Embers/Characters: Difference between revisions

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[[Late Arrival Spoiler|For late readers and those recently]] [[Fan Fic Recommendations|recommended this FanFic]]: this page '''contains spoilers'''.

* [[Barrier-Busting Blow]]: He shatters a stone cellar door with a shove to get to Jinhai when Min<ref>He's an earthbender, so he's holding the door down</ref> is especially ticked off at his little brother. [[Subverted Trope|And ironically]], it does not tie in to Zuko's reputation as a [[Determinator|fairly]] [[Implacable Man|unstoppable]] [[Scarily Competent Tracker|persecutor]].

* [[Big Brother Mentor]]

* [[Celibate Hero]]

{{quote| '''Jia''': So, what do you do for fun?<br />

'''Lee''': I don't. }}

* [[Good Is Not Nice]]: And ''how''.

* [[Half-Human Hybrid]]: Part of why he has such a bad temper.

** [[Cold Flames]]

** [[Combat Medic]]

* [[It Never Gets Any Easier]]: Zuko's skills aren't limited [[Non-Lethal KO|harmless knockouts]] and [[Inverse Law of Sharpness and Accuracy|deadly strikes that never touch flesh]]. Enemies can and do die in-scene. Zuko ''expects'' nightmares after a kill and Iroh tells him decreasing regret is a sign of something wrong.

* [[Knight in Sour Armor]]

* [[Misery Builds Character]]: A key element of his character in canon(one which he canonically ''abandoned'' once he realized cruelty has no constructive purpose), but in Embers he's turned it into ''[[Warrior Therapist|Warrior Therapy]]'' - he {{spoiler|sends his mind-breaking message to Katara hoping that the scarring will lead her to abandon what he sees as a genocidal hate for the Fire Nation.}}

** Uh, no. The point of the letter was divert her attention to himself, not Iroh or the rest of the Fire Nation or their people. Yes, the letter is an obvious trap to separate Team Avatar, but the beauty of such deception cannot be denied.

* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]]: He says himself a lot of heartache could have been avoided if he'd just talked to Aang at the South Pole.

** Asahi, his ostrich-horse companion.

** Toph, who also knows courtly manners, but might as well be a talking badger-mole, otherwise.

* [[Culture Blind]]: Most notably, because the Avatar is supposed to help everyone ''else'' in the world get over such a problem.

** However, he's also tolerant of cultural differences; Air Monk philosophy is that eating meat is wrong, but he never mentions this to the others until Sokka asks him about it. He shows no surprise or horror at the burial customs of other nations. Respecting other cultures is easy for him; it's finding out what the differences ''are'' that's hard.

* [[Good Cannot Comprehend Evil]]: Vathara's problem with Aang in a nutshell. He is ''implicitly'' [[Good Is Dumb|Not Dumb.]] His "problems" are;

** A. Airbenders tend to be flighty (pun intended) and don't sit around to show off their intelligence. Problem solved, big world full of problems, move on to the next one. Not unjustified, as he ''does'' have an entire world to save, and canonically learned his lesson about staying on one place too long back on Kyoshi Island. Unfortunately, he hasn't quite figured out that [[The World Is Always Doomed|problems don't necessarily STAY solved]].

''...I do not think I will be sleeping well tonight.'' }}

** Although his idealism and faith are also necessary to prevent atrocities; it's a balancing act.

* [[Kick the Dog]]: With Boots. (Boots was not exactly blameless toward Aang, but given the power differential... )

* [[Last of His Kind]]: Partially averted. In Embers, while there are survivors of several Air Nomad groups still out there, Aang is still the last remaining Air ''Monk'', and the only one left who holds to (what he knows of) their ways. {{spoiler|All the others would ''much'' rather see those ways die out. In fact, a character in chapter 59 all but implied that until Aang gives up the Temple ways, the only way to be rid of all traces of the Temples is to wait for Aang to die.}}

* [[Living Lie Detector]]: Being an Airbending master, he can easily see through lies. So easily, he knew Zuko wasn't using lethal force the ''entire'' time he'd been chasing the Avatar.

** Unbeknown to Aang, some of his own legends are less than shining examples of decency.

* [[Stupid Good]]: His blindly following Air Monk doctrine.

{{quote| Aang might have the attention span of a flutter-hornet on a honey high, but that impulsive decision might just have saved the world.}}

** ''Three times.''

* [[Super-Powered Evil Side]]: The Avatar State, or at least the inconsiderate [[Gaia's Vengeance]] side.

* [[Time Travel]]: Sort of. It took a one-way trip into the future courtesy of an iceberg; it's taking him a while to catch up with the cultural changes.

* [[The Trickster]]: Deconstructed to hell and back.

* [[Violence Really Is the Answer]]: Played with. Aang is unwilling to take a life, but quick to use his bending, which often does more damage than he notices. Because of the war, those closest to him want him let down even his [[Thou Shalt Not Kill]] policy and for a while before that, Aang believe that his allies somewhat shared his belief. He is stricken, knowing that they don't.

* [[What the Hell, Hero?|What The Hell, Avatar?]]: From Amaya (failure to sense spirit trouble in Ba Sing Se), Ty Lee ([[Lawful Evil|not surrendering]]), and Langxue (unleashing the wrath of Tui).

* [[The White Prince]]

* [[The Woobie]]: He really, ''really'', REALLY is. No one outside of his [[True Companions]] and obvious allies likes him as a person. The rest of the world is split betweeen worshipping him for being the Avatar (and the only person who can save the world) and hating and fearing him for being the Avatar {{spoiler|and/or an airbender and/or an Air Monk}}. He doesn't know how to live up to the expectations the "good guys" have, he doesn't know how to cope with having things expected of him at all and he doesn't know how to cope with needing to cope. The world's become too small and dangerous for Aang's ''run away / do whatever seems most immedidiately expedient then run off'' problem-solving strategy to work, but he's too busy mentally avoiding the consequences to work out where he's going wrong.

* [[The Heart]]: She remains this in Embers. Lampshaded by Toph in Chapter 37: "Katara keeps us together."

** [[Heart Is an Awesome Power]]: Her abilities allow her to pull on others' emotions. The bad part about this is that she was not taught to control it very well, thanks to Pakku. Hakoda and Sokka are wary about her pulling on their hearts.

* [[Horrible Judge of Character]]: Though this seems more of a side-effect of her [[Moral Myopia]]. Anyone who doesn't side with her or Aang (Xiu, for instance) isn't a friend, especially if they happen to like Zuko. She's especially this around those of the Fire Nation.

* [[Ignorant of Their Own Ignorance]]: Katara often needs Toph to help put things into perspective for her.

** [[Wrong Genre Savvy]]: Things that would fix problems in a more idealistic world actually ''start'' problems in Embers. Contrast this with Zuko, now the Protagonist, who has had to learn to calm down before he can't think, lest he get [[Anthropic Principle|himself and Iroh killed]], when they were on the run.

** Not really. The thing about that letter was that Katara was torn between her family (the Tribe) and Aang (her friend and student). The Water Tribes need revenge, and Aang says that "No you don't! You're a good person, and good people don't DO that!". Chief Hakoda isn't entirely blameless either, as he was the one who gave Katara an ultimatum of death should she ever try bending their hearts again. He has a quasi-religious respect for waterbenders as well, as he inadvertently let Katara think that it's ok to do her duty as a woman of the Tribe and as a waterbender, because Waterbenders are blessed by by their Gods, and therefore, their Chosen People.

* [[Mama Bear]]: Towards Aang. When her own mother was murdered in front of her. In an attack by the Fire Nation. [[Oh Crap|The Fire Nation Zuko represents.]] Comes to a head in the Beach Arc.

* [[Moral Myopia]]: Every character is biased to some degree, but [[Author Tract|Katara doesn't even give a convincing argument]], having grown up with the impression that she is supposed to be a strong pillar to hold up her tribe. Its the darker half of her [[Team Mom]] tendencies.

* [[Genius Bruiser]]/[[Dangerously Genre Savvy]]: Toph is fully aware of the implications of her Metal-bending; if "no one" is supposed to bend metal, then how many ''other'' "impossible" techniques can she get away with? She's experimenting with the use of salt in seawater, and even bent the ''ashes in smoke''.

** [[I Thought It Was Forbidden]]: Tao immediately tries to shut her down for bending the ash, thinking that she's begun [[Blow You Away|bending Air]] and thus insulted both the great spirits of Air and Earth by not sticking with what she was given. While not immediately revealed to the cast in-scene, the readers can easily pick up that Tao is [[Sadly Mythtaken]].

* [[Only Sane Man|Only Sane Girl]]: Amongst everyone else's not so sane moments, Toph's the only one keeping a level head and looks at the situation objectively, especially with regards to the Fire Nation. She's the only one who can.

* [[Secret Keeper]]: She knows that Zuko, Iroh and the Fire Nation have draconic ancestry. She also knows that Zuko can waterbend, too, but she doesn't tell Aang, Sokka or Katara.

* [[Red Oni]]: To Mai.

* [[Remembered I Could Fly]]: {{spoiler|Almost [[Blow You Away|literally]], as [[Power Limiter|her airbending]] and [[Laser-Guided Amnesia|some memories]] had been sealed away by her clan.}}

** She's also this about Aang, too. Despite being a Temple Monk, Aang would NOT condone any of what Xiangchen or his followers did, and never would Aang do this to her or any of the other Air Nomad survivors.

*** There's also Zuko. In chapter 42 she says that Zuko is too nice. She's in for a surprise when she sees him again...

* [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]

* [[Arranged Marriage]]: Most Earth Kings get this. Kuei just got his due to Agents Bon and Quan saying "It'd take a miracle to find spriritually strong women in the middle of a Fire Nation invasion-", and also because the Touzaikaze were impressed with Kuei enough to send their own special women as prospective brides.

* [[Badass Bookworm]]: He's got a personal library ''full'' of powerful information yet unknown to the rest of the world, and he's a powerful enough spiritbender to kick ''Wan Shi Tong'' out of the Earth Kingdom.

* [[Compelling Voice]]/[[God-Emperor]]: Just being in the Earth Kingdom puts one under his supernatural jurisdiction.

* [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?|Did You Just Banish Wan Shi Tong?]]

* [[Royal We]]

* [[Soul Power]]: He has authority over the spirits of Ba Sing Se. Also noted to become one of the best spirit-benders out there.

* [[Back From the Dead]]: Died "in his sleep" roughly 17-18 years before Aang thawed out of his iceberg.

* [[Backup From Otherworld]]: Sometimes Zuko unconsciously uses Kuzon's old speech patterns and memories. Then Yangchen comes along.

* [[Dual-Wielding]]

* [[Posthumous Character]]: For the most part.

* [[Broken Bird]]: Or at least seriously spirit-damaged.

* [[Half-Human Hybrid]]: She's the daughter of a dragon and a human woman.

* [[Missing Mom]]: She's still around... somewhere...

* [[Yamato Nadeshiko]]: Her core personality remains the same as in canon.

Tropes associated with Embers' version of Jee include:

* [[The Captain]]: Only now he actually holds the rank, instead of acting as such under another's command.

* [[No One Gets Left Behind]]: Even when they've been declared traitors to your own nation.

* [[Reassigned to Antarctica]]: The entire crew, not just Jee.

* [[Moral Myopia]]: More like Moral Blindness, which he has in spades.

* [[Revenge]]/[[Revenge Before Reason]]: Jet will drop defending himself from an opposing horde to kill a Firebender. He'll even drop his friends.

* [[Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters]]: He ''personifies'' this trope, even in canon.

* [[Ancient Tradition]]: A member of the White Lotus ''and'' aware of what Kuzon was up to.

* [[Badass Normal]]

* [[Parental Abandonment]]: Piandao thinks his birth parents were firebenders who orphaned him because he couldn't bend.

* [[Reasonable Authority Figure]]

* [[Expy]]: of [[Indiana Jones|Doctor Henry Jones Senior]]

* [[A Father to His Men]]: He cares for his students, so one of them disappearing for digging too deeply into the wrong subjects was a bad blow.

** [http://mallorn85.deviantart.com/gallery/25678731#/d2yn327 As seen here.]

* [[The Chick]]: Likes her looks, her clothes, her poetry...

* [[Dishing Out Dirt]]

* [[Lady of War]]: Briefly, when up against Azula. Perfectly capable of asskicking (she's a competent Earthbender) and healing.

* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]: Smarter than the facade she presents.

=== Jinhai Wen ===

Tropes associated with Jinhai include:

* [[The Medic]]/[[Healing Hands]]: Obviously.

* [[Soul Power]]: She learned Energybending (Spirit-healing/bending, in ''Embers''), from the Lion Turtle.

* [[The Mentor]]: She gets Zuko started on healing.

* [[Urban Warfare]]: It's getting there. He's lost the men and got the marks to prove it. {{spoiler|The Dai Li left in the city aren't sitting just around...}}

* [[War Is Hell]]: Well aware of this. It's why he tries to work with the locals - the alternative is worse.

* [[Would Not Shoot a Civilian]]: Holds himself, the City Guards and the occupying forces to that standard. Anyone who doesn't, Yakume promises to deal with personally.

* [[Doomed Defeatist]]: Subverted, in that he's still around, but he definitely had the defeatist attitude down pat in his earlier appearances. He got better once Zuko got him starting on healing.

* [[Healing Hands]]

** [[Healing Shiv]]: Other marines are less successful, as Imperial Firebending is taught around ''creating'' fire and letting its destructive nature pan out; not for ''handling'' anything (beyond extinguishing the unnecessary).

* [[Ensign Newbie|Lieutenant Newbie]]: While not new to the Navy (it's implied he's been in the service for a while now) Sadao ''is'' new to the whole command thing. Leads to...

Tropes associated with Kyo include:

* [[Dope Slap]]: He can do it without even seeming to move.

* [[Nerves of Steel]]: Steady as a among rapids.

* {{spoiler|[[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]: Against the Earth Kingdom bandits who killed his family. It not only got him reassigned, but the rest of his squad too.}}

Tropes associated with Fushi include:

* [[Action Girl]]

** [[Perky Goth]]

** [[The Cutie]]

Tropes associated with Rikiya include:

* [[Lampshaded Double Entendre]]: his first bit of characterization is turning something Teruko said into an innuendo.

Tropes associated with Sukekuni include:

=== Corporal Shoni ===

Tropes associated with Shoni include:

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]

* [[Knife Nut]]

Tropes associated with Moriaki include:

* [[Combat Medic]]

=== Shidan of Byakko ===

** Fire Lord Sozin

** [[Mama Bear|Threats to her people.]]

* [[Our Ghosts Are Different]]

* [[What the Hell, Hero?|What the Hell, Avatar?]]: To Kyoshi, for what she did to the Fire Nation.

* [[An Ice Person]]

* [[Be Careful What You Wish For]]

* [[Expy]]: [[Bleach|Captain Hitsugaya Toshiro]]. And he's [[Shout-Out|even called Little Captain]] by Saoluan.

* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: To save his surrogate older sister from the Unagi, he prays for more speed, and Tengri made him into the third yaoren.

=== Asahi ===

Tropes associated with Asahi include:

* [[Feathered Fiend]]: 'Damned Bitch Hen' has risen over a bloodied, collective panic at least twice, in the story.

* [[Morality Pet]]: Played with. As effective as she is in getting Zuko on his good side, its usually Zuko that has to keep ''Asahi'' from mauling just about everyone.

* [[Team Pet]]: to Zuko's company.

* [[Meaningful Name]]: Toph named him... Which, given the rest of the Gaang (Sokka in particular), was probably for the best, since spirits tend to reflect how spirits regard him. So, if Sokka sarcastically called him Doom Greeves: The Conquerer, Boots might actually start changing to fit that name...

* [[Team Pet]]

=== Tao ===

Tropes associated with Tao include:

* {{spoiler|[[Bias Steamroller]]}}: {{spoiler|Against the Fire Nation, for obvious reasons.}}

* [[Dishing Out Dirt]]: Is an Earthbender in addition to being a shaman.

* [[Old Master]]

** [[Razor Wind]]: We've yet to see her fight, but it's a sure bet she'd be able to do it.

* [[Combat Medic]]

* [[Gray Eyes]]

* [[Katanas Are Just Better]]: Obviously.