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Recently, I've put a lot of thought into the "What ifs" of Avatar. Like "What if Aang had stayed in his Air Temple instead of running away?" "What if Katara and Sokka hadn't found Aang frozen in the ice?" "What if Iroh was more direct in teaching Zuko the follies of the Fire Nation?" "What if Zuko had joined the Avatar at the end of the second season?"

The one question that has troubled me the most is that last one. How would the series be different if Zuko had followed the path his uncle had hoped he would, right then and there? What would that have done to the fall of Ba Sing Se, the war, the Royal Family, the Gaang... Katara's affection?

First, I don't think it would have affected Azula's coup. Sure, she said the plan was set and that she needed him to complete it... but as we all know, "Azula always lies." In truth, it was already finished. She had the city, she had the Dai Li... she would have given Aang and Katara a run for their money even without Zuko on her side. They would still have gotten away, perhaps even uninjured... but Ba Sing Se would still have fallen.

Second, would Zuko's input have made a difference in the invasion? Yes. Would they have succeeded? No, probably not. Azula had already learned of the invasion plans from Ba Sing Se, and therefore the Fire Lord would still have been hidden. In fact, if anything changed, it would probably be in the intensity of the Fire Lord's protection and strength of the hiding place, as they would have taken Zuko's betrayal into consideration. I still believe the invasion would have failed and that most of their forces would have been taken captive. If anything... they could have come out of it even worse.

Third, and also in regards to the war, would the Fire Nation have come up with the idea in regards to Sozin's Comet? Granted, it was Azula's plan... but it took Zuko's input for her to devise it. Honestly, I still think it would have come to that and, if not that specifically, then some other horrendous act of destruction... the megalomaniac firebenders would not have wasted a day of pure power. What would have changed though is Zuko knowing about it, which could prove disastrous for the good guys.

Fourth, Mai (and in extension Ty Lee) would not have had the compulsion to turn on Azula... being that she and Zuko would not have had the stolen moments that lead to her immediate affection for him (as opposed to the crush that existed before). She wouldn't have loved Zuko more than she feared Azula. (Which, in turn, leads to Azula's continued sanity... and a harder fight if it came down to it at the end like it did).

But that leads me to my next point. Zuko would not have been otherwise inclined (towards Mai) when he REALLY meets Katara (stress on really meaning: upon meeting her as a good guy). What does that mean? Well, he might have instead fallen for Katara. And she? Well, she was rather affectionate (even if only in a friendly/almost motherly fashion... which is how she was towards Aang through about 2/3 of the series) in the cave. Also, remember Aang only really showed his own interest in her after this moment at the invasion... if Zuko was there, would she have been so inclined to stray on the top of that submarine? Who knows. Although, I would like to point that the "Cave of Two Lovers" scene might negate all of these theories (at least, towards Katara's affection)... but it wasn't quite a kiss, and they were in quite a desperate situation.

Being a canon purist, I'm not inclined either way (in fact, I'm not opposed to Zutarian thinking, they could've been great together... it just didn't happen. And Kataang is cute). But, would Zuko's inclusion in the group have created a stressed love triangle? And, if it did... could it have torn a hole in the fabric of the "light side" too big to mend in time to save the world? I'm not sure... but it could've been likely. The way it did go was just so much cleaner.

And, what about Zuko as a character? I like to think of the beginning of the third season as a major time of growth in Zuko's life... almost as if turning back for that one moment helped strengthen his resolve that much more towards change and peace. I really think he needed to see what life with "restored" honor was like to really comprehend the necessity of life with "earned" honor... he needed to break to be mended properly... burnt to be reborn from the ashes.

Honestly, it seems there are a lot of reasons why Zuko's premature shortcoming was necessary for the rest of the series. That one choice affected SO many different future occurrences for the better, awkwardly enough.

So... by this point I'd bet your wondering why I have this written here? Well, watch as this particular phoenix completes his rising (at least, in a spiritual sense. The fight with Azula at the end is the final rising)... in brilliant technicolor!

Did you see Ryuki, The Hidden Ninja Strawberry? (If not look here: [link] )

Avatar belongs to Mike, Bryan and Nick. Art belongs to me.

See More of my Avatar Fanart here: [link]

Thanks for looking
-Matt

Description
Recently, I've put a lot of thought into the "What ifs" of Avatar. Like "What if Aang had stayed in his Air Temple instead of running away?" "What if Katara and Sokka hadn't found Aang frozen in the ice?" "What if Iroh was more direct in teaching Zuko the follies of the Fire Nation?" "What if Zuko had joined the Avatar at the end of the second season?"

The one question that has troubled me the most is that last one. How would the series be different if Zuko had followed the path his uncle had hoped he would, right then and there? What would that have done to the fall of Ba Sing Se, the war, the Royal Family, the Gaang... Katara's affection?

First, I don't think it would have affected Azula's coup. Sure, she said the plan was set and that she needed him to complete it... but as we all know, "Azula always lies." In truth, it was already finished. She had the city, she had the Dai Li... she would have given Aang and Katara a run for their money even without Zuko on her side. They would still have gotten away, perhaps even uninjured... but Ba Sing Se would still have fallen.

Second, would Zuko's input have made a difference in the invasion? Yes. Would they have succeeded? No, probably not. Azula had already learned of the invasion plans from Ba Sing Se, and therefore the Fire Lord would still have been hidden. In fact, if anything changed, it would probably be in the intensity of the Fire Lord's protection and strength of the hiding place, as they would have taken Zuko's betrayal into consideration. I still believe the invasion would have failed and that most of their forces would have been taken captive. If anything... they could have come out of it even worse.

Third, and also in regards to the war, would the Fire Nation have come up with the idea in regards to Sozin's Comet? Granted, it was Azula's plan... but it took Zuko's input for her to devise it. Honestly, I still think it would have come to that and, if not that specifically, then some other horrendous act of destruction... the megalomaniac firebenders would not have wasted a day of pure power. What would have changed though is Zuko knowing about it, which could prove disastrous for the good guys.

Fourth, Mai (and in extension Ty Lee) would not have had the compulsion to turn on Azula... being that she and Zuko would not have had the stolen moments that lead to her immediate affection for him (as opposed to the crush that existed before). She wouldn't have loved Zuko more than she feared Azula. (Which, in turn, leads to Azula's continued sanity... and a harder fight if it came down to it at the end like it did).

But that leads me to my next point. Zuko would not have been otherwise inclined (towards Mai) when he REALLY meets Katara (stress on really meaning: upon meeting her as a good guy). What does that mean? Well, he might have instead fallen for Katara. And she? Well, she was rather affectionate (even if only in a friendly/almost motherly fashion... which is how she was towards Aang through about 2/3 of the series) in the cave. Also, remember Aang only really showed his own interest in her after this moment at the invasion... if Zuko was there, would she have been so inclined to stray on the top of that submarine? Who knows. Although, I would like to point that the "Cave of Two Lovers" scene might negate all of these theories (at least, towards Katara's affection)... but it wasn't quite a kiss, and they were in quite a desperate situation.

Being a canon purist, I'm not inclined either way (in fact, I'm not opposed to Zutarian thinking, they could've been great together... it just didn't happen. And Kataang is cute). But, would Zuko's inclusion in the group have created a stressed love triangle? And, if it did... could it have torn a hole in the fabric of the "light side" too big to mend in time to save the world? I'm not sure... but it could've been likely. The way it did go was just so much cleaner.

And, what about Zuko as a character? I like to think of the beginning of the third season as a major time of growth in Zuko's life... almost as if turning back for that one moment helped strengthen his resolve that much more towards change and peace. I really think he needed to see what life with "restored" honor was like to really comprehend the necessity of life with "earned" honor... he needed to break to be mended properly... burnt to be reborn from the ashes.

Honestly, it seems there are a lot of reasons why Zuko's premature shortcoming was necessary for the rest of the series. That one choice affected SO many different future occurrences for the better, awkwardly enough.

So... by this point I'd bet your wondering why I have this written here? Well, watch as this particular phoenix completes his rising (at least, in a spiritual sense. The fight with Azula at the end is the final rising)... in brilliant technicolor!

Did you see Ryuki, The Hidden Ninja Strawberry? (If not look here: [link] )

Avatar belongs to Mike, Bryan and Nick. Art belongs to me.

See More of my Avatar Fanart here: [link]

Thanks for looking
-Matt