Diksha Sundriyal
The second season of Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender‘ introduces several new characters who change the course of Aang and his gang’s journey. Their quest to save the world from the growing terror of the Fire Nation leads them to Ba Sing Se, the last remaining frontier of the Earth Kingdom, which hasn’t fallen to Fire Lord Ozai’s forces yet. Here, Sokka befriends a man named Professor Zei. He is a scholar who teaches at the Ba Sing Se University and has a real thirst for knowledge. He is also aware of the regime’s oppressive nature, with the real king having been sidelined by the culture minister, Long Feng. He tells Sokka about the secret library, which has been removed from Ba Sing Se because they don’t want people to have access to that knowledge. However, it is the desire for this forbidden fruit that ultimately leads to his demise. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Zei Helps the Gaang Only to Turn on Them
Over the course of their time in Ba Sing Se, Sokka becomes good friends with Professor Zei, who is one of the few people who are actually interested in helping him without wishing to harm him or the Avatar. However, this doesn’t mean he is entirely selfless, and his loyalties are tested when he finally has the chance to get what he wants. When he tells Sokka about the secret library he dreams of visiting, he doesn’t think it will ever become a reality. But then, the Gaang actually finds the library’s location and are ready to access it in the Spirit World. Because Zei is not a part of their mission, he doesn’t expect to join them. But then Sokka invites him, and he is all too happy to oblige.
To his credit, Zei plays his part well when he offers a scroll to the wise owl, Wan Shi Tong, in return for allowing them to enter the library. Before allowing them to go in, the owl makes them promise that whatever knowledge they get from the library, they will not use to harm anyone. While the group splits up to look for the answer that will help them defeat the Fire Nation, Zei spends time on his own. He joins Sokka, but is so awestruck by everything that eventually, Sokka moves forward without him. Eventually, Zei catches up with them, but by then, they have already found the answers to their questions. So far, their main concern had been the arrival of Sozin’s Comet, which would increase the power of every Firebender tenfold.
But in the library, they discover that a solar eclipse will render them unable to use their powers, and that this will be the time to strike them. Fortunately, the library also gives them the tools to determine the date when both events would occur, and while they are in the process of doing so, Zei finds them. He hears about how they can use the knowledge to destroy the Fire Nation, which is starkly against the rule under which the owl allowed them to enter. Zei sees an opportunity in this situation, and he goes straight to the owl. He tells him about what his friends are planning and how they are breaking the rule. Of course, this angers the owl, and he confronts the group, but before that, he attacks Zei.
Professor Zei’s Betrayal Leads to Fatal Consequences for Him
It turns out that in return for being honest with the Owl, Zei wished that he should be allowed unfettered access to the library for all eternity. Given the place’s humongous size and all the knowledge it holds, the professor knew that one lifetime wouldn’t be enough to read every single book on its infinite shelves. When he discovered what the Gaang was planning, he knew that the owl would never allow them to return to the library for breaking the rule. Because Zei is with the group, he would be banned from the place by extension. So, to make sure that the owl knew Zei wasn’t involved in the Gaang’s plan, he ratted them out, hoping to get a deal in its place.
However, in doing so, he also placed the group in harm’s way. He knew that when the owl discovered they’d broken the rules, he would kill them. But that didn’t stop him from exposing them. This means that he, too, has broken the rule, and so, he is the one the owl kills first. When the Gaang finally returns to the real world, Zei’s body is not where he left it. The Gaang knows that when someone dies in the Spirit World, their body from the real world disappears into this air. The fact that Zei is nowhere to be seen confirms that he is dead for good.
Read More: Is Jet Dead? Did Sebastian Amoruso Leave Avatar: The Last Airbender?
You must be logged in to post a comment.