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| By Cangse Sanren | Part of the Phoenix Rising, Dying Embers continuity. |
| Juji's fine. He comes back to life in the end when the doomsday device shifts the polarity of the Earth. Oops. Spoiler. Sorry.
Warning! This page contains spoilers for Phoenix Rising.
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| "I love you three too much! I don't know what I would do if I lost you, Maya or Azula! You three are my guiding light, and it would kill me to let you go..But if that's what it takes to keep you all safe, then so be it." |
| — Ozai accepting the fact that he may have to die to keep his children safe |
Ozai Northuldra (née Hira'a) is a Fire Nation noble and the current incarnation of the Avatar, the manifestation of the world in human form, and thus the only person in the Avatar world who can use all four bending disciplines: Airbending, Waterbending, Earthbending and Firebendingas well as being one of the few Avatars to learn Energybending, and the only one to use it during the story. He is the immediate Avatar successor of Princess Kalika and the Fire Nation Avatar succeeding Roku. So far in history, he is the only Avatar to bend metal, blood, and lava.
He is the only son Aidan and Serafina Hira'a, the maternal grandson of Roku and Melody Hira'a, and the great-grandson of Kuruk and Kamaria. While Ozai was married to Ursa, he bore two children: son Zuko and daughter Azula. After their relocation to the Southern Water Tribe, Ozai courted and later married Bato and had two daughters: Maya and Melody, the latter of whom was named after his grandmother. By the end of the Hundred-Year-War, Ozai was the mother-in-law of Sokka and Katara Pathuk, and the grandmother of Saoirse, Amaya, Kiara, and Kida. He was also the adopted mother of Toph Beifong after the disownment and death of her parents. Formerly the consort to the Fire Lord, Ozai married Ursa out of fear and for the safety of his people.
Ozai is also one of the only characters to come from a lineage of Avatars, one from the Water Tribes and the other from the Fire Nation. When his son and daughter were ten and eight years old respectively, his wife, Ursa, murdered her father by slipping poison into his tea and crowned herself Fire Lord, effectively stripping Iroh of his title and birthright. Ursa's first act as Fire Lord was banishing him, Zuko, and Azula, and they weren't allowed to return unless they found the Avatar. But what Ursa didn't know, was that Ozai is the current incarnation of the Avatar, and it was a secret that only he and his children knew.
Under the cover of the night, the three slipped onto a boat and escaped to the South Pole. Once arriving on the frigid continent, they managed to make their way to the main village; there, the small family met Hakoda, his wife, Kya, and his two children, Sokka and Katara. Over their first three years in the village, after settling down, Ozai took a romantic interest in Bato, Hakoda's best friend. And after three years of dating, the two eventually married, with Zuko and Azula gaining a father that they deserve, and Ozai becoming pregnant with his and Bato's daughter.
History[]
Leaving his loved ones[]
Ozai at twenty-one years old
Ozai was born as a citizen of Hira'a around 64 AG to Aidan and Serafina Hira'a, the daughter of Roku and Melody and great-granddaughter of Avatar Kuruk. From an early age, he was hailed as a prodigious firebender, lightning user, and herbalist, and presented as a submissive when he was sixteen years old.
At twenty-one, Ozai was helping out at a local orphanage, when one of the workers offered him a position to take care of the younger children and infants until they found suitable homes. This offer made Ozai extremely happy as he loved the children and wished for them all to grow up happy and healthy. Later at night, he happily made his way home to tell Serafina of his new job, but he found his mother crying over his grandfather's headpiece. When he inquired as to what was going on and where his father was, his mother told him that Aidan was in the greenhouse with a visitor.
However, before Ozai left the room, his mother emphasized that she loved him no matter what happened. Upon entering the greenhouse, Ozai discovered that the guests about whom his mother had been talking were Fire Lord Azulon and his daughter, Princess Ursa. The Fire Lord complimented his beauty before mentioning a prophecy made by the Fire Sages that ensured a powerful lineage of rulers to come forth from a marital union between a descendant of Avatar Roku and his own bloodline. Ursa subsequently proposed to Ozai, whispering that if he didn't comply, she would burn the village to the ground. So he, without a choice in the matter, agreed in order to protect his village and those he cared about.
As Ozai was leaving town with his betrothed, his best friend, Luciana, blocked the carriage's path. He pleaded with Ursa to order her soldiers to stop, calling the princess "[his] love". She complied, and he stepped out from the carriage and told Luciana to go home. Despite her begging, Ozai told her that his decision could not be undone, as Ursa's proposal had brought honor to his family. He made clear to Luciana that marrying Ursa was what he truly wanted and, with tears in his eyes, told her once more to go home, knowing that it was the only way to ensure her safety. Ozai then smiled at her sadly and assured her that he would be alright, and she would always have a place in his heart. He subsequently left a devastated and worried Luciana by the side of the road.
Life as Fire Prince[]
Ozai and Ursa's wedding ceremony.
During his wedding celebration, Ursa informed Ozai that he should tell his parents that they had always been good to him, revealing that he could no longer have ties with his former life after the event. Thus, he was forced to bid his parents and his best friend farewell and started his new life as a Prince of the Fire Nation. Following his marriage, Ozai eventually gave birth to Prince Zuko on the Winter Solstice, and two years later, to Princess Azula on the Summer Solstice. As his children grew up, Ozai became wary of his wife's temper, because she verbally, physically, and emotionally abused him and their children, but Ozai took the brunt of it to keep them safe, making Zuko and Azula love him all the more. Most of the citizens of Caldera thought that the royal family was happy, but none of them were aware of what went on behind closed doors.
Other than his children, there was one other bright spot in his life as a prince: his brother-in-law, Crown Prince Iroh. A much different person than Ursa, he and Iroh liked and respected each other, and his presence in the Royal Family always gave him hope that things would change.
Ozai and his son, Zuko, as a baby
Later on, Ozai called his children and informed them that a letter from their Uncle Iroh in Ba Sing Se had arrived at the palace, alongside gifts to Zuko and Azula; the latter remarked that if he did not return from the siege, their father Ursa would be the next in line to be Fire Lord, affirming sharply that "[their] dad would make a horrible Fire Lord". Ozai, astonished, told Azula to be quiet so as not to get her in trouble, but he and Zuko secretly agreed with her.
Days later, Ozai was relaxing near the pond with a book when a servant delivered him another letter from Ba Sing Se. After reading it, Ozai let a few tears fall from his cheek and informed his children that Iroh's son, Lu Ten, had not survived the battle. Consequently, Fire Lord Azulon called the entire family to an audience at the throne room, where Ozai watched as his children demonstrated their firebending abilities. Zuko's skills, however, paled slightly in comparison to his sister's, and after he fell to the ground, Ozai ran to him and tried to comfort him. The audience with the family was short-lived, as Azulon dismissed everyone except Ursa.
That night, Ozai found his children whispering over something with paper pale faces and shaking forms. Curious, he pulled Azula aside to get the full story and found out that Ursa asked Fire Lord Azulon to pass Iroh's birthright of the throne to her now that Lu Ten had died in the Siege of Ba Sing Se. As punishment for her insolence, Ursa was tasked by an infuriated Azulon to feel the pain of losing a firstborn by killing her own. Shocked by this information, Ozai sent Azula and Zuko off to bed and went to find his wife. After Ursa declared that she had every intention of going through with her orders, Ozai made a deal with her: the throne for Zuko's life. Ursa accepted his offer and after having concocted the untraceable color- and odorless poison, he quickly returned to his quarters and packed everything he could fit in a backpack before grabbing a dark red cloak, two smaller ones for Zuko and Azula, and made his way to his children's rooms. He told them to find a bag big enough to fit in clothes, a book, one toy, and put their cloaks on before leaving in the shadows. They left the palace on a boat, heading toward the South Pole.
Life in the South Pole[]
| "My children and I had to leave the Fire Nation; it wasn't safe for us there anymore. My 'husband', Ursa, would've killed my son if we didn't leave." |
| — Ozai explaining to Hakoda and Kya why he left the Fire Nation |
Arriving at the South Pole in the middle of the night, Ozai, Azula, and Zuko trekked for two weeks, with Ozai having little to no food or rest during that time, before finally making it to the main village. Trembling with exhaustion and having given all their food rations to the children, he collapsed into the snow, attracting the attention of the villagers. One of the children ran into the huts and came back with a woman who came to check Ozai over. She determined that he was exhausted and needed food and rest.
He woke up in the chief's hut and met Hakoda and Kya, along with their children, Sokka and Katara. Sokka and Katara immediately bonded with Zuko and Azula, while Ozai explained why they had to leave their home. Hakoda talked about it with the submissive, and he agreed to give the small family sanctuary as long as they worked hard. All of them readily agreed and as time went on, were welcomed into the Southern Water Tribe. After a few months, Bato, Hakoda's best friend, started courting Ozai and finally married the week before Zuko's birthday. After three years of marriage, Ozai became pregnant with a baby girl. Zuko and Azula were really excited to have a new baby in their family.
Physical appearance[]
Due to his status as a submissive, Ozai has more delicate and feminine features, leading him to be mistaken as a woman from time to time. Ozai bears a striking resemblance to his older children Zuko and Azula and was considered to be an extremely beautiful man.
Personality[]
Ozai was widely known for his kind and nurturing personality.
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