar. The crew are not royal guards or special forces, and may well have been banished themselves, or foolishly intent in serving under the popular General Iroh. They were often unhappy under Zuko but obeyed his orders. When Zuko finally finds the avatar at the South Pole, in the company of the remnants of the Southern Water Tribe, he is shocked and disappointed to discover that the Avatar is only a twelve-year-old boy. However, when Aang (with the assistance of his friends Sokka and Katara) escapes from Zuko, he vows never to underestimate him again. Soon after this first encounter, Zuko docks in a port controlled by Commander Zhao in order to have the damage to his ship repaired. By interrogating Zuko’s crew, Zhao discovers that the Avatar has returned and wishes to capture him himself. This conflict results in an Agni Kai, during which Zuko defeats Zhao, thus cementing Zhao as Zuko's bitter rival in his quest to capture Aang.
After the "The Avatar Returns," Zuko has numerous other encounters with Aang. One of the most significant occurs in "The Blue Spirit," when Zuko takes on the guise of the Blue Spirit, a dual-broadsword-wielding vigilante in an oni mask, in order to kidnap Aang from Zhao. Because Aang assumes that the silent vigilante is a new ally, he and Zuko work well together as they try to escape from the fortress, but their partnership falls apart when Zuko proves that his interests do not necessarily include Aang’s safety. Then, after Zuko has been knocked unconscious, Aang removes his mask and discovers his true identity. However, Aang does take the unconscious Zuko along with him when he escapes, thus saving him from discovery by Zhao and the charges of treason that would surely follow. When Zuko wakes up, Aang makes a vague overture of friendship towards him, to which Zuko's only response is a fireblast.
Towards the end of season one, in “The Waterbending Master,” Zhao deduces Zuko’s identity as the Blue Spirit and hires a band of pirates, with whom Zuko had a bad experience in “The Waterbending Scroll,” to assassinate Zuko. They blow up Zuko’s ship, but he survives. With Iroh’s help Zuko infiltrates Zhao’s crew under the guise of a soldier and stows away on a ship as Zhao journeys to the North Pole to lay siege to the Northern Water Tribe.
Once at the North Pole, Zuko sneaks into the city and manages to kidnap Aang while the Avatar is in a fugue state, his spirit off in the Spirit World in an attempt to find help to defeat Zhao’s forces. Zuko escapes with Aang into a blizzard, but is found by Katara, Sokka, and Princess Yue soon after Aang awakens. Aang then saves Zuko’s life for a second time by insisting that Zuko must be brought along instead of being left unconscious in the snow where he would surely die. Upon returning to the Northern Water Tribe’s city, Zuko escapes while Aang and his allies are distracted by Zhao’s attack on the Moon Spirit, Tui. Zuko runs into Zhao, also escaping, and the two battle over Zhao’s attempt to have Zuko assassinated. However, when the vengeful Ocean Spirit, La, attacks Zhao, attempting to drag him into the water, Zuko offers Zhao his hand in aid. Zhao refuses and is, presumably, drowned by the Ocean Spirit. Zuko and Iroh escape the North Pole on a driftwood raft.
Book II: Earth
Template:List to prose (section) When season two opens, the third anniversary of Zuko’s ill-fated Agni Kai has arrived and Zuko is as implacable as ever in his desire to regain what he has lost. Azula, now charged with capturing both Zuko and Iroh, finds and approaches the two, attempting to mislead them into believing that Ozai wants them to come home. Iroh is wisely skeptical, but Zuko is so overwhelmed by the idea that his father wants him back that he chooses to believe Azula’s story and even lashes out cruelly at Iroh when Iroh voices his doubts. However, Iroh still joins Zuko at the last minute as Zuko travels toward Azula’s ship. When Azula’s treachery is revealed, Iroh saves Zuko from a potentially fatal lightning blast from Azula and they both manage to escape. Afterwards, using the pearl dagger that Iroh gave to Zuko six years earlier, Zuko and Iroh cut off their respective queue and topknot as a symbol of their severance from the Fire Nation. In “The Cave of Two Lovers,” likely due to their aristocratic background, Zuko and Iroh have trouble living off of the land as fugitives, and after Iroh mistakenly ingests a deadly plant, they must seek aid from a young Earth Kingdom herbalist named Song. The kind, teenaged girl invites them to dine with her and her mother and during dinner, Song tries to reach out to Zuko repeatedly, but he rebuffs her. However, when she displays her own burn scars caused by the Fire Nation, he seems shocked, possibly because she may have been the first victim of the Fire Nation’s cruelty that he had ever interacted with on a personal level. Still, as he and Iroh depart, Zuko steals Song’s ostrich horse.
Growing increasingly more desperate by "The Swamp," Zuko fumes as Iroh is forced to panhandle for money, and when a cruel Earth Kingdom man harasses Iroh, Zuko once again dons the guise of the Blue Spirit and attacks the man during the night, stealing his broadswords. In "Avatar Day," Zuko continues to disguise himself as the Blue Spirit and steals from various Earth Kingdom citizens. When Zuko’s questionable acquisitions lead to a conversation about honor, Iroh points out that capturing the Avatar at this point would, in all likelihood, not improve their situation and suggests to Zuko that "hope is something you give yourself." Zuko pulls away from Iroh silently and walks off. When he returns he says that, after reflection, he’s determined that they no longer have anything to gain by traveling together. He tells Iroh, "I need to find my own way," and parts company with him.
In "Zuko Alone," Zuko travels to a small Earth Kingdom town that is regularly harassed by a troop of unscrupulous Earth Kingdom soldiers. There, Zuko befriends a young boy named Lee. Lee’s questions about Zuko and his family's later troubles regarding Lee’s brother being sent off to war frame a series of flashbacks about Zuko’s own youth, centering around his cousin’s death, his mother’s disappearance, and the political intrigues surrounding both. Eventually, Zuko is called upon by Lee's mother to rescue Lee from the soldiers. Zuko defeats most of the soldiers easily, but the ringleader is an Earthbender and Zuko struggles to beat him using only his broadswords. However, after recalling his mother's last words to him, Zuko Firebends to save himself and announces proudly to the citizens of the town, "My name is Zuko. Son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai. Prince of the Fire Nation and heir to the throne.” The townspeople, including Lee, reject Zuko upon discovering his identity and he departs.
In "The Chase," Zuko follows Azula as she tracks down Aang. Eventually, Zuko catches up with Azula, who is about to face Aang in a deserted town. Zuko warns Azula to leave Aang's capture to him, but she ignores him and they engage in a three-way battle which Azula dominates, although Zuko does acquit himself far better than in his last encounter with his sister. Eventually, Katara, Sokka, and Toph arrive to assist Aang, and Iroh, who has been following Zuko and watching over his nephew from afar, comes to Zuko’s aid. All six corner Azula, who feigns surrender, then attacks Iroh while he is distracted. Aang, Katara, Toph, Sokka, and Zuko attack Azula simultaneously, but she escapes. Zuko is grief-stricken about Iroh's serious injury and violently and angrily demands that Aang and his companions, who clearly sympathize with his plight, leave them alone.
Zuko tends to Iroh's wounds himself and in “Bitter Work,” upon agreeing that Azula needs to be defeated, Iroh decides to teach Zuko the difficult art of generating lightning. However, because of Zuko’s inner turmoil, he is unable to achieve the peace of mind/emotionless state that this requires. Iroh offers instead to teach Zuko a Firebending move of his own creation (inspired by waterbending): the redirection of lightning. However, once Iroh has taken Zuko through the motions and technicalities of the move, he refuses to shoot lightning at Zuko in order to test Zuko’s ability to do the maneuver, citing it as too dangerous. Zuko declares that he will find his own lightning and climbs to the top of a plateau during a storm and literally rages at the heavens to strike him, claiming that they've never held back before. However, no lightning strikes him, and overwhelmed with frustration, anger, and despair, Zuko weeps and falls to his knees with an anguished cry.
In "The Desert," Zuko and Iroh are attacked by the Rough Rhinos, the leader of whom once served under Iroh. After dispatching them and escaping, Iroh and Zuko travel to a desert oasis where Iroh makes contact with a secret society: The Order of the White Lotus. However, immediately afterwards Xin Fu and Master Yu (who are in the desert searching for Toph) challenge Iroh and Zuko, seeking to collect their bounties. The White Lotus initiate with whom Iroh made contact instigates a huge barfight by announcing the large bounties on Iroh and Zuko's heads, and then helps the fugitives to escape in the melee. Then, after hours of discussion (from which Zuko is barred as a non-member) The Order garners documentation so that Iroh and Zuko may pass into the Earth Kingdom's capital city, Ba Sing Se, and smuggles them out of the oasis in flowerpots.
In "The Serpent's Pass," Zuko and Iroh take the ferry to Ba Sing Se and when Zuko complains about the quality of the food being served, Jet overhears him, and suggests that Zuko assist him in "liberating" some better food from the captain's stores. After successfully acquiring superior food for themselves and the rest of the refugees, Jet approaches Zuko and attempts to bond with him, saying that Fire Nation has had an effect on both of them, and that they should stick together and look out for each other because no one else will. Zuko responds noncommittally that he's been learning that perhaps it's better not to be alone. Once they arrive at the Ba Sing Se train station in "The Drill," Jet officially petitions Zuko to join his band of freedom fighters, but Zuko firmly declines. However, Jet figures out that Iroh used Firebending to warm his cup of tea and announces to his gang that the two are Firebenders, then proceeds to follow them in an attempt to oust them.
In "City of Walls and Secrets," Zuko and Iroh have found a place to live in Ba Sing Se, which displeases Zuko as he voices his desire not to settle down and make a life in the "prison" that is Ba Sing Se. They both take jobs in a tea house in Ba Sing Se as servers, though Iroh soon takes it upon himself to improve the quality of the tea itself. Jet makes various surreptitious attempts to find proof that Zuko and Iroh are Firebenders, but fails. Finally a frustrated Jet walks into the tea shop and directly challenges them to a fight, assuming that his skills with a balde will be too much for either Iroh or Zuko to counter and he can thus force one of them to Firebend in self defense. Zuko takes up Jet's challenge and battles him with his dual broadswords. Eventually, the fight which has attracted a large crowd is interrupted by members of the Dai Li police force. Various witnesses state that Jet attacked the tea shop and Zuko completely unprovoked. Needless to say, no one believes that Jet is telling the truth about Iroh and Zuko. Jet is dragged away by the Dai Li while Zuko, Iroh, and the crowd look on.
In "The Tales of Ba Sing Se," Zuko meets a girl named Jin who has repeatedly come into the teashop. He suspects that she is suspicious of him and Iroh, but Iroh realizes that Jin has a crush on Zuko. Jin asks Zuko out soon after and Iroh accepts on his behalf. They have an awkward dinner after which Jin takes Zuko to a fountain, but is disappointed when the lanterns surrounding it are not lit. Zuko tells her to close her eyes and then lights them with firebending. At the sight of the newly-lit fountain, Jin takes Zuko's hand and leans in for a kiss. However, Zuko places a coupon for a free cup of tea in between them. Jin then asks Zuko to close his eyes so she can give him his gift. Jin gives Zuko a soft kiss on the lips which he starts to return, but then stops short, still apparently unwilling to make connections or lay down roots in Ba Sing Se as he indicated to Iroh in the previous episode. He tells her that "it's complicated" and runs off, leaving her by the fountain alone. When he returns home Iroh asks him how his date went and Zuko slams the doors of his room, but a few seconds later slides them open a crack and says sadly that "It was nice."
In "Lake Laogai" Zuko becomes aware of Aang in the city because one of the flyers stating that Appa is missing falls into his hands. He hunts for Appa as the Blue Spirit, and soon threatens a Dai Li agent into giving him the whearabouts of Appa. Later on, he finds Appa in his cell but is confronted by Uncle Iroh. Iroh, in an uncharacteristically sharp manner, berates Zuko's rashness, pointing out that Zuko has not thought of what to do after he has Appa in his possession. After all, where will the two of them keep a multi-ton giant flying bison? Iroh also compares Zuko's plan to the time Zuko captured the Avatar at the Northern Water Tribe, but had no plan about what to do afterwards and would have frozen to death were it not for the intervention of the Avatar and his friends. He then attempts to persuade Zuko into giving up his search for the Avatar, telling Zuko to give up the destiny set by his father, and follow his own. With that, Zuko drops his mask, cries out in anguish, and frees Appa. When they leave Lake Laogai, he throws his Blue Spirit mask into the lake, presumably leaving behind that identity. Since it appears that Zuko may give up his long standing quest to capture the Avatar, this could mark a major turning point for the character.
In "The Earth King" Zuko and Iroh return to their apartment, Zuko collapses with a terrible fever. Iroh informs him that because letting Appa go went so strongly against his own view of himself that his mind was suffering, but that in the end he would emerge as the person he was truly meant to be; is is undergoing a "metamorphasis". Zuko dreams and hallucinates, and in the process sees himself as the Fire Lord, without his scar; a blue dragon with Azula's voice and a red dragon with Iroh's voice are giving him advice. The blue dragon hauntingly tells him to sleep, "Just like mother...". The red dragon urges him to ignore the blue. He sees images of his vanished mother and dreams that he has Aang's face.
Personality
While initially the series' main antagonist, over time Zuko's continued development has shown him to be more like a bitter young man than a set-in-stone villain. Zuko wants, more than anything, to return to his life the way it was before he was exiled, and, according to his father, capturing the Avatar would allow him to return home. Uncle Iroh has doubts about Fire Lord Ozai's leniency, but Zuko is certain that his father will one day allow him to return home, until Azula is sent to capture them both.
Zuko believes that a person becomes strong by having to struggle and fight for what they want. He has even said that he does not want to have good luck, because he feels he can control his own fate. However, he also believes that he is marked unlucky, or even that the world itself is against him.
Zuko is quite domineering and controlling, a result of being raised as Fire Nation royalty. He disdains working with people he believes are inferior to himself. However, Zuko does believe that it is wrong to sacrifice able-bodied and willing troops merely as a diversionary tactic; this ideal led to his exile. During his banishment, Zuko displayed much of the Fire Nation's zeal in pursuing the Avatar, using whatever means he thought necessary to gain the upper hand. Yet he also chose to rescue Iroh when his uncle was captured rather than pursue Aang, and also risked his own life in order to save a member of his crew during a fierce storm. As that storm clears and the crew spots Aang, Zuko chooses to have his men rest rather than chase Aang, knowing that doing so when they are exhausted and have just had a close encounter with death would be foolish. Zuko also displays an independent minded and practical streak when he vehemently disagrees with his father's plans for war and occupation of conquered territory very early in the series, stating that "My father is a fool to believe that conquered areas will just accept him".
His personality changes for a time when Azula comes to see him. He sides with her over Iroh, despite having the dislike between the siblings and his bond with Iroh, because Zuko so desperately wants his father's forgiveness that he would take any chance to get it. However, when Azula betrays him, Zuko is torn. Both he and Iroh realize they will never return home, and sever their top-knots.
Because the prospect of returning home and being forgiven was Zuko's sole motivation, he is marked by abject despair at having lost his chance. He finds himself a penniless fugitive in a kingdom of his mortal enemies. Zuko no longer has anything, but he doesn't want to accept it. His previous status as royalty, and even the resources he had at his disposal as an exile prince contrast sharply with his new position in the world. At first, Zuko lashes out and turns to robbery, even to those who are kind to him. After some time, however, (and a talk from Iroh), Zuko begins to act in a more principled manner again. Although theft is still necessary from time to time, he refuses to steal from people who need things more than he does, or from people who have been kind to him or helped him. He also defended an Earth Kingdom village from a group of thugs who terrorized its people after having been appointed to protect them. Zuko is showing signs of becoming more patient, kind, precise, and calculating, traits likely encouraged by having to constantly be on the run from Azula while staying incognito from any local authorities.
Although during a majority of the series he takes interest in catching the Avatar, he has steadily come to realize that finding the Avatar will not solve any of his problems. Following a confrontation with Iroh in front of the imprisoned Appa in Lake Laogai, Zuko drops his broadswords in despair and later, Iroh congratulates Zuko for doing the right thing, suggesting that Zuko released Appa for the Avatar. This is later confirmed in "The Earth King".
Abilities
Zuko has shown to be a highly skilled Firebender. Although he appeared impressive early, the first true measure of his ability came in the Agni Kai against Zhao. Zhao was a strong Firebender and a high ranking officer in the Fire Nation Navy. Although Zuko struggled in much of the duel, the fact that he managed to defeat Zhao was a major accomplishment for a teenage fighter with far less experience than his opponent. Since Zuko spends much of the first season doing battle with various foes, including Aang himself, his skills as a fighter improve throughout. At the end of the season he defeats Zhao far more easily and impressively before the Water Spirit ends the duel by carrying Zhao off.
Signs throughout Book II show that his skill may be increasing. When one of Azula's guards carelessly declared Zuko and Iroh would be returning as prisoners of the Fire Nation, Zuko defeated two Royal Firebending Guards with one attack. In his first battle with Azula, Zuko could not even land a single blow. However, during their second encounter, Zuko fares far better against Azula, (although Azula still certainly has the upper hand), trading fire blasts with her until he fell into a partially destroyed house, which allowed Azula to strike a knockout blow while he was still recovering from his fall. Also, the very nature of his fighting style has undergone an evolution. Throughout the first Book his style was based on overwhelming force. Nearly all of his attacks produced either a large fireball or a long sheet of flame. While powerful, this style also was reckless and left him open to counterattacks and almost certainly cost a lot of energy. (In the first duel with Zhao, for example, Zuko is panting and visibly tired after launching just a few attacks). In the Second Book he begins to show far more finesse and economy of energy. For example, when faced by an enemy that is an archer, rather than launching a large flame to bowl the archer over, he sends a small bolt of flame that burns a hole through both bow and string. Also, like Azula he begins projecting flames from two fingers rather than a whole fist and, as seen when he lit numerous candles during his date with Jin in Tales of Ba Sing Se, this allowed him to hit multiple targets with great accuracy in a matter of seconds.
As well as being a proficient Firebender, Zuko has also shown to be highly skilled in the use of dual broadswords. This is best displayed in the episode "The Blue Spirit", when Zuko has been shown defeating scores of Fire Nation soldiers. In Zuko Alone he easily defeats a small squadron of Earth Kingdom soldiers, and even takes on their Earthbending leader for a time with just his swords and no Firebending. In the episode "City of Walls and Secrets", Zuko appears to be evenly matched with Jet, who is a master swordsman, during their duel. Although it should be noted that Jet's aim was to goad Zuko into using his Firebending and reveal his origin while Zuko, on the other hand, appeared to be using a "strike-to-kill" attitude, the fact that Zuko appeared to be gaining the upperhand in the fight before it was interrupted is still impressive.
Zuko's final ability is stealth. His ability to infiltrate a guarded fortress was amply demonstrated in the episodes "The Blue Spirit" "The Siege of the North" and "Lake Laogai". In each case, Zuko entered hostile territory and managed to reach his objective without being caught, although the circumstances of each separate at this point. Also, the different natures of those fortresses show that he is adaptable to circumstances well. He is also skilled at the art of the ambush, laying cunning traps for his victims, both when he briefly turned bandit and when he later set a trap for an agent of the Dai Li in order to learn Appa's location. This ability ties in well with his swordsmanship, and is a key facet of his 'Blue Spirit' persona.
Family
Fire Lord Ozai
Though Zuko was once moved to tears by his father's upbraiding of him in the Agni Kai arena, his present feelings towards Fire Lord Ozai seem mixed at best. He once commented to his rival Admiral Zhao that his father was "a fool" if he believed that the other nations would follow him once conquered. He is also resentful of Ozai's favoritism towards his sister Azula, but it's unknown how much of this anger is directed at Ozai himself. Ozai has told his son he was "lucky to be born", (as opposed to his sister being "born lucky") and told Azula he considers Zuko "a failure." Despite this, perhaps the most significant driving force behind Zuko's desire to regain his honor is that it will allow him to regain his father's love. It is noteworthy that after the severing of his topknot (And thus his ties to his homeland and family, starting anew) this may no longer be true.
Uncle Iroh
Iroh is Zuko's mentor, Firebending teacher, adviser, caretaker and de facto father-figure. The tolerant and even-keeled foil to Zuko's impulsiveness, Iroh tempers Zuko's anger with practical advice and a wry sense of humor. Though Iroh is a hard instructor, his merciless drilling in Firebending basics has served to improve Zuko's skill. Iroh is sympathetic to Zuko (having likewise fallen from grace due to an infamous military failure in his days as a Fire Nation General) and pleads that he not be so relentless in his search. Although he often teases Zuko, who impatiently balks at his advice, they care deeply about each other. He even thinks of Zuko as his surrogate child, (his own son having died) and worries over him accordingly. Iroh is constantly guiding Zuko, and trying to help him to make good choices. In turn, Zuko deeply loves his uncle, and is greatly touched when Iroh indirectly praises him. When Zuko was once confronted with the choice of tracking the Avatar or saving a kidnapped Iroh, he chose the latter without hesitation. Both depend on each other in exile. Iroh is considered by the Fire Lord to be "a traitor," blamed for the failure of the siege of the Northern Water Tribe after he attacked Admiral Zhao for killing the mortal form of the Moon Spirit.
In the episode "Avatar Day," Zuko separated from his uncle and both began traveling solo. This occurred after Iroh explained to Zuko that capturing the Avatar at this point would probably not immediately grant him his honor and throne. Zuko left, believing that they no longer had anything to gain from traveling together. "I need to find my own way," he explained.
In the episode "The Chase," Zuko and Iroh rejoined during a battle with Azula and Aang's group. Their reunion was cut tragically short, however, when Iroh was severely injured by Azula. Later, in the episode "Bitter Work," it is evident Zuko has been helping Iroh recover (going so far as making tea for him). Then, Iroh begins to teach Zuko how to channel lightning through his body but refused to aim one at him for practice due to the risks involved.
In the episode "Lake Laogai", Iroh finally loses his temper and berates Zuko for his lack of forethought in his plans--in the most recent case, discovering Appa before the main cast does. While Iroh's words are harsh, Zuko ultimately seems to respect the sentiments behind them, opting to release Appa--knowing full well the bison will return to Aang. At the end of the episode, at his uncle's suggestion, he drops his Blue Spirit mask into the lake, and it disappears.
Princess Azula
Azula is Zuko's younger sister, first seen in the audience at Zuko's ill-fated Agni Kai. A sadist whose cruelty is matched only by her father's, Azula seems to take great pleasure in the punishment inflicted on her brother, and may hold a desire to inherit the throne, while Zuko expresses resentment towards her, as she is a Firebending prodigy and the favored sibling. At the end of the first season, Fire Lord Ozai gave Azula the task of capturing Iroh and Zuko. In "The Avatar State," Azula attempts but fails to capture them, (now considered traitors of the Fire Nation) luring Zuko with the lie that Fire Lord Ozai wanted him back home. She enjoys tormenting her brother, calling him by a disliked nickname, "Zuzu," and mentioning his inferiority in their father's eyes. Azula has recently decided to try to capture the Avatar as well, after encountering him in Omashu (renamed New Ozai).
Princess Ursa
Little has been revealed of the relationship between Zuko and his mother, Princess Ursa. It is hinted that Zuko was his mother's favorite child, and the two were close. This is the opposite to her husband Ozai's feelings towards their children, who has stated that while Azula was "born lucky," Zuko was "lucky to be born." In the episode "Zuko Alone," she leaves under mysterious circumstances (and probably never came back). This is later touched upon when Azula claims that their father, Fire Lord Ozai, is going to have to kill Zuko after angering the then Fire Lord Azulon. Before Ursa leaves, she tells Zuko that everything she has done has been to protect him. Despite the fact that Ursa disappears on the same night that Azulon dies, it is unclear what exactly took place or how these two events are related. Ursa's ultimate fate is, thus, unknown. It has been revealed however, that Zuko will begin a search for her later on. Whether or not he'll be able to successfully locate her or if she's even still alive has yet to be revealed. In The Earth King he is plagued by dreams where his mother was pleading to have him help her.
Other
Fire Lord Sozin is Zuko's great grandfather, Fire Lord Azulon and his wife Fire Lady Ilah are Zuko's paternal grandparents, and Lu Ten, Iroh's late son, is Zuko's first cousin. Only Azulon is shown interacting with Zuko in any way. However, it's unclear how Azulon felt about his grandson. It remains a possibility that he ordered Ozai to kill Zuko as a punishment for Ozai's disrespect toward Iroh, which would certainly indicate a lack of regard for Zuko. Also, because Zuko's flashbacks about Lu Ten's fate are triggered by his exposure to Lee's troubles regarding his brother's fate in the war, it is subtly implied that Zuko and Lu Ten perhaps had a brotherly bond.
Relationships
Aang
Aang, as the Avatar, is both Zuko's greatest enemy and his long sought-after prize. Throughout the bulk of the series, Zuko's primary focus has been to capture Aang, who constantly eludes him. Even though the capture of the Avatar by anyone of the Fire Nation would assist his country, because Zuko sees the capture and delivery of Aang to Fire Lord Ozai as the only way to restore his lost honor, Zuko goes out of his way to impede rivals from capturing Aang before Zuko himself does.
In "The Blue Spirit" Zuko takes on the titular guise of the Blue Spirit, a masked, dual-broadsword-wielding vigilante, in order to abduct Aang from the fortress where he is being kept by Admiral Zhao, who has managed to capture him. At first, Aang, assuming that he is being rescued by a new ally, works very well in tandem with Zuko to get out of the fortress, but when they are caught at the gate, Zuko takes advantage of the fact that the Avatar is needed alive and silently threatens to kill Aang (placing his swords at the boy's throat), essentially holding him hostage to ensure their escape. However, once they've made it a ways down the road Zuko is knocked out by the Yu Yan Archers and Aang, who is initially going to leave him behind because of his actions, unmasks Zuko instead. However, even upon discovering that his rescuer-turned-abductor is his major enemy, Aang still takes Zuko with him when he escapes. When Zuko awakens, Aang speaks to him fondly and nostalgically of Kuzon, a boy from the Fire Nation who used to be his friend 100 years previously and the times before the war when he was able to have friends from any nation. Aang then asks, guilelessly, if Zuko thinks that he and Aang could have been friends in another time. Zuko's response is to shoot a fire blast at Aang. Aang flees through the trees, but Zuko does not give chase, merely watches him, his expression softening slightly.
While Zuko has a catatonic Aang in his custody during "Siege of the North," he speaks to him about his life philosophy of struggle being the genesis of strength and compares Aang to Azula, citing that everything comes easily to Azula ("my father says she was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born"). Once Aang's friends come to rescue him, Aang once again chooses to save Zuko's life when he insists on bringing Zuko along rather than leaving him unconscious in a blizzard.
After Zuko is declared a wanted traitor of the Fire Nation, he still somewhat expresses a desire to capture Aang, despite evidence that this would, in all likelihood, no longer be enough to win back his honor and his birthright. In "The Chase," Zuko confronts both Aang and Azula, then engages in a three-way battle with them when Azula refuses to leave the capture of the Avatar to Zuko. However, once Aang's friends arrive to assist him and Iroh arrives to assist Zuko, the two groups focus their attacks on Azula. Azula feigns surrender, but then shoots a blue fire blast at Iroh, gravely injuring him, and escapes. Zuko, overcome by grief and rage at Iroh's injuries, either fails to notice or fails to care that Aang and his companions are clearly moved by his plight and violently orders them to get away from him and his Uncle, even shooting a fire blast in their general direction.
It should also be noted that despite the fact that Aang is the clear protagonist and Zuko is one of his major antagonists, their stories are often paralleled in the narrative structure of the show. In "The Storm," flashbacks of the incidents that changed their respective lives forever (Aang being told that he was the Avatar and subsequently running away; Zuko's Agni Kai against his father and subsequent scarring and loss of his honor) are shown side-by-side, and in "Bitter Work," their attempts to progress in their bending while impeded by psychological blocks are also shown side-by-side. In "The Avatar State" scenes of Aang struggling to cope with an unexpected betrayal (the earth city general attacks him to provoke the Avatar state) morph smoothly into Zuko facing a similar betrayal (he discovers that Azula plans to bring him back to the Fire Nation as a prisoner).
In "The Earth King", Zuko dreams he had Aang's face. This is do to, as Iroh states, his transformation into who Zuko was meant to be, and could change Zuko's feelings toward the avatar.
Jet
Jet is a teenaged boy from the Earth Kingdom and the guerrilla leader of his band of adolescent Freedom Fighters.
Zuko first encounters Jet in "The Serpent's Pass," when they are both travelling on the ferry to Ba Sing Se. Jet approaches Zuko after overhearing him complain about the quality of the food and suggests that Zuko assist him and his gang in stealing better food from the captain's stores. Zuko accepts this offer and they work together very well to complete their mission. Jet is obviously impressed by Zuko's abilities and later, as he eats with Zuko and Iroh, he tells them that he is going to Ba Sing Se to make amends for past deeds of which he is not proud. Iroh pointedly states that he believes that people deserve second chances and can change their lives if they want to, clearly meaning this as a message to Zuko. Zuko, however, appears unaffected. Later, Jet speaks with Zuko alone and attempts to bond with him, citing that they're both outcasts and that they should watch each other's backs because no one else will. Zuko replies, somewhat noncommittally, that he's recently learned that being alone is not always best.
In "The Drill," once they have arrived at the train station in Ba Sing Se, Jet officially extends an invitation to Zuko to join his Freedom Fighters. Zuko declines for obvious reasons. However, as Zuko walks away, Jet notices that Iroh's formerly cold tea is now steaming hot, and deduces that it was heated with firebending. Later, Jet tells his companions their plans have changed because now he intends to prove that Zuko and Iroh are from the Fire Nation. He then follows them onto the monorail as it takes off into the city.
In the following episode, "City of Walls and Secrets," Jet spies on Zuko and Iroh in an attempt to find proof that they are Firebenders. After his attempts fail, Jet challenges Zuko to a fight in public, attempting to goad Zuko into using firebending. Despite being evenly matched, Zuko never openly uses Firebending. When the Dai Li arrive, the people don't believe his accusations that Zuko and Iroh are of the Fire Nation and Jet is arrested.
Jin
Jin is a teenaged patron of the tea shop where Iroh and Zuko work in Ba Sing Se.
In "The Tales of Ba Sing Se," after Zuko notices that Jin has been coming into the shop a lot and staring at him, he shares with Iroh his suspicions that she might have deduced that they are from the Fire Nation. Iroh informs Zuko that it's more likely that Jin has a crush on Zuko. Jin confirms this when she asks Zuko out on a date which Iroh accepts for a confused and silent Zuko. Jin and Zuko have an awkward dinner after which Jin drags Zuko to a fountain surrounded by candles, but when they arrive she is disappointed when they aren't lit. Zuko tells her to close her eyes and then despite the risks involved, lights them with Firebending. She's pleased, but Zuko is oblivious to the fact that she wants to kiss him and offers her a coupon to the tea shop. Jin accepts then tells Zuko to close his eyes and gives him a soft kiss on the lips. Zuko leans in for a split second and starts to return the kiss, but then pulls away, pained by the idea of making any connections or any move that might lead to settling down or becoming comfortable in Ba Sing Se as he stated to Iroh in "City of Walls and Secrets." Zuko tells a saddened Jin only that "It's complicated," then runs away leaving her standing alone by the fountain.
Katara
Katara is a Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe and Aang's close friend and staunch defender, and thus, by association, an enemy of Zuko's.
At the end of "Imprisoned", the only trace of the Avatar and his companions that Zuko finds on an Earthbender prison rig that they helped to liberate is Katara's tribal necklace, lost in the commotion. In "The Waterbending Scroll" after capturing Katara with the assistance of a band of pirates, Zuko attempts to use the necklace as a bribe to get Katara to betray Aang's whereabouts, but she refuses. Then, in "Bato of the Water Tribe" Zuko employs the bounty hunter, June, and her shirshu, a tracking beast with a hypersensitive olfactory system, and uses the necklace to track Katara, thus tracking Aang by proxy. However, when he does find Aang, Aang reclaims the necklace and returns it to Katara.
In "Siege of the North" after Zuko has made his way into the Spirit Oasis of the Northern Water Tribe, Katara is the only thing standing between Zuko and abducting Aang, who is in meditative fugue as he tries to solicit help from the spirits to defeat Zhao's attack on the North Pole. Due to having previously found and been trained by Pakku, a Waterbending master, and with her bending at its most powerful during the full moon due to Waterbending's lunar sympathy, Katara is more than a match for Zuko and initially subdues him. However, the sun starts coming up, lessening her power and (assuming a solar sympathy for Firebenders) increasing his, he overpowers her, knocks her out, and escapes with Aang. Later in "Siege of the North, Part II," Katara defeats Zuko with a second time during the full moon when she, Sokka, and Princess Yue have come to rescue Aang.
Finally, in "The Chase," Katara, along with Toph, Sokka, and Aang, attacks Princess Azula in unison with Zuko. Once Azula has disappeared, Katara tries to tell Zuko that she could assist the injured Iroh with her healing abilities, but runs off with her companions when Zuko violently demands that they leave him and Iroh alone.
Mai
Mai is a teenaged girl of Fire Nation nobility and a long-time friend of Zuko's sister, Princess Azula.
During a flashback in "Zuko Alone," it is revealed that during their childhoods, Mai harbored a crush on Zuko, knowledge of which prompted Azula, in at least one instance, to humiliate them both. After manipulating Zuko into playing a game with herself and her friends, Azula places an apple on top of Mai's head and then promptly sets it on fire. Zuko startles Mai with his mad dash to get the flaming apple off of her head, and though he succeeds in tossing the apple away, he also ends up crashing into her and knocking them both into a fountain in a tangled heap. After Azula and Ty Lee mock the pair about being "cute" together, Zuko storms off.
In series present-time at the end of "Return to Omashu," Mai looks away and smiles when Ty Lee makes a teasing mention of Zuko, though it is still unclear whether her romantic feelings for him persist or if this was just nostalgia. Because Zuko and Mai have not interacted in present-time in the series it is also unknown whether Zuko reciprocates Mai's feelings in any way or if he is even aware of them.
Song
Song is a teenaged girl from the Earth Kingdom, whom Zuko and Iroh encounter in "The Cave of Two Lovers" at the very beginning of their travels as fugitives.
Song uses her skills with herbalism to assist Iroh when he unwisely ingests tea made from the poisonous White Jade plant. After asking both Iroh and Zuko's names (and receiving aliases: Mushi and Lee/Junior) she invites them to dinner at her home where she lives with her mother. Throughout the evening, Song, apparently sensing that Zuko is troubled, tries repeatedly to connect with him, attempting to commiserate about their losses to the war. Zuko is mostly polite, but reserved. Later, though he silently, but firmly, rebuffs her attempt to touch his scar, he seems genuinely affected when she shows him her leg, also covered with burn scars. However, when it is time for Iroh and Zuko to depart, Zuko requires nudging from Iroh to thank Song and her mother for their kindness. As he is walking away, Song calls after him and, likely in a last ditch attempt to soothe him, assures him that there is hope left in the world because the Avatar has returned. Zuko's only response is a resentful: "I know." However, immediately afterwards he steals Song's family's ostrich-horse. Song witnesses this theft as she peeks out of the door of her home, but makes no move to stop him, and instead watches sadly and then slides the door shut.
Zhao
Zhao was a high-ranking (first, a commander, then, an admiral) and ambitious officer in the Fire Nation navy and Zuko's major rival in his attempts to capture Avatar Aang. Throughout the first season Zhao and Zuko were constantly at odds as they attempted to stay one step ahead of each other in their pursuit of the Avatar.
In "The Southern Air Temple" Zuko attempts to withhold the information that the Avatar has returned from Zhao, but Zhao discovers the truth anyway and decides to detain Zuko so that he is unable to capture the Avatar first. This infuriates Zuko and in their subsequent argument Zhao mocks Zuko's plight, telling him that his father doesn't really want him back at all. Zuko then challenges Zhao to an Agni Kai in which he defeats Zhao by utilizing a strong foundation in the basics of Firebending that he had previously dismissed. Zuko, however, chooses not to scar or kill Zhao upon his victory, and while he's walking away Zhao attempts a dishonorable attack that is blocked by Iroh.
In "Winter Solstice" Zuko runs a blockade of Zhao's ships and enters into Fire Nation waters in pursuit of the Avatar, thus violating the terms of his exile. Zhao allows him to pass, however, in order to follow Zuko to the location of the Avatar and, once there, plans to arrest Zuko as well. Zuko escapes.
In "The Blue Spirit," Zuko takes on the guise of the Blue Spirit, a masked, dual-broadsword-wielding vigilante, first to spy on Zhao and then later to abduct the Avatar from Zhao's custody. Zhao realizes that this is Zuko's alternate identity in "The Waterbending Master" when he comes to commandeer Zuko's crew in order to invade the Northern Water Tribe and notices dual broadswords in Zuko's quarters. Zhao then hires the pirates with whom Zuko had bad dealings in "The Waterbending Scroll" to assassinate Zuko. However, Zuko survives and stows away on one of Zhao's ships, pretending to be a soldier, and later engages Zhao in a battle in retaliation for Zhao's attempt to kill him. During this fight, Zuko maintains that he had no choice but to act as the Blue Spirit, while Zhao insists that he should have just accepted his failure with honor. Their battle, however, is interrupted when the vengeful Ocean Spirit, upset that Zhao killed its counterpart, the Moon Spirit, manifests a hand-like appendage of water and drags Zhao away. Zuko reaches out a hand to Zhao in an attempt to assist him, but Zhao does not respond, the expression on his face making it unclear whether he is unwilling to accept Zuko's help out of pride, or that he is simply resigned to his fate, or both. He is then dragged down into the water and presumably killed by the Ocean Spirit.
Trivia
- In "The Desert", Zuko's name was listed on a Fire Nation wanted poster in Chinese as "祖寇" (zǔ kòu). The first character means "ancestral tomb" or "ancestors"; the second character means "to rob, pillage" or "robber." Later, in "The Tales of Ba Sing Se", his name is written as "蘇科" on his segment's title card. 蘇 (sū) means "resurrect," while 科 (kè) means "science or rule."
- Since "The Cave of Two Lovers," Iroh and Zuko are known as travelers Mushi and Lee. As a Chinese surname, Li (李) means 'plum,' which goes with the Mushi meaning of 'priest' because both are associated with the legendary founding of Shingon Japanese sect of Buddhism. However, because Zuko had been on a physical journey since his banishment and an emotional one since his mother's abandonment, Li can be 里 for 'mile.' Lee or Li also means 'Strength' in Chinese. Mushi is a Japanese word for 'insect.'
- Zuko has a very limited role in the video game, only appearing in cutscenes very early in the game, in the middle of the game, at the last level, and at the end of the game. He is also mentioned in the second level.
References
| The Last Airbender (The Legend of Aang) |
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| The Legend of Korra |
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| Chronicles of the Avatar | |||||||||||||
| Related articles | |||||||||||||
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