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Todoroki and Zuko Parallel

So, I was seaching tumblr for this, and I’m surprised that I couldn’t find anything, so here, a meta between me and Mod Monoma. Enjoy!

Personality

Both Todoroki and Zuko are pressured to act a certain way and are forced into these roles set by their fathers who both have ridiculous standards for their sons. With Zuko, his conduct needed to be suited for a prince and he was very restricted to excelling (but is also constantly put down). He was also not allowed to make his own decisions and needed to sacrifice himself for the greater good of the kingdom. For Todoroki, he needed to be the better version of Endeavour, essentially an upgraded version of his father. Endeavour’s pettiness and denial against the fact that All Might earned his position as top hero needed someone to beat him. Todoroki was forced to master both of his abilities and be top tier, even as a child. From he was born, up until now (and still), he was expected to be better and stronger than All Might

They both are introduced as stoic, straightforward characters with a very specific goal in mind. While for Zuko, it was to kill the Avatar, Todoroki’s main goal was to become a top hero, something that he has to fight his way through to accomplish.

Later on, as each their stories progress, they become more comfortable with speaking to their friends and family. Todoroki struggled with speaking to his classmates for a long while, until finally getting to know people like Izuku on a more personal level. Soon he was portrayed to be more involved in the class’s activities, much like how Zuko was later shown to be working with Aang in order to defeat the fire nation.

However, they were still keeping secrets from those who are close to them. Due to the unresolved trauma of their pasts, their trust issues become a huge problem for not only them but the people who are close with these characters. For Zuko, it caused a rift in a few of his personal relationships, like with Mai, while for Todoroki it was less of secret keeping and more of an unwillingness to display his innermost feelings and the reasons behind them. In the way that they have been presented, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they shared something important in their current events when it gets so bad that they’re pestered for it (ex. Dramatic backstories and whatnot)

((WHY ARE THEY SO STUBBORN LIKE PLEASE CAN YOU JUST LET US HUG YOU. ALSO- YOU KNOW WHAT’S ANOTHER COMMONALITY?? THE FACT THAT THEY DON’T EXIST. *highkey crying*))

[Family] General Description

Now, since this is just a parallel, not everything is going to be perfect of course. Comparing Azula to Fuyumi isn’t going to work out at all since they’re basically polar opposites. But in general, their family situation is fundamentally similar, with the tyrant dad and the absent mother, along with siblings that were never really there for them. Todoroki and Zuko were both very distant with their family, and didn’t see/get along with their siblings often. For Todoroki, he was separated at an early age, which meant that he could never form complete ties with his brothers and sisters who were rarely around as well. Fuyumi has begun to bridge this gap between them, and he does begin to allow himself to rely on his older sister now, unlike in the past where he couldn’t. For Zuko, on the other hand, Azula was his only sibling, and she definitely wasn’t good for him at all. Their relationship is covered in fractures, but there are parts in ATLA where she does show some sort of concern for his well-being (not before her’s though), like when she pretended that Zuko had killed Aang instead of taking the credit (although she really was setting him up there). There’s no taking back the things that could never happen in their past

Father x Son Relationship

To outsiders, their fathers were considered heroes in one way or another. They prioritized their image and other people over blood, seeing them as simply something dispensable. They were considered villains to the people who actually knew them and oppressed everyone in order to establish dominance.

Both Zuko and Todoroki’s scars were a result of their fathers’ mistreatment, despite being inflicted in different ways. Because of Zuko’s unyielding pressure from his family (more often than not, his father) to progress and become a better firebender than he already was, he overworked himself and eventually fought his father in a match he was almost sure to lose at his current skill level. This is a direct example of his father causing the scar, but for Todoroki, it was more indirect. His mother was abused to the point of finding anything involving her husband to be ‘painful’ to look at, causing her to be startled by Shouto’s sudden appearance and making her throw the boiling water on his face. While Endeavor didn’t throw the boiling water, it was because of him that she felt so startled.

The fathers had abused their wives as well as their sons. We learned this from the manga and we saw it reasserted in the anime. This caused their mothers to be distant and slowly giving them less and less affection. It could be asserted that they were the reason they had become less inclined to trusting others, as they assumed their fathers would stop them from forming meaningful bonds. While they might not have been there physically, there always was the background thought that their fathers would not approve of the friendship, instantly making them less likely to be willing to make friends.

Todoroki didn’t really find the need to seek out his father’s love and approval in the series, but one of Zuko’s main motivations was to impress his father and be once again accepted into the family. In this way, they couldn’t be more different.

It is also worth considering how the boy’s opinions of their fathers change as the plot progresses. Zuko shows us that his relationship with his father is distant and Ozai is a fearful, oppressive figure in his life. However, the firebender learns that his father is actually less of an allpower figure in his life, and more pathetic than anything else. Shouto grew more and more apathetic to his father, finding that it was possible to not let himself consider his father’s looming presence. He learned that it was possible to become a hero because of his own will, and not with his father’s influence.

While Endeavor found that Todoroki was the perfect ‘product’ of his and his wife’s quirks, Ozai actually felt resentment towards his son, calling him a failure. Endeavor placed a great amount of faith into training his son to eventually become the next top hero. Ozai, however, didn’t find much use in his son’s existence (gottam Ozai) and didn’t invest much time in Zuko’s childhood.

The fathers themselves, are, to put it shortly, complete jerks who shouldn’t be raising children.They not only have hotheads ( ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ), but they show a general lack of empathy for their children. Ozai’s natural inclination is to find use in his children, especially when it comes to their firebending abilities. Endeavor keeps pressuring his wife to bear him children in hopes that one day he will find someone who he considers strong enough to surpass All Might, and Shouto ends up to be that child. They put them through unbearable physical and emotional abuse that causes them to distance themselves and make them wary of getting personal with others. Overall, they’re pretty bad dads (and that’s an understatement)

Mother x Son Relationship

The mother and son relationship of both characters have been a significant part of who they are and because of their past, it had also initially warped them

Now, obviously, both Zuko and Todoroki’s mothers weren’t present for their childhood, and only played the most minor role as they grew older, definitely taking a back seat to ‘terrible parenting’ with their dads driving that vehicle (essentially running both our beloved boys over time and time again), but there is a lot more on that similarity

It wasn’t as if the mothers of both series decided to simply give up on their child. It has been shown that they did originally have a ‘good’ or at least ‘functional’ relationship at first. Unfortunately, that would be changed due to the awful fathers of both Zuko and Todoroki. Todoroki’s mom did not want him to turn out like his father and told him that his ice ability was his, not something that belonged to Endeavour. With Zuko’s mom, she often protected him from Azula’s harshness and defended him when Ozai called him ‘useless’ or a ‘failure’ when he couldn’t firebend in a polished way like his prodigal sister. In the end, with pressure to be a mother and the pressure of simply being there as a trophy wife, they both ended up caving and vanished from their son’s life and being treated less than they actually deserved. They also left due to interefence from their husbands (with Todoroki’s mom being sent to a psych ward and Usra, Zuko’s mom, needing to leave due to a deal made with Ozai for Zuko)

Although this is slight spoilers, both mothers do end up showing up again later on in both series, with Todoroki going to visit his mother after the UA Festival after rethinking his past due to Midoriya’s valiant (and slightly intrusive but pure of heart) actions. It’s not as if everything is fixed, but it is the beginning of their relationship being healed in the very least. For Zuko, his despised sister actually leads him to where his mother had fled too with Team Avatar. Conflicts arise, but in the end, it does lead to Ursa and Zuko having a conversation to correct all the hurt in the past

Both mothers could not handle the abuse towards their children, as a result of trying to be manipulated and bent to the respective father’s will. Todoroki’s mother unfortunately caved to the pressure, but Zuko’s abuse was the unintended consequence of the discourse between Ursa and Ozai. They too were abused by their husbands mentally, if not physically as well.

It’s pretty awful to be honest, but their actions, when misunderstood by their sons, were taken in such a wrong way that also painted them as the villains of their past, which isn’t the case. It was because of other events leading up to the singular event that traumatized both the mother and the son (ie pouring the boiling water on Todoroki’s face and leaving Zuko to fend for himself in the jungle that was the palace). They were blamed for many things as well (turning their sons into something twisted/ wasn’t there to be moral support and protect and love them). Their relationship with their sons were originally terrible, but once the reader/watcher’s eyes were opened, they, along with the characters themselves, could understand why it even occurred. It’s not to say that it wasn’t a shitty move, but being pushed into a corner could drive many people to do things they didn’t think they were capable of.

I hate to say it, but it’s true- they were both forced to marry people they didn’t want to be wed to due to a marriage of convenience. Both men wooed their wives into marrying them with the end goal of simply producing superior offspring, which ended up not fulfilling their selfish expectations in the end (after rebelling hardcore). They got married because of what they could give in the relationship, but with all the egocentricity, their relationship was a huge example of parasitism. Only one side benefitted while the other was harmed in the process. Their abilities and kindness were taken advantage of, damaging the individual and the people around them, in the process

They tried to love their sons to the best of their abilities and it is not their fault that world decided to screw them over and say that ‘Hey, no, I’m sorry. We can’t have a decent parent in the house, so we’re going to destroy that part and create angst and trauma within these seven year olds’

In short, the mothers both tried their best to raise their sons in a way were they would have done much good and kindness to society, but instead, their assholish husbands decided to be dicks and completely fuck up their son’s future in order to further push their stupid ideals and degrading these poor woman to something less than a dollar store toy or a one-trick pony

[Friends] Character Interactions (imperfect comparisons)- Midoriya/Aang

Midoriya and Aang were both shown as the two boys’ rivals. When Shouto first interacts with Izuku, he challenges him to do his best in the Sports Festival arc, asserting that he will win. Zuko’s main motivation during the first book was to find the Avatar and kill him, in order to seek his father’s approval.

Over time, the relationship between these characters changed from hostility to grudging respect as both Midoriya and Aang continually tried gain their trust and understand their perspective. They do end up becoming allies first with grudging respect earned from their actions and eventually friends. Zuko sides with Aang to fight against his father’s oppression and basically his former way of life, while Todoroki, in the manga, rushes off to Midoriya when he’s in need of help and is willing to go with him whether asked or not

When they start to fight with each other, Zuko and Todoroki begin to learn that they are more than what their fathers made them out to be. In a way, Midoriya and Todoroki helped show each other what it meant to be a hero, much like how Aang and Zuko both realized that they had to do what’s best for the outcome of the world.

Midoriya and Aang are both the main characters of their respective series, and are both positive figures in the stories. They both are meant to be inspirational to the rest of the cast, and that definitely shows after they speak to the tragic heroes of each story.

These two stay very positive and are always open to what the other characters have to say. If they can get out of the conflict peacefully, they will, but they don’t hesitate to stand and fight when and if push-comes-to-shove. Midoriya and Aang give Todoroki and Zuko another chance after the initial cold treatment and go out of their way to break down their walls and befriend them

Momo/Mai

So, in ATLA, Zuko and Mai get together at the very end (once again), and although we can only speculate what will happen between Momo and Todoroki, although they have gotten closer from the times that they have interacted in the manga, and I think (personally) that they could be considered as friends or acquaintances in the very least. Well, I’m straying, but Yaoyorozu is the closest person I could think of in joint with Mai

Both Momo and Mai hail from rich and powerful families who have lots of power in the universe that they belong in. Mai’s parents are politicians who are also very much in Ozai’s favour. As for Momo, her parents are heroes who have a great deal of influence as well. Because of this, it’s safe to assume that although they were definitely well off, their interactions with their family are kept to almost a minimum

These characters were initially assumed to be cold and indifferent, or at least in another world compared to everyone else. However, looking past that, they are both extremely loyal individuals who stay true in what they believe in and rarely ever falter. If there is something that needs to be voiced, they are usually the ones to do it. Mai and Momo are strong on their own, but they are much stronger in groups (ex. Team Todoroki and Azula’s group)

Momo and Mai are very resourceful (ha because of Momo’s quirk ;) okay, I’ll stop) and are quick-witted (well, for the most part), and they have a wide knowledge of many, many things. Momo needs to understand and be able to put to use informations about molecular engineering in order to create things using her quirk. They are both really smart and are able to apply their knowledge in all types of situations

Todoroki and Momo, along with Zuko and Mai, met in similar circumstances, although they are pretty different when cross-examining the shows. Todoroki and Momo got in due to their recommendation letters, probably putting them at the top of their junior high classes. Zuko and Mai are in the dominant families that oversee the Fire Nation, which means their commonality would be their blood

It’s clear that Zuko and Mai’s relationship is definitely more romantic while Todoroki and Momo’s is platonic, but both males are willing to help out when they have a problem of any sort. These two (or well, four) work well together as a unit and they’re fairly good with strategy and fighting

Bakugou/Sokka

Sokka and Zuko… didn’t really get along much in the beginning of the series. Bakugou and Todoroki? They got along even less.

Bakugou and Todoroki later, however, don’t necessarily grow closer, but learn to at least tolerate each other. Zuko and Sokka work together a lot to reach a common goal but they don’t exactly consider each other close friends.

These four bickered/fought like there was no tomorrow in the beginning of both series. Like really- never would have anyone thought that they become allies at all

Reluctant acceptance takes place of the mutual hatred and annoyance. They do end up acknowledging each other’s strengths later on and even sometimes helping each other

Although Zuko and Sokka couldn’t be considered good friends in the animation, they were definitely allies and trusted each other. Sokka and Zuko get closer as they get older, with Sokka being the Avatar’s advisor and having a role on the council that had been put together in order to maintain peace (Legend of Korra right there). Although that can’t be said for Bakugou and Todoroki where the anime/manga stands, they are past the simple ‘I despise you’ stage

Both Sokka and Bakugou know about Zuko and Todoroki’s past, although Bakugou hasn’t exactly brought that up with Todoroki yet (because he was eavesdropping during the festival)

They trust in each other’s abilities, and have actually gotten jealous over what the other person has, like Zuko wanting to belong and be trusted while Sokka wanted to be powerful. And well, Bakugou and Todoroki with their abilities and etc

((THIS IS LIKE THE LOVE-HATE BROMANCE. They’re chill but it’s not like they’re going to hop onto the braid train. Oh also, I hc that Zuko and Sokka hang out to complain about Katara and Aang being all lovey-dovey and so they go out on bro-dates. More to come on Bakugou/Todoroki friendship :3 ))

Iida/Katara & Toph

Iida is almost always portrayed as the voice of reason in the series (except during the Hero Killer arc *sweats*) and Katara and Toph try to set others on the right path, while struggling with their own personal insecurities.

In this relationship, Iida and Todoroki both respect each other’s abilities and often seek each other’s help in times in need, like in the Sports Festival arc. While Toph doesn’t interact as much with Zuko in the series, Katara and him both fight comfortably together, despite having incredibly different personalities.

Shouto also worries about his classmate’s mental health. Iida is shown to go through countless struggle after struggle, and Todoroki understands and even helps Iida through these times. In ATLA, however, Katara and Toph are less inclined to show their feelings. Katara sometimes finds it in herself to tell her closer friends, like Aang, her brother, and Zuko, about things that were troubling her, like her worries about her tribe and abilities. However, in the last book (season) of ATLA, Katara allows Zuko to accompany her to take revenge on the person who had killed her mother, while Toph goes out of her way to be partnered up with Zuko in their search for Aang to talk about her family (although Zuko couldn’t exactly console her or do anything about it)

Because of their willingness to grow as not only good people, but also as people that will help others, they are portrayed as strong characters with a very precise set of morals. All three of these characters have honestly been through a lot, and deserve happy endings that they won for themselves, thank you very much.

Well, there was supposed to be another part for what we might see in the future in alignment with ATLA, but we figured it was too long, but don’t worry, it’ll be here soon ;)

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