Fans worldwide have been celebrating the 15th anniversary of the premiere of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the American-anime series that blended the themes of Star Wars and Harry Potter with the influence of Asian mythology and spiritualism. The series transcended the typical Nickelodeon cartoon by telling an epic story over the course of three seasons. It wasn't just the action and world-building that made the show great, but especially the vast cast of compelling and entertaining characters who fans laugh and cried with. From The Gaang to the Cabbage merchant, every character was fascinatingly engaging.
The masterpiece of all characters however was Prince Zuko, the exiled heir to throne of the Fire Nation who starts the series obsessed with capturing the Avatar to restore his honor. In the beginning Zuko was the foil to the classic trio of Aang, Katara and Sokka, but over time the audience understood and empathized with his character. Scarred and shunned by his father, Firelord Ozai, the prince worked tirelessly with his lovable Uncle Iroh to prove himself worthy to his family.
Over the course of the series, the audience witnessed Zuko battle his inner conflict between being longing for acceptance by the kingdom he grew up with or breaking off to become his own man. He makes plenty of mistakes, like at the end of Book Two when he chooses his family over Team Avatar, but learns from them. By the end of Book Three, Zuko is, undeniably, one of the heroes.
Zuko had one of the most impressively written character arcs in not only animated history but in storytelling history period. On the flip-side of his perfect arc was another that was very compelling, but had the potential to be better. That person is, of course, Zuko's sister, Princess Azula.
Azula is not introduced in Avatar: The Last Airbender until the epic Book One finale when Zuko speaks to an unconscious Aang comparing the Avatar to her. "My father says she was born lucky; he says I was lucky to be born." Before this, she can be seen standing next to Iroh in a flashback of Zuko's duel with Ozai. The final frame of Book One introduces Azula as the new villain for Book Two.
The Princess of the Fire Nation essentially takes the torch from Zuko and Commander Zhao as the most visible villain in the series since, while Fire Lord Ozai is the overall series antagonist, Ozai is barely present until Book Three. Azula is an ideal opponent for Zuko and Team Avatar because she's everything Zuko is not. She's gifted in her bending abilities to the point where she can generate lightning. She is the one fully committed to honoring her family and the Fire Nation with absolutely no hesitation, and she is devious and cut-throat enough to do whatever it takes to win in the end.
Azula even recruits her two old friends, Ty Lee and Mai, to be apart of her team to counter Team Avatar. The three come out victorious at the end of Book Two when she severely wounds Aang and brings Zuko back to the family.
Throughout Book Three, Azula's obsession with the throne of the Fire Nation goes to her head. Though she does open up during a brief vacation on Ember Island about her pain and resentment towards her mysteriously absent mother, by the time Sozin's Comet arrives, Azula finds herself alone. She has lost the support of her brother and her two best friends.
The double-edged sword her father gave her by bestowing upon her the title of Fire Lord when he becomes the Phoenix King is the last straw. All she ever wanted was the throne, but when she got it, it was no longer the most powerful seat in the world. The madness of Fire Lord Azula was in full effect. In one of the darkest scenes of the series, the soon-to-be Fire Lord hallucinates her own mother in the mirror, refusing to believe that she loves her. The moment sums up how twisted she really is deep down inside.
Out of all of the key characters in the series, Azula was the worst off in the end. Ozai lost his bending, but was still the same physically and mentally before being locked away for life. Azula is last seen in the series an emotional mess after losing to Zuko and Katara and chained in ice.
Azula's descent into madness was bold, especially for a show aimed at children, but there could have been more to her arc. The Lady Macbeth-esque mad woman with a lust for power resembles a one-dimensional trope that's played out nowadays. And Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra are all about anything but one-dimensional characters.
In the closing moments of the series, everyone is enjoying a calm and peaceful celebration. Even Azula's former friends, Ty Lee and Mai, are present. The princess, meanwhile, is still locked away in a mental asylum for the foreseeable future. In subsequent comics, Azula's psychological damage is on full display, especially when she and Zuko search for their mother in The Promise.
Despite memorable appearances by many key Avatar: The Last Airbender characters in The Legend of Korra, Azula's fate is unknown. Korra could have featured Azula's dramatic return and confirmed her ultimate fate. Perhaps she's a crazy old woman in Korra's time. Or, maybe the show could have revealed something better: a reformed, new Azula who has found peace within herself. Someone who may not interact with Zuko very often, but who has moved beyond their past.
While Zuko was always a disappointment and a disgrace to his father, Ozai's rejection ultimately led the prince to break free from the Fire Nation and find his true self. But just as Zuko faced abuse from his father, Azula also suffered because of him, just in different ways. Azula was the one who was brought up and brainwashed into the tyrannical world of the Fire Nation. Instead of being shunned or injured by her family, Ozai molded Azula into his image as a ruthless firebender seeking ultimate power. The lasting psychological damage is clear at the end of the series, and it's not clear if the young girl, only 14 during the events of The Last Airbender, will ever fully recover.
What if instead of spending the rest of her life as a lunatic who needs to be physically restrained, Azula receives mental and spiritual treatment to recognize the error of her ways? What if the worst of all villains (besides her dad, that is) turns out to be the last thing anyone expected: a hero? This is still an era where iconic female villains like The Wicked Witch of the West and Maleficent have gotten adaptations made from their perspective, why not Princess Azula as well? With both Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra series continuing in comic-book form, an Azula story-line that chronicled her redemption could be as incredible of a character arc as her brother's.