Heir to the Fire Lord
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The title Heir to the Fire Lord, more commonly referred to as the Crown Prince or Crown Princess, is the title normally given to the eldest eligible child of the Fire Lord and used to refer to the person who is next in line to the Fire Nation throne.
The Heir to the Fire Lord, male or female, can take an active role in warfare.
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[edit] History
The first Heir to the Fire Lord seen (chronologically) is Sozin. His days as Crown Prince were spent with his best friend at the time, Roku. He succeeded his father as Fire Lord during the years in which Roku trained to become a fully-realized Avatar.
Sozin eventually married and had a son, Azulon, who was his sole child. Azulon became the Crown Prince as a result, and served his father as an illustrious High General during the War. Azulon ascended the throne upon Sozin's eventual death at the age of 102.
Azulon eventually married a noblewoman named Ilah and had two sons, Iroh and Ozai. Iroh became the Crown Prince as the immediate heir to the throne. Both men eventually married, with Iroh having his sole son Lu Ten, and Ozai having his elder child Zuko. Since his father was expected to succeed Azulon as Fire Lord, Lu Ten was the second legitimate heir to the throne. Crown Prince Iroh, like his father, became a prominent High General of the Fire Nation Army and claimed many victories for his nation, and almost conquered the Earth Kingdom capital of Ba Sing Se. However, this invasion ended in failure when Prince Lu Ten was killed in battle, breaking Iroh's will to fight.
Fire Lord Azulon mysteriously died after word of Iroh's defeat reached the Fire Nation, and was succeeded by Ozai in what ultimately proved to be a conspiracy to steal the throne from Iroh. Zuko became the immediate heir to the throne, but was banished after speaking out of turn at a war meeting. He was never Ozai's favorite to inherit the crown, but was promised the return of his birthright if he captured the Avatar.
Azula became the sole Crown Princess of the Fire Nation, and the heir apparent to the throne. It was indicated that she had every intention of stealing the throne from Zuko, considering the bitter rivalry between the two. In the final battles of the war, Azula was to succeed Ozai as Fire Lord while he declared himself the new Phoenix King of the Earth. However, she was ultimately defeated by Zuko and his ally Katara during the arrival of Sozin's Comet in a vicious Agni Kai for the throne. She subsequently lost her sanity after her defeat. It was also partly due to the betrayal of her two closest friends Mai and Ty Lee when they defended Zuko from her in an earlier engagement. She was incarcerated in a mental health facility and supposedly stripped of the title of Crown Princess.
Zuko became Fire Lord after this, declaring the war over. As Zuko currently has no children, the title of Heir is vacant.
[edit] Distinguishing Features
The Fire Lord's heir, along with all other members of the Royal Family, has a number of distinctive trappings that distinguishes them. For many generations, the heir wore a headpiece on their top-knot that indicated their position. However, this headpiece was lost after Sozin gave it to Roku. After this, Royal Family members are seen wearing small pieces in their topknots in the shape of flames. These pieces come in either red or gold, apparently depending on the occasion.
Sozin, Zuko and Azula are all seen wearing formal robes and outfits while in certain areas of the palace. These robes are identical, although they appear shorter in Sozin's generation. They come in deep, blood red, and are trimmed with gold along the sleeves and collars.
For military matters, such as war meetings and battles, Zuko and Azula wear formal armor, at least from season three onwards. This armor is black and deep red, with gold trimmings. Zuko and Azula both wear gold flame pieces in their top-knots while they wear this armor.
[edit] Life and Duties
Due to the Fire Nation's warrior culture, potential rulers are expected to "prove their worth" before taking the throne. From young ages, heirs and potential heirs are trained extensively in combat and academics. Those who do well are more inclined to become Fire Lord in the future. Royal family members undergo a number of tests throughout their lives to determine their value to the Fire Nation. By the time they were adults, both Ozai and Iroh had been in a number of intense battles, a part of their lives as princes.
[edit] Known Heirs
[edit] See Also
- Politics in the World of Avatar
- Avatar
- Fire Lord
- Fire Lady
- Phoenix King
- Earth King
- Council of Elders
- Tribal Chief
- Tribal Princess
