History Characters / AvatarTheLastAirbenderPrincessAzula

!!!'''Voiced by''': Creator/GreyDeLisle (original), Yannina Quiroz (Latin American Spanish)

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: She was always superior to Zuko when they were growing up, even though he was the older sibling. Her firebending was much stronger than his and unlike him she can produce lightning. In most of their fights she overpowers him and forces him to flee. This starts to become subverted near the end of the series once [[spoiler:Zuko becomes more self assured and learns the true nature of firebending and Azula starts losing her composure and grows [[VillainousBreakdown increasingly insane]].]] In "The Southern Raiders", Zuko duels her evenly for several minutes and the match ends in a draw, with both parties emerging unscathed. [[spoiler:And in the finale when they battle in an Agni Kai for the throne her breakdown gets the better of her and Zuko stays one step ahead of her the whole fight. She is forced to cheat by trying to shoot Katara with Lightning and Zuko injures himself trying to redirect it.]] It's played straight once more in the post-series comics during the ''Smoke and Shadow'' trilogy where once Azula has gotten over her psychological hangups, she [[spoiler: grows much stronger by Zuko's own admission and defeats him in a dagger-to-dagger duel towards the end of the story.]]

* BadassBookworm: An excellent strategist, ManipulativeBastard, and an elite Firebender child prodigy all rolled into one.
* BadassPrincess: [[TheEvilPrincess Although a villainous example of this trope]].

* BigEgoHiddenDepths: Azula is haughty, cruel and outright violent. However, it is due of being a ChildProdigy whose early-staged [=sociopathy=] was encouraged by her [[AbusiveParents abusive]] and [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]] father, who only thought of her as his own personal weapon. Even as a child, her mother's favoritism of Zuko and the fact she thought she was a monster [[IAmAMonster (according to Azula)]], shows that she's a fragile and deeply insecure girl deep down, and all of her actions are due to her [[WellDoneDaughterGal trying make her father proud]] [[IJustWantToBeLoved and get the love she lacked from her mother.]] [[spoiler:When he betrays her in the finale, she undergoes a saddening VillainousBreakdown]].

* EvenBadWomenLoveTheirMamas: A ''very'' twisted example of this trope. A prominent antagonist has a VillainousBreakdown in the GrandFinale, hallucinating a vision of her MissingMom. Mommy issues are exposed, leading to a VillainousBreakdown.

** She's just as much as a WellDoneDaughterGirl as Zuko. She also might genuinely love Ty Lee and Mai, though her feelings are twisted due to [[AbusiveParents Ozai's]] teachings. There's also the situation with her mother; it's possible that she seeks her love but between the constant neglect by Ursa (from her perspective, though we learn in ''The Search'' why Azula couldn't be doted on like Zuko) and the notion that Azula realizes her own cruelty streak, she simply doesn't understand how Ursa can love someone like her, or anyone for that matter. Azula has no problems when being feared, even by subordinates. But, when she feels that fear towards her turn to raw hate (doubly so by friends and family), she expresses concern that she's the problem and tries to convince herself that it's not the case. Thankfully; Zuko does state in ''The Search'' that no matter how bad and messed up their family is, he'll never turn his back on her.

** This very trope highlights the ultimate difference between Ozai and Azula: Azula ''thinks'' she can be like her father and emulates him, his cruelty, and his philosophies...but ''never realizes why his ideas work for him and not her''. Ozai's mentality only works because he has no friends, no love for his family at all (not even Azula) and thus, no problems eradicating people at the blink of an eye or dealing with a traitor in his ranks. Betrayal means nothing but a swift death for the traitor. Azula, on the other hand, cannot stomach betrayal at all and becomes unhinged quickly at being betrayed by anyone. In turn, this leads her to a life of paranoia, constantly thinking there's a knife to her back or an arrow aimed at her head. Azula's (admittedly twisted) love for her brother and (at the time) trust in her friends makes her a complete contradiction to what she professed she wants.

** Being the resident [[ManipulativeBastard "people person"]] and [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]], she finds herself completely bewildered when [[spoiler:her {{sidekick}}, Mai, risks her life to help the {{Turncoat}} Zuko escape TheAlcatraz]]. This moment of her inability to comprehend that love can trump self-preservation and loyalty born of intimidation has limits, flying in the face of her philosophy that "fear is the only reliable way" to control people, is actually the first step down the road towards her epic VillainousBreakdown. However, she's at least able to learn from this mistake and apply it to her strategy in the GrandFinale (while she was in the middle of said breakdown no less).

[[spoiler:'''Mai:''' I guess you just don't know people as well as you think you do. You miscalculated. [[ThePowerOfLove I love Zuko]] [[MachiavelliWasWrong more than I fear you]].]]\\

* EvilIsBurningHot: Sympathetic traits aside, she's second only to her father in terms of being the most evil villain on the show, and she's a master [[PlayingWithFire Firebender]] to boot.

---> "[[SeriousBusiness We have DEFEATED you for ALL TIME!]] [[UnsportsmanlikeGloating You will NEVER rise from the ASHES of your SHAME and HUMILIATION!]] {{beat}} Well, that was fun."\\

* [[EvilNephew Evil Niece]]: To Uncle Iroh. While he's her brother's MoralityPet, Azula dismisses his existence and sees him as a shame and failure to the Fire Nation, and is dead set on capturing him or killing him when she has the chance.
* {{The Evil Prince}}ss: [[spoiler:Since being given the throne by her father and losing an agni kai for the throne did not fare well for her, Azula plots to kill her mother and incriminate Zuko as illegitimate to take the throne.]]

* FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: She gets it from her father.

** In the "Beach" episode, she admits that she's jealous of Ty Lee's ability to naturally attract guys. Considering that she has NoSocialSkills ([[ManipulativeBastard or at least no POSITIVE ones]]), it's understandable why she has a hard time getting guys to warm up to her.

** She's acting like an emotionless, detached villain all through the series up til the very end, then the pressure of [[spoiler:being crowned Fire Lord]] gets to her. She finally shows some character depth during "The Beach" and eventually starts [[spoiler:undergoing a VillainousBreakdown near the end when she realizes she doesn't have as much control as she thought, which was her way of covering for her emotional insecurities and previous assertion that she did want her mother's love but didn't feel she deserved it.]]

* HisOwnWorstEnemy: Why can't therapy work on Azula? She truly cannot believe, understand or fathom why anybody could love her or stand her despite her cruel streak. Even when told otherwise, her psychosis will not let her believe in it or accept any help from anybody.
* HumiliationConga: [[spoiler:Her mind was [[VillainousBreakdown slowly broken]] over the course of a series of betrayals. First her brother, then her two closest "friends", and then finally her father's seeming ostracism. Indeed, the second betrayal was the worst, as Mai absolutely ''crushed'' her entire worldview with a single sentence: "[[ThePowerOfLove I love Zuko]] [[MachiavelliWasWrong more than I fear you]]". At last, when she had struck down her brother in a climactic duel, when she finally had the chance to punish her brother and restore some shred of order to her now chaotic world, she was defeated and humiliated. And who defeated one of the greatest Firebenders? Not a seasoned master of a bending art, who had studied for decades. Not by the Avatar himself. Not by a 12-year-old "Greatest Earthbender in the World." Not even by her own brother, whom she'd just struck down [[CombatPragmatist by cheating]]. But by a Southern Water Tribe ''peasant'', who not a year earlier could barely bend a puddle of water. ''On the day of Sozin's Comet'' no less, when her firebending was magnified a hundred fold. In the end, she was hogtied to a grating with chains, soaking wet and left to flail around impotently.]]

* IAmAMonster: During "The Beach", she wistfully admits that her own mother thought that she was a monster before quickly perking up and saying that "She was right, of course, but it still hurt." While this is at first played off as a CardCarryingVillain-esque joke, it later turns out that [[AbusiveParents Fire Lord Ozai's upbringing]] has basically turned her into a mental and emotional wreck of insecurities and self-loathing. Furthermore, the abuse left her broken after Zuko and Katara defeated her to the point where in ''The Search'', she self-identifies as a monster because she falsely believes that's what her mother saw her as. Also worth noting is that unlike other examples on this page, when she identifies herself as a monster, she's gone and pressed her own BerserkButton. Nobody else in the universe thinks of her as an outright monster.

** She explicitly points out how Birthright gives her the edge over [[TheChessmaster Long]] [[EvilVizier Feng]] in her BreakingSpeech to him:
--->'''Azula:''' It's because [[EliteMooks they]] haven't made up their minds. They're waiting to see how this is going to end. [[EyesNeverLie I can see your whole history in your eyes.]] [[SelfMadeMan You were born with nothing. So you had to struggle,]] [[TheChessmaster and connive,]] and claw your way to power, but true power, the divine right to rule, is something you're born with. The fact is they don't know which one of us is going to be sitting on that throne and which one is going to be bowing down. [[IKnowYouKnowIKnow But I know and you know.]] ''(sits on the throne)'' Well?

* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: She's constantly striving to be [[ThePerfectionist the absolute best]] at what she does (especially if it means being better than Zuko) and refuses to settle for less, and uses {{manipulati|ve bastard}}on and strong-arm tactics to ascertain worship from her peers. She also feels that she's Ursa's [[TheUnfavourite failure]], thoroughly depends on her father's "love", and tends to put down those she secretly envies like [[DudeMagnet Ty Lee]]. By the season finale, [[spoiler:her friends have left her and her father has made it clear that he's only using her. [[FromBadToWorse It]] [[AlasPoorVillain doesn't]] [[VillainousBreakdown end]] well]].

* ItsAllAboutMe: When things start to fall apart, she goes nuts. [[DaddysGirl She does have some desire to prove herself to Ozai]] although Ozai [[AbusiveParents couldn't care less]]. Though it is implied that part of the reason she goes nuts is that she realized her friends actually meant something to her and cannot deal with the realization that their betrayal indicates that ''she'' was unworthy of their ''trust''. Her rant to her mother in ''The Search: Part 3'' can be summed up as "My life sucks and it's all your fault and you never gave a damn about me."

* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler:Karma served in the fact that the master manipulator who spent two seasons playing mind games ultimately suffered a mental breakdown set off by the specific reason of ''not'' being able to manipulate effectively. Azula says trust is for fools, and while it took three seasons for Zuko and Katara to trust each other, it's the trust in each other as friends that also overcame Azula]]. Making it even more karmarific, it counts as [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Hoist By Her Own Petard]]. [[spoiler:If Azula hadn't set Mai and Zuko up on that date, then Zuko would have stayed in the Earth Kingdom, which would means no Firebending teacher for Aang and no HeelFaceTurn for Mai, Ty Lee, or perhaps even Zuko -- no betrayal by her friends, no SanitySlippage.]]

* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: Katara and Azula, respectively. Katara is the [[TheHeart gentle]] and [[NiceGuy kindhearted]] [[TeamMom caretaker]] of her group, representing the wife archetype of TheThreeFacesOfEve. Meanwhile Azula is more of the seductress archetype, [[TheSocialExpert being great at manipulating people]], [[GoGetterGirl valuing perfection]], and [[AloofDarkHairedGirl maintaining an aura of grace and poise]].

* LittleMissBadass: As a child, she was already beginning to master Firebending. And, believe it or not, she was ''[[YoungerThanTheyLook fourteen]]'' throughout the series.

[[spoiler:'''Mai:''' I guess you just don't know people as well as you think you do. You miscalculated. [[ThePowerOfLove I love Zuko]] [[MachiavelliWasWrong more than I fear you]].]]\\

* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:She's behind Ukano's actions in ''Smoke and Shadow'']].
* ManipulativeBastard: An expert strategist and manipulator, even able to manipulate her own father until some point.

* OmnicidalManiac: She was the one who suggested the "burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground" thing. When Ozai tweaks ThePlan to include the genocide of the people as well, she's plenty happy with it and can't wait for a daddy-daughter bonding trip doing it.

* ThePlan: Azula is fond of using plans to achieve her ends. Many of them are [[BatmanGambit based on what her mark is invested in and would reliably do.]]

* PrettyPrincessPowerhouse: She is TheEvilPrincess of the Fire Nation and as one of the best firebenders in her time, she gives the Gaang a hard time dealing with her.

* SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining: See NoSocialSkills. If the finale is any indication, she also can't style her hair on her own, having gotten used to servants doing it for her. [[spoiler:[[ImportantHaircut It's a lot more important]] [[VillainousBreakdown than it may sound]].]]

* TheSociopath: She's a ManipulativeBastard, a pathological ConsummateLiar ("Azula always lies..."), and a ControlFreak. Subverted since not only she fails to demonstrate [[TheHedonist pathological need for stimulation]] and lack of impulse control, but also she reveals aspects sociopaths don't have. She has NoSocialSkills, harbors self-loathing out of belief that her MissingMom considered her a monster, [[WellDoneDaughterGirl seeks to please her father no matter the cost]], and suffers from a massive VillainousBreakdown triggered by [[spoiler:the betrayal of her closest friends and her father]]. It's also confirmed by [[WordOfGod Bryke's]] word in ''Sozin's Comet: The Final Battle'' that she could have turned better in a healthier environment. Much like her attempts at being a {{Sadist}}, Azula is a character who, due to her upbringing, ''tries'' to be a sociopath but ultimate doesn't have it in her.

** Ty Lee is the most outwardly feminine of the trio, wearing lots of [[PinkMeansFeminine pink]] and being a very [CheerfulChild happy-go-lucky]] NiceGirl who favours a very [[SheFu acrobatic and graceful fighting style]] in comparison to Azula's brutal and aggressive one. In general, Ty Lee is genuinely a very gentle-minded and friendly person (when not pursuing the heroes, anyway) with a bubbly personality, while Azula is the exact opposite, being a relentless and psychotic warrior whose prim and regal front is only paper thin.

** When we see Azula in a flashback to when she was about 8 years old, she engages in typical activities such as teasing her brother and her friend who has a crush on him, doing cartwheels, [[BreadEggsMilkSquick throwing rocks at animals, throwing fireballs at people, hopefully suggesting that her uncle and cousin might die in battle so her father can inherit the throne, setting dolls on fire, mocking her uncle for leaving a battle after her cousin died,]] [[spoiler:[[UpToEleven cheerfully telling her brother and mother that her father has been ordered to murder her brother]]...]]

* {{Tykebomb}}: Ozai raised her to serve as [[DaddysLittleVillain his obedient and perfect heir]] by molding her to his way of thinking. This is one of the most successful examples, as Ozai made sure to "coddle and praise" her rather than "abuse her and insist she is made to serve him" (that's what [[TheUnfavourite Zuko]] is for). Deconstructed, as her praise from her father meant that she never really did things for herself or [[NoSocialSkills had any idea on how to handle people besides intimidation]] [[LonelyAtTheTop and even her only friends left her because they could no longer side with her, despite fearing her]]. When Ozai names her Fire Lord, it is because he names himself the new title of Phoenix King since the former title has no meaning to him and thus [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he has no more real need for Azula]]. She has a lot of MommyIssues ''because'' she was being raised to be his obedient and perfect heir and her mother was afraid of her (or rather, afraid for her,) with Ursa having no idea on what to do with her daughter. Unsurprisingly, she [[VillainousBreakdown snapped and is reduced into a frantic and sobbing state]], to where [[SympathyForTheDevil Zuko and even Katara felt genuinely sorry for her]].

* VilerNewVillain: Compared to Season 1's antagonists; unlike her brother Zuko [[note]] whose inner turmoil and FreudianExcuse kept him from being too unsympathetic [[/note]] and Zhao [[note]] who, while lacking redeeming qualities, was generally an [[GeneralFailure incompetent blowhard]] [[/note]], Azula is a [[TheChessmaster cunning]], ruthlessly effective CardCarryingVillain.

* WiseBeyondTheirYears: She managed to organize a coup in a hostile city with her words alone, [[HannibalLecture breaking the]] EvilChancellor in the process, at the age of ''fourteen''. From what is seen of her during flashbacks, it seems like she's actually been like this since age nine. WordOfGod even stated the reason she chose her "friends" was because they were people she could learn useful skills from.

* NoSocialSkills: WordOfGod says that until The Beach episode, Azula seems evil, but perfect. In a social setting, away from battle, she cannot function.

* VillainHasAPoint: In spite of her own mental disorder post-series finale, Azula has a point in why she wanted to [[spoiler:kill Ursa. Ursa didn't show her as much affection as she did Zuko, resulting in Azula believing that Ursa ''never'' loved her and thought that she didn't deserve love because she's a monster. There IS a reason behind why this is the case, but it doesn't remove the fact that she still did. This is validated with the discovery that Ursa had another daughter from her second marriage, who Azula views as a replacement, and willingly forgot her two older children by having The Mother of Faces change her face.]]

* BadBoss: One of her first moments in the series is threatening to kill the captain of her ship for refusing to sail through dangerous tides. There's the also fact that she forces Mai and Ty Lee to work for her [[spoiler:(Which ultimately comes back to bite her when they perform a HeelFaceTurn)]].

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/azula_render_72.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"My own mother thought I was a monster... She was right, of course, but it still hurt."'']]

* AdaptiveAbility: Not to an extent that a tactic won't work twice against her, but true to her studious nature, Azula is a quick learner on the battlefield and will likely be better prepared against her foes during different situations. Two instances in the comics are in [[spoiler:''The Search'' when she learns how to make her body much more flexible to work around Chi Blocking]] and [[spoiler:''Smoke and Shadow'' reveals that she too has mastered the ability to redirect lightning as well.]]

* DeclarationOfPersonalIndependence: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]. Tying with her narcissism is that Azula is very proud of herself and her capabilities. A part of the reason that she attaches to Ozai so much is that she wants to feel validated and appreciated for all she can do. [[spoiler:Played Straight after the war. She made it clear to Zuko she cares very little for causes, even her own father’s]].

* {{Determinator}}: While she lacks her brother's singleminded devotion to his goals, her focus and determination in combat are undeniable. Her focus is so intense that she can lightningbend, a technique that requires clarity of mind, [[spoiler:in the middle of a ''[[VillainousBreakdown mental breakdown]]''.]]

* EnemyWithin: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]]: ''The Search'' was more prominent of this trope; but the comics and later adventures involving Azula show the Gaang less at war with Azula personally (though Sokka doesn't trust her one bit) and more of dealing with whatever scheme/plan her half-insane brain came up with. To Zuko, this is his greatest opponent before he can truly reconnect with Azula. Until he can ease her pain and she can get help for her mental health issues; any attempt he makes to better their relationship will be undone by her paranoia.

* EvenBadWomenLoveTheirMamas: A ''very'' twisted example of this trope. A prominent MagnificentBastard has a VillainousBreakdown in the GrandFinale, hallucinating a vision of her MissingMom. Mommy issues are exposed, leading to a VillainousBreakdown.

** There are numerous parallels between [[TeamMom Katara]] and [[MagnificentBastard Azula]]: roughly the same [[ImprobableAge age]], they are both the daughters of leaders with leadership skills of their own, both [[TheGift powerful and talented]] prodigies with their elements, both at least occasionally overbearing control freaks and possessed of a dangerous temper when provoked. On opposite lines of the RedOniBlueOni divide they may be, but taking into account their fathers' personalities/influences they are far more alike than one may think.

* EvilerThanThou: [[spoiler:She says as much to Long Feng. All in all, she seems to have been a more ''humane'' ruler, which is saying something.]]

* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: In a strange variation, Azula herself appears to invoke this trope on herself, as evidenced by her page quote.

* GamerChick: Yes, [[http://www.mangaeden.com/en-manga/avatar-the-last-airbender---the-lost-adventures/18/2/ really.]]

* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: She's constantly striving to be [[ThePerfectionist the absolute best]] at what she does (especially if it means being better than Zuko) and refuses to settle for less, and uses {{manipulati|ve bastard}}on and strong-arm tactics to ascertain worship from her peers. She also feels that she's Ursa's [[TheUnfavourite failure]], thoroughly depends on her father's "love", and tends to put down those she secretly envies like [[DudeMagnet Ty Lee]]. By the season finale, [[spoiler:her friends have left her and her father has made it clear that he's only using her. [[FromBadToWorse It]] [[AlasPoorVillain doesn't]] [[VillainousBreakdown end]] [[TearJerker well.]]]]

* KickTheSonOfABitch: Long Feng manipulates the Earth King, controls Ba Sing Se from the shadows, holds Appa prisoner, brainwashes [[spoiler:and kills Jet]], and then collaborates with [[MagnificentBitch Azula]] to throw a coup d'état. When Azula [[spoiler:turns on him and crushes his spirits with TheReasonYouSuckSpeech,]] for once audiences can ''support'' what she's doing, regardless of how EvilerThanThou she is, just because Long Feng getting his comeuppance is a much-desired event by this point.
* KnightOfCerebus: When she made her first ''proper'' appearance in Book 2, [[MagnificentBastard she brought in a level of villain competence that hadn't been seen before]]. [[WakeUpCallBoss Not even the Gaang was fully prepared to deal with her at that point]], leading to Book 2 ending with [[TheBadGuyWins a crushing defeat for the heroes]] and their DarkestHour in the entire series.

* LadyOfWar: The aloof and imposing princess of the Fire Nation who uses an agile and precise style of firebending, and has the composed peace of mind to generate lightning. [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] when she [[spoiler:loses her sanity near the end, becoming a maniacal nut who firebends in an uncontrolled and wild manner]].

* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler:Karma served in the fact that the master manipulator who spent two seasons playing mind games ultimately suffered a mental breakdown set off by the specific reason of ''not'' being able to manipulate effectively. Azula says trust is for fools, and while it took three seasons for Zuko and Katara to trust each other, it's the trust in each other as friends that also overcame Azula.]] Making it even more karmarific, it counts as [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Hoist By Her Own Petard]]. [[spoiler:If Azula hadn't set Mai and Zuko up on that date, then Zuko would have stayed in the Earth Kingdom, which would means no Firebending teacher for Aang and no [[HeelFaceTurn Heel-Face Turn]] for Mai, Ty Lee, or perhaps even Zuko -- no betrayal by her friends, no SanitySlippage.]]

* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:She's behind Ukano's actions in ''Smoke and Shadow''.]]

* PlotIrrelevantVillain: She’s this in “The Southern Raiders”. In spite of her sudden invasion of the Western Air Temple and brief scuffle with Zuko kicking off the episode, she doesn’t appear beyond the first five minutes and has nothing to do with the episode’s primary conflict.

* PrimAndProperBun: She always has a topknot secured with a Fire Nation comb. She's the stern and perfectionist princess of the Fire Nation. [[spoiler:It falls out when she goes insane, with the result of her looking deranged.]]
* PrisonRape: ''Possibly?'' [[spoiler: During the Day of the Black Sun, she vilely tells Sokka about how her "favorite prisoner" used to talk about how he would save her one day, only to eventually give up.]] However, [[spoiler: when Suki is finally freed, she never brings it up and doesn't seem any worse for wear, suggesting Azula was just making it up to piss Sokka off.]]

* SignatureMove: As stated just above in ShockAndAwe: Azula's known for her lightningbending just as much as her blue fire. The lightningbending deserves special mention as it's always brought up almost like a DangerousForbiddenTechnique due to how easy it is to blow yourself up with it; but easy also to electrocute oneself with it if the lightning doesn't exit the body properly; and thus a clean slate of mind is needed to be able to do it. Not only can Azula do it on the same level as Iroh at a fifth of the age, but she can also do it no matter what state of mind she's in. Even during her craziest in the final Agni Kai, she can lightningbend just like an old pro. The blue fire should also be mentioned: it's worth noting across both series, Azula has been the only person to create blue fire. Not even Avatars were known to or shown to produce it.

* VilerNewVillain: Compared to Season 1's antagonists; unlike her brother Zuko [[note]] whose inner turmoil and FreudianExcuse kept him from being too unsympathetic [[/note]] and Zhao [[note]] who, while lacking redeeming qualities, was generally an [[GeneralFailure incompetent blowhard]] [[/note]], Azula is a [[TheChessmaster cunning,]] ruthlessly effective CardCarryingVillain.

* WakeUpCallBoss: She represents this for the series. In Book 1, both [[AntiVillain Prince Zuko]] and [[SmugSnake Admiral Zhao]] were credible threats, with Zuko improving over the course of the series and Zhao having a massive amount of resources. However, even with those, neither of them together posed anywhere near the level of threat to the heroes that Zuko's [[HeroKiller younger sister]] posed to them by herself in Book 2, [[MagnificentBastard having the perfect combination of ruthlessness, brains, intimidating charisma and firebending skill that the other two lacked]], in addition to her incredible determination and will like Zuko, and vast resources like Zhao. Even more so when she had her BadassNormal friends, [[KnifeNut Mai]] and [[MageKiller Ty Lee]], with her. [[spoiler:The heroes' inability to adjust to her threat level quickly enough resulted in her dealing them a crushing defeat at the end of Book 2.]]

* WeCanRuleTogether: She tried this as a pick-up line on a guy at a party. She also used this on [[spoiler:Zuko]], [[TheCorrupter and was one of the few occasions where it]] ''[[TheCorrupter worked.]]''

* WiseBeyondTheirYears: She [[MagnificentBastard managed to organize a coup in a hostile city with her words alone]], [[HannibalLecture breaking the]] EvilChancellor in the process, at the age of ''fourteen''. From what is seen of her during flashbacks, it seems like she's actually been like this since age nine. WordOfGod even stated the reason she chose her "friends" was because they were people she could learn useful skills from.

* YoungerThanSheLooks: Yep. She's fourteen. The year-long timeskip happens in ''[[Comicbook/AvatarTheLastAirbenderThePromise The Promise]]''; then she's 15.

* HeroWithAnFInGood: She is the [[spoiler:prime antagonist of ''Smoke and Shadows''. She orchestrates a plot to kidnap a bunch of children around the fire nation and later reveals herself to be a central figure of the New Ozai rebellion...so she can make Zuko a more decisive Fire Lord and to drain the finances of the revolution group. The fact that her plan needed massive child abduction and treason mixed with Azula's revealed motives can paint this. Ultimately a really extreme case of "Girl's heart is somewhat in the right place, but god only knows where the brain is."]]

* PsychoSupporter: [[spoiler:The end of Smoke and Shadow has Azula being this. She wants Zuko to become a stronger Fire Lord, one that would enact cruel measures to keep the throne safe...like she would have. While Zuko is grateful and relieved that his sister is still alive with some sanity (loosely put) returned to her; the girl still has more issues than Time Magazine.]]

* TookALevelInBadass: In ''Smoke and Shadows'', she [[spoiler:regains her sanity and her skills become much improved. She's able to run circles around Aang and the Kyoshi Warriors and her lightning blasts are much faster than before. Not even Zuko's lightning re-direction is as effective this time as Azula also learned how to redirect lightning, able to resend the shot back at Zuko. She's even able to defeat Zuko at the end in a dagger-to-dagger duel and declares how she's really the one who's won by making him a more powerful (and ruthless) Fire Lord.]] Of course, seeing as [[spoiler:half her expressions still have WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises,]] the improvement in her [[spoiler:mental health state]] should probably be taken with a grain of salt.

* WildCard: [[spoiler:In later comics, Azula has almost no loyalty to anyone, not even her father, and has been acting on her own accord since. Even though she says she's on Zuko's side and embracing him as a Fire Lord in Smoke and Shadow, her words and meanings are still very shaky and vague]].

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/azula_full.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"My own mother thought I was a monster... She was right, of course, but it still hurt."'']]

* HeroKiller: [[spoiler:While [[BackFromTheDead he got better]], Azula still killed Avatar Aang. Not leaving him for dead like Sozin did, but straight up directly killing him.]]

* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: As a child, she gleefully threw rocks at the turtle-ducks in the palace's pond, something that disturbed her mother.

* DeliberatelyCuteChild: When she was about 8 year old, she'd put on an angelic smile, contrasting with her TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior such as throwing rocks at baby turtle ducks, burning a doll her uncle sent her as a gift and cheerfully telling her brother in a sing-song voice that their father was going to [[OffingTheOffspring kill him]].

* DeclarationOfPersonalIndependence: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]. Tying with her narcissism is that Azula is very proud of herself and her capabilities. A part of the reason that she attaches to Ozai so much is that she wants to feel validated and appreciated for all she can do.

[[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTeamAvatar Team Avatar]] ([[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderAvatarAang Avatar Aang]], [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderZuko Prince Zuko]], [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderKatara Katara]], [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderSokka Sokka]], [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTophBeifong Toph Beifong]]) | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderMentors Mentors]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderAllies Allies]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheFireNation Fire Nation]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheFireNationRoyalFamily Fire Nation Royal Family]] ([[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderFireLordOzai Fire Lord Ozai]], '''Princess Azula''') | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheEmberIslandPlayers The Ember Island Players]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderOtherCharacters Other]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderComicCharacters Comics]]]]]]-]

[[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTeamAvatar Team Avatar]] ([[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderAvatarAang Avatar Aang]], [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderZuko Prince Zuko]], [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderKatara Katara]], [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTophBeifong Toph Beifong]]) | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderMentors Mentors]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderAllies Allies]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheFireNation Fire Nation]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheFireNationRoyalFamily Fire Nation Royal Family]] ([[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderFireLordOzai Fire Lord Ozai]], '''Princess Azula''') | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheEmberIslandPlayers The Ember Island Players]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderOtherCharacters Other]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderComicCharacters Comics]]]]]]-]

[[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTeamAvatar Team Avatar]] ([[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderAvatarAang Avatar Aang]], [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderZuko Prince Zuko]], [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderKatara Katara]]) | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderMentors Mentors]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderAllies Allies]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheFireNation Fire Nation]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheFireNationRoyalFamily Fire Nation Royal Family]] ([[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderFireLordOzai Fire Lord Ozai]], '''Princess Azula''') | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheEmberIslandPlayers The Ember Island Players]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderOtherCharacters Other]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderComicCharacters Comics]]]]]]-]

* FreudianExcuse: A sincere belief her mother never loved her and considered her a monster, combined with a father who was a psychotic, manipulative, emotionally abusive monster who encouraged her to be a monster so she'd be more useful to him that way. In the end, she's shown to be deeply insecure about anyone loving her. [[WordOfGod Bryan]] also has stated that growing up in a royal family of a nation seeking to TakeOverTheWorld worsened her problems.

-->'''Zuko''': If the Earth Kingdom finds us, they'll have us killed.\\
'''Iroh''': But if the Fire Nation finds us, they'll hand us over to ''Azula''.\\

[[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTeamAvatar Team Avatar]] ([[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderAvatarAang Avatar Aang]], [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderZuko Prince Zuko]], [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderKatara Katara]]) | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderMentors Mentors]] ([[Characters/TheRiseOfKyoshiAvatarKyoshi Avatar Kyoshi]]) | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderAllies Allies]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheFireNation Fire Nation]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheFireNationRoyalFamily Fire Nation Royal Family]] ([[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderFireLordOzai Fire Lord Ozai]], '''Princess Azula''') | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheEmberIslandPlayers The Ember Island Players]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderOtherCharacters Other]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderComicCharacters Comics]]]]]]-]

* NotSoDifferent: As much as she would hate to admit it she's a lot more like Zuko then she realizes. Both of them are [[NoSocialSkills completely socially inept]], both of them are knuckleheads who have to learn lessons the hard way, and both worked hard to make their way and try to gain the respect of their father. She was just more ruthless about it. [[spoiler:And both were nothing more then pawns for Ozai that he had no problem tossing aside. The difference is that Zuko learned to look past his need for his fathers approval but Azula never did and the revelation of just how little he cares about her breaks her in the end.]]

[[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTeamAvatar Team Avatar]] ([[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderAvatarAang Avatar Aang]], [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderZuko Prince Zuko]], [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderKatara Katara]]) | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderMentors Mentors]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderAllies Allies]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheFireNation Fire Nation]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheFireNationRoyalFamily Fire Nation Royal Family]] ([[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderFireLordOzai Fire Lord Ozai]], '''Princess Azula''') | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheEmberIslandPlayers The Ember Island Players]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderOtherCharacters Other]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderComicCharacters Comics]]]]]]-]

[[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTeamAvatar Team Avatar]] ([[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderAvatarAang Avatar Aang]], [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderZuko Prince Zuko]]) | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderMentors Mentors]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderAllies Allies]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheFireNation Fire Nation]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheFireNationRoyalFamily Fire Nation Royal Family]] ([[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderFireLordOzai Fire Lord Ozai]], '''Princess Azula''') | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheEmberIslandPlayers The Ember Island Players]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderOtherCharacters Other]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderComicCharacters Comics]]]]]]-]

[[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTeamAvatar Team Avatar]] ([[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderAvatarAang Avatar Aang]], [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderZuko Prince Zuko]]) | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderMentors Mentors]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderAllies Allies]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheFireNation Fire Nation]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheFireNationRoyalFamily Fire Nation Royal Family]] ('''Princess Azula''') | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheEmberIslandPlayers The Ember Island Players]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderOtherCharacters Other]] | [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderComicCharacters Comics]]]]]]-]