Avatar: The Last Airbender – Smoke and Shadow facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Avatar: The Last Airbender - Smoke and Shadow
Avatar: The Last Airbender – Smoke and Shadow, Part 1 cover
Date	October 6, 2015 (Part 1) December 29, 2015 (Part 2) April 12, 2016 (Part 3)
Publisher	Dark Horse Comics
Creative team
Writers	Gene Yang
Artists	Studio Gurihiru
Pencillers	Chifuyu Sasaki
Inkers	Chifuyu Sasaki
Letterers	Michael Heisler
Colourists	Naoko Kawano
Creators	Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko
Editors	Dave Marshall
Original publication
Published in	Avatar: The Last Airbender
ISBN	9781616557614 (Part One) 9781616557904 (Part Two) 9781616558383 (Part Three) 9781506700137 (Library edition)
Chronology
Preceded by	The Rift (comic)
Followed by	North and South (comic)

Avatar: The Last Airbender – Smoke and Shadow is a series of three graphic novels. It continues the story of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The original creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, helped make it.

This story happens after the events of other Avatar comics like The Promise, The Search, and The Rift. It shows what happens before the Legend of Korra TV show. The next comic series after Smoke and Shadow is North and South.

What is Smoke and Shadow About?

Smoke and Shadow focuses on the Fire Nation and its royal family. This was also a big part of earlier comics. Fire Lord Zuko is now in charge. He needs help from Avatar Aang and Zuko's former girlfriend, Mai.

They must stop a group called the New Ozai Society. This group wants to remove Zuko from power. They want to bring back his father, Fire Lord Ozai, who was removed from the throne. Things get tricky because Mai's own father leads this group. Also, a scary group of spirits called the Kemurikage seems to be working with them.

Part One: The Mystery Begins

Mai's father, Ukano, used to be a governor in the Fire Nation. One night, the Kemurikage visit him. They tell him he must remove Zuko from the throne. So, Ukano gathers the New Ozai Society. He plans a quick attack to get rid of Zuko. But one of his helpers, Kei Lo, isn't sure about moving so fast.

Meanwhile, Aang and his friends are taking Zuko and his family back to the Fire Nation capital. Zuko's mother, Ursa, is worried about returning. Her daughter, Kiyi, is still getting used to Ursa's new look.

Back in the Fire Nation, Ty Lee finds Mai. Mai is staying with family because her parents have separated. Her father is still loyal to Ozai. Ty Lee tells Mai that her father sent Kei Lo to spy on her. Kei Lo pretended to be interested in Mai. But Mai plans to use this to her advantage. Ty Lee feels uneasy because Kei Lo's feelings for Mai are real.

Mai and Ty Lee learn about the society's plans. They tell Zuko. Zuko's uncle, Iroh, arrives by submarine to act as a decoy. The Kyoshi Warriors come to protect Zuko and his family. Zuko and his family take a secret route back to the capital.

The fake attack happens on the main road. But Mai, who is with the Kyoshi Warriors, realizes they've been tricked. Zuko and his family are on a less safe path. Mai thinks Kei Lo tricked them. But she and the others quickly go to stop the real attack on Zuko. Kei Lo is with the society members on the real attack. He refuses when Ukano says they will harm Zuko's family. Mai and her friends arrive to help. Mai confronts her father, but he escapes. He offers her a chance to arrest him, but she doesn't.

Zuko and his family reach the palace. Ursa's worry becomes clear: she remembers her former husband, Fire Lord Ozai. The Kemurikage appear to Ukano again. They warn him he will suffer if Zuko stays in power. Ukano asks for a month to remove Zuko. A month later, Mai and Kei Lo are on a date. They see the Kemurikage kidnap Mai's younger brother, Tom-Tom. Zuko hears about it and offers help. He realizes they will need the Avatar's help.

Part Two: Uncovering the Truth

Aang, Katara, and Sokka are getting ready to visit the Southern Water Tribe. Zuko asks for their help. Katara and Sokka decide to go home. Aang goes to help Zuko with the Kemurikage.

In the Fire Nation, Ukano tells Zuko to act quickly against the Kemurikage. But Aang convinces Zuko to get more information first. Ukano is angry. He warns Constable Sung, who is investigating Tom-Tom's kidnapping. Ukano says more trouble will come if Zuko doesn't protect his people. That night, Sung's four-year-old son and other children are kidnapped by the Kemurikage. Sung decides to act without Zuko's permission.

Aang, Zuko, Mai, and Kei Lo go to the Fire Sages Capital Temple. This is where past Fire Lords are buried. They want to learn about the Kemurikage. In the temple's secret tunnels, they find out about the Kemurikage. The spirits first appeared long ago to punish a warlord. He had kidnapped children because their village couldn't pay him.

Later, one of the Kemurikage contacts Aang. The spirit says they haven't been in the human world since the Fire Nation began. This makes the group think the current Kemurikage are fakes. They return to the capital. They find that Ukano and Sung have started a nighttime curfew. They also formed the Safe Nation Society. This is a group of volunteers to fight the Kemurikage. Zuko suspends Sung for acting without orders. He tells the Safe Nation Society to break up. His friends and people are unhappy with this.

The kidnapped children, including Tom-Tom, are shown in an underground room. Ukano visits them. He tells Tom-Tom he wants to make the Fire Nation strong again. He is working with the fake Kemurikage to do this. That night, Kiyi is kidnapped by the fake Kemurikage. During the struggle, one of the fake Kemurikage attacks Zuko with lightning. Zuko realizes the "spirit" is his long-lost sister, Azula.

Part Three: The Final Showdown

Azula fights off the group trying to catch her. She seems to disappear into thin air. The next morning, Mai tells Zuko her suspicions about Ukano. She also tells him about Ukano's involvement with the New Ozai Society. Zuko decides Aang's calm approach hasn't worked. He forbids his people from leaving the capital. He has his men search the homes of Safe Nation Society members to find Ukano.

Aang, Suki, and Ty Lee decide to investigate on their own. They find a secret passage Azula used to escape.

Outside the children's prison, Azula is mostly recovered from her past struggles. She orders Ukano to have the Safe Nation Society riot in the streets. Ukano doesn't want to continue the plan because Tom-Tom is imprisoned. But he agrees, not knowing that Azula's goal isn't to bring back Ozai. Zuko's soldiers stop the riot. Most of the Safe Nation Society members are arrested. All of Ukano's supporters are now in prison. Ukano begs Azula to release the children. But she refuses, fearing the children will lead Zuko to her.

Kei Lo is found among those arrested in the riot. Zuko releases him after he and Mai protest. Kei Lo accuses Zuko of being hard on him because of his relationship with Mai. Soon after, Aang takes the three of them to the secret passage. It leads to a graveyard for the Fire Lords' families. After leaving the passage, Azula and the other fake Kemurikage attack them. These "spirits" are Azula's former patients from the mental institution.

While the others fight the fake Kemurikage, Zuko chases Azula. Azula reveals her goal: she wants to turn Zuko into a harsh Fire Lord, like herself. This way, she would control the Fire Nation through him.

Elsewhere, the children escape. Kiyi uses firebending to melt the metal door. She learned this by watching Zuko practice his firebending. Ukano helps the children. Aang, Mai, and Kei Lo rescue them. Even with this setback, Azula says her plan hasn't failed. She points out Zuko's recent harsh actions. She warns him that he is becoming like her. Then, Azula escapes.

Ukano accepts being imprisoned for his crimes. Mai says he deserves punishment. But she also respects his bravery in standing up to Azula. In a public speech, Zuko apologizes to his people for his poor leadership. Azula and her allies watch from far away. Azula seems happy with Zuko's speech. This might mean she was using a trick to make Zuko act a certain way. Kei Lo and Mai end their relationship.

Elsewhere, Ursa follows Iroh's advice. She confronts the imprisoned Ozai. He tries to scare her by threatening her and her family. Ursa resists his threats. She tells him he is arrogant and uncaring. She leaves as he angrily demands she bow to him. Ursa returns to her family's room. She makes up with Kiyi, who finally accepts her mother's new face.