Avatar: The Last Airbender is an action fantasy animated series starring Aang, the last Airbender, who is on a quest to restore world peace. The world has been at war for one hundred years, and only the Avatar can save it from the wrath of Fire Lord Ozai. However, Aang has more enemies than Ozai -- he must also contend with prince Zuko of the Fire Nation.
At first, prince Zuko was little more than a cartoony villain, defined by his reckless anger and his pratfalls when fighting Aang. However, the series smartly deepened his character, making him a well-rounded and relatable person who is simply frustrated and lost in life, not evil. Zuko's story arc is a remarkable one, and in many ways, he proved himself the best character in the series.
10 Zuko Humbly Changed His Destiny
At first, Zuko's obsession was to capture Aang, believing that it was his destiny to dispatch the Fire Nation's greatest enemy, the Avatar. This would grant him great honor back home. However, his uncle Iroh knew that this was not Zuko's real destiny, and later, Zuko realized that for himself.
Zuko gave up on his superficial notion of honor and decided to help the Avatar instead. It was Aang's destiny to take down Ozai, and it was Zuko's humble destiny to support the Avatar and restore his honor in his own way. Zuko's destiny is based upon peace, not conquest.
9 Zuko Changed His Mind On His Crew
At first, Zuko treated the crew aboard his destroyer as expendable tools, and the crew resented that. Iroh tried to keep the peace between these two parties, and the crew decided to give Zuko another chance and not launch a mutiny. Zuko soon proved worthy of that trust.
During a storm, Zuko gave up his chance to capture Aang in favor of helping a crewmate who was in mortal peril, and no one, not even Iroh, told him to do that. Zuko decided on his own to look out for his men over his own interests, and that's commendable.
8 Zuko Always Had A Compassionate Heart
In his boyhood, Zuko was a likable person, a polite and earnest child who never meant any harm to anyone. It's true that he often verbally clashed with his ruthless sister Azula, but aside from that, Zuko was practically like Aang in all the right ways.
This side of Zuko was eventually buried under anger and resentment, but it never went away. Zuko has always been the kind boy who would feed turtle-ducks bread chunks and listen to his adoring mother Ursa, and that says a lot about him. This side of him is what helped bring about his redemption.
7 Zuko Has Excellent Chemistry With Iroh
When two characters have excellent on-screen chemistry, they have meaningful and deep interactions based on the contrasts and overlap with their personalities, and they play off each other well. On-screen chemistry often involves romance, but it can also describe friendships, rivalries and more.
Zuko and his uncle Iroh are similar enough to get along, but different enough so that their teasing and arguments are meaningful and impactful. It's always fun to see Zuko getting exasperated at Iroh's fun-loving and gentle personality.
6 Zuko Had A Lovely Date In Ba Sing Se
During Book Two: Earth, Zuko and Iroh joined the thousands of war refugees in the massive city of Ba Sing Se, and they made sure to lay low from the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation alike. They also worked at a tea shop, and one day, a customer named Jin visited, and immediately took an interest in Zuko.
Zuko was wary at first, but Iroh encouraged him to meet Jin, and Zuko and Jin ended up having an awkward but enjoyable date that night in Ba Sing Se's peaceful streets. Zuko even lit some lanterns with firebending to impress Jin, while hiding exactly how he did it. Zuko warmly informed Iroh that his date night was "nice."
5 Zuko Rescued Aang From Admiral Zhao
Partway through Book One: Water, Aang got himself captured at the hands of the scheming Admiral Zhao, and no one was coming to his rescue. Until, that is, a masked ninja with a blue mask arrived and broke him free, and helped him fight off Zhao's guards.
The "blue spirit" was Zuko in disguise, and Aang regretted that he and Zuko couldn't become more permanent allies because of this. On the face of it, Zuko rescued Aang to sabotage his rival Zhao, but perhaps a part of him genuinely feared the idea of the cruel Zhao achieving victory over the Avatar and by extension, the world.
4 Zuko Stood Up To His Father
During the day of the black sun, when the Fire Nation was invaded, Zuko decided that he no longer needed anything from his Fire Lord father and confronted him in Ozai's underground bunker. While the battle raged aboveground, Zuko declared his intent to support the Avatar and ensure Ozai's downfall.
This was the point of no return for Zuko, and it was an inspiring and exciting scene to watch. Zuko verbally stood up to his tyrannical father, then used Iroh's technique to redirect Ozai's lightning and make his escape. If only Aang had been there to witness this.
3 Zuko Helped Sokka Break Into The Boiling Rock
Late in Book Three: Fire, after Zuko joined the Gaang, Sokka expressed his desire to find and rescue his father, Hakoda, who had been captured during the black sun invasion. He went to Zuko for help, and Zuko explained the location and purpose of the Boiling Rock, a dreaded max-security prison in the Fire Nation.
Zuko was reluctant at first, but he eventually agreed to help Sokka rescue Hakoda despite the risks, and this is especially remarkable since Zuko had no personal connection to Hakoda at all. Zuko endured a lot during the Boiling Rock mission, including facing Azula again in battle, but it all worked out. Zuko was a hero.
2 Zuko Fixed His Relationship With Mai
Zuko had a turbulent relationship with Mai since their childhood in the Fire Nation capital, and they had their fair share of drama during the main events of Avatar. Zuko and Mai were moody and annoyed each other for a time, only to mend ties in Book Three, only to break up.
Zuko took responsibility for leaving an "I'm breaking up with you" note, and he and Mai fixed their relationship for good at the series' end. Zuko had resolved his inner turmoil, and that made him a more loyal and stable boyfriend for Mai.
1 Zuko Hung Onto Hope Despite His Many Hardships
Most major characters in Avatar endured grief and hardship, from Aang losing his entire Air Nomad civilization to Sokka and Katara losing their mother to Azula, who cracked under the pressure to be perfect. Arguably, Zuko endured the most.
Zuko was sorely tested by all sides -- his own family, his home nation, Aang's group, and many assorted strangers along the way. His situation seemed hopeless, but despite the stress, hardships and self-doubt, Zuko persisted and kept fighting to do what was right, no matter how many enemies he had. That is deeply commendable, even before his redemption.