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| “ | You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher. | „ |
| ~ Fire Lord Ozai before scarring Prince Zuko. |
| “ | 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. From our airships, we will rain fire over their lands, a fire that will destroy everything. And out of the ashes, a new world will be born: a world in which all the lands are Fire Nation, and I am the supreme ruler of everything! | „ |
| ~ Ozai explaining his plan to burn the Earth Kingdom. |
| “ | You're weak, just like the rest of your people! They did not deserve to exist in this world—in MY world! Prepare to join them. Prepare to DIE! | „ |
| ~ Ozai taunting and cornering Aang while fighting him. |
Ozai, formerly known as Fire Lord Ozai, as well as the Phoenix King, is the main antagonist of the 2005 Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender.
He is the tyrannical Fire Lord of the Fire Nation who wishes to destroy the other three elemental nations and bring the world under his control. His plots to harness the power of Sozin's Comet and use it to achieve his goals and burn down the rest of the world, while the Avatar, Aang, must master his bending skills in order to defeat him.
He is also the second son of Azulon and Ilah, the younger brother of Iroh, the abusive father of Zuko and Azula, the ex-husband of Ursa, the uncle of Lu Ten, the grandson of Sozin, and the archenemy of Avatar Aang.
He is voiced by Mark Hamill, who also played the Joker, Jordan Pryce, Ferris Boyle, Tony Zucco, and Solomon Grundy in the DC Animated Universe, Colonel Muska in Castle in the Sky, Darth Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and the Skeleton King in Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go!.
Personality[]
| “ | After all these years, I can 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. Goodbye, Ozai. | „ |
| ~ Ursa confronting Ozai about his true nature. |
| “ | I always knew the Fire Lord was a bad guy, but his plan is just pure evil. | „ |
| ~ Sokka about Ozai. |
Ozai is bloodthirsty, violent tempered, sadistic, manipulative, domineering, narcissistic, megalomaniacal, power-hungry, and devoid of any form of empathy. He is a genocidal warlord who wants all power and to rule the entire world. Ozai's main goal is to conquer all the nations and rule over them under the title of "The Phoenix King". To do this, he attempts to use Sozin's Comet to wipe out any remaining forces that opposed him. He is also a Social Darwinist who believes that kindness and mercy are weaknesses, laughing at them when Zuko stated how much Iroh has taught him those things. Furthermore, he mocks Aang for showing compassion and mercy twice during their duel, using both opportunities to try and gain the upper hand on his archenemy.
Zuko implies that Ozai was once a happy man. This is proved true when Katara finds a painting of Ozai as a child, leaving Team Avatar horrified as to how someone could ever become so wicked. Ozai states he once saved Zuko's life as the latter was drowning during one of their many vacations to Ember Island, a place where Zuko vividly remembers Ozai being happy. It is also implied that Ozai and Iroh once possessed a strained relationship, similar to the relationship between Zuko and Azula. However, they were not above fighting over the most trivial of issues, including a game of Pai Sho. Ozai's ambitious nature impressed even his brother, who was ambitious as well before the death of his own son.
However, Ozai's ambitions ultimately overpower any sense of virtue he might have originally had, alienating him from everyone around him. Ozai also neglects his own family and never shows any love for his wife Ursa, his children, Zuko and Azula, or his older brother, Iroh. He only partakes in his marriage that his father, Azulon, set up because Ursa is the descendant of the former Avatar, Roku, and Ozai believes that connecting his bloodline with that of the Avatar would give him powerful children for his own use. He despises Zuko for not showing the firebending potential he was promised and begins abusing him on a regular basis after Ursa states that she wishes Zuko would have been the son of her former lover, Ikem, instead. Despite appearing to treat Azula better than Zuko, it is only because Azula shows more potential similar traits like him, and, in truth, he sees both of his children as nothing but pawns. It's implied that those traits stemmed from his insecurity as his father's unfavorite child, having to live in Iroh's shadow for his youth. Ironically, Ozai shares some similarities with Zuko in appearance, personality, and being the unfavorite who was tasked to find the Avatar at a young age. It's also implied that Ozai is aware of this fact, which is why he despises his son since the latter represents everything he hates about himself.
Despite his narcissitic and murderous tendencies, Ozai's only true redeeming quality appears to be that he is a man of his word. Despite threatening Ursa and planning to kill Zuko, he does spare his son, albeit because of the deal he made with Ursa that resulted in her exile, threatening to kill both of their children if she ever returns. He also allows Zuko to return home after supposedly killing Avatar Aang, keeping his promise to restore Zuko's "honor" if he does so, despite promoting Zhao to admiral and sending Azula to the Earth Kingdom to stop him from doing so. During his visit to Ember Island, Zuko implies that Ozai started talking to him regularly after returning home. He even invites Zuko to join a war meeting and asks for his advice on how to end the Hundred Year War. Nonetheless, it is likely that Ozai started to see Zuko as a pawn to be controlled like Azula after showing such dedication and skill. His contempt for Zuko immediately drives him to attempt to murder his son after hearing Zuko's decision to join the Avatar and his friends.
Ultimately, Ozai does not possess any concept of love or compassion whatsoever, condemning his own people to starvation and planning to destroy the Earth Kingdom along with his own soldiers and colonists. He gives his daughter the empty title of Fire Lord upon ascending to become the ruler of the entire world, showing that he views even his most trusted loyalists as expendable. He rejects Aang's offer of peace and psychologically tortures him about the death of his people after cornering him, eventually resulting in Aang activating the Avatar State.
By the time of the series finale and the comics, Ozai seems to lose whatever he once had as his former redeeming traits. He manipulates Zuko to follow his tyrannical ways, deceives Azula in an endeavor to disrupt Zuko's reign, and threatens Ursa that he will harm her and her family, though these attempts ultimately fail. As Ursa stated, Ozai is ultimately just a small man who tries to be big, and possesses no love for anyone, not even himself much to his outrage.
History[]
Background[]
Ozai's first appearance.
Ozai was born to Fire Lord Azulon and Ilah, as the younger brother to Fire Prince Iroh, who was favored by their father and who would inherit the throne. He married a generous noblewoman named Ursa, who bore two children, Prince Zuko, the eldest who was favored by Ursa, and Princess Azula, who Ozai would favor and who would become a prodigy in the art of Firebending. It is speculated that Ozai favored his daughter Azula and disfavored Zuko for another reason as well; Zuko was firstborn, just as the favored Iroh had been, while Azula was second in succession just as Ozai had been most of his life. Another reason is that Ursa untruthfully wrote in a letter that Zuko was the son of her previous boyfriend, Ikem, and when Ursa said she wished it was true, Ozai started to treat Zuko as if he was Ikem's son out of spite and jealousy.
When his nephew Lu Ten was killed in battle, Ozai believed Iroh would not be qualified as Fire Lord in his grief and shame. He asked his father, Azulon to relinquish the title of Fire Lord to him, noting that he would be capable of maintaining the royal bloodline. Outraged by his request, Azulon ordered Ozai to kill his son, Zuko. At first, Ozai was willing to comply with this request. However, Ursa managed to save her son's life by taking his place. However, instead of being killed, she was banished. Azulon mysteriously died at about the same time (it was revealed in the comic The Search that Ursa had actually procured a poison for Ozai, with which he killed his father), and at his funeral, Ozai was crowned Fire Lord, as Iroh was too depressed to accept the role as leader of the Fire Nation, refusing to challenge his brother for the throne.
Later in life, when Zuko was thirteen years old, his uncle, Iroh invited him to attended a military meeting, where one of Ozai's generals suggested that they send a group of soldiers to a suicide mission to distract the troops of the Earth Kingdom while they had their other soldiers ambush the Earth army and then overcome the capital of the Earth Kingdom, Ba Sing Se. Outraged, Zuko spoke out against this plan, and he was punished severely: being forced into an Agni Kai against his own father. Zuko was unwilling to hurt his father, and as a result, the Fire Lord blasted his son with powerful flames, creating Zuko's characteristic huge scar on the left side of his face as he begged for mercy as a lesson. Ozai banished Zuko until he found the Avatar, master of the four elements.
Avatar: The Last Airbender[]
Ozai, crowned as the Phoenix King, marking his reign of terror in a Third Reich–esque fashion.
Ozai is mentioned several times throughout the show but rarely appears. He is first mentioned by name in the episode "King of Omashu", by King Bumi. Most of his appearances are in visions that Aang has or in flashbacks of Zuko's past. The first time we see him outside of flashbacks of visions is in the finale of the first season, where he gives his daughter Azula the orders to capture his son and brother, who he blames for the failure in the invasion of the Northern Water Tribe. However, in all of his appearances prior to Season 3, his face is covered by shadows. In the Season 2 episode "Zuko Alone", his eyes are not shown.
He appears far more in the very last season of the show, where his face is shown for the first time when he welcomes his son Zuko back home after he helped Azula and the Dai Li "kill" the Avatar (they didn't know he actually survived thanks to some mystical healing water used by Katara) and conquer Ba Sing Se. Throughout the first half of the season, Aang's gang and Zuko see many paintings and statues of him. Aang also has a series of nightmares about his upcoming battle with the Fire Lord. The night before the Avatar and his allies invades the capital of the Fire Nation, where the solar eclipse will stop any firebending, the Fire Lord holds a war meeting with his children and his general. At this meeting, he came up with the plan to use his newly built airships to commit genocide against the people of the Earth Kingdom by burning it to the ground, leaving only the Fire Nation and the massively divided people of the Water Tribe left on the planet and be left as the supreme ruler of the world.
During the invasion, Ozai and many other nobles and soldiers hid in a giant metal underground dome near the capital city. Zuko confronted his father during the eclipse, informing him of his choice to join the Avatar and free the Fire Nation from Ozai's tyranny. When Ozai attempted to attack, Zuko took out his dual blades and forced his father to listen. He proceeded to condemn him for burning his face years ago and trying to justify well also stating that the world deserves to hate the fire nation because of what they’ve done before revealing that he intends to to change its way for peace and happiness. Ozai laughed at how Iroh had an effect and was annoyed when Zuko acknowledged him as a true father figure.
Just as Zuko is about to leave, Ozai questions why he does not kill him with his swords and called him a coward for letting the Avatar face him. He was able to goad him into staying by telling him the story of his mother's fate, revealing that she may still be alive. When he finishes the story, he senses the eclipse ends and states Zuko will be punished as he tries to kill Zuko by shooting lightning at him unaware that Iroh taught Zuko how to redirect lightning. Zuko redirects it towards his father sending him flying backwards into a wall and then escapes, leaving him to seethe in rage.
The final battle between Avatar State Aang and Phoenix King Ozai.
His next appearance is around three days before Sozin's Comet arrives, which will increase the powers of any firebender to an extreme degree. He appoints Azula as the new Fire Lord, as he will be known as the Phoenix King in what he considers a rebirth after giving the world one with fire, who will rule over all the nations and it's leaders. On the day of the comet's arrival, he boards the largest of the Fire Nations fleet of airships and heads towards the Earth Kingdom. While some of the Avatar's comrades take control of an airship and sabotage the rest of the fleet, Avatar Aang, having learned how to use all four elements, destroys the engine of Ozai's flagship and Ozai spots him. Discarding his armor in flying towards the Avatar, he remarked on how his Forefathers failed to find him and fête has brought him to him. He refused to stop his invasion, stating he will use his power to destroy the world before he and Aang begin to duel. For most of the fight, Aang and the Fire Lord are equally matched, with Aang using his skill in each bending art to block and evade most – if not all – of Ozai's blows.
Eventually, Ozai began to use his lightning-bending abilities, which backfires when Aang reveals his power to redirect it at Ozai. However, unwilling to kill another human being, he willingly misses the Phoenix King, who begins to overpower the Avatar, forcing him to retreat and protect himself in a boulder. After many strong blows, Ozai shatters the rock with a single jet of fire and sends Aang flying. However, this proves to be the Fire Lord's greatest mistake. As Aang was thrown back by the blast, a piece of rock pierces the scar on his back where Azula killed him, causing him to abruptly reconnect with the energy of the universe. Ozai attempts to finish off Aang only to be confronted with the young airbender returned in the Avatar State (where he has the power and knowledge of all the past Avatars) who seized him by his beard. He proceeds to overpower Ozai in every way, manipulating the four elements in logic-defying ways, finally pinning Ozai down. The enraged spirits of the Avatar stated that Ozai and his Ancestors have devastated the balance of the world and declared he will pay the ultimate price.
Yet, as Aang prepares to deliver the final blow, he falters- still unwilling to take a life- abandoning the Avatar State and releases Ozai.
Disgusted by his compassion, Ozai calls him weak and attacks him from behind, but Aang easily evades and traps him a final time and uses a forgotten art called "Energybending" on his foe. Weakened from the experience, Ozai found himself unable to attack and questioned what Aang did to him. Aang firmly told him that he took away Ozai's bending powers and he cannot hurt anyone else. When Team Avatar arrives, Ozai reveals his survival before Aang reveals his actions. Reveling at his powerless state, they taunt him on his plans failing.
During the battle, Zuko and Katara defeated Azula, while Sokka, Suki and Toph retook Ba Sing Se and destroyed the Fire Nation's fleet. With Ozai defeated, powerless, and broken, Zuko (as the new Fire Lord) visits Ozai into prison and Ozai noted how the new Fire Lord grace to prison cell with his presence. After brief talk on rehabilitation, Zuko interrogates him on the whereabouts of his mother which Ozai refuses to answer.
Sequel comics[]
While his time in prison, Zuko visits him for advice as the Fire Nation was at the brink of war with the Earth kingdom again as a result of the multiple Fire Nation colonies, to which Ozai made attempts to use some genuinely good advice in an effort to corrupt Zuko and turn him into as ruthless tyrant as himself. After the issue was settled, Zuko brings the now clinically insane Azula to Ozai's cell for information, to which Ozai secretly tells about the letters he was hoarding and informs about one of them that could make her the rightful Fire Lord. Some time later, Ukano and the other Ozai loyalists establish the New Ozai Society to rid Fire Lord Zuko from power, allying with Azula who regained her sanity to do so by causing mass chaos. It ends up with Ukano being sent to prison after saving children from Azula and the Fire Warriors. He is later confronted by Ursa, telling him that he had a weak heart to even hold himself as he told her to come back and grovel. This event shattered his confidence.
The Legend of Korra[]
By the time of The Legend of Korra, Ozai was presumably dead due to having been born more than eleven decades before the Harmonic Convergence. However, his actions in Avatar: The Last Airbender and the comics significantly impact and influence many of the events that occur in the show. For example, Ozai's advice and manipulation of Zuko eventually leads to the colonies that his son strove to defend becoming the Republic of Nations. Amon states that the "impurity" of bending is the cause of every war, including the Hundred Year War, which is true, considering that Ozai and the rest of the Fire Nation regarded firebending as "the superior element" and abused those they viewed as weak. Furthermore, Ozai's plan to destroy Ba Sing Se during Sozin's Comet forces the White Lotus to reveal its existence after the events of the Hundred Year War, resulting in the creation of a splinter group known as the Red Lotus. Zaheer, the leader of the Red Lotus, lists Ozai's actions and the actions of his grandfather, Sozin, which led to the near-extinction of the Air Nomads, as a justification for his agenda as an anarchist. Finally, Zuko's decision to create the Republic of Nations is scolded by Kuvira and prompts her to create the colossus to conquer Republic City.
Other Media[]
Live-Action[]
- Main article: Ozai (The Last Airbender)
Powers and Abilities[]
- Firebending: In his prime, Ozai was an extremely powerful and skilled firebender, being perhaps the most powerful bender of any kind in the world of his time, with the only ones deemed capable of rivalling/surpassing him being Avatar Aang and his older brother, Iroh, although Iroh, himself an immensely powerful firebending master, acknowledged while he could contend with Ozai, he was not fully sure he could defeat him. Sokka also stated that Aang at the level he was with only three elements at his disposal and even after he had become proficient in Firebending would still lose against Ozai. Ozai's bending style was extremely liberal and stressed overbearing, internal force, taking full advantage of the rage-fueled firebending style to produce flame jets and fireballs of considerable potency, which he could notably do without needing to charge, as shown in one of his practice sessions while not yet Fire Lord. While Fire Lord and sitting on his throne, he was shown capable of manipulating the ambient fire surrounding it with sheer will alone, making it flare and dance without requiring any gestures. Ozai was deeply in touch with his firebending abilities, as seen when he was able to detect when his powers returned immediately following a solar eclipse from deep underground in a bunker. Under the influence of Sozin's Comet, Ozai's firebending was noticeably enhanced and he would display his surpassing prowess and power as a Firebender by single-handedly producing waves of fire larger than entire teams of regular comet-enhanced firebenders working together. He could also produce high-heat explosions and condensed jets of flame for close combat with the same destructive power. The blasts of flame he could produce were powerful enough to travel long distances without weakening, shatter stone, and propel him through the air at high speeds for extended periods of time. He was capable of fighting Aang on equal grounds and even gaining the upper hand despite Aang's mastery of all the four elements, albeit granted he had not at the time achieved full mastery over all of them and was not at the height of his abilities, only being overpowered when Aang entered the Avatar State. Following his defeat at the hands of Avatar Aang, Ozai was stripped of all of his firebending powers, rendering him relatively helpless.
- Lightningbending: Ozai was one of the few master firebenders of his time able to generate lightning, and was far more skilled in it than his daughter Azula, with only Iroh appearing to equal his prowess. While the solar eclipse had just waned, he was immediately able to generate an enormous bolt of lightning with both hands in seconds that gave Zuko more trouble than he had with Azula's lightning. When empowered by the Sozin's Comet, he could near-instantly project large, violent strikes of lightning that spread over wide distances and were of such intensity that it caused the entire sky itself to be briefly seared, nearly being able to overpower Aang's lightning redirection, causing the Avatar considerable pain, ultimately making him briefly collapse from the strain despite being successful.
- Peak-human condition: Despite his middle-aged appearance, Ozai was in outstanding physical condition, with his physical durability and resilience being so great that he was able to resist gales of wind made by the Avatar which shattered the solid rock around him and a large burst of water and quickly recover to continue fighting with little injury and he was capable of greatly exerting himself against Aang without showing any strain before ultimately being overpowered. His outstanding speed and reflexes also allowed him to easily keep up with Aang's own extremely fast bending attacks and even managed to at times hit him and he was even able to dodge and react to some of his attacks when he was in the Avatar State.
- Gifted leader: In addition to Ozai's firebending, he was known as a capable and patriotic leader, beloved by his people for his intelligence, cruelty, charisma and courage. Under Ozai's short tenure as Fire Lord (only five years), the Fire Nation saw the greatest industrial revolution it had known in over one hundred years, which contributed greatly to his legacy. While he had no military career to speak of, Ozai's rule saw the most successful campaigns of the Hundred-Year War, including the decisive victory at Ba Sing Se. Ozai was also a progressive and wise leader, as he recognized ahead of his time that the separation of the four nations was halting progress - unfortunately, his ambition and ego made him decide that the best way to unite the nations would be under Fire Nation rule.
- Expert manipulator: Like his daughter, Azula, Ozai had a natural disposition towards manipulation, using his cunning to secure his own political power. After his bending was removed, this became Ozai's greatest weapon, as he attempted to control his son Zuko from prison - goading his son to follow in his footsteps.
Relationships[]
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Appearances[]
| Appearances |
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Avatar: The Last Airbender[]Book One: Water[]
Book Two: Earth[]
Book Three: Fire[]
Graphic Novels[]
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Quotes[]
| “ | Zuko: Please, Father. I only had the Fire Nation's best interest at heart. I'm sorry I spoke out of turn! Ozai: You will fight for your honor. Zuko: I meant you no disrespect. I am your loyal son. Ozai: Rise and fight, Prince Zuko! Zuko: I won't fight you. Ozai: You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher. |
„ |
| ~ Ozai having an Agni Kai with his son Zuko to punish him. |
| “ | Iroh is a traitor, and your brother Zuko is a failure. I have a task for you. | „ |
| ~ Ozai ordering his daughter Azula to capture Iroh and Zuko. |
| “ | 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. 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. |
„ |
| ~ Ozai begging Azulon to promote him to be the new Crown Prince. |
| “ | Zuko: After I leave here today, I'm gonna free Uncle Iroh from his prison and I'm gonna beg for his forgiveness. He's the one who's been a real father to me. Ozai: Oh, that's just beautiful. And maybe he can pass down to you the ways of tea and failure. Zuko: But I've come to an even more important decision. I'm going to join the Avatar and I'm going to help him defeat you. Ozai: 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? Zuko: Because I know my own destiny. Taking you down is the Avatar's destiny. Goodbye. Ozai: Coward! You think you're brave enough to face me, but you'll only do it during the eclipse. If you have any real courage, you'll stick around until the sun comes out. Don't you want to know what happened to your mother? |
„ |
| ~ Ozai lashing out during his and Zuko's confrontation. |
| “ | Zuko: What happened that night? Ozai: My father, Fire Lord Azulon, had commanded me to do the unthinkable to you, my own son, and I was going to do it. Your mother found out and swore she would protect you at any cost. She knew I wanted the throne and she proposed a plan, a plan in which I would become Fire Lord and your life would be spared. |
„ |
| ~ Ozai revealing the truth about Zuko's mother. |
| “ | Ozai: Your mother did vicious, treasonous things that night. She knew the consequences and accepted them. For her treason, she was banished. Zuko: So she's alive? Ozai: Perhaps. Now I realize that banishment is far too merciful a penalty for treason. Your penalty will be far steeper. |
„ |
| ~ Ozai taunting Zuko before attempting to kill him. |
| “ | Ozai: Yes, you're right, Azula. Sozin's Comet is almost upon us, and on that day, it will endow us with the strength and power of a hundred suns. No bender will stand a chance against us. Shinu: What are you suggesting, sir? Ozai: 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 ... [Zuko looks astonished. Cut back to Ozai smiling.] permanently. [The shot changes to an aerial view of the map which Ozai walks to the center.] From our airships, we will rain fire over their lands, a fire that will destroy everything; and out of the ashes, a new world will be born, a world in which all the lands are Fire Nation and I am the supreme ruler of everything! |
„ |
| ~ Ozai announces his plan to his officers. |
| “ | Azula: Sorry I'm late, father. Good palanquin bearers are so hard to come by these days. So, is everything ready for our departure? Ozai: There has been a change of plans, Azula. Azula: What? Ozai: I've decided to lead the fleet of airships to Ba Sing Se alone. You will remain here in the Fire Nation. Azula: But I thought we were going to do this together. Ozai: My decision is final. Azula: You ... you can't treat me like this! You can't treat me like Zuko! Ozai: Azula, silence yourself. Azula: But it was my idea to burn everything to the ground! I deserve to be by your side! Ozai: Azula! Listen to me. I need you here to watch over the homeland. It's a very important job that I can only entrust to you. Azula: Really? Ozai: And for your loyalty, I've decided to declare you the new Fire Lord. Azula: Fire Lord Azula? It does seem appropriate, but what about you? Ozai: Fire Lord Ozai is no more. Just as the world will be reborn in fire, I shall be reborn as the supreme ruler of the world. From this moment on, I will be known as ... the Phoenix King. |
„ |
| ~ Ozai appointing Azula as the new Fire Lord while he becomes the Phoenix King. |
| “ | It's time for this world to end in fire, and for a new world to be born from the ashes. | „ |
| ~ Ozai beginning to burn down the Earth Kingdom. |
| “ | You are right, I do have the power. I HAVE ALL THE POWER IN THE WORLD! | „ |
| ~ Ozai beginning his final battle with Aang while rejecting his offer to end things peacefully. |
| “ | After generations of Fire Lords failed to find you, now the universe delivers you to me as an act of providence. | „ |
| ~ Ozai first meeting Aang. |
| “ | Even with all the power in the world, you are still weak! | „ |
| ~ Ozai taunting Aang after the latter refused to kill him. |
| “ | What did you, what did you do to me? | „ |
| ~ Ozai after being debended by Aang. |
| “ | What I'm saying is this -- there is no right or wrong apart from what you decide, who you choose to defend deserves to be defended simply because you chose them. You are the fire lord. What you choose, by definition, is right. | „ |
| ~ Ozai tells Zuko about his experience as the Fire Lord. |
Trivia[]
- Ozai was likely inspired by Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) of Imperial Japan, as both radicalized their nations' imperialist policies in the name of conquest and domination and served as the last rulers of their nations' colonial regimes. Unlike Ozai, however, Hirohito retained the throne and felt immense guilt for his nation's war crimes. In addition, Ozai was the youngest child of Azulon, while Hirohito was the oldest child of Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito).
- He is likely a foil to his son Zuko as both were never been favored by their father over their siblings (Iroh and Azula) and wanted to become a Fire Lord by overthrowing them. However, Zuko only did this to end the Hundred Year War by joining Team Avatar to help Aang defeat Ozai while Ozai wanted to take over the throne by having Azulon killed. While Zuko finally saw the error of his ways and decided to redeem himself thanks to Iroh's kindness and wisdom, Ozai refused to change his ways and still wanting to have the power all by himself, even rejecting Aang's offer to end things peacefully. If Zuko could've let his bitterness and hatred consumed him if it wasn't for his uncle, he would've been ended up like Ozai.
- This parallel is evident as Ozai never favored Zuko at all. However, he serves as a dark counterpart of his brother Iroh as both were the ones who guide Zuko into a different paths and acted like a parental figure towards him, with their differences is that Iroh is wise, kind, supportive, thoughtful and caring towards Zuko who only did what's best for him and allowed him to make decisions like finding his own destiny while Ozai is cruel, tyrannical, ambitious and uncaring individual to the point of abusing Zuko such as scarring his face that made him turned into a cold-hearted and bitter individual and would do anything to kill him by any means necessary. He also represents what Iroh would've become if he had no effort to change his ways if it wasn't for his son's death.
- The differences between the brothers extend even further when considering how they treated each of Ozai and Ursa's children: Iroh chose Zuko more, to which the former taught and cared the latter very well (leading to Zuko's eventual redemption). Ozai himself, on the other hand, wanted his daughter Azula more, but not only did he badly influenced her with his cruel ideals, but didn't show any sort of true love for her, as well, much like her brother Zuko (which severely broke her from the inside).
- This parallel is evident as Ozai never favored Zuko at all. However, he serves as a dark counterpart of his brother Iroh as both were the ones who guide Zuko into a different paths and acted like a parental figure towards him, with their differences is that Iroh is wise, kind, supportive, thoughtful and caring towards Zuko who only did what's best for him and allowed him to make decisions like finding his own destiny while Ozai is cruel, tyrannical, ambitious and uncaring individual to the point of abusing Zuko such as scarring his face that made him turned into a cold-hearted and bitter individual and would do anything to kill him by any means necessary. He also represents what Iroh would've become if he had no effort to change his ways if it wasn't for his son's death.
External Links[]
- Ozai on the Pure Evil Wiki
- Ozai on the Avatar Wiki
