Are 'Avatar' Fans Right About Bisexual Zuko? Here's What The New Movie Has To Say
If there’s one thing Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005) fans are adept at, it’s fanshipping. The fandom has always had a strong shipping community, boasting numerous fanfics about non-canon character pairings that they love or hate. As the true hearthrob of the show, Zuko is usually at the center of most of these pairings. Fans who love the idea of opposites attracting often ship “bad boy” Zuko with perfectionist, type-A personality Katara with the ship name Zutara. Others like the pairing of the toughies Zuko and Toph as Toko or Zutoph.
However, fans haven’t stopped shipping Zuko with female characters. One of the most popular fan ships is Zukka: Zuko and Sokka. As much as fans liked to posit that Zuko is bisexual, there was little canon evidence to support the theory. Now, though, the fans who debated his sexuality may just have been proven right by the new movie Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender (2026).
Did 'Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender' Confirm Zuko's Bisexuality?
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender doesn’t reveal much in terms of Zuko’s love life. While we know from The Legend of Korra (2012) that he has a daughter, Izumi (April Stewart), the franchise has never named his spouse. However, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender includes a small moment that caught fans’ attention. In the film, Aang (Eric Nam) and Team Avatar discover another Airbender, Tagah (Dave Bautista), who was frozen in ice much like Aang. Tagah has a striking appearance with his muscular physique and chiseled features.
Toph (Dionne Quan), curious about the newcomer, asks the team if her senses are correct that Tagah is “pretty attractive.” The team is shocked when Zuko (Steven Yeun) unexpectedly chimes in, confirming that, yes, Tagah is “very attractive.” When his friends look at him quizzically, he defends his statement, commenting that the attraction is all in Tagah’s “bone structure.”
The moment may confirm Zuko’s bisexuality, depending on how you interpret it. He could just be stating a fact that Tagah is attractive, in general, or he may be insinuating he’s attracted to Tagah. Given that Zuko has also shown attraction to women, in particular his childhood friend Mai (Cricket Leigh), it could confirm his bisexuality.
How Zuko Became Fans' Non-Canon Bisexual King
As innocuous as the attraction comment may seem in Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, it’s quite significant to fans who have painted Zuko as a bisexual king for years. It’s also the first time that the franchise has ever slightly teased the bisexuality that so many fans have attributed to the character. The fact is, there is no direct evidence in the franchise of Zuko’s sexuality. His only romantic entanglement is his childhood relationship with Mai.
However, many fans believe he gives off bisexual energy. There’s no one definition for bisexual energy, but his chaotic aura and unpredictable charm seem to give off a vibe to fans. Additionally, it’s not unusual for the LGBTQ+ community to see themselves in a character like Zuko, who went on to become a hero despite facing family rejection, trauma, and displacement. A character doesn’t have to be canonly queer to resonate with the LGBTQ+ community. Characters from Darth Maul to He-Man have become queer icons because of what they’ve come to represent rather than what has been canonically confirmed.
'Avatar: The Last Airbender's LGBTQ+ Representation
While some may brush off Zuko’s comments in Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender as insignificant, they may mean more considering the franchise’s history of LGBTQ+ representation. Throughout The Legend of Korra, fans shipped Korra (Janet Karney) and Asami (Seychelle Gabriel). Hence, fans went wild when the finale saw the pair share what seemed like a romantic moment as they stepped into a spirit portal, holding hands and gazing into each other’s eyes. It was a moment that, for some, was all the confirmation they needed, but for others could be interpreted differently.
However, the show’s creators spoke out, officially confirming that the moment was exactly what fans thought it was and that Korra and Asami had romantic feelings for each other. The situation confirmed that the franchise is intentional when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation and not merely queer-baiting. In this context, perhaps the creators knew exactly what they were doing when, in Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, they had Zuko comment on a man’s attractiveness. Only time will tell, though, if his sexuality will ever be officially confirmed.
