With a war brewing, students at Hogwarts and citizens of the wizarding world are making alliances and choosing sides. The same occurs within the realm of Avatar: The Last Airbender, as the one-hundred-year war is coming to an end as Avatar Aang must master all four elements before Sozin's Comet arrives. Among the vast list of characters to exist in both worlds, two appear as a direct opposing force to the protagonist.
Prince Zuko are not the big bad in either series, but they do play massive roles as enemies to Harry and Aang, respectively. During their journeys, Draco and Zuko must adjust to changes in their lives and how they see the future. While these characters do share things in common, they also have differences.
Similar: A Villain
At the start of Harry Potter and Avatar: The Last Airbender Draco and Zuko are both considered villains. Draco Malfoy falls more in the school bully category of enemies, but he is still a vital character in Harry's story. Draco acts as the opposite of Harry. Where Harry is a golden boy for Gryffindor, Draco serves as a leader in Slytherin. In Zuko's case, he is a dangerous threat.
Zuko devotes his life to searching for Aang after being banished by his father. For most of the series, Zuko is the main person out searching for Aang to capture him and bring the Avatar back to the Fire Nation.
Different: Abilities
One of the most significant differences between the two franchises is the abilities portrayed in each environment. In the wizarding world of Harry Potter, the central ability is magic. Magic, shown mostly through spells and potions, give the caster several different powers. There are spells for numerous things, giving Draco the chance to manipulate more than fire or water, both of which there are spells for.
Zuko is a fire bender, and his powers are limited to what one can do with fire. Mostly shown with fire, Zuko can also create lightning.
Similar: Side Of War
Each series holds a brewing war as citizens prepare to fight. In Harry Potter, Draco comes from a family that believes Pureblood wizards are superior to Half-bloods or Muggleborns.
As the war comes closer, Draco stands with his family beside Lord Voldemort. During Avatar: The Last Airbender, Zuko spends most of the series on the side of his father, Fire Lord Ozai. Only at the end of both series do Draco and Zuko show signs of questioning where their allegiance lies.
Different: Familial Status
As shown in Harry Potter and Avatar: The Last Airbender Draco and Zuko each come from wealthy families. But, that may be as similar as it gets.
The Malfoy family is wealthy and comes from money. Their family lives in a massive mansion, and Draco turns his nose down at a family like the Weasleys, who have substantially less money than the Malfoys. But, while Zuko's family appears rich, they are also royal. Zuko is legitimate royalty, coming from a family of Fire Lords.
Similar: Loses To Hero
Throughout both franchises, Draco Malfoy and Zuko each participate in fights against their respective opponents, Harry Potter and Aang. However, more often than not, Draco and Zuko land on the losing side of the battle. In "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," Draco loses his wand to Harry during a fight in Malfoy Manor.
Zuko has several battles with Aang during the three seasons, and most often, Aang either wins or escapes, leaving Zuko to continue chasing after him. It certainly was no help to Zuko that Aang, as the Avatar, had access to multiple elements compared to Zuko, who could only wield one.
Different: Desire
Draco's motivation toward his actions and feelings about Harry Potter appear to come from the way he was raised. Draco grew up to believe that Pureblood wizards were superior and thought that being Pureblood and rich meant Draco was more deserving of things than Half-bloods or Muggleborns. But, Draco was not actively trying to achieve something the same way Zuko was. Zuko's arc throughout the entirety of Avatar: The Last Airbender is about restoring his honor.
However, as Zuko develops, he discovers that restoring his honor may mean something different than he imagined.
Similar: Change Of Heart
When Draco is allowed to come through for the Death Eaters, he can not go through with it. Draco is given similar opportunities at least twice in his life. The first, when he was given the task to kill Albus Dumbledore and could not complete his mission. The second time came when Harry, Hermione, and Ron were brought to Malfoy Manor. Although Harry's face had been morphed not to appear as it usually did, Draco still should have been able to recognize his long time enemy. Instead, Draco tells the others that he can not be sure the young man is Harry.
In Zuko's case, this is a consistent question in his life. With the influence of his Uncle Iroh, Zuko is wondering about his morals, values, and if his actions are right. Zuko struggles with an internal conflict about what he believes to be right versus what his father had made him feel. In the end, Zuko finally understands what he believes to be right, and makes the most significant change in his life.
Different: Endgame
At the conclusion of Harry Potter, Draco's ending is slightly different between the novels and the films. In the book, Draco is sitting in the Great Hall after the war, uncertain of his place. In the movie, Draco and his parents flee the battle at Hogwarts. In both versions, Draco does not seem to have remained on Voldemort's side in the final moments of the war. Yet, Draco is not standing beside Harry either. Instead, Draco seems to be in a limbo of uncertainty regarding where he belongs or what will happen to him.
This is a drastically different endgame compared to Zuko. Zuko's conclusion sees him as a fully redeemed villain turned hero. From hunting down the Avatar to standing proudly beside Aang, Zuko's ending solidifies how much he's changed. Between the final moments of Avatar: The Last Airbender and the proof at the beginning of The Legend of Korra that Zuko and Aang had ed forces to create a new and better world.
Similar: Pressure
In Harry Potter, a lot is expected of Draco, especially during "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." A task given by Lord Voldemort has Draco fixing a vanishing cabinet in the Room of Requirement while also attempting to kill Albus Dumbledore. The vanishing cabinet is meant to let Death Eaters into the castle to make a move against Dumbledore. Draco is described to have gotten paler, and in the film, he hides to cry.
During Avatar: The Last Airbender, Zuko places pressure on himself. After being banished, Zuko is determined to capture Aang and bring him back to the Fire Nation to restore his honor. Although Iroh tries to lift some of that pressure off of Zuko's shoulders by showing him other ways to live, Zuko is determined to re his family and lift his banishment.
Different: Redemption
In Harry Potter, Draco does show signs of changing toward the end, but not enough to claim he was redeemed. The epilogue of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" and "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" suggests Draco would change and become a better person. In Zuko's case, his redemption arc is part of the heart of the series. Zuko spends plenty of time questioning everything from his father's wishes and Azula's actions or his own beliefs. As Zuko develops and grows, he finds that back in his father's good graces is not what he wants.
Instead, Zuko wishes to end Fire Lord Ozai's reign and help Aang defeat him. Zuko goes from Aang's enemy to teacher and friend, while also gaining forgiveness from Sokka, Katara, and Toph.
