#zuko and todoroki

[zoraideales]

When theyre scarred and traumatized >>>

[novaneondream]

They’re practicing

[jenoutof10]

i call this the "maybe in another universe, i'm a better sibling to you."

[punkeropercyjackson]

"We need to normalize kindness!"You guys can't even handle that making fun of eachother isn't a sign of love for everyone because some people can't handle it so it hurts their feelings and instead call them losers for it and prove their point that you're genuinely cruel

[wanda-e]

I think I've seen this film before

And I didn't like the ending.

[incaseyouart]

I opened up six fanarts requests on Twitter randomly last week! Drew some of these on Twitch ^_^ This was fun and I might run it again soon, or another round of palette challenge requests here on Tumblr!

[zels-echoes]

Finally they can be besties.

[iszapizza]

if I had a penny for every time I see a fire wielding character with a dark backstory of daddy issues and facial burn scars caused by those same fathers I’d have three pennies, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it’s happened three times.

[achieve-the-sun]

Doodles

[nerdytacopersonathlete]

I am in the BNHA, ATLA and TOH fandom and I've noticed a trend.....

[alexiazart]

Firelord Todoroki :) No reuploads! Support me by Liking, reposting and following me to see more!

[nightowl1556]

"You know that (insert non-canon ship name) is never going to happen, right?"

Me:

[writersmorgue]

WORK WITH HIM.

I wish my friend was Todoroki, anon.

[punkeropercyjackson]

Jason Todd.Also Megumi Fushiguro.Also Percy Jackson but by P*rcicos and gods fuckers specifically.Also Todoroki Shouto.Also Sasuke Uchiha.Also Ichigo Kurosaki.Also Hobie Brown.Also Marshall Lee Abadeer.Also Prince Zuko.Also Nicholas D. Wolfwood-Y'know you guys get it

(Oh woah,almost 400 notes and like almost 100 at least don't realize i'm insulting you and calling you basic pick mes.Well,thanks for liking and subscribing anyway ig)

[class1akids]

Did you watch the new live action of ATLA ? Recently I've seen the live action and animated version of ATLA and all i can see is that the parallels between Zuko and shoto are insane?!

No, I haven't watched it. I've spent a few years in the ATLA fandom, I love the show, but I have been pretty disappointed in LoK and the comics, so I have no desire to see any further spin-offs and re-thinking and just want to keep the original in my head in its near-perfection.

I think I've written also about Zuko and Shouto - this question comes up a lot. There are a some parallels between them, but I think they come from common literary and manga tropes:

Abusive family

Toxic father / daddy issues

Absent mother / mother issues

Facial scar as symbol of pain endured

Healing arc

Found family

Ruined sibling relationship with a sibling possessing blue fire due to shared abuse / toxic family

Fire powers that unlock with healing

Unconventional use of fire power that symbolizes healing (Zuko's lightning redirect and Shouto's Phosphor)

But if you look beyond these tropes, I think the psychology between them is very different:

Zuko is a "black sheep" / failure character, desperate for his father's approval. In his attempt to earn that approval, he does pretty bad things, betrays his uncle and needs to go on a redemption arc to learn to let go of the need for his blood father's approval and embrace the father who truly raised him - Iroh.

Shouto by contrast is a "golden child" / "masterpiece" character (more like Azula in that sense), but he's never after his father's approval. His arc is about gaining autonomy and sense of self, healing, forgiving and reconnecting with his family. And his ultimate challenge is not to let go of his need for his family, but to learn to accept that in order to find himself, Shouto needs to learn to see and accept his father as a flawed human being as well.

Just think of their endgames. Zuko's endgame is to reject his father and walk away. Shouto's endgame is keep fighting for his family despite every let-down and rejection.

So I think despite the many similarities, both arcs deep down are quite different and unique. In ATLA Zuko and Azula both develop and change, Ozai stays as a static, one-dimensional evil character. In the Todoroki family, everyone is more dynamic. Shouto, Touya and Endeavor all change, but so does Rei, Fuyumi and Natsuo. While Zuko has Iroh’s unconditional love to counterbalance Ozai, Shouto has no “Iroh” character to guide him. Even if you could argue that All Might’s inspiration is the counterbalance to Endeavor’s abuse, All Might is quite a distant figure for Shouto. So his journey in that way is more about understanding and assimilating the human characteristics of both Endeavor and All Might into his own end goal of who he wants to be.

The ATLA Fire family is about Zuko's coming to terms that he'll never get the family he wanted. The Todoroki family is about coming together and reconnecting a fractured family.