What Happened to Azula After Avatar: The Last Airbender?

Princess Azula is one of Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s most formidable antagonists, right up until the very end. But what happened to Azula after her defeat in Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s series finale?

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What Happened to Azula After Avatar: The Last Airbender?

Azula’s post-Avatar: The Last Airbender fate is revealed in a series of Avatar graphic novels published by Dark Horse Comics. Here, we learn that the former crown princess ended up in an asylum following her mental breakdown in Avatar‘s final episode, “Sozin’s Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang.”

Roughly a year into her stay at this facility, Azula is visited by her brother, Fire Lord Zuko, who wants to track down their long-lost mother, Ursa. Azula ultimately agrees to join Zuko on his mission, although (true to form) she has a secret agenda. Using one of Ursa’s old letters that falsely cast doubt on Zuko’s parentage, Azula plans to undermine Zuko’s claim to the throne.

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Azula’s schemes are soon derailed after she and Zuko – along with Team Avatar – locate Ursa. Despite suffering from amnesia, Ursa apologizes to Azula for her failings as a mother, weakening Azula’s resolve. She’s hit with another emotional gut punch shortly after, when Zuko reveals he still loves her even after all the pain she’s caused him.

Overwhelmed by all this familial kindness, Azula flees the scene. The one-time frontrunner for the Fire Nation’s throne isn’t gone long, though. Azula resurfaces a few weeks later, backed by a bunch of firebenders sprung from her asylum. Masquerading as dark spirits (or “kemurikage”), Azula and her followers set a plan in motion to restore Azula’s father, Fire Lord Ozai, to the throne.

Azula Has a Post-Avatar Crossroads Moment

It’s all a ruse, however, and Azula’s real goal is to shape Zuko into a ruthless leader in the Ozai mold. Azula sees this as her true destiny: not ruling the Fire Nation, but guiding the person who does. Yet this doesn’t pan out, as Zuko foils Azula’s plot and publicly promises to be a wiser Fire Lord than their dad.

At this point, Azula revives her old M.O. of making life tough for Zuko. Her followers eventually get sick of waging a quasi-guerilla war and leave. Azula adds their names to her revenge list, but before she can hunt them down, she runs afoul of a Fire Sage temple spirit.

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The spirit manifests itself as Zuko, Ursa, and several other key figures from Azula’s life and confronts her with home truths about her attitude and behavior. Unphased, Azula rejects the spirit’s offer of redemption and maintains that she is the one true Fire Lord.

Her ordeal over, Azula reunites with her former followers. She doesn’t attack them, though, implying that some of what the spirit said seeped in. Instead, she brands the group unworthy of her and vows to establish a new society that is. And with that, Azula’s feud with Zuko over the throne is seemingly over.

All three seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender are now streaming on Netflix. A live-action Avatar adaptation also premieres on the platform on Feb. 22, 2024.