Shoutouts to the birds that refused to shut up when I was recoding this video lol. And also, an even bigger shoutout to the voice actress for Azula, Grey DeLise, who I forgot to mention, but she did an absolutely amazing job with the character.
i love how we keep waiting for her downfall and anticipating her defeat to be super climactic and satisfying, and when she's finally defeated, it's devistating. that's what this kind of perfectionism leads to, not victory, but utter and complete defeat and emptiness
it’s not an epic moment where the big bad is defeated, because in the end we see an abused 14 year old girl finally break down into tears after she’s lost everything, and there’s no joy in that
Azula's genuinely one of the best antagonists in all of media. I finished watching the show earlier this year, and good news! It's still one of the best things to ever come out of television
I think it was becausethis was the first time ever, that someone stand against her. Like she said that Mai would go against her was surprising but kindofexpected. But that Ty Lee would also fight against Azula to defend Mai was not expected and shattered her worldview. For real Iroh, Zuko and Azula... these Charakters are so well written, you really forget that this show was meant to be just entertaining for kids.
Zuko and Azula’s contrast is critical. Iroh and Ozai were their respective mentors, and obviously shows you why they ended up the way they did. Zuko wrestled with so much inner turmoil because he was raised by Ozai, and then Iroh was there and only showed him love and care. This shaped Zuko, and they grew to care for each other deeply. Ozai also raised Azula but she stuck by him. She never was instilled that love and care. So she had no idea there were people in the world who truly loved her for who she is. That’s why she snapped.
Someone once mentioned the genius of the scene where Azula is speaking to her mother in the mirror, where it could be perceived that she turned away from her mother by turning away from the mirror, or turned to face her mother and turning away from herself, figuring it was just a reflection we were seeing.
Azula is such a fantastic character, not only I adore her character by itself but how she enables so much of the story to feel organic is amaizing and beautiful, I am so glad they didn't cut corners with her.
She brings to mind the quote "it is better to be Feared than Loved, if you cannot be both". She never accepted the love of her mother, never really receieved much from her father, and garnered most of her power over others through the manipulation and fearmongering of her friends, brother, and just anyone who crosses her path tbh. Her only real failing is in love, her flirting skills in the beach episode show as much, so she has to rely on fear to get her desired results; not just as a leader but as a person. Her friends also directly confront her with this physically when Ty Lee chooses to defend Mai, and Mai tells Azula straight up she Loves Zuko more than she Fears her. It is the Fear she strikes in others that allows Azula so much control, but because she is unwilling to give or accept Love, she'll never be able to truly succeed in her desires.
@@vivvy_0 I haven't read the comics tbh so if this is mentioned there I wouldn't know. Speaking just from the show, my main reason for feeling this way is based on the scene where Azula really snaps on the day of her coronation and sees a hallucination of her mother in the broken mirror. I think whether or not her mom loves or accepts her in reality, Azula doesn't trust or believe her mother in that hallucination; nor do I think she'd accept it in reality from her or anyone else if they expressed genuine love for her. There's just an inherit distrust and therefore fear, which in her case results in her lashing out in anger when it comes to love (and also rejection). Ironically she uses the same fear she seems to feel when it comes to love/friendship to manipulate her loved ones and enemies as well.
Thank you for this great analysis! One thing that emphasises Azulas „failure“ in the final agni kai even more is that on the one day when firebenders are seriously overpowered, she is taken down by Katara, a waterbender who is not boosted in power like she is. Really great storytelling!
@@garytda5402 yeah, that was a mistake, what I actually should have said, was that she never learned the inner heating technique, not fire breath specifically. It fits that Azula is cold inside and lets all her rage flow out of her, while Iroh keeps his true strength contained and controlled most of the time.
Hey, I’m kinda curious about something. Since you made a video on the Tigger movie, I’m kinda curious to hear your thoughts on the Mickey, Donald and Goofy Three Musketeers movie.
Azula is my favorite character on the show. Her downfall was tragic in the end. All those years of mental abuse and manipulation by he Ozai caught up with Azula. Hopefully she would be able to redeem her self someday.
Azula is not my favorite villain of all time, that would go to Dr. Smith from the Netflix show lost in space (super underrated show. I highly recommended it if you haven’t seen it) however Azula is fantastic. I Especially love her in the last episode where she just completely loses her sanity. Idk why but seeing people lose their insanity is surprisingly entertaining
I find it interesting that when sussing out whether or not Aang could have survived Ba Sing Sei, Azula bothers to ask Zuko. You'd think given her low opinion of him (and the fact she had no reason to suspect Katara would divulge anything important to Zuko at that time) that she'd entrust the task to spies, scouts and the Fire Nation navy. The fact that she asks Zuko is an inherent admission that Zuko has more knowledge of the Fire Lord's ultimate enemy than she does. But she never acknowledges this out loud. It's not a huge detail, just one of dozens if not hundreds of ways we see her perfectionism is often inherently hypocritical.
Sorry to keep you waiting, I've been working on a lot of large time consuming projects like this recently. Hopefully they will all start to come to completion in the future, and my upload speed will increase, no guarantees though.
15:20 I think you read too much into that. Azula, Mai and Ty Lee were simply able to rest while riding the tank, because it had a small crew driving it. 59:05 On the North pole, Katara only surrounded Zuko with ice, leaving him in an airbubble inside the ice prison, while in the finale she submerged herself and Azula in water that she froze. Azula couldn't use her breath, because Katara literally cut her off from air.
While the Azula analysis is good, I disagree with your assessment of her friends, Ty Lee especially. Like you mentioned, she had to be intimidated into joining Azula with an act that threatened both herself and everyone she had been working with at the circus. And again as you point out, defying Azula is an unspoken death warrant. However, I don't believe Ty Lee dismisses this as just "normal" for Azula and "just how she is". Standing up to Azula is shown to be a dangerous thing, even for Zuko and Katara at their strongest points in the show, so I am inclined to believe it reasonable for Ty Lee. a non-bender who knows how dangerous Azula can be, to not stick her neck out and risk incurring her wrath. We see in The Beach how Ty Lee navigates Azula viewing her as a threat (when getting more attention and being likeable) in a way that shifts the ire off her. Being better than Azula at anything is putting yourself at risk, painting a target on yourself for Azula to put you down to make herself feel she is better, so being an airhead who follows orders (or at least appearing to be one) keeps Ty Lee safe. It is a way of saying "you don't need to put me down, I already accept that I am no match for you at anything and will never be a threat." We know other characters fall for this act too: again in The Beach, Ty Lee is the only one who calls out Zuko for burning the family portrait, but he tries to write off her claims that he cares about it because she lives in her "little Ty Lee world where everything is perfect all the time." In The Boiling Rock, as soon as Azula went to act on her threat to Mei ("You know the consequences" meaning Mei also did not join voluntarily), we see Ty Lee not only turn against Azula, but successfully attack her when she sees an opening to do so.
@@Rockotarthepurplehatguy that same logic also Implies to other videos stretching in hour long such as one on Dutch Van der Lin one of the best gaming villains ever BUT I respect your opinion because the show I heard is very good but I haven't seen it so what do I know
way you talk about azula and lying skills reminds of lying skills of lila rossi from miraculous ladybug & cat noir believe lila puts azula lying skills shame since lila hasn't lost her mind and if one lie is destroyed but she can cook up another one or fall back another lie she already created. she and azula me remind of disney villains(the good ones)
interesting video but it does just feel like you're extrapolating things from her character and stating them as fact without providing ample evidence to support your interpretation. Like saying she wilfully ignored the specific advice from iroh to use breath to stay warm, when iroh taught that to zuko in exile? You don't know that iroh tried to teach both azula and zuko this? It's possible that azula never listened to iroh after his defeat from ba sing se and before zuko's exile, but i believe that'd be because she viewed him as weak for retreating and therefore beneath her and so has nothing valuable to say.
1 Thessalonians 5:15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. 16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
It is really sad that Azula was raised by Osai while Zuko was raised by Iroh. One was being shaped into a tool for her father's gain, and the other was being set free from the conditioning and abuse from his childhood. In the end, Azula did not know how to be her own person. She was also being abused by her father just in a different way, not knowing what she was going to do. While Zuko had Iroh as a real mentor, and this allowed him to shape his own destiny and overcome his past experiences.
Avatar: Creates the greatest villain in any cartoon. Netflix: Lets just take everything that made Azula that made her a truly terrifying force of nature both in intelligence and physical prowess and JUST... NOT do that.
I've seen people defend this by saying that Azula was technically always an insecure emotional basket case and she was just bottling it all up. So her being like this is perfectly in character for her. Sure, that in itself is true. But not now. The thing that makes Azula's hidden insecurities and tragedy so effective is BECAUSE we don't see them for so long. It's way more interesting and impactful to have a character introduced as and being an unflappable powerhouse with terrifying power and emotional restraint only to watch them eventually crumble as their facade breaks. If Azula showed her true colors a lot before Mai and Ty Lee betrayed her we would just go "oh this girl is trying so hard. All she needs is just a good long read by someone like Iroh and she'll fall apart". It lessens her effectiveness as a villain and the tragedy she hides underneath.
@@mellemadswoestenburg1296 I didn't bother with the Netflix series. Azula was perfectly portrayed in this one. The scene at the end where she burst into hysterical sobs was heart-breaking, partially because Grey DeLisle made it sound so damn REAL. And the thing is, Azula completely deserved what she got. But that doesn't stop it from being upsetting to watch.
56:04 this fight is act supposed to be a tragedy, not just for Azula, but for Zuko too. Cause these two are basically siblings and they’re just kids. The war affected them greatly.
I'm fine with azula going nuts but wish she had more time to explore it and more scenes that show her slowly falling off until she gets to the fire lord situation. We do see she has that fear of becoming zuko in their father's eyes and the insecurities of her mother hated her which she jokes about but knows she liked zuko more. Her losing her friends. Her father's right hand position. Losing to zuko in their fights more and such all came very quickly and needed more room.
I think the show executes all this perfectly. Azula's problems are because she structured her life around false beliefs, the types of things that could collapse at any moment suddenly. Which actually makes her downfall more realistic and powerful, because it was always doomed to happen, all it took were a few significant pushes to completely knock her over.
@@Rockotarthepurplehatguy the execution is fine but it's still so fast it's not really that believable since it that was the case she would have crashed when zuko won their exchange or friends betrayed her. She then suddenly goes off after dad gives her fire lord position making those scenes not as impactful to her fall off since that's when her real problems began. I mean even the hair out of place at the start of the series messed with her more than her friends betrayal
@@Rockotarthepurplehatguy The execution itself is fine, it's that the events needed time to breathe. Azula goes from losing her friends to losing her mind in a couple of _days_ , maybe a week. And for the audience, it's an even shorter amount of time. Technically realistic, but not as narratively satisfying. It's a pacing issue more than anything.
what I think makes Azula so interesting is theres an idea she's never really irredeemable, except for the fact she doesn't want to be redeemed. If like Zuko she'd decided to not follow Ozai, she could've been great, and the only thing stopping that is herself.
Considering that, just like her brother, she too is a descendent of Roku and Sozin, and thus, had just as much potential for restoring balance as Zuko did, but chose to instead perpetuate the destruction is a real tragedy. Makes you wonder what she could've been like if she were raised in different circumstances.
Azula is the perfect foil to zuko, and I love that the final Agni Kai is almost a reflection of that. Zuko is fighting who he would have become, and when he loses, once again, the people that care about him bring him back. Zuko’s story wouldn’t have its perfect conclusion without Azula.
I know some people took issue with the fact that Zuko wasn't the one to truly defeat Azula in the end, since he got injured by her lightning and needed to be healed by Katara. But I think it ultimately works for two reasons. 1.) It gave Katara an active role in the finale, instead of just being a bystander. All that training she went through to be a top notch combative waterbender would've been a waste if she ended up doing nothing. 2.) It's more fitting for Zuko's character and why he's ultimately more fit for the throne, as he never truly desired power for himself, but for the good of his nation and people, shown by his willingness to lay down his own life for others.
I find it interesting that zuko called katara a peasant during the finale of book 1 and azula called katara a peasant on the final episode I think that was done on purpose to symbolize that azula has fallen from Grace big time and she now knows what it feels like to be zuko
A thing I want to point out its how Azula works in her complexity because the way his father is such a narcisist, people often say how Ozai is a bad villain but he enabled so much and still works amaizingly, of course Azula is the face of the enemy but Ozai does serve it's purpouse a lot more than people give him credit for.
I love how Azula was written. We see shes a badass capable young woman that was far more entertaining then any second we got of her father on screen, and we get to see all of her sides. We get to see how calculating and cruel she is, but then we get to see how much she cares for Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee and even small acts of kindness and empathy. I love the subtle demomstration that when Iroh told Zuko he has both good and evil within him, it applies to Azula as well. Despite having issues with her mother, some of her traits clearly stuck with Azula as she showed empathy for Zuko and Apologized to Ty Lee for being in the wrong, and didnt show much of this side elsewhere as she knew her father would not have any of it. I just love everything about her character and the ending was just sooo tragic....
Really did a good job of pointing out to me how being a perfectionist just leads to hating yourself more than anyone else ever will 'cept for the part where I'm just a common motivationless shmuck and not some noble-blooded self-lifter
Makes you wish that her mental downfall was a bit more gradual than what we got, but if anything I’m nitpicking near-perfection. Just a *hair* out of place!
Dang! I already knew Azula was an extremely well-written character, but I didn't realize *how* well-written! It's also kind of interesting when you think of how messed up her father is, and how his manipulation also fueled her ultimate downfall. Also, I love that parallel between Zuko and Azula! It's always really interesting when you have a character that shows what another character could have been!
I only have one problem with how they did her character: They should've given us a glimpse into her after the comics, in The Legend Of Korra, since I want to know if she changed her ways or not and what eventually became of her
@Rockotarthepurplehatguy I would agree, had they not expanded her story in the comics. That's what makes it bad, that they continued it after the show without conclusion. But other than that, you are correct
@@Rockotarthepurplehatguy not really, sure her breakdown is a good ending to her arc but a shitty ending to her story. A redemption for Azula would be the best ending and the most logical, it’s the only real way to resolve her story with Ursa. Also, no it wasn’t really Azula’s fault for her becoming like this, Ozai was the one who brainwashed her with this philosophy, it was Ursa’s neglect and banishment that led to Azula speculating that Ursa hated her. A redemption also is the perfect final test to complete Zuko’s arc by having him help his sister the way Iroh helped him. If people seriously think he’d just abandon Azula and leave her like this, they are fucking wrong. He loves her unconditionally, he knows that they weren’t truly that different from each other. The comics should have evolved Zuko to that role Aaron Ehasz intended. Hell Ehasz straight up said he always wanted to redeem Azula and Bryke even teased that it was possible since she survived the Agni Kai. Redeeming Azula just makes too much sense.
Although Azula was, (in this context) a character driven to extremes as a result of her own perfectionism embedded from a young age, she is truly a character many can relate to deep down. To give a current example of a different context relating to today, we can see this perfectionism that she holds within the Education system. That effort to still be at the top of the game and to be top of the class. When you reach that point of being excellent in that subject and knowledge; when you fail, it takes its toll on you as well as that jealousy of others that may have come with it. Whether that’s freedom, or simply the acceptance that they may just be better at it than you. Which is life. Her redemption arch in the comics was so raw because it’s a slow progress. You can’t undo the damage that is done on yourself, but you can try and make amends, even if you fail over and over in the process. I really hope we see her make amends with her friendships whilst still maintaining that comedic sass we all love 😂
8:16 ah yes, her Mad King speech about the captain needing to ignore the very real possibility of the _ocean_ sinking their _ship._ To be fair, it highlights her authority, (actual) power, and neuroticism. And it’s a great defining moment, seeing her almost try to enforce her will over a force of nature.
One thing I wasn't a fan of was how bland Ozai felt in contrast to Azula. Ozai was pretry much written as the personification of evil, even though this isn't entirely true. Just like Azula, he was a product of his environment, but unlike her, he didn't seem to have any doubts or insecurities about it. The comic also shows that he does have a sort of "love" for Zuko, so I do wish we'd seen more of him as a person rather than simply the big bad.
I think Katara getting close in victory during the battle with Azula in the Earth Kingdom catacombs, is a foreshadow, especially the only one that got the closest and while cutting her hair.
I'm just over 12 minutes into the video, but I wanna say that the thing I hate most about some of the more vocal Azula "fans" is that they very often try to use her "tragic backstory" to justify her actions and prop her up as a "strong woman" icon. In reality (and somewhat ironically), this strips her of her agency and accountability and makes her an even WEAKER character; acting on impulse purely because of trauma and not because she enjoys the power and status that comes from manipulating others. She is a careful liar and master manipulator and reducing all of that to "she was treated bad" is a GREAT disservice to her character. She is a great character and villain precisely BECAUSE she is already too far gone, utterly vile, and irredeemable. She needs no justification or redemption. Characters and people like her enjoy the evil they do and deserve the consequences therein and that makes them far more compelling and fun to watch and despise.
Precisely. As I say in my segment on her backstory, she acted selfishly in the first place, and when people rejected that, it only caused her to act even more selfishly to try and prove them wrong, but causing her to lose all meaningful relationships thus allowing her to be manipulated by the Firelord into becoming his personal servant. So I believe she is personally responsible for her own downfall even from the start, and almost everything she does is wrong and her own fault, her actions were only made worse by others like the Firelord, but that does not remove her responsibility from the picture.
I haven't watched this show yet, so I will be avoiding this video until I have watched the show to avoid spoilers. I'm sure it's a great video though!!!
You mention how sad it was when Azula lost and I definitely agree there. I think we forget that the heroes we're rooting for here are still children. Sure, teenagers but Zuko and Azula were abused by their father, both emotionally and physically. I know she gets her own redemption in the comics which is fitting. We've done things as stupid teens and grow from it (hopefully).
This made Azula's ending finally make sense to me. I never understood why exactly she went so crazy in the end, it felt rushed to me. But I guess there were always signs that she had that in her, idk why I fell for her composed nature. The ending fight shows just how unhinged she truly could be. Lots of moments I felt bad for her cuz it really didn't have to be that way, but she might just be a lost cause. She has thought the way she did for so long, and has no intentions of ever taking accountability for what she does and kind of has no moral boundaries. Like Zuko and his honor, he would never strike Aang or Katara who are defenseless/not fighting or anyone while they were at their most vulnerable, Azula would. And her mindset is so skewed that she sees it as a good thing, since she won at the end of the day, she has too many issues and needed to experience true defeat in order for her to realize...but unfortunately it's too late for her. In my wishful thinking mindset though, for some reason I feel like Aang could've been a great person to guide Azula into become who she truly is deep down, sorta like what he did for Katara (not just motherly and mature, but a kid who needs to be given room to express herself, stick by her morals and truly grow)
This is an amazing video as always on your channel, everything point you give is very well thought out and you point out stuff that I never even noticed before, thank you for making this it was very ENJOYABLE!!!
Unironically my top3 favorite villain of all time next to Darth Vader and Uchiha Obito. Its something about that insanely strong+bad attitude+deranged and traumatized lunatic deep down combination that does it for me
59:50 This moment when Azula cry because of her entire life lies in pieces is still hearthbreaking. She was a Monster, but we know why. It is insane how the show established her as kind of a monster that MUST be defeated, but when it finally happens, you can't do the more the what Katara does. Close your eyes and look away, because there is nothing you can do. I wish we would have gotten to see her feature, without needing to read the comics.
This is one of the greatest Azula analysis I've seen. In too many videos, they get so caught up trying to find and apply the right psychological label to her, that they end up using scenes of her to explore the mental disorder instead of actually looking at her character, and trying to make her fit into their chosen label.
the thing you said about Azula never being able to trust anybody, and how she was never trusted by anybody, and basically becomes an engine of self-destruction as a result, it's always been a thing that resonated with me. its the reason i love pure evil villains like this as well Evil can't comprehend Good, and Azula's entire character is built on that concept (Ozi too, but Azula explores it more strongly i would say)
I think Azula would never have been redeemed because she's genuinely a sociopath. Her family were bad people, but Azula had no concept of what goodness even was. Actually getting into her psyche is what makes her so interesting compared to other sociopaths. Most of the time you just get enough to know that they are one and it gets left there. Take Harkonnen's nephew in Dune 2 as an example. The character is played super well, but the fact that he's a sociopath is about as much as you see of him.
OMG, Azula's arc is just so damn good! How her determination and desire to be the next Fire Lord blinds her completely from young age. How her fury has completely devoured her soul to the point where she does not hesitate to kill whoever stands in her way (including her own brother) Too bad the Netflix adaptation made her dirty.....
I think I have an unpopular opinion on this matter, but I thought Azula was fine, she wasn't bad at all, she had a bunch of good moments. But I personally enjoyed Zuko more as a villain just because of his more complex character and how they went all out with it. With Azula it felt like they wanted to do a complex character again but also wanted just a pure evil villain and couldn't decide between the two. For the most part I liked her but I'm just trying to say that she wasn't my favorite. (Great video though!)
Zuko is very good as well, I think they both work as excellent characters because they compliment each other with the way they are written, showing the descent of one character as the other rises up.
maybe I would have enjoyed her character if I wasn’t always hating her for being so smug about everything constantly. In terms of broken irredeemable villains I’ll stick with Darth Maul (I made a video about him actually) and Simon from Infinity Train, which is a criminally underrated series
Thank you, that was wonderful! I am an almost obsessive fan of this show, and yet I still learned several things from this excellent video. (It helps that I have a "perfectionist" streak myself - a philosophy I had to learn to reject...come to think of it I was about their age when I discovered the flaws in that mindset...)
I know chances are you won’t read my comment considering that I am one of the many we waited far too long to watch this amazing video, but I just wanted to say I really needed this right now You see I myself and unfortunately a bit of a perfectionist, and as you’ve highlighted throughout this video, perfectionism is a slippery slope towards of destruction, but even though I’ve always been aware of this fact, i’ve always found it very difficult to keep in mind However, I think this video has reminded me that I need to reframe my failures as potential beneficial necessities, instead of viewing them as negative roadblocks to my success Also before I finished this video, I had a fight with my father(well it was more like him yelling at me over something we were in agreement about, but whatever) and I was feeling pretty down, yet when I watched the rest of this video, the passion to which you spoke about the series really cheered me up in a way that I really needed, so I also just wanted to say thank you for that As for Azula I think what I love most about her character is just how many angles you can take with her psychology or beliefs, and how those various angles not only play into each-other, but also the overarching themes of the series Fear Vs Love, Strength Vs Vulnerability, Perfectionism Vs Self-acceptance, False Self Vs True Self, The Effects Of Colonialism, The Dangers Of Fascism, and so many more Thematic Topics are all expressed within one character, each of these ideas tying so well into her arc and the ideas present throughout the entire entire series Overall, this was a fantastic video and this one in addition to the vid on Cedric, have made me a proud subscriber
Shoutouts to the birds that refused to shut up when I was recoding this video lol.
And also, an even bigger shoutout to the voice actress for Azula, Grey DeLise, who I forgot to mention, but she did an absolutely amazing job with the character.
I defo agree that DeLisle was truly on fire (no pun intended lol) when she was casted as the Fire Nation princess.
Or kreia from kotor 2
Rockotar, I have been thinking, ik yk Toy Story is a masterpiece of a franchise, but what do u think of Toy Story 4?
I know Avatar and I imagine Korra were outsourced to South Korea, but do I smell the start of an anime review arc?
Fun Fact: Azula is my sister Ella's Favorite character from Avatar the Last Airbender.
WHAT A ICONIC VOICE ACTOR GREY DELISE IS!
i love how we keep waiting for her downfall and anticipating her defeat to be super climactic and satisfying, and when she's finally defeated, it's devistating. that's what this kind of perfectionism leads to, not victory, but utter and complete defeat and emptiness
it’s not an epic moment where the big bad is defeated, because in the end we see an abused 14 year old girl finally break down into tears after she’s lost everything, and there’s no joy in that
Azula's genuinely one of the best antagonists in all of media. I finished watching the show earlier this year, and good news! It's still one of the best things to ever come out of television
You know what I liked about Azula’s downfall is that once her friends betrayed her insecurities starts to show and it gets worse.
I think it was becausethis was the first time ever, that someone stand against her.
Like she said that Mai would go against her was surprising but kindofexpected. But that Ty Lee would also fight against Azula to defend Mai was not expected and shattered her worldview.
For real Iroh, Zuko and Azula... these Charakters are so well written, you really forget that this show was meant to be just entertaining for kids.
@@AlryFireBladeIt wasn't though. It was made to be accessible to kids but entertaining for all ages. That's what made it so great.
too bad her voice actress is awful and couldn't deliver the role well.
@@starsimvidz Nice bait bud. Pretty much everyone tends to unanimously agree that Grey Delisle did an amazing job as Azula.
@@765craven4 she sounds like how a 10 yr old would play an "evil queen". Every line delivery is monotone.
Zuko and Azula’s contrast is critical. Iroh and Ozai were their respective mentors, and obviously shows you why they ended up the way they did. Zuko wrestled with so much inner turmoil because he was raised by Ozai, and then Iroh was there and only showed him love and care. This shaped Zuko, and they grew to care for each other deeply. Ozai also raised Azula but she stuck by him. She never was instilled that love and care. So she had no idea there were people in the world who truly loved her for who she is. That’s why she snapped.
Someone once mentioned the genius of the scene where Azula is speaking to her mother in the mirror, where it could be perceived that she turned away from her mother by turning away from the mirror, or turned to face her mother and turning away from herself, figuring it was just a reflection we were seeing.
Azula is such a fantastic character, not only I adore her character by itself but how she enables so much of the story to feel organic is amaizing and beautiful, I am so glad they didn't cut corners with her.
She brings to mind the quote "it is better to be Feared than Loved, if you cannot be both". She never accepted the love of her mother, never really receieved much from her father, and garnered most of her power over others through the manipulation and fearmongering of her friends, brother, and just anyone who crosses her path tbh. Her only real failing is in love, her flirting skills in the beach episode show as much, so she has to rely on fear to get her desired results; not just as a leader but as a person. Her friends also directly confront her with this physically when Ty Lee chooses to defend Mai, and Mai tells Azula straight up she Loves Zuko more than she Fears her. It is the Fear she strikes in others that allows Azula so much control, but because she is unwilling to give or accept Love, she'll never be able to truly succeed in her desires.
her mother didn’t love/accept her.
@@vivvy_0 I haven't read the comics tbh so if this is mentioned there I wouldn't know. Speaking just from the show, my main reason for feeling this way is based on the scene where Azula really snaps on the day of her coronation and sees a hallucination of her mother in the broken mirror. I think whether or not her mom loves or accepts her in reality, Azula doesn't trust or believe her mother in that hallucination; nor do I think she'd accept it in reality from her or anyone else if they expressed genuine love for her. There's just an inherit distrust and therefore fear, which in her case results in her lashing out in anger when it comes to love (and also rejection). Ironically she uses the same fear she seems to feel when it comes to love/friendship to manipulate her loved ones and enemies as well.
A great in depth analysis of one of the greatest villains of all time Rockotar
Thank you for this great analysis! One thing that emphasises Azulas „failure“ in the final agni kai even more is that on the one day when firebenders are seriously overpowered, she is taken down by Katara, a waterbender who is not boosted in power like she is. Really great storytelling!
Man, you are a genius!
Thank you, I put a lot of effort into this video so I'm glad people are enjoying it.
My god … the best 1 hour I’ve spent on TH-cam in a while .. damn
The one part that took me out was the her not knowing fire breath , because right after you showed the scene of her using fire breath? 😭
@@garytda5402 yeah, that was a mistake, what I actually should have said, was that she never learned the inner heating technique, not fire breath specifically.
It fits that Azula is cold inside and lets all her rage flow out of her, while Iroh keeps his true strength contained and controlled most of the time.
@@Rockotarthepurplehatguy ohh that makes much more sense😭, great video overall though 💪
it’s really sad that in the end she breaks down realizing she lost and has no one to blame for it since she has no allies left at this point
The moment you realize Azula is scarily relatable
Hey, I’m kinda curious about something. Since you made a video on the Tigger movie, I’m kinda curious to hear your thoughts on the Mickey, Donald and Goofy Three Musketeers movie.
Azula is my favorite character on the show. Her downfall was tragic in the end. All those years of mental abuse and manipulation by he Ozai caught up with Azula. Hopefully she would be able to redeem her self someday.
BABE WAKE UP ROCKOTAR MADE A NEW VIDEO
Azula is not my favorite villain of all time, that would go to Dr. Smith from the Netflix show lost in space (super underrated show. I highly recommended it if you haven’t seen it) however Azula is fantastic. I Especially love her in the last episode where she just completely loses her sanity. Idk why but seeing people lose their insanity is surprisingly entertaining
An hour long video about why azula is an amazing character🔥 as it should be
Essay idea/suggestion: If u don't mind ofc, could you do one on Thomas the Tank Engine characters, episodes and stories at some point pls?
I find it interesting that when sussing out whether or not Aang could have survived Ba Sing Sei, Azula bothers to ask Zuko. You'd think given her low opinion of him (and the fact she had no reason to suspect Katara would divulge anything important to Zuko at that time) that she'd entrust the task to spies, scouts and the Fire Nation navy. The fact that she asks Zuko is an inherent admission that Zuko has more knowledge of the Fire Lord's ultimate enemy than she does. But she never acknowledges this out loud. It's not a huge detail, just one of dozens if not hundreds of ways we see her perfectionism is often inherently hypocritical.
YAAAAASSSS NEW VIDEO!!!!!!!
Sorry to keep you waiting, I've been working on a lot of large time consuming projects like this recently. Hopefully they will all start to come to completion in the future, and my upload speed will increase, no guarantees though.
@@Rockotarthepurplehatguy listen take your time because whenever u drop the real ones are gonna be here regardless
15:20 I think you read too much into that. Azula, Mai and Ty Lee were simply able to rest while riding the tank, because it had a small crew driving it.
59:05 On the North pole, Katara only surrounded Zuko with ice, leaving him in an airbubble inside the ice prison, while in the finale she submerged herself and Azula in water that she froze. Azula couldn't use her breath, because Katara literally cut her off from air.
I Hate her so much that you might just be right... Maybe e_e
we need an ihro one...
great video
love her character BUT never want to meet someone like her in rl ever! 😂
Im in the midst of Azula appreciation and you just happened to make an hour video that feeds directly into that. Thank you 🫡
5:53 The silence
While the Azula analysis is good, I disagree with your assessment of her friends, Ty Lee especially. Like you mentioned, she had to be intimidated into joining Azula with an act that threatened both herself and everyone she had been working with at the circus. And again as you point out, defying Azula is an unspoken death warrant. However, I don't believe Ty Lee dismisses this as just "normal" for Azula and "just how she is". Standing up to Azula is shown to be a dangerous thing, even for Zuko and Katara at their strongest points in the show, so I am inclined to believe it reasonable for Ty Lee. a non-bender who knows how dangerous Azula can be, to not stick her neck out and risk incurring her wrath.
We see in The Beach how Ty Lee navigates Azula viewing her as a threat (when getting more attention and being likeable) in a way that shifts the ire off her. Being better than Azula at anything is putting yourself at risk, painting a target on yourself for Azula to put you down to make herself feel she is better, so being an airhead who follows orders (or at least appearing to be one) keeps Ty Lee safe. It is a way of saying "you don't need to put me down, I already accept that I am no match for you at anything and will never be a threat."
We know other characters fall for this act too: again in The Beach, Ty Lee is the only one who calls out Zuko for burning the family portrait, but he tries to write off her claims that he cares about it because she lives in her "little Ty Lee world where everything is perfect all the time." In The Boiling Rock, as soon as Azula went to act on her threat to Mei ("You know the consequences" meaning Mei also did not join voluntarily), we see Ty Lee not only turn against Azula, but successfully attack her when she sees an opening to do so.
Great points.
That’s a funny way to spell Sensui Shinobu
Plz Do A Kung Fu Panda Review! Rockotar
So Cars 2 is an underrated masterpiece next????????
Actually, a cars 2 video is one of my upcoming planned videos, so you're not too far off there.
@@Rockotarthepurplehatguy Called IT
Greatest is a very strong word
Yes, yes it is. Why would I spend over an HOUR talking about her if I didn't think she was the best?
@@Rockotarthepurplehatguy that same logic also Implies to other videos stretching in hour long such as one on Dutch Van der Lin one of the best gaming villains ever BUT I respect your opinion because the show I heard is very good but I haven't seen it so what do I know
way you talk about azula and lying skills reminds of lying skills of lila rossi from miraculous ladybug & cat noir believe lila puts azula lying skills shame since lila hasn't lost her mind and if one lie is destroyed but she can cook up another one or fall back another lie she already created. she and azula me remind of disney villains(the good ones)
interesting video but it does just feel like you're extrapolating things from her character and stating them as fact without providing ample evidence to support your interpretation.
Like saying she wilfully ignored the specific advice from iroh to use breath to stay warm, when iroh taught that to zuko in exile? You don't know that iroh tried to teach both azula and zuko this? It's possible that azula never listened to iroh after his defeat from ba sing se and before zuko's exile, but i believe that'd be because she viewed him as weak for retreating and therefore beneath her and so has nothing valuable to say.
1 Thessalonians 5:15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.
16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
She did nothing wrong
Azula could never be the greatest villain silly.
I cant support a series that sexualizes minors. Sorry. Anime is no excuse
no, she is not that entertaining.
Just because she isn't to you doesn't mean she isn't to me.
That one hair out of place was her true downfall
It's always the little things.
One little thing always tips everything over the edge, doesn't it?
Me when I can’t cut my hair and subject it to doom but because my hair is a part of me I am actually dooming myself:
It is really sad that Azula was raised by Osai while Zuko was raised by Iroh. One was being shaped into a tool for her father's gain, and the other was being set free from the conditioning and abuse from his childhood. In the end, Azula did not know how to be her own person. She was also being abused by her father just in a different way, not knowing what she was going to do. While Zuko had Iroh as a real mentor, and this allowed him to shape his own destiny and overcome his past experiences.
Everyone needs an Uncle Iroh in their life...
Avatar: Creates the greatest villain in any cartoon.
Netflix: Lets just take everything that made Azula that made her a truly terrifying force of nature both in intelligence and physical prowess and JUST... NOT do that.
I've seen people defend this by saying that Azula was technically always an insecure emotional basket case and she was just bottling it all up. So her being like this is perfectly in character for her. Sure, that in itself is true. But not now. The thing that makes Azula's hidden insecurities and tragedy so effective is BECAUSE we don't see them for so long. It's way more interesting and impactful to have a character introduced as and being an unflappable powerhouse with terrifying power and emotional restraint only to watch them eventually crumble as their facade breaks. If Azula showed her true colors a lot before Mai and Ty Lee betrayed her we would just go "oh this girl is trying so hard. All she needs is just a good long read by someone like Iroh and she'll fall apart". It lessens her effectiveness as a villain and the tragedy she hides underneath.
@@mellemadswoestenburg1296 you cannot convince me for one second that Netflix's Azula is the one that conquers Ba Sing Sae.
@@sophieamandaleitontoomey9343 there's absolutely no way.
@@mellemadswoestenburg1296 I didn't bother with the Netflix series. Azula was perfectly portrayed in this one. The scene at the end where she burst into hysterical sobs was heart-breaking, partially because Grey DeLisle made it sound so damn REAL. And the thing is, Azula completely deserved what she got. But that doesn't stop it from being upsetting to watch.
56:04 this fight is act supposed to be a tragedy, not just for Azula, but for Zuko too. Cause these two are basically siblings and they’re just kids. The war affected them greatly.
I'm fine with azula going nuts but wish she had more time to explore it and more scenes that show her slowly falling off until she gets to the fire lord situation.
We do see she has that fear of becoming zuko in their father's eyes and the insecurities of her mother hated her which she jokes about but knows she liked zuko more.
Her losing her friends. Her father's right hand position. Losing to zuko in their fights more and such all came very quickly and needed more room.
I think the show executes all this perfectly. Azula's problems are because she structured her life around false beliefs, the types of things that could collapse at any moment suddenly. Which actually makes her downfall more realistic and powerful, because it was always doomed to happen, all it took were a few significant pushes to completely knock her over.
@@Rockotarthepurplehatguy the execution is fine but it's still so fast it's not really that believable since it that was the case she would have crashed when zuko won their exchange or friends betrayed her. She then suddenly goes off after dad gives her fire lord position making those scenes not as impactful to her fall off since that's when her real problems began. I mean even the hair out of place at the start of the series messed with her more than her friends betrayal
@@Rockotarthepurplehatguy The execution itself is fine, it's that the events needed time to breathe. Azula goes from losing her friends to losing her mind in a couple of _days_ , maybe a week. And for the audience, it's an even shorter amount of time. Technically realistic, but not as narratively satisfying. It's a pacing issue more than anything.
what I think makes Azula so interesting is theres an idea she's never really irredeemable, except for the fact she doesn't want to be redeemed.
If like Zuko she'd decided to not follow Ozai, she could've been great, and the only thing stopping that is herself.
Considering that, just like her brother, she too is a descendent of Roku and Sozin, and thus, had just as much potential for restoring balance as Zuko did, but chose to instead perpetuate the destruction is a real tragedy. Makes you wonder what she could've been like if she were raised in different circumstances.
Azula is the perfect foil to zuko, and I love that the final Agni Kai is almost a reflection of that. Zuko is fighting who he would have become, and when he loses, once again, the people that care about him bring him back. Zuko’s story wouldn’t have its perfect conclusion without Azula.
I know some people took issue with the fact that Zuko wasn't the one to truly defeat Azula in the end, since he got injured by her lightning and needed to be healed by Katara. But I think it ultimately works for two reasons. 1.) It gave Katara an active role in the finale, instead of just being a bystander. All that training she went through to be a top notch combative waterbender would've been a waste if she ended up doing nothing. 2.) It's more fitting for Zuko's character and why he's ultimately more fit for the throne, as he never truly desired power for himself, but for the good of his nation and people, shown by his willingness to lay down his own life for others.
Her and her brother are some of the greatest characters. Truly!
I find it interesting that zuko called katara a peasant during the finale of book 1 and azula called katara a peasant on the final episode I think that was done on purpose to symbolize that azula has fallen from Grace big time and she now knows what it feels like to be zuko
I may have seen some Azula discussions before, but from you Sir, it is a true pleasure.
I have mixed feelings about the comic's portrayal of Azula. I just do not think they fully captured how she was in the show.
A thing I want to point out its how Azula works in her complexity because the way his father is such a narcisist, people often say how Ozai is a bad villain but he enabled so much and still works amaizingly, of course Azula is the face of the enemy but Ozai does serve it's purpouse a lot more than people give him credit for.
Relationships built on fear never last, SMH.
I love how Azula was written. We see shes a badass capable young woman that was far more entertaining then any second we got of her father on screen, and we get to see all of her sides. We get to see how calculating and cruel she is, but then we get to see how much she cares for Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee and even small acts of kindness and empathy. I love the subtle demomstration that when Iroh told Zuko he has both good and evil within him, it applies to Azula as well. Despite having issues with her mother, some of her traits clearly stuck with Azula as she showed empathy for Zuko and Apologized to Ty Lee for being in the wrong, and didnt show much of this side elsewhere as she knew her father would not have any of it. I just love everything about her character and the ending was just sooo tragic....
Really did a good job of pointing out to me how being a perfectionist just leads to hating yourself more than anyone else ever will
'cept for the part where I'm just a common motivationless shmuck and not some noble-blooded self-lifter
I'll never get tired of Azula analysis videos, there's so much to look at, and all of it is so interesting every time.
Take a clip from the first and last episode of the show she is in, and you will barely recognize her.
Makes you wish that her mental downfall was a bit more gradual than what we got, but if anything I’m nitpicking near-perfection.
Just a *hair* out of place!
i was just watching your monsters university and spiderverse videos, and now one of my fav villains? hell ye
Beautiful. Just... Beautiful. I don't know how you do it sir, but you never fail to impress me.
Thank you (unless this is a cleverly disguised sarcastic insult, than "thank you")
FYI: the second part is a joke I trust you mean what you say.
@@Rockotarthepurplehatguy It ain't an insult my good sir, I mean it! If you ever have a discord server, i would join it immediately
Dang! I already knew Azula was an extremely well-written character, but I didn't realize *how* well-written!
It's also kind of interesting when you think of how messed up her father is, and how his manipulation also fueled her ultimate downfall.
Also, I love that parallel between Zuko and Azula! It's always really interesting when you have a character that shows what another character could have been!
I only have one problem with how they did her character:
They should've given us a glimpse into her after the comics, in The Legend Of Korra, since I want to know if she changed her ways or not and what eventually became of her
Well, that's not the original show's fault. And quite frankly, it's not a fault at all. Her story ends perfectly in the original show in my opinion.
@Rockotarthepurplehatguy I would agree, had they not expanded her story in the comics. That's what makes it bad, that they continued it after the show without conclusion. But other than that, you are correct
@@Rockotarthepurplehatguy not really, sure her breakdown is a good ending to her arc but a shitty ending to her story. A redemption for Azula would be the best ending and the most logical, it’s the only real way to resolve her story with Ursa. Also, no it wasn’t really Azula’s fault for her becoming like this, Ozai was the one who brainwashed her with this philosophy, it was Ursa’s neglect and banishment that led to Azula speculating that Ursa hated her. A redemption also is the perfect final test to complete Zuko’s arc by having him help his sister the way Iroh helped him. If people seriously think he’d just abandon Azula and leave her like this, they are fucking wrong. He loves her unconditionally, he knows that they weren’t truly that different from each other. The comics should have evolved Zuko to that role Aaron Ehasz intended. Hell Ehasz straight up said he always wanted to redeem Azula and Bryke even teased that it was possible since she survived the Agni Kai. Redeeming Azula just makes too much sense.
Azula actually did care about Mai and Ty Lee, that’s why she comforted Ty Lee at the beach.
See, I do think she's really good villain. What do you guys think
Although Azula was, (in this context) a character driven to extremes as a result of her own perfectionism embedded from a young age, she is truly a character many can relate to deep down.
To give a current example of a different context relating to today, we can see this perfectionism that she holds within the Education system. That effort to still be at the top of the game and to be top of the class. When you reach that point of being excellent in that subject and knowledge; when you fail, it takes its toll on you as well as that jealousy of others that may have come with it. Whether that’s freedom, or simply the acceptance that they may just be better at it than you. Which is life.
Her redemption arch in the comics was so raw because it’s a slow progress. You can’t undo the damage that is done on yourself, but you can try and make amends, even if you fail over and over in the process. I really hope we see her make amends with her friendships whilst still maintaining that comedic sass we all love 😂
8:16 ah yes, her Mad King speech about the captain needing to ignore the very real possibility of the _ocean_ sinking their _ship._
To be fair, it highlights her authority, (actual) power, and neuroticism. And it’s a great defining moment, seeing her almost try to enforce her will over a force of nature.
Azula is the best frr
I literally just finished this show last night. Can't wait to watch this.
I finished it four days ago
At last. I’ve been waiting for you to make a video of your favorite villain for eons
One thing I wasn't a fan of was how bland Ozai felt in contrast to Azula. Ozai was pretry much written as the personification of evil, even though this isn't entirely true. Just like Azula, he was a product of his environment, but unlike her, he didn't seem to have any doubts or insecurities about it. The comic also shows that he does have a sort of "love" for Zuko, so I do wish we'd seen more of him as a person rather than simply the big bad.
She definitely is a great villain!
Zuko:I know what you’re going to say she’s my sister and I should be trying to get along with her Iroh:No she’s crazy and needs to be taken down
I think Katara getting close in victory during the battle with Azula in the Earth Kingdom catacombs, is a foreshadow, especially the only one that got the closest and while cutting her hair.
I'm just over 12 minutes into the video, but I wanna say that the thing I hate most about some of the more vocal Azula "fans" is that they very often try to use her "tragic backstory" to justify her actions and prop her up as a "strong woman" icon. In reality (and somewhat ironically), this strips her of her agency and accountability and makes her an even WEAKER character; acting on impulse purely because of trauma and not because she enjoys the power and status that comes from manipulating others. She is a careful liar and master manipulator and reducing all of that to "she was treated bad" is a GREAT disservice to her character. She is a great character and villain precisely BECAUSE she is already too far gone, utterly vile, and irredeemable. She needs no justification or redemption. Characters and people like her enjoy the evil they do and deserve the consequences therein and that makes them far more compelling and fun to watch and despise.
Precisely. As I say in my segment on her backstory, she acted selfishly in the first place, and when people rejected that, it only caused her to act even more selfishly to try and prove them wrong, but causing her to lose all meaningful relationships thus allowing her to be manipulated by the Firelord into becoming his personal servant.
So I believe she is personally responsible for her own downfall even from the start, and almost everything she does is wrong and her own fault, her actions were only made worse by others like the Firelord, but that does not remove her responsibility from the picture.
I love Azula ever since she debuted in the series
I haven't watched this show yet, so I will be avoiding this video until I have watched the show to avoid spoilers. I'm sure it's a great video though!!!
You should definitely watch it as soon as possible, it's the best animated series I have ever seen.
I'm looking forward to more Sofia the First
I can imagine the hype in Nickelodeon All Star Brawl 2.
I haven’t watched this video yet, but the best villain of all time is Darth Vader and it’s not even close
Fair choice, he's in my top three.
You mention how sad it was when Azula lost and I definitely agree there. I think we forget that the heroes we're rooting for here are still children. Sure, teenagers but Zuko and Azula were abused by their father, both emotionally and physically. I know she gets her own redemption in the comics which is fitting. We've done things as stupid teens and grow from it (hopefully).
I thought your favorite villian was cedric!
Cedric is my 2nd or 3rd favorite behind Azula.
This made Azula's ending finally make sense to me. I never understood why exactly she went so crazy in the end, it felt rushed to me. But I guess there were always signs that she had that in her, idk why I fell for her composed nature. The ending fight shows just how unhinged she truly could be. Lots of moments I felt bad for her cuz it really didn't have to be that way, but she might just be a lost cause. She has thought the way she did for so long, and has no intentions of ever taking accountability for what she does and kind of has no moral boundaries. Like Zuko and his honor, he would never strike Aang or Katara who are defenseless/not fighting or anyone while they were at their most vulnerable, Azula would. And her mindset is so skewed that she sees it as a good thing, since she won at the end of the day, she has too many issues and needed to experience true defeat in order for her to realize...but unfortunately it's too late for her. In my wishful thinking mindset though, for some reason I feel like Aang could've been a great person to guide Azula into become who she truly is deep down, sorta like what he did for Katara (not just motherly and mature, but a kid who needs to be given room to express herself, stick by her morals and truly grow)
This is an amazing video as always on your channel, everything point you give is very well thought out and you point out stuff that I never even noticed before, thank you for making this it was very ENJOYABLE!!!
Unironically my top3 favorite villain of all time next to Darth Vader and Uchiha Obito. Its something about that insanely strong+bad attitude+deranged and traumatized lunatic deep down combination that does it for me
Azula is the best character in the show hands down! Sorry, Aang.
59:50 This moment when Azula cry because of her entire life lies in pieces is still hearthbreaking. She was a Monster, but we know why. It is insane how the show established her as kind of a monster that MUST be defeated, but when it finally happens, you can't do the more the what Katara does.
Close your eyes and look away, because there is nothing you can do.
I wish we would have gotten to see her feature, without needing to read the comics.
This is one of the greatest Azula analysis I've seen. In too many videos, they get so caught up trying to find and apply the right psychological label to her, that they end up using scenes of her to explore the mental disorder instead of actually looking at her character, and trying to make her fit into their chosen label.
the thing you said about Azula never being able to trust anybody, and how she was never trusted by anybody, and basically becomes an engine of self-destruction as a result, it's always been a thing that resonated with me. its the reason i love pure evil villains like this as well
Evil can't comprehend Good, and Azula's entire character is built on that concept (Ozi too, but Azula explores it more strongly i would say)
I think Azula would never have been redeemed because she's genuinely a sociopath. Her family were bad people, but Azula had no concept of what goodness even was. Actually getting into her psyche is what makes her so interesting compared to other sociopaths. Most of the time you just get enough to know that they are one and it gets left there.
Take Harkonnen's nephew in Dune 2 as an example. The character is played super well, but the fact that he's a sociopath is about as much as you see of him.
Azula is the best villian
Mephalis:Are you sure about that.
Mephiles from sonic 06? Or it's another character you're talking about.
@@sophiebott7441 The 06 man.
Ah yes Memphis Tennessee
Both Azula and Zuko had a very sad story
35:45 How could you say it’s a child’s own fault they don’t get the love that they seek?
Azula has everything else
OMG, Azula's arc is just so damn good! How her determination and desire to be the next Fire Lord blinds her completely from young age. How her fury has completely devoured her soul to the point where she does not hesitate to kill whoever stands in her way (including her own brother) Too bad the Netflix adaptation made her dirty.....
I always assumed Azula’s Trio slept on the train during “The Chase”
Logical deduction, but I prefer my "fueled by dopamine" theory personally.
I think I have an unpopular opinion on this matter, but I thought Azula was fine, she wasn't bad at all, she had a bunch of good moments. But I personally enjoyed Zuko more as a villain just because of his more complex character and how they went all out with it. With Azula it felt like they wanted to do a complex character again but also wanted just a pure evil villain and couldn't decide between the two. For the most part I liked her but I'm just trying to say that she wasn't my favorite. (Great video though!)
Zuko is very good as well, I think they both work as excellent characters because they compliment each other with the way they are written, showing the descent of one character as the other rises up.
maybe I would have enjoyed her character if I wasn’t always hating her for being so smug about everything constantly. In terms of broken irredeemable villains I’ll stick with Darth Maul (I made a video about him actually) and Simon from Infinity Train, which is a criminally underrated series
Thank you, that was wonderful! I am an almost obsessive fan of this show, and yet I still learned several things from this excellent video. (It helps that I have a "perfectionist" streak myself - a philosophy I had to learn to reject...come to think of it I was about their age when I discovered the flaws in that mindset...)
I know chances are you won’t read my comment considering that I am one of the many we waited far too long to watch this amazing video, but I just wanted to say I really needed this right now
You see I myself and unfortunately a bit of a perfectionist, and as you’ve highlighted throughout this video, perfectionism is a slippery slope towards of destruction, but even though I’ve always been aware of this fact, i’ve always found it very difficult to keep in mind
However, I think this video has reminded me that I need to reframe my failures as potential beneficial necessities, instead of viewing them as negative roadblocks to my success
Also before I finished this video, I had a fight with my father(well it was more like him yelling at me over something we were in agreement about, but whatever) and I was feeling pretty down, yet when I watched the rest of this video, the passion to which you spoke about the series really cheered me up in a way that I really needed, so I also just wanted to say thank you for that
As for Azula I think what I love most about her character is just how many angles you can take with her psychology or beliefs, and how those various angles not only play into each-other, but also the overarching themes of the series
Fear Vs Love, Strength Vs Vulnerability, Perfectionism Vs Self-acceptance, False Self Vs True Self, The Effects Of Colonialism, The Dangers Of Fascism, and so many more Thematic Topics are all expressed within one character, each of these ideas tying so well into her arc and the ideas present throughout the entire entire series
Overall, this was a fantastic video and this one in addition to the vid on Cedric, have made me a proud subscriber
Zuko, Azula and Korra had the best well-written arcs of all this animation history.