Dante Basco, the voice actor of Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation in the 2005 animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, is a Firebender like his character through and through, which was further proven by a new TikTok filter. The beloved series has been heralded as a paragon of Western children's animation since its release and retains a dedicated fanbase. Since its original release in 2005, the series has seen a variety of spin-offs and adaptations, including a much-maligned 2010 live-action film, the 2012 spin-off, The Legend of Korra, and an upcoming Netflix live-action series, announced in 2018.
Avatar: The Last Airbender was co-created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and ran on Nickelodeon for three seasons, from 2005 to 2008. The series tells the story of Aang, the current incarnation of the Avatar, who is able to harness all four of the elements - Water, Earth, Fire, and Air - that a class of people referred to as "benders" are able to telekinetically manipulate. Each of these elements corresponds to one of the four nations in which its "benders" reside. Basco's character, Zuko, is the exiled Crown Prince of the imperialist Fire Nation, which started a war between the previously harmonious nations. The Fire Nation values honor above all else, and Zuko is no exception to this. He originally begins as one of Aang's primary adversaries who pursues him before eventually having a change of heart. At first, Zuko was not planned to be part of the Avatar: The Last Airbender series, but he went on to become a fan favorite.
TikTok's new "What Bender Are You?" filter promises to tell users which of the four nations they belong to, so it was no surprise that Basco was eager to test the filter's accuracy. The filter cycled through all four nations before landing on the Firebender result. The actor immediately responded with "Firebenders all day. Honor!," referencing Zuko and the Fire Nation's obsession with restoring their lost honor, prompting delight from fans in the comments. Basco also promised fans in the caption that this was "the first time I hit [the filter]," suggesting that perhaps TikTok really does have a sixth sense.
Since finding fame as Zuko, Basco's career has gone from strength to strength, particularly in voice acting. He returned to the franchise as a descendent of Zuko, Iroh II, in Avatar: The Legend of Korra, and has had additional roles in shows like Star Wars Rebels and Ultimate Spider-Man. Basco has also regularly used his TikTok account to engage with Avatar: The Last Airbender fans, sharing behind-the-scenes information and his personal opinions. He retains a strong connection to the series and even admitted that he originally didn't expect Avatar: The Last Airbender to be popular.
Basco's TikTok comes as production is underway of Netflix's adaptation of the original 2005 Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series. Details regarding the series remain relatively scarce, but Basco's character Zuko will be played Dallas Liu, who recently starred as Ruihua in Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the Hulu comedy series, PEN15. Basco personally advised Liu about playing Zuko in the reboot and expressed his support for the young actor. Avatar: The Last Airbender's co-creator, Bryan Konietzko, personally suggested that he wanted to see Basco involved in some way in the new series - whether this will come to fruition or not, and how, remains unclear. Basco's TikTok, however, clearly shows that the actor still has a lot of love for the series, and it may be an indication that his connection with the franchise isn't over yet.
Source: Dante Basco/TikTok