In season 3 of The Legend of Korra, Zuko is seen riding a dragon, but where did he get one? In Avatar: The Last Airbender, dragons were thought to be extinct after the Fire Nation hunted them down. But seventy years later, Zuko had found Druk, his own dragon companion. The explanation for how he got one involves Uncle Iroh, an ancient secret, and the Sun Warriors who appeared during the last season of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

In the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, dragons are large, intelligent creatures closely connected to the fire element. Like the badgermoles who taught Toph, they are the original practitioners of firebending and taught humans bending techniques. Wan, the first Avatar, learned how to control fire thanks to a white dragon in the Spirit World. During Fire Lord Sozin’s rein, hunting dragons became a sport and those who did manage to kill a dragon would receive the legendary title of “Dragon.” The tradition was so popular, it seemed like dragons went extinct after one hundred years.

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As a young man, Uncle Iroh traveled around the world and the four nations in search of knowledge. During his journey, he discovered the Sun Warriors who worshipped two ancient dragons: Ran and Shaw. The dragons judged and deemed Iroh deserving of their knowledge. Thanks to them, Iroh finally understood that fire was a force-giving power instead of destructive. The Sun Warriors also taught Iroh how to breathe fire. To protect Ran and Shaw from being hunted as the last members of their species, Iroh claimed he killed the last surviving dragon, gaining the title of the Dragon of the West.

The dragons Ran and Shaw in Avatar The Last Airbender

Years later, when Zuko lost his firebending in season 3, Aang and Zuko left to look for the Sun Warriors, unaware of they would also find Ran and Shaw alive and well. Like Iroh, they stood in front of the ancient masters and were judged. After performing the Dragon Dance, Aang and Zuko were shown the true meaning behind firebending. Zuko was able to reconnect with his bending, and Aang realized fire could be a force of good, not just destruction. They left after promising to keep the secret, but it’s likely that Zuko went back to visit the Sun Warriors and found Druk.

In a Q&A session with fans in 2014, creators Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko confirmed Druk is a descendant of Ran and Shaw, giving credence to the idea that, years later, Zuko visited the ancient dragons once again. However, dragons remain rare in The Legend of Korra, and it’s not clear how many currently exist. Still, there’s hope more will appear. For a long time, Appa was also the last of his species, but Aang eventually found a herd of sky bison. Zuko’s dragon is a sign that the species could recover with time.

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