Without Excusing Their Current Bad Choices - Tumblr Posts

Speaking of Zuko's scar and people having preconceived ideas about him because of it, Jee saying that he thought Zuko was in a training accident also might contribute to what he says about Zuko being a spoiled prince. Sure, Zuko WAS being a brat and deserved to be called out by Jee, but if Jee thinks that Zuko got his scar in a training accident, there's a certain assumption that Zuko was in the wrong which also might contribute to him having less respect for him as a military commander. Think about how we saw Zuko demand that Iroh teach him more advanced firebending that he wasn't ready for. Jee could have easily assumed that was how Zuko got burned, out of arrogance and overconfidence in his own skill, which of course would contribute to resenting being ordered around by this obnoxious teenager.

When Jee learns the truth, he learns that not only was it not an accident, but that it wasn't a reflection of Zuko's ability or arrogance or anything like that. Zuko didn't get the scar because he lost a fight he wasn't ready for, he got it because he refused to fight a battle he was tricked into fighting in the first place. That changes the whole story. It's more than just Jee feeling bad for Zuko, it changes the narrative from Zuko the arrogant brat who thinks he's better than he is, Zuko the prince who demands to be taught advanced firebending by Iroh - who Jee has great respect for, and no regular teenager would get the privilege of being taught by the Dragon of the West, who does Zuko think he is - to Zuko who spoke out for those that didn't have the privileges he had and paid the price for it.