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Zuko would not be a smooth, charming, secretly manipulative yandere.
He would be intense, awkward, emotionally constipated, and painfully obvious without meaning to be.
He does not know how to love casually.
When Zuko cares, he cares like it is a battlefield, a duty, a wound, and a lifeline all at once.
His obsession would come from fear, abandonment, shame, and his lifelong belief that love must be earned before it disappears.
He wouldn't become obsessed because he wants power over you.
He becomes obsessed because you make him feel seen.
If you show him patience, kindness, and genuine understanding, it would hit him harder than any Agni Kai.
Zuko is used to people fearing him, judging him, using him, rejecting him, or expecting him to fail.
So if you look at him and see a person rather than a prince, traitor, enemy, or weapon, he would not know how to handle it.
At first, he would deny his feelings.
Aggressively in the beginning.
Then embarrassingly later on.
With the emotional subtlety of a flaming boulder.
If Iroh casually suggested that Zuko cared about you, Zuko would snap, “I don’t care!”
Then he would spend the next hour staring out at the ocean like a banished raccoon with unresolved attachment issues.
His love would not begin as romance in his mind.
It would begin as concern.
Zuko would convince himself that everything he does is for your safety.
He would tell himself he only watches you because the world is dangerous.
That he only follows you because you might get hurt.
That he keeps people away from you because they cannot be trusted.
Now, the problem is that Zuko’s definition of “dangerous” can become very broad when he is scared.
Anyone from Azula’s circle is dangerous.
Anyone who makes you laugh too easily is suspicious.
Anyone who looks at you for too long has apparently chosen death by bad decision.
Zuko would be very protective, but not soft about it at first.
His concern would sound like criticism.
Translation: Please rest. I am worried about you.
Translation: Please do not risk yourself. I cannot lose you.
Translation: I will burn the world bald before I let someone hurt you.
Zuko would not be emotionally fluent.
He would feel too much, then express it badly.
He would stare when he is worried.
He would snap when he is scared.
He would pace when you are gone too long.
He would pretend he was not waiting for you. (He was absolutely waiting)
If you returned late, he would not say, “I was scared.”
He would say, “Where were you?”
It would sound accusatory.
His face would betray him.
Zuko’s jealousy would be immediate and obvious.
He would not smile politely while hiding it.
His shoulders would rise like he is preparing for war over eye contact.
If someone flirted with you, he would interrupt.
“You’re standing too close.”
If they laughed, he would step closer and repeat himself.
“I said you’re standing too close.”
Zuko would hate feeling jealous.
It would make him feel weak.
He already hates wanting things because wanting means someone can take them away.
You becoming important to him would terrify him.
He has already lost his mother.
He was burned and banished by his father.
He betrayed Iroh and nearly destroyed the one stable love he had.
He knows what loss feels like.
He knows what regret tastes like.
So when he loves you, fear follows close behind like a shadow with teeth.
Early Book One Zuko would be the most volatile yandere version.
He would be angry, defensive, desperate for honor, and terrible at understanding his own feelings.
If he met you during his hunt for the Avatar, he would probably justify keeping you near him through strategy.
He would say you know too much.
He would say you might interfere.
He would say you are safer where he can see you.
Secretly, he would panic when you are out of sight.
He would be possessive without having the emotional maturity to recognize it.
If you challenged him, he would get defensive.
“I’m trying to protect you!”
If you asked why he cared so much, he would freeze.
Then he would get angry because freezing embarrassed him.
Zuko’s anger often protects a much softer feeling underneath.
As a yandere, that pattern would become very obvious.
Irritation covers tenderness.
After Ba Sing Se, his obsession would become heavier and more conflicted.
If you were with him in the Fire Nation palace, he would become extremely protective.
The palace would feel dangerous to him.
Not because of swords or soldiers.
Because of the smiles, politics, servants listening at doors, nobles using kindness like perfume over poison, and most of all...
He would warn you not to trust certain people.
He would tell you which hallways to avoid.
He would quietly arrange guards near your room.
If you noticed, he would deny it.
“That has nothing to do with me.”
It absolutely has everything to do with him.
If Azula noticed his attachment to you, Zuko would become even worse.
Azula would notice immediately.
She would see the way his eyes move toward you first.
She would hear the change in his voice.
She would recognize how easy it is to provoke him through you.
Zuko would know that she knows.
He would become stricter.
More insistent that you stay close.
If you accused him of trying to control you, he would look wounded before he looked angry.
Because part of him knows you are right.
Another part of him believes he is the only thing standing between you and danger.
Post-redemption Zuko would be the most tragic yandere version.
He would recognize that his obsession is unhealthy.
He chased the Avatar across the world because he believed capturing him would restore his honor.
He knows what tunnel vision can do.
So when he starts feeling that same consuming focus toward you, he would be horrified.
He would try to restrain himself.
He would try not to follow you.
He would try not to ask where you have been.
He would try not to glare at people who get too close.
He would fail sometimes. (A lot of times, actually)
The difference is that post-redemption Zuko would feel guilty.
He would not be proud of frightening you.
He would not enjoy controlling you.
If he scared you, it would devastate him.
He might still get defensive first, because it is Zuko.
But after the anger fades, shame would settle in.
He would apologize stiffly.
“I shouldn’t have done that.”
Then, after a painful pause, he would force himself to continue.
“I was scared. That doesn’t make it right.”
That kind of apology would cost him.
But he would say it because Zuko’s entire arc is about choosing to become better.
His yandere love language would be protection.
He would sit near the entrance so he can see threats first.
He would train you in self-defense if you asked.
He would correct your stance with intense focus.
He would get frustrated if you were reckless.
If you got hurt during training, he would look furious.
At the fact that bruises exist.
He would say, “I told you to guard your side.”
Translation: I aged twelve years watching that happen.
Zuko would also show love through small acts of service.
He would remember what foods you like.
He would notice when you are cold.
He would give you his cloak or blanket without making eye contact.
He would make sure you ate.
He would pretend it is practical.
It is devotion wearing a grumpy little hat.
His compliments would be awkward.
If you smiled, he would immediately look away.
He would remember that smile forever.
Zuko would treasure small moments intensely.
The first time you trust him enough to fall asleep near him, he would sit still for a long time.
The first time you touch his arm casually, his brain would briefly leave the physical world.
The first time you defend him, he would not know what to say.
He might snap, “I didn’t need help.”
But later, quietly, he would say, “Thank you.”
If you ever touched the scarred side of his face gently, he would go completely still.
He would not pull away unless he panicked.
He would look vulnerable in a way he hates.
If you kissed his scar, he might not speak for a while.
That tenderness would undo him.
Zuko has been hurt through that scar.
Being loved through it would feel impossible.
His possessiveness would become strongest when he thinks you are leaving.
Abandonment is his deepest wound.
If you tried to walk away after discovering how obsessive he had become, he would unravel.
Early Zuko might physically block your path.
He would insist it is too dangerous for you to leave.
He might order someone to stop you.
Then the second he saw betrayal on your face, regret would hit him hard.
Post-redemption Zuko would want to stop you, but he would force himself not to touch you.
His hands would curl into fists at his sides.
He would take one step, then stop himself.
His voice would crack before he could hide it.
That would be Zuko at his rawest.
His confession would probably happen during a crisis.
Zuko does not plan emotional speeches well.
He would confess after nearly losing you, after an argument, or after realizing someone else could take you from him.
He might say something like, “I thought I knew what I wanted. Honor, my throne, my father’s approval. I chased it until I couldn’t recognize myself. But when I thought something happened to you, none of that mattered. I couldn’t breathe. Because I care for you. It’s you. It’s always been you.”
Then he would look horrified because his entire soul just escaped without permission.
Iroh would be very important in keeping yandere Zuko from spiraling.
Iroh would notice Zuko’s attachment early.
He would notice the pacing.
The way Zuko becomes calmer and more unstable around you at the same time.
Iroh would not mock him cruelly.
He would remind Zuko that love cannot be forced.
He would tell him that protection without trust becomes a cage.
Zuko would pretend not to listen.
He would absolutely listen.
Iroh would probably compare Zuko to a teapot left too long over a flame.
Mostly because it is accurate.
Fire Lord Zuko as a yandere would be dangerous in a different way.
The ability to make problems disappear through official channels.
That would scare him because he knows what abusive power looks like.
He knows rulers can call control “order.”
He would try very hard not to become like his father.
But if someone threatened you, insulted you, or tried to use you politically, Zuko would become frighteningly cold.
He would not rage immediately.
He would remove people from positions where they could harm you.
If a noble tried to manipulate you, they might suddenly lose access to the palace.
If a court faction used your name in a scheme, Zuko would dismantle them with terrifying focus.
He would tell himself it is justice.
Sometimes it would be obsession wearing royal armor.
He would struggle with the difference.
The palace would quietly rearrange itself around your safety.
More guards near your wing.
More trusted servants assigned to you.
More reports brought to him.
More “coincidences” keeping certain people away.
If you confronted him, he would not have an easy answer.
Fire Lord Zuko wants to be fair.
Yandere Zuko wants you safe at any cost.
Those two parts of him would fight constantly.
Zuko would not be a sadistic yandere.
He would not enjoy your fear.
He would not want you broken.
He would not want blind obedience.
Unfortunately, choice is what scares him most.
Because if you can choose him, you can also choose to leave.
That thought would haunt him.
He would sometimes ask blunt questions because anxiety chews through his restraint.
“Do you still want this?”
If you hesitated, he would shut down.
Because he is bracing for impact.
Zuko would need reassurance, but he would hate needing it.
He would never want to seem weak.
But with you, the mask would crack.
He would crave proof that you still care.
Choosing to stay when you could leave.
A healthier yandere Zuko would still be obsessive, but self-aware.
He would still get jealous.
He would still worry too much.
He would still want to keep you close.
But he would fight the urge to control you.
He would apologize when he overstepped.
He would listen, even if it took effort.
He would try to protect you without owning you.
That struggle is what makes him faithful to canon.
Zuko’s story is not about being naturally good.
It is about choosing good after being shaped by cruelty.
As a yandere, he would stand on that same edge.
One side of him would cling, command, and control.
The other side would let go, trust, and choose love over fear.
He would not always choose correctly.
That is the most Zuko thing about him.
He is not a polished villain with a perfect mask.
He is a wounded boy who became a scarred prince, then a better man through painful choices.
His obsession would burn hot, messy, and frightened.
His love would feel like fire in a closed room.
Bright enough to blind him.
Dangerous if he forgets to open the door.
