u/Zealousideal-Work719

Who would become Firelord?

I suppose Zeisan could take the throne with Roku's support but she's be pretty unpopular amongst the nobility and Fire Nation for being a nonbender woman. Especially since Sozin was fairly popular and already started propaganda against a lot of her ideals.

Then again Sozin might've already taken care of Zeisan by that point so a Fire Nation Civil War could erupt as people try to become Firelord. Would the Fire Nation want vengeance on Roku for killing Sozin or will they just see the Avatar's will as law?

What if after Ozai was crowned Firelord, Iroh contested it? Would things end in an Agni Kai or a civil war? Who'd win the Agni Kai? If it did escalate into a civil war how would this impact the Hundred Year War.

I imagine Ozai spent a lot of time making political alliances and had the nobilities support. I'd like to say Iroh has the military's support but I imagine he was pretty unpopular for abandoning the siege of Ba Sing Se.

If Iroh did become Firelord, would he continue the war? It seems he still travelled the world a bit after Lu Ten died and that helped turn him into the man we see in ATLA. Without that what would he be like.

I love the parallel between him and Matt both being suicidal at the beginning and end of season 3. But I never fully understood why Kingpin wanted Matt to kill him in their final fight rather than just send him to jail where he could scheme his way out again

Thoughts?

personally:

8. Momo

9. Suki: She saved Appa from the circus, helped the Gaang survive the Serpent's Pass, and was instrumental in the Boiling Rock prison break.

10. Appa: Without Appa, the Gaang never reaches the North Pole in time, never escapes Zuko or Azula, and never travels the world to master the elements.

11. Toph: She taught Aang earthbending and helped destroy the Fire Nation airship fleet.

12. Sokka: The chief strategist of the resistance. He figured out how to hijack a Fire Nation airship, using it to ram and destroy Ozai's fleet before they could burn down the Earth Kingdom

13. Katara: She taught Aang waterbending and resurected him. She also defeated Azula.

14. Zuko: Taught Aang and took the throne to order the Fire Nation military to stand down.

1.Aang: He defeated Ozai

Personally:

6. The Dawn of Yangchen: While this wasn't a bad book, it didn't resonate with me. Looking back, I initially struggled to understand what it was: a slow-burn, espionage-heavy, Cold War-style political thriller. The biggest hurdle for me was Kavik. I didn't immediately connect with him, so having his perspective dominate so much of the narrative was frustrating. The overarching plot was boring, culminating in an ending that landed as distinctly anti-climactic. Ironically, the most gripping narrative thread was the historical backdrop of the Platinum Affair, which outshined the present-day events.

7. The Reckoning of Roku: This was perfectly average - it didn't do anything glaringly wrong, but absolutely nothing blew me away. While it recontextualized the Avatar and the Fire Lord, I don't feel it did so in a way that truly served Roku or Sozin's characters. The overarching plot felt largely inconsequential, and many of the character arcs - particularly Gyatso's - felt forced and rushed. Ribay's prose and action writing are a noticeable step down from F.C. Yee's. Furthermore, the inclusion of Lambak and a magic cave that artificially enhances bending felt like fanfic.

8. The Awakening of Roku: From this point forward on the list, every novel's excellent. The Awakening of Roku served as a fantastic conclusion to the duology. While Roku himself still isn't the most fascinating character to me, his dynamic with Gyatso is my favorite bromance in the franchise (even if I wish Roku and Sozin were best friends at this stage). However, the standout of this novel was Ta Min. Watching her navigate her ambitions and duty to the Fire Nation as a diplomat and spy was incredibly engaging. Similarly, Sozin's maneuvering within the capital was a masterclass in court intrigue, giving him an almost Azula-like presence that perfectly contextualized his later descent into warmongering and genocide - even if I wish his underlying motives had been more complex. However, Atka, missed the mark for me. I have always wanted a detective serial-killer hunt in the Avatar universe, but Atka’s execution felt cartoonish, constantly breathing down Roku’s neck in a way that stripped away any tension. Her backstory was delivered as a exposition dump, and her conclusion was underwhelming. Makituq was cool, but utilizing a pre-existing character as a red herring felt pointless. Furthermore, Dalisay's role in the climax left me baffled as her motives never fully made sense, and I wished we had gotten more time with Zeisan. Despite these critiques, I genuinely believe this era could support several more novels.

9. The Legacy of Yangchen: This was an outstanding book that shifted the spotlight back onto Yangchen. By the end of this duology, I honestly found myself liking her character even more than Kyoshi. Witnessing her grapple with the crushing weight of her own greatness, her grief, her guilt, and the heartbreaking reality of having to sacrifice her own spiritual beliefs for the sake of the world was profoundly compelling. While Chaisee didn't capture my interest, Kalyan stepped up as a highly entertaining and complex antagonist. The deep dive into the lore of Unanimity and the White Lotus's culpability in the Platinum Affair was brilliant world-building. Surprisingly, I enjoyed Kavik infinitely more in this novel, likely because his narrative was intrinsically tied to Yangchen's. Their bond was beautifully written, cementing Kavik as my favorite deuteragonist from the novels(Over Rangi and Gyatso). The novel balanced action sequences with political thriller elements that fleshed out the world. My only minor gripe is that standout characters like Feishan and Junsik felt underutilized; I would've loved to see them fleshed out even further.

10. The Shadow of Kyoshi: Ranking these top two is where things get difficult. SOK easily has the best lore additions. The deep dive into the political structure of the Fire Nation, combined with the tragic history of Kuruk, was phenomenal to read. Kuruk instantly skyrocketed to become my favorite Avatar, and the unique lore surrounding Szeto was so fascinating that it inspired me to write my first fanfic. The supporting cast is great, with Atuat, Hei-Ran, Rangi, etc. Kyoshi’s evolution into a hardened Avatar of justice's satisfying, yet steeped in tragedy. As a massive fan of Kung Fu Panda, watching Yun mirror Tai Lung was a thrill. However, Zoryu was the standout for me. His arc's complex, and I'd love to see a story exploring the kind of ruler he became later in life. The Camellia-Peony War provided a ASOIAF-style conflict, and Huazo was a good villain. The final confrontation with Yun remains the best battle in the novels and is one of the best of the franchise. But the book lacks the cohesiveness of ROK, with elements like Yun’s descent, Zoryu’s final turn, and the looming Fire Nation Civil War feeling slightly rushed.

11. The Rise of Kyoshi: This isn't just my favorite Avatar novel; it is genuinely one of my favorite books of all time. (As a quick aside: to anyone who loves these novels but wants something slightly more adult, I can't recommend The Green Bone Saga highly enough). I'm a sucker for a great origin story, and watching Kyoshi transform from an awkward, discarded orphan into a scarred, deeply traumatized Avatar was gripping. Plunging into the Earth Kingdom politics and its criminal underworld was a great narrative choice. The antagonists are fantastic, from Tagaka to Xu Ping An. The entire False Avatar plotline was thrilling, concluding in the most heartbreaking way imaginable. The supporting cast - Kelsang, Rangi, Lao Ge, and Lek - are all well-written. It has the best pacing of the series, giving the narrative time to flesh everything out. But the crown jewel of this novel, and the Chronicles of the Avatar as a whole, is Jianzhu. He's one of my favorite fictional villains. Experiencing the story through his POV chapters makes him deeply compelling; you witness the effects of his ruthless pragmatism, understanding exactly how his actions kill his friends, lead to his own demise, and fracture the Earth Kingdom. He's intelligent and does everything for thing for the greater good, but the trauma of losing Kuruk and the fragility of his own ego cause him to crack. The lore's great and the action sequences, specifically the Fall of the Fifth Nation, Kyoshi's vs. Xu Ping An, and the jaw-dropping. But the book suffers slightly from character bloat (some members of the Flying Opera Company, like Wong and Kirima, feel a bit vanilla).