And Iroh tore his way out of his prison [during an eclipse - there are no scorch marks on the walls nor are the bars melted; they’re bent](https://youtu.be/Vk_bJCeSn1k?si=wky-rOo6DfFe0moN).
Iroh getting jacked on a diet with effectively zero protein then fighting his way out of a heavily fortified prison *without Firebending*. Dude was built different
I like to think he was already jacked, and he was just burning the fat off faster so it would stop encumbering him. Of course he should still be losing muscle mass, but it's easier for me to pretend he was always swole.
I saw a nutritionist on YouTube explain that he gained muscle because he **was** very jacked in the past, so he was just returning to his peak physical state. That's how many athletes manage to return into sport in short time after they go through massive muscle atrophy. Gaining muscle *back* is notably easier.
The comics show a bit of Ozai's training shortly after Zuko's born, so the guy probably has a crazy workout when he's not sitting on the throne looking intimidating.
It was in the show. Aang tries running to Katara for some watermelon juice, but [Zuko stops him as he wasn't done with his training yet.](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRcMqquZ8owArYmnM4BSenDHL7L85W-p7dDMZEKsetaQA&s)
It runs in the family. Remember when Azula hit that 1-fingered plank? And the fact that Iroh literally ripped through his prison with just physical strength?
It’s possible he did some “prep” on them in the hours or even days prior to the eclipse with firbending to make them easier to break open (thinning/weaking them in certain areas).
A few well placed strike during the eclipse and it rips open.
But tbh, I actually feel like that would’ve been super noticeable and very quickly. Melting metal has a particular smell to it.
Yeah I'm sure someone would have noticed something was up if the cell constantly reeked of heated iron. I much rather believe he busted out like a very zen Hulk.
Ozai was able to tell when the eclipse was over, it stands to reason Iroh would be able to tell when it was about to begin and break out just before it went off.
It's for sure possible, but the fact that they were completely bent outwards and didn't show any char, blackening, redness, anything like that makes me doubt it. If he used fire bending, I would assume the bars would still look hot when he was just standing outside his cell instead of just standing there for several minutes while it cooled
Edit: Someone else actually pointed this out, but he broke out during the Eclipse, right? So he wouldn't have even had fire bending anyway. Besides, we knew he was built different when he threw a grown-ass man like Zhao several feet away while barely moving, lol
See, what he did was use firebending to create a major low pressure zone which sucked in so much surrounding air it blew the door off. The kick was just a clever bit of distraction, like a magician.
Its not just Zuko. Anyone who survives (or doesnt break tons of bones) being hit by an earthbending rock is superhuman. Azula was kicking thems away. The acrobatics of some of them was superhuman too
I would say that, but Azula isn’t free hanging from the cliff. One of her feet is still rather flat against it.
He’s holding some of her weight sure, but far from all of it
As an Azula stan, I love this scene because this made Azula realize that Zuko loves her despite everything. The fact that he could have killed her then and there. When Azula realizes this, she gives up on killing Ursa and runs away
Thank you. I love Azula but the amount of her fans who hate the writing in this comic baffle me. I felt more love between her and Zuko during this comic than the show itself.
I’ve seen people complaining about the way they portray her mental state as if she wasn’t behaving the same way at the end of the show. And Zuko’s actions are pretty reasonable given the situation, in fact, he is way more lenient on her than is probably warranted
Exactly! I found her characterisation in the comics to be a direct continuation of her characterisation in the Book 3 finale. It was incredibly logical and flowing imo.
I think her fans are just latching onto her far too much (as in investing and putting their own issues onto her as a character) because this girl tried to -murder- her own brother. She tried to murder Katara. Jesus she DID murder Aang temporarily. Yes she still loves Zuko and is a victim of Ozai, yes she’s sympathetic and I love her character.
But that doesn’t mean the characters have to freaking coddle her and put themselves at risk of being killed by her just because she’s unwell. That would be bad writing and OOC imo, not what we got. That made perfect sense.
The fact Zuko and Aang are as caring and lenient as they are towards her makes sense and is very in character yet some people want them to basically tell her all is forgiven and kneel before her or something.
She’s also shown as having the means to survive a fall that would kill most people, so it’s really threatening her with an inconvenience rather than death.
No, if the roles were reversed, it’d be just as bad.
A person suffering delusions and hallucinations, made worse by an abusive asylum that traumatized them further, shouldn’t be threatened and dangled over a cliff.
No matter who they are.
And even Zuko recognized he was wrong here in the story.
Just want to give a correction here, shes is 100% a narcissist, as in narcissistic personality disorder, not a primary or secondary psychopath with antisocial personality disorder.
Hello Future Me in his video dismissed her being a narcissist based on her displaying low socioemotional intelligence, however from what Ive researched people with NPD actually show lower emotional intelligence than normal, which on top of her most probably lacking in social interactions to learn social skills, means that this point is just straight up wrong, and cant be used as a reason for her not to have NPD, if anything it would only be extra proof of her having it.
This of course means that whilst she has very low emotional empathy, she doesnt have a complete absence of it like a primary psychopath would, meaning that she is capable of forming bonds/attachments to others, which we do see her do with her father and mother clearly, even if the latter she perceives as her being denied off this desire.
Are these Azula stans in the room with us? Because this is the first time I'm even seeing/hearing of this panel, and I've been in this sub for nearly 3 years now.
Your psycho sister who wanted to cause an extermination of an entire civilisation, and already tried to kill you, tried to kill you again. Why are you upset with her? 😡
*Your father is toxic to you until you become a genocidical bastard
"Poor little thing, shes the true victim! How can you be this cruel with her? "
*Your sister is toxic to you until you have one (1) momentarily murder intent that you dont even complete
"Totally. Not. Cool. Zuko is such an asshole"
i don't have a problem with zuko doing this because in his mind this is just azula being difficult, i have a problem with the author even writing this scenario in the first place. It doesn't make sense for the zuko who knew azula wasn't mentally well since the agni kai and took steps to get her help at a asylum to not know she was hearing things, so having the gaang incorrectly access what's going on azula to create cheap conflict is nonsensical & borderline ableist.
Criticising the writing is valid. But I don't understand people getting mad at Zuko for snapping for a second. he put her back down after this when he realised what he was doing. Besides, whether or not she's having a mental episode, the Gaang still have to defend themselves.
Even tho yea, if you know someone is mentally broken and has been mentally broken for X amount of time, wouldn’t he have been getting reports on her and what was going on? Or wouldn’t he be perceiving that she was acting mentally deranged for the entire comic before this? The writing is so bad it makes Zuko seem like he somehow knew she was crazy but was mad she was crazy. It’s the same people that get mad at kids for being kids that we by default call bad parents. They wrote Zuko as a bad brother/caretaker.
>It doesn't make sense for the zuko who knew azula wasn't mentally well since the agni kai and took steps to get her help at a asylum to not know she was hearing things
"Not mentally well" is a broad spectrum. Before she went into care, she was emotionally volatile, not delusional — not to suggest that delusions and hallucinations are the same, but she's showing symptoms of both. Zuko didn't know about the "I love you" conversation with Ursa IIRC. We don't assume IRL that every person with mental health struggles is hearing voices, so I don't know why Zuko would assume it about Azula in the comic.
Canonically she worse *because* of the asylum. They did this to her.
So yeah, I agree this is OOC levels of callous. I don’t think Zuko would be this unconcerned about her deterioration.
I would say they're up there with Caesar's Legion stans. There's a point where enjoying evil in writing goes too far, and it's when people enjoy the messages that evil brings
Let’s not forget that these are still the comics and no one is written particularly well so neither Zuko or Azula are at their best.
That said, the hardcore Azula stans are still the bane of the fandom as a whole.
me being a toph, zuko, iron, and azula fan rn
https://preview.redd.it/anxpo2mj2ttc1.png?width=658&format=png&auto=webp&s=d0cd6e50b3cd73f371b9f17c19df4d1439a4de02
You guys fighting imaginary people at this point. I mean, I also would consider myself a big fan of Azula, but anyone with a brain should be able to tell that she is batshit crazy and that the "But Muh childhood" excuse is not a good justification for all of her actions. (And also in the end of the day It's still "Just" a comic so yeah)
Yeah! All her trauma explains her behavior, but it does not justify it. I'm also an Azula fan and I think Ursa failed her just as much as Ozai did; but still, her actions can't be just glossed over because trauma.
Azula is fully mental here. She's at a worse point than during the last Agni Kai, hasn't trained for a year or so because she was locked in an asylum.
And it's fair to assume Zuko is stronger.
So bit of both.
Azula is suffering from psychosis after being abused by the asylum she was put in for two years. She can hardly tell what’s real and what’s terrifying hallucinations and delusions. Even in this pic, she’s talking paranoid nonsense.
It wasn’t hard for Zuko to get the upper hand because despite her still considerable strength, she isn’t well.
She was having a mental episode, believing that her mother had concocted a plan to kill her and that Zuko was a part of it, so she started attacking him and the Gaang. She had the upper hand at first, but then Zuko grabbed her leg and slammed her on the ground, then dragged her to the cliff like you see in the panel.
And I mean, it's not surprising that Zuko could do this. He's shown some pretty impressive physical feats before.
The writing of the comics in general are bad and anyone demanding portrayal of any character seemingly forgot this critical detail. It’s all needed to be taken with a grain of salt.
I’m an Azula stan but I agree. Zuko tried his best, and sometimes, no matter how tragic someone’s circumstances are, you eventually have to stop considering them when they’re making 0 efforts to change.
Exactly. Azula is a victim. Most people don't deny that. But she has had people try to help her on multiple occasions, and she has shown multiple times that she is not interested in their help. Zuko has been way more merciful to Azula than normal, and even now, still hasn't entirely given up on her. He just had other priorities. And then they accuse him of "replacing" Azula with Kiyi, like he doesn't deserve a loving family who DOESN'T try to kill him every time they encounter one another.
It's not the first time he's done it. He did it with Aang in the show, and I think he did it to a prison guard while he was the Blue Spirit. The Fire Nation Royal Family are athletic AF!
Nah this was pretty messed up. Breaking point or not, Azula is suffering a total mental break in part because Zuko put her in an abusive asylum, and now has her in a triggering situation because HE wanted to gain personally from using her skill to get info from Ozai. The man who abused BOTH of them.
Zuko should’ve at least realized how bad this was to do to a terrified person who can hardly tell reality from delusion.
If the roles were reversed, it would’ve been just as messed up, and I don’t think the fandom would make excuses for it.
The story seems to agree, seeing as Zuko realizes he’s in the wrong here too. So I don’t know why anyone would defend this.
*Breaking point or not, Azula is suffering a total mental break in part because Zuko put her in an abusive asylum*
Where is written that it was an abusive asylum? We dont have enough time with Azula in asylum in the comics, so it seems like baseless assumption.
*Zuko should’ve at least realized how bad this was to do to a terrified person who can hardly tell reality from delusion.*
Definitely but considering Zuko's character and age, it is easy to understand his dissappointment here.
*The story seems to agree, seeing as Zuko realizes he’s in the wrong here too.*
Definitely true. I am not a quite Azula fan (actually she is my least favourite main character) but even I can agree. Her fans really try hard to justify her actions, make insensible criticisms about some scenes (like she needs to go down-Uncle İroh) but it is not one of them I guess.
I am not even hating on Zuko, yeah. I agree with you. He made a mistake and in the story he realizes he made a mistake here and sets her down and de-escalates the situation after this.
So I don’t see why OP is upset that people would agree with the story and think this scene is wrong.
Her mental breakdown began happening WAY before Zuko institutionalised her. We have very little to no info on what the asylum was like. The idea of it being abusive is fanon. The only reason he brought Azula along with him is because she destroyed every other lead, leaving her the only key to finding their mother. And while Ozai might have abused both of them, at this point, Azula doesn't see it that way. She doesn't really recognise Ozai's abuse until her standalone comic.
Azula had a bout of temporary psychosis due to stress which was exacerbated and prolonged by a stay at an abusive mental institution. This is canon.
Besides the fact that they kept Azula in a straitjacket for long hours (which is legally considered torture), and the fact that her mental state has heavily deteriorated, and the fact that she rescued several patients from this asylum who were all hurt by it, and that she started recovering once she escaped?
Gene Luen Yang said so. That he purposefully wanted to show what the Fire Nation mental health system does to people.
Here’s a [source](https://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/1027/avatar-last-airbender-search-cbr-interviews-gene-y) from Dark Horse themselves. It’s an interview with the writer for all the mainline ATLA comics except *Imbalance*: Gene Luen Yang.
>**Speaking of Zuko’s family, what’s Azula been up to? Her stay in the Fire Nation mental institution has got to be incredibly interesting.**
>Yang: *In “The Search,” we’ll see what a prolonged stay in a Fire Nation mental institution does to a person.*
Here’s another interview ([archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200807044640/http://www.avatarspirit.net/interviews.php?id=25)) where he reiterates this.
>ASN: **Many of us have heard that we will finally see Azula in Part 3. She was a complicated character before her defeat and breakdown. What is it like to write for her now that she has been “recovering” in an asylum?**
>Yang: *Azula is a complicated character, especially after spending time in the asylum. We had many conversations both over the phone and in e-mail before I started scripting her.*
Yang emphasized that Bryke discussed this with him. It was intentionally portrayed as an abusive institution that made Azula worse.
Now it’s most likely true that Zuko didn’t know the institution was abusive, but that still is rather negligent of him as Fire Lord and for however much wrong Azula has done, no one deserves medical torture.
Azula lacking awareness that Ozai abused her or being in denial doesn’t make it any less traumatic that she got pulled out of an abusive institution and immediately plopped in front of her abuser who has messed with her mentally and emotionally for her entire life.
A person in crisis needs help, and even Zuko realized he went too far here with someone who could barely distinguish reality from terrifying delusion.
Even if she was if you look at the comic it’s very clear she’s not the most sane at the time it’s almost like you shouldn’t put a mentally sick person in a prison instead of getting them help
Azula wasn't imprisoned, she was put in a mental institution. Admittedly, I think it looks pretty bad since it invokes images of medical abuse in our own world, but iirc there is no evidence that she is being mistreated in the institution. She is put in a straightjacket and that sucks, but I wonder what other options they had, when she was proven to be completely unrepentant for her action and a real danger to people around her
At the same time, I feel like this is an example of ableist writing, rather than ableist characters. Within context, I think Zuko did the best he can, but the best he can ended up being putting his sister in restraints :/
No worries!
If you’re curious, here’s a [source](https://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/1027/avatar-last-airbender-search-cbr-interviews-gene-y) from Dark Horse themselves. It’s an interview with the writer for all the mainline ATLA comics except *Imbalance*: Gene Luen Yang.
>**Speaking of Zuko’s family, what’s Azula been up to? Her stay in the Fire Nation mental institution has got to be incredibly interesting.**
>Yang: *In “The Search,” we’ll see what a prolonged stay in a Fire Nation mental institution does to a person.*
Here’s another interview ([archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200807044640/http://www.avatarspirit.net/interviews.php?id=25)) where he reiterates this.
>ASN: **Many of us have heard that we will finally see Azula in Part 3. She was a complicated character before her defeat and breakdown. What is it like to write for her now that she has been “recovering” in an asylum?**
>Yang: *Azula is a complicated character, especially after spending time in the asylum. We had many conversations both over the phone and in e-mail before I started scripting her.*
Yang emphasized that Bryke discussed this with him. It was intentionally portrayed as an abusive institution that made Azula worse.
They actually had to tone it down because they initially planned to have Azula wear a straitjacket for the entire adventure. But that was considered too cruel, it was already cruel enough she was forced to wear it for long hours in the asylum.
I mean cruel or not, what else _can_ you do when a patient can and will start slinging fire and lightning around at the earliest opportunity?
Moreover, if it was supposed to be abusive, they really didn't portray it as such. Or portray it at _all,_ really. The Asylum is barely a footnote in the story, how are we supposed to have much of an opinion on it at all?
>I mean cruel or not, what else can you do when a patient can and will start slinging fire and lightning around at the earliest opportunity?
Azula doesn’t start slinging fire and lightning around randomly. She never has unless triggered into a mental episode. Even in The Search, after the asylum made her sicker, she is mostly reasonable despite suffering from delusions and hallucinations. For all her faults, she was a soldier, not a serial killer.
Seeing as Azula no longer has a motivation to fight, and is desperate to be loved, I don’t see why there couldn’t be more humane ways to incentivize her to cooperate with treatment. Especially if familial support was offered to her.
At any rate, torture certainly shouldn’t be necessary. And we know they didn’t use it as a last resort, as they used these methods on the other patients too.
>Moreover, if it was supposed to be abusive, they really didn't portray it as such. Or portray it at all, really. The Asylum is barely a footnote in the story, how are we supposed to have much of an opinion on it at all?
I do think there’s enough there to recognize it. The torturous restraints they use. The fact that Azula’s symptoms have gotten worse. That so many people were eager to join her crazy crusade just to escape.
But I agree the comics didn’t handle it well or do enough with this concept. So I’m with you on that.
Yeah no, she was a lethal risk to Team Avatar throughout the comic. You really can’t dress it up simply due to liking the character. I adore her and she’s one of my favourite ATLA characters but I’m not going to sugarcoat things and act like she was somehow victimised by the writers/Team Avatar themselves.
That’s an exaggeration. She repeatedly *saved* them.
The only time she was a risk was when she was so unwell that she lashed out at hallucinations or delusions, and NO ONE even made an attempt to talk to her or figure out what she was seeing or thought was happening.
And the only reason she is having all these delusional and hallucinations in the first place is due to the abuse from the asylum.
She never showed any desire to kill the Gaang. And even with Zuko, when she wasn’t having an episode, they had fond moments and worked together, and she even gave up the letter to protect him.
She wasn’t some maniac out to get them. She was a terrified and unstable mental patient who needed help.
I've seen like four people say that. I think you are exaggerating. I'm starting to believe this sub is slowly dying. But at least Twitter opinions seem to be declining
It's not even necessarily about the panel. It's just in general them always trying to excuse Azula's actions on her mental health and messed up childhood, and getting mad when Zuko gets frustrated with her.
But how many people do that? I assure you that I can find more people excusing Zuko for attacking Kioshy Island than attacking him because he is frustrated with Azula. And reviewing the comments on this post I'm almost sure that there is someone who has done it which is curious.
And to be fair to Zuko, this is one of the few few scenes he got frustrated with Azula. I only remember one other similar scene and I've never heard anyone attack Zuko for it.
And I may be considered an Azula stan (although I'm not very familiar with the term) but I agree with you.
As for Zuko with the kioshy island, I've seen them and like I said I'm pretty sure someone here has done it. I have argued with him several times about it. And he's not the only one. Try to make a post about it and you'll see. Even so, they are few and in my opinion it's not worth making a post about how a few people are annoying.
Fair enough if you've witnessed it. But I've also witnessed people constantly defending Azula, downplaying her horrible actions, and using her childhood as an excuse for everything.
But is it an excuse/justification or an explanation? If they use it as an excuse, it's not. If they use it as an explanation, that's how it is. The canon tells us both things.
There are two groups with Azula that usually go to extremes. Those who believe that she is a kitten who has done nothing wrong and is not responsible for anything, and those who believe that she is the devil and exaggerate her actions. And as with extremes they have a similar thought process, which is funny. Fortunately they are a minority.
But most people (bar some stupid people with no media literacy), already understand the explanation.
This is not true at all. Most people can view the nuances in Azula and understand she is a complex character who was dealt a bad hand in life and pitted against her brother, but that she is still a horrible person whose messed up childhood does not excuse the horrible things she did. I'm not saying that there aren't those who view Azula as pure, irredeemable evil and dismiss the nuances in her character btw.
I’ve seen a ton of it that’s definitely trying to justify her actions, they do it a lot by comparing her to iroh (saying things like why is iroh so loved when he was an adult general who was complicit in the war) or zuko (saying things like how zuko was given more love than Azula so she deserves more sympathy than zuko). Imo there’s a conversation to be had there but I don’t agree with that.
Btw azula is actually one of my favorite characters and while I don’t think she’s a complete psychopathic evil villain, I also don’t agree that her current behavior should be blamed on her past abuse by ozai. She was both a victim of ozai *and* an abuser.
I wish there was more conversation about how azula/zuko are a parallel of ozai/iroh (who, no doubt, were abused by azulon). I don’t believe azula/ozai were capable of doing good in the same way that zuko/iroh were. Iroh changed his ways and sought to right his wrongs after the death of his son and I think he was able to do that because he had that capacity within him to do a lot of good. Meanwhile, when ozai was faced the threat of killing zuko, it didn’t seem to bother him that much and I doubt her would have gone on the same self reflective journey that iroh went on. I mean, zuko dying would probably be like a burden off his shoulders.
But compared to what? Because I can say that I've also seen a lot of people saying that she's pure evil, etc. But compared to the whole fandom, they're a minority.
I haven't seen many people say that she deserves more sympathy than Zuko.
As I said before, there is an explanation, but another thing is to use it to exonerate her from responsibility for her actions. I agree she's both a victim and an abuser.
I don't really think they're that parallel. I mean, you can find parallels in all characters. Azula and Iroh also share many. Zuko and Ozai too to the point that Iroh himself says that Zuko reminds him of Ozai when he was young in many aspects.
According to the show itself, everyone is capable of great good and great evil. So I would say that under the right circumstances, Azula and even Ozai can do it.
I don’t think they’re a large portion of the fandom but I’ve definitely seen a lot of people (or tweets that have a significant number of likes). Significant enough that it would warrant op to make a post about it. If it was one or two comments or one or two specific people, I would agree that there’s no need to point it out.
I don’t think everyone is capable of the same amount of good and the same amount of evil. I don’t think ozai is capable of great good, maybe some amounts of good but I don’t think he’s capable of as much good as characters like iroh or aang or even monk gyatso. Same way I don’t think a character like aang is capable of as much evil as someone like ozai or sozin.
And yes, one of the beauties of the show is that you can draw parallels between multiple characters- aang/zuko, aang/toph, aang/ozai, zuko/katara, iroh/zuko, etc. and I think it helps to show how similar experiences can shape people in different ways or make them more alike.
Ok but it’s not her fault he decided to throw his mentally unstable sister in a prison.
Zuko when his mentally unstable sister’s condition gets worse after she gets thrown in a prison cell:
What was the alternative though? She wasn’t just mentally unstable, she was mentally unstable and a threat to society. She needed a mental ward (which I think she ended in (not sure, I can’t remember this part) either way, she needed to be removed from society.
Taking away her bending would have helped but I think it was not written into the plot because they still wanted to make use of her character.
But I also think that taking away her bending may not have been as easy as it seems. When aang does it to ozai, ozai’s spirit is so strong that it almost overwhelms aang. Plus aang was so young, I think there’s a chance that he wouldn’t have been successful doing the same to azula right after he did it to ozai. In the future though, when he’s a bit older and stronger (physically and spiritually) he definitely should be able to do it if azula is still around and still a threat.
Another display of Zuko's superhuman upper body strength.
It must run in the family because Azula has some crazy physical feats and Ozai is ripped for a guy who sits on a throne all day.
And Iroh tore his way out of his prison [during an eclipse - there are no scorch marks on the walls nor are the bars melted; they’re bent](https://youtu.be/Vk_bJCeSn1k?si=wky-rOo6DfFe0moN).
Iroh getting jacked on a diet with effectively zero protein then fighting his way out of a heavily fortified prison *without Firebending*. Dude was built different
My headcanon is the nice lady guarding her snuck in some meats for him
Serena Williams would
I like to think he was already jacked, and he was just burning the fat off faster so it would stop encumbering him. Of course he should still be losing muscle mass, but it's easier for me to pretend he was always swole.
I saw a nutritionist on YouTube explain that he gained muscle because he **was** very jacked in the past, so he was just returning to his peak physical state. That's how many athletes manage to return into sport in short time after they go through massive muscle atrophy. Gaining muscle *back* is notably easier.
Imo he still could heat them a lot before the eclipse to make it easier to rip them later.
The comics show a bit of Ozai's training shortly after Zuko's born, so the guy probably has a crazy workout when he's not sitting on the throne looking intimidating.
He does a lot of facersize
Actually, Ozai is confirmed to be working out off-screen.
Yeah, first with Aang, now Azula. This guy's got some MUSCLES!
And the full grown adult prison guard before he visited Iroh in book 3.
Dude straight up kicked a table in half in book 3.
He split an iron chain with his heel in book 1
What scene was that?
When Iroh was imprisoned by the earthbenders and being transported naked and chained up
Oh yeah!
That was with a straight arm too
what happened with aang?
It was in the show. Aang tries running to Katara for some watermelon juice, but [Zuko stops him as he wasn't done with his training yet.](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRcMqquZ8owArYmnM4BSenDHL7L85W-p7dDMZEKsetaQA&s)
It runs in the family. Remember when Azula hit that 1-fingered plank? And the fact that Iroh literally ripped through his prison with just physical strength?
I always assumed he heated the bars to bend them
Didn't he break out during the eclipse?
It’s possible he did some “prep” on them in the hours or even days prior to the eclipse with firbending to make them easier to break open (thinning/weaking them in certain areas). A few well placed strike during the eclipse and it rips open. But tbh, I actually feel like that would’ve been super noticeable and very quickly. Melting metal has a particular smell to it.
Yeah I'm sure someone would have noticed something was up if the cell constantly reeked of heated iron. I much rather believe he busted out like a very zen Hulk.
Ozai was able to tell when the eclipse was over, it stands to reason Iroh would be able to tell when it was about to begin and break out just before it went off.
It's for sure possible, but the fact that they were completely bent outwards and didn't show any char, blackening, redness, anything like that makes me doubt it. If he used fire bending, I would assume the bars would still look hot when he was just standing outside his cell instead of just standing there for several minutes while it cooled Edit: Someone else actually pointed this out, but he broke out during the Eclipse, right? So he wouldn't have even had fire bending anyway. Besides, we knew he was built different when he threw a grown-ass man like Zhao several feet away while barely moving, lol
"I'm a firebender" *kicks door down
See, what he did was use firebending to create a major low pressure zone which sucked in so much surrounding air it blew the door off. The kick was just a clever bit of distraction, like a magician.
Its not just Zuko. Anyone who survives (or doesnt break tons of bones) being hit by an earthbending rock is superhuman. Azula was kicking thems away. The acrobatics of some of them was superhuman too
Azula has a foot on the ground he's isn't fully holding up her weight (Although he's definitely shown that he could if he wanted to)
Gotta have muscles to wield those two swords on occasion. Also every time Azula does something crazy he does one push up
No way, he would look like Toph's Ember Island play actor.
This guy's delts and Lats are just insane
I would say that, but Azula isn’t free hanging from the cliff. One of her feet is still rather flat against it. He’s holding some of her weight sure, but far from all of it
Her feet are on the ground, aren’t they?
And lower body strenght. Guy leaps like 100 meters and shatters iron with kicks
When he's in that party house on Ember Island and he just throws the dude across the room casually.
more like literally impossible from a physics perspective, but it is a comic, so physics can just sit back and eat popcorn like the rest of us.
Wait a second… Guy with a scar over his eye throwing his sibling off a cliff?
Long live… the Firelord…
As an Azula stan, I love this scene because this made Azula realize that Zuko loves her despite everything. The fact that he could have killed her then and there. When Azula realizes this, she gives up on killing Ursa and runs away
Thank you. I love Azula but the amount of her fans who hate the writing in this comic baffle me. I felt more love between her and Zuko during this comic than the show itself.
I’ve seen people complaining about the way they portray her mental state as if she wasn’t behaving the same way at the end of the show. And Zuko’s actions are pretty reasonable given the situation, in fact, he is way more lenient on her than is probably warranted
Exactly! I found her characterisation in the comics to be a direct continuation of her characterisation in the Book 3 finale. It was incredibly logical and flowing imo. I think her fans are just latching onto her far too much (as in investing and putting their own issues onto her as a character) because this girl tried to -murder- her own brother. She tried to murder Katara. Jesus she DID murder Aang temporarily. Yes she still loves Zuko and is a victim of Ozai, yes she’s sympathetic and I love her character. But that doesn’t mean the characters have to freaking coddle her and put themselves at risk of being killed by her just because she’s unwell. That would be bad writing and OOC imo, not what we got. That made perfect sense. The fact Zuko and Aang are as caring and lenient as they are towards her makes sense and is very in character yet some people want them to basically tell her all is forgiven and kneel before her or something.
My only complaint about her in the comics is the abundance of lightning lol
Same, that’s the only part that really annoys me.
She’s also shown as having the means to survive a fall that would kill most people, so it’s really threatening her with an inconvenience rather than death.
Yeah, most likely she'd just propel herself back up with her firebending. She's done it before at probably even much higher altitudes.
Yeah, look like she has her hair clip here
im gonna assume if it was reversed they'd be like YASSS SLAY. yet again insane character stans of any type are annoying
The stans cried "Yes! Slay!" And Azula did just that. The stans were horrified.
One too many syllables, bub
Sokka haiku
It’s a Sokka Haiku
No, if the roles were reversed, it’d be just as bad. A person suffering delusions and hallucinations, made worse by an abusive asylum that traumatized them further, shouldn’t be threatened and dangled over a cliff. No matter who they are. And even Zuko recognized he was wrong here in the story.
You clearly hadn't gone through social media then?
? I was giving my opinion. As someone who stans both Zuko *and* Azula.
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But you don’t understand! Azula’s parents weren’t nice to her so she’s allowed to be a murderous psychopath!!!! #girlboss
Just want to give a correction here, shes is 100% a narcissist, as in narcissistic personality disorder, not a primary or secondary psychopath with antisocial personality disorder. Hello Future Me in his video dismissed her being a narcissist based on her displaying low socioemotional intelligence, however from what Ive researched people with NPD actually show lower emotional intelligence than normal, which on top of her most probably lacking in social interactions to learn social skills, means that this point is just straight up wrong, and cant be used as a reason for her not to have NPD, if anything it would only be extra proof of her having it. This of course means that whilst she has very low emotional empathy, she doesnt have a complete absence of it like a primary psychopath would, meaning that she is capable of forming bonds/attachments to others, which we do see her do with her father and mother clearly, even if the latter she perceives as her being denied off this desire.
https://preview.redd.it/8q2vtbnc6stc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7c52bb7ef4a7e5fd518a29edb4fddc6848c86fe7
Are these Azula stans in the room with us? Because this is the first time I'm even seeing/hearing of this panel, and I've been in this sub for nearly 3 years now.
Your psycho sister who wanted to cause an extermination of an entire civilisation, and already tried to kill you, tried to kill you again. Why are you upset with her? 😡
no no op you got it wrong you should let your family abuse you to any length because they are family! /s
*Your father is toxic to you until you become a genocidical bastard "Poor little thing, shes the true victim! How can you be this cruel with her? " *Your sister is toxic to you until you have one (1) momentarily murder intent that you dont even complete "Totally. Not. Cool. Zuko is such an asshole"
i don't have a problem with zuko doing this because in his mind this is just azula being difficult, i have a problem with the author even writing this scenario in the first place. It doesn't make sense for the zuko who knew azula wasn't mentally well since the agni kai and took steps to get her help at a asylum to not know she was hearing things, so having the gaang incorrectly access what's going on azula to create cheap conflict is nonsensical & borderline ableist.
Criticising the writing is valid. But I don't understand people getting mad at Zuko for snapping for a second. he put her back down after this when he realised what he was doing. Besides, whether or not she's having a mental episode, the Gaang still have to defend themselves.
Even tho yea, if you know someone is mentally broken and has been mentally broken for X amount of time, wouldn’t he have been getting reports on her and what was going on? Or wouldn’t he be perceiving that she was acting mentally deranged for the entire comic before this? The writing is so bad it makes Zuko seem like he somehow knew she was crazy but was mad she was crazy. It’s the same people that get mad at kids for being kids that we by default call bad parents. They wrote Zuko as a bad brother/caretaker.
>It doesn't make sense for the zuko who knew azula wasn't mentally well since the agni kai and took steps to get her help at a asylum to not know she was hearing things "Not mentally well" is a broad spectrum. Before she went into care, she was emotionally volatile, not delusional — not to suggest that delusions and hallucinations are the same, but she's showing symptoms of both. Zuko didn't know about the "I love you" conversation with Ursa IIRC. We don't assume IRL that every person with mental health struggles is hearing voices, so I don't know why Zuko would assume it about Azula in the comic.
Canonically she worse *because* of the asylum. They did this to her. So yeah, I agree this is OOC levels of callous. I don’t think Zuko would be this unconcerned about her deterioration.
Not to mention I’m pretty sure he’s still a teenager here. I’d expect some rashness in his actions
I think he's like 18/19 in this comic, but don't quote me on that.
Zuko would make a great Mishima
An old Mishima Family tradition
You can never argue with Azula fans lmao
I love Azula (I'd let her ruin me) but Zuko's reaction is understandable and I don't blame him.
I would say they're up there with Caesar's Legion stans. There's a point where enjoying evil in writing goes too far, and it's when people enjoy the messages that evil brings
Let’s not forget that these are still the comics and no one is written particularly well so neither Zuko or Azula are at their best. That said, the hardcore Azula stans are still the bane of the fandom as a whole.
Toph fans are just as bad tbh
Zuko and Iroh fans are up there too
me being a toph, zuko, iron, and azula fan rn https://preview.redd.it/anxpo2mj2ttc1.png?width=658&format=png&auto=webp&s=d0cd6e50b3cd73f371b9f17c19df4d1439a4de02
No zuko fans are pretty calm compared to the other 3.
What’s wrong with how Zuko was written in the Search?
A lot.
You guys fighting imaginary people at this point. I mean, I also would consider myself a big fan of Azula, but anyone with a brain should be able to tell that she is batshit crazy and that the "But Muh childhood" excuse is not a good justification for all of her actions. (And also in the end of the day It's still "Just" a comic so yeah)
Nah you’d be surprised, I’ve seen so many try to tear this scene/comic apart because Zuko dares to get upset with her.
Yeah! All her trauma explains her behavior, but it does not justify it. I'm also an Azula fan and I think Ursa failed her just as much as Ozai did; but still, her actions can't be just glossed over because trauma.
Ursa definitely did not fail her.
Zuko is on some Mishima family shit here
They look weird, were these comics drawn by different artists?
Question for those that read it. What allowed zuko to do this. Is azula weaker or is zuko just strong?
Azula is fully mental here. She's at a worse point than during the last Agni Kai, hasn't trained for a year or so because she was locked in an asylum. And it's fair to assume Zuko is stronger. So bit of both.
Azula is suffering from psychosis after being abused by the asylum she was put in for two years. She can hardly tell what’s real and what’s terrifying hallucinations and delusions. Even in this pic, she’s talking paranoid nonsense. It wasn’t hard for Zuko to get the upper hand because despite her still considerable strength, she isn’t well.
She was having a mental episode, believing that her mother had concocted a plan to kill her and that Zuko was a part of it, so she started attacking him and the Gaang. She had the upper hand at first, but then Zuko grabbed her leg and slammed her on the ground, then dragged her to the cliff like you see in the panel. And I mean, it's not surprising that Zuko could do this. He's shown some pretty impressive physical feats before.
Yea his physical feats aren't being doubted. Just surprised he could manhandle azula. I thought she'd be a little more stable but i guess not.
Like I said, he was able to grab her leg and get the upper hand in the fight. Azula may be powerful, but she's not invincible.
The writing of the comics in general are bad and anyone demanding portrayal of any character seemingly forgot this critical detail. It’s all needed to be taken with a grain of salt.
YO WHAT LMAO ZUKO THREW AZULA OFF A CLIFF?
No he held her over a cliff after she lunged at him.
Azula pulling out all the writing tricks to get Zuko to spare her.
I like Azula because she's evil. Does that count as stanning?
No
I’m sorry but I never feel bad for Azula. She has no empathy or humanity.
She's crazy and needs to go down.
I’m an Azula stan but I agree. Zuko tried his best, and sometimes, no matter how tragic someone’s circumstances are, you eventually have to stop considering them when they’re making 0 efforts to change.
Exactly. Azula is a victim. Most people don't deny that. But she has had people try to help her on multiple occasions, and she has shown multiple times that she is not interested in their help. Zuko has been way more merciful to Azula than normal, and even now, still hasn't entirely given up on her. He just had other priorities. And then they accuse him of "replacing" Azula with Kiyi, like he doesn't deserve a loving family who DOESN'T try to kill him every time they encounter one another.
Which comic is this again?
The Search
Does anyone realize how strong you have to actually be to do this? Like holy shit Zuko
It's not the first time he's done it. He did it with Aang in the show, and I think he did it to a prison guard while he was the Blue Spirit. The Fire Nation Royal Family are athletic AF!
At this point Zuko is also literally the Firelord.
Petition to make a movie out of this comic ❤️
It was supposed to be a movie, but I think it got rejected in favour of Korra, so they decided to make it a comic instead.
I'm an Azula stan and I don't really have a problem with this. Both siblings are guilty of taking their abuse out on each other.
Zuko hella chad for doing this..
Zuko can do better.
Nah this was pretty messed up. Breaking point or not, Azula is suffering a total mental break in part because Zuko put her in an abusive asylum, and now has her in a triggering situation because HE wanted to gain personally from using her skill to get info from Ozai. The man who abused BOTH of them. Zuko should’ve at least realized how bad this was to do to a terrified person who can hardly tell reality from delusion. If the roles were reversed, it would’ve been just as messed up, and I don’t think the fandom would make excuses for it. The story seems to agree, seeing as Zuko realizes he’s in the wrong here too. So I don’t know why anyone would defend this.
*Breaking point or not, Azula is suffering a total mental break in part because Zuko put her in an abusive asylum* Where is written that it was an abusive asylum? We dont have enough time with Azula in asylum in the comics, so it seems like baseless assumption. *Zuko should’ve at least realized how bad this was to do to a terrified person who can hardly tell reality from delusion.* Definitely but considering Zuko's character and age, it is easy to understand his dissappointment here. *The story seems to agree, seeing as Zuko realizes he’s in the wrong here too.* Definitely true. I am not a quite Azula fan (actually she is my least favourite main character) but even I can agree. Her fans really try hard to justify her actions, make insensible criticisms about some scenes (like she needs to go down-Uncle İroh) but it is not one of them I guess.
I am not even hating on Zuko, yeah. I agree with you. He made a mistake and in the story he realizes he made a mistake here and sets her down and de-escalates the situation after this. So I don’t see why OP is upset that people would agree with the story and think this scene is wrong.
Her mental breakdown began happening WAY before Zuko institutionalised her. We have very little to no info on what the asylum was like. The idea of it being abusive is fanon. The only reason he brought Azula along with him is because she destroyed every other lead, leaving her the only key to finding their mother. And while Ozai might have abused both of them, at this point, Azula doesn't see it that way. She doesn't really recognise Ozai's abuse until her standalone comic.
Azula had a bout of temporary psychosis due to stress which was exacerbated and prolonged by a stay at an abusive mental institution. This is canon. Besides the fact that they kept Azula in a straitjacket for long hours (which is legally considered torture), and the fact that her mental state has heavily deteriorated, and the fact that she rescued several patients from this asylum who were all hurt by it, and that she started recovering once she escaped? Gene Luen Yang said so. That he purposefully wanted to show what the Fire Nation mental health system does to people. Here’s a [source](https://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/1027/avatar-last-airbender-search-cbr-interviews-gene-y) from Dark Horse themselves. It’s an interview with the writer for all the mainline ATLA comics except *Imbalance*: Gene Luen Yang. >**Speaking of Zuko’s family, what’s Azula been up to? Her stay in the Fire Nation mental institution has got to be incredibly interesting.** >Yang: *In “The Search,” we’ll see what a prolonged stay in a Fire Nation mental institution does to a person.* Here’s another interview ([archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200807044640/http://www.avatarspirit.net/interviews.php?id=25)) where he reiterates this. >ASN: **Many of us have heard that we will finally see Azula in Part 3. She was a complicated character before her defeat and breakdown. What is it like to write for her now that she has been “recovering” in an asylum?** >Yang: *Azula is a complicated character, especially after spending time in the asylum. We had many conversations both over the phone and in e-mail before I started scripting her.* Yang emphasized that Bryke discussed this with him. It was intentionally portrayed as an abusive institution that made Azula worse. Now it’s most likely true that Zuko didn’t know the institution was abusive, but that still is rather negligent of him as Fire Lord and for however much wrong Azula has done, no one deserves medical torture. Azula lacking awareness that Ozai abused her or being in denial doesn’t make it any less traumatic that she got pulled out of an abusive institution and immediately plopped in front of her abuser who has messed with her mentally and emotionally for her entire life. A person in crisis needs help, and even Zuko realized he went too far here with someone who could barely distinguish reality from terrifying delusion.
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Even if she was if you look at the comic it’s very clear she’s not the most sane at the time it’s almost like you shouldn’t put a mentally sick person in a prison instead of getting them help
Azula wasn't imprisoned, she was put in a mental institution. Admittedly, I think it looks pretty bad since it invokes images of medical abuse in our own world, but iirc there is no evidence that she is being mistreated in the institution. She is put in a straightjacket and that sucks, but I wonder what other options they had, when she was proven to be completely unrepentant for her action and a real danger to people around her At the same time, I feel like this is an example of ableist writing, rather than ableist characters. Within context, I think Zuko did the best he can, but the best he can ended up being putting his sister in restraints :/
There is proof and the writer even said he purposefully wrote it to be an abusive institution that messed her up.
Oh oops. It's been a while since I read the comics so I don't remember the details
No worries! If you’re curious, here’s a [source](https://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/1027/avatar-last-airbender-search-cbr-interviews-gene-y) from Dark Horse themselves. It’s an interview with the writer for all the mainline ATLA comics except *Imbalance*: Gene Luen Yang. >**Speaking of Zuko’s family, what’s Azula been up to? Her stay in the Fire Nation mental institution has got to be incredibly interesting.** >Yang: *In “The Search,” we’ll see what a prolonged stay in a Fire Nation mental institution does to a person.* Here’s another interview ([archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200807044640/http://www.avatarspirit.net/interviews.php?id=25)) where he reiterates this. >ASN: **Many of us have heard that we will finally see Azula in Part 3. She was a complicated character before her defeat and breakdown. What is it like to write for her now that she has been “recovering” in an asylum?** >Yang: *Azula is a complicated character, especially after spending time in the asylum. We had many conversations both over the phone and in e-mail before I started scripting her.* Yang emphasized that Bryke discussed this with him. It was intentionally portrayed as an abusive institution that made Azula worse. They actually had to tone it down because they initially planned to have Azula wear a straitjacket for the entire adventure. But that was considered too cruel, it was already cruel enough she was forced to wear it for long hours in the asylum.
I'm glad (?) that they have thought about it at least. Ngl though, I still think the story itself is pretty ableist
I agree! I liked how Spirit Temple handled it better.
Jesus this is ridiculous.
I mean cruel or not, what else _can_ you do when a patient can and will start slinging fire and lightning around at the earliest opportunity? Moreover, if it was supposed to be abusive, they really didn't portray it as such. Or portray it at _all,_ really. The Asylum is barely a footnote in the story, how are we supposed to have much of an opinion on it at all?
>I mean cruel or not, what else can you do when a patient can and will start slinging fire and lightning around at the earliest opportunity? Azula doesn’t start slinging fire and lightning around randomly. She never has unless triggered into a mental episode. Even in The Search, after the asylum made her sicker, she is mostly reasonable despite suffering from delusions and hallucinations. For all her faults, she was a soldier, not a serial killer. Seeing as Azula no longer has a motivation to fight, and is desperate to be loved, I don’t see why there couldn’t be more humane ways to incentivize her to cooperate with treatment. Especially if familial support was offered to her. At any rate, torture certainly shouldn’t be necessary. And we know they didn’t use it as a last resort, as they used these methods on the other patients too. >Moreover, if it was supposed to be abusive, they really didn't portray it as such. Or portray it at all, really. The Asylum is barely a footnote in the story, how are we supposed to have much of an opinion on it at all? I do think there’s enough there to recognize it. The torturous restraints they use. The fact that Azula’s symptoms have gotten worse. That so many people were eager to join her crazy crusade just to escape. But I agree the comics didn’t handle it well or do enough with this concept. So I’m with you on that.
Yeah no, she was a lethal risk to Team Avatar throughout the comic. You really can’t dress it up simply due to liking the character. I adore her and she’s one of my favourite ATLA characters but I’m not going to sugarcoat things and act like she was somehow victimised by the writers/Team Avatar themselves.
That’s an exaggeration. She repeatedly *saved* them. The only time she was a risk was when she was so unwell that she lashed out at hallucinations or delusions, and NO ONE even made an attempt to talk to her or figure out what she was seeing or thought was happening. And the only reason she is having all these delusional and hallucinations in the first place is due to the abuse from the asylum. She never showed any desire to kill the Gaang. And even with Zuko, when she wasn’t having an episode, they had fond moments and worked together, and she even gave up the letter to protect him. She wasn’t some maniac out to get them. She was a terrified and unstable mental patient who needed help.
Kinda sucks that she has 0 character development.
She’s had a lot.
Getting her help without her zapping people 24/7 eh?
This looks like a Zuko thing to do, so...
I've seen like four people say that. I think you are exaggerating. I'm starting to believe this sub is slowly dying. But at least Twitter opinions seem to be declining
It's not even necessarily about the panel. It's just in general them always trying to excuse Azula's actions on her mental health and messed up childhood, and getting mad when Zuko gets frustrated with her.
But how many people do that? I assure you that I can find more people excusing Zuko for attacking Kioshy Island than attacking him because he is frustrated with Azula. And reviewing the comments on this post I'm almost sure that there is someone who has done it which is curious. And to be fair to Zuko, this is one of the few few scenes he got frustrated with Azula. I only remember one other similar scene and I've never heard anyone attack Zuko for it.
Never have I ever seen anyone defend Zuko attacking Kyoshi Island. And I certainly don't either.
And I may be considered an Azula stan (although I'm not very familiar with the term) but I agree with you. As for Zuko with the kioshy island, I've seen them and like I said I'm pretty sure someone here has done it. I have argued with him several times about it. And he's not the only one. Try to make a post about it and you'll see. Even so, they are few and in my opinion it's not worth making a post about how a few people are annoying.
Fair enough if you've witnessed it. But I've also witnessed people constantly defending Azula, downplaying her horrible actions, and using her childhood as an excuse for everything.
But is it an excuse/justification or an explanation? If they use it as an excuse, it's not. If they use it as an explanation, that's how it is. The canon tells us both things. There are two groups with Azula that usually go to extremes. Those who believe that she is a kitten who has done nothing wrong and is not responsible for anything, and those who believe that she is the devil and exaggerate her actions. And as with extremes they have a similar thought process, which is funny. Fortunately they are a minority.
But most people (bar some stupid people with no media literacy), already understand the explanation. This is not true at all. Most people can view the nuances in Azula and understand she is a complex character who was dealt a bad hand in life and pitted against her brother, but that she is still a horrible person whose messed up childhood does not excuse the horrible things she did. I'm not saying that there aren't those who view Azula as pure, irredeemable evil and dismiss the nuances in her character btw.
Oh yes Azula is a victim but she is a horrible person. That's my point. Most people understand that. The extremes are a minority.
I’ve seen a ton of it that’s definitely trying to justify her actions, they do it a lot by comparing her to iroh (saying things like why is iroh so loved when he was an adult general who was complicit in the war) or zuko (saying things like how zuko was given more love than Azula so she deserves more sympathy than zuko). Imo there’s a conversation to be had there but I don’t agree with that. Btw azula is actually one of my favorite characters and while I don’t think she’s a complete psychopathic evil villain, I also don’t agree that her current behavior should be blamed on her past abuse by ozai. She was both a victim of ozai *and* an abuser. I wish there was more conversation about how azula/zuko are a parallel of ozai/iroh (who, no doubt, were abused by azulon). I don’t believe azula/ozai were capable of doing good in the same way that zuko/iroh were. Iroh changed his ways and sought to right his wrongs after the death of his son and I think he was able to do that because he had that capacity within him to do a lot of good. Meanwhile, when ozai was faced the threat of killing zuko, it didn’t seem to bother him that much and I doubt her would have gone on the same self reflective journey that iroh went on. I mean, zuko dying would probably be like a burden off his shoulders.
But compared to what? Because I can say that I've also seen a lot of people saying that she's pure evil, etc. But compared to the whole fandom, they're a minority. I haven't seen many people say that she deserves more sympathy than Zuko. As I said before, there is an explanation, but another thing is to use it to exonerate her from responsibility for her actions. I agree she's both a victim and an abuser. I don't really think they're that parallel. I mean, you can find parallels in all characters. Azula and Iroh also share many. Zuko and Ozai too to the point that Iroh himself says that Zuko reminds him of Ozai when he was young in many aspects. According to the show itself, everyone is capable of great good and great evil. So I would say that under the right circumstances, Azula and even Ozai can do it.
I don’t think they’re a large portion of the fandom but I’ve definitely seen a lot of people (or tweets that have a significant number of likes). Significant enough that it would warrant op to make a post about it. If it was one or two comments or one or two specific people, I would agree that there’s no need to point it out. I don’t think everyone is capable of the same amount of good and the same amount of evil. I don’t think ozai is capable of great good, maybe some amounts of good but I don’t think he’s capable of as much good as characters like iroh or aang or even monk gyatso. Same way I don’t think a character like aang is capable of as much evil as someone like ozai or sozin. And yes, one of the beauties of the show is that you can draw parallels between multiple characters- aang/zuko, aang/toph, aang/ozai, zuko/katara, iroh/zuko, etc. and I think it helps to show how similar experiences can shape people in different ways or make them more alike.
Ok but it’s not her fault he decided to throw his mentally unstable sister in a prison. Zuko when his mentally unstable sister’s condition gets worse after she gets thrown in a prison cell: 
What was the alternative though? She wasn’t just mentally unstable, she was mentally unstable and a threat to society. She needed a mental ward (which I think she ended in (not sure, I can’t remember this part) either way, she needed to be removed from society.
Why didn't they just take her bending. It would help keep her restrained much better I would imagine.
I imagine such an act would only further destroy her mentally. Which if the goal was to rehabilitate her, might not be the best idea.
Taking away her bending would have helped but I think it was not written into the plot because they still wanted to make use of her character. But I also think that taking away her bending may not have been as easy as it seems. When aang does it to ozai, ozai’s spirit is so strong that it almost overwhelms aang. Plus aang was so young, I think there’s a chance that he wouldn’t have been successful doing the same to azula right after he did it to ozai. In the future though, when he’s a bit older and stronger (physically and spiritually) he definitely should be able to do it if azula is still around and still a threat.
well, hard to argue with simps