Princess Azula
Encyclopedia
Azula is a fictional character
and a chief antagonist
from Nickelodeon's
animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender
. The character, created by Michael Dante DiMartino
and Bryan Konietzko
, is voiced by veteran voice actress Grey DeLisle
.
In the show, Azula is a Firebending prodigy and highly favored princess
of the Fire Nation, a race of people with the ability to create and manipulate fire. She is initially depicted as bent on retrieving her exiled brother, Prince Zuko, and delivering him to their father, Fire Lord Ozai, while accompanied by her childhood friends, Mai and Ty Lee. Eventually her focus becomes more directed toward capturing the Avatar and aiding in the war to help secure her nation's victory.
Although Azula's age is never stated in the series itself, the Avatar website gives her age at the time of her first non-flashback appearance as fourteen. She is the great-granddaughter of both Fire Lord Sozin through Ozai, and Avatar Roku through Ursa.
In another flashback, it is revealed that she is named after her grandfather, Ozai's father Azulon, who was a firebending prodigy like her. Even when she was a child, Azula demonstrated her natural talents early in life, along with her tendency for malice and perfectionism. Her sharp wit and the skill she displayed towards Firebending gained her much attention and acclaim. Her father showed her obvious favoritism, often at Zuko's expense.
Azula is depicted as interested in power from a very young age. Young Azula suggests that her father would make a far better Fire Lord than the heir apparent
, her uncle, Iroh
, whom she also dubbed "a quitter and a loser" for abandoning his siege at Ba Sing Se after the death of his son and only child, Lu Ten.
After Iroh's betrayal at the north pole, Ozai tasks Azula with capturing Zuko and Iroh (considering Zuko a failure for his inability to capture the Avatar). She tries to bait them with an offer of honorable repatriation, but a slip of the tongue from a soldier tips off Zuko and Iroh, and they escape. Azula eventually encounters the Avatar
in Omashu, wherein she and Aang battle. Soon after, she names the Avatar as a personal target in addition to her brother and enlists the help of her friends Ty Lee and Mai. Azula continues to pursue the Avatar, Zuko, and Iroh for the rest of the season. After initially failing to gain entry to Ba Sing Se, Azula comes in contact with the Kyoshi Warriors; after a battle she defeats and imprisons them. Disguising themselves as Kyoshi Warriors, Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai enter Ba Sing Se and plot a coup with the treacherous Long Feng and his Dai Li enforcers. After tearing down the outer walls of Ba Sing Se with a giant drill (despite Aang's interference), Azula convinces the Dai Li to turn on Long Feng, securing a bloodless conquest for the Fire Nation. Azula captures Zuko in Ba Sing Se and convinces him to join her and defeat the Avatar in order for Zuko to get his birthright back. During their showdown in the catacombs, Azula appears to have killed Aang while he is in the Avatar State with a lighting bolt. Just in case Aang survived, Azula lets Zuko take credit for the kill, knowing that Zuko would suffer disgrace should Aang still be alive.
During "The Day of Black Sun," Azula and her Dai Li agents stall Aang, Sokka, and Toph from finding Fire Lord Ozai. In the same episode, Zuko has a change of heart and decides to side with Aang. Later, Azula accompanies Mai and Ty Lee Boiling Rock, a Fire Nation prison, where Zuko has been captured, but Zuko, Sokka, Suki, and Hakoda escape. During the escape, Mai attacks the guards allowing them to escape. When Azula demands an explanation, Mai states that she loves Zuko, more then she fears Azula. Azula's calm breaks, and in a fury she attempts to attack Mai, but is stopped by Ty Lee. After having both Mai and Ty Lee locked away, Azula leads a platoon to the Western Air Temple. There she duels with Zuko until they are both thrown from the airship. She survives by propelling herself to safety.
In the finale, Ozai, after declaring himself the Phoenix King, dubs Azula as the new Fire Lord, but says that she must remain in the Fire Nation to lead the people while he is gone. Soon after receiving her new responsibilities, Azula's sanity begins to deteriorate into paranoia and she banishes nearly all of her servants, including her mentors Li and Lo and the Dai Li. There is almost nobody present to witness her coronation. Before she is crowned, Zuko and Katara interrupt the ceremony and Azula challenges Zuko to an Agni Kai. Zuko and Azula prove to be evenly matched, until Azula tries to attack Katara. Zuko shields Katara with his own body. Katara manages to defeat and shackle Azula, who is last seen shrieking and crying.
aggression and lack of remorse.
Although she is shown as a good strategist and capable of predicting what her enemies will do, she is awkward in casual social situations. In particular, she does not know how to act around boys her age, whom she tends to intimidate. Her over-competitive nature surfaces when she gloats manically after winning a "friendly" Kuai ball
game. She later admits to jealousy of Ty Lee's ability to attract potential sweethearts. It has been shown that she does still retain some form of empathy, displayed in "The Beach", when after making Ty Lee cry, immediately apologizes. From a young age, she believed her mother favored Zuko and thought Azula monstrous; despite saying that her mother was right she states that it still hurt that her mother believed this about her. Azula, as stated in "The Beach" considers herself to be the "most beautiful person ever."
Azula is proficient in the firebending technique of producing lightning, a pure form of firebending. The only other known firebenders who are capable of producing lightning are Iroh and Ozai. Iroh, Aang, and Zuko have been shown to redirect lightning using Iroh's technique, though Aang and Zuko themselves have never been seen creating lightning.
One unique feature of Azula's firebending is that she creates blue flames, setting her apart from all other firebenders. Azula can also use her firebending in previously unseen ways, such as jets of flames and whirling disks. Notably, Azula often firebends using only two fingers, rather than a closed fist or open hand.
Azula can fight for long periods of time without tiring. She is also able to generate powerful shields of swirling flames, which she once used to withstand the simultaneous combined attacks of Aang, Zuko, Katara, and Toph.
She is even able to charge up her fire before releasing it, as was seen during one fight with Aang.
Azula is able to propel herself, using her flames, in a manner similar to a rocket. This ability has also been extended as a means to fly for short periods of time as seen in the Boiling Rock. She is also a skilled unarmed fighter; in "The Avatar State", she bested Zuko without firebending, and in "The Day of Black Sun
", avoided the combined forces of Aang, Toph, and Sokka for several minutes without her bending to aid her. In "Appa's Lost Days", when Suki made a stab
attack at Azula with her sword
, Azula jumped horizontally and knocked Suki's sword out of her hand and onto a tree.
She also has the ability to lie without altering her heart rate and breathing patterns, making it near impossible to detect if she's lying, as demonstrated in the Episode "The Day of Black Sun", when she says, "I am a 400 foot-tall purple platypus-bear with pink horns and silver wings." She is also an accomplished strategist, as she was able to conquer Ba Sing Se, a city thought to be impenetrable, while usurping the Earth King and hierarchy of the Earth Kingdom capital all in one swift move.
Azula is an expert in persuasion. She is capable of using psychological warfare
, intimidation, and mistruths to con other people into obeying her.
actress Azula was played by Tara Strong
.
in the video games Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Burning Earth
and Avatar: The Last Airbender - Into the Inferno
, again voiced by Grey DeLisle.
before the end credits, (like her first appearance in the series) played by Summer Bishil
. She also appears in a flashback where Zuko gets his scar.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
and a chief antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
from Nickelodeon's
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Avatar: The Last Airbender is an American animated television series that aired for three seasons on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. The series was created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who served as executive producers along with Aaron Ehasz...
. The character, created by Michael Dante DiMartino
Michael Dante DiMartino
Michael Dante DiMartino is an American animation director, best known as the co-creator, executive producer and story editor of the hit TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender on Nickelodeon...
and Bryan Konietzko
Bryan Konietzko
Bryan Konietzko is the co-creator and executive producer of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. He has also worked as a character designer at Film Roman for Family Guy and as Assistant Director for Mission Hill and King of the Hill. He was a Storyboard Artist and Art Director for the...
, is voiced by veteran voice actress Grey DeLisle
Grey DeLisle
Grey DeLisle is an American voice actress, singer-songwriter, and comedienne. To date, she has released four solo albums and has featured on the tribute album Anchored in Love: A Tribute to June Carter Cash and film soundtrack of Loggerheads...
.
In the show, Azula is a Firebending prodigy and highly favored princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
of the Fire Nation, a race of people with the ability to create and manipulate fire. She is initially depicted as bent on retrieving her exiled brother, Prince Zuko, and delivering him to their father, Fire Lord Ozai, while accompanied by her childhood friends, Mai and Ty Lee. Eventually her focus becomes more directed toward capturing the Avatar and aiding in the war to help secure her nation's victory.
Plot overview
Azula first appears in a flashback during Zuko's fateful Agni Kai in which Zuko was scarred and exiled by his father. She smiles at seeing her older brother burned by her father, while Iroh looks away. Azula makes a second brief appearance at the end of the first season, when Ozai tasks her with hunting the Avatar, and repatriating Zuko and Iroh.Although Azula's age is never stated in the series itself, the Avatar website gives her age at the time of her first non-flashback appearance as fourteen. She is the great-granddaughter of both Fire Lord Sozin through Ozai, and Avatar Roku through Ursa.
In another flashback, it is revealed that she is named after her grandfather, Ozai's father Azulon, who was a firebending prodigy like her. Even when she was a child, Azula demonstrated her natural talents early in life, along with her tendency for malice and perfectionism. Her sharp wit and the skill she displayed towards Firebending gained her much attention and acclaim. Her father showed her obvious favoritism, often at Zuko's expense.
Azula is depicted as interested in power from a very young age. Young Azula suggests that her father would make a far better Fire Lord than the heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
, her uncle, Iroh
Uncle Iroh
Iroh is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender...
, whom she also dubbed "a quitter and a loser" for abandoning his siege at Ba Sing Se after the death of his son and only child, Lu Ten.
After Iroh's betrayal at the north pole, Ozai tasks Azula with capturing Zuko and Iroh (considering Zuko a failure for his inability to capture the Avatar). She tries to bait them with an offer of honorable repatriation, but a slip of the tongue from a soldier tips off Zuko and Iroh, and they escape. Azula eventually encounters the Avatar
Aang
Aang is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The character is created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and is voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen. Aang is depicted as the show's main protagonist, and as such has appeared in all but one...
in Omashu, wherein she and Aang battle. Soon after, she names the Avatar as a personal target in addition to her brother and enlists the help of her friends Ty Lee and Mai. Azula continues to pursue the Avatar, Zuko, and Iroh for the rest of the season. After initially failing to gain entry to Ba Sing Se, Azula comes in contact with the Kyoshi Warriors; after a battle she defeats and imprisons them. Disguising themselves as Kyoshi Warriors, Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai enter Ba Sing Se and plot a coup with the treacherous Long Feng and his Dai Li enforcers. After tearing down the outer walls of Ba Sing Se with a giant drill (despite Aang's interference), Azula convinces the Dai Li to turn on Long Feng, securing a bloodless conquest for the Fire Nation. Azula captures Zuko in Ba Sing Se and convinces him to join her and defeat the Avatar in order for Zuko to get his birthright back. During their showdown in the catacombs, Azula appears to have killed Aang while he is in the Avatar State with a lighting bolt. Just in case Aang survived, Azula lets Zuko take credit for the kill, knowing that Zuko would suffer disgrace should Aang still be alive.
During "The Day of Black Sun," Azula and her Dai Li agents stall Aang, Sokka, and Toph from finding Fire Lord Ozai. In the same episode, Zuko has a change of heart and decides to side with Aang. Later, Azula accompanies Mai and Ty Lee Boiling Rock, a Fire Nation prison, where Zuko has been captured, but Zuko, Sokka, Suki, and Hakoda escape. During the escape, Mai attacks the guards allowing them to escape. When Azula demands an explanation, Mai states that she loves Zuko, more then she fears Azula. Azula's calm breaks, and in a fury she attempts to attack Mai, but is stopped by Ty Lee. After having both Mai and Ty Lee locked away, Azula leads a platoon to the Western Air Temple. There she duels with Zuko until they are both thrown from the airship. She survives by propelling herself to safety.
In the finale, Ozai, after declaring himself the Phoenix King, dubs Azula as the new Fire Lord, but says that she must remain in the Fire Nation to lead the people while he is gone. Soon after receiving her new responsibilities, Azula's sanity begins to deteriorate into paranoia and she banishes nearly all of her servants, including her mentors Li and Lo and the Dai Li. There is almost nobody present to witness her coronation. Before she is crowned, Zuko and Katara interrupt the ceremony and Azula challenges Zuko to an Agni Kai. Zuko and Azula prove to be evenly matched, until Azula tries to attack Katara. Zuko shields Katara with his own body. Katara manages to defeat and shackle Azula, who is last seen shrieking and crying.
Personality
Azula is a dedicated perfectionist, relentlessly drilling herself towards perfection and will settle for nothing less. Even as a child she was seen to react with hostility when outdone. In a flashback, a young Azula is shown pushing Ty Lee over after she beats her at cartwheeling. She is rather vain and believes that power and domination are what makes a person strong. From a young age, Azula demonstrated sadisticSadism and masochism
Sadomasochism broadly refers to the receiving of pleasure—often sexual—from acts involving the infliction or reception of pain or humiliation. The name originates from two authors on the subject, Marquis de Sade and Leopold von Sacher-Masoch...
aggression and lack of remorse.
Although she is shown as a good strategist and capable of predicting what her enemies will do, she is awkward in casual social situations. In particular, she does not know how to act around boys her age, whom she tends to intimidate. Her over-competitive nature surfaces when she gloats manically after winning a "friendly" Kuai ball
Footvolley
Footvolley is a sport which combines aspects of beach volleyball and football .-History:Footvolley was created in Brazil, by Octavio de Moraes, in 1965 in Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach as a means for football players to be able to touch the ball without violating the formal football ban at the...
game. She later admits to jealousy of Ty Lee's ability to attract potential sweethearts. It has been shown that she does still retain some form of empathy, displayed in "The Beach", when after making Ty Lee cry, immediately apologizes. From a young age, she believed her mother favored Zuko and thought Azula monstrous; despite saying that her mother was right she states that it still hurt that her mother believed this about her. Azula, as stated in "The Beach" considers herself to be the "most beautiful person ever."
Abilities
Azula is a very difficult person to defeat in single combat. Her excellent fire-bending abilities, hand-to-hand combat skills, intelligence, and agility has made her a formidable opponent.Azula is proficient in the firebending technique of producing lightning, a pure form of firebending. The only other known firebenders who are capable of producing lightning are Iroh and Ozai. Iroh, Aang, and Zuko have been shown to redirect lightning using Iroh's technique, though Aang and Zuko themselves have never been seen creating lightning.
One unique feature of Azula's firebending is that she creates blue flames, setting her apart from all other firebenders. Azula can also use her firebending in previously unseen ways, such as jets of flames and whirling disks. Notably, Azula often firebends using only two fingers, rather than a closed fist or open hand.
Azula can fight for long periods of time without tiring. She is also able to generate powerful shields of swirling flames, which she once used to withstand the simultaneous combined attacks of Aang, Zuko, Katara, and Toph.
She is even able to charge up her fire before releasing it, as was seen during one fight with Aang.
Azula is able to propel herself, using her flames, in a manner similar to a rocket. This ability has also been extended as a means to fly for short periods of time as seen in the Boiling Rock. She is also a skilled unarmed fighter; in "The Avatar State", she bested Zuko without firebending, and in "The Day of Black Sun
Avatar: The Last Airbender (season 3)
Season Three of Avatar: The Last Airbender, an American animated television series on Nickelodeon, first aired its 21 episodes from September 21, 2007 to July 19, 2008...
", avoided the combined forces of Aang, Toph, and Sokka for several minutes without her bending to aid her. In "Appa's Lost Days", when Suki made a stab
Stab
STAB or stab can mean:*The act of stabbing with a sharp instrument*Stab, a short form of stab jacket, another word for buoyancy compensator*Stab vest, a type of armour designed to resist knife attacks...
attack at Azula with her sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
, Azula jumped horizontally and knocked Suki's sword out of her hand and onto a tree.
She also has the ability to lie without altering her heart rate and breathing patterns, making it near impossible to detect if she's lying, as demonstrated in the Episode "The Day of Black Sun", when she says, "I am a 400 foot-tall purple platypus-bear with pink horns and silver wings." She is also an accomplished strategist, as she was able to conquer Ba Sing Se, a city thought to be impenetrable, while usurping the Earth King and hierarchy of the Earth Kingdom capital all in one swift move.
Azula is an expert in persuasion. She is capable of using psychological warfare
Psychological warfare
Psychological warfare , or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations , have been known by many other names or terms, including Psy Ops, Political Warfare, “Hearts and Minds,” and Propaganda...
, intimidation, and mistruths to con other people into obeying her.
Episode
In The Ember Island PlayersAvatar: The Last Airbender (season 3)
Season Three of Avatar: The Last Airbender, an American animated television series on Nickelodeon, first aired its 21 episodes from September 21, 2007 to July 19, 2008...
actress Azula was played by Tara Strong
Tara Strong
Tara Lyn Strong is a Canadian actress, voice-over artist, singer, who is best known for her voice work in cartoons.-Early life and career:...
.
Video games
She appears as an antagonistAntagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
in the video games Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Burning Earth
Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Burning Earth
Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Burning Earth is a video game for Wii, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and based on the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. It was one of the last games released for the Game Boy Advance in North America...
and Avatar: The Last Airbender - Into the Inferno
Avatar: The Last Airbender - Into the Inferno
Avatar: The Last Airbender – Into the Inferno is a video game based on the Nickelodeon animated TV Series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The game's setting is based upon the show's third and final season...
, again voiced by Grey DeLisle.
Film
Azula briefly appears in the live action feature film The Last AirbenderThe Last Airbender
The Last Airbender is a 2010 American fantasy adventure film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It is a live-action film adaptation of the first season to the Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender....
before the end credits, (like her first appearance in the series) played by Summer Bishil
Summer Bishil
Summer Yasmine Bishil is an American actress. She first came to prominence for her role as Jasira in the 2007 film Towelhead. She has been chosen to portray Azula in the sequel to M. Night Shyamalan's film The Last Airbender....
. She also appears in a flashback where Zuko gets his scar.