10 The Last Airbender Zuko Cosplays That Are Ready To Capture The Avatar

If there’s one thing that makes for a good cosplay, it's an iconic character, and Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender definitely fits that description. The best characters for cosplay are immediately recognizable by a few key features that can then be reimagined according to each cosplayer’s artistry. The great number of beautiful Zuko cosplays that can be found on the Internet or strolling around conventions all over the world are also a testament to the longevity of the Avatar: The Last Airbender fandom, as well as its continuous creativity and engagement.

The show created by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino first aired in 2005, and Zuko has been a pretty prominent part of the story ever since the beginning. He went from being an antagonist to a trusted ally of Avatar Aang and his friends, in a beautifully written character arc that viewers can’t wait to see happen all over again in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action adaptation. It also explains why Zuko remains such a beloved character in the fandom.

10 Zuko, Prince of the Fire Nation

Twitter: @EugeneLeeYang

Zuko’s most iconic look is undoubtedly from Book 3, where he ditches the armor that he usually wears when the audience first meets him in favor of more casual but still typical Fire Nation clothes. It's a look that is perfect for teaching firebending to the Avatar and helping said Avatar depose his despotic father. His hair, long and partially hiding his eyes, also plays a part in making Zuko’s Book 3 getup so immediately recognizable.

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It should be no surprise then that filmmaker Eugene Lee Yang’s recreation of this particular Zuko look was very much appreciated by the fandom when he unveiled it ahead of Halloween 2020, following Yang’s own long-established tradition of incredibly accurate Halloween costumes. The photoshopped flames also add another nice touch of realism in trying to bring bending to life, making viewers feel like a real part of the story.

9 Royal Siblings Zuko And Azula

Instagram: @know.me.cosplay and @jonah_theweeb

There’s sadly plenty of trauma to be found in Zuko’s home life throughout Avatar: The Last Airbender, starting with his father Ozai’s cruelty and his mother Ursa’s mysterious disappearance. Zuko's ruthless younger sister Azula also plays a major part in that. Rivals in their father’s political schemes, then brief allies, then enemies again, Zuko and Azula’s complicated relationship comes to a head during their final firebending duel, known within the fandom as “the final agni kai.”

In Avatar: The Last Airbender lore, an agni kai is a centuries-old traditional firebending duel. It's usually fought over matters of honor, and it only ends when one of the two fighters burns the other. The scar on Zuko's face comes from his first agni kai duel, where he was forced to face his own father, Fire Lord Ozai.

Instagram users @know.me.cosplay and @jonah_theweeb perfectly capture the spirit with which the two Fire Nation royal siblings take on their ultimate fire-and-lightning showdown, even if the snowy setting of this particular photoshoot couldn’t be more different than the courtyard of the Fire Nation royal palace where the agni kai takes place in the show.

8 Zuko The Blue Spirit

Instagram: @twinfools

Colors matter in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender since they very often indicate where a character comes from or what bending they can master. Like most characters hailing from the Fire Nation, Zuko is most often seen wearing red. He also briefly wears green while in hiding in the Earth Kingdom. There is, however, one instance where he famously wears blue, the color associated with the element opposed to his own—and that’s when he takes on the alter ego of the Blue Spirit.

It’s while wearing the Blue Spirit mask that Zuko first helps Aang, the first step in a relationship that will continue throughout their lives. Instagram user @twinfools brings out both the iconic Blue Spirit mask as well as that unmistakable Zuko angst in their effective rendition of this particular look.

7 Zuko Stops For A Tea Break

Instagram: @cora_.cosplay and @beatrice_caron17

Family is important in Avatar: The Last Airbender. Uncle Iroh is a fundamental part of Zuko’s life, and tea is, in turn, a fundamental part of Iroh’s life. The old Fire Nation general is the proud owner of the Jasmine Dragon, one of the fanciest tea shops in the city of Ba Sing Se. He also often uses tea as a metaphor in the lessons he teaches his young, brash nephew about the importance of balance and tranquility in his life.

It makes perfect sense then for Instagram user @cora_.cosplay to recreate a version of Zuko stopping for a tea break with Ty Lee, one of Azula’s former allies, played by cosplayer @beatrice_caron17. The intricate armor and long hair, which has been a fan-favorite look for years, add the final touches to what's already an amazing shot.

6 Firebending Master Zuko

TikTok: @wills_firebending

One of the highlights of every Zuko cosplay is seeing how bending is transposed in real life, considering it’s the key worldbuilding element of the entire narrative universe. Studying the bending forms becomes as central to the cosplay as the clothes themselves. That is because each element in Avatar: The Last Airbender has its unique movements that are designed to be both recognizable and evocative of said element.

All bending forms are based on an existing martial art. Waterbending represents the fluid movements of Tai Chi. Earthbending is inspired by the low, solid stances of Hang Gar. Finally, Airbenders shift and rotate according to their opponents' movements just like Baguazhang experts.

Firebending in particular was created based on the Northern Shaolin system, which was chosen because of its powerful, sharp, and arrow-like movements and its requirement for lots of dynamic footwork. Cosplayer @wills_firebending has both the martial arts form and the pyrotechnics down, with his highlight reel of fiery flips and jumps feeling very much like the actual Zuko just materialized in front of a camera.

5 Modern Zuko

Instagram: @sanakosage

The beauty of cosplays is that they can be anything and everything, from incredibly accurate pieces where every last stitch is faithful to the original character design to ones that reshuffle key elements of said design into something that is unique but still unequivocally them. Instagram user @sanakosage did exactly this, putting together a Zuko-inspired look to attend an Avatar: The Last Airbender orchestra concert.

The typical Zuko elements are all there—from the spiky black hair to the red shirt. Additionally, the gold details on the cosplayer’s fingers and nails pull inspiration from the gold detailing used in most Fire Nation clothing to great effect. The Moon and Ocean Spirits lapel pins are also a nice callback to the moment Zuko’s reached his first major turning point during the season finale of Book One.

4 Zutara Nation

Instagram: @scion_of_mathlann and @sinachristn

One of the most popular fanon ships in the show's entire narrative universe is Zutara—that is, Zuko and Katara. The ship was apparently supposed to be endgame in the franchise before Avatar: The Last Airbender's creators decided to go with Aang and Katara. Everyone has their own feelings on this particular ship, of course, but it’s undeniable that they are the textbook definition of opposites attracting.

It might be because of that dynamic, always particularly appreciated in ships, that Zutara remains one of the most popular pairings in end-of-year rankings on websites like Tumblr and Archive of Our Own. Cosplayers @scion_of_mathlann and @sinachristn capture the yin and yang nature of this ship in their photoshoot, making it clear why Zutara remains one of the original enemies-to-lovers relationships of not just Avatar: The Last Airbender, but fandom at large.

3 Fire Power Couple Zuko And Mai

Instagram: @momocosbr and @feangelini

Zuko does have a canon love interest in Mai. She’s the daughter of a high-ranking Fire Nation official and a skilled warrior. Mai first enters the show as a member of Azula’s team, but she eventually stands up to the princess in Book Three to save Zuko, with whom she has always been in love.

They’re seemingly not endgame, however, with the Fire Nation after-show politics coming between them. The mother of Zuko’s daughter and successor Izumi, the Fire Lord in A:TLA’s sequel The Legend of Korra, has not yet been revealed. Still, Zuko and Mai are together by the time the series reaches its final episodes. It’s those looks that Instagram users @momocosbr and @feangelini capture in their cosplays, featuring Mai’s weapon of choice and Zuko’s unmistakable Book Three looks, making the characters easy to place.

2 Zuko And His Sneakers

Instagram: @bakerjayyy

Cosplayers are creative people as a general rule, and seeing what out-of-the-box solutions they come up with when putting together their looks is one of the best parts of following this particular art form. That is especially true when it comes to shoes since walking around a convention all day can get uncomfortable pretty quickly.

Instagram @bakerjayyy adopted a creative solution for that, adding a twist to Zuko’s Book Three look—a pair of sneakers, still in Fire Nation-red, which add the perfect touch of modern world to the whole ensemble. Considering the amount of “modern AU” fanarts circulating around the Internet, it’s not hard to imagine the actual Zuko having his favorite pair of sneakers in a universe where he’s not the Prince of the Fire Nation but a regular college student. It's a neat take on the character not often seen before.

1 Forever Fan-Favorite Zuko

Instagram: @gurigou

Ultimately, Prince Zuko is just the kind of character fanbases latch onto. It’s very hard not to love a villain with a complex backstory who goes through a painful and compelling character journey, realizes the error of his ways, establishes meaningful relationships with the protagonists, and turns into an instrumental ally of the good guys.

The look, the incredible voice acting work by Dante Basco, and the affinity to an element so dangerous and yet so fascinating like fire, all contribute to making Zuko a favorite within the Avatar: The Last Airbender fandom and kept him in that position throughout the years. Instagram user @gurigou perfectly captures the mysterious side of Prince Zuko in this photoshoot, prominently displaying the agni kai scar that is a fundamental part of Zuko’s look and character.