Avatar The Last Airbender - The Search

Avatar The Last Airbender The Search is...well, how about I show you this You Tube instead? Be prepared for some big spoilers:

One thing I will say is Azula entering the picture is going to be as scary as they come!

Just made a page: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Comicbook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheSearch

Thank you so much! This story definitely merits a page of its own.

I have to say that it certainly has some major twists. I mean, Zuko's father is not Ozai, but a man named Ikem? Now, I can understand why fans would be upset with this, especially because it really upset their apple carts. But I'm actually okay with it. Why? Because if it's true, then it would explain so many things.

1. Why does Ozai prefer Azula over Zuko? Because Ozai is a snobby aristocrat who wouldn't bother with Zuko, a commoner being passed off as royalty, while Azula is royalty.
2. Why would Azulon order Ozai to kill Zuko? Because Zuko was actually a commoner and not a blood relative, and was therefore expendable.
3. Why did Ozai have Ursa banished after she killed Azulon? Because Ozai never wanted her at all, and Ursa killing Azulon was the perfect excuse he needed to get rid of her.
4. Why does Azula keep calling Zuko "little Zuzu" and treating him like he is the younger sibling? Because he's actually a commoner, she's royalty and she believes that automatically makes her superior to him in every way.
5. Why does Azula react to declarations of love from a hallucination of Ursa with such hostility? Because Ursa is actually a commoner and the idea of a commoner being a parent to royalty is appalling to Azula.

Boy, it's going to be interesting to see where they go with this.

Yes, that's all good and fine, but it completely ruins the major conflicts Zuko went through in the show. All that suffering he went through with fate, and honor, and destiny, and family, that all gets thrown out the window, because you know what, he ain't really Ozai's son, so that was all for nothing, kthxbai Zuko.

And don't you perhaps think that if Azula knew where Zuko "really" came from, she'd have used that a loooooong time ago? "Oh shit Zuko's going to defeat me, HEY GUESS WHAT FIRE NATION HE AIN'T REALLY ROYALTY" and bam, out of the throne. Same goes for Ozai.

edited 1st Apr '13 5:49:32 AM by Stratofarius

Maybe, but Azula and Ozai have always been the type of characters whose actions make sense only to themselves. Logically, they should have used that information a long time ago, but Bond Villain Stupidity and a Villainous Breakdown tend to put a wrench in logic. <Smirk>

To be honest, In the Blood has always been a controversial topic. Being descended from someone is a factor, but so is the environment and the decisions that one makes. Zuko could have chosen to follow Ozai's example and become a male version of Azula (or at least something very scary). But he chose to be a better person than Ozai, and that matters a lot more than whether or not Ozai is his father.

Reasons 3 and 5 have absolutely nothing to do with anything and you know it. They are completely unrelated to this "revelation" and only have to do with Ursa, not Zuko or his paternity.

There's also the fact that it completely invalidates any claim Zuko has to the Fire Nation throne. And it misses the point Iroh was trying to teach in The Avatar And The Firelord. Choosing between Sozin and Roku is more meaningful than choosing between Some Guy and Roku.

...And Ozai has had nothing like a Villainous Breakdown. He spent most of The Promise screwing with Zuko's head with any resource available to him. He's not insane, and in Azula's lucid moments in this comic she's certainly not in need of an excuse to unload with all her ammunition.

And neither of them really has Bond Villain Stupidity. Azula's thing was how competent she was in the series, and while her insanity put a damper on that, when she's not having a hallucinatory fit she's the same as she always was.

EDIT: And I don't see why we have to discuss this shit here in this thread in the comics forum and not in the main Avatar thread in the Western Animation forum. This comic is a continuation of the show, and while it's in a comic medium it's also too small to stand on it's own without the show behind it.

Star Wars EU discussion can come up in the main Star Wars threads in Film, Mass Effect comics can be talked about in the threads in the Video Games forum, and Doctor Who fans in the Live Action Tv forum talk about Big Finish Doctor Who audio dramas, even though we don't even have an audio drama/radio play forum.

Having to segregate this story because it's in a seperate medium is just pants on head stupidity.

edited 9th Apr '13 5:16:47 AM by unnoun

I still maintain that both The Promise and The Search are basically the "Ember Island Movies" version of history events, watched by Korra and co.

With Force-Ghost Aang screaming in her ear "THIS IS NOT HOW IT HAPPENED!" every five seconds or so.

Having to segregate this story because it's in a seperate medium is just pants on head stupidity.

-Cough- I wondered why this topic didn't seem to be taking off. Be that as it may, I should point out that the My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic comic has its own thread apart from the the cartoon, and it is not only getting responses, but it is thriving. Therefore, the argument being made is simply invalid.

Friendship is Magic is one of the biggest and most active fandoms at the moment, and trying to hold a conversation about the comics in the main thread would be impossible (too fast moving). What happens there isn't really comparable to this.

First, MLP doesn't have the sheer amount of continuity Avatar does. That isn't a bad thing, but it limits a lot of things with the way other mediums work. With MLP, almost all the episodes except two-parters can be watched in almost any order, and while there are a few that make references and call backs, it's nothing that's too essential.

...With Avatar, the entire show is a series, one story after another, with the characters constantly moving torward their goal, whether it's the North Pole, Ba Sing Se, Ember Island or whatever. There are detours, yes, and filler, but the show has a plot and an arc that's mostly continuous. There's pretty much no aspect of Avatar that quite fits the more Slice of Life mold that MLP does.

Second, and considering I don't know that much about MLP I could be wrong, but I'm fairly sure that the MLP comic doesn't continue from where the show ended into the sequel series, while wrapping up and/or establishing plot points and developments both hinted at. The MLP comics seem to be more meant to be for fun, as romps, without as much impact on the show itself.

edited 12th Apr '13 4:16:46 AM by unnoun

So was second part released yesterday or something? Timezones confuse me

It's not due till July 10th, comics only ever come out on Wednesday.

The twist makes perfect sense to me, and I understand why they have the comics. The series was one story, the story of Aang defeating the Firelord. That was set from the beginning. But maybe there was more, stuff they had planned out but couldn't get to, stuff Nick even at it's laxest wouldn't allow. They tested the waters with 'The Promise', and then got to the really meaty stuff with this.

I personally think that Zuko is indeed Ozai's son. Not simply for the appearances and personality, but because of the political situation. The Promise and Rebound shows that not everybody is on board with Zuko's new path to peace and happiness, and are willing to defy him in any way. But they didn't try to oust him because of his heritage and divine right to rule the Fire Nation. If the letter is indeed true, then Zuko no longer has the claim to the throne and his enemies will not doubt start an uprising against him as he's the false ruler. And the Legend of Korra states that Zuko ruled for 66 years and gave control to his daughter. Clearly, his divine right to rule is still intact.

But that doesn't mean some people wouldn't reach to the wrong conclusion. Ozai read the letter and could reach the same conclusion that everyone else is saying: Zuko's the son of Ikem; the man that Ursa claims to be just a friend and not a real lover. Not only did Ursa's letter proclaims her love to Ikem, but also states that Zuko reminds her of Ikem, with suggestive hints of being his true father (which itself could be just metaphoric). And this occurs when Zuko and Azula were young children, most likely the times that their family "was truly happy". And if Ozai truly loved Ursa, this letter would unwitting destroy any love or kindness that Ozai has for her. Who isn't to say that this event led Ozai to believe that love and compassion are weaknesses that others exploit.

It would also make him extremely paranoid about his children, particularly Zuko. If Zuko is to be confirmed as Ozai's son, then he must show great firebending and perfection. A sign of weakness would remind Ozai of that letter and put him in doubts of Zuko's heritage. Ozai wouldn't try to do anything other methods, lest he wants to have this rumor spread out to the world, and make Ozai a disgrace to the family for allowing it to happen. The only sure way is to have Zuko be perfect or eliminated.

edited 5th Jul '13 12:44:19 AM by Shadao

As I said elsewhere, the likelihood of redemption for Azula has just gone from "possible" to somewhere between "probable" and "inevitable". With both not-quite-hallucination!Ursa saying Azula has a "true destiny" that is "beautiful", and the subtext in that stageplay that the gang watches and Zuko points out he and Azula re-enacted as children, Azula having some big spiritual experience and change is being heavily foreshadowed. I can't wait to see how it plays out.

edited 11th Jul '13 3:26:24 PM by CharlestonMan

@Unnoun

In the likelihood

Zuko is Ikem's son I see it going down like Azula passing down entitlement of the throne down to him in exchange for another path.

Also lol @ people on Avatar.wikia flipping out over the validity of this possible revelation.

Plus if it is true I don't think it ruins all inner struggles which Zuko went through during the series. As shown in the episode after Lake Laogai, Iroh and Azula symbolized the good and bad.

edited 18th Jul '13 1:25:22 PM by Couchpotato20

I think I know what happened with Zuko's mom Ursa and his actual dad Ikem

Taken from the comment page of the Avatar wiki:

So in other words to lose your face it also means that you lose your memories thus Ikem would lose aching of his heart from losing Ursa.

edited 23rd Jul '13 2:01:03 PM by Couchpotato20

It would explain a lot, wouldn't it? Because throughout the show, the characters have been travelling across the lands, and not a single character has popped up that resembles Ursa. I'm pretty sure Ursa would stick out like a sore thumb. If she changed her face and lost her memories, then there would be no way for anyone to recognize her and she wouldn't recognize them either.

@Tiggers are great

My opinion, it's possible the mother of faces will tell Aang, Zuko when she gave one of the faces in her possession to someone name Ursa or Zuko.

I'm waiting to find out that Azula, not Zuko, was Ikem's child all along. Ozai's harsh treatment of Zuko was so poor because he was disgusted that his own flesh and blood couldn't outperform Azula, who he couldn't bring himself to dislike because she was like the child he wished he had.

I wonder how Azula will handle the Irony if that turns out to be the case? I bet she'll go even more ballistic than we have ever seen before!

Makes me wonder how Azula would react if she found out Ozai would have no problem slaughtering her along with Zuko had Ursa decided to flee the Fire Nation with them.

To which I am no longer surprised, because seriously, this comic has butchered pre-Firelord Ozai's character. All indications from the show is that he actually used to be an attentive father and husband, and that he was overall a pretty decent guy when Zuko was young.

The Search's Ozai would have killed both Azula and Zuko in their sleep during infancy if he thought it would win him a political point, because he's just an evil bastard made of evil.

edited 25th Jul '13 1:14:30 PM by TobiasDrake

... Where did you get that impression? Just because things were okay for the family at one point, (on a characters word, who was a child at the time) doesn't mean he wasn't always a bastard.

Zuko describes their family during his childhood as having been a happy one. Based on what we've seen of his childhood in The Search, this makes no sense, as The Search establishes that Zuko's childhood was always miserable and his father was always abusive and the only good thing that he ever had in his life at all was his mom. The Search also completely invented the plot point of Zuko's mother basically being a rape victim for her entire life to reinforce this, further cementing how monstrously evil Ozai is and always has been.

This was important in the series because it cemented the idea that people change. Some for the better, some for the worse. Ozai wasn't just born as the Embodiment of All That is Evil; he changed over the course of his life, became more and more desensitized to his family. Whether it was because of what happened between his father and his wife, or if it was brought on by his ambition growing, or the burden of the throne, whatever it was, something changed inside of him as he grew older and more powerful. This is important in the central morality of the finale; the idea that Ozai is just a man, like every other, and deserves a chance to be redeemed, because he's not just pure evil throughout his core.

The Search turns that around and says no, Ozai was always a raping, murderous bastard who never loved his wife or his children, never cared about anything, even conspired with his wife to murder his father NOT to protect Zuko as was implied in the show, but just so he could take his throne and ascend to power, because the only thing that matters to Ozai is power. He was born an evil monster, he will die an evil monster, and Aang should have killed him because he's just a soulless beast made of evil.

The Search derails Ozai's character pretty hard, and undermines the very morality the show is based on to do so.

edited 25th Jul '13 1:43:42 PM by TobiasDrake