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The Fake Fire Lord and The Fake Shogun

I don't know if anyone noticed but Kaido's plan to leave Yamato as Shogun of Wano is the same as Ozai did when he left Azula as Fire Lord of the Fire Nation.

The difference is that Azula agrees to be the Fake Fire Lord while Yamato refuses to be the Fake Shogun and here I will explain why in more detail:

We know that Ozai decides to name Azula as Fire Lord because he knows about Azula's successes so he is entrusting Azula with the Fire Nation, while he is going to rule the whole world as the Phoenix Emperor, having more authority than Azula. Kaido, like Ozai with Azula, trusts Yamato to give him the position of Shogun and in turn, wanted to leave her as Shogun because by wanting and going to become ruler of the world, he would have more power and authority than Yamato anyway.

In Ozai's eyes, Azula is still his most capable general and his own daughter (read an extension of himself) while Kaido is confident that Yamato will follow his will and Yamato is his own daughter (and therefore an extension of himself). So, it makes sense that Ozai and Kaido to give both full powers over their previous domain, now that they can have more.

Also, this feeds the ego of Ozai and Kaido because they give Azula and Yamato more power but keep them both inferior and dependent on them, they give them titles (Fire Lord and Shogun) that mean nothing in the long run because in the end they would be under the rule and authority of Ozai and Kaido.

Azula ended up being a puppet ruler because even though she is Fire Lord, Ozai is the only one with real power for being the ruler of the world while Azula rules over one of the many territories that are under Ozai's command and thus, the Fire Lord title has no real value so Azula had no real authority over the Fire Nation and becomes just a title like any other that Ozai can easily take from her at any time. Similarly, Kaido wanted to appoint Yamato Shogun to rule Wano but any power Yamato would have would be overridden by Kaido's authority as Kaido would rule the world and Wano would only be one of many territories that would be under his command so that the Shogun title becomes empty and becomes a title that Kaido can either take away from Yamato and give to someone else or remove said title, making Yamato a puppet ruler with no real authority over Wano as Orochi.

The reason why this worked with Azula but not with Yamato is because of the treatment and upbringing that Ozai and Kaido gave their daughters which made Azula seek her father's approval while Yamato didn't. Azula was treated like a prodigy by Ozai and was always praised and told that everything she did was fine, she was used to it and Ozai only wanted her for her power and considered her his best tool

while Yamato witnessed Oden's execution and seeing his bravery came to admire Oden to such an extent of emulating him,

and wanting to be him

and Kaido disapproved of this to the point that he beat her and locked her in Onigashima with exploding handcuffs and starved her, killing anyone who gave him food.

Because of Ozai's upbringing, Azula sought his approval, hiding her feelings and vulnerability from herself and others and consequently hiding her desire to be loved and to have someone she could love and trust, resulting in her basing her relationships on in control and fear, causing others to distance themselves from her and ended up as a puppet ruler with no one to trust while Yamato, through Kaido's upbringing, distanced herself from him and managed to create genuine bonds by opening up to others, expressing what she feels and wants without fear and showing vulnerability in a way that Azula wouldn't have done, causing Yamato to choose to defend her friends and her hero's dream by rebelling against Kaido and rejecting his plan to make her his tool by naming her the puppet ruler of Wano.

It should be noted that at the time Ozai names Azula Fire Lord, Azula was very unstable due to losing her friends through her own fault and Ozai was the only thing left for her so Azula agrees to be Fire Lord when her father orders her to because she seeks Ozai's approval since she wants someone to love her and be there for her while Yamato, because of Kaido's abuse, wanted nothing to do with him but still doubted that he was able to kill her but when he saw that the handcuffs exploded it was the straw that broke the camel's back for Yamato, causing him to disown Kaido as a father, calling him only by his name and rejecting any plan that Kaido had for her such as naming her Shogun of Wano as well that Yamato is not so affected by the fact that she distances himself from her father because, in addition to having the closest thing to a good example in her life (Oden's diary), Yamato has what Azula wants: people she loves, trusts and they are there for her

and achieves this by acknowledging his feelings

and being open with her desires

while Azula continues to refuse to acknowledge hers

and as a result, she refuses to open herself up and is unable to achieve what she truly wants.

Azula is a girl whose childhood was taken away and she was forced to grow up and be an adult by her upbringing so she doesn't open up to anyone and can't relate to anyone or do the same things that girls her age do while Yamato is an adult who acts like a child because of the little contact she has had with the outside world, but when she meets people with good values and meets people who value her, support her and encourage her to express her emotions and follow her path, she is able to grow and improve.

The Fake Fire Lord and The Fake Shogun

I don't know if anyone noticed but Kaido's plan to leave Yamato as Shogun of Wano is the same as Ozai did when he left Azula as Fire Lord of the Fire Nation.

The difference is that Azula agrees to be the Fake Fire Lord while Yamato refuses to be the Fake Shogun and here I will explain why in more detail:

We know that Ozai decides to name Azula as Fire Lord because he knows about Azula's successes so he is entrusting Azula with the Fire Nation, while he is going to rule the whole world as the Phoenix Emperor, having more authority than Azula. Kaido, like Ozai with Azula, trusts Yamato to give him the position of Shogun and in turn, wanted to leave her as Shogun because by wanting and going to become ruler of the world, he would have more power and authority than Yamato anyway.

In Ozai's eyes, Azula is still his most capable general and his own daughter (read an extension of himself) while Kaido is confident that Yamato will follow his will and Yamato is his own daughter (and therefore an extension of himself). So, it makes sense that Ozai and Kaido to give both full powers over their previous domain, now that they can have more.

Also, this feeds the ego of Ozai and Kaido because they give Azula and Yamato more power but keep them both inferior and dependent on them, they give them titles (Fire Lord and Shogun) that mean nothing in the long run because in the end they would be under the rule and authority of Ozai and Kaido.

Azula ended up being a puppet ruler because even though she is Fire Lord, Ozai is the only one with real power for being the ruler of the world while Azula rules over one of the many territories that are under Ozai's command and thus, the Fire Lord title has no real value so Azula had no real authority over the Fire Nation and becomes just a title like any other that Ozai can easily take from her at any time. Similarly, Kaido wanted to appoint Yamato Shogun to rule Wano but any power Yamato would have would be overridden by Kaido's authority as Kaido would rule the world and Wano would only be one of many territories that would be under his command so that the Shogun title becomes empty and becomes a title that Kaido can either take away from Yamato and give to someone else or remove said title, making Yamato a puppet ruler with no real authority over Wano as Orochi.

The reason why this worked with Azula but not with Yamato is because of the treatment and upbringing that Ozai and Kaido gave their daughters which made Azula seek her father's approval while Yamato didn't. Azula was treated like a prodigy by Ozai and was always praised and told that everything she did was fine, she was used to it and Ozai only wanted her for her power and considered her his best tool

while Yamato witnessed Oden's execution and seeing his bravery came to admire Oden to such an extent of emulating him,

and wanting to be him

and Kaido disapproved of this to the point that he beat her and locked her in Onigashima with exploding handcuffs and starved her, killing anyone who gave him food.

Because of Ozai's upbringing, Azula sought his approval, hiding her feelings and vulnerability from herself and others and consequently hiding her desire to be loved and to have someone she could love and trust, resulting in her basing her relationships on in control and fear, causing others to distance themselves from her and ended up as a puppet ruler with no one to trust while Yamato, through Kaido's upbringing, distanced herself from him and managed to create genuine bonds by opening up to others, expressing what she feels and wants without fear and showing vulnerability in a way that Azula wouldn't have done, causing Yamato to choose to defend her friends and her hero's dream by rebelling against Kaido and rejecting his plan to make her his tool by naming her the puppet ruler of Wano.

It should be noted that at the time Ozai names Azula Fire Lord, Azula was very unstable due to losing her friends through her own fault and Ozai was the only thing left for her so Azula agrees to be Fire Lord when her father orders her to because she seeks Ozai's approval since she wants someone to love her and be there for her while Yamato, because of Kaido's abuse, wanted nothing to do with him but still doubted that he was able to kill her but when he saw that the handcuffs exploded it was the straw that broke the camel's back for Yamato, causing him to disown Kaido as a father, calling him only by his name and rejecting any plan that Kaido had for her such as naming her Shogun of Wano as well that Yamato is not so affected by the fact that she distances himself from her father because, in addition to having the closest thing to a good example in her life (Oden's diary), Yamato has what Azula wants: people she loves, trusts and they are there for her

and achieves this by acknowledging his feelings

and being open with her desires

while Azula continues to refuse to acknowledge hers

and as a result, she refuses to open herself up and is unable to achieve what she truly wants.

Azula is a girl whose childhood was taken away and she was forced to grow up and be an adult by her upbringing so she doesn't open up to anyone and can't relate to anyone or do the same things that girls her age do while Yamato is an adult who acts like a child because of the little contact she has had with the outside world, but when she meets people with good values and meets people who value her, support her and encourage her to express her emotions and follow her path, she is able to grow and improve.

I know, especially with how much more proactive he is in the live action, some people think that Iroh was too complicit with Zuko and should have put more effort into pushing Zuko down the right path.

But I don’t know I think the point was that it had to come from Zuko. This great change had to be something that Zuko wanted for himself and not something Iroh pushes him into. It’s why although he tries to distract or dissuade him subtly he’s pretty content to let Zuko do as he feels the need to (except when he’s taking insane actions that would have killed him if he wasn’t too spiteful to die) but yeah there’s no obvious push to get Zuko to believe this or that or even to undo the fire nation conditioning he simply just worries for his safety and honestly with how reckless zuko was probably the safest route without pushing him into full mental breakdown.

It’s not till he’s almost captured and they go on the run do you actually start to see that maybe Iroh has a side in all this and it’s not the fire nation. But even then being on Zuko’s side takes precedent. It’s not until Zuko is on the cusp of real change, he’s right on the precipice does Iroh start to push a little harder but even then it’s focused in Zuko making a decision for his life one that nobody else can make for him. The closest Iroh gets to forcefully pushing Zuko towards any direction is him yelling “It's time for you to look *inward* and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you and what do *you* want?”. And then siding with the avatar during the fall of ba sing se.

If Iroh tried to manipulate him, take advantage of this scared angry child to unconsciously steer him towards his own side then he’d be no better than the fire nation, he’s just be another person wrenching control from Zuko life. But instead Iroh offers him that control, let him go out and see what the world is and let the conclusions of whatever he finds be the foundation on which he is rebuilt again and and again. It’s why when he stands infront of Ozai and says “ No, I’ve learned everything! And I’ve had to learn it on my own” we feel that shit. Because yeah he did he struggled and he fought and he learned and damn it all, he is making a choice for himself.

The story works because Iroh isn’t his mentor, he’s his uncle and he loves him enough to push aside his own personal belief to allow Zuko the space to decide who he wants to be, to give him the agency over his own life. That’s why Zuko’s redemption works so well because he’s not forced into it, If he decides to join the avatar to take down the thrown that has been his choice. If he decides to stay with the fire nation be the prince he was born to be….well that had to be his choice as well. Because that’s the crux of this. None of it matters if it isn’t Zuko, with everything that he has learned, making a decision for his own life.

I know, especially with how much more proactive he is in the live action, some people think that Iroh was too complicit with Zuko and should have put more effort into pushing Zuko down the right path.

But I don’t know I think the point was that it had to come from Zuko. This great change had to be something that Zuko wanted for himself and not something Iroh pushes him into. It’s why although he tries to distract or dissuade him subtly he’s pretty content to let Zuko do as he feels the need to (except when he’s taking insane actions that would have killed him if he wasn’t too spiteful to die)

The closest Iroh gets to forcefully pushing Zuko towards any direction is him yelling “It's time for you to look *inward* and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you and what do *you* want?”. And then siding with the avatar during the fall of ba sing se.

If Iroh tried to manipulate him, take advantage of this scared angry child to unconsciously steer him towards his own side then he’s just be another person wrenching control from Zuko life. But instead Iroh offers him that control, let him go out and see what the world is and let the conclusions of whatever he finds be the foundation on which he is rebuilt again and and again. It’s why when he stands infront of Ozai and says “ No, I’ve learned everything! And I’ve had to learn it on my own” we feel that shit. Because yeah he did, he struggled and he fought and he learned and damn it all, he is making a choice for himself.

The story works because Iroh isn’t his mentor, he’s his uncle and he loves him enough to push aside his own personal belief to allow Zuko the space to decide who he wants to be, to give him the agency over his own life. That’s why Zuko’s redemption works so well because he’s not forced into it, If he decides to join the avatar to take down the thrown that has to be his choice. If he decides to stay with the fire nation be the prince he was born to be….well that had to be his choice as well. Because that’s the crux of this. None of it matters if it isn’t Zuko, with everything that he has learned, making a decision for his own life.

At its core the most important relationship arc in Avatar the last air bender is the one between Zuko and Aang honestly if you can’t see that then I don’t think we watched the same show.

Aang and Zuko are the true Yin and Yang in the show the push and pull. Fire and Air right down to their personalities.

It is both of them that have to go on the journey of learning that fire is more than just destruction can be used for more than just to hurt.

And that right there is the point it doesn’t matter if Aang defeats Ozai and they bring the fire nation to heel. Without a character like Zuko the fire nation would be lost forever to distrust and unrest, balance would never be reached. Because despite everything they have done all the damage they have wreaked the world still needs the fire nation and to work with the fire nation they need to know that fire can do more than hurt. And who best to show them than a prince who’s been burned himself?

The war started with the fire nation attacking the air nomads in a bid for control and it will end with the fire lord embracing an air nomad and taking ownership of his nations actions. You must first close a book before you can start a new one.

Aang needed Zuko just as Zuko needed him because to get peace a true lasting peace you can’t just cut off the head of a snake you have to change its mind. The world already lost the air nomads the balance is already precarious, it cannot afford to lose the fire nation too.

Afterall Air can snuff out a flame and it can also fan them. But when the two elements are balanced one existing in peace with the other it can also make a warm hearth for the home.

As someone that loves ATLA and is recently getting back into the fandom and has also been spending alot of time in the One Piece fandom as off late

Luffy and Aang have a very similar energy that I enjoy. They are just both so precious oh my god 😭. They are so different but they have very similar narrative functions in how they inspire the people around them to embrace silliness and childlike joy.

But also I love the way they move their powers are fun and they love using them. They are constantly using it's ungrained in the way they move Aang loves airbending he's never not jumping around with it and Luffy loves being rubber

Which makes their differences all the more exciting and seeing how that same scale of personality

they both deal with inherited will Aang more literally and directly that Luffy (as of yet) and they interact with that differently. Aang's inherited will is a weight on his shoulders a burden he has to bear while Luffy's is a pleasant surprise to those around, and the source of his desire for freedom. And this comes through in how they interact with the ultimate version of their powers the literal embodiment of these inherited wills. The avatar state and gear 5

The avatar state for Aang represents a destiny he is still to young to bear, it is unpredictable, overwhelming, uncontrollable, it is something to be feared and worried about, it represents a loss of control for him and he struggles to reconcile that kind of destructive power with himself and his values. It scares him, and That’s why it remains lost to him for much of the series till he makes it his own.

Meanwhile for Luffy Gear 5 represents freedom, he is literally being freed from the constraints of reality. It is the culmination of everything he’s ever been. It’s everything we love about luffy turned up to a 100. Gear 5 is silly, goofy, cartoonish, unserious, fun loving, filled with laughter, insanely power and lowkey a little scary. Even tho Luffy is technically transforming into another person (or god) but god it is still him it is everything that has ever embodied him. And Luffy loves to be in it he has so much because as he said it’s him at his freest.

Aang and Luffy have very different character philosophies, priorities and move through the world differently. Aang is very much concern about the people in the general sense while Luffy is very much focused on helping his friends which then spirals to helping the general population, it just so happens that he is very good at making friends

But at their core they are just both fun loving little boys refusing to let their tragedies define them as they and their rag tag group of walking disasters rove the world like criminals, freeing the people from oppression.

As someone that loves ATLA and is recently getting back into the fandom and has also been spending alot of time in the One Piece fandom as off late

Luffy and Aang have a very similar energy that I enjoy. They are just both so precious oh my god 😭. They are so different but they have very similar narrative functions in how they inspire the people around them to embrace silliness and childlike joy.

But also I love the way they move their powers are fun and they love using them. They are constantly using it's ungrained in the way they move Aang loves airbending he's never not jumping around with it and Luffy loves being rubber

Which makes their differences all the more exciting and seeing how that same scale of personality

they both deal with inherited will Aang more literally and directly that Luffy (as of yet) and they interact with that differently. Aang's inherited will is a weight on his shoulders a burden he has to bear while Luffy's is a pleasant surprise to those around, and the source of his desire for freedom. And this comes through in how they interact with the ultimate version of their powers the literal embodiment of these inherited wills. The avatar state and gear 5

The avatar state for Aang represents a destiny he is still to young to bear, it is unpredictable, overwhelming, uncontrollable, it is something to be feared and worried about, it represents a loss of control for him and he struggles to reconcile that kind of destructive power with himself and his values. It scares him, and That’s why it remains lost to him for much of the series till he makes it his own.

Meanwhile for Luffy Gear 5 represents freedom, he is literally being freed from the constraints of reality. It is the culmination of everything he’s ever been. It’s everything we love about luffy turned up to a 100. Gear 5 is silly, goofy, cartoonish, unserious, fun loving, filled with laughter, insanely power and lowkey a little scary. Even tho Luffy is technically transforming into another person (or god) but god it is still him it is everything that has ever embodied him. And Luffy loves to be in it he has so much because as he said it’s him at his freest.

Aang and Luffy have very different character philosophies, priorities and move through the world differently. Aang is very much concern about the people in the general sense while Luffy is very much focused on helping his friends which then spirals to helping the general population, it just so happens that he is very good at making friends

But at their core they are just both fun loving little boys refusing to let their tragedies define them as they and their rag tag group of walking disasters rove the world like criminals, freeing the people from oppression.

I wish there were was a scene or two where it is Sokka who has to pull Aang out of the avatar state frenzy.

Maybe Katara isn’t around for some reason (dealing with an active threat or she was just too far away) and it's Sokka that has to step up. because I do like the gradual growth of his reaction of aang in the avatar state going from complete fear to not leaving the area to stay with aang and I think it would have been a nice ed to have him be the one to pull aang out of it one time.

Not because I want to undermine Kataang because they are great. I do not want to ship sokka and Aang. But I just think it would have really added another layer to Sokka and Aang’s friendship besides them being silly and having fun together. I don’t think they really have any introspective moments with just each other like taht and I think one or 2 scenes like this would have deepened their friendship immensely (not that’s it’s not already great!)

Just Sokka deciding that Katara’s not here and Aang needs help now and so he’s got to do it. Every instinct he has is telling him to back away but he’s got to push through because Aang is his best friend, his brother and he’s not going to leave him.

I just think that would have been a nice little bow on their friendship arc with sokka being the more distrusting and harder to win over of the siblings. Like Kind of the inverse of Zuko and Katara’s friendship.

Like can you just imagine Sokka going; “ I got you buddy, I got you I’m right here” as he grips Aang tightly because he’s not the best at comforting words and and so all he can do is hold Aang close and remind him that he’s there that he’ll always be there for him.

I think that would’ve have been amazing.

Ty Lee becoming a kyoshi warrior made no sense to me. If anything it feels like a regression. Don't get me wrong I think she'd fit in well with them and I love suki/ty lee but realistically at the start of the season we hear Ty Lee proclaim that her trauma of growing up with six identical sisters is what drove her to the circus and it was kind of dismissed. and then we never really get any closure on this the time we see her she betrays Azula and is imprisoned and then after that the last time we see her she is part of the group in full garb after befriending them off screen.

she joined the one group where a huge recruitment is looking like everyone else. Why?

And the thing is this totally could have worked her coming to terms with her identity even tho she looks like everyone else she is still Ty Lee and she has a lot to contribute by simply being her (and also like how she taught them chi blocking) and so the idea of becoming another "faceless" girl doesn't scare her as much because she knows that to the people that matter they know who she is.

But like the way its done just feels like they needed a nice little fun way to wrap up ty lee's story but it also makes it feel like Ty Lee is incapable of standing on her own, if its not the circus its azula and mai if not them the kyoshi warriors. She's never just on her own being Ty lee she is always playing fidde to some group.

I think it would have been better if the ending had ty lee instead of having already joined the kyoshi warriors had instead been separated from mai and anyone she knew in prison and had had to for the first time get by on her own merits as a person not what she could do for other people. (a bit like what Suki does in Suki alone) and then a little moment between her and Suki where they reconcile Ty Lee tells her how she wants to help rebuild the word after the devastation of the fire nation and Suki's like "it's not exactly rebuilding the word but maybe you can teach me and my girls that chi blocking you do, it's impressive." and Ty lee could smile and agree. Not exactly an invitation to join but a way for her to carve out her own niche and make a mark in a safe space. It could also tie into the chi blockers that we see in LoK of Ty lee decides she likes teaching and decides to teach more non-benders how to protect themselves since the Kyoshi Warriors is pretty sacred and has traditions that not everybody can adhere too.

I just think making her a kyoshi warrior came out of nowhere and not that ut couldn't work at all but it would have needed more time to breathe. I would say have Suki introduce the fact that the kyoshi warriors are going to stay as Zuko's security detail for a while and Ty Lee's knowledge of the palace and Chi blocking skills would be an amazing hep to them so she starts of working with them and maybe int he comiucs we can see that she joined them (but I doubt they had decided this little plot line when the series actually ended)

what the most common injury caused by bending in earth kingdom must be? broken bones.

and like fire nation healers who know the most about the burns, earth kingdom healers must know everything there is about healing fractures. the same way water tribes healers expertise in frostbite/drowning and bloodflow in general.

which raises the question: did air nomads have healers? probably. but injury easily acquired while bending air is also broken bones. did they have their own ways of healing that? or were they more knowledgeable in healing respiratory system?

Zuko and Azula have the most fascinating relationship in ATLA

Sibling rivalry is often a trite story of one sibling hating the other out of jealousy. On the surface, the Zuko and Azula may look that way. They have no problem blasting fire and lightning at each other and both of their parents had a favorite. But there’s so much more to it. 

First of all, I would argue that in spite of many near-fatal encounters, they don’t necessarily hate each other. It’s far more complicated than that. How they view each other is closely tied to how they view themselves.

For most of Zuko’s life, Azula is the standard he’s held to. She’s ambitious, ruthless, and a prodigy. No matter what he does, he can’t earn their father’s approval like she can. And she rubs it in his face constantly. When Azula is cruel to Zuko, Ozai affirms that she’s not wrong to do so. Zuko rarely argues with her because he’s been conditioned to believe she’s right. Zuko has internalized the blame for how his father treats him rather than project it onto Azula, and accepts how she treats him as normal. He has plenty of bitter feeling toward her, but none quite as clear as hate. 

Azula’s view of Zuko is even more convoluted. The first time we see Azula, she’s smiling because their father is about to burn him. The next time they meet, she berates him for being a failure of a son. It looks like she enjoys watching him suffer. 

But when Zuko helps “kill” the Avatar in Ba Sing Se, we get to see them in a new context. In the rare moments that they aren’t pitted against each other by the ever looming presence of their father… they actually get along fine.

Every time Azula appeared happy to see Zuko suffering, it was at the hands of their father. It wasn’t just that Ozai hurt Zuko, it what that Ozai hurt Zuko and not her. Every time Ozai insulted or injured her brother, it cemented Azula’s position as the favorite child. And she had to stay the favorite child because she’s seen what would happen to her if she wasn’t. Deep down, she knows just how conditional her father’s positive regard is. When Ozai leaves her in the Fire Nation while invading the Earth Kingdom, the first words out of her mouth are “You can’t treat me like Zuko”. Being better than Zuko is part of her identity.

When Zuko defects from the Fire Nation and begins to succeed without meeting, or even trying to meet, the standards set by their father, it throws her priorities into doubt. In her mind, Zuko is supposed to fail. But she isn’t truly unnerved until she’s betrayed by Mai and Ty Li. 

She is incapable of understanding why Mai would chose Zuko, and this drags to the surface her inability to understand why her mother preferred Zuko. She believed her mother loved Zuko and not her. Now Mai, her closest friend, loves Zuko and not her.

This conflicts with her entire view of the world. She sees the worth of a person as equal to their quantifiable skills and accomplishments. She has been admired, respected, and feared, but as far as Azula believes, no one has ever loved her. She was a prodigy who did everything right, while Zuko was the family screw up. Yet people loved him and not her.

For years, being better than Zuko was how Azula measured herself. Ozai said Zuko was lucky to be born. That he was worthless, weak, disrespectful, and both his children believed him. When Zuko left, he finally saw that Ozai was wrong about him. When Zuko returns during Sozin’s comet, Azula too is forced to see that her perception is wrong. 

Zuko has become the embodiment of everything she lacks.  She thought he was weak, but he’s not afraid enough to fight her fairly as an equal. She thought he was dishonorable, but really he was independent enough to break away from their father’s control. She thought he was worthless, but he’s found people who care about him in spite of his flaws. 

Azula isn’t just trying to kill him, but everything he represents. And when she can’t, she breaks. Zuko is still standing. She has nothing left.

Word of God (Bryke) confirmed that at the end of the Agni Kai, Zuko felt pity rather than hate for his sister. This continues into the comics as he genuinely tries to help her. He knows that while she may not have been overtly abused like he was, she was raised in the same web of lies, agendas, and violence.  

Their past left them both unable to trust people. Azula controlled everyone around her with fear. Zuko shut other people out and tried to do everything on his own. It isn’t until Zuko has left his old life behind that he slowly begins to let people in. 

While Azula hangs onto the beliefs of Ozai and the Fire Nation, Zuko can see their situation from the outside. He sees two screwed up teenagers who spent their lives fighting their father’s war, manipulated into a conflict that isn’t their fault, forced to kill each other over choices made a century before they were born. It took Zuko years to figure out the hell that was his home life wasn’t his fault, but only a few minutes to see that it wasn’t Azula’s either.

Avatar the Last Airbenders 'Final Solution'

ATLA's resolution is kinda bad, looking back on it.

A better resolution would be if Iroh fought Ozai with the blessing of Aang as a fully realized Avatar, to represent the Four Elements and overthrow the Fire Lord. The source of the world's imbalance.

This is because having a literal God interfering in human affairs is both terrifying and a role Aang should not have been forced into.

Aang's mission in the story is to bring balance back to the Four Elements. How is it balanced to have God himself fighting against the Fire Nation's representative, ruling power?

Even if Aang isn't God, he is a WMD that thinks. A WMD that thinks, stepped into Fire Nation Politics, and showed the world that he would use his power against anyone who opposes his way of thinking.

Aang does this again in the promise where he and Zuko essentially decide to deport refugees and civilians from the homes, and lives, they had formed over a Hundred Years.

That's not a really good message for substantive balance when you look deeper into the matter.

Funnily enough, Avatar Kyoshi basically was an instance where an Avatar used their powers to tyrannize a group of people in the name of bringing Peace and Balance. An act that resulted in a whole town hating the Avatar a Hundred Years on into the future. The conflict of reconciling the Avatar's potential for tyranny and an Avatar's duty to peace becomes a central conflict for Aang in the final seasons.

Of course, Aang's conclusion was to settle the matter with an elemental fistfight.

This is doubly funny when the Fire Nation has a system for deciding matters of state and honor with a duel between Firebenders which Zuko and Azula took advantage of.

The Agni Kai would address Iroh's concerns about the world's perceptions as he is not fighting Ozai for the throne, but to restore the collective honor of the Fire Nation and right the wrongs Ozai had committed under the auspices of tradition, and the Avatar's authority

From a narrative standpoint, the Agni Kai between Iroh and Ozai would lead to the climactic confrontation between two competing ideologies of total domination, and harmony with the four nations, that Ozai's, Zuko's, and Iroh's arcs had built up over the story.

Aang would still have to go through his journey across the Four Kingdoms to realize his power, and gain the wisdom and experience to know that Iroh was the best choice to face his Brother. Aang is not neglected, therefore, and would play a role that is special and befitting of his status as the Avatar, but at the same time he won't interfere with a Nation's internal politics and ensure that Aang is an impartial force over the issues of the Four Kingdoms. Aang also wouldn't have to kill anyone.

The theme of balance in ATLA is a broken Aesop when Aang acts like a thinking WMD who was ferried into the field like an atomic bomb. Wouldn't balance be better achieved by the ordinary men and women who, through their personal traumas and experiences, learned a better way to live and were given the opportunity to teach the lesson of balance to a people brainwashed to see no other way except world domination?

Especially when one could fight a flaming duel to the death in the process?

The Last Airbender is Anti-Fire Nation Propaganda

The Fire Lord, Ozai, is dehumanized due to his portrayal as a one-dimensional, evil Overlord.

The Fire Nation citizens are portrayed as brainwashed, and any support for the beneficent elements of the Fire Nation is disregarded as brainwashing. This is another attempt by the Anti-Fire Nation Kingdoms at propagandizing for their war against the Fire Nation.

The Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, and Air Nomads have their positive elements exaggerated and their flaws are downplayed to enhance the image of the Fire Nation's 'evil'. Conveniently forgetting, of course, that:

The Water Tribe is sexist.

But the Fire Nation treats Women with respect, and allow Women into what would be considered male-dominated industries. Like Prison Guards.

The Earth Kingdom is terrorized by a secret police of Earth Benders.

Created by the Avatar herself.

Who has her own Kyoshi Warriors enforce an isolationist policy that kept Kyoshi Island from developing beyond a tribal society or community. A society which worships Kyoshi as a Goddess.

The Earth Kingdom's state of hierarchal dominance and stratified living persists decades into the future and is never fully eradicated despite the passing of however many Avatars there were since Kyoshi.

Furthermore, the Benders of both the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom either oppress the Non-Benders, or enforce policies that oppress the Non-Benders. Master Pakku and the Dai Li are two of the more prominent examples of such oppression.

This contrasts the Fire Nation which values both Benders and Non-Benders. Azula's most trusted associates are both Non-Benders.

While two of the most dangerous people/groups in the Fire Nation, Master Piandao;

And the Yuyan Archers are Non-Benders. Indicating that there is some form of Meritocracy that operates within the Fire Nation. A meritocracy that is almost non-existent or heavily biased in both the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom.

The Air Nomads have no Kingdom of their own. This means they do not have a population from which they can draw Airbenders to replenish their numbers. Since the Airbenders are also Monks as a whole, it is very likely that the Air Nomads take Airbenders from the other three factions to fill up the Air Temple.

Further considering the fact that the Air Temple Monks are willing to force Aang into his Avatar training against his wishes. So much so that Aang preferred to risk his life in a storm. It is highly likely that the other three nations have no say when the Air Nomads come looking for Air Benders amongst their citizens.

Now, am I saying that the Fire Nation has its pros and cons?

No.

I'm saying that I'd rather be born in the Fire Nation and that all the negative aspects we are shown in the show are due to propaganda published by those who fear the challenge of the Fire Nation, and its progressive ideas, to their individual power.

And Remember.

That's what the Anti-Fire Nation Propaganda says.

Historically, religious orders are never innocent of political intrigue. Separation of Church and State is never truly a thing, even in the modern day. Within these religious orders may also arise conflicts which could lead to violence over the interpretation of doctrine, or more mundane matters such as successions and political alignments.

Good examples of these are the Sohei Warrior Monks and the Shaolin Temple. Both organizations were greatly involved with politics of the day and took sides in wars when they felt the need. Selfish or otherwise.

In the Avatar world, the Airbending Temple is most likely involved in the politics of the Nations. They trained the Avatar;

They must be connected to the White Lotus since that group does assume the duties of finding and training the Avatar. The White Lotus are also warriors in their own right.

Furthermore, as I posited earlier, the Airbenders are a Monastery. So no sex. No sex means no airbending children or a nation from which to recruit airbenders to replenish the Nomads at the Monastery. That means it is likely that the Monastery recruits airbenders found in the other Kingdoms. Like Tenzin did in LOK.

Now in Aang's time, this was how Airbenders were like in the temple;

So much so that Aang ended up like this:

For a Hundred Years.

The Airbenders were not peaceful nomads. They were involved in politics, and warriors in their own right. The Fire Nation attack on them was not genocide. It was a strike on a dangerous enemy force.

The Last Airbender is Anti-Fire Nation Propaganda

The Fire Lord, Ozai, is dehumanized due to his portrayal as a one-dimensional, evil Overlord.

The Fire Nation citizens are portrayed as brainwashed, and any support for the beneficent elements of the Fire Nation is disregarded as brainwashing. This is another attempt by the Anti-Fire Nation Kingdoms at propagandizing for their war against the Fire Nation.

The Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, and Air Nomads have their positive elements exaggerated and their flaws are downplayed to enhance the image of the Fire Nation's 'evil'. Conveniently forgetting, of course, that:

The Water Tribe is sexist.

But the Fire Nation treats Women with respect, and allow Women into what would be considered male-dominated industries. Like Prison Guards.

The Earth Kingdom is terrorized by a secret police of Earth Benders.

Created by the Avatar herself.

Who has her own Kyoshi Warriors enforce an isolationist policy that kept Kyoshi Island from developing beyond a tribal society or community. A society which worships Kyoshi as a Goddess.

The Earth Kingdom's state of hierarchal dominance and stratified living persists decades into the future and is never fully eradicated despite the passing of however many Avatars there were since Kyoshi.

Furthermore, the Benders of both the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom either oppress the Non-Benders, or enforce policies that oppress the Non-Benders. Master Pakku and the Dai Li are two of the more prominent examples of such oppression.

This contrasts the Fire Nation which values both Benders and Non-Benders. Azula's most trusted associates are both Non-Benders.

While two of the most dangerous people/groups in the Fire Nation, Master Piandao;

And the Yuyan Archers are Non-Benders. Indicating that there is some form of Meritocracy that operates within the Fire Nation. A meritocracy that is almost non-existent or heavily biased in both the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom.

The Air Nomads have no Kingdom of their own. This means they do not have a population from which they can draw Airbenders to replenish their numbers. Since the Airbenders are also Monks as a whole, it is very likely that the Air Nomads take Airbenders from the other three factions to fill up the Air Temple.

Further considering the fact that the Air Temple Monks are willing to force Aang into his Avatar training against his wishes. So much so that Aang preferred to risk his life in a storm. It is highly likely that the other three nations have no say when the Air Nomads come looking for Air Benders amongst their citizens.

Now, am I saying that the Fire Nation has its pros and cons?

No.

I'm saying that I'd rather be born in the Fire Nation and that all the negative aspects we are shown in the show are due to propaganda published by those who fear the challenge of the Fire Nation, and its progressive ideas, to their individual power.

And Remember.

THESE guys are nomads:

Harmless, defenseless, and the only threat they faced were Badger Moles, not Fire Nation Soldiers:

The 'Air Nomads' are Airbending Monks who live in monasteries:

Whose abilities include this:

Also, this was what an Airbender Monk in Aang's time were capable of:

What happened to them? They died fighting like Soldiers, instead of being rounded up and executed in a genocide.

The Last Airbender is Anti-Fire Nation Propaganda

The Fire Lord, Ozai, is dehumanized due to his portrayal as a one-dimensional, evil Overlord.

The Fire Nation citizens are portrayed as brainwashed, and any support for the beneficent elements of the Fire Nation is disregarded as brainwashing. This is another attempt by the Anti-Fire Nation Kingdoms at propagandizing for their war against the Fire Nation.

The Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, and Air Nomads have their positive elements exaggerated and their flaws are downplayed to enhance the image of the Fire Nation's 'evil'. Conveniently forgetting, of course, that:

The Water Tribe is sexist.

But the Fire Nation treats Women with respect, and allow Women into what would be considered male-dominated industries. Like Prison Guards.

The Earth Kingdom is terrorized by a secret police of Earth Benders.

Created by the Avatar herself.

Who has her own Kyoshi Warriors enforce an isolationist policy that kept Kyoshi Island from developing beyond a tribal society or community. A society which worships Kyoshi as a Goddess.

The Earth Kingdom's state of hierarchal dominance and stratified living persists decades into the future and is never fully eradicated despite the passing of however many Avatars there were since Kyoshi.

Furthermore, the Benders of both the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom either oppress the Non-Benders, or enforce policies that oppress the Non-Benders. Master Pakku and the Dai Li are two of the more prominent examples of such oppression.

This contrasts the Fire Nation which values both Benders and Non-Benders. Azula's most trusted associates are both Non-Benders.

While two of the most dangerous people/groups in the Fire Nation, Master Piandao;

And the Yuyan Archers are Non-Benders. Indicating that there is some form of Meritocracy that operates within the Fire Nation. A meritocracy that is almost non-existent or heavily biased in both the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom.

The Air Nomads have no Kingdom of their own. This means they do not have a population from which they can draw Airbenders to replenish their numbers. Since the Airbenders are also Monks as a whole, it is very likely that the Air Nomads take Airbenders from the other three factions to fill up the Air Temple.

Further considering the fact that the Air Temple Monks are willing to force Aang into his Avatar training against his wishes. So much so that Aang preferred to risk his life in a storm. It is highly likely that the other three nations have no say when the Air Nomads come looking for Air Benders amongst their citizens.

Now, am I saying that the Fire Nation has its pros and cons?

No.

I'm saying that I'd rather be born in the Fire Nation and that all the negative aspects we are shown in the show are due to propaganda published by those who fear the challenge of the Fire Nation, and its progressive ideas, to their individual power.

And Remember.

It seems that Airbenders focus on moving, and moving with the Air, so the probably can't manipulate specific gases.

Firebenders, though, seem to possess alchemical talents. They are able to forge metal into machines, and producing fire is a matter of chemical manipulation. It is likely that Firebenders are more likely capable of manipulating gases instead of Airbenders.

im back at it again with another atla/tlok science question !! so when it comes to all the elements; benders can manipulate forms/versions of that element that already exists around them BUT when it comes to fire and air; the benders not only manipulate that element but also "produce" the element from their palms/hands (unless you vount earthbending when they "produce" lava but I just think that's manipulating the magma beneath the Earth's crust MOVING ON)

would that mean that airbenders can manipulate any type of gas? is there a pressure or composition requirement for an airbender to manipulate a particular gas?

Right. But consider this; Bending is only a part of a Nation's Culture, and as Zaheer shows, there are those who adhere to the Air Nomad culture and are not Air Benders.

Therefore, the Fire Nation only killed what was essentially the military wing of the Air Nomad Nation, as it was. Nowhere was it shown that the Fire Nation went on a systematic culling of all adherents to the Air Nomad Culture. Benders, and Non-Benders. That's not a genocide, that is a military action. Morally questionable, true. But calling that genocide would be the equivalent of calling the destruction of the Shaolin Temple a Genocide of Buddhists worldwide.

In any case, you consider the air temple destruction genocide, I am writing from the view that ATLA is Anti-Fire Nation propaganda so I would of course say the destruction of the Air Temple was exaggerated thanks to propaganda.

We're just going to have to agree to disagree.

The Last Airbender is Anti-Fire Nation Propaganda

The Fire Lord, Ozai, is dehumanized due to his portrayal as a one-dimensional, evil Overlord.

The Fire Nation citizens are portrayed as brainwashed, and any support for the beneficent elements of the Fire Nation is disregarded as brainwashing. This is another attempt by the Anti-Fire Nation Kingdoms at propagandizing for their war against the Fire Nation.

The Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, and Air Nomads have their positive elements exaggerated and their flaws are downplayed to enhance the image of the Fire Nation's 'evil'. Conveniently forgetting, of course, that:

The Water Tribe is sexist.

But the Fire Nation treats Women with respect, and allow Women into what would be considered male-dominated industries. Like Prison Guards.

The Earth Kingdom is terrorized by a secret police of Earth Benders.

Created by the Avatar herself.

Who has her own Kyoshi Warriors enforce an isolationist policy that kept Kyoshi Island from developing beyond a tribal society or community. A society which worships Kyoshi as a Goddess.

The Earth Kingdom's state of hierarchal dominance and stratified living persists decades into the future and is never fully eradicated despite the passing of however many Avatars there were since Kyoshi.

Furthermore, the Benders of both the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom either oppress the Non-Benders, or enforce policies that oppress the Non-Benders. Master Pakku and the Dai Li are two of the more prominent examples of such oppression.

This contrasts the Fire Nation which values both Benders and Non-Benders. Azula's most trusted associates are both Non-Benders.

While two of the most dangerous people/groups in the Fire Nation, Master Piandao;

And the Yuyan Archers are Non-Benders. Indicating that there is some form of Meritocracy that operates within the Fire Nation. A meritocracy that is almost non-existent or heavily biased in both the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom.

The Air Nomads have no Kingdom of their own. This means they do not have a population from which they can draw Airbenders to replenish their numbers. Since the Airbenders are also Monks as a whole, it is very likely that the Air Nomads take Airbenders from the other three factions to fill up the Air Temple.

Further considering the fact that the Air Temple Monks are willing to force Aang into his Avatar training against his wishes. So much so that Aang preferred to risk his life in a storm. It is highly likely that the other three nations have no say when the Air Nomads come looking for Air Benders amongst their citizens.

Now, am I saying that the Fire Nation has its pros and cons?

No.

I'm saying that I'd rather be born in the Fire Nation and that all the negative aspects we are shown in the show are due to propaganda published by those who fear the challenge of the Fire Nation, and its progressive ideas, to their individual power.

And Remember.

I am back with more Season 1 Zuko meta, to follow up on my Zuko meta from The Storm!

So in The Storm, Iroh and Zuko's crew argue that he should be prioritizing the crew's lives/safety over his mission to capture the Avatar - priorities that are in direct contradiction of those the Fire Lord made clear when he challenged Zuko to an Agni Kai and then burned him in front of a crowd after Zuko essentially argued for the same thing at 13, against a General who had suggested sacrificing a bunch of young and barely trained soldiers for the sake of winning more ground in the Earth Kingdom. After sailing into the storm nearly gets one crew member killed, gets Zuko injured while saving that crew member's life, and causes damage to the ship, Zuko finally agrees to turn back. He even sees Aang flying away on Appa during a brief break in the clouds, but he makes the choice to let Aang - a major target in the war effort and also the mission he's been desperately seeking to complete for the past three years - escape so that he can prioritize the crew's safety.

This is also the last time we see Zuko bring his crew along to help him complete his mission to capture Aang.

The next episode is the Blue Spirit episode, where it could be argued that Zuko has to act alone because he's technically committing treason in saving Aang from Zhao. Even the next attempt he makes after that, though, in the Bato episode, is just him and Iroh working together without the crew. In the Deserter, Zuko doesn't even show up - only Zhao tracks the Gaang to Jeong Jeong's camp, and Zuko isn't even in the episode.

The next time we see Zuko with his crew is in the second to last episode of Season 1, when Zhao interrupts Music Night to commandeer Zuko's crew, and Zuko refers to them as "traitors" for going with Zhao.

And now I'm just thinking about how betrayed Zuko must have felt in that episode. He listened to his crew and his Uncle. He stopped putting his crew in danger for the sake of his mission and started taking on more risky missions on his own or with only Iroh while the crew got to chill around in port having Music Nights... and when Zhao comes to take the crew away - the crew that Zuko has been trying to treat better and keep safer - they up and leave without a fight.

And then the pirates that Zhao hired to kill him even blow up his ship and almost succeed at blowing him up too.

After getting his crew stolen and almost getting blown up, Zuko sneaks onto Zhao's ship to follow Zhao to the North Pole and keep trying to complete his mission, even though he's still injured from Zhao's assassination attempt. Zhao, whom his father, the Fire Lord, promoted multiple times while failing to grant Zuko any additional resources or even recognition that he cared if his kid was still alive or not, in favor of promoting a slimy asshole who kept trying to steal the mission that he'd given to Zuko in the first place.

Finally they get to the North Pole, and Zhao's mission winds up getting just about all the Fire Nation soldiers that he brought with him - almost certainly including Zuko's old crew - killed, while Zhao manages to not even succeed at the mission he'd brought them all to the North Pole for in the first place.

And the Fire Lord's response? Is to blame Zuko and Iroh for the North Pole and send Azula to arrest them both as traitors.

Is it any wonder that Zuko starts off Season 2 incredibly depressed and struggling to see the value in doing the right thing?

In today's Zuko meta, Zuko did one good thing and got a fever about it… after doing a lot more than one good thing over the course of Seasons 1&2, watching the life he desperately wanted continue to slip further and further out of his grasp anyway, and then facing the disappointment of a father figure whom he loves for his continued desire to please the father who burned and banished him at 13.

(Previous Zuko meta can be found here and here for S1, and here for S2)

First, a list of some positive things Zuko has done (or at least tried to do) in Seasons 1&2, along with the consequences of those actions for Zuko:

1) Zuko tries to do the right thing by his people at 13. He defends the lives and loyalty of a battalion of young soldiers that some older General wanted to sacrifice for the sake of taking more Earth Kingdom land. In response, his father demands he fight an Agni Kai for disrespect over the fact that Zuko yelled his objections to the unnecessary slaughter of their own soldiers during a war meeting that he hadn't been invited to.

2) Zuko tries to do the right thing as a loyal son when he realizes Ozai meant for Zuko to fight him. In response to Zuko begging for forgiveness instead of fighting in the Agni Kai, his father publicly sears off half his face and then banishes him with nothing but a fool's errand to pin any hopes on for "earning" his way back home.

3) Zuko actually finds the Avatar, commits a number of definitely not great and often harmful actions as he chases the Avatar for weeks/months, and then nearly gets challenged to another Agni Kai by his Lieutenant for demanding his ship sail into a dangerous storm in pursuit of the Avatar. When he nearly does get his crew killed and his ship destroyed by following the Avatar into the storm that everyone else on board was telling him to turn back from, he realizes they might have had a point. Zuko saves one crew member's life and then tries to do the right thing by his crew, in turning back and temporarily halting his Avatar chase in favor of prioritizing the crew's safety. After the storm, he no longer takes them into dangerous situations for the sake of capturing the Avatar. A few days/weeks after that, his whole crew gets commandeered by Zhao and likely all wind up killed by La at the North Pole.

4) Zuko gives up on trying to do the right thing for a while, because he has lost faith in himself after he and Iroh are labeled Fire Nation traitors in the wake of Zhao's failure at the North Pole. This leads to him losing even Iroh, as their frustration with each other grows to the point that Zuko finally parts from his Uncle and sets off to travel on his own. Eventually, however, his travels through the Earth Kingdom help him heal to the point that he starts wanting to care about other people again. He stops stealing and starts working to earn food/shelter through honest means, and he eventually finds himself in an Earth Kingdom town whose inhabitants are being bullied by members of their own army. He winds up with a young kid following him around and looking up to him, after he refuses to rat the kid out for throwing things at the bullies.

4) Zuko tries to do the right thing by going back to the town after the child's mother asks for his help with rescuing her kid from the army bullies, who have threatened to conscript the kid and get him sent off to die at the front. He returns to the town and saves the kid. Unfortunately he can't defeat the earthbenders without using his firebending, and he announces who he really is in the process, too. In response, the villagers, including the child he just saved, reject him and demand that he leave their town. Zuko leaves, and begins tracking the Avatar again.

5) Zuko finds the Avatar, only to discover that Azula has also found the Avatar. After Iroh and the rest of the Gaang all show up, Zuko sides with the Avatar and his Uncle against Azula. Azula wounds Iroh to the point that Iroh loses consciousness, and then she retreats. This leaves Zuko effectively alone (in a nation that hates him when they know who he is) with a group of people who, the last time he'd encountered them, had fought against him - for good reason, as he had been the antagonist in that situation - and then allied with the ocean spirit to wipe out half his country's navy - who had also initiated the aggression in that situation. Given that Zuko originally showed up in this town to fight against the Avatar, he understandably doesn't trust the Gaang's intentions when he's effectively alone and even more vulnerable than usual, what with having a downed Iroh to watch over as well as himself. Rather than letting Katara get close when she offers to help heal Iroh, he chases the group away with anger and showy firebending that doesn't actually burn anyone.

6) On the ferry to Ba Sing Se some time later, Zuko meets a guy who seems to like him, who encourages him to steal food from the ferry captain to distribute among the hungry refugees, and who wants Zuko to join the group of outcast kids that he leads - kids who have all been harmed in some way by the Fire Nation. Zuko agrees to steal food with Jet on the ferry, but when they arrive in Ba Sing Se he refuses an offer to join Jet's group. Zuko is, at the time, hiding his identity in a city where being a firebender at all is illegal, and he had already left his Uncle once and then nearly lost him to violence when they reconnected. Therefore, Zuko turns Jet down. Unfortunately, while Jet is trying to convince Zuko to join him in spite of Zuko's refusal, he spots Iroh firebending to heat a cup of tea. Jet proceeds to stalk Zuko and Iroh for days, until he finally bursts into their work place while they're working and tries to get them arrested. Zuko fights back to protect himself and his Uncle, and Jet gets arrested due to his own actions as the one who started that fight.

--

After all these experiences of trying to do what he feels is right, trying to do what other people tell him is right, trying to just do what he wants in the moment and screw the consequences, all of which end with Zuko losing or almost losing nearly everything he cares about and getting rejected by nearly everyone he tries to care for except Iroh, Zuko finds the Avatar's bison imprisoned under Ba Sing Se.

He is now faced with the choice between doing what his Uncle tells him is right, or continuing the quest that his father had given him three years before when all this started. (Ironically, Zuko has been quite verbally clear that he wants to restore his honor in his father's eyes and be allowed to go home every time Iroh asks him to think about what he wants, so the answer to Iroh's constant demands that Zuko consider, "What he wants," actually runs counter to what Iroh is hoping the answer will be.)

Zuko is at a crossroads of his own, here. He can keep persevering at the mission that he's centered nearly his whole life around since he was thirteen, keep the hope alive that one day he might be able to go home and be worthy of his father's pride, or he can finally give up on his hunt for the Avatar, and thus his hope of eventually going home, for good.

7) Though it clearly terrifies and angers him, Zuko chooses to give up on something that he has believed in fiercely and completely for three years, something to which he has dedicated countless hours of work and pain and struggle and grief and desperate aching hope. He symbolically lets go of the last shreds of that hope that he might one day go home, when he frees Appa instead of trying to find a way to use Appa against the Avatar.

Zuko gives up on something he believes in with his whole heart and soul for the sake of pleasing a father figure who has just been verbally disappointed in and angry with him, and he barely makes it home before he collapses. Honestly at that point, is it really so surprising that freeing Appa made Zuko literally sick with fear?

Ozai is so pathetic, like that “take his bending away haha he’s harmless now” trick would never have worked on Zuko, if you took his bending away he’d just grab his swords and come at you twice as hard, Azula doesn’t have swords or anything but she’s pretty good at hand to hand and amazing at talking her way out of problems, Iroh bust himself out of prison with no bending at all, meanwhile Ozai? Gets his bending taken away and then just collapses, doesn’t even try anymore, then just sits in prison and tries to get into Zuko’s head some more, he could have trained up and tried to break out too! But no! Bet he can’t break steel bars with his bare hands. Bet he can’t kick a steel lever in two. Bet he can’t even do a flip.

Also we never really see him do any really impressive firebending apart from when he has magic comet power, I guesss he shoots some lightning at Zuko, but that’s it and Azula is still better at the lightning thing. Azula has blue flames. Zuko can do firebreakdancing and bend with his swords. Does Ozai, who is not 14 years old, have blue flames? No he doesn’t.

He didn’t even do his coup himself, Ursa had to kill Azulon for him! Could have just challenged Iroh to an Agni Kai for the throne but he didn’t bc he knew he’d lose.

And then he only ruled for like 6 years! He lost a war that had been going on for 100 years bc of a bunch of kids.

Loserlord indeed