Azula's relationships

This page is comprised of Azula's relationships with other characters in the Avatar World, all of which, with the exception of her relationship with her father, she jeopardized through her cruel, manipulative and selfish personality.

Azulon
"'Fire Lord Azulon. Can't we just call him grandfather? He's not exactly the powerful firebender he used to be.' - Azula to Ursa and Zuko talking about Azulon in a flashback during 'Zuko Alone'."

Azula was named by Ozai after her grandfather, Azulon. The relationship between Azula and her grandfather remains a mystery. Ozai has mentioned that both of them were firebending prodigies, however, Azulon seemed to be unimpressed with his granddaughter's abilities. The feeling seems mutual, though, as she appeared to be unimpressed with him due to his old age and moments of compassion for Iroh. She was, for the most part, not saddened or even the slightest bit phased by Azulon's death.

Fire Lord Ozai
"'You can't treat me like this! You can't treat me like Zuko!' - Azula to Fire Lord Ozai in 'Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King'."



In essence, Ozai seemed to be the only person whom Azula viewed as her equal. Explicitly stated by Zuko, Azula was favored by their father, Fire Lord Ozai; Azula's cruelty and sadism was only matched by her father's. As a firebending prodigy and the favored sibling, everyone, apart from Iroh, Zuko, and Ursa, adored her and, judging by her ship and soldiers, she was given better treatment than her brother. In the final seconds of the season one finale, Fire Lord Ozai gave her the task of capturing Zuko and Iroh. In the first episode of the third season, Azula demonstrated her lack of loyalty to even her own father; she was willing to lie, even to him, for her own ends.

During the events of the Day of Black Sun, Zuko revealed to his father that it was Azula who "killed" the Avatar at Ba Sing Se and that he survived the attack. Ozai was clearly infuriated at his daughter's failure to kill the Avatar and Zuko's traitorous behavior, but it appeared Ozai had not lost his trust in Azula. In his self-appointment as Phoenix King, Ozai appointed Azula his successor as Fire Lord, though the title had become meaningless in the face of the Phoenix King, a higher rank than Fire Lord.

Prior to this, Ozai told Azula that she was not to participate in the Earth Kingdom attack that she had suggested to him earlier, and she immediately felt belittled and dishonored, and was evidently hurt by what she felt was neglect from her father. It is possible that after being betrayed by Ty Lee and Mai, Azula felt her father was the only person from whom she could have received any affection, which she secretly desired.

However, it is evident that Ozai was incapable of true, unconditional love and dispensed affection and favor to shape his two children as tools that would respond to his will, even for his daughter. This shaped Azula's fears that she could not count on love or affection from anyone, no matter how close they seemed. Unable to trust others, she instead tried to dominate them through fear - a paranoia that ultimately drove her insane following the betrayal of her closest friends.

Ozai and Azula were both defeated by the Avatar and his allies during the arrival of Sozin's Comet and, while Ozai was imprisoned in the Capital City Prison, Azula was sent to a secret mental facility elsewhere in the Fire Nation.

Iroh
"'I still think our dad would make a much better Fire Lord than his royal tea loving kookiness.' - Azula to Zuko and Ursa in 'Zuko Alone'."



Like Zuko, Iroh cared little for Azula. Even as a child, Azula had a considerably low opinion of her uncle; she referred to him as "His Royal Tea-loving Kookiness", promptly torched a doll he had sent her from an Earth Kingdom city and called Iroh a "quitter and loser" for losing heart and failing to capture Ba Sing Se after the death of his son Lu Ten. When Iroh ended up accidentally poisoning himself by consuming a White Jade Flower (mistaking it for the White Dragon Flower), he and Zuko considered their options as to where they should go to find an antidote. Their options were either to journey to the Earth Kingdom, where they risk having their identities and connections to the Fire Nation exposed and subsequently be captured (then possibly killed afterwards); or back to the Fire Nation, were they were currently viewed as traitors. With the strong possibility of being immediately handed to Azula should they choose the latter, the duo opted to the Earth Kingdom instead, indicating death was a more favored option than facing Azula. She also called him "Uncle Fatso" and "Old Fuddy-Duddy Uncle". Azula expressed excitement at the idea that he might die in battle, which would put Ozai next in line for the throne. She once attacked Iroh with a fire blast - after she had, as she put it, "surrendered with honor" - and severely wounded him.

Unlike Zuko, Iroh was not blinded by emotion and could see through Azula's lies. He was skeptical when Azula claimed her father wanted them home in the Fire Nation while Zuko eagerly awaited his return home. Iroh's suspicions were confirmed when Azula's captain accidentally revealed they were prisoners. He attempted to act politely toward Azula regardless of his distrust, but Azula did not respond kindly and interrupted him while he was talking, demanding for him to be silent.

Despite Iroh's tendencies to avoid unnecessary conflict, he did teach Zuko more difficult bending techniques in order to help him defeat her. In his own words, he said, "She's crazy and needs to go down." Iroh was one of the few other characters who possesses the ability to generate lightning and has demonstrated the technique of redirecting lightning, a technique Azula had not mastered. When Azula tried to manipulate Zuko into taking over Ba Sing Se, Iroh tried to convince him to let go of his quest to restore his honor and "choose good".

After Ba Sing Se fell, Azula captured Iroh, brought him home in chains and used him as a ploy to force Zuko to return home as well.

Upon the arrival of Sozin's Comet, Iroh reversed his niece's victory and liberated Ba Sing Se. Meanwhile, Zuko and Katara defeated Azula in an Agni Kai in the Fire Nation Capital and claimed Zuko's rightful title as Fire Lord. Azula was institutionalized following her loss of sanity.

Like Ursa, Iroh favored Zuko over Azula, even considering him as his own, and believed Azula to be an unstable, abnormal person.

Lu Ten
"'Oh yes he is. He found out his son died and he just fell apart.' - Azula to Zuko in 'Zuko Alone'."

Little is known about Azula's relationship with her cousin, Lu Ten. When Ursa informed her children that "Iroh [had] lost his son. Your cousin, Lu Ten, did not survive the battle", Zuko was clearly shocked and saddened by the news, while Azula was shown in the background with an unclear expression, and was very unsympathetic to Iroh's reaction to his death.

Princess Ursa
"'My own mother... thought I was a monster. She was right, of course, but it still hurt.' - Azula about Ursa in 'The Beach'."



Little is known of the relationship between Azula and her mother, Ursa, granddaughter of Avatar Roku. It is known that she cared deeply for the neglected Zuko, despite her daughter, Princess Azula, possessing more superior firebending abilities. This was a direct contrast to her husband Ozai's feelings toward his children, who stated Azula was "born lucky" while Zuko was "lucky to be born".

It was seen that Azula was often scolded by Ursa for the unkind and disrespectful remarks she made about her brother, uncle, or grandfather.

After overhearing a conflict between the then Fire Lord Azulon and Ozai, Azula mockingly informed Zuko that their father was going to carry out the orders given be Azulon to kill his son. Zuko told himself "Azula always lies," but when his mom gave him her final goodbyes, she stated that everything she had done had been to protect him. It was eventually revealed that she did "vicious, treasonous" actions that night in order to save Zuko, resulting in Azulon's death and her banishment. It is noted, however, that Azula seems to show no concern or sadness at all over the death of her grandfather or the disappearance of her own mother, especially when it becomes known that Ozai would be crowned Fire Lord. As with her father, family pales to her desire for power.

When her turn came to share a revelation of her life, Azula remarked that she was well aware Ursa loved Zuko more, but unlike her brother, does not obsess over it. She did however reveal how it hurt that her own mother thought she was a monster, albeit halfheartedly, as she goes on to state it was true. It is interesting to note that when Azula made her revelation, she stared into a fire pit of burning embers, suggesting there were deep-rooted issues of anger, resentment and pain toward Ursa, perhaps a glimpse as well of the inner turmoil in Azula's mind that would later manifest itself outwardly as she descended into madness.

Upon the arrival of Sozin's Comet, Ursa appeared before Azula in a hallucination. Azula is quick to remind her mother that she had no reason to see her since her mother thought she was a monster. Ursa rejected this accusation, saying she loved her daughter and she feared that Azula was committing her various crimes out of confusion. Enraged, Azula threw her hairbrush at her mirror, breaking the glass and ending the hallucination. Azula was left in her bedroom breaking down in tears, this incident further exposing the enormous turmoil, and possible self-loathing, going on inside Azula's mind as she descended into insanity.

Zuko
"'You know Father blames Uncle for the loss at the North Pole. And he considers you a miserable failure for not finding the Avatar. Why would he want you back home, except to lock you up where you can no longer embarrass him?' - Azula to Zuko in 'The Avatar State'."



Zuko, also referred to as Zuzu by Azula, is Azula's older brother. The two siblings seemingly have little appreciation of one another. Even being the younger sibling, Azula has been known to lie to Zuko and take pleasure in torturing him; though Zuko knew that "Azula always lies" (as he repeatedly chants, seemingly to convince himself ), she was often able to manipulate him. This is most notable when she used his hope of redemption to prompt him to betray Iroh and join her in attacking the Avatar in the conquering Ba Sing Se.

However, following their alliance, Azula's relationship with her brother gradually began to take a drastic change. She expressed concern over Zuko after discovering that he had been secretly visiting an imprisoned Iroh, warning him that if it were to be discovered that he was meeting with their uncle, it could be misinterpreted as conspiracy. Azula condescendingly instructed Zuko to be more careful in regards to Iroh, ending her warning with the use of his old nickname of "dum-dum" for effect. During their vacation to Ember Island, Azula shared nostalgia and depression with her brother as they pay visit to their family's decrepit summer beach-house. After Azula found Zuko within their old beach-home, she told him to leave, noting that she understands his feelings toward the place. Along with Mai and Ty Lee, Azula later helps Zuko realize why he was feeling angered, assuming the role of interpreter as they each shared revelations of their life experiences that shaped them into who they are. When her turn came, Azula admitted to her awareness that their mother loved Zuko more, but unlike her brother, did not feel the need to care or spend her time complaining about it. Although, with each act of compassion toward her brother, Azula ensured to couple it with her usual cold-heartedness, a performance reminiscent to that of a love-hate relationship. At one point Zuko finally brought himself to confide his feelings of uncertainty and confusion toward Azula. While faintly sympathetic toward him, she impulsively deemed him pathetic, albeit in a somewhat playful tone.

During the Day of Black Sun, Zuko confessed to Ozai that it was Azula who failed to kill the Avatar and that she lied to him to avoid punishment. Afterwards, Azula confronted Zuko again while he was assisting a prison escape at the Boiling Rock. Despite her ingenious tactics and attacks, she failed to land a single blow on Zuko, who easily deflected her attacks, although it should be noted that Azula was fighting both Zuko and Sokka, who at that point was a very able swordsman, at the same time. After she and Ty Lee abandoned the battle scene and left the others for dead, her friend Mai betrayed her by saving Zuko's life, a reflection that she still loved him. Zuko escaped successfully along with his allies, leaving Azula enraged. Mai then renounced her loyalty to Azula, prompting her to fight Mai. This led to Ty Lee attacking Azula in Mai's defense. Although she masked the effects of the incident with anger, Azula was clearly devastated by Zuko's influence on her two friends.

Azula attacked Zuko and his friends at the Western Air Temple. At this point, it is clear that she wished to kill her own brother. She engaged in a battle with Zuko at the top of her airship, while Zuko's friends escaped. Azula attempted to launch a devastating attack on Zuko, however, she was flung off the airship when Zuko counterattacked. This sent Azula falling to what would have been certain death had she not broken her fall by using her firebending to propel herself toward a cliff, then using her hair pin to anchor herself safely onto the side of the mountain. She watched Zuko fly off with a sinister look on her face, clearly ready to pursue her brother once again.

It is important to note that while Azula was falling, Zuko showed genuine regret as he believed she would really die. This, coupled with Azula's affection for Zuko during their time together, proves that at best they did care for one another, but due to their different views on life and the nature of their upbringing (Zuko through Ursa and Iroh, and Azula through Ozai), they cannot coexist. While initially vague, as the series progressed it became clearer where Azula's rage toward her brother came from. She impulsively felt the need to berate and belittle him and rub their father's favoritism of her in his face, even when the situation did not call for it and even after Zuko made it clear he no longer cared for his father's approval. This apparently stems from a massive and subconscious jealousy of her mother favoring Zuko.

Zuko and Azula finally battled for the last time on the day Sozin's Comet arrived. Zuko and Katara arrived at Azula's coronation where Zuko declared to his sister that he would become Fire Lord rather than her. Azula responded to this by immediately challenging Zuko to an Agni Kai for the crown, which he eagerly accepted. It is not clear if she did because she realized she would probably be unable to successfully fight both Zuko and Katara, or because of her mounting desire to kill Zuko and overcome her crumbling mental state. When Katara pointed out to Zuko that he had previously admitted to not being able to defeat Azula by himself, he simply stated that Azula was "off" and "slipping", indicating that he sensed Azula's mental instability which he hoped would give him an advantage, enable him to defeat her and keep Katara out of harm's way. The two fought a vicious duel with Zuko equally matching Azula blow-for-blow. When Zuko finally succeeded in knocking Azula off her feet, Azula seemingly became more outraged. When Zuko taunted her about her failure to utilize lightning generation, believing her to be afraid he would redirect the bolt at her, she immediately charged up a powerful lightning attack. She appeared to target Zuko, however, aimed the attack at Katara instead, who was anxiously watching the battle from the sidelines. Zuko leapt in front of the lightning, redirecting enough of the attack to prevent immediate death, but was still badly injured in the process. Azula laughed maniacally and proceeded to fight Katara, who eventually tricked her by freezing them both in a block of ice and liquefying it to the extent where she was able to bind Azula's hands together and secure her to the ground. After defeating Azula, Katara went to heal Zuko. Seeing Zuko alive and standing after her attack finally caused Azula's mentality to collapse. She began screaming wildly and breathing fire, until she ended up on her side screaming, struggling, crying uncontrollably and mumbling incoherently as her emotions spun out of control. Zuko watched sadly as his sister fell apart.

Azula was imprisoned in a mental health facility elsewhere in the Fire Nation after the battle is lost.

Chan
"'Together, you and I will be the strongest couple in the entire world! We will dominate the Earth!' - Azula to Chan in 'The Beach'."



Chan and Azula had a very brief relationship. Upon arriving at Chan's party, Azula gave him a very long and confusing compliment on his suit which Chan seemed to find odd. Nonetheless, the two later shared a romantic evening while stargazing on Chan's porch. They kissed with Chan remarking afterwards that Azula was pretty. Azula, being inexperienced with romance, went back to her comfort zone of manipulation and domination of others and stated, "Together, you and I will be the strongest couple in the entire world! We will dominate the Earth!" This statement, coupled by a display of Azula's blue fire, frightened Chan and he went sheepishly back in the house, leaving behind a disappointed Azula. After some time with her friends on the beach, Azula extracted revenge on Chan by ransacking his house along with the others, leaving Chan sobbing. Azula did not meet Chan again afterwards.

Aang
"'It's not just Zuko and Iroh anymore. We have a third target now.' - Azula to Mai and Ty Lee in 'Return to Omashu'."



Aang, being the Avatar, had, along with Azula's brother and uncle, become the princess' target. In early encounters, she nearly managed to defeat him, typically forcing him to flee. Later on, however, he proved that, with his newly learned bending skills, he could stand a chance against her. Aang defeated her in a battle atop the Fire Nation drill with some aid from Momo, though the victory was hard fought. In the Crystal Catacombs, she, alongside Zuko, faced Aang again, who was aided by Katara. After a long battle and being outnumbered with the recent arrival of the Dai Li, Aang attempted to enter the Avatar State only to be struck by a lightning bolt fired by Azula before he could complete the transformation.

When Azula and Zuko returned home, Azula informed Fire Lord Ozai that it was Zuko who killed the Avatar, shielding herself in the event that the Avatar survived the attack.

On the Day of Black Sun, Azula battled Aang once again, revealing her knowledge of his survival from the attack. She ordered her Dai Li agents to assail Aang and his group, stalling them during the eclipse. Aang eventually ceased to chase Azula, wishing to face the Fire Lord. His attempts end in failure, however, when Azula distracted Sokka during the last moments of the eclipse, ruining the attack and forcing them to abandon the mission.

Azula did not meet Aang again until her assault of the Western Air Temple, however, her prime focus lay in eliminating Zuko who had indirectly caused her former friends, Mai and Ty Lee, to betray her. Zuko held off Azula long enough for Aang to escape.

This was the last time Aang and Azula would ever face each other. While Aang fought Fire Lord Ozai upon the arrival of Sozin's Comet, Azula was finally defeated by Zuko and Katara. Of all the villains in the series, Azula was the only one who was successful in killing Aang. This also temporarily cut off his connection with his previous lives and blocked his connection to the Avatar State until the series finale. Azula proved a very competent opponent for Aang in their few face-to-face battles, even forcing Aang on the defensive when he used two elements at once, a testament to her level of skill.

Aang, being the reincarnation of Azula's maternal great-grandfather Avatar Roku, is Azula's spiritual relative, although it is unclear if either are aware of this, or if they care for the knowledge.

Katara
"'There you are, filthy peasant!' - Azula to Katara in 'Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang'."



Throughout the series, Katara and Azula's relationship was limited to them being enemies with Azula being brutal and violent, while keeping her calm mood, during battles, with the exception of their final battle in the Fire Nation Capital. Azula attempted to strike her when Katara prevented her from capturing Aang. Katara was the only one who noticed that the woman who allegedly was Suki was in fact Azula in disguise. The two battled in the crystal catacombs of Ba Sing Se; in the first part of the battle, Azula was seemingly on the receiving end of Katara's attacks with waterbender using water tentacles to subdue the princess, until Zuko freed his sister from Katara's grasp and started fighting her in Azula's place instead.

According to Azula's Earth Kingdom Chronicles book, she knew Katara's name.

When Zuko decided to face Azula in a final battle to decide who would be Fire Lord, he asked Katara to join him to which she happily complied. When Zuko and Azula battled at the Fire Nation Capital, Azula attempted to shoot Katara with lightning after Zuko taunted her, however, Zuko threw himself in the lightning's path and Katara escaped uninjured. Azula then relentlessly pursued Katara in an attempt to strike her down with the waterbender proving to be an even foe. In an ingenious waterbending move, Katara stole some chains and froze herself and Azula in a block of ice. She then liquidated part of the water, chained Azula's hands together and bound her to the ground, finally defeating her and driving Azula entirely into madness. Katara watched sadly alongside Zuko as Azula thrashed around, screaming and crying, indicating that Katara did have sympathy, or at least pity, for Azula in the very end.

Kyoshi Warriors
"'Who are you? The Avatar's fangirls?' - Azula to the Kyoshi Warriors in 'Appa's Lost Days'."



Azula and her team of friends encountered the Kyoshi Warriors in a forest; the band of warriors, at that time, were caring for Appa. The warriors took fighting stances, preparing to defend themselves and Appa to which Azula mockingly asked whether they were the Avatar's "fangirls". Although their leader, Suki, tried to deter them by saying the Avatar was not with them, Azula refused to back off, claiming that any friend of the Avatar's was an enemy of hers. She, Mai and Ty Lee briefly engaged in a fight with the Kyoshi Warriors.

With Mai's knife-throwing skills, Ty Lee's chi-blocking skills and Azula's prodigious firebending, all the warriors were quickly defeated until Suki remained the last one standing. She was momentarily distracted by Appa's escape from the scene of the fight until Azula resumed attacking her once more. Suki withdrew one of her fans, however, Azula calmly stated, "Don't you know fans just make flames stronger?" and the two lunged forward at each other. The rest of the fight was not seen, but it was later revealed that Suki was finally defeated and Azula's team stole some of their clothing, using it to disguise themselves as Kyoshi Warriors and infiltrate Ba Sing Se.

In the Day of Black Sun, Azula mentioned Suki, the leader of Kyoshi Warriors when Team Avatar confronted her in the Fire Nation secret tunnel. For making Sokka releases her, Azula mentioned where Suki live after caught.

Sokka
"'So, Sokka's your name, right? My favorite prisoner used to mention you all the time. She was convinced that you were going to come rescue her. Of course, you never came and she gave up on you.' - Azula to Sokka in 'The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse'."



Like Katara, Sokka and Azula's relationship was limited to their status as enemies. The two first met in Omashu; when they encountered each other again, Sokka engaged her in a fight. The two have rarely conversed, however, that changed when Azula hindered Team Avatar's efforts to find the Fire Lord. She decided to further her efforts by taking advantage of Sokka's emotions, revealing that she knew his name and that her "favorite prisoner", being Suki, talked about him consistently. She falsely claimed that Suki gave up on the chance of Sokka ever coming to rescue her, prompting him to attack the princess in a blind and emotional rage. She attempted to injure/kill him with a concealed shuriken knife, however, Toph intervened and pinned her to the wall. Sokka demanded to know where Suki was being held captive, however, Azula said nothing and escaped once the eclipse ended. This incident left the two even more bitter toward each other than before.

Azula attempted to stop Sokka and Zuko from fleeing the Boiling Rock Prison. During this engagement, Sokka freed Suki and proved an equal match for Azula, evenly taking on her firebending with his swordsmanship and additional support from Zuko.

Sokka's last encounter with Azula was during her ambush in the Western Air Temple.

As an added note, the only time Azula said the name of any Team Avatar member, with the exception of Zuko, was in "The Day of Black Sun", where she said Sokka's name.

Toph
"'And since you can't see I should tell you I'm rolling my eyes.' 'I'll roll your whole head!' - Azula and Toph in 'The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse'."



Azula first encountered Toph when she and her friends, Mai and Ty Lee, were following Team Avatar. Later, during the Conflict at Tu Zin, Toph helped the team by knocking Azula down with earthbending. After being cornered by Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko, and Iroh, she shot a bolt of lightning at Iroh, distracting the others for a brief moment, thus managing to escape.

During the Day of Black Sun, Aang, Sokka and Toph traveled together to find Fire Lord Ozai in order to defeat him and end the war. They infiltrated a large metal bunker, thought to conceal Ozai, only to discover Azula waiting for them. Azula's immunity to sending a bodily reaction when lying rendered Toph's ability to detect fibs useless during their interrogation of Azula as to Ozai's whereabouts. At one point, Azula prompted Sokka to charge at her in blind rage and prepared to strike him with a shuriken dagger. Toph sensed the hidden danger, however, and intervened, pinning Azula's hands to the wall. She, along with the others, abandoned their search for Ozai after the eclipse ended and Azula escaped.

The last time Toph encountered Azula was during the latter's assault on the Western Air Temple. However, Azula was primarily targeting Zuko and did not attack nor interact with any of the other members of the group.

Lo and Li
"'Lo, you're banished. Li, you can stay.' 'But, I'm Li. So who's banished?' - Azula and Li in 'Into the Inferno'."



As opposed to many characters, the twins, Lo and Li, had at some point earned Azula's respect, trust and consideration. Scenarios in the series depicted the sisters either evaluating a situation or offering advice, such as her lightning generation practice and her pursuit of her brother and uncle.

There are only two known moments where these dynamics were different. The first was when Azula stayed at their cottage on Ember Island, along with Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee. There, the two behaved in a more relaxed way, still offering her advice, although primarily on more personal matters. They were last seen with Azula in the Throne Room, when they tried to make sense of a maddening Azula. When they showed concern for her slip into insanity, Azula believed her father had ordered them to keep an eye on her and their sympathetic advice ended up being counterproductive. When Lo suggested she postpone her coronation due to recent events, Azula lashed at them, demanding to know which of the two suggested that. When neither took a stand, Azula ordered them to fight an Agni Kai, forgetting that neither of them were firebenders. She proceeded to randomly banish one of them while pointing to the other, causing the two to wonder who was banished.

It is unknown if the twins harbored any sympathy for Azula following her defeat and subsequent institutionalization. However, since they were out of the princess' service, it is possible they started advising Zuko instead.

Mai
"'You miscalculated. I love Zuko more than I fear you.' 'No, YOU miscalculated! You should have feared me more!' - Azula and Mai in 'The Boiling Rock, Part 2'."



Mai seemed to regard Azula as a friend throughout most of the series, however, Azula seemingly treated Mai with as little concern as she did Ty Lee. Throughout their childhood, Azula was known for trickery, causing Zuko and Mai to fall into a fountain together for the sole purpose of embarrassing them.

On an interesting note, Mai did not necessarily fear Azula, shown when she refused an order from Azula to chase Sokka and Katara in the drill's waste system. Mai openly defied the commands and nonchalantly stated, "She can shoot all the lightning she wants at me - I am not going in that wall of sludge juice." On another occasion, she allowed Sokka, Toph and the Earth King escape with the king's pet bear, Bosco, due to a lack of commitment in tending to the bear's needs. However, these incidents had occurred in the absence of Azula; it is not known how Mai would have acted if the princess was present. Mai was seemingly hesitant to defy the princess outright, although still gave Azula dark looks when the princess's back was turned.

The end of their friendship occurred when Mai chose to aid Zuko's prison escape by defeating the guards that were in pursuit of him. Azula questioned her intently as to why she aided him, telling her, "You know the consequences." When Mai suggested that Azula miscalculated and declared she loved Zuko more than she feared Azula, Azula lost herself in a rage, attempting to murder Mai with her firebending. However, Ty Lee saved Mai, in turn betraying Azula as well. Azula promptly had them both arrested, severing her friendship with them. After the war, Ty Lee and Mai were released from prison. Mai reunited with Zuko and they became a happy couple.

Mai's betrayal of Azula might be seen as the catalyst for Azula's downfall, as it was her actions that led to Ty Lee's betrayal and Azula's fall into insanity.

Ty Lee
"'Okay, okay, calm down. I didn't mean what I said. Look, maybe I just said it because I was a little... jealous.' - Azula to Ty Lee in 'The Beach'."



Like Mai, Ty Lee regarded Azula as a friend and even openly displayed admiration for her. It was shown, however, that even since they were children, she had not treated Ty Lee as such. Because Azula could not stand to be secondary in skill, even as a child, she shoved Ty Lee to the ground when she was ousted by her friend in acrobatics. Azula also pressured an unwilling Ty Lee into joining her search for the Avatar, her brother, and uncle during her friend's performance, forcing the ringmaster to set fire to the net underneath her and releasing the most dangerous animals. She laughed when Zuko called Ty Lee a "circus freak", although later displayed some concern about Ty Lee's unpleasant childhood. Despite this, Azula was known to be occasionally respectful and somewhat caring toward Ty Lee. When she made Ty Lee cry by telling her that no boy cared for her as a person, she apologized quickly and admitted it was her own insecurity that shaped that comment.

Like her friendship with Mai, Azula's friendship with Ty Lee also came to an end. In the midst of Mai saving Zuko and in turn, betrayal of Azula, Ty Lee saved Mai from being struck down by Azula by attacking Azula's pressure points, temporarily paralyzing her. Ty Lee and Mai were released when the war ended where the former joined the Kyoshi warriors after teaching them chi-blocking techniques.