💚🐠💿💙🌊

Another element of Mai embodying everything about Zuko’s old life in the Fire Nation empire is in the Lost Adventures comic. I’m unsure about the canon status of these comics but the implications of this story are pretty interesting which shows how Mai and Zuko got together at the end of book 2 before they leave the Earth Kingdom. They are honestly kind of cute, BUT their relationship is intentionally incited by Azula to further manipulate/convince Zuko to return to the Fire Nation.

Like there is clearly real love in their relationship shown later on, but as told by this maybe not canon comic it was built on S2 Zuko’s moral dilemmas and Azula’s manipulation of his internal conflict. I just think, no matter my opinions on Mai, she’s kind of narratively stunting for Zuko and somewhat representative of his former identity within the empire of the Fire Nation and his familial trauma and I just don’t think there’s enough storytelling and character development for Mai in the later show/comics to undo this.

This is then followed up and more established in The Avatar and the Fire Lord, and I’m just now realizing on this rewatch continues into The Day of Black Sun and the Finale with Zuko and Aang confronting Ozai respectively. In the Awakening, Aang is sullen and angry and has lost his identity, purpose, and so called destiny (for the time being) while Zuko is restored to his rightful position and destiny. They’re immediately such perfect foils in season 3, it’s so genius.

Another parallel and duality I really appreciated that’s a bit more subtle is Katara’s anger at Hakoda and his response versus Zuko’s fear of Ozai and Ozai’s praise of him. Hakoda loves Katara and Sokka so much and he tells her that: “I love you more than anything. You and your brother are my entire world. I thought about you every day when I was gone and every night when I went to sleep, I would lie awake missing you so much it would ache.”

Like UGH it gets me every time :,((

Immediately followed ofc by Ozai telling Zuko how proud he is for Zuko’s ferocity and conquering of Ba Sing Se. There’s no love there, only the ruthlessness of a tyrant and his love of war finally manifested in his son. God it’s so good to set these scenes directly against each other and this whole episode is just perfection, I never appreciated it as a kid.