Azula’s Descent into Madness: Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Most Heartbreaking Character Arc (2024)

What happened to Azula to cause her breakdown? Was it just one single thing or many things? Could her fall be traced from the start of the series?

Spoiler Warning: This article focuses solely on the Avatar: The Last Airbender TV series and does not contain any spoilers for the graphic novels or The Legend of Korra. This article contains spoilers for Avatar: The Last Airbender TV series only.

Princess Azula…. Fire Princess…Firebending prodigy…. Zuko’s younger sister…No matter what you call her, there is no denying that Azula’s character arc is one of the most compelling stories in Avatar: The Last Airbender. The fourteen-year-old princess has been given the task of picking up her brother’s pieces. Her father has given her the job of tracking down Zuko and the Avatar. He puts his complete trust in her. She has everything that going for her. She has the love of the Fire Nation, two best friends, and her father’s love. Her father goes as far as to entrust her with the Fire Nation and wants to make her the next Fire Lord. What more could she want? Why does she lose it all? What causes her emotional breakdown? Were there signs of this breakdown throughout the series? In this article, I will attempt to answer those questions.

Azula is primarily raised in an environment without her mother. When she did have a mother, she believed that her mother loved Zuko more than her. It is this belief that starts her descent into madness. The idea as a young child of being unloved and having to prove yourself to be loved has left a deep impact on her. She believes that to be loved, one must prove that they are worthy of being loved. Having Fire Lord Ozai as a father does not help matters either. In the flashbacks from the show, we can see that Ozai does favour Azula. However, this is not enough for her. She sees the close and loving relationship that Zuko and Ursa have and she wants it. She does anything and everything that she can think of to get her mother’s attention. Instead of getting the relationship that she longs for, it only leads to fights. For example, when she burns a flower that didn’t grow right (according to her), she is punished for disrespecting the garden. Based on what we see in Avatar: The Last Airbender, we don’t know if Ursa ever reached out to Azula-at least early on. We don’t know if she made any attempt to get to know her daughter. Everything we know about the relationship comes from Zuko’s point of view.

Azula is very confident in her abilities as a firebender and a human being. As a result, she has become very narcissistic. She drives to be perfect and anything less than that is not good enough. In one episode, we see her practising and her lesson seems to be going great. At the end of the practice session, there is one piece of hair that is out of place. As a result, she did not do good enough. She needs perfection and will not settle for anything less. Perfection is a sign of strength, which shows off your power and domination. This she why she does not help others and only does so when she has something to gain from it. All this stems from her having instilled into her mind that she has been chosen for her role as the Fire Princess and eventual Fire Lord. This means that anyone whom Azula views as being beneath her is shown no mercy. To mess up goes against the idea of not being perfect and, therefore, is a sign of treason and inferiority. She wants complete control of everything and everyone. This is shown very clearly in her personality as she can keep her calm and react in almost every situation.

Azula does not understand the feelings of others. We see this time and time again. Whenever someone does something better than her, she lashes out at that person. This comes from her desire to be anything but perfect. How she treats Ty Lee is a perfect example of this. Ty Lee is one of Azula’s closest friends. However, Ty Lee is better at gymnastics than she is. Azula responds by pushing her to the ground and calling her a “circus freak.” This goes on for years. It may make it appear that Azula does not care for her friends, but we will see how much they impact her life later. This idea of fear and bullying is what drives much of her friendships. This is not the only time Azula bullies Ty Lee. Whenever Azula starts to put together her team to hunt down Aang, she wants Ty Lee and visits her at the circus. Ty Lee doesn’t want to come. She is happy with her life choices. Azula’s drive pushes her. Azula stays to supposedly watch her friend but ends up putting her in grave danger. She has the circus master set the net below Ty Lee on fire. This makes her afraid and, as a result, she helps Azula, which is what Azula wants.

Azula is not afraid to assert herself and show her authority. She does this by humiliating others. She looks down on those who are not up to her standard. This does, once again, allow her to get what she wants. By making people less than her, it means that they bow down to her. She pushes them to the side and keeps climbing. This is how she takes down Long Feng, gains control of Dai Li, and conquers Bai Sing Se. She does this because she needs to be admired by everyone. Now, she may want it from everyone around her, but there is one person whom she wants it most from her father. Whenever she believes that Fire Lore Ozai does not notice her or acknowledge what she has accomplished, she reacts with rage and despair. This comes from the lack of love and compassion that she has never been shown. Remember that Zuko has Iroh to teach him these things, while Azula has no one.

Azula is cruel. She shows no concern for anyone, except her father. She is aggressive and shows no lack of remorse for her actions. For example, when Lu Ten, Iroh’s son, is killed, she wonders if this would somehow make Ozai the next Fire Lord. When Iroh abandons the Siege of Ba Sing Se to grieve his son, Azula calls him a quitter and mocks his grief. When Ozai tries to claim the throne for his own, she laughs at her father’s punishment, which is to kill Zuko. When Zuko is burned and banished by Ozai, we see Azula, in the crowd, grinning. She takes great enjoyment in the suffering of others. Once again, this all comes back to her idea of being perfect. Those who are not perfect are punished. Her cruelty, once again, shows that she has a lack of feeling emotions for others. For example, when her mother disappears and her grandfather dies, she shows no signs of emotion and does not understand why others are upset.

Azula is the only known firebender who can create blue lightning, which has been described as “cold-blooded fire.” It hints at her cold personality, power, and her drive to increase this power. As we have learned from Iroh, to create blue lightning, one must have complete control of their emotions. This is why Zuko can’t produce it. Azula demonstrates complete control. Why? Since she cannot relate to others, this means that she has a one-track mind, and this makes it very easy for her to control herself. She is cunning, can think on her feet and use what she has available to her. She is also able to lie without giving herself away. Even Toph cannot tell when she is lying. These skills make her able to quickly gain control of almost any situation that she finds herself in.

While Azula does appear to be completely confident, she does have a few insecurities. When she and her friends go to the beach, we see her lack of social skills. Since she is royalty, she is used to being worshipped by everyone around her. Now, she has found herself in a situation where no one knows who she is. Ty Lee is at ease with the situation and has boys begging to help her. Azula does not know what to do. During the kuai ball game, she wants nothing less than a victory. When she speaks to people, she finds that she intimations people, when all she wants is a connection. She becomes jealous of Ty Lee’s ability to draw people in, which is something that we have not seen from her. This shows us that even though she acts like certain things don’t bother her, it does. This shows us that there are cracks in Azula’s mindset.

It is on Ember Island that we see how much resentment she has toward her mother. She claims that her mother called her a “monster.” On the outside, it does appear as if she agrees with this viewpoint. However, the pain and damage are still there. Her mother saw her as a monster. Azula was a very young child when her mother made this comment. This has had a deep impact on Azula’s mental state. Being called a “monster” by a parent is one of the worst things that a child can go through. This is not the only thing that happens on Ember Island. It is one of the few times that she shows compassion for any human being. Zuko ventures away from the group and she senses that something is wrong. She follows him and encourages him to return to the group. He is alone and in pain. She knows this and wants him to be a part of something.

Zuko is Azula’s main target. He is the symbol of everything that the Fire Nation is not. He is a weak and whiny child, who deserves everything that has happened to him. This does not mean that she completely hates him. When it is convenient to herself and the Fire Nation, we see her views of him improve. When Zuko betrays Iroh and joins her to take Ba Sing Se, Azula is very pleased with his choice. She tells him that it was his destiny to be Prince of the Fire Nation and that fighting with her was the right thing to do. He hesitates to fight Katara, whom he has developed somewhat of a bond with, and Azula lashes out. This makes him weak and almost changes her view of him. He does, in her mind, do the right thing and side with her. Even when he starts to question if betraying Iroh was the right thing to do, Azula believes that what he has done is his greatest achievement, even if he does not see it himself. Despite all of this, Azula is not happy with what she has done. It is not enough. After she takes Ba Sing Se for the Fire Nation, she does not stay and rule herself. When she starts to doubt that she killed Aang, she passes the credit onto Zuko; that way if Aang is still alive, the failure would fall on Zuko and not herself. These doubts and feeling like she wasn’t doing enough added to the cracks in her mental state. No matter what she did, it was never enough. This means that even if she took over the world, it would not be enough and she would keep looking.

Azula’s fragile mental state starts to come out. Her confidence and power start to be rocked by even the smallest of things. The biggest blow comes from Mai and Ty Lee, whom she has not always treated the best, but has come to expect that they will always support her. For someone who does not feel all that much for other people, the loss of her two friends destroys her. At the Boiling Rock, Zuko is there with Sokka and they are looking for Sokka’s father. Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee arrive. When they have Zuko right where they want him, Mai decides to let Zuko go, claiming that her love for Zuko is greater than her fear of Azula. When Azula moves to attack Mai, Ty Lee blocks Azula’s firebending. Mai and Ty Lee are arrested. Azula demands that they be locked away forever. Azula holds Mai and Ty Lee in high regard. Having them betray her destroys her. This is the first time that Azula’s fragile mental state is out in the open for everyone to see. From here on out, we do not see Azula’s cool and collected personality. Instead, she almost becomes reckless. This is most apparent at the Western Air Temple, where she stops at nothing to kill Zuko. She believes that killing him will make what has happened go away. This breakdown keeps growing as the series comes to an end. Her attacks are far more vicious and becomes obsessed with hunting her brother down. From here on, it is very clear that she is losing her sanity.

The end comes when Ozai declares himself the Phoenix King. Azula intended to accompany him to the Earth Kingdom. She wants nothing more than to be seen as an equal by her father. However, he informs her that she will not be going. This devastates her. She views this as being an offence to both herself and her honour. Ozai is the ultimate symbol of power and the perfect Fire Lord. To have him reject her is a symbol that despite everything that she has done, she is not good enough and never will be good enough. She comes to realize that her father is afraid of her. He is afraid that she is going to take away his power. Ozai is not finished yet. He explains to her that his reasoning for leaving her behind is so she can be Fire Lord and will rule over the Fire Nation while he is gone. This calms her for a little bit. It does make her realize that even though she will have all this power, he still manages to control and rule over her. Even though he probably does love her, this is a huge blow to Azula’s mental state. The end of the Earth Kingdom and her having to stay behind rocked her to her core. She knows that he does not truly love her and never will. Everything that she has ever worked for has been taken away from her. She, as a result, loses her grip on reality.

Azula’s paranoia comes out on her coronation day. Her fear of being betrayed and killed is at the forefront of her mind. She believes that a servant has left a cherry pit in her meal so that she would choke and die. She has the servant banished. When the Dai Li arrive five minutes after she summoned them, she accuses them of being slow and that an assassin could have killed her before they got there. They are also banished. Ever since Mai and Ty Lee betrayed her, she does not trust anyone.

If you look closely, you can see the dark circles under her eyes. Though unclear, you can assume that she is not sleeping well. Fear and paranoia are always haunting her. She is terrified of disappointing Ozai. This becomes clear when Li and Lo, who are her mentors, suggest that she delay her coronation. Azula becomes outraged and demands that they fight an Agni Kai against each other. She forgets that they are not firebenders. Once this is brought up, Azula, looking at Li tells her that Lo is banished. This causes mass confusion because the sisters have no idea who has been banished and who has not.

Azula is truly alone now. Her staff is gone and she is left to do things on her own-many of which she cannot do. She does not admit this. Again, to admit that she cannot do everything goes against everything that she worked for. She is trying to fix her hair into a bun, which she cannot do. She does not let this stop her. She cuts off the bit of hair that she cannot get into the bun and calls the situation “fixed,” even though her hair is a mess. She is openly frustrated and looks into the mirror with a wild expression on her face. Her mother appears, which only adds to her rage. Ursa attempts to compliment her daughter. Azula blows it off and tells Ursa that she is only pretending and that is needs to stop. Azula reminds Usra that she once called her a monster. Ursa tells her that she does not think this, that Azula is a confused child, and she loves her. Azula, who now has what she wants, cannot believe it and ends up throwing a brush at the mirror. She breaks down crying. This is truly the end for Azula. Even though she has caused much pain and suffering, one cannot help but feel sorry for her. This moment with Usra gives us an intense look at Azula. On the outside, Azula is cold and untouchable. On the inside, Usra’s banishment has left a profound impact on her. When Usra was banished, it left her alone with Ozai. It left her in a world with no love and in one where one must always prove one’s worth. Having someone tell her that she loved puts her over the edge. This sets her mental collapse in full motion.

This hints at the possibility of Azula regretting her past choices. While she does not show any outward signs of regret, there may be some internal going on. She knows that what she did is cruel. She knows that has pushed everyone away. She knows that what she has done in the past was wrong and is sorry for her actions. Why now? Why is Azula showing all of this now? It could be said that her idea of being perfect and never being good enough is breaking down. The hallucination of Ursa happens at the right time. Azula has done horrible things, yet Ursa is still there reaching out with a loving hand. Azula has wanted this from her mother, even though she pretends otherwise. Ursa is gentle and kind whenever she brings up Azula’s cruelty. This love and unjudging shows Azula that love should not be earned and given through fear, but should be given because everyone is deserving of it. Again, this sends Azula into a complete mental breakdown, one that she never recovers from.

Azula decides to go through with the coronation. Her hair is a mess and she is visibly impatient. This is what she has dreamed of. Now, that she has it, it bothers her. Her distress is only added to when Zuko and Katara interrupt her moment. They are here to challenge her being crowned as Fire Lord. Azula is not hesitant and challenges Zuko to an Agni Kai. When Zuko accepts the challenge, an evil smile appears on her face. Despite everything that she has been through, Azula wants to kill her brother. She believes that getting rid of him will end a lot of her problems. This little moment provides us with a lot of insight into her mental state. Remember that Azula oversees the Fire Nation, meaning that she has the full military might of the Fire Nation behind her. They could have killed Zuko and kept her out of the line of fire. This would have made more sense. However, she is driven to kill him personally and forgets all reason. Zuko quickly picks up on her distress. She is openly unstable and this is why he agrees to fight her. Had she been in full form, he probably would not have been able to defeat her.

It is clear as soon as the Agni Kai starts just how far gone Azula is. Her firebending has always been on point and deadly. Her lightning is no longer a controlled blue line that never misses its target. This is no longer the case. It’s messy and out of control. The entire sequence is not a happy affair. It is not a triumph victory of good versus evil. It is a very solemn affair. Her attacks are rough and have no sense of order to them. Zuko knows this and uses it to his advantage. She allows Zuko to get into her head. She attempts to attack him with lightning, knowing that he can easily redirect it. At the last minute, she changes her target and decides to go after Katara. Zuko dives in front of Katara, but since he is not grounded, he is unable to redirect the attack. He left on the ground with electricity racing through his body. Azula finds the whole thing to be rather entertaining and starts to mock Zuko and Katara. Her arrogance comes out because she believes that there is no way that Katara can beat her. Azula is right. Katara should have never been able to beat her. Katara is less powerful than Azula. However, Azula’s power has been weakened by her mental state. This allows Katara to defeat her. Azula is chained to the ground. Her rage only increases when she sees Zuko get up. She starts to breathe fire uncontrollably, scream, and cry. She tries to free herself, which under normal circ*mstances, she would have been able to. She is too far gone mentally to do any more damage. She tries to come after Zuko and Katara, who can only watch with clear sadness. She has put them through so much pain and suffering and all they can do is watch with pity.

Azula has lost everything. She has lost her crown, her father, her friends, and her nation. Everything that she has ever worked for and wanted is gone in the blink of an eye. Her mental breakdown is a result of this. She wanted her mother’s love and lost it to Zuko. She wanted to be by her father’s side and he shoved her away. She wanted Mai and Ty Lee to be by her side and now they are gone. She was supposed to be Fire Lord and now that is not happening. She is defeated, broken, and alone. she has been cruel and does deserve to be locked up. However, Zuko pities her. Instead of making her pay for everything that she has done, he shows her mercy. This could be because when he was at his lowest, people showed him mercy and kindness. Azula is not sent to prison and is sent to a mental health hospital where they can help her heal.

Azula’s character arc is one of the saddest in Avatar: The Last Airbender. She is cruel and heartless. She puts down those who get in her way. She uses fear to make sure that people stay loyal to her. Yet, she earns those people’s pity. When they could have ended her, they gave her the help that she needed. As we can see, the signs of her mental distress start early and it’s not until the very end that someone realizes she needs someone to be on her side. Had Azula had someone there for her all along, her arc could have played out very differently.