avatar the last air bender

2007-10-24T01:02:00.000-07:00

princes azula

2007-10-23T03:30:00.000-07:00

Avatar: The Last Airbender character

Azula
Nationality	Fire Nation
Gender	Female
Hair color	Dark Brown
Eye color	Golden brown
Age	14
Position	Princess of the Fire Nation, Firebender, Head of the Dai Li
First appearance	"The Siege of the North"
Voiced by	Grey DeLisle

Princess Azula is a fictional character voiced by Grey DeLisle in the Nickelodeon animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Azula is a gifted firebender and highly favored crown princess of the Fire Nation, initially bent on retrieving her exiled brother, Prince Zuko, and delivering him to their father, Fire Lord Ozai. She is accompanied on her search by her childhood friends, Mai and Ty Lee.

Azula is the first female Firebender to appear in the series, and is the Firebender silhouetted in the opening credits of each episode.

[edit] History

Azula was born to Prince Ozai and Princess Ursa about two years after her brother, Zuko. She was first seen in the audience at Zuko's ill-fated Agni Kai. She is named for her grandfather, Ozai's father, Fire Lord Azulon. Azula grew up in the riches, splendor, and privileges of being royalty in the Fire Nation. Her sharp wits and the fact that she is a Firebending prodigy gained her great attention and acclaim and quickly made her Ozai's favorite child. Her father began raising her as his true heir early on, taking her into his confidence and grooming her in politics while mostly ignoring Zuko. From the quality of her ship and soldiers, her favored status was readily apparent.

Even when she was only nine years old, Azula displayed her natural talents, along with her tendency for malice and perfection. When Ty Lee succeeded in performing a cartwheel after Azula had fallen over attempting to do her own, Azula replied by shoving her friend to the ground and laughing gleefully. When she saw the nine-year-old Mai attempting to hide her crush on Azula's brother, Azula used her acting and cunning to convince her mother to make Zuko play with them. "Playing" was quickly defined as forcing Zuko to tackle Mai into a fountain while trying to save her from a flaming apple on her head.

Azula's cruelty was evident even as a child.

She had no desire to waste time playing around like a regular girl—the very sight of a doll disgusted her. She was much more interested in power, suggesting that her father would make a better Fire Lord than the heir apparent, her Uncle Iroh, whom she also dubbed "a quitter and a loser" for abandoning his siege at Ba Sing Se. Shortly after receiving this news, Azula and the rest of her family went before Fire Lord Azulon (whom she was named after), and she put on a spectacular display of her firebending prowess. She then smugly watched Zuko try the same performance and fail. When Azulon sent everyone but Ozai out of the room, Azula took her brother and hid behind the curtains—from there, she watched her father request the birthright of Fire Lord to be placed upon him. When Zuko fled in fear from the Fire Lord's anger, Azula stayed to watch with amusement. Azula then supposedly heard her grandfather sentence her brother to death—a fact that she wasted no time in slyly reporting to Zuko. She taunted him until her mother pulled her away for a talk; Azula was next seen playing with a knife that Zuko had received from Iroh, and coolly announced that their grandfather had passed away and their mother had vanished. Soon after, she was watching her father's coronation with delight. No love developed between her and Zuko throughout the next few years—when he was burned by their father in an Agni Kai, she watched with a savage triumph.

[edit] Story

[edit] Book 1: Water

[edit] Character Preview

Azula on the episode "The Storm."

During one of Iroh's flashbacks in "The Storm," Azula can briefly be seen within the audience observing the Agni Kai in which Prince Zuko receives his facial scar from his father. As Iroh narrates, he looks away when his nephew is burned, but at Iroh's side are the then-Captain Zhao and a then-unknown girl, both of whom look on eagerly.^[1] Online speculation on who she was erupted as soon as the episode aired, and her identity was revealed a month later at the 2005 San Diego Comic Con. Originally set to be at the age of fifteen and entitled "Zula", the character was revealed to be Prince Zuko's younger sister.^[2]

Azula makes a full, albeit cameo, appearance at the very end of the season one finale, The Siege of the North. She is shown kneeling before her father, Fire Lord Ozai, who, after commenting that Zuko is a failure and Iroh is a traitor, charges her with a mission.^[3]

[edit] Book 2: Earth

[edit] Family Reunion

When Fire Lord Ozai branded Iroh a traitor and her brother Zuko a failure, she willingly obeyed her father's command for her to go and capture them, as seen in the final seconds of the first season finale. En route, she worked at perfecting her ability to create lightning with the aid of her advisors Lo and Li. In "The Avatar State", Azula attempted to capture Zuko and Iroh, (now considered traitors to the Fire Nation) luring Zuko with the false promise of being accepted home with open arms. When Zuko learned of the deception, though, he attacked her. She easily evaded his attacks, and struck back with taunts and brief attacks. However, she failed to finish her brother off, as Iroh redirected her lethal lightning attack away from Zuko and into a cliff, and then kicked her off the edge of the ship.

Counseled by her twin masters Lo and Li that the royal procession was not a wise choice to accompany her on her mission, she decided to abandon the unit, opting to find and recruit her childhood friends in "Return to Omashu." Ty Lee required some "convincing," but Mai was only too willing to leave the boredom of the conquered city of Omashu in favor of going on an exciting hunt—especially if it involved Zuko. While there, Azula renamed Omashu to the city of New Ozai.

[edit] A New Target

During this episode, Azula first encountered the Avatar. She and her new allies were almost able to defeat Aang and his friends, but their lack of preparation as well as a trump card delivered by a shrewd King Bumi enabled the three kids to escape. Soon after the battle, she named the Avatar as a personal target in addition to her brother.

In "The Chase," Princess Azula and her two friends relentlessly pursued the Avatar's group, using a Fire Nation tank train and Mongoose Dragons as mounts ^[4] to pursue them night and day. After wearing down the foursome, the three decided to split up as Aang tried to lead Azula and her friends away from Sokka and Katara's trail. Azula noticed the deception, however, and sent Ty Lee and Mai to follow Sokka and Katara, while she continued chasing down the Avatar. Azula encountered the Avatar in an abandoned town and prepared to fight him; she was interrupted, though, by her brother Zuko, who had tracked them and had his own plans for capturing Aang. Azula fought the two boys, and despite the fact that both mostly concentrated on attacking her, she dominated the fight, landing a knockout blow on Zuko and later trapping Aang beneath some fallen rubble. Victory was denied her, however, when Katara, Sokka and Toph, showed up to rescue Aang, while Iroh arrived to help Zuko. Cornered, she claimed to be willing to give in, saying that "… a princess surrenders with honor", but to everyone's surprise and dismay, Azula took advantage of Iroh momentarily being caught off-guard and seriously wounded him with a bolt of blue fire, then escaped as the four benders attacked with their respective elements.

Azula was not seen again until "The Drill" where she, along with her allies Mai and Ty Lee, were overseeing War Minister Qin's efforts to use a giant drill to break through the outer wall of Ba Sing Se. When the engineers reported an accident involving an ambushed engineer, stolen drill schematics, and further sabotage, Azula recognized that it was the work of the Avatar. Upon finding Aang, Katara, and Sokka attempting to break the engine's braces, Azula forced Aang and his gang to quickly flee. She sent Mai and Ty Lee after Katara and Sokka while Azula followed Aang, once again claiming personal ownership over the Avatar's capture. She caught Aang trying to bore a hole at the top of the drill, and they engaged in a brutal match. Her firebending nearly overwhelmed the young Avatar, but he continued to fight as the drill bored its way through the wall. The fight ended in a rather undignified manner, with the drill's slurry water pipes bursting and Azula slipping into Aang; both of them almost fell off of the drill. Azula tried to regain the advantage, but Aang was faster—by the time she had recovered, he was already on his way down the wall to destroy the drill. Azula gave one final strike with flame, but was a second too slow. Aang's powerful impact on the earthen wedge destroyed the drill and knocked Azula away.

[edit] Fall of Ba Sing Se

Following this incident, Azula took Mai and Ty Lee and began hunting for the Avatar's bison, once again following his trail of hair. When the princess and her companions finally came across him in "Appa's Lost Days," he was in a forest clearing being tended to by a group of female warriors—the Kyoshi Warriors. After a few snide remarks in which she dismissed the warriors as the Avatar's "fangirls," Azula and her friends initiated a fight. Azula engaged Suki in a swift one-on-one battle and managed to disarm the warrior and knocked her to the ground; however, she was distracted by another Kyoshi Warrior and turned to fight her instead. By the time she returned to Suki, the older girl had already driven Appa off with a flaming branch. Suki then proceeded to take a firm stance, whereas Azula merely condescendingly teased her again, before rushing in to battle—the girls clashed, but the rest of the fight was left unseen.

While Suki's fate is still unknown, it is made clear that the Kyoshi Warriors did not claim victory in this battle—at the conclusion of "The Earth King," three girls dressed in Kyoshi Warrior uniforms were welcomed by the Earth King—and the leader of the girls was unmistakably Azula in disguise.

Shortly afterwards, in the episode "The Guru," The Earth King revealed that he had had a troubling week, with Long Feng and the Dai Li planning to take over. Azula's initially smug amusement at the irony of the situation turned to a sudden concern, though, when he revealed to them that the Earth Kingdom had been planning to invade the Fire Nation—on the day of a solar eclipse. Azula was visibly caught off-guard by this information, and immediately began to consider what to do.

Afterwards, she confided to Ty Lee and Mai that she planned to take control of the Dai Li and take down Ba Sing Se from the inside. She developed a plan to inform the Dai Li of their true nature, and thus relay this information to their leader, Long Feng. The plan was successful, and Azula was taken by Dai Li agents in the middle of the night to Long Feng, who struck a deal with her. He gave her control of the Dai Li to overthrow the government in exchange for the Avatar.

Meanwhile, in the "The Guru," Katara discovered that Zuko and Iroh were in the city, and approached Azula, thinking her to be Suki, and informed her of her brother's presence. Azula revealed herself, and before Katara could warn anyone, Ty Lee took the young waterbender down. Azula proceeded to lock her in the crystal catacombs beneath the city and have a "family reunion" by sending a letter to Iroh and Zuko, telling them that the Earth King wished for them to serve him tea. Near the beginning of "The Crossroads of Destiny," the pair fell into her trap, and were surrounded by Dai Li agents. However, Iroh managed to escape them and the palace—Zuko, on the other hand, chose to stay behind to face Azula, challenging her to an Agni Kai. His sister nonchalantly turned it down, and he was overwhelmed by the Dai Li. He was then imprisoned in the same dungeon as Katara.

Finally, Azula unleashed her coup upon the city, and the Dai Li arrested the Council of Five, the Earth King's highest ranking generals, while she personally captured the Earth King. Sokka and Toph were arrested as well while attempting to warn the Earth King of the danger, and Azula sent them off to a separate dungeon. Immediately afterward, Long Feng arrived on the scene and commanded the Dai Li to arrest Azula, smugly proclaiming a double cross. Azula had the last laugh, though, as she gleefully explained that the Dai Li were so impressed by her that they no longer knew whom to follow. In a haughty and verbose speech, she denounced him for his lack of the divine right to rule—something she possessed and about which she boasted. She ended by commanding Long Feng to bow to her, since he could not compete with somebody who had been born to rule. He grudgingly obliged, saying that she had beaten him at his own game. She scathingly replied that he was "… never even a player."

Azula appeared one last time in the episode, shortly after Iroh and Aang found Katara and Zuko. Aang and Katara had been sent off by Iroh, while he remained behind for a moment with Zuko to bring him finally over to the side of good. However, his choice would not be complete without the devil upon his shoulder, and Azula was only too willing to play that part. Using the Dai Li to immobilize Iroh, she put her tongue and wit to the ultimate test, promising that her father would restore Zuko's honor and that she needed him—she promised him everything if he would help her. She closed the argument by leaving him to choose his own destiny and going after Katara and the Avatar. However, things were not going in her favor during the beginning of the battle, as her attacks could not break through their defense, and she found herself surrounded on both sides by Aang and Katara. Just when it seemed that she might lose the battle, her work came to fruition. Zuko arrived, and after a moment of consideration, chose to attack the Avatar. A long battle ensued and Azula attacked Katara only to be held back in a dire predicament, with one leg and one arm immobilized in water. Azula was saved by Zuko's timely intervention, and actually gave him an approving look before proceeding to fight the Avatar. After disabling him, she moved to end the stalemate between her brother and Katara. Together, she and Zuko easily overwhelmed her. The Dai Li joined them within a few moments, and Azula and her brother appeared unstoppable.

Aang then closed himself off in a chamber of crystal; the rest of the room stared as he entered the Avatar State. However, Azula positioned herself behind the Avatar, and used her lightning to strike the Avatar in the back before he could unleash his own assault. She would have been the Avatar's killer if not for Katara's timely recovery and swift waterbending; all the same, the Avatar was unable to fight, and Azula and Zuko were unquestionably the victors. As the siblings approached the defeated duo, though, they were blocked by the timely appearance of Iroh. He temporarily held off Azula, Zuko, and the Dai Li, allowing himself to be captured once Katara had made her escape with Aang. Later, in the throne room of the Earth King, Azula told Zuko that he had restored his honor by joining her, and that Iroh had been the one who had betrayed him—not the other way around. His honor was restored, she explained—for after a hundred years, she and Zuko had finally conquered the Earth Kingdom city of Ba Sing Se.

[edit] Book 3: Fire

[edit] Returning Home

In "Going Home Again," a canonical interlude comic featured within the second All-Avatar Nick Mag Presents edition, Azula is shown making arrangements for their return to Fire Nation. One of which is passing her position as ruler of Ba Sing Se over to Joo Dee, whom she views as the perfect person to govern in her stead, dubbing the former tour guide Supreme Bureaucratic Administrator. Azula then refuses to take no as an answer when a reluctant Zuko chooses to remain in Ba Sing Se. Gathering Ty Lee, the princess schemes to use Mai and Zuko's mutual childhood crushes to entice her brother's decision. With the false report of a meeting with a Admiral Liang, she sets the two up on a Fire Nation-themed dinner date, featuring the Dai Li agents serving as waiters. However, the ruse is uncovered when Zuko overhears Azula and Ty Lee giggling in the nearby bushes. The princess attempts to catch herself, claiming that she was just telling Ty Lee to stop messing around in the bushes. Neither Zuko nor Mai buys into the tale and leave off on a private walk around Ba Sing Se.

The following day, while boarding the ships, Azula looks on at Zuko and Mai speaking affectionately with one another and concludes that her plan seems to have been quite successful after all. She then turns to her chained uncle and wonders aloud if the prisoner will even survive the trip home. As she bids her brother farewell, Zuko suddenly makes the resolve to come with them back to the Fire Nation. Azula slyly tells her brother to do whatever he wants, as it's his decision.

In "The Awakening," Azula and Zuko return home and both are welcomed with open arms by the people, with a rally held in their honor to praise their successful efforts at the Earth Kingdom capital. Later at the old turtle duck pond, Azula and Zuko converse about Zuko's long-awaited meeting with their father. Zuko is anxious not only about the upcoming audience, but also that he must return to his father without the Avatar. Azula shrugs it off, once again restating her position that the debt is repaid by the Avatar being dead. At this, Zuko momentarily hesitates to agree in Aang's supposed demise. Azula however appears to disregard it and simply walks away.

When Zuko at last meets his father, it is revealed that Azula misinformed Ozai that he was the one who killed the Avatar. Perplexed, Zuko immediately goes to Azula's chamber to question her actions. Azula claims that she saw how worried Zuko was about not having the Avatar, she decided to give him the credit for his demise out of a generous gesture to repay his aid in the takeover of Ba Sing Se. Zuko refuses to believe her explanation, accusing her of retaining an ulterior motive. Azula nonchalantly points out how letting him have all the glory over slaying the Avatar could do little to benefit her, but insidiously acknowledges the fact that should it be discovered that the Avatar was indeed alive, all that glory would swiftly turn into shame and foolishness. She assures Zuko that he has nothing to worry about, as he already said himself, there's no way the Avatar could have survived. With that, the princess bids her deeply incensed brother goodnight.

Later on, after interrupting a picnic between him and Mai, Azula easily manages to trick Zuko into admitting that he had been making visits to Iroh's cell. Azula seemingly expresses concern for her brother, warning him that if others were to discover that he and Iroh were meeting, it would be assumed that they were plotting together.

Azula, Ty Lee, Mai, and Zuko stand together.

In "The Beach," Azula, Mai, Ty Lee, and Zuko all travel to Ember Island for a brief vacation while the Fire Lord confers with his advisors in private. Azula takes advantage of this opportunity to experience life as a normal person for very first time, choosing to keep her and Zuko's true identity a secret. At a party the group attended their first night on the island, Azula confides in Ty Lee that she is jealous of how popular Ty Lee is with boys. She takes up advice Ty Lee gives her on attracting attention, but quickly reverts to her usual persona, scaring away the boy with whom she had been in the process of flirting. Later, Azula plays the role of interpretator as the group takes turns telling stories which provide deep insight about how their lives have been. When her turn comes, Azula states she doesn't have a sob story. However, she does softly admit that she was aware that her mother loved Zuko more and thought she was a monster, but callously adds that her mother was right. As a testament of their special day, Azula proceeds to lead the others into disrupting the party and trashing the host's home.

[edit] Personality

A dedicated nationalist, Azula relentlessly drills herself towards perfection and will settle for nothing less from herself or those that serve her. She exhibits a need to be the best among her peers; even as a child she was seen to react violently when another child would outdo her. She was likely spoiled by her father as a young child. She is rather vain and believes that power and domination are what makes a person strong.

She is also known for being one of the cruelest characters in the series. Her sadistic aggression and lack of remorse suggest that Azula could be a sociopath—her own mother, Princess Ursa even remarked, "What is wrong with that child?” In "Zuko Alone", her first reaction to hearing of her uncle Iroh's son Lu Ten dying in battle is to wonder whether this now makes her father the heir to the throne. In a similarly cold-blooded comment, when hearing that Iroh is ending his two year siege of Ba Sing Se due to grieve over his son's death, she dismisses him as a "loser and quitter". This cruel and seemingly total lack of compassion extends to all of her family, with the exclusion of her mother. She grins maliciously when Zuko is burned and scarred by their father, and eagerly watched to see her father punished by her grandfather in "Zuko Alone". She also did not seem to care when her mother disappeared or when her grandfather died, instead only appreciating her father's dishonorable gall in stealing Iroh's birthright to the throne. Another example of her cruelty comes in the episode of 'The Cave Of Two Lovers', when Iroh accidentally ingests the poisonous White Jade flower, and Zuko and Iroh are given the choice to either go seek help from the Earth Kingdom and certain death or the Fire Nation and Azula. The pair made the choice of Earth Kingdom, and the chance of death, rather than be handed over to Azula.

Most of all, she enjoys torturing Zuko, calling him "Zuzu", a nickname he detests and frequently tells her not to use. She derives pleasure from reminding him of his inferiority in their father's eyes, and causing him great embarrassment in front of both friends and family. She is likewise vindictive and ruthless in dealing with others and does not hesitate to threaten those who would disobey her or fail to fulfill her wishes.

Azula's proficiency in the Firebending art has not helped curb her attitude. Her characteristic blue flames symbolizes the power she possesses and constantly seeks to increase. Her apathy also accounts for her ability to create and direct lightning, the "cold-blooded fire;" according to Iroh, the skill requires complete control of all emotion, which would not prove difficult for Azula with her one-track mentality. Despite all of this, she is quite the tactician, as she can take advantage of the situation, regardless of how bleak, and turn into her favor, usually by expertly manipulating others. This is how she was able to escape capture from Aang's group, and capture Ba Sing Se.

In Book 3 however, Azula begins to display a more human side. She is shown to, as a result of her sequestered life of royalty, retain a considerable amount of social ineptitude, particularly in her display of uncertainty of how to act around boys. Her competitive nature surfaces during a Kuai ball game and later admits her jealously over how much attention Ty Lee received from others. Azula assumes the role of interpreter as Zuko, Ty Lee, and Mai each share revelations of their life experiences that shaped them into who they are. She even reveals that it hurt that her own mother thought she was a monster, albeit halfheartedly, as she goes on to state it was true.

[edit] The Blue Dragon

In "The Earth King," Zuko fell into a deep sleep and dreamed of himself as Fire Lord, counseled by two dragons. Grey DeLisle, the voice of Azula, voiced the blue dragon on the right of Zuko.

[edit] Abilities

Azula's advanced Firebending.

Azula is revealed to be proficient in the highly difficult technique of creating and guiding lightning, a sub-skill of Firebending, and was the first character within the show to demonstrate its creation.

The most noticeable features of Princess Azula's bending are her ability to create lightning and her characteristic blue flames, both of which are much more intense than the red, orange and yellow fire normally used by Firebenders. In "Return to Omashu" Azula was seen using flames in previously unseen ways, such as jets of flames, whirling disks, and blades of fire. Also notable is her ability to produce a greater amount flames than most Firebenders without tiring, as she is shown to be able to maintain successive assaults for long durations of time. She has also demonstrated the skill to condense her flames, enabling her fire to cut clean through various objects. When formed into fireballs, the flames serve to be rather concussive, able to firmly pulverize objects such as stone. Azula is able to generate powerful shields of swirling flames which withstood the full force of four elemental attacks. She is even able to charge up her fire before releasing it, as was seen during her fight with Aang in "The Drill." The depth of Azula's potential came to a head in "The Crossroads of Destiny," where she is shown using her flames to propel herself forward almost similar to a jet.

She is also a skilled actress, which she uses often to deceive or trick the enemy, seen especially in "The Crossroads of Destiny", when she pretended to be afraid of Long Feng when purposely captured by the Dai Li. She has great self control, and is said to be "terrifying and inspirational" at the same time. It is due to her fighting prowess, mastery of Firebending, conniving mind, and her pursuit of absolute perfection that Azula managed to conquer Ba Sing Se where everyone else had failed.

[edit] Allies

Azula and her allies: Mai and Ty Lee.

As of the season two episode "Return to Omashu," Princess Azula is traveling with her old friends Ty Lee and Mai in search of Zuko and Iroh, who were now proclaimed to be traitors by her father, Fire Lord Ozai. They also seek to find and capture the Avatar. While Ty Lee did not want to join Azula on her mission, Azula's methods of persuasion (by ordering the circus ringmaster to make Ty Lee's performance in "Return to Omashu" increasingly more dangerous) were enough to change her mind. Mai, however, was more than willing to join Azula in her mission, claiming that her lifestyle in Omashu (now New Ozai) was deathly boring and needed a change. Recently, in "The Crossroads of Destiny," Zuko and the Dai Li join forces with Azula and assisted her in her coup against the Earth King.

[edit] Family

[edit] Fire Lord Ozai

Explicitly stated by Zuko, Azula is favored by their father, Fire Lord Ozai; Azula's cruelty and sadism is only matched by her father's. As Firebending prodigy and the favored sibling, everyone adored her and, judging by her ship and soldiers, she was given the better treatment. In the final seconds of the season one finale, Fire Lord Ozai gave her the task of capturing Zuko and Iroh. In the 1st episode of the third season, Azula demonstrates her lack of loyalty to even her own father; she is willing to lie, even to him, for her own ends.

[edit] Princess Ursa

Little has been revealed of the relationship between Azula and her mother, Ursa. It is known that she cared deeply for the neglected Zuko, despite her daughter Princess Azula having better Firebending powers. This is a direct contrast to her husband Ozai's feelings towards his children, who has stated that while Azula was "born lucky", Zuko was "lucky to be born." It is also seen that Azula was often scolded by Ursa for the unkind and disrespectful remarks she made about her brother, uncle, or grandfather.

In "Zuko Alone," Azula tells Zuko that his father was going to have to kill him after angering the then Fire Lord Azulon. Zuko tells himself that Azula is just lying, but as his mom gives him her final goodbyes, she states 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 unknown. It is noted, however, that Azula seems to show no concern or sadness at all over the death of her grandfather or the disappearance of her own mother, especially when it becomes known that Ozai will be crowned Fire Lord; like her father Ozai, family seems to be pale in comparison to her desire for power.

In "The Beach", Azula remarks that her own mother thought of her as a monster, which would clarify their relationship somewhat. She then quickly stated she was right, but that her mother's opinion about her still hurt.

[edit] Zuko

Zuko, a.k.a. Zuzu (the nickname in which Azula had called him in "The Avatar State," "The Guru", "The Chase", and also in "The Awakening ") is Azula's older brother, but there is no love between the two. Even though she is the younger sibling, Azula has been known to lie to Zuko and take pleasure in torturing him; though Zuko knew that "Azula always lies" (as he repeatedly says in "Zuko Alone"), she was often able to manipulate him. This is most notable in "The Crossroads of Destiny," when she uses his hope of redemption to make him betray Iroh and join her in attacking the Avatar and conquering Ba Sing Se. It seems as if the two didn't always harbor hatred towards each other. As children they got along much better than as teenagers, but this may have only been because of the presence of their mother and/or uncle.

However, following their alliance, Azula relationship with her brother gradually begins to take a drastic change. She express concern over Zuko after discovering that he had been secretly visiting an imprisoned Iroh visits, warning him that if it were to be discovered that he was meeting with their uncle, it could be misinterpreted as conspiracy. During their vacation to Ember Island, Azula shares nostalgia and depression with her brother as they pay visit to their family's decrpeit summer beachouse. Along with Mai and Ty Lee, Azula later on helps Zuko realize why he is still so angry, assuming the role of interpreter as they each share revelations of their life experiences that shaped them into who they are. When her turn comes, Azula admits that she is well aware that their mother loved Zuko more, but unlike her brother, doesn't feel the need to care or spend her time complaining about it. Although, with each act of compassion towards her brother, Azula ensures to couple it with her usual coldheartedness, a peformance reminiscent to that of a love hate relationship. Azula condesendingly instructs Zuko to be more careful in regards to Iroh, ending her warning with with the use of his old nickname of "dum-dum" for effect. When Zuko finally brings himself to confide his feelings of uncertainty and confusion towards Azula, she impulsively deems him pathetic.

[edit] Iroh

Like Zuko, Iroh cares little for Azula. Even as a child, Azula had a considerably low opinion of her uncle; she referred to him as "His Royal Tea-loving Kookiness", promptly torched a doll he had sent her from an Earth Kingdom city he had recently held siege to and called Iroh a "quitter and loser" for losing heart and failing to capture Ba Sing Se after the death of his son Lu Ten. She also expressed excitement at the idea that he might die in battle, which would put Ozai (and her) in line for the throne. Once, in "The Chase," she attacked Iroh with a fire blast---after she had, as she put it, "surrendered with honor"---and severely wounded him. Unlike Zuko, Iroh is not blinded by emotion and can see through Azula's lies. Despite Iroh's tendencies to avoid unnecessary conflict, he knows that she is sadistic and will go as far as teaching Zuko more difficult bending techniques in order to help him defeat her. Iroh is the only other character who has been shown with the ability to create lightning,^[5] and has demonstrated the technique of redirecting lightning, of which Azula has no knowledge. Azula also acknowledges him as her "Old Fuddy-Duddy Uncle". In "The Crossroads of Destiny," while Azula was trying to manipulate Zuko into taking over Ba Sing Se, Iroh was trying to convince him to let go of trying to restore his honor and "choose good".

[edit] Lu Ten

Not much is known about Azula's relationship with Iroh's son, her cousin Lu Ten. When, in "Zuko Alone," Ursa informs her children that "Iroh has lost his son. Your cousin, Lu Ten, did not survive the battle", Zuko is shown to be very shocked and sad by the news, while Azula is shown in the background with an unclear expression. Her feelings about Lu Ten, both before and after his passing, remain a mystery.

[edit] Relationships

[edit] Aang

Aang, as the Avatar, has become Azula's target along with her brother and uncle. In their first encounters, she nearly defeats him, normally forcing him to flee. However, he proves that, with newly learned bending skills, he can stand against her. In "The Drill," Aang defeats her in battle with a little help from Momo though the victory was hard fought. In "The Crossroads of Destiny," she attempts to take on Aang and Katara on her own but is clearly outmatched. Zuko however, quickly shows up and aids her in battle. After a long battle, and being out numbered with the recent arrival of the Dai Li, Aang attempts to go into the Avatar State, but is attacked by Azula before he can complete the transformation.

When Azula and Zuko return home, Azula informs Fire Lord Ozai that it was Zuko who struck the Avatar; shielding herself in the event that the Avatar survived the attack.

[edit] Mai

Mai seems to regard Azula as a friend, however, Azula treats her with as little concern as with she treats Ty Lee; in childhood, she was known for doing things like causing her brother Zuko to fall with Mai into the water in order to laugh at them when they were children. What is interesting to note, however, is that Mai does not necessarily fear Azula, as shown in the episode "The Drill," where Mai refused an order from Azula to chase Sokka and Katara in the drill's waste system ("She can shoot all the lightning she wants at me - I am not going in that wall sludge juice") She also allows Sokka, Toph and the Earth King to escape in "The Crossroads of Destiny," merely because she doesn't want to bother to fight them, and likely because they were willing to take the Earth King's pet bear Bosco off her hands. However, these incidents have occurred while Azula was not in the presence of Mai so it is unclear as to how Mai would have acted if her leader had been there in person. Mai seems hesitant to defy the princess outright, though she did fix her with a dark look while Azula's back was turned.

[edit] Ty Lee

Like Mai, Ty Lee regards Azula as a friend and even openly displays admiration for her, but ever since they were both children, she hasn't treated Ty Lee as such. Because Azula cannot stand to be "number two", even as a child, she shoved Ty Lee to the ground when she could do acrobatic flips that Azula couldn't. Azula also bullied an unwilling Ty Lee into joining her search for the Avatar, her brother, and uncle while she was doing a performance, forcing the ringmaster to set fire to the net underneath her and releasing the most dangerous animals. In "The Beach", she laughs when Zuko calls Ty Lee a "circus freak". Despite this, Azula has been known to be occasionally respectful and somewhat caring toward Ty Lee. When she makes Ty Lee cry by telling her that no boy cares for her as a person, she apologizes quickly and even admits that it was her own insecurity that shaped that comment.

www.my-pulsa4.blogspot.com
www.game-indo.blogspot.com
www.bocoranuan2008.blogspot.com

iroh

2007-10-23T03:28:00.000-07:00

Avatar: The Last Airbender character

Iroh
Nationality	Fire Nation
Aliases	The Dragon of the West, Mushi
Gender	Male
Hair color	Grey (originally black)
Eye color	Hazel
Position	Firebending Master Former Heir to the Fire Nation throne Grand Master of the White Lotus General (retired) Former Jasmine Dragon Tea Shop owner Fire Nation political prisoner
First appearance	"The Boy in the Iceberg"
Voiced by	Mako† 2005-2006 Greg Baldwin Present^[1]

General "Uncle" Iroh is a fictional character voiced by Mako (in the first and second seasons) on the Nickelodeon animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The elderly Iroh is a Firebending master, former Crown Prince and heir to the Fire Nation throne, retired General of the Fire Nation, and older brother of Fire Lord Ozai. Iroh accompanied his exiled nephew Zuko on his quest to capture Aang, the long-lost Avatar, in order to restore the young prince's honor and rights to the throne. He is now being imprisoned for crimes against the Fire Nation.

In July 2006, Mako, Iroh's original voice actor, died of esophageal cancer. Selection of another voice actor, Greg Baldwin, has been confirmed. In Chapter 15 of Book 2, "The Tales of Ba Sing Se," the short story "The Tale of Iroh" was dedicated "In Honor of Mako."^[2]

[edit] History

Iroh as he appeared in Book One

Iroh was the firstborn son of Fire Lord Azulon and Fire Lady Ilah. Iroh was destined to succeed Azulon as Fire Lord of the Fire Nation, but because of the mysterious events surrounding Azulon's death, and Iroh's abandonment of the siege on Ba Sing Se to grieve for his son, Lu Ten, Iroh's younger brother, Ozai, succeeded their father to the throne.^[3]

Three years before the start of the series, an indulgent Iroh allowed his beloved nephew to observe a meeting of Ozai's war council—a mistake he would soon come to regret. In the council, Zuko spoke out against a general who planned to sacrifice an entire division of novice troops in battle as a diversionary tactic. Though Iroh silently agreed with young Zuko's assessment, the Fire Lord demanded that Zuko participate in a fire duel, the Agni Kai, for his insubordination. Zuko accepted, under the mistaken impression he would be dueling the General he'd insulted. However, because Zuko had spoken out in his father's war room, Zuko had disrespected his father. Iroh bore witness in the audience when Zuko fell to his knees in the arena, pleading for forgiveness and refusing to duel his own father. When Iroh's brother badly burned his own son's face, permanently scarring him as punishment for his cowardice and disrespect, Iroh looked away, unable to stand the sight.^[4]

Zuko was afterward stripped of his birthright and exiled from the Fire Nation. However, one condition could restore his honor and throne and allow him to return home. Zuko was instructed to find and capture the Avatar. The Avatar was a perpetually reincarnated spirit of the planet manifested in human form, master of all four elements, and maintainer of balance between the Four Nations. This powerful being was the only threat to the Fire Nation's victory in its imperialist war against the other nations. Yet the Avatar had vanished a century ago—shortly before the Fire Nation's first strike. Three generations had conducted fruitless searches, and Zuko was to be sent on a quest that seemed little more than a fool's errand.^[5]

[edit] Book 1: Water

Undeterred, Zuko sought to do the impossible, and Iroh accompanied him. The pair spent two years at sea, searching in vain for any sign of the centenarian Airbender the Fire Sages had described. Though Iroh was resigned to the futility of their mission, and whittled away his days with games, finally a day came when a strange beacon lit the skies off the coast of the South Pole. When Zuko investigated, he discovered that the Avatar had reappeared at last. Improbably, the long-sought old man was actually Aang, a twelve-year-old boy recently woken from a hundred years of suspended animation.^[5] Thrown off-guard, Zuko underestimated the boy, who managed to escape their grasp.^[6] Zuko and Iroh quickly engaged in hot pursuit, tracking the Avatar and his friends across the globe. However, Iroh forsakes his hope of ever returning home when he attacks General Zhao in an attempt to save the Spirit of the Moon, thus assisting Aang and all of the Waterbenders at the North Pole.

[edit] Book 2: Earth

As of Season Two, Iroh and Zuko had been branded traitors of the Fire Nation. After a confrontation with Azula, Iroh and Zuko learned of a plot to capture them and return them home imprisoned. After escaping from Azula's near victorious set-up, Iroh and Zuko cut their hair to symbolize their new life as fugitives unable to return home.^[7] (Perhaps the tradition occurred during the feudal era of Japan, when the cutting off of a topknot symbolized exile from one's home, as seen in the Japanese Muromachi period film, Princess Mononoke. Also, during the Qing Dynasty in China, the Manchu rulers decreed that all Han people wear pigtails according to Manchu tradition, and cutting off one's pigtail was deemed a sign of rebellion.^[8]) The two later took refuge in random Earth Kingdom towns acting as homeless beggars.^[9] While Iroh was able to adjust to a life of simplicity, humility, and poverty, Zuko was not, and Iroh soon suspected that Zuko had been obtaining items for their day-to-day life by theft. The older man attempted to persuade his nephew that those who maintain hope in the face of adversity are the ones with true strength. However, Zuko thought otherwise, and the two separated.^[10] The two were soon reunited, as Iroh covertly followed Zuko in case he needed assistance. When Zuko got in over his head in a three-way battle with Aang and Azula, Iroh intervened, as did Aang's companions. The six of them confronted Azula together, but she managed to wound Iroh with a fire blast to the chest, and she escaped.^[11]

After recovering from his injury, Iroh decided to teach Zuko the advanced firebending techniques he would need to defeat Azula. He first tried to teach Zuko how to create lightning, but his nephew's emotional turmoil prevented him from making progress with the difficult art. Instead, Iroh taught Zuko a technique of his own creation—to absorb and redirect lightning, which he developed after studying Waterbenders. Zuko soon demanded that Iroh attack him with lightning so that he can redirect it, but Iroh refused to perform such a dangerous test.^[12]

Iroh is a grand master of the secret society, the Order of the White Lotus; although what the group represents or does has yet to be seen. The Order of the White Lotus has members spread far and wide across the world—even in desolate remote villages of the Earth Kingdom. Iroh and Zuko sought their aid in avoiding the bounty hunters Master Yu and Xin Fu, who temporarily decided to seek the two fugitives from the firebending nation rather than pursue the Avatar and Toph. Since the people who protected Iroh appeared to be of the Earth Kingdom, the organization of the group may itself be independent of any particular nation. Also, the White Lotus appears to have at least some degree of bureaucratic influence, as it managed, on short notice, to produce fake passports and other paperwork to smuggle Iroh and Zuko into Ba Sing Se.^[13]

With the White Lotus Order's help, Iroh and Zuko are able to make their way to Ba Sing Se as refugees. Once inside, Iroh gets them jobs at a tea shop.^[14] During the episode "The Tales of Ba Sing Se," Iroh spends a day shopping in the city. In this episode, Iroh is displayed as a teacher as he grants wisdom and help to all those he encounters during his day of shopping. He later holds a small memorial service for Lu Ten, marking his late son's birthday, and tearfully noting he wished he could have helped Lu Ten.^[2]

After weeks in Ba Sing Se, Iroh is given the chance to run his own tea shop, but Zuko has other plans. When Zuko attempts to capture Appa, Iroh confronts Zuko and tells him rather bluntly to stop trying to live the life people say he has to live. Iroh convinces Zuko to give up his alias as the Blue Spirit^[15] and takes care of his nephew when Zuko is stricken by the negative effects of the mental metamorphosis caused by Zuko's actions. Iroh remains confident in Zuko and believes that Zuko will become the prince he was meant to be.^[16]

When Azula offered Zuko a chance to reclaim his honor by helping take over the Earth Kingdom capital, he agrees. Iroh was last seen defending the wounded Avatar and Katara, giving them time to escape before he peacefully allowed himself to be captured. Iroh makes eye contact with Zuko before turning away, expressing shame at his nephew's decision.^[17]

[edit] Book 3: Fire

In the episode "The Headband," Zuko secretly visits Iroh, who has been imprisoned in a tower. After threatening the guard to keep silent about the visit, Zuko attempts to talk to his uncle, only to have Iroh turn away from him and say nothing. Zuko later brings food to Iroh and asks for his help. He continues his silence, causing Zuko to become angry and storm from the room. A single tear then rolls down Iroh's face. In "Sokka's Master" Iroh has been misleading the guards by acting senile and delusional, in order to make them believe that their once great commander has fallen from grace and is now nothing more than a crazy old man. In reality, however, he is just as wise and wily as ever, and has been secretly training himself in prison. Through this intensive training, it is displayed that Iroh has become significantly more muscular in comparison to his former physique. Whether or not Iroh intends to escape his imprisonment and how remains to be seen.

[edit] Name

In "The Desert," Iroh's name was listed on a Fire Nation wanted poster in Chinese as 艾洛(Ài Luò) which translates as Chinese mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) by the Luo river in Shanxi province. Medically, mugwort are dried and set aflame on the ends of acupuncture needles. Since "The Cave of Two Lovers," Iroh and Zuko are known as travelers Mushi and Lee. Iroh, looking half-dead at the time with medicinal paste smeared over his sores, was given the name Mùshī ( 墓屍 ) which translate as 'grave corpse.'

In "The Crossroads of Destiny," Iroh revealed that he got his nickname "The Dragon of the West" not because of one particular incident or because of his ferocity in combat, but rather because of his aptitude at breathing fire. In Chinese mythology, the Dragon of the West is one of four Dragon Kings and is named Áo rùn (敖閏) or Ao Jun which translates as 'haughty surplus/intercalary.' Coincidentally, the name Áo rùn goes with Ozai's name transliteration to Áo zǎi ( 敖載 ) which translates as "haughtily load/year."

[edit] Personality

A cheerful Iroh holds up the missing White Lotus Pai Sho piece.

Easygoing, friendly and dryly good-humored, Iroh tends to treat his self-imposed exile as though it were an extended vacation.

Something of a hedonist in his old age, he focuses more on the pursuits of relaxation and amusements than on the pursuit of the Avatar. Iroh is particularly fond of a good cup of tea,^[18] the strategy game Pai Sho,^[19] and pleasant music. He founded a music night for the ship's crew (among whom he is popular), where he sings and plays instruments.^[4] He later displays skill at playing the liuqin, singing lullabies to pacify a crying child.

Most likely because of his love of tea, he has shown himself to be an amateur botanist with knowledge of many plants, though misinterpretation of some plant characteristics had lead him to severe self-poisoning.^[20]

His morals (with the exception of honor) are slightly lax, as he once pocketed perfumes from an abbey.^[21]

Iroh can be quite the lady charmer when the need arises, as seen when flirting with various women throughout the series, and he has been addressed as "handsome" on multiple occasions.^[21]^[22]

He also demonstrates a respect and appreciation for all cultures, which seems to be a rarity among those of the Fire Nation.^[12]

Beneath the easy going exterior lies a wise man experienced in the world,^[12] a formidable warrior, a crafty and brutal strategist,^[3] and a powerful firebending master. So impressive is his firebending that he has displayed mastery of lightning, developed a new firebending technique,^[12] defeated multiple Earthbenders in combat,^[23] and even overpowered with ease a full squad of Fire Nation royal guards accompanying Azula.^[7]

[edit] The Veteran

In his younger days, Iroh was a great general and war hero,^[23] once known among his enemies as the "Dragon of the West" because of his unique firebending style of exhaling fire from his mouth. He first demonstrated this "breath of fire" technique in The Crossroads of Destiny to fend off numerous Dai Li agents to give himself and Zuko enough time to make their escape.^[17] Though Iroh still commands a great deal of respect, he fell from grace with his one great failure. In a final bid for victory against the Earth Kingdom, he and his men laid siege to the capital city of Ba Sing Se for six hundred days. At one point, Iroh's forces even managed to penetrate the allegedly unbreakable walls, but they were soon driven back.^[23] Iroh gave up the assault when his son was killed. While many, including Iroh, viewed this failure as a disgrace,^[3] Iroh believed he did the right thing and later claimed that he and his men were tired after the long siege.^[23] As a result of his long service in the military, Iroh knows many of the Fire Nation soldiers personally.^[13]

Iroh demonstrating why he was called "The Dragon of the West".

In addition to his extensive military service, Iroh has endured other trials, including the death of Lu Ten, his only son,^[3] and a journey to the Spirit World,^[24] which has left him with respect for the other world and the ability to see spirits.^[23]

Iroh is also the inventor of a unique firebending technique involving the absorption and redirection of lightning. This technique is seen in "The Storm," "The Avatar State," and "Bitter Work." He learned the technique from observing Waterbenders, who use their techniques to redirect enemy attacks back at the sender. Iroh taught the technique to Zuko but does not let him practice with real lightning.^[12]

[edit] Firebending

Iroh is a well-known Firebending master in the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. He has a tendency to not involve himself in battle, but when he does partake in them, he displays great skill. One of Iroh's trademark abilities is his ability to create and redirect lightning.

Iroh demonstrates the production of lightning.

Further, he has his famous "Breath of Fire," which resembles a dragon breathing flames on its opponent. He is old in age, but akin to King Bumi and Master Pakku, he is one of the most powerful benders of his nation. He managed to prevent Azula from murdering Zuko, and simultaneously kicked her over the edge of the ship before she could recover. He also managed to defeat four of Admiral Zhao's bodyguards swiftly and without injury. His mastery of Firebending allowed him to fend off dozens of Dai Li agents, along with Azula and Zuko, in The Crossroads of Destiny to save Aang and Katara.

[edit] Family

[edit] Prince Zuko

To his nephew, Iroh is a mentor,^[18] firebending teacher,^[12] advisor,^[15] caretaker,^[16] and most simply, "Uncle." The tolerant and even-keeled foil to Zuko's impulsiveness and disrespectfulness, Iroh tempers Zuko's anger with practical words of wisdom 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.^[5]

Because of Iroh's own status as a failure in the eyes of his country, Iroh has much sympathy for Zuko and pleads that he not be so relentless in his search. Although Iroh often teases his nephew, who impatiently balks at his advice, they care deeply about each other. Iroh even thinks of Zuko as his surrogate child in place of his lost son and worries over him accordingly. In turn, Zuko deeply loves his uncle and is greatly touched when Iroh indirectly praises him.^[24] When Zuko was once confronted with the choice of tracking the Avatar or saving a kidnapped Iroh, he chose the latter with little hesitation.^[23]

At first, both depended on each other in exile, becoming practically inseparable. However, as of the episode "Avatar Day," Zuko separated from his uncle to travel on his own. When Zuko and Iroh reunited in "The Chase," Iroh was severely injured by Azula, and Zuko became emotionally devastated, showing his deep concern for his uncle. Shortly after recovering, Iroh demonstrates to Zuko a technique he invented from observing Waterbenders on redirecting lightning-based attacks but would not let Zuko practice with real lightning, seeing the risk as too great. In "The Crossroads of Destiny," Iroh was betrayed by his nephew when Zuko and Azula took over Ba Sing Se. After he allowed himself to be captured by the Dai Li, he threw Zuko a disappointed glance before turning his head away, ashamed at Zuko's actions.

In Book 3's episode "The Headband", weeks after Zuko's betrayal, Iroh, now imprisoned, still harbors a deep sense of hurt from his nephew's actions. Even after Zuko tries to ask for advice, he just turns away, keeping silent. After Zuko leaves, however, Iroh is seen shedding a tear. Their current relationship as of now seems to have sustained significant damage, and is now that of only disappointment and hurt, on Iroh's part.

[edit] Fire Lord Ozai

Though little is known of Iroh's past relationship with his brother, his present feelings toward the Fire Lord seem cool at best. Quietly disapproving of his brother's methods in war, Iroh knows his brother is not a man given to understanding.^[7] Thus he is far more sympathetic to Ozai's son, Zuko, whose punishment at Ozai's hands was far too cruel for Iroh's liking.^[4] Ozai considers Iroh a traitor for his recent actions during the failed invasion of the Northern Water Tribe.^[25]

Iroh is Ozai's older brother—their father, Fire Lord Azulon (son of Sozin), apparently favored Iroh and wished for him to inherit the throne. However, when Iroh's only son died, Ozai argued that Iroh should be set aside, considering Iroh had failed to capture Ba Sing Se (the Earth Kingdom capital) because of weakness, and because Iroh's son was dead, the bloodline would not continue. Azulon, enraged, threatened to inflict a great punishment on Ozai---according to Azula, Zuko's death, though whether this is true or not is unknown. Azulon mysteriously died before anything happened, however, and somehow, at his funeral Ozai was crowned, supposedly based on Azulon's wishes; the exact circumstances of how this happened are unknown. Iroh was too broken to challenge his younger brother as Ozai was crowned Fire Lord.^[3]

[edit] Princess Azula

Princess Azula, who is Zuko's younger sister, Iroh's niece, and a firebending prodigy,^[3] has been tasked with capturing Zuko and Iroh, who are considered traitors to their country (as of season two).^[7] Vindictive and ruthless, Azula has no sympathy for her quarry, regardless of family ties. Iroh and Zuko likewise appear to return little affection. While Zuko, despite his rough attitude and constant irritation, respects Iroh, Azula thinks nothing of talking down to Iroh and giving him orders. This attitude was present even as a child; after a significant victory in battle, Iroh sent gifts to both Azula and Zuko, but Azula burned the doll he had given her, and even spoke gleefully of the idea of him dying in battle, as that would make her father Ozai in better chances for getting the throne; later, after his abandonment of his mission after Lu Ten's death, she denounced him as a "quitter and a loser."^[3], In "The Chase," she openly attacks Iroh and critically wounds him,^[11] and shortly after he describes her to Zuko: "She's crazy and she needs to go down." (Which surprised Zuko, as Iroh normally encourages him to try to get along with her better.)^[12]

Iroh seems to see Azula as a spoiled brat with a shorter fuse than Zuko, but Iroh also knows that she is quite deadly in combat.

Iroh and Azula often seem juxtaposed to each other---they share above-average abilities in firebending, and both are capable of creating lightning, a very difficult firebending skill that requires a lack of emotion and peace of mind.^[12]^[7] However, they seem to exhibit this ability for different reasons---while Iroh is mellow and pacificistic, Azula is cold and unfeeling. The two also represent the two forces Zuko has to decide between---during Zuko's dream, he sees two dragons, one with Azula's voice and one with Iroh's, each trying to convince him to follow their particular counsel.^[15] Later this would come fruition in "The Crossroads of Destiny," where Iroh tries to convince Zuko to follow a new path, while Azula tries to convince him to ally with her in the hopes of receiving Ozai's affection. Zuko's choice to follow Azula apparently left Iroh with shame and sadness.^[17]

[edit] Prince Lu Ten

Iroh & Lu Ten, his only son, in a flashback

Though initially not named during the first mention of him within "The Siege of the North, Part I,"^[24] the name of Iroh's son was revealed as Lu Ten in the episode "Zuko Alone." Apparently Lu Ten fought alongside his father on the front lines and was killed in the Battle of Ba Sing Se. The picture that Iroh left under a tree in "The Tales of Ba Sing Se" describe him as a "Fallen General". With the loss of his son, Iroh collapsed emotionally and ended the six-hundred day siege of the Earth Kingdom capital.

After the death of Iroh's son, Ozai tried to convince Fire Lord Azulon to let him inherit the throne in the place of Iroh, who was his older brother. Because Lu Ten had been Iroh's only son (and only child), the bloodline would terminate at Iroh's death. Iroh, likely emotionally drained by Lu Ten's death, did not challenge Ozai's claim to the throne and came to see Ozai's neglected son, Zuko, as a surrogate son of his own.^[3]

Iroh's son, Lu Ten.

A young version of Lu Ten was seen in a memory Iroh had during the episode "Bitter Work." They seemed to have a good relationship. Another memory in the same episode placed Iroh at the grave of his deceased son, where Iroh stated that he would meet with Lu Ten again.^[12] During the episode "The Tales of Ba Sing Se," Iroh went on a picnic alone, and held a small memorial for Lu Ten on his late son's birthday.^[2] The Chinese characters on the picture (艾洛將軍得勝再見忠心的兒子路騰), when read in the traditional right and vertical way, translate roughly into "General Iroh, I will see you again when victory is obtained. Your loyal son, Lu Ten." 路騰 ( Lù T'éng ) means "road to gallop over."

[edit] Fire Lord Azulon

Not much is known about the relationship between Iroh and his father, other than that Azulon vigorously defended Iroh's birthright to the throne after Ozai suggested to Azulon that he be named successor instead of Iroh. With the mysterious death of Azulon, however, Iroh's birthright was denounced and Ozai became Fire Lord.^[3]

[edit] Relationships

[edit] Admiral Zhao

Iroh viewed Admiral Zhao, Zuko's ruthless rival in the quest to capture the Avatar, as being less honorable than his nephew ever since Zhao lashed out in anger after Zuko defeated him in an Agni Kai—an opinion which he shared with Zuko as a form of praise. Zhao outwardly respected Iroh as a national hero (while taking every opportunity to antagonize Zuko).^[18]

Zhao once offered Iroh a position as his general and military adviser when Zhao commandeered Zuko's ship and crew for an invasion of the Northern Water Tribe. After Zhao secretly engineered the apparent assassination of Zuko, Iroh accepted so as to provide covert support to Zuko, who was still alive and hiding aboard Zhao's own ship. Once Iroh was in his service, Zhao revealed a genuine contempt for Iroh's failure at Ba Sing Se and his reverence of the spirits. He ignored Iroh's sage advice not to trifle in the matters of the Spirit World and doubted Iroh's loyalty.^[24] When Zhao threatened the Moon Spirit, Iroh promised that whatever Zhao did to the spirit, Iroh would return to him tenfold. When Zhao killed the Moon Spirit, Iroh's attack upon the soldiers guarding Zhao seemed to inspire fear in the Admiral, who then fled.^[25]

[edit] Toph

When Toph temporarily left the team in "The Chase," she felt Iroh's presence and attacked him with Earthbending, knocking him to the ground. Apparently Toph apologized, as Iroh is seen next making tea for Toph and talking about how she is like his nephew, Zuko, though Iroh never names him. After Toph understands what Iroh meant by trying to do too much alone, they said good-bye and Toph returned to Aang's team.^[11] Iroh saw Toph again later in the episode when she, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko pinned Azula in a corner during a fight. Distracted by seeing her again, he was struck by Azula's attack and was rendered unconscious for the rest of the episode and a small part of the next. Later, during the events of "The Crossroads of Destiny," Iroh approached her, Aang, and Sokka to enlist them to help in rescuing Zuko, and because of their friendship, Toph convinced the others to help him.^[17]

[edit] Aang

Iroh, unlike his nephew, holds no hostility towards Aang and his companions. The pair had occasional meetings, usually with only minimal exchange of dialogue,^[25] until "The Crossroads of Destiny." Aang, after learning of Toph's trust in Iroh, approached Iroh for advice. Aang wondered if he made the right choice of choosing his love for Katara over the power to control the Avatar State. Iroh reassures him that happiness is more important than power. Aang takes the advice to heart.

Later on within the same episode, following Zuko allying himself with Azula which resulted with a critically wounded Aang, Iroh intervenes and instructs Katara to flee with the unconscious Avatar. He then procedes to hold Azula and the Dai Li off long enough for the two to escape.^[17]

prince zuko

2007-10-23T03:25:00.000-07:00

Avatar: The Last Airbender character

Zuko
Nationality	Fire Nation
Aliases	The Blue Spirit, Lee, The Banished Prince, Junior
Gender	Male
Hair color	Black
Eye color	Gold
Age	16, possibly 17 in Book 2
Position	Prince of the Fire Nation, Dual Dao swordsman, Firebender
First appearance	"The Boy in the Iceberg"
Voiced by	Dante Basco Elijah Runcorn (Young Zuko)

Prince Zuko is a fictional character voiced by Dante Basco on the Nickelodeon 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, and to earn his return home from exile. He is accompanied and advised in his search by his uncle 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.

[edit] History

Zuko is the only son and the first-born of Fire Lord Ozai and Princess Ursa. 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, favored him.^[1]

When Zuko was about eleven years old, his cousin, Lu Ten, died while away at war. Soon after, General Iroh, devastated by the loss of his only child, abandoned his two-year siege of the Earth Kingdom Capital City, Ba Sing Se. During an audience with Fire Lord 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 the audience. 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 and he declares angrily that Iroh has suffered enough, but Ozai’s suffering has only just begun.^[1]

Frightened, Zuko runs away while Azula stays to watch. 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 as the Fire Lord now wants his younger son to know what it feels like to lose a child . 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.^[1]

Years later, Iroh allows a persistent, fourteen year old Zuko into a war counsel with Ozai and a group of his generals. 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. 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.^[2]

[edit] The Scar

After his duel with his father, when Zuko's healthy eye opens all the way, the scarred one remains still, but when Zuko closes his right eye, the left shuts evenly with it. During the episode Bitter Work, when Zuko weeps at the end of the episode, his scarred eye does not shed any tears. Nonetheless, Zuko stills retains the ability to see with his scarred eye.^[3]

[edit] Story

[edit] Book 1: Water

Iroh accompanies Zuko during his exile, and the pair spend 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 on serving under the popular General Iroh. They were often unhappy under Zuko but obey his orders. Iroh considers the search to be more of an extended vacation.

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 Sokka and Katara) escapes from Zuko, he vows never to underestimate him again.^[4] 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.^[5] Zhao remains Zuko's bitter rival in his quest to capture Aang throughout the continuation of Book 1.

Prince Zuko as The Blue Spirit.

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 a captured 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. After Zuko has been knocked unconscious, Aang removes the 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, Aang makes a vague overture of friendship towards him, to which Zuko's only response is a fireblast.^[6]

During "Bato of the Water Tribe," Zuko encountered the bounty hunter June and her Shirshu invading his ship in pursuit of a stowaway. June tells him her Shirshu can detect a scent for miles by just smelling an object. Zuko enlists her help (to compensate for the damage to his ship) and uses Katara's necklace to follow her scent, tracking Aang by proxy. Zuko ends up in a one on one showdown with Aang, but is defeated when Sokka devises a plan to blind the Shirshu by overpowering its sense of smell, its strongest method of perception. The Shirshu loses control and, with its toxin-secreting tongue, paralyzes both Zuko and June. Iroh pretends to be paralyzed so he could hold June close to him. He shushes Zuko when he points this out. ^[7]

Towards the end of season one, Zhao recruits the soldiers under Zuko’s command so he wouldn't get in the way again. When he sees the broadswords on a mantlepiece, Zhao deduces that Zuko is the Blue Spirit and hires a band of pirates to assassinate Zuko. The pirates blow up Zuko’s ship, but he survives.^[8] 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.^[9]

Once at the North Pole, Zuko sneaks into the city. After battling Katara, Zuko manages to kidnap Aang from her 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 saves Zuko’s life for a second time, 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 drowned by the Ocean Spirit. Zuko and Iroh escape the North Pole on a driftwood raft for three weeks.^[10]

[edit] Book 2: Earth

Season two would prove to be a journey of self-discovery and change for Zuko. The possible ramifications of these changes could well have tremendous consequences for both his own personal future and that of many other characters in Avatar.

[edit] Betrayed

Main articles: The Avatar State, The Cave of Two Lovers, The Swamp (Avatar: The Last Airbender), and Avatar Day

The season opens on the three year anniversary of Zuko's banishment, and Zuko is as determined as ever in his desire to capture Aang and "regain what he has lost". Unbeknownst to him, however, his father has officially declared both he and Iroh traitors for their actions against Zhao during the siege of the Northern Water Tribe and sent Zuko's sister, Azula, to bring them back as prisoners.^[10] Azula attempts to deceive them into believing that Ozai has ended their exile, and despite Iroh’s doubts, Zuko wishes to believe this, so he agrees to go. Azula’s treachery is revealed when the two are about to board her ship, resulting in a brawl where Iroh fights off her guards while Zuko angrily confronts his sister. Zuko proves to be no match for Azula, who defeats him without Zuko landing a single blow. Azula prepares to finish him with a lightning attack, but Iroh intercedes, redirecting the blast and escaping with Zuko. Afterwards, as a symbol of severance from their family and the Fire Nation, the pair sever their topknots with a dagger Iroh had given Zuko years earlier.

Iroh and Zuko soon have trouble living off the land. Iroh mistakenly ingests a deadly plant, and they are forced to seek aid from a young Earth Kingdom herbalist named Song. 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 taken aback and dismayed. Despite this, as Zuko and Iroh depart, Zuko steals Song’s ostrich horse, over Iroh's protests.^[11]

The two grow more desperate and Zuko fumes as Iroh is forced to panhandle for money. After watching Iroh being harassed, Zuko once again dons the guise of the Blue Spirit and turns to stealing from local merchants.^[12] Iroh, worried about Zuko, has a talk with him about his suspicious acquisitions and his honor. However when he goes further and points out that capturing the Avatar at this point would likely not improve their situation or return Zuko to his "rightful place" in the Fire Nation, Zuko pulls away from Iroh and walks off. When he returns, he says that, after reflection, he decides that they no longer have anything to gain by traveling together and parts ways with Iroh.^[13]

[edit] Alone

Main article: Zuko Alone

Zuko fighting Earth Kingdom thugs.

Zuko wanders through the Earth Kingdom, passing through forbidding and uninhabited areas. Despite his worsening hunger and lack of supplies, he decides not to rob a young couple when he notices that the woman is pregnant. Eventually, he stumbles upon a small town that is regularly harassed by a troop of unscrupulous Earth Kingdom soldiers. Zuko stands up to those soldiers, impressing a young boy named Lee, who invites Zuko back to his family's farm for food and shelter. He spends the day helping with chores, and thinking of his own, far less happy childhood. Zuko acts as something of a substitute brother for Lee, whose older brother is off in the war, even giving Lee a quick lesson in how to use dual broadswords when Lee’s curiosity prompts him to take them. Before leaving, Zuko gives Lee the dagger that he received from Iroh as a boy.^[1]

After Zuko leaves town, Lee's mother comes to him, telling him how the soldiers came to harass the family and took Lee away when he threatened them with the dagger. Having no one else to turn to, she asks Zuko to save him. Zuko denounces the soldiers as common bullies and defeats most of them easily, but the ringleader is an Earthbender and Zuko is unable to beat him using only his broadswords. After recalling his mother's last words to him before her disappearance, to "Always remember who you are", Zuko Firebends to save himself and announces his identity proudly to the town. Despite what he has done for them, the townspeople, including Lee who even throws away Zukos dagger, reject Zuko because of his identity and he departs with his retrieved dagger.^[1]

[edit] Reunion

Main articles: The Chase (Avatar: The Last Airbender) and Bitter Work

Zuko picks up Azula's trail, who is in turn relentlessly hunting and harrying Aang and company. He manages to track Azula into a deserted town where she and Aang are about to face off, and warns her to leave Aang's capture to him. She ignores him and they engage in a three-way battle that Azula dominates, by deflecting all of Zuko's attacks and landing a knock-out blow to Zuko. All seemed lost until Aang’s friends arrive to assist him, 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, only to attack and badly wound Iroh in a moment of distraction and escape. Zuko is grief-stricken about Iroh's serious injury and angrily demands that Aang and his companions, who offer to help him, leave them alone.^[14]

After Zuko tends to Iroh's wound himself he asks Iroh to resume his training so that he can defeat Azula. Iroh agrees, and attempts to show Zuko the difficult art of creating lightning, but Zuko's inner turmoil prevents him from doing so. Instead, Iroh shows him how to redirect lightning, but refuses to test the skill due to the danger. Zuko is undeterred and climbs a mountain during a storm, intent on accomplishing the task. He rages at the storm and the world in general when no lightning comes close enough until finally, exhausted and emotionally spent, he collapses, a bitter tear in his eye.^[15]

[edit] To Ba Sing Se

Main articles: The Desert, The Serpent's Pass, The Drill, City of Walls and Secrets, and The Tales of Ba Sing Se

Zuko and Iroh travel to a desert oasis where Iroh makes contact with a secret society in which he is a member: The Order of the White Lotus. Zuko and Iroh find out that the Fire Nation has placed a large bounty on their heads, but the White Lotus aids them in dodging bounty hunters and garners documentation so that Iroh and Zuko may pass into the Earth Kingdom's capital city, Ba Sing Se.^[16] While traveling there they encounter Jet, who is on his way to Ba Sing Se to make a new life and befriends Zuko^[17] before noticing Iroh employing subtle Firebending to heat his tea. Furious, Jet becomes determined to expose them.^[18]

Zuko and Iroh find a place to live in Ba Sing Se, which displeases Zuko, who has no desire to make a life in the "prison" that is Ba Sing Se. They both take jobs in a teahouse in Ba Sing Se as servers, and Iroh soon takes it upon himself to greatly improve the quality of the local tea, which garners him a degree of fame. Meanwhile, Jet makes various surreptitious attempts to prove that Zuko and Iroh are Firebenders, but fails. Finally, a frustrated Jet walks into the teashop and challenges them to a fight, hoping to force one of them to Firebend in self-defense. Zuko takes up Jet's challenge and the two begin an extended, even battle until the Dai Li interrupt them. Various witnesses state that Jet's attack on the teashop employees and Zuko was completely unprovoked, leading to Jet’s arrest.^[19]

Zuko continues to be reluctant to adapt to living in Ba Sing Se, perhaps best typified by his awkward date with Jin, a young girl who is a regular customer of the teahouse where he works and who has developed a crush on Zuko. Towards the end of their date she hints that she wants to kiss him, something Zuko doesn't seem to get. When she does kiss him, he returns it before breaking off, saying only, "It's complicated", and going back home. When he returns home and Iroh asks him how his date went, Zuko goes straight into his room without answering, but after a few seconds, Zuko cracks open the door and quietly remarks, "It was nice."^[20]

[edit] Crossroads of Destiny

Main articles: Lake Laogai, The Earth King, The Guru (Avatar: The Last Airbender), and The Crossroads of Destiny

Zuko learns that Aang is in the city by seeing a flier that Aang and company have made to look for the missing Appa. Zuko decides to hunt for Appa and use him as bait for Aang. In his Blue Spirit disguise he forces an agent of the Dai Li to tell him the whereabouts of Appa, then sneaks into the Dai Li secret base beneath Lake Laogai and finds Appa in his cell, but is confronted by 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. He then attempts to persuade Zuko into giving up his search for the Avatar, telling Zuko to give up the destiny set for him by his father, and follow his own path. Zuko cries out in agony and indecision, but does free Appa. When they leave Lake Laogai, he throws his Blue Spirit mask into the lake.^[21]

Zuko as the Fire Lord during his dream.

As soon as Zuko and Iroh return to their apartment Zuko collapses with a terrible fever. Iroh informs him that the great struggle going on inside Zuko's mind over his future and his destiny has in effect carried over to this body. Iroh likens this period of time to a metamorphosis, and states that in the end Zuko would emerge as the person he is truly meant to be. Zuko has a series of dreams and hallucinations, and in one of them sees himself as the Fire Lord, without his scar, while a blue dragon with Azula's voice and a red dragon with Iroh's voice give him differing advice. He also sees images of his vanished mother begging him for help. Zuko finally seems to waken. He gets up and splashes water on his face, only to look up into a mirror and see that he has Aang's bald head and tattoo. Zuko then truly wakes with a cry of horror and immediately touches his face where it is scarred. Upon finding the scar still there he closes his eyes and goes back to sleep.^[22]

Zuko and Katara in the cavern.

Afterwards, Zuko appears to have developed a more optimistic view of life and living in Ba Sing Se. He is enthusiastic at the opening of Iroh's new teashop, and at the invitation for the two of them to come to the Earth King's palace and serve tea to the king.^[23] The invitation, however, is a trap set by Azula, who has struck a deal with the Dai Li to perform a coup on the Earth King. Iroh and Zuko manage to fight their way free, but Zuko chooses to stand and face Azula while Iroh flees. He challenges Azula to an Agni Kai, but Azula laughs off his challenge and has the Dai Li arrest him and imprison him in a cave with Katara. There Katara berates Zuko, who sits silently and absorbs the abuse until Katara mentions how the Fire Nation took her mother away from her, something which Zuko can sympathize with and relate to. This is a bonding point for the two, and Katara apologizes, explaining that for a long time Zuko's face was the face of the enemy in her mind, causing Zuko to acknowledge his scar and how it marks him. Katara offers to attempt to heal Zuko's scar and is about to do so when Iroh and Aang barge in to rescue them.^[24]

Despite the statement that he has changed, Zuko still holds a great deal of anger towards Aang, and within moments the two old adversaries nearly come to blows, until Iroh restrains Zuko and encourages Aang and Katara to leave and find their friends. While Katara and Aang exit the cavern, Iroh attempts to dissuade Zuko from continuing his pursuit once again. Azula arrives accompanied by two Dai Li agents who incapacitate Iroh in crystal. Both Iroh and Azula attempt to persuade Zuko- Azula seeking his assistance in capturing the Avatar, and Iroh begging him to seek his own destiny. When Azula leaves to fight Aang and Katara, Zuko later joins and decides to help Azula by attacking Aang, which he does with manic zeal. Surprisingly, Zuko also assists his sister directly several times, including freeing her when Katara had Azula trapped.^[24]

At the end of the battle, Iroh arrives on the scene and covers Katara and Aang's escape by holding off the siblings and scores of Dai Li agents until they have safely exited the cavern. Iroh then lets himself get captured, and Azula and Zuko triumphantly return to the Earth King's palace. Zuko is suddenly once again uncertain of himself, though, and expresses regret at having betrayed Iroh. Azula turns this aside, though, telling Zuko that it was Iroh who betrayed him. She then expresses confidence that, Avatar or no Avatar, Zuko has restored his own honor. We leave Zuko with the young man still looking conflicted about the decision he has made. ^[24]

[edit] Book 3: Fire

So far Book 3 has followed Zuko's return to the Fire Nation and being looked on as a hero by his people.

[edit] Returning Home

As displayed in "Going Home Again," a canonical interlude comic featured within the second All-Avatar Nick Mag Presents edition, Zuko is surprisingly reluctant to return to the Fire Nation as a hero. However, after informing his sister of his intention to remain in Ba Sing Se, the princess pulls out a trump card in the form of an old friend--Mai, who had shared a mutual crush with Zuko as a child. After foiling Azula's dinner date set up, Zuko accompanies the governor's daughter on a stroll throughout the city, where--after an incident involving Jin, octofish, and a fountain--the two end up kissing and reminiscing. The following day, as he sees Mai off during the boardings, Zuko severely contemplates returning home with her, watched on by Azula. The princess then turns her attention to Iroh being led aboard a Fire Nation ship in chains and wonders aloud if he will even survive the trip. As she bids her brother farewell, Zuko suddenly makes the resolve to come with them back to the Fire Nation. Azula slyly tells her brother to do whatever he wants, as its his decision.

Several weeks later, though, as the ship approaches Fire Nation waters, Zuko expresses his fear at how much everything has changed, and how much he himself has changed. Despite reassurances from Mai and deafening cheers from the citizens of the Fire Nation, Zuko is still uncertain as to how his father would receive him--and even doubtful as to whether or not the Avatar was truly dead, a feeling he consequentially expresses to his sister. When he finally returns to his father's throne room, however, his father welcomes him back with pride and recognition, claiming that Zuko had fully redeemed himself by slaying the Avatar. Zuko manages to contain his surprise at this, knowing full well that it had been Azula who had delivered the blow, not him.

Although the false claim finally gives him the redemption he has so longed for, Zuko confronts his sister that night about why she had given him the credit. Azula claims that she saw how worried Zuko was about not having the Avatar, she decided to give him the credit for his demise out of a generous gesture to repay his part in the takeover of Ba Sing Se. Zuko refuses to believe her explanation, accusing her of retaining an ulterior motive. Azula nonchalantly points out how letting him have all the glory over slaying the Avatar could do little to benefit her, but goes on to insidiously acknowledge the fact that should it be discovered that the Avatar was alive, all that glory would swiftly turn into shame and foolishness. She assures Zuko that he has nothing to worry about, as he had already said himself, there's no way the Avatar could have survived. With that, the princess bids her brother goodnight, who leaves deeply incensed. Even with his redemption, he is still being manipulated.

Zuko had been secretly seeing his imprisoned uncle, telling the guard to say nothing. However, Iroh would have none of him and refused to listens to Zuko's claims he could have been a hero. While on a picnic with Mai, they were interrupted by Azula who cautions Zuko not to be discovered visiting Uncle or people will think he was conspiring with him (exactly why she would tell him this is ambiguous). After delivering a box of chicken to his uncle, Zuko says to his uncle that he has everything he has ever wanted, but is tortured knowing that the Avatar is still alive; Iroh refuses to advise his nephew. Zuko then meets with a person who has a tattoo of a third eye whom he instructs to kill the Avatar.

[edit] Personality

While initially the series' main antagonist, over time Zuko's continued development has shown him to be more of a bitter and complex young man than a truly evil character. Zuko wants, more than anything, to have what he feels should be his birthrights: his place as Prince of the Fire Nation and his father's love. Zuko truly believes, or has perhaps forced himself to believe, that capturing the Avatar will make these wishes come true, and this makes him one of Aang's most determined enemies.

Zuko believes that a person becomes strong by having to struggle and fight for what they want. He has 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's reaction to this perception of the world always being set against him is defiance in the form of an iron will and inflexible determination. When he makes up his mind that decision is set in stone, Zuko will not back down, regardless of the odds he has to face, or the potential consequences.^[10]

Zuko has numerous seemingly contradictory traits, beliefs, and behaviors. For example Zuko is quite domineering and controlling, a result of being raised as Fire Nation royalty, and disdains working with people he believes are inferior to himself. Yet he adamantly refuses to view people as expendable. To an extent, it was Zuko's ideal of believing that it is wrong to sacrifice able-bodied and willing troops merely as a diversionary tactic which led to his exile.^[2] During his banishment, Zuko displayed much zeal in pursuing the Avatar, using whatever means he thought necessary to gain the upper hand. He has said that the capture of the Avatar is the greatest concern to him, more so than the safety or well being of his crew or even himself. Yet, he shows some compassion to those close to him, choosing to rescue Iroh when he was captured, rather than pursue Aang,^[25] and also risked his own life in order to save a member of his crew during a fierce storm. Towards the end of the storm, the crew spots Aang, but rather than chase the Avatar, Zuko orders the ship and crew to safety.^[2]

Because the prospect of returning home and being forgiven was Zuko's sole motivation, he is marked by abject despair at having seemingly lost his chance early in the second season. He finds himself in perhaps the most dire situation possible: being hunted by his sister, the ruthless and relentless Azula while attempting to survive as a penniless fugitive in a kingdom of his mortal enemies. Zuko no longer has anything, something he cannot seem to accept or acclimate himself to, after having grown up as royalty. 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 stealing from those who have been kind to him.^[11] 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.^[1] Zuko begins 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. During "Lake Laogai", he even sets Aang's pet bison and primary mode of transportation, Appa, free from Dai Li captivity at Iroh's suggestion.^[21]

It seemed that these "good" traits would become dominant after Zuko's series of fever dreams and hallucinations in "The Earth King," as afterwards he displayed a far more optimistic and benign attitude towards life and the world.^[23] However, Azula successfully tapped into and manipulated Zuko's desire for the love and approval of his father, and convinced him to betray Iroh and become her ally in "The Crossroads of Destiny." Although Zuko continued to insist that he had truly changed even after joining Azula, it remains to be seen what long term effects his choice will have on his ever-evolving personality. Afterwards, he seems conflicted about his choices, and is uncomfortable with his betrayal of Iroh, who is a father figure to him.^[24] In The Beach, Zuko states that he is angry with himself, saying he doesn't know right from wrong.

[edit] Name

In "The Desert", considered a traitor, Zuko's name was listed on a Fire Nation wanted poster as "祖寇" (zǔ kòu), which translate as 'ancestors robber." Later, in "The Tales of Ba Sing Se", his name is written as "蘇科" (sū kè) on his segment's title card, which translates as 'resurrect rule.' Since "The Cave of Two Lovers," Iroh and Zuko are known as travelers Mushi and Lee. When those names were conjured up by Zuko, he was wearing a bamboo coolie hat which in Chinese is called a Lì ( 笠 ) or Lee.

[edit] Abilities

[edit] Firebending

Zuko using broadswords in conjunction with his Firebending.

Zuko has shown himself to be a highly skilled Firebender. The first true measure of his ability came in the Agni Kai against Zhao just three episodes into the series. 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.^[5] Because Zuko spends much of the first season constantly doing battle with various foes, including Aang himself,^[7] his skills as a fighter have improved greatly. At the end of the season, he not only defeats Katara in the Moon Shrine after the sun rises, but he also defeats Zhao far more easily and impressively before the Ocean Spirit ends the duel by carrying Zhao off.^[10]

Throughout Book 2 there have been signs that his skill may be improving. In the Book's first episode, Zuko was unable to land a single blow on Azula during their fight.^[26] However, during their second encounter, Zuko fares far better, (although Azula still certainly has the upper hand), trading fire blasts with her until he fell into a partially destroyed building, which allowed Azula to strike a knockout blow while he was recovering.^[14]. Also, for the first time, Zuko's firebending showed a hint of blue fire (a trademark of Azula's) trailing from his sword during his duel with Jet in Ba Sing Se. Finally, in the last episode The Crossroads of Destiny Zuko was shown fighting fairly evenly against the Avatar. In Zuko's first fight with the Avatar in the second episode, Zuko could not land a hit against Aang who at the time did not know any earth or water bending, but in the final episode, not only were they more evenly matched, but the two fought to an almost perfect standoff, broken only when Katara and Azula changed opponents.

Following the resumption of his training under Iroh, the very nature of Zuko's fighting style has undergone an evolution.^[15] 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, direct, left him open to counterattacks and almost certainly consumed a large amount of energy. (In the first duel with Zhao, for example, Zuko is panting and visibly tired after launching just a few attacks).^[5] In the second Book he begins, like his uncle, to show far more finesse, refinement and economy of energy. For example, when faced by an enemy archer, rather than launching a large flame to bowl him over, he sends a small bolt of flame that burns a hole through both bow and string, completely disarming him. Also, like Azula he begins projecting flames from two fingers rather than his whole fist and, as seen when he lit numerous candles during his date with Jin in "Tales of Ba Sing Se", this allows him to hit multiple targets with great accuracy in a matter of seconds.^[20]

In the season finale of Book II, Zuko is shown utilizing a number of new tactics and techniques. First, he was shown to charge up his attacks, which significantly increased their power and efficiency in a manner similar to a technique of Azula's. Secondly, he used his firebending in the shape of long whips or lashes, a maneuver that proved to be an effective mid or long range attack and more malleable than simply shooting a ball of flame.^[24] As a result he was able to battle on even terms with Katara, who at that point had long since been declared a waterbending master^[10] , and Aang, who was now proficient with water and earthbending, along with a mastery of airbending.

Zuko occasionally demonstrated the ability to breathe fire, just as his father and uncle Iroh have in the past, albeit in a considerably less impressive fashion. When infiltrating the Northern Water Tribe capital city, he use the ability to warm his body and enough to sustain the harsh cold weather.^[9] No doubt that Zuko was taught this ability by his uncle during their long travels together.

Zuko also tried to learn how to create lightning by his Uncle but, due to the conflict in his heart, was unable to successfully do so. However, Iroh also taught him to redirect lightning. It is not known if Zuko will possess this ability.

[edit] Other skills

As well as being a proficient Firebender, Zuko has also shown to be highly skilled in the use of butterfly swords, a talent he refined during his time at sea. This is best displayed in the episode "The Blue Spirit", when Zuko had to refrain from using his bending abilities and was shown defeating scores of Fire Nation soldiers.^[6] In Zuko Alone he easily defeats a small squadron of Earth Kingdom soldiers, and even takes on their Earthbending leader with just his swords before he uses Firebending to finish him off.^[1]

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,^[21] although the circumstances of each separate at this point. Also, the different natures of those fortresses show that he is adaptable to circumstances as well.^[9] He is also skilled at the art of the ambush, laying cunning traps for his victims, both demonstrated when he briefly turned bandit^[13] and when he later set a trap for an agent of the Dai Li in order to obtain information on Appa's location.^[21] This ability ties in well with his swordsmanship, and is a key facet of his 'Blue Spirit' persona.

[edit] Family

[edit] Fire Lord Ozai

Though Zuko was once moved to tears by his father's upbraiding of him in the Agni Kai arena^[2] , his present feelings towards Fire Lord Ozai seem mixed at best. He is resentful of Ozai's favoritism towards his sister Azula,^[1] but it is 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")^[10] and told Azula he considers Zuko "a miserable failure".^[26] 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.^[26] As of the begining of Book Three, Ozai welcomes his son home with open arms and pride in his false accomplishment: the slaying of the Avatar. Though this attitude will surely change should the Avatar be found alive, with this in mind, Zuko is wary of his father's welcome.^[27]

[edit] Uncle Iroh

By the chapter "Lake Laogai", Zuko fully abandons the identity of the Blue Spirit.

Iroh is Zuko's uncle,^[4] mentor,^[5] Firebending teacher,^[15] advisor,^[21] caretaker and de facto father-figure.^[9] 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.^[4] Iroh is sympathetic to Zuko (having likewise fallen from grace due to an infamous military failure in his days as a Fire Nation General^[9] ) 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,^[9] (his own son having died) and worries over him accordingly. Iroh is constantly guiding Zuko, and trying to help him to make good choices.^[21] 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.^[25] 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.^[9]

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"),^[13] though Iroh continued to follow his nephew's trail.

In the episode "The Chase," Zuko and Iroh rejoined during a battle with Azula and Aang's group. Their reunion was cut 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 to make tea for him). Then, Iroh begins to teach Zuko how to channel lightning through his body, but refuses to aim one at him for practice due to the risks involved.^[14]

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 rest of the main cast does. While Iroh's words are harsh, Zuko ultimately seems to respect the sentiments behind them, opting to release Appa--knowing 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. In the episode "The Earth King", he and Zuko arrive back at their apartment. Iroh once again congratulates him for letting Appa go, but Zuko says that he "doesn't feel right" before passing out on the floor. During Zuko's illness, Iroh gladly takes care of his nephew. However, in "The Crossroads of Destiny," Zuko sides with Azula and betrays Iroh. Later in the episode, Iroh turns his head from Zuko, signifying that he is ashamed of the choices that his nephew has made.^[24]

Once Iroh was taken back to the Fire Nation as a prisoner, Iroh refuses to talk to Zuko, despite his frequent visits and his confusion.

[edit] Princess Azula

Azula is Zuko's younger sister by about two years. 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. Zuko expresses resentment towards her, as she is a Firebending prodigy and the favored sibling.^[1] At the end of the first season, Fire Lord Ozai gave Azula the task of capturing Iroh and Zuko.^[9] 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. When he discovers this lie however he angrily attacks her, but is no match for her fire bending abilities and skills in hand to hand combat.^[26] She enjoys tormenting her brother, calling him by a disliked nickname, "Zuzu," and mentioning his inferiority in their father's eyes. In the Episode "The Earth King", it was revealed in Zuko's dream state, that Azula had a great deal of influence over him (arguably rivaling his uncle's influence).^[22] This is only furthered in the episode "The Crossroads of Destiny" where Azula successfully convinces Zuko to betray their Uncle, aid her against Aang and Katara, and finally conquer Ba Sing Se.^[24] In the first episodes of Book 3: Fire, Azula lies to her father and gives Zuko the credit for Aang's death.

Young Zuko with Ursa.

[edit] Princess Ursa

Little has been revealed of the relationship between Zuko and his mother, Ursa. It is hinted that Zuko was his mother's favorite child, and the two were close. Zuko's sister, Azula, stated in "The Beach" that Ursa always likes Zuko better than her because Ursa thought Azula was a monster. 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."^[9] In the episode "Zuko Alone," she leaves under mysterious circumstances and has not returned. 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.^[1] 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. But a small hint that he truly believes she is dead, or at least gone, is given in the season 2 finale "The Crossroads of Destiny" when he tells Katara that he too, has lost his mother to the Fire Nation.^[24] In "The Earth King" he is plagued by dreams where his mother was pleading to have him help her. During this dream, the blue dragon, which has Azula's voice, tells Zuko to "sleep, just like Mother!"^[22] It could be hinted that Azula might have something to do with Ursa's disappearance, or rather that Zuko subconsciously believes she does.

[edit] Other

Fire Lord Sozin is Zuko's great grandfather, Fire Lord Azulon and his wife 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.^[1]

[edit] Relationships

[edit] Aang

Aang, as the Avatar, is 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. Zuko manages to escape with Aang, but once they've made it a ways down the road Zuko is knocked out by the Yu Yan Archers and Aang unmasks Zuko. 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. 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.^[6]

While Zuko has a catatonic Aang in his custody during "The Siege of the North,"^[9] 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. 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.^[10]

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. When Azula surprise attacks Zuko's beloved uncle, Iroh, he refuses for the Avatar to get near him.^[14] Zuko almost gives up in his pursuit of the Avatar during Book II. The inner conflict resulting over this potential change in goals results with him dreaming in "The Earth King" that he had Aang's face.^[22]

Despite Aang being the clear protagonist and Zuko being the main antagonist, 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.^[2] In "Bitter Work," their attempts to progress in their bending while impeded by psychological blocks are also shown side-by-side.^[15] In "The Avatar State," scenes of Aang struggling to cope with an unexpected betrayal from an Earth Kingdom general morph smoothly into Zuko facing a similar betrayal from his sister.^[26] In "The Awakening, Aang was shown displaying the same frustration about the lost of his honor as Zuko. Echoeing the same frustration Zuko has been uttering for the first two seasons, Aang declared, "I need to redeem myself. I need my honor back."

[edit] 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 and deliver food to all the ferry passengers. Jet later tells Iroh and Zuko 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.

[edit] 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.

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, the necklace is reclaimed and returned to Katara.

In "The Siege of the North," after Zuko has made his way into the Spirit Oasis of the Northern Water Tribe, Katara is the only thing keeping Zuko from 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, when 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 "The 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.

Also, in "The Chase," Katara, along with Toph, Sokka, and Aang, attack 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.

In the season finale, "The Crossroads of Destiny", he and Katara are imprisoned in a crystal cave below the Earth King's palace. Katara initially yells at Zuko, blaming him for the Fire Nation starting the war. Zuko seems sympathetic after Katara says that the war took away her mother, remarking that the actions of the Fire Nation have also taken his mother, Ursa. He also tells Katara that he once thought his scar set him apart and made him different, but now believes he no longer needs it to determine his destiny. Katara offers to heal his scar with water from the Spirit Oasis. Before any action can be taken, Iroh and Aang break them out of the prison. Despite the sympathy each shows the other, Zuko joins Azula in trying to capture the Avatar soon afterwards, and the siblings battle both Katara and Aang.

In "The Awakening" Zuko remembers Katara's offer to heal his scar using the sacred water from the Norther Tribe's spirit oasis. He suspects that Katara used the special water to save Aang and deduces that the Avatar could still be alive. However, he chose to hide this information from his sister.

[edit] Jin

Jin is a teenaged patron of the tea shop where Iroh and Zuko work in Ba Sing Se, who has a crush on Zuko. Jin acts on her crush during "The Tales of Ba Sing Se" and asks Zuko out on a date, which Iroh quickly 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 they find that they aren't lit. Seeing her disappointment Zuko tells Jin to close her eyes and, despite the risks involved, lights the candles 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. Later, when Iroh asks how his night was, he comments that "It was nice."

[edit] Zhao

Zhao was a high-ranking (Originally a Lieutenant, then Captain, then 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.^[5]

In "Avatar Roku (Winter Solstice, Part 2)," 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.^[28]

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. S.^[6] 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,^[8] 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 help him. Though Zhao initially tries to reach his hand, he then refuses to accept his help. He is then dragged down into the water and killed by the Ocean Spirit.^[10]

[edit] Mai

During flashbacks in "Zuko Alone," Mai is shown, about nine-years-old, sitting off by herself, uninterested, as Ty Lee and Azula play together. However, she does show marked interest in Zuko, turning away shyly and blushing when he walks by with his mother. Azula notices this and takes Mai's obvious crush as a cue to humiliate both Zuko and Mai by orchestrating a situation where in they end up falling into a fountain on top of each other.

In "Return To Omashu" Ty Lee pointedly states that it will be "interesting" for Mai to see Zuko again, in response to which Mai turns away and indulges in a rare smile.

In "Going Home Again," a canonical interlude comic featured within the second All-Avatar Nick Mag Presents edition, Mai and Zuko are finally reacquainted through a Fire-Nation-themed dinner date set up by Azula in plot to persuade a reluctant Zuko to return home, playing off their childhood crushes on each other. However, the two catch on to the set up when Zuko overhears Ty Lee and Azula giggling in the nearby bushes and decide to leave off on a walk around Ba Sing Se. Soon after, they run into Jin, who immediately recognizes "Lee" and questions who his companion is. Thinking quickly, Zuko sheepishly claims that Mai is a friend from the circus, the knife thrower. Mai appears to join in on the charade and decides to give a demonstration. After moving Zuko in front of a fountain and placing a fish from a seafood stand they had passed earlier on top of his head, she targets and precisely pierces the fish with an icicle. Mai then persuades Jin to give it a try. Zuko is just barely able to avoid being impaled by the sharp piece of ice, falling backwards into the fountain in the process. Leaning over the drenched prince, Mai wryly states that now they're even.

As he chases her down an alley, Zuko exclaims that she could have gotten him killed, but an energetic Mai merely laughs it off. Zuko stops to point out that she finally seems to be enjoying herself, going on to shyly impart that he had missed seeing this side of her. Mai responds that while a lot has changed since the days when she used to throw mud in his face, not everything has changed. The two slowly draw close and kiss.

In the season three premiere, "The Awakening," Zuko stands alone on the edge of a Fire Nation ship. Seemingly deep in thought, he does not see Mai approach him. Asking why he is standing out in the cold, he professes his concerns with her. She merely rubs them off and tells him not to worry. Then Mai gently kisses him, which he seems to dutifully return but than goes back to his thoughts as Mai exits.

Later, as he is seen feeding the Turtle ducks, Azula asks him if Mai has rubbed off on him due to his glum expression. Then she states that Mai has "been unusually cheerful".

In "The Headband", Zuko and Mai are having a picnic on an ocean side cliff and enjoying an orange sunset together, Mai hates the color and tells Zuko so which only makes him chuckle and state how beautiful she is when she hates the world, Mai tells Zuko she doesn't hate him and he tells her the same and they kiss. Their moment is interrupted by Azula, the two try to ignore her and keep kissing until Azula tells Mai to help Ty Lee who apparently needs help untangling her braid. Mai plays along but glares at Azula when she passes her.

appa

2007-10-23T03:24:00.000-07:00

Avatar: The Last Airbender character
Appa
Nationality	Air Nomads
Gender	Male
Hair color	White fur
Eye color	Brown
Age	Over 100
Position	Transportation, Aang's friend/pet/animal guide
First appearance	The Boy in the Iceberg
Voiced by	Dee Bradley Baker

Appa is a fictional character on the Nickelodeon animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Appa is the only known living flying bison or buffalo. He is voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. According to an interview with the artists involved with creating Avatar, found on the Avatar Season One Box Set, Appa's design was based off the Catbus from the movie My Neighbor Totoro due to the peculiar task of creating a mammal with six legs.

On a DVD extra segment, the show's creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, have described Appa's appearance as a cross between a buffalo and a manatee.

[hide]

[edit] History

The earliest known stage of Appa's life is when he was a young calf. This is the moment when he first encounters Aang. It appears Appa's mother was willingly directing her calves down to the young monks, with whom they will become companions for life. Not much is explained about the exact nature of the relationship between the Air Nomads and their flying bison. Aang came forward and offered an apple to Appa. Almost immediately, the two became friends and would be together for most of their lives up until the present day. The fact that their lives are so closely intertwined has resulted in a sharing of energy between the two, as revealed in "Appa's Lost Days".

Appa was stuck in suspended animation along with Aang for 100 years until their discovery by Katara and Sokka. Since then Appa has been the group's main form of transport in their quest to help Aang master all the elements, as well as occasionally assisting in battle, such as against the Shirsu, in "Bato of the Water Tribe". Appa was a consistent part of the group throughout the series until his capture by the Sandbenders.

[edit] Lost Days

Appa became lost for a short while, when the group was traveling in the Earth Kingdom. He was kidnapped by Sandbenders in the middle of the vast Si Wong desert, while Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Momo were trapped in a vast underground library. It is later revealed that he was eventually sold to a Fire Nation circus where a sadistic animal tamer attempted to make him part of the show. Appa later escaped and journeyed throughout the Earth Kingdom until he encountered the Kyoshi Island Warriors, who attempted to heal the various wounds he had sustained in his travels and escort him back to Aang. Appa was forced to leave after an attack by Azula and her allies, ushered away by Suki while the warriors tried to delay the three Fire Nation women. On his journey he encountered Guru Pathik at the Eastern Air Temple. The Guru was able to tell Appa of Aang's location by reading his energy. Consequently, Appa flew to Ba Sing Se, where he was captured by Long Feng.

As know with Avatar Roku, who possesed a flying dragon, the animal companion is essential to the avatar`s life, so Appa is an essentail part of aang especially in his path of becoming the avatar.

Appa was kept in a secret location at Lake Laogai until his rescue by Zuko, who was initially planning on utilizing him to capture the Avatar. Appa eventually returns to the main group in the last scenes of Lake Laogai. Aang is particularly overjoyed to see his old companion again.

[edit] Personality

Little can be said about Appa's personality, as he lacks the ability to speak. However, he has displayed an ability to understand humans on several occasions. He is also afraid of going underground and of fire. His fear of fire could be due to his experience at the circus or a natural tendency of his species. It would be safe to assume that Appa had a reasonably trusting attitude before the events of "Appa's Lost Days". He did not take long to accept the apple offered to him by Aang and took an immediate liking to Sokka in the first episode of the series. However, this trait was damaged due to his experience with the ringmaster.

[edit] Abilities

Appa possesses the ability to fly, hence the name Flying Bison. He utilizes his airbending for this purpose; his tail appears to be the main driving force behind his bending but has shown to also be able to accomplish it with his mouth. Due to his size and mass, it takes a lot of energy for him to stay aloft. As a result, Appa cannot fly for an extended time and periodically requires stopping and resting. He has also shown to be a fairly adept swimmer as well, although he is more frequently seen flying or walking than swimming. Despite the tranquilty related to his personality as well as his species, Appa has shown himself to be very capable of fighting when necessary. With his bending, Appa can create powerful gusts of air with just a flick of his tail and can gain advantage over his opponent by hovering. Being a bison, he is also naturally capable of brute strength and endurance. The best demonstration of this was in "Bato of the Water Tribe" and "Appa's Lost Days".

Aang in "the painted lady" also remarks the fact that Appa has five stomachs that might be because of his size and the amount of energy he needs to fly.

[edit] Relationships

[edit] Aang

Aang is Appa's oldest companion and vice versa. They have experienced much together, including 100 years of suspended animation. The majority of their lives have been shared together. Their bond is so strong that Guru Pathik could tell Aang's location from Appa. It is not surprising how Aang reacts when Appa is stolen by Sandbenders and how volatile he becomes during his search for his oldest and one of his dearest companions.

[edit] Momo

Momo and Appa appear surprisingly close. As seen in the "Cave of Two Lovers" when Momo relates his tale to Appa, it becomes evident that they can communicate in some way.

Momo and Appa have a significant friendship/bond that seems unbreakable, exemplified during the episode, "The Tales of Ba Sing Se," in the sub-story "The Tale of Momo." Momo has a dream involving himself and Appa eating fruit off a strange tree, when a thunderstorm passing overhead wakes him, the boom of thunder reminiscent of Appa's own powerful roar. Momo ties a clump of Appa's fur (left in Sokka's Earthbender-patterned bag from "The Chase") around his arm and leaves Aang's house in search of the missing bison, mistaking a thunder cloud and a partially-obscured tree covered in white flowers as his friend. After going through a rough patch with a trio of pygmy pumas and befriending them, they steal the clump of Appa's fur to lead Momo to a footprint left in the middle of a street in Ba Sing Se (later revealed to indeed be Appa's, where the flying bison landed when lured in by Long Feng during "Appa's Lost Days").

toph

2007-10-23T03:22:00.000-07:00

Avatar: The Last Airbender character

Toph Bei Fong
Nationality	Earth Kingdom (Gaoling)
Aliases	The Blind Bandit, Dòng
Gender	Female
Hair color	Black
Eye color	Pale green (blind)
Age	12
Position	Earthbending Master (Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis Style)
First appearance	"The Swamp" (Aang's vision), "The Blind Bandit" (actual appearance)
Voiced by	Jessie Flower

Toph Bei Fong (北方托芙) is a 12-year old fictional character in the Nickelodeon animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. She is a blind earthbending master who has agreed to teach Aang earthbending to help him fulfill his duty as the Avatar, and to restore balance to the world by defeating the imperialistic Fire Nation.^[1] Toph is approximately 5'1" (5'3" including her hair bun).^[2]

[hide]

[edit] History and Family

The luxurious Bei Fong estate

Toph is the only child of the wealthy Bei Fong family, who reside in the Earth Kingdom town of Gaoling and whose symbol is a flying boar. Toph's parents are very protective of her, viewing her blindness as a disability in every sense of the word. They assume that she is weak and vulnerable to everything around her. To avoid risk and danger, they kept her at the beginner level of earthbending for over six years, had guards keep close watch on her at all times, and kept the knowledge of her existence from the public.

Despite her handicap, Toph has developed special skills that make her a very formidable Earthbender. However, she kept them secret from her family and Master Yu, her earthbending teacher. Toph fought frequently in Earth Rumble, an underground earthbending Lei tai tournament, under the alias "The Blind Bandit." By the time Aang and his friends discover Toph at the tournament, she had won her way to become the current champion^[1], holding a 42-0 win-loss record until Aang showed up at the tournament.

The Bei Fong family appears to be well-known and influential in the Earth Kingdom. In the episode "The Serpent's Pass," Toph's mere showing of her family's seal was sufficient enough to gain passage on a Ba Sing Se-bound ferry, despite lacking proper documentation to obtain a ticket normally.^[3]

Toph's hometown, Gaoling (高陵) (which means "tall hill"), is also a name of a county in Shanxi, a central province in China.

[edit] Story

In the episode "The Blind Bandit," Aang was searching for an earthbending teacher who "listens to the earth." After watching Toph's performance, he believes she is that person and challenges her to a duel (for a chance to speak to her) when Xin Fu, the tournament host, calls for volunteer challengers. With the help of his airbending, Aang easily defeats Toph, because of her inability to see, and upsets her winning streak. She, however, does not give Aang a chance to speak to her and immediately leaves the arena.

Aang later finds Toph at the Bei Fong estate, and he is eventually able to talk to her about his quest and need for an earthbending teacher. However, before Toph can make a decision, she and Aang are kidnapped by the earthbending tournament stable, who believe that Toph lost intentionally because they didn't see anything hit her.

The tournament wrestlers demand a ransom, which Katara, Sokka, Master Yu, and Toph's father pay, but only Toph is released. The competitors announce that they will be taking Aang to the Fire Nation instead, prompting Katara to plead Toph for her help in rescuing Aang. Her father interjects, claiming that his daughter is blind, tiny, helpless, and fragile, and unable to help them. Toph, however, disagrees and steps forward, and she soon single-handedly defeats the entire tournament stable and the host, Xin Fu. Master Yu is speechless and awed by Toph's amazing earthbending skill. Her father is silent.

That night, Toph tries to reason with her parents that she is skillful at fighting and enjoys it, and that she should be allowed to live a normal life like any other kid. She hopes that all of this new information does not change the way they feel about her. Toph's father replies that it does not change his love for her as a father, but it instead has made him realize that he has allowed her too much freedom. He plans to have guards watching over her all day long. Toph's protests are unheard.

Outside town, just as Aang and his friends are about to depart, Toph appears and claims that her father had changed his mind, saying that she was free to travel the world. Based on Katara's and Sokka's reactions, it is apparent (to the viewer) that Toph is lying and is simply running away from home, but it is unclear whether or not Aang realizes this. With his daughter's sudden absence, Toph's father concludes (incorrectly) that the Avatar has kidnapped his daughter and issues a large reward to Master Yu and Xin Fu to bring her back by any means necessary.^[1]

Toph is currently a member of Aang's group of friends and serves as his earthbending teacher. Aang refers to her as "Sifu Toph" in the episode "Bitter Work."^[4]

While traveling with the Avatar, Toph's social attitudes change considerably. She becomes much less snide and private, but nonetheless still retains her cocky attitude. Her bending abilities also improve throughout Book Two, as she has learned to bend metal using her special ability to "see" the impurities (small fragments of earth) in the metal.^[5]

[edit] Character

Toph relaxing.

As the newest addition to Aang's party, Toph brings with her a totally new personality to the group. Unlike the nurturing Katara, flighty Aang or gruff but goofy Sokka, Toph is fiercely independent, sarcastic, direct, brutally frank, and confrontational. She appears to have the same carefree and adventurous personality as Aang, and she is very tomboyish in the way she acts and dresses - a contrast to the delicate doll her parents see her as. However, unlike Aang, who avoids fighting whenever possible, Toph loves battling and takes great pride in her earthbending skills. She appears eager to prove that she is as strong as anyone who can see.

Toph's eagerness to prove that she can be independent has led to some initial difficulties with Aang and his friends. Toph insists that she can "carry her own weight", and often mistakes a simple friendly gesture as an act of pity for her blindness. Her encounter with Iroh, however, has taught her that Aang, Katara, and Sokka care for her because they are friends, not because her disability makes them feel obligated to do so.

Toph is brutally honest when criticizing others. She is vocal about her opinions on others regardless of status (the Avatar, Aang) or age (Iroh).^[6] Her occasional spoiled attitude or aloofness may be related to her being the only child of one of the richest families in the Earth Kingdom. Thanks to her time as a competitor and champion of the earthbending tournaments (in "The Blind Bandit"), she is an expert in verbally taunting and insulting her opponents ^[1], and on occasion her friends (particularly non-bender Sokka).^[6] Inside this hardened exterior, though, Toph hides the fact that she is insecure about her appearance, being unable to see what she looks like.^[7] However, despite her many quirks, Toph has shown that she is a quick learner, and her courage and loyalty to her new friends seems very stable.

Toph and Katara seem to be polar opposites; while Katara is kind, welcoming, and supportive, Toph is tough, unyielding, and steadfast. This extends to their teaching styles to Aang. However, Toph eventually shows a bit of compromise to help Aang through his initial difficulty with earthbending. Despite occasional clashes or spats^[6] Toph and Katara generally get along, perhaps if only for the fact that they are both girls.

One of Toph's most obvious traits involves personal hygiene. She is accustomed to lying on the ground, and walking everywhere barefoot leaving her soles quite soiled. This is common, however, as most Earthbenders in the show walk barefoot, likely so that their body is directly touching the earth at all times. Also, she has been seen belching loudly, picking her nose, spitting, and is usually covered in dirt or, as she calls it, "a healthy coating of earth." ^[7]

Toph is well-educated in the manners and bearings of high society--she merely consciously and consistently chooses to ignore them. She makes an exception in one episode ("City of Walls and Secrets"), when the group needs to go to a special party to see the Earth King, in order to give news of the solar eclipse, only to meet the head of the Dai Li, Long Feng.^[8]

An ongoing joke concerning Toph's blindness is her lack of ability to discern anything that has been written^[9] or drawn. In "Lake Laogai," Toph becomes angry when Sokka suggests that she needs help putting up flyers. She spitefully puts up a poster, only to inadvertently place it backwards and remarking, "It's upside-down, isn't it?" Also in the episode, she compliments Sokka on his poor drawings of Appa despite the obvious fact that she cannot see them.^[10]

[edit] Name

As of yet, Toph is the only character within the series to express a last name, Bei Fong. In "The Serpent Pass," Toph's passport reads as 土國頭等護照北方拓芙 (tǔ guó tóu děng hù zhào běi fāng tuò fú) which translate as 'Earth Kingdom First Class Passport : Bei Fong Toph.' Here, her name means 'supported lotus,' which matches her parents view of their daughter as a flower that has to be protected. In "Tales of Ba Sing Se," her name was written as 托夫 (Tuō Fū), which means "entrusted man." In "The Earth King," on the document from home, her name is reverted back to 拓芙. Bei Fong ( 北方 ), her last name in Cantonese pronunciation, means "North". The word 托 (Tuō) also means "to support in one's palm" and is usually a prefix to another Fù ( 付 ) that means "hand over."

[edit] Earthbending

A visual of Toph's unique ability to feel vibrations traveling through the ground.

Although blind, Toph has the unique ability to use earthbending to "feel" even the most minute vibrations in the earth, including the march of ants several meters away and the presence of trees and buildings. Through this heightened seismic sense, she can visualize where people are, their relative distance to her, and their physical build^[1], but she cannot visualize faces, as stated in "The Tales of Ba Sing Se."^[7] This sense provides her with a distinct advantage when facing other Earthbenders in combat, as they often make contact with the ground or rip rocks from their surroundings, all of which cause vibrations that Toph feels. Because she can predict attacks as they begin and quickly react, her speed and agility also greatly benefit.^[1] This sense also helps her battle Firebenders, Waterbenders, and other skilled fighters, as all attackers (short of Airbenders) normally require constant contact with the ground while launching attacks.

However, because Toph is dependent on vibrations in the earth, she is vulnerable to air-based attacks and thusly has great difficulty attacking Airbenders, as they are capable of gliding above the ground for short periods of time. This vulnerability to air-based movements is apparent in "The Blind Bandit," when Aang easily defeats Toph using airbending in the tournament. At the end of the same episode, Toph is completely surprised by Sokka dropping a large belt on her head.^[1]

As shown in the episodes "The Library" and "The Desert," Toph has some difficulty with sand. Sand constantly shifts and is not a solid mass like rock, and she cannot accurately "feel" where she is going, describing the vibrations in the earth as "fuzzy." She is able to compress sand into solid earth, however, to gain some temporary footing.^[9]

Also as a result of her closeness or affinity with earth, Toph can rest or sleep comfortably on solid rock without any sleeping bag or blanket^[6] and can walk on any kind of terrain in bare feet. Going barefoot seems to be standard for Earthbenders, though this is particularly important for Toph because she relies on her feet for direct contact with the ground for perception as well as for her earthbending. As a result of this, Toph is very reluctant to allow anyone to touch her feet.^[7] She touches them regularly, however, to groom them and keep them clear of debris for better contact with the ground.

Despite her substantial prowess on land, a great weakness of Toph lies in the fact that she does not know how to swim (seen in "The Serpent's Pass"). This, combined with the lack of earth required for her to "see," makes her very vulnerable in deep water as she is essentially rendered helpless.^[3]

Toph has a great sense of hearing and can recognize people by the sound of their voices. In "The Desert," Toph recognizes the Sandbender who stole Appa, adding that that she never forgets a voice.^[11] In "City of Walls and Secrets," Toph is seen feeling even slight vibrations as she tells a man they meet "I can feel you shaking."^[8] In the episode "Lake Laogai," Toph demonstrated an ability to sense when a person is lying by the vibrations of their heartbeat and breathing patterns. Most likely, with this system, she can also determine the level of excitement or exhaustion that a person is in.^[10]

Toph's earthbending style is based on Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu, which is a style that is apparently unique to her;^[12] the style of Earthbending used by other Earthbenders is rooted in the Hung Gar style of Kung Fu. She is the only bender on the show known to use a style based on a different root martial art than the standard for their bending art. This may be because she is self-taught rather than trained in the traditional earthbending form. According to creator commentary, Toph came to develop her unique style by observing the movements of the similarly blind earthbending Badgermoles that can be found around her hometown. In Sokka's Master, Toph herself mentions that she was taught by these creatures.

As of the episode "The Guru," Toph is the first known character with the ability to bend metal. Metal is derived from ore, which is found in the earth. In the episode, while Toph is seen concentrating in her iron prison, Guru Pathik explains in a parallel scene that "Metal is just a part of Earth that has been purified and refined." Because of Toph's ability to feel the vibrations in earth, she is able to locate the impurities (the small fragments of earth) in metal and manipulate them to "bend" the metal portion. As of the end of Book Two, Toph is the only known Earthbender with the ability to bend metal.^[5] In "Sokka's Master, Toph easily shapes a chunk of meteoric material into a myriad of shapes, including rounded surfaces, spiraling curves, and sharp edges.

[edit] Relationships

[edit] Aang

Aang has a vision of Toph in the episode "The Swamp,"^[13] but it is not until the episode "The Blind Bandit" that the two actually meet. First encountering one another at the underground Earth Rumble VI earthbending tournament, Toph considers Aang a rival at first when he almost effortlessly defeats her through Airbending. At first, she is unwilling to talk to Aang and tries forcefully to keep him quiet when he talks to her parents at dinner about her earthbending skills. After dinner, however, a truce is made, and Toph discusses with Aang her ability to listen to the earth and her life under her overbearing parents. Later, Toph single-handedly saves Aang when he is held captive by the participants of the earthbending tournament. She has since joined him on his quest after running away from home, but not before throwing him into a tree via earthbending to even the score from the tournament.^[1]

In the episode "Bitter Work," Toph begins to teach Aang earthbending, but complications arise between Toph's teaching style and Aang's natural tendencies as an Airbender. Earthbending is, according to Toph, about directly taking on a challenge, not trying to find a way around or over it. The two also clash personality-wise as Aang's pacifistic, carefree attitude is ill prepared to deal with the tough and stubborn Toph. She even goes as far as intentionally acting mean by taking Aang's staff and using it as a nutcracker to get a rise out of the passive Aang. Counterproductively, Aang's peaceful nature prevents him from acting, and depression comes as a result. Only after an insightful talk with Katara about earth being his natural opposite element, does Aang start thinking positively.

Later, when forced to confront a ferocious Saber-tooth Moose-lion in order to protect a trapped Sokka, Aang finally stands his ground and learns to think like an Earthbender. Toph is revealed to have been observing all the while, and after Aang proves his new toughness by taking back his staff and moving a boulder, Toph finally proclaims him an Earthbender.

Toph often refers to Aang as "Twinkle Toes," which is likely out of friendly humor, rather than insult.^[4] The nickname originates from Aang's hovering when they fought in "The Blind Bandit." She commented then that he was "light on his feet" and asked if his tournament name was "The Fancy Dancer."^[1] In "City of Walls and Secrets" she is able to find Aang in a large crowd because of his light foot steps.^[8]

Aang and Toph's relationship has been quite strained at times. Toph's hardheaded nature clashes with Aang's on several occasions, particularly over the subject of Appa. In the episode "The Chase," a tired Toph, weary of going days without sleep, blames Appa's shedding as the reason they cannot shake their mysterious pursuers. Although she is right, Aang immediately jumps to Appa's defense, which results in Toph's abandoning the group for a short time. Later, in the episode "The Desert," after Appa is stolen by Sandbenders, Aang accuses Toph of allowing the thieves to steal him. Only Katara is able to reason with him, reminding Aang that Toph had still managed to save the rest of the group even if it was at the cost of losing Appa. Nonetheless, they have been able to work together when dealing with threats, such as the Fire Nation and the Dai Li, they appear to get along much better. In the episode "The Earth King," Aang refers to everyone, including Toph, as his family.

[edit] Katara

Katara has shown great sympathy for Toph over her restricted life under her parents. Like Aang and Sokka, Katara gladly welcomes Toph into their group. The two have been at odds with one another after Toph refused to help set up their campsite, Toph saying she can carry her own weight. Toph at one point referred insultingly to Katara as "Sugar Queen". However, at the end of the episode "The Chase," they have reached better terms with each other. In the episode "Bitter Work," Katara tries to help Toph by offering her wisdom on how to teach Aang earthbending, although Toph naturally ignores the suggestion, realizing the fundamental difference between the head-on attitude of earthbending and the redirection of Waterbending. At the very least, Toph seems to respect Katara as an equal, Bender to Bender.

Katara cheering Toph up about her looks.

In "The Desert," Katara is the only one who sticks up for Toph when Aang blames her for not saving Appa.

Later, in "The Tales of Ba Sing Se" Katara and Toph get makeovers together, and the usually self-confident Toph feels down about her looks after a group of pompous girls make rude comments about her. Katara manages to cheer her up, for which she is rewarded with a friendly (and unintentionally painful) punch in the arm. The two of them definitely respect each other and seem to be becoming good friends.

[edit] Sokka

Because of Toph's young age and blindness, Sokka is skeptical of her earthbending powers at first. Upon witnessing her skills, however, he is astonished to the point of fainting. Afterwards, he gladly welcomes Toph into their group. Just as Sokka was doubtful of Toph's fighting skills, Toph thinks little of Sokka's abilities as a warrior, dismissing his fighting skills because he cannot bend.

Though they were initially hostile, in "The Chase" Sokka is the only member of the group who does not confront Toph for her apparent lack of responsibility, and later confronts Katara and Aang with the realization that they "were pretty much jerks." The two have come to an easy understanding, and frequently work together to accomplish tasks outside the range of one or the other.

During the episode "The Serpent's Pass," Toph was knocked into a large body of water while crossing it on an ice bridge. Unable to swim, Toph called for help and, though Sokka began to jump to her rescue, Suki was able to reach Toph before Sokka had entered the water. Unaware that it was Suki, Toph gleefully thanked Sokka for the rescue and kissed Suki on the cheek. She was very embarassed to find out what actually happened, commenting that Suki could let her drown now. The creators confirmed that the scene was intended to show Toph's romantic interest in Sokka.^[14]

When Sokka briefly left the group to pursue the tutelage of a reknowned sword master in "Sokka's Master," Aang, Katara, and Toph all expressed regret over his absence, reflecting that his humor and strict adherence to a planned schedule had given them entertainment and focus in their lives. When Sokka returns, Toph claims to have not missed him, but turns aside and blushes afterwards.

[edit] Iroh

Toph meets Iroh in an Earth Kingdom forest when she temporarily separates from Aang, Sokka, and Katara in the episode "The Chase." The two sit around a fire that Iroh uses to make tea and engage in conversation, although neither indicates his/her purpose for traveling or the identities of his/her relations. Iroh notes that Toph is a lot like his nephew, because they both try to do too much by themselves. He also comments that there is nothing wrong with needing help, and sometimes people offer help because they want to, not because they believe the other person is incapable. Toph thanks him for the advice, and suggests that Iroh tell his nephew how much he means to him.

Toph and Iroh encounter each other again later in the episode when the two participate with Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Zuko in cornering Azula in an abandoned Earth Kingdom town. Iroh's attention is distracted off of Azula when he notices Toph's presence and her association with Aang, Sokka, and Katara. Taking advantage of his lack of focus on her, Azula wounds Iroh with a blast of fire before successfully fleeing. Toph shows particular concern for her new friend, but leaves him after Zuko violently demands that she and the others leave him and Iroh alone.

In "The Crossroads of Destiny," when Iroh seeks Aang, Sokka, and Toph in order to seek their help in rescuing Zuko, Toph refers to him as an old friend.

[edit] Appa

Toph hates and fears flying, as it renders her truly blind; at best, she's bored and restless while flying on Appa. This is emphasized in "The Library" when she claims to have spotted the titular library from Appa's back, only to remind her friends that she is blind.

Toph expresses some dislike towards Appa in "The Chase" when she angrily points out that Appa's shedding left a large trail that allowed Azula to find them no matter how far or fast they flew.

In "The Library" Toph tries her best to protect Appa from being stolen by Sandbenders. She can't fight her hardest, as she also has to keep Aang, Katara and Sokka's only exit from an ancient library from falling into sand, which curtails her abilities. This causes her to fail in protecting Appa, and her sadness afterwards shows that she does care for Appa as a friend.

sokka

2007-10-23T03:20:00.000-07:00

Avatar: The Last Airbender character

Sokka
Nationality	Water Tribe (Southern Tribe)
Gender	Male
Hair color	Brown
Eye color	Blue
Age	15
Position	Warrior, Swordsman
First appearance	"The Boy in the Iceberg"
Voiced by	Jack DeSena

Sokka is a fictional character voiced by Jack DeSena in the Nickelodeon animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The fifteen-year-old is a warrior of the South Pole's Southern Water Tribe who, along with his younger sister Katara, discovers Aang, the long-lost Avatar, and accompanies him on his quest to defeat the Fire Nation and bring peace to the war-torn nations.^[1]

[hide]

[edit] Concept and creation

It is provided in the Avatar Nick Mag Presents: First Edition issue by the co-creators that Sokka was originally designed to be much more low-key, but when his comedian voice actor Jack DeSena came in and brought liveliness to his character, they began writing towards that strength.^[2] Much of Sokka's dialog and actions are derived from improvisations and intentional exaggerations on DeSana's part that the writers chose to include within scripts. Furthermore, DeSena has stated that he is inspired by fellow comedian Jim Carrey, which would explain a majority of Sokka's mannerisms expressed on the show.

As a result his design, Sokka's character has come to serve as a source of comic relief throughout the series, often a victim of visual slapstick. Among various running gags involving Sokka are his affinity for being covered in viscous substances, such as raw sewage, slurry, and Appa's phelgm or saliva, and forgetting that Toph is blind. Sokka also has a tendency to produce or at times laugh at jokes that nobody else gets, a trait he shares with his father.^[3]

[edit] History

Sokka grew up in his village as an aspiring warrior-in-training of the Southern Water Tribe. Forced to mature quickly when his mother was killed in a Fire Nation raid, he cultivated his warrior skills with a militant zeal, while his sister Katara did chores and practiced Waterbending.^[4] When he was thirteen, his father and the other village men left to fight alongside the Earth Kingdom in the war against the Fire Nation, leaving him and his sister to look after their tribe with their grandmother, Gran Gran.^[5] Apparently the oldest male left at the South Pole, by the time he was fifteen he seems to have developed a semi-leadership role (or at least assumed one for himself), trying to train children to be a new generation of defenders.

While on a spearfishing expedition, Katara and Sokka found Aang in suspended animation inside an iceberg. When Katara freed him, Sokka initially believed that the Airbender might be a Fire Navy spy, and he eventually grew xenophobic enough to banish him from the village. Upon discovering that Aang was the Avatar, destined to master all four elements and bring peace to the world, Sokka relented, realizing that they had a common enemy -- the Fire Nation. He then set off with Katara and Aang on their journey to find a waterbending instructor at the North Pole, determined to hone his warrior skills by way of fighting a few Firebenders along the way.^[1]

In Sokka's Master, Sokka expresses self-doubt and worry that he is not contributing as much to the group as his bender companions are. Inspired by his friends' encouragement, he seeks out a master from whom he could learn the art of the sword. Rather than fighting with brute force and flawless technique, Sokka's creativity and thinking-outside-the-box approach to things are the cornerstones of his technique, and his master notes that in time Sokka will be a superior swordsman.

[edit] Name

In "The Tales of Ba Sing Se", Sokka's name was written as 索卡 (Suǒ Kǎ). The second character, Kǎ, is the first character in Katara's name.

[edit] Personality

Skeptical, abrasive, and sharp-witted, Sokka is detached from Katara's and Aang's pursuit of the bending arts--but in Sokka's Master he voices his 'Bender Envy'; not gifted with bending abilities himself, Sokka instead prefers the ways of the warrior and the scientist, and he takes his responsibility as protector very seriously.^[1] He is also very intelligent and good at coming up with ideas--even if said ideas are not always very good.

Patriotic and long to hold a grudge, he strongly wants to exact vengeance for the Fire Nation's decimation of the Water Tribe and the death of his mother. He holds little interest in the mysticism surrounding bending and prefers to solve problems using his strength and his wits.^[6] ^[7] He tends to be rash, however, and his pride often leads to embarrassment. Despite his obvious cleverness, Sokka sometimes acts very silly and stupid. He occasionally creates ridiculous plans that are next impossible to carry out. His sarcastic and strange behavior can sometimes carry over into important decisions.

A passionate carnivore, Sokka has demonstrated his love of meat on multiple occasions and is the main hunter in the group.^[8] ^[9] Sokka also has a habit of using sarcasm. In the episode "Bitter Work," Sokka shouts at karma in the heavens vowing to give up both meat and sarcasm for assistance, agreeing to consider himself no longer "Sokka, the meat and sarcasm guy", but willing to be "Sokka the veggies and straight-talk fellow". By the end of the episode, however, he has given up neither meat nor sarcasm.

Under the guidance of swordsmaster Piando, Sokka expresses various unorthodox procedures when undergoing his training. In one exercise, when told to stamp his identity onto a sheet of paper, rather than simply writing his name, Sokka smears ink all over his face and presses it onto the paper. As he presents Sokka with his blade, Piando relates that though his skills were hardly impressive, he displayed much creativity, versatility, and intelligence. All were traits that go beyond mere skills and defined a great swordsman.

Sokka writes with his right hand, but draws with his left hand.^[10] ^[11] He is possibly ambidextrous, although his left-handed art is ugly and rudimentary.

[edit] Innovations and abilities

For an inhabitant of a mystical world, Sokka shows a remarkable proclivity towards science. He seems naturally adept at creating weapons out of practically anything at any time.^[12] He learned how to construct amateur explosives from his father, which he once used to simulate Firebending.^[13] In another instance, Sokka used trickery and optical illusions to help his sister Katara fake the ability to Earthbend.^[14] He has even worked with a fellow technologist, the Mechanist, to engineer a working hot air balloon and to develop a system that detects natural gas leaks with rotten eggs. Sokka also has a variety of weapons (a club, a machete, on one occasion a spear, his trademark boomerang) and the newest addition, a sword, and he is proficient in all of them.

In addition to his engineering skill, Sokka has shown a remarkable talent for poetry. In The Tales of Ba Sing Se, he stumbles into a poetry reading and goes toe-to-toe with the instructor in a haiku contest, and holds his own. However, his hubris gets the best of him and he gets thrown out for accidentally adding an extra syllable to the end of a haiku.

As the only non-bender in Aang's group, Sokka is often overshadowed by the bending skills of his friends.^[15] However, it is usually Sokka who comes up with a plan for victory. He has assumed the important role of gathering intelligence for the group, collecting data and maps that could help them defeat the Fire Nation, often becoming the navigator and choosing the route to follow despite other's objections.^[10] His skills as a fighter have also noticeably improved as the series progresses, though it is usually his persistence rather than skill that often allows him to get a shot in against opponents of superior skill, such as Zuko in "The Avatar Returns" (in that fight Sokka was unable to even touch him) and Ty Lee, in "The Chase." Sokka employs the element of surprise in defeating larger enemies in "The Library" when he knocked out Wan Shi Tong by attacking him from above. In that particular encounter, Sokka's wit succeeded where Aang and Katara's bending failed. It was also Sokka who found out about a solar eclipse's ability to incapacitate firebenders and his idea to inform the Earth King in Ba Sing Se.

Sokka has come to learn the art of swordsmanship in order to improve his contribution to the team. Under the tutelage of the Fire Nation swordmaster Piando, Sokka undergoes various activities, including sparring matches with the butler Fat to hone his swordwielding skills as well as arts such as painting, calligraphy and rock gardening to sharpen to his mind. Eventually, when instructed to make his own sword, he uses fragments of a meteorite that fell the night before to collect the metal needed to forge his blade. Sokka's sword, like his master's, is patterned on a Qing Dynasty jian, but unique in that due to the properties of the alien material used for its creation, the blade retains an unusual all-black appearance. The sword is also able to slice through the toughest materials, including regular metal.^[16] Although Sokka proves unable to defeat his master in heated battle and must leave to continue his training on his own, Piando states the belief that Sokka retains traits which one day could very well come to make him an even greater swordsman than he is.

[edit] Family

[edit] Katara

Despite constant bickering in the course of their travels, the siblings love each other dearly. Sokka feels obligated to protect his younger sister, as urged by his father before his departure to the Fire Nation. Sokka takes this very seriously and, at times, can become somewhat overprotective. He proves to be very loyal to her in the third episode of season three; when Katara decides to defend the fishing village against the fire nation army, he puts his anger aside in order to help her.

[edit] Mother

The death of Sokka's mother in a Fire Nation raid is the primary fuel for Sokka's deep grudge against the Fire Nation forces. Though his anger has faded somewhat, her loss remains a very sore point. Her name is yet to be given.

[edit] Hakoda

Sokka idolizes his father, Hakoda, hoping to become a great warrior and fight the Fire Nation just as valiantly. Deeply saddened by his father's departure, Sokka eagerly awaits the day he can meet him again. He once seriously considered leaving Aang behind in order to meet him at a military rendezvous point, briefly acting on this desire during an argument with him. Sokka's primary weapon (and most prized possession) is his metal boomerang, given to him by his father before going off to war. In "Bato of the Water Tribe", it was mentioned that Hakoda was heading to Ba Sing Se. Sokka reunites with his father in "The Guru", where Hakoda recognizes his son as a man. Sadly, this reunion is cut short, as Aang comes with news about Katara's capture in Ba Sing Se.

It has been shown throughout the series that Sokka strives to be like his father, and shares many personalitiy traits with Hakoda, such as planning, leadership, bravery, inventive ingenuity, and sense of humor. Bato remarked upon this, saying, "You're definitely your father's son," after only Sokka laughed at Hakoda's attempt at wit in naming his bomb the 'stink and sink'.

[edit] Gran Gran Kanna

Sokka's grandmother, Kanna, is the oldest survivor of the Fire Nation raid on the Southern Water Tribe. Being such, she looks after the tribe. Like Sokka, she is cautious and wary of change and tends to be cynical. When she believes Aang's actions have endangered the village, she takes Sokka's side in the argument. However, she comes to see that it is her grandchildren's destiny to journey with the Avatar and sees them off, telling her grandson to take care of his sister and not to make fun of her.

[edit] Relationships

[edit] Aang

In regards to Aang, Sokka did not embrace him as quickly as his sister did. In the early episodes of the series, he seemed skeptical of Aang's powers and occasionally frustrated with Aang's cavalier attitude. He has shown fierce anger when Aang's carelessness gets Katara hurt in "The Deserter" and when Aang purposely deceives them in "Bato of the Water Tribe," though he forgives him fully afterwards. As the series goes on, Sokka begins to show more marvel at Aang's strength. Sokka eventually even openly admits that Aang is "part of the family" in "Bato of The Water Tribe". The two can also be seen goofing around on occasions (as seen in "The Chase""City of Walls and Secrets"and"The Painted Lady"). Even though Sokka and Aang have their differences, they have since reached better terms with one another, and they can talk to each other easily.

[edit] Toph

Because of Toph's young age and blindness, Sokka was at first skeptical of her Earthbending prowess. Upon witnessing her skills, however, he is astonished to the point of fainting. Like Katara and Aang, Sokka gladly welcomes Toph when she joins their group, and he was the only member of the group to not deride Toph's apparently selfish attitude during "The Chase". However, during "The Chase," when everyone was preparing to fight the approaching tank, Toph discounted Sokka because he could not bend an element, much to his annoyance. A recurring joke seems to involve Sokka occasionally forgetting that Toph is blind (for example, Toph commenting that she likes Sokka's drawing, and his apparent joy before realizing she couldn't actually see it), and she frequently uses this to annoy him.

In "The Serpent's Pass," after Toph saves Sokka's life while they cross the dangerous path, he is intently focused on whether or not Suki is okay and forgets thanking Toph, which seems to cause her a small amount of annoyance. Later in the episode, Suki saves Toph from drowning and Toph, thinking Suki to be Sokka, gives her a kiss on the cheek. In "The Painted Lady", Sokka and Toph work together to figure out Katara's secret identity. While Sokka is away from the team developing his swordsmanship, Toph expresses as much dismay as rest to his absence. Later when he returns, both Aang and Katara enthusiastically welcome Sokka back and proclaim how much they've missed him, while Toph somberly states that she didn't really care, but then turns away to hide her blushing. Toph nonetheless is excited when Sokka gives her a piece of the meteorite he used to make his sword with, which she promptly begins bending into a spiral, a star, and a splatter (the Nickelodeon logo) and subsequently transformed into a bracelet that she now wears.

[edit] Suki

Sokka once nursed a sexist streak (the Water Tribes seem to be fairly traditional with gender roles), but his associations with two particular young women have drastically changed his views. His presumption that women were incompetent fighters was tested when he met Suki, a young female warrior on Kyoshi Island. Humbled by her skill, he turned to her for instruction. The two bonded over sparring matches, and, before parting, shared what was presumably Sokka's first kiss.

Some time later, he and his sister Katara go back to Kyoshi Island to help Aang out of a predicament. Sokka then asks where Suki is and discovers that she and the other female warriors of Kyoshi had gone off to fight in the war, inspired by him, Aang, and Katara during their earlier visit to the village.

The two are reunited when Sokka and the others are on their way to Ba Sing Se in "The Serpent's Pass," where she and her warriors operate as sentries for the Ba Sing Se ferry. He was extremely overprotective of Suki during the beginning of the trip, and continued to be overbearingly cautious after she confronted him about it. During the night on the Serpent's Pass, Sokka and Suki talk and he explains to her how hard it is to lose someone you care for, and that he does not want to lose anyone else. As they talk, the moon is visible behind them, implying the presence of Princess Yue, the first girl he ever really fell in love with and whose death he blames on himself. Suki expresses how important Sokka is to her and the two almost kiss, but Sokka draws back reluctantly. However, the next day when she bids him good-bye, she apologizes about the night before and he kisses her twice before she finally leaves.

In "The Crossroads of Destiny", when Ty Lee flirts with Sokka, he states that he is already involved with Suki, showing signs of commitment.

[edit] Jet

Unlike Katara and Aang, Sokka did not trust Jet when they first met. He initially saw Jet as a rival and a threat, as Jet had stolen his thunder in a fight against a group of Fire Nation soldiers. He stood with his instinctive views even when his two companions opposed it. Although not friendly to each other, the two were very similar in nature, and both had loved ones killed by the Fire Nation. However, Jet took more extreme measures in his revenge, planning to wipe out an entire Earth Kingdom village in an attempt to get rid of the Fire Nation soldiers stationed there, without remorse for the innocents living there. Sokka is the first to learn this, and despite Jet and his group capturing him, he manages to escape and then evacuate all the people in the village. Jet calls him a traitor, but Sokka replies saying that Jet became the traitor when he stopped protecting innocent people.

Unlike his sister, in "Lake Laogai" he was willing to accept Jet's help to find Appa. He was the first to surmise that Jet was brainwashed, and tried to help Jet regain his memory by sticking his trademark chewing straw in his mouth (this did not work, however).

[edit] Princess Yue

Love found Sokka again when he became smitten with Princess Yue of the Northern Water Tribe. Sokka's attempts to court Yue were first reciprocated; however, Yue eventually said she could not see him anymore, because she was already engaged to a young man named Hahn, though in reality it was a political union and she did not love him. She explained that she liked Sokka, but could not abandon her people and their customs. The relationship came to a tragic end when Yue sacrificed her mortal form to give the Waterbenders' patron Moon Spirit new life. Sokka's former love now exists as a reincarnation of Tui, the Moon Spirit.

While Yue promised to remain with him always in spirit and parted with one last kiss, her loss still deeply affects Sokka. In "The Swamp," he has a vision of her confronting him and asking why he was unable to protect her, something that her father Chief Arnook had asked him to do. Also, in "The Serpent's Pass", Sokka is seen sitting in seclusion while staring at the moon; presumably reminiscing about her. When Suki sees Sokka staring at the moon, she comments, "It's a beautiful moon tonight." Sokka responds in all seriousness, "Yeah, it really is." This is a repeated line from "The Waterbending Master" when Sokka first saw Yue, showing that he is still in love with her and still thinks about her all the time (as he stated in "The Swamp"). Sokka also seemed to have a problem kissing Suki in front of the moon, as it is Princess Yue.

[edit] Ty Lee

In "The Chase," after she and Mai were defeated after combating Katara and Sokka, Ty Lee mentioned that Sokka was "kinda cute." Later, in "The Drill," she addressed him and gave him a flirtatious look when they encountered one another within the Drill, to which Sokka replied with a bashful "hey" and a small wave. They come face to face yet again in "The Crossroads of Destiny," where she calls him a "cutie." As they do battle in the Earth King's throne room, she flirts with him remarking that "it's like we're dancing together." However, in this battle, Sokka expresses less interest with her than he did in their previous encounter, explaining that he is already involved with Suki.

katara

2007-10-23T03:16:00.000-07:00

Avatar: The Last Airbender character

Katara
Nationality	Water Tribe (Southern Tribe)
Aliases	The Painted Lady
Gender	Female
Hair color	Brown
Eye color	Blue
Age	14
Position	Waterbending Master
First appearance	"The Boy in the Iceberg"
Voiced by	Mae Whitman

Katara (name changed from Kya, as featured in the unaired pilot episode) is a fictional character and heroine voiced by Mae Whitman on the Nickelodeon animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Fourteen-year-old Katara is a Waterbending master from the South Pole's Southern Water Tribe who, along with her older brother, Sokka, discovers Aang, the long-lost Avatar, and accompanies him on his quest to defeat the Fire Nation and bring peace to the war-torn nations.

[edit] History

Katara is a 14 year old Master Waterbender, who is the younger sister of Sokka, the friend of Toph, and the love interest of Aang. Katara grew up as the mature, motherly figure of her family and tribe. When Katara was eight years old, her mother was killed in a Fire Nation raid. Because of this, Katara adopted the responsibilities left by her deceased mother. Though her interests lie in developing her waterbending skills, she resigned herself to cooking and cleaning duties while her brother, Sokka, trained to become a warrior.

At the age of twelve, Katara saw the departure of her father, Hakoda, and the other tribesmen to the Earth Kingdom to participate in the war effort against the Fire Nation. This left her, alongside her brother and grandmother, Kanna ("Gran Gran"), to look after the tribe. In "The Serpent's Pass," a refugee goes into labor and Katara delivers the baby, claiming she did it lots of times, proving how much responsibility she had in her former home. Not only does she have experience delivering human babies, Katara claims to have delivered baby seals as well.

The events of Avatar: The Last Airbender begin at this point where, during a spearfishing expedition, Katara and Sokka find Aang in suspended animation inside an iceberg. The siblings free him and discover that Aang is the Avatar, whose destiny revolves around mastering the four elements of air, water, earth, and fire. With a common goal of mastering Waterbending, Katara, along with her brother, joins Aang in hopes of visiting the Northern Water Tribe to find a Waterbending master willing to teach them.

Throughout Book Two, Katara journeys through the Earth Kingdom in hopes of finding an Earthbending teacher for Aang. Her travels take her to Ba Sing Se, where Aang and his friends assist the Earth King in devising strategies against an invasion of the Fire Nation.

[edit] Name

According to the unaired pilot episode included on the Avatar Complete Book 1 Collection DVD set, Katara's name was originally Kya, but was changed before the start of the series proper. In "The Tales of Ba Sing Se," Katara's name was written as 卡塔拉. Kǎ (卡) means to check, block, or card; Tǎ (塔) means pagoda; and Lā (拉) means to pull. The character Lā is the same La as the Ocean Spirit's name from the season one's finale, while the character for Kǎ also appears in Sokka's name.

In "The King of Omashu," Katara pretended to be Aang's granddaughter, under the alias "June Pippinpadelopsocopolis," in order to gain entry into the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu.

In "City of Walls and Secrets," Katara and Toph used false names to gain entrance to a party being held by the Earth King. Her name was Kuā Měi (姱美), which translates to 'fascinating beauty.'

[edit] Waterbending progress

[edit] Book One

To Katara, waterbending is a unique skill that she dearly wanted to master. With no other Waterbenders to instruct her, Katara initially taught herself. Able to do feats ranging from maneuvering a fish-filled water globule to freezing water at will, she displayed much potential. However, she lacked a fine sense of control, unable to aim some of her larger attacks. After meeting Aang, she and Sokka set off on a journey to their sister tribe in the north, on a quest to find a waterbending master to instruct them.

Katara continued to practice waterbending diligently while journeying with Aang and Sokka, acquiring new skills. Passing through a port town, Katara stole a waterbending scroll from pirates. Following the scroll's forms, Katara and Aang learned the "water whip," a maneuver that lashes a target with a whip-shaped formation of water. Later, while being fooled by Jet, she learned to bend underground water, as she and Aang pulled water up through geysers and into a river.

After Aang accidentally burned her hands while learning firebending, Katara learned that she has a rare waterbending talent: the vitakinetic ability to heal wounds, using water as the catalyst.

When they finally arrive at the North Pole, Katara and Aang met Master Pakku, a waterbending master. She hoped to learn waterbending from him, but Pakku rebuffed her, explaining that tribal custom forbids women from learning waterbending to fight. Instead, women with the gift are trained formally as Healers.

While Aang learns from Pakku, Katara is sent to the healing huts for Yagoda's lessons. After her lesson, she learned that her grandmother, Kanna, had been good friends with Yagoda as a young girl. However, she had fled to the Southern Tribe to escape an arranged marriage to a young Waterbender.

Filled with newfound contempt for Northern customs, Katara schemed to learn from Aang at night. Pakku quickly discovered them and banned Aang from further instruction until Katara apologizes. Rather than submit to Pakku's sour chauvinism, Katara challenged Pakku to a duel. She acquitted herself remarkably, but Pakku still did not consent to teach her, and he finally defeated her.

When he discovered Katara's heirloom choker, he recognized it as the betrothal necklace he had carved sixty years ago for his young fiancée, Kanna. Realizing that his stubborn adherence to custom had cost him a wife, Pakku consented to teach Aang and Katara. When Katara rose to mastery faster than any of his students, Pakku tasked her with instructing the slower-learning Aang and deemed her a master Waterbender.

[edit] Book Two

At the beginning of Book Two, the group is given by Master Pakku a box of waterbending scrolls and an amulet full of water (with special properties) from the spirit oasis.

Master Pakku deems Katara a master Waterbender so she could officially teach Aang.

In "The Cave of Two Lovers", Katara teaches Aang the Octopus form, though he has not mastered this technique yet. In "Return to Omashu," Katara is able to defeat Mai temporarily before Ty Lee comes up behind her and blocks her flow of chi, temporarily preventing her from waterbending.

Image:Kataraep23.png

Katara waterbending

In "The Swamp," Katara shows a great deal of skill and power against the swamp creature. She demonstrates her mastery of water's cutting ability as she sends continuous blades of water to hack the creature down. It is unknown if Katara can manipulate the water in plants like some members of the Foggy Swamp Tribe can. Even though this "plantbending" is derived from waterbending, it appears to be a highly specialized form, as only one member of the Swamp Tribe is seen performing it.

Katara saves the waterbending scrolls in "Avatar Day" from a large Fire Nation man and, soon after, is able to put out fires on the parade floats with little available water. She uses the water from her water skin numerous times to cut through certain objects such as leather straps or wooden beams.

Image:Katara vs SwampMonster2.png

Katara using a variety of waterbending techniques while combating the swamp monster.

She was able to defeat two earthbending students with almost no effort at all by pinning them between two walls with ice in "The Blind Bandit." In "The Chase," she shares her fear of losing her waterbending ability while she and Aang are shown washing Appa. She fares well against Ty Lee in a short confrontation by dodging her attacks, but Mai is able to defeat her by pinning her arms to a tree with shurikens; Katara, however, is saved by Appa in that scenario. When Azula tries to hurt Aang, she is prevented from doing so as her hand is grabbed by Katara's water whip. Katara offers to heal Iroh after his injury but is unable to proceed when Zuko refuses. In "The Library," Katara gives a waterbending scroll to Wan Shi Tong, the guardian spirit. From its illustrations, the scroll appears to be the same one she stole from pirates in The Waterbending Scroll.

Katara has been shown able to create larger water whips, large whirlpools (with some help from Aang), and even small tidal waves. Her mastery over freezing water has also increased, ranging from small ice spikes, to small ice bridges, to surfing freely on water using an ice platform for support in The Serpent's Pass." She is also shown capable of rapidly condensing steam into ice in "The Drill." In the episode "The Earth King," she displays further mastery of waterbending, being able to defeat many royal guards using a single aerial water whip kick after jumping over a moat. Furthermore, she can condense the water onto her arms (similar to when Aang collected rocks onto his arm against Azula in "The Drill") and use it as a limb extension in order to throw guards down into the moat.

Her advancing skills were further shown at the end of the second season finale "The Crossroads of Destiny" when she fought Azula in single combat and not only held her ground, but managed to drive Azula back. Despite Azula's powerful firebending abilities, Katara was able to deflect the force of her attacks by covering her entire body except her head with water and then using the water on her arms as two enormous water whips, which she then uses to grab Azula's arm and leg to prevent her from firebending. Azula's dire position was only relieved by timely aid from Zuko. The fact that she was able to best Azula signifies the extent of her combat powers.

Katara utilizing the Octopus form

At the end of the episode, she was able to create and ride a small tidal wave, knocking over Prince Zuko and the Dai Li agents at once and catch Aang. This action was timely due to Aang having just been injured by Azula while possibly in the Avatar State. He received a wound on his back due to Azula's well-calculated shot and fell from the air, heading for the ground. After catching Aang, Katara was then able to lift herself and Aang by creating a water spout and riding a waterfall upwards. As they leave the city on Appa's back, she attempts to heal the fatal wound on Aang's back with the water from the Spirit Oasis and, though the wound remains present, Aang does awaken soon thereafter.

[edit] Book Three

When Aang awakens from his near fatal injury, Katara takes him inside to have a healing session and, using her healing, she helps Aang see what happened to him in Old Ba Sing Se. While on the ship the group is attacked by another Fire Nation ship that discovered they had captured it, and a fight breaks out. Katara uses her Waterbending to separate the two ships, using a huge wave, and when she realizes they need to get away, she creates a huge steam barrier between them for cover, which was the first time she has manipulated steam, in the sense of directly creating it. Then, when they get hit by a harpoon, Katara uses her frosty breath of Waterbending to freeze the hole in the ship's hull, thus repairing it.

In episode 42, The Headband, Katara creates a fountain out of ice for beverages as well as the glasses they use to drink them for the dance party Aang throws for his uptight Fire Nation classmates. Also, in order to disguise Appa and the gang as they fly to the main land Fire Nation, she and Aang uses a combination of waterbending & airbending to surround the flying beast in a very "convincing" cloud.

In the third episode of the season, The Painted Lady, Katara surreptitiously disguises herself as the river spirit, The Painted Lady, in order to help a helpless, polluted fishing village. She uses her Waterbending to run on water, shrouding herself in eerie mist, flitting about nightly, stealing food from the enemy and giving it to the village and healing the sick. With crashing waves and precise missiles of water, as well as a little help from Aang, who discovers her ploy, she goes on to destroy a huge factory, the source of pollution in the river. Later, as she invoked the wrath of the Fire Nation army encamped in the factory, she and the gang put on a tremendous display to scare off the antagonists. Katara, after creating a huge cloud of steam, dramatically destroys one of their river crafts by blasting it into the air on a mucky geyser and then shooting it into a nearby cliff. Also throughout the episode the benders of the gang use their cumulative Earth and Waterbending abilities to purify the heavily polluted river water.

In Book Three's episode 4, Sokka's Master, Katara does her part in putting out a huge fire, created by a huge, newly earth-bound meteorite. Using her Waterbending, and mounted on the back of Appa, she transports a huge bubble of water from a nearby creek to the fire. She then sprays it over the fire, putting out a large part of it. Katara returns to the creek to retrieve a second mass of water, which she sends to Aang, who then creates a freezing dome of water that expands from the center of the dying flames and explodes, bursting in a flurry of snowflakes, and finishing off the fire.

In the fifth episode of the season, The Beach, Katara helps Aang defend himself from the Combustion Man, who 'blows things up with his mind' and also helps him escape.

[edit] Personality

Mature and kind, Katara is dedicated to her friends, family, and duties. Resentful of the traditionally passive gender roles her tribe ascribes her, Katara's fondest dream was to become a waterbending master and fight to save her tribe. But she can also be bossy and controlling, always believing her ways and beliefs are the in the right and refusing to relent on her views (rarely being shown in a bad light, unlike many others). Passionate and dedicated to her goal, she taught herself an array of novice moves before receiving any formal instruction. Katara's sense of justice is so strong that she will rush headlong into dangerous situations to aid those she feels have been wronged, or if there is any injustice. Once, Katara rallied a group of imprisoned Earthbenders to overpower their captors. Although she is devoted to and can be very patient with friends and family, Katara has a rather short temper and possesses a ferocious amount of power, especially when angered. On rare occasions when Katara becomes truly angry, her outbursts are accompanied by involuntary waterbending strong enough to shatter icebergs (as seen in "The Boy in the Iceberg"). Katara's kind heart sometimes makes her care for others before herself. In "The Desert," she gives Sokka, Toph, and Momo water without taking any for herself. Katara also has an extraordinary capacity to forgive. In "The Crossroads of Destiny," she offers to heal Zuko of his facial scar, despite their long and complicated history of conflict.

[edit] Family

[edit] Mother

Before she was killed in a Fire Nation attack, Katara's mother (name unknown) gave her a navy blue necklace with a blue stone pendant that bears the waterbending symbol as a last memento and gift. Katara can almost always be seen wearing this necklace. Carved by Pakku as a betrothal necklace for Katara's grandmother, it was handed down to Katara's mother (possibly as a wedding present), then passed to Katara. It appears that Katara was very close to her mother, as in "The Swamp" she has a vision of her lost mother and breaks down crying when the mirage disappears. She later breaks down in "The Crossroads of Destiny" when mentioning her mother's death.

[edit] Hakoda

Katara also dearly misses her father, not having seen him in the two years since he went off to war. Though she does not idolize him as her brother does, she once seriously considered leaving Aang behind in order to meet him at a military rendezvous point, briefly acting on this desire during an argument with him. However, her loyalty to Aang and his quest won out. In "Bato of the Water Tribe," there is mention that Hakoda is heading to Ba Sing Se. In "The Earth King," it is confirmed that Hakoda is near the great city at Chameleon Bay. Katara allows Sokka to travel with Aang to meet their father while she remains with the Earth King to plan for an invasion of the Fire Nation during a solar eclipse. However, in "The Awakening", after Ba Sing Se fell, Katara was finally reunited with her father as they rode on a captured Fire Nation ship in order to sneak into the Fire Nation. Unfortunately, she constantly shunned him away and spoke bitterly to him because she had hard feelings about him leaving home to fight in the war. After she suffered an emotional breakdown, Hakoda comforted her and told her that he couldn't bear being away from her and Sokka since he left, and he and Katara reconciled.

[edit] Gran Gran Kana

Katara initially seems to have little in common with her grandmother Kana, (affectionately known as "Gran Gran"), who tells Katara the stories of Avatar lore she holds so dear. Initially jaded and pessimistic in the face of Katara's hopes for herself and Aang, she later blesses Katara and Sokka's departure. If Yugoda's claims of a "spitting image" resemblance and a similar rebelliousness are to be believed, perhaps Katara is more like Kana than she knows. Kana was to be married with Katara's and Aang's former waterbending master, Pakku, before she ran away to the South.

[edit] Sokka

Katara loves to tease her older brother Sokka, and they frequently trade jabs and argue, he being the more quick-witted, but also the more prideful of the pair. She also resents his (now somewhat tempered) sexist streak and tendency to belittle her waterbending as bothersome "magic." Sokka feels an instinctual obligation to protect his sister, though often this makes him over-protective, to Katara's dismay. Still, the siblings love each other dearly.

[edit] Relationships

[edit] Aang

In regards to Aang, Katara has a great deal of faith in the young Avatar's ability to save the world, and cares for him as a close friend. She is, for the most part, genuinely oblivious of the fact that he loves her. It is possible that Aang and Katara kiss during the events of "The Cave of Two Lovers," but the show leaves this ambiguous. Katara is the person that suggested they kiss in hopes it would help them escape the maze-like cave. However, Katara has kissed Aang three times, though on the cheek: once when Aang delivered her mother's necklace back to her, towards the end of "The Earth King," when Aang and Sokka depart, and during "The Headband" as they depart from the cave.

Aang connects to Katara more than any other person he has interacted within the show. As of the events in "The Desert," Katara remains the only person able to calm Aang down from the Avatar State. Also, as seen in "The Serpent's Pass," Katara is able to renew emotions and beliefs in Aang where others were unable. While others had tried to renew Aang's optimism and hope, only Katara was successful, further demonstrating how meaningful she is to Aang.

Katara encourages Toph, Aang's Earthbending teacher, to use positive reinforcement as a teaching method. Aang responds well to this method, most likely due to the free spirited and gentle nature of Airbenders.

In "The Headband", Aang holds a dance party and Aang dances with a girl he met at school. Sokka walks over to Katara and says that they look good together and it is obvious that Katara is a bit resentful. When she and Aang dance she blushes at first, but then they fall in rhythm and perform a captivating Fire Nation dance. When they are flying away, Katara kisses Aang on the cheek.

[edit] Toph

Katara has shown great sympathy for Toph over her restricted life under her parents. Like Aang and Sokka, Katara gladly welcomes Toph when she joins their group. The two were at odds with each other in "The Chase" when Toph refused to help set up their campsites (Katara going so far as to use Toph's blindness to insult her), but they have since come to better terms. After spending a day together getting makeovers in Ba Sing Se, Toph and Katara bonded and showed signs that they were getting close. After being taunted by a troupe of pompous girls, Katara gets a rare view of the vulnerable, self-conscious side of Toph, who feels insecure about her looks as a result of the insult. Though she tries to hide it, Toph can't help displaying tears before Katara, who offers reassurance and comfort to the earthbender. She admires that Toph is "confident and self-assured" and assures the blind girl that she is "really pretty".^[1] Cheered up, Toph offers to return the compliment, had she any idea of what Katara looked like, and rewards her with a genuine "thank you" and a friendly (but hard) punch on the shoulder. This interaction demonstrates that, despite their previous differences, both of them have come a long way in their journey and are becoming close friends. Katara and Toph have generally opposing personalities, with Katara being generally kind and encouraging, and Toph being tougher and more authoritative.

[edit] Prince Zuko

As Aang's close friend and staunch defender, Katara is, by association, an enemy of Zuko. 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 reveal Aang's whereabouts, but she stoutly refuses. Then, in "Bato of the Water Tribe," Zuko employs a 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 "The Siege of the North," after Zuko has made his way into the Spirit Oasis of the Northern Water Tribe, Katara is the only obstacle in his plan to abduct Aang, who is in a meditative state as he tries to enter the Spirit World. Katara subdues Zuko at first, having trained with Master Pakku while at the North Pole and receiving a power boost due to Waterbending's lunar sympathy with the nearly full moon. But as the sun rises, her abilities weaken while those of Zuko and the attacking Fire Navy increase. Zuko catches Katara offguard with a powerful fire blast, knocking her out, and escapes with Aang. Later, with the moon again on her side, she defeats Zuko in one strike to rescue Aang. In "The Chase," Katara, along with Toph and Aang, attacks 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 she instead accepts Zuko's violent demands that they leave him and Iroh alone. In the Season II Finale, Katara and Zuko learn that they both lost their mothers to the Fire Nation. Katara offers to heal his scar, but never gets the chance to, as Aang and Iroh arrive on the scene, later followed by Azula and members of the Dai Li. The resulting battle pits Katara and Aang against Azula and Zuko, and the trust that Katara had recently developed in Zuko is erased, and likely will make her even more bitter towards him in later episodes.

[edit] Master Pakku

The greatest Waterbender of the Northern Water Tribe, Master Pakku denies Katara Waterbending training on the basis that she is female. Enraged, Katara battles the Waterbending master in an effort to prove her worth. Although Katara fights very well, Pakku defeats her. In the battle, her mother's necklace falls off and is later retrieved by Pakku. Upon inspection, Pakku realizes that it is the necklace he carved as a gift for his fiancé decades before- Katara's grandmother, Kanna. However, she ran away before they could be married. After realizing that the sexist attitudes of his culture caused him to lose his bride and love, Master Pakku has a change of heart, and agrees to teach Katara waterbending. At the end of Book 1, Pakku deems her a Waterbending Master. Before they take off, he gives Katara a water amulet from the spirit oasis which contains special healing abilities, and one last hug.

[edit] Jet

Jet is a rebel against the Fire Nation who Katara had an immediate crush on. He, learning of this, used her to unknowingly assist him in a plot to flood a local Fire Nation-occupied village. This ruthless plot would kill the innocent civilians living there. Needless to say, when Katara found out about his plan to flood the village, she was horrified. After a confrontation alongside Aang, Katara froze Jet to a tree and left him. In Lake Laogai, Katara meets up with Jet again, after he is brainwashed. She was the most hesitant to accept his help to find Appa and it was obvious that she was still angry with him. At the end of the episode, when Jet was seriously injured, it was apparent that she was worried, indicating that her trust in him had been restored. Jet was confirmed to have died by the end of the episode Lake Laogai.

[edit] Ty Lee

Katara first met Ty Lee in "Return to Omashu," where Ty Lee, Azula, and Mai were overseeing a prisoner exchange involving King Bumi and Mai's little brother. During the ensuing fight, Ty Lee struck Katara with several precise blows and blocked her flow of chi, negating her waterbending abilities. In the episode "The Chase," Katara reveals that she is frightened of Ty Lee, describing Ty Lee's ability to remove one's bending is "scary," since Bending is Katara's primary fighting ability. Later when she confronted Ty Lee in the same episode, with Sokka fighting Mai, the two switch opponents, since Ty Lee's skills would prove ineffective on Sokka. Eventually, this fear develops into anger. In the episode "The Drill," after trapping Ty Lee within a tunnel of water, Katara taunts Ty Lee by calling her a "circus freak."

avatar the last air bender

princes azula

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Story

[edit] Book 1: Water

[edit] Character Preview

[edit] Book 2: Earth

[edit] Family Reunion

[edit] A New Target

[edit] Fall of Ba Sing Se

[edit] Book 3: Fire

[edit] Returning Home

[edit] Personality

[edit] The Blue Dragon

[edit] Abilities

[edit] Allies

[edit] Family

[edit] Fire Lord Ozai

[edit] Princess Ursa

[edit] Zuko

[edit] Iroh

[edit] Lu Ten

[edit] Relationships

[edit] Aang

[edit] Mai

[edit] Ty Lee

iroh

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Book 1: Water

[edit] Book 2: Earth

[edit] Book 3: Fire

[edit] Name

[edit] Personality

[edit] The Veteran

[edit] Firebending

[edit] Family

[edit] Prince Zuko

[edit] Fire Lord Ozai

[edit] Princess Azula

[edit] Prince Lu Ten

[edit] Fire Lord Azulon

[edit] Relationships

[edit] Admiral Zhao

[edit] Toph

[edit] Aang

prince zuko

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] The Scar

[edit] Story

[edit] Book 1: Water

[edit] Book 2: Earth

[edit] Betrayed

[edit] Alone

[edit] Reunion

[edit] To Ba Sing Se

[edit] Crossroads of Destiny

[edit] Book 3: Fire

[edit] Returning Home

[edit] Personality

[edit] Name

[edit] Abilities

[edit] Firebending

[edit] Other skills

[edit] Family

[edit] Fire Lord Ozai

[edit] Uncle Iroh

[edit] Princess Azula

[edit] Princess Ursa

[edit] Other

[edit] Relationships

[edit] Aang

[edit] Jet

[edit] Katara

[edit] Jin

[edit] Zhao

[edit] Mai

appa