List of Avatar: The Last Airbender major secondary characters

This is a list of major secondary characters in the Nickelodeon animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. All the characters listed are not always highly focused upon (and thus cannot be considered main characters) but have made several appearances throughout the show, and have had a much larger impact on the plot and the main characters than the show's minor recurring characters.

Contents 1 Jet 2 Long Feng 3 Mai 4 Momo 5 Fire Lord Ozai 5.1 Name 6 Avatar Roku 7 Suki 8 Ty Lee 9 Princess Yue 10 Admiral Zhao 10.1 History 10.2 Story 11 References

Jet

Avatar: The Last Airbender character
Jet
Nationality	Earth Kingdom
Gender	Male
Hair color	Brown
Eye color	Brown
Position	Former Leader of Freedom Fighters,
Voiced by	Crawford Wilson

Jet was the teenage leader of a band of Earth Kingdom children called "The Freedom Fighters." The young vigilante holds a deep-seated grudge against the Fire Nation for an attack headed by the Fire Nation group, "The Rough Rhinos," who killed his parents when he was eight. He and his ragtag group spend their days antagonizing Fire Nation soldiers and emigrants on the outskirts of their occupied town, living in forest tree-houses. He uses Twin Tiger-Head Hook swords for combat as well as to maneuver through the trees. Jet is marked by his almost pathological hatred of the Fire Nation. To him, all citizens of the Fire Nation are guilty, regardless of whether they are involved with the war or not. In some ways he represents what could have happened to Katara and Sokka after the death of their mother; allowing their hatred to consume them. According to Crawford Wilson, the actor who plays Jet, Jet was originally only going to appear in the episode "Jet," but the decision was later made to have him return as a recurring character. ^[1] When Katara met him, she became infatuated with the charismatic rogue, but quickly doused these feelings after Sokka discovered and thwarted Jet's plans to use captured blasting jelly to destroy a dam and flood an Earth Kingdom town occupied by Fire Nation troops, killing both enemy soldiers and innocent civilians living there. He apparently thinks 'sacrifices' must be made. However, it turns out that Sokka managed to alert the town in time. In anger, Katara freezes Jet to a tree, then leaves.

In "The Serpent's Pass" and "The Drill," Jet, and two of his Freedom Fighters, Longshot and Smellerbee, are traveling to Ba Sing Se on a barge. Among the many passengers are Zuko and Iroh. Shortly after the boat takes off he overhears Zuko complaining about the rotten food, he offers Zuko to help steal better food from the Captain. Zuko and the Freedom Fighters successfully steal the Captain's food supply, and give it out to the passengers. Jet admits to Zuko and Iroh that he did terrible things in his past he was not proud of, but that was why he and his Freedom Fighters were going to Ba Sing Se to make amends, and get a second chance. Iroh contemplates his decision, believing that people deserve second chances and can change their lives if they want to. Jet later talks to Zuko alone, telling him when he first saw his scar he realized that he was an outcast like himself. Jet states that they should watch out for each other, because no one else will. Zuko replies that he realized that being alone isn't the best path. Jet later offers Zuko a place in his team of Freedom Fighters, but Zuko turns him down. Jet then sees what he believes to be Iroh heating a cup of tea in his hand with Firebending, and becomes furious. He becomes intent on confirming that Zuko and Iroh are from the Fire Nation, forgetting his promise to Longshot and Smellerbee to start over, although he later assures Smellerbee that he only intends to gather enough evidence that Iroh and Zuko are Fire Nation natives to turn them in to the proper authorities. In "City of Walls and Secrets," he makes many surreptitious attempts to expose their Firebending, but to no avail. He focuses his efforts on Iroh, as he has only seen evidence of Iroh's ability to Firebend, but believes Zuko is native to the Fire Nation by association. Ignoring Smellerbee and Longshot's concerns, he openly challenges the two fugitives in public. As Jet is an extremely skilled swordsman, he believes that Zuko and Iroh will have no choice but to Firebend in order to save themselves. Zuko gladly accepts Jet's challenge and fights Jet on even terms, ignoring Jet's attempts to goad him into Firebending. Gradually over the course of a drawn out fight, Zuko gains a slight advantage, disarming Jet of one of his blades and cutting Jet's trademark piece of wheat in half. As the fight goes on, the Dai Li arrive to defuse the situation, and Jet again accuses Zuko and Iroh of being Fire Nation, but all the witnesses claim Zuko and Iroh were assaulted without provocation. A struggling Jet is arrested by the Dai Li and taken to a secret location in Ba Sing Se. He is then subjected to an Earth Kingdom brainwashing technique designed to make him forget about the war. Jet appears in "Lake Laogai," during the group's search to find Appa. He finds Katara putting up posters looking for information on Appa, and offers to help. Katara doesn't believe him, and preemptively attacks Jet. He briefly defends himself before throwing down his swords and claiming that he simply wants to help. He says that he overheard talk of Appa being kept in a city storeroom and leads the group there. His story is seemingly confirmed when the gang finds a clump of Appa's fur on the premises, and an old janitor claims that the bison had been moved just the day before to a distant island. However, when the group goes outside, they run into Longshot and Smellerbee, who are relieved to see Jet. However, when they question him about his capture by the Dai Li he claims that it never happened and is confused when Smellerbee insists on it. Sokka realizes that Jet has been brainwashed, and used as a plot by the Dai Li to quietly draw the divisive Avatar and his friends away from Ba Sing Se. With his conditioning broken and true memory returning, Jet is able to lead the group to the secret building in Lake Laogai where he had been brainwashed, and where Appa is being kept. They are discovered and fight with a large group of Dai Li agents and Long Feng, the leader of the Dai Li, who proclaims that Aang and his friends are now enemies of the state. The group manages to fight off the Dai Li, and Jet and Aang chase a fleeing Long Feng into another room. However, there the cunning Long Feng uses a new trap against Aang; he speaks a verbal trigger worked into Jet's brainwashing that makes Jet fight and attempt to kill Aang. After a few minutes of frantically dodging Jet's attacks, Aang manages to remind Jet of his past as a freedom fighter and bring him back to his senses. Jet then turns on and attacks Long Feng, who creates a pillar of earth and fires it at Jet, causing serious internal injuries. When the rest of the gang as well as Smellerbee and Longshot show up, Katara checks his injuries and says that it's not good. Smellerbee tells them to leave to find Appa. They refuse to leave them, but Longshot speaks, (for the first time in the series, after having communicated only non-verbally previously), saying that they will stay with him, since he is their leader. Jet tells Katara that he will be alright, but Toph comments to Sokka that he is lying, being able to sense his heartbeat and breathing patterns. Jet's death was eventually confirmed by Bryan Konietzko at the 2007 San Diego Comic Con.

Long Feng

Avatar: The Last Airbender character
Long Feng
Nationality	Earth Kingdom
Gender	Male
Hair color	Black
Eye color	Green
Position	Former Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se Former Head of the Dai Li Earthbender
First appearance	City of Walls and Secrets
Voiced by	Clancy Brown

As Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se and the head of the Dai Li, Long Feng is a very influential, charismatic, and power-hungry individual who has the tendency to pop up out of nowhere. He rose from humble origins as a son of a Merchant in the Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se, to become the most feared man in the city. By appearance, his position grants him a special relationship with the Earth King, but in reality the Earth King is but a figurehead of Ba Sing Se's government, and Long Feng truly holds sway over its privatizing affairs. He utilizes the Dai Li to silence anyone who would disrupt the common peace, secretly imprisoning them under Lake Laogai and using hypnotic tactics to subdue them. This effectively keeps the citizens of Ba Sing Se in blissful ignorance and maintains the illusion that there is no war. He claims to have preserved the last utopian society left on the planet by covering up all knowledge of the war, when in fact, the totalitarian traits of Ba Sing Se's government are marks of an anti-utopia. In "City of Walls and Secrets," Long Feng he uses his power to let Katara and Toph into a party in the palace but then utilizes the Dai Li to prevent the group from talking to the Earth King. He takes them to the library and explains the rules of the city regarding the war and states that if they mention the war to anyone, he will expel them from the city. He also remarks that it would be a shame if they couldn't find Appa. Later, in "Appa's Lost Days," he utilizes a mimic of Aang’s bison whistle to trick Appa into approaching him. He reveals himself to Appa, and after a swift and powerful Earthbending move, traps the bison underground. In "Lake Laogai," after learning of Joo Dee's failure to control the Avatar, Long Feng attempts to trick the group to leave the city with a plan involving a brainwashed Jet, but the group encounter Smellerbee and Longshot, which prompts them to free Jet from his brainwashing. When the group arrive under Lake Laogai to free Appa, Long Feng orders some Dai Li agents to arrest them. When the Dai Li agents are overpowered, Long Feng flees, hotly pursued by Aang and Jet. He offers them a deal which they refuse, resulting in Long Feng using Jet's brainwashing to put him in a trance where he attacks Aang. Long Feng kills Jet when Jet breaks free and attacks him. Long Feng leaves and later has the Dai Li trap the group on the shores of Lake Laogai. Appa arrives on the scene and destroys the walls of earth, scattering the Dai Li. Long Feng attacks Appa, who catches his foot and flings him out into the lake. Long Feng appears again in "The Earth King." The King had never known about the war, as Long Feng and the Dai Li concealed the information from him. Long Feng tries to convince the Earth King that Aang and his friends are lying and that there is no war. He clearly has the advantage, until the King was shown the giant Fire Nation drill from "The Drill." He was then arrested and tried for conspiring against the Earth Kingdom. Long Feng was later seen imprisoned, only to be reminded that the Dai Li still remained loyal to him. In the "The Guru," he makes a deal with Azula allowing her to temporarily command the Dai Li in order to overthrow the Earth King. In the second half of the season two finale, he appears as soon as Azula has the Earth King arrested and orders the Dai Li to arrest her, proclaiming a double cross. The Dai Li do not comply and Azula explains that while he worked hard for his position he lacked the "divine right to rule" she had from birth. He then bows down to her as she takes control of both Ba Sing Se and the Dai Li. His fate is currently unknown. He appeared in Avatar: The Burning Earth video game, during his boss fight he holds Jet with his earth bending and was about to toss a boulder at Jet when Aang goes into the Avatar State, knocking him out. The name Lóng fèng (龍鳳) represents Dragon Phoenix which in Chinese traditions stand for the royal throne.

Mai

Avatar: The Last Airbender character
Mai
Nationality	Fire Nation
Gender	Female
Hair color	Black
Eye color	Gold
Position	Shuriken Master
First appearance	Return to Omashu
Voiced by	Cricket Leigh

A cold, calm, and reserved young woman, and a longtime friend of Azula and Ty Lee, with whom she attended the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. She is described by nick.com as a depressed-looking goth teen, seemingly bored with everything. She is an extremely skilled warrior in the art of Shuriken-jutsu, her primary weapon being small, fletched darts (called "stilettos" on nick.com) that are thrown from her wrists and ankles. She also employs a wide variety of other throwing weapons with deadly accuracy and has proven herself capable of besting a powerful bender despite not being a Firebender herself. Insight into Mai's childhood is given in "The Beach," where she mentions that, growing up, her mother was very critical of her, constantly reminding her that any misbehavior would reflect badly on her father's political career; Azula believes this is the reason that she is so aloof, having been conditioned away from anything that she might care about. Her crush on Zuko seems to have started from a young age. During flashbacks in "Zuko Alone," she is shown, about ten-years-old, sitting off by herself, uninterested, as Ty Lee and Azula play together. However, she does show marked interest in Zuko, turning away shyly and blushing when he walks by with his mother. Azula notices this and takes Mai's obvious crush as a cue to humiliate both Zuko and Mai by orchestrating a situation where in they end up falling into a fountain on top of each other. In "Return to Omashu," during series present-time, Mai resides in the newly-conquered city of Omashu with her mother, younger brother Tom-Tom, and her father, the Fire Nation-appointed governor of the city-state. Mai describes Omashu as "unbearably bleak" to her mother and complains of the boredom. She and her mother are nearly killed by a Resistance assassination attempt, but their lives are saved by the timely intervention of Aang, though Mai remained unaware of who her rescuer was. The next day, her little brother Tom-Tom wanders out of the city with a group of fleeing citizens and is subsequently assumed "kidnapped" by the resistance; Mai remains untroubled by this, though, and merely watches as her father organizes a trade, offering up King Bumi. However, before the negotiations can take place, Princess Azula arrives in the city with Ty Lee to recruit Mai to assist her on a special mission. Desperate to get out of Omashu, Mai agrees, even though she has not been told what that mission is. Before leaving, Azula appoints Mai, in lieu of the governor, to oversee the hostage trade, where she tests her companion's loyalty by coyly suggesting that trading a powerful Earthbender king for a two-year-old is strategically unwise. After a measured pause, Mai agrees and declares the deal off, thus initiating a fight between the two sides. Mai fought Katara on the scaffold, but was unable to defeat her until Ty Lee came. Then, as Mai, Azula, and Ty Lee are leaving the city, Mai confirms, impassively, that their mission is to "track down" the now-fugitive Zuko and Iroh. Azula notes that they also now have a third target (Aang) and Ty Lee pointedly states that it will be "interesting" for Mai to see Zuko again, in response to which Mai turns away and indulges in a rare smile. In "The Chase," Mai, Azula, and Ty Lee track Aang and his companions. Once Aang splits from Katara and Sokka, Azula sends Mai and Ty Lee to face those two while she chases down Aang. Mai and Ty Lee defeat the siblings rather easily (much in part thanks to the siblings' lack of sleep), but are caught off-guard by an airblast from Appa and sent flying into a nearby river. In "The Drill," Mai is shown sitting around in the control room while Azula oversees the huge drill that the Fire Nation is using to bore a hole in the wall of Ba Sing Se. When a group of elite Earthbenders attempts to stop the drill, Azula sends Mai and Ty Lee to face them, which elicits approval from Mai as it is something to do. However, when Azula sends Mai and Ty Lee after Sokka and Katara who were caught trying to sabotage the drill from the inside, Mai refuses to chase them into the slurry pipeline, full of "wall sludge juice." telling Ty Lee that Azula could shoot as much lightning as she wants at her. Later, Aang destroys the drill by causing the slurry pipeline to back up and then explode, thus covering everyone in the general vicinity in slurry. After this, a completely pristine Mai leans out of a hatch and dryly announces to the sludge-drenched Ty Lee and Azula: "We lost." In "Appa's Lost Days," Mai has a minor role and her only action is assisting Azula attack Suki. She is seen pinning a warrior to a tree, and stated that their brightly colored outfits made her nauseous. In "The Earth King," Mai, Azula, and Ty Lee dressed up as the Kyoshi Warriors to sneak into Ba Sing Se. Later, Mai and Ty Lee were instrumental to Azula's plan, by staging a fake conversation revealing their Fire Nation status when they knew a Dai Li agent was eavesdropping; the result was that Azula was taken to meet Long Feng, and was thus able to orchestrate her conquest of Ba Sing Se. Mai was later seen lounging bored in the Earth King's throne room in "The Crossroads of Destiny," while Ty Lee played with Basco, the Earth King's pet bear. As the King would not leave Basco behind, Sokka and Toph appeared to fight for him, and Toph quickly managed to trap Ty Lee with Earthbending. The pair prepared to fight Mai, but she apathetically told them to "just take the bear." In "Going Home Again," a canonical comic featured within the second All-Avatar Nick Mag Presents edition, Mai and Zuko are set up on a dinner date by Azula in plan to persuade a reluctant Zuko to return home, playing off their childhood crushes on each other. However, the two catch on to the setup and decide to take a walk around Ba Sing Se. Soon after, they run into Jin, who immediately recognizes "Lee" and questions who his companion is. Thinking quickly, Zuko sheepishly claims that Mai is a friend from the circus, the knife thrower. Mai appears to join in on the charade and decides to give a demonstration. After moving Zuko in front of a fountain and placing a fish from a seafood stand they had passed earlier on top of his head, she targets and precisely pierces the fish with an icicle. Mai then persuades Jin to give it a try. Zuko is just barely able to avoid being impaled by the sharp piece of ice, falling backwards into the fountain in the process. Leaning over the drenched prince, Mai wryly states that now they're "even." As he chases her down an alley, Zuko exclaims that she could have gotten him killed, but Mai merely laughs it off. Zuko stops to point out that she finally seems to be enjoying herself, going on to say that he had missed seeing this side of her. Mai admits that a lot has changed since the days when she "used to throw mud in his face," but that not everything has changed; she proves this by kissing him softly. The next day, the two of them arrive at the ship to leave for the Fire Nation together. Mai is next seen having a brief moment with Zuko on the ship voyage home, where he expresses nervousness about how much things will have changed and whether or not he will be forgiven and welcomed. She humorously replies that she hadn't asked for his life story, then tells him not to worry and kisses him briefly before departing once more. Later, when Azula sees Zuko moping, she comments that he's acting like Mai, then amends that, claiming that Mai had been unusually cheerful lately. In "The Headband," the relationship of Zuko and Mai is further developed as they are seen having a romantic picnic, which is interrupted by Azula, who, wishing to speak with Zuko alone, sends Mai away. Mai complies stoically, but gives Azula a brief, angry look as the two pass. In "The Beach," their relationship undergoes its first major test when Mai and Zuko's opposing personalities come into conflict. Mai becomes impatient with Zuko's overprotective attitude and uncontrolled anger, and he grows steadily more annoyed with her indifferent demeanor. When Zuko hits a teenage boy for trying to talk with her, Mai finally lost her temper and furiously told him that he needed to control his anger. When he responded by accusing her of feeling nothing at all, Mai declared their relationship over. Later that night, as they sat with Azula and Ty Lee around a campfire, she finally explained how her childhood had left her unable to show her emotions. Zuko seemed to understand and urged her to express herself more, but Mai refused to accept him until he admitted what was wrong; the three girls then managed to finally get Zuko to admit that he was angry at himself. Mai seemed to forgive him then, and told him that he was the one thing she cared about most; their relationship was repaired, but the breakup and reunion had allowed Mai to become more expressive and less withdrawn. In Nightmares and Daydreams, Mai and Zuko spend some time alone at Mai's house, where Mai shows a more playful and caring attitude (and an appreciation for fruit tarts with rose petals). The peace is short-lived, however, when she mentions a war meeting that Zuko had not been informed about. She spends most of the rest of the episode attempting to cheer him up or take his mind off of the meeting, but her efforts are fruitless. Eventually, when he is requested specially at the meeting, Mai shares his joy. Afterwards, though, he confides in Mai that even though he acted like the son his father wanted, he wasn't himself. Mai is not seen during the "Day of Black Sun," except for a portrait in her room of her and Zuko together as Zuko prepares to face his father and go to join the Avatar. He pauses before the portrait and softly apologizes to Mai, then goes and places a message on her pillow before leaving. What the message contains, or how Mai will react when she learns of it and Zuko's disappearance, remains to be seen. Mai is the Cantonese pronunciation of Mèi (袂) and means "sleeve of a robe," which is where she hides her weapons.

Momo

Avatar: The Last Airbender character
Momo
Nationality	Air
Gender	Male
Hair color	White (with brown stripes)
Eye color	Green
First appearance	The Southern Air Temple
Voiced by	Dee Bradley Baker

Momo, a Winged Lemur discovered wondering about the ruined Southern Air Temple, was quickly named and claimed as a pet by Aang. Aang is very fond of the creature, because he represents the small hope that other fragments of Air Nomadic culture, even other Air Nomads, survive somewhere in the world. Momo is an intelligent creature, but is either incapable or selective of understanding human speech. He is also a glutton for any available fruit. Momo's behavior is more cat-like than that of real life lemurs. Momo's wings appear to retract within the fur of his arms. Each of Momo's hands appears to have four fingers and two additional ones within the wing membrane that can be seen when he has his wings extended. He is very curious, which often gets him into trouble or (unknowingly) causes problems for the group. Like Sokka, Momo will eat mysterious items to see what they are. Unlike Appa, Momo doesn't always understand human speech. When a part of an episode is shown from his point of view, he hears humans talking in unidentifiable mumbles. Momo is very loyal to Aang, helping him with tasks and even in joining Aang in battle. He also seems to be very close to Appa, another of a species closely related to the Air Nomad culture. Appa and Momo seem capable of understanding and communicating with each other as well. Momo seems to be very compassionate to others, even if they have done him wrong. In "Tales of Ba Sing Se," a trio of pygmy pumas chased after Momo until the four of them were captured by a man hoping to sell them for meat. Momo easily escaped due to his opposable thumbs, but as he left, he turned to see the pygmy pumas leaning against the cage, wishing for his help. Without a second thought, Momo freed them as well and they repaid his kindness by leading him to a footprint of Appa. Aang named Momo for the Japanese word for "peach," the fruit which Momo seized from Sokka shortly before being named. He had even already been drawn eating a peach only for them to later find out that 'momo' was 'peach' in Japanese. The name Momo is also a common name for pets and such in Japan, much like "Fido" or "Lucky".^[2] Momo is also short for the Japanese dwarf flying squirrel, Momonga (モモンガ). A character from the anime Samurai Champloo has one thusly named. In "The Tales of Ba Sing Se," Momo was written as 模模 (Mō Mó) which means "imitate" in Chinese. It also can be seen as the phase in Chinese in which when a word is repeated twice it become a cute reference. So Mo meaning fur is repeated. Avatar co-creator Bryan Konietzko has admitted that Momo is his favorite character to draw, and that a lot of his poses, mannerisms, and overall body language stem from the memories of his childhood cat, Buddy. This explains why Momo is so reminiscent of a typical housecat.^[3]

Fire Lord Ozai

Avatar: The Last Airbender character
Fire Lord Ozai
Nationality	Fire Nation
Gender	Male
Hair color	Black
Eye color	Gold
Position	Fire Lord, Firebending Master
First appearance	Avatar Roku (Winter Solstice, Part 2) (Conversation between Aang and Roku) The Storm (Flashback) The Siege of the North (actual appearance)
Voiced by	Mark Hamill

Fire Lord Ozai is the ruthless Firebender ruler of the Fire Nation (currently for six or seven years), younger brother to General Iroh, son to Fire Lord Azulon and Fire Lady Ilah, and father to Prince Zuko and Princess Azula. He is also the husband of Princess Ursa. A megalomaniac, the current Fire Lord is continuing to lead his country in a century-long war, started by his grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, against the other three nations of the world, the ultimate goal of which is to create a planet-wide empire. Now, the war is in its final stages. By summer's end, Sozin's Comet will return, giving the Fire Nation the power needed to finish the war and conquer all that oppose him. Ozai is power-hungry, ruthless and cruel, even to members of his own family who become obstacles to his goals (as seen in his treatment of his son and his brother Iroh.) Like his daughter, many of his actions indicate a seemingly total lack of conscience. In the Book Two episode "Zuko Alone," it is revealed Ozai is second born, indicating that Iroh should have been Fire Lord by birthright. Ozai however managed to manipulate his way to the throne. After learning that his brother Iroh's son was killed in battle (and that Iroh had lifted his siege of Ba Sing Se in his grief,) Ozai sought an audience with his father Azulon, then the ruling Fire Lord. Ozai attempted to convince Azulon he should inherit the throne due to Iroh's failure at Ba Sing Se and the death of Lu Ten, but Ozai's request was fervently denied. Azulon ordered Ozai to kill Zuko as punishment, but before anything happened, Azulon mysteriously died and Ursa vanished. Later, at Azulon's funeral, Ozai inherited the throne, supposedly on Azulon's dying wish. Despite family ties, even Ozai's son has bore the brunt of his cruelty. Two years before the series began, the then 13 year-old Zuko, his eldest and least-favored, spoke out in Ozai's war room against a general's plan to sacrifice novice troops in pursuit of victory. Angered by his impudence, Ozai demanded Zuko duel in an Agni Kai but when Zuko refused to fight his father and begged for forgiveness, Ozai permanently scarred him. He then exiled Zuko from the Fire Nation, under orders not to return until he had done the impossible: captured the long-lost Avatar. With the Avatar's sudden reappearance as the twelve-year-old Airbender Aang, Ozai became more aggressive in his pursuit of victory. Distrusting his son's competence, he promoted Zuko's greatest rival, Zhao, from Commander to Admiral, possibly knowing that Zhao was fully intent on capturing the Avatar. Unfortunately for Ozai, Admiral Zhao was thwarted in his mission at the North Pole, where he was killed by the Ocean Spirit after killing the Water Tribe's patron Moon Spirit. Ozai immediately blamed this failure on his brother Iroh, who had actually tried to stop Zhao from killing the Spirit. He also saw Zuko at this point as a complete failure, and decided that he did not wish for his son to embarrass him by failing so miserably. Ozai gave his daughter, Azula, the task of capturing both Zuko and Iroh. This latest betrayal caused Zuko and Iroh to cut off their top-knots as a symbol of renunciation of their past and their connection to their homeland. Ozai's face was finally revealed when his son returned home. Ozai expressed great pride in his son, saying that the years of banishment had changed him into what he should be--capable and powerful. He congratulated Zuko for helping Azula conquer Ba Sing Se, for choosing the Fire Nation over Iroh, and most of all for his killing of the Avatar--a praise that shocked Zuko, not because it came from his father, but because it had been Azula who had delivered the blow. Ozai had been misinformed by his daughter. During the eclipse in The Day of Black Sun, Ozai evacuated the Palace City in preparation for the invasion and hid in a heavily guarded underground bunker. Zuko went to the bunker and demanded an audience with Ozai. Zuko had a long conversation where he expressed his anger over Ozai's treatment of him and how he felt the war was unjust, as well as stating what truly happened at Ba Sing Se. Ozai mocked him about how Iroh had influenced him, to which Zuko agreed. Saying he was done trying to earn Ozai's love, Zuko further said that Iroh had been more of a father to him than Ozai and that he would free Iroh and join the Avatar. Ozai challenged Zuko to kill him while he was powerless, but Zuko turned to leave, stating it was not his destiny. Ozai baited him with knowledge of what happened to Zuko's mother. Ozai revealed to Zuko the truth of what had happened when he tried to be granted Iroh's birthright. Azulon had ordered him to kill Zuko as punishment, but Ursa found out and made a deal with Ozai involving Ozai becoming Fire Lord and Zuko's life being spared. For her treason, she was banished. Upon finding out, Zuko asked if she was alive, to which Ozai stated it was possible. The eclipse now over, Ozai attacked Zuko with lightning, but Zuko redirected it and by the time Ozai recovered, Zuko had fled.

Name

• The modern way to write down the official red seal that is placed on all the wanted posters is 烈火國王敖載印寶 (liè huǒ guó wáng áo zǎi yìn bǎo), which translates as "Fire Lord Ozai's official seal." Ozai is written as Áo zǎi (敖載) which in spoken Chinese translates as "haughtily load." However, since it is written on documents, the word 載 (zǎi) comes to mean the word 'year' instead, thus making the translation for Ozai's name as 'haughtily year,' most likely a reference to him being the catalyst for the difficult year setting of the series. Coincidentally, whatever ways Áo zǎi ( 敖載 ) is translated as, it connects well with Iroh's nickname, "The Dragon of the West," due to in Chinese mythology, the dragon is called Áo rùn/jun (敖閏) which translates as 'haughty surplus/intercalary." It may also be a play on the name "Ozymandias," which was another name for the Pharaoh Ramses, who was famous for declaring himself "King of Kings."

Avatar Roku

Avatar: The Last Airbender character
Roku
Nationality	Fire Nation
Gender	Male
Hair color	White (Black originally)
Eye color	Hazel
Position	Avatar (previous incarnation)
First appearance	The Southern Air Temple (statue) Avatar Roku (actual appearance)
Voiced by	James Garrett Andrew Caldwell (Teen Roku)

Avatar Roku was the previous Avatar incarnate (and the Avatar after Kyoshi), and is thus an aspect of Aang's self. Born into the Fire Nation in life, Roku is a benign force in spirit, serving as Aang's adviser and protector throughout the series. During the episode "Avatar Roku (Winter Solstice, Part 2)", Aang was able to communicate with Roku by visiting the Fire Temple that Roku called home 112 years ago. There, Roku explained Aang's responsibilities and why he had to defeat the Fire Lord before the end of summer. He later protects Aang from Admiral Zhao and makes it possible for the group to escape. Roku possesses a spectral animal familiar, a dragon named Fang that served him in life, in the same capacity as Appa does to Aang. Roku came across Fang when he was just a infant, not yet hatched from his egg. Since Fang's parents were gone, Roku chose to raise the young dragon as his own, and the two soon formed an inseparable bond. Loyal to the very end, Fang chose to die at Roku's side and passed into the Spirit World with him. In an attempt to convince Aang that all Avatars make mistakes, he speaks of a time during his Avatar training. He was attempting to master the Avatar State but was unable to concentrate, so he attempted to use the spiritual energy of the winter solstice to enter it. He succeeded, but was unable to control himself. The Fire Sage instructing him freed him. ^[4] Avatar Roku first appears as a statue within a shrine in the episode "The Southern Air Temple," and Aang mentions that although he never met him, he felt a particular connection to his previous incarnation. In the episode "Avatar Roku (Winter Solstice, Part 2)", Aang finally meets the spirit of Roku for the first time. Aang continues to receive guidance from Roku during his journey. In the beginning of the third season, Roku appeared to Aang when he felt like he failed when Ba Sing Se fell. Roku said the failure was really his because he should have foreseen the war and taken steps to prevent it. He then tells Aang he believes it is his destiny to save the world and redeem him. In "The Avatar and the Firelord," Roku speaks to Aang while he and his friends are visiting the island that Roku once lived and further explained his past. It is revealed that as late teens, he and Sozin were best friends, even sharing the same birthday. As they grew older, their views greatly differed and they eventually came into conflict when Sozin attempted to execute his plan to conquer the other nations. Roku stopped him and warned him to never proceed with his plans again. Many years later, Roku is awoken by a volcanic eruption on his home island. Holding off the volcano to allow the villagers to escape, he hangs his head in defeat when another volcano erupts. Sozin arrives to assist him but the volcano proves to much. Roku is incapacitated by toxic gas while they attempt to escape and Sozin leaves him to die, buried by volcanic ash with his dragon, Fang. Perhaps of even more significance is the revelation of the royal family's bloodline; Roku is Zuko and Azula's great-grandfather through their mother's (Princess Ursa) side. Zuko's internal conflict increases in intensity after this revelation, finding it hard to cope with the fact that he is descended from the previous Avatar. The way that Iroh sees it, it is because of those two parts in him (Sozin being evil and Roku being good) that makes Zuko who he is and why he struggles greatly within himself. Despite fully explaining to Aang his past and the history before the war, Roku failed to mention the fact that his own great-grandson was Prince Zuko, the son of Fire Lord Ozai who currently leads the assault against the other nations. Roku's voice actor, James Garrett, narrates an interlude episode, "The Legend So Far," that recaps the first seventeen episodes of the first Avatar season and is also the voice which says "Previously... on Avatar" when it appears before an episode begins. Roku is also silhouetted in the opening sequence of every episode as the Avatar that demonstrates the use of all four elements. The word "roku” (六) means "six" in Japanese.

Suki

Avatar: The Last Airbender character
Suki
Nationality	Earth Kingdom (Kyoshi Island)
Gender	Female
Hair color	Red-brown
Eye color	Blue
Position	Leader of the Warriors of Kyoshi Island, Tessenjutsu expert
Voiced by	Jennie Kwan

Suki is the eldest of the young female village warriors of the Earth Kingdom's Kyoshi Island, in charge of training the younger warriors. She began her training when she was only 8 years old. She is highly adept with war fans, and also seems to possess some skill with the sword. She is strong enough to swim in full armor (as demonstrated in "The Serpent's Pass"). Even though Suki is a tough fighter, she is still very caring and gentle, and even has feelings for Sokka. Suki first appeared when she and her fellow warriors captured Aang and his friends, and then accepted them as guests when they learned Aang was the Avatar. When she defeated the young Sokka in a duel, he was humbled by her skill and turned to her for instruction. The two began to bond over sparring matches, but the lessons were interrupted by a Fire Nation raid led by Prince Zuko. Suki took the head of the Kyoshi Warriors in a counterattack, charging in at Zuko herself, but finding herself, along with Sokka overwhelmed by his Firebending. Sokka then helped her to safety for a brief recovery. During this time, Sokka apologized to her for treating her as a girl and not a warrior; she replied by reminding him that she was not just a warrior, but a girl, too--punctuating this with a kiss on Sokka's cheek. She then returned to the battle to cover the trio's escape. Several months later, in the episode, "Avatar Day," Sokka expresses an interest in seeing her again; he finds, though, that she and the other warriors of Kyoshi have gone off to fight in the war against the Fire Nation. She had said that she wanted to help change the world, and that the three friends had inspired her. Suki makes her reappearance in the second season episode "The Serpent's Pass." She and the other Kyoshi warriors are assisting refugees on their way to Ba Sing Se and decided not to return to Kyoshi Island in hopes of making a difference in the war. Until Aang and his friends meet her at the Serpent's Pass, she has been acting as a security guard at a hidden ferry terminal. When Aang decides to escort a group of stranded travelers through the Serpent's Pass, Suki accompanies them to ensure that they make it through safely. It is during the night they spend on the Serpent's Pass that her feelings for Sokka are made more clear, though he's reluctant to jump into a relationship with her due to his perception at failing to save Princess Yue in the North Pole. At one point during the night Suki goes to kiss him, but Sokka is reluctant to do so under the moon as it reminds him of Yue, and puts Suki off gently by slowly turning his head away. Sokka's feelings change, though, when he sees her demonstrate her capabilities while saving Toph from drowning (with Sokka stuck trying to pull off his boots on the shore). However, his initial reluctance still makes Suki believe that Sokka is no longer interested in her; before she leaves, she tries to apologize to him, believing she acted rashly. Sokka interrupts her with a kiss and softly comments that she talks too much. The two then share one final heartfelt kiss before heading their separate ways. In the flashback episode "Appa's Lost Days," we see her discovering an injured Appa and attempting to get him to Aang, but she is confronted by Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee. The Kyoshi Island Warriors and Azula begin to battle, with the outnumbered Fire Nation girls rapidly gaining the upper hand. Suki takes on Azula herself, but finds herself outmatched. Appa attempts to come to her rescue, but Suki waves a burning branch at him and tells him to find Aang, promising that she and the warriors will be okay. This claim is put into question, though, as Azula attacks once more. Though we do not see how the battle plays out, the Fire Nation trio reappear impersonating Kyoshi warriors in "The Earth King." The next episode reveals that the Kyoshi warriors were defeated in their battle with Azula, and that the disguises used by Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee were stolen from them after their defeat. Suki has not been seen in season three, but in "Day of Black Sun, Part II," when Azula is attempting to distract Aang and his friends from finding Fire Lord Ozai, she tells Sokka that she learned about him from her "favorite prisoner," Suki, and that she had at first been hoping for him to rescue her, but that Suki gave up on Sokka because he never came. This is enough to send Sokka into a rage at Azula, distracting him and the team for the last few minutes they had to find Ozai. Whether Azula was telling the truth or lying is unknown, though it is highly likely that she does have Suki as a captive. Whether or not Suki has forsaken Sokka still remains to be seen. "Suki" translates as 'like' in Japanese and can be applied in the romantic sense. It is also term in Aikido and Kendo for being vulnerable to attack or having flawed technique. Suki appears in "The Warriors of Kyoshi," "The Serpent's Pass," and"Appa's Lost Days." Suki was mentioned in "Avatar Day," "The Earth King," "The Guru," and "The Crossroads of Destiny" as well as the summary of the second book. She was mentioned by Azula as a prisoner in The Day of Black Sun[1].

Ty Lee

Avatar: The Last Airbender character
Ty Lee
Nationality	Fire Nation
Gender	Female
Hair color	Brown
Position	Acrobat, Chin Na or Dian Xue/Kyusho-jitsu Expert
First appearance	Return to Omashu
Voiced by	Olivia Hack

Ty Lee has been a long time friend of Azula and Mai since their time at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. She was the daughter of a nobleman. Her mother had given birth to septuplets, of them which she was one. However she didn't want to be a part of a "matching set", thus she tried to have and keep her own identity and one day ran away to join the circus. Mai has mentioned once that the circus was Ty Lee's calling. In "Zuko Alone" she is seen as a perfectionist in acrobatics just when she was seven, upstaging Azula who punished her by shoving her to the ground. When Azula plays a childish trick on her brother Zuko and friend Mai into falling into the fountain together, Ty Lee says that they are "cute" together. It's unknown when exactly she ran away to the circus, but its presumed that she ran way just before or after Zuko's banishment. She is not a Firebender, but despite this fact she is an effective fighter. Unlike Zuko who sometimes utilizes broadswords and her friend Mai who uses Shuriken-jutsu tools in battle, Ty Lee uses her bare hands to bring down an opponent. She hits her target's pressure points or human structure weak points or chi points (used in acupuncture) or even the term chakra points, to disarm her opponents and paralyze their muscles. She can also prevent benders from bending, simply by blocking their chakra. In the show it's called 'blocking of the qí' which is what happens, but Ty Lee's fighting style is based of a form of Taijutsu. Advanced Taijutsu affects the body externally causing real damage, but Ty Lee uses a form that involves jabbing the opponent from the outside that affects the opponent internally bringing him or her down from the inside and not causing any real damage to them. Ty Lee is carefree and kind, so it is no surprise she uses this form of Taijutsu. In "Return to Omashu," series-present time, Ty Lee has run away to join the circus, but Azula tracks her down and tries to recruit her to assist with the capture of the now-fugitive Zuko and Iroh. However, Ty Lee is happy at the circus and wants to stay, claiming that her "aura has never been pinker!" Azula, in an ostensibly friendly gesture, informs Ty Lee that she will attend that night's performance before leaving. Ty Lee seems rather uneasy about this. During the performance, Azula orders the Ringmaster to set ablaze the net beneath the tightrope on which Ty Lee is performing and to release all of the dangerous animals. Afterwards, Ty Lee informs Azula that there wouldn't be a show the next day, due to the fact that, "the universe is giving me strong hints that it's time for a career change." When Mai later asks her about the circus being her calling, Ty Lee notes that "Azula called a little louder." Ty Lee accompanies Mai and Azula when they go to make a hostage trade (King Bumi for Tom Tom) and, after Mai calls the trade off at Azula's suggestion, she acquits herself well in the ensuing battle using her chi-blocking to disable Katara's Waterbending. Later, when they're leaving the city, Ty Lee, much like in childhood, teases Mai about her affections for Zuko, noting that it will be "interesting" for Mai to see him again. In "The Chase," Ty Lee, Mai, and Azula pursue Aang and his companions, and when Sokka and Katara split from the Avatar, Ty Lee and Mai are charged with tracking down the siblings. Ty Lee and Mai overwhelm the two sleep-deprived siblings easily (this time, Ty Lee strikes Sokka's pressure points, disabling three of his limbs, although recoiling when accidentally striking Sokka's skull), but are then sent flying into a river by an airblast from Appa. In "The Drill," Ty Lee (along with Mai) is with Azula as she oversees the gargantuan drill that the Fire Nation is using to breach the walls of Ba Sing Se. When a small group of elite Earthbenders is sent out to slow the drill, Azula sends Mai and Ty Lee to deal with them. With the help of Mai, Ty Lee makes quick work of the team, easily blocking their chi and disabling them. Later when Aang, Katara, and Sokka are found sabotaging the drill, Ty Lee once again acknowledges Sokka particularly, this time sending him a flirtatious look (to which Sokka responds with a smile, a wave, and a drawled "Hi,"). Once Azula sends Mai and Ty Lee after the fleeing siblings, Ty Lee follows them into the slurry pipeline where Mai refuses to go. However, Katara and Toph bend the water and rock mixture using it to plug up the pipeline while Ty Lee is still in it, thus thwarting her attempt to catch them. During this, Katara (presumably particularly embittered towards Ty Lee because of her ability to impair bending) aggressively insults Ty Lee, calling her a "circus freak." After the drill is destroyed Ty Lee is launched out of the pipeline by the build-up of pressure and slams into a rock platform, but is more or less unharmed. In "Appa's Lost Days," Ty Lee appears when helping Azula attack Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors. In the episode, she shows concern over her looks when she remarks that she was prettier than a Kyoshi warrior she was facing. Towards the end of "The Earth King," the Earth King gives audience to three Kyoshi Island Warriors that are revealed to be Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee in disguise. In "The Crossroads of Destiny," Before Sokka and Toph are captured by then, Ty Lee jumps in front of Sokka calling him "Cutie" to which Sokka appears nervous and states he's 'kinda involved with Suki'. After a successful coup against the government of the Earth Kingdom orchestrated by Azula, Ty Lee is seen trying to teach the Earth King's bear to do a handstand, but Toph earthbends her hands and feet into the floor. She also compliments Azula a lot, saying how good her speech was to the Dai Li, and how admiring the Princess was by planning on taking over Ba Sing Se just with the three of them. Ty Lee next appeared when she, Azula, Mai, and Prince Zuko went to Ember Island for a weekend getaway, Ty Lee is the only one who seems excited about the prospect of sitting on a beach and doing nothing. Modeling a Fire Nation swimsuit, it isn't long before she has a small crowd of admirers around her. Eventually, the attention becomes too much even for her, though, and she disables them all before fleeing to Azula. Azula spitefully calls Ty Lee a tease, and tells her that none of the boys actually like her, causing her to cry. Azula then admits that she was only jealous of Ty Lee's popularity; Ty Lee responded by trying to help her friend talk to boys. Later, Ty Lee is seen sitting with Mai, who had just broken up with Zuko. The girls and Zuko engage in a deep discussion around the campfire about themselves and each other. When he burns a picture of his family, Ty Lee tells Zuko that she knows who he really is. When he turned the comment aside and called her a "circus freak," Ty Lee snapped and tearfully explained her reasons for running away and her fears of being "part of a matched set," finally expressing pride in the fact that she was different enough to be called a "circus freak." Mai theorizes that the lack of attention Ty Lee had in her childhood explains her desire for attention in the present. Through the rest of the conversation, Ty Lee plays no small part in bringing the others' stories to light and generally keeping them together. She finally voices the realization that they have all been "smoothed" and understand each other.

• Ty Lee in Chinese is written as 太力 (tài lì) which translates as 'extreme strength.' In Mandarin, 太 can be pronounced both as tài and dài, although most of the time it depends on the context. This renders the pronunciation of Ty Lee and the Dai Li identical. "Ty" being similar to "tai" could be a reference to her fighting in practicing taijutsu.

Princess Yue

Avatar: The Last Airbender character
Princess Yue
Nationality	Water Tribe
Gender	Female
Hair color	White (originally brown)
Eye color	Blue
Position	Princess of the Northern Water Tribe, Moon Spirit
First appearance	The Waterbending Master
Voiced by	Johanna Braddy

Princess Yue is the sixteen-year-old daughter of Chief Arnook, ruler of the North Pole's Northern Water Tribe. Yue was born with a terrible sickness, and her parents feared she would die. Arnook prayed to the Moon Spirit, and placed her in the Tribe's spirit oasis. The Moon Spirit gifted her with part of its own life force, curing her and turning her brown hair white as a side-effect. Thus, her parents named her Yue, after the moon. On Yue's sixteenth birthday, the Avatar and his friends arrived at the North Pole. Sokka was smitten with her at first sight, and the two soon began to arrange meetings. An affection slowly began to form between the two, but unfortunately Yue was bound to an arranged marriage to Hahn, a shallow young warrior with more love for high status than for Princess Yue. Sokka and Yue came to realize their love for each other, but Yue could not bear to continue their meetings because they conflicted so with her duty to her tribe. Yet both of their feelings persisted, and during Admiral Zhao's siege of the Northern Water Tribe, Sokka was ordered by Arnook to act as Princess Yue's bodyguard. Princess Yue helped Aang to enter the Spirit World by leading him and Katara to the spirit oasis. Yue watched as he entered the Spirit World, but ran to get aid when Prince Zuko appeared to abduct the Avatar. She and Sokka returned too late to prevent Zuko from succeeding, but Yue accompanied Katara and Sokka in tracking the two of them down on Appa. Upon their return to the spirit oasis, they were confronted by Zhao, who fatally struck the Moon Spirit's corporeal form, leaving all Waterbenders powerless without the moon's influence. Princess Yue once again acted to carry out her duty to her tribe, and sacrificed herself in order to give back the life the Moon Spirit had given her as a child. Her sacrifice came against Sokka's protests, but in the end the young warrior was unable to stop her. Princess Yue touched the dead spirit with her hands, and her life force left her body to restore the Spirit. Her task done, Yue's body fell into Sokka's arms, and then vanished as the spirit's mortal form returned to life. As soon as the Moon Spirit entered the water, an image of Princess Yue rose from the pond and shared one final kiss with Sokka, then vanished completely as the moon returned to the sky. Several times following her death, Yue's influence on Sokka returned. In "The Swamp," Sokka, under the place's mystical influence, experienced a vision of her. The vision of Princess Yue despondently told Sokka that he failed to protect her, but this was merely a manifestation of his fear that she truly felt this way. In "The Desert," Sokka directly referred to the moon as Yue in the intoxicated state brought about by drinking cactus juice. Finally, when Sokka and Suki nearly kissed in "The Serpent's Pass," a waning gibbous moon was visible in the background, alluding to Princess Yue's presence, and Sokka's memories of her death prompted him to act overly protective of Suki. In the online game, "Escape From the Spirit World," after the battle beneath Ba Sing Se, Aang met Yue in the Spirit World. She informed him of the damage that has taken place to the Avatar Spirit and how to return to his body, further instructing him to seek out the past four Avatars while avoiding Koh. Though he retained no memory of this meeting, she appeared to Aang once more in "The Awakening," to encourage him not to lose hope and to continue fighting. She then assisted him in his impressive feat of Waterbending to get himself to safety, utilizing her powers as the Moon Spirit to create an enormous wave. In, "The Puppetmaster," when Toph suggested the reason for the disappearances was that "Maybe the Moon Spirit just turned mean," Sokka immediately lashed back, calling Yue a gentle loving lady who ruled the sky with "lunar goodness," indicating he still has not forgotten about her.

• Yuè (月) means "Moon" in Chinese.

Admiral Zhao

Avatar: The Last Airbender character
Zhao
Nationality	Fire Nation
Gender	Male
Hair color	Dark Brown
Eye color	Gold
Position	Admiral, Firebending Master
First appearance	The Southern Air Temple
Voiced by	Jason Isaacs

Admiral Zhao, (formerly Commander and Captain), was a ruthless, driven leader in the Fire Navy, and a powerful Firebender. Arrogant and hungry for power and glory, throughout the first season he was Prince Zuko's rival in the Fire Nation's quest to capture Aang, the Avatar. He harbored intense feelings of anger towards Zuko, and it is clear when he is first introduced that they have some history, though the specifics of their past are never revealed. He is a recurring character throughout Book One to the point that Sokka can accurately describe Zhao's appearance, personality ("middle-aged, big sideburns, bigger temper"), and modes of operation to the warriors of the Northern Water Tribe.

History

In his youth, Zhao studied under the now-renegade Firebending master Jeong Jeong, but stayed under his tutelage only as long as necessary to learn destructive techniques, rejecting Jeong Jeong's attempts to teach him discipline. This lack of self-control, combined with a fiery temper, resulted in a tendency to make foolish mistakes when provoked. Any endeavor Zhao took was in the name of his own ego, and own self-gratification. As a Lieutenant serving under General Shu in the Earth Kingdom, Zhao discovered a vast hidden underground library, later revealed to be the library of the spirit Wan Shi Tong. Interested to learn the information it held, he searched through scroll after scroll until he came across a detailed illustration with the words "moon" and "ocean". It was then and there that he learned about the Moon and Ocean Spirits of the Water Tribe, and where their mortal incarnations could be found. After this, he believed it was his destiny to destroy them. Zhao rose through the ranks over the years, from Lieutenant to Captain to Commander and then finally to Admiral. This last promotion was granted by Fire Lord Ozai himself. Zhao was a witness to Zuko's Agni Kai defeat and scarring at the hands of his father, and was shown taking great joy in Zuko's suffering by calling him the banished prince.

Story

Underestimating those younger than himself, Zhao was repeatedly bested by both Aang and Zuko. He once suffered defeat at Zuko's hands in an Agni Kai, which intensified their rivalry, and Aang escaped from Zhao on three separate occasions. Shortly after the Avatar's return to the world, Zhao was commanding a number of Fire Nation ships forming a blockade between Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom waters. During this time, the Avatar tried to cross into Fire Nation territory to reach Avatar Roku's Temple. Zhao ordered his ships to open fire upon the Avatar, without concern for hitting Prince Zuko's ship, which was in pursuit of the Avatar at the time. Aang managed to pass the blockade and, presuming Zuko to know Aang's destination, Zhao allowed Zuko to follow him. He tracked Zuko's boat to Avatar Roku's temple and, because he had been forbidden to re-enter Fire Nation territory, arrested Zuko along with the Avatar's companions. However, due to Aang's contact with Avatar Roku, Zhao is instead forced to flee while the temple was destroyed. Zhao managed to escape, but with no Prince or Avatar he attempted to save face by declaring all of the Fire Sages traitors, despite their protests that only one of their number had helped the Avatar. Later, in The Blue Spirit, in a Fire Nation fortress in the Earth Kingdom, Zhao requested that Colonel Shinu, commander of the fortress, use the legendary Yu Yan Archers to help capture the Avatar. Zhao insisted Shinu was wasting their talents in using them as security guards, but Shinu scoffed that Zhao's hunt for the Avatar was nothing more than a vanity project. However, a message arrived from Fire Lord Ozai; promoting Zhao to Admiral, which made his request an order due to his new rank, and Shinu quickly submitted. Zhao began to use his position to hinder his rival, Zuko, by blockading the port they anchored. Zuko began to despair of ever returning home, as Zhao's far greater resources gave him a great advantage in capturing the Avatar. The Yu Yan Archers successfully captured Aang, and brought him to the fortress. Zhao, confident that the Avatar was defeated, gave a speech to the soldiers of the fortress forecasting the ultimate Fire Nation victory. Unbeknownst to him, a blue masked warrior infiltrated the fortress and freed the Avatar. Together, they fought past the guards and escaped to the last gate, where the soldiers managed to corner the two combatants. Zhao ordered the Avatar captured alive, as otherwise he would simply reincarnate and trouble the Fire Nation in a new life, when the Blue Spirit (as the masked warrior was later known) held Aang hostage at sword point. Zhao was forced to give the order to let them pass through gate. After hearing reports of the Avatar being seen in a Fire Nation town during a festival (The Deserter), he began searching the nearby rivers. There he confronted his old master Jeong Jeong, and proclaimed that living in the wild had reduced his old master to a savage. Jeong Jeong retorted saying that it was Zhao who had embraced savagery, representing the unrestrained destructiveness of Firebending. Jeong Jeong warned Zhao not to confront the Avatar, but Zhao ignored these warnings, arrogantly stating that he could defeat a child. Aang was surprised to learn that Zhao was the enlightened Jeong Jeong's student, and used what he learned about Zhao's temper to continually egg the Admiral on until a raging Zhao was tricked into destroying a convoy of his own ships, proving his own lack of restraint and focus was against him. Again Aang escaped, leaving a humiliated Zhao brooding over his failings. Still chaffing from his Agni Kai defeat, Zhao discovered that Zuko was the vigilante thief, the Blue Spirit. Determined to eliminate further interference, Zhao ordered a group of pirates to engineer a (failed) assassination attempt on Prince Zuko be blowing up his ship. Afterward, he led a large invasion force in a siege of the North Pole, for the dual purposes of capturing the Avatar and destroying the Northern Water Tribe. Fully aware that the Waterbenders draw their powers from the moon at night, Zhao attacked during the day, capitalizing on the weakened state of the Waterbenders. On the second day of the siege, Zhao's forces managed to penetrate the city's walls. Having previously come across Wan Shi Tong's library, Zhao discovered an ancient scroll which detailed the mortal forms of the Moon (Tui) and Ocean (La) Spirits. Knowing that they could be killed, Zhao used the assault of his troops as a diversion while he and a small team made their way to the Spirit Oasis on the second night of the siege. Upon arriving, Zhao bagged the Moon Spirit koi fish, causing a lunar eclipse which negated Waterbending abilities. Confronted by Aang's group and Iroh, they begged him not to kill the Tui, as killing the moon spirit would upset the natural balance of the world. Despite the warnings and a Iroh threatening to kill him, Zhao let his ego get the better of him and chose to eliminate Tui and fled. The slaying of the Moon aroused the ire of La, the Ocean Spirit. Merging with Aang's Avatar State, the Ocean Spirit and Aang proceeded to vanquish Zhao's entire fleet. Foiled in his escape by the appearance of Zuko, who confronted the Admiral about the attempted assassination, Zhao fought the prince until the Moon Spirit was restored by Yue's sacrifice, during which Zuko clearly gained the upper hand over Zhao. Seeing the return of its ally, the Ocean Spirit left Aang and returned to the Spirit Oasis. Before reaching the Oasis, however, La reached from one of the canals and grabbed Zhao from the surface. Unwilling to accept help from Zuko, Zhao was carried underwater by the Ocean Spirit. Zuko was the only person to witness his death.^[5]

References

•  • e Avatar: The Last Airbender
Characters	Aang · Katara · Sokka · Toph · Appa · Zuko · Iroh · Azula Major secondary characters · Secondary recurring characters · Creatures
Universe	Water Tribe · Earth Kingdom · Fire Nation · Air Nomads · Spirit World Waterbending · Earthbending · Firebending · Airbending · Chakra · Avatar State
Franchise	Episodes · Media information · Trading cards · Avatar: The Last Airbender (video game) · The Burning Earth