What I Learned From Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

My interpretation and takeaways from the story of Zuko, Prince of the Fire Nation.

[sim.frischh]

Sometimes we all could need an Uncle Iroh

[jalarasstudios]

I've heard a quote that I love and think is true: "We came in at the beginning for Aang, but we stayed until the very end for Zuko." Honestly, Zuko is probably the character with the strongest story arc of the all.

[enriquecastaneda]

"Hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength"

[bluegoose]

"Much like me back then, Zuko was just a teenager, and the son of the fire lord"

Are you saying you're the son of a fire lord???

[deetour]

Who ever wrote this show will forever be a legend

[nicholas]

Zuko: How can you forgive me so easily?! I thought you would be furious with me.
Iroh: I was never angry with you. I was sad, because I was afraid you lost your way.
Zuko: I did lose my way.
Iroh: But you found it again! And you did it by yourself! And I am so happy you found your way here.

[vaibhavbarak]

What I learned from Zuko: You have to look within yourself to save yourself from your other self. Only then will your true self reveal itself.

[MarcAlcatraz]

psh, I'm not crying, IM TEAR BENDING

[Dachusblot]

I always saw Zuko & Aang's character journeys as kind of mirror images of each other. Aang has a pretty solid grasp of himself as a person from the beginning, and he has to struggle to stay true to that *despite* what life throws at him. In contrast, Zuko doesn't really know who he is at the beginning, and he has to struggle to figure that out *because of* what life throws at him. And in the end, they both end up in the same place. :-)

[renaissancejuan]

"That's a great Zuko costume! But your scar is on the wrong side."

Zuko taught me patience. That's for

[chadnorman]

Zuko has the best character development i've seen in any show, and that's why i love his character so much. My favorite quote he said was, "you're going to fail a lot before things work out, even though you'll probably fail over and over and over again, you have to try every time, you cant quite because you're afraid you might fail". he has given me so much inspiration and hope. :)

[sunny_waifu]

I used to watch the show when I was a kid. Now I see why I need to go back and watch it again

[EnbyNomad]

I dont know why there's been a resurgence of ATLA videos, but I am not complaining.

[Galymd]

I think it is almost universally accepted that Zuko is one of the best written characters of all time, in any medium.
Great video, made me feel really proud of our boy Zuzu :)

[WonderAsh_]

Honestly, what I would give to forget watching this show and to experience that magic the first time all over again. Because this show, these characters, Zuko and Iron themselves, there is something so so special about this.

[cristianiacob]

For Zuko, the Avatar is a metaphor for the pursuit of happiness. A person chooses a great goal for their life (getting rich, perfect job, perfect spouse, killing the Avatar), hoping that by achieving said goal, their life will be perfect forever. Then, when they reach that goal, they realize life is more complex than that and remain incomplete (many rich celebrities are depressed, addicted to drugs, suicidal). In the end, our character may find their peace by changing themselves and their lives. They understand that a perfect life is impossible, and what they are actually searching for is Purpose, not Happiness. Then, they may finally be complete.

[Emilielove]

I think how his hair grows out over the series is a good indicator of his gradual development. Like he’s still trying to find his perfect fit before settling on the idea of fighting for peace.

[leerose]

I’ve seen this show around 6-7 times. It will never get old. I’m tempted to have kids just so I can show it to them. And I’m not the biggest fan of kiddos.

[covid_sucks]

“Pride is not the opposite of shame, but it’s source, true humility is the true antidote for shame”

The best character of the all

Iroh

[MainUkraine]

Zuko had the opportunity to kill his father by redirecting the lightning at him after the solar eclipse, but he chose not to. The reason being the same as his Uncle Iroh when he was asked to fight Ozai when Aang went missing on the Lion Turtle. "Even if I defeat my brother, and I don't know that I could, it would only be another act of violence...it has to be the Avatar."