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Lord Zuko, formerly known as Prince Zuko, and Fire Lord Zuko, is one of the two deuteragonists (alongside Katara) of Nickelodeon's 2005 animated fantasy series Avatar: The Last Airbender and a supporting character in its 2012 sequel series The Legend of Korra.

He was the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation who was banished by his father, Fire Lord Ozai, and sought to capture Avatar Aang to redeem himself, initially serving as one of the main enemies of Team Avatar. After some time, he realized that what he and the Fire Nation were doing was wrong and joined Aang and his companions, serving as Aang's firebending instructor. He became Fire Lord after he defeated his sister Azula, with the help of Katara, on the day that would have marked the coronation of her as Fire Lord.

In the original series, he is voiced by Dante Basco who also plays Rufio from Hook, Jake Long from American Dragon, Azymondias in The Dragon Prince, and Iroh from The Legend of Korra. In The Legend of Korra, he's voiced by Bruce Davison. In Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway, he's voiced by Vincent Tong who voices Kai in Ninjago, Prince Nicholas in Barbie: Princess Charm School, Flash Sentry from My Little Pony: Equestria Girls film series, Sandbar in the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic TV series, and Eugene Wong in Dragons: The Nine Realms.

Biography[]

Background[]

Zuko is a firebending master, born as a prince in the Fire Nation Royal Family, who held the throne to the Fire Nation from 100 AG to 167 AG. His story often paralleled that of Avatar Aang. Initially Team Avatar's primary enemy, Zuko's life revolved around trying to capture the long-lost Avatar to end his banishment and regain his honor as Crown Prince of the Fire Nation.

Zuko is easily recognized by the distinctive scar on the left side of his face. It was given to him by his father, Fire Lord Ozai, shortly before his banishment as a result of an incident in which he unintentionally disrespected his father by speaking out of turn and refusing to duel him.

With support from his uncle, General Iroh, and after much internal struggle and turmoil, Zuko rejected Ozai and his model of the Fire Nation. He instead joined the Avatar's group to become Aang's friend and firebending teacher and was determined to end the war and restore both his and the Fire Nation's honor. While Aang defeated Ozai, Zuko, with the help of Katara, defeated his prodigious younger sister, Princess Azula, and took his place as Fire Lord, declaring the end of the Hundred Year War and the start of an era of love and peace.

At the beginning of his reign, Zuko had to overcome great difficulties and solve several crises, especially those caused by the Harmony Restoration Movement. Nevertheless, he succeeded in maintaining peace and eventually became one of the founders of the United Republic of Nations. Zuko retired from his position as Fire Lord in 167 AG and became an ambassador of peace, relinquishing the throne to his daughter.

Book One: Water[]

At the beginning of the series, Zuko is introduced as the central antagonist and who is relentlessly and obsessively searching for Aang in hopes of reclaiming his honor, and throughout the season is hot on the Avatar's trail, at times both helped and hindered by Iroh. Zuko competes in his quest against Zhao, an ambitious Fire Nation admiral.

In The Blue Spirit, Zuko rescues Aang from Zhao's fortress to prevent Zhao from accomplishing his goal. Zhao arranges an assassination plot against Zuko, but Zuko escapes with Iroh's help. During the invasion of the Northern Water Tribe, Zuko captures Aang, but both are nearly killed in a snowstorm. Aang then saves Zuko from dying of hypothermia.

Zuko encounters Zhao and attacks in an act of revenge, but the Ocean Spirit abducts Zhao before the fight is concluded. Ozai thereafter assigns Zuko's younger sister Azula to seize Zuko and Iroh, due to Zuko's failure to capture Aang and Iroh's betrayal during the siege.

Book Two: Earth[]

Pursued by Azula, sixteen-year-old Zuko (serving as an anti-hero and an antagonist) and Iroh travel the Earth Kingdom as impoverished refugees. After briefly quarreling with and parting ways with Iroh, Zuko reunites with his uncle against Azula.

When Azula wounds Iroh with a bolt of lightning, Zuko nurses Iroh back to health and Iroh teaches Zuko to redirect lightning. Zuko and Iroh arrive at the walled city of Ba Sing Se, meeting Jet in the process.

Iroh and Zuko find employment at a tea shop in the slums. Jett accuses Zuko and Iroh of being firebenders, but is arrested after he attacks Zuko. Zuko reluctantly adapts to his new life until he learns of Aang's presence in Ba Sing Se and attempts to steal Appa. However, Iroh convinces Zuko to abandon his quest and let Appa go. Azula infiltrates the city to stage a coup and arranges a trap for Zuko and Iroh.

Captured and placed in Crystal Catacombs, Zuko encounters Katara, and both are rescued by Aang. Although Zuko and Katara share a brief moment of compassion, Azula convinces Zuko to betray Iroh and the Avatar. In the resulting fight, Aang is fatally wounded, and Iroh is arrested.

Book Three: Fire[]

Zuko serves as the deuteragonist and full-fledged hero of the final season. Returning to his country a hero, Zuko learns that Azula lied and told Fire Lord Ozai that Zuko killed the Avatar. Zuko suspects that Aang survived and hires an assassin to ensure Aang's death to cover up Azula's lie. Iroh is imprisoned, but manages to lead Zuko to learn that his maternal great-grandfather was Avatar Roku, Aang's previous incarnation.

Prior to the Day of Black Sun, Zuko inadvertently catalyzes his father's plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom with Sozin's Comet. Zuko becomes guilty over betraying Iroh and contributing to a second genocide, leading him to confront Ozai during the eclipse. Zuko openly berates his father and states his intention to help Aang. Although they initially reject him, due of his past actions to them, Aang and his companions grow to accept Zuko as a member of the group after he proves his allegiance by helping defeat the assassin and journeys with Aang to meet the last dragons.

After helping Sokka free Suki and Hakoda from the Boiling Rock prison, Zuko amends with Katara by locating her mother's killer. When Aang disappears shortly before Sozin's Comet, Zuko leads the effort to track down the Avatar which leads him to Iroh. Zuko tearfully apologizes to Iroh, who forgives him for his mistakes. Iroh suggests that Zuko become the next Fire Lord, citing Zuko's "unquestionable honor". Arriving at the Fire Nation capital with Katara, Zuko duels an increasingly unhinged Azula for the throne.

When Azula faces defeat, she forces Zuko to place himself in the path of a lighting bolt aimed at Katara, which leaves him wounded and immobile. Katara defeats Azula and heals Zuko, leading the defeated princess's psyche to finally shatter, with her screaming, breathing fire and falls on her side crying uncontrollably, while Zuko and Katara look on in pity. After Aang wins the war, Zuko becomes the new Fire Lord, promising world order and harmony with the aid of the Avatar and dates mai again.

Sequel comics[]

Zuka sought to end the occupation of the Fire Nation in the Earth Kingdom, having his troops relocate citizens back to the Fire Nation. However, Zuko eventually found some issues in one settlement, Yu Dao. Due to the fact it was a prosperous city where the Fire Nation colonists had long since mixed bloodlines with the local Earth Kingdom citizens, making it highly impossible to remove Fire Nation descendants without breaking up families and starting a revolt.

Together with Team Avatar's help, Zuko decided against the relocation plan and they helped found the United Republic of Nations from the Fire Nation settlements. Now all three cultures could be allowed to live harmoniously.

The Legend of Korra[]

Sometime in his adult life Zuko found and tamed a dragon which he named Druk. Following Aang's death, the new Avatar was found to be a young girl from the Southern Water Tribe named Korra. Not long after, four dangerous criminals, Zaheer, Ming Hua, Ghazan and P'li, attempted to kidnap the newly found Avatar but were stopped by Zuko alongside Korra's father Tonraq, Sokka, and Aang's son Tenzin. Zuko helped build special prisons to restrain the criminals and interrogate them about their motivations behind the kidnapping attempt but none of them ever yielded. A few years later an aging Zuko stepped down from the throne and passed the title to his daughter Izumi.

2 weeks after Harmonic Convergence several non-Benders around the world became Airbenders due to the shift in spiritual energy across the world. Zaheer was one of the non-Benders to obtain Air Bending which he promptly used to escape his prison then proceeded to free Ghazan and Ming Hua. Zuko, infuriated by the break outs scolded the White Lotus for allowing the criminals to escape and headed to the North Water Tribe to ambush Zaheer before he could release the final criminal P'Li. Zuko was joined by Esna, Deska, and Tonraq but their efforts proved to be futile and Zaheer succeeded in freeing P'Li. Zuko then went to warn the rest of the world leaders that the four terrorists were now on the loose and sent a direct order to protect Korra.

Zuko continued to assist in the hunt for Zaheer's gang. Korra found out that the group refer themselves as the Red Lotus and are a group of anarchists devoted to taking down all world leaders. The Red Lotus succeeded at murdering the Earth Queen and thew the entire Earth Kingdom into chaos, in response Zuko opted to return to the Fire Nation and protect his daughter from the Red Lotus knowing they would eventually go after the Fire Lord as well but not before giving Korra helpful advice in how to deal with the terrorists.

Korra eventually managed to defeat Zaheer with the help of the newly revived Air Nation, however Korra suffered severe physical trauma during the battle due to the Mercury poisoning that Zaheer inflicted on her, leaving Korra in a wheel chair incapacitated to assist in restoring the anarchist Earth Kingdom. Additionally Zuko pointed out that even though Zaheer's gang was defeated there are still other Red Lotus sleeper agents out there.

Personality[]

Prince Zuko has always been obsessed with pride and honor, as is emphasized within the Fire Nation culture and his family in particular. Throughout the series, especially Book 1, he's seen as a serious and headstrong teenager, stopping at nothing to find the Avatar in order to "regain his honor" as well as his place back home. Despite being an antagonist as well as acting rude and cold to almost everyone around him for the majority of the series, he's been shown to have his own morals and principles, such as when he spares Zhao after their Agni Kai or when he upholds his promise to Aang to not harm anyone from the Water Tribe if he came with him. Also despite claiming he didn't care for his crewmates' wellbeing and that capturing the Avatar was more important, he ends up putting their saftey first when they end up caught in a storm, willingly letting Aang slip away in the process. He greately values Iroh and sees him as his own father. Even if he doesn't openly show it most times, he does love him and takes his advice to heart.

As a child, while still living with his family, Zuko was an upbeat young boy who had a loving relationship with his mother and is shown to be happier and more openly caring than his present self. Before being banished, he also stood up for the Fire Nation's soldiers when a plan was proposed to sacrifice them in order to win a battle. After his banishment, although he's hardened and rude due to the trauma he faced, he still has that same kindness and selflessness from when he was a boy inside him, which is shown more and more as the show progresses, especially in Book 2 onwards, such as when he protects a boy named Lee and his village from a group of Earth Kingdom Soldiers who were abusing their power, calling them out for it in the process. As he interacts with others in his free time, it's evident he's on the quieter side and is socially awkward, which is especially highlighted when he goes on a date with Jin, not knowing what to talk about with her and angrily telling a waiter that she's not his girlfriend when he calls her that or when he hesitantly lies about being able juggle, embarassing himself and making a mess when he tries to do so. Even then, he displays a softer side when he willingly lights a fountain for Jin by using his Firebending, knowingly risking his identity getting exposed. Despite his development and his slow realization about how much the Fire Nation's actions have hurt others however, when he's given the opportunity to return home by fighting with Azula, he sides with her, betraying Iroh in the process, although he does show instant regret after the battle is over.

In Book 3, after returning home and officially "regaining his honor", Zuko's shown to feel guilt, remorse, and confusion instead of happiness like he expected. He visits Iroh in prison on multiple occasions, seeking his guidance and wisdom, showing he still cares about him and values his opinions and input. His conflicting emotions finally explode when he goes on a beach trip with Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee, admitting he's angry with himself because he's not sure he knows the difference between right and wrong anymore. Later, when Team Avatar retreats after a failed attack on the Fire Lord, he fully redeems himself by making the choice to go join them and train Aang, apologizing to them for all the trouble he's caused, admitting that he's realized restoring your honor isn't something that's given to you, but something you earn for yourself. After officially joining the team, he still acts grumpy, but has considerably mellowed out compared to when he first started his hunt for Aang, looking to get along with everyone in the group and even socializing and joking with them, something he would never have done before. By the end of the series, he's evolved from the fierce Prince of the Fire Nation to the peaceful Fire Lord, announcing his intent to bring in an era of love with the help of Aang.

Powers & Abilities[]

Fire Bending[]

Zuko is a very skilled firebender who controls his fire quite well, though not at the same level as his gifted sister, Azula, who can create both blue fire and lightning.

When challenged to Agni Kai by Admiral Zhao, Zuko was able to beat him fairly easily, thanks to all his training. Zuko's fire was fueled by rage and anger, which he had plenty of, but when he redeemed himself and joined Team Avatar, his rage lowered and his firebending weakened. It was later when he realized that Firebending was not fueled by anger, but determination, where his fire bending grew once again due to his determination to take his spot at the throne and help Aang defeat his father.

Lightning redirection[]

Zuko attempted to learn lightning bending from Iroh after his and Iroh's lives were threatened by Azula. He failed to master it at every attempt, however, as he had not faced his "inner turmoil", as a lightening bender must know precisely what they truly want, and Zuko had always been borderline between his father's expectations and his own free will. When he finally seemed to decide on free will, Zuko took a shocking turn back into his fathers expectations when he was given the ultimate chance to kill the avatar.

In the end, Zuko didn't learn how to bend Lightning. Instead, Iroh taught him how to absorb and redirect lightning, something neither Azula nor Ozai were knowledgeable of. He later employed this technique against his father (when he left the Nation) and Azula (to protect Katara). In the latter engagement, Zuko redirected the blast in an improper stance, as he had jumped into the lightning's path, and so failed to redirect it completely and resulted in serious injury. Though he seems to have overcome his inner turmoil, he does not create lightning for the remainder of the series.

Physical abilities[]

In addition to his firebending, Zuko is highly skilled in unarmed combat, able to break apart oncoming spears with his hands and legs, and disarm, subdue or defeat opponents. He is also equally masterful with his dual dao blades, the latter skill he picked up after being trained by the sword master Piandao. He would use these two skills as his primary tactics whenever he was in his Blue Spirit disguise, unable to firebend, or when he needed to fight but also needed to conceal his firebending. He was able to defeat multiple foes using only his swords. He also dueled evenly with Jet and his dual hook swords until the fight was broken up by the Dai Li and Jet was arrested. Zuko defeated several Earth Kingdom soldiers with his Dao swords and minimum effort, only resorting to firebending when faced with a powerful earthbender; even then he was able to hold off the earthbender's attacks for several moments with only his blades. His skill was such that his father, Fire Lord Ozai, opted not to face him during an eclipse, when neither of them could firebend.

Zuko is very physically capable, able to almost nonchalantly launch a person with a single hand and smash through iron shackles with a single kick. He is also quite fast and agile, able to perform great acrobatic feats, such as running across walls, doing mid-air twirls, scaling vertical faces with great efficiency and climbing speed, and jumping large distances to avoid enemy attacks with noticeable agility and free-running skills. Zuko is skilled at infiltration and stealth; able to sneak into heavily-defended fortresses and conceal himself effectively for long periods of time. All of these skills would serve him while he was disguised as the Blue Spirit. Zuko was also a skilled tracker, able to track the airborne Avatar all across the world, something that his friends later acknowledged in hopes of finding Aang when he disappeared.

While not as naturally adept at strategy and academics as his sister, Zuko is quite intelligent. Throughout the series, he demonstrated himself to be a skilled strategist, able to exploit any situation to his advantage. Zuko used his ship's damages as a smokescreen to conceal his movements from Zhao. He is also able to form alliances with people with special skills, such as June, and use them to his advantage. However, Zuko tended to have a hot-headed nature that caused him to never fully think his actions through. For example, he was able to his exploit advantages in the Northern Water Tribe, and get into the Spirit Oasis to capture Aang, but he did not figure a way back out ahead of time which caused him to almost freeze to death. Zuko began to think things out more toward the end of the series, and he started to plan things out and think ahead to solve problems more often. When he and Aang needed to get in a specific room in the Sun Warrior ruins, Zuko was able to outsmart the Celestial Calendar, as it would only allow the room to open during a solstice. Zuko is also a gifted tsungi horn player, although it is clear that it is not his favorite instrument.

Enhanced strength[]

It’s been shown that Zuko’s kicks are strong enough to break through steel chains.

Quotes[]

Trivia[]

• Zuko's first act as Fire Lord was to send search parties for his mother.
• He's the only character in the show that has an episode with only himself. In addition, "Zuko Alone" was the only episode in the series to not feature Team Avatar.
• Zuko is the first main antagonist in the show to be turned into one of the main protagonists to defeat the evil threat.
• Zuko was a part of all three Agni Kais shown in the series.
• When trying to figure out what advice Iroh would give him, Zuko unintentionally references his spiritual journey up till the conquering of Ba Sing Se, mentioning his true self emerging after looking within to save it.

External Links[]

• Zuko on the Villains Wiki.
• Zuko on the Inconsistently Admirable Wiki.
• Zuko on the Avatar Wiki.

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