@swan2swan87 My guy, come on. The moment Ozai said, "We are having an Agni Kai," he already knew exactly what he was going to do to Zuko. 😭
If Ozai's goal was truly to make him stronger, he would NOT scar his face in the first place.He would NOT make him to do Agni Kai.
@swan2swan87 Yes, but who was the one who forced Zuko to participate in the Agni Kai? Ozai could have quietly banished him, or even banished him without the Agni Kai. If Zuko had simply been sent away, people would still have associated his failures with Ozai. By publicly rejecting him +
@swan2swan87@Faelo_oo It is one of the oldest tropes, but you do not scar your son's face if you truly want to make him stronger do you. Ozai did not banish Zuko to help him grow. He banished him to publicly disown him. After the banishment, Zuko's failures no longer reflected on Ozai's reputation
@swan2swan87@Faelo_oo Ozai did not want to make Zuko stronger. He wished Zuko were stronger, but banishing him was never intended to help him grow or improve. Ozai wanted his children to be the best because he cared about his own reputation +
@swan2swan87@Faelo_oo Ozai's entire character is based on the fact that he only cares about respect. Zuko was a sore spot for him because having a son who was weak and incompetent hurt his reputation. The moment he banished Zuko, he stopped caring about him. Ozai never wanted to make Zuko stronger.
@Faelo_oo Very confusing of me, but the point is this: if Zuko were strong but did not respect Ozai, Ozai would banish him, because Ozai cares above everything else about respect.