Forget our memories

You need to know the story of your great-grandfather's demise....

S03E06 ("The Avatar and the Firelord") gives us huge insight into the history of the Fire Nation and the relationship between the Firelord and the Avatar...a relationship which has a huge impact on Zuko and Aang both as individuals and in their interactions with each other.

Goaded by an imprisoned Iroh, Zuko goes to the Dragonbone Catacombs (Archives represent!) to learn about his great-grandfather and Avatar Roku, while at the same time, Roku relates the story to Aang. The boys learn that Firelord Sozin, who began the war, and Avatar Roku, the Avatar just before Aang, were actually good friends growing up. On Roku's sixteenth birthday (which was also Sozin's sixteenth birthday), Roku learned that he was the Avatar, which set him on a course very different from Sozin.

Sozin's desire to spread the Fire Nation's influence throughout the world angered Roku, who warned Sozin that the Four Nations needed to maintain their autonomy. Sozin wouldn't listen, however, and began systematically attacking and conquering everyone. As Avatar, Roku's job was to put an end to this, but he was conflicted because of his longtime friendship with Sozin. Ultimately, Sozin betrayed Roku by leaving him to die in a volcanic eruption because he knew a world without an Avatar would give Sozin more freedom to conquer.

S03E06 marks the beginning of a turning point for Zuko, who not only learns this history of his nation and the Avatar, but also hears from Iroh that Roku was his great-grandfather on his mother's side. Seeing the way he's been manipulated by the Fire Nation's selective historical memory, Zuko begins to understand that it's his job to work with the Avatar instead of against him...which leads to Zuko confronting his dad and leaving the Fire Nation to help Aang.

At the end of the series, we get the sense that Zuko and Aang are prepared to continue the historical friendship--though hopefully put an end to the historical rivalry--of the Firelord and the Avatar. Plus we get a cute Zuko-initiated Aang/Zuko hug to boot, which just goes to show that even a grumpy punk Firelord can have a BFF.


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