| "Without air, fire suffocates; under a gale, fire is snuffed. Balance builds the hottest flames." |
| — Zeisan.[1] |
Zeisan was a princess of the Fire Nation and the sister of Fire Lord Sozin. She embraced Air Nomad philosophy and intended to swear off her earthly possessions in exchange for a life of austerity.[2]
Quick Answers
What philosophy did Princess Zeisan embrace?
Who did Zeisan intend to marry?
How did Zeisan overcome her lack of firebending abilities?
What was Zeisan's relationship with her brother, Fire Lord Sozin?
History[]
Zeisan was born second in line to the Fire Nation throne, though showed no signs of firebending. Her parents and teachers pitted her against her brother Sozin to drive her brother to greater heights and to draw bending abilities out of Zeisan, and the two siblings fought for as long as they could both remember.[1][3] The struggles failed to transform Zeisan into a firebender, and her teachers turned their focus entirely on Sozin.[1] Growing up, Zeisan also had a close relationship with Zeebee, a noblewoman from the Northern Water Tribe.[4]
Despite the increased focus on Sozin, Zeisan refused to stop competing, studying, and growing, striving to prove herself worthy of her family legacy. However, as she studied Air Nomad philosophies, she realized that her family legacy wasn't worthy of her.[1] When Sister Rioshon came to the Fire Nation Capital as a teacher, she devoted herself to Air Nomad training, hoping she might gain new skills that would make her a match for Sozin. Zeisan connected with Air Nomad philosophies and techniques in a way no one could have foreseen, learning Air Nomad styles of motion and action, and Rioshon even taught her the secret of chi-blocking. During training, Zeisan and Rioshon fell in love with one another, but their pairing was not advantageous to Zeisan's dynasty-toppling ambitions. Neither said that they loved one another out loud, as both women understood that there were greater things at stake than their own personal happiness. Zeisan believed that she could not leave her whole life to be with Rioshon when she believed that she was the best chance to fix the Fire Nation, and did her best to hide her feelings.[1][5][6]
Instead of running away from her responsibilities, Zeisan wished to dismantle her family's legacy of corruption, eventually connecting with the Guiding Wind, a new movement of Air Nomads with anti-nobility beliefs and an active presence in the world.[1] Soon after her brother's coronation, Zeisan announced her intention to marry Monk Khandro, the Guiding Wind's leader and a popular philosopher. Though neither Zeisan nor Khandro loved one another, both saw the political marriage as being worth the sacrifice, as it would give the Guiding Wind a strong foothold in the Fire Nation while giving Zeisan useful allies in her home territory.[1] Zeisan declared that she wished to renounce her titles and wealth in favor of a spiritual life, and her example was popular enough that other young nobles vowed to do the same. In the Guiding Wind, Zeisan sensed the destabilizing element she needed to undermine her brother. Zeisan and Khandro had a similar understanding: both had a lot to gain from working together as allies to take down the Fire Nation nobility.[5][7]
She knew that Sozin became sloppy when he was angry, and wondered if she could trick him into revealing his schemes to her. She had seen Sozin's avarice firsthand and knew that it was only a matter of time until he made a big move to show off his power. While she knew that political backstabbing was not in line with Air Nomad ideals, she was willing to abide that evil if it meant that she could ultimately do good. Sozin could not control his rage when Zeisan proposed to Khandro, and saw the Guiding Wind's beliefs as a threat, which he was willing to stop by any means necessary, and refused to back down from fighting Zeisan now that he was Fire Lord.[3]
Eventually, the Fire Nation Capital began to plan for the royal wedding of Zeisan and Khandro, with feasts and festivals being held in the city to celebrate the nuptials, with the princess herself being given the opportunity to schedule activities.[8][9] Zeisan took the opportunity to plan a pre-wedding symposium in Hari Bulkan Square, wishing to promote Air Nomad ideals to Fire Nation nobles. She invited high-ranking nobles, military officers, and the royal court to the event, and left it open to all other members of the public. Wishing to sway the minds of her peers, she planned to discuss her betrothed's lessons that would center upon the Guiding Wind's teachings and a refutation of Sozin's xenophobic propaganda campaigns. Well-aware of Zeisan's plans, Sozin tasked Minister Zianda with a plot to undermine the princess and discredit the Guiding Wind.[6][8][10] The minister worked with Sozin's bodyguard, Mio, to have Fire Nation soldiers pose as Air Nomads, with Mio equipping her team with several clever devices that could give the impression of airbending. The supposed radical Air Nomads would then attack nobles while espousing anti-nobility and xenophobic anti-Fire Nation propaganda.[10][8] Zeisan was unaware of the plot, but Rioshon was able to uncover the plans. However, Rioshon was being watched, and could not personally warn the princess, instead having to delegate to her allies: Nyanchi, Ezra, Boin, and Zeebee.[6]
Legacy[]
After the Hundred Year War, a Fire Nation ship was named Zeisan's Hope in the honor of the princess. The vessel was used to transport the Fire Nation's reparation payments to the Earth Kingdom.[11]
Personality[]
Zeisan shared the intensity of her brother Sozin and doubted her own ability to be good, but she was focused on dismantling her family's corruption, demonstrating an indomitable will and desire to better the world. Zeisan was active and driven, constantly pursuing her own goals.[1][7] She was very ambitious and sought to undermine her brother's rule.[7] In general, she had a more calm personality than Sozin[12] and took many Air Nomad teachings to heart.[5][7] Now and then, she would pause, reflect, and lament the life she had lost with Rioshon by dedicating herself to a greater cause.[13] Even if she never said so out loud, Zeisan was in love with Rioshon and could find comfort, happiness, and relief in training another person and forming a meaningful bond with them.[1]
Abilities[]
Zeisan was born a nonbender, but she became a skilled chi-blocker under the tutelage of Rioshon. She was also dedicated to political manoeuvring, such as planning a political marriage with the leader of the Guiding Wind.[7]
Relatives[]
- Main article: Fire Nation Royal Family
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| Yosor |
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| Gonryu |
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| Chaejin |
| Zoryu |
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| Sozin's father |
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| Sozin |
| Zeisan |
| Roku |
| Ta Min | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Azulon |
| Ilah |
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| Rina |
| Jinzuk |
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| Iroh |
| Ozai |
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| Ursa |
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| Noren | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Lu Ten |
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| Zuko |
| Azula |
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| Kiyi |
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| Izumi |
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| Iroh |
| Izumi's daughter[14] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Appearances[]
Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game[]
Trivia[]
- Zeisan was designed by artist Alexandria Monik. In one of her earlier designs, she looked very similar to her great-grandniece Azula. However, Avatar Studios and Magpie Games provided feedback to adjust her design to better match Zeisan's "more calm, regal demeanor" as well as Roku's era in general.[12]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. An Urgent Request, Version 1.0, 2023, p. 13.
- ↑ Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 44.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 49.
- ↑ Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. An Urgent Request, Zeebee the Rogue playbook.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 47.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. An Urgent Request, Version 1.0, 2023, p. 4.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 48.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. An Urgent Request, Version 1.0, 2023, p. 5.
- ↑ Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. An Urgent Request, Version 1.0, 2023, p. 6.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. An Urgent Request, Version 1.0, 2023, p. 3.
- ↑ Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Starter Set, Adventure Booklet, pg. 5.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Princess Zeisan. Character Design Process. Avatar Legends. ArtStation (March 23, 2023). Retrieved on March 24, 2023.
- ↑ Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. An Urgent Request, Version 1.0, 2023, p. 14.
- ↑ DiMartino, Michael Dante; Konietzko, Bryan; Hedrick, Tim & Hamilton, Joshua (March 10, 2015). "The Coronation" commentary. Book Four: Balance Blu-ray.