Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender has its fair share of brutal villains. From diabolical baddies like Fire Lord Ozai, Sozin and his infamous comet, and marauding earth benders terrorizing innocent villagers, the show is chalk full of malevolent malcontents seeking to reshape the world in their image.
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None, however, are perhaps as evil or twisted as the Fire Nation princess herself, Azula. Azula is a master manipulator, gaslighter, and merciless tyrant who will do whatever necessary to achieve her goals. During her time on the show, Azula has laid down some equally brutal commentary on life, taken right from her own twisted imaginations and philosophies.
Updated On November 2nd, 2020 By Amanda Bruce: Is any villain in Avatar more loved than Azula? More compelling than General Zhao, and more fun than Fire Lord Ozai, Azula makes fans love to watch her even when she would terrify them. That's why her lines in the series are equally hilarious and chilling.
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15 "Maybe you should worry less about the tides, who've already made up their mind about killing you, and more about me, who's still mulling it over."
Azula has quite the introduction when she's tasked with tracking down the Avatar. On board a vessel of Fire Nation soldiers, she's the one who most inspires fear in their highest ranking officers.
When the officers on board lament that the boat can't go any faster because of the tides, Azula makes it clear that she's running the show. Full of anger and with a desire for more power, Azula has no problem making career military officials cower in fear.
14 "Don't flatter yourself. You were never even a player."
Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai manage to infiltrate Ba Sing Se and get into the inner circle of the major players. When she proves herself more conniving than Long Feng, he admits that she's "beaten [him] at [his] own game."
In true Azula fashion, she makes sure he knows that isn't entirely true. As confident as she is in her own abilities, she truly believes that everyone else is beneath her, destined to fall in her wake. Azula is certainly a powerful player,so it's karmic that she eventually meets her match in the brother she spends so much of her childhood torturing.
13 "Alright, hair, it's time to meet your doom."
When Azula's power and place on the throne is threatened as the end of the series approaches, she starts to break. The "friends" she thinks she can trust abandon her to save Zuko - and then each other. There's no one she can count on to be there for her, and Azula can't even stand her own reflection.
As she devolves in front of the audience's eyes, she decides to chop off her hair. It's a pretty common moment in media. Upheaval and change results in a cathartic chop. For Azula, the new style doesn't help, but it's a powerful moment punctuated by a silly line.
12 "That's a sharp outfit, Chan. Careful, you could puncture the hull of an empire-class Fire Nation battleship, leaving thousands to die at sea..."
Socially awkward Azula is something to see. She's spent her whole life learning to be a fighter and a leader of the royal family, not socializing with kids her own age. The only kids her own age she's spent significant time with are the ones she can control, like Mai and Ty Lee.
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When Azula tries her hand at hanging out with some "regular" Fire Nation kids at the beach, it doesn't go how she plans. Even her compliments are angled at a life bent on destruction.
11 "You miscalculated. You should have feared me more."
When Mai and Ty Lee turn on Azula, it's because Mai can't stand to see Azula hurt Zuko. Despite being on opposite sides, Mai has never stopped caring about Zuko. When she tells Azula how much she loves Zuko, Azula is furious.
She is immediately ready to fight Mai over the betrayal, telling her that Mai has made a mistake. Before Azula can truly hurt them, Ty Lee uses her own abilities to block Azula's chi, which probably saves Mai's life with the fury Azula is holding onto.
10 "Trust is for fools, fear is the only reliable way."
This quote is classic Azula, showcasing the villain's signature weapon of choice: fear. This is punctuated by her ruthless nature, causing all of her royal subjects to cower before her.
Azula's nefarious line about trust occurs during a conversation with Ursa, her mother who appears to the princess in as a ghostly image in the mirror. When asked if whether or not Azula would rather learn a "higher" way of dealing with people, the princess snaps, firing back with, "What other choice do I have? Trust is for fools!"
9 "My own mother thought I was a monster. She was right of course."
Azula's treachery goes as far back as childhood when she used to manipulate--by fear and coercion--her brother Zuko. Even Azula's parents recognized this trait, seeing their daughter for the seed of evil she really was.
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Thus, Azula remarked how her mother understood this, is absolutely correct in her assumptions. Azula is nothing short of monstrous -- a trait she seems to be quite proud of.
8 "It's terrible when you can't trust the people who are closest to you."
This quote is actually quite ironic coming from out of the mouth of the mistress of malfeasance. If there's any single person in the Avatar universe who should not be trusted by any means, it's Princess Azula.
Deception, fear, and coercion are some of Azula's favorite tools, making her, of all people, the most untrustworthy person on the planet. That being said, in "The Guru" she does spout off this quote in response to the Earth King, who laments his own troubles with finding loyal subjects.
As humorous as this quote may seem, the context brings home a great point about Azula's character. Azula is a master liar and can bend words just as powerfully as she bends fire.
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In "The Day of the Black Sun: Part 2: The Eclipse" Azula is confronted by Aang in the throne room after her father's escape. There, Toph demands the princess tell the truth about the whereabouts of the Fire Lord, claiming she will know if Azula is lying. Azula fires back, declaring she's an expert liar much to Toph's chagrin.
6 "True power, the divine right to rule, is something you were born with."
"The Crossroad of Destiny" is a major event in the Avatar series, marking a turning point for several characters (most notably Zuko) as the title suggests. The quote occurs in a conversation with Long Fei where Azula reveals that she knows Fei comes from poverty.
Azula then punctuates this remark with her philosophy on who deserves to rule -- that rulership is inherited through a divinely chosen family. Azula also goes on to declare she will be the one to rule after her father.
5 "Put them somewhere I'll never have to see their faces again and let them rot!."
This is Azula at her most ruthless, ordering the life imprisonment of Zuko's ex-girlfriend Mai. Why? Because Mai dared to defy the princess, declaring, "her love for Zuko is greater than her fear of Azula."
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Because of this, Azula comes down on Mai with all the wrath of the fire bending royal bloodline, commanding her imperial guards to put her brother's lover away for good. Fortunately for Mai, she survives the ordeal and becomes a powerful ally for Team Avatar.
4 "I must find the Avatar to restore my honor."
When one thinks of Azula, humor is probably the last characteristic that comes to mind. But Azula can actually be quite funny at times, whether that humor be intentional or unintentional is a different story, however.
In one such instance where Azula was actually funny on purpose occurred during her first meeting with Aang. Although the Avatar doesn't recognize Azula, she places a hand over her eye and performs the most mocking impersonation of the crown prince she can muster (despite Aang's non-reaction). "You can laugh," she goes on to say. "It's funny."
3 "I'm about to celebrate becoming an only child!"
Only Azula is dastardly enough to relish in the death of her own brother, which she does with such conviction it's enough to give the toughest warrior the creeps. Well, that's exactly what Azula said in "The Southern Raiders" episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
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Here, Zuko and Team Avatar wake up at the southern air temple to find the compound under assault by Fire Nation. After being confronted by Azula, who leads the campaign, Zuko asks his rival sister why she has come. Her response? They celebrate being an only child. Harsh!
2 "Because I'm a people person."
"The Boiling Rock: Part 2" features another hilarious-but-true statement made by Azula in true Azula fashion. In the episode, the princess interrupts the prison warden during the interrogation of a certain prisoner at Boiling Rock Prison -- a supermax-style penitentiary controlled by Fire Nation for its most dangerous criminals.
The man in question is suspected of plotting treason against the prison, but after just one glance Azula tells the warden the man is innocent. When they ask how she knows, she claims she's a people person. And nothing could be more true as one must be an expert in the human psyche in and out to pull off the peak level manipulation Azula does.
1 "Uncle is a quitter and a loser."
Talk about brutal. This last quote occurs in the episode titled "Zuko Alone" and features a flashback between the young prince and princess during the Hundred Year War. In the scene, Azula informs Zuko that Uncle Iroh has returned from battle, Zuko hoping against all that the war has finally come to an end.
However, Azula retorts in her signature curt style, citing Iroh to be both a loser and a quitter. This idea shocks the boys, leaving him speechless as his sister saunters out of the room.
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FAQs
What is Azula's first line? ›
6. Azula: First (on her Zuko-hunting ship): “My brother and my uncle have disgraced the Firelord and brought shame on all of us.
What does Azula say to Chan? ›Azula: Together, you and I will be the strongest couple in the entire world! We will dominate the Earth! Chan: Uh... I got to go.
What did Azula say to Toph? ›I'm a pretty good liar. I am a 400-foot0tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings. Toph : ... Okay, you're good.
What does Azula call Zuko? ›When Azula calls him "ZuZu", it sounds a lot like the word we use in Hindi for urine, which makes her taunting extra funny for me.
Who is the oldest Zuko or Azula? ›That's right, Azula is only 14 throughout the entire series, which might be surprising to some. This also means there's a two year age difference between her and older brother Zuko.
What is Azula's fighting style? ›Firebending. Azula is highly skilled in firebending, which utilizes Chinese martial arts techniques of Changquan, Shaolinquan, Lóng Xíng Mó Qiáo and Xing Yi Quan. The series' creators consulted a professional martial artist in the design of the show's fighting style.
Who is Azula in love with? ›But Zuko and Azula might only be half-siblings instead. In Smoke and Shadow, Azula finds letters from Ursa -- one of which reveals that Zuko's true father may not be Ozai. Before her marriage, she was in love with a man named Ikem and he is who may have fathered Zuko.
Does Azula have a crush? ›Chan is the only character that Azula is ever shown to have any sort of a crush on even though he's a minor character who only features in one episode. While these two do share a kiss, it's clear that Chan isn't tough enough to handle Azula.
How old is how old is Azula? ›That's right, Azula is only 14 throughout the entire series, which might be surprising to some. This also means there's a two year age difference between her and older brother Zuko.
What is the first line in the Legend of Korra? ›“I'm The Avatar, You Gotta Deal With It!” - “Sounds Perfect.” Korra's first line is the best possible summary of her character, showcasing her confident, fiery, and spirited personality.
Who is the oldest spirit in Avatar? ›
Known as Tui and La in the spirit world, they are two of the oldest spirits on Earth. Legend says that the Ocean and Moon spirits permanently crossed over from the spirit world into the mortal world near the beginning of time. They created the oasis in the North Pole and took the form of two koi fish.
Is Zuko Azula's brother? ›Zuko is the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation and a skilled firebender, meaning he has the ability to create and control fire. He is the eldest child of Fire Lord Ozai and the older brother of Princess Azula.
Why is only Azula's fire blue? ›Originally Answered: Why is Azula's fire blue? Diegetic reason: Her firebending skills are a level above those of the others, enabling her to make her flames blue-hot. While there is no set temperature for blue flames in general, it is true that they tend to be hotter than yellow ones.