9 - Abhishek S: New Possibilities

Characters from my favorite childhood shows were oftentimes very one dimensional. However, every once in a while there will be very dynamic and human characters that stick with you. One of these characters for me is Zuko from Avatar the Last Airbender.

The thing I found most interesting about him was his growth as a person over the course of the show.

He begins as a resentful person who is constantly trying to prove his worth. Zuko would stop at nothing to catch the Avatar in order to feel accomplished in the eyes of his father. Fortunately, his uncle who goes by the name of Iroh was always a positive figure in his life that offered him guidance and understanding. 

Zuko and the Avatar fought in gruesome battles and held animosity towards each other. Zuko, through following his heart and the guidance of Uncle Iroh, decided to right his wrongs by helping the Avatar instead. Seeing a character do a complete 180 in children shows is not something you often see especially in a cartoon. Characters are meant to embody a specific archetype of some sort over the entirety of the show.

Breaking away from that conventional format is powerful for a lot of reasons. It shows its young impressionable audience that growth is possible. You aren’t confined to others’ perceptions and ideals set for you. You have agency to be who you want to be and stand for what you believe in.

I think the character of Zuko embodies this and for that reason he is one of my favorite tv show characters ever.