Aang: Difference between revisions

Aang is the titular fictional character in the Nickelodeon animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. He is voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen, but was voiced by Mitchel Musso in the unaired pilot episode. Aang is a 112-year-old monk of the Air Nomads and the current reincarnation of the Avatar. Although he is 112 years old, 100 of those years were spent in suspended animation. Therefore, his biological age is only twelve years old throughout the series. With his friends Katara, Sokka, Toph (who appears in the second season), and his two pets, Momo and Appa, Aang journeys on a quest to master the elements, defeat the Fire Lord, and bring peace to the war-torn nations.

Aang's shaved head is a symbol of his status as a monk of the Air Nomads and the blue, arrow-shaped tattoos mark him as an Airbending Master. He comes from the Southern Air Temple where his guardian was Monk Gyatso. All of his kind died after he ran away, having overheard that he would have to be separated from his guardian. However, after his new friends Katara and Sokka, members of the Southern Water Tribe, broke him out of a massive ball of ice, which he remained in for the 100 years he was in suspended animation, he quickly learns about the war going on between the Fire Nation and the other three nations.

After leaving the South Pole to save the tribe from being destroyed by Prince Zuko, a banished Fire Nation prince, he is accompanied by Katara and Sokka on a long journey to the North Pole where he will be able to master Waterbending, the ability to manipulate water. He encounters many side trips, but finally succeeds by getting to his destination, from which he left to learn Earthbending, the ability to manipulate earth.

When Aang was a child, he unknowingly revealed that he was the reincarnation of the Avatar when he chose four specific toys out of thousands. These four toys--a string-powered propeller (Air), a clay turtle flute (Water), a wooden Hog-Monkey (Earth) and a wooden hand drum (Fire)--were the same ones that past Avatars had chosen for generations when they were children. ^[1] This is the same procedure a child must go through in order to be recognized as the reincarnation of a Tulku Lama in Tibetan Buddhism. According to the book Magic and Mystery in Tibet by Alexandra David-Néel, “a number of objects such as rosaries, ritualistic implements, books, tea-cups,^[2] etc., are placed together, and the child must pick out those which belonged to the late tulku, thus showing that he recognizes the things which were his in his previous life”.^[3]

Raised by Airbender monks, Aang grew up in the idyllic surroundings of the Southern Air Temple. Aang was a carefree young boy, given to frequent travel, play, and possessing an almost effortless mastery over his native element. His world drastically changed when the monks revealed that he was the Avatar, destined to master all four elements and bring peace to the world.

Usually, the Avatar is told of his or her true identity only after turning sixteen; however, Aang's caretakers feared that a war between the Four Nations was on the horizon and believed that the Avatar would be needed to help maintain balance. Aang soon began to feel overwhelmed with the burden of his position. His peers ostracized him for his airbending skill, while his caretakers pressured him to mature too quickly.

The only monk sympathetic to Aang's feelings was the elder Monk Gyatso, Aang's Airbending teacher and guardian. When the burden weighed heavily on his favorite student, Gyatso worked to instill a sense of fun through jokes and games. He sincerely believed that Aang should be allowed to grow up as a normal boy. However, the other monks disagreed. Citing Gyatso's attachment to the boy as an interference, they decided to send Aang away to the Eastern Air Temple to focus on his training, oblivious to the fact that Aang had overheard their caucus.

Confused and frightened by what he had learned, Aang fled from his home on his flying bison, Appa, towards the South Pole. While over the Southern ocean, a sudden storm caused Appa to plunge deep into the sea. Entering the Avatar State, Aang reflexively used a combination of Airbending and Waterbending to surround himself and Appa in an air bubble that quickly froze into an iceberg, putting them into a state of suspended animation^[1] for the next hundred years.^[4]

In the present day, two teenage siblings from the Southern Water Tribe - Katara, a Waterbender, and her brother Sokka - discovered and freed Aang from his iceberg. Aang's first thought from being freed from the iceberg was to go penguin sledding with Katara. ^[4]

Aang soon discovered that in his absence, the monks' fears of war had became reality. The very year he vanished, the leader of the Fire Nation at that time, the ruthless Fire Lord Sozin, took advantage of the Firebending-enhancing powers of a mystical comet to launch a war on the three other nations. Unfortunately, to Aang's utter shock and disbelief, the Fire Nation's opening gambit had been a genocidal assault on the Air Nomads. All of the Air temples were stormed, and the monks slaughtered, in an effort to break the Avatar Cycle, leaving him as the last known Airbender in existence.^[5]

Aang has since realized that the future of the Four Nations rests in his hands. It is his duty to defeat the Fire Nation and restore peace and harmony to the world. To achieve this, Aang and his newfound friends (and pets) set off on a quest to find and learn from Master Benders, while evading capture by the Fire Nation.

During one of their detours they land on Kyoshi Island (an island named after one of his incarnations), where they were captured by the Kyoshi Warriors; the inhabitants had kept out of the war for the past 100 years and thus were xenophobic. The village elder Oyajii and the warrior Suki believed they were Fire Nation spies and were about to throw them to the Unagi, until Aang proved he was the Avatar and they became honored guests in the village. However, Aang's new celebrity status got to his head; causing him to entertain and impress a group of fan girls. When Prince Zuko arrived on Kyoshi Island, he realized that by staying too long he had endangered the people. Therefore, by tricking the Unagi to spray water over the village, he put out of the flames of the battle and flew away so Zuko would follow him and leave the island.^[6]

In another 'detour', he took Katara and Sokka to the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu, where, long ago, his old friend Bumi took him on the world's biggest slide; the city's postal system. After their own ride on the slides, they were arrested for damages and taken before the King; the old King (who seemed to be crazy) encased Katara and Sokka in a strange mineral called "creeping crystal," and would only free them if Aang passed three tests. Afterwards, the King challenged Aang to guess his name, and Aang finally deduced that it was his old friend Bumi. King Bumi told Aang to end the war he must learn all the Bending Arts and defeat the Fire Lord himself.^[7]

When trying to help a village tormented by an angry spirit, he unknowingly entered the Spirit World. There he was contacted by Avatar Roku's dragon, who led him in his spiritual state to Roku's temple on a crescent island. By showing Aang various visions of a fiery Comet and beams of light shining towards Roku's statue, Aang realized he could talk with his previous incarnation during the winter solstice.^[8]

On the morning of the solstice, Aang and his friends passed through a Fire Navy blockade and entered the Fire Nation, journeying to the Avatar temple. With the help of the only Fire Sage that was still loyal to the Avatar, Shyu, Aang managed to enter the inner chamber of the temple. Avatar Roku, who manifested himself when light from the solstice sun struck his statue, warned Aang of Sozin's Comet, a comet that returns once every one hundred years and greatly increases a Firebender's power. Fire Lord Sozin used the power of the comet to start the war a century ago, and Sozin's Comet will return at the end of summer. If Aang does not defeat the Fire Lord before the Comet's arrival, the Fire Nation will be unstoppable, and the Avatar will be unable to restore balance to the world. Aang despairs that he has not learned the other bending arts and will be unable to complete his training before the Comet's arrival, but Roku assures him that, as his previous incarnations have done, he will succeed. ^[9]

Although it takes years of discipline and training to master any particular element, Aang must master them all and defeat Fire Lord Ozai before summer's end. ^[9] Fortunately, shortly before Sozin's Comet is due to arrive, there will be a complete solar eclipse during which Firebenders will lose their power, giving Aang a huge advantage when invading the Fire Nation and confronting Ozai.^[10]

With the knowledge of the Comet's impending arrival, the weight of his duty increasingly agitates Aang. To help relieve his predicament, Katara teaches Aang some of her self-taught Waterbending skills only to find Aang faster and better at learning the techniques that took her ages to learn, causing her to be jealous. While looking through a port market, she steals a Waterbending scroll from a group of pirates. After a run-in with the pirates and Prince Zuko, Aang and Katara decide to learn together from the scroll.^[11] After arriving at the North Pole, Katara receives tutelage under a waterbending master, is later deemed a master herself, and continues to instruct Aang until he can do the same.^[12]

Aang is fun-loving, naïve, and adventurous. He possesses a deep respect for life and freedom; he does not eat meat^[7] and is often reluctant to fight.^[8] He craves the stimulation of new people and places; in short, he is the consummate tourist. His frequent off-course detours frustrate both allies and pursuers alike.^[6] Yet Aang has always prided himself on a complex social network of friends extending over all four nations, and war will not stand in his way. ^[4] In addition, he looks forward to playing with all the exotic fauna in each place he visits. ^[13] Whether it's penguins,^[4] hog-monkeys or gigantic eels, ^[6] no fit animal Aang sees goes un-ridden.

Aang feels a terrible guilt and burden in his duties as Avatar. Very much the reluctant hero, he wishes he had been there to help his people a century ago, but he had still rather live a child's carefree life.^[1] This initially caused him to conceal his true identity from friends,^[13] and he still has a tendency to slack off in his studies of the Bending Arts,.^[14] even though he naturally excels at it.^[11]

Being the last Airbender and having no living peers (with the exception of the aged King Bumi and Guru Pathik), Aang cares deeply for those close to him, even to the point of deceiving and hurting others to keep the group together. In "Bato of the Water Tribe," Aang heard that Katara and Sokka might leave the group to visit their father, so Aang hid the map showing his whereabouts and lied about ever having it in the first place.^[15]

Recent events in the Earth Kingdom, however, have begun to take a toll on his care-free personality. Aang's attitude changed dramatically when Appa was captured. He became visibly enraged and hostile, particularly toward Toph, who was "keeping an eye on" Appa while they were gone.^[10] Despite attempts by Katara to calm Aang down, his anger continued to grow until finally he flew off to search for Appa alone. Eventually Aang returned to the group, but was still visibly upset. He violated the principles of Airbending when Momo was snatched up by a Buzzard-Wasp. He followed the creature and rescued Momo, but then unnecessarily struck it down with his staff. After Aang returned with Momo the group was confronted by the Sandbenders who had taken Appa. When one of the Benders revealed that they had sold the bison, Aang lashed out and smashed all their sand boats in a matter of moments. He then turned his sights on the Sandbenders and entered the Avatar State. Aang's rage was only stopped when Katara grabbed hold of him and held him in an embrace until he finally calmed down and returned to his normal state.^[16]

As the incarnation of the Avatar, Aang possesses the ability to manipulate all four elements. He is already an Airbending master, so incredibly skilled that he's able to invent new techniques, like his "Air Scooter", a propelled sphere of air currents he can ride.^[1] Though he is able to master techniques with more ease than his young Waterbender friend Katara,^[11] his lack of focus has allowed her to surpass him.^[14]Now he must learn from her, as their teacher Master Pakku deemed her a master.^[12] He is an extremely skilled Waterbender, and in the episode "Bitter Work," Katara tells Aang he has the reflexes of a Waterbending Master.^[17]

The Earthbending style is the opposing style to his natural Airbending, and as such conflicts with his natural personality. At first, Aang's Earthbending abilities appeared stunted, as he has difficulty learning simple skills from Toph in Bitter Work as it was easier for Aang to simply avoid the obstacles physically. However, when he confronted with a need for direct opposition, rather than avoidance, he took his first step and successfully stood his ground to defend Sokka, who couldn't defend himself, and now Aang was able to assume the position of an Earthbender.^[17] By the time of "The Drill," his skills have improved dramatically, when he comfortably uses Earthbending in combat against Azula. ^[18] He appears to have achieved mastery in Earthbending by the time of "The Tales of Ba Sing Se," creating a giant zoo with his bending,^[19] and by fending off hundreds of Earthbenders in "The Earth King."^[20] Later, he incorporates his Airbender's staff into his Earthbending, much like Avatar Kyoshi incorporates her fans into her bending.^[21] It is possible for Aang to bend two elements at the same time, as demonstrated in "The Tales of Ba Sing Se."^[19] He has little skill with fire, but has received a rudimentary object lesson in breath control and Firebending. When he was briefly instructed by the fugitive Firebending master Jeong Jeong, he ignored warnings to restrain himself and accidentally burned Katara (leading inadvertently to the discovery of her healing powers).^[22] Newly respectful of fire's destructive power, he has not used Firebending since, and has even vowed to never firebend again, although, as Guru Pathik said in "The Guru," he will eventually have to, as he is the Avatar, therefore he is a Firebender. ^[23]

As the Avatar, Aang is quite possibly the most powerful Bender in the world; he once used his Airbending skills to halt a massive lava flow without entering the Avatar State.^[24] Additionally, Aang has exceptional natural talent towards all bending, performing Waterbending on his first try when Katara took several months to learn the same move,^[11] and assuming a perfect Earthbending stance on his first try.^[17] However, Aang is loathe to use his skills in battle, preferring to solve problems non-violently. Even when forced into combat, Aang typically holds back, fighting defensively and trying to subdue opponents without seriously hurting them, even if they are not human. ^[8] This attitude was apparently common among Airbenders, who were all vegetarians and taught that all living things are precious.

The only exception to Aang's pacifism is when his friends are threatened; in which case, he gets very angry and relentlessly attacks his opponents, sometimes even entering the Avatar State.^[21]

In The Deserter, Jeong Jeong says that to master firebending Aang will need to first master the other Bending Arts in order and not to deviate from their natural order--Air, Water, Earth and Fire--hinting that the disciplines of one Bending Art will support the disciplines of the next Bending Art in order--'evade and avoid' - 'redirect and turn against the opponent' - 'standing ones ground and enduring' and 'preemptive first strike'. In Bitter Work, Iroh comments "It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If we take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale. Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole...It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful," as reveals how a waterbenders technique of redirecting energy enabled him to develop his own technique to redirect a bolt of lightning--proving that the disciplines and principles of one Bending Art support the disciplines and principles of another Bending Art.

Aang is the newest incarnation of the spirit of the planet, which has been continually reincarnated since time immemorial. In life-threatening situations or instances of extreme emotional stress, Aang involuntarily channels the power of all his past lives, entering the powerful Avatar State. His tattoos, eyes and mouth glow white, and he either uses bending as an immediate means of self-preservation, or lapses into a dangerous fit of elemental volatility until he is calmed down.^[21]

This spiritual state is the manifestation of all the Avatar's previous incarnations, which allows Aang to tap into the sum total of their power. When in this state the Avatar is at his most powerful, but also his most vulnerable. If the Avatar dies while in the Avatar State, the previous incarnations of the Avatar will die along with him, and the cycle of reincarnation will be permanently broken.^[21]

Aang often receives advice and guidance from Avatar Roku, the previous Avatar incarnation. Born into the Fire Nation in life, Roku is a benign force in spirit, serving as Aang's advisor and protector. On the Winter Solstice, after informing Aang of the impending return of Sozin's Comet, he manifested himself to defeat a group of Firebenders holding Aang's friends hostage. (When Roku manifests, his voice can be heard behind Aang's when he speaks.) ^[9] He has guided Aang several times since, appearing to Jeong Jeong to persuade him to teach Aang,^[22] offering critical wisdom in the ways of the Spirit World during "The Siege of the North",^[12] and most recently, revealing to Aang the nature of the Avatar State.^[21]

After receiving a letter from Guru Pathik in "The Earth King",^[20] Aang journeys to the Eastern Air Temple to learn to control the Avatar State. Guru Pathik reveals that the secret of entering, controlling, and leaving the Avatar State by free will lay in the 'releasing' of seven chakras. Aang has little trouble with the first six, but struggles with the seventh - earthly attachments, namely, love. Aang's love for Katara, accompanied by a vision of her in dire need of help, captured in Ba Sing Se, causes him to leave the Guru and return to Ba Sing Se. Guru Pathik states that Aang's refusal to let Katara go has 'locked the final chakra' and disallowed him to enter the Avatar State at all. .^[23] Later, in "The Crossroads of Destiny", however, Aang begins to open the Seventh Chakra and enter the Avatar State by doing just as he had been told - letting go of his attachment to Katara. However, moments after entering the Avatar State, the process is interrupted as he is struck from behind by Azula, fatally wounding and removing him from the State. He was at the brink of death until Katara saved him.^[25]

The Avatar also has the capacity to act as a medium, a bridge between mortal world and the Spirit World, the plane of existence where the universe's disembodied spirits dwell. Through inducing a deep meditative state, Aang can separate from his body and travel the physical world's astral plane in astral form,^[8] or, with the help of a gateway, travel completely to the Spirit World. Once in the Spirit World, Aang can travel freely and communicate with beings such as Avatar Roku or Koh the Face Stealer. This position as intermediary also allows him to channel other spirits while in the Avatar State. He once acted as the Avatar of the Ocean Spirit to defeat the Fire Nation during the siege of the North Pole.^[12] He has also channeled the spirits of previous Avatars, namely Roku^[9], and Kyoshi ^[26].

The closest person to a father in Aang's days at the Southern Air Temple, Monk Gyatso was a caring and understanding teacher. He seems to have been the source of Aang's love for fun, games, and jokes. ^[1] When Aang returns to the temple after a century in suspended animation, he is devastated to find the corpse of his beloved mentor surrounded by the remains of Fire Nation soldiers. This prompts Aang to enter the Avatar State, causing a violent emotional episode of involuntary Airbending, which only abates when his friend Katara promises that she and her brother, Sokka, will be his new family. ^[5]

Avatar Roku, while not "family" per se, is a facet of Aang's self, the previous incarnation of the Avatar. He serves in much the same capacity as Monk Gyatso before him, guiding Aang through the difficult process of becoming a fully realized Avatar. Though a deep relationship has not yet been established, each knows the other instinctively, and both are pleased to communicate with one another when the opportunity arises.^[9]

The first face Aang sees upon waking from suspended animation is the young Waterbender, Katara, who was his liberator from the iceberg. ^[4] Aang fell in love with her; Guru Pathik later explained that Aang's love for her was the reincarnation of the love of his extinct people. The episode, "The Cave of Two Lovers," has an ambiguous scene where Katara and Aang lean in to kiss, not long after Katara suggested that they kiss to escape the cave they are trapped in. The scene then goes black until the two are seen, with their hands locked, looking up at the glowing crystals on the cave ceiling. When asked how they got out of the cave, Aang said that they "let love lead the way." As they prepare to depart, Aang gives Katara a sidelong glance, and she blushes.^[27] Katara is known to have kissed Aang on the cheek at the end of the episode "Bato of the Water Tribe"^[15] and near the end of "The Earth King."^[20]

Katara is Aang's only teacher so far to use positive reinforcement as a teaching method. Aang responds well to this method, most likely due to the generally free-spirited nature of Airbenders. In addition, as of the events in "The Desert," Katara remains the only person able to calm Aang down from the Avatar State. Also, as has seen from events in "The Serpent's Pass," Katara is able to renew emotions and beliefs in Aang where others were unable. While others had tried to renew Aang's optimism and hope, only Katara was successful.

This love for Katara put Aang in an unforeseen position as he goes to the Eastern Air Temple in "The Guru" to learn to control the Avatar State from Guru Pathik. Pathik tells Aang that the control of the Avatar State involves the releasing of various emotions in the seven chakras spread throughout the body, including worldly attachment. In order to open the seventh chakra, Aang is told that he must let go of his worldly attachment to Katara. He is reluctant but starts to do so, when he has a vision that Katara is in danger. Aang breaks his meditation and leaves to save her, despite Guru Pathik's warning that it would lock his inner chakra and he would never be able to enter the Avatar state at all.

At the end of "The Crossroads of Destiny," Aang and Katara face overwhelming odds against Azula, Zuko, and the Dai Li. Believing that entering the Avatar State is their only hope, Aang isolates himself and meditates, hoping to let go of his attachment to Katara and unlock the seventh chakra. Though Aang began to release the chakra and entered the Avatar State, according to Nick.com's description of the "Celestial Avatar Spirit Aang," he is unable to complete the process due to the interruption caused by Azula's lightning bolt strike. Consequently, Aang was prevented from clearing the seventh chakra and mastering the Avatar State, leaving his attachment to Katara intact.

Aang and Sokka have had their rough patches. While Aang has since disproved the young warrior's initial suspicions that he was a Fire Nation spy, his occasional carelessness can raise Sokka's hackles. When Aang tried Firebending, resulting in Katara's burnt hands, Sokka pushed a concerned Aang away, saying "You burned my sister!" Also, for his part, Aang often makes light of Sokka's serious demeanor. Along with Katara, he views Sokka's skeptical favoring of science over magic with some bewildered amusement, though he has grown impressed with Sokka's engineering skills. In "The Drill," Aang tells Sokka that he's usually the one who comes up with plans to help them, proving that he needs to depend on Sokka's help once in a while. Aang is also one of the few characters who does not voice any annoyance towards Sokka, nor contempt for his lack of Bending skills. Aang and Sokka are often seen goofing around with each other, often to Katara's chagrin. In fact, the two sometimes gain amusement from Katara's irritation with their more whimsical attitudes. He also seems to desire Sokka's permission for a relationship with his sister Katara, as seen in "The Fortuneteller" (though Sokka could not tell he was talking about Katara.)

Toph is a blind twelve-year old who is exceptionally skilled at Earthbending. Through that Earthbending, she can "see". This is due to her increased perception of vibrations in the ground. While in the desert, Toph had said "As far as I'm concerned, we're walking on sandy pudding." Toph is Aang's Earthbending teacher, although she has a much different teaching approach than Katara, more akin to that of an army drill sergeant. Just like their elements, Aang and Toph's personalities are complete opposites as well. At first, Aang is intimidated by Toph's bold nature and tries to work peacefully around it. He is beginning to learn to stand up to her, however. He takes back his staff/glider when she refuses to stop mishandling it. In a moment of sleep-deprivation, Aang finally snaps at Toph, believing that she allowed Appa to be captured based on her previous complaints about him. However, they seem to get along much easier now. In the episode "The Earth King", he refers to everyone, including Toph, as his family.

Toph first appeared in "The Swamp" as a vision to Aang. The vision was simply a message that he would meet her in the future (as Aang correctly concluded in the episode). Her real first appearance was in "The Blind Bandit".

Appa the flying bison is both Aang's dear pet, friend and the group's primary means of travel. Aang met Appa at the Eastern Air Temple when he was just a calf because all Airbender children are paired with a flying bison for life. Appa is not only a skilled flier but also an adept swimmer, and he seems fairly impervious to adverse weather. Aang loves his fellow survivor of a century of sleep, as they both may be the last of their kind. Aang possesses a flying bison whistle (inaudible to humans, much like a dog whistle) to summon Appa from a distance, and he commands him to fly with a cry of "Yip-yip!"

Appa is a natural Airbender, and it is speculated that his species, like the badgermoles, inspired the locals to develop their own Airbending skills. The Airbenders even tattoo themselves with the flying bison's arrow-shaped markings. Appa seems to be able to communicate with animals of other species, such as Momo, and he hates going underground (as seen in the episode "The Cave of Two Lovers").

Appa is very faithful and protective of Aang, and on various occasions he has actively entered into battle to protect his little friend. As seen in "The Desert," Appa means a lot to Aang, since he has been with Aang for over 100 years. When Appa is taken by Sandbenders, Aang is driven mad in his anger, reverting to his Avatar State and destroying all the Sandbender skiffs and almost killing the Sandbenders. During the several episodes it took to retrieve Appa, Aang was often morose and very driven to get him back, which he finally did in "Lake Laogai" which he cried in happiness at getting him back.

Aang discovers Momo, a winged lemur, while wandering about the ruined Southern Air Temple. Aang quickly claimed him as a pet and named him after the peach Momo was holding at the time (momo is Japanese for "peach"). Aang is very fond of the creature, because he represents the small hope that other fragments of Air Nomadic culture, even other Air Nomads, could have survived somewhere in the world. He also seems very protective of Momo, as seen in the episode "The Desert", where he kills a creature in order to protect him. Momo, though he cannot understand English, seems to be able to understand Aang's wishes.

The Firebender Prince Zuko is ostensibly one of Aang's greatest enemies. His quest to capture Aang, thus ensuring the Fire Nation's victory, is a threat to Aang's work and the world at large. Yet each has worked in the other's service. Because Zuko's throne and right to return home from exile are forfeit if he does not find the Avatar, he must protect Aang from other potential threats.^[5] When Aang was captured by Zuko's rival, Admiral Zhao, Zuko posed as a blue-masked, dual-broadsword-wielding vigilante named the Blue Spirit to free Aang from custody. In turn, Aang rescued Zuko from capture when he was knocked unconscious in their escape attempt. Afterward, reflecting on an old Fire Nation friend named Kuzon, Aang asked Zuko if they could have been friends under different circumstances, only to receive a fire blast in reply. Though Zuko subtly seemed to regret the action after-the-fact.^[28] Despite objections, Aang also saved Zuko from freezing to death in the icy tundra of the North Pole.^[12] During their first encounter in Book 2, Zuko and Aang initially trade blows but eventually fight alongside once again, this time against Zuko's sister, Azula.^[29]

The character development of Zuko in the series parallels that of Aang's. In the episode "The Storm", both Aang and Zuko confront their pasts and in "Bitter Work," while Aang was trying to learn a new art (Earthbending), Zuko was also learning a new skill (generating and redirecting lightning). As individuals, Aang and Zuko share many similarities. Both have had profound father figures in their lives, Monk Gyatso served as Aang's guardian when taken from his parents, while Iroh acted as a watchful mentor to his nephew Zuko after Ozai banished him. The two also share shameful pasts and must live with the guilt of disappointing those that they revered the most, forever marked in remembrance; Aang with his traditional tattoos and Zuko with the scar he received from his father.^[1] Lastly, the two are fighting for something, Aang for the world and the people around him, Zuko for his honor. To an end, Aang has displayed interest in Zuko as a person, but the latter only sees the former as a means to regain his lost honor.^[28]

During the course of "The Earth King," Zuko fell into a deep fever, during which he experienced a number of visions, hallucinations, and dreams, some of which seemed to allude to future events in his life. In the last of these, Zuko experienced a false awakening in which he saw himself with Aang's tattoos and no scar.

At the end of Book 2, he claims to have changed for the better, but sides with Azula when it came down to choosing sides. However, as the episode closes, Azula compliments him on his wise choice, and, while faceing away from Azula, Zuko seems worried. This is to lead the audience to think that Zuko may not be so "wise" after all.

Admiral Zhao was a high ranking and important officer in the Fire Nation who had believed since childhood that he was destined for greatness. After discovering Aang's return to the world, Zhao became convinced that capturing Aang would be one of the paths to that greatness. As a result Zhao became one of Aang's primary enemies during Book One, although the two would only encounter each other face to face on a few occasions.

Zhao participated in a number of notable attempts to capture Aang. The first came during Aang's visit to the Fire Temple in order to seek advice from the spirit of Avatar Roku. Zhao attempted to corner and ambush Aang, but was thwarted when Roku himself intervened and caused an eruption of the volcano the temple was situated on. Later Zhao employed the skills of a legendary squad of archers to trap Aang, only to watch as Aang escaped from imprisonment with help from the disguised Zuko. While Aang was briefly being tutored by renegade Firebending master and Zhao's former teacher Jeong Jeong, Zhao led a convoy of ships up the river to Jeong Jeong's camp, where he attacked both his former teacher and Aang. However, Aang had learned from Jeong Jeong about Zhao's tremendous temper and lack of control, and decided to use that against his foe. He egged Zhao on until, careless with rage, Zhao's wild firebending destroyed the ships in his convoy. Aang then left Zhao there to stew on this, effectively defeating Zhao without having thrown a punch.

Finally, Zhao led a huge armada to attack and destroy the Northern Water Tribe, where Aang was studying Waterbending. Having discovered the mortal forms of the Moon (Tui) and Ocean (La) Spirits, Zhao sought to kill the Moon spirit, the Waterbenders' source of power. While Aang is in the Spirit World, Zhao invades the Oasis and bags the Moon Spirit koi fish, causing a lunar eclipse which negated Waterbending abilities. Quickly confronted by Aang's group and Iroh, Zhao eliminated Tui and fled. Angered, the Ocean Spirit allowed Aang to control its powers while in the Avatar State to vanquish Zhao's fleet. Foiled in his escape by the appearance of Zuko, Zhao fought the prince until the Moon Spirit was restored by Princess Yue's sacrifice. Seeing the return of its ally, the Ocean Spirit left Aang to hunt down Zhao. Zhao, unwilling to accept help from Zuko, is carried underwater to his apparent death, a fact which Aang seems to be unaware of.

Azula is Zuko's younger sister, a princess of the Fire Nation and the current heir to the throne, considering Zuko's status as an exile and having been declared a traitor by his father. Cruel, ruthless, cunning and a firebending prodigy who appears to have completely mastered the art despite being a young teen, Azula is a formidable opponent for Aang.

In season two, Princess Azula took the lead in the Fire Nation's main efforts to capture Aang. The two first met during Aang's attempts to rescue King Bumi in the episode "Return to Omashu". The two engaged in a wild fight across the city and its delivery system, during which she seemed to have an advantage in their encounter, although Aang, with help from Bumi, escaped her.

The two met again in "The Chase" during which Azula and her allies relentlessly pursued and harried Aang and his friends. Finally, the two confronted each other in a deserted Earth Kingdom town. As they prepared to face off Zuko arrived and turned the bout into a three way fight. Despite the fact that both Aang and Zuko principally concentrated their efforts against Azula, she had the upper hand against both of them, knocking out Zuko and incapacitating Aang until Katara, Sokka and Toph came to his aid.

Aang and Azula would face off for a third time in "The Drill", where they battled on near even terms on top of the huge drill attempting to breach the walls of Ba Sing Se. Despite Aang now having Earthbending skills in addition to Air- and Waterbending, his exhaustion from his efforts to sabotage the drill beforehand gives Azula a great advantage, but Aang fought back and managed to knock her off balance and finish his demolition of the drill, ending their battle in a virtual draw.

His fourth faceoff against Azula occurs in "The Crossroads of Destiny." At first, their skills seem to be equal, but after Zuko joins the fight on Azula's side, Aang fights against each individually. The arrival of the Dai Li forced Aang to attempt to open the seventh Chakra and enter the Avatar State. However, just seconds away from entering the state, he is struck in the back by a lightning blast from Azula and falls unconscious to the ground, defeated. He is caught by Katara and they both are saved by the intervention of Iroh, who temporarily holds off the siblings and the Dai Li as Katara escapes with Aang.

So far, King Bumi, the Earthbender ruler of the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu, is the only known peer of Aang's still living. Aang fondly remembers how a young Bumi taught him to use Omashu's mail chutes as a giant super slide. Now a supercentenarian, Bumi maintains the eccentric and unconventional thinking that caused Aang to dub him, "a mad genius." In the second season premiere, it is revealed that Aang plans to receive teachings in Earthbending under King Bumi, but after he is taken prisoner in "Return to Omashu", with no intention of escaping from his prison, waiting for an unsaid opportunity. Aang is forced to find a new teacher.

Aang spent some time with Zuko's uncle Iroh when they were tunneling into the underground of Ba Sing Se to save Katara and Zuko. Despite the past, Aang bore no real grudge against Iroh and vice versa. Instead, Aang asked Iroh for some advice as Iroh had done for Toph earlier. When Aang told him he had given up the chance to gain control of the Avatar state when he had heard it would mean forgoing his feelings for Katara, Iroh commended Aang on choosing love instead of power. At the end of season 2, Iroh holds off Zuko and Azula, allowing Katara to escape with the injured Aang.^[25]