Heartwarming / Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Search

• This exchange between Zuko and Sokka, the latter especially talking about his relationship with his sister.
  Zuko: After all those snowballs to the head, you still look out for her.
  Sokka: I throw witticisms at her, she throws snowballs at me, the relationship works.
  Zuko: Seems to me you're getting the short end of the deal.
  Sokka: (glancing at a sleeping Katara with a smile) Katara is my sister. When it comes to her, I don't mind getting the short end of the deal.
  • Which leads to Zuko trying to reach out to Azula in a similar manner. Despite everything prior to this and during this trilogy, he truly wants him and Azula to be a family again.
• Before going to see Zuko, following her banishment, Ursa stops by Azula's room and gives her a kiss goodbye while she sleeps.
• Early on in Part 2, Azula gets the belief in her head that Zuko must actually be on "her side" and not under their mother's "control". Because of this, she spends the whole book trying as best as she can to work with him and even try to reconnect as siblings. Sadly, it's (sort of) back to square one at the end of the book...though it does end with a Hope Spot.
• A mix of this and a darkly funny moment, but Azula actually resists her urges to burn down the house with the family in it for Zuko's sake. Considering the mental state of his sister combined with Azula's own disdain of seeing things like that; it shows that she does have a love for Zuko.
• It may also count as a Funny Moment, but seeing Aang and Katara kiss during the Big Damn Kiss between the actors at the end of Love Amongst The Dragons...that's really nice.
  • It's also a nice departure from the last time they tried to kiss during a play ("Ember Island Players" anyone?)
• Whenever Azula sees an illusion(?) of her mother, Ursa is always saying how much she loves Azula and begs her to leave the self-destructive path she is on.
  • Reaches new heights when she finally finds her mother. Ursa, as Noriko, met Azula who went on a Motive Rant, all Noriko could do is apologize to Azula for not loving her enough, and then doesn't hesitate to accept the Mother of Faces offer to return her memories, even knowing they would be bad, all for the sake of her children.
• In a flashback, after her banishment, Ursa meets Noren, who spontaneously offers to buy her breakfast. Considering Ursa just learned her parents were dead and had no place to go, this is a kind gesture on his part. Becomes especially sweeter in hindsight when one realizes it's Ikem's first time seeing Ursa since their departure about a decade ago. What would you expect from someone who still loved her after all these years?
  • Following this, when his knowing her name alarms Ursa, Noren calms her by revealing his identity as Ikem, recounting a childhood incident they shared. Both become tearful at their reunion.
  • Fridge-Heartwarming: Ursa discovering Noren was her beloved Ikem is a somewhat inverted parallel of "Love Amongst the Dragons". Like the Dragon Emperor, Ursa was banished from her home and forced to walk among peasants. Like the Dragon Empress, Ikem/Noren approached his beloved whilst disguised as someone else. In the end, Ikem still loved Ursa even when she lost her beauty, just as the Dragon Empress loved her Emperor despite his mortal form.
    • Just the fact that although they never got to star in "Love Amongst the Dragons", Ursa and Ikem got to do the next best thing: they lived out the story!
• Ursa briefly considers that if she had a new face, she could return to the capital and keep an eye on her children. She sets the idea aside because if Ozai found out she broke the rules of banishment, he would hurt Azula and Zuko as punishment.
  • Building on this, Ikem initially didn't like the idea of Ursa gaining a new face simply to spy on her children growing up, because she would simply be wasting away her life. But later, when they're about to meet the Mother of Faces, Ikem is supportive of Ursa's idea to use her new face to see her children again. When she sadly turns down the idea because she didn't want to leave him, Ikem suggests she bring the kids to Hira'a instead and live together as one big family. Again, Ursa isn't all for this plan as it would potentially endanger them all if Ozai caught wind. All the same, this shows us what a potentially loving stepfather Ikem would've been to Zuko and Azula to gladly welcome the idea of them living with him and Ursa.
  • There's also another reason Ursa bailed out on the idea of spying on her children: she voices that after reconnecting with Ikem, she felt like she belonged once more. The way she sees it, wasting away her life spying on her children would mean sacrificing time spent with Ikem.
• The montage of Ursa and Ikem/Noren waiting out their days by the Mother of Faces' sacred lake. We witness as the two bond over building a shelter and living off the land while they bide their time. It also counts as a lovely reprise of Ikem's lonely days in the woods. Instead of spending them in misery and loneliness, this time, he has Ursa by his side; and that makes all the difference.
• While it's arguable that Ursa's choice to forget her first marriage and her children was selfish, there's a couple sweet moments that came out of it:
  • When the Mother of Faces was giving Ursa her new face (and memories), the latter was crying out in pain. Ikem/Noren came forward to see if she was all right. In Ursa's place stood a plain-faced Noriko, momentarily blind and searching for him. Gently he assures her that he'll always be with her. Even without her lovely visage, Ikem/Noren still loves Ursa for who she is.
  • Following that, we cut to Noren and Noriko getting married before all of Hira'a, who celebrate as the newlyweds share a kiss. It may not be as proud or opulent as Ursa and Ozai's wedding, but one can sense more love and joy between Noren and Noriko than Ursa ever felt throughout her arranged marriage.
  • Generally, the way the two lovers kissing Book Ends the flashbacks, as though saying Ursa and Ikem found each other again against all odds.
    • The first flashback had Ikem happy for Ursa getting a part in "Love Amongst the Dragons" because it meant he could fulfill his dream of kissing her before the entire village of Hira'a. On one hand, it's sad to know that dream would be delayed many years in the making. On the other hand, they do eventually share such a kiss during their wedding. Although it may not be with the faces they were born with, it's sweet to see Ikem's dream was finally realized.
  • Despite that it came at the price of Ikem being burdened to keep it a secret, he and Ursa essentially got a second chance at life as Noren and Noriko. They have everything they could ever ask for, a decent home, a loving marriage and a family with their daughter Kiyi.
• While sitting with Noren, Kiyi and Noriko, whom Zuko now knows is actually his mother Ursa. Zuko asks Noriko if she is happy with her life. When Noriko happily answers that she is, Zuko smiles and makes to leave without telling Noriko the truth of her identity. He also considers giving up the Firelord claim and living with Ikem, Noriko and Kiyi.
  • It's also confirmed that Noriko did not have Kiyi to replace Azula. While Azula was paranoid that Kiyi was her Replacement Goldfish, it's clear that Ikem and a mind-wiped Ursa just wanted a child, no matter how they would turn out.
  • There's just that slice-of-life feeling to the meal that makes it simply touching. It's the sense that Zuko is second-hand experiencing the normal, content routine of a happy family meal together.
• The final confrontation with Azula. Azula, fully defeated, asks Zuko why he didn't just kill her when he had the chance on the cliff unless he just wanted to use her to get the peaceful life he always wanted. Zuko replies that he always knew deep down that he could never have that life...the real reason he didn't kill Azula? Because even though their relationship is strained and may never recover, she's still his sister and he loves her. This is so affecting that it actually prompts something of a Heel–Face Turn from Azula.
• When the Mother of Faces appears to them and offers Noriko the chance to have her memories of being Ursa back. Zuko pleads with her not to go through with it. Arguing that she doesn't need to give up the beautiful life she has as Noriko.
• An unsung one for Azula; the poor girl finally feels like someone will love her despite her insanity and cruelty.
  • Unto itself, when Azula confronts "Noriko" about how she could never unconditionally love her daughter for growing up into a "monster", what does the basically-amnesiac Ursa do? Does she react with fear? Is she devastated or in denial? No. Instead, she shows Azula compassion and tearfully declares that if she really is her daughter, she's sorry for not loving her enough. This clearly shakes Azula to her core, as though implying she's starting to realize her mother did love her all along.
• Zuko's reunion with his mother is far from as joyful a one he and most of the fanbase hoped for, and there is a lot of pain and regret on both sides. However, both Zuko and Ursa are dedicated to rebuilding their relationship and the story bookends with Zuko asking his mother to tell him all about the story of her life. It helps put the sweet in this Bittersweet Ending.
  Ursa: "I may not have the right to be, but I'm proud of you too."
• For Koh, no less. He just misses his mother...
• Zuko's moments with Kiyi are downright adorable. Even more so once it's revealed that Kiyi is actually Zuko's half-sister.
  • During their second meeting Kiyi rushes to give Zuko a big hug.
  Kiyi: You came back! You came back because we're best friends!
• In a way, Zuko now has two positive father figures in his life now, his Uncle Iroh and his stepfather Ikem/Noren. Although he's disappointed that Ikem is not his biological father, the other man promises to be in his life.
• Although it's bittersweet, Zuko actually does what he set out to do. He finally finds his mother!
• The first thing Zuko does after reading the letter that says Ozai isn't his father? He tells Aang, and gives him the letter to read. He actually tells Aang everything and tells him how relieved and hopeful it makes him feel. Given that most of Zuko's problems in the The Promise (and some of them in the later trilogy Smoke and Shadow) stem from him not confiding his fears to his friends and not asking the people who love him for advice, it's a nice step in the right direction. And while Aang's protests (namely, that Zuko not being Ozai's son and therefore not the rightful Fire Lord is terrible news for the world as a whole, even if it's good news for Zuko personally) don't sway him much in the moment, Zuko does conclude in the end that Aang is right.
  • And even when he learns that everything in the letter is untrue and Ozai really is his father, Zuko apparently takes accepts the truth rather gracefully. Upon learning the truth, he tells his mother he feels as though everything's the way it's meant to be. This implies that Zuko has made peace with his past adversities throughout the series.
  • What's more, Zuko may be referring to how everything still turned out okay despite how both sides have their regrets. Ursa is remorseful that she was separated from her children and forgot them in order to escape the pain, but she was able to reunite with her beloved Ikem and start a family with him. Zuko was denied his mother (and then some) but was able to make friends and become Firelord despite his hardships. No matter how badly Ozai hurt them respectively, mother and son were able to make the most of their lives in the end.
• And those flashbacks that we see, and those two unidentified individuals from the beginning? The ending reveals they were Ursa telling her son a story he will never forget.