Zuko's pearl-handled dagger



Zuko's pearl-handled dagger was a dagger, given to him by his uncle, Iroh.

History
When Iroh's army broke through the outer wall of Ba Sing Se, the city's defeated general gave Iroh his one-of-a-kind pearl-handled dagger, crafted in Ba Sing Se, as a token of his surrender. Iroh then sent the dagger back home to his nephew, Zuko. The Prince considered this dagger as one of his most prized possessions and has kept the knife with him ever since.

After narrowly escaping Azula's attempt to arrest them, Zuko and Iroh used this dagger to cut off their top-knots. This signified their renouncement and abandonment of the Fire Nation.

Later, when Zuko was traveling alone through Plains village, he met a young boy, Lee, and gave him the pearl dagger when he moved on again. The dagger was stolen, however, by Gow, when Lee pulled the knife on him when he and his corrupt soldiers came to the farm, asking for food. After Zuko defeated Gow with his firebending, he took back the dagger and attempted to return it to Lee, but the disappointed boy angrily refused to accept it.

Design
The dagger is the result of some superior craftsmanship. It comes with a black sheath that is decorated with two golden protrusions on both sides where the sheath slides open. The handle is covered in the same black material and the sheath and handle are connected with a golden circle in the middle of the dagger. When slid open, the blade has an inscription engraved on both sides. One side reads: "Never give up without a fight". The other side humorously says: "Made in Earth Kingdom".

Trivia

 * The dagger is very similar to a Japanese Tanto knife.
 * The dagger is the only weapon in the Avatar universe to have been owned or handled by more than three characters.
 * The "Made in Earth Kingdom" phrase in the dagger is part of a running joke in that everybody reads this side first, and a parody of the common phrase "Made in China" on many Chinese made products.