Why Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender has the best character arc on TV

Some animated shows are top-tier, and one of them is Avatar: The Last Airbender. While Netflix has adapted the series into a live-action version with its ups and downs, the original animated series has remained an absolute god-tier television show.

But there’s one person in particular who I love the most out of everyone, and that’s Zuko. While yes, I did have a thing for him as a kid (as I’m pretty sure anyone who watched the show did), I appreciate him more for what he is now—a severely underrated TV character who, for sure, has the best arc of anyone I have ever seen.

Zuko started as, metaphorically, nothing

While Zuko did technically have a throne behind him, as well as a royal family, we really saw him at his very lowest—or extremely close to it. His father banished him and told him he could return home only if he brought back the Avatar (an impossible task at the time), and only then would his honor be restored.

We may have seen Zuko as a temperamental kid, but in reality, he was desperate. All he wanted was to find a way to get back home and be worth something to his father. He didn’t care what it took. But over several episodes, we start to see his past and how he wasn’t always like this.

In reality, Zuko does have a good heart. He is torn between opposing sides of his nature to please different people, but he is lonely and wants to be accepted. The only person who truly accepted him was Uncle Iroh, who plays an important role in the formation of Zuko’s future self.

Ba Sing Se and returning home changed him

The series creators really knocked it out of the park with Zuko’s story in Ba Sing Se, where, at that point, he and Uncle Iroh were on the run, and there was a string of instances where it felt as if Zuko was finally turning a corner. Leave it to the finale of season 2 for us to see that there was still plenty of indecision within him when he helped his sister, Azula, try to take down the Avatar (Aang).

However, even when he returned home, when they told their father that Aang was dead and that Zuko could return as a “hero,” even if Azula delivered the shot, Zuko didn’t feel welcome or like he belonged. It took speaking to his uncle, who was captured at this point, to really understand why he was having so much trouble. It was because of his past and who his great-grandfather really was (the former Avatar Roku) and because there is genuine good in him that battles the evil parts of his soul.

This, combined with every experience he had outside the Fire Nation, transformed him. Unlike his sibling or his family, he has seen the destruction the Fire Nation has caused. He was in the thick of people just trying to survive and has witnessed broken families and more. And the moment he’s invited to a war meeting, something he never got to experience before, it alters him. Shakes him to the point where he knows this is not what he is supposed to be doing.

He is meant to be helping the world. To heal the Fire Nation. But even then, he struggles to do good. It’s almost adorable in a way, as we see how he tries to help Aang and his friends, but he…doesn’t quite know how. It takes a lot of growing pains to get there.

But I really do believe that’s why his character arc is just…better. I think there are definitely other character arcs out there that are great. One that comes to mind is Jaime Lannister from Game of Thrones. With Zuko, it’s perfect for two reasons.

First, it's the perfect lesson to teach kids. There are so many instances where we clearly see that Zuko is struggling, but through time and patience, he’s able to become something so much more than what he previously was. That’s a beautiful lesson to live by, and one kids can easily pick up on. They can learn that if Zuko can come back from something bad, anyone can, even if it takes multiple tries.

The better reason is that this is the kind of arc adults need too. A lot of adults are lost in certain ways. I know there have even been times when I've felt lost too. But rewatching an arc like Zuko’s reminds me that somehow, through sheer perseverance, you can find your way into the light. That kind of story is rare.

It's the beauty of redemption, of fighting through the pain and the torture of growth, even though every little bit of it hurts, but in the end, you come out stronger and better. That lesson is utterly beautiful, and it's the kind of story that deserves praise.

I don’t know if that kind of complexity will be in the live-action version, but a girl can hope. And maybe it’ll teach a whole new generation of kids these lessons. God knows we need it—but at least I have all of the ATLA universe to keep reminding me of them when I need it most.

You can watch all of Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix.

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