- [Narrator] How did Azula
go from this to this? (Azula screams)
(intense cinematic music) And did she find redemption
after the series ended? Here is the full timeline
of Azula's rise and fall. (intense cinematic music) To understand this moment,
(Azula laughing) we have to start at the very beginning with Azula's childhood. - [Zuko] Everything
always came easy to her. She's a firebending prodigy. My father says she was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born. (intense cinematic music)
(fire whooshing) - [Narrator] Even as a
kid, Azula is cunning and Machiavellian. She has already decided she'd
rather be feared than loved. - You'll never catch up. - [Narrator] Azula learned early on that being powerful, perfect, and pitiless was the way to gain her father's approval. - Great grandfather won because... - Because even though
his army was outnumbered, he cleverly calculated his advantages. The enemy was down wind,
and there was a drought. Their defenses burned
to a crisp in minutes. - [Ozai] Correct, my dear. - [Narrator] So she uses the same tactics to get her mother's attention,
burning flowers, dolls, and her brother. - It's time for a talk.
(somber cinematic music) - [Narrator] Ursa's scolding
only fuels Azula's belief that her mother doesn't really love her. (hurrying footsteps) - What is wrong with that child? - [Narrator] Azula's strained
relationship with her mother only strengthens her loyalty to Ozai, who only cares about power. (intense suspense music)
(wooden door creaks) - Dad's going to kill you! Really, he is. - [Zuko] Ha-ha, Azula, nice try. - Fine, don't believe me,
but I heard everything. Grandfather said dad's
punishment should fit his crime. "You must know the pain
of losing a first born son "by sacrificing your own!" - Dad would never do that to me. - Your father would never do what to you? What is going on here? - [Narrator] Azula tells her
mother about Ozai's plan, directly leading to Ursa's disappearance. - Where's mom? - No one knows. Oh, and last night, grandpa passed away. - Not funny, Azula. You're sick, and I want my knife back now. (Zuko grunts) - Whose going to make me, mom? - [Narrator] After Ozai
becomes the Fire Lord, Azula seems ready to supplant
Zuko as heir to the throne. So just a few years later,
Azula watches with a smile while her father burns
and banishes her brother. (flames roaring)
(Zuko screaming) In the three years of
her brother's banishment, young Azula transforms herself
into a fearsome firebender and a brilliant strategist, just as cold-blooded and
ambitious as her father. - [Ozai] Iroh is a traitor, and your brother Zuko is a failure. I have a task for you. - [Narrator] Azula, who
thinks love and trust make her opponents weak,
uses this to lure Zuko into her trap. - Father's changed his mind. Family is suddenly very important to him. He's heard rumors of
plans to overthrow him, treacherous plots.
(intense cinematic music) Family are the only ones
you can really trust. (intense cinematic music) Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home. - You lied to me! - Like I've never done that before. (intense cinematic music)
(fire whooshes) - [Narrator] Then, she
reunites with her friends, Mai and Ty Lee. And when we say reunites with her friends, we mean manipulates and
threatens her friends. - Set the net on fire. (fire whooshing)
(fire crackling) (intense cinematic music) - The universe is giving me strong hints that it's time for a career change. I wanna join you on your mission. - [Narrator] When she finds
out the Avatar's on the loose, she decides to do what Zuko couldn't. - So, we're tracking down
your brother and uncle, huh? - It'll be interesting seeing
Zuko again, won't it, Mai? (intense cinematic music) - It's not just Zuko and Iroh anymore. We have a third target now. - [Narrator] One-upping
her brother isn't enough, so when she tracks the
Avatar to Ba Sing Se, she does what even the brilliant
General Iroh couldn't do. - The Earth Kingdom will finally fall. Then you can claim Ba Sing Se
in the name of your father. (wall crumbling)
(intense cinematic music) - We've done it, Zuko. It's taken 100 years, but the Fire Nation has conquered Ba Sing Se. - [Narrator] Basically, Azula
saw capturing the Avatar as just a side quest. And she decided to casually
take over the Earth Kingdom too, you know, while she was
in the neighborhood. That's how ambitious she is. What other members of her family spend years trying to accomplish, Azula sees as just a tiny
step in an even bigger plan to consolidate her power.
(lasers whooshing) The fall of Ba Sing Se is
Azula's mightiest moment, but it doesn't last. (dramatic action music)
(lasers whooshing) Before we dive into Azula's downfall, make sure you're subscribed,
and hit the notification bell (bell dings)
(dramatic suspense music) so you never miss a new video. Okay, back to Azula. - Don't let me interrupt your
whatever it is you were doing. (intense cinematic music) - [Narrator] So after
Azula conquers Ba Sing Se, she and Zuko return to the Fire Nation. Even though Zuko is restored
as the heir to the throne, Azula's still in charge,
pulling all the strings. - What could I possibly gain by letting you get all the glory for defeating the Avatar? Unless somehow the Avatar
was actually alive? All that glory would suddenly
turn to shame and foolishness. (dramatic suspense music) But you said yourself that was impossible. (dramatic suspense music) Sleep well, Zuzu. - [Narrator] With Zuko under her thumb and her loyal friends
following all her orders, Azula lets her guard down for
just a second on Ember Island. - Those were wonderful
performances, everyone. - I guess you wouldn't
understand, would you, Azula? Because you're just so perfect. - Well yes, I guess you're right. I don't have sob stories like all of you. I could sit here and complain how our mom liked Zuko more than me, but I don't really care. My own mother thought I was a monster. (somber music) She was right, of course,
but it still hurt. - [Narrator] This tiny dent
in Azula's emotional armor explains so much about her character. Azula decided long ago that it was better to
be feared than loved, because she didn't think
she could be loved. If her own mother thought
she was a monster, then how else could she maintain power, except by acting like a monster? (fire crackling)
- Yes, we defeated you for all time. You will never rise from the ashes of your shame and humiliation! - [Narrator] Azula finds out the limits of ruling through fear during her mission to the Boiling Rock. - The thing I don't understand is why. Why would you do it? You know the consequences. (dramatic suspense music) - I guess you just don't know people as well as you think you do. You miscalculated. I love Zuko more than I fear you. - No, you miscalculated! You should've feared me more! (dramatic suspense music) (blade whooshes) (women grunting) (dramatic suspense music) (Azula gasps)
(Azula grunts) (dramatic music) - [Narrator] Mai's stand
is the beginning of the end for Azula. Without her friends, she
turns to Ozai for approval. (dramatic music) - Sorry I'm late, father. Good Palanquin Bearers are so
hard to come by these days. So, is everything ready for our departure? - [Ozai] There has been
a change of plans, Azula. - What? - [Ozai] I've decided to
lead the fleet of airships to Ba Sing Se alone. You will remain here in the Fire Nation. - [Narrator] In her mind,
Azula did everything right. She was a loyal second in command, who cut ties with her brother,
her uncle, her mother, and her best friends for the
sake of being the perfect heir. So when she did everything right and it still looks like
Ozai is discarding her, Azula cracks. - But, I thought we were
going to do this together? - [Ozai] My decision is final. - You, you can't treat me like this! You can't treat me like Zuko! - Azula, silence yourself. - But it was my idea to burn
everything to the ground! I deserve to be by your side! - Azula!
(dramatic music) - [Narrator] She gets
what she always wanted. - I need you here to
watch over the homeland. It's a very important job that
I can only entrust to you! (dramatic music) - Really? - And for your loyalty,
I've decided to declare you the new Fire Lord. - [Narrator] But this
brief exchange shows Azula just how easy it is to
slip from Ozai's favor, because just like Azula,
Ozai rules through fear. With friends who betrayed her and a father who is less like a father and more like a constant threat, it's no wonder Azula feels paranoid. By Sozin's Comet, she sees
danger and disloyalty everywhere. - Azula, we heard what happened. Why have you banished all your servants? Or your Dai Li Agent? - And the Imperial Firebenders? - None of them could be trusted. Sooner or later, they
all would've betrayed me, just like Mai and Ty Lee did. - [Narrator] And that isn't all she sees. (dramatic suspense music) - Ugh! Alright hair, it's time to face your doom! (dramatic music)
(scissor blades chop) - What a shame, you always
had such beautiful hair. - What are you doing here? - I didn't wanna miss my
own daughter's coronation. - Don't pretend to act proud. I know what you really think of me. You think I'm a monster. - I think you're confused. All your life, you've used
fear to control people, like your friends, Mai and Ty Lee. - Well, what choice do I have? Trust is for fools. Fear is the only reliable way. Even you fear me. - No, I love you, Azula. I do. (dramatic suspense music) (Azula grunts)
(glass shatters) - [Narrator] Azula is
forced to face a hard truth that she still refuses to accept. If Ursa loves Azula no matter what, then Azula has been wrong this whole time. She doesn't have to act like
a monster to be powerful. She could be loved instead of feared. And love and trust are stronger
than fear and manipulation. Hearing the truth breaks Azula. (Azula laughing)
(intense cinematic music) (fire roaring) When Katara defeats her in the Agni Kai, everything Azula wrote off as
weak or foolish wins the day, and everything she thought was important comes crashing down.
(Azula panting) (intense cinematic music) (Azula screaming)
(fire whooshing) (Azula groaning) (Azula sobbing) (Azula moaning) After losing the Agni Kai and her crown on the day of Sozin's Comet,
Azula is institutionalized. (dramatic music) A year later, Zuko visits her
asking her to talk to Ozai about Ursa's disappearance. She uses this opportunity
to scheme her way into Zuko's mission to find their mother. The journey with Team
Avatar is a tense one, and after leaping off Appa mid-flight, Azula has another hallucination of Ursa. Once again, this vision of her
mother insists she loves her, an idea that Azula still
can't bear to consider. The hallucinations continue, urging Azula to recognize
her mother's love and find her own destiny. (dramatic music) Once Team Avatar finds
Ursa in her new life, (lasers whooshing)
Azula confronts her mother, demanding to know why she
wasn't worthy of Ursa's love. (rhythmic action music) But just when it seems like Azula will finally embrace her mother, Zuko leaps in and Azula lashes out. (lasers whooshing)
(rhythmic action music) She asks Zuko to give her the throne, begging to be rid of
the nagging in her head. Zuko says the Fire Nation
throne is his destiny, but he says that Azula
has value as a person, not just as the Fire Lord. At this, she flees into the forest. While in hiding, Azula's
hallucinations stop. She returns to the Fire Nation capital and takes on the image of a Kemurikage. Dressed as these dark spirits, Azula and a group of her followers begin stirring up unrest in the capital. When Zuko unmasks her, Azula attacks. She reveals that she's
decided on a new destiny. By creating chaos, she'll
turn Zuko into a Fire Lord who rules through fear just like Ozai. (dramatic music)
- Relax, Fire Lord Zuko. Just let go, give into it. - [Narrator] And much to his horror, Zuko realizes that trying
to stop Azula's scheming has turned him into an authoritarian ruler just like his father.
(intense cinematic music) At that, Azula vanishes in smoke. (intense cinematic music) Once the Princess of the Fire Nation, now Azula is a shadowy figure, haunted and haunting,
planning her next move. There's no trace of Azula
in the Legend of Korra, so that's all we know
about her life so far. (rhythmic action music) Do you think Azula could
ever find redemption? Let us know in the comments, and make sure to subscribe
for more Avatar timelines. - [Azula] Now it's over.
Azula Saturday on the avatar YouTube channel ?
Did battle with a parasitic spirit that stole her identity, formed a family with fellow mental institution escapees, and told her real "family" to shove off.
Tylee supported her to get help and they fell in love. Definetly not what ever the fuck smoke and shadows was
a decent quick rundown I guess, with neat depth