Avatar: The Last Airbender (TV Series)
Bitter Work (2006)
Dante Basco: Prince Zuko
Photos
Quotes
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[last lines]
Prince Zuko : [shouting out at skies during a thunderstorm] You've always thrown everything you could at me. Well, I can take it! And now I can give it back! Come on! Strike me! You've never held back before!
[pause before he falls to his knees and breaks down in tears]
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Prince Zuko : But I don't feel any shame at all. I'm as proud as ever.
Uncle Iroh : Prince Zuko, pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the only antidote to shame.
Prince Zuko : Well, my life has nothing but humbling lately.
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Uncle Iroh : [Draws Fire symbol in the dirt] Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will and the energy and drive to achieve what they want.
Uncle Iroh : [Draws Earth symbol] Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring.
Uncle Iroh : [Draws Air symbol] Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had pretty good senses of humor.
Uncle Iroh : [Draws Water symbol] Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribes are capable of adapting to many things. They have a sense of community and love that holds them together through anything.
Prince Zuko : Why are you telling me these things?
Uncle Iroh : [Draws straight lines separating the four symbols] It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If you take it from only one place, it become rigid and stale.
Uncle Iroh : [Draws a circle around all four symbols] Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations, will help you become whole.
Prince Zuko : All this four elements talk is sounding like Avatar stuff.
Uncle Iroh : It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful. But it can make you more powerful, too.
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Prince Zuko : So, Uncle, I've been thinking. It's only a matter of time before I run into Azula again. I'm going to need to know more advanced firebending if I want to stand a chance against her. I know what you're going to say, she's my sister, and I should be trying to get along with her.
Uncle : No. She's crazy, and she needs to go down.
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Uncle Iroh : Lightning is a pure expression of Firebending without aggression. It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other Firebending is. Some call lightning the cold-blooded fire. It is precise and deadly, like Azula. To perform the technique requires peace of mind.
Prince Zuko : I see. That's why we're drinking tea, to calm the mind.
Uncle Iroh : Oh, yeah, good point. I mean, yes.
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Uncle Iroh : There is energy all around us. The energy is both Yin and Yang, positive energy and negative energy.
[He holds up one finger on each hand to stand for the two forms of energy]
Uncle Iroh : Only a select few Firebenders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance, and in the moment the positive and negative energy come crashing back together...
[He brings his hands together to illustrate the point]
Uncle Iroh : ...you provide release and guidance, creating lightning.
[Shows Zuko]
Prince Zuko : I'm ready to try it.
Uncle Iroh : Remember, once you separate the energy, you do not command it, you are simply its humble guide. Breathe first.
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Prince Zuko : Uncle. You were unconscious. Azula did this to you. It was a surprise attack.
Uncle Iroh : Somehow, that's not so surprising.