#fake kemurikage

[justanotherthrowaway1950]

I know this is really belated, it has long been jossed by subsequent material, but I wrote a Tyzula fic that attempted to continue the Avatar comics timeline post-Imbalance while also incorporating the other extended universe material.

It focuses on the Fire Nation and talks about, among other things, the effects of Sozin's criminalization of queer folk, the abusive nature of Fire Nation asylums, and Zuko's struggles to de-Sozinize the Fire Nation. However, it gets really dark at times, and not everyone gets a happy ending.

So if you guys have time, I would be honored if you took a look at it. Thanks!

[multiversal-pig-outing]

If it's real maybe but not every spirit is actually real. I'm sure a lot of them are but at least one or two has to be made up by people

Maybe there is one or two fake spirits but Kemurikage are not one of them being they did show up and told Aang that they haven't been to the mortal world since the unification of the fire islands.

[hello-nichya-here]

Maybe It Is Good That Azula Did Not Reunite With Ursa in the Comics

I know how you constantly wish that Ursa and Azula could finally have their long awaited reunion and that you hate the comics because, among a lot of other things, they did give us this long-awaited reunion. But, considering how they have written how other people react to and behave around Azula, it might have been better that they didn't have Ursa find out and/or have Ursa confront Azula, especially after Azula led the Fake Kemurikage kidnappings. Cause the comic writers, especially Yang, would have probably used the reunion to have Ursa disown Azula. And even worse, portray said disownment as an moment of empowerment for Ursa (who never wanted to have Ozai's kids in the first place, let alone one who "took" after her abuser/kidnapper in Ozai) like when parents of children with severe ASPD finally snap on their child and throw them out the house and/or disown them.

***

Yeah, I only want that plot, or literally any plot, to happen if it's being written by people are at least minimally competent at writing anything.

[zuko-always-lies]

Why Do People Think Zuko Wants to Help Azula? Or That It Is His Responsibility to Do So?[submitted by justanotherthrowaway1950]

Note (This is where Gene Yang heavily implied that Azula’s mental state in the comic is due to her “treatment” in the asylum): https://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/1027/avatar-last-airbender-search-cbr-interviews-gene-y

Note (This Aaron Eschaz’s tweet chain detailing a hypothetical Season 4 Azula redemption arc): https://twitter.com/aaronehasz/status/1112814662393847808?lang=en

Note (This is Bryke disconfirming there was ever going to be a Season 4 of ATLA): https://www.polygon.com/animation-cartoons/2020/8/31/21405084/legend-of-korra-netflix-bryan-konietzko-michael-dimartino-interview-avatar

Note (This Iroh’s canon views in regards to Azula and her upbringing): https://64.media.tumblr.com/a9b6924eaab671b1b851cdb574fa9e78/c21e8fb4ef323ad3-de/s1280x1920/5d45b3fa9c49e00093cb30d085df1ad615b1ffaa.jpg

I understand that people like the idea that Zuko would help Azula heal and redeem herself, not only fully breaking the cycle of abuse, but becoming a better man than even Iroh, who canonically never really did care for Azula and blames her for her abuse. Especially after Aaron Eschaz tweeted about his plan to redeem Azula through Zuko if ATLA ever got a Season 4 (WHICH WAS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN PER BRYKE’s WORDS).

But the idea that Zuko would help Azula heal and redeem herself is literally not supported by canon.

For he left Azula in an abusive institution for two years without giving a damn (which was well within his rights after everything she did to him), and was content with leaving her there until he realized the shitty state of his nuclear family badly reflected him on and that he needed Azula to extract intel from Ozai about Ursa's possible location before putting her under house arrest with 24/7 surveillance.

And that the only reason why Azula was eventually able to travel free and unbound with dignity was because she managed to blackmail Zuko with Ursa’s possible location.

Moreover, deep down, when you push back against Zuko's facade of wanting to "help" Azula, you find someone who blames Azula for making his life hell from the moment she was born like his primary abusers weren't Ozai and Azulon and thinks she does evil for the sake of evil.

For when Zuko finds out Azula is tied to the Fake Kemurikage kidnappings, he doesn’t react with sadness like Ty Lee or shock & disbelief like Mai, two people who, despite rightfully fearing and loathing Azula, did know her best outside of her family.

No...when asked why Azula would be a part of such a vile enterprise for no apparent reason, Zuko basically shrugs and says that it is Azula so there is no need to understand why she is doing it.

So why would someone who blames Azula for all the misfortune in his life and is quick to assume the worse out of her want to willingly help Azula?

And before anyone brings up the climax of The Search, just think about from a moment from Azula’s POV?

She just tried killing Zuko’s beloved mommy their mother in front of Zuko after a tumultuous trip in which Zuko and his friends found out that she was planning to overthrow Zuko using the “Zuko is a bastard” letter and only let her keep it because they still needed her to find Ursa.

Moreover, Zuko has already made it clear that he blames her for making his life hard in addition to her belief that Zuko locked up her in the abusive institution to break her (when in reality Zuko is so absent minded he never bothered to check the conditions there but this doesn’t really help).

So when Azula hears Zuko say he wants to help her, why would Azula believe that Zuko would do anything other than have Aang de-bend her for good before throwing in prison next to Ozai for life or, even worse, back into the asylum?

But moving on, even if one were to disregard the comics, it is pretty clear that Zuko is clearly not the person to help Azula.

For he compares Azula to Aang in terms of how easy bending comes to her when it is obvious from Azula’s training scene with Lo and Li that she had to work almost as hard (key word almost) as Zuko in order to manifest her natural talent.

Zuko, in order to not face the reality that his grandfather and father are abusive bastards with no love for him, comes up with the mantra of, “Azula always lies,” even though it is clear that she isn’t always lying (ex. Ozai is really going to fulfill Azulon’s order to kill Zuko or that Ozai views the beginning of Book 2 Zuko as a miserable failure who wants to lock up Zuko so he can stop “embarrassing” Ozai).

Or when Azula tries opening up to the rest of The Dangerous Ladies and Zuko about how she views herself as a monster and how Ursa was right to view her as one, Zuko stays silent due to some combo of resentment, fear, and believing Azula is just lying to just gain brownie points with the rest of group after they revealed their various long-standing traumas despite Azula, along with Mai & Ty Lee, helping Zuko open up about his issues.

Or how about when Azula is apparently falling to her death during the start of The Southern Raiders, Zuko appears worried that she will die but the moment she is able to launch herself to the cliff-slide, he acts annoyed that she even survived.

But the crown jewel that shows TV!Zuko’s care, or lack thereof, for TV!Azula is when Zuko asks Katara to help put Azula in her place when he asks Katara to help him take out Azula so he can take the throne.

For there is no hesitation or any reflection that the reason why he has to outright kill Azula is because he had the right circumstances to overcome their indoctrination and abuse while she never had anyone to help her do the same and thus has to be put down for the sake of the world.

And yes, Zuko was clearly intending to kill Azula considering he was going to redirect her lighting to win the final Agni Kai until Katara foolishly stepped into the arena, giving Azula a chance take advantage of Zuko’s protectiveness to hit him with lighting without Zuko being able to properly redirect her lighting.

But before anyone accuses of me of twisting Zuko’s behavior and actions to make him seem like a jackass or woobify Azula, there is a reason why I did so other than to show that Zuko doesn’t want to help Azula: to show that not only is he ill-equipped to help her but that it is not responsibility to do so.

For what Azula needs, other than medical treatment to help her deal with her, imo, canon schizo disorder (she has severe audiovisual delusions and hallucinations for two straight years and her master plan in S&S comes about due to giving into her delusions), is a parental figure who can teach her that love is not conditional while showing her unconditional love and that fear is for fools since trust is the only reliable way.

For once she learns how to be a functional person and heals, she will be able to start atoning for all her various evil acts and eventually be able to be a healthy, productive member of society.

Which ties back into why it is not Zuko’s responsibility to help her; for in addition to being a teenager who is still trying to overcome his abuse in addition to having reform a super-power after a 100 years of indoctrination while re-integrating it into the world community, Zuko is one of Azula’s principal victims!

For Azula was Zuko's secondary abuser, abused Mai & Ty Lee, and tried killing or jailing Zuko and/or his loved ones several times (and succeeded several times).

In fact a key part of Azula hypothetical atonement is Azula apologizing to Zuko for her behavior towards him and the people he cares about while making it fully clear that she is not entitled to be part of his life or to be a part of his government (and thus wield power again).

Not to mention showing through repeated actions that her words are not just another attempt at manipulation for her own benefit.

But now that I have made it clear that Zuko doesn’t want to help nor is it his responsibility to do so, I am sure people are going to ask who can serve as that parental figure who can help Azula heal?

Well there are a lot of options: Iroh (if you are part of the group of people who ignore the comics and extended lore); post-comics Ursa (who has already indicated a desire to make up for her parenting mistakes in regards to Azula); an actual medical professional once Zuko realizes the bad state of the asylums and reforms it; or even some random adults who decide to help an obviously broken person desperately seeking guidance (in AUs that don’t take into account the comics).

For this is an aside, but it seems pretty clear to me that post-Smoke & Shadow Azula, who is most likely a legal adult, will most likely never find support even among civilians due to her crimes and status as the most wanted war criminal fugitive alive.

But getting back to the main point, I don't get the idea why people think Zuko would want to help Azula, at least in an earnest fashion where Azula is given the time, space, and ability to make mistakes just like Zuko did during his redemption arc. Or why is it his responsibility to help her when he himself has a lot to figure out about himself and is one of Azula’s victims.

Not when there are a lot of potential adult figures who can help Azula heal from Ozai’s abuse.

Also, it would be nice for one of the remaining Royal Family adult members to try and actually make up for doing absolutely nothing to counter Ozai’s grooming like they did with Zuko but this post is not the time and place for that discussion.

submitted by justanotherthrowaway1950

Yes, I mostly agree here. Of course, once Azula(a badly traumatized child soldier) falls under Zuko's control, it's his responsibility to ensure she receives proper care and treatment(and to ensure that she's not abused), but not his responsibility to personally insert himself under her life. However, I must protest about the characterization of Azula's actions as "abuse," as I don't think that's a useful paradigm for understanding them, and it only serves to demonize her. Still, she hurt her friends and they hurt her, but she hurt her brother and her brother hurt her back far worse(and Zuko hurt her far worse than she ever hurt him). The last bit strongly suggests that the Fire siblings should, at the very least, spend some time away from each other.

[ultranos]

"I honestly have no idea what the hell smokebending is and why it would at all be part of firebending. It’s ash. It’s carbon particulate suspended in air. It has more in common, elementally-speaking, with dirt." Ignoring the smokebending part (which I thought was implied by the art), what did you think about the rest of the ask? Also, The Fire Warriors are Fake Kemurikage who Azula broke out of their asylum after The Search to help her plot in S & S as well as serving as Azula's new girl gang.

If I have no idea what this is, how do you expect me to have an opinion on it?

I don't know, man. The comics are a mess where characterization and continuity and logical world building go to die. (Do not get me started on how "Sozin outlawed homosexuality" makes no goddamn sense to anyone who can crack open a history book about Asia prior to Christian contact, and is arguably a serious vestige of Western colonialism.)

[muses-of-the-memory]

Tom-Tom’s Big Sister

A picture I was working on in DeviantArt.

After the events of the Fake Kemurikage Kidnappings, Tom-Tom was about to go outside to play with his new friend, Kiyi, the newest addition to the Fire Nation Royal Family, until he bumps into the soft belly of her big, and I mean, BIG sister, Mai. Apparently, she thinks it's best that she joins Tom-Tom as an escort to visit Kiyi, or at least ask permission.

I draw this as inspiration to some of TubbyToon’s Avatar fanart.

[werisewiththesunblog]

So I decided to do some story stuff for wrwts so here ya go!

We Rise With The Sun Book 1: Coal and Mud 

Chapter 1: After The Storm

Kanene, a firebender who ran away from their home in the Fire Nation and the protagonist, decides to set off to the Fire Nation two years after the end of the hundred year war along with their beetlesable Haku to find a firebending teacher who can teach them firebending form, as they've already gained the ability to bend dragon fire. Meanwhile, Team Avatar travels together around the Fire Nation to ensure peace while Zuko stays behind to help Ursa (his long lost mother) prepare for her coronation.

-

Chapter 2: To Find A Master

Kanene continues their journey to the Fire Nation and stops by a little Earth Kingdom town for supplies and ends up assisting a farmer boy named Lee and learns of the town's history regarding firebenders. Team Avatar leaves the Fire Nation and head back to the Southern Water Tribe.

-

Chapter 3: Enter The Prodigy

Kanene enters Shing Toh, a cliff side port town, and spots a familiar face: Princess Azula. After chasing her down, Kanene learns that Zuko put out a high bounty for his sister's safe return after she ran away from the palace. After Kanene assures Azula that she won't be turned in by them, she agrees to teach Kanene firebending form in exchange for Kanene teaching her how to wield a light blade. Team Avatar returns to the Southern Air Temple and Aang reflects upon his journey.

-

Chapter 4: The Stone Serpent, Bandit of Shing Toh

After agreeing to teach each other, Kanene and Azula gather supplies for the road, but are interrupted by news of a thief called The Stone Serpent and Kanene decides to track them down (much to Azula's chagrin). Katara and Sokka reunite with Gran-Gran as well as Hakoda, Bato, and the rest of the Southern Water Tribe.

-

Chapter 5: To Crescent Island

After the scuffle with the bandit, Kanene and Azula (under the fake name Song) board a ship that'll take them to Crescent Island. While on the ship they reunite with Jin, an Earth Kingdom girl who managed to escape Ba Sing Se when it was taken and has been living at sea ever since. The team splits up, with Sokka and Suki staying at the South Pole while everyone else leaves for Ba Sing Se.

-

Chapter 6: The Stowaways

Azula, Kanene, and Jin hear that Ursa's coronation is happening soon and Azula decides to return to the Fire Nation to be at her coronation. They proceed to stow away on a supply ship headed for the Fire Nation capital and form Team Scarlet. Katara heads into Kiyoshi Island, adjusting to the absence of her brother.

-

Chapter 7: Home Sweet Home

After Team Scarlet escapes the supply ship, Azula and Kanene show Jin around Capital City and end up going to a night club. Team Avatar arrives at Omashu only to hear that Ursa's coronation is happening soon so they change course and head for the Fire Nation and stop at Ember Island to stock up before leaving for Ashen Palace.

-

Chapter 8: The Coronation

Team Avatar arrives at Ashen Palace and reunites with Sokka and Suki. Team Scarlet infiltrates Ashen Palace and Azula confronts Ursa while she's preparing for the coronation, while Zuko is introduced to Kanene by Jin. Ursa's coronation happens and she's crowned Fire Lord.

-

Chapter 9: Enemies Old And New

Azula and Kanene practice more Firebending and sword work in the Palace while Zuko tells Jin of a terrorist group known as the New Ozai Society and how they might attempt to assassinate Ursa to reinstate Ozai. The Gaang takes a day off and chills at the Palace.

-

Chapter 10: The Forge

Zuko reveals to Azula a new type of firebending he's learning in order to protect himself and the rest of the royal family (and by extension Team Avatar): nervebending. His teacher, Zaera, is happy to meet Azula, but Azula suspects that there is something sinister behind Zuko's new training regimen and his new teacher.

-

Chapter 11: Of Fire Flakes And Jasmine Tea

Team Scarlet and Team Avatar go to a firebending festival. Kanene and Iroh bond a little over tea and fire flakes, Katara, Jin, Azula, and Zuko crash a play by accident, Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Suki end up apprehending a group of thugs. They all reunite, before Kanene and Sokka find themselves deep in the catacombs of Caldera Square, and find the headquarters of the Kemurikage, a mafia gang with a nasty reputation.

-

Chapter 12: The Kemurikage

After escaping within an inch of their lives, Sokka and Kanene tell the others about the Kemurikage and meet up at the Palace. Azula explains that the Kemurikage are a group named after spirits that kidnaps children. Azula goes with Kanene, Katara, Aang, and Zuko back to the Caldera Square Catacombs and to confront the Kemurikage and liberate the captured kids.

-

Chapter 13: The Spark

The New Ozai Society sieges Ashen Palace and manages to bust Ozai out of prison before being defeated and dispersing. Zuko confronts Ozai and nervebends him out of sheer rage and is stopped by Ursa and Katara before he kills him.

-

Chapter 14: Into the Shadows

Katara goes after Zuko, partly to comfort him, partly to find out how he learned to nervebend while Ursa listens in on them. Sokka, Suki, and Toph go after the fleeing members of the New Ozai Society.

-

Chapter 15: Cold and Hot, Warm and Wet

Ursa encounters Kanene and tells them of what happened before they go and confront Zaera about her teaching Zuko nervebending. Zaera says that it was meant to protect the royal family and "end the war for good". She then reveals how she discovered nervebending: when she was a healer she accidentally used nervebending to stop a seizure and vowed to keep the practice secret due to its deadliness save for teaching Zuko.

-

Chapter 16: Inkblot

In the aftermath of Ozai's attempted escape, Azula finds and adopts a scraggly stray cat that she names Inky (short for Inkblot). Katara notices her in high spirits and investigates, finding out about Inkblot in the process, and vows to keep the cat a secret until Azula's plan to reveal her is ready to be enacted.

-

Chapter 17: Scars, Scratches, and Everything in Between

Mai reached out to Zuko about his breakdown after he defeated Ozai and Zuko admits to feeling confused about his feelings towards Mai herself as well as everyone else. Azula has a talk with Ty Lee about everything that's been happening while Haku meets Inkblot.

-

Chapter 18: Ode To The Phoenix King Part 1: The Dawn of the Phoenix King Legion

While everybody (ranging from guards to Team Avatar to bounty hunters to even assassins) hunts down the surviving members of the Kemurikage gang and the New Ozai Society combine into an increadibly deadly force: the Phoenix King Legion.

-

Chapter 19: Ode To The Phoenix King Part 2: The Lightning Child

The Phoenix King Legion starts another attack upon Ashen Palace. Azula takes charge and prepares a battle plan: all of Team Avatar save for Zuko and Katara hold off the legion while Jin stays with Ursa, Inkblot, and Haku. Jet manages to infiltrate the Palace along with Hama and meet Jin and Ursa, and stay with them after Jin convinces them that she's good, while Kanene, Azula, Zuko, and Katara brave the enemy lines to fight the leader of the Phoenix King Legion.

-

Chapter 20: Ode To The Phoenix King Part 3: Curtain Call

Kanene, Azula, Katara, and Zuko find the leader of the Phoenix King Legion, a firebender named Kenuchi. Kanene is dragged into a duel with Hazuco, a dagger welding nonbender. Katara goes to help Kanene fight off Hazuco while Azula and Zuko duel Kenuchi. Hazuco is defeated and Katara runs over to Azula and Zuko as Kenuchi readies a bolt of lightning to shoot at them, but is too late as Kenuchi shoots the lightning towards Zuko. Azula shoves him out of the way and takes the strike to her stomach and falls. After he witnesses this, Zuko looses himself to his rage and kills Kenuchi in a flurry or dragon fire. After the fight, Azula is healed and Team Scarlet (now including Hama and Jet) prepares to leave for the Earth Kingdom, and Team Avatar accompanies them while riding on Appa, a new adventure ahead of them.

[kila09]

What is your opinion about the canonically abusive Fire Nation asylums that not caused Azula's mental state to deteriorate but also served as terrorist breeding grounds due to Azula breaking several inmates out to serve as part of her Fire Warriors (Fake Kemurikage) without anyone finding out? And what do you think Zuko's reaction would be if her ever found out about the asylums' treatment of its patients or the fact that the Fire Warriors were all recruited from them? 1/2

I haven't read the comics or seen LoK, so I don't have much of, if any, an opinion. Based on what you wrote here tho, I will say that you're right in a way. Zuko did the right thing in trying to get Azula help for her breakdown and all it entailed. But, he helped her then and she turned around and apparently broke out a group of prisoners who, what, wanted to stage a coup? At that point, if he wanted to wash his hands of his sister, valid. But, he does have a right to keep his people safe, so he has to do something to stop these prisoners and of they're caught, I don't think he'd be able to spare Azula like he did before. The other nations, maybe even FN citizens themselves, may call for her to be punished.

[lghtening]

( electric blue flames illuminating a dark and empty hall, piercing amber eyes refusing to show emotion, a fierce outer shell hiding a broken soul ) –– && it looks like azula has finally arrived in woodshore ( though she originates from avatar: the last airbender ). although known as a firebending prodigy back home, here they are a twenty one year old politics student, known to be INTELLIGENT, but MANIPULATIVE. they were coaxed here with the promise of her mother’s love. they remember everything. — lyrica okano. 

from what point in your characters canon are they taken from?

azula is taken from the end of smoke and shadow !! so she has met her mother, knows she has a sister, breaking the other patients from the institution and pretending to be kemurikage and kidnapping the children.

gender/pronouns

cis female + she/her

anything else you’d like to add!

listen i’m a strong advocate for an azula redemption arc but am i going to play her from cannon so i can have angst?? yes.  she was promised her mother’s love which she actually DOES have in the comics but she refuses to acknowledge it. but it is the thing she desires most which would draw her here. she thinks its stupid now though and is super angry and agitated. especially bc in her fake life she had two loving parents. she was an only child and got all the love and was raised healthy. she was still very ambitious in her fake life too, interested in politics from a young age. but she wasn’t as manipulative nor unhinged. just simply confident and daring. 

if u come into contact with her i do not accept responsibility for her actions im sORRY

thats it for now peace

[justanotherthrowaway1950]

I know this really belated, and has been jossed by subsequently released material, but I wrote a fic that takes places as Azula and the Fire Warriors are listening to Zuko's speech at the end of Smoke and Shadow that has Azula reflect on the events of the past couple years, and what she intends to do with her life going forward.

So if you guys have time, I would be honored if you took a look at it. Thanks!

[justanotherthrowaway1950]

Hi everyone, just just posted a new fic, "Smoke & Silence", that attempts to show how post-The Search ATLA canon would have gone in my opinion if Azula was much of a psychopathic monster as fandom made her out to be.

So if you guys have time, I would be honored if you took a look at it. Thanks!

[justanotherthrowaway1950]

Devil's Advocate: Why Should the Audience Root for an Azula Redemption Arc Instead of a Proper Azula Punishment Arc?

Keynote: This was written as a Devil’s Advocate take and for the most part does not reflect my true views towards Azula since I do want her to get an atonement and healing arc.

Note: Here is Gene Yang all but implying Azula’s asylum was abusive.

Why shouldn't the audience after watching ATLA and reading the related comics root for a proper Azula punishment arc instead of an Azula redemption arc? Or why should anyone in-universe want Azula to be redeemed instead of being properly punished?

For I am pretty sure a genocidal would-be tyrant who has attempted matricide, avunculicide, fratricide and is a child kidnapping domestic terrorist and seditionist who has not shown any outward remorse for her actions is not someone who most people would show compassion towards.

And before people get up in arms about people in-universe or out of it practicing selective empathy, let us be frank and admit that selective empathy is something that most “good” people engage in all the time, and is something that most people reading this do all the time without questioning themselves.

I mean, did you feel sympathy when Osama Bin Laden was killed? Or when the U.S Capitol Hill invader was shot? Or when the Sandy Hook killer committed suicide after shooting up an elementary school?

So why would any of Azula’s actual and potential victims feel any sympathy towards her? Especially in an era where the age of majority is lower and they don’t really understand mental health at all?

Shouldn’t people’s, in- and out-of-universe, sympathy be towards all the people she attempted to kill? The person who she did? All the traumatized kids she kidnapped?

And before anyone says that Azula’s mental health issues should at least cause a twenty-first century audience to at least tone down their desire to see Azula be properly punished, I don’t think that is the case.

For even disregarding the fact that a large percentage of the population is still ignorant about mental health issues, something that one children’s franchise, no matter how well-written, can fix by itself, even people today have limits in regards to how much they are willing to accept mental health as a mitigating factor in regards to punishment, even in fiction.

For I know this is a different franchise, but The Joker is a severely mentally ill person after all, and yet it is a pretty popular opinion, if not the supermajority one, that The Joker should have a shoot on sight order and/or that a superhero kill The Joker lest he fills more graveyards with innocent bodies.

So why should Azula be treated any differently? Especially since she is committed to turning Zuko into a tyrant, has shown that she will go to almost any length to ensure the success of her plan, and that her status as the GOAT firebender, in combination with the fact that her power is likely growing by the day, means that it is nigh-impossible to take her safely back into custody even if she suffers another mental breakdown?

“So what about all the people on the airships who were either going to burn the Earth Kingdom with Ozai and/or making sure the ships were operational? Or what about all the people who helped or were complicit in the other Fire Nation war crimes against the Earth Kingdom and Southern Water Tribe? Or how about the rest of the Fire Warriors? How come you are so focused on punishing a 14 or 16/17 girl you misogynistic, ableist POS?!”

Well, in regards to the war, who said that everyone who was complicit in the Fire Nation’s war crimes should not face proper punishment?

For while the comics make it clear that only Ozai and Azula, who was mercifully involuntarily psych warded and was given a "chance", even if she had to create it, to reform, even though she hadn’t shown any indication that she was remorseful, were punished for the Fire Nation’s crimes (ex. The Rough Rhinos are free and became Earthen Fire Industries’ bodyguards), I think one of the biggest mistakes that the Avatar franchise made was not holding a war crimes tribunal after the war to give a proper accounting of all the Fire Nation’s crimes and to make sure that people faced justice.

For in addition to the powerful imagery of seeing the victims of genocide, imperialism, and colonization make their killers and oppressors face accountability on their terms, something that has unfortunately been denied to most IRL victims of both, it would have also sent a powerful message to future generations in-universe *cough*Kuvira*cough that genocide, imperialism, colonization would never be tolerated.

Not to mention, it seems odd that a show so focused on colonialism and imperialism, and their negative effects, denies those negatively harmed by them any real justice. Though Bryke are Westerners after all….

“So do you think everyone who served the Fire Nation should be locked up?”

No, but everyone who directly committed war crimes, like Yon Rha, the people on Ozai’s warships, and the Rough Rhinos, in addition to everyone high up on the chain of command, like Azulon and Ozai’s war council members, should have been subjected to a war crimes tribunal if they were still alive and appropriately punished.

“But what about Zuko, Iroh, Mai, and Ty Lee?”

Yes, they should be tried too, though it is obvious some people will get lightly punished and/or not punished at all due to their actions during the end of the war.

“But Azula was just a mentally ill 14 year old who was just following the orders of her abusive father who was also her supreme sovereign.”

Well, if she is old enough to suggest, help plan, and fully intend to commit genocide, she is old enough to stand trial as an adult and receive a grown-up’s punishment.

Also, the “just following orders” excuse doesn’t really work considering Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee, who are all her peers and close to her age, all turned against Ozai’s regime at one point despite the life or death consequences and/or harsh punishments they ended up facing.

“But isn’t Zuko a sovereign, and thus has the ability to make sure he isn’t subjected to a war crimes tribunal?”

Well, if Zuko is as truly concerned with honor as he says he is, and is not written in an OOC fashion like comics!Zuko, he would willingly subject himself to the tribunal to send a message to the world that he is after real justice, and not a hollow victor’s justice, as well as send a message to his subjects that he is not using the tribunal as an excuse to get rid of his political opponents and/or those who would be hostile to his regime.

For everyone forgets, but Zuko was a co-conqueror of Ba Sing Se, and while we know Zuko changed sides because he meant well, to outside observers it seems like he knew he wouldn’t inherit the throne, at least not without Azula being the real power behind it, and so he joined the Avatar so he could get the throne (outright), even if it meant his nation fell in battle.

And in regards to the Fire Warriors, they should be punished just like Azula should be for engaging in a seditious, mass child kidnapping terrorist plot as part of an ongoing terrorist plot to turn Zuko into a tyrant.

For while the comics don’t give us that much to go off of, from what we do get, it appears that they willingly joined Azula to pay her back for breaking them out of their asylum.

(Smoke and Shadow library edition says that most of them come from Azula’s asylum).

So they should face the consequences of their (apparently) freely chosen actions, though I hope that in the process of doing so, the abusive nature of the asylums becomes public knowledge.

For in addition to it hopefully leading to a mental health revolution in the Fire Nation, Zuko can implement reforms to make sure that the asylums don’t become terrorist breeding grounds like they are as of current canon.

Also, Zuko, by publicly punishing his sister and subjecting her to the same laws that commoners and nobles have to face, would be sending a powerful message to his subjects that, unlike under his forefathers' reigns, the law applies equally to everyone regardless of their status and is not something that is selectively applied by the Fire Lord when it suits them.

So to sum up, it seems pretty clear that the narrative of ATLA seems to prime the audience for a proper Azula punishment arc. For not only has she committed several unforgivable, or at least nigh-unforgivable, crimes, but also has failed to take any responsibility for her actions or show outward remorse.

Thus, the audience most likely wants to see Azula get punished as part of a greater Fire Nation war crimes tribunal and/or for her actions as part of the Fire Warriors.

And while either scenario might be hard for Azula stans fans to watch, at least they have the potential not only serve as a healing moment for people both in or out of the Avatar-verse, but also provide very entertaining and thought provoking moments as well.

For imagine Ozai trying to justify his actions to a war crimes tribunal? Or watching Iroh tensely wait and see if a jury believes his actions against his brother’s regime outweighs the crimes he committed/is responsible for as both an esteemed Fire Nation general and as Azulon’s heir for decades.

(Yes, technically we don’t know if Iroh committed war crimes, but it is highly unlikely that Azulon’s crown prince and general was completely innocent. But I admit this is just a headcanon for now.)

Or imagine the courtroom scene as the Fire Warriors try to justify them following Azula due to being grateful for her breaking them out of their abusive asylum(s)? Or when one of the asylum healers explains the nature of their treatments, and thus it dawns on the audience that the asylums are worse than prison and are likely to breed terrorists due to inmates resenting the society that locked them up there “for their own good” instead of the more merciful option of prison?

For isn’t Avatar at its best when it manages to simultaneously be both entertaining and thought provoking at the same time?

[justanotherthrowaway1950]

Why Azula Staying a Villain Will Only Lead To Bad Stories Part 2: Negative Effects on Other Characters, World Building, Lore, and Thematic Expression

I know how in part 1 I briefly mentioned how keeping Azula a villain causes everyone to start acting stupid and incompetent, thus denigrating them and their arcs/character growth, whenever Azula is involved so she can remain a credible threat despite the Gaang all being masters in their respective fields and having the resources of several nation-states at their beck and call plus a PMC (the White Lotus).

But I understand that I didn’t go into detail, and so my analysis was lackluster at best, and probably very controversial at worse. So I am going to go into detail based on importance, and with that said, here I go.

Zuko (The Search)

Realistically, other than some minor complaints, most people agree that TV!Zuko’s arc is one of the greatest in Western Animation. For his tale is that of someone who almost gave into his abuse and conditioning, but, with the help of his loving uncle, his travels, and mercy/compassion showed to him by his enemies/future friends, managed to overcome it and start the journey of not only becoming a better person, but also help his country heal after several decades of propaganda and brainwashing,

And part of said arc is what he comes to realize about Azula: that she is not worth emulating; that she is abusive to him and the people he cares about like Mai and Ty Lee; and that she, a genocidal, authoritarian colonizer, needs to be stopped and locked up by any means, even if it hurts him. For it is the only way that the world and his country can achieve peace and balance once again...that is until Azula starts showing signs that either she has realized the error of her ways or that she wants to take a new path, but needs help finding it.

But, in an effort to allow Azula to become a villain again, Bryke has Zuko engage in several actions that not only betray his character growth, but also aren’t really explained and negatively reflect on him.

Like, during that conference concerning Yu Dao where Zuko “realizes” that the sorry state of his nuclear family negatively reflects on him, why would Zuko care suddenly about what his subjects think of him? 

Did Zuko forget that he not only betrayed his nation and basically caused them to lose a war they had already won, but also is forcing them to pay reparations (as is said in North and South)? 

And that he is going to remain a pariah in his subject’s eyes until he manages to undo decades of brainwashing considering his only real allies are foreigners; Iroh, who is just as much of a traitor in the Fire Nation's eyes as Zuko; Mai, who committed treason that led to the Fire Nation's lost; and Ty Lee, who did commit a less extreme version of treason, but immediately left the Fire Nation after getting out of prison to join a foreign PMC, which would look suspect in the populace’s eyes to say the least?

But things really start to go sideways when he goes to Azula’s asylum to get Azula to extract intel from Ozai about Ursa, allows the two to talk alone, and foolishly wheels Azula alone while promising to move her back into the palace.

Like when he went to the asylum, how come he didn’t ask them about Azula’s treatment, and whether it was safe to take her out to see Ozai, her abuser and co-conspirator, let alone take her back to the palace? For if he did, maybe he would have found out she was being abused in the asylum, and therefore could have done something about it so Azula and her fellow inmates could be treated better.

But maybe not considering it is Azula, and she deserves to be abused for making Zuko’s life hard from the moment she was born./s

Like why would he allow Azula and Ozai to talk alone considering their conniving natures and the fact that they are the two biggest threats to his regime, at least politically?

Why would he wheel Azula alone, especially after Ty Lee told him that the chi-blocking is wearing off? For I know this depends on how much Ty Lee knows about chi-blocking and its effects (I’ll talk about this more in Ty Lee’s section), but Azula has already shown that she is still hostile/violent towards Zuko. That, in combination with her previous showings of being able to escape nearly any situation she finds herself in, should have made Zuko wary of being alone with Azula when the chi-blocking wears off instead of trying to have a soft brother-sister moment.

And then that whole sequence where Azula breaks free and manages to burn every single letter in Ozai’s chest, save for the “Zuko is Ikem’s bastard” letter before blackmailing him into going on the search for Ursa free, unbound, and with dignity. *Sigh*

Like why would Zuko shoot a fireball of the perfect size and speed that would allow Azula to break free of the chains on her legs, instead of, I don’t know, calling the rest of his elite guard to subdue her? Especially after she managed to bullshit instant lightning out of nowhere, and thus has tricks that Zuko does not know about?

After Zuko had caught up to her and found out that she had supposedly burned every single letter and tried blackmailing him into going on the search for Ursa free and unbound, how come he didn’t pat her down? For even if he had no way of knowing that she had that “bastard” letter, wouldn’t it be wise to check if she hid any letter on her body? 

I mean this is one of the most trickiest characters in the franchise, so why not be extra cautious?

And the whole blackmail situation? Look, I understand why Zuko agreed to Azula’s terms, for who doesn’t want to find out what happened to their beloved mother? But doesn’t Zuko have a duty to the world and his subjects to make sure that Azula remains in jail until she at least tries to reform herself? 

(Yes, I know Azula was involuntarily psych warded, but considering Suki in The Search calls both Ozai and Azula Zuko's prisoners, and Mai in Smoke and Shadow laments Zuko taking Azula out of her "prison", it seems pretty obvious that whole point of sending Azula to the asylum was to lock her up while getting her medical treatment as far as everyone was concerned. Hence, why I at times refer to Azula's involuntarily psych warding, or potentially getting involuntarily psych warded again, as jailing.)

I know this sounds callous, but the moment Azula tried blackmailing him, he should have told her that finding Ursa was not worth letting her free before jailing her again. For why run the risk that Azula could do something horrible or escape? I mean what could go wrong if she escaped…?

Also, even if she had to be free, unbound, and travel with dignity, why didn’t Zuko have a small platoon with him? For even if he did have the Avatar and the world’s greatest waterbender by his side, shouldn’t Zuko have taken precautions in the event that Aang and Katara got separated from them, thus leaving just him and Sokka with her?

(In my opinion, Zuko is stronger than Crazy!Azula, but not to the point that she couldn’t cheap shot him. And yes, I know Sokka is a badass, but I think as of current canon he is still weaker than Crazy!Azula.)

But most galling is the fact that he made this decision unilaterally without asking Mai and Ty Lee for their opinion, or, if he was adamant about agreeing to Azula’s terms, not providing them with 24/7 security until Azula was safely back in the asylum and/or prison.

For Azula was not just Zuko’s abuser, but also Mai and Ty Lee’s abusive friend and commander before almost killing Mai and then jailing them for life.

(The Boiling Rock Part 2 script said Azula was going to generate lightning.)

Considering that Mai saved Zuko’s life, that Ty Lee saved Mai, the love of Zuko’s life, and is part of Zuko’s current protection team, and that the both of them are closest thing to childhood friends that Zuko has, why didn’t Zuko treat them with the respect they deserved? Especially since post-redemption Zuko is someone who is supposed to be empathetic and caring?

But moving on to the rest of The Search, how come after Zuko found out about the “bastard” letter, he didn’t burn it? For even if he did want to find out the truth, isn’t it more important that he prevents a civil war by not allowing his “illegitimacy” to become public knowledge, at least until he can give power to Iroh in the case that he was truly a bastard?

Or, even if he didn’t want to burn the letter until Ursa confirmed the accuracy of it, why would he allow Azula to keep it on her person? I mean, what would have happened if she had managed to escape with it on her person? 

Sunshine and roses, or a bloody civil war that threatens to undo everything Zuko and his friends fought for in the war?

Which ties into my last point about Zuko’s behavior in The Search, which also serves segue into Smoke and Shadow: why the hell did Zuko not chase after Azula?!

For even if he would be risking his life and potentially Noriko’s, couldn’t Zuko have seen the danger in letting Azula free? Especially considering as far as he knew she still had the letter on her person?

Or, once Ursa had her face and memories restored, how come he didn’t leave Katara with Ursa and her family and search for Azula with Aang and Sokka?

Did Zuko forget that it was all his fault in the first place that his life, as well as Noriko’s, was in danger, and that he had a responsibility to the world, his country, and his friends to make sure Azula got back into his custody?

But anyway, even if Azula managed to free herself, at least she was no longer a threat to Zuko, his regime, and/or anyone he cares about? 

Right?

Zuko (Smoke and Shadow)

After searching for Azula for a couple of weeks, he goes home and tells Ursa that he “tried".

But did he really? Cause if we take his word at face value, do you know what that means?

(Note: I think his statement could be interpreted to mean that him, Aang, Katara, and Sokka spent weeks searching the old fashioned way. But if that was the case, then in my opinion, he really didn’t try considering all the options he had. So I am taking Zuko’s statement at face value since it is the most positive interpretation of his statement.)

That means a mentally broken Azula with no allies or resources managed to avoid an Avatar State powered seismic sense, June’s shirshu, and Toph’s seismic sense, as well as anyone Iroh and/or the White Lotus sent over to help Zuko find his sister.

Do you know what that implies about the competency of everyone involved? How bad that makes them all look?

Anyway moving on, it appears that not only did Zuko fail to issue a public proclamation that Azula had escaped, but also failed to give Ty Lee and Mai, along with their families, protection. 

For if he had issued a proclamation, maybe Azula would have been found earlier, instead of being able to break six girls out of her asylum, or manipulate the New Ozai Society (NOS)/Safe Nation Society. And in regards to Ty Lee and Mai, even if he felt they didn’t need protection while Azula was free, but by his side, the moment she managed to escape his custody, he should have given them and their families protection.

For Zuko didn’t know that Azula wasn’t seeking revenge. No, as far as Zuko knew, she probably was going to kill everyone between her and the throne, including everyone who "betrayed" her. And even if Zuko hadn’t seen Mai since their break up, Ty Lee is part of his protection detail, and thus he should have realized how paranoid and scared she was and asked her what he could have done to alleviate her fears, as well as her best friend Mai’s fears as well.

And Zuko still makes similar grave errors even after he finds out that Azula is behind the kidnappings, and that she had been manipulating the NOS/Safe Nation Society as part of a long-term plan to turn him into a tyrant.

For after Kiyi’s kidnapping, instead of issuing curfews, searching Caldera City citizens' homes without cause, and engaging in mass jailing of anyone who was on the streets when the Safe Nation Society was rioting, he instead should have called all of the Gaang and had Iroh call the White Lotus before starting an all out manhunt for Azula and her followers.

And he especially should have done this after she told him his plan and he found that Aang had gotten knocked out by Azula’s henchwomen.

For not only has Azula gotten rid of his trump card over her (lightning redirection), but also has become the GOAT lightning manipulator and H2H fighter in ATLA. That, combined with her and her Fire Warriors' smokebending abilities, makes her the biggest threat to Zuko’s throne and world peace. 

Thus, Zuko should have spent every waking moment hunting down Azula instead of doing stupid shit like going on a diplomatic trip to the South Pole. 

For I admit the image of the leaders and the most important people in the four (United Republic still not a thing as of North and South) nations eating with each other is a powerful one, but it is still hollow as long as the biggest threat to the post-world order is still roaming free and plotting to bring it to an end.

Aang (The Search)

Right off the bat, when Zuko told him about the whole blackmail situation, he should have either said ok, but call in Toph, as well as anyone else who he thought was needed, or told Zuko that finding his mother was not worth it since their was a chance, no matter how small, that Azula could escape before putting her back in the asylum himself.

For yeah, I know the first point sounds OOC, but Aang out of all people should know how dangerous Azula is (the lightning wounds on his left foot and back say hi), and therefore take proper precautions. 

And yes, I know the second point sounds really OOC, but doesn’t Aang know that his duty isn’t to his friends, but to the world? And thus, even if it hurts, he has to prioritize the world’s safety over his friend’s well-being, and therefore not allow arguably the most dangerous, both politically and bending wise, non-Avatar person in the world any chance of escaping?

Especially when it appears the only thing Azula regrets is losing, and not any of the actions she took during the war?

But alas, this blatant disregard towards his duty as an Avatar continues not only when he finds that “bastard” letter with Zuko, but also when he fails to give chase to Azula after helping Ursa restore her face and memories.

For even after Zuko refused to burn the letter because he wanted to find out the truth, Aang should have taken the letter and burned it, or at least not let the letter get back into Azula’s hands.

For if that letter ever became public, it would ruin everything that Aang fought for in the war, for either Iroh, an old man who has no inclination to produce heirs as far as canon is concerned, would have to take the throne to prevent Ozai and/or Azula from taking it, or it would cause a massive civil war considering Zuko is already on thin ice with his subjects.

And once he helped Ursa restore her face, he should have entered the Avatar State and used his seismic sense before entering his elemental shield to look for Azula. 

For even if Azula is mentally broken at that point, she is still a Top 4 fire-bender in the world with a strong claim to the throne, and thus getting her back into Zuko's custody should have been his highest priority. Not staying by Zuko’s side, especially now that he has been reunited with his mother and can adequately protect Ursa and her family now.

Aang (Smoke and Shadow)

Assuming that we take Zuko’s comments at face value about how he tried, what does that say about Aang that Azula not only managed to escape his Avatar State powered seismic sense, but also couldn’t find her, even with his elemental shield providing unmatched mobility?

But moving onto something that requires no assumptions: what he did, or didn’t, do after finding out that Azula was behind the Kemurikage kidnappings as well as in league with the New Ozai Society.

Why didn’t Aang call in the rest of the Gaang and/or the White Lotus to help him apprehend Azula? For the worst case scenario has happened, and Azula is actively working to restore the old regime, as far as Aang knows at this point, has become the strongest firebender and H2H fighter in the world, and has regained her sanity as far as he knows.

Considering all the harm Azula has caused, and is currently causing, how come Aang didn’t take every measure to make sure that Azula would get back into their custody as well as make sure the kidnapped kids were in no danger whatsoever?

How come when he went into that room to help rescue the kids, he didn’t have his guard up or enter the room with his elemental shield up?

For Aang knows that the Fire Warriors have smokebending abilities, it was smoke, combined with volcanic gases, that killed his predecessor, and that the Fire Warriors are seditious, mass child kidnappers in league with Azula. 

So why didn’t Aang take them seriously?

For if Aang wasn’t protected by the fact that he has to die as a 66 year old man (LoK), after the Fire Warriors knocked him out, they would have killed him instead of monologuing just long enough for Mai and Kei Lo to save him by knocking out them.

And then what? A world without a fully realized Avatar that is liable to fall back into war long before his successor could be identified and become a fully realized Avatar. Especially if Azula killed Zuko after their crypt shuffle, therefore leaving no one really able to fight back against the Fire Warriors as they consolidate power and restart the Hundred Year War as far as Aang knows.

But most galling in my opinion is how Aang doesn’t drop everything and lead an all out manhunt for Azula and the Fire Warriors, especially once he found out that their true goal is to break Zuko and make him into a tyrant. For Aang out of all people should know what Azula is capable of when she is “sane."

So why does he fuck off?! 

What is he going to say when the Fire Warriors do something irredeemable and/or unfixable, and so him and Zuko have to explain to the world why Azula got free in the first place, why they lied about her involvement with the Kemurikage kidnappings, and why she managed to avoid getting captured despite no longer having a nation-state backing her, her lack of resources in general considering she is a homeless, penniless fugitive, and the fact that she is no match for the Avatar State, or even a bloodlusted four element Aang?

Mai

A lot of people hate on Mai, calling her a bad, high-maintenance girlfriend who doesn’t understand Zuko and is an undeveloped character, among other things.

But I think TV!show Mai was a loving girlfriend who was trying her best with a boyfriend dealing with his severe trauma on top of his precarious position in court before ultimately betraying her and their country without any warning from her POV.

Moreover, for a tertiary character, I think her arc is short, sweet, and powerful. This is because Mai was a girl who was heavily implied to be forced into an abusive friendship for the sake of her father’s political career in addition to having to suppress her true emotions. But, thanks to her boyfriend having the courage to stand up against their abusers, she learns to stand up against her abuser while also helping her real best friend find the courage to also stand up against their mutual abuser, and is on the path to healing and learning how to establish healthy relationships.

In other words, Mai learns that she doesn’t have to put her head down and ignore her emotions or capacity for love. And it is this realization that allows her to help create a better world for herself, her boyfriend, her best friend, and the rest of the world, including her own nation once they come to the same realizations as she has.

But instead of continuing on that path, the comics have her completely forget the realization she had and have her behave OOC, in my opinion, in several contexts.

For even if she, like Ty Lee, were completely done dirty by Zuko in that he let Azula free without asking them how they felt about it before losing her and having the gall to not assign 24/7 protection to them and their families until he recovers her, it doesn’t excuse the fact that she hid from Zuko/the proper authorities the existence of the New Ozai Society, and the fact that her father and “boyfriend” were members of it, with her father leading and funding it as well.

For it is quite obvious what are the out-of-universe explanations for why Mai didn’t go straight to the palace after The Rebound and tell Zuko, but there is no good-in universe answer that is inline with her previously established character.

(In my opinion, the out-of-universe explanations for why Mai didn't go straight to the palace after The Rebound was so that Azula, who no longer has a nation-state backing her, would have the means and funds to manipulate terrorist groups, as well as house her kidnapped kids as part of her longer plot to make Zuko snap.)

For when did Mai suddenly care about her father to the point that she was willing to commit treason by supporting, or at least covering up, his seditious plot? 

For didn’t Mai, when she committed treason at in Boiling Rock, essentially betray her father and the rest of her family in favor of Zuko?

Moreover, why would she prioritize her father and his potential political power considering what would happen if Ozai ever got back into power? For I know Avatar is a children’s franchise ,but I am pretty sure one of Ozai’s first acts once he got back on the throne after he killing Zuko, Ursa, Iroh, Noren, and Kiyi would be killing Mai and Ty Lee for their treason. 

Especially considering that if she hadn’t turned when she did, half the Gaang would have died and Ozai would have very likely won the war. For without Aang learning lightning redirection, unless rock-kun (rock-kun is the younger cousin of Naruto’s swing-kun) intervenes much earlier, Aang dies to Ozai’s lightning spam, and no one else on the remaining Team Avatar is a match for Comet!Ozai except in the very unlikely chance Katara manages to develop 24/7 bloodbending in the aftermath of Aang's lost.

But alas, Mai decides to act in an OOC manner and hides from Zuko the existence of the New Ozai Society/Safe Nation Society until her Zuko’s half-sister, along with her brother, have been kidnapped by the Fire Warriors after Zuko, Ursa, Noren, and Kiyi barely survived a New Ozai Society ambush.

And by barely, I mean if it wasn’t for the combination of Ukano’s monologue, Kei Lo’s last minute heel-face turn, and Zuko managing to bullshit the greatest non-Avatar fire redirection feat in the franchise, Zuko and his family would have been burned to death and/or brutally stabbed to death.

But even more galling, when confronted with her treason, Mai claims that Zuko out of all people should know how hard it is to betray your father, as if there wasn’t a difference between betraying the all powerful ruler of your country who has a cult of personality, has burned you before, can quickly fire off lethal amounts of lightning on command, and has said before he wanted to kill you, versus betraying your mentally and physically weak father who rejected being integrated into the new government and seeks to put someone back in power who would likely kill you for committing treason against him.

Especially since Zuko accepts her explanation, and no one in-universe or the narrative ever again challenges Mai on why she committed treason.

For I understand that Mai is a tertiary character, and thus can’t have the same narrative focus in regards to her redemption arc like Zuko. But if the narrative is going to treat Mai as a hundred percent redeemed good guy, she should be held to the same standards and be criticized when she acts in a villainous manner.

But yet again, the comics fail to challenge Zuko for almost restarting the Hundred Year War instead of calmly showing Aang and Kuei why he revoked his unconditional support for the Harmony Restoration Movement, so why should we expect any “hero” to face any criticism?

Ukano

How come Ukano was willing to work with Azula to restore Ozai for the sake of his nation and family when not only is Fire Lord Zuko indebted to him for life due to Mai saving him at the Boiling Rock, not to mention the fact that Zuko offered him a job when his governorship disappeared after Bumi retook Omashu, but also when one of the first things Ozai would do after taking back power is killing Mai for her treason?

(In my opinion, it is clear that after Zuko’s defection, the only acceptable punishment for treason under Ozai's regime was death, with no chance for life in prison like Iroh had.)

What is Ukano’s plan for dealing with a fully realized Avatar considering that Ozai with Sozin’s Comet got utterly stomped by Aang? I don’t think it is wise, or in line with someone leading a vast seditious conspiracy, to rely on Azula getting another cheap shot on Aang, or the Fire Warriors managing to get one over Aang using their smokebending.

Also, as a matter of storytelling, why should I root for his heel-face turn and acceptance of his prison sentence when one of the last things he does before being sent to prison is subtly imply that he was manipulated/coerced by Azula?

For in-universe, didn’t Ukano have several opportunities to tell Aang and Zuko about the kidnapped kids? And out-of-universe, even if Azula is extremely dangerous, it is kind of pathetic to hear a grown-ass man essentially be bullied by a bunch of mentally ill teenagers.

I mean, how would you react if someone in a similar situation tried pulling Ukano’s excuse? 

Would you show sympathy towards them, or instead viciously mock them?

But in any case, how am I supposed to feel that, even if Ukano has to go to jail, he at least did good by standing up to Azula and her followers, if Ukano tries to deflect blame by blaming Azula?

I mean, would Zuko's apology to the Gaang during The Western Air Temple feel as sincere if he blamed Azula’s manipulations and the promise of his father’s love for why he acted the way he did during The Crossroads of Destiny, even if they were valid explanations for his behavior? 

Would the audience have so readily accepted Zuko into the Gaang if Zuko didn’t take sole responsibility for his actions?

Ozai and Ursa (The Letter)

Note: Ursa is a kidnapping victim who is highly implied to never had consensual sex with Ozai, and thus her kids were highly likely to be conceived without her consent. All that trauma, combined with the fact that Ozai had all the power in the household in addition to his emotional and, heavily implied by the artwork, physical abuse, explains almost all of her bad parenting decisions and behavior towards Azula and Zuko...except for what I am going to describe below down below in my opinion. So the point of this is just to make it clear that I don’t blame Ursa for what went wrong in Zuko’s or Azula’s life, for the responsibility solely lies on Azulon and Ozai’s shoulders. I am just criticizing one particular choice she made in-universe and the creators’ out-of-universe decision to make her act in that fashion.

Most people talk about the letter in relation to Zuko and how it affects him, but I have a very hot take: the letter only really exists to allow Azula to be a credible antagonist during The Search considering her still mentally broken state and the fact that Zuko, Katara, and/or Aang were keeping eyes on her at all times. 

That and to also facilitate a means for Azula to get free of her restraints and eventually escape Zuko’s custody, because without blackmailing Zuko, Azula would have never been free, unbound, and treated with dignity.

Also, the letter serves to unnecessarily woobify Zuko, but that is not the focus of this post.

So with that in mind, let's delve into what that letter implies Ursa and Ozai’s characters.

In regards to Ursa, I find it hard to believe that someone who basically begged for her son’s life and constantly shielded him to the best of her abilities would reckless endanger his life by writing a letter that claimed Ikem, not Ozai, was his father.

For Ursa, out of all people, should know that she, along with Zuko, only have value to the Royal Family if Zuko is Ozai’s kid. And that if Ozai was so inclined, he could have used the letter to kill her and/or Zuko.

And even if it is a hundred percent Ozai’s fault that he used the letter as an excuse to essentially treat Zuko as a bastard, though personally I think Ozai just continued treated Zuko the way he previously did and just said that to further emotionally abuse Ursa, why would Ursa ever give Ozai the means to (further) torment her beloved son? Especially when she knows Ozai, and most likely Azulon considering how quick he was to order Zuko’s death to punish Ozai, has it out for Zuko?

In regards to Ozai, the letter, and what he did and didn’t do with it, makes him even more incompetent than what previous canon suggested.

For even if he couldn’t have used the letter during Azulon’s reign to get rid of Zuko and/or Ursa due to, for example, fear of retaliation from Azulon due to being a “cuck”, how come he didn’t use the letter to disinherit Zuko, instead of burning Zuko and having to cover it up?

Or, after Zuko went full traitor, how come Ozai didn’t use the letter to ensure that Zuko could never inherit the throne...at least through his claim as Ozai’s son (Iroh could have adopted Zuko and then abdicated in favor of him)?

Iroh

I understand that Iroh is technically retired and doesn’t have to do anything. Moreover, I understand that the adults in child/teenage led action-adventure series can’t really be as proactive and/or responsible as IRL adults due to the constraints of the genre.

But Iroh is still involved in politics as seen by his willingness to serve as Zuko’s temporary Fire Lord when Zuko is gone. Moreover, Legacy of The Fire Nation does say that Iroh is still a White Lotus Grandmaster during the period the White Lotus becomes the Avatar world’s version of the UN Peacekeepers.

So with that in mind, we can criticize his lack of proactiveness in regards to Azula. For even taking away the assumption that Iroh offered the White Lotus’ help to find Azula after she ran into the Forgetful Valley, how come after Azula has been found to be masterminding the Kemurikage kidnappings, or after Azula revealed her plan to turn Zuko into a dictator, Iroh didn’t drop everything, call up the White Lotus, and lead a manhunt to find the Fire Warriors?

For not only is Azula the biggest threat to world peace and balance in their world, but also is the biggest threat to Zuko's throne and safety. Especially after she eliminated Iroh and Zuko’s one trump card over her (lightning redirection) and is arguably way stronger, at least as a combatant, than Ozai ever was.

For someone who lost his son and watched his beloved nephew get abused due to the effects of the Fire Nation’s imperialism and authoritarianism, why doesn’t Iroh make sure that the horrors of the past stay in the past? Especially when he has the power, means, and connections this time around to make sure no one ever gets hurt again due to the Fire Nation's imperialist and authoritarian ideologies?

Ty Lee

In regards to The Search, Ty Lee was mistreated by Zuko when he first took Azula out without asking her or Mai about their feelings, and then further mistreated when he had the gall to lose her without granting her and Mai, along with their families, 24/7 protection.

Though if Ty Lee is as much of a chi-blocking master as the narrative implies, when she warned Zuko that Azula’s chi-blocking was wearing off, she should have also warned him that there would be a period of time that Azula would be super flexible and have full control of her muscles and chi.

For even if Ty Lee had no idea that Azula had apparently learned instant lightning in the time she spent in the asylum, Azula is still capable of short bursts of fire that could have disoriented Zuko, leading to a similar outcome as to what actually happened in canon once Azula had the above period of time.

But moving on to something much more concrete, Ty Lee remembering the Fire Nation Palace’s secret tunnels and being able to locate the one leading to Azula’s secret lair has some very negative implications about her.

For even if she says it in a really roundabout way, The Sisters comics has Ty Lee say that the reason she joined the Kyoshi Warriors was to make up for the imperialism she helped perpetuate under Azula’s command.

Moreover, the Kyoshi Warriors agreed to be Zuko’s bodyguards in order to help protect the fragile peace that the Gaang helped establish at the end of the war. And in order to do that means that they have to be able to secure the Fire Nation Royal Palace to the best of their abilities.

However, despite knowing about the secret tunnels, Ty Lee apparently never mentioned them in the year that the Kyoshi Warriors had been in the Fire Nation.

(The Promise takes place one year after Sozin’s Comet Part 4; The Kyoshi Warriors become Zuko’s bodyguards during The Promise; The Search takes place one year after The Search with the main plot of Smoke and Shadow taking place a couple of months after the climax of The Search).

And this leads to not only the Fire Warriors being able to walk into the palace and almost kidnap Kiyi unmolested (in fact, if it wasn’t for their smoke, the Fire Warriors would have kidnapped Kiyi without anyone being wiser), but also for an entire conspiracy to operate right under their noses.

Not to mention what could have happened if the Fire Warriors were a little less mentally ill and used the fact that they had access to secret tunnels that no one knew about to do the obvious: carry out covert assassinations of all their enemies, which, depending on the time, could include important foreign figures like Aang, Katara, and Sokka.

Making things worse is that just like Mai really wasn’t challenged narratively or by anyone in-universe for her treason, Ty Lee is never challenged by the narrative or by her fellow Warriors, Zuko, and/or Aang for knowing about a gaping security hole and not telling anyone about it earlier.

I mean, the lack of knowledge of the secret tunnels could help, partially at least, explain why Zuko faced so many assassination attempts like Kori’s that got frighteningly close to killing him. 

For instead of his original guard being disloyal and/or incompetent, they instead could have had a lack of knowledge about the tunnels, and thus didn’t know how to properly seal them off and/or monitor them for threats.

Like I understand Azula being free probably impacted her ability to think rationally, for Ty Lee all but says she hasn’t had a peaceful night of sleep ever since Azula got out, but it doesn’t excuse the fact that she forgot to tell anyone about this security gap beforehand.

For doesn’t Ty Lee have a professional and moral duty to protect the Fire Nation Royal Palace and the Fire Nation Royal Family to the best of her abilities?

Kei Lo

I don’t hold him to the same standards as the heroes and outright adults in this analysis since most of Rebound and Smoke and Shadow was about his heel-face turn and redemption arc.

But there is one thing that does bother me about post-redemption Kei Lo’s actions, and that is when he attacked Azula in the Garden of Tranquil Souls without any apparent plan and got himself turned into a (brief) hostage.

For I understand that it was a moment to not only show how much far Kei Lo had changed, but also to showcase Azula's evilness by mocking Mai’s taste in men and implicitly threatening his life for daring to touch her/interrupt her bullying, assault, and psychological torture of Mai “dialogue” with Mai.

But looking at Kei Lo’s actions from the bigger picture, they don’t really make sense, or paint a good picture of Kei Lo at all.

For Kei Lo had not only seen Mai defeat an entire NOS hideout with a toddler strapped to her back, but also was the last person she fought before she left (spoiler alert: it was a total curb stomp battle).

Moreover, during the time he spent dating Mai and spent with Zuko and Aang, it is highly unlikely that the topic of Azula didn’t come up, even if there were no comic panels showing us this (when you have limited space, you can’t waste panels on “superfluous” dialogue), and therefore should have known that, just like Mai is way out of his league in terms of combat prowess, Azula is similarly beyond his abilities.

In addition, even if he didn’t believe what people mostly likely told him about Azula, he should have believed his own eyes as he watched Azula basically toy with Mai despite Mai actually fighting with true lethal intent.

(I know some people might disagree with me, but I think the art makes it clear that Mai was trying to kill Azula, and not just pin her).

And finally, instead of rationally thinking and trying to get Zuko and/or Aang’s attention so someone way more equipped could rescue Mai, he instead charges at Azula. But instead of using his knife, or trying to get Azula into a chokehold, Kei Lo instead just shoves her, allowing Azula to not only shoot him with concussive lightning, but also then hold him at firepoint, thus forcing Mai, who had been able to stand up to Azula, albeit terribly, to basically beg for Kei Lo’s life and leave herself vulnerable to Azula’s attacks as well.

For I know they are not analogous situations, but what Kei Lo did reminds me of dumbasses who try to intervene in active shooter situations, thinking they can be the hero, but end up making things worse due to being taken hostage, if they aren’t outright killed, making a peacefully resolution that much harder for the relevant authorities.

Likewise, Kei Lo, by getting himself taken hostage, could have, and should have as far as he knew, led to a nasty outcome. 

For as far as he knows, Azula is a sadistic, seditious, child killing, child kidnapping, genocidal domestic terrorist who has no qualms about killing or cruelly treating “friends” and family. And so what is not to say that Azula wouldn’t have tortured him to get back at Mai and/or tortured Mai in front of him, forcing Mai to take her cruel punishment in order to prevent Azula from killing her boyfriend?

Kei Lo is very lucky that Zuko intervened when he did, and is even more lucky that Azula was more interested in making her brother “strong” than really hurting anyone.

But instead of showing everyone berating him after the kids had been rescued, there instead was no narrative time spent at all. 

Which leads me to believe that that particular moment happened, in part, just to showcase how vile Azula is, despite in not being in line, in my opinion, with the conscientious and aware person Kei Lo seemed to be growing into, as seen when he broke up with Mai when he realized that, despite her words otherwise, she could never get over Zuko.

Sokka and Katara

There isn’t much to say other than they were the only ones who interacted with Comics!Azula who treated her like the threat she.

That and it was obvious they were written out of Smoke and Shadow before Azula's involvement with the kidnappings was revealed because if they were still in the Fire Nation when it happened, Azula and her girl gang would be back in jail instead of remaining menaces to society. 

Or at least they would have had to work much harder during the climax (ex. The Fire Warriors, including Azula, would have had to fight with lethal intent).

Toph

Other than the assumption that Toph helped Zuko search for Azula after the climax of The Search, all I have to say is that there is a good reason why Toph has not really shown up in any of the comics Azula has been in. 

And that is because Toph would have never tolerated any of Azula’s bullshit, or treated her with kid gloves instead of the genocidal war criminal who is still trying to negatively influence Fire Nation politics that she is as of current canon.

Other World Leaders

Note: Yes, there is no evidence that Azula was part of the war council meeting that ordered the attack on the Northern Water Tribe. But considering how comfortable Azula was in the “let's burn down the Earth Kingdom” war council meeting, plus the fact that Iroh thought it was appropriate for a 13 year old Zuko to partake in a war council meeting, I don’t think it is that much of a leap to assume that Azula was part of the war council meeting that ordered the Northern Water Tribe attack.

From Kuei’s perspective, Azula led a coup that ended with him in exile before suggesting and helping plan a genocide of his people. From Hakoda’s perspective, Azula almost killed both of his children several times. From Chief Arnook’s perspective, Azula was part of the war council that decided to not only invade his country, but also kill the Moon Spirit, which indirectly forced his beloved daughter to sacrifice her life to restore said spirit.

So once Azula gets into Zuko’s custody, shouldn’t they have established monitoring protocols to make sure that Zuko, who had less than six months ago willingly worked with her to conqueror Ba Sing Se, as well help her kill Aang, keeps one of the most dangerous war criminals in their world locked up while also establishing contingency plans to deal with scenarios in which Azula escapes?

Especially since Aang took mercy on her and didn’t remove her bending, meaning that Azula could grow stronger if she ever escapes (though I guess being in an asylum does allow for exponential growth anyway...) and eventually be able to get a cheap shot on Aang again before violently retaking the throne and restarting the Hundred Year War?

But instead of doing that, they instead naively trust that Zuko will keep Azula locked up without any check-ups (none of Zuko’s interactions with Kuei or Hadoka ever imply the topic of Azula’s status ever comes up). And while I understand the meta-reason for this (so it is more believable that Azula could remain an undetectable fugitive), it still has the potential to make them all look really, really bad.

For what happens, for example, if the Fire Warriors create an international false flag terrorist attack that gets people from the other nations killed, in addition to Fire Nationals, that leads to a short skirmish that gets even more people killed before the Fire Warriors are found to be the true culprits and dealt with?

For even if they manage to capture the Fire Warriors, how are the world leaders going to explain to their subjects/citizens the lack of security measures they took in ensuring that Azula stayed in jailed, or, if she ever escaped, the lack of plans to make sure she was apprehended as swiftly as possible?

Moreover, how are they going to explain the fact that they naively wholeheartedly trusted Zuko to make sure that Azula remained in prison, or, if she escaped, that he would tell them and ask for their help if needed in apprehending her, instead of trying to cover up the fact that it was his selfish desire to find Mommy that gave the most dangerous person on the planet the means to escape? 

Especially after the Yu Dao fiasco showed that Zuko might not be the most trustworthy or reliable partner?

Do any of them take their responsibilities seriously!? No, and that is why the Red Lotus had a point, for why should a bunch of clowns be in charge of nation-states if they can’t even use state power to properly protect people?

Bending and Combat

One of the more endearing things about Avatar is the fact that its combat and magic system is based on IRL martial arts. And this is reflected in the fact that all of the named prodigies except for Katara and Sokka, who likely the greatest prodigies in the franchise in terms of speed of skill acquisition and mastery, have undergone years of rigorous training to be the master benders and fighters that they are shown to be in the show.

Moreover, the show explains that bending and fighting are not just martial arts, but also are spiritual practices as well, and that the more spiritually in tune you are, the stronger your combat prowess will be. And that the less spiritual and/or the more out of balance you are, the weaker your combat prowess will be. 

For not only does your mental state affect things like your breathing or tactics, but also your willingness to incorporate other styles of bending/fighting into yours as well.

And the show makes it very clear that the strongest and best benders/fighters incorporate all the other styles of bending.

Finally, the show, whenever it introduced new bending/fighting techniques and/or power ups, made sure they didn’t contradict what was previously established (ex. metalbending is possible only because most metal still has pieces of unrefined earth in them; chi-blocking is possible because everything has chi in it; etc.), or gave them logical weaknesses to make sure they weren’t completely game breaking (ex. Lightning redirection does negate lightning generation, but you need to be in the proper stance and make sure the lightning never touches your heart, or else you will still die; chi-blocking only works if you can touch someone; etc.).

But the comics, in an effort to keep Azula a credible threat, seem to disregard all of the previously established rules and themes about bending, and in doing so leaves the Avatar franchise in a worse off state.

For why was Azula, after spending at least a year in an asylum where it can be presumed she wasn’t able to train like she used to, didn’t have anywhere near the same resources, and went further into psychosis, able to retain her physicality and remain the hyper-athletic fighter she was during the war?

Moreover, how did Azula get so strong and fast during her time in the asylum, and later in the wilderness as a fugitive, to the point that she is arguably the best H2H fighter in Avatar?

For not only did Azula manage to hold off a serious and in armor post-war Suki and Ty Lee despite wearing a billowing cape and a mask that blocked vision in her left eye, but also managed to consistently and causally dodge Mai’s knives despite the latter actually trying to kill her.

Not to mention how she managed to overpower Zuko, who was arguably the second best sword fighter in the franchise before having two years to add to his sword fighting prowess, in their short fire-sword fight in the crypt to the point that Zuko thought he could only prevent his death by convincing Azula that no one would ever accept her on the throne.

Zuko! You know, the person who literally has to be knocked out and/or dying before giving up in a fight, did not believe he could get out of Azula’s hold before she presumably stabbed him to death.

How come Azula’s fire managed to not only get stronger (ex. during the war, if she released her fire from her control, it became orange, but after the asylum, it stays blue), but also why was she able to develop several new lightning techniques, several of which where completely unseen in the franchise, or hadn’t been seen for centuries as far as the reader was concerned (ex. concussive lightning; instant lightning; quick charge lightning; lightning sphere; a bootleg chidori; instant area of effect lightning; lightning zaps; the ability to split and control her stream of lightning after she has fired it; lightning redirection)?

And speaking of new lightning techniques, how did Azula manage to learn the lightning redirection technique on her own? For none of Iroh, Zuko, and Aang ever showed her the technique, and Azula only saw the technique like four times (Iroh on the ship during The Avatar State; Zuko during Sozin’s Comet; Zuko twice during The Search).

And as far as I remember, the TV show never implied or showed that Azula was a Goku-level prodigy in that she only had to look at technique only a handful of times to completely master it and/or develop a counter to it.

Not to mention the fact that Azula is still a hyper-nationalist who still has no respect for the other nations, let alone their bending arts.

Like have you seen all the times she calls Sokka and Katara snow peasants, despite the two of them technically being her equal politically and Katara not only defeating her during Sozin’s Comet, but also almost defeating her during The Crossroads of Destiny as well? Does comics!Azula seem like the person to willingly incorporate waterbending principles into her bending, which is necessary to redirect lightning?

Also, what the hell is smokebending?! For I know in the Kyoshi novels, Kyoshi bends smoke as part of her first attempt at firebending, and that Aang generated smoke during The Firebending Master, so smokebending is a subset of firebending as the seeming precursor to firebending itself.

But how did the Fire Warriors manage to learn how to psychically generate and manipulate smoke?

Moreover, how did the Fire Warriors manage to learn how to use smokebending while also using their firebending at the same time? 

For as far as I know, other than Azula in the Smoke and Shadow Omnibus Cover, there is no other instance as far as I know of a non-Avatar bending an element and a sub-element at the same time. So how were they able to do so?

And how come Aang and Zuko, two master firebenders, one of which is also a master airbender, were not able to do anything about the Fire Warrior’s smoke? 

For shouldn’t they have been able to use their bending to clear the smoke instead of either choking on it (Aang) or allowing Azula to escape despite being a crypt with only one exit (Zuko)?

But I think the most frustrating thing is how strong the Fire Warriors are. For yes, I understand that the Gaang aren’t the only prodigies in the world, and that for a children’s action-adventure series, it is hard to write conflicts if the heroes face no physical challenges whatsoever.

But there is no justification both in-universe or out of it for why the Fire Warriors are so strong both in terms of bending and athleticism. Especially considering the fact they were heavily implied to have been kept in the same conditions that Azula was, and thus shouldn’t have been able to train to an elite master level, and the fact that they too were wearing long billowing capes with their left eyes blocked by their wood masks.

In fact, this ties into my next point...

Fire Warriors and the Asylum System

How was Azula able to break out six girls from her old asylum without Zuko finding out? For even assuming that Azula killed everyone there, eventually someone had to have come and find out about the slaughter. Especially when, assuming he really did try to find Azula, one of the things Zuko would have done is put extra guards there since it was likely that Azula would try to return there.

But instead of getting an answer on how Azula was able to break them out without anyone finding out, other than the meta-textual answer of Azula needed a new girl gang and the only people who she could have plausibly convinced considering her living conditions of the past year were her fellow asylum inmates, instead all we are left with is speculation, some of which implies some very nasty things about Zuko’s reign and the Fire Nation. 

Like the idea that the asylum system remained in control of Ozai loyalists and are currently weaponizing the inmates to create a shadow army to overthrow Zuko using the group of people Zuko and his regime would be least likely to suspect.

And speaking of speculation, what are the Fire Warriors’ motivations and/or goals in regards to joining Azula’s ongoing seditious domestic terrorism plot? For I understand that Azula needs new henchwomen in order to carry out her plots since it would break suspension of disbelief to have Azula carry them out by herself, but neither non-ableist explanation I could think of makes any sense.  

For either they are scared of her and/or being manipulated, but that doesn’t make sense since Azula no longer has any political power, and thus they can ignore her once she breaks them out. Not to mention Azula doesn’t seem to have regained all of her mental faculties (ex. her Mochi rant during Smoke and Shadow and how her eyes bulge out like crazy!Azula in The Search at the end of it). 

Or because she became non-ironic friends with them, which doesn’t make sense since Azula during her time in the asylum was clearly not in the mental state to take care of herself, let alone make friends not relying on her status or fear mongering. Especially when The Search has Azula blame “Ursa” for making Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee stop fearing her, heavily implying Azula still thinks fear is a good way to maintain relationships.

Which leaves us with the ableist answer (sorry for the language, it is to get my point across): they are crazy bitches, and crazy bitches don’t need any reason to do harm!

And do you know how harmful that is to IRL mentally ill people? For mentally ill people have had to fight really, really hard to fight the association that being mentally ill makes you evil or prone to evil. And it is only recently they have been able to fight back against such associations thanks in part due to positive representations in various artistic works.

So it makes me really disappointed that Avatar, a franchise that handles several difficult topics (ex. child abuse, rescue parents, imperialism/colonialism, child soldiers, physical disabilities, war orphans, sexism, misogyny, hyper-nationalism, genocide, abusive sibling relationships, abusive friendships, etc.) with such grace that even children can clearly understand and learn from them, engaged in such harmful stereotyping. Especially when one of the most highly regarded arcs in LoK is Korra overcoming her PTSD from being poisoned with mercury over the course of several years and with the help of several people.

For at least Azula, with all the cries of ableism about her treatment in the comics and other post-canon works like Legacy of The Fire Nation, has reasons for being evil other than her mental illness. 

Like the fact that she was indoctrinated and groomed from birth to be an active member of the ruling family of an authoritarian, genocidal, imperialist empire.

But what are the Fire Warrior’s reasons for helping Azula outside of being mentally ill?

Themes (The Search)

To be quite honest, I really don’t think The Search has a theme since it mostly exists to answer the question of what happened to Ursa. So I don’t think there is much to analyze or criticize in terms of themes.

Themes (Smoke and Shadow)

However, Smoke and Shadow does have a central theme: fear, or more specifically, getting over the fear of: Ozai (for Ursa), Azula, and/or being a tyrant (in Zuko’s case).

And in regards to Ozai, I think Smoke and Shadow actually did a good job of showing Ursa getting over her fear of Ozai. In fact, I think their confrontation in Ozai’s jail cell, with Ozai being reduced to a mad dog after seeing he has no hold on Ursa anymore, is one of the few good things that come out of the comics.

But in regards to the other two themes, which are heavily tied to each in my opinion, are butchered by the need to keep Azula a credible villain.

For I think fear does serve a valid purpose: to make sure we avoid situations and/or people that are likely to put ourselves or the people we love in danger. 

And boy do a lot of people have a lot to fear about post-Smoke and Shadow.

Mai and Ty Lee have every reason to continue to fear Azula after Azula basically humiliated them in combat and made it very clear that they are only still alive because she wants them to be. Not to mention in Mai’s case, Azula basically bullied Ukano into action, causing her father to eventually have to go to jail for a long time, and kidnapped her brother before put him in a holding cell for a good period of time.

Aang has ever reason to continue to fear Azula considering she has several lightning attacks that can bypass lightning redirection, the fact that Azula herself knows lightning redirection, the fact that Azula has smokebending powers similar to the Fire Warriors that knocked him out cold, and that Azula has successful shown that she can cause Zuko to fall down the path of his ancestors, meaning that Azula could eventually succeed and indirectly wipe out everything Aang and his friends fought for during the war.

Zuko has ever reason to fear Azula considering that: she basically broke into the palace and operated a conspiracy right under his nose; she kidnapped a bunch of kids, including their half-sister, and he could do nothing about it until Ty Lee remembered the secret passageway; that she has taken away his trump card over her and has essentially become the strongest firebender in history; that he is only alive because Azula has plans for him; and that she is still loose and plotting the next step in her dastardly plot to remake him in her image.

Moreover, Zuko has every reason to fear turning into a tyrant since he not only has he failed to capture the Fire Warriors post-Smoke and Shadow, but also failed to show that he won’t fall prey to the Fire Warriors manipulations and assaults other than give a flowery, but ultimately meaningless, apology speech at the end of Smoke and Shadow.

For he doesn’t order a sweep of his government to make sure that there aren’t any more mavericks like Constable Sung in his ranks. 

He doesn’t try to craft policies to ensure the various Ozai loyalists groups can’t take advantage of alienated people like Kei Lo to fill their ranks with people willing to die since they have nothing in life. 

He doesn’t institute any safeguards or protocols to make sure that if he has to ever institute authoritarian measures ever again, he does so because it was the best and logical decision possible, and not out of fear. 

He hasn’t undergone training (ex. combine his firebending with his sword skills as is implied in the “Old Friends” artwork) to close the gap that has once again opened between him and Azula so that if he ever encounters her again, his life won’t be in her hands once again.

Hell! People like Iroh, Noren and Ursa have a lot to fear considering that Azula easily breached the palace, one of the most secure places in the world, and probably has other means of getting in undetected, even if the tunnels are now known, since she was responsible for evacuating Caldera City during the The Day of Black Sun, and has demonstrated continued willingness to not only hurt Zuko, but also Kiyi as well.

Moreover, assuming they ever find out where the other Fire Warriors came from, they will, and should considering their eras’ lack of knowledge on mental health, fear the inmates in the asylum system. 

For if six of them were willing to join Azula and were really strong benders who could even knock out a fully realized Aang, what will happen, hypothetically, when Azula builds herself an army out of the asylum inmates she and her warriors break out of the various asylums in the country?

So I guess what I am trying to say is that, by keeping Azula a villain, Smoke and Shadow undermined its own theme of “we have to learn to live with fear and never let it rule us”.

For only fools would not live in fear of Azula and the Fire Warriors until they are apprehended, and I don’t think any of the characters mentioned in this section are big enough fools to underestimate what Azula and the Fire Warriors can do and what they are willing to do to achieve their goals.

Conclusion

Azula was one of the best villains in Western Animation, and part of that is because the characters and the narrative treated her like the threat she was, and that, even if her schemes did need some good fortune (ex. Sokka vouching for the Kyoshi Warriors before leaving with Aang to go his father), they still relied on various characters acting like they did normally, and not in OOC fashion (ex. Kuei is an airheaded fool, and so it is not out of character for Kuei to forget that he told Azula about the DoBS invasion plan and/or tell anyone associated with the plan that he spilled the beans before going on exile) just so she could win. 

Moreover, Azula doesn’t display new abilities when the plot demands it just to remain a threat; all she does is exploit her previously established abilities and intelligence/cunning.

For example, the Avatar is slowly floating up in the air in his Avatar State that is previously established to turn him into a berserking force of nature. Ok. I’ll just take advantage of the fact that he is exposed to shoot him dead with lightning before he can harm my allies, my friends, my brother, and/or me.

However, in the comics, Azula, despite remaining just as big as a threat, if not bigger, is not treated as such by either the narrative or the characters she interacts with. Moreover, Azula and her henchwomen frequently come up with new powers just so they remain a credible threat. And it not only ruins Azula as a villain, but also the characters that she has the misfortune of interacting with directly or indirectly.

For it really hurt to see a fully realized Aang essentially get knocked out by some faceless goons.

It really hurt to see Mai break up with Zuko because he visited Ozai without telling her, and then hide from him the existence of the New Ozai Society and the fact that her father was leading it. Not to mention, when confronted for her treason, seeing her avoid owning her mistake before everyone unceremoniously dropped the subject.

It really hurt to see post-war Suki and Ty Lee, two of the best H2H fighters who have learned each other's techniques, essentially get fodderized by a half-blind Azula. Or to see Azula learn lightning redirection with no indication of how she managed to learn the technique. Or to see her invent concussive lightning because the comics want her to spam her iconic lightning at everyone like the villain she is, but don’t want to deal with the consequences previously established in the TV show or in LoK.

It made me angry to see Zuko keep giving Azula second chance after second chance when Azula deserves no chances as long as she is on her current path. Especially when she keeps on hurting the people Zuko supposedly loves, and the subjects he supposedly cares about.

Anyway, before my rant gets too long, the point is that not that Azula can’t remain a good villain. For even I, as someone who believes an Azula redemption would be compelling, believe there are ways to keep Azula a credible antagonist in line with what was shown in the TV show.

But if this is the way Azula is going to be continued to be written as a villain, as a living plot device, I don’t want her to remain a villain. 

Especially when the bad writing surrounding villain!Azula starts to ruin other characters' previously established characterization, as well as previously established world building and lore.

[justanotherthrowaway1950]

Why Do People Think Zuko Wants to Help Azula? Or That It Is His Responsibility to Do So?

Note: This is where Gene Yang heavily implied that Azula’s mental state in the comic is due to her “treatment” in the asylum.

Note: This is Aaron Ehasz’s tweet chain detailing a hypothetical Season 4 Azula redemption arc.

Note: This is Bryke disconfirming there was ever going to be a Season 4 of ATLA.

Note: This image contains Iroh’s canon views in regards to Azula and her upbringing.

I understand that people like the idea of Zuko helping Azula heal and redeem herself, not only fully breaking the cycle of abuse, but also becoming a better man than Iroh, who canonically never really cared for Azula and blames her for her abuse. Especially after Aaron Ehasz tweeted about his plan to redeem Azula through Zuko if ATLA ever got a Season 4, WHICH WAS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN PER BRYKE’s WORDS.

But the idea that Zuko would help Azula heal and redeem herself is literally not supported by canon.

For he left Azula in an abusive institution for at least a year without giving a damn, which was well within his rights after everything she did to him, and was content with leaving her there until he realized the shitty state of his nuclear family badly reflected him on, and that he needed Azula to extract intel from Ozai about Ursa’s possible location before putting her under house arrest with 24/7 surveillance in an effort to send a message to his subjects and the world.

And that the only reason why Azula was eventually able to travel free and unbound with dignity was because she managed to blackmail Zuko with Ursa’s possible location.

Moreover, deep down, when you push back against Zuko’s facade of wanting to “help” Azula, you find someone who blames her for making his life hell from the moment she was born, like his primary abusers weren’t Ozai and Azulon, and thinks she does evil for the sake of evil.

For when Zuko finds out Azula is tied to the Fake Kemurikage kidnappings, he doesn’t react with sadness like Ty Lee, or shock and disbelief like Mai, two people who, despite rightfully fearing and loathing Azula, did know her best outside of her family.

No…when asked why Azula would be a part of such a vile enterprise for no apparent reason, Zuko basically shrugs and says that it is Azula, and so there is no need to understand why she is doing it.

So why would someone who blames Azula for all the misfortune in his life and is quick to assume the worse out of her want to willingly help her?

And before anyone brings up the climax of The Search, just think about it for a moment from Azula’s POV?

She just tried killing Zuko’s beloved mommy their mother in front of Zuko after a tumultuous trip in which Zuko and his friends found out that she was planning to overthrow Zuko using the “Zuko is a bastard” letter and only let her keep it because they still needed her to find Ursa.

Moreover, Zuko has already made it clear that he blames her for making his life hard in addition to her belief that Zuko locked up her in the abusive institution to break her, when in reality Zuko is so absent minded he never bothered to check the conditions there, not that Zuko's intentions in sending Azula to asylum makes her "treatment" there any better.

So when Azula hears Zuko say he wants to help her, why would Azula believe that Zuko would do anything other than have Aang de-bend her for good before throwing her in a prison cell next to Ozai for life, or worse, back into the asylum?

But moving on, even if one were to disregard the comics, it is pretty clear that Zuko is clearly not the person to help Azula.

For he compares Azula to Aang in terms of how easy bending comes to her, when it is obvious from Azula’s training scene with Lo and Li that she had to work almost as hard (key word almost) as Zuko in order to manifest her natural talent.

Zuko, in order to not face the reality that his grandfather and father are abusive bastards with no love for him, comes up with the mantra of, “Azula always lies,” even though it is clear that she isn’t always lying. For example, when she tells Zuko in his room that Ozai is really going to fulfill Azulon’s order to kill him, or that Ozai views the beginning of Book 2 Zuko as a miserable failure, and so he wants to lock up him up so he can stop “embarrassing” him.

Or when Azula tries opening up to the rest of The Dangerous Ladies and Zuko about how she views herself as a monster, and how Ursa was right to view her as one, Zuko stays silent due to a combination of resentment, fear, and believing Azula that is just lying to gain brownie points with the rest of group after they revealed their various long-standing traumas, despite Azula, along with Mai and Ty Lee, helping him deal with his own issues.

Or how about when Azula is apparently falling to her death during the start of The Southern Raiders, for Zuko initially appears worried that she will die, but the moment she is able to launch herself to the cliffside, he acts annoyed that she even survived.

But the crown jewel that shows TV!Zuko’s care, or lack thereof, for TV!Azula is when Zuko asks Katara to help put Azula in her place when he asks Katara to help him take down Azula so he can take the throne.

For there is no hesitation or any reflection that the reason why he has to outright kill Azula is because he had the right circumstances to overcome their indoctrination and abuse while she never had anyone to help her do the same, and thus has to be put down for the sake of the world.

And yes, Zuko was clearly intending to kill Azula considering he was going to redirect her lightning to win the final Agni Kai until Katara foolishly stepped into the arena, giving Azula a chance take advantage of Zuko’s protectiveness to hit him with lightning without Zuko being able to properly redirect it.

But before anyone accuses of me of twisting Zuko’s behavior and actions to make him seem like a jackass or woobify Azula, there is a reason why I did so other than to show that Zuko doesn’t want to help Azula: to show that not only is he ill-equipped to help her, but also that it is not responsibility to do so.

For what Azula needs, other than medical treatment to help her deal with her, in my opinion, canon schizo-??? disorder (she has severe audiovisual delusions and hallucinations for at least a year straight and her master plan in Smoke and Shadow comes about due to giving into her delusions), is a parental figure who can teach her that love is not conditional while also showing her unconditional love and that fear is for fools, trust is the only reliable way.

For once she learns how to be a functional person and heals, she will be able to start atoning for all her various evil acts and eventually become a healthy, productive member of society.

Which ties back into why it is not Zuko’s responsibility to help her; for in addition to being a teenager who is still trying to overcome his abuse, on top of having reform a superpower after a hundred years of indoctrination while reintegrating it into the world community, Zuko is one of Azula’s principal victims!

For Azula was Zuko’s secondary abuser, abused Mai and Ty Lee, and tried killing or jailing Zuko and/or his loved ones several times (and succeeded several times).

In fact, a key part of Azula's hypothetical atonement is her apologizing to Zuko for her behavior towards him and the people he cares about while also making it clear that she is not entitled to be part of his life, or part his government, and thus wield (real) power again.

Not to mention showing through repeated actions that her words are not just another attempt at manipulation for her own benefit.

But now that I have made it clear that Zuko doesn’t want to help Azula heal, nor is it his responsibility to do so, I am sure people are going to ask who can serve as that parental figure who can help Azula heal?

Well, there are a lot of options: Iroh, if you are part of the group of people who ignore the comics and extended lore; post-comics Ursa, who has already indicated a desire to make up for her parenting mistakes in regards to Azula; an actual medical professional once Zuko realizes the bad state of the asylums and reforms them; or even some random adults who decide to help an obviously broken person desperately seeking guidance in AUs that don’t take into account the comics.

For this is an aside, but it seems pretty clear to me that post-Smoke and Shadow Azula, who is most likely a legal adult, will most likely never find support, even among civilians, due to her crimes and status as the most wanted war criminal fugitive alive.

But getting back to the main point, I don’t get the idea why people think Zuko would want to help Azula, at least in an earnest fashion where Azula is given the time, space, and ability to make mistakes just like Zuko did during his redemption arc? Or why is it his responsibility to help her, when he himself has a lot to figure out about himself and is one of Azula’s victims?

Not when there are a lot of potential adult figures who can help Azula heal from Ozai’s abuse.

Also, it would be nice for one of the remaining Royal Family adult members to try and actually make up for doing absolutely nothing to counter Ozai’s grooming like they did with Zuko, but this post is neither the time nor place for that discussion.

[justanotherthrowaway1950]

Fire Lord Zuko's Life Sucks

A lot of ink has been spilled on how terrible Zuko’s life was, especially pre-banishment, until he realized that his father and his father’s regime were irredeemably evil, thus allowing him to finally escape the grasp of his abusive family and help usher in a world based on peace and love, not death and fear.

But in my opinion, I think Fire Lord Zuko's life post-Smoke and Shadow is almost as bad, if not worse considering the stakes, as his life pre-turning on Ozai. Especially if you take a moment to analyze the post-Smoke and Shadow status quo from his perspective.

Highly abusive father who has tried to kill multiple times and hated you from birth is in jail for life after you (rightfully) betrayed him and was partially responsible for getting his soul mutilated. Despite your desire to see him find at least peace, he has no shown no signs of changing whatsoever, and therefore will likely spend the rest of his life in his dank cell, irrevocably estranged from you. That is outside of moments where you foolishly go to him for help, thus allowing him a chance to manipulate you like the boy who still deep down wants his father’s love that you are. Not that it bothers you (it does).

Highly abusive and mentally ill sister who has tried killing you and your loved ones multiple times is now free thanks to you, and is now hellbent on turning you evil. And that the only way she stops, short of another psychotic episode, is by successfully breaking you, or due to you, or one of your allies, killing her. That is if you can kill her considering her exponential power growth and potential to keep growing since she still hasn’t reached her prime. Moreover, the reason why she became even worse, and was able to recruit people to her terrorist cell, is due to the systemic abuse present in the asylum system you thought would help her.

The love of your life broke up with you in your time of need, though justified due to you keeping secrets from her even though she saved your life, before betraying you for her father.

Your people don't really respect you at all, seeing you as the Avatar's puppet. And to a point they are correct since you made them give up their “hard-earned” colonies as well as pay reparations to the rest of the world. So they constantly try to kill you to the point that you have to hire foreign bodyguards to protect you since you can't even trust your own men.

Your uncle, despite having actual political experience, has essentially abandoned you to reform your nation after a 100 years of war to live his best life in the city he besieged for 600 days.

Your friends can't see you outside of diplomatic settings, or when serious shit happens, since they have to rebuild the world. Not to mention the fact that if you step even one foot out of line, no matter how justified, they will kill you. Though to be fair you did ask them to kill you if you ever went down your father's path.

The rest of the world rightfully treats you with skepticism, knowing that you are one bad day away from being your father's son.

Even though it is completely understandable, and you are glad to have her back in your life, a part of you hurts at the realization that your existence is directly tied to your mother’s trauma. Moreover, part of the reason why she doted on you is because she could delude herself into thinking that you could have been the child she should have had with your step-father. Additionally, even if she didn’t mean it, and wrote it only because years of abuse and trauma messed with her judgment, her letter claiming your were a bastard could have not only have led to your death as a child if your father was just a bit smarter, but also could have led to your sister inciting a civil war if not for her dropping said letter for reasons unclear.

Honestly, in light of the above, if it wasn’t for Kiyi, Ursa, and his sense of honor, along with his never give up attitude, what reason would Zuko have to live right now? Because unlike the audience, Zuko doesn’t know that everything will turn out ok, and that he will end up as a highly revered Fire Lord. 

All he knows is that is his family life, along with his love life, is in shambles, his friends can’t be just friends with him due to political realities, and he is constantly facing threats to his life and regime, with none bigger than the threat posed by his sister, who has (apparently) re-established the gap in combat prowess that existed before he visited the dragons.

Hence why I hope the 2025 Gaang movie, along with the standalone Zuko movie if it is still a thing, allows Zuko to get his life together and start becoming the revered leader that LoK says he became. 

Because despite being a literal king with very few bending rivals, being Zuko right now is suffering in my opinion.

[justanotherthrowaway1950]

Why Azula Won’t Get a Second Chance, and Why the Audience Won’t Care

There are a lot of good reasons why Azula should be redeemed, like the fact that she was an abused child soldier and general groomed, and still being groomed until Ozai got deposed, into what she became in addition to suffering from severe mental illness. 

But I don’t think the narrative cares at all for any of that all since by focusing so much on the aesthetics of Azula’s villainy, the show basically caused fandom, and even the creators, to ignore the humanity in Azula to the point that it basically blocks off any interesting storytelling avenues Post-Sozin’s Comet with Azula other than killing her, jailing her, de-bending her, and/or turning her into a Scooby-Doo/ Team Rocket type of villain.

For Azula constantly wears make-up even when straightjacketed, has a “sexy” voice despite being a heavily sheltered kid, and has scenes with brimming sexual tension (ex. the bedroom scene), all hallmarks of the seductive temptress villainess archetype, one that does not get redeemed in the overwhelming majority of works the archetype appears in.

Whenever we see flashbacks to child!Azula, all we see is Azula acting like a jackass without any context, narrative focus, and/or inner monologue to help explain her behavior, leaving the audience to believe that she is evil just because, in addition to making the audience comfortable with Zuko’s eventual redemption since he is a “cute and innocent turtleduck” in comparison.

Would it have been that hard, for example, to show Azula have special one on one meetings with Ozai where Ozai engages in parentification and tells her his unfiltered thoughts about Azulon, Iroh, and Lu Ten, explaining not only why she such low thoughts about them, but also why she says such vile and derogatory things about them as well?

Moreover, the show makes it clear, in my opinion, that the only person who can truly defeat Azula is Azula herself. 

And this is because for most of Season 2, she is stalemated at best, with her only clear cut loss being The Drill, which can easily be attributed to The Drill’s crew, before conquering Ba Sing Se, getting the invasion plan details, killing Aang, turning Zuko, and capturing Iroh with nay a scratch on her.

She then manages to turn what should have been the relatively bloodless end of the war from the perspective of the Gaang, the Day of Black Sun, into a crushing loss that doesn’t end with all of them captured only because The Fire Nation had no means of capturing Appa at the time.

And even after the Boiling Rock triggered the start of her childhood schizo disorder, she almost killed Zuko at The Western Air Temple if it wasn’t for the Gaang saving him. 

Hell! The only reason why Zuko and Katara even got to the capital unmolested during Sozin's Comet is because Azula, during the onset of her childhood schizo disorder, banished everyone.

And even if she was losing to Zuko, she almost managed to take down both Zuko and Katara despite suffering from a schizo episode, and only lost because she got too close to Katara on top of what appeared to be the only open water source in the entire arena. 

And this trend of Azula being a nigh-undefeatable, all-intimidating villain gets taken to new highs in the comics, where, despite a year in captivity, she manages to blackmail Zuko into going on the search for Ursa unbound and with dignity, despite starting the comic in a wheelchair with a straightjacket and chains around her legs, before almost managing to kill off the only person who could refute the “bastard” letter and running off with it, with the only plausible explanation of why she didn’t do so is solely because she didn’t want to.

And in Smoke and Shadow, she successfully takes out the New Ozai Society, despite being a penniless, homeless, fugitive, and shows Zuko how he easily he can become a dictator before dipping out to plot the next step in her plan to remake Zuko in her image. 

Not to mention the fact that she has managed to become GOAT firebender by this point, for not only has her flames become hotter (her flames stay blue even after she releases her hold), she has smokebending powers, and unprecedented lightning manipulation on top of being arguably the best H2H fighter in her era.

Also, not to belabour a point, but is not like “sane” Azula, in the show or comics, doesn’t dominate every single fight she is in except her fight with Katara in the Catacombs, with that near defeat being easily explained as either plot induced stupidity or that she was going to use her fire breathing to escape Katara’s hold and got interrupted by Zuko’s intervention.

No, not all.

But the point is that Azula never really lost by anyone’s hand but her own, for her biggest and only outright loss, Sozin’s Comet, only occurred because she got dealt a shit hand in regards to genetics and timing (she got jumped at the worst possible moment). For it is ironic to say, but Zuko was born lucky while Azula was lucky to be born when it came to having the underlying genetics for a schizo disorder, which is the only thing that can really defeat Azula.

So why would the audience care for the showy, nigh-invincible villain? I mean, at least Zuko was an underdog, or at least compared to the Gaang and his sister who are all once in a generation prodigies in their respective fields, and him joining the Gaang didn’t require his competence and/or intelligence to take a hit.

For unless redeemed!Azula gets nerfed, why would there be any tension in any story that she is involved in?

For example, how could you write a compelling story about Zuko dealing with a civil war if redeemed!Azula is by his side, and thus crushes the opposition before getting everyone even tangentially involved arrested like her prior feats suggest would happen?

But moving on, I don’t think anyone in-universe cares that Azula was a kid in regards to her redeemability considering the age of majority in Avatar’s world is lower than our’s today, Azula was either second- or third-in-command in Ozai’s regime during his reign, and the fact she was an active and willingly agent of imperialism. 

And you know, the whole “I suggested and helped plan for a genocide” thing. For yes, I know it can be argued that she suggested scorched earth tactics, but I don’t think anyone in-universe is going to argue in favor of Azula.

Also hurting Azula’s chances of getting a second chance post-war is the poor state of the Fire Nation asylum system, which is responsible for making her mental state worse as heavily implied by Yang’s Word of God, and the fact that she has alienated everyone in power and/or who could have helped her, especially post-comics. 

For Zuko never really cared to help her until he needed her to find Ursa and realized the poor state of his nuclear family was sending a bad message to his nation and the world. And when pushed to his limit by Azula during The Search, he asks her why did she have to make his life so hard from the day she was born, like his primary abuser wasn't Ozai, and Azulon wasn’t Ozai’s primary enabler.

(Note: Azula is Zuko’s secondary abuser as well as an Ozai enabler, but that is not the focus of this post.)

Iroh is never in canon seen caring for her once, except telling the Gaang to let Azula go on the search for Ursa on her own terms since it might bring her peace, and in The Legacy of The Fire Nation blames her for her abuse.

Ursa never had a soft moment with Azula on screen or on panel with both of them conscious, is never shown to have any real interest in parenting Azula, and post-comics is probably furious at Azula for kidnapping Kiyi and continuing to harass and assault her favored child after trying to jail and/or murder him several times. 

Moreover, the “bastard” letter, which might be the closest thing we have to Ursa’s unfiltered thoughts about Azula, implies that she views Azula as part of the pain associated with her life as a Fire Nation Princess.

So why would Ursa want to help someone who has caused nothing but pain to herself and her (actual) loved ones?

Mai and Ty Lee have utterly disowned her, with Mai trying to kill Azula several times and Ty Lee attacking Azula on sight the moment Azula is anything other than docile, in addition to the constant justified paranoia the two have after Azula escaped Zuko’s custody.

Lo and Li are MIA, and even if they weren't, they probably wouldn’t help since they were Azula’s abusers as well.

The Fire Warriors are currently enabling Azula’s worse impulses and either are too beholden to Azula for breaking them out from the asylum to push back or will eventually leave her once she alienates them like she does to everyone other than Ozai, who at this point she has betrayed and is actively working against. Aang is too busy and everyone else, including her own subjects apparently, (already) views her as a crazy psycho who needs to be locked up for the good of the world.

Like I know this is kind of dark to say, but it seems that Azula is irredeemable not because any innate qualities, but because her circumstances and the choices she made as a kid and teenager have blocked off any avenue for her to get the help she needs to start redeeming herself. For almost everyone who got redeemed in ATLA or LoK had someone show them unearned and unconditional mercy, and I don’t post-comics Azula will ever get that as sad as that sounds.

And this is because, even with the ambiguity in TV!Azula’s character that allows people to credibly argue that she is either redeemable or irredeemable, the comics all but say she was born bad, and can’t be saved due to her learned morals and innate and incurable craziness/evilness.

For isn’t a crazed, sadistic madwoman essentially Azula’s character post-TV show? 

In The Search, she helps search for Ursa so she can off her in an attempt to get rid of the voice in her head, and only stops when Noriko, not Ursa, tells her that she is sorry for neglecting her if she was her mom.

And then in Smoke and Shadow, she breaks out six girls from her asylum as part of a long-term seditious domestic terrorist plot to turn Zuko into a dictator, using the visage of a dark sprit from her former friend Mai’s nightmare that she was responsible for causing to terrorize Capital City, engage in mass child kidnapping, and manipulate terrorist groups to force Zuko's hand before ominously vanishing into smoke, heavily implied to keep trying until she get what she wants, damn the consequences.

And before people bring up the implied asylum abuse and Yang’s Word of God heavily implying Azula’s mental state and actions in the comics due to her "treatment" in the asylum, I don’t think the average fan cares. For if you go onto mainstream sites like reddit and twitter, the majority seem to believe that Azula was essentially born with non-curable severe ASPD, despite that going against the show’s ethos and the show and Bryke's Word of God, at least at the time of Sozin’s Comet, all but saying Azula was a product of nurture, not nature.

So my point in all this is to point out that Azula probably won’t get redeemed due to the writing choices made by the creators’ pigeonholing Azula into the irredeemable villain role that has caused the audience to jetsam whatever sympathy they had for Azula, if they ever had any in the first place.

And while there could be a path for Azula to find redemption post-comics, it would be an exceedingly hard one to write while keeping everyone in character, let alone crafting one that is satisfying to the audience considering the last time they tried redeeming a character similar to Azula, Kuvira, it arguably led to the worse non-movie ATLA product ever released, Ruins of the Empire.