The Psychology of Zuko | Avatar: The Last Airbender

"I was never angry with you. I was sad because I was afraid you had lost your way." If you'd like to support me and my kitty Supreme Leader Momo, please do so over at www.patreon.com/hellofutureme ~ Tim

Toph was absolutely right when she said that considering his family and how he grew up, he could have turned out so much worse

One thing I love the most about Zuko is how he eventually looked within himself to save himself from his other self, which made his true self reveal itself.

I find it interesting how Toph is able to sympthize with Zuko so quickly. Yes, she hasn't suffered the betrayal from him that the others have, but I think it goes a tad deeper. She knows what it's like to grow up in an oppressive household and be misrepresented and underestimated, so she's willing to give him another chance. Joining Aang was her own escape from that life, after all, that allowed her to flourish. Gosh, so many details, I love it.

Honestly, being banished is the best thing that ever could have happened to Zuko. It got him away from Ozai and allowed Iroh to become the dominant adult influence in his life. It also turned out to be a huge mistake for Ozai, as Zuko is the one who taught Aang lightning redirection.

I really love the fact that Zuko, a boy, is the 'overly' empathetic one and Azula, a girl, is the cold cruel prodigy. So often it's the other way around and it's so important to see a teenage boy coming to realize that his kindness is not his weakness

“Pride is not the opposite of shame, but it’s source. True humility is the only antidote to shame” Is one of the wisest things I’ve ever heard a character say.

Man, being a psychology student and an avatar fan has never been so good.

Something super critical that you didn't mention but which came to mind early on as you first described Zuko's banishment "Until you come back with the Avatar" - Ozai thought the avatar was dead, gone. Nobody had seen the avatar in 100 years. Ozai banished his son on an impossible fool's errand. That's a critical element in Ozai's abuse, and Zuko not even realizing the errand was expected to be an impossible one, Zuko's denial, was also a critical part of his character. Imagine Ozai's surprise when after banishing Zuko to "go capture the avatar ha ha", the avatar actually turns up.

Zuko's growth from a young kid seeking his father's acceptance to a young man who comes to understand his own worth was remarkable

The more I immerse myself in this show, the more I respect the writers. They really understand the human condition, and their end goal was to show children how they can survive and heal from trauma, no matter how large or small.

Ironically, while Ozai was a very simply written character, almost one-dimensional in how evil he was, his 3 relatives(Zuko, Azula and Iroh) are arguably the 3 most complex, well-written characters in the whole show.

Watching this made me realize how symbolic Zuko learning lightning redirection is. The lightning is symbolic of his abuse and how over the course of his journey he learns how to counter it. He learns how to redirect the pain and emotions in a healthier way, no longer letting it dominate him. And of course Iroh refusing to shoot lightning at him, symbolic of Iroh being the safe space, the safe parent.

I feel like not enough people recognize that part about Zuko being a genuinely good firebender. Viewers fall into the same trap he did, of comparing him to Azula. But all she has is talent for destructive, aggressive firebending. There are two firebenders in the world who could have taken out the cooler in The Boiling Rock - as we saw in The Siege of the North, when Iroh tells him to use his "breath of fire." Three, if he taught that to Aang. Ditto lightning redirection. Those aren't just abilities Azula doesn't have. They're techniques she couldn't understand. Use your enemy's power against them? Why would she ever do that? She has all the power she needs. This is really an excellent example of, "demonstrate, don't tell." We're told explicitly over and over that Azula is so much more powerful than Zuko. But the reverse is clearly demonstrated. Also, this video needs to be required viewing in every high school health class; no parents' notes excusing kids from it.

The fact that even 15 years after the series has ended there's still so much left to dissect is impressive. Edit: 14 years

One of the little tidbits of the show I love is that Iroh almost always addresses and refers to him as PRINCE Zuko. Despite how low things got for him and how alienated and dishonored he felt, he was always reminded by his uncle that no matter what his father did to him he could never take away that honor, just like he couldn't take away Zuko's inherent honor

It's a tiny detail, but it really hits me when even Azula calls the family beach house "depressing". You could interpret it as her usual shallow affect, a la "a dark, abandoned house is a downer, let's go back to the beach", but personally I hear something else in her tone, and Avatar is a good enough show that I can trust that subtle things aren't accidents. It's a tiny window into the fact that even the role of Golden Child is abusive, and her experiences were painful and haunting too.

"Your father's grandfather was Firelord Sozin. Your MOTHER'S grandfather was Avatar Roku." That single line is MY generation's "No. I am your father." moment. And the composition of that scene is incredible, with how it's framed it looks like ZUKO is the one behind bars. And he was....he was trapped in his own mind for a long time.

Zuko is the best. As someone who was also abused as a child, his story has always been so relatable to me

after all this years i finally realised that after Lu Ten died, Iroh was over with the fire nation he was about to leave everything but noticed his nephew wasnt this souless animal who wanted destruction and had a glimmer of hope, he wanted to save him and thats why he stayed