Generations of the Fire Lords

[Ahriman238]

So I'm rewatching Atla with my fiance, and just got through Zuko alone when it hit me. In Fire Lord Azulon's eulogy, it was said that he reigned for twenty-three years, yet Azulon was explicitly the son of Sozin, who began the war a hundred years before the events of the series. But Sozin was an old, old man by the time the ball went up. He still lived to hunt the Avatar for years after, but Azulon died in Zuko's lifetime and he seemed at least nine or ten. So it seems there's a decades-long gap in the middle there. Was this just a goof or did someone account for the time (some kind of regency? But I can't imagine one lasting 50+ years) or is there some answer I'm simply not thinking of?

[Steve]

Sozin had Azulon very late in his life, most likely. And he lived for 20 years after the start of the war. Azulon may have been a child then when Sozin finally died, and a regency was enacted until he came of age. Benders do seem to haver very fruitful lives even past 100.

Although when did they mention how long Azulon reigned? They may have made a dialogue error there. A check of the franchise wiki lists his reign as 75 years, from his father's death 20 years after Aang went into the iceberg to 95 years post-iceberg (five years pre-series). And he was old enough that his firstborn son was also a late middle-aged to elderly man (Iroh was gray-haired and already had an adult-age son).

[Ahriman238]

Like I said, it was a flashback in 'Zuko Alone.' At Azulon's funeral right before Ozai is crowned they say he reigned as firelord 23 years, and then listed his wife, kids and grandkids before lighting the pyre.

[Steve]

It's probably been retconned then when they decided to give Zuko that matching ancestry of great grandchild to both Roku and Sozin, which scrunched the available generations.

Alternatively, because of his youth (if he were born right before his father's death), Azulon had a regent for much of his life, perhaps because after reaching prior age he went into military service instead, since we're told he led armies in the war, and used the popularity of that to ensure he could hold his throne against cousins and rivals that arose while he was fighting in the war.

[Solauren]

There is also the possibility that instead of the regency, some other relative took the throne, and then Azulon took the throne back from them. If I recall, some real world monarchies have 'struck' the names and reigns of usurpers from official records before.

[Eframepilot]

Sozin didn't have Azulon until after Roku's death, when he was in his 80s, and Azulon died at 95. The Fire Lords lived very long and had children very late. Azulon reigning for twenty-three years must be a mistake. They made other mistakes, like having Koh say that the Avatar tried to kill him 800 years ago and later having Kurruk live only half as long as that ago, and Kyoshi was made to live for 230 years to fill another timeline error.