I have always favoured villains over heroes in fictional stories because of how difficult it is to make them “likeable”, if possible. Now that I had the chance to watch Avatar: The Last Airbender twice, I have some thoughts about the best villain and my favourite character in this critically-acclaimed and beloved animated series.
Spoilers ahead for Avatar: The Last Airbender.
She delivers some of the best lines in the show
Her lines highlight one of the aspects that made ATLA so endearing to children and grown-up fans who grew up with the show: Sass.
Azula is the antithesis of Zuko
Azula’s character arc contrasts Zuko’s. While Zuko struggles to earn back his lost honour from his father Ozai, Azula struggles to maintain her honour under the eyes of Ozai because she is the second child.
As a child, Azula witnessed what Ozai had to do to prove himself as more deserving of the Fire Lord position than his older brother Iroh. Not only was Iroh’s defeat at Ba Sing Se ignored, Ozai’s father Azulon seemed more ticked off by Ozai’s disregard of Iroh’s status as the first child. Azula, like Ozai, would live in the shadows of their older sibling unless the latter is eliminated from the picture.
Zuko’s Agni Kai and subsequent banishment by Ozai were wins in Azula’s quest for her father’s affection, but the possibility of Zuko’s return because of the resurfacing of the Avatar remains a threat for Azula. This is one possible reason why Azula is so glad to be given the task to eliminate/arrest Zuko at the end of Book 1. One less sibling to worry about for Fire Lord Azula.
Her successes were unrewarded
ATLA is well-known for crafting characters that may seem relatable for children who may be facing their own “destinies” in real life: Aang the pacifist struggles with his violent alter ego; Sokka is a non-bender finding his place in Team Avatar; Katara trades childhood for responsibility for her family. Likewise, Azula shows an important aspect of reality: Sometimes successes come with no rewards or benefits.
During her vacation at Ember Island, her beach volleyball tactics and eventual wins earned her no respect from the other teenagers. Ty Lee, on the other hand, receives all the attention from the boys and even an invitation to a party – one that Azula got by proxy. In the end, she had to charm a boy by using Ty Lee’s method of “playing dumb” instead of relying on her smarts. All the knowledge she possessed as one of the most cunning tacticians in the Fire Nation could not help her score a win on Ember Island.
Despite her victory at the Day of the Black Sun, her father Ozai awards her not with the privilege of being by his side during the world conquest during the passing of Sozin’s Comet, but the useless title of Fire Lord now that he is the Phoenix King. All that Azula did in her life – including abandoning her mother’s love – to win her father’s affections amounted to nothing.
Her defeat by the hands of Katara was tragic, but well-earned
Evenly-matched in an Agni Kai against his brother Zuko, Azula resorted to striking Katara with a lightning bolt to exploit Zuko’s newfound honour. Underestimating Katara’s strength, Azula favoured powerful strikes over tactical hits to overwhelm the waterbender, eventually resulting in an embarrassing defeat when Katara freezes her.
As a strategist as seen in her tactics at the undertaking of Ba Sing Se and the Day of the Black Sun, it does not seem possible for Azula to lose this crucial fight. But her loss came about because of her distrust: a tragic scar left by her family. In the end, the powerful Azula was brought to her knees because she could not trust anyone else: not Ty Lee or Mai, or the Dai Li, or even herself as a tactician.
Defeated, she writhed in agony on the ground, spitting fire from her mouth like a wounded dragon. In her bid to secure her power and status, she lost her mother, father, friends, subordinates, and now her brother too.
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