Lunar Month

Under the guidance of swordsmaster Piandao, Sokka expresses various unorthodox procedures when undergoing his training. In one exercise, when told to stamp his identity onto a sheet of paper, rather than simply writing his name, Sokka smears ink all over his face and presses it onto the paper. As he presents Sokka with his blade, Piandao relates that though his skills were hardly impressive, he displayed much creativity, versatility, and intelligence. All were traits that go beyond mere skills and defined a great swordsman.
Sokka writes with his right hand, but draws with his left hand. He is possibly ambidextrous (able to write with both hands), although his left-handed art is crude and rudimentary, although this could just be due to a limited drawing ability.
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Toph:
Toph is the only child of the wealthy Bei Fong family, who reside in the Earth Kingdom town of Gaoling and whose symbol is a flying boar. Toph's parents are very protective of her, viewing her blindness as a disability in every sense of the word. They assume that she is weak and vulnerable to everything around her. To avoid risk and danger, they kept her at the beginner level of earthbending for over six years, had guards keep close watch on her at all times, and kept the knowledge of her existence from the public.
Despite her handicap, Toph has developed special skills that make her a very formidable Earthbender. Once, when she was very young, Toph ran way from home, seeking refuge in nearby caves. It was there she found companionship with the blind, earthbending Badgermoles that inhabited the caves. By imitating their movements, Toph came to harness her own earthbending abilities, becoming a master in her own right. However, she kept her talent secret from her family and Master Yu, her earthbending teacher. Toph fought frequently in Earth Rumble, an underground earthbending Lei tai tournament, under the alias "The Blind Bandit." By the time Aang and his friends discover Toph at the tournament, she had won her way to become the current champion, holding a 42-0 win-loss record prior to her encounter with Aang.
The Bei Fong family appears to be well-known and influential in the Earth Kingdom. In the episode "The Serpent's Pass," Toph's mere showing of her family's seal was sufficient enough to gain passage on a Ba Sing Se-bound ferry, despite lacking proper documentation to obtain a ticket normally.
Toph's hometown, Gaoling(which means "tall hill"), is also a name of a county in Shanxi, a central province in China.
In search an earthbending teacher who "listens to the earth," the group arrives in the town of Gaoling and eventually come across the town's underground earthbending tournament, Earth Rumble VI. After watching Toph's performance and recalling the vision he experienced in the swamp, Aang believes she is that person. When Xin Fu, the tournament host, calls for volunteer challengers, Aang's takes up the offer for a chance to speak to her. Thanks to his airbending in conjunction with her inability to see what is not on the ground, Aang easily defeats Toph and upsets her winning streak. She, however, does not give him a chance to speak and immediately leaves the arena in a huff.
Aang later finds Toph at the Bei Fong estate, and he is eventually able to talk to her about his quest and need for an earthbending teacher. However, before Toph can make a decision, she and Aang are kidnapped by the earthbending tournament stable, who believe that Toph lost intentionally because they didn't see anything hit her.
The tournament wrestlers demand a ransom, which Katara, Sokka, Master Yu, and Toph's father pay, but only Toph is released. The competitors announce that they will be handing Aang to the Fire Nation for the reward instead, prompting Katara to plead Toph for her help in rescuing Aang. Her father interjects, claiming that his daughter is blind, tiny, helpless, and fragile, and unable to help them. Toph, however, disagrees and steps forward, and she soon single-handedly defeats the entire tournament stable and the host, Xin Fu. Master Yu is speechless and awed by Toph's amazing earthbending skill. Her father is silent.
That night, Toph tries to reason with her parents that she is skillful at fighting and enjoys it, and that she should be allowed to live a normal life like any other kid. She hopes that all of this new information does not change the way they feel about her. Toph's father replies that it does not change his love for her as a father, but it instead has made him realize that he has allowed her too much freedom. He plans to have guards watching over her all day long. Toph's protests are unheard.
Outside town, just as Aang and his friends are about to depart, Toph appears and claims that her father had changed his mind, saying that she was free to travel the world. Upon hearing this shaky testimony, the group is swift to depart, sailing into the night sky with a new member and earthbending teacher. With his daughter's sudden absence, Toph's father concludes that the Avatar has kidnapped his daughter and issues a large reward to Master Yu and Xin Fu to bring her back by any means necessary. While traveling with the Avatar, Toph's social attitudes change considerably. She becomes much less snide and private, but nonetheless still retains her cocky attitude. Her bending abilities also improve throughout Book Two, as she has learned to bend metal using her special ability to "see" the impurities (small fragments of earth) in the metal.
With her joining of Aang's party, Toph brings a totally new personality to the group. Unlike the nurturing Katara, flighty Aang or gruff but goofy Sokka, Toph is fiercely independent, sarcastic, direct, brutally frank, and confrontational. She appears to have the same carefree and adventurous personality as Aang, and she is very tomboyish in the way she acts and dresses - a contrast to the delicate doll her parents see her as. However, unlike Aang, who avoids fighting whenever possible, Toph loves battling and takes great pride in her earthbending skills.
Toph is brutally honest when criticizing others. She is vocal about her opinions on others regardless of status or age. Her occasional spoiled attitude or aloofness may be related to her being the only child of one of the richest families in the Earth Kingdom. Thanks to her time as a competitor and champion of the earthbending tournaments, she is an expert in verbally taunting and insulting her opponents, and on occasion her friends, particularly Sokka.
Toph's relationship with her parents is very complicted; when Aang suggested that she should leave with them, Toph voiced reluctance of doing so. After she joined "Team Avatar" she admitted that she hated them. And, in "The Runaway" she confesses to Sokka that one reason she relied on Katara was because Katara cared about who she really was(in contrast to how her parents wouldn't let her do what she wanted), and added that was more than her own mother ever did. But Toph still does love her parents; she realizes that they just wanted to protect her, and were most likely hurt when she ran away. In the end she sent them a letter(with Katara writing it down)using Sokka's messenger hawk.
Inside this hardened exterior, though, Toph hides trace insecurities in regards to her blindness. She has doubts about her appearance, being unable to see what she looks like. Being coddled by her parents all her life because of her disability, Toph hates being tended to. Her eagerness to prove her strength and independence has led to some initial difficulties with Aang and his friends. Toph insists that she can "carry her own weight," and often mistakes a simple friendly gesture as an act of pity for her blindness. Her encounter with Iroh, however, has taught her that Aang, Katara, and Sokka care for her because they are friends, not because her disability makes them feel obligated to do so.
One of Toph's most obvious traits involves personal hygiene. She is accustomed to lying on the ground, and walking everywhere barefoot leaving her soles quite soiled. This is common, however, as most Earthbenders in the show walk barefoot, likely so that their body is directly touching the earth at all times. Also, she has been seen belching loudly, picking her nose, spitting, and is usually covered in dirt or, as she calls it, "a healthy coating of earth." Despite her uncouth habits, Toph is in fact well-educated in the manners and bearings of high society--she merely chooses to ignore them.
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Appa:
Aang and Appa's first meeting is seen during a flashback sequence in Appa's Lost Days. It is tradition with Air Nomads that each young Airbender is given a flying bison calf once they come of age to be the Airbender's life-long animal companion. This is similar to the Fire Nation ritual of giving a dragon to young Firebenders for a similar purpose. Almost immediately, the two became friends and would remain close, Appa being the one thing from Aang's home that Aang took with him when he fled the Southern Air Temple. In fact, their bond is so deep they appear to share some form of energy bond, as revealed by Guru Pathik.
Aforementioned, Appa was stuck in suspended animation along with Aang for 100 years until their discovery by Katara and Sokka. Since then, Appa has been the group's main form of transportation in their quest, as well as occasionally assisting in battle. In "The Library" Appa was a consistent part of the group throughout the series until his capture by the Sandbenders. However, Appa has been returned to group as of the Season 2 episode Lake Laogai.
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Momo:
Momo, a Winged Lemur discovered wandering about the ruined Southern Air Temple, was quickly named and claimed as a pet by Aang. Aang is very fond of the creature, because he represents the small hope that other fragments of Air Nomadic culture, even other Air Nomads, survive somewhere in the world. Momo is an intelligent creature, but is either incapable or selective of understanding human speech. He is also a glutton for any available fruit. Momo's behavior is more cat-like than that of real life lemurs. Momo's wings appear to retract within the fur of his arms. Each of Momo's hands appears to have four fingers and two additional ones within the wing membrane that can be seen when he has his wings extended.
He is very curious, which often gets him into trouble or (unknowingly) causes problems for the group. Like Sokka, Momo will eat mysterious items to see what they are.
Unlike Appa, Momo doesn't always understand human speech. When a part of an episode is shown from his point of view, he hears humans talking in unidentifiable mumbles.
Momo is very loyal to Aang, always willing to help him with tasks and even join him in battle. He also seems to be very close to Appa, another of a species closely related to the Air Nomad culture. Appa and Momo seem capable of understanding and communicating with each other as well. Momo seems to be very compassionate to others, even if they have done him wrong. In "Tales of Ba Sing Se," a trio of pygmy pumas chased after Momo until the four of them were captured by a man hoping to sell them for meat. Momo easily escaped due to his opposable thumbs, but as he left, he turned to see the pygmy pumas leaning against the cage, wishing for his help. Without a second thought, Momo freed them as well and they repaid his kindness by leading him to a footprint of Appa.
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Zuko:
Zuko is a skilled Firebender and the son of Fire Lord Ozai, ruler of the Fire Nation. Before the events of the series, he is exiled from the Fire Nation and sent to capture the Avatar; he is initially bent on capturing Aang in order to restore his honor and right to the throne in the eyes of his father. Zuko was accompanied and advised in his search by his uncle Iroh.
Although initially portrayed as an antagonist of the series, Zuko's sense of honor has caused him to go against his own nation and family. Zuko is also revealed to have an important connection to the Avatar. To that, he has realized that his real destiny is to join the Avatar, teach Aang firebending, end the war and restore balance to the world.
Zuko was born to Princess Ursa and Prince Ozai. Always favored by his mother and neglected by his father, Zuko developed a close bond with his mother. Around five years before the series takes place, Zuko learns of the death of his cousin, Lu Ten, in battle during the siege of Ba Sing Se. This results in his uncle giving up the siege in grief and Zuko's father Ozai sees this as a chance to convince Fire Lord Azulon that he should inherit the throne. Ozai's request is denied and as punishment for attempting to exploit Iroh's loss, he is ordered to kill Zuko. However, Azulon dies and Ursa disappears before anything happens. It is later learned that Ursa came up with a plan in which Ozai became Fire Lord and Zuko's life would be spared. This apparently led to Azulon's death and Ursa was banished as a result of it. The next day, Zuko demands to know where Ursa is but receives no answer. He is later present at Azulon's funeral and Ozai's crowning as Fire Lord.
Three years later, Zuko's uncle allows a thirteen year old Zuko to enter a war meeting. Zuko, upon hearing of a general's plan to sacrifice novice troops in battle, speaks out in protest. Ozai demands Zuko duel in an Agni Kai, but when the duel begins, he finds himself dueling not the general, but Ozai himself. Zuko surrenders, unable to duel his own father. Ozai, seeing this as weakness and disrespect, scars Zuko, strips him of his birthright, and exiles him, under orders not to return unless he captured the Avatar.
Apparently the TV show's original antagonist, Zuko first appears searching for the long lost Avatar with his Uncle Iroh and some crew members. After seeing a glow at the South Pole, he heads there, where he captures the Avatar but then loses custody of him. Throughout most of Book 1, Zuko pursues Aang but the Avatar evades him every time. Zuko also has to deal with his rival, Admiral Zhao, who does whatever he can to hinder the prince's progress. Zhao at one point successfully captures Aang, but Zuko frees the Avatar under the disguise of the Blue Spirit. Once Zhao discovers that Zuko and the Blue Spirit are the same person, he attempts to assassinate Zuko but fails. Zuko covertly stows aboard Zhao's ship with help from Iroh and infiltrates the North Pole. He captures the Avatar but his friends rescued him and captured Zuko. After escaping, he duels with Zhao for trying to kill him and is soon ended when the vengeful Ocean Spirit pulls Zhao under the surface as revenge for killing Tui, the Moon Spirit. Zuko tries to save him from the hands from the Ocean Spirt, but Zhao lets himself be pulled under, instead of being saved by Zuko. Zuko later leaves with Iroh on a driftwood raft, as his ship was destroyed in the assassination attempt.
After drifting for three weeks, Zuko and Iroh are tricked by Azula, Zuko's younger sister, into thinking that Ozai wants them home, but after the captain of her ship accidentally refers to them as prisoners, they quickly fight her crew and escape. They are then declared traitors of the Fire Nation, and for the first half of the season, Zuko has difficulty living as a fugitive from the Fire Nation and often resorts to theft. Over time, however, he begins to adjust to the situation while being trained in lightning techniques. With Iroh's influence in the secret White Lotus Society, Zuko and Iroh smuggle themselves into Ba Sing Se, start a very successful new life, and manage to open their own tea shop, but Zuko learns of Aang's presence in the city and of the disappearance of Aang's bison. Zuko attempts to continue his search for the Avatar, but Iroh confronts him, convincing Zuko to let Appa go and stop his search. Azula later arrives in the city and captures Zuko with the help of her new allies, the Dai Li, while Iroh escapes. Zuko is put into the Crystal Catacombs with Katara, who initially yells at him but when he reveals more about his life, gradually softens. They are soon rescued by Aang and Iroh, and when Katara and Aang leave, Iroh is captured by the Dai Li and Zuko is manipulated by Azula into betraying Iroh and helping her conquer Ba Sing Se. Following a long battle with Aang and Katara in which the Avatar was fatally wounded, Azula congratulates Zuko and tells him he has restored his honor. Zuko, however, still appears conflicted.
Zuko and Azula return home as war heroes and Zuko's father personally congratulates him for becoming a powerful warrior and staying loyal to his nation. Zuko went to Iroh, who was currently in prison, for advice over his confusion, but Iroh would not talk to him. Not knowing what to do, Zuko sent an assassin after Aang in order to eliminate him. During a trip to Ember Island, he is driven to admit that he is confused to the childhood clique consisting of Mai (now his girlfriend), Ty Lee, and Azula. Following this, Zuko finally talks to Iroh after being sent a note about his great grandfather. He learns he is descended from Avatar Roku and it is his destiny, according to Iroh, to end the war. He takes Iroh's advice and realizes that he can never be the son his father wants him to be and that the war must come to an end. During The Day of Black Sun, he leaves Mai a message in a scroll and expresses regret at leaving her. He then confronts his father, telling him how he felt both about Ozai's treatment of him and the war. He then explains his intentions to free Iroh and join the Avatar. He turns to leave but is baited with knowledge of what happened to his mother, Princess Ursa. After learning she was banished as opposed to dead as he believed, he is attacked with lightning by Ozai at the end of the eclipse, but redirects it and escapes. He attempts to free Iroh, but Iroh has already escaped. Zuko then leaves to join the Avatar.
Zuko arrives at the Western Air Temple and attempts to join the Avatar by pointing out all the good things he's done and that he could teach him Firebending. Aang refuses (partly because the firebender accidentally revealed he sent Combustion Man after him), and Zuko leaves. Toph, knowing that Zuko was telling the truth, goes to find him in the middle of the night, but she is accidentally burned when Zuko thinks it is someone there to harm him. The next day, Zuko saves Aang and company from a surprise attack of the Combustion Man. After Sokka ultimately defeats the assassin, they welcome Zuko into the group, with the exception of Katara who is very reluctant to do so, due to his betrayal at Ba Sing Se. Once Zuko is alone, Katara darkly gave a warning that if he gives any intention of harming Aang, she will kill him.
A short time after, Zuko sets out to teach Aang about Firebending only to find that his own connection to his Firebending has somehow been severed. To remedy this, he and Aang travel to the ruined city of the Sun Warrior people, discovering that the tribe continues to exist in secret. Here, they find out about the last two dragons and learn their secrets, allowing Zuko to re-focus and Firebend again; the experience sets a strong bond between Aang and Zuko, despite their history. Unfortunately, Zuko will still have to continue to earn the others' forgiveness, especially Katara's.
Zuko's distinguishing marks include an enormous facial burn scar radiating from his left eye over his ear. Formerly, his head was shaven but for a small queue of black hair at the back. After slicing off his top-knot as a show of his severance from his family in the episode "The Avatar State," Zuko begins to let his hair grow out, until it grows over his eyes and he gets a royal trim in "Nightmares and Daydreams".
While initially the series primary antagonist, over time Zuko is shown to be more of a bitter and complex young man than a truly evil character; he is initially far closer to being an anti-villain, and now becoming a hero in his own right. Zuko's good heart was, for most of the series, over-ruled by his desire to be allowed to return home; Zuko wanted more than anything to have his place as heir to the Fire Nation throne and his father's love. Zuko believed (or forced himself to believe) that capturing the Avatar will make these wishes come true, which made him Aang's most determined enemy.
Zuko believes that a person becomes strong by having to struggle and fight for what they want. He has said that he does not want to have good luck, because he feels he can control his own fate. Yet all the misfortune in his life has lead him to believe the world is set against him. This manifests as unflexible determination and an iron-will that even his foes ackwnowledge.
Zuko has numerous contradictory traits, beliefs, and behaviors. As a result of being raised as Fire Nation royalty, his is domineering and not afraid to assert authority, and disdains working with people he believes are inferior to himself, yet he adamantly refuses to view people as expendable; it was Zuko's belief that it is wrong to sacrifice young troops as a diversionary war tactic that led to his exile when he voiced his opinion and angered his father, Ozai. During his banishment, Zuko displayed a near total obsession with pursuing and capturing the Avatar, using whatever means he thought necessary to gain the upper hand. Although he has said that the capture of the Avatar is a greater concern to him than the safety of his crew or even himself, he retains some compassion, choosing to rescue Iroh when he was captured, rather than pursue Aang, and also risked his own life to save a member of his crew during a fierce storm. Towards the end of the storm, the crew spots Aang, but rather than chase the Avatar, Zuko orders the ship and crew to safety.
Because the prospect of returning home and being forgiven was Zuko's sole motivation, he is marked by abject despair at having lost his chance early in the second season. He finds himself in perhaps the most dire situation possible, hunted by his ruthless and cruel sister, Azula, while attempting to survive as a penniless fugitive in the Earth Kingdom. Zuko had nothing, even less than his days of banishment, something he cannot seem to accept. At first, Zuko turns to robbery, even stealing from those who have been kind to him. After some time, however, partially in thanks to a talk from Iroh, Zuko gains a more reasonable outlook. Although theft is still necessary from time to time, he refuses to steal from already needy people, or people who have shown him kindness. He also defended an Earth Kingdom village against a group of thugs who terrorized its people after having been appointed to protect them. Over time, Zuko becomes more patient, kind, precise, and calculating; traits necessary to evade Azula's pursuit while staying incognito from local authorities. During "Lake Laogai", he even sets Aang's pet bison and primary mode of transportation, Appa, free from Dai Li captivity at Iroh's suggestion.
These traits would become dominant after Zuko's fevered dreams and hallucinations in "The Earth King," as afterwards he displayed a considerably more optimistic attitude towards life and seemed quite content to settle for a peaceful life on incongreguity in Ba Sing Se. However, Azula - discovering him within the city - successfully tapped into and manipulated his still lingering desire for the love and approval of his father, and convinced him to betray Iroh and become her ally in "The Crossroads of Destiny." Zuko continued to insist that he had truly changed even after joining Azula, but it became clear that he was still conflicted about his choices, and is uncomfortable with his betrayal of Iroh, who had become a father figure to him. At The Beach on Ember Island, Zuko admits that he is angry with himself, saying he's not sure he knows right from wrong. Zuko later gets a note about revealing his destiny, which leads him to learn about his great-grandfather Sozin's history. Not finding much significance, he turns to Iroh, who tells him that Avatar Roku is his mother's grandfather, whom Sozin betrayed. Iroh claims that Zuko's inner conflict is due to his good and evil nature that he inherited from Roku and Sozin respectively.
In Nightmares and Daydreams he became upset when he wasn't informed of a war meeting in which his sister was invited, but was lifted when a servant later came and informed him that Ozai would not start the meeting without him. But later, he told Mai that even when his father saw him as the perfect prince, he still didn't feel like himself. During the events of The Day of Black Sun, Zuko comes to realize that he must restore peace to the world by joining the Avatar and fighting the tyranny of his nation. He discards his previous beliefs in the Fire Nation's greatness, proudly proclaims his Uncle as the source of this inspiration, and defiantly swears to his father that he will be defeated.
Zuko's newfound sense of humility and peace of mind does gives him the courage to ask the Avatar's forgiveness, however not the words to express it. Initially rejected by the group, he does eventually partially earns their faith by saving them from the Combustion Man, a fact which he expresses with uncharacteristic joy and enthusiasm. His past sins still haunt him however, since even though the heroes have welcomed him, he still must work to earn their trust on account of everything he had done to them, especially Katara, who has implicitly threatened to kill him should he give her any reason to think he would betray Aang. As for the Avatar himself, despite their past conflicts and fights, both are showing a rapidly developing friendship and trust. Though Zuko still has a quick temper and does act on things in a rash manner he is far more composed and receptive than before.
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Iroh:
Iroh was the firstborn son of Fire Lord Azulon and Fire Lady Ilah. Iroh was destined to succeed Azulon as Fire Lord of the Fire Nation, but because of the mysterious events surrounding Azulon's death, and Iroh's abandonment of the siege on Ba Sing Se to grieve for his son, Lu Ten, Iroh's younger brother Ozai succeeded to the throne.
Three years before the start of the series, an indulgent Iroh allowed his beloved nephew to observe a meeting of Ozai's war council—a mistake he would soon come to regret. In the council, Zuko spoke out against a general who planned to sacrifice an entire division of novice troops in battle as a diversionary tactic. Though Iroh silently agreed with young Zuko's assessment, the Fire Lord demanded that Zuko participate in a fire duel, the Agni Kai, for his insubordination. Zuko accepted, under the mistaken impression he would be dueling the General he'd insulted. However, because Zuko had spoken out in his father's war room, Zuko had disrespected his father, and thus it was his own father Zuko was to duel. Iroh bore witness in the audience when Zuko fell to his knees in the arena, pleading for forgiveness and refusing to duel his own father. When Iroh's brother badly burned his own son's face, permanently scarring him as punishment for his cowardice and disrespect, Iroh looked away, unable to stand the sight.
Zuko was afterward stripped of his birthright and exiled from the Fire Nation. However, one condition could restore his honor and throne and allow him to return home. Zuko was instructed to find and capture the Avatar. The Avatar was a perpetually reincarnated spirit of the planet manifested in human form, master of all four elements, and maintainer of balance between the Four Nations. This powerful being was the only threat to the Fire Nation's victory in its imperialist war against the other nations. Yet the Avatar had vanished a century ago—shortly before the Fire Nation's first strike. Three generations had conducted fruitless searches, and Zuko was to be sent on a quest that seemed little more than a fool's errand.
Undeterred, Zuko sought to do the impossible, and Iroh accompanied him. The pair spent two years at sea, searching in vain for any sign of the supercentenarian Airbender the Fire Sages had described. Though Iroh was resigned to the futility of their mission, and whittled away his days with games, finally a day came when a strange beacon lit the skies off the coast of the South Pole. When Zuko investigated, he discovered that the Avatar had reappeared at last. Improbably, the long-sought old man was actually Aang, a twelve-year-old boy recently woken from a hundred years of suspended animation. Thrown off-guard, Zuko underestimated the boy, who managed to escape their grasp. Zuko and Iroh quickly engaged in hot pursuit, tracking the Avatar and his friends across the globe. Upon reaching the North Pole, Iroh forsakes his hope of ever returning home when he attacks Admiral Zhao in an attempt to save the Spirit of the Moon, thus assisting the Avatar and the Northern Water Tribe in repelling the Fire Nation invasion.
At the beginning of Season Two, Iroh and Zuko have been branded traitors to the Fire Nation. During a confrontation with Azula, they learn of a plot to capture them and return them home imprisoned. Having escaped from Azula's nearly victorious trap, Iroh and Zuko cut their hair to symbolize their new life as fugitives unable to return home. The two later took refuge in random Earth Kingdom towns acting as homeless beggars. While Iroh was able to adjust to a life of simplicity, humility, and poverty, Zuko was not, and Iroh soon suspected that Zuko had been obtaining items for their day-to-day life by theft. The older man attempted to persuade his nephew that those who maintain hope in the face of adversity are the ones with true strength. However, Zuko thought otherwise, and the two separated. They were soon reunited, as Iroh covertly followed Zuko to assist him if needed. When Zuko got in over his head in a three-way battle with Aang and Azula, Iroh intervened, as did Aang's companions. The six of them confronted Azula together, but she managed to wound Iroh with a fire blast to the chest, and escape.
After recovering from his injury, Iroh decided to teach Zuko the advanced Firebending techniques he would need to defeat Azula. He first tried to teach Zuko how to create lightning, but his nephew's emotional turmoil prevented him from making progress with the difficult art. Instead, Iroh taught Zuko a technique of his own creation—to absorb and redirect lightning, which he developed after studying Waterbenders. Zuko soon demanded that Iroh attack him with lightning so that he can redirect it, but Iroh refused to perform such a dangerous test.
Iroh is a grand master of the secret society, the Order of the White Lotus; although what the group represents or does has yet to be seen. The Order of the White Lotus has members spread far and wide across the world—even in desolate remote villages of the Earth Kingdom, and select havens within the Fire Nation. Iroh and Zuko sought their aid in avoiding the bounty hunters Master Yu and Xin-Fu, who temporarily decided to seek the two fugitives from the Firebending nation rather than pursue the Avatar and Toph. Since the people who protected Iroh appeared to be of the Earth Kingdom, the organization of the group may itself be independent of any particular nation. Also, the White Lotus appears to have at least some degree of bureaucratic influence, as it managed, on short notice, to produce fake passports and other paperwork to smuggle Iroh and Zuko into Ba Sing Se.
With help from the Order of the White Lotus, Iroh and Zuko are able to make their way to Ba Sing Se as refugees. Once inside, Iroh gets them jobs at a tea shop. During the episode "The Tales of Ba Sing Se," Iroh spends a day shopping in the city. In this episode, Iroh is displayed as a teacher as he grants wisdom and help to all those he encounters during his day of shopping. He later holds a small memorial service for Lu Ten, marking his late son's birthday, and tearfully noting he wished he could have helped Lu Ten.
After weeks in Ba Sing Se, Iroh is given the chance to run his own tea shop, but Zuko has other plans. When Zuko attempts to capture Appa, Iroh confronts Zuko and tells him rather bluntly to stop trying to live the life people say he has to live. Iroh convinces Zuko to give up his alias as the Blue Spirit and takes care of his nephew when Zuko is stricken by the negative effects of the mental metamorphosis caused by Zuko's actions, after which he becomes more cheerful, becomes more optimistic towards a new life in Ba Sing Se. Iroh remains confident in Zuko and believes that Zuko will become the prince he was meant to be.
When Azula offered Zuko a chance to reclaim his honor by helping take over the Earth Kingdom capital, he agrees. Iroh was last seen defending the wounded Avatar and Katara, giving them time to escape before he surrenders peaceably. Iroh makes eye contact with Zuko before turning away, expressing shame at his nephew's decision.
In the episode "The Headband," Zuko secretly visits Iroh, who has been imprisoned in a tower. After threatening the guard to keep silent about the visit, Zuko attempts to talk to his uncle, only to have Iroh turn away from him and say nothing. Zuko later brings food to Iroh and asks for his help. He continues his silence, causing Zuko to become angry and storm from the room. A single tear then rolls down Iroh's face.
As displayed in "Sokka's Master," Iroh has been misleading the guards by acting senile and delusional, in order to make them believe that their once great commander has fallen from grace and is now nothing more than a crazy old man. In reality, however, he is just as wise and wily as ever, and has been secretly exercising in confinement. Through this intensive training, it is displayed that Iroh has become significantly more muscular in comparison to his former physique.
It is implied that Iroh had resources despite his confinement, as he managed to deliver a message to Zuko in "The Avatar and the Firelord." When his nephew confronts in regards to the purpose of the message, Iroh at last responds. Iroh informs Zuko that he is a descendant of Avatar Roku, and that he believes Zuko can be the one to right the sins their family has brought. To commemorate this, Iroh provides Zuko with the antique headpiece once worn by his forefather, as it is supposed to be worn by the Crown Prince, another example of how influential and how many contacts Iroh may have to fall into the possession of the missing headpiece lost in the times of Avatar Roku whilst being held in prison. During the episode "Day of Black Sun," Iroh (off-screen) breaks himself out of prison and single-handedly defeats the prison guards. The defeated warden tells Zuko, who intended to free his uncle himself, that Iroh was like a "one-man army". Zuko left to join the Avatar afterwards, and presumably he assumes that Iroh is safe somewhere else.
Iroh's nickname of the Dragon of the West stems from his claim to have hunted down and killed the last remaining dragon. Fire Lord Sozin popularized dragon hunting during his rule, henceforward anyone who accomplishes the task is awarded the title 'Dragon'. However, Iroh's claim of killing the last dragon is said to be an outright lie. When Zuko and Aang encounter the Sun Warriors in "The Firebending Masters", they learn that Iroh was found worthy of being trained by the last two dragons, and lied in order to protect them.
However, Iroh's whereabouts are completely unknown at this time. However, a "Previously on Avatar" video before "The Day of Black Sun" episodes, there's a clip shown of Iroh and Zuko when they met with the "Order of the White Lotus" in "The Desert". This implies that Iroh has once again met up with the secret society.
Easygoing, friendly and dryly good-humored, Iroh treats his self-imposed exile of the first part of the series as though it were an extended vacation. Something of a hedonist in his old age, he focuses more on the pursuits of relaxation and amusements than on the pursuit of the Avatar, clashing to the dedication of his nephew. However, beneath the easy going exterior lies a wise man experienced in the ways of the world, a seasoned and wily strategist, and a powerful Firebending master.
Iroh is particularly fond of food, a good cup of tea, the strategy game Pai Sho, and pleasant music. He founded a music night for the ship's crew (among whom he is popular), where he sings and plays instruments. He later displays skill at playing the pipa, singing lullabies to pacify a crying child. Most likely because of his love of tea, he has shown himself to be an amateur botanist with knowledge of a wide variety of plants, though misinterpretation of some plant characteristics lead him to accidentally poisoning himself.
Though a very honorable man, he is not above a spot of pilfering as he once pocketed perfumes from an abbey. He also demonstrates a respect and appreciation for all cultures, which seems to be a rarity among those of the Fire Nation. This partially stems from his trip into the spirit world, which left him with a certain spiritual awareness.
Despite his age, Iroh can be quite the lady charmer when the need arises, and is seen flirting with various, albeit older women throughout the series, and has been addressed as "handsome" on multiple occasions.
In his younger days, Iroh was a great general and war hero, once known among his enemies as the "Dragon of the West" because of his unique Firebending style of exhaling fire from his mouth. It should also be noted that Firebenders that have defeated dragons are given the honorary title "Dragon." Iroh has claimed to have killed the last surviving dragon, although he was lying to protect them from other would-be hunters. Though Iroh still commands a great deal of respect, he fell from grace with his one great failure. In a final bid for victory against the Earth Kingdom, he and his men laid siege to the capital city of Ba Sing Se for six hundred days. At one point, Iroh's forces even managed to penetrate the allegedly unbreakable walls, but they were soon driven back. Iroh gave up the assault when his son was killed. While many, including Ozai, viewed this failure as a disgrace, Iroh believed he did the right thing and later claimed that he and his men were tired after the long siege. As a result of his long service in the military, Iroh knows many of the Fire Nation soldiers personally, albeit many are now enemies due to his being branded a traitor to the Fire Nation.
In addition to his extensive military service, Iroh has endured other trials, including the death of Lu Ten, his only son, and a journey to the Spirit World, which has left him with respect for the other world and the ability to see spirits. However, the actual nature and events surrounding his journey to the Spirit World has yet to be revealed. At one point in his life, he also encountered the last surviving dragons in the world, who judged him and deemed him worthy to know the true nature of Firebending. In order to protect them, he lied and fabricated a story about him having actually slain the last dragon, thus stopping any further hunts from being conducted.
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Azula:
Azula is a gifted Firebender and highly favored crown princess of the Fire Nation. In addition, she is the first female Firebender to appear in the series, and is the Firebender silhouetted in the opening credits of each episode. She is initially bent on retrieving her exiled brother, Prince Zuko, and delivering him to their father, Fire Lord Ozai. She is accompanied on her search by her childhood friends, Mai and Ty Lee.
Azula's cruelty was evident even as a child. Azula was born to Prince Ozai and Princess Ursa around two years after her brother, Zuko. As such, she is the descendant of both Fire Lord Sozin (from Ozai) and Avatar Roku (from Princess Ursa). She is named for her grandfather, Ozai's father, Fire Lord Azulon. Azula grew up in the riches, splendor, and privileges of being royalty in the Fire Nation. Even when she was only ten years old, Azula expressed her natural talents, along with her tendency for malice and perfectionism. Her sharp wits and the prodigy she displayed towards Firebending gained her much attention and acclaim and made her Ozai's favorite child. Her father began raising her as his true heir early on, taking her into his confidence and grooming her in politics while ignoring Zuko. From the quality of her ship and soldiers, her favored status was readily apparent.
She had no desire to waste time playing around like a regular girl. She was much more interested in power, suggesting that her father would make a better Fire Lord than the heir apparent, her Uncle Iroh, whom she also dubbed "a quitter and a loser" for abandoning his siege at Ba Sing Se. No love developed between her and Zuko throughout the next few years—when he was burned by their father in an Agni Kai, she watched with a savage triumph.
In the first season, it was revealed that Azula was present for the Agni Kai in which Prince Zuko receives his facial scar from his father. At the end of the season, after the Siege of the North, Ozai orders Azula to arrest Zuko and Iroh.
Azula first encountered the Avatar in Omashu during the second season, where her and Aang battle. Soon after, she named the Avatar as a personal target in addition to her brother and enlists the help her friends Ty Lee and Mai. Azula continues to pursue the Avatar for the rest of the season. While in Ba Sing Se, though, Azula is side tracked by her conquest of the city, which was the capital of the Earth Kingdom.
Upon returning home in the third season, it is revealed that Azula has not taken credit for the murder of the Avatar. She gave the credit to Zuko to make him feel better when he faces their father and repay him for his aid in the siege of Ba Sing Se. After Zuko connotes that she's lying, Azula deduces that in case the Avatar was still alive, all of Zuko's glory would turn to shame. On "The Day of Black Sun", Azula serves as a distraction to keep Aang, Sokka, and Toph from finding Firelord Ozai.
A dedicated nationalist, Azula relentlessly drills herself towards perfection and will settle for nothing less. Even as a child she was seen to react with hostility when outdone. She is rather vain and believes that power and domination are what makes a person strong.
She is known for being one of the cruelest characters in the series. From a very young age, Azula demonstrated sadistic aggression and lack of remorse, which suggest that Azula could be a sociopath. Her cruel and seemingly total lack of compassion extends to all of her family.
Her apathy also accounts for her ability to create and direct lightning, as the skill requires peace of mind. Despite all of this, she is an excellent tactician, regularly displaying perception and resourcefulness that allows her to take advantage of almost any situation.
Ironically, for all her refinement and self-confidence, Azula does retain some unsureness. As a result of her sequestered life of royalty, Azula has come to develop a considerable amount of social ineptitude, particularly in her uncertainty of how to act around boys. Her over-competitive nature surfaces during a Kuai ball game, and she later admits her jealously over how much attention Ty Lee receives from boys.
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Mai:
A cold, calm, and reserved young woman, and a longtime friend of Azula and Ty Lee, with whom she attended the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. She is described by nick.com as a depressed-looking goth teen, seemingly bored with everything. She is an extremely skilled warrior in the art of Shurikenjutsu, her primary weapon being small, fletched darts that are thrown from her wrists and ankles. She also employs a wide variety of other throwing weapons with deadly accuracy and has proven herself capable of besting a powerful bender despite not being a bender herself.
Insight into Mai's childhood is given in "The Beach," where she mentions that, growing up, her mother was very critical of her, constantly reminding her that any misbehavior would reflect badly on her father's political career. Her crush on Zuko seems to have started from a young age. During flashbacks in "Zuko Alone", she is shown about ten-years-old, sitting off by herself, uninterested, as Ty Lee and Azula play together. However, she does show marked interest in Zuko, turning away shyly and blushing when he walks by with his mother. Azula notices this and takes Mai's obvious crush as a cue to humiliate both Zuko and Mai by orchestrating a situation where in they end up falling into a fountain on top of each other.
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Ty Lee:
Ty Lee has been a long time friend of Azula and Mai since their time at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. She was the daughter of a nobleman. She is one of seven sisters, whom all seem to look alike. However she didn't want to be a part of a "matching set", thus she tried to have and keep her own identity and one day ran away to join the circus. Mai has mentioned once that the circus was Ty Lee's calling. In "Zuko Alone" she is seen as a perfectionist in acrobatics just when she was seven, upstaging Azula who punished her by shoving her to the ground. When Azula plays a childish trick on her brother Zuko and friend Mai into falling into the fountain together, Ty Lee says that they are "cute" together.
She is not a Firebender, but despite this fact she is an effective fighter. Unlike Zuko who sometimes utilizes broadswords and her friend Mai who uses Shuriken-jutsu tools in battle, Ty Lee uses her bare hands to bring down an opponent. She hits her target's pressure points or human structure weak points or chi points (used in acupuncture) or even the term chakra points, to disarm her opponents and paralyze their muscles. She can also prevent benders from bending, simply by blocking their chakra. In the show it's called 'blocking of the qi' which is what happens, but Ty Lee's fighting style is based of a form of Taijutsu. Advanced Taijutsu affects the body externally causing real damage, but Ty Lee uses a form that involves jabbing the opponent from the outside that affects the opponent internally bringing him or her down from the inside and not causing any real damage to them. Ty Lee is carefree and kind, so it is no surprise she uses this form of Taijutsu.
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