Prince Zuko’s Plotline on ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Is The Best Anti-Hero Story on TV

Avatar: The Last Airbender may be Aang’s story, but that doesn’t mean our favorite tattooed air nomad has the best story on the series: that honor belongs to Prince Zuko. It’s not only that his emotional growth is well plotted and well earned, though it is both. It’s Prince Zuko’s backtracking, the vulnerable moments of self-examination we’re privy to as he tackles the deeply difficult process of bettering himself that transforms this former villain into one of the greatest and relatable heroes brought to screen.

From Avatar‘s very first episode, Zuko avoids being packaged as a traditional villain. Just as Katara and Sokka are discovering the long-missing Avatar trapped in ice, the series is careful to give equal weight to Prince Zuko’s story. Through his conversations with his wise and long-suffering Uncle Iroh, the story of the disgraced prince who will only be allowed to return to his nation and family after capturing the Avatar comes to light. Thus, from Avatar‘s first moments it isn’t the story of one guilt-ridden young man trying to make up for his past sins; it’s the story of two.

Several shows have given their heroes and foes equal importance, from Killing Eve to Breaking Bad. But in Avatar, Zuko and Aang’s relationship was always so much more than a cat and mouse game. It morphed into a story about one young man, the Avatar, rising up to create a better world; and another, Prince Zuko, challenging his own worldview to create a better person.

This change doesn’t happen suddenly, but it does happen. Even in the first season and a half when Zuko is the most determined to capture the Avatar and restore his honor, his dedication to the cause his father has placed on his shoulders wavers. His questioning can be seen in quiet moments often unnoticed by Aang and his friends: when Zuko choses to guide his ship to safety instead of pursuing the Avatar to protect his men; or when he fights alongside Aang as the Blue Spirit instead of attacking him. As confusing as these moments often seem, they’re essential to making Prince Zuko one of the most relatable characters on television.

Change is difficult. It involves taking a hard look at all your prejudices as well as the deep-seated beliefs that have come to form your sense of self and questioning them. For Zuko, that doesn’t just mean questioning if it’s worth sacrificing his life to regain his father’s approval. It means questioning what being royalty actually means. His entire life Zuko had been sold the narrative that his birthright as a member of Fire Nation royalty was the pinnacle of success. He was taught he could never become more powerful, feel more fulfilled, or be more respected than he currently was, next in line for the throne. In short, he was told that his life already had as much meaning and success as he could ever hope to achieve. Questioning, even for a moment, the point of seeking his father’s approval throws all of those assumptions into chaos.

The moments when Zuko allows Aang to go free or pauses his search for the Avatar may not feel dynamic because they’re marked by inaction. But they’re among the most radical of the show. Each hesitation is tangible proof of one young man shattering his own worldview to make room for something greater.

Exactly who that greater man is starts to emerge in Ba Sing Se. Stuck as a hidden outlaw with his uncle in a new city, Zuko knows that he should feel trapped in his new life. Yet that isn’t the case. While pretending to be a normal person, working at a tea shop and dating a local Earth Kingdom girl, Zuko stumbles upon a token of normalcy he’s never before been granted: happiness. That’s what truly changes Zuko and gives him the strength to abandon the Avatar’s flying bison, an animal he would typically use to lure in his opponent. For once, Zuko is able to see another version of his life, and it doesn’t look so bad.

Yet what makes Zuko truly remarkable is what happens next. After a moral shift so extreme it literally poisons him with a fever, Zuko turns his back to his uncle and his newfound growth in the Crystal Catacombs of Ba Sing Se. Instead of choosing inaction or helping the Avatar, Zuko partners with his sister Azula to bring down Aang and restore his honor. Though in this moment Zuko fights with frightening abandon, Season 2’s finale sees him at his absolute weakest. At this point he already knows that his dreams of returning to the Fire Nation are toxic and that he’s capable of making a better life for himself. Yet he knowingly slides back into his unhealthy desires.

Too often, stories are filled with villains who are able to completely change their ways after one defining moment. But people are never that cut and dry. We’re complicated. That means making mistakes we know are detrimental even as the people around us, our personal Uncle Irohs, look on in disappointment.

Prince Zuko joining Team Avatar isn’t merely another anti-hero story. It’s the saga of one conflicted man digging deep within himself to question everything he once understood of the world, and emerging guided not by his family’s desires but his own moral compass. It’s a painful, revolutionary transition. That’s what true change should look like. By the series’ end Zuko emerges as one of the strongest, most empathetic characters on the show. We could all stand to learn a thing or two from Prince Zuko.

Where to stream Avatar: The Last Airbender