Avatar: Where Did Zuko Get His Dragon In ‘Legend Of Korra’?

Fans who watched ‘The Legend of Korra’ often have one question. Where did Zuko get the dragon from which he was riding in Korra? Surprisingly, the answer lies in the final season of ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’!

The craze for ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ is back! After the Nickelodeon cartoon series found its way to Netflix, millions of fans around the globe are rediscovering how great a show it was. Moreover, many went on and watch the sequel series ‘The Legend of Korra’ too. The events from the sequel take place 70 years after Avatar, after the death of the beloved Avatar Aang. But, many fans also question where did Fire Lord Zuko find his dragon in the sequel series?

In Avatar, we learned that the Fire Nation had hunted all the dragons down. But 70 years later, we see Zuko riding Druk, his dragon companion. And if you watched ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’, you must have guessed the answer. It involved Uncle Iroh, The Sun Warriors, and an ancient secret from the last season of Avatar.

The history of dragons

Dragons have a long history in the Avatar Universe, way before Prince Zuko and Uncle Iroh rediscovered them. They are the original firebending masters, just like the badgermoles who taught Toph earthbending. Wan, the very first Avatar learned how to control fire from a White Dragon. The relationship between firebenders and dragons was just like a flying bison and airbenders. But all that changed after Fire Lord Sozin’s reign.

Fire Lord Sozin, who was Prince Zuko’s great grandfather, began the sport of hunting dragons. Anyone who would kill a dragon would receive the title of a “dragon”. He is the same Fire Lord who killed Avatar Roku, the other great grandfather of Zuko. He also began the war at the arrival of Sozin’s comet, ultimately using its power to commit genocide on the air nomads. Sadly, it seemed like dragons went completely extinct, and were never seen again for 100 years. That is until Uncle Iroh found them!

After his son’s death in the siege of Ba Sing Se, Uncle Iroh went and traveled the world in search of enlightenment. In his endeavors, he found his way to the Sun Warriors, who worshipped two ancient dragons: Ran and Shaw. The two deemed Iroh worthy of their knowledge of firebending, making him understand that fire is not just passion and rage but is energy and a source of life. The Sun Warriors also taught him to breathe fire. But, to protect the dragons, he had to keep their existence a secret. So, Uncle Iroh claimed to have killed the last dragon, earning him the title of “Dragon of the West”. And that’s where Prince Zuko jumps in.

Zuko’s dragon is a descendent of the firebending masters!

In season 3 of ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’, Prince Zuko lost his firebending and went with Avatar Aang in search of the Sun Warriors. There, they too encountered Ran and Shaw, and both were deemed worthy by the masters. They learned how fire can be a force for good, and not just destruction. Later, Aang and Zuko left the place, promising the Sun Warriors to never reveal their secrets. But, he may have paid them another visit.

Creators Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko also confirmed the fan theory that Druk was a descendent of Ran and Shaw. It confirmed that as Fire Lord, Zuko went to the Sun Warriors again and found Druk. It does give a glimmer of hope that dragons can survive extinction. However, they are still quite rare to find in ‘The Legend of Korra’.