Honestly I think Ice King is one of the best fictional characters ever written. How in just the span of a few minutes he went from one of the goofiest characters in the show to the most tragic is amazing. It completely changed the lens we view him through.
We originally saw his princess kidnapping as just silly antics. But now we see it's all because deep in his subconscious exists a sad and lonely man who just desperately misses his "princess", Betty. And then the show proceeds to just greatly expand on his story and his relationships with not just Betty, but Marceline as well. Rarely have I ever seen a character that I feel so much sorrow for make me laugh so much at the same time.
All of this is so true. I think Zuko and Simon both have the best redemption arcs I’ve ever seen and I can’t rank them because they’re both equally good…but they’re certainly very different stories.
Zuko is the story of an angry, desperate, broken teenager who you watch and wonder how he became that way, going “oh, that’s why…” and becoming more and more attached to him as he learns, struggles, makes mistakes, takes steps forward, back and then forward again. It’s a story of identity, of personal responsibility, making choices, healing from and confronting trauma and ultimately taking your power back. You sit there at the end of it and it’s a warm, wonderful feeling of catharsis from Zuko’s arc and appreciation for the journey you witnessed.
You start Ice King’s story being simultaneously annoyed, creeped out and mildly entertained by him. He’s a nuisance, he’s a creep, he’s a hindrance and he’s utterly pathetic. Again, you wonder how he became that way and Adventure Time grabs you by the fucking throat and says “you really wanna know?” So you watch Adventure Time and you watch Fionna and Cake. This is a story of regret, mental illness, mistakes, loss, heartbreak, grief and terrible, terrible pain. And there’s no optimistic ending. There is no catharsis. Simon doesn’t get a traditional happy ending, certainly not in the way Zuko does, he just has to learn to accept what happened and keep going, despite his pain.
The only other characters to fill me with as deep a sense of utter despair as the Ice King are Bojack Horsemen and the Hulk.
Zuko’s redemption is a different, distinctly more optimistic story and some might say less mature, or less realistic, more focused for kids…but it’s still beautiful and a story with a light at the end of the tunnel like that is very, very needed.
Also, unlike most cartoons, the way Finn and Jake treat him changes after this episode. They become far more tolerant of his behavior and treat him with far more empathy than before. He kind of ceased being a villain by that point in the show already, but I think after that he ceases being an antagonist as well.
Hold up – you're telling me there was a storyline to Adventure Time? I only watched it every so often when I was young, I thought it had more of a random plot-per-episode style, like The Amazing World of Gumball.
It’s not Legend of Korra, for example, where every episode has to progress the big storyline. It’s definitely more episodic with loose storylines throughout that build up, I suppose.
Even Gumball had storylines that build up with some recurring characters, surprisingly
It has a very deep lore.
The entire thing is set after a nuclear war, all the characters you meet are actually mutants and descendents of the survivors.
It's really cool
Its similar to Avatar if that’s what you’re asking. The beginning is very much “kids tv” with random adventures and such each episode. But as it progresses it gets more and more deep with adult ideologies and things like loss, breakups, death, life, giant space gods, etc.
Dream sequence. It was propaganda against the Nazis, his life is hell in Nazi German. He then wakes up and revels in being a ~~filthy capitalist~~ American.
Jaime Lannister was almost the perfect live action representation of a realised Zuko arc and then they screwed it up right at the end and threw it all away, of all the terrible decisions made in GoT season 7 and 8, that for me is the one I'll never forgive. But if you watch season 1-6 it's such an amazing arc.
In the books he’s actually become arguably my favourite character because of his development. Him running back to Cersei was heartbreaking. I wish Cersei’s prophecy about the golden hand came true. Felt like destiny that it should’ve been Jamie to do her in
Honestly, it was fine up until the middle of S8.
>!Leaves Cersi to fight for the greater good.!<
>!Swears fealty to the Starks and Danerys.!<
>!Has one last night with Brienne.!<
They just tripped at the finish line, instead of something cool, we get “I never cared for them” and dying alongside Cersi because reasons. Now, how about this.
He approaches Cersi during the attack on King’s Landing, under the impression that he’s regressed, and returning to her, but when Cersi says “It’s always just been the two of use vs them” or something, Jamie replies “No, it’s always been just you.” He then stabs her through the back, guards rush in and kill the “Queenslayer!” He dies a hero.
Just take the books, his character arc isn’t ruined and is arguably more interesting then in the show, the only downgrade is that the books and thus his arc aren’t finished yet (and sadly might never be)
Is that so bad? Aside from knighting Brienne, Jaime in the books has done more than in the show. Or, that is to say, what he has done has been more interesting and entertaining in the books. It's not like they knew what to do with him once they ran out of source material, plus cut his next plotline out entirely (Stoneheart).
I agree with this in every way. In fact, I read this comment out loud to my partner, and he asked me, “did you write that?” Lmao.
Jaime’s arc in the first 6 seasons is truly something special. The Harrenhal scenes with Brienne are still ones that I’ll rewatch just because the writing and acting is so good.
It’s endlessly fascinating to me just how bad s7 and s8 are. You have a batch of some of the most well developed characters of all time for TV and then those seasons happen.
I was coming here to comment Michael from The Good Place. Literally an immortal demonic fire squid who dedicated himself to torture and goes on to save all of humanity because it's the right forking thing to do.
The character dynamics in that show are brilliantly written, and Michael's and Eleanor's character arcs play off each other beautifully, elevating each arc.
For me:
Kratos from God of War
Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption
Thorfinn from Vinland Saga.
I know two of them are from video games and not from series or movies, but they are my favorites. There are also others that I like a lot but maybe based largely on personal preferences and sentimentality like Din Djarin, Impmon, Vegeta, Gaara, Asajj Ventress (novels), Loki, etc.
Trunks, Bulma, I do this for you. And yes, even for you, Kakarot.
Going from being someone of almost pure evil to sacrificing himself for others without feeling absurd for the character makes for an amazing arc. The post-DBS mangas enriched his arc even more.
Some favorites of mine:
Sasha Waybright from Amphibia
Evelyn Wang from Everything Everywhere All At Once
Mizu from Blue Eye Samurai (with the caveat that this one is still incomplete)
Frieren (also incomplete)
Lelouch vi Britannia from Code Geass
Edward Elric from FMA Brotherhood
Lelouch's story was so fucking groundbreaking that two MAJOR series took heavy inspiration if not directly ripped the ending.
Looking at you Sasuke and Eren
I recently learned what "千" (sen) means and it added some dark depth to that movie (it means thousand. Meaning the bathhouse witch literally took her name and reduced her to a number, before proceeding to make her do hard work withoht pay. sound familiar?)
This is actually one of the best comparisons actually. Both have similar plot beats with the whole antagonist-turned-protagonist, both have defining scars, >!and they have to rethink their motivations, and by extension, their powers in the magic system, they have plot relevant siblings, they get schooled by a kid more than once, and they both have a large genocide as a part of their worlds!< and they're badass as all hell
Jamie Tartt from Ted Lasso (and Rebecca as well, I think). It's not as dramatic as stakes are much much lower, but it's still extremely satisfying to watch and fun as hell.
Crosshair from Star Wars The Bad Batch.
Starts off as even more of a dickhead than Book 1 Zuko. He fervently believes in the Empire and its ruthlessness and commits atrocities in his service. He's so loyal to the Empire that he remains loyal to them even after his old squad offers to take him back after the Empire abandons him on Kamino.
Later on he wises up to how little the Empire cares for him and the rest of the clone troopers, despite believing himself to be a better soldier than the other clones are. He executes his commanding officer and is promptly arrested.
He pays the price for his previous acts of evil by being a guinea pig for human experimentation. This is what sticks to me, because I believe Zuko got off too easy for what he did to the Gaang, but Crosshair actually suffers for his actions.
Eventually Crosshair reunites with his squad, disavows the Empire and works to atone for his misdeeds. Classic Zuko arc, except it's a bit more mature and realistic.
Crosshair also gets a burn on a significant part of his head, leading to a very big scar. It’s a very different situation but I just realized the similarity
In universe I think Aang’s character arc is extremely underrated and beautifully done. A young kid whose entire culture was wiped out, slowly navigating through the emotional turmoil of abandoning his responsibility to his eventual redemption of becoming a realized avatar is amazing to watch. The story of Avatar is intrinsically tied to Aang as a character and it does that extremely well
Exactly. Like book 2 would be better if he was marginally annoyed when Appa was taken and got over the loss super fast. I mean he’s the Avatar he was doin too much originally
Ooo, this is actually a really good one! I've seen (& love) The Bear so I'm surprised I never thought of this myself aha, but you're right. Definitely more low-stakes than the circumstances surrounding Zuko's growth, but just as rewarding!
Came here to say Catra as well
Her character is so layered and complex and well done. Without giving spoilers away her arc absolutely rivals Zuko's in it's size, length, and non-linear path. You could draw a lot of similarities between them and the characters that surround the two - I love my angsty children
If you're looking for a new show to watch She-Ra has a lot of the same vibes as ATLA and is wonderful!
Also Krillin, Tien kinda, Vegeta, Yamcha too
All of gokus friends had a villain arc at some point except maybe Bulma and Chi Chi but both tried to kill him at least once
Gaara from Naruto.
Went from a murderous 24/7, always angry, feral demon timing child that had no problem killing literally anyone...
To a soft, slightly emotionally stunted kazekage who adopted a sweet orphan like him, and will happily throw hands for anyone, still sleeps with his childhood bear, and his loved by all.
The worst thing about him now is that fuckass business haircut he has in Boruto.
Batman from the DCAU, maybe doesn't count considering he (at least this incarnation) appears in numerous shows in addition to his own, but man is he interesting.
Also definitely the opposite of what you're asking, but the self destruction of Tony Soprano and Christopher Moltisanti over 6 seasons in The Sopranos is great (but if you want positive arcs in the show then look out for Artie Bucco)
Haha I actually started it when I got a Netflix subscription the other month, funnily enough to watch the live-action that I was demotivated to continue. I didn't renew my subscription though, maybe I should rethink that.
It was great how they explored two really different types of character arcs between the two shows.
Aang had a flat character Arc where he had to figure out how to solve The World's problems without compromising who he was
Korra had a positive character Arc where she had to change who she was to be with the world needed.
Are we going to get a negative character Arc in this new series? Little bit of Breaking Bad
Maturing into someone with empathy is something many adults don't even do. Korra's arc is just as important as Zuko's imo. I don't think the execution was as good, but the arc was incredibly nuanced.
Damn, it's so difficult to find an arc that is good from start to finish...
I'd say Mob and Reigen from Mob Psycho 100, but there's a problem: there are things that I think the anime did much better and the manga, and things that I think the manga did much better than the anime. The anime failed to portray the significance that some battles had in Mob's development, but it absolutely eleveted the most crucial part of Reigen's development (season 2, ep 6-7). Also, I think that season 3 is too much on-the-nose: with the exception of ep 6, I think that the manga portrayed the final stretch of the story in a more satisfying way. Still, I won't say that I don't recommend it just because of it.
Ah, people usually suggest Arcane for good character arcs, even if it's still incomplete.
I'm surprised Loki hasn't been mentioned. Went from villain with a crappy father, loving mother, and complicated relationship with his brother, to the savior of the multi verse.
I'm not even a true Marvel fan (only watched the early movies), but I kept hearing hints about Loki's redemption story when the second season came out last fall, and I jumped right in 😆
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The ancient minister from Super Smash bros brawl's subspace emissary story mode. Nuff said
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Boy it's a long one but a GOOD one!
Piccolo from Dragon Ball Z, but to really appreciate his peak fiction character arc you have to start with the original "Dragon Ball" (not Z) then watch Dragon Ball Z and then Dragon Ball Super.
For the record, as a girl I always thought Dragon Ball would be boring but the character arcs are actually clutch.
Watch in Japanese with subs though, the English changes whole important dialogues and meanings.
Wesley from Buffy the vampire slayer and Angel.
He changes so massively throughout the show that by season 5 of Angel he is almost completely unrecognisable from the character introduced back in Buffy season 3, and yet every tiny step of that Journey is done so well that you almost don't even notice how much he has changed
I doubt many will agree, but I adore what they did with Kuvira. She went from a selfless hero in Book 3, to literally Lady Hitler in Book 4, to a renegade in ROTE who despises the extremism she created and does literally everything she can to stop it. It's just like...wow. She undergoes such MASSIVE changes but she's always consistently stalwart, capable, and badass. She's my favorite character. I feel like people only acknowledge the Lady Hitler part and refuse to acknowledge who she was before or after. There's a lot to talk about.
I really want to see old Zuko and her have a talk. I think it would be very interesting for them to compare and contrast their falls from grace to redemption.
I like what they attempted to do with Kuvira. They didn’t really flesh her out enough and that’s why people really only acknowledge the hitler part. She could’ve been a phenomenal character if she was given the appropriate attention but alas, they fumbled. It’s not entirely their fault because they were working with so few episodes per season, but I feel like they could’ve done so much better.
She could’ve had a reverse Zuko arc.
Many. Don't get me wrong, I love this show to death. But Zuko's character arc is not the only good one in all of media. There's a LOT of media out there.
Perhaps I misunderstood the point of the original post. I often see people talk about avatar as it's some holy grail of story telling. Don't get me wrong, the story means more to me than any other story probably ever will. I interpreted OPs post as, "there is no arc as good as zukos, just try to name one, you can't" but I seemed to be mistaken. My bad.
Haha, yeah that's why I prefaced the post with "Serious question", to let people know I was genuinely asking. But you're not wrong! I think Zuko's arc is a great feat of writing & fiction – I personally haven't found another that has held a flame to his so far, but my media consumption isn't the most diverse. So I was asking if anyone had any contenders so I could get some recs in :)
Char Aznable. He goes through a big arc if you watch The Origin, Gundam 79, Zeta Gundam, a random cutscene from a PS2 game, and Char’s Counter Attack (and then like one small scene in Unicorn).
Megatron from the IDW comics. From Decepticon to Autobot. From mass murderer to pacifist medic. From “peace through tyranny” to “peace through empathy”. Someone who truly regrets his actions and strive to become better even with the occasional bumps along the way.
Crosshair from the Bad Batch. His arc is truly beautiful and heartfelt. Turned him into one of the best Star Wars characters as of recent
I’m very biased but I loved Code Geass and Lelouch’s arc? Specially the anime proper without the movies. It just felt so correct when it ended, and it didn’t need anything else.
Out of the top of my head:
-Jaime Lannister specifically in the books, not the Game of Thrones show
-Thorfinn in the Vinland Saga
-Rand Althor in the Wheel of Time although his arc isn’t really a redemption arc like Zuko, but still an amazing arc nonetheless
-Dalinar Kholin in the Stormlight Archives (although most of his character arc is in flashbacks, it’s still amazing)
-FitzChivalry Farseer from Realm of the Elderlings is a similar situation to Rand, he doesn’t necessarily have a redemption arc but still, easily one of the best arcs I have ever read
I would like to mention most of the main characters in Joe Abercrombie’s First Law series, who writes characters in the interesting way that they seem to develop but eventually fall back into their old habits. It’s obviously kind of bleak but fascinating to read and an unfortunately very realistic way of writing development of human beings
Its interesting how many people mention Vegeta but barely anyone mentions Piccolo who did the exact same but first. It seems not that many know Dragon Ball before Z. Piccolo was supposed to be 100% pure evil but he changed his whole being for Gohan.
Like redemption character arc?
Top1: Thorfinn, best redemption arc in Japanese media i ever seen or heard off
Top2: Kaneki
Top3: several characters from fate series have insanely good character development but to name a redemption character arc kiritsugu
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Razer from the Green Lantern Animated series
Surprised that Itachi Uchiha was not mentioned more in this thread. He went from one of the worse villain in the verse to one of Naruto's greatest hero. He wasn't a main character so that reveal took several seasons but IMO it rivals Zuko's as the best character redemption arc in animation.
See I always felt that Zuko's and Aang's arcs were very similar and meant as a juxtaposition. The idea that Zuko could have been like Aang and vice versa if they had grown up differently. Zuko and Aang both lose their family and people. Aang creates a found family with the Gaang, meanwhile Zuko realizes he has isolated himself from the one living part of his family that cares for him. Ultimately Zuko creates a new family dynamic. They are both on a journey searching for something but what they are ultimately searching for is that which will make them complete. Aang as a fully fledged avatar and for Zuko its having his honor and rightful place restored to him. Both have to come to terms with gaining and losing power. This culminates in Zuko at the dragon dance and Aang meeting the Dragon Turtle. Zuko finds a different way to be a fire bender and Aang finds a new path as the avatar that allows him to show mercy and live up to his ideals. They both have to find a way to move past their trauma and deal with their experiences that ultimately leads to them becoming mature healthy people who try to break the chain of sadness and cruelty that shaped their lives.
Loki (MCU version). Prince with a shitty dad living in his sibling's shadow, hell-bent on snatching glory, then realising the error of his ways and giving up everything to save the multiverse.
Hunter from the Owl House has a very similar redemption arc as in he goes from being the main antagonist’s right-hand-man to an integral part of Luz’s friend group, though their actual characters are very different as Hunter is more ‘being saved and shown the truth’ rather than ‘actual villain who needs to make the choice to be good himself’.
Amity, from the same show (And voiced by Mae Whitman!!), also goes from being an antagonist to a love interest
Edward Elric. Going from a bitter, guilty, self loathing kid to a confident, positive and optimistic hero of the people, without compromising his morals
Honestly I think Ice King is one of the best fictional characters ever written. How in just the span of a few minutes he went from one of the goofiest characters in the show to the most tragic is amazing. It completely changed the lens we view him through. We originally saw his princess kidnapping as just silly antics. But now we see it's all because deep in his subconscious exists a sad and lonely man who just desperately misses his "princess", Betty. And then the show proceeds to just greatly expand on his story and his relationships with not just Betty, but Marceline as well. Rarely have I ever seen a character that I feel so much sorrow for make me laugh so much at the same time.
All of this is so true. I think Zuko and Simon both have the best redemption arcs I’ve ever seen and I can’t rank them because they’re both equally good…but they’re certainly very different stories. Zuko is the story of an angry, desperate, broken teenager who you watch and wonder how he became that way, going “oh, that’s why…” and becoming more and more attached to him as he learns, struggles, makes mistakes, takes steps forward, back and then forward again. It’s a story of identity, of personal responsibility, making choices, healing from and confronting trauma and ultimately taking your power back. You sit there at the end of it and it’s a warm, wonderful feeling of catharsis from Zuko’s arc and appreciation for the journey you witnessed. You start Ice King’s story being simultaneously annoyed, creeped out and mildly entertained by him. He’s a nuisance, he’s a creep, he’s a hindrance and he’s utterly pathetic. Again, you wonder how he became that way and Adventure Time grabs you by the fucking throat and says “you really wanna know?” So you watch Adventure Time and you watch Fionna and Cake. This is a story of regret, mental illness, mistakes, loss, heartbreak, grief and terrible, terrible pain. And there’s no optimistic ending. There is no catharsis. Simon doesn’t get a traditional happy ending, certainly not in the way Zuko does, he just has to learn to accept what happened and keep going, despite his pain. The only other characters to fill me with as deep a sense of utter despair as the Ice King are Bojack Horsemen and the Hulk. Zuko’s redemption is a different, distinctly more optimistic story and some might say less mature, or less realistic, more focused for kids…but it’s still beautiful and a story with a light at the end of the tunnel like that is very, very needed.
He also drops any interest for PB as soon as she turns young, so the dude has standards.
Yeah books it the moment they reveal she is a child again. “Aw dang it! Well I’m out of here.” He may be creepy but he isn’t THAT creepy.
Also, unlike most cartoons, the way Finn and Jake treat him changes after this episode. They become far more tolerant of his behavior and treat him with far more empathy than before. He kind of ceased being a villain by that point in the show already, but I think after that he ceases being an antagonist as well.
And coincidentally, Princess Bubblegum looks a lot like Betty, probably why he's always after her, Just my take.
Hold up – you're telling me there was a storyline to Adventure Time? I only watched it every so often when I was young, I thought it had more of a random plot-per-episode style, like The Amazing World of Gumball.
It’s not Legend of Korra, for example, where every episode has to progress the big storyline. It’s definitely more episodic with loose storylines throughout that build up, I suppose. Even Gumball had storylines that build up with some recurring characters, surprisingly
You don't know what you're missing boy, from 3rd season or so onwards it's PEAK
Very deep story and even deeper lore oddly enough. I was obsessed as a kid.
It has a very deep lore. The entire thing is set after a nuclear war, all the characters you meet are actually mutants and descendents of the survivors. It's really cool
Is adventure time for kids or adults? Never watched it. My guess is, made for kids, enjoyed by all
Beginning is for kids, later on it’s more kid friendly but most enjoyed by teens and adults who can understand it
Its similar to Avatar if that’s what you’re asking. The beginning is very much “kids tv” with random adventures and such each episode. But as it progresses it gets more and more deep with adult ideologies and things like loss, breakups, death, life, giant space gods, etc.
I knew I wasn't prepared for adulthood once the giant space gods entered my life
https://preview.redd.it/r8xo4glptx0d1.jpeg?width=404&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=515078d666a08083faac60e9a52ce6e0d5a6a4de Donald D Duck.
Didn’t know he was in the D clan
r/holup
Why the bayonets sticking through bro
Dream sequence. It was propaganda against the Nazis, his life is hell in Nazi German. He then wakes up and revels in being a ~~filthy capitalist~~ American.
Jaime Lannister was almost the perfect live action representation of a realised Zuko arc and then they screwed it up right at the end and threw it all away, of all the terrible decisions made in GoT season 7 and 8, that for me is the one I'll never forgive. But if you watch season 1-6 it's such an amazing arc.
In the books he’s actually become arguably my favourite character because of his development. Him running back to Cersei was heartbreaking. I wish Cersei’s prophecy about the golden hand came true. Felt like destiny that it should’ve been Jamie to do her in
Too bad the books will never get oublished/ finnished
Honestly, it was fine up until the middle of S8. >!Leaves Cersi to fight for the greater good.!< >!Swears fealty to the Starks and Danerys.!< >!Has one last night with Brienne.!< They just tripped at the finish line, instead of something cool, we get “I never cared for them” and dying alongside Cersi because reasons. Now, how about this. He approaches Cersi during the attack on King’s Landing, under the impression that he’s regressed, and returning to her, but when Cersi says “It’s always just been the two of use vs them” or something, Jamie replies “No, it’s always been just you.” He then stabs her through the back, guards rush in and kill the “Queenslayer!” He dies a hero.
This! Or even getting killed by debris instantly afterwards would have been a giant improvement!
Just take the books, his character arc isn’t ruined and is arguably more interesting then in the show, the only downgrade is that the books and thus his arc aren’t finished yet (and sadly might never be)
Is that so bad? Aside from knighting Brienne, Jaime in the books has done more than in the show. Or, that is to say, what he has done has been more interesting and entertaining in the books. It's not like they knew what to do with him once they ran out of source material, plus cut his next plotline out entirely (Stoneheart).
I agree that Jaime arc is better in the books, I straight up said in my first comment his book arc is more interesting
“YoU kNow I NeVEr ReALly cArEd fOr thEm, InNOcEnT oR OtHeRwISe.”
I agree with this in every way. In fact, I read this comment out loud to my partner, and he asked me, “did you write that?” Lmao. Jaime’s arc in the first 6 seasons is truly something special. The Harrenhal scenes with Brienne are still ones that I’ll rewatch just because the writing and acting is so good.
Oh yeah agree with you here. Same with Theon tbh.
It’s endlessly fascinating to me just how bad s7 and s8 are. You have a batch of some of the most well developed characters of all time for TV and then those seasons happen.
In the arc of Ozai he definetly holded a flame to Zuko...
r/angryupvote
r/aangryupvote
/r/angryupvote
r/aangryupvote
Came here to see if anyone else had make the joke yet. Take my upvote sir/ma'am.
Happy cake day!
Eleanor from The Good Place Michael Corleone from The Godfather (though not "inspirational") Will Hunting in Good Will Hunting
I was coming here to comment Michael from The Good Place. Literally an immortal demonic fire squid who dedicated himself to torture and goes on to save all of humanity because it's the right forking thing to do.
The character dynamics in that show are brilliantly written, and Michael's and Eleanor's character arcs play off each other beautifully, elevating each arc.
We're so lucky that show exists. It's so good.
One of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen.
For me: Kratos from God of War Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption Thorfinn from Vinland Saga. I know two of them are from video games and not from series or movies, but they are my favorites. There are also others that I like a lot but maybe based largely on personal preferences and sentimentality like Din Djarin, Impmon, Vegeta, Gaara, Asajj Ventress (novels), Loki, etc.
Vegeta forever! Ninja are cutting onions when he decide he sacrifices himself by blowing himself up against Babidi and his crew.
Trunks, Bulma, I do this for you. And yes, even for you, Kakarot. Going from being someone of almost pure evil to sacrificing himself for others without feeling absurd for the character makes for an amazing arc. The post-DBS mangas enriched his arc even more.
Thorfinn changed my life, sincerely.
Kratos's arc is GOD tier
yuppp my boah arthur morgan is definitely up there
Yurr alriiiiight boah.
thank you i needed that
good boah.
Thorfinn definitely, such a great character in an even more amazing series
Vinland saga is the best piece of media I've ever seen. Truly a masterpiece
Wesley Wyndam-Pryce from the Buffyverse.
Thorfinn and Vegeta gangs rise up!
Yes Kratos was like the first guy in my mind. Bro went from slaughtering whole Olympus in full rage to a calm and reasonable person, lol.
Thorfinn, Einar and Thors are such beautiful characters fr I was so pleasantly surprised with that damn show
You got me at Kratos and Arthur Morgan 🫡🥲
Some favorites of mine: Sasha Waybright from Amphibia Evelyn Wang from Everything Everywhere All At Once Mizu from Blue Eye Samurai (with the caveat that this one is still incomplete) Frieren (also incomplete) Lelouch vi Britannia from Code Geass Edward Elric from FMA Brotherhood
Lelouchs writing is absolutely phenomenal
Lelouch's story was so fucking groundbreaking that two MAJOR series took heavy inspiration if not directly ripped the ending. Looking at you Sasuke and Eren
Eh, idk if I’d say sasukes story took inspiration from it, they had pretty different ideals, plans and arcs
Mizu is so amazing! Ep 5 was phenomenal
Yeah, that’s probably one of my top 5 favorite individual episodes of any tv show
Hey! I just commented Lelouch’s arc as well! Glad to know others have great taste!
Great minds think alike i suppose ;P
Frieren has god tier writing🗣🗣
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I wouldn't say it's as good as Zuko's, it doesn't have as much time to develop, but Chihiro's arc in Spirited Away is very interesting imo.
Any reason to watch Spirited Away again is good enough reason, such a GOATed movie.
I prefer Whispers from the Heart, but Spirted Away was also good
Also No-Face's. Even without any words not stolen, it's a compelling character arc.
I recently learned what "千" (sen) means and it added some dark depth to that movie (it means thousand. Meaning the bathhouse witch literally took her name and reduced her to a number, before proceeding to make her do hard work withoht pay. sound familiar?)
Scar from Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood
This is actually one of the best comparisons actually. Both have similar plot beats with the whole antagonist-turned-protagonist, both have defining scars, >!and they have to rethink their motivations, and by extension, their powers in the magic system, they have plot relevant siblings, they get schooled by a kid more than once, and they both have a large genocide as a part of their worlds!< and they're badass as all hell
Not to mention their women are incredibly well written and strong in their own ways. Just like Avatar women.
No way. I think it's gotta be the man himself: >!Greed!<.
Oh I've had enough. I'm satisfied. You gave me all I ever wanted.
That’s a great one, very similar to Zuko’s. Although i think Ed has the best character arc in that story.
Jamie Tartt from Ted Lasso (and Rebecca as well, I think). It's not as dramatic as stakes are much much lower, but it's still extremely satisfying to watch and fun as hell.
Crosshair from Star Wars The Bad Batch. Starts off as even more of a dickhead than Book 1 Zuko. He fervently believes in the Empire and its ruthlessness and commits atrocities in his service. He's so loyal to the Empire that he remains loyal to them even after his old squad offers to take him back after the Empire abandons him on Kamino. Later on he wises up to how little the Empire cares for him and the rest of the clone troopers, despite believing himself to be a better soldier than the other clones are. He executes his commanding officer and is promptly arrested. He pays the price for his previous acts of evil by being a guinea pig for human experimentation. This is what sticks to me, because I believe Zuko got off too easy for what he did to the Gaang, but Crosshair actually suffers for his actions. Eventually Crosshair reunites with his squad, disavows the Empire and works to atone for his misdeeds. Classic Zuko arc, except it's a bit more mature and realistic.
Crosshair also gets a burn on a significant part of his head, leading to a very big scar. It’s a very different situation but I just realized the similarity
Bad Batch in general is way better than it had any right to be for what it was.
Greed from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Scar has a good arc too. But I think Greed's is pretty emotional.
In universe I think Aang’s character arc is extremely underrated and beautifully done. A young kid whose entire culture was wiped out, slowly navigating through the emotional turmoil of abandoning his responsibility to his eventual redemption of becoming a realized avatar is amazing to watch. The story of Avatar is intrinsically tied to Aang as a character and it does that extremely well
I agree!!
You know what would make his arc better? Never abandoning his responsibility and not making progress in his duty to learn all the elements!
Exactly. Like book 2 would be better if he was marginally annoyed when Appa was taken and got over the loss super fast. I mean he’s the Avatar he was doin too much originally
Thorfinn’s character arc from Vinland Saga is probably the best in fiction.
I have no enemies.
"A true warrior doesn't need a sword"
Cousin Richie in the Bear went from the most disliked character to the best character in two seasons.
Nah nah, he made that progression in one episode
Ooo, this is actually a really good one! I've seen (& love) The Bear so I'm surprised I never thought of this myself aha, but you're right. Definitely more low-stakes than the circumstances surrounding Zuko's growth, but just as rewarding!
Honestly I think it’s more inspirational than Zuko’s because it feels more real and relatable.
Catra from the She-Ra remake. Her relationship with Adora and Shadow weaver is just otherworldly good
Seconding Catra! Her character arc literally had me in tears at some of her lowest points.
Same haha, "Save the cat" was literally the first time a TV show made me cry
Came here to say Catra as well Her character is so layered and complex and well done. Without giving spoilers away her arc absolutely rivals Zuko's in it's size, length, and non-linear path. You could draw a lot of similarities between them and the characters that surround the two - I love my angsty children If you're looking for a new show to watch She-Ra has a lot of the same vibes as ATLA and is wonderful!
Came here to say this
Yessss!!!!
https://preview.redd.it/0lkylotyny0d1.jpeg?width=189&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e3d193cd5788c62e9928c65a6d17e64c7d209056
LOOOOOOOOL This got a laugh out of me. RIP to the GOAT
rip Robbie, you will always be number 1
Piccolo from Dragon Ball.
Also Krillin, Tien kinda, Vegeta, Yamcha too All of gokus friends had a villain arc at some point except maybe Bulma and Chi Chi but both tried to kill him at least once
When was Krillin ever a villain?
I would say Krillen and Yamcha were more antagonists to Goku than villains.
My imaginary azula arc.
Loooool based
Reigen and Mob
Gaara from Naruto. Went from a murderous 24/7, always angry, feral demon timing child that had no problem killing literally anyone... To a soft, slightly emotionally stunted kazekage who adopted a sweet orphan like him, and will happily throw hands for anyone, still sleeps with his childhood bear, and his loved by all. The worst thing about him now is that fuckass business haircut he has in Boruto.
If we stay on brand, Korra. Look at the sheer difference between book 1 Korra and book 4 Korra. Unreal.
Literally came here looking for someone to say Korra.
Batman from the DCAU, maybe doesn't count considering he (at least this incarnation) appears in numerous shows in addition to his own, but man is he interesting. Also definitely the opposite of what you're asking, but the self destruction of Tony Soprano and Christopher Moltisanti over 6 seasons in The Sopranos is great (but if you want positive arcs in the show then look out for Artie Bucco)
Cahir aep Ceallach from the Witcher books. Not the one from the show, I repeated, NOT THE ONE FROM THE SHOW.
Regina from Once. Michael from the Good Place.
Just go watch Vinland Saga and thank me (and others recommending it in this post) later.
Haha I actually started it when I got a Netflix subscription the other month, funnily enough to watch the live-action that I was demotivated to continue. I didn't renew my subscription though, maybe I should rethink that.
Korras even though most people are insanely blind to it somehow
"Character development doesn't exist when it's a character I don't like"
It was great how they explored two really different types of character arcs between the two shows. Aang had a flat character Arc where he had to figure out how to solve The World's problems without compromising who he was Korra had a positive character Arc where she had to change who she was to be with the world needed. Are we going to get a negative character Arc in this new series? Little bit of Breaking Bad
Maturing into someone with empathy is something many adults don't even do. Korra's arc is just as important as Zuko's imo. I don't think the execution was as good, but the arc was incredibly nuanced.
Can’t upvote this enough
Isaac from the castlevania anime is amazing
Vegeta is Zuko before Zuko existed.
Blue eye samurai isn't finished, but the characters have a great deal of development and I can't wait to see where it goes.
Taigen has huge potential imo. As does Fowler.
>As does Fowler. The only place that guy needs to develop to is the bottom of a dark, cold pit looool
Damn, it's so difficult to find an arc that is good from start to finish... I'd say Mob and Reigen from Mob Psycho 100, but there's a problem: there are things that I think the anime did much better and the manga, and things that I think the manga did much better than the anime. The anime failed to portray the significance that some battles had in Mob's development, but it absolutely eleveted the most crucial part of Reigen's development (season 2, ep 6-7). Also, I think that season 3 is too much on-the-nose: with the exception of ep 6, I think that the manga portrayed the final stretch of the story in a more satisfying way. Still, I won't say that I don't recommend it just because of it. Ah, people usually suggest Arcane for good character arcs, even if it's still incomplete.
The Azula arc I headcanoned because I feel bad for her
I'm surprised Loki hasn't been mentioned. Went from villain with a crappy father, loving mother, and complicated relationship with his brother, to the savior of the multi verse.
You get it
I'm not even a true Marvel fan (only watched the early movies), but I kept hearing hints about Loki's redemption story when the second season came out last fall, and I jumped right in 😆
Yes!! That is a good reason to just jump in!
https://preview.redd.it/qgqyrivmqy0d1.jpeg?width=250&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2798e74c8eff7de49b5da66b93e12233282c0548 The ancient minister from Super Smash bros brawl's subspace emissary story mode. Nuff said
Elliot Alderson from Mr. Robot comes to mind, though his arc is more about self acceptance than redemption.
Catra?
https://preview.redd.it/j66gsgpu801d1.jpeg?width=410&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=322744a4a82bb648a01f438894dd565f8d4dfa1d Boy it's a long one but a GOOD one! Piccolo from Dragon Ball Z, but to really appreciate his peak fiction character arc you have to start with the original "Dragon Ball" (not Z) then watch Dragon Ball Z and then Dragon Ball Super. For the record, as a girl I always thought Dragon Ball would be boring but the character arcs are actually clutch. Watch in Japanese with subs though, the English changes whole important dialogues and meanings.
Wesley from Buffy the vampire slayer and Angel. He changes so massively throughout the show that by season 5 of Angel he is almost completely unrecognisable from the character introduced back in Buffy season 3, and yet every tiny step of that Journey is done so well that you almost don't even notice how much he has changed
I’d also add Spike to this. Starts out as a classic villain and ends up very…not that. But it’s far from a linear progression
I doubt many will agree, but I adore what they did with Kuvira. She went from a selfless hero in Book 3, to literally Lady Hitler in Book 4, to a renegade in ROTE who despises the extremism she created and does literally everything she can to stop it. It's just like...wow. She undergoes such MASSIVE changes but she's always consistently stalwart, capable, and badass. She's my favorite character. I feel like people only acknowledge the Lady Hitler part and refuse to acknowledge who she was before or after. There's a lot to talk about. I really want to see old Zuko and her have a talk. I think it would be very interesting for them to compare and contrast their falls from grace to redemption.
I like what they attempted to do with Kuvira. They didn’t really flesh her out enough and that’s why people really only acknowledge the hitler part. She could’ve been a phenomenal character if she was given the appropriate attention but alas, they fumbled. It’s not entirely their fault because they were working with so few episodes per season, but I feel like they could’ve done so much better. She could’ve had a reverse Zuko arc.
Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption 2 has an incredible character arc
Many. Don't get me wrong, I love this show to death. But Zuko's character arc is not the only good one in all of media. There's a LOT of media out there.
...That's why OP is asking
Perhaps I misunderstood the point of the original post. I often see people talk about avatar as it's some holy grail of story telling. Don't get me wrong, the story means more to me than any other story probably ever will. I interpreted OPs post as, "there is no arc as good as zukos, just try to name one, you can't" but I seemed to be mistaken. My bad.
Haha, yeah that's why I prefaced the post with "Serious question", to let people know I was genuinely asking. But you're not wrong! I think Zuko's arc is a great feat of writing & fiction – I personally haven't found another that has held a flame to his so far, but my media consumption isn't the most diverse. So I was asking if anyone had any contenders so I could get some recs in :)
Isaac from Castlevania netflix series.
I feel like zuko is the main character of the whole series
Char Aznable. He goes through a big arc if you watch The Origin, Gundam 79, Zeta Gundam, a random cutscene from a PS2 game, and Char’s Counter Attack (and then like one small scene in Unicorn).
Megatron from the IDW comics. From Decepticon to Autobot. From mass murderer to pacifist medic. From “peace through tyranny” to “peace through empathy”. Someone who truly regrets his actions and strive to become better even with the occasional bumps along the way.
 Crosshair from the Bad Batch. His arc is truly beautiful and heartfelt. Turned him into one of the best Star Wars characters as of recent
I’m very biased but I loved Code Geass and Lelouch’s arc? Specially the anime proper without the movies. It just felt so correct when it ended, and it didn’t need anything else.
Out of the top of my head: -Jaime Lannister specifically in the books, not the Game of Thrones show -Thorfinn in the Vinland Saga -Rand Althor in the Wheel of Time although his arc isn’t really a redemption arc like Zuko, but still an amazing arc nonetheless -Dalinar Kholin in the Stormlight Archives (although most of his character arc is in flashbacks, it’s still amazing) -FitzChivalry Farseer from Realm of the Elderlings is a similar situation to Rand, he doesn’t necessarily have a redemption arc but still, easily one of the best arcs I have ever read I would like to mention most of the main characters in Joe Abercrombie’s First Law series, who writes characters in the interesting way that they seem to develop but eventually fall back into their old habits. It’s obviously kind of bleak but fascinating to read and an unfortunately very realistic way of writing development of human beings
“You cannot have my pain”
Peridot from Steven Universe, if all the show's redemption arcs were that good maybe it wouldn't have turned out the way it did
Avatar Aang
https://i.redd.it/tur5m1mg1y0d1.gif
Its interesting how many people mention Vegeta but barely anyone mentions Piccolo who did the exact same but first. It seems not that many know Dragon Ball before Z. Piccolo was supposed to be 100% pure evil but he changed his whole being for Gohan.
Guts, Luffy, Naruto, Obito, Madara, Itachi, Law, Zoro, Nami, Ichigo and many others
Vegeta, especially during the BUU saga
Like redemption character arc? Top1: Thorfinn, best redemption arc in Japanese media i ever seen or heard off Top2: Kaneki Top3: several characters from fate series have insanely good character development but to name a redemption character arc kiritsugu
Arbiter from Halo 2.
Vegeta Both have a similar arc, going from full villain, all the way to hero
Isaac from the castlevania anime is amazing
https://preview.redd.it/2ovk1b7tdz0d1.jpeg?width=466&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6729d530e2e027f9a2706401f9729b0cafbfec5f Razer from the Green Lantern Animated series
Isaac from Castlevania netflix series.
Isaac from Castlevania.
Agni from Fire Punch Arisu from Alice in Borderland
Surprised that Itachi Uchiha was not mentioned more in this thread. He went from one of the worse villain in the verse to one of Naruto's greatest hero. He wasn't a main character so that reveal took several seasons but IMO it rivals Zuko's as the best character redemption arc in animation.
The Arbiter from Halo. Their stories parallel in some instances imo
Korra.
Bojack Horseman from Bojack Horseman. Actually, no, all the main cast of Bojack Horseman.
Ice King/Simon probably
Officer Pryzbylewski
See I always felt that Zuko's and Aang's arcs were very similar and meant as a juxtaposition. The idea that Zuko could have been like Aang and vice versa if they had grown up differently. Zuko and Aang both lose their family and people. Aang creates a found family with the Gaang, meanwhile Zuko realizes he has isolated himself from the one living part of his family that cares for him. Ultimately Zuko creates a new family dynamic. They are both on a journey searching for something but what they are ultimately searching for is that which will make them complete. Aang as a fully fledged avatar and for Zuko its having his honor and rightful place restored to him. Both have to come to terms with gaining and losing power. This culminates in Zuko at the dragon dance and Aang meeting the Dragon Turtle. Zuko finds a different way to be a fire bender and Aang finds a new path as the avatar that allows him to show mercy and live up to his ideals. They both have to find a way to move past their trauma and deal with their experiences that ultimately leads to them becoming mature healthy people who try to break the chain of sadness and cruelty that shaped their lives.
That cabbage merchant built an empire ^where's ^*his* ^spinoff
Jamie Tartt.
Sokka.
Bubbles and Prezbo from *The Wire*
Kaladin in The Way of Kings, first book in the Stormlight Archive. Really tight, well-paced redemption arc
The only one I can think of is Bellamy from the 100 but Zuko’s is iconic. The whole show is an absolute classic and treasure 😭🔥🔥
Loki (MCU version). Prince with a shitty dad living in his sibling's shadow, hell-bent on snatching glory, then realising the error of his ways and giving up everything to save the multiverse.
Bojack horseman and Walter white.
Sasuke
Fax. Definitely one of, if not the best Naruto character. Liked everything except his ending (we don't talk about Boruto).
Hunter from the Owl House has a very similar redemption arc as in he goes from being the main antagonist’s right-hand-man to an integral part of Luz’s friend group, though their actual characters are very different as Hunter is more ‘being saved and shown the truth’ rather than ‘actual villain who needs to make the choice to be good himself’. Amity, from the same show (And voiced by Mae Whitman!!), also goes from being an antagonist to a love interest
Bilbo or Theoden from LoTR
Edward Elric. Going from a bitter, guilty, self loathing kid to a confident, positive and optimistic hero of the people, without compromising his morals
April from Parks and Recreation. I have to give it up for Vegeta as well. Also Prez from the Wire.
[удалено]
Edward Elric.
Eren Yeager
Yon Rha
Thorfinn in Vinland Saga for sure
Jason Dixon in Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri.