Template:Fire character infobox His Imperial Majesty, Ozai, Fire Lord and 53rd Earth King, is the ruthless, Firebender ruler of the Fire Nation (currently for six or seven years) and Ba Sing Se, brother of General Iroh, son to Fire Lord Azulon and Fire Lady Ilah, and father to Prince Zuko and Princess Azula. He was also the husband to Princess Ursa. Ozai, like his father Azulon and his grandfather Sozin, continues the War with the other nations, striving for the Fire Nation to encompass the entire world in its grasp.
Quick Answers
Who were the family members of Fire Lord Ozai?
What was Ozai's reign period as the Fire Lord?
Why is Ozai also known as the Phoenix King?
How did Ozai's rule impact the Hundred Year War?
What is the relationship between Ozai and his son, Zuko?
History
Ozai is crowned Fire Lord upon Azulon's mysterious death.
In the Book Two episode "Zuko Alone," it is revealed Ozai is second born; Iroh should have been Fire Lord by birthright. In this episode, which is mostly flashbacks, we see him requesting his father, Fire Lord Azulon, change the rules so that Ozai, rather than Iroh, can inherit the throne; Azulon is shown as being furious at this, and says he will not allow it. Azulon also states that Ozai is to be punished for his request, and according to Azula (who may or may not have been lying but was listening to the secret meeting behind a curtain), Ozai was ordered to kill his son Zuko. Instead, Zuko's mother mysteriously disappears, though the cause is unknown. Fire Lord Azulon died soon afterwards, and Ozai took the throne, which at the funeral, is said to have been Azulon's wish. Ozai's cruelty and aggression seems to stem from his own failed relationship with his father.
Despite familial ties, even Ozai's son has borne the brunt of his cruelty. Two years before the series began, the then 14 year-old Zuko, his eldest and least-favored, spoke out in Ozai's war room against a general's popular plan to sacrifice novice troops in pursuit of victory. Angered by his impudence, Ozai demanded Zuko duel in an Agni Kai, not with the General who Zuko angered, but with Ozai himself. Seeing the Fire Lord in the arena, Zuko fell to his knees, pleading for forgiveness and refusing to duel his own father. For this perceived cowardice and disrespect, Ozai badly burned his face, permanently scarring him. He then exiled Zuko from the Fire Nation, under orders not to return until he had done the impossible: captured the long-lost Avatar, missing for a hundred years. This was meant to be an easy way of getting rid of Zuko, seeing as at the time of Zuko's banishment, the Avatar was still missing.
Ozai
With the Avatar's sudden reappearance as the twelve-year-old Airbender Aang, Ozai has become more aggressive in his pursuit of victory. Distrusting his son's competence, he sent Zuko's rival Zhao to hunt for the Avatar, even promoting him from Commander to Admiral. Unfortunately, Admiral Zhao was thwarted in his mission by Ozai's brother Iroh, who turned traitor in an effort to stop Zhao from killing the Water Tribe's patron Moon Spirit. Ozai recently expressed distaste at what he saw as his brother's treachery and son's failure by giving his daughter, Azula, the task of capturing both Zuko and Iroh. This latest betrayal has caused Zuko and Iroh to cut off their top-knots as a symbol of renunciation of their past and their connection to Ozai.
Before, Ozai's only appearance was a shadow in the throne of the Fire Nation Palace. In the season premiere of the third season of the show, his full face was finally revealed when speaking with his son Zuko, who had regained his honor by "killing" the Avatar, and helping Azula to conquer Ba Sing Se.
Trivia
- In "The Deserter," the Fire Lord's whole face (or a merely speculative mock-up of it) is shown in puppet-form at the Fire Nation Fire Days cultural festival that the Avatar gang attended.
- In "Zuko Alone," Ozai is seen sans his trademark shadow for the very first time. Every portion of his body was illuminated except the area around his eyes.
- The modern way to write down the official red seal that is placed on all the wanted posters is 烈火國王敖載印寶 (liè huǒ guó wáng áo zǎi yìn bǎo), which translates as "Fire Lord Ozai's official seal." Ozai is written as Áo zǎi (敖載) which translates as "haughtily load." However, since in written documental Chinese the word 載 (zǎi) is used for the word 'year,' the translation for Ozai's name can also be 'haughtily year,' most likely a reference to him being the catalyst for the difficult year setting of the series.
- Ozai was played by Mark Hamill.
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| Preceded by Azulon |
Fire Lord ~8YA-Present |
Succeeded by heir apparent |
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| Preceded by 52nd Earth King |
Earth King 0YA (Spring)-Present |
Succeeded by heir apparent |