fire: the element of power

I figured since my last post was about a waterbender, that it would only make sense to do a post around water's counterpart: fire. In The Last Airbender, the Fire Nation is considered to be ruthless expansionists who will stop at nothing to gain power and land, including committing mass genocide (which they did against the Air Nation). This ideology is especially embraced by Fire Lord Ozai. He even went so far as to challenge his own son Zuko to an Agni Kai, or a firebending duel, permanently scarring the young boy's face. Ozai subsequently banished Zuko and sent him on a hopeless journey to find the Avatar--only then would Zuko be allowed to return. Meanwhile, Zuko's younger sister Azula, a much more skilled firebender but much more insane, was favored by his father and was allowed to stay at the palace with Ozai.

With a childhood this traumatic, it only makes sense that Prince Zuko was a very troubled adolescent. In the first season, it appeared that Zuko would play the role of the main antagonist, his sole purpose being to hunt the Avatar. But as the show progresses, we see Zuko's constant struggle and watch him slowly transform into the person he was destined to be: the benevolent heir to the throne who would reverse the damage his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had brought to the world. In quite a beautiful fashion, Zuko confronts his father and announces that he will join the Avatar in restoring balance to the world.

In the series finale, Zuko has an epic battle for the throne with Azula, who is quickly, and quite tragically, slipping into insanity. In a gorgeous display of firebending, the two partake in one final Agni Kai. Here we see Zuko in all his might, fighting for not only his place on the throne but in defense of the person he was destined to become.

Fire: the element of power.