I love the layers of this fight scene. The layers…
I’m pretty sure this is the first time Azula has ever been intimidated by her brother. She thinks she knows him, knows what to expect fighting him, but the Sun Warriors taught Zuko how to Firebend not from a place of rage, but purpose. His attacks are so much more controlled, and for the first time, he poses a real threat to her.
Sokka, my boy Sokka, has only been even wielding a sword for what, like a month? And here he is, putting Azula on the defence with it. The close-up of her smirk breaking into genuine fear when he swings and nearly forces her over the edge is so telling that she was not expecting him to actually go for such a move.
Azula is constantly on the offensive in pretty much every other fight scene she’s ever been in, but against Sokka and Zuko here, she’s much more cautious. The girl obviously did not expect such a challenge but they brought it. The way they rotate around each other in attacking is wild, and I truly believe this could have been Azula’s defeat if not for interference.
