autistic-azula

[autistic-azula]

Azula didn't hallucinate Ursa for no reason btw, she hadn't seen the woman in years, if she was looking for someone to lash out at, or to lash out at her, she would have hallucinated Mai or Zuko or her father before her mother, if she was looking for someone to insult her or belittle her she would also probably sooner go to her father because he is more of an authority to her and matters more in influencing her actions.

Sure, from a Doylist perspective Ursa being there makes it most obvious to the viewer that what Azula's seeing isn't real and is all in her head because any of the other people (other than Ozai I suppose) could have actually been there and you risk confusing the viewer or wasting time in an already 4 part finale explaining it so everyone gets it

But from a Watsonian perspective, Azula hallucinated her mother because what she wanted was a mother, she wanted someone to protect her and comfort her and no one else in Azula's life fits that description, so she had to default to the person who was supposed to fulfill that duty but ultimately failed in doing so.

We see this because all Ursa does when she appears is try to comfort Azula, but Azula (as we see in the beach) fundamentally doesn't believe herself deserving of love or comfort so she rejects the attempt by her subconscious to soothe her and reflexively plunges herself deeper into self-destruction as a punishment for her percieved failure

[autistic-azula]

Azula Has Autism

So I’ve recently started watching and reading about Avatar:The Last Airbender, and one thing I’ve noticed is that everyone argues about whether Azula is a sociopath or not. Being autistic, I actually saw a lot of similarities between her and myself at her age. I’d like to posit that instead of being a sociopath, Azula instead has a very mild form of autism, and that the way her parents handled her allowed her to hide it until her breakdown.

Now, people would point out that Azula is very good at manipulating people and that that flies in the face of the main hallmark of autism: lack of skill in social interaction. I noticed that too, and did some research. It turns out, that most researchers agree that, in women, autism tends to present itself more mildly. This is due to a variety of factors, namely that most knowledge about autism is based on male subjects. Additionally, based purely on personal experience, autistic people can be just as manipulative as allistics. Azula’s manipulative tendencies are not necessarily a disqualifier towards a diagnosis. Now, we should move on to the more typical hallmarks of autism:

Obsessive Interests

Azula clearly has a strong interest in firebending. Her first scene clearly shows her dedication to it. It also shows a downright obsessive and perfectionist attitude toward it. If that doesn’t sound like how someone with autism is about an interest, I don’t know what does. Personally, I have a headcanon that she uses her firebending katas as a form of “stimming” that wouldn’t make others think that she’s weird or weak. Additionally, the breathing exercises that one uses when firebending serve as one of the few functional stress reduction strategies Azula has.

Literal or black-and-white thinking

This seems to be a common issue with autistic people, but it’s extremely obvious with Azula. She shows a continuous with us-or-against us mentality, even among people who are, in theory on the same side as her. This is clearest when she starts banishing servants left and right.

Sensory issues

This one is actually very subtle and part of it crosses over with another entry. If you pay attention, Azula’s standard outfit has this armor that sits on her shoulders and back. Many autistic people find pressure on one’s shoulders and back to be calming. I think that Azula wears the armor to feel safe, justifying it as making sure people know she’s the Crown Princess. I also think her meltdown over the cherry pit wasn’t just paranoia, but also had a sensory component. 

Dislike of change and lack of structure

This part is mild, but it’s very consequential. I’d like to qualify the term dislike of change with the addition “specifically, change she can’t control”. Azula is fine with certain changes. But when her friends “betray” her and her father effectively puts her in an unstructured position(as Phoenix KIng, he’d still be running the Fire Nation. All the coronation does is take away anything for Azula to devote her time to achieving, depriving her of anything to structure her days around.), she freaks out. This is why she seems so well-adjusted in the regimented and structured environment of the Fire Nation military.

Lack of social skills

“The Beach” hits just about every indicator of Autism in regards to Azula’s interaction there. Bad jokes, avoidance, the works. It also highlights how Azula’s position and circumstances have allowed her to hide her autism. She is in a situation that seems designed to minimize any issues her autism might cause. Her perfectionism about her firebending is praised and she spends most of her time in a regimented military where any interactions she has are predictable. She outranks just about everyone and people are expected to accommodate her, no matter how weird the request. Azula doesn’t seem “typically” autistic because her world is such that her autism has never actually caused her issues,(or so it seems. I have certain headcanons that would indicate otherwise, more on those below.) and thus, she’s not seen as “disabled” by it, which is usually how autism gets diagnosed.

Empathy issues

Azula is often speculated to be a sociopath, namely because she seems to lack empathy towards others. However, given that she seems to show some instances of empathy,(comforting Ty Lee and Zuko in “The Beach”) autism would explain those situations, while also explaining her otherwise consistent lack of empathy. Empathizing with others is possible for people with autism, but it’s hard. Azula would have to have a strong reason to expend the emotional effort(especially given the way she was raised) to try to empathize with people. Most of the time, there’s not really a good reason, so she doesn’t bother.

Speculation

I personally think that Azula’s lack of issues with her autism is recent, having occurred after Ursa left. I have a couple of personal headcanons about how that occurred: (Trigger Warning for child abuse)

- Azula likely had some form of physical stimming as a child, which Ursa only noticed as a sign of how odd she was, but didn’t really do anything about. Ozai likely burned or beat her when she did it around him, exploiting her lack of social understanding to keep her from seeing it as abuse. 

- Iroh’s lack of sympathy towards Azula isn’t due to any favoritism towards Zuko but because he sees how he used to be in her(I also think Iroh might have very mild Asperger’s, but that’s not important). Her ruthless focus scares him, and he worries she could bring out the worst in him, which is why he avoids her. It doesn’t excuse him, but he isn’t doing it to be an asshole.

- Ursa asking “What is wrong with that child?” was the culmination of several weeks of Azula having autism-related problems. She probably threw a fit about some new sheets or refused to eat something new the chef made, and probably continuously behaved in a socially awkward manner, which Ozai likely took out on her. Azula taunting Zuko was the last straw. Ursa regretted saying it, and her regret was why she never said good-bye to Azula when she left. She accepted Azula’s resentment because she thought she deserved it for what she said.