Aang vs Zuko

They both seek to bring balance, but which of them burns brighter? Welcome to WatchMojo and in this instalment of “Versus”, we’re pitting two of Avatar’s most iconic characters against one another; the titular last airbender Aang and the banished prince Zuko.

Round 1: Origins

Raised amongst the peaceful Air Nomads, Aang was a naïve yet good-spirited kid who just wanted to have fun, only to discover that he was in fact the latest incarnation of the all-powerful Avatar, and that it would be his destiny to bring peace to all. Terrified at the prospect of losing all he loved because of his new responsibilities, Aang and his flying bison Appa fled only to be caught in a terrible storm and freeze together in stasis in an iceberg. A hundred years go by and when he’s freed of his icy imprisonment, Aang discovers the world has fallen into chaos and needs its Avatar more than ever.

Born into the Fire Nation’s royal line as the only son of Fire Lord Ozai, Zuko stood apart from the others due to his noble heart and strong sense of honor, even if it was layered under a mountain of stubbornness and an easily-provoked temper. Unfortunately, after speaking out against a military ploy that would endanger Fire Nation soldiers, Zuko is exiled from his home, but not before having the side of his face horrifically burnt by his tyrant of a father. This cruel twist of fate would send Zuko around the world in the hope of hunting down the Avatar, all for the chance to restore his honor and earn his way back home.

While both of these backstories have elements of tragedy to them, it’s Zuko’s banishment and his new pained position that resonates stronger. Admit it, you saw him in a whole new light after witnessing how he got that scar.

Winner: Zuko: 1 / Aang: 0

Round 2: Abilities

Like his predecessors, Aang is capable of mastering all four elements, with the results often being devastating for any unprepared foe. He’s a genius when it comes to manipulating air, and though he struggled initially with fire, by the end of the war, he was able to control all in perfect unity. Of course, there’s also the Avatar State; a defensive mechanism that allows Aang to push his bending prowess to eleven, channelling the strength and wisdom of his predecessors in the process. The only drawback being that, should he die in this form – the Avatar Cycle would be forever broken.

Naturally, Zuko’s skills when it comes to firebending are top tier, able to unleash flames from any part of his body to various degrees. Like the rest of his people, the potency of his bending is increased exponentially with the phenomenon that is Sozin’s Comet, at which point he’s able to conjure a sea of fire like it was nothing. He’s also very adept at physical combat, especially when it comes to duel-wielding those swords of his. What makes Zuko stand out from the others, however, is his ability to redirect lightning. Taught to him by his beloved Uncle Iroh, Zuko’s talent for sending these bolts back is something that has caught even the likes of Fire Lord Ozai off guard!

Zuko can certainly hold his own in the fight, and the boost afforded to him by Sozin’s Comet is a spectacle in his own right, but even that can’t compare to the sight of Avatar Aang bending all four elements at once after fully opening his chakras.

Winner: Aang: 1 / Zuko: 1

Round 3: Destiny

Despite initial hesitation at the amount of responsibility, Aang eventually accepted his destiny – to master all four elements, defeat the Fire Lord, and bring peace to the world. That’s not to say it was easy. Between learning the other bending styles and dealing with no shortage of villainous forces, there were also his own internal struggles. Killing anyone - even the fire lord - was against his beliefs, and relinquishing all earthly attachments (including his love for Katara) in order to control the Avatar State was a long and heartbreaking process. Thankfully, Aang still found a way to restore balance without compromising who he was as a person.

To say Zuko’s path was a rocky one would be an understatement. He had to completely reverse his own initial belief system. For the longest time, he was adamant that the only way for him to be happy would be to capture the Avatar and earn his father’s admiration. But due to the wisdom of his devoted uncle, his own deeply buried moral compass as well as the many hard lessons learned, he eventually found his true path. Most of the time, he was his own worst enemy, even betraying Iroh at one point to make his original goal a reality. It was only when he was able to fully comprehend who he was that he found the strength to rebel against his upbringing, join Team Avatar, and become the compassionate Fire Lord the world desperately needed.

While we loved every moment of watching Aang excel as the Avatar and fulfil his destiny, deep down we all knew he was going to best Ozai in the end. Zuko, on the other hand, made so many potent alignment changes that to see where he ended up was nothing short of spellbinding.

Winner: Zuko: 2 / Aang: 1

Round 4: Final Battles

With the future of the Earth Kingdom at stake, it fell to an able yet deeply troubled Aang to take on Fire Lord Ozai, who by this point had become a living inferno thanks to the strength of Sozin’s Comet. Even with all the elements at his command, Aang’s lack of bloodlust constantly put him on the defensive…at least until a convenient blow to the back reopened his chakras and allowed him to re-enter the Avatar State once again. Merging all elements at once, Aang dominated the Phoenix King in a way that put all other animated showdowns to shame, concluding with the unexpected yet fitting sight of him using energybending to strip Ozai of his firebending.

With his now psychotic sister set to rule the Fire Nation, Zuko challenged Azula to one last Agni-Kai. While they had duelled before, this was on a whole other level, since Sozin’s Comet had accelerated their flames to such monumental degrees it was akin to two dragons battling it out. Combined with Zuko’s calm and tempered mindset, he wasn’t only able to match Azula’s ferocity, but also turn the tide of the fire-fest in his favour. At least until he took a bolt of lightning right to the chest to save Katara from harm, which in its own way served as the purest example of just how far he had come as a person.

Zuko’s sibling showdown made for one of the show’s greatest battles, it’s just that Aang vs Ozai was THE definitive fight scene to come out of western animation, one that brought this legendary series to its wholly satisfying conclusion.

Winner: Aang: 2 / Zuko: 2

Round 5: Character Arcs

Initially choosing to flee from his responsibilities, Aang was shown to be a pure-hearted child forced to grow up too soon for the sake of a world he had supposedly abandoned. Throw in having to learn all four elements and defeat the unstoppable Fire Lord before the return of Sozin’s Comet and that’s a lot of pressure to put on a pre-teen! However, thanks to the devotion of his new friends and interactions with various cultures, Aang quickly matured into a splendid Avatar with the wisdom to match, one capable of putting the past behind him, fully accepting his destiny, and even bringing balance to all without having to take a life.

From an embittered prince blinded by rage, all the way to a compassionate leader shaped by overcoming the hardships within his own tormented mind, there’s a reason why Zuko’s transition from mortal enemy to trusted ally is one of the most acclaimed in the medium. He stumbled, he fell, and he made mistakes that would normally bury a person, yet due to his own personal sense of honor, he rose against it all and became a vital component in undoing the damage of his forefathers. Despite all his faults, the way in which he freed Appa, made amends with Katara and reunited with Iroh served as some of the show’s most inspiring moments.

Their personal journeys are both equally compelling, and while watching Aang bring balance to a long-suffering world had us on the edge of our seats, it’s Zuko’s personal struggle to discover his place in it all that had us captivated from start to finish.

Winner: Zuko: 3 / Aang: 2

It was certainly a tough one, given just how stellar both these characters are, but in the end it was our boy Zuko who won the day thanks to his masterful character progression, iconic moments and complex emotional layers.