Avatar: The Last Airbender introduced a fictional world where benders can control one of the four classic elements: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. The story centered around the titular character, Aang, who can master all elements due to him being the Avatar, to defeat Fire Lord Ozai and bring balance again.
While Ozai was the main villain all along, avid fans couldn’t forget his son, Zuko, who kept attempting to capture the Avatar throughout the series to reclaim his honor. Recently, showrunners revealed that his arc could have been completely different if the godfather of Zuko hadn’t chimed in with his suggestion.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Had Different Plans Before Zuko Was Created!
Since Avatarverse has garnered immense attention lately since the arrival of Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, it is natural for fans to delve deep into the background story before the show was brought on-screen.
In an appearance on Dante Basco and Janet Varney’s Avatar: Braving the Elements podcast, the creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko dived into exclusive details about the making of the animated series, including its characters.
While throwing highlights on the Prince of Fire Nation, Zuko, who is considered one of the fan-favorites in the show, they revealed how he would have not been in the chapter if not for Nickelodeon executive producer Eric Coleman.
The creators revealed that the fire bender “completely came out of a note from” Coleman after plans for Fire Lord Ozai being the final boss were finalized.
Konietzko shared via EW,
“We had our big Fire Lord [Ozai], the big, bad boss at the end of the story. Eric was like, ‘Yeah, that’s cool, but you need some boots on the ground. You need someone who’s going after them the whole time.'”
It was quite a clever trick to keep someone chasing Aang and his friends, to create a thrilling atmosphere.
Initially, the two dads of AvatarVerse planned the character doing the chasing to be an adult however Coleman made it scarier with his suggestion.
“Wouldn’t it be scarier if it was a kid who was really driven?”
Konietzko added,
“And I said, ‘Can he have a scar?’ And that’s how Zuko [came about.]”
Zuko surely has one of the most compelling arcs in the AvatarVerse, starting the series as an antagonist seeking to capture the Avatar. As the series moved forward, his character experienced personal growth and eventually teamed up with Aang.
Zuko Was Intended to be Aang’s Teacher All Along!
The banished prince of the Fire Nation was determined from the start to capture the Avatar to regain his honor and his father’s favor. In the series, his arc went through several tribulations, which often demanded him to struggle with his own identity and loyalty to his nation.
His internal conflict between regaining his honor and doing the right thing often led him to sever his bond with his father-like figure, Uncle Iroh.
But, he eventually managed to pave his own path when he decided to teach Aang Fire-bending.
Konietzko shared, “It’s in the series bible,” a reference to the showrunners’ notes which include key elements of the show. “We knew that Zuko was going to become Aang’s teacher.”
Zuko’s arc to unite with Aang was planned from the very beginning with the firebender committing to creating a better world by making peace with other nations.
The original and live-adaptation series is available on Netflix.
