If you have ever researched about the art of storytelling, it is likely you have heard of “The Hero’s Journey.” But if you haven’t and have no idea what I am talking about, let me give you a quick synopsis. The hero’s journey is basically a predetermined set of events that occur during the plot of any story (centered around the protagonist of course). There are 12 steps to the hero’s journey, and once you learn them it becomes more apparent how much it reappears in shows and movies.

In the case of Avatar, the hero’s journey is pretty standard and it can be clearly seen, even by people who may not know the exact steps that are part of the hero’s journey. Yet something that I found particularly interesting was Zuko’s storyline, which is almost a direct parallel to Aang’s hero journey.

(Honestly this blog posts is super long so feel free to skip around to any of the steps that interest you the most!)

Step 1: The Ordinary World.

• This is the point at which the journey has yet to begin. It reveals the hero as an ordinary human, which creates an easier way to empathize and relate to them.

For Aang and Zuko, their beginning is relatively the same. Aang was a relatable kid, playing games with his friends (even coming up with his own) and pranking the adults in his life. He was unaware of any war, any strife, his biggest problem was boredom. For Zuko, he was a classic sibling example. His annoyances rested in his sister forcing him to play games with her and her friends, and his comfort was found within his mom. Any kid could’ve been Aang or Zuko.

Step 2: Call to Adventure.

Aang was called by the monks to discuss his future role as Avatar. Something that, as described in the hero’s journey, disrupts his whole life. He is no longer the same, and he is no longer treated the same by his community and friends, who refuse to play simple games with him. To Zuko, there are two instances of where his call to adventure could begin. It could begin with him sitting in on his father’s war meeting, or it could be the beginning of his banishment and impossible task to find the Avatar.

Step 3: Refusal of the Call

Aang’s refusal of the call is the kickstarter for the whole show. He ran away out of fear of being separated from Gyatso and ended up freezing himself into a block of ice in order to survive a dangerous storm. As for Zuko, the refusal once again is determined by the call of the adventure. His refusal to send in new troops on the front line during the war meeting (and in turn speaking out of line) could be the moment he refuses the call and ends up suffering because of it. The refusal of the call may even be during the Agni Kai against the Fire Lord, in which he refuses to fight him.

Step 4: Meeting the Mentor

Aang meets multiple mentors throughout the journey, yet the first real mentors he meets I believe are Katara and Sokka. They guide him and give him confidence to start his journey to becoming the Avatar, and ultimately are the reason he began his quest. Zuko’s mentor has been Iroh, plain and simple. Without him, I doubt Zuko would have been able to start his journey to find the Avatar as well or as efficiently.

Step 5: Crossing the Threshold.

• In other words, the point at which the hero acts upon his call to adventure and begins the quest (physically, spiritually, or emotionally).

For Aang, I believe that the best moment of this is when they visit the Southern Air Temple and he finds Gyatso’s skeleton. It has truly signified the weight of his journey, and the real consequences that lie ahead. For Zuko, it was the beginning of his banishment. He was in every way damaged, physically, emotionally, spiritually. He was thrust from a world he was familiar with, to a world he was not, and he had to leave home for the first time in his life.

Step 6: Tests, Allies, Enemies

Aang experiences all of the above almost every single episode, or even all three at once. Its safe to say any episode ever can provide the necessary context for this step. For Zuko, his whole journey itself is a test, and he is constantly in contact with a stream of his own enemies (the biggest being his own stubbornness and fear).

Step 7: Approach to the Inmost Cave.

• This may represent an actual location in which danger lies or an inner conflict that has not been faced until now.

Aang’s inmost cave seems to be that of when he met with the Guru to unlock chakras needed for the Avatar state. His biggest inner conflict up until now that he had yet to face was his attachment to Katara, and (symbolically) his attachment as a whole. Things that he holds dear to him (his culture, his loved ones) are essential to who he is, and when those things are threatened he is very stubborn to part with them. As for Zuko, the inmost cave definitely is following the moment when he released Appa from Lake Laogi. The moment in which he is battling between the good and the bad inside of him is one of the biggest representations of this inner conflict that had been brewing all this time.

Step 8: Ordeal.

• A dangerous physical test or deep inner crisis the hero has to face in order to survive. The most difficult challenge, greatest fear, or deadly foe.

For the first time, this is where Aang and Zuko’s hero journey overlaps. For both of them, “The Crossroads of Destiny” is probably the exact moment in which both of them experience the Ordeal step. Both who lose in their own way as well. Zuko negates his inner crisis that he was on the verge of resolving, and Aang physically loses his test as well– almost dying to the lightning shot through him by Azula.

Step 9: Reward.

• After surviving death and overcoming their greatest personal challenge, the hero is transformed.

For Aang, his reward was definitely reconciliation and learning fire bending with Zuko. During the third book, he was mainly committed toward finding plans and ways to defeat the Fire Lord, whether or not he had a firebending teacher. By making this final leap after surviving death and overcoming a great personal challenge (learning to fire bend), he is ready for the last part of the journey. As for Zuko it slightly differs in which his reward was facing his father and figuring out his true destiny.

Step 10: The Road Back.

• The hero must choose between personal objective and that of a higher cause.

The best scenario for Aang has to be the decision to kill or spare the Fire Lord. He was under a lot of pressure and wanting to uphold the belief of pacifism from his culture, he had to choose whether he would give up his personal objective for a higher cause, or find another way. As for Zuko, his instance would be the conflict of the Fire Nation throne. Throughout his whole journey, he had struggled with identity and acceptance, and now he had to face the future of whether or not he would succeed the throne or hand it off to someone else.

Step 11: The Resurrection

• a.k.a. The most dangerous meeting with death. The final showdown.

For these, it is pretty clear that it is the parallel duels of Aang vs. Ozai and Zuko vs. Azula.

Finally, Step 12: Return with the Elixir (or reward).

Aang and Zuko, now friends, have both concluded their journeys together and came home collectively with the ultimate reward they both needed– peace. Both outwardly in the world, and inwards in themselves and who they are.

 

Wow, ok that really was a lot to read. Congratulations if you read through the whole thing! And if you didn’t, I totally understand and don’t blame you at all. I hope you learned something new, or maybe even thought back to other shows or movies in which characters follow a similar path! My question is, if you had to pick a character to follow in their journey, who would you choose? (I would pick Katara). Have a great weekend!

 

Site:

• https://www.tlu.ee/~rajaleid/montaazh/Hero%27s%20Journey%20Arch.pdf