The Foil of Aang and Zuko and How It Brings Out the Tragedy of War

 


Prince Zuko is the antagonist in ‘Avatar: the Last Airbender’ He was introduced in season one and acted as a foil to the protagonist, Aang.

Zuko was introduced as a character who is obsessed with honour. He doesn’t respect his crew and was quite rude to his uncle. Zuko was also a minor comic relief. At first glance, he appears to be a stereotypical villain who gets beaten up by the good guys. He is a stubborn, hot-headed character who adamantly chases Aang. He is an advocate for colonialism.

In contrast to him, Aang is an energetic child who is respectful to people and treats all lives equally. He is a peace loving monk who is merciful even towards his enemies.

However, in the episode ‘The Storm’, Zuko’s backstory was narrated by his uncle. Zuko gets banished by his father, at the age of thirteen, when he attempted to save young soldiers from being used as cannon fodder. In that same episode, Aang’s backstory was also revealed. Aang ran away from his monastery because of the burden put on him by the world. He was seen as a powerful figure who is supposed to be the saviour of all. Aang did not want any of that. He just wanted to be seen as a boy. He felt so alienated from others that he ran away, hoping to find normality somewhere else.

On the one hand, Prince Zuko who got banished for trying to do his duty (protecting his subjects) and on the other hand, Aang ran away from his duty. This episode solidifies them as foils.

The episode concludes with Zuko choosing to save his crew over capturing the Aang, highlighting the core of his character: a compassionate prince with a strong sense of duty towards his subjects. In that way, he is similar to Aang, who is compassionate even towards his enemies, adhering to the teachings of the monastery.

This foil is important because it shows that despite their differences they are quite similar. They are two people who took their duty (as a prince and a monk) quite seriously.

“If we knew each other back then (before the war), do you think we could have been friends too?”

This was the question posed by Aang to Zuko in the very next episode.

The answer was, of course, a resounding ‘yes’ but it took Zuko a very long to admit that. Zuko goes ahead and proves that even after knowing each other during as enemies in war, they could still be friends.

This is why when Zuko joins Aang and accepts his offer of friendship, it becomes a symbol of peace and restoration. Their friendship became a reminder that the damage caused by a hundred year old war can be healed.

That despite differences, people can love and celebrate each other.

 


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