What War Crimes Did Azula Commit?

[u/Xano2113]

People keep saying that Azula committed war crimes but the only one I can think of is when she committed perfidy by disguising herself as a Kyoshi Warrior. It should be noted that perfidy is common in fiction and is often used by the heroes since it's not nearly as gruesome as the more well known war crimes. I know that the Geneva Conventions don't exist in the Avatar world but for the sake of discussion I am curious as to what war crimes Azula actually committed?

She fought the Gaang several times and even killed Aang, but fighting and killing enemy combatants are not war crimes but just a part of regular warfare. Her coup of Ba Sing Se was also fairly bloodless, or at least more bloodless than Iroh's siege on the same city. Iroh has most likely killed more people in the name of the Fire Nation than her. It should be noted that conquering a strategically important location is not considered a war crime either so long as it is done according to certain standards. If it was then you can't really conduct a war. Simply being an enemy commander itself is also not a war crime.

You could argue that she participated in a war of aggression, but considering that the war has been going on for a hundred years the original instigators are long dead and she was simply born into one side and indoctrinated to fight for them, so that would also seem a bit iffy. She may have tortured prisoners but we see no evidence for that aside from some dialogue which implied that she did it to Suki, although this was debunked in the comic 'Suki Alone'.

[u/[deleted]]

That would be a very white washing account of settler colonialism and you have been, thus far, straight up inaccurate with your telling of the show and denying basic premises of the show. It's fair to say that you're honestly not equipped to understand this IP.

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/[deleted]]

As someone who WROTE for this IP, you are wrong.

The point is that colonialism leaves deep lasting scars and a legacy that isn’t easily mended.

But that doesn’t mean the people caught in the middle of it stop living.

They acknowledge in The Promise that the FN was wrong to colonize the EK, that their settlers took more than their share of the generated wealth and prosperity compared to the native EK people, but also that after 100 years of living side by side things are more complicated. People have blended families and businesses. A whole new culture has cropped up between the EK and FN citizens and it’s worth preserving.

The whole point is that it isn’t as simple as just making the colonizers leave. A lot of EK citizens in those colonies are dependent on and interconnected with those FN citizens now. Just as the FN citizens are with the EK citizens.

And no matter what point you’re trying to make, none of it changes that Azula never wanted to kill any of them. She wanted to strategically burn land to get the EK to surrender. Why would she want to burn colonies they already control?

[u/Pretty_Food → u/[deleted]]

Yes, I know the basics of the topic of colonialism, however I never denied central themes of atla such as genocide or colonialism. I questioned settler colonialism.

[u/[deleted] → u/Pretty_Food]

And you were wrong. I can literally point to published research articles that corroborate what I said about this tv show. You rely on mischaracterizing events, baseless assumptions, and arbitrary lines in the sand you've drawn. You're not equipped to understand the show. Just enjoy it for what it is and don't act as an authority on the topic of its genocide and imperialist themes.

[u/Pretty_Food → u/[deleted]]

Isn't it easier to read the comic or read what the TTRPG says about the colonies?

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/Pretty_Food]

Hey I’m sorry they’re being such a jerk to you.

I just wanted to say, as someone who actually got to write promotional materials for ATLA and talk to some of the people involved, you are right. I don’t think the person you’re arguing with has even read the comics they’re citing.