Why Zuko Alone is an Amazing Episode

     Let’s start out with one thing, Zuko is the best character in Avatar: The Last Airbender. His character arc is beautifully written as he makes multiple 180 turns in his search to find himself and do good in the world.

     The episode itself goes as such, Zuko is wandering alone through the Earth Kingdom when he comes across a town being terrorized by thugs. When he gets there he is befriended by a young boy named Lee, who lets him stay the night at his family’s farm. Throughout the episode Zuko reminisces about his childhood, specifically about his sister Azula (who, let’s be honest, is a psychopath) and his mother. Later, after he leaves, he finds out Lee has been captured by the thugs. He returns and beats the thugs, reveals his firebending to the townsfolk in the process and is shunned once again. 

     One of the reasons this episode is so important is because it shows us Zuko’s past and shows him in a new light. For most of the time we’ve seen him he’s been a villain who only wanted to capture the Avatar to regain his honor. He was easy to write off as one dimensional and heartless at first. In this episode we truly get to see his good side come through when he saves someone knowing he wouldn’t be accepted by them. 

     This episode is as beautiful as it is heart wrenching. As we see Azula torment him and the actions of his father that lead to his mother leaving to protect him through flashbacks we gain a sympathy for him that only grows as the show goes on. We know why he’s done the things he’s done and we see how much he fights with himself.

     This is arguably the best episode in Avatar: The Last Airbender and will forever change the way we view the character of Zuko, along with his motivations and actions.