ZUKO

Prince Zuko

Nationality : Fire Nation
Notable Aliases : The Blue Spirit (alter ego)
Lee (refugee alias)
Zu-Zu (nickname)
Crown Prince of the Fire Nation
Fire Lord Zuko
Gender : Male
Hair color : Black
Eye color : Gold
Age : 16
Position : Antagonist in Book 1, Antihero in Book 2,
Guardian in Book 3

Height : About 5'8"
Weight : About 140 lbs
Status : Prince of the Fire Nation

Zuko is the exiled 16-year-old prince of the Fire Nation. Zuko is obsessed with capturing the Avatar in his quest to restore his honor and redeem himself in the eyes of his father, Fire Lord Ozai. His character matures throughout the show, influenced by his time as an exile, and he becomes less of an overbearing pompous prince and more of an emotional outcast, at times struggling with his feelings of pity and bonding with the same people his nation has terrorized. Zuko's maternal great-grandfather was the previous incarnation of the Avatar, Roku. Zuko often acts coldly, but has revealed himself to be a very caring character as well—a trait most often exhibited in the presence of his Uncle Iroh. Zuko's appearance is well-known due to the scar over his left eye, which he received during a forced Agni Kai with his own father. His regret, hate, and shame were influenced by the loss of his mother. In his father's eyes, Zuko's sister Azula was born lucky while Zuko was lucky to be born. Zuko is currently in a relationship with Mai.

Six years prior to the start of the series, Prince Ozai, Zuko's father, makes a bid for the throne over his elder brother Iroh, due to the latter's having recently lost both his only son and his campaign against the city of Ba Sing Se. Fire Lord Azulon, Iroh and Ozai's father, is furious that Ozai would try to cheat Iroh at such a low point in his life, and orders Ozai to kill his eldest son in order for him to realize the severity of his action. Ozai, considering Zuko a disappointment, was willing to kill Zuko to appease his father. However, in an effort to protect him, Ursa, Zuko's mother, does "terrible, treasonous things" that result in Azulon's death, Ozai's ascension to the throne, and her own banishment.

A few years after, Zuko protests a plan of attack that would have sacrificed many soldiers as bait, whereupon Ozai challenges his son to an Agni Kai for disrespecting him in his own war chamber. Unwilling to fight his father, Zuko begs forgiveness, only to be savagely burned across the left side of his face. Ozai banishes Zuko from the Fire Nation, ordering him not to return until he finds the Avatar, which was thought an impossible quest. When Aang emerges from suspended animation, however, Zuko begins the chase immediately. They encounter each other multiple times throughout the first season, each time Zuko failing to capture Aang. During Zuko's pursuit, another Fire Nation leader named Admiral Zhao also takes up chasing the Avatar. Zhao views Zuko as a failure and a traitor, and ultimately attempts to have him murdered. Zhao himself died when he refused to accept Zuko's help when he (Zhao) was seized by an Ocean Spirit.

The second season opens with Zuko and Iroh still chasing the Avatar, only to be confronted by Azula, Zuko's younger sister. They escape and realize they have been branded traitors to the Fire Nation. Now on the run from Azula, Iroh and Zuko travel the Earth Kingdom, seemingly aimless. Eventually Zuko splits away from Iroh, feeling he could no longer learn from his uncle. However, Iroh follows Zuko out of concern, and the two reconnect after Azula injures Iroh. Zuko begins his transformation, no longer driven by hunting the Avatar, and is allowed to begin to establish an identity free of pursuit. Their travels take them to Ba Sing Se, where Zuko follows his uncle's advice and tries to make a new life for himself. Both prosper; until when faced with the opportunity to return home, Zuko chose to side with his sister. After Aang is mortally wounded by Azula, Iroh fights off Azula, Zuko, and the Dai Li. After being betrayed by Zuko, Iroh looks on his nephew with shame. Almost immediately, Zuko begins to regret his actions.

The final season begins with Zuko and Azula's return to the Fire Nation after conquering Ba Sing Se. Both are praised as heroes through the Fire Nation for capturing Ba Sing Se and for killing the Avatar. However Zuko suspected Aang is still alive, which Azula comes to suspect as well. In order to protect herself in case the Avatar returns, she tells Ozai that Zuko killed the Avatar. Zuko soon begins to show more signs of regret for his past deeds, and is shown visiting Iroh in prison, often asking for advice. After many such visits, Zuko learns that he is a descendant on his mother's side of Roku, the previous Avatar, and therefore bears the task of restoring balance to the world. At a war meeting, he unintentionally helps Ozai invent a plan by which to burn the Earth Kingdom to ash. Catalyzed by this new shock, he decides to leave the Fire Nation and join Aang. He confronts his father, places himself firmly on the Avatar's side, and leaves, later to discover that Iroh has escaped from prison. Aang and company only gradually come to accept Zuko, but eventually befriend him. When Zuko's lack of resolve weakens his firebending power, he and Aang travel to discover the long-forgotten source of firebending, ultimately to learn it from their world's last two dragons. Later, Zuko helps Sokka free Suki and Sokka's father, Hakoda, from the Fire Nation's maximum security prison, the Boiling Rock. He also helped Katara attempt to find her mother's killer in order to make amends for his betrayal of her in Ba Sing Se.

During the finale, Aang disappears shortly before Sozin's Comet arrives and Zuko is put in charge of finding him. When Zuko is unable to find Aang, he instead finds Iroh, who immediately forgives him. Iroh then tells Zuko that he must face Azula for the crown and that Katara must assist. At the Fire Nation capital, Azula challenges Zuko to a single combat. During the duel, Zuko clearly has the advantage due to his remaining calm and Azula's deteriorating sanity. In a desperate attempt, Azula attempts to strike Katara down with lightning. Zuko jumps in front of the lightning, managing to redirect most of the energy, but is injured. Katara then defeats Azula and heals Zuko.

After the war, Zuko is crowned as the new Fire Lord. After his coronation, he visits Ozai in prison to learn his mother's whereabouts (the answer is not shown). He is later seen with the main characters at his uncle's tea shop, which marks his last appearance in the series

Appearance

Zuko is a teenager who matures, both mentally and physically, throughout the series. His appearance also changes over time. He is thought to be around 16 years old. His most prominent feature is a dark red scar over his left eye that extends over his ear. At the end of the series, he has a scar on his lower chest received from a lightning strike. His hair is black, and put up in a traditional Fire Nation hairstyle for royalty at the beginning of the series. However, as the series progresses and Zuko matures, he cuts his hair and it grows out and becomes somewhat long again, portraying a modern looking hair style. He has also changed his clothing to a more simple red and gold outfit.


Personality

While initially the series' primary antagonist, over time, Zuko has shown that he is a complex young man, motivated to restore his honor and dignity, and not an evil character; he eventually forsakes his past goals and becomes a hero. Zuko's sole motivation for many years was catching Aang, so he could return home with honor as his father had proclaimed, though as his quest continues he begins to doubt whether his father will ever welcome him home. However, his mistakes and struggles lead him to realize his destiny was to oppose his father and join the Avatar to help defeat the Fire Lord.

Zuko's bitterness and his personal circumstances make him believe himself victimized, though he also believes that his struggles have made him a wiser and stronger human being. He is frequently impatient and arrogant, though both qualities vanish after his change of alliance. However the episode "Zuko Alone", shows a softer side of him, and after his banishment his experiences with those less fortunate change his mind, making him a kinder and more tolerant person.

His past mistakes still haunt him, and perhaps due to this he is very intolerant of his own mistakes, expecting the best of himself and others and becoming extremely down when he does not meet his own expectations or when he feels he has jeopardized his honor (something he claims he thinks is the only thing he has left.) However, after he restores his honor by joining the Avatar he becomes a much mellower happy person, though he does claim in the Boiling Rock he is "never happy." His Uncle Iroh felt that Zuko was destined to restore the honor of the Fire Nation as its new Fire Lord, something Zuko took to mean his father would accept him back as crown prince, but he eventually he realizes his fathers true character and turns against him to help the Avatar, showing a desire for peace and for each nation to rule itself, putting him at odds with many members of the Fire Nation. Having earned the trust and friendship of Avatar Aang, Zuko is determined to help lead the Fire Nation and the world into an era of peace and kindness.

He is also shown as loving deeply and honestly (he is a very honest person in general, and as such is often oblivious to the duplicity of others) to certain individuals who earn his trust. These include Iroh, his mother, Li, and too a slightly less obvious extent, Aang, Katara, Toph, Sokka and Suki. He is deeply protective of those he loves, and though he rarely shows his feelings, is unusually good at helping and dealing with the issues and problems of others, making him the groups "agony aunt" as such when he is in a relaxed state of mind.

Firebending

Despite his youth, Zuko is highly skilled in both Firebending and dual broadswords. He is capable of holding his own against fighters and benders more experienced than himself due to his adaptability. Through determination, an ability to adapt, and strength, Zuko refuses to give up during a fight. He has also shown great agility and strength (pushing a grown man backwards with a slight push from his palm.)

Originally, though powerful, he relies on large brute force attacks that drain him and leave him open to counter-attacks. However, he is usually able to defeat opponents using his superior strength and agility to tire them out. Later, as he gets more confident and efficient due to training from his uncle, he is shown to use more refinement and economy of energy, out-thinking his opponent instead of out-shooting them. For example, in the Season 2 finale, he is proved even matched in a duel with Katara, who had long since been a waterbending master. This stalemate only ended when they switched opponents.

Although skilled, whenever Zuko faces his sister Azula in the earlier series, she proves to be the more skilled fighter. She has the ability to generate lightning, a skill very few firebenders are capable of learning. Zuko attempts to learn this skill from his Uncle Iroh, but is unable to generate lightning because of his own inner turmoil. However, Iroh does teach him how to redirect lightning, a technique he created from watching Waterbenders. However, Zuko cannot test this skill as Iroh refused to throw lightning at his nephew due to the immense risk involved. Zuko does successfully redirect lightning when his own father, Fire Lord Ozai, shoots lightning at him months later.

Zuko later grows from pupil to Master by joining Aang and teaching him how to firebend. Zuko initially has trouble doing so due to losing his drive and motivation (as for years, his sole motivation was hunting the Avatar). After he and Aang go on a quest to discover the true source of firebending, the two encounter the last two dragons in existence and learn that firebending is more about life than destruction and rage. Learning the secret of Firebending, Aang and Zuko both display incredible skill, though Zuko is more proficient with more experience.

When Zuko finally faced Azula again near the "Western Air Temple", the two are shown to be evenly matched. During the Agni Kai in the series finale, Zuko was able to hold his own during the entire duel, showing a mastery of offensive and defensive firebending, while Azula slipped deeper into madness and fatigue. Zuko gained the upper hand in the intense battle and taunted his sister to use her lightning so that he could redirect it. Azula charged up but at the last second, sent the lightning in Katara's direction. Zuko jumped in the way to save her and was barely able to redirect it, sustaining a large burn on his chest but surviving.


Other skills

Zuko has also shown to be highly skilled in the use of the double broadswords, a talent he refined during his time at sea. In "The Blue Spirit" and "Zuko Alone", Zuko succeeds against a number of Earthbending adversaries with nothing but his sword skill.

Zuko has demonstrated an ability in stealth on multiple occasions, in which he uses his alter-ego, the "Blue Spirit". He was able to infiltrate a Fire Nation fortress, the Northern Water Tribe's city and the Dai Li's base at Lake Laogai without detection. His proficiency at stealth was also utilized during the 3rd season episode, "The Southern Raiders", in which he and Katara snuck into and out of a Fire Nation command outpost, onto a Fire Nation ship, and then stalked and cornered the former commander of the Southern Raiders in his home village without revealing themselves.
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