Turns out the current ruler is the son of the former ruler as well as a friend and ally of Aang (Awkward!) who, at first, eagerly and whole-heartedly agrees that the wrongs his father has committed must be reversed and harmony must be brought to all four of the Nations (Earth, Wind, Air and Fire).only to change his mind when he finds out that the people this would affect are not so eager to just uproot and leave places that have become their “home” after 100 years or so.

Knowing that this would be a possibility, the new Fire Nation ruler makes his friend (Aang) promise him that he will do whatever it takes to ensure that he does not make the same mistakes that would set him on the path to become like his father.something that this new change of mind certainly would seem to suggest.

Sure, in this particular case the choice is whether to possibly destroy your friend just in case he is slowly becoming as evil as his father, but stripping away all of that you get a story of maturity and trust.