zuko improved sufficiently id say hes just about a master if not already
he can make explosions 
he can preform the breath of fire some what
his Firebending Throughout the series, Zuko has shown himself to be a highly skilled Firebender, and his skill has grown as the series has progressed. As a child he could only create small bursts of flame, but by the time he was thirteen he was confident enough in his abilities to readily accept a challenge of Agni Kai, (he refused to fight, however, when he found out his challenger was his father). At the beginning of the series he is still learning the basics from Iroh, and is skilled enough to momentarily knock Aang off his ship, and is only defeated when Aang goes into the Avatar State. By episode 3, he utilizes what he has been taught to defeat Zhao, who is older, more experienced and a master firebender. Throughout Book One, he demonstrates his skill many times; he defeats multiple foes both in "The Warriors of Kyoshi" and in "Winter Solstice Part 1: The Spirit World". Later on in Book One, Zuko's skill grows. During "Bato of the Water Tribe" he fares well in a duel against Aang, being able to deliver multiple fire blasts for a sustained period without tiring, and is only defeated when he is paralyzed by Jun's confused Shirshu. In "The Waterbending Master", he creates a shield of fire in order to protect himself from a massive explosion on his ship. During the Book One finale he defeats Katara after the Sun rises, and lands a decisive victory in a rematch against Zhao. During the course of Book 2, Zuko's Firebending becomes much more advanced and powerful. In "The Avatar State", he is unable to land any blows against Azula, and is defeated rather easily. He fares somewhat better during "The Chase"; in a three-way battle with Azula and Aang, he trades several fire blasts with his sister and keeps the Avatar on the defensive. As Book Two progresses, he learns more advanced firebending from Iroh. He becomes more efficient and refined as a result of this. During a battle with the Rough Rhinos, he sends a small bolt of fire through Vachir's bow, breaking the string. He also demonstrates the ability to fire multiple small blasts through two fingers, rather than his whole fist, during "Tales of Ba Sing Se". During the Season Two finale, he demonstrates how far his prowess has grown. His fire blasts have become more powerful, and he is shown charging his attacks before releasing them, creating enormous blasts of fire. He also demonstrates the ability to create two long whips of fire. He is able to battle evenly with Aang, even though Aang had been skilfully using both airbending and earthbending. Later, after switching opponents with Azula, he battles evenly with Katara, who had long since been declared a Master. Little has been seen of Zuko's Firebending in the first half of book 3; however, Zuko is confident enough in his abilities that he offers to teach Aang. In The Western Air Temple he utilizes a wall of flame to stop a combustion attack. Later, in The Firebending Masters, Zuko temporarily loses his ability to firebend due to his corresponding lack of rage, which had formerly been the source of his power while he was pursuing the Avatar. However, after viewing the multi-colored flames of the two dragons, he finds a new source of power in reverence for fire's power as a source of life and energy. He also learns "The Dancing Dragon", an ancient firebending form that he performs alongside Aang. Learning this form appears to have influenced his ****of Firebending to be more fluid, creating a more dance-like form as opposed to the rigid, militaristic forms commonly used by Fire Nation soldiers. His difference in ****and skill is demonstrated in the conclusion of "The Boiling Rock, Part 2", where he briefly battles against Azula, alongside Sokka. During the fight, he deflects many of Azula's fire-blasts with only his arms or his own fire, and trades fire balls with her. In "Zuko Alone", he used his firebending in conjunction with his broadswords. He has also demonstrated use of Fire Daggers and limited use of Breath of Fire. During his training with Iroh he attempted to learn how to create lightning. However, because of his inner turmoil, he was unable to achieve the required peace of mind, and his attempts to produce lightning would only explode in his face. Instead, Iroh taught him how to absorb and redirect lightning. He later employed this technique against his father during Day of Black Sun. Though Zuko seems to have overcome his inner turmoil, it has yet to be seen whether or not he can create lightning.
Edited on 06/17/2008 7:08pm
