I remember watching this show when it first aired on Nickelodeon, even as a kid I felt this show was out of place from the wacky, silly cartoons that shared the channel with it. Avatar: The Last Airbender always felt more mature and prestigious with way more powerful emotion, it just was way too good for Nickelodeon. I was not the type of kid to appreciate the art of this show, as I was still the type of kid who liked goofy slapstick- my holy trinity on Nickelodeon was The Fairly OddParents, Jimmy Neutron, and of course, SpongeBob SquarePants. In fact, I did not even watch Avatar: The Last Airbender past the second season—my Mom told me she read an article saying that it was a bad show for Christians to be watching.
So for years I did not watch a single episode from the show (and wisely avoided the insultingly awful live action movie). Earlier this year when I decided to revisit the show on Netflix, the first episode did not hook me. Upon watching Raya and the Last Dragon, I was inspired to give the show another chance, and a few more episodes later, I was fully committed, and made it to the end of the series, even watching season three for the first time. Now I can proudly say that I absolutely love this series.
The series proves to be masterful in its powerful arcs for every single character, even the ones typically labeled as the villains, written in ways that most adult shows cannot figure out. I love the imagination of the creators behind this show, and how fluidly they can merge together unique ideas, creative worldbuilding, relevant themes, and sociopolitical commentary in ways that both kids and adults can relate to. This show should be taught in graduate school level psychology classes with its immense existential philosophy and the complexity of human relationships.
There’s quite a bit that Christians can pick up from this valuable series too, when you set aside the false concepts of reincarnation and multiple deities, the lessons of the characters are reflected perfectly from the Bible. Now, I’ll describe the Scriptural parallels within core development of the seven main characters of the series: Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko, Iroh, and Azula.
So for years I did not watch a single episode from the show (and wisely avoided the insultingly awful live action movie). Earlier this year when I decided to revisit the show on Netflix, the first episode did not hook me. Upon watching Raya and the Last Dragon, I was inspired to give the show another chance, and a few more episodes later, I was fully committed, and made it to the end of the series, even watching season three for the first time. Now I can proudly say that I absolutely love this series.
The series proves to be masterful in its powerful arcs for every single character, even the ones typically labeled as the villains, written in ways that most adult shows cannot figure out. I love the imagination of the creators behind this show, and how fluidly they can merge together unique ideas, creative worldbuilding, relevant themes, and sociopolitical commentary in ways that both kids and adults can relate to. This show should be taught in graduate school level psychology classes with its immense existential philosophy and the complexity of human relationships.
There’s quite a bit that Christians can pick up from this valuable series too, when you set aside the false concepts of reincarnation and multiple deities, the lessons of the characters are reflected perfectly from the Bible. Now, I’ll describe the Scriptural parallels within core development of the seven main characters of the series: Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko, Iroh, and Azula.
Aang
God used the prophet Isaiah to help Israel look toward the goodness that lied ahead rather than their past as slaves to sin.” (Isaiah 43:18) That is much like Aang, whose greatest regret was leaving the Southern Air Temple to selfishly escape his Avatar responsibility, which caused him to be frozen in the iceberg while millions suffered from war for the next century.
Also, when he tried firebending for the first time, he clearly was not ready, and in the process burned Katara’s hands. He felt so much regret over this incident that he vowed never to firebend again. As horrible as it ought to be for Aang to hurt the girl he loves, it had to happen as it was the only way for him to see the consequence of his childish ways.
The trials of error led Aang to gain maturity, like his mode of conscience when it came to entering the Avatar State on queue. To do so, he had to let go of his love for Katara; he was not willing to do it, and even left his Avatar State training to go rescue Katara when he sensed she was in danger, where he fell under the attack of Azula and the Dai Li as they took over Ba Sing Se. He triggered the Avatar State as a last resort, letting go of Katara in the process, and that was when Azula landed a fatal blow.
When he woke up from his coma, he felt even more shame over his failure, so decided to leave his friends behind. Aang ended up beneath the ocean waves just like he was before freezing himself in the iceberg, but this time, Avatar Roku and Princess Yue guided him to forget his failure and press onward. He went back with his friends and burned his now damaged Air Nomad glider in the lava of a Fire Nation volcano. He had let go of his past self and embraced his new self, complete with a new set of hair.
By the end, Aang went from a goofy fun-loving child to taking down the Fire Lord with strength and wisdom. His coming-of-age acceptance as the Avatar can teach us why God wants us to forget about the past, even all the wrong decisions we made, to look forward and hope for the best. (Philippians 3:13)
Katara
Jesus had to forgive Judas for betraying him, his disciples for abandoning him, Peter for denying him, and the Chief Priests and the townsfolk for condemning him. Whereas, Katara had a lot to forgive in her journey, including Jet, her mother’s killer, and ultimately, Zuko. While she never quite pulled through in forgiving the first two, she was able to fully accept Zuko as a friend in time. It wasn’t easy though, seeing how Zuko, only moments after she decided to trust him, turned back on her.
She even had those antagonistic feelings toward her own colleagues; Katara got jealous of Aang for being a naturally better waterbender, which led her to stealing a Waterbending Scroll from a gang of pirates. That alone proved her to be no better than those she hated, but there’s more. Katara felt closure over the grief of her dead mother could only happen if she hunted down and killed the assassin responsible. She let hate overtake her, and this stirred up conflict between herself, Aang, and her brother. (Proverbs 10:12) It reached the point when Katara said an absolutely awful accusation against her brother regarding their mother: “Then you didn’t love her the way I did.”
On this quest to hunt down and murder her mother’s killer, Katara bloodbended, a form of waterbending that she in a previous episode learned how to do, but saw as horrible and sadistic, because the woman she learned it from invented bloodbending to imprison innocent people. The fact that she used it in this second circumstance with no hesitation showed how revenge caused her to turn into the very thing she wanted to destroy.
Her unacceptable actions were not just tied with bad motivations, Katara also sought out doing the right thing through such unacceptable actions. When she dawned her alter ego as the Painted Lady to help a village suffering due to a Fire Nation factory’s pollution, she made her friends think that Appa was sick to delay their plans in preparing for the Day of Black Sun. Her good intentions to help others caused her to do pretty horrible things, but they still forgave her and even helped her scare away the Fire Nation from that village and cleanse their water.
The difficult, trauma-driven journey of Katara can teach us that loving those who persecute us is what will benefit ourselves in the long run, just like what Jesus commands. (Luke 6:27-36)
Sokka
Moses saw himself as an unworthy leader of Israel, but God helped him be a true leader. Sokka probably felt like Moses several times throughout his journey of helping the Avatar save the world, but the times he was forced to confront his shortcomings rounded him out into a respectable leader. (Proverbs 11:14) Upon his introduction in the series’ pilot, Sokka had nothing to his personality besides being cocky and egotistic; he didn’t even care if his sister was the Southern Water Tribe’s only waterbender, an act he just dismisses as “magic.”
In the first couple of episodes, Sokka had the clear pressure as the only male warrior in the Southern Water Tribe, and held the responsibility of training the other young boys how to be fighters someday. He clearly failed as a trainer and warrior, to the extent where he even lost to the Fire Nation prince in combat.
In The Warriors of Kyoshi, Sokka’s sexism continued as he thought little of the Kyoshi Warriors because they were girls. It took a training session from their leader, Suki, for him to realize just how great of fighters they really were. Then as the series continued, he proved himself with moments of careful planning and scheduling for the team, that is, until they reached the Fire Nation and it got closer to the Day of Black Sun. Sokka had to confront this humility in Sokka’s Master, where he made known his insecurity as the only one among his companions who couldn’t bend. He tried to invest in sword training when he admitted his unworthiness, which ironically marked the moment when he was indeed ready for training with a sword. So it wasn’t special ability or maturity, but understanding of oneself, that made him a worthy leader.
…then he failed to communicate his battle strategy to the others who planned to invade the Fire Nation during the solar eclipse, an attack that unfortunately failed. Sokka perhaps felt tempted to throw in the towel, but the events in The Boiling Rock marked Sokka as a true leader who knew how to take initiative on his plans. Not only did he free his father from prison, but he freed Suki too, along with several other prisoners. Sokka’s inner struggle of insecurity can teach us that great humility and vulnerability is what makes one a Godly leader. (1 Timothy 4:12)
Toph
Toph started off living under her wealthy parents’ constant protection and supervision, as they believed her blindness weakened her. Yet she didn’t let that stop her from sneaking out to compete in earthbending tournaments, where she proved herself to be among the best ever seen, since she turned her blindness into an advantage as she could see through vibrations in the earth felt through her feet. Outside the walls of her parents’ giant home, she got the satisfaction of being emotionally held up while also helping Aang, Katara, and Sokka become better versions of themselves.
Just a few days after Toph joined her three new friends, she and Katara started to fight a lot. The conflict erupted when Aang reprimanded Toph, and with them all angered due to a frustrating lack of sleep, Toph decided to leave them. It took a cup of tea with Iroh for her to recognize that friends do not hinder your step, but support it.
It’s said in 1 Peter 4:10: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” Toph had to do this very thing when out in the desert in search for the Wan Shi Tong Library. She decided to stay outside with Appa while the others went inside, and used her bending to keep the library from sinking so they could all get out. Unfortunately, her predicament there was a drawback too, as her distraction with the library and the sandy location rendered her incapable of rescuing Appa from being stolen. She still suffered from various shortcomings, hence why Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and eventually Zuko, needed one another to stand strong.
However, while in the Fire Nation, Toph hatched clever scams with her earthbending to hustle gamblers on the street, and quickly acquired outlaw status. Katara pointed out Toph’s wrongs, which proved why it’s possible to still use your tremendous abilities for the wrong purposes, and how the companionship of others can point out your faults. The way Toph learns to lean on others can teach us how God’s people in the Church also need one another with their unique strengths and weaknesses. (Proverbs 27:17)
Zuko
The fifth commandment says, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12) So how might somebody like Zuko honor a father who banished him, scarred his face, and refused to accept him under the condition he accomplishes such an impossible task?
Zuko was more caring than his sister and father, but was still seen as a miserable failure by both of them. From his childhood onward, he lost his mother, the only one in his immediate family who loved him, and got banished from his home for speaking out of turn in a meeting, with a scar over half his face to mark his shame and humiliation to all who met him. But like how the Lord redeemed His own chosen people, Zuko gained his long-awaited moment of glory.
Zuko underwent a crucial cleansing process when he decided to free Appa rather than capture him for himself; it triggered an illness that enabled a metamorphosis, where he came out unusually cheerful and happy for his uncle’s new tea shop. Even though he just moments later joined his sister in claiming Ba Sing Se, this decision to chuck his Blue Spirit mask in the lake and to reunite Aang with his bison set a domino effect that brought Zuko from an instrument of fiery destruction to an instrument of interpersonal benefit, even putting Azula in her place and helping end the war.
Throughout season one, Zuko was seen as a mostly typical bad guy with a scary distortion on his face and a tragic backstory. He was merely confused about the restoration of his honor, when in fact, the abusive home he grew up in took it away from him in the first place. The more he tried to reclaim that, the lower down he fell. Zuko lost distinction of morality until he finally recognized his calling: to help the Avatar master firebending. This meant he had to bring himself lower than before, to the level of the ones he felt he had to pursuit for months. He eventually gained their friendship, and in turn, finally gained his honor while becoming a more promising Fire Lord who will lead with promises of peace and love.
The powerful redemption arc of Prince Zuko can teach us how pride can bring us lower but confronting our past faults can bring us back up. (Proverbs 29:23)
Iroh
Iroh once took great pride as a general until he was disgraced at the peak of his career, losing the life of his son as well as his chance to claim the Earth Kingdom’s capital. But this disgrace ironically was the best thing for him, as it showed him great humility that he wanted to share with others. Though that was in the past before the events of this series, the Iroh we the audience get to know had found his greatest joy already: raising up the younger generation, particularly his nephew, in lost wisdom. For most of his spare time in The Tales of Ba Sing Se, he simply conversed with the other townsfolk, heard their stories, and encouraged them to be better versions of themselves. His son’s birthday also came while he was there, showing how his motivation was for others to not make the same foolish mistakes he made.
Iroh had to challenge Zuko to do that when he was going to steal Appa. Iroh recognized that the Blue Spirit alter ego was a significant part of how his nephew saw himself, but he still spoke to him with love, albeit tough love. He recognized that the wealth he could have claimed as a general was worthless, much like the poor excuse for honor Zuko thought he would’ve gotten by stealing the Avatar’s bison.
Otherwise, things seemed to be going wonderfully for Iroh- but the instant he opened his own tea shop in Ba Sing Se, the very city he failed to claim, Iroh was lured into Azula‘s trap, which through Zuko’s betrayal, led him to prison. There was yet more humility for him to gain, as this predicament imaginably challenged his love for his nephew, whom he feared lost his way. He started eating prison food from the ground like King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:30-33)—although unlike this corrupted king/enemy against Israel, Iroh was just acting like he lost his sanity, as he secretly began exercising behind the guards’ backs to break himself out of the prison bars.
Once he was brought low, he then rose himself back up with the Order of the White Lotus, who ultimately helped take down Fire Lord Ozai. The warm, sincere wisdom of Iroh can teach us how great failure and loss can in time bring out the best in us, just like how the Lord takes away our pride so that we may humble ourselves before Him. (Matthew 23:12)
Azula
Azula liked to think of herself as fully confident, powerful, and perfect, and used her brother, Mai, and Ty Lee as comparison points. When she decided to recruit Ty Lee on her mission to capture the Avatar, only for her to kindly decline the offer, she resorted to putting her in a dangerous situation. Even down to forming friendships, Azula fueled everything around her using fear and hate, particularly in her firebending, much like what Zuko relied on before he and Aang met the Sun Warriors. She was depicted as the villain for good reason: she did nothing to produce the might of God, achieving a broken family goal for her own selfish desires.
In The Beach, Azula pretended that she did not have sob stories like her three companions did, and instead took great pride in the way Ty Lee praised her perfection. Yet at the teen party they went to, she clearly lacked social skills—unable to pick up boys anywhere near as easily as Ty Lee, and she made up for that by calling Ty Lee a “tease” rather than a “challenge.” The only two girls Azula called her friends were perhaps loyal to her for years, but the Boiling Rock prison proved to be Mai’s breaking point, as she declared to Azula, “I love Zuko more than I fear you.”
It had been indicated just how imperfect Jesus’ disciples were, but Jesus chose them not for their moral prowess, but for their service-minded hearts. (Matthew 4:18-22) Likewise, compare Zuko and Azula. It might be easy to praise Zuko over Azula, but in what way? Certainly not in a holy way… Zuko did many terrible things, enough to qualify as the series’ main villain in the first season. The thing that set the two apart was how their hearts were redeemed. Zuko saw the wrong he did and sincerely attempted to right his wrongs. Azula on the other hand did what she could to keep herself on top, and ultimately wound up lower than any character seen in the entire series: mentally insane, completely distraught, the sight of her chained up and crying for help stands as a sad sight to behold.
This tragic testimony of Azula can teach us how sin may make you all powerful and invincible at first, but eventually you will fall, and that fall will be great. (James 1:19-21
God used the prophet Isaiah to help Israel look toward the goodness that lied ahead rather than their past as slaves to sin.” (Isaiah 43:18) That is much like Aang, whose greatest regret was leaving the Southern Air Temple to selfishly escape his Avatar responsibility, which caused him to be frozen in the iceberg while millions suffered from war for the next century.
Also, when he tried firebending for the first time, he clearly was not ready, and in the process burned Katara’s hands. He felt so much regret over this incident that he vowed never to firebend again. As horrible as it ought to be for Aang to hurt the girl he loves, it had to happen as it was the only way for him to see the consequence of his childish ways.
The trials of error led Aang to gain maturity, like his mode of conscience when it came to entering the Avatar State on queue. To do so, he had to let go of his love for Katara; he was not willing to do it, and even left his Avatar State training to go rescue Katara when he sensed she was in danger, where he fell under the attack of Azula and the Dai Li as they took over Ba Sing Se. He triggered the Avatar State as a last resort, letting go of Katara in the process, and that was when Azula landed a fatal blow.
When he woke up from his coma, he felt even more shame over his failure, so decided to leave his friends behind. Aang ended up beneath the ocean waves just like he was before freezing himself in the iceberg, but this time, Avatar Roku and Princess Yue guided him to forget his failure and press onward. He went back with his friends and burned his now damaged Air Nomad glider in the lava of a Fire Nation volcano. He had let go of his past self and embraced his new self, complete with a new set of hair.
By the end, Aang went from a goofy fun-loving child to taking down the Fire Lord with strength and wisdom. His coming-of-age acceptance as the Avatar can teach us why God wants us to forget about the past, even all the wrong decisions we made, to look forward and hope for the best. (Philippians 3:13)
Katara
Jesus had to forgive Judas for betraying him, his disciples for abandoning him, Peter for denying him, and the Chief Priests and the townsfolk for condemning him. Whereas, Katara had a lot to forgive in her journey, including Jet, her mother’s killer, and ultimately, Zuko. While she never quite pulled through in forgiving the first two, she was able to fully accept Zuko as a friend in time. It wasn’t easy though, seeing how Zuko, only moments after she decided to trust him, turned back on her.
She even had those antagonistic feelings toward her own colleagues; Katara got jealous of Aang for being a naturally better waterbender, which led her to stealing a Waterbending Scroll from a gang of pirates. That alone proved her to be no better than those she hated, but there’s more. Katara felt closure over the grief of her dead mother could only happen if she hunted down and killed the assassin responsible. She let hate overtake her, and this stirred up conflict between herself, Aang, and her brother. (Proverbs 10:12) It reached the point when Katara said an absolutely awful accusation against her brother regarding their mother: “Then you didn’t love her the way I did.”
On this quest to hunt down and murder her mother’s killer, Katara bloodbended, a form of waterbending that she in a previous episode learned how to do, but saw as horrible and sadistic, because the woman she learned it from invented bloodbending to imprison innocent people. The fact that she used it in this second circumstance with no hesitation showed how revenge caused her to turn into the very thing she wanted to destroy.
Her unacceptable actions were not just tied with bad motivations, Katara also sought out doing the right thing through such unacceptable actions. When she dawned her alter ego as the Painted Lady to help a village suffering due to a Fire Nation factory’s pollution, she made her friends think that Appa was sick to delay their plans in preparing for the Day of Black Sun. Her good intentions to help others caused her to do pretty horrible things, but they still forgave her and even helped her scare away the Fire Nation from that village and cleanse their water.
The difficult, trauma-driven journey of Katara can teach us that loving those who persecute us is what will benefit ourselves in the long run, just like what Jesus commands. (Luke 6:27-36)
Sokka
Moses saw himself as an unworthy leader of Israel, but God helped him be a true leader. Sokka probably felt like Moses several times throughout his journey of helping the Avatar save the world, but the times he was forced to confront his shortcomings rounded him out into a respectable leader. (Proverbs 11:14) Upon his introduction in the series’ pilot, Sokka had nothing to his personality besides being cocky and egotistic; he didn’t even care if his sister was the Southern Water Tribe’s only waterbender, an act he just dismisses as “magic.”
In the first couple of episodes, Sokka had the clear pressure as the only male warrior in the Southern Water Tribe, and held the responsibility of training the other young boys how to be fighters someday. He clearly failed as a trainer and warrior, to the extent where he even lost to the Fire Nation prince in combat.
In The Warriors of Kyoshi, Sokka’s sexism continued as he thought little of the Kyoshi Warriors because they were girls. It took a training session from their leader, Suki, for him to realize just how great of fighters they really were. Then as the series continued, he proved himself with moments of careful planning and scheduling for the team, that is, until they reached the Fire Nation and it got closer to the Day of Black Sun. Sokka had to confront this humility in Sokka’s Master, where he made known his insecurity as the only one among his companions who couldn’t bend. He tried to invest in sword training when he admitted his unworthiness, which ironically marked the moment when he was indeed ready for training with a sword. So it wasn’t special ability or maturity, but understanding of oneself, that made him a worthy leader.
…then he failed to communicate his battle strategy to the others who planned to invade the Fire Nation during the solar eclipse, an attack that unfortunately failed. Sokka perhaps felt tempted to throw in the towel, but the events in The Boiling Rock marked Sokka as a true leader who knew how to take initiative on his plans. Not only did he free his father from prison, but he freed Suki too, along with several other prisoners. Sokka’s inner struggle of insecurity can teach us that great humility and vulnerability is what makes one a Godly leader. (1 Timothy 4:12)
Toph
Toph started off living under her wealthy parents’ constant protection and supervision, as they believed her blindness weakened her. Yet she didn’t let that stop her from sneaking out to compete in earthbending tournaments, where she proved herself to be among the best ever seen, since she turned her blindness into an advantage as she could see through vibrations in the earth felt through her feet. Outside the walls of her parents’ giant home, she got the satisfaction of being emotionally held up while also helping Aang, Katara, and Sokka become better versions of themselves.
Just a few days after Toph joined her three new friends, she and Katara started to fight a lot. The conflict erupted when Aang reprimanded Toph, and with them all angered due to a frustrating lack of sleep, Toph decided to leave them. It took a cup of tea with Iroh for her to recognize that friends do not hinder your step, but support it.
It’s said in 1 Peter 4:10: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” Toph had to do this very thing when out in the desert in search for the Wan Shi Tong Library. She decided to stay outside with Appa while the others went inside, and used her bending to keep the library from sinking so they could all get out. Unfortunately, her predicament there was a drawback too, as her distraction with the library and the sandy location rendered her incapable of rescuing Appa from being stolen. She still suffered from various shortcomings, hence why Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and eventually Zuko, needed one another to stand strong.
However, while in the Fire Nation, Toph hatched clever scams with her earthbending to hustle gamblers on the street, and quickly acquired outlaw status. Katara pointed out Toph’s wrongs, which proved why it’s possible to still use your tremendous abilities for the wrong purposes, and how the companionship of others can point out your faults. The way Toph learns to lean on others can teach us how God’s people in the Church also need one another with their unique strengths and weaknesses. (Proverbs 27:17)
Zuko
The fifth commandment says, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12) So how might somebody like Zuko honor a father who banished him, scarred his face, and refused to accept him under the condition he accomplishes such an impossible task?
Zuko was more caring than his sister and father, but was still seen as a miserable failure by both of them. From his childhood onward, he lost his mother, the only one in his immediate family who loved him, and got banished from his home for speaking out of turn in a meeting, with a scar over half his face to mark his shame and humiliation to all who met him. But like how the Lord redeemed His own chosen people, Zuko gained his long-awaited moment of glory.
Zuko underwent a crucial cleansing process when he decided to free Appa rather than capture him for himself; it triggered an illness that enabled a metamorphosis, where he came out unusually cheerful and happy for his uncle’s new tea shop. Even though he just moments later joined his sister in claiming Ba Sing Se, this decision to chuck his Blue Spirit mask in the lake and to reunite Aang with his bison set a domino effect that brought Zuko from an instrument of fiery destruction to an instrument of interpersonal benefit, even putting Azula in her place and helping end the war.
Throughout season one, Zuko was seen as a mostly typical bad guy with a scary distortion on his face and a tragic backstory. He was merely confused about the restoration of his honor, when in fact, the abusive home he grew up in took it away from him in the first place. The more he tried to reclaim that, the lower down he fell. Zuko lost distinction of morality until he finally recognized his calling: to help the Avatar master firebending. This meant he had to bring himself lower than before, to the level of the ones he felt he had to pursuit for months. He eventually gained their friendship, and in turn, finally gained his honor while becoming a more promising Fire Lord who will lead with promises of peace and love.
The powerful redemption arc of Prince Zuko can teach us how pride can bring us lower but confronting our past faults can bring us back up. (Proverbs 29:23)
Iroh
Iroh once took great pride as a general until he was disgraced at the peak of his career, losing the life of his son as well as his chance to claim the Earth Kingdom’s capital. But this disgrace ironically was the best thing for him, as it showed him great humility that he wanted to share with others. Though that was in the past before the events of this series, the Iroh we the audience get to know had found his greatest joy already: raising up the younger generation, particularly his nephew, in lost wisdom. For most of his spare time in The Tales of Ba Sing Se, he simply conversed with the other townsfolk, heard their stories, and encouraged them to be better versions of themselves. His son’s birthday also came while he was there, showing how his motivation was for others to not make the same foolish mistakes he made.
Iroh had to challenge Zuko to do that when he was going to steal Appa. Iroh recognized that the Blue Spirit alter ego was a significant part of how his nephew saw himself, but he still spoke to him with love, albeit tough love. He recognized that the wealth he could have claimed as a general was worthless, much like the poor excuse for honor Zuko thought he would’ve gotten by stealing the Avatar’s bison.
Otherwise, things seemed to be going wonderfully for Iroh- but the instant he opened his own tea shop in Ba Sing Se, the very city he failed to claim, Iroh was lured into Azula‘s trap, which through Zuko’s betrayal, led him to prison. There was yet more humility for him to gain, as this predicament imaginably challenged his love for his nephew, whom he feared lost his way. He started eating prison food from the ground like King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:30-33)—although unlike this corrupted king/enemy against Israel, Iroh was just acting like he lost his sanity, as he secretly began exercising behind the guards’ backs to break himself out of the prison bars.
Once he was brought low, he then rose himself back up with the Order of the White Lotus, who ultimately helped take down Fire Lord Ozai. The warm, sincere wisdom of Iroh can teach us how great failure and loss can in time bring out the best in us, just like how the Lord takes away our pride so that we may humble ourselves before Him. (Matthew 23:12)
Azula
Azula liked to think of herself as fully confident, powerful, and perfect, and used her brother, Mai, and Ty Lee as comparison points. When she decided to recruit Ty Lee on her mission to capture the Avatar, only for her to kindly decline the offer, she resorted to putting her in a dangerous situation. Even down to forming friendships, Azula fueled everything around her using fear and hate, particularly in her firebending, much like what Zuko relied on before he and Aang met the Sun Warriors. She was depicted as the villain for good reason: she did nothing to produce the might of God, achieving a broken family goal for her own selfish desires.
In The Beach, Azula pretended that she did not have sob stories like her three companions did, and instead took great pride in the way Ty Lee praised her perfection. Yet at the teen party they went to, she clearly lacked social skills—unable to pick up boys anywhere near as easily as Ty Lee, and she made up for that by calling Ty Lee a “tease” rather than a “challenge.” The only two girls Azula called her friends were perhaps loyal to her for years, but the Boiling Rock prison proved to be Mai’s breaking point, as she declared to Azula, “I love Zuko more than I fear you.”
It had been indicated just how imperfect Jesus’ disciples were, but Jesus chose them not for their moral prowess, but for their service-minded hearts. (Matthew 4:18-22) Likewise, compare Zuko and Azula. It might be easy to praise Zuko over Azula, but in what way? Certainly not in a holy way… Zuko did many terrible things, enough to qualify as the series’ main villain in the first season. The thing that set the two apart was how their hearts were redeemed. Zuko saw the wrong he did and sincerely attempted to right his wrongs. Azula on the other hand did what she could to keep herself on top, and ultimately wound up lower than any character seen in the entire series: mentally insane, completely distraught, the sight of her chained up and crying for help stands as a sad sight to behold.
This tragic testimony of Azula can teach us how sin may make you all powerful and invincible at first, but eventually you will fall, and that fall will be great. (James 1:19-21
Thank you so much for your time in reading! Please feel free to e-mail me at Trevor@TrevorsViewOnHollywood.com or message me through social media if you have any further questions. I’m also doing these types of posts monthly, so if there’s a movie you want me to talk in-depth about from a Christian perspective, please let me know!
Have a great week, and happy watching, God bless!
Have a great week, and happy watching, God bless!
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