What Happened To Zuko’s Mom In Avatar: The Last Airbender?

Avatar: The Last Airbender left some questions unanswered. One of those burning questions was about Prince Zukom, more specifically what happened to Zuko’s mom?

Avatar: The Last Airbender is an iconic animated show. It is full of memorable characters including Ang, Katara, Zuko, and many more. The show has done a great job of establishing these characters and their stories.

So today, we will analyze the question and tell you all the facts about what happened to Zuko’s mom in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Who Is Zuko?

Before finding out what happened to Zuko’s mom, let’s learn a bit about his own story. So, Zuko was born into the Fire Nation Royal Family. He was the first son of Prince Ozai and Princess Ursa.

As a kid, Zuko didn’t really have a very happy childhood. His father, Ozai was constantly harsh towards him because he thought that Zuko wasn’t a fire bender. However, Zuko proved himself when given a chance and everything became normal for some time.  He also had a younger sister named Azula.

When Zuko was sixteen years old, he spoke out against a general who was willing to sacrifice his own troops to win a battle. This defiance led to a public duel between Zuko and his father, the Fire Lord. Zuko was defeated and banished from the Fire Nation. This led Zuko to search for the Avatar so he could restore his honor.

Who Is Zuko’s Mother?

As we mentioned, Zuko was the son of Princess Ursa. Ursa was born into a noble family in the Fire Nation and was chosen to marry Prince Ozai, the son of Fire Lord Azulon.

Ursa was a loving and caring mother to her children, Zuko and Azula, but she was also deeply unhappy in her marriage to Ozai. She was technically forced to marry Ozai and didn’t really love him.

Despite that fact, she wanted to build a family with him and make their marriage work. However, she soon realized that Ozai was a very cruel man. He was cynical and quite evil. Ozai was willing to take any risk to achieve power and dominance. Ursa realized that and feared for the safety of her children.

What Happened To Princess Ursa?

So what happened to Zuko’s mom, Ursa? For starters, upon discovering Ozai’s plan to overthrow Fire Lord Iroh, she became concerned with her children’s safety.

Iroh’s son, Lu Ten was killed during a battle. This sent Iroh on a path of grief and he wasn’t fit to continue his responsibilities as General. Ozai thought this would be a great opportunity for him to demand to pass Iroh’s throne birthright to him from Azulon.

Upon hearing this, Azulon wanted Ozai to understand the anguish Iroh had felt after losing his eldest son, so he ordered Ozai to assassinate Zuko as punishment for his arrogance. Ursa discovers this and plans to assist Ozai to gain access to the throne so he doesn’t harm their children.

Zuko’s mom makes a deal with Ozai and creates a special poison for him so he can kill Azulon without any suspicion. Ozai agrees with this but he imposes a condition upon Ursa. He says that Ursa must leave the Fire Kingdom behind to ensure she would never use poison on him. Moreover, she shouldn’t even think about taking the kids with her.

Ursa had no choice at this point and decided that it is what was best for her children’s safety. She agrees to the deal and creates poison for Ozai.

Princess Ursa’s Fate

If you’re wondering what happened to Zuko’s mom after accepting the deal then you will get your answers from a comic book. “The Search” is a tie-in comic book series that reveals the fate of Ursa.

Princess Ursa actually made a deal with the Mother of Faces. She asked her to change her appearance and give her a new identity. This also meant that the Mother of Faces would wipe Ursa’s memory.

After all these events, she returned to her own village and she was now called Noriko. Not only that but she met a man named Noren and married him. She and Noren were married for many years and had a daughter named Kiyi.

Reunion With Zuko

In the same comic book series, Zuko and Azula stumble upon Noriko and Noren in search of their mother. However, he didn’t recognize them at that moment. Zuko eventually learns the truth from the Mother of Faces.

He reveals it to Noriko and she chooses to have her face and memories restored. However, the reunion is cut short when Azula isn’t ready to forgive her just yet. She is holding a certain grudge against Ursa.

Things escalate quite far and Azula even tries to kill her but Zuko saves her in time. They both finally reunite as Ursa promises to tell him everything about her past.

One of the companion comics reveals that Ursa also goes back to the Fire Nation Palace alongside Zuko. This time she was very strong-hearted. Despite threats from Ozai, she faces him and gives him a shut-up call.

Conclusion

So now you know what happened to Zuko’s mom. She is a very well-written character and the personification of motherly love and sacrifice. An animated movie based on Zuko is set to be released in the near future. That movie would be the perfect medium to bring Ursa’s story to light.