Avatar:Taiso
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"I'm disappointed it's not you, but I'm not surprised. [...] However, you may still be of great use to our nation. Tend to your friendship like a fire, then learn to bend it to your will."
Taiso[1] was the ruler of the Fire Nation from sometime in the late era of Avatar Kyoshi until his death in 58 BG. Married to Fire Lady Hazei, he was the father of Sozin, who succeeded him as Fire Lord, and Zeisan.
History
Early reign
Taiso ruled in an era of international peace,[6] during which the Fire Nation experienced a period of industrialization and great prosperity.[7] However, Taiso was not considered a particularly "strong" leader.[8] Instead, the Fire Lord relied on a number of loyal advisors and ministers such as Zianda,[9][10] and his reign saw the rise of a number of social upstarts who earned a position in the court through politicking instead of a noble background.[1] Trade flourished, and the country's society was enamored with progressive thinking, spreading new ideas to the other nations.[7] Based on the Fire Nation's material wealth and his country's size, Taiso believed the Fire Nation to be a supremely mighty nation.[2]
When his son Sozin was born soon after Avatar Kyoshi's death, Taiso harbored the hope that his own offspring might be the next Avatar.[1] He subsequently pitted Sozin against his younger daughter, Zeisan, who showed no signs of firebending.[4] The Fire Lord and his advisors believed that this contest would both increase Sozin's potential as well as draw out Zeisan's firebending. The project failed, as Zeisan proved to be a nonbender, and also caused a rivalry between the Fire Lord's children.[10] Regardless, Taiso continued to indulge his daughter and tolerated her increasingly rebellious behavior.[11] Despite this, Sozin maintained a comparatively decent relationship with Taiso,[1][5] whereas Zeisan would come to regard her family as morally corrupt.[4] Taiso was disappointed by the contest's outcome. He believed that Zeisan would have been the more capable ruler, but she could never ascend the throne as a nonbender. As a result, Taiso put great pressure on Sozin to prove himself worthy as the heir. However, Taiso rejected his son's often unusual projects and ideas to improve their nation as "childish fantas[ies]".[12] Taiso thus tried to impart his own thinking, according to which worldly power and a country's landmass corresponded to greatness, to his son.[2]
Outer Islands Rebellions and Sozin's projects
Taiso was generally a "staunch traditionalist" who spent his reign mainly focused on internal matters,[4] and was known to cooperate with the Fire Sages.[5] Though his reign was relatively stable, he faced violent opposition in the form of the Outer Islands Rebellions by his later years.[12] After the Fire Sages revealed Roku as the Avatar in 66 BG, Taiso was initially disappointed that his son was not the Avatar. However, Taiso saw an opportunity in Sozin's friendship with Roku and suggested Sozin manipulate and become close to Roku to gain influence over him. To further this plan, Taiso suggested that Sozin should gift Roku the Crown Prince headpiece as a kind of "leash" to constantly remind the Fire Avatar of his "true loyalties".[1]
A few months later, Sozin approached his father for a request. At first, the Fire Lord asked whether the prince had finally received a letter from Roku and was displeased when his son said no. Taiso was even more disappointed when Sozin asked for a Fire Nation Navy ship so that he could search for a mysterious island with hidden powers which he had read about in an ancient travel diary written by AshĹŤ. Instead of entertaining the idea that AshĹŤ's story might be rooted in truth and thus potentially benefit the Fire Nation, Taiso dismissed Sozin's request as fanciful and further proof that his son was a "fool". The Fire Lord claimed that the navy could not spare ships due to the ongoing rebellions. He negatively compared his son to Zeisan before ordering him to invest his time into "proper subjects for a future Fire Lord" and only ask for another audience when he had received a letter from Roku.[12]
When the Fire Lord next heard of his son, the prince had disobeyed him and ventured into the Si Wong Desert on yet another quest. Taiso sent Sozin several angry letters, demanding that he return to the Fire Nation and stop "wasting [his] time" with the search for Wan Shi Tong's Library. The prince ignored the messages.[13]
Working with Sozin
Sozin eventually did return home, but this time as a public hero for having allegedly saved the life of Avatar Roku in the Lambak Island conflict. Even the Fire Lord was impressed by his son's actions. Using his new status as leverage, the prince convinced Taiso to grant Lambak Island autonomy as a "special region" of the Fire Nation. Unbeknownst to Taiso, however, Sozin also began to covertly grow his power by turning Lambak Island into his private fiefdom and withholding crucial information from his father.[14]
Soon after Lambak Island's integration into the Fire Nation, Taiso decided to put Sozin in charge of managing the Fire Nation's affairs with Omashu. Though this granted his son more formal power, it also restricted the prince's freedoms, allowing Taiso to better use and control his independent-minded son.[15]
Over the next three years, the Fire Nation became subject to an escalating trade conflict with the Northern Water Tribe, worrying Taiso. At the same time, the Fire Lord increasingly suffered from a mental decline, resulting in bouts of absent-mindedness which impacted his ability to rule.[15][3] Though Taiso managed to mostly conceal this development, the most powerful noble clans and the Fire Sages managed to learn of it and covertly questioned whether he was still fit to be Fire Lord.[15]
Attempts to resolve the Northern Water Tribe trade conflict
Upon the formal establishment of the Fire & Air Center of Learning in the Fire Nation Capital and Roku mastering airbending in 63 BG, Taiso sent Roku a royal summons to meet with him.[3] Meanwhile, the Fire Lord prohibited Sozin from attending this meeting and commanded him not to respond to Roku's messages. Taiso believed the key to keeping Roku's loyalty was making Roku continually wonder where he stood with the prince, thus manipulating the Avatar to do anything possible to gain the royal family's respect.[15]
Upon Roku's arrival, Taiso expressed his disapproval that Roku had not regularly returned home throughout his airbending training. Taiso was further displeased that Roku had worn Air Nomad clothing at the meeting. In discussing Roku's slow progress in mastering the elements, Taiso commented how Szeto, the previous Fire Avatar, was a fully realized at Roku's current age. When Roku asked about Sozin's whereabouts, Taiso lied and said that Sozin was traveling. Taiso made a formal request to Roku for him to investigate why the Northern Water Tribe kept harassing Fire Nation merchant ships in the Northern Sea. Taiso expressed frustration at the constant search and seizures as well as their ships being denied entering port. The Fire Lord desired for Roku to stop this from continuing by talking to Chief Tiguaa of the Northern Water Tribe. Throughout the meeting, Taiso's mental decline made itself evident when the Fire Lord drifted off more than once.[3]
Roku asked Taiso why he did not ask one of his trade officials to help and the Fire Lord referenced how Szeto had served as a Grand Advisor to the Fire Nation government, implying that Roku should do the same. Taiso further tried to incentivize Roku to help by claiming that the debts of Roku's clan would be cleared. When Roku asked whether this was a threat, Taiso responded that he merely offered an exchange of services. The Avatar responded that he would inquire about the situation, but refused to make any promises or accept rewards for his work. Disappointed at the rejection of his offers, Taiso reiterated where he felt Roku's loyalties should lie and dismissed the Avatar from his presence.[3]
Soon after Roku departed, Taiso held a meeting with Sozin and the royal advisors concerning the Fire Nation's continued economic problems. He expressed disappointment when the prince suggested that they should raise tariffs on the western states of the Earth Kingdom, carefully explaining to his son that higher tariffs would hurt the Fire Nation. Taiso suffered another bout of his absent-mindedness, staring at his council for an extended length of time. To prevent further embarrassment to his father, Sozin stepped in and adjourned a meeting until the next day. Once the advisors were gone, Taiso silently expressed disappointment in himself and subsequently dismissed his son.[15]
Some time later, Taiso held a private meeting with Hazei, Sozin, and Zeisan to discuss a major family matter.[11]
Taiso eventually died in 58 BG, passing the crown to Sozin.[16]
Legacy
A portrait of Taiso was included in the Fire Nation Royal Palace's Royal Gallery, depicting him firebending and with astronomy-related imagery in front of clouds, a fire, and a darkened sun.[5]
Sozin would build upon his father's ideas,[2] but also intended to become a stronger leader.[8] Accordingly, he decided to "spread" the Fire Nation's prosperity through a war of conquest, starting the Hundred Year War.[5] Meanwhile, Taiso's daughter Zeisan opposed her father and brother's ideals, and intended to dismantle her family's increasing corruption by embracing the teachings of the Air Nomads.[4]
Around the 100s AG, Taiso's great-grandson Iroh wrote of his ancestor in a book, musing how the Fire Lords, starting with Taiso, had been fundamentally wrong in regard to their worldview, as true greatness stemmed from the quality of one's character and spirit instead of worldly power.[2] Until the 170s AG, Taiso was one of the few Fire Lords who were held in high regard by ultra-nationalist Penquan Islanders.[17]
Personality
Though a traditionalist in many ways,[4] Taiso deeply valued power to the degree that he sought to manipulate his children to increase his and his nation's might.[2][1] Accordingly, he disdained the Air Nomads' ideals of detachment, arguing that those who discarded their roots would commonly find they had no place to which they could return.[3] In accordance with his worldview, he believed that there were certain "proper subjects" which a successful Fire Lord had to know, including science, economics, history, and philosophy. Accordingly, Taiso viewed any other interests, including Sozin's unusual passion projects, as useless for a Fire Nation ruler.[12] At the same time, his traditionalist viewpoint caused him to also dismiss Zeisan's potential as a monarch despite her skill in "proper" subjects, as she was not a firebender. Taiso's narrow-mindedness often frustrated Sozin[12] and Zeisan.[10]
He was also wrathful and petty, favoring sycophants and executing servants who displeased him.[1] As a result of his prideful nature, Taiso struggled to accept his mental decline in his elder years, seeking to hide it from the public and refusing to openly talk about it with Sozin.[3][15]
Abilities
Though not considered an outstanding or innovative ruler,[1][4][8] Taiso was skilled in intrigue, politics, and manipulation.[1][15] He also had a good grasp on economic concepts.[15] Yet according to Sozin, he was a poor orator known for his "long-winded speeches"[1] and was lacking in regards to his bending ability.[15]
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| Taiso |
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| Roku |
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| Iroh |
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| Iroh |
| Izumi's daughter[18] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Appearances
Chronicles of the Avatar
The Reckoning of Roku
The Awakening of Roku
Trivia
- Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko stated that they never "figured out names" for Sozin's father and his predecessor as both were not "prominently featured" in Avatar: The Last Airbender.[19] His name was ultimately revealed in the novel The Reckoning of Roku, written by Randy Ribay.[1]
| Preceded by His father, eventually Zoryu |
Fire Lord Unknown - 58 BG |
Succeeded by Sozin |
Notes
- ↑ His favoritism towards his bender child[4] and his portrait in the Royal Gallery[5] indicate that he was a firebender.