Ever since I first saw the episode I've noticed this:
Roku doesn't even TRY to use reason, argument and emotion to get Sozin to abandon his idea of world conquest, he just bluntly says no and refuses all talk on the subject. Then later almost kills Sozin and cuts all contact with him then wonders and regrets that he hasn't changed.
Similarly Zuko throws Azula into a horrific asylum to rot and suffer alone for almost two years with no one except her hallucinations to try to convince her to change paths. Then once she's out he throws half hearted second chances at her and is surprised, sad and furious that her mind is too broken and her distrust too great to take them.
I do not have much hope for a good ending for Azula but I hope the realization of why he failed will hit Zuko eventually.
Seriously. It also bothers me how so many of zukos colossal mistakes get written off because he felt felt bad and apologized, but god forbid one of the gaang, especially aang or katara, have a slightly unfair reaction and they are suddenly “toxic” or “annoying.”
I think the show itself feeds into this. Zukos arc is great but his join up with the gaang happened way too quickly. Realistically, Aang shouldve had a harder time accepting somebody who assisted in causing his literal clinical death. But the creators saw they only had a few eps til thr finale left by the time Zuko joined the gaang and decided they needed to include as many positive group interactions as possible. Everyones like “Aang is so forgiving tho!” Okay he can be forgiving and still be traumatiEd. Trauma is NOT. A competition but (lmao, the but. Im sorry i gotta say it tho) Aangs culture literally got genocided. Hes the one who lost the most, but because he always gets baxk up, his trauma is cast aside by the fandom. Like idk how many “gaang comforts zuko” or “gaang is protective of zuko” takes/scenarios i can stomach in such large quantity to anything else. First of all as if the rest of the gaang dont have to scale shitty experiences with life on their own. They all experienced tragedy except toph, but its only zuko who gets this immense level of sympathy?? It gets ANNOYING suffice to say.
I kinda get it cuz having absuive parents is far more relatable than everyone you know and love dying, but goddamn so many people in this fandom seem to hyperfocus on traumatized angst projection zuko and it low key pmo sometimes lol.
Obligatory zukos trauma is real and his arc is awesome. I enjoy his character in spite of the critique
I love Zuko but the fandom has a major problem infantilizing him