Every main character has a rival or an enemy that represents his or her shadow. There is Naruto and Sasuke. Goku and Vegeta. Opposites that were destine to clash.
In Avatar the last Airbender, the fans favorite villain is Zuko. He is your typical bad boy. He is a prince, got scares, he has a hot temper, he is better than his followers, the girls want him and you get the point. Zuko is the bad boy that girls want. However, Zuko’s dark past turned him into what he is. If you watch Avatar the last Airbender, you will know that when Zuko was a kid he was very kind and very attached to his mother. Boys are always attached to their mothers and girls are attached to their fathers.
Zuko never wanted to be an angry teenager chasing after a legend. Before his father gave him that scar on his eye, Zuko was kind like his mother and cared about his people, his soldiers. Unlike his father who just wanted power, Zuko wanted peace but it was his father that turned him into an angry avatar hunter, miserable teenager.
From the first season, all the way to the very end of the series, Zuko changed completely. This is one of the best character developments ever written in the history of cinema. Here is what Zuko learned during his journey.
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You Are Not The Shadow of Your Father
Zuko’s father, Ozai, burned Zuko face during a battle after Zuko spoke out against a war attack. Ozai shamed Zuko and told him to never to the fire nation unless he returns back with the Avatar at hand. That is when he decided to go to the water tribe.
Zuko wanted his father’s honor and respect. He wanted to be by his father’s side only to realize that he hated his father. Ozai wanted to burn the world during the solar eclipse. His father wanted power and total conquest over the four nations. Zuko was too good to be by the side of someone so evil.
Zuko thought that by pleasing his father that his father would accept him and that everything would go back to normal however, his journey to find the Avatar had changed his view of life. When he came back and was once again comfortable with his life of royalty, he could not sleep knowing that his own father was causing destruction in the world.
Finally Zuko decided to go against his father and join the Avatar. It was the right thing to do. Zuko found himself again thanks to his uncle Iroh. He learned the hard way, the damage that the fire nation had caused during his struggles after failing to capture the Avatar.
He knew that he was not the shadow of his father. He does not have to be like his father as he thought. His destiny was his to write. Parents want their kids to follow in their footsteps but that does not work. What children want to do in life is different from what their parents want. With a new generation comes changes and children adapt to those changes.
Zuko did not want to hurt innocent villagers and towns like the fire nation had done. He had seen with his own eyes and uncle Iroh tried to tell him plenty of times.
You dont have to be like your father, you have to be better in your generation with what is happening in your era.
This is advice mainly goes to boys because boys are usually in competition with their fathers. Men always compete.
If You Don’t Decide Your Path Someone Else Will
You saw Zuko struggling to chose plenty of times. He was so lost with what he had to do that he got a fever.
At first, Azula came one day and told Zuko that his father wanted him back. Zuko thought that his search was over. He could go home and his father would accept him for what he was. It was a lie.
Then Zuko parted ways with uncle Iroh and journeyed throughout the earth kingdom and afterwards when he encounter the Avatar again, he joined Azula and betrayed his uncle. There was a lot of confusion with Zuko.
It was really a battle between doing the right thing and doing what his family wanted him to do . This was one of my personal struggles. At some point I had to choose between, doing what my family wanted me to do or what I wanted to do in life.
If you do not decide what you want to do then someone else will decide for you. Once Zuko made up his mind that he was going to fight help the Avatar defeat his father the fire lord, the confusion disappeared. As long as you don’t know what to do with your life, other people will decide for you. Trust me, it happened many times in my life. I was lead astray many many times until I decided to create this blog.
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Growth Requires Pain and Suffering
The reason why Zuko became a better person was because of all the suffering and pain that he went through. Being outcasted from his royal family. Living a life of comfort as a prince and then being tossed away because he spoke out of line. His father had such a big ego that the asshole burned his face.
Zuko never got along with his sister. His sister was his rival, the one that was always competing with him. His sister loved chaos while all he wanted was peace.
After failing to capture the Avatar in the southern water tribe, he became a fugitive with his uncle and wondered around the earth kingdom. His life of comfort was gone. He failed to capture the Avatar so all his hopes of ever returning home to his father were all gone. Then when Azula found him and told him that his father wanted him back without the Avatar, he felt hopeful only to find out that it was all a lie.
Betrayed, confused, lost and overall internal suffering. After all the pain and suffering and the failure, he finally found his way.
Many people have to go through similar things. Its always like this. Take a look at the most successful people in the world.
JK Rowling ended up homeless at one point before she had any success as a writer. Walt Disney went bankrupt more than 10 times before his company blew up. Steven Spielberg was a janitor before he became a hot shot movie director. Oprah Winfrey was born in poverty.
The story goes on.
Some people get into a car accident that nearly killed them before they become good people. The reason why this happens is because some people have such big egos that they literally need to have it knock out to gain some sense.
Great Leaders Are Made Not Born
After all the suffering and pain he went and joining the Avatar to defeat his father, Zuko became the new fire lord. His journey taught him what a real leader is like. He learned that his father was cruel and only cared about himself. A real leader cares about something bigger than himself. A true leader does not want power all to himself, he wants power for his nation, for his people and make the nation stronger.
If Zuko had remained a prince comfortable in his castle he would have never learned to be a real leader. It was the failure of capturing the avatar and the seasons of loneliness and being lost that turned him into a great leader. A leader that puts his people first.
There is an old saying that goes like this.
Great leaders are not born, they are made.
Take Responsibility For Your Sins
When Azula brought Zuko home after he betrayed the Avatar and his uncle, Zuko began to think about all the things that he had done. He was one again comfortable in his castle with his father and sister. However, despite the comfort, he could not sleep at night. The guilt was just too great. He betrayed his uncle and he allowed Azula to almost kill the Avatar with her lightning attack.
Zuko felt so guilty that he finally decided to do the right thing and stand up to his father. He then apologize to the Avatar and promised to teach him fire bending. Zuko atoned for his sins and he freed the world from the wrath of fire lord Ozai. Began as an exile prince and finished as a hero.
Some people ignore the horrible things that they have done and instead of facing the shame and humiliation and be strong enough to apologize, they choose to ignore their sins and wait until karma gets them which is usually much worst.
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