The hiding of Ozai is genius?

Hey guys!

To cut it short and to give a small introduction, I believe the creators of Avatar the Last Airbender did an amazing job in the creation of Ozai! The creation of Ozai throughout the show is one of genius and that is one of the reasons why he is one of my favourite villains. Of course, this small blog is to present my view and discuss the portrayal of Fire Lord, Phoenix King and Main Antagonist Ozai. I am merely focusing on one aspect of the Fire Lord and much more can be discussed in praise of his portrayal.

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Hiding the Fire Lord’s identity

Part 1. Seeming unreachable

One of the great aspects of Ozai’s character is that he is completely faceless. He is always in focus but at the same time, he’s not present. The best example I can give is the scene where Zuko speaks against the Fire Nation’s plans.

Ozai sits in the background, overseeing like he is the one pulling the strings, he is the puppet master. However, even with this, looking at Aang’s ability, as seen in his fight against Zuko, it genuinely doesn’t seem to be a hard task. We have seen both Zuko and Zhao, which are our only points of reference for a fight with the Fire Nation, being bested in the same season without massive amounts of effort. It does give the viewer a sense that the Fire Lord is no different to these two, and after no time, Aang would be ready.

But, this seems to completely flip with the conversation between Aang and Roku at the solstice. Not only does Roku force a deadline upon Aang but this is where we get our first real glimpse of Ozai, shown as a fiery demon. Coupled with the image of Ozai and the threat which Roku warns against with the coming of Sozin’s comet, it turns the tables in the minds of the viewers. This is no longer seen as such a tiny feat but something… almost impossible. This is further amplified by Roku soloing the sages and destroying the temple. This absurd amount of power is still undermined by Roku’s previous warning of the mass power of Ozai, suggesting that not even what Roku does/can do here, would be able to defeat Ozai.

Part 2. Dehumanising the Villain

Another big part of hiding Ozai’s face is the removal of his humanity. Going back to the depiction of Ozai above, it removes all humanity and replaces that with a sense of pure evil. The creators do this (as I theorise) to eliminate any possibility of remorse or sympathy from the viewer towards him. This can be proved by the general view of Azula in comparison to Ozai.

It’s pretty easy to see how much the Avatar community sympathises with Azula. No matter how evil she is made to look, no matter what her actions or speech, she is empathised and sympathised with and this is in complete contrast to Ozai. In my view, it is due to the humanising of Azula through her face. Seeing Azula, from the end of book 1 to the end of book 3, impacts the viewer and creates a connection between the viewer and the character. Even if Azula is portrayed as a psychopath and a maniac, her human appearance is still enough for fans to put all that aside and somehow want the best for her. For example, we always hear discussion of an ‘Azula Redemption Arc’.

Part 3. Ozai being just a normal guy?

Throughout the entirety of books 1 & 2, the revealing of the Fire Lord’s identity had been built up and suspense was at its breaking point. As spoken before, the Fire Lord had been a looming force in the background, pulling the strings, and now finally the viewers had the chance to see who he was. But then… he was just a normal guy welcoming his son? Undoubtedly, this left viewers in shock. I imagine that many would have assumed a reveal similar to King Baldwin IV in ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ or even Darth Vader in Star Wars. This decision does seem to have the effect of genuine annoyance and disappointment on the viewer and creates a distaste for Ozai’s appearance starting from his reveal and this carries on until the end of the show.

Conclusion

Of course, this is merely a summary and if I were to talk about every single aspect of Ozai’s character which makes him amazing, I would be talking forever. The creators - without any doubt - did an incredible job in his creation.

Lastly, this is almost entirely theoretical. To my knowledge, none of what I bring can be proved unless previously the writers came out and spoke, however, I do strongly believe in what I’ve discussed here and that it is well justified. Thank you for reading!

#AntagonistMonth2024