History of Zuko (Summer 100 AG)

Returning Home
After this, Zuko is surprisingly reluctant to return to the Fire Nation as a hero. However, after informing his sister of his intention to remain in Ba Sing Se, the princess pulls out a trump card in the form of an old friend--Mai, who had shared a mutual crush with Zuko as a child. After foiling Azula's dinner date set up, Zuko accompanies the governor's daughter on a stroll throughout the city, where--after an incident involving Jin, octofish, and a fountain--the two end up kissing and reminiscing. The following day, as he sees Mai off during the boardings, Zuko severely contemplates returning home with her, watched on by Azula. The princess then turns her attention to Iroh being led aboard a Fire Nation ship in chains and wonders aloud if he will even survive the trip. As she bids her brother farewell, Zuko suddenly makes the resolve to come with them back to the Fire Nation. Azula slyly tells her brother to do whatever he wants, as its his decision.



Several weeks later, though, as the ship approaches Fire Nation waters, Zuko expresses his fear at how much everything has changed, and how much he himself has changed. Despite reassurances from Mai and deafening cheers from the citizens of the Fire Nation, Zuko is still uncertain as to how his father would receive him--and even doubtful as to whether or not the Avatar was truly dead, a feeling he consequentially expresses to his sister. When he finally returns to his father's throne room, however, his father welcomes him back with pride and recognition, claiming that Zuko had fully redeemed himself by slaying the Avatar. Zuko manages to contain his surprise at this, knowing fully well that it had been Azula who had delivered the blow, not him.

Although the false claim finally gives him the redemption he has so longed for, Zuko confronts his sister that night about why she had given him the credit. Azula claims that she saw how worried Zuko was about not having the Avatar, she decided to give him the credit for his demise out of a generous gesture to repay his part in the takeover of Ba Sing Se. Zuko refuses to believe her explanation, accusing her of retaining an ulterior motive. Azula nonchalantly points out how letting him have all the glory over slaying the Avatar could do little to benefit her, but goes on to insidiously acknowledge the fact that should it be discovered that the Avatar was alive, all that glory would swiftly turn into shame and foolishness. She assures Zuko that he has nothing to worry about, as he had already said himself, there's no way the Avatar could have survived. With that, the princess bids her brother goodnight, who leaves deeply incensed. Even with his redemption, he is still being manipulated.



Zuko had been secretly seeing his imprisoned uncle, telling the guard to say nothing. However, Iroh would have none of him and refused to listens to Zuko's claims he could have been a hero. While on a picnic with Mai, they were interrupted by Azula who cautions Zuko not to be discovered visiting Uncle or people will think he was conspiring with him. After delivering a box of chicken to his uncle, Zuko says to his uncle that he has everything he has ever wanted, but is tortured knowing that the Avatar is still alive; Iroh refuses to advise his nephew. Zuko then meets with a person who has a tattoo of a third eye who he instructs to kill the Avatar.

Zuko, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee go on vacation to Ember Island at Lo and Li's beach house, due to the fact Fire Lord Ozai is holding a restricted meeting with his confidants. At the beach, Zuko makes several unsuccessful attempts to impress Mai with pretty shells and ice cream; the former fails to appeal to her, and the latter falls on Mai's leg in the unlucky fashion Zuko is famous for. The group is invited to a party at Chan's house.

During the party, after fetching Mai some food, Zuko finds Ruon-Jian talking to Mai. Zuko loses his temper and violently throws Ruon-Jian into a large pot across the room. Disgusted, Mai angrily tells Zuko that his temper is out of control; he takes his anger out on her, then, saying that she doesn't feel anything and is a "big blah". Hurt and confused by this accusation, Mai tells Zuko that their relationship is over. Chan returns and ejects Zuko from the party. Zuko heads off and goes to his family's abandoned vacation house where he reminisces about memories of himself as a child with his Mother, Father, and Uncle. He spots a stone imprinted with his own baby hand print, only for his eyes to be drawn to an old family portrait hanging on the wall. Azula finds Zuko, and they all go down to the beach again. Zuko tries to reconcile with Mai, but she is still cold toward him.

When words start to fly, Zuko pushes into a rant about his own life, where he admits that he's angry but unsure why. The girls all pressure him into giving an answer, and he finally screams that he is angry at himself because he doesn't know the difference between right and wrong anymore. Finally understanding what bothers Zuko so much, Mai returns to his side and says that there is one thing she cares about and kisses him once again.

Family History


Zuko awakes and finds a message telling him that he needs to learn the story of his Great Grandfather's demise, it would help reveal his own destiny. He quizzes Azula but she says that Sozin died in his sleep. Zuko puzzles over the message until he finally throws it over his lamp revealing a secret message written on the other side, telling him that the Fire Sages keep the Secret History in the Dragon Bone Catacombs. He finds the place by secretly following one of the Fire Sages. After entering he discovers the Final Testament of Fire Lord Sozin. Zuko reads up on the past friendship of Avatar Roku and Fire Lord Sozin. At the end Sozin says he kept searching for the new Avatar. Zuko confronts Iroh in prison, outraged, and accusing Iroh of sending him messages telling him that the scroll told him little more than what he already knew. Zuko says he had learned nothing more of Sozin's death. Iroh calmly states that he was referring to his mother's grandfather, Avatar Roku. Zuko falls to his knees, more confused than ever. Iroh tells Zuko good and evil are always fighting inside Zuko for it is his nature. Iroh says that the bright side is that Zuko alone can restore honor to the Fire Nation and bring about peace. Iroh then hands Zuko a lost royal artifact (meant to be worn by the crown prince) worn by both of his great-grandfathers and tells him he can choose either of their paths and restore balance to the world or destroy it.

Zuko eventually recovers from the initial shock of his family revelation, and in the following weeks is thoroughly enjoying life as an honored prince. He has servants attending to his every need and the population adores him, and has romantic evenings with Mai. A few days before the Day of Black Sun, he visits Mai's house, which is right across from the Royal Palace. The two are happier than ever as Mai is now much more open with her emotions. When Zuko asks if Mai could have anything she wanted in the world at that moment what it would be, he discovers her love for fruit tarts and with his servants is able to answer to such desires. Suddenly, Mai mentions that Azula got invited to a war meeting with their father and apparently Zuko didn't get invited. He talks to Azula who assures him that he was not told about the war meeting because he is already expected to be there. However, the fact that he, the Crown Prince was not informed as opposed to the Crown Princess insults him, so he refuses to go. When he sulks about it, Mai suggests he order some servants around or enjoy a fruit tart, but Zuko is not in the mood. However, the next morning, Zuko does go to the war meeting when he finds out that his father refused to start with him absent, setting his mind at ease. When it ends, he tells Mai that his father let him sit at his right side, much to Mai's delight. However, Zuko also confides in her that although he acted like the son his father wanted, he was not himself. This made Zuko realize that he can't be the son that his father wants him to, and that the war must come to end.

Redemption


Before the battle, he gazes at a drawing of him and Mai, saying "I'm sorry". During the eclipse, he enters his father's chamber with his dual swords. First, he tells his father that "it was Azula who took down the Avatar, not [him]". When Zuko tells him that Azula's reason for lying is that the Avatar survived, Ozai is furious (how he punished Azula, if he did, is unknown). Zuko spouts his rage at the Fire Lord, explaining his internal conflicts throughout the series. Zuko says that he was never there during his childhood and argues that his father was cruel to challenge a thirteen year old to an Agni Kai and cause permanent damage to him for only the crime of speaking out of turn at a war meeting. Having had a first hand look at the destruction the Fire Nation has caused, Zuko speaks his mind about it and says it is not the "spreading of greatness" the country has lied about to its citizens. He turns to "join the Avatar" and nearly leaves the catacomb when his father asks, "Don't you want to know what happened to your mother?".



Lured by these words, Zuko turns to stay. Ozai explains that after requesting that Iroh's birthright be revoked and placed upon his head, Azulon told him that he would have to kill Zuko to suffer the same pain as Iroh. Ozai reveals he had every intention to do so, but that his wife stated a plan in which Zuko would live and Ozai would become Fire Lord. Her actions resulted in Azulon's death and her banishment. This leaves Zuko hopefully asking that she was still alive. Ozai states it's very possible, but that he has learned that banishment is far too merciful of a punishment for treason and that Zuko will receive no such mercy. Just as the eclipse ends, Ozai leaps from his seat and fires a massive lightning bolt at Zuko. He catches the blast, sliding back several feet, before redirecting the charge at a much-surprised Ozai. The impact sends Ozai slamming into the back wall, and gives Zuko time to escape. From there, he heads to the prison, finding most of the guards unconscious or otherwise incapacitated. Finding the warden who constantly insulted Iroh, he demands to know what happened. The guard reveals that Iroh broke himself out, and was like a "one-man army". Zuko then follows Team Avatar in a War Balloon, intent on joining them.

Joining The Avatar


Zuko arrives at the Western Air Temple before Aang and his friends. He runs away to hide when the gang arrives on Appa. Later at his camp in the woods, he tries to practice a speech to explain to the Avatar to accept him into the group, with little success. Finally Zuko returns to the temple and appears before Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph. Upon his arrival, Appa licks him for remembering that Zuko set him free in Ba Sing Se, which surprises Aang. Zuko then tries his speech, and offers to teach Aang Firebending, but the group is unwilling to let him due to their mistrust of him, especially Katara. Zuko then begins apologizing for the bad things he did to them, but accidentally lets slip the fact that he sent the Combustion Man after them. Enraged, the gang demands that Zuko leave them now. Zuko then offers to be accepted as their prisoner, but Katara waterbends at him and orders him to leave. Zuko returns to his camp, and berates himself for how bad his attempt at joining their group was.



Later that night Toph, sensing that Zuko was sincere, goes to visit him. She makes a noise that startles Zuko, causing him to act on instinct and Firebend at the intruder, not knowing it was Toph. He burns her feet by accident, and when he tries to apologize and help her, she earthbends at him and retreats back to the temple. Zuko then collapses to the ground and shouts in frustration.

"'Why am I so bad at being good?!'"

The next day, Combustion Man has tracked down Aang and the group to the temple. Zuko attacks Combution Man causing his attack to miss. Zuko orders him to stop hunting the Avatar, but Combustion Man ignores him and continues firing blasts at the temple. Zuko attempts to stop him with Firebending, but he deflects it with ease and fires a blast at Zuko. Zuko nearly gets thrown off the cliff. Aang and Katara attempt to bend at Combustion Man, but he easily withstands their attacks. Sokka however, uses his boomerang to hit Combustion Man in his third eye, causing his next attack to backfire and prompt an explosion that sends him falling off the cliff.



Zuko appears to the Avatar once more, and apologizes to him again, saying that he has been through a lot the past few years. He then apologizes to Toph for burning her, remarking that he has to be in better control of his bending, and that fire can be a dangerous thing if not controlled. Aang then tells Zuko that he thinks Zuko was meant to be his teacher because he understands what Aang went through when he first tried to Firebend and burned Katara by accident. Zuko then asks one more time to join the group. Aang accepts, then asks his friends if he can be allowed to join them. Toph agrees, saying jokingly that it will give her time to get back at Zuko for burning her. Sokka agrees knowing that Aang knows what he is doing. Lastly, Katara allows him, but only reluctantly. Zuko happily promises that he won't let them down. As soon as this happens, the rest of the gang turn around and head into the temple.

After Sokka shows Zuko to his room in the temple, he begins to unpack his things. Katara appears in his doorway. Just as Zuko begins to show delight at her letting him join the team, she informs Zuko that even though the others accepted him, she still doesn't trust him. Katara then gives Zuko a warning:

"'You might have everyone else here buying your... 'transformation', but you and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past. So let me tell you something right now. You make one step backward, one slip-up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang, and you won't have to worry about your destiny any more, because I'll make sure your destiny ends, right then and there -- permanently.'"

She then leaves Zuko to ponder her words.

Remastering Firebending


After joining the group, Zuko begins to teach Aang Firebending. After Aang shows him that he can't create fire, Zuko attempts to demonstrate, but is only able to produce very weak and faint fire blasts. He theorizes that he no longer has the anger he had to fuel his bending anymore because he switched sides.

After Zuko informs the rest of the group about his loss of Firebending, Sokka and Katara poke fun at him, but Toph has another idea. She suggests that Zuko and Aang learn from the original source of Firebending. Earthbending came from the Badgermoles, and Airbending came from the Sky Bisons. Zuko feels he is out of luck because Firebending originated from the Dragons, which are extinct. He does inform them that there are old ruins of the ancient Sun Warrior's civilization located near to the Western Air Temple, and that they might learn something there.

After arriving at the ruins, Aang is almost caught in a booby trap. Zuko avoids it, saying that places with booby traps always have something worth protecting. While exploring, Zuko reveals that his great-grandfather Sozin began a tradition that if anyone hunted a dragon and killed it, their Firebending would become legendary, and be granted the title of "Dragon". This action lead the Fire Nation to exterminate the dragons. Zuko's uncle conquered the last dragon (perhaps giving him the name "The Dragon of the West", as well as his ability to breathe fire as he demonstrated to Azula in Book 2). Sozin also started the belief that Firebending originated from anger and rage and could only be used for destruction.

Aang and Zuko then find their way into a room with a circular alignment of statues, that are labeled as "The Dancing Dragon", which is an ancient Firebending form. After the both of them perform the form, a glowing jewel appears in the center of the room. Zuko takes it, and accidentally triggers another trap. They are both found by members of the Sun Warrior Tribe a while later.

The chief tells them that if they wish to master Firebending, they must meet the tribe's masters. They are both given a fireball to carry up a mountain where the masters are to prove their worth and commitment to Firebending. Shortly after arriving at the mountain top, they are confronted by the masters, which turn out to be a red dragon and a blue dragon. The dragons circle around a shocked Zuko and Aang. Aang and Zuko perform the Dancing Dragon, which mimics the dragon's movements. The masters deem them worthy, and demonstrate their bending by creating a rainbow colored column of fire.



Zuko and Aang are still shocked that there are dragons left. Zuko thinks that his Uncle lied when he found and killed the last dragon, but the Sun Chief informs him otherwise. Zuko's uncle Iroh found his way to the dragons, and was deemed worthy and taught the original source of Firebending as well. Zuko realizes that Firebending isn't just hate and destruction, but beauty and life as well, and why he lost his ability to Firebend. Hunting the Avatar was his drive for so long, so when he joined him, his drive vanished and he lost his touch with his inner fire. His new drive is to help the Avatar defeat the Fire Lord and restore balance to the world. Zuko is able to perform strong fire blasts again, and Aang is able to create fire too.

After returning to the group, Aang and Zuko perform the Firebending form they learned. Sokka pokes fun at them saying that they could dance to defeat the fire lord. A frustrated Zuko argues with him, but when he tells the group the form is called The Dancing Dragon, he is left embarrassed as the group laughs at him.

Into the Boiling Rock
One night at the Western Air Temple, Zuko was serving everyone tea, he attempted to tell a joke Uncle Iroh said about tea, but spoiled it when he could only remember the punch line. It would have sounded funny with Uncle Iroh saying it.



Meanwhile, Sokka was feeling a little disturbed. When he privately asked Zuko about what prison Fire Nation criminals would be placed in, and where his father may have been taken, he said it would only make Sokka feel worse, but he hesitantly answered that the place would be a prison out in the middle of a volcano, in the middle of the ocean, where the gang might have passed through while they were on their way to the Western Air Temple. The prison was called the Boiling Rock, the most secure prison in the Fire Nation. Zuko was suspicious on why Sokka would ask such thing, to which the latter denied of going there.

In the middle of the night, while everyone was asleep, Sokka attempts to sneak on Appa alone. As he reached the saddle, he was caught by Zuko waiting there. Sokka demanded he needed to do this; as the Invasion was his idea, and his burden to get his honor back. However Zuko, knowing what it's like to want one's honor back, decided to go along with Sokka, not with Appa, but with a war balloon Zuko used as transportation to get to the Western Air Temple. Zuko left a note, for the gang to find next morning, fabricated in writing that he and Sokka had gone fishing, and reminded Aang to do some Fire Squats for Firebending practice, much to his dismay.

Zuko and Sokka made it to the prison at night. They saw a whole bunch of steam emitting from the volcano. Because of the steam, the balloon air was no longer hot in relation to the outside air and made the balloon fall and crash, meaning there was no way off of the prison.



The next morning, the duo donned Fire Nation guard uniforms. Meanwhile, there's a quarrel going on outside. Chit Sang, a Firebending prisoner, "broke" the rule of "Not bowing down to a prison guard". After Chit Sang defied his rule, the guard made a fire whip and used it against Chit Sang. However, the latter parried this, making him really break a rule. Firebending was prohibited in the prison and Chit Sang was sentenced to a cooler, where the Firebenders would freeze until they couldn't Firebend for a while.

Meanwhile, Zuko, at lunch break for the guards, asked some guards where dangerous criminals were confined at (Water Tribes, for instance). Zuko and Sokka met up later on and Zuko told Sokka that Water Tribe prisoners were not located in this prison, much to Sokka's sorrow. Sokka believed he failed, yet again, but Zuko tried to cheer him up with one of Iroh's wise sayings, which he messed up anyway. Sokka cheered up, not by Zuko's attempt, but at the sight of Suki, who was returning to her prison cell.

Sokka went inside her cell to talk to her while Zuko stood guard. While Sokka and Suki reunited, a guard came by to check on Suki. Zuko tried to keep her out, at first with an excuse and then with physical force. When Sokka came out, back in his guard disguise, he helped the guard arrest Zuko, but whispered to him that he would figure something out. Zuko allowed himself to get captured, and he was taken to a prison cell. While Zuko was in his cell, he was confronted by the warden, who knows Zuko because the warden was Mai's uncle. The warden stated that Zuko had broken Mai's heart after Zuko left the Fire Nation.



Soon, Zuko and Suki were up to mopping duty and Suki recognized Zuko from when he attacked her village. Sokka gathered the both of them for a plan which Chit Sang overheard, and he demanded to be involved. They planned to use a cooler to ride their way out like a boat as the cooler was perfect for keeping heat out. First, someone will need to screw a cooler cell free. Zuko volunteered by pretending to fight with Chit Sang with Firebending. After that, he was sent to a cooler cell and, having used his fire breath to keep warm, was successful in unscrewing the cooler free. However, guards passed by and the two hid and overheard information that War prisoners would be coming the next day, giving Sokka hope that he'll see his father, Hakoda.

That night, Zuko and Sokka brought the loose cooler cell to where Chit Sang, Suki, and Chit Sang's friends were waiting. Sokka, knowing about the new arrivals of new prisoners tomorrow, stays at the prison to break his father out. Suki and Zuko agree to stay, while Chit Sang leaves. By dawn, Chit Sang and his friends were steaming up in the cooler and Chit Sang breaks off a piece of metal to use as an oar to make the cooler go faster. He is scalded by the boiling water and yells out in pain, alerting the Fire Nation guards of their escape attempt and they were caught. Meanwhile, Sokka, Suki, and Zuko hide while watching the prisoners come out of the lift used to transport prisoners. After a few come out, Sokka loses hope of seeing his father, until one last person is called out: Hakoda.



After the father-son reunion Sokka makes his way to Zuko's prison cell and tries to share an escape plan that he and Hakoda made, but is interrupted by two Fire Nation guards. Sokka feigns brutalizing Zuko as he fills in with where to meet. Zuko is taken into another cell, where he is confronted by Mai. Mai begins to berate Zuko for leaving a letter and making her think that he had abandoned her. Zuko tries to tell her that he is doing this for his Nation, but Mai does not seem to understand how betraying his Nation will help it.

Later, Sokka, with the help of Chit Sang, starts a riot and in the confusion Zuko gets away and locks Mai in the cell to keep her safe. After Zuko shows up to join his friends, Suki captures the warden and the group makes their way to the gondola.



The groups make it and Zuko breaks the lever to make it unstoppable. However, they are being followed by Azula and Ty Lee, though Zuko and Suki have been waiting for a rematch. Sokka, Suki, and Zuko climb to the roof of the gondola and battle Ty Lee and Azula. Suki battles evenly with Ty Lee and Sokka and Zuko match Azula fairly. The warden breaks free of his binding and orders the guards to cut the line, even though that means he and the others won't survive. The guards proceed on doing so. Azula and Ty Lee makes it onto another gondola, but the group is trapped. Just as the guards are about to finish cutting the line, they are stopped by Mai. Mai starts to pin the guards with her daggers, much to everyone's confusion. A guard asks her what she's doing, to which she replies, "Saving the jerk who dumped me". She frees the line and the gondola used by the group starts moving again. The group makes it out, while leaving the warden behind, and the group leaves. Although Suki wonders how they are going to leave, Zuko realizes that Azula must have come to the Boiling Rock somehow and spots a Fire Nation Airship. The group uses the airship as a tool for escape.

As Zuko and the others get back to the Western Air Temple, Katara asks Sokka and Zuko what happened to Zuko's small war balloon. Zuko merely answers, "It kinda got destroyed". After the rest of the gang ask if they got some good meat, Sokka answers that he did and it's the best meat of all, which is the meat of friendship and fatherhood. Hakoda, Suki, and Chit Sang present themselves (though Chit Sang said, "I'm new. What's up everybody?") Katara embraces her father and asks what's going on. Sokka tells her that they went to a Fire Nation prison, and then he is dragged into the family reunion. Zuko watches this with a first real smile on his face, possibly happy that he is seeing a father who actually loves his children.

Searching for the Southern Raiders


In the beginning, the group is sleeping soundly on the ground some time after Zuko and Sokka returned to the Western Air Temple. Suddenly, bombs start shooting from Azula and fleet of airships there. Aang airbends the large doors closed to protect the group. Zuko pushes Katara out of the way when the ceiling almost fell on her. Katara in anger asks him what he was doing. Zuko tells her that he was keeping rocks from crushing her, but Katara just shoves him off and says that she is not crushed and he can get off of her now. Zuko takes that as a thank you from her, and gets up. During the group's escape, Zuko acted as a distraction to allow them time. When he confronted Azula, he asked why she was there. Her response was she was "about to celebrate becoming an only child," meaning she intended to kill him. Zuko fought Azula atop one of the airships, and was saved from certain death when the rest of the team flew under him on Appa and caught him after he and Azula blasted each other off.

After that morning, they settled down and Aang remarks that camping was just like old times. Zuko makes a joke that if he wants it to feel like old times, he could chase Aang around and try to capture him. Everyone laughs except Katara. Sokka makes a toast to Zuko, but Zuko says he doesn't deserve it. Katara agrees with him and storms off. Zuko follows her, finding out why Katara has been acting so bitter towards him, and that everyone seems to trust him now. She yells at him and says, "Maybe you can reconquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King! Or, I know, you can bring my mother back!" She leaves him there, thinking about what she said. After inadvertently thwarting a tryst between Sokka and Suki, he asks Sokka about the death of their mother, since he thinks that is why Katara is holding in a grudge on him. He learns that the leader of the Southern Raiders, a fleet of Fire Nation warships, was responsible. He offers Katara his assistance in finding him (on Whale Tail Island), and she accepts. When Aang told Katara to let go of her anger, and that revenge is not the right path to go with, he is criticized by Zuko.



They sneak into the Fire Navy Communication Tower and find out where the Southern Raiders are: Whale Tail Island. They quickly escape on Appa and continue their mission to Whale Tail Island. Katara tells Zuko the story of what happened to her mother from her point of view. When the Southern Raiders came, young Katara went to her family's house to find her mother. There she sees the leader of the Southern Raiders, looking into his eyes, with her mother. Katara is scared, but her mother tells her not to worry, and to find her father. Katara runs outside as fast as she can and tells her father about this, and both start running toward their igloo. But when the got there, it was too late. Zuko tells Katara that her mother was a brave woman. Katara touches her necklace, and says she knows.

Zuko and Katara finally get to Whale Tail Island. Both start running toward the front where they predict the leader is, knocking down every soldier in their way. They get there and Zuko and Katara spot the leader. The leader, who is baffled and confused on what they are accusing him of, says he does not know what they are talking about. Zuko then witnesses Katara's power when she bloodbends the leader, which he never knew she could do. The leader, helpless and afraid, keeps telling them he doesn't know anything about the Southern Water Tribe invasion. Katara looks into the man's eyes and lets him go, realizing this is not the man they are looking for. Zuko interrogates the man to say where the veteran leader is and they both head off.



Zuko and Katara eventually found the man responsible of killing Katara's mother. At first he does not remember, but it all comes back to him. He remembers the little Water Tribe girl and her mother telling her to leave. Yon Rha asks Kya who the last Waterbender is. She denies at first that there are no Waterbenders left, but Yon Rha knows there is one more. Kya lies and tells him she is the last Waterbender of the tribe and to take her prisoner. Yon Rha refuses to take her prisoner and kills her.

Katara tells the man that her mother lied to protect the last Waterbender: her. When she finally had her chance to get revenge once and for all, she couldn't bring herself to kill him. After the group joins Katara on Ember Island, Katara tells Zuko that she has forgiven him, and hugs him warmly. He then asks Aang what he will do when he faces Ozai, since he believes killing someone is never the answer.

The Ember Island Players


While stationed at Ember Island, the group attends a play which shows their adventures. The plot is twisted and made to demoralize the group. Zuko had quite possibly the most negative response to the play as it in his words "takes all the mistakes of my life and shoves them in my face". The most emotional part to him was the scene where he betrayed Iroh which he was still very ashamed of as he now saw that Iroh was more of a father to him than Ozai ever was. Toph later told him about her long conversation with Iroh in "The Chase" and how he would constantly talk about Zuko. This knowledge gave Zuko hope that Iroh still loved him. At the end of the play, Azula's character is shown killing him, at which the audience cheers and Zuko is taken aback. When the Gang leaves, Zuko says to the others that the play "wasn't good", which is met with agreement.

Intense Training


Three days before the arrival of Sozin's Comet, Zuko is fiercely training Aang in Firebending, pushing him to improve quickly and urging him to be more aggressive. However, Aang soon loses focus and joins the group in a beach party. Zuko becomes enraged and attacks Aang, hoping to coax him into fighting seriously as preparation for his battle with Ozai. Zuko chases Aang all over the yard and into the house, Firebending at him the entire time. Finally, Aang fires Air at Zuko, blasting him out of the house.

The rest of the group demands to know what is wrong with Zuko, and Zuko tells them they shouldn't be having beach parties when Sozin's comet is only three days away. Aang and the others awkwardly tell him that they plan to wait until after the comet comes to fight the Fire Lord. Aang tells him that he still needs more time to master Firebending, and that if he fights Ozai now, he will lose. Katara says that the point of defeating the Fire Lord before the Comet was to win the war, but the Fire Nation won the war when they took Ba Sing Se, and that things can't get any worse. Zuko tells them about the war meeting he had before the eclipse. He reveals that Ozai plans to use the comet to wipe out the Earth Kingdom by burning it all to the ground and building a new world from its ashes, a world in which the Fire Nation will be the only nation. The group is shocked by this plan, and Zuko tells Aang that if he doesn't defeat the Fire Lord before the Comet comes, there won't be a world to save anymore. He teaches Aang one final technique before he can face the Fire Lord: Lightning redirection.

Reconciliation
The following morning, the group wakes up to find Aang and Momo missing. They decide to split up, with Toph eagerly going with Zuko, as she wants her own "life-changing field trip" with him. Toph spends the entire trip telling Zuko her problems with her parents, but is disappointed when Zuko has difficulty maintaining sympathy with her, mostly due to the graveness of the situation. After an extensive search of the island reveals nothing, the gang turns to Zuko to find him, as he is the one with the most experience tracking the Avatar. Zuko flies them to the Earth Kingdom, to a seedy tavern, where they find June. He urges her to track down Aang, as the fate of the world depends on him. However, the Shirshu is unable to find Aang's scent anywhere on the planet. At first, the gang despairs of ever finding Aang, until Zuko thinks that there is one other person who may be able to defeat Ozai. He then asks June to find Iroh, and provides a smell sample: his uncle's sweaty sandal, which he had kept. June's Shirshu tracks the scent all the way to the outer wall of Ba Sing Se. After arriving at the wall, June wishes them luck and leaves. At that night, the group is approached by four members of the Order of the White Lotus: Pakku, Bumi, Jeong Jeong and Piandao. They guide the group to a camp, and explain that they plan to liberate Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation. They lead Zuko to his uncle's tent.



Believing that his uncle hates him, Zuko is afraid to enter, but after some reassurances from Katara he goes in to find his uncle asleep. When Iroh wakes up, Zuko tells him how sorry he is and begs for his forgiveness. Iroh embraces him, and says that he was never angry, only sad because he feared Zuko had lost his way. He tells Zuko how proud he is that he found it again, and found his way to him.

The following morning, Zuko tries to convince Iroh to fight Ozai (who, in something of a Freudian slip, he accidentally calls the "Father Lord"), as he is the only one who can defeat him apart from Aang. Iroh refuses saying that even if he does defeat Ozai, and he is not sure that he could, history would see it as more senseless violence. Only the Avatar can honorably defeat the Fire Lord. When Zuko asks if he will take the throne and become Fire Lord after the war, Iroh says that the Fire Nation must have a new, young leader of unquestionable honor: Zuko. While Zuko at first questions whether he has unquestionable honor after he made so many mistakes, Iroh tells him that it is how he has struggled to redeem himself that truly makes him worthy. He tells Zuko to return to the Fire Nation and fight against Azula for its fate.

Agni Kai


Zuko journeys with Katara and Appa to the Fire Nation Capital to take the throne from his sister. They arrive during Azula's coronation. She challenges Zuko to an Agni Kai for the right to become Fire Lord. He accepts the challenge despite Katara's warnings, noticing something is wrong with Azula. Empowered by Sozin's Comet, Zuko and Azula battle in a dazzling display of Firebending which destroys much of the Capital. As Zuko slowly starts to gain the upper hand he taunts Azula about being afraid to use lightning, for he can redirect it.



Goaded, Azula prepares to use lightning on Zuko until she notices Katara in the distance. Azula shoots lightning toward Katara but Zuko jumps in its way to protect her at the last second. He manages to redirect the brunt of the lightning, but he fails to redirect all of it and falls to the ground, badly injured. Katara attempts to heal him, but Azula attacks her and drives her back between the pillars. When Azula is about to kill her, Katara freezes them both into a mass of water, and ties Azula to a drain. Katara then rushes back to Zuko and heals him. Zuko thanks Katara, but Katara says she is the one who should be thanking him. They both get up and look at Azula, who now is breathing fire as she cries uncontrollably. Realizing the extent of Azula's madness, Zuko and Katara look upon the defeated princess with a mixture of shock and sadness.

Coronation


After his battle with Azula, Zuko renews his relationship with Mai, who had been released from prison by her uncle. He is soon crowned Fire Lord. During his coronation, he promises that he and Aang will help rebuild the world together, and that he will redeem the Fire Nation.

Shortly after this, he visits his father in prison. While Ozai sarcastically tells him he feels lucky to be visited by the new Fire Lord, Zuko tells him he is lucky the Avatar spared his life. He also tells him that maybe time in prison will set Ozai on the right path, just as his banishment set him on the right path. When Ozai asks him why he is here, Zuko demands to know where Ursa is. The scene ends with no answer to the question.

The final scene shows the entire group, composed of Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph, Suki, Zuko, Mai and Iroh in the Jasmine Dragon tea shop. Zuko serves tea to the group while his uncle plays the Tsungi Horn, and criticizes Sokka's painting of the group, saying his hair is too spiky, making him look like a boar-q-pine. He laughs at Toph's joke about the painting looking perfect to her.