AZULA

Updated 05-May-2020.

Mondo shtuff from around the internet, all about AZULA!

The Legend Of Korra lead Janet Varney talks fun with fandom and strong female leads: The Legend Of Korra’s Saturday-morning debut on Nickelodeon in April was watched by 4.5 million people—a million more than watched the season-five première of Mad Men a couple weekends earlier. Korra is the sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender, an enormously popular three-season Nickelodeon cartoon set in the same world, where specially talented people can “bend,” or control and shape, either water, earth, air, or fire via martial-arts moves. (The universally loathed M. Night Shyamalan film The Last Airbender adapted the series’ first season.) The original show picked up a hugely devoted adult fan base in its three-year run, and those fans have stuck around to debate the merits of the new Avatar, Korra—a teenage girl who gracefully dodges pretty much every stereotype about female cartoon characters. As Korra wraps up its first season with a double episode on Saturday, June 23, The A.V. Club spoke with Korra’s voice actress, Janet Varney—also a founder of SF Sketchfest, and a Nerdist empire podcaster—about the token female Muppet, sound-booth jokes, and how she and Azula are bros. 

The A.V. Club: Would you say more adults or kids get in touch with you about Korra?

Janet Varney: I get a lot of kids that tweet me—I’ll get a vague sense of age from some of the other stuff they say, like about being in school. But there’s this incredible base of adults who get it, who know what a great show it is. 

AVC: In the last week or so, you’ve retweeted fan art, a song someone wrote about Korra, and a Fat Cosplay Mako. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve seen come out of the fandom?

JV: I like the mash-ups. Like, they’ll have my character and one from a different cartoon having an exchange in a comic-strip format. We’ve always recycled and collaged ourselves in pop culture, but in the last decade or so, it feels even more like this world of mushing up everything you love and creating your own little world out of it. When I was younger, it wouldn’t have even occurred to me to be, like, “Oh my God, what if Fonzie and Laverne and Shirley were on each other’s shows?” [Laughs.]

An Interview with Princess Azula of the Fire Nation (Grey DeLisle): Ever since Avatar: The Last Airbender debuted on Nickelodeon back in 2005, Ive grown to become a big fan of the series due to the complex, yet relatable, characters Mike DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko have managed to create, as well as the beautiful universe that feels like its more of…

My botty best at summarizing from Wikipedia: Azula is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists in Nickelodeon’s animated television series . in the show, she is the princess of the Fire Nation and an extremely powerful firebending prodigy in the original series and the sequel comics, she is shown to be capable of advanced firebending . she makes her first appearance in a flashback during 13-year-old Zuko’s agni Azula continues to pursue Aang, Zuko and Iroh for the rest of the season . she and her friends infiltrate Ba Sing Se and conspire with imprisoned Dai Li leader Azula kills Aang by striking him with a bolt of lightning . she then orders the Dai Li to tear down the walls of Ba Sing Se . the episode “the day of black sun” airs on Azula and her Dai Li agents stall Aang and his friends from finding Ozai before the eclipse . the firebenders retaliate with full force once they regain their bending, causing Azula sinks into psychosis, hallucinates about her long-lost mother . she deposes nearly all of her servants and advisers . her attacks are wild and emotional . Azula is defeated by Katara who takes her captive via waterbending . she is admitted to a psychiatric institution for her mental breakdown . they are watched by Zuko before she asks him to leave Ursa becomes a protagonist by joining Team Avatar . she becomes emotionally confused after her mother apologizes for not showing her enough love . for several weeks, Zuko searches for Azula but fails to find her Azula helps her followers from the mental institution she was held in escape . they resurface under the guise of kemurikage (dark spirits) in the film, Azula is played by Summer Bishil . her ultimate fate is unknown, as she does not appear in any later storylines . deLisle was originally intended to have an arranged marriage during the third season . both creators hold the character in high regard . she is Fire Lord Sozin’s great-granddaughter through Ozai she is named after her paternal grandfather, Azulon, Ozai’s father . as one who wants nothing less than absolute control, she likewise has remarkable control of herself . Azula demonstrated her natural talents from a young age, Azula had a cruel, sociopathic personality . she showed almost no empathy or remorse for actions that harmed others . her father was a ruthless Azula believed her mother favored Zuko and thought she was monstrous . after she was betrayed by Mai and Ty Lee, her mental state collapsed . she was jealous of Ty Lee’s ability to after her defeat, it is revealed that she was admitted into a mental institution in the Fire Nation due to her psychosis, paranoia, and deranged mental state . both in the series and the comics, she the series’ creators consulted a professional martial artist in the design of the show’s fighting style . Azula is one of the most skilled firebenders in the show . her excellent firebending abilities, hand her name is derived from azul, the Spanish, Galician and Portuguese word for blue . however, Azula could not produce blue fire as a young child, as shown in flashbacks . her Azula can fight for long periods of time without tiring . she is able to generate powerful shields of swirling flames . this ability has also been extended as a means to fly for short periods . Azula is capable of lightning generation, one of the rarest types of firebending . lightning generation is something particularly powerful firebenders are capable of . to perform the technique requires peace of mind . Azula is an expert in persuasion . she has the ability to lie easily without causing any change in her breathing . she conquered Ba Sing Se, a city thought to be impenetrable . usurped the Earth King and hierarchy of the Earth Kingdom capital all in one swift move .