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There are no clear-cut antagonists in Avatar: The Last Airbender, although Fire Lord Ozai tries his hardest to be typecast as a classic villain. Most characters in the story are trying to make sense of the world from their own, admittedly narrow, perspectives, naturally causing friction and conflict when their opinions clash with reality.
Many characters are despised for the roles they play in Avatar, particularly those who actively impede Team Avatar’s heroic attempts, but others exhibit streaks of independence that tend to come off as self-centered. That said, a few characters earn levels of hatred that aren’t entirely justified in the context of their actions.
10 Jet’s Childhood Experiences Are Both Sad And Relatable
Jet’s brand of incendiary tactics fly well with his young subordinates, and even Aang and Katara fall for his swashbuckling teenage Robin Hood charms.
Team Avatar has a rude awakening when Jet’s secret plan is exposed, but the latter refuses to back down from his path of violence, regardless of how many innocent lives are destroyed. That being said, it isn’t difficult for people to empathize with Jet’s methods, given that his parents were murdered by the Fire Nation.
9 Master Yu Is A Genuine Person At Heart, Even If He’s Swayed By The Promise Of Wealth
Master Yu’s talents land him a job on the Beifong Estate, where he “teaches” Toph the rudiments of Earthbending, at least until he discovers that she is a far greater bender than he will ever be.
Surprisingly, he doesn’t take this realization as a personal insult and instead praises Toph for her majestic skills in front of her father. Master Yu is a genuine person at heart despite his willingness to abduct Toph and force her to return home.
8 Chit Sang Maintains Sokka’s Secrecy As Part Of The Prisoner Code
Chit Sang continuously interferes with Sokka’s plan to escape from the Boiling Rock prison, insisting on his involvement in exchange for his silence. He’s a cold-hearted character, abandoning his so-called friends because he perceives them as dead weight.
On the other hand, Chit Sang doesn’t snitch to the Warden regarding Sokka and Zuko’s presence, instead redirecting the authorities’ attention to a particularly obnoxious guard, killing two birds with one stone in the process.
7 Fire Lord Azulon Isn’t A Fraction As Ruthless As His Younger Son, Ozai
Fire Lord Azulon is presumably born into a world at the mercy of the Fire Nation, explaining why he chooses to follow his father Sozin’s tyrannical strategies.
His armies and armadas wreak destruction on the Earth Kingdom and the Southern Water Tribe, and his gusto for martial conquest appears to be limitless. However, Azulon isn’t half as cruel or loathsome as Ozai, a fact supported by Iroh’s abiding love for his father.
6 Lo & Li Are Forced To Cater To Azula’s Inconsistent Whims
Princess Azula’s identical twin confidants, Lo & Li, live vicariously through their mistress’ bloodthirsty accomplishments. Their advice helps Azula improve her Zuko-targeting approach, earning the honor of speaking on the princess’ behalf after she formally conquers Ba Sing Se.
Nevertheless, Lo & Li bear the brunt of Azula’s psychological breakdown, obtaining a rather confusing punishment for speaking out of turn – Azula orders Lo’s banishment while pointing at Li.
5 Wan Shi Tong’s Reaction To Team Avatar’s Betrayal Is Justifiable
The Human and Spirit worlds have been kept separate since the era of Harmonic Convergence that gave birth to Avatar Wan, but spirits continue to flit between both worlds on occasion. One of the more prominent examples is Wan Shi Tong, an owl librarian whose only desire is to acquire and preserve knowledge from every corner of the globe.
He flies into a rage when Team Avatar tricks him and tries to have them killed for their deception, an unnecessarily hyperbolic response. At the same time, Wan Shi Tong’s hatred for human warmongering is completely justified.
4 General Old Iron Wants To Preserve The Sanctity Of Nature
General Old Iron appears in The Rift, a graphic novel trilogy set two years after the end of the Hundred Year War. He displays an inordinate amount of hostility towards human beings, mainly those he deems responsible for the death of his dear Lady Tienhai, but also for their utter disregard for the sanctity of nature.
Unfortunately, the tentative peace brokered between Old Iron and Avatar Yangchen is broken by the Rough Rhinos, forcing Aang to battle the ancient spirit into submission.
3 Hama’s Unforgivable Crimes Are Rooted In The Source Of Her Trauma
Hama’s Waterbending talents are extremely impressive, especially considering that she had to develop them in secret during her time in exile, far away from her beloved home in the Southern Water Tribe.
She is the first known Bloodbender in the Avatar franchise, passing her morbid skills down to her unwilling student, Katara. Hama’s thirst for revenge makes her commit horrible crimes against innocent people. Her crimes might be unforgivable, but they’re rooted in the source of her trauma.
2 Earth King Kuei Eventually Learns How To Effectively Administer His Kingdom
Earth King Kuei would have lived his entire life within the innermost wall of Ba Sing Se, with his Grand Secretariat feeding him lies about peace and prosperity.
His ignorance and naivety are borderline exasperating, all the more so because he refuses to see reason until Team Avatar shows him the Fire Nation drill lodged in the Outer Wall. Kuei’s inability to govern his kingdom isn’t entirely his fault, though, and he turns into a much more capable ruler in his later years.
1 Azula Is Powerful And Cunning But Nothing More Than A Pawn Under Her Father’s Thumb
Azula’s cunning mind and overwhelming strength make her an exceptionally difficult antagonist in Avatar to the point that she becomes Zuko’s biggest hurdle in the series finale. She demonstrates almost zero compassion for others, and even her closest friends, Mai and Ty Lee, only support out of fear (until they don’t).
However, Azula’s ego and narcissism can be traced back to Ozai’s toxic parenting style – he praises his daughter for exercising her authority even if it means hurting other people, a concept that she finds herself unable to unlearn.
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