|
The '''Columbretes Islands''' are a group of small uninhabited [[islet]]s of volcanic origin, in the [[Mediterranean Sea]], 30 [[nautical mile]]s off [[Oropesa del Mar]] in [[Castellón (province)|Castellón]] ([[Spain]]). The main islets are '''Illa Grossa''' (or '''Columbrete Grande'''), '''La Ferrera''', '''La Foradada''' and '''El Carallot'''. The added up emerged area of all four is around 0,19 km² and the highest peak 67 m.
{{Infobox Avatar: The Last Airbender character|
| image = [[Image:Azula.jpg|300px|center]]
| name = Azula
| nationality = [[Fire Nation]]
| gender = Female
| hair = Brown
| eyes = Golden brown
| age = 14
| position = Fire Nation [[Princess]]
| appearance = [[The Storm (Avatar: The Last Airbender episode)|The Storm]]
| voice = [[Grey DeLisle]]
}}
Since 1988 the [[archipelago]] is a [[natural park]], appreciated by [[sea bird]]s as an optimal place for their reproductive activities. The local colony of [[Audouin's Gull]]s, a species listed as Near Threatened globally, is one of the most important in the world and key to the species ongoing recovery in the Spanish Mediterranean. This is also one of the few stable locations of [[Eleanora's Falcon]] in Spain.
'''Princess Azula''' is a [[fictional character]] voiced by [[Grey DeLisle]] on the [[2005]] [[animated television series]] ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]].''
The submerged area is as much relevant in terms of conservation and it covers 400 km² where an important community of submarine wildlife thrives undisturbed. It became protected as a [[Marine reserve]] in 1990.
The largest island, '''Illa Grossa''', stands in the place of an ancient crater and so it shows a distinctive semi-circular pattern. There are no constructions in it, except for a jetty, a 19th-century lighthouse, and the installations used by the biologists working in the natural park.
{{spoilers}}
These islands were known by [[Greeks]] and [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] from ancient times, and were even mentioned by [[Strabo]] and [[Pliny the Elder]] among others. Those travellers were marveled at the astonishing amount of snakes inhabiting them. The names ''Ophiusa'' and ''Colubraria'' by which they were named (both meaning serpent in Greek and Latin, respectivelly) refer to that fact. It is from its Latin name Colubraria that the islands have their present denomination.
== History ==
Azula is [[Prince Zuko|Zuko]]'s younger sister, first seen in the audience at Zuko's ill-fated ''[[Firebender#Agni Kai|Agni Kai]].'' She is named for her grandfather, Ozai's father, [[List of Avatar: The Last Airbender minor secondary characters#Fire Lord Azulon|Fire Lord Azulon]]. Azula seems to take great pleasure in the punishment inflicted on her brother Zuko, and may hold designs on his throne. Zuko and [[Uncle Iroh|Iroh]] both express resentment towards her. Zuko dislikes her because she was favored by the [[List of Avatar: The Last Airbender major secondary characters#Fire Lord Ozai|Fire Lord Ozai]] and Iroh dislikes her most likely because she is a spoiled little brat. Being a [[Firebender|firebending]] prodigy, and the favored sibling, nearly everyone adored her, and judging by her ship and soldiers, was given the better treatment. In the final seconds of the [[Siege of the North|first season finale]], Fire Lord Ozai gave her the task of capturing Zuko and Iroh.
Upon the construction of the lighthouse during mid-19th century in the Illa Grossa a tiny population was established in the main island for its maintenace and in order to deter contrabandists which used the islets as a refuge. Farm animals such as pigs were introduced. This, combined with aggressive practices such as the burning of the original bushy vegetation of the lighthouse island (partly for agricultural uses and also to deliberately deprive the vipers of their natural habitat), caused that the snakes had vanished from the islands by the turning of the century. The only testimony of that past abundance that remains today is a stuffed viper from the Columbretes in [[Madrid]]'s [[Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales]].
In "[[The Avatar State]]," Azula attempts and fails to capture Zuko and Iroh, (now considered traitors to the [[Fire Nation]]) luring Zuko with the false promise of being accepted back home with open arms. When Zuko learns of the deception, he attacks her, but is unable to land a single blow. However, her over-inflated ego was certainly damaged when Iroh channeled her lightning attack away from Zuko and into a cliff, and then kicked her off the edge of her ship and into the ocean.
Nowadays, after being given the natural park status, pigs were exterminated while the lighthouse is automatic, which reduces the human presence only to the one of biologists assigned to the park's management.
Later she appears in "[[Return to Omashu]]" to recruit her childhood friends, [[Ty Lee]] and [[Mai]], to help her with her task of capturing her brother and her uncle. Ty Lee, who was "persuaded" by Azula, decides to join her and the two travel to Omashu (which Azula later names The City of New Ozai), where they meet up with their friend, Mai. Unlike Ty Lee, Mai easily agreed to join the Princess in her quest. It is during this episode that Azula first encounters the Avatar Aang and is where she soon seeks him as another target.
Due to its isolation, the islands are inhabited by an endemic species of small lizard. Besides, the islets are very important during Spring and Autumn [[bird migration]]s, since many different species use them as a brief stop in order to rest.
In "[[The Chase]]", Princess Azula and her two friends follow the Avatar group in a Fire Nation machine. After wearing down the foursome, the Avatar gang decide to split up as Aang tries to lead Azula and her friends astray from Sokka and Katara's trail, but it does not work for Azula decides to follow the Avatar while Mai and Ty Lee follow the other two (Toph had seperated herself from the group long before the deadly threesome made an appearance). Azula spots the Avatar in an abandoned town and there she gets ready to fight him as well as her brother [[Zuko]], who quickly was able to drop in on the battle as he aimed to capture the Avatar also. Azula fights the two boys and later on Katara with her blue fire and lightning bending, but in the end she is cornered. At first she seems to willingly give up as she said "Well, look at this. Enemies and traitors all working together. I’m done. I know when I’m beaten. You got me. A princess surrenders with honor." But to everyone's surprise and dismay, Azula quickly attacks Iroh with a surge of blue fire, and is able to escape as the four benders ready to hit her with their element.
== PersonalityExternal links ==
* [http://parquesnaturales.gva.es/i/espnaturales.htm Official site of the Natural Park (in English)].
Azula relentlessly drills herself towards perfection and will settle for nothing less from herself or those that serve her. She exhibits a need to be the best among her peers; even as child she was seen to react violently when another child would outdo her. She was likely spoiled by her father as a young child. She is rather vain, constantly playing with her hair and examining her cat-like nails, and believes that power and domination are what makes a person strong.
* [http://www.mapa.es/rmarinas/index_rm.htm Official site of the Spanish Marine Reserves, including the Columbretes (in Spanish)]
{{coor title dm|39|53|N|0|41|E|}}
Her lack of remorse and borderline [[Sadism and Masochism|sadistic]] aggression suggests that Azula could be a [[sociopath]] — her own mother even remarked, "What is wrong with that child?" In "[[Zuko Alone]]," upon hearing of her uncle [[Uncle Iroh|Iroh]]'s misfortune on the battlefront, she was convinced her uncle was simply a "loser and quitter," unlike her brother [[Prince Zuko|Zuko]], who was sympathetic to his plight. This cruelty extends into her overall lack of compassion and love for her family, excluding her father, the Fire Lord [[List of Avatar: The Last Airbender major secondary characters#Fire Lord Ozai|Ozai]], who also exhibits this trait yet favors his prodigious daughter. This mental [[dissociation]] prevents even those closest to her from holding any sway over her actions, and family thus holds little meaning to her; she once mercilessly attacked her uncle so that she could escape danger and save herself. She also did not seem to care when her mother disappeared or when her grandfather died, instead only appreciating her father's dishonorous gall in stealing Iroh's birthright to the throne.
[[Category:Islands of Spain]]
Most of all, she enjoys torturing Zuko, calling him "Zuzu," a [[nickname]] he detests and frequently tells her not to use. She derives pleasuere from reminding him of his inferiority in their father's eyes. She is likewise vindictive and ruthless with others, and does not hesitate to threaten those who would disobey or fail to fufill her wishes.
[[Category:Natural parks of Spain]]
[[Category:Castellón province]]
Azula's near-mastery of the firebending art has not helped curb her attitude. Her characteristic blue [[flame]]s symbolize the power she possesses and constantly seeks to increase. Her [[apathy]] also accounts for her ability to create and direct [[lightning]], the "cold-blooded fire"; according to Iroh, the skill requires complete control of all emotion, which would not prove difficult for Azula with her one-track [[mentality]].
[[Category:Lighthouses in Spain]]
[[ca:Illes Columbretes]]
== Abilities ==
[[de:Islas Columbretes]]
Azula is revealed to be proficient in the highly difficult technique of creating and controlling [[lightning]] (a technique previously only displayed by Iroh in the episode "[[The Storm (Avatar: The Last Airbender episode)|The Storm]]").
[[es:Islas Columbretes]]
[[fr:Îles Columbretes]]
The most noticeable features of Princess Azula's bending are her ability to create lightning and her characteristic blue flames, both of which are much more intense than the red and yellow fire normally used by firebenders. Also notable is her ability to produce much larger flames than previously displayed by most other firebenders on the show. These abilities when combined with her expert martial arts skills and aggression make her extremely dangerous.
[[uk:Колумбретес]]
== Allies ==
As of the season two episode "[[Return to Omashu]]", Princess Azula is travelling with her old friends [[List of Avatar: The Last Airbender major secondary characters#Ty Lee|Ty Lee]] and [[List of Avatar: The Last Airbender major secondary characters#Mai|Mai]] in search of Zuko and Iroh, who were now proclaimed to be traitors by her father Fire Lord Ozai. They also seek to find and capture the Avatar, although only as a secondary goal. While Ty Lee did not want to join Azula on her mission, Azula's methods of persuasion (by ordering the circus ringmaster to make Ty Lee's performance in "Return to Omashu" increasingly more dangerous) were enough to change her mind. Mai, however, was more than willing to join Azula in her mission, claiming that her lifestyle in Omashu was deathly boring.
== Family ==
=== Fire Lord Ozai ===
Explicitly stated by Zuko, Azula is favoured by their father, Fire Lord Ozai; her cruelty and sadistic attitude is only matched by his. As firebending prodigy and the favored sibling, everyone adored her and, judging by her ship and soldiers, she was given the better treatment. In the final seconds of the season one finale, Fire Lord Ozai gave her the task of capturing Zuko and Iroh.
=== Princess Ursa ===
Little has been revealed of the relationship between Azula and her mother, Princess Ursa. It is known that she cared deeply for the neglected Zuko, despite her daughter Princess Azula having better Firebending powers. This is a direct contrast to her husband Ozai's feelings towards his children, who has stated that while Azula was "born lucky," Zuko was "lucky to be born." It is also seen that Azula was often scolded by Ursa for the mean and disrespectful remarks she made about her brother, uncle, or grandfather.
In one scene she is shown saying goodbye to Zuko, while some one in the hallway is running about. She is shown tense and in a hurry at this time, suggesting that she may be leaving Zuko for an extended period of time or permanently for some reason. This is later touched upon in "Zuko Alone," when Azula claims Zuko that his Father was going to have to kill him after angering the then Fire Lord Azulon. Zuko tells himself that Azula is just lying, but as his mom gives him her final goodbyes, she states that everything she has done has been to protect him. Despite the fact that Ursa disappears on the same night that Azulon dies, it is unclear what exactly took place or how these two events are related. Ursa's ultimate fate is unknown. It is noted, however, that Azula seems to show no concern or sadness at all over the death of her grandfather or the disapperance of her own mother; like her father Ozai, family seems to be pale in comparison to her desire for power.
=== Zuko ===
Zuko, a.k.a. Zuzu (the nickname in which Azula had called him in "[[The Avatar State]]" and also in "[[The Chase]]"), is Azula's older brother, but there is no love between the two. She takes pleasure in his suffering and may hold designs on his throne. Azula has been known to lie and deceive her brother and use psychological torture against him, even when they were both children. Zuko distinctly hates his sister, resenting the fact that she is the favoured sibling in their father's eyes and that she is a firebending prodigy. He is determined to defeat her, no matter the cost.
=== Iroh ===
Like Zuko, Iroh cares little for Azula. Even as a child, Azula had a considerably low opinion of her uncle; she promptly torched a doll he had sent her from an Earth Kingdom city he had recently conquered and called Iroh a "quitter and loser" for losing heart and failing to capture Ba Sing Se after the death of his son Lu Ten. Unlike Zuko, Iroh is not blinded by emotion and can see through Azula's lies. Despite Iroh's tendencies to avoid unnecessary conflict, he knows that she is sadistic and will go as far as teaching Zuko more difficult bending techniques in order to help him defeat her. Iroh likely surpasses Azula in terms of bending ability and they are the only characters so far who can create lightning; however, Iroh's weakness lies in his carefree nature and has been viciously attacked by Azula successfully as a result.
== Relationships ==
=== Aang ===
Aang, as the Avatar, has become Azula's target along with her brother and uncle.
=== Ty Lee ===
Ty Lee regards Azula as a friend, but ever since they were both children, she hasn't treated Ty Lee as a friend. Because Azula cannot stand to be "number two", even as a child, she shoved Ty Lee to the ground when she could do acrobatic flips that Azula couldn't. Presently, Azula seems to show just as little mercy to her "friends" as she does to her adversaries.
=== Mai ===
Like Ty Lee, she regards Azula as a friend. However, like Ty Lee, Azula treats her with little concern, doing things like as causing her brother Zuko to fall with Mai into the water in order to laugh at them when they were children.
== Trivia ==
* Azula appears to be one of the only female Firebenders on the series sp far.
* Azula is the [[Firebender]] [[silhouett]]ed in the opening credits of the series.
* Azula's name probably comes from the [[Spanish]]/[[Portuguese]] word for [[blue]]: ''azul'', a fitting reference to her use of blue [[fire]] and [[lighting]] in her firebending; also, the name "''Azula''" may probably be a deliberate [[corruption (grammar)|corruption]] of the [[Sanskrit]] word "''[[Asura]]''": mythical [[demon]]s of [[Hinduism|Hindu]] and [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] [[mythology]].
* In [[Chinese]] [[custom]]s, bangs are a sign of being a [[bachelorette]]. {{fact}} While Mai and Ty Lee have bangs, Azula does not. However, due to her high social class, she may not be bound to such customs.
{{Avatar}}
[[Category:Avatar: The Last Airbender characters|Azula, Princess]]
[[Category:Nicktoon villains|Azula, Princess]]
[[Category:Fictional pyrokineticists|Azula, Princess]]
[[Category:Fictional electrokineticists|Azula, Princess]]
[[Category:Fictional princesses|Azula, Princess]]
[[Category:Fictional sociopaths|Azula, Princess]]
[[Category:Fictional sadists|Azula, Princess]]
[[Category:Unemotional fictional characters|Azula, Princess]]
| 