How did Aang and Zuko go
from foes to friends? I donât need any calming tea! I need to capture the Avatar! It wasn't an easy road, that's for sure.
Considering where we started. The last airbender.
Quite agile for his old age. Prince Zuko originally assumed
the avatar, who had been missing for 100 years, was now an old man. Heâd be about this age,
Master of All Elements! But when he found out the truth... - Looking for me?
- You're the airbender? Youâre the Avatar? Through several encounters, Zuko would
get close to capturing the Avatar in his attempt to restore his honor
in the eyes of his father, Fire Lord Ozai. But while they played cat
and mouse, we learn that the two actually, had somewhat similar upbringings. Both grew up without
knowing their parents well. Both had lofty ambitions
assigned to them by destiny. And both had painful,
life altering, moments of shame. I looked away. [screaming] Of course, none of that slowed
the prince's obsessive need to redeem his honor. So, when someone else captured Aang,
oh, that just wouldnât do. [screaming] Zuko, donned as the Blue Spirit,
freed Avatar Aang. This was a rare act of kindness
and it wouldnât last long. You know what the worst part about
being born over a hundred years ago is? I miss all the friends I used
to hang out with. Before the war started, I used to
always visit my friend Kuzon. The two of us, weâd get in and out of
so much trouble together? He was one of the best friends I ever had. And he was from the
fire nation, just like you. If we knew each other back then, do you think he could
have been friends too? It sounded like Aang wanted to be friends. But Zuko? Yeah, he wasn't quite there yet. Their relationship did advance
slightly in the North Pole. Just not in a good way. [grunting] [grunting] You rise with the moon,
I rise with the sun. The prince had captured the Avatar,
but only for a moment. Because once Aang returned
from the spirit world... Welcome back. Good to be back. [grunting] That wonât be enough to escape. Maybe not, but a moon powered water
bender might help. Here for a rematch? Trust me, Zuko.
It's not gonna be much of a match. Talk about the importance of friendship. Wait. We canât just leave him here. Sure we can. Let's go. No! If we leave him, heâll die. Was Aang still holding out hope
that they could be friends? Or was his inner monk just being merciful? We'll let you decide. Their two paths split for a bit. Until they hit a crossroads with another
avatar hunter, Zuko's sister. Back off, Azula! He's mine! I'm not going anywhere. The Fire Nation, Royal Siblings put the
avatar through the wringer. Until Azula savagery
forced a temporary alliance. Well, look at this. Enemies and traitors all working together. I'm done. I know when I'm beaten. Youâve got me. A Princess
surrenders with honor. That's when the princess
turned her assault on her very own uncle. Ahh! Hah! Get away from us! And for a second, something else
is more important than capturing Aang. Zuko, I can help. Leave! After that emotional
encounter Uncle recovered and the two Fire Nation refugees
made their slow way into Ba Sing Se. At the same time
is team Avatar, apparently, Which only meant it was a matter of time
until Zukoâs obsession resurfaced. After Zuko successfully
hunted down Appa, Uncle Iroh hit Zuko with a
painful reality check. What you doing here? I was just about to ask you
the same thing. What do you plan to do now
that you have found the Avatarâs bison? Keep it locked in our new apartment. And then what? You never think these things through. This is exactly what happened when you
captured the Avatar at the North Pole. You had him
and then you have nowhere to go! I wouldâve figured something out! No! If his friends hadnât found you,
you would have frozen to death! Ugh! I know my own destiny, Uncle! Is it your own destiny? Or is it a destiny someone else
has tried to force on you? It's time for you to look inward and
begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you and what do you want? [yelling] Not long after, Zuko morality
was put to the test. When he and Azula came face
to face with Aang and Katara. Now was the chance to align himself
with the good side. A chance Zuko passed up. [gasping] [grunting] [grunting] Zukoâs decision nearly left
Aang dead. The Prince was left to deal with
the loneliness of his choices. But on the bright side he kept the idea
that Aang couldâve survived a secret. I didn't capture the avatar. Who cares? The avatar's dead. Unless you think he somehow
miraculously survived. Okay, So maybe Zuko is saving himself
by retaining that information. No, there's no way he could have survived. But still isn't that also
what a friend would do? Aside from Zicoâs loneliness
and Aangâs need for a firebending teacher, a massive revelation suggested
that they were much closer spiritually, than anticipated. You have more than one
great grandfather, Prince Zuko. Sozin was your fatherâs grandfather. Your motherâs grandfather was Avatar Roku. Why are you telling me this? Because understanding the struggle
between your two great grandfathers can help you better understand
the battle within yourself. Evil and good
are always at war inside you, Zuko. It is your nature, your legacy. But there is a bright side. What happened generations ago
can be resolved now, by you. Because of your legacy,
you alone can cleanse the sins of our family and the Fire Nation.
Born in you, along with all the strife, is the power to restore
balance to the world. This tale was perhaps
the most significant factor in bringing together Aang
and Zuko as friends. Roku was just as much
Fire Nation as Sozin was, right? If anything, their story proves anyone's
capable of great good and great evil. Everyone, even the Fire Lord
and the fire nation, have to be treated like
theyâre worth giving a chance. And I also think it was about
friendships. Aang was enlightened by Roku's life story. And Zuko finally
had a way to break away from his father and Ozai long lineage of hate. Iâm going to join the Avatar
and I'm going to help him to defeat you. Really? Since you're a full blown traitor now
and you want me gone, why wait? I'm powerless. You've got your swords. Why don't you just do it now? Because I know my own destiny. Taking you down is the Avatarâs destiny. These bold words
officially severed ties with his father. Now, could Zuko make the drastic
leap of friendship with Aang? Hello. Zuko here. Hey. I heard you guys flying
around down there. So, I just thought Iâd wait for you here. [growling] Eh! Uh. I know you must be surprised
to see me here. Not really, since youâve
followed us all over the world. Right. Well, uh, Anyway,
what I wanted to tell you about is that Iâve changed,
and I, Iâm good now and well, I think I should join your group. Oh, and I can teach firebending to you. - See, I uh...
- You wanna what, now? You canât possibly think
that any of us would trust you, can you? I mean, how stupid do you think we are? Yeah. All youâve ever done
is try to hunt us down and capture Aang! Iâve done some good things! I mean, I could have stolen your bison
in Ba Sing Se, but I set him free. That's something. It took a little more effort than that. Like helping the gang defeat a mercenary
that Zuko may or may not have hired. But before long, Zuko
successfully went from enemy to ally. I can't believe I'm saying this,
but thanks, Zuko. All I want now is to play my part
in ending this war. And I know my destiny is to help you
restore balance to the world. Their bond grew brighter
through sudden desperation. Zuko lost his ability to firebend. So, he ending set off on
an epic side quest. One with dancing, treasure,
danger, and draw dragons? All this time, I thought
firebending was destruction. But now I know what it really is. It's energy and life. Thatâs why my firebending
was so weak before. Because for so many years,
hunting you was my drive. It was my purpose. So when I joined you,
I lost sight of my inner fire. But now I have a new drive. I have to help you defeat my father
and restore balance to the world. That side quest further laid
the groundwork for their friendship. Good thing too. Since the hundred year
war was coming to its final conclusion. I said roar! [roaring] Both would need each otherâs
help to survive. Zuko would need Aang to defeat his father. And Aang would need Zukoâs insights. It's about to get worse
than you can even imagine. The day before the eclipse,
my father asked me to attend an important war meeting. Sozinâs comet is almost upon us. And on that day will endow us with the
strength and power of a hundred sons. No wonder will stand a chance against us. What are you suggesting, sir? When the comet last came,
my grandfather Fire Lord Sozin, used it to wipe out the Air Nomads. Now, I will use its power
to end the Earth Kingdom. Permanently! What am I gonna do? I know you're scared and I know
you're not ready to save the world. But if you donât defeat the Fire Lord
before the comet comes, there wonât be a world to save anymore. Now, with even more weight on Aangâs
shoulders, Zukoâs friendship was refreshing. He knew the power of independence. Aang, donât walk away from this! Let him go. He needs time to sort it out
by himself. Without that, Aang might not have left
to meet the mythical Lion Turtle. Yet Zuko's concern for Aang proved
sincere. Almost brotherly. Iâm worried about Aang. What if he doesnât have the guts
to take out my father? - What if he loses?
- Aang wonât lose. He's gonna come back.
He has to. Of course, as the fates would
have it, Katara was right. Aang defeated Zukoâs father and Zuko
stepped up as Fire Lord. I can't believe a year ago
my purpose in life was hunting you down. - And nowâŠ
- And now weâre friends. Yeah, we are friends. I can't believe a year ago
I was still frozen in a block of ice. The worldâs so different now. And itâs going to be even more different. We'll rebuild it together. Where once the Avatar and the Fire Lord
we're friends turned enemies, Without you, all my plans are
suddenly possible. This Avatar and Fire Lord were enemies
turned friends. With the Avatarâs help, we can get
it back on the right path and begin a new era of love and peace. And their friendship continued
to build throughout their lives. It was so strong, even the spirit world
knew of its greatness. You know, Zuko and Aang
were close friends. Lord Zuko, of course. Yes, my nephew. What was your favorite
Aang and Zuko moment? Tell us below, like, and subscribe and
keep watching for all things Avatar. Their relationship started offâŠ
hmm a little rocky. But they grew to become lifelong friends,
best friends.
