Azula is always aiming for the bigger picture.

Princess Azula, the daughter of Firelord Ozai, is undoubtedly one of the strongest female characters in the show, making her one of the cruelest antagonists in Avatar the Last Airbender. Known for being the only firebender capable of creating blue flames, she is intelligent, cruel, and always one step ahead of everyone, and nothing displays it better than the opening episode of Season 3.

While she succeeds in almost killing Aang, the firebender refuses to take the credit when meeting her father, and the motivations behind this decision further cement her as one of the best villains.

Avatar the Last Airbender Director Details Azula’s Motivations Behind Giving Zuko Credit

Joining Janet Varney and Basco on the Avatar: Braving The Elements podcast, the director detailed his reasoning behind why Azula refused to take the glory of almost killing Aang. In the opening episode of Season 3, the firebender forfeits her glory of striking the Avatar down to her brother Zuko when the two meet their father, Fire Lord Ozai. It was reasonably surprising for fans, as Azula wasn’t too fond of her brother, but it appears, like always, she was one step ahead.

Considering she was aware of the fact that waterbenders have the ability to heal wounds, Azula was aware of the fact the job wasn’t done after Kantara made an escape with an injured Aang. So instead of taking the burden of a potential failure in front of her father, she gave Zuko the glory of striking Aang down. Giancarlo Volpe explained:

“Of course, she’s thinking she’s not gonna go back to dad and say ‘Dad, I’m so sorry. I had the Avatar dead to rights and I could have killed him, but Katara swooped in at the last minute, and I think she had healing water.’ ‘Cause that’d make her look bad, but if she goes ‘Zuko finally got something right and killed the Avatar…’ Now, Fire Lord is like ‘Wow! What a surprise, Zuko of all people?’ And then when we find out he’s still alive, ‘Of course Zuko screwed that up” is what Ozai’s gonna think. This is the chess board that Azula is working with.”

Volpe’s explanation further stands as a testament to her competence as a villain, making her one if not the best the series had to offer.

Netflix Is Already Deviating From the Source Material With Azula

Unlike the animated series, in which she doesn’t appear until the second season, Azula appears prematurely in the first, with the show sowing the seeds to make her a more sympathetic character. Reflecting on this decision, showrunner Albert Kim told SFX Magazine:

“We know how big a character Azula becomes in the series, so we had the benefit of hindsight in fleshing out her character and being able to tell a story with her in it in Season 1.”

Considering she never actually gets a redemption arc, unlike her brother Zuko, who was meant to be redeemed, it appears Netflix might be notably shifting from its source material in the future.