this is an extremely good zuko line. zuko blatantly referencing ozai’s abuse and acknowledging his abject cruelty really showcases his growth since the beginning of the show. “it was cruel, and it was wrong,” is obviously one of zuko’s most powerful lines, but zuko referencing the abuse he endured in front of his friends, allowing himself to be vulnerable without shame, is just as powerful as zuko standing up to his abuser.
and then there’s the extra layer of depth this line adds to aang and zuko’s argument over how to defeat ozai. aang thinks there ought to be another way, that he should be able to defeat ozai without taking his life, and for aang, his need to preserve his cultural values is crucial. it’s a personal choice, but it’s so much more than that. meanwhile, zuko is too wrapped up in his own personal feelings on the matter of whether or not aang should kill his father to validate his extremely important concerns. similarly to how katara invalidated aang’s trauma because she was too blinded by her rage at yon rha, the man responsible for her most potent trauma, zuko is too blinded by his rage at ozai, the man responsible for his most potent trauma. the impact of the air nomad genocide is crucial in both of these conversations, and both katara and zuko invalidate aang’s grief and responsibility to his culture simply because they are two traumatized teenagers lashing out. they both have great respect for aang, and truly believe that he is the key to peace & balance, but they also want the men who ruined their lives to suffer painful deaths, retribution for the immense pain inflicted on them. but, crucially, katara doesn’t kill yon rha, and zuko does accept aang’s decision to spare ozai. they may be raging and grieving, but they also believe in aang, and they’re learning how to heal.
finally, sokka’s reaction to zuko calling ozai “the worst father in the history of fathers,” bowing his head in solemn sadness, makes me question how many of zuko’s friends know the extent of ozai’s abuse. whether they know about the agni kai. whether any of them asked zuko outright, or if they just guessed. the fact that zuko can condemn ozai’s abuse so flippantly (albeit dramatically in typical zuko fashion) in front of his friends, and sokka’s subsequent response—well, i can’t help but wonder.
[ID: Two screencaps from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Katara is standing up in front of some stairs, and Toph, Sokka, Suki and Zuko are sitting on those same stairs. In the first image, Zuko says: “Well, that sweet little kid grew up to be a monster.” In the second image, he says: “And the worst father in the history of fathers.” It is notable that Sokka, in the second image, is now bowing his head sadly. End ID]
