r/ATLA • u/JustAPerson_YesOrNo "Hello, it's Zuko here" • May 25 '25

Question What ATLA take make you like this?

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Posting here bc mods are (not) mean

588 Upvotes

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326

u/Sensitive-Hotel-9871 May 25 '25

Claiming that Zuko isn't a villain before he joins the Gaang.

153

u/PrizekingJ7 May 25 '25

Zuko literally set fire to a village how was he not a villain prior

73

u/Sensitive-Hotel-9871 May 26 '25

While he also got a lot of humanizing moments, we could still see that his motivation was completely selfish. He betrayed Iroh and killed any chance of ending the war before the arrival of Sozin's Comet.

Unfortunetly, Zuko's better nature was only going to win out when he finally accepted that what the Fire Nation was doing was wrong and he sadly had to get what he thought he wanted first, just to realize it didn't bring the happiness he thought it would because he knew what did to achieve his goal was wrong and the war he supported was wrong.

34

u/ImpGiggle May 26 '25

I love the notion that he was getting so many conflicting messages about right and wrong that he just kinda mind blanked into rage a lot. Which, relatable.

25

u/WhiterabbitLou May 26 '25

I mean that's literally what happened in Book 2. ), he got to experience the suffering of the war his nation caused first hand, basically living as a refugee in the earth kingdom. Probably the first time the fire nation propaganda he was conditioned to clashed with reality on a constant basis. Not just that but instead of a royalty he basically got demoted the lowest class of society. When he stole food for the people with Jet, when he was robbing rich people as the blue spirit to feed both him and his uncle after seeing how they treated Iroh, when he was staying at this farmer family and protected them from the soldiers and still was hated despite his good intentions after showing his true face. That's how much everyone hated the fire nation. And he echoed exactly that when he told his father "They don't admire our strength, they HATE us!"

I think these were necessary experiences for him to see the rot in his family after becoming a royalty again. While on the surface he seemed fine, it was eating him up as seen by his conversations with Iroh in prison where he lashed out again.

16

u/ImpGiggle May 26 '25

Yep. But what I think people miss is that Zuko never does stuff he truly sees, understands in that moment, to be evil. He upbringing was just so fucked up and he was so traumatized that I interpret his character as being legitimately confused about right and wrong. But ultimately his true nature shines through, he can't help it. He almost gives that up but it doesn't feel like love and honor, so he comes to his senses and finally processes all the stuff he went through in the Earth kingdom. Which, to be fair, was a LOT. I'm not saying he wasn't a villain, oh he certainly was. But his form of villainy wasn't really evil.

1

u/plz-give-free-stuff May 28 '25

You should continue watching the show past season 1

1

u/PrizekingJ7 May 29 '25

I watched the whole series. I was just saying it's ridiculous that anyone wouldn't call zuko a villain prior to his redemption

5

u/ryhid May 26 '25

Okay I'll say he was in the first season but in the second he's shown as a character who developed for the better but still struggled with himself and ultimately made a bad call when it mattered. I feel like all out villains are treated a bit definitely than that

2

u/[deleted] May 27 '25

Zuko's villain status is really unique in media if you think about it. You never wanted to root against him. He never really felt like a VILLAIN. He was just born on the bad side on a war. 

2

u/TheLeftPewixBar May 31 '25

Ah yes, character with a redemption arc means they never did anything bad before their redemption. Because that’s how that works.

1

u/SkyGuy2308 May 28 '25

He really only stops being a villain in Book 2, like where he talks with Song and stuff

1

u/Sensitive-Hotel-9871 May 28 '25

He doesn't act an antagonist for most of but Azula's temptations cause him to slip back into that role in the season finale.

1

u/SkyGuy2308 May 28 '25

Yeah that’s fair I suppose