Zuko’s Saturn Glow Up
Millennials have been ready for all grown up: Avatar edition for a long time.Every once in a while being on this timeline kinda rocks. Every once in a while a story worth the hype gets a foothold, and a franchise stands the test of time.
Avatar The Last Airbender is back. And in true Pluto in Aquarius/Aries stellium fashion, the people decided to leak and pirate that shit. I don’t know the why's of the hackers, but I do know that Paramount cancelled plans to put the movie in theaters at the end of 2025, pissing of an entire generation and probably their kids, too. Instead, they planned to release it on Paramount plus in fall of 2026. *insert fart noise*
So now we’ve got spoilers flowing, and while I’m dodging the videos and plot spoilers, I have stopped scrolling on numerous occasions. Most of them being for my sweet malefic angel Zuko. I know I’m not alone.
You know how I know? Because these bitches are FERAL. Loud about it in the same way the anime community is loud about fictional, two dimensional men. Good, join me. Join us.
I’ve seen a few
“WHY IS ZUKO KINDA 🥵🥵”
and I want to answer that with astrology.
We meet Zuko as a spiky kid. He’s got trust issues and anger issues stemming from his sociopathic fire lord father, his murderous sister, and whatever else nepo babies deal with, idk.
He’s cutthroat, sure. Intense? Obviously. Life has made him villainous, but I’m not convinced he’s a villain yet. This is why Avatar is a perfect kids show. It showcases the tenuous relationship humans have with growing up and growing into who they are.
Zuko is banished from the Fire Nation. His whole arc centers the things he does in an attempt to get back into his father’s good graces. He tries and fails to catch Aang and the gang, and with each failure his humiliation grows. He seethes.
Enter Blue Spirit. Zuko dons this mask to hide his identity. It symbolizes the fracturing between who he was raised to be and who he could potentially be. It’s murky, but he’s making his own decisions. He wears the mask to steal food, he wears the mask to save Aang, then attack him again. We are never sure about Zuko until the end.
By the last season, Zuko stops trying to appease his father and also accepts that his uncle Iroh (arguably the best character in the series) was always the father figure he never realized he had.
He was banished because of his heart and empathy. Usually (but not always!) in story, those aren’t traits of THE villain. So, what happens to this character who clawed his way out from under the abuse? How does hard earned wisdom like that look later down the line?
THE GLOW UP ✨
Saturn is a cold and lonely planet. It is a planet of rules, restriction, and discipline. All of which his father, the fire lord, demanded from his children from the get. Zuko’s determination to restore his reputation and claim his legacy are all huge red pin emojis that scream
SATURN! 📌
Saturn experiences force us to grow up. Saturnian people have it rough in comparison to the Venusians and the Jupiterians. Life throws them harder lessons earlier. Admit it, you wouldn’t want to be Zuko or Azula.
Saturn is the planet that needs time to cook. It wants a solid plan to do better. The definition of you get what you give. In order to utilize Saturn’s lessons to their fullest potential you need to be willing to see reality and grow from the ground up.
Notice how important the enemies-to-friends relationship with Aang was to Zuko’s arc. While Saturn and Jupiter are lowkey enemies, the balance between them inspires well rounded growth. I’m not sure if Zuko could have become the man he did without Aang’s steadfast Jupiterian compassion, mercy, and forgiveness.
We left Zuko at the series finale (with tears in our eyes, probably) knowing he learned his lesson. You think a responsible Saturnian lad would drop the ball? After three seasons of growth?
No. Zuko was always going to grow to embody all the things his father could not. Love, friendship, honor. If you’re doing it right, the discipline of Saturn leads to those things. Or perhaps, it’s that you can’t hope to achieve them without it. Saturn is the planet of working hard in order to reap whatever rewards await down the line.
Determination, achievement and pressure. Saturn fuels a person with the urgency to make something of themselves. Zuko’s character emphasizes the ways in which expectation weighs on us and can shape us for better or for worse.
We can rest assured that this man right here is a responsible man with good judgement who will live rent free in our heads and smutty fanfics for years to come.
As for how sexy this man is? Go ahead and thank Saturn again. Because Saturnians age like fine wine. Now, let’s all give a hearty THANK YOU to the animators.
thaaaank youuuuu, artists and animatorsssss!