Aang died with the air nomads.
The next two Avatars, from water and earth, live without ever knowing who they are.
Zuko still spoke out at the meeting, he still refused to fight his father in the Agni Kai.
Zuko was banished, and in his search to find the Avatar, earth bends.
He is the Avatar and doesn’t know what to do about it.
Okay but consider:
Zuko, punching the air: “I MUST FIND THE AVATAR!”
*rock goes flying*
Zuko, waving his arms for emphasis: “IT IS THE ONLY WAY”
*strong wind knocks over grunt in the background*
Zuko, stomping dramatically: “TO RESTORE MY HONOR!”
*deck behind zuko becomes covered in ice*
Iroh, stroking his beard: “…. hmmmmmm…”
And Iroh just decides to mess with him and just goes “Well, I suppose we should start searching” and Zuko doesn’t find out until later in the episode
Nah man, gimme a whole season of Zuko and Iroh’s hijinks as they search for the avatar and it’s Zuko the whole time. A whole season of Iroh waffling between goofy uncle and “here let me teach you about balance-” “I DON”T NEED BALANCE I NEED TO RESTORE MY HONOUR” “okay cool you do you kid i bet the avatar’s behind that rock please move it for me”
zuko saying he needs to find the avatar, when actually, he just needs to find himself is his original story arc
¯_(ツ)_/¯
I’d read this fic. Someone write it
Id pay for thay fic tbh
Ah, but you’re not thinking the two of them got exiled on their own from the Fire Nation, did you?
Prince Iroh and exiled Prince Zuko left with a contingent of sailors and military men. Said military personnel realize what is happening three days into their trip.
When wacky spirit shenanigans happen and Zuko solves it without knowing, the military lieutenant look at the commander like he’s in the office.
When Admiral Zhao takes Zuko’s ship and all his crew, and questions them, all of the crew say the same thing:
“No, Prince Zuko hasn’t found the Avatar yet.”
They say this with varying ability to keep a straight face. There’s one of them who just breaks down in helpless giggles.
“Nope,” he gets out between the giggles. “Not found. Definitely not found.”
Admiral Zhao’s men come to the conclusion that Zuko’s crew have cracked under the stress of being away from the Fire Nation so long, and especially on a mission that pretty much the whole Nation “knows” is impossible.
Tag: Avatar
“Not All Villains Are Zukos Some Of Them Are Ozais” Yes But You Are Not The Ultimate Arbiter Of Which Villains Are Which.
It’s so wild to me that Zuko is held up on this pedestal as The One Deservedly Sympathetic Villain, when if he debuted today, you know there would be a hot mess of hand-wringing over How Can You Want Him To Be Redeemed, He’s Part Of A Genocidal Fascist Empire, He Burns Down Villages And Tries To Kill Aang, He Tied Katara To A Tree And That’s Practically Rape (I Don’t Care His Daddy Burned His Face Off COOL MOTIVE STILL MURDER).
I mean, sure, maybe that’s what would have happened (and let’s not pretend there was no fandom drama around ATLA just because it came around pre-tumblr). But at the same time, let’s not act as if the reason everyone keeps citing Zuko as the One Good Redemption Story for a privileged-yet-abused fuckboy is that he is ultimately redeemed. Rather, it’s because it is a good redemption story, which among other things means that long before Zuko tries to change (and fails, and tries again) he demonstrates qualities that make the audience think there might be something there worth saving.
- In episode three, Zuko wins an agni-kai against Commander Zhao but spares his life, even after Zhao tries to double-cross him. This shows us that he has both skill and honor.
- In episode seven, Zuko gives up a solid chance of capturing the Avatar in order to rescue Iroh. This shows us that he’s not completely consumed by his quest and is able to put the wellbeing of others over his own desires.
- In episode twelve, Zuko risks his life in order to save the men serving under him. This shows us that he’s capable of loyalty and self-sacrifice. This is also the episode where we learn the reason for his scarring, which was also a desire to protect Fire Nation soldiers.
- In the first season finale, Zuko tries to save Zhao’s life, despite the fact that Zhao has, at this point, tried to murder him several times. This shows us that he is fundamentally kind.
And yeah, Zuko also does a lot of bad stuff during this season. When I first watched the show, I didn’t like him very much. But I saw things in him to admire, and make me wish that he had made different choices in his life, and had different priorities. So while it’s obviously possible that portions of fandom wouldn’t have recognized that, that’s not a reason to ignore the profound differences between Zuko and every other handsome, tortured neo-Nazi in pop culture, most of whom couldn’t find a redeeming characteristic if their life depended on it (and it often does). When Zuko actually does start on the path of redemption, it’s because he possesses qualities that make it possible for him to recognize goodness, and desire it in himself, which is something that most redemption stories, imposed by marketing considerations and fannish demand, don’t bother to do.
House Of Crows 