system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[ATLA] Why did the Fire Nation take so many prisoners of war?

It’s just seemed weird they had the moral mindset to take prisoners.
gpt
Their motivation was primarily colonialist, not genocidal (at least until Ozai). They planned to make the other nations adopt the fire nation culture, not wipe them from the face o the world.

If that's your plan, taking captives is going to help that goal more then slaughtering your enemies in their millions.