Zukaang
| Pairing | |
|---|---|
| Pairing: | Zuko x Aang |
| Alternative name(s): | Zukaang |
| Gender category: | M/M |
| Fandom: | Avatar: the Last Airbender |
| Canonical?: | No |
| Prevalence: | Minor |
| Archives: | |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Zuko/Aang, or Zukaang, is a slash ship in the series Avatar: the Last Airbender that pairs airbender Avatar Aang with firebender Prince Zuko.
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Relationship to Canon
Zuko and Aang first meet in the second episode of the series, and their relationship is initially hostile. They start the series as enemies: Zuko being the main antagonist for the first season of the show. Having been banished by his father, Zuko is determined to capture the Avatar in order to regain his father's respect. After discovering that Aang is the Avatar, Zuko chases the Gaang on their journeys.
Zuko fights and captures Aang a number of times, but in a pivotal episode for the fans, The Blue Spirit the two work together for the first time. The episode is still beloved among fans to this day, as it depicts Zuko freeing Aang after the airbender was captured by Zhao, and an intense scene at the finale where Aang wonders if the two could have been friends if things had worked out differently.
During the second season, Zuko began his redemption arc, and though he and Aang do not directly interact, fans continued to ship the two. During the third and final season, Zuko becomes Aang's Firebending teacher, and they finally become firm friends. One of the final shots in the series is of Aang and Zuko embracing in front of a crowd.
Fandom
Zukaang can be considered an Enemies to Friends to Lovers relationship. The ship is not very popular within the greater fandom, though it is Aang’s most popular m/m ship. The two characters function as narrative foils for one another in the series, which fans tend to emphasize in fan content about the pair.
Recently, the pairing has begun to generate more controversy within fandom spaces as a result of the age gap between the two characters. When they first meet in the show, Aang is 12 and Zuko is 16, though most of the fanworks for the pairing depict the two much later in life.
Fanworks
Fanart
- digital art IS HARD, Archived version, by pretentiousfork, 2015
- This is not a Zukaang blog. This is not a Zukaang blog. THIS IS NOT–, Archived version, by avatarwindboy, 2015
- Fall into zukaang again :’>, Archived version, by pretentiousfork, 2018
- Zuko’s protective and no one can really tell me otherwise I swear, Archived version by truekrisstianity, 2021 or earlier
Fanfiction
- patron saint of the lost causes, Archived version, by warmth - Zuko is getting married, and the narration switches between the arranged marriage and his relationship with Aang
- The Jasmine Dragon, Archived version, by razielim - a mysterious AU set in Ba Sing Se