Warning! This article contains spoilers for Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Summary

• Zuko's backstory in Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender adds depth to his character by including some elements not found in the original show.
• The biggest, best change made to Zuko's character in Netflix;s The Last Airbender is the idea that the 41st Divison he spoke out in defense of, which subsequently got him banished from the Fire Nation, makes up his ship's crew.
• Netflix's adaptation enriches Zuko's character with new elements, including the aftermath of Lu Ten's death and furthering his connection with Iroh and the other Fire Nation soldiers.

Netflix's Zuko's tragic backstory in The Last Airbender to his desire to capture the Avatar alongside Uncle Iroh, the young prince's depiction was arguably the most accurate in the entire show.

By the time of The Last Airbender season 2 is greatly influenced by his backstory with his father. This backstory was detailed at length in The Last Airbender episode 6 and includes one change from the original show that fantastically elevates Zuko's character.

The 41st Divison Being Zuko’s Crew Is A Fantastic Addition To Netflix’s Last Airbender

The addition to Zuko's backstory surrounds the crew who run his ship in the search for the Avatar. In Zuko's flashbacks, he is shown speaking out against a Fire Nation general who wishes to sacrifice an entire division - the 41st - to gain an edge against the Earth Kingdom. After Zuko faces the ramifications of this via The Last Airbender's Agni Kai, he is banished from the Fire Nation until he finds the Avatar.

Ozai then alerts Zuko that the 41st division the prince spoke out in of will man his ship. This plot point was not part of the original Avatar: The Last Airbender, yet is a genius addition that explains how Zuko eventually earns his crew's loyalty. Not only does it make Zuko's character that much deeper, but it adds context to an unexplored element of the original Nickelodeon show.

Netflix’s Last Airbender Season 1 Adds More To Zuko’s Character

This change concerning the 41st Divison gives Zuko's character even more depth than the original show in Netflix's The Last Airbender. Interestingly though, this addition is not the only way Netflix's live-action adaptation achieves this. Another way the show adds to Zuko's character is by showing the aftermath of Lu Ten's death, Iroh's son. The scene from Lu Ten's funeral is another brilliant showcase of Zuko and Iroh's relationship, all while making Zuko much more sympathetic.

For the most part, the original The Last Airbender season 1 showed Zuko as more of an antagonist. While several elements of his backstory made him more than this in Nickelodeon's show, Netflix's live-action adaptation includes even more. This arguably betters his character from the original show, chiefly through the additions to his backstory in Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender like the deepening of his connections to the soldiers of the 41st Divison.

All episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1 are now streaming on Netflix.