Avatar: The Last Airbender Episode Reexamined as Defining Chapter in Aang and Ozai’s Rivalry

Much of what makes Avatar: The Last Airbender so rich is the thought that creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko put into its history. Every episode opens by explaining how the Hundred Year War began. The Fire Nation broke the harmony between the Four Nations, and the Avatar wasn’t there to stop it. The plot follows the new Avatar, Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen), as he tries to fulfill the destiny he once fled and restore balance to the world. But 19 years ago, one of the show’s best episodes redefined that core conflict.

The season 3 episode “The Avatar and the Fire Lord” tells one story from two perspectives. Avatar Roku (James Garrett) reaches Aang through the spirit world to describe his own life and death in the Fire Nation. Meanwhile, Prince Zuko (Dante Basco) follows a mysterious message to uncover the secret history of his great-grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin (Ron Perlman). Elizabeth Welch wrote the episode and Ethan Spaulding directed it. It shows both Roku and Sozin in a new light.

Part of Avatar‘s strength is how it blends the playful with the serious. That mix stands out when Sozin and Roku spar for fun. Sozin teases his clumsy friend by sprinkling blades of grass on his face while Roku lies flopped on the ground. Their bond deepens when Roku learns on his 16th birthday that he is the new Avatar. He looks as overwhelmed as Aang did at the idea of leaving everything familiar behind to carry that burden. Sozin gives him a hair ornament traditionally worn by the Fire Nation crown prince, a token of home.

Roku then spent 12 years mastering the elements, and Sozin began dreaming of using their bond to conquer the world. Roku warned him against the plan. When he learned that Sozin had started capturing Earth Kingdom territory, he easily defeated his former friend. The two didn’t speak for 25 years, until a volcano erupted on the island where Roku lived. Sozin ostensibly came to help but left Roku to die so he could pursue his imperial ambitions without interference.

“I have a vision for the future Roku,” Sozin says as he flies off to start his war. Yet in his final testament, he admits he spent the rest of his life searching for the new Air Nomad Avatar. Zuko finds himself on that same quest at the start of the series.

Zuko realizes the message must have come from his uncle Iroh (Greg Baldwin, who replaced Mako after Mako died in 2006). Iroh sits in jail for helping Aang evade capture at the end of season 2. When Zuko confronts him, Iroh reveals that Zuko descends from Sozin on his father’s side, but his maternal great-grandfather was Roku. “Evil and good are always at war inside you,” Iroh explains. “It is your nature. Your legacy. But there is a bright side. Born in you along with all the strife is the power to restore balance in the world.”

The Avatar is meant to be the ultimate force of balance. They hold the power of all four elements and serve as a link to the spirit world. Iroh helps Zuko see that he can be just as pivotal to ending the Hundred Year War. The Fire Nation’s crown prince and the young Avatar had been best friends before they became bitter enemies. “Some friendships are so strong, they can even transcend lifetimes,” Roku tells Aang when he reveals that he trained with Gyatso, the airbender who would become Aang’s mentor and father figure. Roku’s bond with Sozin was strong enough that Aang could accept that one of his greatest enemies might become his friend.

The episode is a key step in Zuko’s redemption arc

Aang lived before the Hundred Year War, so he is more open-minded than allies who have only known the Fire Nation as the aggressor. “The Avatar and the Fire Lord” builds on season 3’s second episode, “The Headband.” In that episode, a dance party helps the group see that the Fire Nation’s leaders may be monstrous, but most of its citizens are ordinary people who would also prefer a kinder world. After hearing about Sozin’s betrayal of Roku, Toph (Jessie Flower) says she feels people in the Fire Nation are born evil. Aang corrects her. The story shows that everyone can do both good and evil, and that choices define them.

Iroh gives Zuko the same ornament Roku once wore, which sets him on the path to redemption. Six episodes later, Zuko leaves the Fire Nation to find Aang, teach him firebending and help him defeat Ozai. By the end of the series, the Avatar and the Fire Lord are good friends again. Zuko takes the throne and formally ends the war.

The heart of Avatar: The Last Airbender is the Avatar cycle, the reincarnation of one spirit across the Four Nations. History moves in cycles too, and “The Avatar and the Fire Lord” shows how friendships and conflicts echo across generations. People might assume the Avatar is the most important person in the world, but those who help or hinder them can be just as transformative. Aang needed Zuko to finish his training as the Avatar. He also needed a friend who understood the weight of history and duty, and who had the strength to defy both to make things better.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is available to stream on Netflix.

Source: Polygon