Ukano

"fire"

- We'll return the Fire Nation to greatness by returning Fire Lord Ozai to his throne.

Mai's father was the first and only Fire Nation governor of New Ozai, appointed by Fire Lord Ozai himself. He was the father of Mai and Tom-Tom. Though the governor cared greatly for his family, he was a weak ruler whose faulty assumptions often led to poor decisions. Career-minded and deeply loyal to Ozai, he accepted neither his forceful deposition as governor in 100 ASC, nor the new Fire Nation government under Fire Lord Zuko. Therefore, he founded the subversive New Ozai Society, an act that would lead to the breakup of his beloved family.

Governor of New Ozai
Mai's father masterminded the Capture of Omashu, and as a reward for his role, he was appointed governor of the newly subjected city, later renamed New Ozai by Princess Azula in honor of her father. He moved there with his wife, his daughter Mai, and his infant son Tom-Tom.



To resist the governor's rule, the citizens of Omashu devised a plan involving purple pentapuses. The next morning, all the citizens roamed throughout the city with marks on their skin from the pentapuses' suction cups, making them look diseased. The governor ordered the citizens to be driven out of the city, thinking there was a plague. However, Mai's family discovered that Tom-Tom had disappeared in the following night. Believing that the earthbenders had kidnapped his son, the governor, full of anger and despair about his son's fate, lamented that the resistance was "so clever, so tricky". Eventually, he sent a messenger hawk bearing a message to the resistance members, offering to trade King Bumi, the former ruler of Omashu, for his son.

The next day, however, Princess Azula unexpectedly arrived at the city. She met with the governor and harshly berated him for acting poorly due to the chain of events that occurred during the previous day. The governor humbly and desperately asked for forgiveness, also adressing the planned trade for his son. But despite all his excuses, Azula forced the governor to stay in the palace, so he did not had "a chance to mess it up". Nevertheless, the hostage trade failed, causing Mai's father and his wife to sink into despair, deeply fearing for their infant son's life. However, to their outermost joy an unknown went to the governor's house and secretly returned Tom-Tom later on in the night.

Downfall and the New Ozai Society
When the Day of Black Sun arrived, King Bumi liberated Omashu, effectively ending the governor's control of the city and forcing him to flee Omashu.

Following Zuko's ascension to the throne, Mai's father was offered a desk job in the new government, a better treatment than that which most citizens who remained loyal to Ozai received. He refused the offer, however, as he thought that the position was not only beneath his dignity, but also Zuko's way to "keep tabs on [him]". He came to the conclusion that the only way to restore what he saw as the Fire Nation's "greatness" was to return Ozai to the throne. Consequently Mai's father founded the New Ozai Society, determined to reinstate the former Fire Lord to the throne. Disappointed by his daughter's love for Zuko, the man he saw as cause for his problems, Mai's father introduced Tom-Tom to the society to teach him the "duties of Fire Nation citizenship". This way, he thought he could avoid the "mistake[s]" he had made during Mai's childhood that had led her to become a traitor to Ozai.



Upon hearing of the end of his daughter's relationship with Zuko in 101 ASC, he instructed Kei Lo, one of the society members, to find Mai and bring her to a society meeting. He believed that she possessed the personal information about Zuko required to bring him down. When Kei Lo finally brought Mai to the secret headquarters of the society, the former governor offered his daughter to join them, but she rejected him and left after a brief scuffle with the society members, taking Tom-Tom with her.

Avatar comics

 * "Rebound"

Trivia

 * Avatar Extras for "Return to Omashu" revealed that the governor is not a firebender. However, in Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Burning Earth, the governor was a boss battle and depicted as being a powerful firebender.