Zuko's relationships

This page is comprised of Zuko's relationships with other characters in the world of Avatar. A frequently troubled young man, Zuko acquired both friends and foes throughout his journeys.
== Relatives ==
=== Azula ===
Azula was Zuko's younger sister by two years. While siblings, Azula seemed to take great pleasure in Zuko's torment, whether through her own orchestrated pranks, or relishing the punishment Ozai inflicted on her brother. Zuko expressed resentment toward her, as she was a firebending prodigy and the favored sibling as far as their father was concerned. Azula also enjoyed calling him by disliked nicknames, including "Zuzu" and "Dum-Dum", and reminding him of his inferiority in their father's eyes. Following the failed Siege of the North, Fire Lord Ozai tasked Azula with capturing Iroh and Zuko, considered traitors to the Fire Nation.
As evidenced by Zuko's dreams, Azula had a great deal of influence over him, arguably rivaling his uncle's. This was only bolstered when Azula successfully convinced Zuko to betray their uncle, aid her against Avatar Aang and Katara, and finally conquer Ba Sing Se. Azula later lied to her father and credited Zuko with Aang's supposed death, allegedly doing so out of sisterly love since he had been worried about their father's reaction to his return. Upon their return home, Azula seemed to gradually open up to Zuko, once warning him of the dangers of visiting their uncle, and reciprocated his nostalgic and depressing feelings after the two visited their old beach home on Ember Island. She also helped him sort through his anger and conflicted feelings of betraying Iroh, although she called him pathetic for letting these feelings get to him.
This tentative sibling relationship did not withstand Zuko's decision to join Team Avatar to stop their father from winning the Hundred Year War, as Azula showed no mercy for her brother during their next encounters, and neither did Zuko hesitate to battle her. With his greatly improved firebending, he could finally challenge Azula, and she was forced to take him much more seriously during their duel at the Boiling Rock. After the betrayal of Mai and Ty Lee, Azula visibly desired to kill him and openly declared that she celebrated Zuko no longer being the prince, leaving her inheritance of the Fire Lord throne unchallenged, but despite Zuko bravely and relentlessly fighting her for Aang and the rest of his friends to escape, he did not share the sentiment, as he appeared to genuinely regret that his sister was seemingly going to fall to her death after being thrown off an airship by him and even seemed to be almost relieved when she survived.
Although Zuko and Azula were unlikely to acknowledge it, the two did care about one another deep down; however, due to their upbringing, Azula through Ozai and Zuko through Ursa and later Iroh, and contrasting views on life, the deep bitterness, anger, and jealousy both sides had from the favoritism their parents showed, seemingly made them incapable of peacefully coexisting. Although Zuko no longer cared for Ozai's approval and any resentment he had for Azula due to her possession of it had clearly vanished, it eventually became clearer, despite Zuko visibly still not realizing the true reason of Azula's anger toward him: The reason behind Azula's seemingly impulsive desire to flaunt at him for her having Ozai's favor was because she was subconsciously jealous at him for having received Ursa's love while she was scarcely treated as such by their mother and frequently belittled her for her vindictive acts.
Zuko eventually confronted Azula for the throne, at which point Azula challenged him to an Agni Kai. Despite earlier admitting he could not defeat Azula alone, Zuko was able to sense that his sister was mentally unstable, and knew he could use this to defeat her. Indeed, in their Agni Kai, Zuko proved capable of overwhelming his sister, sd his calmness proved to give him the advantage. He was only defeated by Azula when she dishonorably attacked Katara with lightning, forcing Zuko to take the hit and unable to redirect it fully, and he was left incapacitated. This did not prevent Zuko from showing pity and sadness as his sister fell apart following her defeat by Katara, looking on solemnly as Azula sobbed uncontrollably over her failure.
Taking pity on Azula due to her madness, Zuko did not put his sister in prison as he did with Ozai; instead, he had her institutionalized in a mental health facility for better treatment. He also did not give up on her entirely and was willing, albeit reluctantly, to ask her for help in persuading Ozai to reveal Ursa's location, and later allowed her to accompany him, unbound, on a quest to track her down. However, he remained focused and alert to her every move, even inviting Team Avatar to help keep an eye on her during their trip. After hearing a lecture about family and seeing Sokka's interaction with Katara, Zuko decided to move toward better treatment of his sister.
Zuko and Azula's relationship finally reached a defining point when he fought her to prevent her from killing their mother, Ursa. When she asked him why he had not killed her when he had the chance, he replied that no matter how badly messed up their relationship was and might always be, she would never stop being his sister, someone whom he cared about. Azula subsequently ran away from her brother, ignoring his pleas for her to come back so that he could help her. Zuko searched in vain for her for days in the valley until he was forced to give up and return to the Fire Nation. He expressed concern over Azula's well-being as his mother confided on her worries of Azula and appeared to regret that he could not understand what his sister was thinking and how she could be happy.
Azula would continue to bother his reign as the Fire Lord under the belief she was destined to make Zuko a better Fire Lord ruling through fear. Though he was disturbed at his sister's actions, Zuko did not seem to show much resentment toward her, even commenting he actually felt good regarding her restored mentality.
=== Azulon ===
Little is known about Zuko's relationship with his paternal grandfather, Azulon. Zuko once tried to impress Azulon with a performance of firebending in order to get in his father's good graces. Azulon was displeased with Zuko's failure, angrily asking Ozai why he was wasting his time. Azulon seemed to care little, if at all, about his grandson, seeing that he ordered Ozai to kill Zuko after Ozai proposed stripping Iroh of his birthright to the throne, simply to teach Ozai a lesson. However, despite this treatment, Zuko was clearly distraught when his grandfather was proclaimed dead, in stark contrast to the actually celebrating Azula and over their father becoming Fire Lord. His questioning of Ozai regarding what he did, appeared to indicate he at least suspected, if not outright knew, that his father did something to ensure his rise to the throne and was unhappy over how Ozai did so by killing his own father.
=== Noren ===
Noren, previously named Ikem, was Zuko's step-father through his marriage to Zuko's mother, Ursa. Through means of an old letter addressed to Ikem from his mother, Zuko believed for some time that he was not Ozai's son but Ikem's. This short-lived belief shook Zuko enough that he even contemplated abdicating the throne, and showed a willingness to accept Noren as his father. Zuko was amicable toward his step-father due to his intense loyalty to Ursa and Kiyi, his half-sister through Ursa and Noren. Noren felt enough familial loyalty and respect to Zuko to allow him and his friends to dine with his family and to apologize to Zuko as Fire Lord for not telling him the truth from the beginning. The two built a solid relationship, and though it was not particularly affectionate, was marked by mutual respect. At least by the time Noren's family traveled with Zuko to the Fire Nation Capital, Noren addressed the Fire Lord simply by name.
=== Uncle Iroh ===
Iroh was Zuko's uncle, mentor, firebending teacher, caretaker, and father figure. The tolerant and even-keeled foil to Zuko's impulsiveness, Iroh tempered Zuko's anger with practical advice and a wry sense of humor. Though Iroh was a hard instructor, his merciless drilling in firebending basics served to improve Zuko's skill. Iroh was sympathetic toward Zuko, having likewise fallen from grace due to an infamous military failure in his days as a Fire Nation General, and pleaded that he was not so relentless in his search for the Avatar. Although he often teased Zuko, who impatiently balked at his advice, they cared deeply about each other. He even thought of Zuko as his surrogate child, his own son having died, and worried over him accordingly. Iroh constantly guided Zuko and tried to help him make good choices. In turn, Zuko was deeply thankful for his uncle and was greatly touched when Iroh indirectly praised him. When Zuko was once confronted with the choice of tracking the Avatar or saving a kidnapped Iroh, he chose the latter. Both depended on each other in exile. Iroh was considered a traitor by the Fire Lord, blamed for the failure of the Siege of the Northern Water Tribe after he attacked Admiral Zhao for killing the mortal form of the Moon Spirit.
When Zuko separated from his uncle, they began traveling alone after Iroh explained to Zuko that capturing the Avatar at this point would probably not immediately grant him his honor and throne. Zuko left, believing that they no longer had anything to gain from traveling together, stating that he needed to find his own way. Iroh discreetly continued to follow his nephew's trail, ensuring that if Zuko ever needed him, he would be there.
Zuko and Iroh rejoined during a battle with Azula and Team Avatar. Their reunion was cut short, however, when Iroh was severely injured by Azula, over which Zuko grew visibly distraught. Zuko transported Iroh to safety and helped him recover, even going so far as making tea for him. Once Iroh had healed significantly, he began to teach Zuko how to channel lightning through his body; however, he refused to actually shoot a lightning at him for practice due to the risks involved.
Iroh finally lost his temper and berated Zuko for his lack of forethought in his plans. While Iroh's words were harsh, Zuko ultimately seemed to respect the sentiments behind them, opting to release the Avatar's captured flying bison. After leaving the underground base, at his uncle's suggestion, he dropped his Blue Spirit mask into the lake and watched it sink from view. The two arrived back at their apartment, where Iroh once again congratulated him for letting Appa go; Zuko, however, merely said that he did not "feel right" before passing out on the floor, greatly worrying Iroh. During Zuko's illness, Iroh gladly took care of his nephew. When he had been restored to full health, Zuko appeared uncharacteristically optimistic and expressed profound care and tenderness toward his uncle. This behavior, however, was short-lived when, following a confrontation in the Crystal Catacombs, Zuko sided with Azula and betrayed Iroh. Iroh turned his head away in disappointment of the choices that his nephew had made.
Once Iroh was taken back to the Fire Nation as a prisoner, he refused to talk to Zuko, despite his frequent visits and his apparent confusion. Iroh eventually broke his silence when he told Zuko that Avatar Roku was his maternal great-grandfather, and that he might be able to redeem their family by helping to restore balance in the world. Although his nephew had betrayed him, he still had faith in Zuko, and he gave him a crown which Sozin once gave to Roku: a royal artifact to only be worn by the crown prince of the Fire Nation.
During the events of the Day of Black Sun, Zuko chose to join the Avatar and decided to break Iroh out of prison. He would ask for his uncle's forgiveness for his previous betrayal at Ba Sing Se. However, Iroh had escaped from prison himself long before Zuko arrived, and Zuko was forced to leave without him.
Zuko often said that Iroh was more of a father to him. He also attempted to tell his newfound friends Iroh's favorite tea joke but was unsuccessful when he only remembered the punch line. He told an Iroh-like proverb to Sokka that apparently made "no sense at all". When debating over how he could convince Team Avatar that he was on their side, Zuko wondered what Iroh would do and proceeded to do a fairly accurate impersonation of Iroh involving looking within himself to save himself, but exasperatedly remarked that even when he was talking for his uncle, he still could not understand him.
Zuko expressed his guilt over betraying his uncle on several occasions after joining Team Avatar. Prior to the arrival of Sozin's Comet, Zuko learned that Iroh was the new leader of the Order of the White Lotus and that his uncle intended on liberating Ba Sing Se. Zuko reunited with his uncle before the final battle and sobbed as he begged for his uncle's forgiveness. Iroh embraced his nephew in an emotional hug, stating that he was never angry with Zuko, just sad that he had lost his way and was now happy that he found his way to him. He was proud to find that Zuko had finally found peace with himself and his destiny, and the two finally made up.
Before departing to fight Azula, Zuko asked Iroh if he would accept his rightful place as Fire Lord. Iroh refused, as Zuko was the far more suitable heir: an idealist with a pure heart. Zuko was unsure due to his history of misdeeds, but Iroh assured him that since Zuko had learned from his mistakes, he would know how to rule as a man of peace and love. Zuko was emboldened by his uncle's wise words and asked Katara to join him in the facing of his sister.
When the Hundred Year War ended and Zuko became Fire Lord, he celebrated the victory with his uncle at the Jasmine Dragon, their tea shop in Ba Sing Se, which had been reopened. Zuko even helped Iroh serve tea to their friends, just like old times. Later, when Zuko felt conflicted, he would talk to a picture of Iroh, expressing his desire for Iroh to be with him, though he never followed through. When the dispute in Yu Dao became hostile, a year had passed since Zuko last spoke with his uncle. The young Fire Lord wanted to ensure that Iroh could live a peaceful and quiet life after the war, and did not wish to bother him by visiting Ba Sing Se frequently. After the crisis was subdued, Iroh tended to Zuko for several days following his nephew's breakdown, with Iroh wondering why Zuko had not come to him sooner.
After Zuko set out with Azula to try to find their mother, he asked his uncle to take his place as Fire Lord temporarily while he was gone.
Zuko still showed admiration for his uncle long after he passed on to the Spirit World. After learning of his uncle's fate from Avatar Korra, the two reunited for the first time in decades.Avatar: The Last Airbender: Legacy of the Fire Nation, page 62.
=== General Iroh ===
Zuko is a source of guidance for his grandson, much like his Uncle Iroh was to him, and is held in high regard by him. As such, General Iroh based a decision on the words of his grandfather, stating that he would respect the Avatar's instinct since that was something that Zuko had done as well.
=== Izumi ===
While little is shown of their relationship, Zuko, unlike his own, is a caring and protective father to his daughter, Izumi. After the Red Lotus assassinated Earth Queen Hou-Ting as part of their goal in overthrowing the world's leaders and government, Zuko resolved to promptly return to the Fire Nation and ensure Izumi's protection in case she would be targeted next.
=== Kiyi ===
Kiyi is Zuko's half-sister. Although Zuko was unaware of this when they first met, he immediately displayed brother-like affection toward her and catered a protective streak of her when Azula threatened to destroy her doll. In return, Kiyi had also grown fond of Zuko, begging him to come back to visit sometime before he left to venture into Forgetful Valley. When Zuko returned, she hugged him and called him her "new best friend".
After they learned that they were siblings, their relationship continued to grow. Zuko allowed Kiyi to call him "Zuzu", though he and Ursa were surprised when she came up with it independently, whereas he had always opposed the nickname when Azula used it. The bond they shared was one of trust, as Zuko was able to convince Kiyi to listen to their mother when she initially refused to after Ursa had readopted her original features. He was often affectionate with his little sister, allowing her to ride on his shoulders, disregarded royal decorum for her, and showed great concern for her well-being, as evidenced when she was kidnapped by the false Kemurikage led by Azula.
=== Lu Ten ===
Zuko's relationship with Lu Ten was primarily unknown, although it was evident that they got along well, as seen in one of Zuko's flashbacks of his cousin in which he was present as Lu Ten and Iroh were building a sandcastle together. Zuko appeared very upset when his mother informed him and his sister of Lu Ten's death.
Also, unlike his father and Azula, Zuko defended Iroh's decision to abandon the Siege of Ba Sing Se due to his son's death, noting that it was a greater loss to Iroh than the battle. Years later, as he was exiled in the Earth Kingdom, Zuko thought about Lu Ten when hearing the story of Sensu, another young soldier. He mused that Lu Ten had been "not much older than I was, and suddenly he was gone", sharing the fate of so many recruits regardless of their origin.The Earth Kingdom Chronicles: The Tale of Zuko, Chapter 2.
=== Ozai ===
While Zuko's relationship with his sister was hostile, he was mentally and physically abused by his father. From his earliest years, Zuko was valued little by his father. After his birth, he was almost cast from the palace by Ozai due to fears that he might not be a firebender. Aside of a short phase when Ozai showcased limited care to his family, Zuko was treated with disdain by Ozai as the latter disliked his son's morality. Some of this stemmed from a heated conversation between Ursa and Ozai when Zuko was younger, where Ursa protected her son from her husband's verbal torture. It came to a point where Ursa mentioned that she wishfully thought that Zuko grew up having none of Ozai's attributes, and she would have wanted Zuko to be the son of her ex-fiancé Ikem instead. Hurt by Ursa's words, Ozai warned his wife that every insult he threw at Zuko only meant to fulfill Ursa's wish: to have Zuko be treated like someone else's child. Zuko later stated that his father had been "cold and cruel" in his childhood.I Am Zuko, page 4.
Zuko was once moved to tears by his father's upbraiding of him in the Agni Kai arena. He was resentful of Ozai's favoritism toward his sister, Azula. Ozai had told his son he was "lucky to be born", as opposed to his sister being "born lucky", and told Azula he considered Zuko "a miserable failure". Despite this, perhaps the most significant driving force behind Zuko's desire to regain his honor was that it would allow him to regain his father's love.
Ozai welcomed his son home with open arms and pride in his false accomplishment: the slaying of the Avatar. However, Zuko found little joy in finally getting some respect from his father, feeling conflicted over what he had done. Initially, he mainly blamed himself instead of his father over his lack of happiness.
During the events of the Day of Black Sun, Zuko decided to join the Avatar in his quest to defeat Ozai. Before leaving, however, Zuko confronted Ozai in his underground bunker and faced off with him during the eclipse. Zuko revealed that it was Azula who killed the Avatar, not him and that the Avatar was, in fact, alive. Ozai nearly fought Zuko out of rage at this revelation but was helpless without his firebending and would have had to face his son's swordsmanship. Zuko renounced his desire for his father's love, realizing that Ozai was incapable of love and unworthy of Zuko's love. He announced his decision to free Iroh and join the Avatar; he left saying that it was the Avatar's destiny to defeat his father and refused to kill him. Ozai deemed him a coward and a traitor and distracted his son by revealing what happened to his long-lost mother. According to Ozai, Ursa was banished in connection with the death of Fire Lord Azulon, who ordered Ozai to kill Zuko as punishment for his demands to replace Iroh as Fire Lord. Ozai had every intention of killing Zuko, but Ursa stopped him by helping him claim the throne. Zuko was filled with happiness and shock at this new knowledge, but when the eclipse ended, Ozai attacked him by generating lightning. However, Zuko redirected the lightning at his father as Iroh had taught him, buying him time to escape and begin his mission to stop his father.
Zuko evidently began welcoming his father's demise prior to the arrival of Sozin's Comet and openly called Ozai "the worst father in the history of fathers". He insisted that as the Avatar, Aang had to kill Ozai in order to save the world, a task Aang felt reluctant to conduct. Despite this, Zuko still reflected subconsciously on the imminent death of his father, as he made a Freudian slip while discussing battle plans with the group and mistakenly called Ozai "the father lord" instead of "Fire Lord". After the battle, Zuko visited his father in prison and was evidently satisfied with Aang's punishment of Ozai: the permanent loss of his firebending. Zuko hoped that after some time in prison, Ozai would soon be redeemed; he even praised his father for banishing him, as it helped him to realize his destiny. Before leaving, Zuko demanded to know where his mother was, only to receive a taunt from his father, stating that the pressures of being Fire Lord would "change him", and he would be waiting for his return to seek help.
Ozai's prophecy held true as Zuko struggled over the developing crisis regarding the Fire Nation colonies, and the new Fire Lord later returned to Ozai's cell to seek his advice. After the second meeting, Ozai tried to persuade Zuko that everything he chose is right, as he was the Fire Lord and thus his decisions defined what was right and wrong. Zuko, although at first enraged by that comment, gave into Ozai's advice after he learned that the Earth King was attacking the colonies. Regardless, Zuko refused to become a tyrant like his father and cast aside his morality, causing Ozai to once again express his disdain and demand his son to leave his presence.
After hearing an important piece of a lecture from an esteemed Earth Kingdom professor regarding family, Zuko expressed some regret about how he was treating his father. His attempt to rekindle some kind of relationship was met with scorn by Ozai, even after allowing Azula to visit their father in prison. Ozai was genuinely surprised when Zuko allowed the two to discuss matters in private, though immediately abused this trust by unsuccessfully attempting to manipulate his daughter into overthrowing Zuko.
=== Ursa ===
Growing up, it was hinted that Zuko was his mother's favorite child, and the two were close. Zuko's sister, Azula, stated that Ursa had always favored Zuko more than her, as she claimed that Ursa had thought she was a monster. However, Zuko lost all contact with his mother after she disappeared in the middle of the night, after telling him that everything she had done had been to protect him.
Believing his mother to be dead, Zuko maintained a close bond to her, as he was plagued by dreams where she begged him to help her and talked to his portrait of Ursa during the invasion of the Fire Nation in which he stated: "I know I've made some bad choices, but today, I'm going to set things right." When he later confronted his father during the solar eclipse, he learned that Ursa was possibly still alive, as she had merely been banished from the Fire Nation for certain treasonous acts. This revelation renewed Zuko's hope of seeing his mother again and caused him to shed a few tears.
After Ozai was imprisoned following his defeat during the arrival of Sozin's Comet, Zuko visited his cell and demanded to know where his mother was but received no answer. Nonetheless, he sent out several search parties and employed June and her shirshu to track Ursa down though to no avail. Despite the hardships he had to deal with as the new Fire Lord, his missing mother stayed on his mind, and Zuko confided in Iroh and Aang his belief that finding and reconnecting with his mother would be his only chance to find peace. Strengthened by Aang's promise that he and the rest of Team Avatar would help, Zuko visited Azula in the mental ward and asked her for her assistance in finding their mother.
Eventually, Zuko found his mother living as Noriko in the small village of Hira'a, her hometown. Discovering she had had all her memories wiped by the Mother of Faces and had started a new family with Ikem and their daughter, Kiyi, he was willing to let her happily live her life unaware of their connection. However, after Ikem encouraged him to tell the truth and that he had indeed not forgotten who he was, and "Noriko" of how she was originally Ursa, she ultimately chose to regain her former memories and identity. Reunited, Ursa apologized to her son for not loving him sufficiently, as she had chosen to forget about him, though Zuko rapidly consoled her by noting that everything turned out fine and that he had built himself a life he could be proud of. Reconciled with his past, he requested that his mother tell him everything about her own life, a request with which Ursa happily complied.
Some time later, Zuko escorted Ursa and her family to the Fire Nation Capital, the first time Ursa had done so since her banishment. Though Ursa was glad to see Zuko's excitement about her returning to the palace, being reminded of his youthful enthusiasm, her prior traumatic experiences as a Fire Nation royal, combined with her concerns over Kiyi and Azula's well-being, caused her great anguish. Despite Ursa putting on a brave face, not wanting to ruin her son's homecoming, Zuko was sensitive to his mother's anxieties, reassuring her that he would do everything in his power to keep her, Noren, and Kiyi safe, something Ursa took solace in during the tumultuous events that followed their arrival in the Fire Nation.
== Love interests ==
=== Jin ===
Zuko and Jin met once when Jin visited the tea shop he worked at in order to ask Zuko out on a date. Zuko was at first suspicious of her, as she was constantly visiting the tea shop. He assumed that she had discovered that he and his uncle were firebenders; however, Iroh correctly deduced that Jin had a crush on Zuko, which shocked him. Jin subsequently asked him out, which Iroh quickly accepted on behalf of Zuko.
When Jin picked Zuko up for their date, she rumpled his hairstyle, which Iroh had spent ten minutes working on, and dragged him to a restaurant, asking him obligatory questions. Zuko was shy and awkward throughout the meal; nonetheless, Jin seemed to be satisfied with the conversation. Zuko vehemently denied that she was his girlfriend when their waiter suggested it, though.
After the dinner, Jin showed Zuko her favorite place, a fountain which was usually illuminated by lanterns. When they arrived there, though, the lanterns were not lit. Noting her disappointment, Zuko asked Jin to close her eyes and used precise firebending to light the lanterns. A thrilled Jin wondered aloud how the lanterns were lit, but Zuko only smiled in response.
Zuko was shy — he intercepted Jin's attempt to kiss him with a coupon for a free cup of tea. However, Jin finally kissed him, and Zuko even returned it, but almost immediately broke away from her, telling her, "It's complicated," and returned to his apartment, leaving behind a disappointed Jin.
When he returned to the apartment, Iroh asked Zuko how the night went, and Zuko at first went to a room and slammed the door, but after a few moments popped back out and replied simply, "it was nice", implying that despite the awkwardness and complications, he genuinely enjoyed his date with Jin.
Jin briefly appeared again later but did not seem to mind Mai being with Zuko.
=== Mai ===
Although Zuko and Mai's relationship did not start until he joined his sister's side, earning his return to the Fire Nation, it was hinted that they had crushes on one another when they were children, as confirmed by Azula. Once, when younger, the cunning princess devised a ruse specifically to embarrass the two childhood sweethearts. Her plan succeeded, and Ty Lee proclaimed that the two were "cute together". The first time they were seen kissing was during their set up "date" in the Earth Kingdom, and later on their way to the Fire Nation.
Their relationship became strained during a brief vacation to Ember Island, where Zuko's failed attempts to impress Mai with shells and an ice cream cone led to frustration. They broke up later at a party, with Zuko expressing fury at Mai's stoic nature. However, after some conflict and open confessions about the difficulties with which they were faced, the two made up, with Mai saying that he was the one she cared about the most. In the days leading up to the invasion of the Fire Nation, Zuko often spent time with Mai at her house and took pleasure in ordering the servants around. Before leaving to train the Avatar, he left a goodbye letter to her, and later told Sokka that he did not want Mai to be seen as a traitor.
Zuko was later confronted by Mai in a prison cell at the Boiling Rock, where the latter expressed her grief and resentment at having been left behind. Zuko was clearly remorseful, stating that it was not his intention to break her heart, but temporarily lost his temper as Mai coldly began to read the letter he wrote her. However, he calmed down when Mai made it clear how it hurt her that Zuko did not seem to care about her and apologized for having hurt her but remained firm on his conviction that he was helping the Fire Nation. When a guard came to protect Mai after a prison riot ensued, Zuko said almost proudly that she did not need protection. Even so, he locked her up in the cell, though upon looking at her angry and hurt eyes, Zuko looked visibly remorseful. In order to help him and the rest escape, she subdued all the prison guards who were hindering the escape effort, thereby betraying Azula, and told her that she loved Zuko more than she feared Azula, leaving Zuko shocked and concerned over her fate. After the Hundred Year War was ended and Zuko's coronation was about to start, she helped him get dressed, and they renewed their relationship through a passionate hug and a romantic kiss.
Zuko and Mai remained close after the War, but as the peace process began to disintegrate a year later with continued unrest in the colonies, their relationship faced some strain. Zuko suffered severe stress after several attempts were made on his life, and after one attack, perpetrated by Kori Morishita, Zuko ventured to the colony of Yu Dao to confront the colonists without informing Mai of his departure. Mai only discovered his whereabouts after finding official edicts posted around the city, and upon Zuko's return confronted him on this, having clearly been worried about his safety. Mai reminded Zuko that he has her as a confidant, and he apologized for having caused her so much worry.
Mai was deeply troubled by the stress and lack of sleep Zuko had been suffering, and during his absence, she called on the Kyoshi Warriors and her friend Ty Lee to act as his bodyguards, believing the Imperial Guards to have proven ineffective in their duties. Zuko accepted the additional protection.
Zuko and Mai's relationship eventually reached at least a temporary end when Zuko continued to keep secrets from Mai, especially by meeting Ozai. Despite Zuko apologizing sincerely and stating that he loved her, Mai came to the conclusion that Zuko loved his secrets more than he loved her and broke up with him, even as Zuko actually ordered Mai as Fire Lord to come back, leaving him distraught.
Zuko felt guilty and remorseful over how his relationship with Mai ended, and when they met, he apologized to her, stating he missed her. Upon learning about her new relationship with Kei Lo, Zuko was saddened but accepted that Mai seemingly wanted to move on. He was, however, often tense when he was together with his former girlfriend and apparently jealous of Kei Lo, as he looked sour whenever Mai displayed affection toward her new boyfriend.
== Allies ==
=== Aang ===
Originally, as the Avatar, Aang was Zuko's greatest enemy and his long-sought-after prize. Throughout the bulk of the series, Zuko's primary focus had been to capture Aang, who constantly eluded him. Even though the capture of the Avatar by anyone of the Fire Nation would assist his country, Zuko saw the capture and delivery of Aang to Fire Lord Ozai as the only way to restore his lost honor, so he went out of his way to impede rivals from capturing Aang before he did himself.
Zuko took on the titular guise of the Blue Spirit, a masked, dual-broadsword-wielding vigilante, in order to abduct Aang from the fortress where he was being kept by Admiral Zhao, who had managed to capture him. Zuko managed to escape with Aang, but once they had made it a way down the road, Zuko was knocked out by a Yuyan Archer's precision shooting, and Aang unmasked Zuko. However, even upon discovering that his rescuer-turned-abductor was his major enemy, Aang still took Zuko with him when he escaped. When Zuko awakened, Aang spoke to him fondly and nostalgically of Kuzon, a boy from the Fire Nation who used to be his friend one hundred years before the War. Aang asked, guilelessly, if Zuko thought that he and Aang could have been friends in another time. Zuko responded by shooting a fire blast at Aang. Aang fled through the trees, but Zuko did not give a chase.
While Zuko had a catatonic Aang in his custody during the Siege of the North, he spoke to him about his life philosophy of struggle being the genesis of strength and compared Aang to Azula, citing that everything came easily to Azula. Once Aang's friends came to rescue him, Aang once again chose to save Zuko's life when he insisted on bringing Zuko along rather than leaving him unconscious in a blizzard to die.
After Zuko was declared a wanted traitor of the Fire Nation, he still somewhat expressed a desire to capture Aang, despite evidence that this would, in all likelihood, no longer be enough to win back his honor and his birthright. Zuko confronted both Aang and Azula and engaged in a three-way battle with them when Azula refused to leave the capture of the Avatar to him, though Zuko began to join Aang and let his focus be solely on Azula. When Azula surprise-attacked Zuko's beloved uncle, Iroh, he did not allow the Avatar or his friends to get near him. Zuko almost gave up in his pursuit of the Avatar later. The inner conflict resulting from this potential change in goals resulted in him undergoing a metamorphosis and dreaming that he had Air Nomad tattoos.
Despite Aang being the clear protagonist and Zuko initially being the main antagonist, their stories were often paralleled in the narrative structure of the show. Flashbacks of the incidents that changed their respective lives forever, Aang being told that he was the Avatar and subsequently running away, and Zuko's Agni Kai against his father and subsequent scarring and loss of his honor, were shown side-by-side. Their attempts to progress in their bending while impeded by psychological blocks were also shown side-by-side. They were both marked men, with Aang having his arrow tattoos all over his body, while Zuko had a large scar on his left eye given to him by his father. Scenes of Aang struggling to cope with an unexpected betrayal from an Earth Kingdom general morphed smoothly into Zuko facing a similar betrayal from his sister. Aang was shown displaying the same frustration about the loss of his honor as Zuko, echoing the same frustration Zuko had been uttering for the first two seasons, "I need to redeem myself. I need my honor back." Both Zuko and Aang found out about their interconnected fates, with Aang being the reincarnation of Avatar Roku and Zuko being Roku's direct descendant as Roku's granddaughter was Zuko's mother. Both characters, at some point, stated that they were ready to face the Fire Lord. Aang intended to do battle with Ozai, while Zuko was ready to confront his father about his feelings and choices. During that confrontation, he announced his intention to join the Avatar and helped him defeat Fire Lord Ozai. Zuko's confrontation with his father was mirrored by Aang's battle with Azula.
Zuko revealed himself to Aang and the others and told them that he was split off from Ozai and wanted to join their group and teach Aang firebending. At first, Aang refused to allow Zuko in the group, although he seemed to consider it more seriously than the others when he saw Appa licking him. However, he relented after Zuko helped the group defeat Combustion Man and Zuko expressed the need for restraint in relation to firebending, a philosophy that Aang also ascribed to given the damage he caused during his prior attempts at firebending. From that point on, Zuko became Aang's firebending teacher.
Aang appeared to be friendlier toward Zuko than the others in the group. He was the first to accept Zuko and never made any sarcastic or unfriendly comments toward him. He even complimented Zuko by saying that he was "pretty smart", and Zuko encouraged him when he was nervous about using firebending. His liking for Zuko may have even deepened after their adventure with the Sun Warriors and their learning of the secret of firebending.
Aang and Zuko became better friends as time passed, with Zuko continuing to teach him firebending and helping his friends to accomplish various tasks. While they took refuge on Ember Island, Aang did not take his training seriously, choosing to have a beach party with his friends instead. Zuko became angry and decided to attack Aang in the Fire Lord's summer home, demanding Aang to fight back instead of trying to avoid conflict, assuming he would take on the Fire Lord before the comet arrived. When he learned that Aang would face Ozai after Sozin's Comet passed, Zuko informed them of Ozai's plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom. In preparation, Zuko taught Aang to redirect lightning and explained its inspiration from waterbending.
When Zuko made his opinion known that Aang needed to kill Ozai in order to save the world, Aang became very frustrated and criticized Zuko's advice. When Aang went missing the next morning, Zuko was genuinely concerned over his disappearance and went to great lengths to track him, confessing to Katara his worries about Aang were greater than his worries about fighting Azula.
Aang eventually did defeat Ozai and ultimately spared the Fire Lord by stripping him of his firebending. At his coronation as Fire Lord, Zuko expressed pride at Aang's success, and the two embraced each other in a warm hug, as they had finally become friends. They promised the world that they would work together to restore the war-torn nations and celebrated together at Ba Sing Se. As the Harmony Restoration Movement was announced while the team was flying on Appa, Zuko asked Aang to promise that the latter would end him if he ever became like his father, to which the Avatar reluctantly agreed.
A year later, their friendship became tense as Zuko pulled his nation out of the Harmony Restoration Movement. Zuko seemed more caring for his people, and this led to a verbal spar between him and Aang. Zuko argued to Aang that he would not allow the hard work of the Fire Nation, and Yu Dao's integrated community, to be destroyed, while Aang retorted that the nations needed to remain separate, and that the Earth Kingdom could not achieve balance while another nation continued to occupy it. The altercation ended with Katara suggesting a meeting with Earth King Kuei to try and settle matters, to which both of them agreed. Despite their differing outlooks, Zuko continued to put his trust in Aang's judgment, admitting to his father that he had more faith in Aang than he did himself. The friends' shared hope for a peaceful resolution initially failed, as Earth King Kuei ordered his army to remove the Fire Nation colonials in Yu Dao, causing Zuko to mobilize his forces to meet them in battle outside the city.
Before the battle occurred, both Zuko and Aang shared a similar dream, wherein they stood over a raging battlefield, as Ozai and Roku urged their respective successors to take decisive action against the other. Feeling as though he would never be able to escape Ozai's influence, Zuko requested that Aang finish him, with Aang reluctantly preparing to deliver a final blow just as the dream ended. 
Meeting again amidst the battle of Yu Dao, Aang blamed Zuko for reigniting conflict between the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, entering the Avatar State to fulfill his promise and kill his friend, with Zuko accepting the Avatar's judgment, believing that he was acting in the same way Ozai would have. At the last moment, Aang saved Zuko from the earthbent fissure he was falling through, refusing to let someone he cared about die in order to ostensibly protect the world. Realizing that Zuko was right to defend the colonies and the new ideals they represented, Aang convinced the Earth King to stand down, bringing the nascent conflict to a close.
After Zuko fell unconscious following the battle's end, Aang took his friend to Ba Sing Se, where he spent the next four days being tended to by Iroh. Waking up in his uncle's teashop, Zuko apologized for forcing Aang into such a compromising position, realizing that his request put the onus on the Avatar to figure out how Zuko should determine right from wrong when it should be the two of them working together. Aang reassured Zuko that his actions defending Yu Dao demonstrated his moral character, while Zuko explained that, in his brush with death, he was certain Aang would save him. Having been informed that Zuko was Roku's great-grandson by his predecessor, Aang felt their connection was almost familial, and was at peace with the fact that prioritizing such bonds was his flaw as an Avatar. Believing that learning more about his maternal family was the key to achieving inner peace, Zuko determined to resume his search for his mother, Ursa, with Aang encouraging him to brave the risks he may encounter.
After Zuko received information about his mother's whereabouts from Azula, he invited Aang and the rest of his friends to the Fire Nation Royal Palace to explain the situation to them. Though he was concerned about Zuko's plan, which involved traveling with and relying on Azula and her information, Aang nevertheless supported Zuko's efforts, knowing how much finding Ursa meant to his friend.
During their travels to Hira'a, Ursa's hometown, Zuko learned from one of his mother's letters that his true father was apparently not Ozai, but Ikem, Ursa's former romantic partner. While Zuko felt relief at the thought of not being related to Ozai, Aang reacted to the information more negatively, believing that the information would weaken Zuko's claim to the throne. At a later point, Aang attempted to apologize to Zuko for not taking his feelings fully into consideration, while still attempting to convince his friend to destroy the evidence regarding his supposed parentage. After Zuko admitted that Azula had taken the letter, and that he would accept any changes learning about his family history would bring, Aang was apoplectic, insisting that, without Zuko, the new world they were building would fall apart. Despite such concerns, Aang continued to aid in Zuko's search for Ursa, with mother and son reuniting after Aang convinced an ancient spirit, the Mother of Faces, to restore Ursa's face and memories.
During a domestic crisis in the Fire Nation, which saw multiple children kidnapped by the dark spirits known as the Kemurikage, Zuko enlisted Aang's aid once more, with the Avatar postponing his trip to the Southern Water Tribe to help his friend. As Zuko faced pressure to deal with the crisis with repressive tactics, Aang tried to convince Zuko to instead let him handle the investigation into the kidnappings, to which Zuko initially acquiesced, trusting in Aang's advice. However, as Azula's involvement in the continuing kidnappings became apparent, and support for the vigilante actions of the Safe Nation Society grew, Zuko reluctantly enacted a curfew in the capital, ordered a crackdown on anyone affiliated with the Safe Nation Society, and dismissed Aang due to his failure to deal with the crisis, much to Aang's frustration. Refusing to abandon his investigation, Aang discovered a passageway leading to the kidnapped children's location, taking Zuko to the secret tunnel on an air scooter after he refused to come with him. Working together once more, Aang, Zuko, and their friends rescued the children from the Kemurikage's clutches. Later, in a speech he delivered to his people, Zuko publicly acknowledged that he had dealt with the crisis poorly, realizing that his actions had only engendered fear just as Aang said they would.
Despite the antagonistic start to their relationship, Aang and Zuko's bond persisted, the two having remained lifelong best friends, with Aang regularly turning to Zuko for advice. According to his grandson Iroh, Zuko would always trust the Avatar's instinct.
=== Appa ===
As an enemy of Team Avatar, Zuko was originally an enemy of Appa. At Ba Sing Se, Zuko freed Appa from the Dai Li, gaining Appa's trust and respect. While at the Western Air Temple, Appa was the first to approve of Zuko's entrance into the group, showing this by licking him. The fact that Appa approved of Zuko was one of the reasons Aang and the others accepted him into the group. The first time Zuko rode Appa, he stated that he thought "this thing would be a lot faster". Prior to the arrival of Sozin's Comet, Appa apparently felt comfortable enough to let Zuko steer him.
=== Hakoda ===
After Zuko heard that his friend Sokka's father, Hakoda, was captured among the troops taken prisoner after the failed invasion of the Fire Nation and that Sokka needed to know what he had put his father through, Zuko was distraught at his friend's condition and pitiful of Hakoda's situation. Nevertheless, with sorrow, he told Sokka that the most likely place Hakoda was taken to was Boiling Rock. When Sokka asked where the Boiling Rock was, Zuko was curious as to why he needed to know and what he was planning at first, but soon divulged the answer. When Sokka tried to sneak away on Appa to save Hakoda, Zuko caught him red-handed.
Sokka stated how the invasion plan was his idea and that it was his decision to stay when things were going wrong because it was his job to fix his mistake and regain his honor. Zuko completely understood Sokka's condition and accompanied his friend on the mission to rescue Hakoda. After Sokka was commanded to escort Chit Sang into the cooler and told Zuko to meet him back in an hour where they were now, Zuko unhesitatingly took the trouble to find out whether war prisoners would be held at the Boiling Rock and was despairingly shocked when he found that there were no Water Tribe prisoners, which meant Hakoda was not held prisoner in the Boiling Rock. Later, the two boys overheard that some robbers, traitors, war prisoners, and a pirate would be brought into the Boiling Rock at dawn and were highly concerned that Hakoda was among the said war prisoners. When the boys and their party attempted to leave the Boiling Rock, Zuko reminded Sokka that rescuing Hakoda was his chance if he stayed at the Boiling Rock at dawn.
It was with Zuko's advice that Sokka decided to stay on the chance that Hakoda would show up. Suki would not leave without Sokka, and Zuko was staying too, being concerned just as Suki was. When the prisoners did arrive, Zuko mistook Hakoda as a big burly man with long shaggy hair, a long beard, a nose ring, and a tattoo on his arm, only to be told that Hakoda did not have a nose ring. Hakoda was among the new arrivals to the Boiling Rock, though he was the only one of them who was a war prisoner. Hakoda himself knew of Zuko as Fire Lord Ozai's son. When Sokka mentioned to his father that Zuko was on the Boiling Rock, Hakoda at first saw it as a major problem. When told that Zuko had changed his ways and reformed from evil, Hakoda was skeptical at first, until Sokka admitted himself to have had the same reaction. He went on to say, though, that Zuko had proven himself trustworthy and that it was only with Zuko's aid that Hakoda had ever been found, winning Hakoda's trust for Zuko.
When carrying out their escape plan, Zuko almost sacrificed himself trying to save Hakoda and their companions by stopping at the end of the platform while the rest boarded the gondola and pushed down the lever so that the gondola slowly moved off. This left behind Zuko, who successfully broke the lever to make sure the Boiling Rock guards could not stop them before running toward the departing gondola. Zuko flew over the railings with fireballs being launched at him by the guards below and was caught by Sokka. When Azula and her airships attacked the Western Air Temple, Zuko was wholeheartedly prepared to hold off his sister and her men by means of giving his friends, including Hakoda, enough time to escape. After the end of the War, Hakoda came to the Fire Nation Capital for Zuko's coronation.
As part of the Southern Reconstruction Project's efforts, Hakoda invited Zuko to the Southern Water Tribe in order to secure his aid in rebuilding the South's ravaged economy and infrastructure, to toward which Zuko gave his full support.
=== Katara ===
Katara was a waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe, Aang's close friend and staunch defender, and thus, by association, was an enemy of Zuko.
The only trace of the Avatar and his companions that Zuko found on an earthbender prison rig that they helped liberate was Katara's tribal necklace, lost in the commotion. After capturing Katara with the assistance of a band of pirates, Zuko attempted to use the necklace as a bribe to get Katara to betray Aang's whereabouts, but she refused. Later, Zuko employed the bounty hunter, June, and her shirshu, a tracking beast with a hypersensitive olfactory system, and used the necklace to track Katara, thus tracking Aang by proxy. However, once Zuko found him, the necklace was reclaimed by Aang and returned to Katara. June teased Zuko about finding his girlfriend, who had run away, and after seeing Katara, stated that it was no wonder she dumped him as she was "too pretty for [him]".
During the Siege of the North, after Zuko had made his way into the Spirit Oasis of the Northern Water Tribe, Katara was the only thing keeping him from abducting Aang, who was in a meditative fugue as he tried to solicit help from the spirits to defeat Zhao's fleet attacking the North Pole. Due to having previously been trained by Pakku, a waterbending master, and with her bending at its most powerful during the waxing gibbous moon due to waterbending's lunar sympathy, Katara was more than a match for Zuko and initially subdued him. However, when the sun rose, lessening her power and increasing his, he overpowered her, knocked her out, and escaped with Aang. Later, when Katara, Sokka, and Princess Yue came to Aang's rescue, Katara knocked Zuko unconscious and wanted to leave him in a snowstorm.
Katara, along with Toph, Sokka, and Aang, attacked Princess Azula in unison with Zuko at Tu Zin. Once Azula had disappeared, Katara tried to tell Zuko that she could assist the injured Iroh with her healing abilities, but ran off with her companions when Zuko violently demanded that they leave him and his uncle alone.
He and Katara were imprisoned in a crystal cave below the Earth King's palace. Katara initially yelled at Zuko, blaming him for the Fire Nation starting the War. Zuko seemed empathetic after Katara said that the War took away her mother, remarking that the actions of the Fire Nation had also taken his mother, Ursa. He also told Katara that he once thought his scar set him apart and made him different, but now believed he no longer needed it to determine his destiny. Katara offered to heal his scar with water from the Spirit Oasis. Before any action could be taken, Iroh and Aang broke them out of the prison. Despite the sympathy each showed the other, Zuko joined Azula in trying to capture the Avatar soon afterward, and the siblings battled both Katara and Aang, marking a betrayal that made Katara bitter toward him.
Zuko remembered Katara's offer to heal his scar using the sacred water from the Northern Tribe's spirit oasis. He suspected that Katara used the special water to save Aang and deduced that the Avatar could still be alive, despite being struck by a fatal lightning bolt. However, he chose to hide this information from his sister.
Katara was the most unforgiving one of the group when Zuko asked to join. Later, privately, Katara threatened Zuko, telling him that if he so much as made one glance at his dark side, one step out of line, or gave her one reason to think he may hurt Aang, she would personally kill him. This left the exiled prince highly unnerved.
Zuko eventually confronted Katara on why she did not trust him. Katara yelled at Zuko, saying that she was the first person to trust him and he betrayed her. After Sokka told him about the Southern Raiders who killed their mother, Zuko realized who they were. He later told Katara that he knew the soldier responsible for the murder, a man by the name of Yon Rha, and they set out together to track him down.
Despite the lingering animosity, Katara and Zuko were able to work well together in tracking down the soldier, and when they did, Zuko forced the soldier to remember her face. Katara almost killed Yon Rha but ultimately stopped herself. Upon returning to the campsite, Katara finally forgave Zuko and hugged him warmly, admitting that while she would never be able to forgive Yon Rha, she did forgive Zuko.
Zuko and Katara got along a lot better after their adventure. In the play they watched on Ember Island, their theatrical counterparts displayed a romantic interest in each other. Slightly disturbed and embarrassed, Katara and Zuko slid away from each other in their seats. When June later referred to Katara as Zuko's girlfriend, they both quickly denied it, angered and embarrassed. Before the arrival of Sozin's Comet, Zuko helped Katara in tracking down Aang, who had disappeared when he had ventured to the lion turtle island in a trance. Before Zuko faced his uncle, Katara assured him that Iroh would forgive his past wrongs. When Zuko realized he had to defeat Azula and take his rightful place as Fire Lord, he asked Katara to help him, something she gladly agreed to do. When they arrived, Zuko told Katara to stand back, not willing to get her injured. When Azula attempted to kill Katara with a lightning bolt, Zuko threw himself in the lightning's path. However, since he no longer had the proper stance, he could not redirect all of the lightning and was badly wounded. After Katara defeated Azula, she healed Zuko. When he thanked her, Katara said she was the one who should be thanking him.
The two remained friends after the battle, and they celebrated the War's end in Ba Sing Se along with the rest of Team Avatar.
Their friendship suffered another strain when Zuko restrained Katara after she protected Aang from Zuko's guards at Yu Dao, hurting her in the process. Regardless, it was Katara who suggested a meeting with the Earth King to ease tensions between Zuko and Aang. The two seemed to have moved past this as Katara assisted Zuko in searching for his mother.
=== Jee and his crew ===
When Zuko was banished, he spent two years at sea with not just his uncle Iroh, but also the crew of his ship. The crew was led by Lieutenant Jee. In general, Zuko treated his crew rather respectfully, but his often aggressive outlook and bad temper did not endear him to the others on the ship. The prince refused to take part in the various activities organized by the crew and Iroh. Jee and the other crewmen long interpreted Zuko's bad temper as an expression of his noble and allegedly pampered upbringing; their view of him were improved when Iroh finally revealed how Zuko's scar had resulted from Ozai's cruel punishment. After Zuko saved one crewman during a storm and opted to put the crew's safety before his hunt of the Avatar, the prince and his followers grew closer.
=== Korra ===
Zuko is on good terms with Avatar Korra, having visited her sporadically during her childhood years where he acted as a grandfather figure to the young Avatar,DiMartino, Michael Dante; Konietzko, Bryan & Montgomery, Laura (December 2, 2014). "Long Live the Queen" commentary. Book Three: Change Blu-ray. and helping Tenzin, Tonraq, and Sokka rescue her from the Red Lotus when she was five years old. After reacquainting with her several years later at the Misty Palms Oasis, Zuko was happy to resume his role as the Avatar's advisor when he was asked for help by Korra. Since she could no longer contact Aang, she deemed Zuko, as Aang's best friend, to be the best-placed person to tell her what her predecessor would have done in her situation. He relayed the fact that Aang knew better than anyone that, in times of turmoil, the world needed its Avatar the most, with Korra appreciating his advice and perspective.
=== Momo ===
While Momo was Zuko's enemy for quite a while, being affiliated with Team Avatar, he quickly warmed up to Zuko when the prince underwent a change of heart and expressed his desire to join the group. He was shown to be sad after Zuko left when the group rejected him. During one of Aang's firebending lessons, Momo hid himself behind Zuko for protection, which might have implied that he trusted him just like everyone else did.
=== Sokka ===
Zuko and Sokka never had much social interaction with each other at first. Their first encounter was a brief face-off against each other at the Southern Water Tribe, during which Zuko attacked his village while Sokka zealously defended it. Zuko was the clear winner, despite Sokka's persistence. They met in other battles after that, mostly as foes, with one exception being when Zuko teamed up with Sokka and the rest of the group against Azula at a Tu Zin. Other than that, Sokka had constantly been opposed to assisting Zuko whenever Aang suggested it, clearly indicating how little Sokka trusted him.
During the invasion of the Fire Nation, Zuko and Sokka were paralleled for the first time. Zuko learned that his mother may still be alive, and Sokka learned that Suki was imprisoned by Azula. These discoveries occurred at the same time and garnered similar reactions.
The two were properly introduced at the Western Air Temple. Sokka still did not trust Zuko after their history, even going so far as hypothesizing that Zuko covered himself in honey to get Appa to lick him, a sign of affection from the bison. Despite his distrust of Zuko, Sokka did trust Aang and conceded to let Zuko join the group when Aang felt it was the best course of action. Later, Sokka showed Zuko to his room. Sokka was a bit uncomfortable, but Zuko smiled at him, implying he had no hostility toward the other. Sokka remarked to Aang that escorting his former enemy was "really weird". Later, Sokka was much more comfortable in tormenting Zuko, going so far as to taunt him and make sarcastic remarks, like asking if he could watch him and Aang practice "jerkbending" and literally prodding Zuko with his meteorite sword, trying to frustrate him enough to get his firebending back. Although he taunted Zuko, it appeared to be in a joking manner instead of a sign of true hostility, unlike his sister.
Sokka came to trust Zuko even more during their adventure on the Boiling Rock, which served as a bonding point for the two, as Zuko and Sokka alone attempted to rescue the invasion forces from the prison. During the journey, Sokka stated that he believed Iroh was proud of Zuko and commended him for making the decision to leave everything for which he had worked so hard to help Aang. The two also conversed regarding their respective romances. While speaking with his father, Sokka stated that while he was distrusting of Zuko at first, he had proven himself on multiple occasions and was very trustworthy. The two were shown to be able to work together quite well; Zuko, the superior fighter of the two, often failed to think things through, like when, while keeping a lookout for Sokka as he visited Suki's cell, he was questioned by one of the guards and immediately resorted to attacking the guard, which led to his capture. Sokka, on the other hand, may have had less fighting ability but was an excellent strategist and kept a clear head in tense situations. Sokka often depended on Zuko to execute his plans in the Boiling Rock, such as when Zuko started a fight with Chit Sang, unscrewed the cooler, and jammed the gondola's controls. Later, Sokka and Zuko fought Azula on top of the gondola: Zuko defended Sokka and deflected Azula's attacks while Sokka struck at Azula with his sword.
Following the events on the Boiling Rock, their relationship was in much better shape than it ever had been. After escaping Azula's attack on the Western Air Temple, Sokka toasted Zuko as the group's hero for helping hold off the Fire Nation airships and Azula. Later Zuko asked Sokka about his mother's death. Despite Sokka's obvious discomfort with the subject, he trusted Zuko enough to tell him the story. This information, in turn, helped Zuko to make amends with Katara, who still hated him at the time.
When the War ended, he and Sokka were still friends, as they were seen enjoying themselves at the tea house.
It should be noted that Zuko and Sokka shared some similarities that may have had some indirect impact on how they got along. Both were the eldest children in their respective families, and both had younger sisters to whom they have felt inferior to at some point, Zuko having not excelled in firebending as quickly as Azula and not having the approval of his father, and Sokka not being a bender at all. Both had also lost their mothers, and both were skilled at using some form of bladed weaponry, having even been trained by the same master. They were also the closest in age among the main children, aside from Aang and Toph.
Zuko even looked to Sokka's sibling relationship with Katara as an example of how family should respect one another. Sokka remained Zuko's friend and ally, many years after the War, and, along with Tenzin and Tonraq, helped him defeat and imprison Zaheer, Ghazan, Ming-Hua, and P'Li.
=== Song ===
Song was the young herbalist who treated Iroh when he mistakenly brewed and consumed the poisonous white jade tea. When seeing that Iroh and Zuko were travel-worn, she invited them to her home for a good meal and rest. Zuko initially declined, not wishing to become too familiar with the Earth Kingdom and its natives at the time. However, he was overridden by Iroh, who accepted the warm invite. As the evening progressed, Song continued trying to reach out to Zuko, knowing that he suffered at the hands of a firebender — all attempts were met with distanced acknowledgment until she revealed the scar she received the day her father was taken from her in a raid by Fire Nation soldiers. It was at this moment Zuko appeared shocked, concerned, and ashamed of his nation.
Disturbed by his feelings over Song's suffering, he tried to leave immediately and stole Song's ostrich horse, despite Iroh's protests. Song witnessed the theft and closed the door silently, crushed and disappointed.
Although the relationship was not resolved, due to the fact that they do not encounter each other again, the impact Song left upon Zuko was considered to be the start of his exceptionally gradual journey toward redemption. Later, when lambasting the Fire Nation's supposedly enlightened intentions for the Hundred Year War in front of his father, Zuko stated that the Fire Nation had only engendered hate and fear among the victims its war had created, Song and her family included.
=== Suki ===
Zuko and Suki unofficially met when Zuko attacked Kyoshi Island in an attempt to capture Aang. Suki and her team of warriors fought to stop Zuko's rampage as his firebending was destroying her village. They were hopelessly outmatched and eventually defeated by Zuko, but bought Aang and his friends the time they needed to escape, but not before Aang extinguished the flames with the help of the unagi. Zuko's attack was part of the reason Suki left home to assist the Earth Kingdom in their war effort.
Suki and Zuko finally met each other properly in prison. By this point, Suki had been imprisoned in the Boiling Rock by Azula, and Zuko had reformed and joined the Avatar's gang. While they were serving hard time, Suki did not hesitate to remind Zuko about his attack on her village many months before. Zuko recalled this event and apologized for his wrongdoings. Despite the obvious animosity between the two, Suki cooperated with Zuko and Sokka in escaping the prison and freeing Sokka's father, Hakoda. After their successful escape and a brief humorous evening interaction outside Sokka's tent, Suki and Zuko were on much better terms. At the end of the War, she was seen hanging out with Zuko and the gang at Iroh's tea shop in Ba Sing Se.
A year later, as the Harmony Restoration Movement crumbled and Zuko's life was threatened by numerous assassination attempts, Mai requested that Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors return to the Royal Palace to serve as his bodyguards, given their elite warrior status. Suki accepted and brought her team, including Ty Lee, to protect Zuko during the nighttime hours. Suki seemed especially concerned for Zuko's well-being, even as he tried to reassure her that he was okay in spite of his mounting stress. In turn, Zuko put great trust in the abilities of Suki and her warriors, not just believing them capable of safeguarding his own life, but also his family's safety. The Fire Lord also included Suki in his councils regarding the Kemurikage crisis, and cautiously asked her to help him mend his relationship with Mai.
=== Toph ===
Apart from Appa, Toph was probably the first and only one to trust Zuko after he proposed to join the group. Using her seismic sense, she managed to sense Zuko's sincerity. Their lack of history, the fact that she understood Zuko's family life, and her relationship with Iroh could have also been factors. Zuko accidentally burned Toph's feet when she paid him a surprise visit in the middle of the night. She was reduced to crawling and feeling the vibrations of the earth through her hands. The attack was not on purpose, however, as he did not realize it was her at the time. Afterward, he humbly apologized for attacking her and burning her feet, acknowledging that he must be careful when bending such a wild and dangerous element, which was the reason Aang decided he was a worthy teacher. She thus forgave him, stating that him joining would give her a chance to avenge her feet, albeit in a joking manner. When Zuko and Aang were unable to create fire, Toph did not make fun of Zuko like Katara and Sokka did. Instead, she advised them to find and relearn the original roots of firebending, upon which Zuko answered bitterly that the original firebenders were all dead. During the play on Ember Island, Toph comforted him when the play reminded him of his horrible mistakes and gave him a punch in the arm, stating it was how she showed affection.
When Aang disappeared prior to the arrival of the comet, Toph hugged Zuko's arm and insisted that she joined Zuko during their search for him, stating it was her turn for a "field trip", in relation to how everybody else went on a life-changing adventure with him, making Zuko blush at the sudden act. She and Zuko talked about their bad family relations, and Toph expressed the lack of love she got from her parents. When Zuko shot her down due to their search, Toph was offended. However, they made up almost immediately and have remained friends.
=== Ty Lee ===
Zuko and Ty Lee were rarely shown interacting with one another, although Ty Lee seemed to consider Zuko as a friend. When the two were younger, Ty Lee willingly cooperated with Azula to play a prank on him and Mai to embarrass them both, revealing the extent of their friendship where she felt comfortable enough to tease him. When Zuko began to put his arm around Mai, asking, "You cold?" Mai brushed him aside, and Ty Lee said, "I'm freezing!" When Zuko merely stated he would build a fire, Ty Lee seemed disappointed. Mai's remark about her needing to have "ten boyfriends" implied that she had a crush on almost every boy.
Ty Lee appeared upset when she and Azula left on the second gondola back to the Boiling Rock after their fight with Zuko, Sokka, and Suki, possibly sad for Zuko, as the two had left him to drown in the boiling lake. Afterward, when Azula confronted Mai, she struck Azula down to save Mai, and by doing so, Zuko.
Ty Lee joined the Kyoshi Warriors after the Hundred Year War. In the following year, as Zuko's life was repeatedly threatened by various assassins from the Earth Kingdom and elsewhere, Ty Lee and the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors accepted Mai's request that they serve as Zuko's personal bodyguards in the Royal City. Ty Lee seemed more than happy to see Zuko again, and the Fire Lord, in turn, appreciated her contribution to his protection against the assassins. When discussing Zuko freeing Azula with Mai, Ty Lee defended Zuko from Mai's accusation that he was becoming more and more like Ozai, despite her own reservations about the decision; simultaneously, after Zuko began cracking down on the capital's population, she also agreed with Aang about Zuko's knack for frustrating his friends after he dismissed the Avatar for criticizing his hardline approach.
== Neutral ==
=== Kei Lo ===
Zuko and Kei Lo met during the uprising of the New Ozai Society. Although he was initially distrustful of the Society member, Kei Lo gained Zuko's trust when he freed the Fire Lord from his bonds, allowing him to save his family. As such, when Mai rounded on her boyfriend, Zuko came to his defense. However, Zuko's trust was superficial, as he immediately believed Kei Lo had betrayed them upon seeing him among the captured New Ozai Society rioters. It was only due to Mai's intervention that he agreed to release Kei Lo.
== Enemies ==
=== Combustion Man ===
Zuko hired Combustion Man to assassinate Aang. While attempting to join the group at the Western Air Temple, the prince accidentally let slip of that fact; he also revealed that the name "Combustion Man" by which the team referred to the assassin was not his real name and denied Sokka's accusation that they were friends. Combustion Man tracked down the group at the Western Air Temple and was prepared to kill them. Zuko tried to get him to cease his attacks, first by telling him the deal was off and afterward by offering higher pay if he would halt; however, Combustion Man turned on Zuko and blasted him off the side of the building. Zuko clung onto a vine, just narrowly escaping death. Although his attempt to hinder the assassin's actions failed, it gave Sokka enough time to hit Combustion Man on his tattoo eye, thus blocking his chi and causing the assassin's subsequent attack to result in a fatal explosion.
=== Fire Nation reactionaries and Ozai loyalists ===
After coming to power, Zuko faced a significant resistance movement, both violent as well as non-violent. There were attempts on his life, officials undermining his government, and public opposition against his anti-imperialist politics.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 77. Zuko reacted to the various reactionaries and Ozai loyalists with a mixture of conciliation and suppression; he purged his government of the most well-known imperialists and supporters of his father, but offered other reactionaries posts and some measure of influence. Mai's father Ukano became one of Zuko's most vocal critics. Despite Zuko's attempts to include Ukano in his government, the older man refused and openly worked against the new political direction of the Fire Nation. Despite this, Zuko refrained from trying to silence him, though he was also unaware of the extent of Ukano's treasonous actions.
When Ukano's followers, organized as the New Ozai Society, attempted to topple the government in an insurgency and even murder Zuko's family, the Fire Lord reacted with fury and determination, quashing their rebellion. At this point, he was still ignorant of Ukano's role in the uprsing, thus still allowing the ex-governor to make public statements. However, the New Ozai Society's attempted uprising caused Zuko to become more harsh when facing public unrest or criticism, suspecting, often correctly, some kind of conspiracy whenever his government was internally threatened. Accordingly, he expressed little sympathy for the nationalist Safe Nation Society, another group led by Ukano, though one which was officially not opposed to the Fire Lord. Despite the group's alleged purpose of just protecting the citizens from dark spirits, Zuko considered them probable enemies. Accordingly, he fired Sung from his post for joining the Safe Nation Society and enforced the group's arrest after their members rioted in the capital.
Following the end of the Kemurikage crisis and the revelation of Ukano's role in the militant anti-government movement, Zuko officially apologized to his citizens for his harsh actions, though he maintained his political course and stayed on guard regarding the various violent nationalists in the Fire Nation.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 70.
=== Jet ===
Zuko first encountered Jet when they were both traveling on the ferry to Ba Sing Se. Jet approached Zuko after overhearing him complain about the quality of the food and suggested that Zuko assist him and his gang in stealing better food from the captain's stores. Zuko accepted this offer, and they worked together very well to complete their mission and deliver food to all the ferry passengers. Jet later told Iroh and Zuko that he was going to Ba Sing Se to make amends for past deeds of which he was not proud. Iroh pointedly stated that he believed that people deserved second chances and could change their lives if they so desired, clearly meaning this as a message to Zuko. Zuko, however, appeared to be unaffected.
The next day, as they approached Ba Sing Se, Jet went to Zuko on the ferry and claimed that once he saw his scar, he knew exactly who he was. This caused Zuko to become wary of him, but Jet claimed that Zuko was an outcast like himself. He felt they were kindred spirits who needed to stick together. He claimed they should watch each other's backs because no one else would. This led Zuko to admit that he had realized that being alone is not always the best path.
Upon arrival in Ba Sing Se, Jet watched Zuko and Iroh from afar and told Smellerbee and Longshot that he thought "Lee", which was Zuko's chosen alias, would make a good member of the Freedom Fighters. While the others insisted that they barely even knew him, Jet retorted, taking note that Lee did not get his scar from a waterbender. Later, he approached Zuko and officially asked him to join his group. Zuko rebuffed him, and Jet seemed disappointed. However, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Iroh's formerly cold tea was suddenly hot, and he quickly gathered that Zuko and Iroh were firebenders. From that point on, he resolved to gather evidence against them and turn them into the authorities.
Jet spied on Zuko and Iroh, trying to find proof that they were firebenders. He followed them in the city and to their new jobs in the tea shop. Smellerbee objected to this action, saying that Jet had no real proof that the two were firebenders and that even if they were, there was nothing they could do. Jet, however, pressed on with his investigation. He sneaked into their apartment and stole their spark rocks, a move that he hoped would force one of them to firebend. This plan was foiled, however, when Iroh simply borrowed spark rocks from his neighbor. Later on, Jet argued with Longshot and Smellerbee over the issue outside the tea shop. Jet reminded them of how the Fire Nation left them homeless and why it was so important to fight them.
Finally, tired of waiting, Jet burst into the shop, his hooked swords drawn, proclaiming Zuko and Iroh to be firebenders. While the police officers in the shop tried to calm him, Jet insisted that the two waiters be arrested. When Jet walked threateningly toward Iroh, Zuko grabbed a pair of swords from an officer, and the two began to fight. The fight carried them outside the shop and into the street, with Jet trying to goad Zuko into firebending the entire time. The fight was broken up by the Dai Li, who arrested Jet based on the words of Iroh, the shop owner, and the soldiers who saw the fight.
Zuko was unaware that he would never see Jet again, as the young warrior was killed under Lake Laogai by Long Feng while fighting the Dai Li.
Zuko watched a play about the Avatar on Ember Island. When he saw the segment about Jet's death, he was shocked and asked Sokka in confusion, "Did Jet just... die?" to which Sokka agreed that it was "really unclear".
=== Red Lotus ===
The Red Lotus consists of four powerful criminals who were incarcerated for thirteen years following a failed attempt to kidnap Avatar Korra. The group would have been successful in the kidnapping had it not been for the efforts of Zuko, Sokka, Tonraq, and Tenzin, who defeated the criminals and imprisoned them in facilities designed to impair their abilities. Thirteen years later, Lord Zuko received information from a White Lotus sentry that Zaheer had acquired airbending and managed to bust out his allies, Ghazan and Ming-Hua. Knowing that the group was headed to the North Pole to bust out their fourth and final ally, P'Li, Zuko mounted his dragon Druk and traveled to the Northern Water Tribe, and together, with the efforts of Tonraq and Desna and Eska, prepared to apprehend the Red Lotus. Despite his age and the frosty environment, Zuko fought well, although he was quickly overwhelmed by Ghazan's earthbending, and the Red Lotus was able to escape. Zuko took the threat the Red Lotus posed seriously, cautioning everyone not to underestimate their skills. After the Earth Queen was assassinated by Zaheer, Zuko opted to return to the Fire Nation in order to safeguard his daughter's life in case the organization decided to go after her next, rather than journeying with Team Avatar to the Northern Air Temple to save the Air Nation. Even after the defeat of their main members, he remained wary about the possibility of more members still lurking around the world.
=== Zhao ===
Zhao was a high-ranking and ambitious officer in the Fire Navy and Zuko's major rival in his attempts to capture Avatar Aang. Zhao and Zuko were constantly at odds as they attempted to stay one step ahead of each other in their pursuit of the Avatar. Their enmity seemed to stem from an earlier time, however, as Zhao was seen in the audience of Zuko's Agni Kai with his father, smirking while Zuko was burned.
Zuko attempted to withhold the information that the Avatar had returned from Zhao, but Zhao discovered the truth anyway and decided to detain Zuko so that he would be unable to capture the Avatar first. This infuriated Zuko, and in their subsequent argument, Zhao mocked Zuko's plight, telling him that his father does not really want him back at all. Zuko challenged Zhao to an Agni Kai, in which he defeated Zhao by utilizing a strong foundation in the basics of firebending that he had previously dismissed. Zuko, however, chose not to scar or kill Zhao upon his victory, and while he walked away, the latter attempted a dishonorable attack that was blocked by Iroh.
Zuko ran a blockade of Zhao's ships and entered into Fire Nation waters in pursuit of the Avatar, thus violating the terms of his exile. Zhao allowed him to pass, however, in order to follow Zuko to the location of the Avatar and, once there, planned to arrest the prince as well. Iroh warned Zuko about Zhao's plan, which led to the prince chasing Aang in a smaller boat while Iroh and his crew led Zhao off course. Zhao, however, was not fooled and tracked Zuko to the Crescent Island Fire Temple. There he caught him, but Zuko escaped when Roku began to destroy the temple.
Zuko took on the guise of the Blue Spirit, a masked, dual-dao-wielding vigilante, first to spy on Zhao and later to free the Avatar from Zhao's custody. Zhao realized later that this was Zuko's alternate identity when he came to commandeer Zuko's crew in order to invade the Northern Water Tribe and noticed dual broadswords in the prince's quarters. Zhao hired the pirates with whom Zuko had had bad dealings at the waterfall lagoon to assassinate him by blowing up his ship. However, Zuko survived and stowed away on one of Zhao's ships, pretending to be a soldier, and later engaged Zhao in a battle in retaliation for the admiral's attempt to kill him. During this fight, Zuko maintained that he had no choice but to act as the Blue Spirit, while Zhao insisted that he should have just accepted his failure with honor. Their battle, however, was interrupted when the vengeful Ocean Spirit, upset that Zhao killed its counterpart, the Moon Spirit, manifested a hand-like appendage of water and dragged Zhao away. Zuko reached out a hand to Zhao in an attempt to help him. Though Zhao initially tried to reach his hand, he refused to accept his help. He was dragged down into the water and into the Spirit World by the Ocean Spirit, La, for justice after the Moon Spirit, Tui, was revived by Princess Yue's sacrifice. Zuko was the sole witness to Zhao's downfall as a result.
== References ==
es:Relaciones de Zuko
nl:Zuko's relaties
Category:A to Z
Category:Character relationships
Category:Zuko