Many exciting battle scenes take place in the story of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and that's when the true power of elemental bending is on full display. Avatar Aang and his friends must face the Fire Nation and defeat the Fire Lord to restore peace to the world, but some of the best action scenes belong not to Aang, but to his rival and later friend, prince Zuko.

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Zuko is a powerful Firebender like his sister, and while he's not on Azula's level, he's still a crafty & agile combatant who only gets better as the story goes. Zuko has fought everyone, from Aang' group to pirates and his family.

10 Vs Kyoshi Warriors

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This was one of the first battles the heroes ever fought against Zuko and his entourage of Fire Nation soldiers. Aang's group visited Kyoshi island en route to the Northern Water Tribe, and there, they met Suki and her fellow Kyoshi warriors. Then Zuko pulled up in his ship.

The Kyoshi warriors showed Aang what they could do when they fought off Zuko and his men with their metal fans and advanced technique. They did what they could, and in the end, Aang escaped Zuko's grasp once again.

9 Vs Jet

Avatar Zuko Jet

In the second season of the show, Zuko and his uncle Iroh were living as refugees within the vast walls of Ba Sing Se, and Jet the vigilante had spotted Iroh heating tea with firebending. At some point, Jet tracked down Iroh and Zuko to the Jasmine Dragon tea shop.

Jet challenged Zuko to battle at swordpoint, and Zuko complied, hiding his firebending while battling Jet on his own terms. Eventually, the Dai Li captured Jet as a troublemaker, and hauled him off. Zuko and Iroh were safe, at least for now.

8 Vs Admiral Zhao

Avatar Zuko Zhao

An Agni Kai is a ritual duel between to Firebenders, fought in the evening so they won't injure each other too badly with their flames. It can be a great way to settle disputes, and Zuko challenged Admiral Zhao to such a duel early in the series.

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Although Admiral Zhao had years of experience on his side, he is a reckless and brute-force fighter who can't handle wily opponents. Despite the odds, Zuko won, but he needed Iroh to warn him against bullying Zhao any further.

7 Vs Katara

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During the climax of Season 1, Admiral Zhao's fleet was laying siege to the Northern Water Tribe, and Zuko was taking part in the battle on his own terms. He slipped past Zhao's forces and hunted down the Avatar, determined to capture Aang before Zhao could get to him.

Aang was busy in the spirit world, while Katara, his waterbending friend, guarded his body. Zuko and Katara fought a fierce duel that temporarily ended with Zuko getting frozen to the wall. But when the sun rose, Zuko turned the tables and overwhelmed Katara. Then he claimed Aang as his prisoner.

6 Vs Earthbenders

Avatar S2E07 Zuko Alone

Zuko wandered the Earth Kingdom totally alone, not even having Iroh with him (this was before they ended up in Ba Sing Se as refugees). Zuko had a sword, and he made sure to not use his firebending while surrounded by Earthbenders. But then trouble came knocking.

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Zuko ended up clashing with a trio of Earthbenders, and his sword alone wasn't enough to fend them off. Desperate, Zuko bent fire to win the battle, and he ended up alienating everyone around him, even the young boy who he saved. Zuko won, but it didn't feel like victory.

5 Vs Aang (With Azula)

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This was a rather interesting battle, since three parties were involved. In the episode "The Chase," princess Azula hunted Aang and pursued him to an abandoned Earth Kingdom town. When dawn broke, Aang faced Zuko and Azula.

However, Zuko and Azula weren't totally on the same side, and the three benders fought a fluid and dynamic battle that ended with Azula cornered, before retreating. Zuko refused to let Aang's group aid Iroh, though, and drove them off. Zuko was at odds with Azula, but he wasn't yet ready to join Aang's team.

4 Vs Aang

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This was the exciting climax to the episode "Bato of the Water Tribe." Zuko hired a bounty hunter named June to track down Aang, and Zuko finally faced Aang in an abbey. They began to do battle at once.

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This lengthy fight involved firebending, airbending, waterbending, large animals, giant jars of fragrant perfume, and some excellent battlefield choreography was demonstrated in this action scene. Zuko and Aang sure did some fancy footwork in their duel.

3 Vs Fire Nation Soldiers (With Aang)

Zuko As The Blue Spirit In Avatar The Last Airbender

Partway through Season 1, Aang was captured at last, but at the hands of Admiral Zhao, not Zuko. Aang was chained up in a military compound, surrounded by soldiers. Then, a masked ninja showed up, freed Aang, and helped escort him outside.

The "blue spirit" was Zuko in disguise, and he and Aang both fought off the dozens of Fire Nation soldiers and benders around them. This battle also included an exciting sequence where Aang and Zuko used tall ladders to vault over a thick wall to escape the compound and flee to the nearby forest.

2 Vs Katara & Aang (With Azula)

Zuko and Azula

By the end of Season 2, Azula was ready to quit antagonizing her brother and sincerely offer him a place in the Fire Nation. At some point, Zuko, Azula, Aang, Katara and Iroh were all in the caverns underneath Ba Sing Se, with the Dai Li in the shadows.

Zuko chose Azula's side, and he and his sister fought Aang and Katara in a stunning 2v2 match that showed what all four benders were capable of. In the end, Azula decided the match by zapping Aang with her lightning.

1 Vs Azula

Avatar Zuko Azula

This was the best fight for both Zuko and Azula, and the most meaningful. By the end of Season 3, Zuko had decided once and for all that he was on the Avatar's side, and he knew that Fire Lord Ozai needed to go down. Defeating the Fire Lord was Aang's job; defeating Azula was Zuko's.

Brother and sister engaged in the show's most exciting Agni Kai, using every bit of firebending they had to try and get the edge. Zuko had caught up to Azula's prowess at last, and he landed a serious blow on her before Katara intervened and drew Azula's wrath.

NEXT: Avatar: 10 Things About Azula That Make No Sense