| “ | In my life, I tried to be disciplined and show restraint, but it backfired when Fire Lord Sozin took advantage of my restraint and mercy. If I had been more decisive and acted sooner, I could have stopped Sozin and stopped the War before it started. | „ |
| ~ Roku to Aang. |
Avatar Roku is one of the overarching protagonists of Nickelodeon's 2005 animated fantasy series Avatar: The Last Airbender. He was the Fire Nation-born Avatar immediately succeeding Avatar Kyoshi and preceding Avatar Aang.
Roku's memory served as a guiding force for Aang throughout his quest to end the Hundred Year War, an global conflict the former was unable to prevent.
He was voiced by James Garrett. As a young man, he was voiced by Andrew Caldwell.
Personality[]
Although Roku is a wise person with good intentions, he acknowledged that he was responsible for the war, and with good reason: he was close friends with Fire Lord Sozin and was unwilling to kill him in order to put a stop to Sozin's imperialism before it got out of hand. Likewise, Roku was kind and patient with his successor when advising him, though also willing to be firm, and he and Aang seem to care for each other very much.
This was elaborated upon in the comics when Aang tearfully cuts himself off from Roku after strongly disagreeing with Roku's advised course of action on the grounds that he thinks that Roku's views are stuck in the past and only holding him back. The emotional reunion after he reconnects with him had all the vibes of estranged family members reuniting.
Trivia[]
- Roku was the last Avatar to traditionally both learn their identity and master the elements; most Avatars are told of their identity at age sixteen, having been identified in childhood, and travel to the other nations to learn the other elements, spending years training. Aang was told when he was twelve due to the premonition of war and had to learn the other three elements in a few months before Sozin's Comet arrived. Korra discovered her identity when she was four due to exhibiting being able to bend water, earth, and fire and was secluded in the South Pole for her training after the Red Lotus attempted to kidnap her.
- Because of following this tradition, Roku was not shown negatively affected by his status as the Avatar like his successors were. Aang initially resented it due to it going against what he'd been taught and ostracizing him from his peers (the other airbender children felt inferior to Aang, even though he was currently in training, while, as teens, Sozin was amazed at the feats Roku would accomplish). Korra based her entire identity as the Avatar, showing insecurities without it, especially after being physically weakened from the Red Lotus poisoning her.
Gallery[]
External Links[]
- Roku on the Avatar Wiki
