Zuko

Zuko
File:Zuko Season2.png
Voiced by	Dante Basco Elijah Runcorn (Young Zuko)
In-universe information
Aliases	The Blue Spirit, Lee Jr., Sifu Hotman, Zu Zu, The Prince of Tennis
Gender	Male
Position	Dual broadswordsman, Firebender, Firebending Sifu, Pro Tennis Player
Family	Fire Lord Sozin (paternal great-grandfather) Fire Lord Azulon (paternal grandfather) Fire Lady Ilah (paternal grandmother) Fire Lord Ozai (father) Avatar Roku (maternal great-grandfather) Prinses Ursa (mother) Azula (sister) Iroh (uncle) Lu Ten (Cousin)
Nationality	Fire Nation

Prince Zuko is a fictional character on the Nickelodeon animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. He is voiced by John Felix Anthony Cena.

Zuko is a skilled Firebender and the son of Fire Lord Ozai, ruler of the Fire Nation. Before the events of the series, he is exiled from the Fire Nation and sent to capture the Avatar; he is initially bent on capturing Aang in order to restore his honor and right to the throne in the eyes of his father. Zuko was accompanied and advised in his search by his uncle Iroh.

Although initially portrayed as an antagonist of the series, Zuko's sense of honor has caused him to go against his own nation and family. Zuko is also revealed to have an important connection to the Avatar. To that, he has realized that his real destiny is to join the Avatar, teach Aang firebending, end the war and restore balance to the world.

History

Zuko was born to Princess Ursa and Prince Ozai. Always favored by his mother and neglected by his father, Zuko developed a close bond with his mother. Around six years before the series takes place, Zuko learns of the death of his cousin, Lu Ten, in battle during the siege of Ba Sing Se. This results in his uncle giving up the siege in grief and Zuko's father Ozai sees this as a chance to convince Fire Lord Azulon that he should inherit the throne. Ozai's request is denied and as punishment for attempting to exploit Iroh's loss, he is ordered to kill Zuko. However, Azulon dies and Ursa disappears before anything happens. It is later learned that Ursa came up with a plan in which Ozai became Fire Lord and Zuko's life would be spared. This apparently led to Azulon's death and Ursa was banished as a result of it. The next day, Zuko demands to know where Ursa is but receives no answer. He is later present at Azulon's funeral and Ozai's crowning as Fire Lord.

Three years later, Zuko's uncle allows a thirteen year old Zuko to enter a war meeting. Zuko, upon hearing of a general's plan to sacrifice novice troops in battle, speaks out in protest. Ozai demands Zuko duel in an Agni Kai, but when the duel begins, he finds himself dueling not the general, but Ozai himself. Zuko surrenders, unable to duel his own father. Ozai, seeing this as weakness and disrespect, scars Zuko, strips him of his birthright, and exiles him, under orders not to return unless he captured the Avatar.

Plot overview

Book 1: Water

Zuko first appears searching for the long lost Avatar with his Uncle Iroh and some crew members. After seeing a glow at the South Pole, he heads there, where he captures the Avatar but then loses custody of him. Throughout most of Book 1, Zuko pursues Aang but the Avatar evades him every time. Zuko also has to deal with his rival, Admiral Zhao, who does whatever he can to hinder the prince's progress. Zhao at one point successfully captures Aang, but Zuko frees the Avatar under the disguise of the Blue Spirit. Once Zhao discovers that Zuko and the Blue Spirit are the same person, he attempts to assassinate Zuko but fails. Zuko covertly stows aboard Zhao's ship with help from Iroh and infiltrates the North Pole. He captures the Avatar but his friends rescued him and captured Zuko. After escaping, he duels with Zhao for trying to kill him and is soon ended when the vengeful Ocean Spirit pulls Zhao under the surface as revenge for killing Tui, the Moon Spirit. Zuko later leaves with Iroh on a driftwood raft, as his ship was destroyed in the assassination attempt.

Book 2: Earth

After drifting for months, Zuko and Iroh are tricked by Azula, Zuko's younger sister, into thinking that Ozai wants them home, but after the captain of her ship accidentally refers to them as prisoners, they quickly fight her crew and escape. They are then declared traitors of the Fire Nation, and for the first half of the season, Zuko has difficulty living as a fugitive from the Fire Nation and often resorts to theft. Over time, however, he begins to adjust to the situation while being trained in lightning techniques. With Iroh's influence in the secret White Lotus Society, Zuko and Iroh smuggle themselves into Ba Sing Se, start a very successful new life, and manage to open their own tea shop, but Zuko learns of Aang's presence in the city and of the disappearance of Aang's bison. Zuko attempts to continue his search for the Avatar, but Iroh confronts him, convincing Zuko to let Appa go and stop his search. Azula later arrives in the city and captures Zuko with the help of her new allies, the Dai Li, while Iroh escapes. Zuko is put into the Crystal Catacombs with Katara, who initially yells at him but when he reveals more about his life, gradually softens. They are soon rescued by Aang and Iroh, and when Katara and Aang leave, Iroh is captured by the Dai Li and Zuko is manipulated by Azula into betraying Iroh and helping her conquer Ba Sing Se. Following a long battle with Aang and Katara in which the Avatar was fatally wounded, Azula congratulates Zuko and tells him he has restored his honor. Zuko, however, still appears conflicted.

Book 3: Fire

Zuko and Azula return home as war heroes and Zuko's father personally congratulates him for becoming a powerful warrior and staying loyal to his nation. Zuko went to Iroh, who was currently in prison, for advice over his confusion, but Iroh would not talk to him. Not knowing what to do, Zuko sent an assassin after Aang in order to eliminate him. During a trip to Ember Island, he is driven to admit that he is confused to the childhood clique consisting of Mai (now his girlfriend), Ty Lee, and Azula. Following this, Zuko finally talks to Iroh after being sent a note about his great grandfather. He learns he is descended from Avatar Roku and it is his destiny, according to Iroh, to end the war. He takes Iroh's advice and realizes that he can never be the son his father wants him to be and that the war must come to an end. During The Day of Black Sun, he leaves Mai a message in a scroll and expresses regret at leaving her. He then confronts his father, telling him how he felt both about Ozai's treatment of him and the war. He then explains his intentions to free Iroh and join the Avatar. He turns to leave but is baited with knowledge of what happened to his mother, Princess Ursa. After learning she was banished as opposed to dead as he believed, he is attacked with lightning by Ozai at the end of the eclipse, but redirects it and escapes. He attempts to free Iroh, but Iroh has already escaped. Zuko then leaves to join the Avatar.

Zuko arrives at the Western Air Temple and attempts to join the Avatar by pointing out all the good things he's done and that he could teach him Firebending. Aang refuses, and Zuko leaves. Toph, knowing that Zuko was telling the truth, goes to find him in the middle of the night, but she is accidentally burned when Zuko thinks it is someone there to harm him. The next day, Zuko saves Aang and company from the Combustion Man, the assassin Zuko hired to kill Aang. Once Sokka ultimately defeats the Combustion Man, they welcome Zuko into the group, with the exception of Katara who is very reluctant to do so, due to his betrayal at Ba Sing Se. Once Zuko is alone, Katara approaches Zuko and darkly warns him that if she senses any intention of harming Aang, she will kill him.

A short time after, Zuko sets out to teach Aang about Firebending only to find that his own connection to his Firebending has somehow been severed. To remedy this, he and Aang travel to the ruined city of the Sun Warrior people, discovering that the tribe continues to exist in secret. Here, they find out about the last two dragons and learn their secrets, allowing Zuko to re-focus and Firebend again; the experience sets a strong bond between Aang and Zuko, despite their history. Unfortunately, Zuko will still have to continue to earn the others' forgiveness, especially Katara's.

Appearance

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, until it grows over his eyes and he gets a royal trim in "Nightmares and Daydreams".

Personality

While initially the series primary antagonist, over time Zuko is shown to be more of a bitter and complex young man than a truly evil character; he is initially far closer to being an anti-villain, and now becoming a hero in his own right. Zuko's good heart was, for most of the series, over-ruled by his desire to be allowed to return home; Zuko wanted more than anything to have his place as heir to the Fire Nation throne and his father's love. Zuko believed (or forced himself to believe) that capturing the Avatar will make these wishes come true, which made him Aang's most determined enemy.

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. Yet all the misfortune in his life has lead him to believe the world is set against him. This manifests as unflexible determination and an iron-will that even his foes ackwnowledge.

Zuko has numerous contradictory traits, beliefs, and behaviors. As a result of being raised as Fire Nation royalty, his is dominerring and not afraid to assert authority, and disdains working with people he believes are inferior to himself. Yet he adamantly refuses to view people as expendable. It was Zuko's belief that it is wrong to sacrifice young troops as a diversionary war tactic that led to his exile when he voiced his opinion and angered his father, Ozai. During his banishment, Zuko displayed a near total obsession with pursuing and capturing the Avatar, using whatever means he thought necessary to gain the upper hand. Although he has said that the capture of the Avatar is a greater concern to him than the safety of his crew or even himself, he retains some compassion, choosing to rescue Iroh when he was captured, rather than pursue Aang, and also risked his own life 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.

Because the prospect of returning home and being forgiven was Zuko's sole motivation, he is marked by abject despair at having lost his chance early in the second season. He finds himself in perhaps the most dire situation possible, hunted by his ruthless and cruel sister, Azula, while attempting to survive as a penniless fugitive in the Earth Kingdom. Zuko had nothing, even less than his days of banishment, something he cannot seem to accept. At first, Zuko turns to robbery, even stealing from those who have been kind to him. After some time, however, partially in thanks to a talk from Iroh, Zuko gains a more reasonable outlook. Although theft is still necessary from time to time, he refuses to steal from already needy people, or people who have shown him kindness. He also defended an Earth Kingdom village against a group of thugs who terrorized its people after having been appointed to protect them. Over time, Zuko becomes more patient, kind, precise, and calculating; traits necessary to evade Azula's pursuit while staying incognito from 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.

These traits would become dominant after Zuko's fevered dreams and hallucinations in "The Earth King," as afterwards he displayed a considerably more optimistic attitude towards life and seemed quite content to settle for a peaceful life on incongreguity in Ba Sing Se. However, Azula - discovering him within the city - successfully tapped into and manipulated his still lingering desire for the love and approval of his father, and convinced him to betray Iroh and become her ally in "The Crossroads of Destiny." Zuko continued to insist that he had truly changed even after joining Azula, but it became clear that he was still conflicted about his choices, and is uncomfortable with his betrayal of Iroh, who had become a father figure to him.. At The Beach on Ember Island, Zuko admits that he is angry with himself, saying he's not sure he knows right from wrong. Zuko later gets a note about revealing his destiny, which leads him to learn about his great-grandfather Sozin's history. Not finding much significance, he turns to Iroh, who tells him that Avatar Roku is his mother's grandfather, whom Sozin betrayed. Iroh claims that Zuko's inner conflict is due to his good and evil nature that he inherited from Roku and Sozin respectively.

In Nightmares and Daydreams he became upset when he wasn't informed of a war meeting in which his sister was invited, but was lifted when a servant later came and informed him that Ozai would not start the meeting without him. But later, he told Mai that even when his father saw him as the perfect prince, he still didn't feel like himself. During the events of The Day of Black Sun, Zuko comes to realize that he must restore peace to the world by joining the Avatar and fighting the tyranny of his nation. He discards his previous beliefs in the Fire Nation's greatness, proudly proclaims his Uncle as the source of this inspiration, and defiantly swears to his father that he will be defeated.

Zuko's newfound sense of humility and peace of mind does gives him the courage to ask the Avatar's forgiveness, however not the words to express it. Initially rejected by the group, he does eventually partially earns their faith by saving them from the Combustion Man, a fact which he expresses with uncharacteristic joy and enthusiasm. His past sins still haunt him however, since even though the heroes have welcomed him, he still must work to earn their trust on account of everything he had done to them, especially Katara, who has implicitly threatened to kill him should he give her any reason to think he would betray Aang. As for the Avatar himself, despite their past conflicts and fights, both are showing a rapidly developing friendship and trust. Though Zuko still has a quick temper and does act on things in a rash manner he is far more composed and receptive than before.

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 'resurrected rule.' In "The Avatar and the Fire Lord," the word Sū is also used for his great grandfather Sozin's name on the boxes which held the diary scrolls. 'Fire Lord Sozin' is written as 烈火君蘇進 (liè huǒ jūn sū jìn). Sozin or Sū Jìn translates as 'resurrection enters.'

For a while 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.

Firebending and special skills

Firebending

File:Zuko On Fire2.png

Zuko using broadswords in conjunction with his Firebending.

Zuko has shown himself to be a highly skilled Firebender, brimming with a potential which befits his lineage as carrying both the bloodlines of Fire Lord Sozin and Avatar Roku. The first true measure of his ability came in the Agni Kai against Zhao just three episodes into the series. Zhao was a master 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. Because Zuko spends much of the first season constantly doing battle with various foes, including Aang himself, 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.

Throughout Book 2 there have been signs that his skill may be improving as he travelled with his uncle Iroh. In the Book's first episode, Zuko was unable to land a single blow on Azula during their fight. 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.. 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. 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). 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 his fingertips rather than his 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.

During his time alone, he revealed the ability to use Firebending in conjunction with his already prodigious skill with dual broadswords, which use of allowed him to create fire-blasts that can cut through stone. This was necessary at the time, as the Earthbender soldier he was dueling with had dual warhammers and proved to be a formidable opponent, though this is because Zuko didn't do any Bending against him and when he started Firebending he easily defeated him.

In the season finale of Book 2, 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. The most powerful of these shots, which resembled a comet, had enough power to not only break a wall of crystals but temporarily knock Aang out. 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. 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, and Aang, who now capable with Water and Earthbending, along with a mastery of Airbending. In The Western Air Temple he utilizes a wall of flame to stop a combustion attack. At the conclusion of "The Firebending Masters", Zuko was granted access to an ancient form of Firebending along with renewed access to his own Firebending and a vision of the possible forms that Firebending can take.

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. Zuko also attempted to learn from his Uncle the ability to create lightning, however, he was unable to do so due to the conflict in his heart. Instead, Iroh taught Zuko about his unique ability to 'redirect' lightning based on Waterbending techniques, though Iroh refused to test this technique due to the immense risk involved. Despite this, Zuko does eventually redirect lightning, against his own father no less, when the latter attacked him on the Day of Black Sun. This shows that Zuko's skills in conquering lightning have come a long way since his Uncle's lessons. In addition to this, Zuko seems to overcome the conflict within his heart in the events of the Invasion, yet whether he now has the ability to create lightning has yet to be seen.

Other skills

As well as being a proficient Firebender, Zuko has also shown to be highly skilled in the use of the dual Dao 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. In Zuko Alone he easily defeats a small squadron of Earth Kingdom soldiers, and even takes on their Earthbending leader with just his swords, but he has to use Firebending to finish him off.

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, 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. He is also skilled at the art of the ambush, laying cunning traps for his victims, both demonstrated when he briefly turned bandit and when he later set a trap for an agent of the Dai Li in order to obtain information on Appa's location. This ability ties in well with his swordsmanship, and is a key facet of his 'Blue Spirit' persona.

Exemplifying the differences between Zuko and Azula's respective personalities are their fighting styles. Whereas Azula gains immense strength in combat through her removed and sociopathic mentality and gains the ability to master lightning, Zuko is completely emotional and finds more strength in his passions and convictions.

Zuko has grown up in the shadow of his Firebending-prodigy sister Azula and many, even Zuko himself, view him as struggling. However, this is so because Zuko has been compared to the most powerful Firebenders alive, such as his sister, father and uncle. In truth, Zuko is arguably one of the most skilled Firebenders in his own right, able to beat Firebending Masters such as Zhao in Agni Kai and in normal combat. There has been considerable suggestion in the show that Zuko's potential capabilities were being held back by various mental obstacles, such as his single-minded drive to capture the Avatar contrasting with his established relaxed and gentle nature before it was literally burned out of him by Fire Lord Ozai. As these conflicts have continued to be resolved in his mind, Zuko's abilities have increased in accordance; while he was unable to touch his sister Azula in their first encounter in the beginning of Book 2, by the end of Book 2 he was duelling on an even plane with Katara, who had held the upper hand over Azula.

Like most other Firebenders, Zuko is generally agile, as can be seen in many of his battles with Aang. He is also very strong physically. In The Beach he was able to send a random boy back several meters with a slight push of his palm. A more recent example of this is in the episode "The Western Air Temple", where Zuko descends a sheer cliff via a rope to get to the floor of the temple. He ends up having to swing in under the ceiling and down onto the floor, dropping a significant height, and landing gracefully with little effort. In "The Firebending Masters", he was easily able to bypass a large spike pit by running along the wall.

Family

Fire Lord Ozai

Though Zuko was once moved to tears by his father's upbraiding of him in the Agni Kai arena , his present feelings towards Fire Lord Ozai seem mixed at best. He is resentful of Ozai's favoritism towards his sister Azula, 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") and told Azula he considers Zuko "a miserable failure". 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. As of the beginning of Book Three, Ozai welcomes his son home with open arms and pride in his false accomplishment: the slaying of the Avatar. During the events of "The Day of Black Sun", Zuko decides to join the Avatar in his quest to defeat Ozai. Before leaving, however, Zuko confronts Ozai in his underground bunker and faces off with him during the eclipse. Zuko reveals that it was Azula, not he, who killed the Avatar, and that the Avatar was in fact alive. Ozai nearly fights Zuko out of rage at this revelation, but was helpless without his Firebending and would have had to face Zuko's swordsmanship. Zuko renounces his desire to get his father to love him, realizing that Ozai was incapable of love. He then announces his decision to join the Avatar and leaves, saying that it was the Avatar's destiny to defeat his father. Ozai then deems him a coward and a traitor and distracts his son by revealing what happened to his long-lost mother. According to Ozai, Ursa was banished in connection with the death of Fire Lord Azulon, who ordered Ozai to kill Zuko as punishment for his demands to replace Iroh as Fire Lord. Ozai had every intention of killing Zuko but Ursa stopped him by helping him to claim the throne. Zuko is filled with rage and shock at this new knowledge, and when the eclipse ends, Ozai attacks him with a lightning strike. However, Zuko redirects the lightning at his father as Iroh taught him to do, buying him time to escape and begin his mission to stop his father.

Uncle Iroh

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

Iroh is Zuko's uncle, mentor, Firebending teacher, advisor, caretaker and de facto father-figure. 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. Iroh is sympathetic to Zuko (having likewise fallen from grace due to an infamous military failure in his days as a Fire Nation General ) 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, (his own son having died) and worries over him accordingly. In a brief flashback during The Beach Iroh was seen with a then-infant Zuko and his own son, Lu Ten, on a beach, showing that even when he still had a son of his own he cared about his nephew. Iroh is constantly guiding Zuko, and trying to help him to make good choices. 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. 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.

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"), 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 though Iroh found the tea repulsive (he kept this hidden from Zuko) and tossed it out the window when Zuko wasn't looking. Then, Iroh begins to teach Zuko how to channel lightning through his body (Zuko shows open eagerness at learning how to generate lightning), but refuses to aim one at him for practice due to the risks involved.

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.

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. Iroh eventually breaks his silence in chapter six of book three, The Avatar and the Fire Lord. He does this to tell Zuko that Avatar Roku is his maternal Great-grandfather. He tells Zuko that he might be able to redeem their family and that he can restore balance in the world, signifying that although his nephew had betrayed him, he still had faith in Zuko. He then gives Zuko a crown which Sozin once gave to Roku. It is a royal artifact worn by the crown prince of the Fire Nation.

During the events of "Day of Black Sun", Zuko chooses to join the Avatar and decides to break Iroh out of prison. He would then ask for his forgiveness for his previous betrayal at Ba Sing Se. He even claims Iroh was more of a father than Ozai was. However, Iroh escaped from prison long before Zuko arrived, and Zuko was forced to leave without him. In "The Firebending masters" he also mentions his uncle had a long and complicated past, not unlike his own.

In "Zuko Alone", a flashback reveals that while Iroh's siege of Ba Sing Se was in full swing, he sent Zuko a knife bearing the inscription, "Never give up without a fight," which he obtained from the Earth Kingdom General who surrendered upon penetration of the outer wall. In "The Avatar State", we see that Zuko and Iroh use this same knife to cut off their top knots once they are officially labeled as traitors and failures. This knife both shows Iroh's faith in Zuko, and Zuko's own determination to prevail at any cost.

Princess Azula

Azula is Zuko's younger sister by about two years. 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 (at least by Ozai). At the end of the first season, Fire Lord Ozai gave Azula the task of capturing Iroh and Zuko. 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. 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). 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.. He also in some sense puts Azula beside Iroh in the Western Air Temple when he wonders first how Iroh would approach the problem of convincing Aang to let him join them, then wonders how Azula would approach it. In the first episodes of Book 3, Azula lies to her father and gives Zuko the credit for Aang's supposed death.

Zuko reveals to his father during the Day of Black Sun that Azula was the one who took down the Avatar and that he managed to survive the attack.

Princess Ursa

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Young Zuko with Ursa.

It is obvious that Zuko was his mother's favorite child, as Zuko was always kinder than Azula, and mother and son were close. Zuko's sister, Azula, stated in "The Beach" that she was well aware that Ursa always liked Zuko more than her, and that over the years she thought that Azula was growing into 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." 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. Ursa disappeared on the same night that Azulon died, and it is confirmed that she was part of a plot to overthrow him and get her husband named Fire Lord, all in an effort to save Zuko from his father's wrath. Zuko certainly seemed to believe that she is dead; in the season 2 finale "The Crossroads of Destiny", he tells Katara that he too has lost his mother to the Fire Nation. 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!" It could be hinted that Azula might have something to do with Ursa's disappearance, or that Zuko subconsciously believes she does. Fire Lady Ursa is Avatar Roku's granddaughter, as Iroh revealed to Zuko in The Avatar and the Fire Lord. On The Day of Black Sun, Fire Lord Ozai tells Zuko that Ursa was actually banished from the Fire Nation on account of treachery for her role in killing Fire Lord Azulon and that she is quite possibly still alive. This shocking revelation gave Zuko renewed hope in seeing his mother again.

Avatar Roku

Avatar Roku is Zuko's maternal great-grandfather. Iroh reveals this to Zuko and attributes his nephew's inner conflict to the blood of both Sozin and Roku flowing within him. Because of this heritage, Iroh believes Zuko to be crucial to restoring balance to the world. Being a descendant of the previous Avatar makes Zuko spiritually related to Aang, his former nemesis and current Firebending student.

Other

Fire Lord Sozin is Zuko's paternal 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. It is apparent that Azulon had a lack of regard for Zuko, as it was confirmed by Ozai in the "Day of Black Sun" that Azulon did order Ozai to kill him. 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.

Relationships

Aang

Aang, as the Avatar, was 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.

While Zuko has a catatonic Aang in his custody during "The Siege of the North," 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 his sister. 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.

After Zuko was 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, though Zuko begins to join Aang and let his focus be solely on Azula. When Azula surprise attacks Zuko's beloved uncle, Iroh, he refuses for the Avatar to get near him. 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.

Despite Aang being the clear protagonist and Zuko initially 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. In "Bitter Work," their attempts to progress in their bending while impeded by psychological blocks are also shown side-by-side. They are both marked men, with Aang having his Arrow tattoos all over his body, while Zuko has a large scar on his left eye given to him by his father. 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.. Both made very important decisions by the season 2 finale, Aang choosing his love for Katara over mastering the Avatar State and Zuko choosing Azula's promise of redemption over doing the right thing. In "The Awakening, Aang was shown displaying the same frustration about the loss of his honor as Zuko. Echoing almost the same words Zuko has been uttering for the first two seasons, declared, "I need to redeem myself. I need my honor back." In the episode "The Avatar and the Fire Lord", both Zuko and Aang find out about their interconnected fates, with Aang being the reincarnation of Avatar Roku and Zuko being Roku's direct descendant (Roku's granddaughter is Zuko's mother). As well as being told by Roku and Iroh to Aang and Zuko respectively that they are vital to restore balance to the world. In The Day of Black Sun, both characters at some point state that they are ready to face the Firelord. Aang intends to do battle with Ozai, while Zuko is ready to confront his father about his feelings and choices.

During that confrontation Zuko announces his intention to join the Avatar and help Aang achieve his destiny of defeating Fire Lord Ozai. Later on, in "The Western Air Temple", Zuko joins Aang's group as his Firebending teacher, proving he had changed (to a greater degree at least) by saving the Avatar's life.

Despite being enemies in the past, there is apparently now no animosity between the two at all, as they are shown complimenting each other and bonding effortlessly while seeking out The Firebending Masters, as if they had been friends for some time already, with Aang fondly calling Zuko "Sifu Hotman", and Zuko giving Aang enough confidence to carry the flame to the masters by telling him hes a talented kid. Zuko realized that his strength in firebending comes from his own drive; at first it was trying to capture Aang, but was lost when he joined him. He found a new one instead by helping the Avatar bring balance to the world.

Katara

Katara is a Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe and Aang's close friend and staunch defender, and thus, by association, was initially 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. Zuko finds this article and holds it, looking over the sunset. 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 to help him track down Katara and, through her, Aang. The necklace is reclaimed and returned to Katara after Aang defeats Zuko.

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 for a second time during the full moon when she, Sokka, and Princess Yue have come to rescue Aang.

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 is very sympathetic after Katara says that the war took away her mother, remarking that this is something they had in common. Katara apologized to him, saying that for so long she always see his face as the face of the enemy. Zuko answered that he also thought his scar set him apart and made him different, but now believes he no longer needs it to determine his destiny. In an act of compassion, Katara offers her Spirit Oasis to heal Zuko's scar so that he can be free of its mark. Before any action can be taken, Iroh and Aang barge in and break them out of the prison.

Despite the sympathy each shows the other, Zuko eventually joins Azula who tempted him of having the chance to regain his honor and the love of their father, and the siblings battle both Katara and Aang. After Azula strikes Aang down, Iroh stands between the Fire Nation siblings and the heros. Katara escapes with Aang's body and revives him with the water from the Spirit Oasis.

In "The Awakening", Zuko remembers Katara's offer to heal his scar using the sacred water from the Northern 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.

When Zuko offers to teach Aang Firebending in "The Western Air Temple", Katara is the most opposed to allowing him to join the group and is the only one who does not forgive him for what he did in the Crystal Catacombs (the prison in Ba Sing Se). She even went to the point of warning him that any misstep on his part towards Aang, she will not hesitate to kill him. She continues to show her disdain for having him around by taunting and making fun of him later on.

Toph

Toph was probably the first and only one to trust Zuko after he proposed to join the group (apart from Appa) in "The Western Air Temple". Being a living lie detector, she managed to sense Zuko's sincerity. Their lack of history, the fact that she understands Zuko's family life, and her relationship with Iroh could also be factors. Unfortunately, Zuko accidentally burns Toph's feet when she pays him a surprise visit in the middle of the night. She is then reduced to crawling and feeling the vibrations of the earth through her hands. The attack was an accident however, as he didn't know it was her at the time and humbly apologizes after the fact, acknowledging that he must be careful when bending such a wild and dangerous element (the reason Aang decides he is a worthy teacher). She thus forgives him, stating that him joining will give her a chance to avenge her feet, albeit in a joking manner. When Zuko and Aang are unable to create fire in The Firebending Masters, Toph does not make fun of Zuko like Katara and Sokka do. Instead she advises them to find and relearn from the original roots of firebending.

Sokka

Zuko and Sokka never had much social interaction with each other. Their first encounter was a brief faceoff against each other in The Avatar Returns, during which Zuko attacked the Southern Water Tribe while Sokka zealously defended it. Zuko was the clear winner, despite Sokka's persistence. They met in other battles after that, mostly as foes, with one exception being when Zuko teamed up with Sokka and the rest of the group against Azula at a ghost town during The Chase. Other than that, Sokka has constantly been opposed to assisting Zuko whenever Aang suggested it, clearly indicating how little Sokka trusts him.

The two are properly introduced at The Western Air Temple. Sokka still doesn't trust Zuko after their history, even going so far as theorizing that Zuko covered himself in honey to get Appa to lick him, a sign of affection from the bison. Despite his distrust of Zuko, Sokka does trust Aang and concedes to let Zuko join the group when Aang feels it is the best course of action. At the end of the episode, Sokka is seen showing Zuko to his room. Sokka is nervous and uncomfortable, but Zuko smiles at him, implying he has no hostility towards the other. Sokka remarks to Aang that escorting his former enemy was "really weird." By "The Firebending Masters" Sokka is much more comfortable in tormenting Zuko, going so far as to taunt him and make sarcastic remarks, like asking if he can watch him and Aang practice "jerkbending" and literally prodding Zuko with his meteor sword, trying to frustrate him enough to get his firebending back. Although he taunts Zuko, it appears to be in a joking manner instead of a sign of true hostility unlike his sister.

Jet

Jet was a teenage 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 traveling 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. Though Jet tried to make Zuko join his group, the prince vehemently refuses. Soon after, Jet finds out that Zuko and Iroh are Firebenders after seeing Iroh get cold tea, then seeing him with the tea again, but now hot.

Jet tries to warn the authorities of Ba Sing Se that Zuko and Iroh are Fire Nation citizens in "City of Walls and Secrets" by attacking them in the tea shop they were employed in. Zuko fought him back using his sword fighting prowess. The Dai Li intervened, however, and took Jet away. Zuko is unaware that he will never see the other again, as the freedom fighter died under Lake Laogai.

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 (whom Zuko clearly had for more ill-feelings towards than Aang) 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.

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.

In "The Blue Spirit," Zuko takes on the guise of the Blue Spirit, a masked, dual-sword-wielding vigilante, first to spy on Zhao and then later to free the Avatar from Zhao's custody. S. 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, 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 by the Ocean Spirit, La, after the Moon Spirit, Tui, was revived by Princess Yue's sacrifice. Zuko is the only person to have witnessed Zhao's fate.

Combustion Man

As seen in "The Headband", Zuko hires Combustion Man to kill Aang. In "The Western Air Temple" Zuko rashly mentions that he hired him to kill Aang, that Combustion Man was not his real name and he denied Sokka's accusation that they were friends. At the end of the episode, Combustion Man has tracked down the group and prepares to kill them. Zuko tries to get him to stop first by telling him the deal is off, then by offering more money to stop, however Combustion Man turns on Zuko and blasts him off the side. Zuko clings onto a vine, just narrowly escaping death. Although Zuko's attempt failed, it gave Sokka enough time to hit Combustion Man on his tattoo eye, blocking his chi and presumably killing the assassin in an explosion when he attempts to attack the kids again.

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 a 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 in a strangely good mood."

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.

In "The Beach", Zuko tries and fails to please a bored Mai by offering her an ice-cream and a seashell. Later, at a party, he gets jealous when seeing Mai talking to another boy. In an act of rage, Zuko throws him to the ground. Mai gets upset and breaks up with him, causing Zuko to leave the scene. Later at the beach, the two are cold to each other while Azula and Ty lee sit around them. They all discuss their problems, breaking the tension between them. When Zuko questions whether Mai really cares about anything at all, she says that she cares about him. The two share a kiss.

In "Nightmares and Daydreams", Zuko visits Mai's house for some personal time, and she just happens to live right across from the Royal Palace. The two are much happier now that Mai has learned to express herself. Zuko uses his royal influence to give Mai whatever she desires, such as her favorite dessert, fruit tarts. While talking about the life of royals, Mai mentions that Azula got invited to a war meeting with their father that Zuko was not informed about, having erroneously assumed that he was also going. Zuko is insulted that Azula was invited while he, his father's heir, was not, and starts moping about his father's lack of regard. Mai tries to cheer him up but is unsuccessful in each attempt. However, Zuko later finds out that he is wanted at the meeting, and Mai is happy for him when he reveals that he got to sit by his father's side. However, he confides in her privately that even though he was acting like the son his father always wanted, he was not himself.

By "The Day of Black Sun", he has made the decision to leave the Fire Nation; before he confronts his father in his underground bunker, he writes a note for Mai. He takes it to her house and apologizes softly to a portrait of the two of them together before placing it on a pillow and walking out. It has yet to be revealed what the letter says or how Mai reacts to it.

Appa

Zuko and Appa, being of two different species and nations, have never really communicated with each other during their engagements. During his quest to capture Aang, Zuko would often be tracking Appa down since wherever Appa was, the Avatar would also be present. During the events of "Lake Laogai" in Book 2, Zuko attempts to capture Appa from the Dai Li's underwater military base as a lure for the Avatar, but with his Uncle Iroh's persuasion he let him go instead. Appa was clearly scared of Zuko during this engagement, but in "The Western Air Temple", Appa was the most welcoming towards Zuko during his request to join the gang, and as a return of his gratitude for Zuko freeing him he constantly licked the Prince in the usual, slobbering fashion.