#zuko has the best written redemption arc in media history and someone in the comments said it wasnt one bc they dont think he did bad things

[wateractually]

ok, I'll bite, comments:

"mass murderers shouldn't be redeemed! y'all need to let go of your mm blorbos!!"

mass murderers in fictions who either have or should have gotten redemption arcs:

Ender (Enders Game)

Iroh (AtlA)

Gilgamesh (teo Gilgamesh)

Bucky Barnes (MCU)

Gaara (Naruto)

These characters have killed an immeasurable number of people, but they all had room to be redeemed:

Ender was just a kid and didn't know what he was doing.

Iroh was raised in a fascist society where he truly believed that enforcing Fire Nation ideals and power over others was within their best interest. He only knew what he was raised on, and turned away from that as soon as he realized it was wrong.

Gilgamesh did not have a firm grasp on mortality, and didn't recognize the gravity of causing suffering and death.

Bucky Barnes was mind controlled (but he admits he was still conscious of his actions.)

Gaara was just a kid and was incredibly traumatized by the very concept of love and saw everyone as a kill-or-be-killed threat because of his history.

Redemption arcs are 100% doable for mass murderers. And they should be.

Because at their core redemption arcs are about looking at a character's humanity. What were their motivations and limitations leading to their wrongdoings? Were they doing something due to pure ignorance? Fear? Coercion?

Do these things constitute an irredeemable person?

No.

It's so, so important that they don't.

Because humans will do bad things. We will hurt other people.

And a lot of times we will do so unknowingly or because we're afraid of them hurting us.

Redemption arcs in fiction are a necessary hyperbole that acting in fear or ignorance in real life can be changed.

You can correct yourself.

Even if the person or people you harmed will not forgive you, you can become better for yourself.

Even grave wrongdoings can be corrected with enough effort.

This is why punitive justice is wrong.

Even if we lived in a world where the only people who are jailed are people who actually committed just crimes, it would still be a bad way to handle crime.

People who were desperate or mislead would be jailed for the same crimes as people who were hateful and intent.

There is no way to legally differentiate these people.

Right now, they would face the same jail time.

Everyone deserves a chance to correct themself for the future.

Everyone.

Of course, there will be some who do not find that they were motivated by fear or ignorance. There will be some who simply wanted to hurt others. These people are few and far between, and they are the ones who are a genuine continuous threat to the people around them and should face incarceration.

But, most people will change if given the opportunity and information they were lacking previously. And everyone deserves that opportunity.

Side note: Zuko is 100% The Example of a well written redemption arc. Definitely a redemption arc. "Recovery" arcs ARE redemption arcs if they're done for characters who have committed atrocities, such as Zuko.

Before the solar eclipse ep he:

Threatened the life of everyone at the South Pole

Set the Kiyoshi village on fire.

Betrayed Iroh and Katara after both showed trust in him by further attacking Aang.

Hired an assassin to kill Aang and co.

And that's just what's on screen!! His crewmen said in the early seasons that he was cruel and unforgiving as a captain—imagine how he was with civilians!

He was young and a victim of fascism and child abuse, yes. But he was also a fascist himself. He was also cruel.

But we saw the part of him that was a victim and said "he can do better"

AND HE DID! And it was so, so gratifying as a viewer seeing such a well done redemption.

Because you know who else in the same show was a victim of fascism and child abuse who DIDNT get a redemption arc?

Azula.

They were mirrors of each other.

Zuko was arguably treated worse, but ultimately favoritism hurts both children.

But Azula's behavior was worse.

Her behavior wasn't just imitating the people before her. She saw how hurting people benefitted her and she embraced it.

She says herself in the Beach episode, where the major Fire Nation teens air out their trauma, that she knows she was traumatized and we get to see that she ultimately has decided to keep behaving how she was despite that realization. Which is why even Iroh said that she needed to go down.

# Zuko Redemption Arc Truther

"redemption arcs are toxic, you shouldn't try to fix someone!"

actually it is so important to me that being in community and experiencing human connection can save people. thanks