If you compare Zuko from now on to the Zuko of the first season, you will notice that season 1 Zuko was significantly more muscular than he will be from now on. This period of starvation reduced his muscle mass. This type of attention to detail is part of what makes this show amazing 😄
Yoooo never paid attention to it. I’d notice the hair cuts the growth in personality him becoming open with the crew learning to trust other but holy crap! They really went all out nice catch!!
It's definitely hinted at through context clues in this episode, but Azula never got the same influence from her mother because Zuko was actively neglected by Ozai which meant Ursa had to pay more attention to him, and thus Ozai could shape Azula in his image without any obstacles.
Zuko revealed his identity because he remembered his mother telling him to never forget who he is. Of course that's so not what his mother meant but it's what Zuko gets at this point.
Zuko doesn't say his fake name when he meets the family because the traveling no named vigilante is a popular western movie trope that this episode is based on just like the fight at the end.
I think that Zuko and azula both show that it is nurture and nature. You’ll see later with azula, but zuko was obviously a kind hearted individual as a child and had to represent himself as something else to fit in and to not be shamed, when really he always had more honor than the bunch of them. Just like Iroh told Zhao. More honorable despite his exile
@@ILikeCHEEZ9 but it’s obvious that azula has psychopathic tendencies. Ozai wasn’t involved in either of their childhoods. Azula still had her mother when she was younger. And neither of them had their mother during very formative years. I think the point is to show that saying it is one or the other is idiotic. It’s obviously a blend
@@josephkempinger Honestly, it would be interesting to see when exactly that flipped. She must have been 6-8yo in those flashbacks. I wonder if "Zuzu" was originally an endearing nickname for her older brother when she was basically a toddler, before developing her superiority complex?
If you pay attention at what Azula says shes mostly just saying things like Ozai is vetter than azulon Ozai is better than iroh And all the reasons she gives are things Ozai would say Shes definitely repeating imo
the best part is that azula has reason to buy into ozai's brainwashing. like him, she's the spare kid, not the heir. but ozai, while conniving to take the throne, convinced azula that she was worthy of it for her wit, skill, and ruthlessness, just like him--and then he actually pulled it off. so of course he'd seem infallible to her, and of course she'd believe she is too.
A very small but important detail "You're not a prince, you're an outcast. His own father burned and disowned him" Zuko's own crew from the fire nation thought he was burned in a training accident, but these earth bending peasant folk know? The fire nation propaganda keeps them completely blind, but even the smallest person outside the nation knows the truth of the war.
I'll bet that was Zhao's doing once he started hunting the Avatar. We know that Zhao was going to different military commanders to recruit soldiers (as shown when he recruited the Yu-Yan archers in the Blue Spirit episode) for both is own search and the siege of the Northern Water Tribe. He probably started making sure anyone who might help Zuko instead knew exactly what had happened to him in as negative a way as possible.
@@drizzmatec Also possible there were ambassadors from various embassies who witnessed the fight, or spies for various nations who brought the info to the world.
“Zuko alone” is two fold in this episode. It’s Zuko travelling without his uncle for the first time in 3 years… and it’s Zuko being left alone after his mother disappeared. The titles of these episodes are genius
There’s a spin-off, avatar extras, it’s basically just the same show but with little pop up info from time to time. One in this episode said something like “a true sword master rarely draws his blade”😊
Fun fact: the leader of the Earthbending group Gow is voice by Gary Anthony Sturgis. Those who watch Static Shock, he was the voice Ebon and Tyler Perry fans he was drug dealer Joe from Daddy's Little Girls
4:45 He threw bread, not rocks, but the problem was he was emulating Azula's behavior, and threw the bread right at them instead of scattering it in small pieces on the water for them.
13:40 idk guys, tell me what u think about it !! I like to think that in her twisted ways, she did care. If she didn't, she wouldn't have told him, much less proposed making him get adopted (better than death). Saying nothing is more profitable for her because then she is sure to become the next Fire Lord. SPOILERS Later, when she kills the Avatar, she leaves the honor to her brother, which forces the father to accept him back. You could say it's a backup plan for her to not take the blame in case Aang is not dead, but she has no way to know that they have some resurrection water. BIGGER SPOILER She only actually becomes crazy when she has no family left. Zuko left, even though she sacrificed the honor of killing the Avatar for him. Her two only friends literally attack her from behind (deserved but still). Mom never loved her because she is the kid that she got with a man she didn't love, unlike Zuko (love child vs. hate child is a crazy thing; if you blur the line, Azula is almost the offspring of a rape). And her dad, the only one who always validated her, stole her plan and left without her. Azula's drive is acknowledgment from her family. Once her family left her, she had nothing more than her unbelievable skills that were always praised. The only stable and reliable thing in her life, then she gets skill-diffed by Zuko. She cheats and attack Katara, the random peasant on the side. Katara outplayed her, and now not even her strength, not even her vision of herself is reliable. She breaks down, defeated
I agree with basically everything you said but Azula knew that Zuko was keeping something from her when they talked at the turtle duck pond before he went to talk to his father. So that's when she decided to let Zuko have the honor of "killing the Avatar." You can tell she was suspicious, she even said "unless, you think the avatar somehow miraculously survived." and Zuko said no but I think she could tell Zuko was lying since he knew about the spirit water.
@@maverickpwnage8534 the look Azula gives after Zuko said Aang couldn't have survived says she doesn't believe him. Also I said that Zuko didn't even look Azula in the eyes which tends to happen when people aren't being truthful, but I rewatched the scene and realized I was wrong.
Curioso que hace unos días salío el comic de Azula por avatar studios, donde se cuenta brevemente desde su perspectiva como fue su infancia y porque decide hacer estas cosas y que es lo que quiere tener.
Hi Melon This episode go's so hard and I love it for that Zuko family life was hard to say the least But like what Zuko said back in session 1 that what made him strong But Zuko also has a very sweet side to him He loved his mom and like I always say any boy who loves his mother can't be all bad But in all honesty this is one of the best episode of this capture
I’m willing to bet this was the first time a Nickelodeon show had a little girl singing, “Dad’s going to kill you!” It used to be you couldn’t even say the K word and keep the Y7 rating.
Zuko calls those soldiers cowards and then he barely needs to make a few moves to outmatch them and they run away. The last soldiers only advantage was his earthbending but he didnt want to keep fighting when zuko revealed he was a fire bender.
There was an official poll made a few years ago ranking the fan favorite episodes of the show and IIRC zuko alone ranked either in the top 3 or number 1
It's never really explained in the show, just some comics, but Zuko's parents actually had an arranged marriage. Somewhat strangely, we actually DO see as to WHY, though, as the end result, in a season 3 episode.
You definitely have to wonder how things would've gone if Iroh had become Fire Lord. Because even if he didn't end the war, he still would've been a far more compassionate and merciful ruler than his father or Ozai.
I don't know about that. He definitely wasn't as merciless and cruel as Ozai, but he fully bought into the Fire Nation propaganda and willingly led the army into battle. He only started seeing things differently and grew as a person after losing his son and leaving on a journey of self-discovery. The Iroh we know is who he is because he never became Fire Lord. An Iroh who did take up the throne would have been very different and much more of a "traditional" Fire Nation leader, even if he would be more muted than Ozai. Regardless, he would not have been a good guy.
Avatar Extras Zuko Alone 0:48 Zuko's design has been slightly altered to show that he's losing weight. This episode is Avatar's version of a western. Westerns often focus on strangers who roll into town. 2:49 if you look closely you can see all the hybrid pigs. There’s a a "wooly pig" and a "moo-sow" as well as a pigster a cross between a pig and a rooster). 3:47 Fixing a roof is one of the many things Zuko is not good at. He's also not good at: Multi-tasking, Cleaning up after himself, and the game Pai Sho. 5:58 This is the same knife Zuko uses in the episode "The Avatar State" to cut off his top knot. 6:18 Iroh is Ozai’s older brother and first in line. Also at 6:40, trust us on this, Iroh probably would have been a much better fire lord than Ozai. 7:37 Gow enjoys spreading bad news. 9:38 indeed it is. I hear there’s no war there…. Fun fact: The letter "Z" is prevalent in many Fire Nation royalty names. Azula. Zuko. Ozai. Azulon. Sozin. Etc. 12:58 yeah….this is one messed up family. 13:52 "Azula always lies" is Zuko's personal mantra. For Zuko, only the lost, walk alone… Bonus: 16:26 trust us on this, the tears don’t stop here….
You make the same mistake Zuko did here. She said "Never FORGET who you are..." not to hide who he is. At this point in his journey his mother would be really sad at who Zuko currently is, just like Iroh is right now.
Such a fantastic and emotional episode. Zuko got it rough but believe me it's gonna get ugly. 10:32 no that's the comet. It was named after firelord sozin. Who you'll understand more of later
Not only him but the entirety of the fire nation. The way the people revered the royal family, the fact she grew up surrounded by servants… All of that played a part in it.
I hope you made the connection between this episode and the Day of Black Sun episodes. Its Nickelodeon so they won't say it outright, but Ursa killed Azulon and changed his final testament so Ozai would become Fire Lord, and in exchange, Zuko would be spared and she would be banished for her treason
Azula was influenced heavily by her father, and he is a power-hungry psychopath. It would've been better for Azula if she was just an average fire bender rather than so talented. Then, her father would've ignored her as he ignores Zuko. When Zuko threw the food at the turtle ducks it's a foreshadowing. Someone tries to hurt her babies and the mother attacks with complete disregard to her safety. Azula is evilly happy about all of it. Iroh was next in line to be Fire Lord. He's out. Lu Ten was in line after Iroh. He's dead. It then falls to Ozai and after that Zuko. Ozai favors Azula in every way. So, Zuko is out. On a side note, I always thought Azulon levied such a heavy punishment on Ozai for more than Ozai trying to take the crown from Iroh. Azulon knows how crazy Ozai is, and he knows how crazy Azula is. He knows Zuko is a non-entity. He has no plans to ever let Ozai or his offspring to ever sit upon the throne. So, he orders Ozai to kill his own son. This would destroy the family and remove them as a threat to the crown. Only, Azulon didn't count on how low Ozai could and would go.
Unless there's a third son (Iroh & Ozai's younger brother), I don't think so. And honestly, I think Azulon was making a threat, not one he intended to follow thru with, but he wanted Ozai to think about what the pain would be like (to a normal person, anyway). But without that third son, going with that thinking, the dynasty would end. (Unless he meant for Iroh to get busy working on some more heirs- which honest, he shoulda been doing anyway)
@@Sephiroth144 I still think Azulon was going to see if Ozai would actually kill his own son. Any normal father would never even think about doing that. The fact that Ozai was going to do it was proof he was insane and not fit to rule. Iroh was his favorite, and Lu Ten was his first grandchild. And, by all indications they were kinda sane and just. If Ozai and his family were out of the running for ruling Iroh would have to step up. And, if he didn't it would fall to someone else of Azulon's choosing. Anyone but Ozai, Zuko or Azula.
@@IamnotJohnFord But Zuko, at that point, (and surely visible to Azulon), was still a good lad who could grow into a capable leader. Azula, well, even her mother could see that girl weren't right- pretty sure Gramps did too. Killing the good grandkid you have left is counterproductive... Now, if he ordered Zuko to be adopted by Iroh, making him the 2nd in line, I could see that- but Azulon likely figured Iroh wasn't making any more kids, which leads to continuation problems (especially if you knock off Zuko)
Azula is definitely up there in a top 10 list of worst siblings in fiction, like jesus. Evil both in childhood and present time. Another great episode with Zuko!
Avatar The Last Airbender has one of the greatest character arch's ever written and I'm not talking about Aang. Never forget, Azula is a straight up psychopath. Pro-tip: For the rest of this series keep tissues nearby. There are some episodes coming up and especially in the next season that are a one two punch, right in the feels.
Spoiler alert!!!! In case it's unclear what happened, when Ursa (zuko's mom) learned that zuko was going to be killed, she proposed a plan that would make Ozai Firelord in exchange for sparing Zuko's life. Won't go to indepth, but Ursa poisioned Fire Lord Azulon and forged papers saying that with his dying wish, he wanted Ozai to be next in line. Ursa then was banished for assassinating the former firelord, but her beloved son would live on.
So I recognize that objectively this is one of the best episodes this whole series, even franchises, has to offer. It has everything you want in children’s action adventure fantasy. Character, drama, action and world building. It has good writing and interesting symbolism and good visual storytelling. Subjectively, this has never been one of my favorites. The portrayal of you Azula has always bothered me. Other people have discussed the unfortunate representation of mental illness in Avatar and Korra, i won’t hash it all out here. I never bonded as much with Zuko as some other chargers like most of the fandom. Personally i also prefer character exploration and grown in group setting. Like Toph un S3 e7. Just my two cents. Again I recognize the objective quality and don’t have problems with people like this one. Personally i love the next two. Looking forward to those reactions.
How did you miss the part where they said the little kids brother, Sen Su, was out fighting in the war ? Lol not gone lie you were asking questions to stuff that had either just been shown or was already talked about in the SAME episode . Lol you gotta start paying more attention to the show
8:58 the knife inscription reads "never give up without a fight." but earlier in the episode we're told through iroh's letter that the general to whom it belonged surrendered. this inconsistency implies that iroh was lying, that the general didn't surrender but fought until his dying breath, and that iroh (or his men) claimed it off his dead body as a spoil of war. it's supposed to hint about how similar to ozai iroh used to be.
You let the dad off pretty good. Like, tell me again WHY it's impossible for Ozai to have influenced Azula? Why is it that because she's like 8...has she "always been this way."? We are coming into the past...late. We've missed some years havent we? And, newsflash...if you let them....kids can be monsters. They have no true respect for death or anything unless they are TAUGHT to or experience it over time. Guess, based on what you've seen, what kind of teacher and father Fire Lord Ozai is? And guess how much authority he has in his house, over his wife, over his children. Even Iroh, at this time gloats and makes light of decimating Ba Sing Se. You should notice these things so far about this episode: Ursa, the mother, is the ONLY person with compassion and kindness,....Ozai encourages and dotes on Azula and shuns Zuko.....in addition to Ozai, all military have acted as Azula does....Zuko is very close with Ursa, and thus has clearly learned from her, demonstrating her compassion completely on his own....even very young...more proof that these parents' unique dynamic has been affecting their children. Process this. Think about it.
Azula has a psychopathic nature, it’s not all on Ozai. Azula was just born ruthless. She even use to abuse the turtle ducks as a child. It’s pretty common traits of psychopaths. It’s very clear she had a sadistic nature, that was of course nurtured by Ozai. I think yoy excuse Azula a little too much.
"It wasn't like her mom taught her this young... I thought her father got in her head..." There's nothing saying he didn't. We only see what Zuko saw, what Zuko remembers. He hears Azula saying these things, but that doesn't mean they were originally her idea. That said, Azula does take a particular glee in some rather morbid things, but I've known quite a few kids that morbid who grew up to be decent adults, because they weren't raised to be warriors and those impulses were not praised. She does suggest Zuko run away, so I don't know if she exactly *wants* to see him die, she just likes feeling superior to him. (SPOILERS) EDIT: Also, in an odd way, Azula taunting Zuko with his death may have been the thing that saved him and Aang, and ended the war - because it allowed their mother to overhear, put two and two together, and intervene. If Ursa hadn't realized there was a threat to Zuko's life (and I doubt Ozai would have told her otherwise), Zuko would have been killed before Aang was even freed from the ice. Zuko saved Aang from Zhao and became Aang's firebending teacher, so even if Azulon or Iroh were on the throne instead of Ozai, Aang would have ended up in a much worse situation if not for Zuko.
