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"The generations of headmistresses who came before you didn't teach Fire Nation kids to be strong—they traumatized them! They taught them to fear their friends and be suspicious of their neighbors. All this talk of "great Fire Nation leaders." You didn't make great leaders—you made Azula. You remember Azula, don't you? When she was playing as Fire Lord, she was so paranoid she bandished everyone close to her. The education of Royal Fire Academy gives these kids hurts them. I'm putting an end to it."

— Mai to Headmistress Shihan.

<infobox theme-source="nation"> <image source="image" /> <title source="name"><default>Ashes of the Academy</default></title> <group> <header>Creative</header> <label>Story by</label> <label>Art by</label> <label>Coloring by</label> <label>Lettering by</label> </group> <group> <header>Publication</header> <label>Issue</label> <label>Publisher</label> <label>Date of publication</label> <label>ISBN</label> <label>Series</label> <label>Pages</label> <label>Last comic</label> <label>Next comic</label> </group> <navigation></navigation> <header>Image gallery (6)</header> </infobox> Ashes of the Academy is a standalone graphic novel set in the Avatar universe, following Kiyi, Zuko, and Mai after Kiyi enrolls at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. Written by Faith Erin Hicks and illustrated by Peter Wartman in consultation with Avatar Studios, it was released on March 25, 2025. The story explores Mai's personal development and includes flashbacks depicting her earliest encounters with Azula at the Academy.

Overview

Kiyi, half-sister to Fire Lord Zuko, enrolls at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls! Known for its strict curriculum and even stricter instructors, Zuko worries for Kiyi.

When things take a turn for the worse and a seed of doubt about the new headmistress is planted, Zuko takes action by installing one of the people he trusts most, Mai, as an academy teacher. Can Mai keep a watchful eye over Kiyi and keep her on the right path, or will the academy's cruel culture shape her footsteps into those of her other half-sibling, Azula?

Synopsis

Ursa looks up at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls with concern, catching the attention of her son, Fire Lord Zuko. She expresses worry about the Academy's potential influence on her daughter Kiyi, citing how the institution may have shaped Azula. Zuko acknowledges the school's harsh past but reassures Ursa that things have changed under his rule. He promises to protect the new generation of students and encourages Ursa to believe in him if not the Academy. Ursa replies that she will try her best, and Zuko orders the Academy's gates to be opened.

Kiyi eagerly runs inside with Lihua, her friend since the "Kemurikage" conspiracy. Ursa and Zuko observe them, noting how long-overdue it was to open the Academy to commoner children. Ursa remarks that such reforms once would have been seen as attacks on tradition; Zuko replies that the Fire Nation needs new traditions, including openly teaching the truth about the Hundred Year War. Some noble parents exchange disapproving looks with commoner families. The Fire Lords admits that many parents oppose his reforms, but he hopes they will eventually accept them.

Still uneasy, Ursa wonders whether the Academy's old teachings helped create the Azula she lost. Zuko insists that Kiyi is not Azula and will be all right. To ease Ursa's concerns, Zuko introduces her to Shihan, the current headmistress. Their conversation starts amicably, but tensions rise when Shihan expresses admiration for her mentor Pearl, who served under Fire Lord Ozai. Zuko warns Shihan that he intends for the Academy to be a different place than it was under Ozai. Shihan argues that weakening its curriculum would "coddle" students. Zuko rejects this, saying he is safeguarding the Fire Nation's future through honesty and reform, and that he expects Shihan to comply. She reluctantly agrees.

As students enter the Academy, Lihua confides in Kiyi that noble students intimidate her, but Kiyi reassures her that she will protect her. In class, their teacher stops reading a history book when it states the Fire Nation began the Hundred Year War. She objects to the "accusatory" wording, but Kiyi insists the book is correct and cites Fire Lord Sozin's colonization of the Earth Kingdom. The teacher admits Sozin did terrible things but says she feels uncomfortable teaching history that casts the Fire Nation as villains. Kiyi argues that learning the truth is necessary so history does not repeat itself, citing Zuko as an example of a Fire National who acted for peace. The teacher hesitates, and resumes reading.

During recess, Kiyi and Lihua climb a playground structure and are confronted by Diu, Chen, and Qiang, three of the noble students Lihua had expressed fear of earlier. Diu offers to let Kiyi hang out with her and the other two noble students, but insists that Lihua leave, decrying the latter as a "peasant". Kiyi responds by insulting Diu, before Lihua suggests the two of them leave. However, Diu responds by attacking and knocking her off the castle with firebending. Furious, Kiyi attacks Diu with her own firebending.

Following the altercation, Kiyi and Lihua are forced to meet with Shihan in the headmistress's office. To Kiyi's fury, Shihan accuses her and Lihua of attacking first, while making clear that she will not punish Diu, Chen, and Qiang on account of their noble heritage. She declares that Lihua will have to stay after school and clean the classrooms as punishment for her supposed role in the fight, and dismisses the two students with a warning to listen to their betters in the future. After they leave, Lihua expresses a desire to return to her old school, but Kiyi reminds her of her assurance that she would protect her, declaring that Shihan will regret messing with a Fire Nation princess.

The next day, Zuko confronts Shihan regarding her classist handling of the fight. He expresses concern that Shihan is not suited to be in charge of the institution, but Shihan replies that she has the support of Zuko's most influential citizens, and that they will continue to back her as headmistress. Zuko tells her he is appointing Mai as a new teacher. Remembering Mai as the daughter of former Omashu governor Ukano, Shihan accepts the appointment.

Later, Zuko visits Mai at Mura's flower shop to invite her to teach at the Academy. Mai doubts she would be suitable for the role on account of her antisocial nature, but Mura claims she is a good person beneath her gloomy exterior, and Zuko adds that she is a good sister to Tom-Tom. Mai expresses concern that Shihan will see her as Zuko's informant and not co-operate with her. Zuko explains that the headmistress was amenable to the appointment as he told Shihan that she was Ukano's daughter, much to Mai's frustration. However, when Mura encourages Mai to accept the teaching position, claiming that doing something new would benefit her, Mai reluctantly takes up the job.

Arriving at the Academy, Mai is reminded of her first day as a student. Ukano instructed her to befriend powerful children, especially Azula, to secure future political advantages. Mai witnessed Azula burning another student's toy out of petty malice, yet Ukano still insisted that Mai befriend her.

Back in the present day, Mai meets Shihan in her office. Noticing a large portrait of Pearl in the room, Mai questions whether the former headmistress is still teaching, but Shihan replies that Pearl is retired. She shows Mai a selection of honors Pearl had received from Sozin and Ozai, which the former headmistress had left to Shihan as a reminder to uphold the majesty of the Fire Nation's long history. Mai is disdainful of this notion, claiming it would be better to uphold as little as possible from Sozin and Ozai's reigns as Fire Lord, and that she intends to teach the Academy's students the truth about what happened during the Hundred Year War. She leaves the office, and Shihan wishes her luck.

During her first class, Mai abandons a planned lesson after Kiyi panics at a cicada beetle on her shoulder. She teaches the class about bugs instead, allowing them to explore outdoors, which frustrates Shihan, who claims the students of the Academy need to be taught about discipline, war, and politics. Mai argues that the Academy's old values glorified domination and contributed to the Fire Nation's downfall. She declares she will teach students to love bugs as opposed to war, claiming it to be the version of the Fire Nation's future that makes the most sense to her.

Mai recalls doubting Ukano's insistence that she befriend Azula. Ukano argued that powerful people rise by refusing to let others stand in their way and that Mai should choose to be powerful rather than trampled. Another flashback shows Azula threatening Hong by implying she could influence her brother's military reassignment. Hong begs for help; Azula manipulates her into political allegiance. Due to his father's insistence, Mai proceeded to approach Azula as she sat with Ty Lee and some other students within the Academy grounds. She demonstrated her knife-throwing skills by throwing two knives at Azula, narrowly missing her, before offering that skill if the princess befriended her. Azula accepted the offer and lead Mai away toward some people she claimed need knives thrown at them.

In the present day, Mai sets up a tightrope between two trees in the Academy grounds as Kiyi, Lihua, and some other students observe her. As Mai works, Kiyi suggests that she get back together with Zuko, but Mai shows little interest in doing so. She tells the students about Ty Lee and how she taught Mai how to walk a tightrope, before allowing Kiyi to have a try on it. While being assisted along the tightrope by Mai, Kiyi asks her what Azula was like during her time at the Academy.

Kiyi's question causes Mai to recall an occasion when Azula used her relation to Ozai to implicitly threaten Hong, a student who had previously disagreed with her. She claimed that Hong's brother, a soldier in the Fire Army, was due to be transferred to the front lines of the war; after a terrified Hong begged Azula to help her brother, Azula offered to try and persuade Ozai to do so, provided Hong agreed to support her during the next debate class. Hong fearfully accepted the offer and expressed regret over previously disagreeing with Azula; happy that she and Hong were "friends" again, Azula walked off with a smug smile on her face.

Mai answers Kiyi's question by saying that Azula was terrifying and cruel, and admits that she nevertheless wanted to be around her, since she made Mai feel like she mattered. Kiyi brings up her kidnapping by Azula and the Fire Warriors, and questions how Azula could do such a thing to her own sister. Mai has no answer for her, and she suggests that Azula might not know herself.

Mai recalls another past memory. While reading within an unused classroom, she was found by Azula, who revealed that Hong and her friend Peijing were going to fight an Agni Kai. She explained that Hong's brother had been sent to the front, greatly distressing Hong, and admitted to revealing to Hong that Peijing had lied about being from Fire Fountain City, having actually grown up in the Fire Nation's colonies in the Earth Kingdom. She remarked that Hong took this reveal badly, before the two of them headed to the Academy's courtyard, where they found Hong, Peijing, and a number of other students all gathered.

Pearl and Shihan arrived at the courtyard, and Pearl questioned Hong and Peijing about their dispute. Based on what Azula told her, Hong claimed that Peijing was a traitor and was secretly spending time with Earth Kingdom rebels, with Azula quietly revealing to Mai that she made the latter part up. Though she previously tried to make Hong see reason, Peijing stated that she could not allow the other girl's accusations to stand, and the two of them prepared to fight under Pearl's supervision, Azula expressing excitement at the thought that they could legitimately hurt each other. As Mai and all the gathered students besides Azula watched with horror, Hong and Peijing fought, with Peijing ultimately defeating and injuring the other girl. Pearl asked the other students what lesson they should take from these events, Azula answering that a person should trust no-one, including their friends, as other people would always look to undermine them. She concluded by saying that one should strive to be better than the people around them in order to be able to deal with them when they inevitably reveal their true colors, much to Pearl's approval. Pearl had the students return to class. As they did so, Mai and Shihan exchanged disapproving looks with one another.

In the present day, Mai and her class dig up some nesting cicada beetles and move them to a terrarium set up within their classroom in order to watch them hatch. They are interrupted when another student arrives and informs Mai that two other students are about to fight within the courtyard. Mai leaves to put a stop to it, with Kiyi and Lihua following her. Entering the courtyard, Mai finds that the two students at odds are Chen and Diu, with Chen accusing Diu of talking about her behind her back with Quian, and Diu accusing Chen of being paranoid. Chen claims to Mai that Diu is spreading lies about her; when Mai questions why Chen would think such a thing, Chen answers that she had been warned by her mother to not trust any friends she made at the Academy.

Shihan arrives and urges them to settle the dispute via Agni Kai. Mai objects, arguing that violent traditions should be abandoned. She points out that education provided by the Academy never made students stronger or capable leaders, but instead taught them to distrust the people around them, citing how Azula ended up overwhelmed by her paranoia. Mai ends the conflict and sends the students back to class.

That evening, Shihan visits the retired Pearl. She tells the former headmistress about Zuko's desire to change things at the Academy, before admitting that she herself is starting to doubt the Academy's past way of doing things thanks to Mai. Pearl insists that the Academy's traditional ways are the only ones that work, but Shihan is unconvinced, and Pearl berates her for her change of heart, reminding Shihan that she took the younger woman in, and claiming that as the third daughter of a minor noble house, Shihan had no future besides the one Pearl gave her. Shihan stands up and tell Pearl that she is grateful for her past help, but that she will guide the Academy's students as she sees fit. Pearl is outraged, but Shihan states that the former headmistress has no power over her, and leaves her house while expressing hope that her predecessor will find peace. Fuming at this, Pearl summons her servant and orders him to contact his Dai Li brother.

The next morning, Shihan tells Mai she was right about the Academy and admits tradition alone shaped her decisions. She explains that she never tried to stop the Agni Kai between Hong and Peijing because she thought violence was simply an inherent part of the Fire Nation, but having met Mai, a woman who believed there was a different future available for the Fire Nation's daughters, she now wants to believe otherwise. With that, the two women part amicably.

After concluding another day of school and seeing off Kiyi and the other students, Mai finds herself visited by Zuko and Ty Lee, the latter explaining that she heard from Zuko about Mai's work at the Academy and wanted to see how it was going. When Zuko says that he has not heard from Mai in a while, she expresses frustration at him feeling the need to check up on her, reminding him that he previously claimed to trust her, and telling him that she does not need him watching over her to make sure she is acting in accordance with his desires for the Fire Nation. Zuko concedes the point and admits that he needs to do a better job trusting the people he knows are on his side. Mai expresses her agreement, whereupon Ty Lee commends the pair for resolving their disagreement peacefully.

Mai gives Zuko and Ty Lee a tour of the Academy. The three of them come across two men in green clothes — one of them Pearl's servant — waiting outside Shihan's office. Mai questions the pair about their presence, the servant claiming to be a parent of an Academy student, and that he is there to meet with Shihan. When Shihan leaves her office, the other man in green grabs her, while the servant attacks Mai, Zuko, and Ty Lee with earthbending. The trio evade the attacks, but find themselves limited in their ability to fight back. Mai keeps Zuko from firebending lest he hurt Shihan, and when Ty Lee tells her to use a knife, she admits that she is not currently carrying any, having feared that bringing them to the Academy would endanger the students there.

The Dai Li drag Shihan into Mai's classroom, the other three Fire Nationals following them. Mai throws one of her shoes at the classroom's terrarium, breaking the glass and causing the cicada beetles within to fly out and swarm the Dai Li, allowing Shihan to get away from them. The headmistress runs off to get help as Zuko and Ty Lee battle the Dai Li. The Dai Li reveal themselves to be loyal to Azula, whom they believe will one day return to the capital and reward her loyalists while punishing those who betrayed her. Mai knocks out one of them with a pair of thrown books — deriding his support of Azula as she does so — while Ty Lee subdues the other with chi-blocking.

Later that day, the two Dai Li are cuffed and led away by some of Zuko's soldiers. Shihan drags out the portrait of Pearl that had previously hung in her office, and lets it fall to the floor before repeatedly stomping on it. Mai identifies the Dai Li agents Azula bought back with her following the Coup of Ba Sing Se, and remarks that they had been hiding out in the Fire Nation while waiting for Azula's return, with Shihan adding that Pearl had been harboring them. Ty Lee is unsurprised by this, having seen Pearl's unpleasant nature during her own early days at the Academy, and Shihan expresses frustration at herself for only becoming aware of this now. After these events, Mai and Ty Lee reflect on Mai's enjoyment of teaching and Ty Lee's joining of the Kyoshi Warriors, both stating they were very happy for one another.

Production notes

Transcript

Main article: Transcript:Ashes of the Academy

Series continuity

• One of Pearl's honors is a model of a Fire Nation cruiser.
• The history teacher recites the opening narration: “Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony…”
• Ty Lee mentions taking a break from tracking Azula, placing this after Azula in the Spirit Temple.

Goofs

• Kiyi says that Roku was her "great-great grandfather", but he was her great-grandfather.
• A classroom map misrepresents Ba Sing Se, depicting the Agrarian Zone as a giant lake and Lake Laogai and the inner city as islands.
• When the history teacher resumes reading from the textbook after Kiyi's criticism of the teacher's criticism of the text, one word is different, changing from "Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked." to "Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked".
• In digital copies, Zuko misnames Mai's father as "Ukeno"; physical copies correctly name him Ukano.
• In the flashbacks to Mai's time in the Academy, Azula tells her that Peijing lied about being from Fire Fountain City, when she was actually from Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom. However, the fire fountain whose popularity led North Chung-Ling to change its name was made in "Fire Lord" Ozai's image, making it impossible for the city to have that name while Azulon was Fire Lord, Ozai also not expected to become Fire Lord as Iroh was his heir.
• When Mai describes Azula "playing at Fire Lord", the digital edition contains the incorrect preposition "at".

Trivia

• In a preview of the comic published on Edelweiss, notes of the creation process were included in one of Ursa's speech bubbles. These reveal that a friend of Kiyi, Lihua, is meant to be a character previously seen in Smoke and Shadow.
• A boxed set collecting this graphic novel, The Bounty Hunter and the Tea Brewer, and Azula in the Spirit Temple was released as Fire and Family Treasury on September 16, 2025.

See also

• List of Avatar: The Last Airbender comics