#loser lord ozai

[guardianoftheearth]

Son and Father

The villan/affectionate and THE Villain

[privatefire]

It runs in the family.

And then there is Uncle Iroh who operates on a whole other level.

[trivial-writing]

I’m back! It’s earlier than I expected. Here’s some updates with the family before we get into the main topic of the post: my brother’s spouse is now cishet. She is currently in therapy right now with my brother. The younger of my older brothers stayed at our house instead of moving out.

On to the main topic of the post. Masculinity and femininity in Avatar the Last Airbender. More specifically, the parallelism between Ozai, Hakoda, and Iroh for masculinity. As for femininity, I want to look at Kya and Ursa. This is mainly going to look at the effects of lacking masculine and feminine figures in a family and how loss affects individuals in the family.

If your tiktok and youtube shorts algorithm is anything like mine, then you keep seeing the Fresh and Fit and Whatever podcasts spew absolute mockery of what they think being a “man” is like. If I were on those podcasts, I would call them boys, because that’s what they are. They are not men. They are boys in a man’s body.

Iroh, however, is a man. He has patience, compassion, confidence, loyalty, wisdom, joy, and other positive traits. HE is the peak of masculinity. I remember when watching Overanalyzing Avatar’s Day of Black Sun analysis, something caught my attention. He said that Iroh was Zuko’s loving father figure and Ozai was Zuko’s actual father. I would disagree. Ozai is Zuko’s fake father. Iroh is Zuko’s actual father. When Zuko lashes out, Iroh doesn’t clap back with equal aggression. When Zuko leaves Iroh, Iroh doesn’t prevent his “nephew” from choosing his decision. Iroh follows Zuko until the “The Chase.” He doesn’t tell Zuko anything. He lets Zuko make his own decisions. After Zuko betrays Iroh, Iroh isn’t mad at his son. He’s sad. He mourns the fact that, in a sense, he lost another son. He mourns Zuko’s path of destruction. After Zuko leaves his first prison visit, we see Iroh crying in his cell. During Tales of Ba Sing Se, Iroh spends his biological son’s, Lu Ten’s, birthday tending to other young males, things Iroh would’ve wanted to do with Lu Ten. I’m sure of it. Soon, the writers reveal that it was Lu Ten’s birthday. Iroh finds a setting like Lu Ten’s grave. Then, one of the best songs committed to lyrical music for television plays. Iroh doesn’t blame Lu Ten’s death on the Earth Kingdom like Jet did with the Fire Nation and his parents. Instead, he blames himself. In Sozin’s Comet Part Two: The Old Masters, when Zuko comes to apologizes to Iroh, he is on his hands and knees pleading for forgiveness. He cries with a raspy voice. And in that moment, Zuko is immediately taken in a warm embrace with his loving father figure. Zuko is baffled saying, “How can you forgive me so easily? I thought you would be furious with me.” To which, Iroh, a true father, a true man, says, “I was never mad at you. I was sad because I thought you lost your way.” He is proud in Zuko that Zuko found his way on his own. Iroh doesn’t take that time to praise himself. He focuses on Zuko. Zuko, the son he found after he lost his previous one. Zuko, the son who wnet away just like Lu Ten. But the difference here is that Zuko, Little Soldier boy, Brave Soldier boy, came marching home.

Speaking of that Zuko scene, let’s trash talk about the Fire Loser Lord. Like I said earlier in Iroh’s section, Ozai is Zuko’s fake father, if you can even call them that. In The Storm, the origin of Zuko’s scar is revealed. A thirteen year old boy wants to be a good Fire Lord, and in doing so, he finds his way into the Fire Lord’s meeting room. Zuko stays quiet as told by his true father until a general devises a terrible plan. Zuko is challenged to an Agni Kai. He is confident because he thinks he’ll fight the general. Instead, he steps up to the ring and finds his father. He is on his hands and knees, begging his father for forgiveness. Ozai, the absolute monster, seeing his SON on his hands and knees, decides to burn his face. He says suffering will be your teacher.” When Zuko kidnaps Aang in the North Pole, he reveals Ozai told his SON that “she was born lucky … I was lucky to be born.” That is not a father, let alone a man. Please tell me, how is Ozai a man? How is Ozai a father? Can you call Ozai a father? I think not. But Zuko is not the only victim to Ozai’s “parenting.” Azula too is a victim. In the first or second part of Sozin’s Comet (i forgot) it is revealed how she is afraid of her father. The very idea of her father leaving her behind. She is afraid of Ozai treating her like Zuko. She is a mere puppet to Ozai. Ozai manipulates her to find joy in being Fire Lord, a clear downgrade to being the Phoenix Princess. Ozai molds her into being daddy’s little monster. I’m not a psychologist, but I think Azula has problems with perfection. She can’t face the idea of her being imperfect in her father’s eyes. She tries hard to please her father. She tries to please him as much as she can. Now, I don’t really call the comics cannon. I think it’s inconsistent to the show, but I really like Ursa’s backstory. She is forced into an unhealthy marriage. There are subtle undertones of sexual abuse. She is walking on egg shells with Ozai. May I pose another question? How is Ozai a husband? Can you call Ozai a husband? I can’t. It’s impossible. With Hakoda next, I want to mention this parallelism, Ozai has two children. A firstborn son and second born daughter. The daughter catches the attention of everyone while the son is viewed as a lower individual to his sister. Ozai sends both of his children away. He forces his children to fight. He sends CHILDREN to a war. Not just CHILDREN, but his own BLOOD RELATED CHILDREN.

Now, let’s look at Hakoda. Hakoda is a chieftain. His children consists of a firstborn son, a nonbender, and a gifted waterbending daughter. Katara, the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe. Hakoda nurtures both his children. He treats Sokka as an equal to Katara. He favors both of them. He ensures one child is treated the same as the other. Hakoda goes out to fight in the war. In Bato of the Southern Water Tribe, a flashback shows how mich of a man Hakoda is. Sokka wants to fight in the war. Hakoda stops his son. In Hakoda’s willingness to protect his children, he forces Sokka to stay home, and protect his sister and the rest of the tribe, probably assuming the war wouldn’t affect the tribe anymore, with the Fire Nation assuming the last Waterbender is dead. Hakoda forces his kids to stay home while he fights in war. Ozai forces his kids to fight while he sits on his throne, like a scared little boy. As a reiteration, Hakoda forces his kids to stay home, safe and sound, while he fights to protect others, like a protector and true father. Hakoda tells his children how proud he is of them and says how their mother would be too. Like a true man, Hakoda fosters care for his children, teaches his children, and supports his children.

Hakoda and Iroh are true men. True fathers. Ozai is a coward. Ozai is a monster. Ozai is a child in a man’s body. Ozai is a 30-ish (i’m guessing his age) child who steals the honor of the 16-17 year old man that is somehow related to him.

As for femininity, Ursa isn’t the angel some people and even the writers want to push. Ursa didn’t even bother trying to steer Azula to the right path. If Ursa had given Azula the same amount of guidance that she did with Zuko, Azula would’ve gotten the redemption arc she deserved. Ursa plays favorites with Zuko while Azula suffers. Azula needed a proper mother figure. Ursa is a woman that shows the virtues of femininity. She is caring, wise, protective, proactive, reactive, durable, and supportive, but her folly is in how, or rather who, she shows her femininity to. A true mother would nurture both her children no matter what. Ursa isn’t as terrible as Ozai, but she’s not an angel either.

A better mother figure could be Kya. We don’t know much about her, but what we can gleam from her very few appearances and the comics to my chagrin, she was caring. In the Southern Raiders, it is her care for her child that makes her lay down her life for the sake of her child. Kya does have favoritism towards Katara over Sokka, but I can be completely wrong. Kya is firm in handling Yon Rha. Unlike what toxic masculinity says, Kya is firm. She is also a protector. She doesn’t marry Hakoda for status. It’s clear in North and South that she married Hakoda out of true love. Hakoda married Kya not for her to be child bearer, but as a person who can care for him and he for her.

A very important theme in Avatar is how war affects the household. It is the lack of positive feminine and masculine figures in Sokka’s life that makes him sexist in the first few episodes of the show. It is the lack of a healthy parental figure in Azula’s life that makes Azula mentally breakdown. It is Ozai’s lack of fraternal care that pots Zuko and Azula against each other in the Final Agni Kai. It is Ozai’s lack of true masculinity that steers Zuko away from the path his mother and Iroh set him to follow. It is the lack of a maternal figure in Katara’s life that forces her to mature into a simile of what a feminine mother is. I didn’t really talk about Toph’s parents here, but the same applies here too. It is Toph’s parents’ lack of personal quality time that makes her leave. It’s her parents’s lack of understanding and open mindedness that forces them to see their daughter as a fragile object. Objectification can go in many ways. Whether it be in lust, in utility (think Azula), in entertainment (Zuko and Ozai probably), and, in Toph’s case, false care and compassion.

[fanby-fckry]

[ID: Screenshot from the Avatar: the Last Airbender episode, The Headband depicting Fire Nation school children reacting with shock/horror/disgust at one of Aang’s historically accurate answers while undercover in class // End ID]

Ozai is so pathetic, like that “take his bending away haha he’s harmless now” trick would never have worked on Zuko, if you took his bending away he’d just grab his swords and come at you twice as hard, Azula doesn’t have swords or anything but she’s pretty good at hand to hand and amazing at talking her way out of problems, Iroh bust himself out of prison with no bending at all, meanwhile Ozai? Gets his bending taken away and then just collapses, doesn’t even try anymore, then just sits in prison and tries to get into Zuko’s head some more, he could have trained up and tried to break out too! But no! Bet he can’t break steel bars with his bare hands. Bet he can’t kick a steel lever in two. Bet he can’t even do a flip.

Also we never really see him do any really impressive firebending apart from when he has magic comet power, I guesss he shoots some lightning at Zuko, but that’s it and Azula is still better at the lightning thing. Azula has blue flames. Zuko can do firebreakdancing and bend with his swords. Does Ozai, who is not 14 years old, have blue flames? No he doesn’t.

He didn’t even do his coup himself, Ursa had to kill Azulon for him! Could have just challenged Iroh to an Agni Kai for the throne but he didn’t bc he knew he’d lose.

And then he only ruled for like 6 years! He lost a war that had been going on for 100 years bc of a bunch of kids.

Loserlord indeed

[ruindunburnit]

[cienie-isengardu]

You. I see you. After all the years, I finally see you, Ozai. You're just a small, small man trying with all your might to be big. Your heart is so small, you've no room for your son or your daughter, or your brother... or even yourself. [Avatar The Last Airbender: Smoke and Shadow]

[bluespiritshonour]

Ozai tried to intimidate a 12-year-old with his abs. And when it didn't work he proceeded to get his arse beaten up by the said 12-year-old.

[awkwardpenguinproductions]

brb, losing my mind and going feral and all that jazz

Atla nation, come get y'all's juice

[wileycap]

Selected Excerpts From The Fire Nation Royal Palace Servants' (Unofficial) Handbook

Or: Revisions To Normal Protocol After The Ascension Of Agni's Exalted Flame, The Dragon Of The Sun, et cetera, Fire Lord Zuko

1. Agni's Exalted Flame, The Dragon Of The Sun, et cetera, Fire Lord Zuko should not be referred to by his full titles and styles, no matter the context. This appears to annoy him. "Fire Lord Zuko" and "Lord Zuko" are acceptable, as well as "your majesty" and "my Lord".

1.1 "Lord Hotman", however, is unacceptable.

1.2. Even if the Avatar specifically requests you to address Fire Lord Zuko as that.

1.3. In fact, any attempts by the Avatar, the Lady Beifong, the honorable Tribesman Sokka or even Master Katara to get you to address Fire Lord Zuko by anything other than his proper title should be disregarded.

1.4. Referring to Ozai of the Fire Nation (titles rmvd, dishon.) as "The Loser Lord", however, is acceptable.

2. Fire Lord Zuko is aware of the concept of mortality, but does not seem to understand how it relates to His Majesty. Following activities should be discouraged: Free climbing, glider usage, contact with exotic animals larger than a turtleduck (or smaller, if the animal is known to be venomous), amateur theatre productions, cooking, sailing, spelunking, botany, please see full list in the Matron's office.

2.1. It should be noted that His Majesty's belief that mortality does not apply to him does not appear to be completely unfounded. After several "close calls", it has been decided that upon his demise, Fire Lord Zuko should lie in state for at least two weeks.

2.1.1. We do not want another incident.

3. The turtleducks in the Western Pond do not need to be fed by the servants any more.

3.1. However, the turtleducks should be rotated out at regular intervals in order to prevent overfeeding.

4. At any official social functions, at least three servants should be vigilant in case His Majesty tries to tell a joke.

4.1. It should be noted that there is no concern for His Majesty's jokes being offensive, crass or otherwise contrary to good taste. They are simply very bad. His Majesty always ends up embarrassed.

5. Any children left unattended in the Royal Palace for more than 15 degrees can be retrieved from the Fire Lord's office.

6. Should His Majesty go missing, the following places should be searched: roofs and any high places, cellars and secret passages, the fur of the Avatar's sky bison (which is surprisingly deep), and every place that an ordinary five-year-old would think to hide in during a game of "Hide and Explode."

6.1. All of the Imperial Firebenders as well as any soldier who wears a mask during the course of their duties should be questioned.

6.1.1. Important note: Some of the soldiers who are especially close to His Majesty can perform a passable imitation of him. Efforts should be made to prevent an uneducated soldier from, say, conducting a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture.

6.2. After the recent incident, that list is expanded to include the Kyoshi Warriors and any other groups that might wear concealing full face paint.

6.3. If all of these measures prove ineffective, a letter should be sent to The Dragon of the West, Prince Iroh, asking His Highness to return His Majesty.

6.4. If a ransom note is delivered, it should be immediately checked against the handwriting samples from the honorable Tribesman Sokka as well as Avatar Aang, before any other actions are taken.

6.4.1. Replying "Good luck, he's your problem now" to a ransom note is absolutely unacceptable.

6.4.1.1. To further drive home the point, the Royal Archives are required by law to preserve every single piece of royal correspondence. That thing will end up in a museum.

This handbook will be updated should it prove necessary.

[jdeo1997]

A little thing I like in Reckoning of Roku is that it confirmed that Fire Lords have to be fire benders, which means that Aang removing Ozai's bending wasn't just him managing to keep his air nomad convictions, but fully stripping the loser lord of his claim to the Fire Nation throne

[krimsonrose]

I find it interesting that the Royal Fire Fam’s lightning all looks different from each other.

Iroh’s lightning has thin barely jagged lines, kind of wispy as well and colored in a very very light shade of blue.

Azula’s actually looks like real lightning. Bright blue with the correct jagged lines you’d expect to see.

And then you have this loser lord. Ozai is out here with just pure anime lightning, with it being filled with thin super jagged lines in white. Makes me think of Raiden from (the 1995 movie) Mortal Kombat’s lightning.

Do you think the way they are generating the lightning makes it look different? As in their state of mind as well as the style of firebending? I just want an actual in-universe answer for this besides being told it’s a stylized choice like with Azula’s blue fire.

[izunias-meme-hole]

Loser Fire Lord Ozai Appreciation Post

[cienie-isengardu]

What if Lu Ten wasn't a firebender?

Lu Ten’s death is the turning point in history of Iroh, his relationship with Zuko and Ozai’s rise to power while we barely knows anything about him as a character. Including whether he was firebender or not and I admit, it bugs me a lot, because Lu Ten being a non-bender could add a lot to the conflict between brothers but also explain Iroh’s fondness for his nephew.

We know that as a son of Iroh, Lu Ten was the second-in-line to the throne and that he fought at war in Ba Sing Sai. His death broke Iroh and saddened Ursa and little Zuko, however Azulon himself never said anything suggesting he loved his grandson (and heir) in any special way. When Ozai asked to be named the Crown Prince, Azulon only talked about Iroh - his first-born (beloved) son and Iroh’s pain, never saying how he personally, if ever, was affected by Lu Ten’s death.

Azulon: Say what it is you want! Ozai: Father, revoke Iroh's birthright. I am your humble servant, here to serve you and our nation. Use me. Azulon: You dare suggest I betray Iroh? My first born? Directly after the demise of his only beloved son? I think Iroh has suffered enough! But you ... your punishment has scarcely begun!

What Ozai did was not only foolish for pragmatic reasons - especially if Azulon always favored Iroh, but also very tactless, showing how little he cared for Lu Ten, his nephew or Iroh, his older brother. Through Zuko’s memories we could see that Azula already thought their “dad would make a much better Fire Lord than His Royal Tea-Loving Kookiness [Zuko Alone]”. Considering how Ursa and Zuko are fond of Iroh and Lu Ten, it is logical to think Azula’s opinion is rooted in Ozai’s ambitions and disdain for Iroh.

Additionally, Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Search comics provided us some insight into Zuko’s childhood: Ozai wanted to get rid of his son because he thought the baby “lacked a spark” and having a non-bender for a first born was embarrassing for Prince of Fire Nation.

When you were born, we weren't sure if you were bender at all. You didn't have that spark in your eyes. I planned to cast you from the palace. How embrassing for a prince of the Fire Nation to have a nonbender as his firstborn! [The Search, part II]

As the story explained, Ozai on purpose emotionally abused and humiliated Zuko, as a revenge against Ursa, so we should ask if what he said was a widely accepted truth or just him taking another chance to make his son (and wife)’s life a living hell. However if Ozai’s words are true, then if Lu Ten was born as non-bender he would be considered an embarrassment to Iroh’s bloodline. Yet since Azulon accepted him as his grandson and thus put in line of succession, especially if Azulon did it solely out for love for his firstborn, then it makes sense for Ozai to resent Iroh (the favored son) and Lu Ten (the non-bender nephew Ozai would be forced to serve in future).

Interestingly, child Azula provided another detail to ponder more about the idea of non-bender Lu Ten:

Young Azula: If Uncle doesn't make it back from war, then Dad will be next in line for Fire Lord, wouldn't he? Ursa: Azula, we don't speak that way. It would be awful if Uncle Iroh didn't return. And besides, Fire Lord Azulon is a picture of health. Young Zuko: How would you like it if cousin Lu Ten wanted Dad to die? Young Azula: I still think our dad would make a much better Fire Lord than His Royal Tea-Loving Kookiness.

If Iroh didn’t make it back from war, logically thinking the title of next Fire Lord should be bestowed on his son. However Azula wholly ignored her cousin’s existence and this scene took place before news of Lu Ten’s death. Surprisingly, Ursa does not correct Azula about the line of succession and like her daughter, she omits Lu Ten. Understandably, Ursa was taken aback by such a question, but still no one from the Royal Family presented here seems to consider Iroh’s son to be next in line.  

Zuko is literally the only one person who remembers about Lu Ten’s existence but like the rest of his family, not in the context of the succession line. Which I admit, confuse me a lot, because in the same episode Ozai specifically ask for Iroh’s birthright arguing his older brother lost his heir, while Ozai’s children are alive (and Azula presented as amazing firebender at such young age).

Ozai: Father, you must have realized as I have, that with Lu Ten gone, Iroh's bloodline has ended. After his son's death, my brother abandoned the siege at Ba Sing Se, and who knows when he will return home. But I am here, Father, and my children are alive. 

To my knowledge, here is little solid data about Lu Ten but… if Lu Ten was born as non-bender - the shame to Royal Family - but was still put by Azulon before Ozai in the line of succession, it adds a lot to Ozai’s frustration and resentment for Iroh, the clearly favored son, and fuels the competition between brothers for Azulon’s favor. To the point Ozai will push hard his own children to their limits and beyond, because of the need to prove his heirs are better than Iroh’s. And with Azula, the second child being the prodigy firebender, while Iroh’s own can’t bend a fire for sure comes a great deal of satisfaction and most likely Ozai’s arrogance rubbed on little Azula toward her cousin. Which could meant Ozai didn’t pit his own kids against each other, but also pit Azula against Lu Ten.

On the other hand, Zuko and Lu Ten were implied to have a good relationship. We saw Iroh, baby Zuko and little Lu Ten playing together on the beach or that Zuko was genuinely sad about his cousin’s death and fact Iroh lost his only kid. We also know Zuko struggled a lot with firebending and father’s high exceptions (though we have no idea how good a firebender he was compared to other children his age. We only know he was bad compared to firebending prodigal Azula). If Lu Ten was the “embarrassment” for being non-bender and Zuko the “failure” compared to younger sister, their bond could be based on similar hardship they were forced to endure. Beside Iroh, from all family members, within the context of presented flashbacks and little bits here and there, Zuko seemed to have the closest relationship with his older cousin. The moment Lu Ten is dead, Ozai is already trying to get the throne.  Azula barely cared for Lu Ten and mocked Iroh for being broken by son’s death (no doubt Ozai’s influences). Ursa was upset about the news of Lu Ten’s death, but she barely mentions him beside that one moment. Azulon has never openly said he is upset by his grandson's death or that it is a great loss to Fire Nation - he only cared for Iroh’s pain. 

So if Zuko and Lu Ten (non-bender) had any resemblance of normal family relationship, I think it would naturally make Iroh like the boy despite the bitter brotherhood with Ozai, especially if his nephew did not look down on Lu Ten’s lack of firebending. What most likely would just add another reason for Ozai to resent Zuko (and maybe for Iroh to not be fond his niece?)

Which is why I like the idea of Lu Ten being non-bender - it mess even more already messed up Royal Family relationship. 

[alicianaidoo1234]

Ozai's Funeral

**Zuko:** (Stands at the podium, trying to compose himself)

**Azula:** (Whispering from the back) Just get it over with, loser.

**Zuko:** (Clears his throat) Dear friends, family, and especially my loving father...

**Crowd:** (Murmurs of confusion)

**Zuko:** (Smiling broadly) I mean, my late father, Fire Lord Ozai. May he rest in...well, wherever he ended up.

**Azula:** (Chuckling) The Fire Nation's version of hell, I hope.

**Zuko:** (Trying to suppress his laughter) We gather here today to mourn the passing of a man who...had a certain...impact on our lives.

**Crowd:** (Starts to giggle)

**Zuko:** (Struggling to maintain his composure) Some might say he was a...challenging individual. Others might even go so far as to describe him as...

**Azula:** (Yelling from the back) A tyrannical monster!

**Zuko:** (Bursting into laughter) Yes, I believe that accurately sums it up.

**Crowd:** (Erupts in laughter)

**Zuko:** (Wiping away tears of laughter) But despite our...differences, I cannot deny that he was my father. And as such, I feel a certain...sense of closure now that he is gone.

**Azula:** (Standing up) Can we just burn the body already? I'm getting bored.

**Zuko:** (Nodding) Ah, yes, the cremation. Azula, would you do the honors?

**Azula:** (Smirking) With pleasure.

**Zuko:** (Watches as Azula blasts a blue flame towards Ozai's coffin)

**Crowd:** (Cheers and applauds)

**Zuko:** (To himself) Well, that was...interesting. At least now we can finally move on from the nightmare that was Ozai's reign.

**Azula:** (Returning to her seat) And don't forget, Zuko. You still have to deal with me.

**Zuko:** (Groaning) Oh, joy.

[writer-rider-flirty-thirties]

Sokka after their double wedding as they leave Ozai broken in his tiny little cell:

Zutara and Sokkla happening at the same is enough to finally break Ozai.

[sokkastyles]

Re: Iroh in the army and Ozai not, i thought about it, and realized it fits well with my headcanon/fan canon about Azulon. I see him as the original Loser Lord so to speak, a petty narcissistic tyrant who stole other people's accomplishments to make himself look good while having a seriously inflated view of his natural talents. He never had any military experience himself -- his mother (Sozin's daughter and heir, hence the fan canon) was afraid of getting usurped, and thought giving her son the chance to win over the army was too risky, and sent Azulon on a hunt-the-Avatar quest instead of the traditional military service. That's why Azulon had his favored son serve -- giving Iroh the opportunity he never had -- and why he didn't push Ozai into it.

Incidentally, his time hunting for the Avatar led to some humiliating experiences with the Southern Water Tribe, which is why the Southern Raiders are a thing. Also Azulon stole the credit for his mother's military victories after she died, and started referring to himself as the "heir of Sozin".

Not that any of this is canon, of course. Just my personal speculation on the subject.

I do agree that Azulon probably was part of the family tradition of making politically unsound decisions based on narcissism, and your headcanon about Azulon's mother makes more sense than canon Azulon being the absurdly old son of Sozin who had him when he was like seventy.