Azula from Avatar The Last Airbender is one of the best villains I’ve come across. However you may feel about her, it is undeniable that she’s incredibly effective. I’d argue she’s more of a threat than her father and he’s the main, big bad.

Azula isn’t just powerful, she’s also manipulative, cunning and always five steps ahead. Her ability to read people is exceptional and it is this skill that makes her such a formidable enemy. She can absolutely beat you in a physical fight but she won’t even let it get to that point. Before she ever tries to take you down physically, she will get inside your head and convince you to surrender.

And I think it is this capacity that often leads people to forget that she’s also a victim of an abusive family, in the same way Zuko is. Azula’s problem is that she’s her father’s favourite. And while he may praise her and value her. She is no safer with him than Zuko is.

But the difference is that where Zuko has the unconditional love and support of his mother and uncle, Azula only has her father. Azula, from when she was a small child, was praised for her cruelty and selfishness. The only person to ever call her out, her mother, just made her feel like she was evil.

Spoilers for the entirety of Avatar The Last Airbender and some of the comics.

“My Own Mother Thought I Was A Monster … She Was Right, Of Course, But It Still Hurt”

That is something that should never be spoken by a teenager. And that’s exactly what Azula is when she says it. And sure, she makes a joke out of it but you know it has to hurt. And I don’t even have to get to the comics to understand the impact it would have, on a little girl, to believe her own mother thinks she is a monster.

Azula was a child when her mother left. She wasn’t being a monster, she was acting in accordance with the way she was raised. Azula is who she is because of her father. Azula grew up watching the way her father treated Zuko.

She watched her father burn him for speaking out. Not just that, her father banished Zuko. And yes, she was smiling while it happened and she was more than willing to go after Zuko. But she was also the one to give him a chance. She was the one to lie to their father about Zuko killing the Avatar. She was the one who paved the way for him to be valued by their father again. And in The Beach episode, she’s the one prompting him to admit how he’s feeling and why.

And yes, it’s very self-interested. Azula is a very selfish character. But Azula is also one of the only characters who doesn’t really have anyone who loves her unconditionally. Mai and Ty Lee are more scared of her than love her. Her father views her as a tool and as an extension of himself. None of this is unconditional love. And Zuko is in such a vulnerable position that he can’t love her unconditionally.

Their entire childhood, they were pitted against each other. Zuko was told to his face that he was lucky to be alive whereas his sister was born lucky. Azula heard her mother ask what’s wrong with her. Azula knew her mother would do anything for Zuko and knew she wasn’t the priority.

Villain or not, that’s a lot to put on a child. You don’t have to love her but admit she’s a complicated character who’s a product of her environment rather than an example of pure evil.

“Even You Fear Me” “No, I love you, Azula. I do”

If you have ever read The Search (which is entirely about what happened to Zuko’s mother), you would know without a doubt that Azula was hallucinating in this scene. In the scene where Azula accuses her mother of fearing her, and her mother responds that she loves her, Azula is hallucinating.

It isn’t real.

And villain or not, it makes me wonder just how much she’s been tormented to put her mind in that position. She has completely detached from reality at this stage. She’s having a psychotic break because she’s realising that she doesn’t have anyone in her corner.

She spent her entire life driving people away, if only to bring her father closer, and in the end, it doesn’t matter. Her father leaves her anyway. So every sacrifice she made, every person she hurt and every line she crossed is worth nothing.

That is the tragedy of Azula. Because even though she’s the fiercest and most capable villain in the show, she’s also just another abused child. She only has power so long as she performs her role as her father’s attack dog. And all it’s done is alienate her from the people she cares about.

“I love Zuko more than I fear you”

I don’t doubt that in some ways, Azula is loved. I think Zuko loves her because when given the chance, he chooses his sister. And even after he turns, he’s still concerned the few moments she appears to lose control. And I think Ty Lee and Mai also love Azula to an extent. They grew up together and they’re friends.

But the way Azula treats the people in her life poisons any love they could’ve had. Ty Lee never wanted to leave the circus. She did so out of fear. And Mai might’ve done it out of boredom but she’s definitely been put in situations she didn’t want to be, because of Azula.

And when push comes to shove, fear isn’t enough.

Mai chose to betray Azula because she realised she loved Zuko more than she feared Azula. She took a stand because allowing Azula to harm Zuko would’ve gone against her nature. And Ty Lee betrayed Azula because she, in turn, loved Mai more than she feared Azula.

I don’t think either of them meant to cause Azula actual harm. I think they only intended to stop her from harming the one they loved. Because as much as she scared them, they all had limits.

I think it’s telling that outside of her initial shock response, she doesn’t physically hurt her friends. She’s angry and she breaks down as a result of their betrayal, but them being alive speaks to the fact that she does care, in her own twisted way.

Azula is the type of villain who doesn’t really let betrayal faze her. When she was squaring off against Long Feng, she was calm and collected. She didn’t even celebrate the victory. It meant nothing to her.

But once she realises she can’t control the people she loves through fear, her world shatters. She starts having breakdowns. She starts caring about the possibility of being betrayed.

And by the time Zuko challenges her to an Agni Kai, she’s completely alone. Because if the people she cared about chose to leave her, she can’t trust anybody.

Final Thoughts

Azula is easy to hate. She’s a great villain. She’s cruel and vindictive. And she doesn’t even feel guilt for the harm she’s caused. But she’s still a three dimensional character who is meant to be perceived as human.

I don’t think the writers ever intended for her to be a pure evil, cartoon villain. Her voice actress is way too talented for that. And however much you may hate her, I don’t think you could hear her screams in the end and not feel pity.

And yes, I’ve read the comics. I have a more sympathetic view of Azula because I have a better understanding of her. I know her context and I know what she does after Avatar The Last Airbender ends. But even without that, you’d be lying if you said you never felt for her.