Fire Lord



The Fire Lord is the ruler of the Fire Nation. The Fire Lord holds absolute power over the Fire Nation, can be male or female, and is usually the most powerful Firebender in the world. The current Fire Lord is Zuko. The Royal Palace is the residence of the Fire Lord, located in the Fire Nation Capital.

Traditionally, the title of Fire Lord is passed down from father to eldest son, although there have been exceptions to this rule. After the death of Fire Lord Azulon, Ozai ascended to the throne even though he was the second son after Iroh. Also, when Prince Zuko was banished from the Fire Nation, the heiress apparent became his sister, Azula.

The Fire Lord is always a master Firebender, as the holder of the title may be challenged for the position in an Agni Kai (this rarely happens, but one example of this was when Zuko fought Azula in an Agni Kai for the throne).

The wife of the Fire Lord is known as the Fire Lady, although the extent of their authority is unknown and most likely limited to that of a Queen Consort. Princess Azula refers to herself as 'Fire Lord' when she receives that authority from her father Ozai, even though she is a woman.

History


During the distant past, the Fire Nation was ruled as a theocracy lead by the Fire Sages. The Fire Lord position at this time was merely the head sage, but subsequent holders of the position desired it to hold greater power, and so split away from the sages, thus beginning the Fire Nation's Royal Family. It was after this event that when the position of Great Sage was established in the Fire Sages, to replace the Fire Lord's spot as its head. Despite animosity between the Fire Sages and the royal family, the power balance had reached a state of equilibrium by the time of Fire Lord Sozin; It was he, however, who finally subjugated the Sages to the Fire Lord's rule.



More recently, Fire Lord Ozai established a position for himself known as Phoenix King, with his daughter Princess Azula next in line to become Fire Lord. With this title, Ozai declared himself the ruler of the entire world, and entrusted Azula to lead the Fire Nation. However, during the arrival of Sozin's Comet, Zuko and Katara arrived during Azula's coronation and after hearing Zuko declare he would be becoming Fire Lord, not her, Azula challenged him to an Agni Kai for the right to become Fire Lord. After an intense battle, Zuko and Katara defeated Azula, who had a complete mental breakdown after her defeat. After Ozai was defeated by Aang, Zuko was crowned the new Fire Lord, vowing to restore the Fire Nation's honor and to rebuild the war-torn world. Zuko is also the youngest known Fire Lord.



Known Fire Lords

 * Sozin - c. 60 BSC ~ 20 ASC
 * Azulon - 20 ~ 95 ASC
 * Ozai - 95 ~ 100 ASC
 * Zuko - 100 ASC~ Current (Defeated would-be Fire Lord Azula for the crown in an Agni Kai before her coronation was completed)

Trivia

 * Apart from the Elders of the Air Nomads, the Fire Lord appears to be the only bender among the nation leaders. The Earth King and the Water Tribe Chiefs appear to be non-benders.
 * All the known Fire Lords, Sozin, Azulon, Ozai and Zuko, have the letters Z and O in their name. Azula, who was to be crowned Fire Lord, also has Z in her name, but lacks the O. Iroh (who could have been crowned Fire Lord), on the other hand, doesn't have a Z in his name, but has an O. If Iroh's son, Lu Ten, had he lived to be a Fire Lord, would be the first in three generations not to bear either letters in his name.
 * Azulon is known for being the only know Fire Lord to not know a Avatar in person.

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