#zuko analysis

No, it's cause he's a prince who has led people before, who has been shown even in the first season as a villain to have boundaries he will not cross and to put the lives and safety of those under his command before anything else.

He's also the only one of them to have had an actual adult imposing wisdom and guidance on him that he is basing his behavior on, the rest of them are pretty much self-taught. Toph was coddled and suffocated by her parents, Katara and Sokka had an absent father and were raised by their grandmother who did her best but they also raised themselves and each other, Aang had Gyatso and the other monks but he was also only 12 and was very immature (non-derogatory). By the time Zuko joins the gaang he has fully embraced Iroh's lessons, he's abandoned any attempt at being the son his father wanted and is choosing to live by the lessons Iroh taught him. He's emulating a strong adult role model that the rest of them didn't have the same access to.

Immediately upon joining them he's taking initiative and taking care of the other kids, we see him being the one trying to keep everyone on track, the one putting his body on the line to protect everyone else, he's being very observant of the other kids' thoughts and feelings and anticipating their next moves or their needs. He's staying awake to catch Sokka before he can do something stupid like flying Appa to Fire Nation Alcatraz alone. He's staying up all night outside Katara's tent just cause he wants to help her get closure for her grief.

He's babysitting them like Katara would except he's got official leadership skills and has commanded actual soldiers whereas Katara, bless her, was parentified and self-taught in her leadership skills, which is also one of the reasons that Zuko joining gave Katara a reprieve from being the one holding everyone together, and brought out her angst and unaddressed grief, not just because she was holding onto her anger at Zuko's betrayal but also because him becoming the responsible one took a burden off her shoulders. Even though she was still mad at him, having him there and taking charge meant that she had more time to look inward and stew in her darker emotions, because she no longer needed to put everyone else first for the sake of the group.

He's the one they all turn to when they're not sure how to proceed. He asks "Why are you all looking at me?" after Aang disappears and they say something about how he's basically the expert on tracking down Aang (lol) but it's more than that. Since joining he's become the guy who comes up with all the major schemes. He helped them accomplish things they wouldn't have been able to do without his help, he is a good planner and a good leader because unlike the rest of them he has actual official leadership skills, he knows how to be authoritative and boss them around, in a good way. They trust him to lead them.

He's acting like Aang's drill sergeant, picking him up by the scruff of his tunic like an unruly kitten and dragging him back to training.

He's crashing out big time over the fact he's sending an underprepared pacifistic child to face his (Zuko's) abuser, the guy who melted half of his own son's face off. Even when on his way to face Azula, it's not himself he's worried about, it's Aang. When he sees the chance to face Azula alone without having to endanger Katara, he takes it.

The moment Zuko joins them, he puts the others first, prioritizes their needs over his own, goes out of his way to help and protect them at the cost of his own safety and wellbeing. He literally almost dies for Katara and is still only concerned with protecting her while he's on the ground convulsing and clinging to life after being electrocuted.

I think this is a VERY VERY interesting theme to explore. Fire bending, as we know canonically, is all in the breath. Zuko, when bending, forces power into his breaths vocally. Azula and Iroh in comparison are very quiet when bending, exhibiting extreme breath control, and when Azula does start to lose control of both herself and her bending she becomes vocal. Screaming, grunting, yelling while bending.

Zuko fighting as the blue spirit both in silence and without his bending IMO is such a good way of highlighting where his strengths lie. He’s a good bender, of course, especially by the end of the show where he’s found a new source of strength, but he’s never been as proficient as other fire benders.

I think the blue spirit was such an easy role for him to slip into because while fighting, for once, he didn’t have to force his strength. He took time training with swords, hand to hand, etc because he knew he lacked in bending ability.

I like to think he found it easy to not yell while fighting as the blue spirit, because he felt confident. In his ability to fight, in the hidden identity aspect removing him from the role of the banished prince and the expectations that came with it. Putting a space between himself and the burn that has been used to identify and humiliate him many times.

Like I'm a zuko fan and I love people acknowledging his flaws, but every time that I've encountered some post talking about that, it's always like, in a not very nuanced way or recognizing how the writing itself could've failed his character and arc. (For example, one of the most common critiques I've seen to be about how he's a terrible friend, boyfriend, nephew, hypocritical, misogynistic for some reason, selfish and how his entire redemption arc wasn't driven by a desire to be better but to gain Iroh's favor back as a parental figure, how he's barely apologized enough for all the damage he's done, how he's overrated, writer's pet, colonialist, how he disregards everyone and never does anything for anyone despite a ton of characters doing noble acts for his sake, the lack of remorse when it came to how Aang supposedly died, how some ships will never make sense because he would never commit for a stable relationship that isn't one sided or where he doesn't out any work into, etc)

Like, sorry for the super depressing ask, but I wanted to see some positivity after having seen him being bashed on every post. Actually getting into the fandom has actually made me feel bad and ashamed for enjoying zuko, or just engaging in any content regarding his character. I tend to try and be positive and think that the message the character delivered still went through, but that the writing didn't fully commit to it beyond a sadly flawed or rushed level, but I don't actually know if there's anything good about his character anymore, or if the fandom's ruined it for me. I know I've referenced a ton of stuff, but you obviously like, don't have to address any of it, I just put some examples of things I've heard.

Hope you're doing awesome btw, thanks for reading this whole thing <3

Hello Zuko positivity anon! :3 of course I can share some Zuko positivity that's kinda why I made this blog lol. I wasn't really aware of the Zuko hate?? like I've seen some but I do think generally his arc and character is considered kind of like a pretty good standard for villain to hero arcs.

And definitely! There are flaws to be noticed. But I think it's okay for characters to have flaws I mean, I think they SHOULD have flaws. I think his entire character is based around him navigating his flaws yknow?

I think a lot of the stuff about him being a bad friend/partner/nephew comes from pre redemption, so I think talking about how bad he is in any kind of relationship kind of feels like it misses the point to me. He IS a bad friend, that's the point! He doesn't do well with relationships, and he learns over time to get over his bitterness and heal his relationships. He goes with the gaang to gain their trust time and time again because he wants them to know that he has changed. He goes straight into a fire nation PRISON and is subjected to kinda what I imagine a firbender's torture is to prove to Sokka that he aligns with them. He goes with Katara to help her find the man and supports her REGARDLESS of how she decides to deal with him because he wants her to know that he is on HER side and doesn't want to meddle with what she feels is right. He learns from the dragons, a species that was thought to be near extinct from what I remember? and trusts Aang and himself because this is BIGGER than him.

And when it comes to Iroh specifically, I can definitely agree that, yes, Zuko was pretty terrible to him. But none of that was against what Iroh wanted. Iroh loved him unconditionally, and WANTED to be there for him regardless of how he acted. There were certainly moments where he was hurt by him, but he loved him SO much. Zuko is definitely driven by Iroh to become a better person, but I don't think that means he's selfishly becoming better just for his own gain. He recognizes how much Iroh's support and guidance meant to him, and he wants to have him back so he can apologize and do his best to make up for all of the time he spent being aggressive towards him. No one HAS to be the one to be there for someone who is extremely struggling, it's not an obligation, but a lot of the time it is so important that there at least IS someone. Zuko needed that steady person in his life, and Iroh CHOSE to be that person. Iroh isn't a victim just because Zuko was rude and aggressive, because he wanted to be there and help him, and all of his teachings and guidance did ultimately help him grows as a person.

My first thought for colonialist was "...what?" The Fire Nation is, obviously, very colonialist, but I wasn't sure where the idea of ZUKO being colonialist would come from, but after thinking for a second I think I know? This comes from the comics, though, so bear with me it's been several years since I've read them

In The Promise, Zuko and Aang are on opposing beliefs about what to do with the Fire Nation people who have settled in the Earth Kingdom. The Earth Kingdom people, for the most part, want the Fire Nation people out of their land because they feel they've been ruled by them. The Fire Nation people, however, argue that they have built their lives for generations now. Many of them are no longer soldiers. They have married and had kids with people native in the Earth Kingdom. They have traditions and cultures that have been built to coexist with them. So the big question is.... what do they do about it? I don't remember exactly how everything happened, or really how it ended, but the whole point of that entire comic series is that Zuko is struggling to be a political figure. He is the fire lord, so he needs to make decisions that are the best for his people, but he also wants to right the wrongs that have been committed for a century. He isn't sure what he should do. I don't remember what the solution ended up being, I'm sure it was some kind of compromise, but he is not trying to erase the culture of the Earth Kingdom. He was trying to preserve the culture that had been built within the Earth Kingdom in certain areas after Fire Nation soldiers were stationed. There is, obviously, something to be said about the initial reason the soldiers were there was colonization and possibly genocide. That should absolutely not be ignored. But, in this fictional world, at least, the removal of the head of the country has changed the minds of the vast majority of the people in it, and they no longer WANT that war. They aren't interested in colonizing, they just want to keep the blended culture they have. (please note I haven't read the promise in a long time and I don't remember exactly how this was handled and if it was done well. this is just how i remember it)

Anyway, I think Zuko is generally done really well. He is definitely a flawed character, but the whole point is that he grows and changes because of the influences of the people around him, you know? You definitely shouldn't feel ashamed for liking his character, he's a great one! There's a reason he's regarded as a good standard for a redemption arc. His arc recognizes the immense struggle it is to change your mindset and beliefs, and undo what is essentially brainwashing. It's toned down for a kids show, but I still think him becoming PHYSICALLY ILL for doing a good act is extremely representative of the struggle. Like we all clown on it but it is REALLY hard. When you've thought a certain way and hated a certain person or group for so long, it feels impossible to do anything different.

I certainly hope fandom people don't ruin him for you for good! I've definitely had that happen to me for fandoms or characters I love. But I think as long as you stay within the sphere of people who get you, fandom can be really fun. I think he's a great character, and there's plenty of things to enjoy about him! From his silly awkwardness to his growth of deep emotional care, I think he's a really fun character.

Ozai is alive post-war, and Zuko does go seek out advice from him. But here is where the parent child relationship gets a little dicey.

As children (most of us), we idolize our parents. So, it makes perfect sense that Zuko would have unconditional love for Ozai. He does, but it's one-sided. Does he love Ozai post-war? Probably, but it's not the idolization of when he was a child. It's more of a 'you're my father and we are blood so I love you because of that' and that would be it. I also think Zuko hates his father at the same time because of what Ozai did to him. It's complicated, but there it is. And there are lots of people in the world who do feel this way about their parents.

I don't have the best relationship with my father, but that's because he's a narcissistic asshole. I love him, but I don't like him. It's complicated, and it's hard to mend things with him when he is obsessed with right-wing politics. Drives me crazy.

Tfw your sibling resented you for being your mother's favourite and you feel guilty but also not because she was the only one you ever had and your dad was a narcissist.

Tfw you do everything you can to earn your father's approval and nothing is good enough. Everything you've ever done, even if successful, feels like a shameful attempt.

Tfw you feel guilty for being important but angry that you feel your sibling didn't have to work to be important like you did.

Tfw you watch your sister's mind fall apart, slip and shatter after years of enduring the emotional abuse they thought of as love and you turned out fine and you've never felt more guilty.

Tfw you're grateful you have a destiny and being the firstborn is the only worth you've ever had, but you don't know what any of it means yet and you have to embark on this journey of self-discovery and humility where you learn that your actions have consequences and your words have value. You may or may not acquire 3 younger siblings in the process.

Tfw you're "supposed to be the older one", supposed to be the important one who is smarter and stronger and a good beginning to the family legacy, yet sometimes you easily lose the fight with your stupid mistakes, you underwhelm people sometimes, you see yourself as weak so you think everyone sees you as weak and unworthy.

Tfw you finally come to terms with your life and have succeeded in what you wanted, but you will never forget the things that aren't supposed to matter anymore, you will never stop feeling guilty. You couldn't save your sister or give her the life she deserved. Your rise was her downfall. She was your best friend but your first opponent. She suffers silently and tells people she's fine.

So you have to own the victory you've earned and say you're fine, too.

My father doesn’t love me because I’m not enough. It is my fault.

My mother left because I couldn’t save her. It is my fault.

Azula has lost it because I couldn’t help her. It is my fault.