Hot People Watch Avatar
If your parents loved you, they probably raised you watching “Avatar.” And to disrespectfully clarify, I am talking about Nickelodeon’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” I don't even know what the damn movie about blue people is called, and I don’t want to know. Excuse my hostility, but every time I share that “Avatar” is my favorite TV show and someone responds with, “The movie about the blue people?” a part of me dies. James Cameron lies awake at night bearing the agony of naming his film after the epitome of television excellence. If it wasn’t abundantly clear that this article would be an in-depth shpiel about “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” it is now. And though the timing may seem convenient, I won’t be discussing the recent live-action B.S. that came out Thursday, February 22nd at 12 a.m EST (I stopped watching after Aang flew on his own within the first five minutes – IYKYK).
Avatar is renowned for more reasons than one, and if I were to indulge each of the marvels that present themselves within the series, we would be here a while. So, for your convenience, this analysis will be limited to Zuko’s character development, which (hot take) makes him the show’s true main character.
Image Courtesy: ScreenRant
Brief backstory (skip this if you’re already familiar with the show’s premise): “Avatar: The Last Airbender” is set in an “Artic-inspired world” in the 1800s (supposedly), where people are divided into four nations. The four elements include water, earth, fire and air. Within each nation are benders of each element. Hence, the water tribe has water benders, the earth kingdom has earth benders, and so on. However, not everyone is a bender. The Avatar is an all-powerful individual who can bend all four elements, and there is only one Avatar per life cycle. One hundred years before the show begins, the Fire Nation started a war, disrupting the harmony between the four nations. Upon the war’s germination, Aang, the newly realized Avatar, got caught in a storm and panicked after discovering he was the Avatar. Aang and his flying bison encapsulated themselves in an iceberg to save themselves from the storm. Unluckily, the Avatar was the only one who could stop the war.
One hundred years later, side character Katara (water bender) and her brother Sokka (nonbender muggle situation) found Aang and his bison in the iceberg — yes, they miraculously survived and defied the limits of aging (minor plot hole, but it works). The show progresses through Aang’s journey of mastering all four elements with the aid and support of Katara and Sokka. However, the real story, and the reason this show is so excellent, is because of Zuko.
The man who started the 100-year war, Fire Lord Sozin, was Zuko’s great-grandfather. However, Zuko’s other great-grandfather was Avatar Roku, the Avatar before Aang. With that, Zuko’s life was marked by the internal war between good and evil — it’s in his blood. When Zuko was younger, he spoke out in a war meeting in response to the general’s proposition, which entailed the sacrifice of an entire array of soldiers. Rather than scolding him like a regular parent, his father challenged him to an Agni Kai, a fire duel between two benders. When Zuko exhibited reluctance to fight his father, Ozai responded by marking him with a scar that would forever symbolize the shame of his youth. Following the Agni Kai, Ozai banished Zuko, and his return became contingent on one condition: that Zuko bring back the Avatar (keep in mind, the Avatar has been missing for 100 years in an iceberg). Zuko then spends the rest of his teenage years pursuing this seemingly impossible task at any cost, also at the expense of the show viewers’ impression of him.
Image Courtesy: CBR
Book one
Zuko is portrayed as the antagonist wholeheartedly with a fuck ass haircut. He’s rude, violent and in a pursuit to attack Aang and his friends. Throughout the show, we understand the complexity of Zuko’s past, his relationship with his father and why he wants to be accepted by him. The peak of Zuko’s internal shift happens when he departs from his journey to find Aang and spends time traveling alone in “Zuko Alone.” He meets a young boy named Lee after saving him from a group of Earth Kingdom thugs. Lee brings him home and provides him with food and shelter, all while Zuko hides his identity as a fire bender.
When Earth Kingdom soldiers capture Lee to enlist him in the army, Zuko fights to return him. In a moment of escalation, Zuko remembers his mother’s last words before disappearing, “Never forget who you are,” and fire bends at the soldiers. The Earth Kingdom village shuns him, and Lee turns his back despite being rescued. This episode shows the good and evil at war within Zuko. His mother’s words are telling him to stay true to the good inside of him.
Image Courtesy: The Illuminderdi (Help?)
Book Two
The ending of Book Two shows Zuko relapsing to the forces of evil in his life as he chooses to return home with his sister, despite this resulting in the imprisonment of his uncle, who has stayed by his side since his banishment. Upon his return, Zuko bears the guilt of turning his back on his uncle while struggling to understand why he is still unhappy. He comes to understand the complexities within himself, and the peak of his rebirth happens near the end of Season Three, “The Firebending Masters.” In this episode, Zuko discovers that there is more to fire bending than violence and destruction; it embodies life and energy. In the finale, Zuko chooses Aang and helps him defeat his father and end the war. Zuko reclaims his place on the throne and becomes the Fire Lord until the subsequent series, “The Legend of Korra.”
Image Courtesy: Avatar Wiki Fandom (I know)
Overall, the plot of this show rests on the development of Zuko. After watching it more than a few times (I fear I’ve reached over 20), everything in the show ties back to Zuko and his internal growth as he sits at the forefront of a changing world. Michael Dante DiMartino intelligently wrote this show without trying to appeal to traditional character arcs, as Zuko’s growth consistently faces setbacks by his lack of moral clarity.
To wrap this up in one sentence: Avatar the Last Airbender is the best-written and produced television show I have ever seen (and I watch a lot of TV), and yes, Zuko was my sexual awakening. DM me with any further inquiries. I would love to discuss. Also, if you find this article awesome, see the last sentence in the byline below.
Strike Out,
Writer: Olivia Hansen
Editor: Denisa Fluturas
Gainesville
Olivia Hansen is an Editorial Director for Strike Magazine Gainesville. Most of her time is spent rewatching the same Nickelodeon kids’ show and also being super cool slash chill. Find her either asleep in strange places around campus or awake and browsing ChristianMingle.com. If you are hot, Direct Message me @oliviaahansen.
