why is “zuko would have taken the lightning for anyone but that wasn’t the point of the scene because it wouldn’t have the same meaning if it was anyone other than katara” so hard for people to grasp
the “zuko would take lightning for anyone” argument’s reasoning implies that zuko’s redemption wasn’t complete until he sacrificed his life for a former enemy - it doesn’t matter who he sacrifices for, just that he makes a sacrifice. and therefore, by extension, this means that zuko’s sacrifice was only significant to his journey, and had no significance to the arc of the person he was risking his life for.
to begin with, i disagree that the lightning scene is needed solely for the pupose of showing zuko’s “goodness.” zuko’s redemption was solidified the moment he confronted his father on the day of the black sun. he proves that he has changed again and again throughout season 3 - turning on combustion man, going on field trips with aang, sokka, and katara, training aang to face his father, and in general, showing he can be trusted through his friendships with the gaang. by the time the agni kai comes around, zuko has proved his goodness and he has proved that he’s changed.
so why is the sacrifice scene so important for zuko’s redemption arc? because it isn’t only meant to show how far zuko has come - but also how far zuko and katara’s relationship has come.
katara is not just an expendable character in the emotional climax of the entire show - her role is just as important in the final agni kai as zuko’s and azula’s. she wasn’t a “prop” in the final fight, only present to highlight zuko’s virtue - she was an active participant. the scene simply would not have the same effect if you just replaced her with anyone else because katara’s character has emotional and symbolic significance to this scene.
it’s true that katara has forgiven zuko by the time sozin’s comet comes and they are shown to have a solid friendship. however, their relationship arc is not truly complete until the final agni kai. zuko’s actions need to come full circle - instead of betraying katara for azula, he has to betray azula for katara. (atla is a show that is inundated with narrative parallels, i’m not sure why this particular parallel between the b2 and b3 finales is so hard for people to grasp? especially since each separate battle during sozin’s comet has parallels that tie back to earlier in the show).
a major part of katara’s character arc involves coping with the fire nation killing her mother, and as zuko is fire nation, he is intrinsically going to be part of that journey. katara has to see the person who was once the face of the enemy instead, sacrifice everything for her. katara has to see the person she was paired up against in every season finale, instead, fight on the same side as her. katara has to see the person who once betrayed her, instead show that he will never make the same mistake again.
zuko has to make his sacrifice for the person he worked the hardest to form a friendship with. zuko has to make his sacrifice for the person who once stood in the way of everything he wanted. zuko has to make his sacrifice for the one person he connected with over the pain the fire nation has caused them both. zuko has to make his sacrifice for the person he once betrayed to show that he will never make the same mistake again. and only one person checks all of those boxes: katara.
of course, katara is not responsible for zuko’s redemption and zuko is not responsible for her desire to help people who are different from her. but that doesn’t change the fact that their shared interactions have influenced them as individuals, and their changing relationship parallels their changing character development as well.
zuko’s sacrifice is just as important to katara as it is to himself, which is why the “he would take lightning for anyone” misses the entire point of the scene.
i’m tired of the insistence on erasing katara’s significance in the narrative just because of a ship. she is not replaceable. her character growth and her relationship arc with zuko are just as valuable and important to the show as zuko’s relationships with aang, toph, and sokka.
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