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The Avatar and the Firelord: Aang and Zuko Parallels

Avatar: The Last Airbender gives us two juxtaposed storylines.

The first storyline, focusing on Aang, tells the story of an Air Nomad monk who, at the age of 12, finds out that he’s the Avatar. Faced with this burden, Aang runs away and accidentally freezes himself, eventually waking up one hundred years later in a world that has been ravished by the Fire Nation. With the coming of Sozin’s Comet less than a year away, Aang goes on an epic adventure as he tries to master all four elements so he can defeat Firelord Ozai.

Alongside this storyline we have the story of Ozai’s son Zuko who, at the age of 13, is burned and banished for speaking out of turn at a war meeting. Exiled from his home, Zuko is told that he can’t return until he finds the Avatar. When the Avatar finally reveals himself, Zuko begins chasing him, and we see how these two characters interact as the series progresses until Zuko ultimately joins Aang to defeat his father.

With that said, despite being two very different storylines, the experiences that these two characters go through have parallels and connections that help tie them together. Thus, this post will look at these two characters, as well as multiple Avatar episodes, to demonstrate the parallels between them.

But, before we get started, let me explain how I plan to go about this meta because, let’s be real, if you’ve been following my blog, you know that we have a lot of ground to cover.

Therefore, I’m going to start by going over some of the general themes, parallels, and contrasts that follow Aang and Zuko through their adventures, as well as going over some of the thematic trends that follow them too.

With that out of the way, I’ll get into the specifics—talking about the parallels that take place episode-by-episode and season-by-season. I won’t go through everything, since not all the parallels are important plot wise (like this one) but, I’ll go through the really important ones that help establish the storyline of each character.

So, with that said, let’s begin!

General Themes

Upbringing

Let’s start off by talking about Aang and Zuko’s respective upbringings.

The cultures that Aang and Zuko grew up in were very different from each other. Aang, growing up in a loving, supportive environment, grew up to be very much the optimist. This all changes, however, when the burden of his new identity as the Avatar, coupled with the possibility of him being separated from his father figure, Monk Gyatso, push him to run away. This eventually leads to him being frozen, and waking up a hundred years later in a world that’s been taken over by the Fire Nation.

Zuko, in contrast, grew up in a much more aggressive nation, one that chewed him up and spat him back out all because he was unable to conform to their warmongering ways.

I won’t go into too much detail here but, if you’re interested in reading more about the differences between the environments that Aang and Zuko grew up in, here’s a relevant link.

Now then, let’s talk about destiny.

Destiny

“Destiny is a funny thing. You never know how things are going to work out. But if you keep an open mind and an open heart, I promise you will find your own destiny someday.”

Both Aang and Zuko were born into their destinies—Aang as the Avatar, and Zuko as the Fire Nation prince. Furthermore, both Aang and Zuko face challenges when it comes to dealing with their respective destinies, and the responsibility that comes with it. Aang is constantly trying to figure out what it means to be the Avatar while also learning to become the Avatar, and Zuko is constantly trying to figure out his place as the Fire Nation prince.

Another related theme is how Aang and Zuko repeatedly deny their true destinies.

For instance, Aang grapples with his destiny as the Avatar as he runs away, and later lies about his identity. Likewise, Zuko too grapples with his true destiny as a potential ally to the Avatar as he travels around the world on his quest to capture Aang. As the show progresses, we see how both characters learn to fully embrace their true destinies until they ultimately come together in the last half of the third season.

On a related note, Aang and Zuko’s destinies shape many of their decisions, and these decisions often revolve around love.

For example, Aang, fearing loneliness and separation from Gyatso, runs away. And later, when he interprets Pathik’s words to mean that he must completely detach himself from Katara, Aang chooses not to let go of her, and thus not achieve the Avatar state (in “The Guru,” at least).

Similarly, Zuko, fearing losing his father’s love, bases many of his decisions on just that—gaining his father’s love. Thus, we see him constantly going after Aang, and even betraying his uncle just so he can have a shot at getting what he wants most.

Here, we see yet another contrast between Aang and Zuko. Where Aang knew where his true love and connections were, Zuko had to discover his through trial after trial. Aang knew his path from the start, and Zuko had to learn his.

Additionally, we see a very distinct arc when it comes to Aang and Zuko dealing with their respective destinies. This pattern also ties into the themes of identity and loss as well, and involves many parallels and contrasts which will be discussed even more as this meta continues.

Anyway, Book 1 starts off with Aang denying his destiny as the Avatar, while Zuko is pursuing his (or rather, he’s pursuing what he thinks his destiny is). As Book 1 progresses, Aang begins to accept his destiny, while Zuko is denying his—thus, spurring him on in his quest. By Book 1’s end, we see Aang being able to continue with his overall goal of ending the war, gaining a waterbending master through Katara, and successfully repelling the Fire Nation at the North Pole. Meanwhile, Zuko’s journey comes to an apparent halt when he’s forced to abandon his search.

In Book 2, Aang works on the next step of his Avatar training as he tries to learn earthbending. Here, we see him going from defense (defending the Northern Water Tribe) to offense (getting to Ba Sing Se and trying to get the Earth King’s help in ending the war). Meanwhile, Zuko is lost, having to let go of his desire to gain his father’s love as well as his birthright. With nothing to replace his dream of gaining his father’s love and his wanting to return home, we see him struggle to live in the Earth Kingdom, and continuously denying his circumstances as well as the truth of the war and his father in favor of hanging onto even the smallest shred of hope for having something like his old home.

Still, even in Book 2, when Zuko is desperately wanting to return home, there’s something boiling under the surface, something that for now lays dormant until everything starts to come together in Book 3 when Zuko begins to accept the truth of the suffering that both he and the people around him were put through. This, however, can only happen when he returns home, and puts aside his need for his father’s love.

That said, Book 2′s ending reverses what happened in Book 1. Where Aang successfully repelled the Fire Nation in “Siege of the North” here, he fails, and his quest comes to an apparent halt. Meanwhile, Zuko’s journey is seemingly able to continue after he joins Azula and regains his title and passage home.

This brings us to Book 3, which starts off with Zuko triumphant, while Aang is defeated and in hiding. Yet, we clearly see something happening under the surface, with Zuko struggling with his decisions and Aang preparing himself for a renewed assault.

Thus, we come to our big turning point with Aang coming out of hiding and again taking a stand as the Avatar, and Zuko finally putting everything together and joining Aang.

This brings us to one final note regarding Aang and Zuko’s destinies. Both Aang and Zuko are destined to be unifiers. Aang, as the Avatar, is destined to bring peace and harmony to the world; Zuko is destined to bring peace and harmony to the Fire Nation.

This brings us to our next topic: identity.

Identity

Regarding identity, we again see Zuko and Aang as opposites. Zuko is a rich, spoiled banished prince who desperately wants to reclaim his old identity as his father’s rightful heir. Aang, in contrast, is a simple monk who at first rejects his identity as the Avatar, only to later embrace it.

By Book 2, Aang has accepted his Avatar role, and tries to continue his Avatar training. Zuko, on the other hand, is still struggling with his identity, wanting to regain his title, and with it his father’s love.

At the end of the series, however, both Aang and Zuko come to terms with their respective identities, and accept those identities as a part of who they are—Aang as the Avatar and the last airbender, and Zuko as the scarred, and once banished prince of the Fire Nation.

That said, just like with their destinies, we see how Aang and Zuko’s identities, and their struggle with their identities shapes their decisions. Aang, as an Avatar wanting to distance himself from his identity, is constantly having to learn to fill his role, and having to deal with the burden of having to bring balance to the world.

Likewise, Zuko too carries a heavy burden. But, where Aang constantly tried to distance himself from his identity as the Avatar, Zuko constantly rushed toward his identity as the Fire Nation prince. Or rather, the sort of Fire Nation prince he thought he was destined to become.

But, what about those things that remind them of their identities, and the world they lost?

Let’s talk about scars.

Scars

“I used to think this scar marked me…But lately, I’ve realized I’m free to determine my own destiny, even if I’ll never be free of my mark.”

Ever since my first time watching the show, I thought Aang’s “I have a scar,” line was meant to be a metaphor for how he perceived his Avatar status. Since he’s the last airbender, he’s the only one with airbender tattoos. And, since the last airbender happens to be the Avatar, Aang’s markings immediately identify him as the Avatar—a status that he never wished to have, and a status that he had to learn to accept. With that comes his added guilt seen in Books 1 and 2 about how he couldn’t help the airbenders (a theme that crops up in “The Storm,” and “The Guru”).

What hadn’t occurred to me until recently though was the possibility of Zuko’s similar line back in the season 2 finale being of equally symbolic value. Of course, Zuko is just referring to his physical scar, and we as the audience know he’s only referring to his physical scar. However, we also know that the scar’s meaning is much deeper than that. For not only does the scar represent Zuko’s banishment and all the implications that come with that but, it later comes to represent Zuko’s honor—the very thing Zuko thought he’d lost.

Thus, Aang and Zuko’s markings are a constant reminder of who they are (or, who society says they are). For Aang, it marks him as the last airbender, and the Avatar; for Zuko, it marks him as the honorless, banished prince of the Fire Nation who’s unloved by his father (until Book 3, when his scar begins to represent his honor). By the show’s end, both Aang and Zuko embrace what those markings stand for, and choose to move on from their pasts to forge their own destinies.

This allows both characters to stay true to themselves—Aang stays true to his roots when he defeats the Firelord without killing him, and Zuko finally stays true to himself when he defects from the Fire Nation to join the Gaang.

This brings us to another topic: mentors and masters.

Mentors and Masters

One of the elements that factor into the parallels between Aang and Zuko’s narratives is the role that Gyatso, Iroh, Katara, and Mai all play in Aang and Zuko’s respective journeys.

Let’s start off by looking at Monk Gyatso and Iroh, and the role they play in Aang and Zuko’s narratives.

Iroh was Zuko’s mentor, father figure, and firebending master. Likewise, Gyatso was Aang’s mentor, father figure, and airbending master. Iroh and Gyatso both cared for their respective charges deeply, and gave them advice, guidance, and wisdom when they could,

Gyatso and Iroh were also there when Aang and Zuko were burdened with their identities the most. Gyatso was there for Aang when the world around him demanded that he take a stand as the Avatar to defeat the Fire Nation threat looming on the horizon, and Iroh was there for Zuko when he was doing anything and everything in his power to restore his honor. Occasionally, Iroh and Gyatso would step in, thinking it best for their respective charges to relax, and have a more healthy, balanced lifestyle.

When Aang runs away in the flashback from “The Storm,” and later when Zuko betrays Iroh in “The Crossroads of Destiny,” we again see a nice little connection between these two characters. Where Aang ran away because he was burdened by his role as the Avatar, because he lost his friends, and because he was faced with the possibility of being separated from Gyatso, Zuko was willing to betray his uncle to restore his honor, and again be with his biological father whose love and acceptance he craved.

This leads to a nice set of parallels that focus on Aang and Zuko’s relationship with Monk Gyatso and Iroh respectively.

First, we have this parallel in which Aang expressing his anger at his elders for wanting to separate him from Gyatso in “The Storm” parallels Zuko expressing his anger and frustration in “The Beach,” which he admits has to do with himself, and his decisions.

Second, we have this example, which deals with Aang and Zuko trying to come to terms with their decisions as they go about their respective journeys. This usually follows the formula of them grieving or being reminded of their loss, only to be consoled by Guru Pathik, Katara, or another member of Team Avatar.

This brings us to our third and final parallel of this sort, which features Aang mourning Gyatso, and Zuko crying as he begs for his uncle’s forgiveness.

Thus, while Zuko was eventually able to reunite with his mentor, Aang was not.

With that out of the way, we can begin to focus on Katara and Mai, and the role they played in Aang and Zuko’s journeys.

So, after Aang gets frozen, and after Zuko betrays Iroh, the mentor figure in Aang and Zuko’s lives gets replaced by Katara and Mai respectively. And, while the circumstances surrounding these two characters are very different, Katara and Mai still provide a similar role by giving Aang and Zuko guidance if and when they can.

Let’s start with parallels between Gyatso and Katara. This is a pretty straightforward comparison. Katara and Gyatso both give Aang advice, listen to what he has to say, and act as Aang’s airbending and waterbending masters. Additionally, both Gyatso and Katara want Aang to be viewed as a person, and not just as a sort of super weapon that could be used to defeat the Fire Nation. We also get a nice parallel when Gyatso and Katara discover that Aang is missing (complete with Aang on the water during a storm, albeit for two different reasons)/

Turning our attention to Gyatso and Mai, both characters listen to their respective charges. We also see another parallel which I’ll talk about later in this meta.

So, what about Iroh then?

To answer that question, we can look at two sets of parallels.

Let’s start off with Iroh and Mai. Just like with Mai and Katara, the circumstances surrounding Mai and Iroh are very different. On the one hand, Iroh knows Zuko a lot. He’d been traveling with him for three long years, so he knows what to expect and when. On the other hand, the last time Mai saw Zuko was before his banishment.

Still, they both try their best to help Zuko by giving him advice, as well as doing other things like trying to cheer him up (even if they sometimes fail to do so), just plain listening to what he has to say, calling him out when he partakes in destructive behavior (and trying their best to keep Zuko from hurting himself and other people out of anger and frustration), setting boundaries for what is and isn’t acceptable behavior, and even by just backing away when they have to.

Next, we have parallels between Iroh and Katara. Again, they play a similar role by helping Aang and Zuko along their respective paths. They listen to them, help guide them, try to make them feel better (even if it sometimes doesn’t work), they lend their voice when they think Aang and Zuko are about to do something that will ultimately do more harm than good, they try to keep the peace when it looks like things are getting heated, and they too back away when they have to.

Having said that though, we can also look at parallels between Katara and Mai, to see how they factor into the mix as well. Just like Iroh, they listen to them when they’re brooding (and again, just like with Iroh, when they try to cheer them up, it sometimes doesn’t work), they call Aang and Zuko out when they display problematic, or unhealthy behaviors, and they too back away when they have to.

Looking only at Katara and Mai’s interactions with Zuko though, we see some nice camera framing parallels, as well as some other parallels that help tie everything together. For example, both Mai and Katara try to help Zuko along his path, either by listening to what he has to say, or by trying to cheer him up. Furthermore, we have these two parallels that feature Zuko (and Ty Lee) saving Mai and Katara from Azula, as well as these two parallels that have to do with Zuko hurting Mai and Katara emotionally, and Zuko seeking their forgiveness.

Now, having gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about loss.

Loss

“It is still inside of your heart, and is reborn in the form of new love.”

Aang and Zuko experience various kinds of loss, and deal with their loss in different sorts of ways. But, the show still does its best to tie everything together, especially when it comes to our three central characters: Aang, Zuko, and Katara.

Just focusing on Aang and Zuko though, we have four primary parental figures: Monk Gyatso, Iroh, Ozai, and Ursa.

While we never got to see Aang’s parents, we know that Monk Gyatso was like a father to him. Zuko, on the other hand, had both his parents. However, while Aang grew up in a supportive environment, Zuko grew up in a much more hostile, and abusive one. Still, Zuko, like Aang, had family that loved and supported him. He had his mother, Ursa, and he had Iroh, his uncle and surrogate father.

Both Aang and Zuko lose their parental figures at one point or another. Aang, fearing separation from Gyatso, runs away. This leads to him being frozen and eventually having to deal with Gyatso’s death. In addition to losing Gyatso, however, Aang also loses his entire culture, thus adding another layer to his grief.

Zuko’s situation is a little more different. While he doesn’t lose his culture, Zuko loses three parental figures between his birth and the final season, as well as being exiled from his homeland. That said, the sort of loss Zuko goes through with each of his parental figures is very different.

The first parental figure that Zuko loses is his father. The difficulty here though is that because of the abuse Zuko endured, Zuko doesn’t quite realize this until the second half of the third season, and thus does everything he can to gain and maintain whatever love Zuko thinks Ozai has for him.

However, Zuko’s journey—in terms of his losing Ozai’s love—leads him to conclude that whatever love Ozai had for him (if he even loved him), doesn’t matter because he had other, better parental figures in his life. Furthermore, as Zuko himself mentions, winning his father’s love wasn’t worth losing sight of who he was.

This brings us to Ursa and Iroh.

The next parental figure Zuko loses is his mother, who was banished as part of a deal that would spare Zuko’s life. And, while we don’t see her much, we still see how she helped shape some of Zuko’s decisions (like him not giving up in “Zuko Alone,” and his ultimately staying true to himself by choosing to leave the Fire Nation).

Eventually, Zuko also loses Iroh (albeit temporarily) when he seemingly renounces his love for him so he can gain his father’s love. However, after this betrayal and his reunion with his father, Zuko soon realizes that it’s Iroh’s love, and not Ozai’s twisted idea of love, that matters most.

And, as mentioned in previous sections, both Aang and Zuko are forced to confront their loss. They deal with this loss in different ways but, they still need to lean to move on, even if they’re only partially able to do so.

That said, we see how both Aang and Zuko have trouble dealing with loss, and are often in denial of that loss. As the series progresses, we see how their inability to deal with their loss and their refusal to let go ties not only into their respective arcs but, also interacts with the themes of destiny and identity as well.

For example, Aang at first refuses to believe that the Air Nomads are actually dead. This leads to him discovering Monk Gyatso’s remains, and having to deal with the reality of the Air Nomad Genocide. Later, he sees what a group of Earth Kingdom refugees did to the Northern Air Temple, and he has to deal with that as well. Then, he deals with losing Appa, and we see how that affects him as the Gaang travels to Ba Sing Se. Finally, we see him having difficulty letting go of Katara, and later having to deal with losing in Ba Sing Se. As the series progresses, Aang learns how to move on, and to accept that he’s the last of his people.

Likewise, Zuko must deal with the loss of his father’s love. And, like Aang with the loss of his people, he tries to deny that his father doesn’t love him time and time again. Even when people like Zhao and Azula lay down the facts, Zuko refuses to accept that as reality, and instead persists in his belief that his father actually loves him. Eventually, after returning home, Zuko realizes that his father’s love doesn’t matter, and thus is able to break free and forge new connections.

And now, having talked about loss, we come to parts seven and eight of this meta, which are somewhat interconnected.

First, let’s start with good and evil.

Good and Evil

“They balance each other…push and pull…life and death…good and evil… yin…and yang.”

While it’s tempting to call Zuko the yin to Aang’s yang (or, even, his yAang…sorry), it’s important to remember that good and evil in Taoist tradition differs dramatically from how good and evil are perceived in Western tradition.

In Western tradition, good and evil are opposites and are at odds with each other. According to this tradition, evil is ofttimes associated with the male, while good is ofttimes associated with the female (technically though it can sometimes be more complex than that but, that’s a different discussion entirely). Here, passiveness and stoicness are associated with the male, while purity, virtue, and emotion are associated with the female.

Taoism, on the other hand, is very different. First and foremost, there is no ideology that distinguishes between good and evil or, vice and virtue like there is in Western traditions. What yin and yang actually describes is a philosophy whereby forces that appear to be contrary to each other are actually complementary and interconnected—thus, a perfect metaphor for the relationship between Aang and Zuko.

That said, there appears to be a misunderstanding when Westerners try to talk about yin and yang because, what often happens is that Westerners will assume that Taoist beliefs share the West’s dichotomy between light and dark, and good and evil. And, because the West views dark as bad and light as good, they will often assume that yin (the dark part of the yin yang symbol) is evil, while the light side (yang) is good. This is usually followed up by assuming that everything that the West holds true for good and evil (or light and dark), and what the West associates with good and evil applies to the Taoist tradition of yin and yang as well. For example, they might assume that yin is evil and associated with masculinity and passivity, while yang is good and associated with femininity and emotion.

This belief is very much false.

In the Taoist tradition, yin is associated with passivity and femininity, while yang is associated with aggression and masculinity. Of course, neither yin nor yang are mutually exclusive, and any individual can show traits that belong to either.

Therefore, according to Taoist tradition, it’s Aang—our pacifist monk—who’s yin because of his passive nature, while Zuko is yang. Aang—who usually relies on negative jin when he fights—is pull, while Zuko—who usually relies on positive jin when he fights—is push.

That brings us to part 8 of this meta: fighting styles.

Fighting Style

“Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole.”

As I mentioned above, Aang starts out with a fighting style that overly emphasizes negative jin, while Zuko starts out with a fighting style that overly emphasizes positive jin. This simply means that Aang is constantly on the defense, while Zuko is constantly on the attack.

This soon changes, however, as both Aang and Zuko begin incorporating the opposite sort of jin into their fighting style. We see, for example, how Aang first starts to really use a more firebender style of fighting in Book 1, while Zuko adopts some aspects of the airbender style of fighting as well. Although neither of them really lets go of their accustomed fighting style in terms of offense and defense, both Aang and Zuko try to incorporate offensive and defensive forms into their fighting.

That said, we also see how both Zuko and Aang try to incorporate different modes of fighting into their own styles as well. For example, Aang uses the bending styles of the Four Nations with their own element (Northern Shaolin for firebending, Tai Chi for waterbending, Hung Gar for earthbending, and Ba Gua for airbending) but, he also allows those different fighting styles to influence his airbending style, whether it’s through waterbender style push and pull, an earthbender stance, or a firebending kick.

Likewise, Zuko too learns to incorporate different forms of fighting into his own style. He starts to be fluid like a waterbender, evasive like an airbender, and grounded like an earthbender,

Thus, we end up with multiple examples of Aang and Zuko allowing their native bending styles to be influenced by different bending techniques (here’s just one example that demonstrates Aang and Zuko using the bending style of each nation).

Furthermore, with the aid of Huu, Iroh, and Guru Pathik, both Aang and Zuko learn about the connections between the four elements and the Four Nations, as well as the benefit of learning from those around them regardless of their nationality.

It’s this connection, and use of different fighting styles, that we later see being displayed in “The Legend of Korra.” Only now our benders have gotten smarter, and maybe even more creative. As you may have seen me mention, by Korra’s time it’s not just as simple as “using x style with y element,” because Zuko and Aang helped shape a world where people are bending and fighting in new, unique ways that neither they nor Iroh could have anticipated.

Themes and Interactions

In the above section, we learned how there are many important themes at play in Aang and Zuko’s narratives, and that these themes help our characters grow as they go about their respective journeys. We also saw that these themes parallel each other in many different ways, and that Aang and Zuko’s reactions to the forces around them often shape the path that they eventually take.

We began by discussing Aang and Zuko’s upbringing, and saw that each character’s culture affected how they grew up, thus influencing their growth and the people they came to be at the start of the series.

Then we talked about destiny, identity, and scars We saw that both Aang and Zuko were faced with a great burden, and that Aang initially ran away from his destiny, while Zuko constantly tried to embrace his. We also saw a lot of push-and-pull factors at play here as well, and saw that Aang and Zuko’s response to their identities and destinies shaped a lot of their decisions.

Then we talked about mentors. Here, we saw that there were quite a few people that helped Aang and Zuko along their respective paths. This group mainly consisted of Iroh, Gyatso, Mai, and Katara. They helped Aang and Zuko move along their respective paths either by supporting them, giving them advice, trying to cheer them up, or by doing something else to help them along their journey.

Having talked about mentors, we came to the subject of loss, where we saw that both Aang and Zuko felt loss in different ways, and that many of Aang and Zuko’s decisions were centered around loss as well. We also saw that this loss had a huge impact on their decisions, and that both characters eventually had to come to accept the loss that they suffered and learn to move on.

Finally, we talked about fighting styles and saw how the philosophy of yin and yang applied to Aang and Zuko. Here, we saw that Zuko was the yang to Aang’s yin, and that this is a reflection of both their personalities, as well as their fighting style. Here, we saw how Aang was more passive and generally relied on negative jin, while Zuko was more aggressive and generally relied on positive jin.

We also saw that both Aang and Zuko learned about understanding different cultures and the teachings that came from those cultures. Related to this, we also saw that Aang and Zuko learned to incorporate the bending style of each of the Four Nations into their individual style, thus creating even more of a connect between the Avatar and Firelord.

Now, having finished talking about themes, we can finally begin talking about specific parallels between Aang and Zuko that happen season-by-season,

Let’s roll!

Parallels between Episodes

Before I get started, let me explain how this will work. I’ll go through each season in order, pointing out parallels along the way. However, to maintain continuity, and to ensure better organization (and because the payoff will be better by the time I get to Book 3), parallels that occur between two different episodes will be mentioned in the episode that’s closest to the finale.

Book 1

So, the plot of Book 1 is pretty straightforward. All our characters start out in and around the Southern Water Tribe when Aang is freed from his iceberg. This leads to all our main characters being introduced to each other, and Zuko chasing Aang as he travels to the North Pole so he and Katara can learn waterbending.

Along the way, we learn some of Aang and Zuko’s backstory, and we get to see a couple of nice parallels between them too.

The Boy in the Iceberg

Let’s start off in the very beginning, where we’re first introduced to Aang and Zuko.

“The Boy in the Iceberg” starts in the icy seas of the South Pole where we meet Katara and Sokka, two siblings from the Southern Water Tribe. They’re simply trying to catch themselves some dinner but, a series of events leads to them finding a boy trapped in ice.

This boy turns out to be Aang—a person who we later learn is the Avatar, which means that 1) he’s the bridge between the human world and the Spirit World, and 2) that he can master all four elements.

However, as Aang is freed from the ice, we see an immense amount of spiritual energy pouring out of it, which leads to our next character introduction.

The camera starts to move away from the giant energy beam and we eventually cut to Zuko, who we immediately learn is on the hunt for the Avatar. Concluding that the Avatar must have been the cause of the energy beam, Zuko sets a course toward the light.

And, after some more character introductions, some world building, and a series of events that lead to a flare being fired from an abandoned Fire Navy ship, the episode ends with Zuko tracking Aang back to Katara and Sokka’s village.

Here, aside from being introduced to our main cast, we get our first ever transition between Aang and Zuko. And, while it’s not all that impressive, it’s still a first for the Avatar and the Firelord.

That said, this episode is also important in that it sets up Aang and Zuko’s respective arcs for the rest of the series. It sets up Zuko as the frustrated banished prince who is constantly trying to regain his honor so he can return home and gain his father’s love, and it sets up Aang as this Avatar who was so burdened by the revelation that he was the Avatar that he ran away.

The Avatar Returns

This brings us to “The Avatar Returns,” which picks up where “The Boy in the Iceberg” left off.

After setting off the flare in the previous episode, Katara and Aang return to the village where they find an unfriendly welcome. The villagers, noticing the flare set off in the previous episode, fear that the Fire Nation will be on them at any moment, and thus banish Aang from their village.

Eventually, Zuko arrives and we see our first interaction between protagonist and deuteragonist as Aang and Zuko fight. However, after noticing that Zuko is unintentionally harming civilians with his fire, Aang offers himself up as a prisoner on the condition that the village be left alone.

After Zuko agrees and takes Aang prisoner, Sokka and Katara go after Aang and manage to catch up to him just as he’s about to escape, but not before he enters the Avatar state and waterbends at Zuko and his crew.

Here, there’s nothing really impressive parallel wise (—yet, just wait until we get to Book 3) but, episode 2 does introduce our main cast to each other. We continue to get introduced to Aang, Zuko, Katara, and Sokka, and we witness some more interactions between these four characters.

The Southern Air Temple

This brings us to “The Southern Air Temple,” which takes place immediately after “The Avatar Returns,” and is all about loss.

Let’s start with our A-plot. The A-plot of this episode features Aang, Katara, and Sokka visiting the Southern Air Temple, Aang’s home. Despite hearing about the war and the devastation caused by the Fire Nation, Aang is deep in denial, insisting that some of his people must have escaped the genocide. This changes, however, when Aang is forced to face the reality of the Air Nomad Genocide as well as the death of Monk Gyatso. And, unlike Zuko who we’ll see is still very much in denial of his loss, Aang begins to accept his loss, going so far as to conclude that the Fire Nation must have gotten to the other temples as well.

Now, having said that, we can focus on our B-plot, which follows Zuko and Iroh. We start off with Zuko and Iroh paying a visit to Zhao’s harbor in the hopes of repairing their damaged ship. Here, Zhao outright tells Zuko that his father doesn’t want him. But, Zuko being Zuko, denies this, and even goes so far as to challenge Zhao to a duel all because Zhao dared suggest that his father doesn’t love him. And, it’s in this state of tension where we get our first hint at Zuko’s past.

So, what can we say about Aang and Zuko at this point?

Well, we know that both characters have experienced some sort of loss. We don’t know the details about Aang’s being frozen or the details of Zuko’s banishment but, we know that both characters have experienced loss, and we know that that lose concerns a father figure in one way or another.

As the series continues, we’ll see both characters deal with this loss until finally coming into acceptance.

Winter Solstice

After “The Avatar Returns” and “The Warriors and Kyoshi,” “Winter Solstice” is the third (and fourth, since this is a two-part special) episode where we see Aang and Zuko butt heads.

In “Winter Solstice, Part 1,” Aang travels to a small village where he tries to stop a spirit from attacking it. Meanwhile, Zuko chases Aang but, he ultimately has to make a choice between hunting Aang and rescuing his uncle.

“Winter Solstice, Part 2” again finds Zuko chasing Aang, this time to the Fire Nation. Here, we see some more world building done as it’s revealed that Firelord Sozin used the Great Comet (now called Sozin’s Comet) to start the war, and that Ozai will use the next coming of the comet to end it.

Aside from a neat little parallel where Aang and Zuko finish each other’s sentences, we have a few things going on.

First, despite not knowing how, Aang decides to try and communicate with the spirits, and later tries to rescue Sokka from Hei Bai. Zuko, in the meantime, makes a choice between going after Appa, and saving his uncle from earthbending soldiers. He chooses to save his uncle.

Later, both Aang and Zuko make a dangerous trek into the Fire Nation. For Aang, the danger is obvious—he’s the Avatar, and of course it would be dangerous for him to go. In a similar vein, it’s dangerous for Zuko to go as well, since returning home would mean his death if he gets caught.

Thus, this episode shows us three things. First, it begins to show us that Aang is willing to step into his role as the Avatar, and that he’s willing to take the risks associated with his duty. Secondly, it shows us that not only is Zuko still in denial of his losing his father’s love but, that he’s willing to take immense risks in order to regain Ozai’s love also. And lastly, this episode is the first of many episodes to show the struggle between Zuko’s wanting to do what’s right, and wanting to do everything he can to win his father’s affections or to get a piece of home.

As the show progresses, we’ll see this struggle between right and wrong play out even more until Zuko finally changes sides.

The Waterbending Scroll

Next, we have “The Waterbending Scroll.”

In this episode, Aang and the Gaang come across some pirates and a waterbending scroll. After Katara steals the scroll, Aang and Katara try to learn from it. However, after Katara gets a little jealous of Aang’s bending and tries to learn from it in the dark of night, she gets captured by Zuko, and we see the consequences of Katara’s actions unfold as Zuko tries and fails to capture Aang.

I know I said I won’t focus on insignificant stuff but, I just like this camera framing parallel (plus, we have a nice shot of Katara and Iroh having their attention caught by something they find to their fancy).

The Storm

And now, having to gotten to “The Storm,” the fun can really begin.

We start out with Aang and Zuko reflecting on just how nice the weather is. One storm symbolizing the turmoil of their past, and one camera framing/transition parallel later, and Aang and Zuko’s backstories begin to unravel.

Here, we learn how the pain and pressure Aang and Zuko were put through affected their decisions, and the position they found themselves in at the start of the series. For example, Aang, fearing separation from Gyatso, runs away. Meanwhile, Zuko, wanting both to gain his father’s love and protect his people, speaks out of turn and is eventually burned and banished.

The episode ends with some really beautiful imagery as Aang looks at Zuko, and Zuko looks at Aang. We don’t know where their journeys will take them but, still we sense some sort of connection between these two characters.

We also again see that Aang finds it easier to move on than Zuko. After all, this episode was all about Aang and Zuko’s past, and their ability to move on from their past mistakes. And, as we had seen in “The Southern Air Temple,” Zuko is very much tied to his past.

The Blue Spirit

This brings us to “The Blue Spirit,” which takes place immediately after the events of “The Storm,” and again shows us the strong connection between Aang and Zuko.

So, Zhao is again on the hunt. He captures Aang. Zuko, fearing that his honor is at stake, goes to rescue Aang as the Blue Spirit (even if his intentions aren’t all that noble). This leads to Aang and Zuko working together for the first time ever.

After Zhao has Zuko shot with an arrow, Aang learns the identity of the Blue Spirit and decides to save him, which eventually leads to the most well-known foreshadowing moment in the entire franchise.

Seeking sanctuary in a forest, Aang tells Zuko about his friend, Kuzon, who we learn was from the Fire Nation. At the end of his anecdote, Aang wonders if he and Zuko could have been friends had their circumstances been different.

While Zuko answers Aang with an attack, we still get the sense that maybe, just maybe, Zuko considers Aang’s question as he looks off into the distance.

After Aang returns to his and the Gaang’s shelter, and after Zuko returns to his ship, a delirious Sokka asks Aang if he made any new friends. Aang, thinking only of Zuko, responds with “No, I don’t think they did.”

This leads us into a nice little transition between Aang and Zuko, as well as one final parallel as Zuko considers Aang’s question.

Siege of the North

“Siege of the North” is our big climax for Book 1. Here, we see The Northern Water Tribe prepare for battle against the Fire Nation fleet led by Admiral Zhao. Meanwhile, Aang tries to find a way to defeat Zhao and save the Northern Water Tribe from his assault.

While there’s not much to say about “The Siege of the North” in regard to Aang/Zuko parallels, we still have a moment where both Aang and Zuko try to save their enemies.

Aside from these events, we also hit our first major benchmark since the start of the series. Here, we see Aang beginning to accept his destiny as the Avatar and going into the world ready to be the hero that it needs. Meanwhile, Zuko is still shunned by his father and his people, and has hit a major obstacle after his quest to fulfill what he thinks his destiny comes to a halt.

Book 2

In Book 2, several things happen. First and foremost, Aang tries to find an earthbending teacher while Zuko and Iroh travel around the Earth Kingdom as fugitives. Next, we hit a turning point which involves both Aang and Zuko trying to make it to Ba Sing Se. As these two narratives play out, we encounter many parallels between Aang and Zuko.

The Avatar State

Like many Avatar episodes, “The Avatar State” features an A-plot focusing on Aang, and a B-plot focusing on Zuko. And, like some of these episodes, Aang and Zuko parallel each other.

We start off with General Fong and Azula giving Aang and Zuko a very tempting offer. General Fong offers to help Aang get into and master the Avatar state, while Azula seemingly offers Zuko a way home.

Despite being warned by Katara and Iroh, Aang and Zuko take the bait. Where Aang tries to back out of General Fong’s offer before being forced to fight (with a small parallel between him voicing his refusal to fight General Fong in “The Avatar State,” and Zuko refusing to fight Ozai in “The Storm”), Zuko is tricked by Azula, who was really trying to take Iroh and Zuko home as prisoners.

This leads to a couple of nice camera framing parallels between Aang and Zuko. And in the end, both Aang and Zuko realize that their mentors were right, and they continue with their journey.

With that said, this episode continues to do what “Siege of the North” already began to do. Regarding Aang, it puts him in a position to further embrace and continue with his destiny as the Avatar. With Zuko, it continues to make it difficult for him to embrace what he thinks his destiny is, and we see him continuously having to struggle with his circumstances from this point on.

Aside from that, “The Avatar State” continues to show us Zuko’s refusal to believe that his father doesn’t love him, which ties into both Zuko’s loss arc as well as his overall redemption arc.

Bitter Work

After a few more episodes of adventuring, and after Zuko runs into the Gaang in “The Chase,” we come to “Bitter Work.” This episode takes place right after the events of “The Chase” and, like “Winter Solstice” and “The Avatar State,” hosts a lot of parallels between Aang and Zuko within the episode.

“Bitter work” finds Aang trying to learn earthbending, while Zuko tries to learn lightningbending. Both these characters find themselves with a bending block. Aang has trouble with earthbending because it’s the opposite of air, and Zuko has trouble creating lightning because of his inner turmoil.

Eventually, Aang overcomes his block, while Zuko does not. And, despite learning lightning redirection, Zuko is still frustrated about his inability to lightningbend, which leads to a nice contrast between the endings of our A-plot and B-plot where Aang is proud of his accomplishments while Zuko is still upset.

Here, I would also like to note that not only does Iroh’s speech to Zuko parallel what Huu told Aang in “The Swamp” but, also that Iroh’s speech is followed up by Aang using an earthbending stance with airbending to deter a moose lion, thus demonstrating the practicality of combining the different bending styles.

The Serpent’s Pass

Eventually, we come to the “The Serpent’s Pass,” where Aang and Zuko almost meet as they try to get passage across Full Moon Bay. However, they ultimately don’t as Aang and the rest of his group choose to travel with a couple of refugees they met along the way.

Before we get into the Aang/Zuko parallels though, it would be worth noting that between “The Avatar State” and “The Library” we’ve seen Zuko become a fugitive of the Fire Nation, as well as Appa being stolen. These two events leave Aang and Zuko feeling rather hopeless. Iroh and Katara try to cheer them up but, Aang and Zuko refuse their comfort. Eventually though, both Aang and Zuko come around, and their respective journeys continue.

Furthermore, Aang losing Appa is tied into his loss arc due to the significance Appa has to him. Appa was Aang’s best friend and, just like with Katara’s necklace, Appa was a connection to Aang’s past and the people he lost.

Likewise, the whole idea that Zuko is feeling hopeless because he can’t return home also ties into his loss arc as well because, as I’ve already established: all Zuko wants to do is go back home and gain his father’s love and acceptance, something that he feels he’s lost and thus must store.

That said, we again see that Aang is more willing to try and move on and focus on the present instead of moping around, while Zuko continues to brood and long for his home.

City of Walls and Secrets

After everyone crosses Full Moon Bay, the Gaang, Zuko, and Iroh eventually make it to Ba Sing Se. Aside from Zuko struggling with the idea of having a new life in Ba Sing Se, and Aang trying to find Appa, we’re left with a rather striking contrast between Aang and Zuko.

Aang, the humble Air Nomad monk gets settled in the Upper Ring. Aang dislikes Ba Sing Se because of the contrast between how he was taught to live, and how those in the Ba Sing Se live.

Zuko, the Fire Nation prince, gets settled in the Lower Ring. He dislikes that, of course, because he’s a Fire Nation prince, and he’s being forced to live in poverty.

Lake Laogai

This brings us to “Lake Laogai.”

In this episode, Katara meets up with Jet who informs her and the Gaang that he can help them find Appa. Meanwhile, Zuko chances upon one of Aang’s wanted posters for Appa, which makes him want to go look for the giant bison so he can capture Aang, thus giving him another shot at going home and regaining his father’s love.

As the episode progresses, and the audience begins to think that the Gaang is getting close to finding Appa, we get a nice little camera framing parallel when it’s revealed that it’s Zuko who finds Appa, and not Aang.

This leads to Iroh confronting Zuko, and telling him just how much he’s letting his honor quest control him, and how much damage he’s doing to himself because of it. And Zuko, despite doing all he can to ignore his uncle, and telling him that he’s only doing what he has to, is eventually forced to face the facts and abandon his quest.

This ends with him setting Appa free, and allowing him to return to Aang.

Stepping back for a moment though, Zuko, finding himself at another obstacle where he’s forced to face to the futility of his quest, seemingly abandons his search to be who his uncle wants him to be. Meanwhile, Aang finds himself one step closer to meeting with and making an ally of the Earth King, thus bringing him closer to ending the war and fulfilling his destiny as the Avatar.

The Guru

"The Guru” finds Aang trying to master the Avatar state by opening his chakras, while Zuko seemingly lets go of his quest to begin a new life in Ba Sing Se. And, just like he did in “The Swamp,” and just like Zuko did in “Bitter Work,” Aang learns about the four elements and the four nations being connected.

The Crossroads of Destiny

This brings up to the Book 2 finale, “The Crossroads of Destiny,” where Aang and Zuko are forced to make a crucial decision.

Stepping back for a moment though, between “Lake Laogai” and “The Guru,” we’ve seen Aang and Zuko struggle with their choices. Aang struggles with whether he can or should let go of Katara to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and Zuko struggles with his identity and whether he can or should let go of whatever love he thinks his father has for him, and any love he has for his father.

In “The Guru,” Aang finds that he can’t let go of Katara who, like Appa, is a connection to his past (“The Air Nomads’ love for you has not left this world. It is still inside of your heart, and is reborn in the form of new love.”). Zuko, in contrast, has seemingly let go of his past as well as any love he had for Ozai, and vis versa. This dynamic gets reversed in “Crossroads,” as Aang lets go of Katara to achieve the Avatar state, while Zuko sides with Azula because he has a shot at gaining Ozai’s love.

Regarding other parallels, we start off with Zuko saying he’s tired of running (which parallels Aang telling Azula he’s not running in “The Chase”). Zuko gets captured, Iroh tries to help the Gaang stop Azula’s coup, and we eventually get to our big fight where Zuko, who is unable to let go of his old identity and his father’s love, sides with his sister.

Likewise, even though he was unable to give up Katara in “The Guru,” Aang eventually lets of Katara in the finale to achieve the Avatar state.

This leads to Aang getting shot down by lightning, and Zuko thinking he’s regained his honor, and doubting his decisions.

Book 3

Thus, we come to the third and final book of the series. Here, we really see Aang and Zuko’s parallels come full circle. Zuko starts to be a little more like Aang and finally, everything Avatar has been building up to comes to a head.

Here, we see both Aang and Zuko in and around the Fire Nation. Aang is in hiding, and Zuko is struggling with his decisions. Come “The Day of Black Sun,” things change, and while the Avatar and his friends suffer a loss, Zuko joins the Gaang, and they go on to defeat Firelord Ozai.

The Awakening

So, Book 3 starts, and immediately we have several things happening. First and foremost, Zuko is welcomed home as a hero and seemingly fulfills his destiny, while Aang is on the run. This is a bit of a twist on Books 1 and 2, where we saw Aang—the hero the world was waiting for—welcomed into the world and ready to fulfill his destiny, while Zuko was the fugitive. And, like Zuko in Book 2, Aang grows his hair out.

This episode itself starts with Aang on a ship, not unlike his counterpart in the very beginning of the series. Aang feels like he’s lost his honor, while Zuko thinks he’s found his. In these opening scenes, we’re also given two transition parallels which help to further establish the connection between Aang and Zuko.

Also, both Aang and Zuko are caught in a lie, with the world believing that 1) Aang is dead, and 2) that Zuko killed him.

Looking at only Zuko though, we see him parallel a lot of Aang’s earlier scenes.

For one, both Aang and Zuko desperately want to visit their home regardless of Iroh and Katara’s repeated warnings.

And, when they do return home, they realize just how much has changed since they left. After all, as Iroh said in “The Storm”: “Things will never be back to normal.”

The Headband

When we get to “The Headband,” Aang has accepted that he’ll just have to wait for the Day of Black Sun, and he’s feeling much more upbeat than before. Zuko, meanwhile, is still brooding, and trying to deal with the fact that Aang is alive.

This is clearly a reflection of how Aang has an easier time moving on. However, in this scenario, it’s not necessarily a bad thing for Zuko since it’s his fixation on his banishment that helps him realize just how messed up that whole thing was in the first place.

Anyway, to help solve his problems, Zuko visits Iroh but, Iroh turns his back on him and he’s forced to handle the situation by himself. This parallels a moment from “The Avatar State,” where Katara turns her back on Aang, and refuses to help him further his goals, just like Iroh does with Zuko.

On a lesser note, Mai and Zuko go on sunset date, while Katara and Aang share a dance at nightfall.

The Beach

“The Beach” has a pretty simple premise. The Gaang gets attacked by Combustion Man, who was sent after them by Zuko in “The Headband,” and Zuko goes on a forced vacation with the Fire Nation kids where we explore some of their backstories as well as Zuko’s problems.

While “The Beach” is mostly focused on Zuko’s narrative, we get a nice parallel with Aang in “The Storm” and Zuko in this episode expressing their anger in and around a campfire. However, while Aang’s anger is focused on his elders, Zuko’s anger is focused on himself.

We also get this parallel, which features Aang and Zuko burning relics of their past. And, while their reasons for doing so are very different, this parallel highlights an important contrast in regard to Aang and Zuko dealing with loss.

To elaborate, while Aang’s staff is a connection to his past, Aang has to let that go and, in contrast to other times where Aang had to move on from his past, Aang—even though he seems sad about having to let it go—still manages to do it.

Zuko, in contrast, acts like he’s letting go when he burns his old family portrait. But, in classic Zuko fashion, he can’t because he is still very much tied to his past.

Thus, we again see how Aang has an easier time moving on, while Zuko finds it much more difficult.

Finally, we also have a nice parallel between “The Beach” and “The Serpent’s Pass” with Ty Lee and Katara talking to Zuko and Aang about how they’re pretending not to care about Appa/their past, when really they do.

This again goes back to the theme of loss, and how we’ve seen Aang having an easier time moving on in compared to Zuko.

The Avatar and the Firelord

"The Avatar and the Firelord” is also pretty straightforward. However, just like with episodes like “The Storm” and “The Blue Spirit,” it’s very significant,

Here, we learn about Avatar Roku and Firelord Sozin, and how they went from being friends to enemies. Thus, this episode helps to both establish more backstory, as well as to connect Aang with Zuko even more. This connection becomes even more significant when we later learn that Roku was Zuko’s maternal great-grandfather.

The connection between Aang and Zuko in this episode is further aided by another sleep parallel, similar to what we saw in “The Blue Spirit,” as well as scene transitions parallels between Aang and Zuko, and Zuko and Roku, which help connect Zuko, Aang, and Avatar Roku.

That said, it’s also worth noting that while Aang and Zuko are destined to be unifiers (as I mentioned in the section on identity), Roku and Sozin too could have been unifiers. The problem, however, was that Sozin was an imperialist, and wanted to unify the world in all the wrong ways, with Roku by his side.

Thus, Aang and Zuko’s story isn’t just a reverse of Roku and Sozin’s story—it’s also a new beginning. But, it’s not just a new beginning for the world, it’s a new beginning for the Fire Nation, and the Avatar and the Firelord as well. Where Sozin wanted to unify the world through war, Aang and Zuko unify the world through peace.

Nightmares and Daydreams

“Nightmares and Daydreams” focuses on two things. First, it focuses on Aang stressing about the impending invasion. Second, it focuses on Zuko stressing about supposedly not being invited to a war meeting.

In addition to this, it’s also worth noting that Aang and Zuko’s moods are reversed between the start and the end of this episode. Aang starts out feeling stressed but, by the end of this episode, he’s feeling happy and content. Zuko, in contrast, starts off feeling happy and content but, eventually starts to feel stressed and ultimately conflicted having endured his father’s war meeting.

Getting to the parallels, just like Zuko’s fever dreams in “The Guru,” Zuko shows up in Aang’s stress dreams as well. Additionally, one of Aang’s dreams parallels something that actually happened.

And, aside from getting a camera framing parallel between Aang/Zuko and Katara/Mai, we also see a parallel between Zuko’s brooding here, and Aang’s brooding in Book 2.

Furthermore, just like how Aang refused to be comforted or helped by Katara in “The Serpent’s Pass,” Zuko too refuses to be comforted by Mai.

In the end though, both characters resolve their issues, and we move on from there.

Before we move on though, let’s again take a step back. By this point in the series, Aang is again taking a stand as the Avatar and embracing his role. Zuko, in contrast, has spent the last few episodes feeling extremely conflicted about his decisions. What follows from this point onward is Aang continuing to become a better Avatar, while Zuko embraces his true destiny as Aang’s firebending master.

The Day of Black Sun

“The Day of Black Sun” is our first big turning point in Book 3. While the Gaang falls into a trap set by Azula, Zuko confronts his father and eventually defects from the Fire Nation. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s go over everything plot point by plot point.

It’s the Day of Black Sun, and Aang and Zuko are preparing themselves to face the day. Zuko plans to face his father and defect from the Fire Nation, and Aang plans to face Ozai and defeat him.

This brings us to two parallels. First, we have a parallel with Aang cutting his hair, and Zuko letting down his hair. This symbolizes Aang’s coming out of hiding, and Zuko’s defection from the Fire Nation.

Aang cutting his hair also parallels Zuko cutting his hair in “The Avatar State.” But, where Zuko’s gesture was him going into hiding, Aang’s is him coming out of hiding.

As the episode progresses, we see Zuko going to Mai’s house and saying he’s sorry before leaving her a break up letter. This parallels two things. First, it parallels Aang telling Katara he’s sorry before deciding to try and go into the Avatar state in “The Crossroads of Destiny.” Thus, just like Aang did in “Crossroads,” Zuko too lets go of love. However, Zuko isn’t just letting go of Mai, he’s also letting go of the idea that his father actuary loves him, and whatever love he had for his father as well.

Second, both Zuko’s letter, and the framing of his letter parallels Aang leaving a letter to Gyatso “The Storm,” saying he’s leaving. But, while Aang leaving Gyatso led to their permanent separation, Zuko leaving Mai led to their eventual reunion.

After that happens, Zuko returns to his room, and we see him talking to a portrait of his mother, saying that he’s going to take a stand and do what’s right to make up for his past mistakes. This parallels what Aang said in “Siege of the North” when he took a stand against the Fire Nation fleet attacking the Northern Water Tribe.

And finally, we have one last parallel with Aang and Zuko facing a door, and expressing their readiness to face Ozai.

Of course, as the Gaang later finds out, everything was just part of a trap created by Azula. Meanwhile, Zuko faces his father.

At the end of the day though, both Aang and Zuko make it out of the capital. The Gaang tries to make it out alive so they can fight another day, and Zuko finally embraces his true destiny.

The Western Air Temple

Thus, we come to “The Western Air Temple,” which features some nice examples of Aang and Zuko coming full circle.

We begin with the remnants of the fighting force from “The Day of Black Sun” making its way to the Western Air Temple. They’re followed by Zuko, who wishes to join Aang now that he’s left home.

When Zuko finally confronts the Gaang, we see lots of similarities between his facing them, and Aang’s return to Sokka and Katara’s village at the start of “The Avatar Returns.” This parallel features a nice camera framing parallel between Aang and Katara, as well as parallels between Sokka and Katara, and Toph and Katara. And, just like Aang before him, Zuko too offers himself up as a prisoner.

When this doesn’t work, Zuko returns to his shelter. Come nightfall, Toph, who at that point is the only one who sees the value of having Zuko as Aang’s firebending teacher, makes it over to Zuko’s camp. Zuko, not expecting visitors, accidentally burns Toph’s feet, paralleling Aang accidentally burning Katara’s hands in “The Deserter.”

This brings us to the moment that directly leads to Zuko becoming part of the Gaang. Zuko faces Combustion Man, and we get a really nice moment where Zuko fighting Combustion Man parallels Aang fighting Zuko in “The Crossroads of Destiny.”

After Combustion Man is defeated, Zuko meets up with the Gaang to explain himself again and apologize and, from this point on, Aang and Zuko are friends, and we see both characters moving toward embracing and fulfilling their destinies.

The Firebending Masters

With Aang and Zuko’s friendship secured, we come to “The Firebending Masters.”

This episode is pretty straightforward in terms of plots and parallels. But anyway, Zuko finally becomes Aang’s firebending teacher and, with neither of them being able to produce an actual flame, they visit the Sun Warriors. There, they learn firebending from the last dragons. This whole experience includes some nice camera framing parallels, as well as some toying around with the symbolism of the blue and red dragons (the blue dragon having been symbolic of Sozin’s line, and the red with Roku’s line).

Again, not too significant as far as Aang and Zuko’s overall arcs are concerned but, it’s still pretty important due to the Avatar and the Firelord embracing their true destinies and working toward peace.

The Ember Island Players

In “The Ember Island Players,” both Aang and Zuko take the play rather hard. For Aang, it has to do with his feelings for Katara. For Zuko, it was to do with how the play shoves all of Zuko’s mistakes in his face.

Here, we also get a moment where Aang’s clinginess toward Katara parallels Zuko’s clinginess towards Mai in “The Beach.” And, like Zuko before him, Aang too faces consequences for his actions.

Then, in the final moments of the play, the fact that the play has Azula and Ozai winning has Aang and Zuko doubting their eventual success.

Sozin’s Comet

And now we come to “Sozin’s Comet,” where everything the show has been building up to finally comes together. Here, Aang and Zuko help bring down Ozai and Azula, embracing their identities and destinies, and forging the world anew as leaders in their own right. And, where “The Day of Black Sun” saw Aang fighting Azula and Zuko confronting—and kind of fighting—Ozai, here, Zuko faces his sister and Aang finally faces the Firelord.

In terms of parallels though, we can start at the beginning.

In “Sozin’s Comet, Part 1,” the Gaang is convinced by Zuko to fight the Fire Nation during Sozin’s Comet, and Aang learns lightning redirection from Zuko (which parallels how he learned lightning redirection from Iroh back in “Bitter Work”).

Then, in “Sozin’s Comet, Part 2,” Zuko finally faces his uncle, and we get a nice little parallel with Aang mourning Gyatso, and Zuko crying as he begs for Iroh’s forgiveness. This ties into the whole theme of Aang and Zuko mourning their loss and past mistakes, and trying to move on. Also, Iroh gives us a nice little summery of Zuko’s arc which parallels Katara doing the same with Aang in “The Day of Black Sun.”

Then, in “Sozin’s Comet, Part 3,” when the battle between Aang and Ozai, and Zuko and Azula finally ensues, we get a parallel with Aang and Zuko catching, and redirecting lightning.

Unfortunately, things go wrong for Zuko and he doesn’t redirect Azula’s lightning quite right. This leads to him and Katara paralleling Aang and Katara in “The Crossroads of Destiny” almost frame for frame, and leads to Aang and Zuko having matching scars (both of which were given to them by Azula).

Moving onto Aang, his being brought low only to stand up to Ozai and fight him in “Sozin’s Comet, Part 4,” parallels Zuko being brought low by his father in “The Storm” only to confront him in “The Day of Black Sun.” And, just like Zuko before him, Aang initially refuses to fight Ozai, and Ozai considers him weak for doing so.

Furthermore, just like how Zhao thought Zuko was weak for not killing him in “The Southern Air Temple,” Ozai too thinks Aang is weak for refusing to kill him.

This brings us to our grand conclusion.

Aang’s question to Zuko in “The Blue Spirit” finally pays off with the Avatar and the Firelord finally being friends.

Speaking of the Avatar and Firelord, Aang and Zuko’s relationship is shown to be a reversal of Sozin and Roku’s relationship. Where Sozin and Roku began as friends only to become enemies, Zuko and Aang began as enemies only to become friends.

Their friendship leads to their ultimate victory, they take center stage as world leaders and heroes who have fulfilled their destinies, and we end with a nice little parallel with Zuko/Mai and Aang/Katara.

#parallel: themes

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#parallel: themes