Since the new season from Netflix is out, featuring the Painted Lady and the Blue Spirit as secret heroes, it's time to remember why I have never seen the vision that existed long before the live-action adaptation.
Vigilantes
Ah, Zuko and Katara working together helping people!.. Teamwork!.. She gets to learn that Zuko is actually nice!..
Except that's a lie. He's not (yet).
Because who is a vigilante?
According to Oxford Dictionary, it is "a member of a group of people who try to prevent crime or punish criminals in their community, especially because they think the police are not doing this".
Katara as the Painted Lady helped the suffering village. She did not prevent crimes so much, but kind of punished the criminals – she destroyed the factory that polluted the Jang Hui river (along with Aang) and then battled the soldiers from the factory (with her friend group). A vigilante? Maybe, but it still feels like a stretch.
But Zuko – Zuko is definitely not!
First Zuko acts as the Blue Spirit in the book 1 episode 13 "The Blue Spirit", to steal Aang captured by Zhao. He does this not to "punish criminals" (Zhao), but to capture Aang himself so he can return to the Fire Nation.
Then, book 2 episode 4 "The Swamp". Zuko puts on a Blue Spirit mask to attack a guy who insulted Iroh. Also steals his dao swords. The guy is an asshole, but we are never told if he's a criminal or not, and Zuko didn't seem to care about it anyway – he only cared about Iroh's his own wounded pride and also got himself a weapon.
Then, book 2 episode 5 "The Avatar day". Zuko, disguised as the Blue Spirit, steals stuff. Was this not-so-wealthy pair criminals? Very unlikely, but even if they stole the food, Zuko never returns it to the rightful owners, he takes it for himself and Iroh instead. Was that wealthy man in a carriage a criminal? We are not told. Zuko doesn't seem to care, he just grabs the money (given to him after the man saw the Blue Spirit mask – the vigilante wants to punish criminals, yet this man correctly expected not the punishment, but the robbery). The only thing we know about the other people is what Zuko stole from them.
Finally, book 2 episode 17 "Lake Laogai". Blue Spirit Zuko takes capture and interrogates the Dai Li agent about the avatar's bison and after that breaks into the Dai Li headquarters to steal Appa and use him to capture Aang eventually (not to punish the Dai Li). He only lets go of this idea when Iroh persuades him – and right after that he gets rid of the Blue Spirit mask for good.
Literally no actions of Zuko as the Blue Spirit are the ones of a vigilante! He always acts to benefit himself, and maybe Iroh and his crew sometimes (still only as a part of achieving his personal goal). He's not preventing any crimes while wearing the Blue Spirit mask – he acts pretty much like a criminal himself.
P.S. Netflix twisted this part of the plot into something totally opposite to the original cartoon. Among other things. For some reason, I guess.
