Avatar:Szeto
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"Truly, Avatar Szeto was an ideal for us officials to live up to, and a shining example of Fire Nation values in general. Efficiency, precision, loyalty."
Szeto was the Fire Nation Avatar preceding Avatar Yangchen. He lived in an era of immense crisis that threatened to destroy the Fire Nation. To save his home country, Szeto became a bureaucrat, diplomat, and accountant in service of Fire Lord Yosor. As Grand Advisor, he greatly strengthened the Fire Nation's government, restored economic balance, and set up programs to aid the poor and needy.[1]
History
Life
Szeto was born into an era of great strife in the Fire Nation. Plagues and natural disasters destroyed livelihoods, while violent conflicts between the nation's noble clans threatened to tear the nation apart.[1] Szeto was raised alongside his pet dragon, who would become his animal guide.[3] His Avatarhood became known when, as a younger child, he bent a second element.[4][nb 1] By the age of nineteen, he was a fully-realized Avatar.[6]
To rescue his homeland, Szeto opted for an extremely unusual approach. Instead of taking control himself or trying to enforce his decisions as was his right as Avatar, he became a junior minister in the Fire Nation's government. He rejected any privileges and began to work as a regular official, advancing in the ranks according to his achievements instead of any birthrights. He accepted orders from Fire Lord Yosor and senior ministers and began to improve his country by using its bureaucracy.[1]
Proving himself to be a talented bureaucrat, diplomat, and accountant, Szeto reinforced the government's authority, since his working for the Fire Lord meant that all his achievements also positively reflected on the Fire Nation's central government. Eventually, he was appointed Grand Advisor to Fire Lord Yosor and brokered a lasting peace among the noble clans. Thereafter, Szeto concentrated on restoring the Fire Nation's economy which had greatly suffered from unrest and mismanagement. As Grand Advisor, he ended the debasement of coins and set up the first official relief programs for farmers in times of famine. All the while, he kept meticulous records of his work.[1] Among other writings, he produced a "Theory of Grain Distributions".[7] Admired for his work, Fire Nation schools began to put portraits of Szeto into classrooms.[8]
At some point, Szeto visited Wan Shi Tong's Library.[9] At another time, he visited the Northern Air Temple and took up residence in the Avatar's quarters. He left the room completely empty except for the bed and desk. The walls were bare. To an outside observer, he would have looked like a man with nothing to hide. In truth, however, his life was difficult[10] and he was considered a "library of intrigue" in the realm of spycraft and trickery.[11] At one point, Szeto codified the procedures of official meetings with the Avatar in order to lessen the amount of unnecessary pageantry, subtlety, and repetition which traditionally marked these meetings.[12]
Szeto eventually died and was reincarnated as Yangchen of the Western Air Temple in accordance with the Avatar Cycle.[10]
Legacy
After his death, he was included alongside other Fire Avatars in the Fire Nation Royal Palace's Royal Gallery. His painting depicted him in his trademark minister robes, holding an abacus and a large stamp. He became a revered figure in the Fire Nation, and a festival was set up in his honor.[1] He coined the saying "You have lost the melon. Hang on to the sesame, no?" This encouraged others to look to their long-term success after failure, though the idiom was rather obscure outside the Fire Nation.[13]
Szeto was also a very respected figure in the other nations, and his successor Yangchen struggled to live up to him as a young woman. While negotiating an agreement between the Saowon clan and the phoenix-eel spirits of Ma'inka Island, Yangchen was sure that it would have been respected if she had said it had been the will of Szeto. Such a decree would have had the authority of "a mother, a father, a sifu, the Fire Lord, all rolled into one".[13] Not everyone outside of the Fire Nation saw Szeto in the same light, however. Chief Oyaluk, who ruled during the late era of Szeto and early era of Yangchen, accused him of being biased toward the Fire Nation and favoring it over the other three nations.[14] Looking back on her previous life, Yangchen thought that Szeto had a rather "messy" life.[10] Yangchen in turn would eventually become a revered figure in her own right.[15]
By Kyoshi's lifetime, Szeto was honored by Fire Nation historians for saving their country, with scholars arguing that his efforts prevented the complete collapse of the Fire Nation and benefited its long-term development. He also remained a highly popular figure among commoners and the nobility of the Fire Nation.[1] Over the next centuries, Szeto continued to be adored by Fire Nationals,[16][17] but his reputation soured among historians belonging to the other nations. Some writers concluded that the Fire Avatar's official position in his home country's government had introduced biases into all of his decisions, with "consequences [that] would be disastrous" as time passed. Sister Disha, Avatar Roku's airbending teacher, was among those regarding Szeto as a deeply flawed Avatar.[16]
At least some of Szeto's writings survived many centuries, and were still read during Avatar Korra's time.[7]
Appearances in Kyoshi's life
Kyoshi first sensed Szeto's presence, along with that of other Avatars, during a battle with the Fifth Nation pirates.[18]
Appearances in Aang's life
Szeto first appeared to Aang in a spiritual vision directed by Avatar Roku. In the vision, he was lavabending the magma from four volcanoes while in the Avatar State.[19] The young airbender saw him again briefly in a similar vision during the battle at Wulong Forest, this time among a great number of Avatars all standing in a line, upon regaining his ability to enter the Avatar State.[20]
Aang temporarily lost his connection to Szeto after removing the firebending emblem from his meditation beads;[21] however, upon crafting and attaching a new one, he saw him again in a lineup of his past lives to indicate his restored link.[22]
Appearances in Korra's life
Szeto was present, along with all the other Avatars, when Aang passed on the knowledge of energybending to Korra and restored her bending, representing the newly established connection she had made with her spiritual self.[23]
After Unalaq had merged with Vaatu and proceeded to attack Raava, Szeto was present in the Avatar lineup that Korra envisioned; however, his connection to the latter was severed due to Unalaq's assault on and subsequent destruction of the Light Spirit.[24]
Personality
Szeto was generally remembered as an extremely dutiful, humble, diplomatic, and honest man.[1] However, this did not reflect the complete truth. This public persona was to some degree carefully crafted by Szeto himself.[10][11]
Abilities
As a reincarnation of the entity known as the Avatar, Szeto possessed the power to bend all four elements. Szeto was a mighty lavabender, capable of controlling four volcanoes at once.[19] In addition to the great bending powers associated with the Avatar in general, Szeto also possessed great administrative skills.[1] In addition, he was regarded as a highly talented public speaker,[25] a skill which helped him become a flexible diplomat.[1]
Beyond these publicly displayed abilities, Szeto was also a master at espionage and deception.[10]
Appearances
Avatar: The Last AirbenderBook Two: Earth (土)
Appearances: 1
Book Three: Fire (火)
Appearances: 1
Graphic novels
Appearances: c
The Legend of KorraBook One: Air (气)
Appearances: 2
Book Two: Spirits (神靈)
Appearances: 2
Book Four: Balance (平衡)
Appearances: 2
Avatar gamesAvatar books |
Trivia
- Szeto was the first known character to lavabend.
- Though Szeto first appeared in 2006, his name was only revealed 14 years later in The Shadow of Kyoshi.[26][1]
- The name Szeto originates from the ancient Chinese title Situ (司徒
(sī tú)), which can be translated as "Minister over the Masses".[27] - Szeto's saying "You have lost the melon. Hang on to the sesame, no?" is adapted from the Chinese saying 捡了芝麻丢了西瓜
(jiǎn le zhīma diū le xīguā), "Hanging on the sesame but losing the melon." However, the meanings of the two are entirely opposite. Szeto's version encourages a long-term perspective after failure, while the Chinese original warns against sacrificing greater gains for minor ones. - Prior to his name being revealed in The Shadow of Kyoshi, a popular fan-based nickname for him was Jafar, after the villain of the same name from the Disney animated movie Aladdin, due to their similar physical appearance, clothing, and facial hair.
- Korra's firebending teacher Yim once ordered her to write out Szeto's Theory of Grain Distributions as punishment when she became distracted during her training.[7]
| Preceded by Unnamed male Earth Avatar, eventually Gun,[5] Salai,[28] or Zalir[29] |
Avatar Unknown (BG) |
Succeeded by Yangchen |
Notes
- ↑ In Jinpa's "The Lives of the Avatar", he wrote that Avatars Szeto and Yangchen were identified early over displaying abilities only Avatars could possess, such as bending a second element, or displaying an Avatar's spiritual gifts.[4] As Yangchen is known to have been identified over her channeling of previous Avatars' memories,[5] the bending of a second element would instead be attributed to Szeto.
References
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