bump because there are some excellent posts here that derserve more attention

Well... My friend thinks if she gets a boyfriend that really loves her... she'll change.

azula's just crazy cause she's the most powerful lightning bender in the world! too much power azaaakkazkakzkakkk!!!

that was a nice psychological analysis, doll. Provides some very good points. She will get worse before better... but can get better I think.

finally, a smart thread!

OK, this isn't the real version of an essay I'm writing but this can be looked at as a summarized rant/rambling. Rather than a theory about why Azula is the way she, it's about what her character development in the finale meant. What the purpose of showing us all these things was.

There will be ranting and rambling. You have been warned. ;o

Something that has turned me off of these Azula discussion is the inclusion of psychology and personality disorders when trying to describe Azula's character. For example, the high school psychologists, and apparently, the "PHD-s" who come up with such elaborate ways to describe her by using Psychopathy, sociopathy, etc. personality disorder checklists. Technically, if you did that for every real villain in history, they'd all be some sort of psychopath. Why? Because in order to have a good villain, they need to be cold, they need to be manipulative, and they need-to-be-cruel. I mean, there's all the 'evidence' in Zuko Alone that "confirms" that she is suffering from a mental disorder because we weren't supposed to see any "good" in her. Only evil. Zuko Alone was supposed to establish the rotten family Zuko lived in and how his mother and uncle were candles in the dark. How Azula, while his sister, was torturous and tormenting and how his father favored Azula (call back to 120). To magnify our pity of Zuko after he lost his mother (I certainly felt bad) and to increase our hatred of Azula (we certainly weren't supposed like her). Zuko Alone is also a perfect episode for Azula's villian character development. It was to establish our beliefs and notions that this 7 year old girl is the exception to the rule. The born evil, psychopath. Why should we have been shown any real friendly interactions between Azula and her brother and especially her mother? We shouldn't have. It would've given us some sympathy or at least understanding of her character beyond pure evil which is exactly what we were supposed to believe in season 2. Her motives have an always will be driven by the desire for power and for evil (How COULD you have denied that in season 2?).

To make a long story short, prior to the finale, the general (and most likely intended notion) of Azula's character that it is only driven by power, control, and evil. That she's a pscyhopath incapable of anything beyond that. But there's a reason why we saw so much character development from her during the finale. It showed us that we were wrong about her only being that. Her motives for undermining Zuko during the war meeting to burn everything down (while very evil) was driven by the desire to impress her father and make him proud/happy of her.* Azula cared more about being with her father and NOT being treated like Zuko more than burning down the world (well, she wasn't saying "I deserve to burn down the world!")

Mai and Ty Lee's betrayal has shaken her on more than one level. Azula still controled people through fear in Into the Inferno but their betrayal shook her ability to trust people. Showing that she actually thought of them as close friends or even simply as people she could have faith in to follow her. I'm going to skip the scene with Ursa in the mirror since I believe you have all analyzed that sucker to death. ;p

Conclusion

After Sozin's Comet, I was eager to read discussions of Azula's character since she no doubt became very interesting and complex (anyone who denies that doesn't deserve to be taken seriously). But I constantly came across post after post that elaborately described Azula's past or reason's for going crazy based on insufficient information or subjective opinions. I got sick of reading the discussions because just about every person ignored the big picture; what her character development in the finale was really telling us.

We were wrong. Wrong about what though? Our previous conceptions and beliefs about Azula. The idea that she is an emotionless psychopath. She only desires power and control and could care less about love and friendship. Don't get me wrong. Azula is not a good person. She is sadistic and malevolent but certainly not suffering from an emotional deficiency disorder. I strongly believe that the purpose of Sozin's Comet wasn't to give us insight on why Azula is such an evil person or why exactly she behaved the way she did in the finale (So attached to her father, why exactly she thinks Ursa thought she was a monster, etc.). Rather, the view that this is a perfectly crafted, unfeeling, psycho really does want and desire things beyond power and control.

*If you watch that scene again, you will notice that we are actually shown via close up of the change in Azula's expression. It goes from a devious smirk after countering Zuko to an actual smile of happiness as her father gets up and acts thrilled over her plan.

Wellas far as her fate by the finale goes, nick.com says she was shipped off to a Fire Nation Mental Facility where she is supervised around the clock, so maybe she can heal

Bump. Good topic that can generate some more substantial discussion (which there isn't enough of on this forum these days :[ ).


*Working on some stuff to post*

Hey look. A wall of text.