Archer!Ozai Headcanon (Reupload)
The readmore on the old version no longer works, so here's a new one.
Is it out of left field? Arguably yes, but if you’d like to read on as I grasp atstraws, set up the corkboard, and grab some tacks and string in anattempt to share my reasoning, by all means!
Within the context of the headcanon, Ozai’sfirebending is and remains his primary means of combat and the one he places utmost value in. This alternative means of combat is in no way meant to take away from the impact of him losing his ability to bend.
Theidea of Ozai knowing how to fight with something else isn’t new, as isthe idea that FN royals might take up alternative means of combat as asort of emergency fallback option. There are a couple of written andartistic depictions of Ozai with a sword(s) out there. It’s cool, it makessense given what it takes to wield them and how it ties back to the concept of Ozai and Zuko have things in common that neither care to admit. The idea that he isn’t proficient in any combat otherthan firebending makes sense, too.
However, I think him being an archer works as well, albeit in a different way.
Intro
Ingeneral, the impracticality of the weapon (within the context of his character path) allows it to avoid butting heads with his canon appearances, if that’s something we want to care about. There’s a veryslim chance Ozai will somehow end up with a bow and arrow while inside a prison cell, let alone if he manages to slip out into the corridors. Even within the show’s timeline, it’s far easier to carry around knivesor even swords than it is to don a full quiver and bow, and all the moreso when he’s theFire Lord who places significant value on hisown image. Why bring an obvious secondary weapon along when it could give the impression that you aren’t confident in your primary ability?
There’salso the additional observation that the primarily offensive nature ofarchery complements Ozai’s own firebending style, which utilizes moremedium-long range attacks and doesn’t seem to devote much energy towardsdefense. Depending on your take on his character, the precision aspectof archery could be argued to mirror his manipulation tactics and bending control as well,in some capacity.
Lightning generation is really where things get interesting.
A Note on Archery
Archery isn’t just accuracy and speed. There’s steadiness, strength,discipline. It’s not easy. Certain bows canpack a lot of punch, and options that prioritize hard hits aresomething that I think Ozai would no doubt choose to pursue over othersonce they were made available to him. If his firebending is more aboutdestructive force, archery could feasibly be his morespecialized and [seldom used, maybe only in private practice] even more accurateapproach, with lightning being something of a combination.
It ties in beautifully from this observation from a youtube comment (by Khajiiti Manus):
Nonetheless, I’m kinda shocked that people actually thought Ozai was just mindless rage and power - a brutish warlord. Sure, I can agree that Ozai does have a lot of rage within him, but it’s a cold rage - a precise one. It’s like a blast furnace, not a wildfire. Fire Nation machines kind of reflect Ozai a little bit, I believe - they’re strong, and powerful, but they also require finesse. They aren’t hammers. They’re intricate, advanced, and effective tools. Ozai has ambition, power, and rage, but it’s tempered - focused - by cunning, control, and logic. He is a machine of rage, not a raging barbarian.
Here’s a Manchurian war arrow (technically aplum needle arrow) with a human for scale:
(source)
Looking specifically towards the Ming and Qing dynasties for real-life reference, bow designs allowed for heavier and bigger arrows to belaunched, provided one could manage the draw length and weight (anywhere from 60-160lbs, usually, outside of strength training). Though everydayarrows could be a bit shorter that the one pictured, Loserlord is both tall and strong enough to be able to pull something like this off.Whether that’s a good or bad thing, well…
Lightning Generation
The crux of the headcanon!
Ozai’slightning generation is a bit of a unique case. His entire form leadingup to release is notably different than the others we see in the show’stimeline, with both hands driving forward instead of one outstretchedand the other cast behind.
This can be explained away with a Doylist approach in that“the writers justwanted him to stand out and look cool”. But in-universe, why would hechoose to diverge from what could be interpreted as the proper or default form?
It’s widely interpreted that Ozai saw himself as having a rivalry with Iroh, determined to close the 15-20 year gap in experience through pure determination and spite— and given Iroh’s comments about being unsure if he could defeat his brother (redirectionnotwithstanding), Ozai more or less did.
Within the show,lightning is presented as a more cold and precise version of firebending, something that Ozai’s usual firebending style isn't typically associated with (despite there being evidence that he has excellent control over it — see Zuko's scar and how he still has eyesight). It tends to be sweeping and immense in its appearance or effect, even when meticulous. Why then,does he have one of the quickest and most precise lightning charges? Andright after an eclipse, for that matter.
Check out this youtuberdemonstrating a particular type of thumb release. I’m not sure what thetechnique is called, but it involves the release hand flying backwards. A bit of a familiar pose, no? It’s not exact, but it shares the idea ofa combined energy balanced between both hands (positive and negative,if we’re talking lightning) suddenly being directed towards one, whilethe other counters. One hand to steady, one hand to create and dissipate force. 1)Separate the positive, 2) separate the negative, 3) bring them together, 4) release.
Draw, hold and put the energy into the arrow, release.
Inshort, archery gives Ozai a bit of an abstract headstart. Assuming thiscould be the case, the regular form for lightning might have come a bitmore easily to him.
But why do something easy, that Iroh can do, when he has the opportunity to refine it and give it more backing force?
Ozai’sparticular form seems to suggest that he’s summoning both energiessimultaneously, and then merging them together upon release. He’sturning 4 steps into 2 steps. If we link this to a draw cycle, he’sholding a bow and drawing the string at once, and then following thearrow through instead of countering it. He’s essentially pushing hisprojectile forward as he releases— not something one can do in archeryor with the typical lightning generation form. In his own mind, he mayview something like this as the element that was missing from bothpractices, making lightning generation and archery become intertwined for him.
As a sidenote, it’s curious thatwe’re never told whether or not this form is of his own making, oralready existed prior to the show’s timeline. Something to think about…
Anotherfun connection is that, up until lightning redirection was created byIroh, it functioned in a similar way to an arrow: once it leaves thebow, it’s out of one’s control. If Ozai’s following archer logic, itwould make sense for him to be flummoxed by the idea of redirection and struggle to parse it. Arrows can’t be absorbed, turned around, and sentflying back from whence they came. The most obvious counter from hisstandpoint (which I believe is mentioned in a novelization of the finalfight), is to shoot harder.
What About His Goatee?
Somewax on the bowstring should solve for it. At worst, some hair might get stuck in the string, but the whole goatee wouldn’t get ripped out. Isit the ideal look for archery? No, but it can work.
It could even serve as an indicator of his value placed in firebending throughout hislife, if we want to take that route. The more he devotes his worth intofirebending, the longer the goatee gets, thus hindering hisother skill a bit.
Also realized I neglected to mention a few things in the main post, so here they are in point form:
[If we want to reference the comics], Ozai’s recruitment and subsequent reprimand of Vachir carries a bit more weight
Following up on the point about archery and lightning generation becoming intertwined, I can imagine them becoming so intrinsically linked in his head that archery is more or less Lightning Generation Lite. Post-canon, if he chose to, he’d need to go through the effort of decoupling the two before he’d really see any value in the art as its own thing again—his only thing, in that scenario, not including Northern Shaolin.
As for equipment, I could personally see him using something reminiscent of a Kaiyuanand/or Manchu bow, both of which are suited for heavier arrows if the draw weight is adjusted (the Manchu moreso than the Kaiyuan, though the former doesn’t have the latter’s neat little string notch that can be used to pick up arrows).
This scene suddenly ties into it
As with any headcanon, don't take this too seriously. If you're into it, great! If not, that's cool too. I'm just rambling at this point.
